Monday, January 30, 2017

"Therefore They Hushed Their Fears." 1.30.17

Hello Friends and Family,

It's been a great week! I'm not sure if I have hit the point of being too lazy to write a long email or if that's just how I've been feeling the last three weeks but either way...enjoy. (: 

Many have probably heard of the new daily schedule for missionaries...basically, we plan our days in the morning rather than night, we can get 9 hrs of sleep instead of 8, we have 1.5 hrs to get ready in the morning, our p-days start at 8 am, we do companion study sometime during the day before 5 pm, and basically yeah, it's been nice. Sister Deighton and I feel like we have more sleep and we definitely get to use our agency to schedule our day more...which will be a great tool for returning home! 

World Wide Broadcast was wonderful! Loved it, spirit filled and got lots of notes!

Spent a whole night throwing up and was in alllllll day Thursday. That was not fun. 

K has been living the word of wisdom the last three days and she came to church yesterday (: During the 5th Sunday lesson, we discussed starting a family mission plan with the sections on personal development, family development, ward development, and community development. It was so sweet to look over at K and see her writing down goals for personal and family development. One goal was by the end of February she wants her whole family at church with her. So sweet.

N and E are well. Slow progressing. Sometimes it's hard to meet with them but we keep it going! 

The past week I've thought a lot about fear. Each of us have our own fears and often those fears hold us back from reaching our full potential. Maybe questions we have bring fear, fear of sharing the gospel, fear of the future, etc. As I read Mosiah 23:27-28, I gained the answer I needed to a question that has brought me fear for the last few months. Alma and the people are in the land of Helman when the sight of the Lamanites frightened them. Verse 27 says: "But Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God." Verse 28: "Therefore they hushed their fears." Alma did not hush the fears of the people but turned them to the right source that would hush their fears. Elder David A. Bednar said "And knowledge of the Savior’s protecting watch care enabled the people to hush their own fears." I came to realize as I read that verse, that we can TOO can hush our own fears as we turn to the Savior. It is because of Jesus Christ that we can hush our fears. Faith and fear cannot coexist. As we each strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, we will be able to hush our own fears.

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I love my Brother. It is because of Him that I have been able to hush my fears. I promise each of you can experience that as well. I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is what brings lasting happiness. It makes me happy (: it can make you happy too! Until next week, thanks for all the love and support! 

XOXO,

Sister Detamore 

1. OCM ❤

2. Sister Carter #WestPoint,UtahPrideInTheGreatOCM 

Enjoy the pics of us with Hilliard sisters. These sisters are GREAT (:

 

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Monday, January 23, 2017

We Love Thee, Lord; Our Hearts Are Full 1.23.17

Family and Friends,

It's been such a great week. I'm sorry, but everything is such a blur and I can't remember anything that happened at the moment...plus, for some reason, I feel a sense of laziness. Sorry for the lack of email. 

B and I came to church yesterday which was wonderful! They are awesome. We had a great lesson last Monday on the restoration! 

We had Zone Conference this week. Have I told you all how much I love President and Sister Daines? Seriously, they are amazing. A had the opportunity to share his conversion story at Zone Conference and then he stayed to watch Sister Deighton and I give a training and also watch some good ole' role plays. It was very insightful and I just love the gospel. 

A passed the sacrament yesterday for the first time and there was such a spirit about it. It is wonderful watching a new convert participate in these gospel milestones.

I have come to love the song "As Now We Take The Sacrament" and I have really pondered the words lately. Our Savior Jesus Christ sacrificed everything for us. It takes courage to accept His will but as we do, I've learned, that is where true joy is found. My heart is full of gratitude for what my Savior has done. He lives today. I know it. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Until next week, thanks for everything!

XOXO,

Sister Detamore 

1. Ohio Sky and 68° Weather yesterday

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Monday, January 16, 2017

I Didn't Go To England, England Came To Me 1.16.17

Friends and Family,

It's definitely been an adventure the last few days. I wanted to serve in England so bad and I've always wanted to visit. Well, I didn't go to England but Heavenly Father sent England to me! So my new companion is Sister Deighton (It is pronounced Dayton) She is from Essex, England and I could cry because I love it so much!!! She did a year of school at BYU. She served three months in the London South mission waiting for a visa and then served three months on OSU with Sister Birchett (my baby)!! So she has been out almost 7 months. She is wonderful. (: It's been 5 days and an English accent slips out of my mouth sometimes without me realizing. I'm so excited for this transfer. Sister Deighton is brilliant!

