Week Six: Miracles are Happening in Dubois!

Hello family and friends, 

So many wonderful things are happening!

Last Monday I got to invite Cousin Pat to be baptized! It was so awesome! She said that she would need to pray about it, which is completely understandable, but it is amazing how much courage the Lord gives us when we simply rely on Him!

It has been so cold and snowy here in Dubois! Everyone says we should be getting an Indian summer this week, and the roads will dry up! It will only get up to 60 degrees though, so it is more like fall. We went to try a referral from someone in the branch. Long story short we ended up going to the wrong house and the lady told us that we should "read the real word of God and come out from under your rock of lies." Her words echoed in my mind all day. It was the first time on my mission that someone had been so harsh! It's OK though. I love the scripture in D&C 60:15. It says "And shake off the dust of thy feet against those who receive thee not, not in their presence, lest thou provoke them, but in secret; and wash thy feet, as a testimony against them in the day of judgement." I know that they are not rejecting me, but rather the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I cannot take away their agency to choose what to believe. So I will continue to share the gospel because I know there are many who are willing to receive it.

On Thursday we accidently locked the members we live with out of their own house! They were out of town and we were feeding their animals. We figured they were coming home the next day so we locked everything up. We went to bed and were woken up by Brother Meyers pounding on our door and windows. I was so scared, I couldn't even move. Finally my hero, Sister Warren got up to let them in. She was protecting her little greenie!

We had a wonderful enrichment on family history. Sister Wright and Sister Stamper talked about the importance of keeping a journal. Even though I haven't been on my mission for very long, I love looking back at the things I wrote in the MTC! I would invite all of you to keep a more faithful record of your lives! You will be blessed, and your family will treasure your journals for years to come!

September 22 was a really neat day! This is the day that Joseph Smith was able to obtain the Gold Plates. It is also the fall equinox, or day of the harvest. President McMurray pointed out the parallel of these events. D&C 4 talks about how the field is already to harvest. We must thrust in our sickle with all of our might to complete this harvest. The Book of Mormon combined with the spirit are our most effective tools in harvesting the field. 

So naturally, on September 22 I was ready to see miracles, and we did.

The first miracle happened at our dinner appointment. We had dinner with Sister Jones and her husband, who is not a member. The last time we had dinner with them, he asked questions about his purpose here on earth. We offered to teach him the Plan of Salvation, but he declined and said he would just ask his wife. So naturally, we decided to teach the Plan of Salvation for our dinner message. We showed him a video called "Our Eternal Life" He loved it! He was saying that he thought it was so cool that we could be forgiven of our sins. Once again, we invited him to take the discussions and he told us that he would like that a lot! Sister Warren and I were so excited. We had 30 minutes left in our day to tract so we looked at our map. I felt like we should go to this really small block in the main part of town. I didn't even know if there were any houses or not. We got over there and there was only one house. We prayed and then knocked on the door. A woman answered and she quickly invited us in. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and we gave her a Book of Mormon. She told us that she was dedicated to her beliefs, but she appreciated the information we gave her! It is such an amazing thing to be guided by the spirit! Never question a prompting! Even though she wasn't interested that day, we still planted a seed that one day may be ready to harvest.

I loved the Women's session of conference! I loved Sister Jones' reminder that when we sin, we are less worthy, but we are NEVER worthless. Our Heavenly Father is so forgiving and he always sees our worth, even when we don't. I also loved President Uchtdorf's reminder that if you are caught in a worry about what others think about you to "Remember who you are!" We are all children of our Heavenly Father! He made us all unique, so that we can build each other up. Always remember to be kind to yourself and that comparison is truly a thief of joy! 

One last thing. They added a new ward in Lander, Wyoming which is about 1.5 hours away! Sister Warren and I will be covering that new ward in Lander as well as the Dubois branch! We will have to work extra hard as we split our time between these two places, but I know that the lord sends us to specific places for a reason, so I cannot wait to see what is in store in these next couple weeks!

I love you all so much and I hope you have brilliant weeks!

All my love,

Sister Anzie Mae Gish

This is what a traffic jam in Dubois looks like!

Me and my district. I am the star ;) but left to right is me, Sister Warren, Elder Mickleson, Elder Percival, Elder Brand, and Elder Vosika

Me wearing all sorts of otter fur 

Our car covered in snow

 Me and Sister Warren after we invite our investigators to be baptized

Me in the snow

This is what happens when you let the Elders pop your popcorn

Week Five: Sister Gish Hit Her One Month Mark and Has Already Eaten Moose!

Hello friends and family, 

Can you believe that I have been on my mission a month?! Time is flying!

I am absolutely loving Dubois! It is so beautiful and our branch is absolutely wonderful!
Also I ate moose this week! It tasted like cow... but even better!

Last Monday we had dinner with a member in our branch. Her name is Sister Stamper. About a year ago her husband passed away while flying his plane. She has three kids! She has handled this adversity with tremendous grace and I admire her so much. Sister Stamper invited her husband's cousin, Cousin Pat (yes that is what we call her), over for dinner. She told us that she might be interested in taking the discussions. We invited her to do so during our dinner message and she said yes! So on Thursday we taught her the Restoration. I stumbled over my words and was a little frazzled the rest of the lesson. By the end we had told her that we would be teaching her about the Plan of Salvation next week. She told us that she already knew a little bit about it because of Sister Stamper. Sister Stamper shared her witness that she knows she will see her husband again. They were both crying. You could feel the spirit so strong, and it made me realize that even though I thought I messed up the lesson that Heavenly Father never let's us ruin someone's chance at salvation. So be bold and share the gospel because in the end the Spirit is always going to be the ultimate teacher. 

We had a training meeting in Laramie on wednesday, which was so awesome! We learned that in missionary work, success isn't found in the number of baptisms you have, but rather how many invitations you extend. Also President McMurray told one of the Elders that he has the coolest first name in the mission besides Anzie Gish. haha that was really sweet of him to say! On Thursday it poured rain which made the dirt roads super muddy! Our car would swerve back and forth on the mud. The tires would spin mud up on our car so it got a little dirty. So much for the car wash we got on Wednesday ;) Saturday was my one month mark and it snowed! It was pretty cold and the wind was brutal! Makes me really glad we have a car!

On Sunday I spoke in sacrament meeting. I spoke on the talk called "And Jesus Beholding Him Loved Him" It was given by Elder Palmer of the Seventy last general conference. I want to invite you all to read it this week! It is all about what Christ sees in us and helps us understand how we can reach our full potential!

So we were trying to visit members on the branch list and there was someone named Pete Petera. He is like 93 or something and our Ward mission leader said that he was against the church and it wouldn't be worth visiting him. On Sunday we were near his house and Sister Warren felt like we should pay him a visit. His daughter answered and we told her we were missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. she was like "Do you believe in God?" we said yes. Then she was like "Awesome! I have been looking for a church to go to! I wanted to go with my neighbor, but she is sick, so I won't have anyone to sit with." We said that we would sit with her. Then she was like "Do we have to sit in the front row?" we told her no. She then asked us if Sister Warren was my biological sister and if we were nuns. She said that she would check out our church, so hopefully she would be there Sunday. Needless to say we walked away pleasantly surprised. 

I love you all so much! Thanks for the encouragement and prayers!

~Sister Anzie Mae Gish

Sister Gish with her trainer Sister Warren

Sister Gish loves the horses!

Sister Gish has reached her one month mark! Seventeen to go!

We are glad to inform you that no sister missionaries were harmed in the making of this next photo

Sister Gish riding the majestic Jackelope

Sister Gish's companion Sister Warren riding the Jackelope

Week Four! First Week in the Field. Hello Dubois, WY!

Hello friends and family! 

How is everyone's week going? I absolutely love hearing from you! 

It was so sad to leave the MTC. There is something special about being surrounded by tons of missionaries. It was especially hard to say goodbye to Sister Harkness. She has become one of my very best friends! It was also hard to say goodbye to Samantha! It really hit me that she would be the last family member I saw for 18 months! We said a prayer together and hugged like 500 times! 

It was a long day of traveling to get to the field. I really enjoyed calling my family at the airport! It gives me more motive to put all I have into this great work! When we got to the airport, President and Sister McMurray were anxiously waiting. We took pics in front of the temple and did some training. Then we went to get our new companions.

My new companion's name is Sister Warren; she is from California. She is super nice! My first area is Dubois Wyoming, which is literally at the edge of my mission. It is about 80 miles from Yellowstone so it is absolutely beautiful! I drove us 6 hours on Wednesday to get us there and we didn't get there until about 10:00. We are living with some members in the branch, the Meyers! They are so nice and live in this beautiful house that Brother Meyers built! The house is in the mountains and we live in the basement. The coolest part is that we have an elevator to get to the main floor. 

Dubois has about 971 people so I am in a branch! What they lack in quantity they make up for in quality! The members are wonderful! They are so anxious to do missionary work and they are so dedicated to the church. The reason they have a church building is because many years ago someone raised the money by selling donuts! How cute is that?! The members give us tons of referrals! 

There are a couple girls Gracie and Gabbie that have a lot of potential to be baptized. They are teenagers and come to church and all the YW activities. Mostly we try to visit less actives in our area book. No one ever seems to answer. We have only had one official lesson with an investigator. Her name is Gary Neale and her husband is a member. She comes to church even when he is unable to. So that's good!

 

We had a car fast this past Saturday so we couldn't use the car. We went tracting for the first time! It went really well! No one was interested, but that is ok! A few told us that they respect what we are doing and others didn't even let us get out a sentence. I thought I would feel discouraged after tracting, but I didn't. All I felt was satisfaction. I know that the Lord will put those in our path that are ready to hear the gospel. We just have to find them. Just because someone isn't interested doesn't mean we failed. We are blessed for our efforts despite the outcome! So be brave and invite others to come unto Christ!!

I love you all bunches!!!

 ~Sister Gish~

Sister Harkness and Sister Gish heading to Ft Collins Colorado

Sister Harkness and Sister Gish

Sister Harkness and Sister Gish

Sister Gish and Sister Warren

Sister Gish and Sister Warren in front of the Ft. Collins Colorado Temple

This is the member's home where Sister Gish and Sister Warren live in Dubois, WY

Here are some photos of Sister Gish's first area in Dubois, WY

Hopefully more Jackelope sightings will be in store for Sister Gish 

Another view of the member's home where Sister Gish and Sister Warren live

Some wildlife that Sister Gish has seen so far! 

Sister Gish Has Arrived in Colorado

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to let everyone know that Sister Gish has made it safely to Colorado! Here are some pictures! She was able to call my mom, dad and I this morning (thanks to a stranger at the airport) and it was great to hear from her. She sounded so happy! Her first area is Dubois, Wyoming. It's located in the northwest corner of her mission. Her companion is Sister Warren and Sister Gish will be the designated driver because her companion doesn't have a license. Thank you all for all of the love and support that you give to our sister missionary! I hope that you will continue to pray and think of her!

Love you all and thank you again!

~Daniel

All of the new missionaries of the Colorado Ft. Collins Mission at the airport, including Sister Gish

New missionaries of the Colorado Ft. Collins Mission in front of the Ft. Collins Colorado Temple

Sister Gish with her Mission President President McMurray and his wife Sister McMurray in front of the Ft. Collins Colorado Temple!

Week Three at the MTC! NEXT STOP: COLORADO FT COLLINS MISSION!

Dear friends and family,

How are all of you?! I want to hear from you! Getting emails is the best and since I have a tablet, I can read your emails all week long!

I cannot even believe that I leave for the field tomorrow! I will be up bright and early! I have to be to the MTC travel office at 3:50 am.

The elders in our district left today, so me and the other three sisters in my district were so lonely in class. It was so sad to say goodbye to the elders in my district! I cannot believe how much love I developed for them these past three weeks! 

This week I learned that the Book of Mormon combined with the spirit is the most powerful tool in conversion! I have found this to be so true as Sister H and I have taught our TRC, Idongesit! Our most powerful lessons were the ones where we did a Book of Mormon read. 

I saw Samantha this week! That was so awesome. I almost walked right by her and then she called my name! I quickly asked her host if I could take her to room and class and she graciously agreed! It was so fun to hug her and to get excited about being missionaries together. I go to tuck her in every night! ;)

Sister Harkness brought her Ukulele and we took it to our lesson with Idongesit! We sang her "Teach Me To Walk In the Light" and she said it gave her goosebumps. The spirit can be felt so strongly through song! It is amazing! Read D&C 25! It is the chapter where Emma Smith selects hymns.

So many prayers have been answered this week! I can testify that when we pray with a sincere heart, GOD WILL ANSWER! Then if we act boldly on what he asks of us, YOU WILL SEE MIRACLES! 

Yesterday Sister Harkness and I taught the lesson in our district meeting. It was all about diligence! It went really well and I learned so much! One of the elders mentioned that when we put our tags on we should be on our best behavior. I added that it doesn't matter if we wear a name tag or not. We should be representing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at all times, and in all things, and in all places!! 

Also my favorite teacher Brother Lim taught a brilliant lesson on the atonement. He explained that when God created the world he didn't force anything. He asked the waters to separate and they obeyed. He does the same thing with us. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ don't force us to do anything. They simply ask and invite us to follow them. It is up to us to obey. I can promise that when you do obey, you will be blessed beyond comprehension. 

My favorite thing I learned this week was in infield training. It is a 9 hour work shop for departing missionaries where we learn how to work with members and find people to teach. When I got my mission call a lot of people told me that my mission would be easy because of all the members that live in Wyoming and Colorado. I was also told that my mission would probably just be reactivating people. That came as a bit of a discouragement to me. What I learned is that we should not let anyone tell us how our mission will be. Set your expectations high! Then with consecrated efforts, the Lord will help you succeed!! Even if you are not a missionary, do not let anyone tell you how an experience will be. Make every experience you have what you wanted to be. A good attitude goes a long way!! 

I love you all so much and hope you have a GREAT week! <3

Love,

Sister Anzie Mae Gish

PS I ran into Sister Shumway. I talked to her but had to remind her who i was because I had a towel on my head and a pore strip on my nose

Sister Gish got to see her cousin Samantha who is also in the MTC! Sister Richins will be serving in the Georgia Atlanta North Mission.

Sister Richins and Sister Gish

Sister Gish pointing out where George and Mom served their missions. George in Colorado Denver South and Mom in Minnesota Minneapolis.

Sister Gish pointing to her mission on the map

Sister Van Camp, Sister Harkness, