School's Out!! July 27, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

So this week was good :) Probably walked like twenty miles at least, but hey its so good for me :) I ain't complaining :) So guess who's companion got her visa!! Mine!! She leaves at the end of the transfer so we will be together for one more month! We are so excited! We have been cracking down on Portuguese to help prepare her as much as possible! 

So this week we were able to teach a Brazilian named Bia. We took her on a church tour and she wants to be baptized! But.. we weren't able to meet with her again afterwards.. so we will find her again this week! She is really open to learning more and I have hope that she will be baptized! And its good practice for Sister Crump :) 

One of my weaknesses i feel has been street contacting. I haven't really done a ton of it, but her it is mostly what we do! Its really fun, and I'm getting a lot better. Sister Crump is still quiet, but I'm trying to beat that out of her! :) Another activity we do is have a booth at the local farmers market! And we make balloon animals! So thats another skill I can say I learned on my mission :) I'm really good at making swords:) 

We had interviews with our mission president and his wife this week. Holy cow. They are incredible.. I want to carry them around with me because they have such a love and confidence about them! She has a masters in marriage and family counseling and he was an institute teacher at USU. So she gets things out of you you didn't know were in there, and he is a scripture machine. I can already tell a difference in my attitude and mentality. It was amazing and I just adore them! She gave me some amazing advice to face the challenges that I have right now. She just pumps me up. 

So like I said above.. School is out. that means we won't be that busy because most of the members are out of town, and campus is empty. So pray that we will be able to fulfill our purpose and much as we can this week! We are still getting to know a lot of the members and there was been little miracles every day! Its so cool because as a missionary, you actively seek miracles. And when you do that you actually see what the Lord does for us each day! :) Well have a good week :) Love you all!!

--

Love,

Sister Adamson

Moscow!!! July 20, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

This is my new address!! 

274 Baker Street #111

Moscow, ID 83843

So holy crap welcome home Jack!! I'm so happy you are home!! So I was given false information last week.. turns out I'm in married student wards.. and we swept into two wards. So I'm over three different wards. Missionary work is a lot different here. We spend most of the day street contacting on campus. And its summer school.. and summer school ends next week.. so its empty now, but it will be even more empty next week... So missionary work is hard here. When I got transferred here everyone told me how the work is dead here. I didn't want to believe them, but it kind of is. Its hard to get busy, college kids, and young families excited about missionary work. But I still have faith that things will start happening here!

So we walk a lot more than Sister Adamson is used to.. haha so she's a little sore to say the least.. haha but its good for me :) I really enjoy talking to people, and I'm good at making conversations not awkward (for the most part). So I've come a long way :) So I have cute Sister Crump!! She is a visa waiter to Brazil so we get to study Portuguese together! And its way different then I thought it was! But thats fun! Its fun training her, and I can really see my growth since I came out. I feel like I was just like her when I came out so hopefully I'll be able to help her avoid the things that were tripping me up a bit at the beginning! We get along really well :) 

So the wards we are in are all combined during sacrament now and holy moly was it loud!! I have never had such a hard time listening in EVERY meeting because the kids were insane! So this is more motivation for me to get my kids reverent for sacrament meeting.. So its going to be hard having spiritual Sundays in that aspect, but hey thats the way the cookie crumbles :) 

So like I said, I can really tell now that I have a new area, and senior comp how much I've grown. Things I was struggling with a lot at the beginning, like having faith, hope, charity come to me much easier now! Its really cool to see. I'm very grateful for my mission so far, and I'm loving the things I am learning! I love the scriptures, and they really have come to life for me. I've seen things from my patriarchal blessing come true as I am doing my best here! I'm so grateful for that! :) Love you all!! Thanks for all the support!

-- 

Love,

Sister Adamson

Bye Bye Sandpoint!!‏ July 13, 2015

Dear Family and Friends!

Well I have finally been transferred! I thought I didn't want to leave, but I'm actually very excited about it :) So i'm second training a visa waiter to Brazil! So I get to maybe pick up some Portuguese with her! So thats exciting :) Her name is Sister Crump and I get to meet her tomorrow! I'm going to Moscow, Idaho and am going to be over three YSA wards! WHOO! So that will be a new adventure! 

This last week was awesome! We had great lessons with the Bakers, and he is working more on quitting smoking and he came to church! We made a lot of progress with Tabitha his girlfriend and shes starting to read the Book of Mormon! So thats exciting! Hopefully they will continue to progress! Also we (Well not my anymore) are going to start teaching Amy the YSA age girl again! We had a great lesson with her about the Holy Ghost and she had lots of questions! Also a YSA named Courtney moved in with her boyfriend.. but he is going to start taking the discussions!! So she will be reactivated and he will be baptized :) Also John (the one with cancer) is doing well and we had two new investigators Leandra and Steve! So I don't know what we did this week to be so blessed, but it was awesome to see! Such blessings from the Lord :) 

So I am bummed that I won't be able to participate in girls camp anymore.. but thats ok. I just love the young women so much! We were able to go to their class this last Sunday and man i was bawling.. We were just talking about ordinances like baptism and temple sealing. But the spirit was so strong and just testified to me of the blessings of being members of this church. ETERNAL FAMILIES!! Such comfort we all can have from that knowledge. 

So Sister Ellis and I are leaving each other on a really good note. We had a great week and I really feel I learned (most of) the lessons Heavenly Father wanted me to. I just feel so blessed to have been in Sandpoint so long. I love it here so much and I will miss all the amazing families and people i was able to work with! So her goes another adventure!! :) Let you know next week how it goes :) Also.. My address WILL change! So dont send me a letter until i get my new one! :) Thank you muchly :) Love you all!!! 

Love,

Sister Adamson

PS WELCOME HOME JACK!!!! LOVE YOU!!

New Mission Pres!! July 6, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

We got to meet our new mission president and his wife this week! They are awesome! And I can already tell I'm going to connect with them way better than my last ones! Much more down to earth and real. So I'm excited! 

So this week we had an awesome lesson with the Bakers. We had some priest in the ward come over and give him a blessing and one on his home as well. It was super spiritual. They gave him so much support and encouragement, which is what he needs. I was able to testify of the Atonement and its reality to him. I said how there is no way the Savior would do what he did, if he didn't think we could do it. I have never felt the spirit working through so strongly. I almost started crying when I was speaking to him. We made a lot of progress with Tabitha his girlfriend too. She is just starting to trust us a lot more. She just works on Sundays so she can't ever come.. But I really love this family and I want them to be happy. Its that darn agency.. They have a long ways to go, but they can do it with Christ!! I know it!!

On the Fourth we were able to the the Sandpoint parade with Katie and Chad Karr who are in our ward. Katie (Bowen) went to Alta and her younger brother is my age and is getting home from his mission this week! Crazy!! But they invited their non-member co worker so we got to meet her! And her name is Emilee! She is 19 and a sweetheart from Canada! She hopefully we will get the ball rolling on that! Then we just worked all day. We went to a BBQ with some members then another BBQ with the people in our apartment complex. Yes they were all not members and smoking and such haha. But they invited us! And now they know a little bit about the church and that we are normal people! So that was good :) 

We had a lot of tender mercies this week! Its been great up here in Sandpoint! Almost been six months up here! Our stake president wants us to participate in girls camp and relate to them and help them in any way that we can! Because its scary to be a teenage girl right now. I'm so excited for this opprotunity! I love working with the youth! But girls camp is after transfers next week.. so we will see.. I want to stay for that, and President Ballard is calling our mission president trying to convince him to let us stay another transfer :) so we will see! We will find out next week!! 

I have gained such a testimony of the scriptures and the power they have! Always be reading them, because they are the how to book on happiness! You Hear Me!?!?!? Anyways, love you all! Have a great week!

-- 

Love,

Sister Adamson

Well What a Week June 29, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

Good morning all!! So this has was good! Sister Ellis and I are doing a lot better. We had a little chit chat and worked things out. So we are a lot better! you really do learn how to handle people on your mission. We are helping each other work on things so we can be better! So that was a blessing and I'm excited to keep working and learning with her!! She really is such a strong person. She only got baptized almost two years ago! So it took a lot of strength to come out here when she did. And guess what?? She was baptized on my birthday!! Whoo!! party!! haha

So we started teaching John again. He got cancer so now he is almost toothless and bald.. i couldn't recognize him. But I really think he has a lot of potential and hopefully he will have a more sincere desire this time. So we are excited to see how he will progress! 

Sister Sharples is the best!! So we have been reading the Book of Mormon with her and we are in 3 Nephi! Its amazing the strength that she has gained just by reading it! She has grown so much! Its been so cool to see the changes she is making to get herself to the temple! Its awesome! 

So I learned so much this past week at church! We talked a lot about the difference between the church and the gospel. The church and simple attending it, will not save you. Its the gospel that saves you. The church is just God's vehicle for getting us where he wants us to be! Its the perfect places to grow and learn. So no, just simply going to church will not save you if you aren't living the gospel! I also learned about how important it is to build a foundation on Christ. We really should have a strong connection with Christ, because He is the one who will always stay with us and build us up. Things like friends, work, sports and different things like that can be taken away is this life. So i need to work a lot on my relationship with Christ and I challenge you all the to do the same! 

The gospel is great and I love all that I'm learning!! Also since its fourth of July, I'm going to wear red white and blue every day this week :) thats how exciting my life is! Love you all!! Happy fourth of July!!

-- 

Love,

Sister Adamson

People Are Nuts. June 23, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

Well this week went by way fast! We were able to go to the temple this week so our pday was switched to today! It was great! We went with the best cutest old couple in our ward the Wills! They crack us up! Ill send a picture of them! So that was awesome!!

Other than that.. not much happened this week. There was a HUGE issue this week with some members though. I can't even go into detail right now. But there was a lot of mis communication. Super frustrating. And the member in our ward took it out on us. He was so offended by something so so dumb. The issue was that we were getting a ride with him to the temple and our Zone Leaders told us that we had to have a woman take us. Not two men like our current ride told us he had. So we switched rides, and man was that member offended. Went all crazy asking us if the bishop told us we couldn't ride with him, said we didn't appreciate all he does for us. It was nuts and so unneeded. But i did learn a big lesson on how to resolve issues with people. Hopefully that member still likes us.. It caused us a lot of stress. I have learned to shrug things like that off. It really was getting to Sister Ellis though. It was just a bad situation. 

So my companion Sister Ellis. I haven't said much about her because i didn't want to speak badly of her. But its hard to work with her. She isn't a super hard worker and isn't every adaptable. Changing to this area has been really hard on her and its affecting the work. So thats been a good lesson to try and work things out with her without being mean about it. So thats a work in process. When we are teaching though, shes a great teacher. So i know there is a lot I can still learn from her! 

So the Bakers haven't been progressing as much as we would like.. He keeps going back to smoking and alcohol.. agency sucks.. it really does. So we will keep working on him. He always begs us to not give us on him, and we won't. He just needs to put effort in as well. 

The stake president (mom you met him) President Ballard has this awesome idea for the sister missionaries to go and participate in the girls camp and give a little presentation and relate to all the girls! Which is awesome!! Its not until the end of July though.. so hopefully i'll be here for it!! Also we had to say goodbye to our mission president and his wife this week! Man they are awesome people. I didn't get to be that close with them, but they are amazing examples and i really learned a lot from them this last time we met with them! I want to be like them when I'm married!! Well i love you all! Have a great week and read your lovely scriptures!! :) Church is true! 

-- 

Love,

Sister Adamson

Humility--Who Knew? June 15, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

Lots and lots of lessons for Sister Adamson to learn :) Lets just say that!! Well quick update on the peeps... Brother Baker.. So he smoked again :( but he is still trying! We weren't able to see him as much as we wanted to this week. He really needs that support. So we went to his house Sunday morning and he wasn't dressed or anything.. so we told him that we still loved him and still wanted the best for him and his family and went to church. So at the beginning of sacrament meeting, who walked in and sat down by us?? THE BAKERS!! (not his girlfriend though) they were just in normal clothes! But they came!! We were so so happy!! Greatest day of my life!! So that was awesome! 

Next, we taught Paieton. She is 13 and is a daughter (kind of) of a less active. She has already read the BOM. Like what? She is kind of gothic, but she has had a lot of trials in her life. We were able to teach her the Plan of Salvation and she was answering all the questions and was very interactive! It was great! We just hope she won't let what her friends think become too much of an issue. 

So we got to meet Elder L. Whitney Clayton this week! He came to Spokane! And i got to see my girl Sister Mills again!! We were so happy! And we got to sit by each other :) I love her and miss her so much! She said her mom asked her if she was sad to leave Sandpoint or the people here. And she said she was a little, but she would mostly miss me. She felt like she was in Sandpoint for me and no one else. I'm not saying this in a way like I taught her anything profound, but it was she that taught me. She was so meant to be my companion at that time. She helped me through some hard times and I'll always love her for that! So when she told me that I started crying.. haha you know me. Tender soul. But she really changed me and made me so much better!! I love my Mills!! Elder Clayton was great too! He is a great speaker :) It was also one of the last times to hear from our mission president and his wife! We will see them one more time this week! Then its President Dymock! I'm excited! And guess what...?? We will get Ipads!!! I don't know how soon or anything, but we will with the new president!! :) 

So since I've been here for so long, and its not a very big town.. I know so many people here.. we can't walk down a street and anything without me knowing someone. Members and non members. Sister Ellis is getting sick of me talking to all these people she has no idea who they are! But oh well :) I feel like I'm part of this place! Its going to be weird to finally leave!! 

So with my studies this week I've been focusing a lot on finding new people and how I can be a better missionary. I also got a few wake-up calls this week that made me realized that I'm not doing all I could be. Holy cow is that humbling. Its so humbling to know that we need help, that we have so much to work on, how we should be constantly improving, we are so weak minded it makes me want to slap something. But its also so empowering to know that there is a way to improve. To get better, to become our best selves. And thats by humbling ourselves and living the gospel as best as we can. We need to ask for help and realize that we cannot go through this life on our own!! Took me awhile to learn that eh? And no i'm not getting a Canadian accent from living so close to Canada. 

Anyways things are going here!! Sandpoint and the lake are gorgeous this time of year! I'm so so spoiled! :) I love this gospel and the scriptures!! Read them :) Nough said! Talk to you next week! :) love you all! 

-- 

Love,

Sister Adamson

Summer June 8, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

Well this week has been great! My new companion is a covert to the church as of almost two years! She got baptized on my birthday in 2013! So thats cool :) Shes from Tennessee but has lost her accent sadly.. haha and she has been out nine months! Shes great! Its fun to re teach my area again because I know so much more about it now! 

So this week has been great! We had an awesome lesson about Elder Holland's last talk with the Bakers. Their family is so so dear to me and I want them to be happy! They are making progress.  He didn't make it to church though.. its sad when that happens.. His family is doing so much better though! I know I need to stay and help them as much as I can! I just have to make swift work with the time the Lord has given me! 

So we are starting to teach this girl names Paieton. She is a daughter of a LA's girlfriend. Her friend just committed suicide and shes going through a lot of hard times right now. Shes only 14 and has depression and a lot of issues. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation and gave her a BOM with scriptures that might help her. But while we were teaching her, I could tell when she felt the spirit and when she felt of God's love for her. It was a cool experience! So i'm excited to teach her more!

Sister Sharples.. haha :) She is the sweetest lady! We have been reading the BOM with her and she is preparing for the temple next March. She bore her testimony is sacrament meeting and it was the best ever! Its so cool how she has changed since I've been here. Her countenance is different and she often expresses how much happier she is. I love how the BOM can really change lives!

So this week I got to work with some Hermanas is our mission because my companion had a meeting. And one of them was from Oahu! We got to talk about Hawaii and it was the greatest! Man I miss that place, but there is no where I'd rather be! Than in North Idaho!! :) 

So this week was good :) Got to met a lot of new people and work with a lot of less actives and found some new people to teach! :) So i'm excited about that! I'm learning and growing so much and the mission is great! Its been hard, but I can really see how the hard times make us grow and we learn that way. Well love you all! Have a great week! 

-- 

Love,

Sister Adamson