Phrases I've learned from my companion:

Pouring Rain: chucking it down 

Garbage: rubbish

Overalls: dungarees

Oranges: satsumas 

I think: I "reckon" 

The past 16 months of my life have been filled with experiences and miracles I will never forget. It has been a honor to serve my Heavenly Father and Savior. I'm excited to see what the next few months hold! 

We have seen so many miracles this week! I absolutely love the tender mercies Heavenly Father provides for us. There are many people who are excited to learn about the gospel and willing to act about the message. Many people open to working towards baptism so we pray to see them all enter the waters on their dates they have set!

We went to the temple with A last Wednesday night and it was such a grand time! It is so sacred going to the temple with converts for the first time! 

K came to church for all three hours yesterday! That right there brought joy to my heart!! 

E received a priesthood blessing this week and it has strengthened him so much. He is soaking in the gospel and loving every minute of it! He is such a great example of how the gospel brings joy!

I love the change that comes for the gospel. We CAN change and it comes as we apply gospel principles. I know that gospel has been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. I love it. ❤ I love this gospel. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen. Until next week, thanks for all the love and support! 

XOXO,

Sister Detamore 

1. 16 months!!

Sister Deighton

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Wednesday, January 11, 2017

"Here am I, send me." 1.11.17

 

Family and Friends, 

Wow, this past week and a half has been filled with SO many miracles. I apologize for the length of this email but there is so much to share. My heart is full. I am thankful for the tender mercies that my Father in Heaven gives me.

Suitcases and all, Sister Alius is headed back to Utah. I'll be honest, it is not the easiest sending her home because she has become a dear friend. I can't count on my fingers how many fun times we have had because there are too many. For now, it is "See You Soon." (: (trying to keep it positive). I'll receive a new companion tomorrow morning! 

AJs baptism was incredible! There was over 50 people there and the spirit was so strong. He had tons of support from friends and family. We took AJs family and friends on a small chapel tour after the baptism. It was so cool! We also had lots of investigators there. We had K, K, their three little kids, and E...then other missionaries brought investigators. Aj was confirmed Sunday ,received the priesthood, and his temple recommend. It has been an honor to teach him and we can't wait to watch him do baptisms for the dead! We will be going to the temple with him tonight!

K and K are making steps of progress.  They came to the baptism and some members took them on a chapel tour after the baptism.  They didn't come to church again.... We will keep trying, keep praying for ideas. 

Eis so awesome! We met him New Year's Eve and he has kept every commitment sense. He has such a sincere desire to change his life around. He asked God to forgive him in his prayer the other night and we haven't taught him repentance yet...it was amazing! 

One night President Daines called us and shared that the temple President had a referral for us. The temple President shared that a young man walked into the temple seeking for answers. It was such a wonderful experience meeting T. We feel privileged to be able to share the restored gospel with him and to help him come unto Christ. When we knocked on his door, N opened the door. N is an investigator that I taught 9 months ago in Powell. My companion and I lost contact of her then I was transferred. Throughout the last 6 months I've always wonder how Noelle was doing and if missionaries ever got in contact with her. Noelle started to date Tyler 2 months after I was transferred and moved here. Tyler shared how he felt drawn to the temple and we had the opportunity to help him recognize the light of Christ within himself that Heavenly Father used to guide him to the temple. We gave him a Book of Mormon and shared our witnesses of it. Suddenly, Noelle goes, "I have my copy in my apartment."  As we testified to T and N, I realized right then how much Heavenly Father loves His children, cares for His children, and knows His children. I now realize, truly, how involved the Lord is in this work. N and T were divinely place. This is the Lord work and we are His instruments. I'm humbled that I was privileged to be able to have this experience. This will be a miracle that will last a lifetime and into the eternities. It has become a part of my testimony and my conversion to the Savior. The Savior lives and He knows each of us so well. He knows N and T. 

Let me tell you about B. We went to a Referrals house and they weren't really interested so as we left we saw a man on the street. We started to talk to him and he seemed drunk but we got his info and said we would come by and share more with him another day. He started to walk towards where our car was and we didn't want to awkwardly follow him so we went down the opposite way on the street. We saw a house and we decided to knock this random lit house in the cold at 8:30 pm on Saturday. We met B. He asked us, "Do you two girls know where you are at? This is the West Side. It's sketchy here. It's the hood. And it's cold. Why are you in the cold?" We told him we knew God was protecting us and we shared why we were there. The Book of Mormon. The gospel of Jesus Christ inside it. We invited him to church and he said, "tomorrow at 9 AM? I mean I guess." His little 12 yr old from behind the door goes, "YES!" And B goes, "I guess we will be there." We got Contact info and said a prayer. As we walked away, B whispers to his son, "That was awesome." He came to church with his 12 yr old Isaiah and LOVED IT. He was the last one to bear his testimony in fast and testimony meeting. HIS FIRST TIME AT CHURCH. We hadn't even taught him the restoration. He shared his past and how they were homeless 5 months ago but God got them through it. He then thanked God for sending us. He said, "They told my 'no worries, God's got us'. And I wanted that confidence. I'm thankful for people them that go out and find us that aren't out searching." They went to all three hours and absolutely loved it. We are so excited to teach these two! Keep them in your prayers please. (Below is the video of him bearing his testimony at church) 

Yesterday as we did daily contact at McDonalds, a man walked out of the bathroom, sat down at a table, put his head down, and started to bawl. We felt compelled to talk to him. This mans name was J. His house burnt down in London, OH Saturday and his 7 yr old was killed in the fire. They (him, his wife  and third yr old) lost everything in the fire besides what was on their backs. As we sat and talked to him, my heart and soul were filled with the anguish and pain he felt. I couldn't hold back the tears as I spoke to this man and testified of our Savior. I had never felt in my entire life someone else's pain like that until that moment. We gave him a card and his little family went there way searching for shelter. I sat there paralyzed with pain. At that moment, I came to realize the importance of my calling. That I was set to represent the Savior and stand in place of Him. 

In the Grand Council in Heaven, Jesus Christ stepped forward and said "Here am I, send me." He did that for me, He did that for you, He did that for us. He did that because He knew the weaknesses, the challenges, the struggles, the low times, the sin that would come as we walk this mortal journey. He did that so returning to Heavenly Fathers presence was possible. That response made CHANGE possible. Now we are given the opportunity to follow the Saviors example. To speak the words, "Here am I, send me." The Lord has asked for someone to reach out to others, to share the gospel, to minister to the one. You and I too, like the Savior, can say "Here am I, send me." As we say, "Here am I, send me.", we will be honoring our covenants we made with our Father in Heaven. As we say these words, we will not only be following the Savior but getting to know the Savior. The greatest way to get to know the Savior is to do as He does, say as He says, love as He loves, sacrifice as He sacrifices, serve as He serves. I'm grateful that as I put on my black name tag I can say, "Here am I, send me." This is the Lords work. Each of us have a part in it. May we each reach out our arms and open our mouths to say, "Here am I, send me." In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Until next Monday, thanks for all the love and support!

XOXO,

Sister Detamore

Columbus Zone

Matchy matchy

AJs Baptism!!

Sister Bradbury (ward missionary)

ERIC

 

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It's Always A Good Time Being A Sister Missionary With These Sisters

Love Her

Awkward model pic in the hood aka Hilltop 

Columbus

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Monday, January 2, 2017

2K17 1.2.17

Hello Friends and Family:

Happy New Year..#2017. I really can't believe it's 2017. I can't believe I just spent all of 2016 in Ohio. Woah, that's crazy awesome. I'm so thankful I got a whole year in Ohio. (: I learned so much in the past year and I'm thankful for what my Heavenly Father taught me. I have really come to love New Years. To reflect on the previous year and look toward the future. I pray that each of us have set goals on how to bring the Savior more into our lives this coming year. 2017 will be a good year! 

Some missionaries asked Sister Alius and I to sing at their investigators baptism on Saturday. It was such a tender experience. There is such a special spirit at convert baptisms; I love it! It's such a privilege being able to help others come unto Christ and be baptized. I love my calling! 

We saw so many miracles this week! I'm thankful for all the my Father in Heaven has given us this past week. Also, quick tender mercy he sent me: MALLORY THOMAS! I was in Miss West Point royalty with Mal and did theatre/choir with her siblings. I even spent some time at her home hanging out with her siblings. Her sister who lives in the Marble Cliff ward had her baby so Mal and her dad were visiting. I can't begin to tell you what a tender mercy that was for me! 

I had the opportunity to go on two exchanges this week! One with my old companion, Sister Scott. She is such incredible missionary! And the second With Sister Empey who is in her second transfer of training. I learned so much from these sisters! I love exchanges! 

A is just incredible. He went to the baptism with us on Saturday. His baptism is this Saturday!! We are so excited for him and he is so excited. Last night in his lesson he goes, "Sisters, just know after my baptism I'm open to go to lessons with you. It'd be an honor." So we will be taking him on that offer. Like right after he becomes a member of the church.

Smoved back to London, OH so we won't be teaching her anymore. In fact, we never met her hah. She still is going to get baptized!

K and K are really making steps of progression. It is so wonderful to see the changes they are making. We have had some wonderful experiences with them this week and are very excited to help them continue to progress.

Crazy story: so on Christmas Eve we gave a card to this guy through the drive-thru window of Wendy's (pause: can we take a minute to talk about How much I LOVE Wendy's?❤). Well later that night a less active took us there for dinner and randomly that guy, D, came up to us and asked for another card...and explained he was looking for a church. He went back to work and after that we never talked to him again.  We were pretty bummed. Well Monday came and some things changed in our schedule so we stopped in Wendy's to use the wifi. There was D..in the back and he goes, "OH HEY SISTERS!" haha. Well, when he got off work, he came up to us, sat down, and started to ask us tons of questions. So we taught him the restoration right there. We set up a time to give him a chapel tour and he declined on getting a Book of Mormon until the tour. He leaves to go home, walks into the store 5 minutes later and said, "you know what, give me one of those books. What's hard about reading?" Ahah (oh little Davonne was rebuked by the spirit). It all started with sharing a card with him through the Wendy's drive-thru. How important it is to have the confidence and courage to share the gospel to our brothers and sisters! 

Saturday, Sister Alius and I were out working. As we walked towards our car to go to our next destination, we saw two guys walking down the street. They seemed a little sketchy especially in the area we were in but thankfully the spirit comforted us and we past our car and went straight towards the two guys. We met Eric. He shared how he was suppose to get heart surgery but the night before the surgery he was healed and he knew it was a miracle from God. He had gotten into some really bad things in his life and he knew this was a second chance to live from God. He wanted so badly to turn his life around. We shared how baptized was the greatest way to start a new chapter. We extended baptism for March 25th and he accepted! We helped him say an audible prayer on the side of the street and set up a return appointment. We went last night to teach Eric and it was wonderful! He had read all of the restoration pamphlet and just loved it. As we taught prophets Eric was like, "oh yeah, like Joseph Smith!" Ah, he is wonderful! He is so excited to read the Book of Mormon. I gained an even deeper testimony of talking to everyone, sharing the gospel with everyone! I'm also grateful for the spirit. It gave me the confidence and courage to speak to this man...who turned out to be one of the most humble people I have ever met!

I have really falling in love with the youth theme this year, "Ask." I think it's absolutely incredible that when we have a question, we can ASK God. God is our father and He has given us open communication with Him. Prayer is our connection with God. I've come to learn the importance of ASKING and then ACTING. I know that God is loving and is willing to answer our prayers. He loves me. He loves you. He loves us. I know that God sent His son Jesus Christ to atone for each of us. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Until next Wednesday...can't believe it's transfers again...thanks for all the love and support!

XOXO,

Sister Detamore

ONE WHOLE YEAR SPENT IN OHIO. I LOVE THE OCM. ❤

MALLORY THOMAS.

Sister Scott! ❤

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Happy New Years 

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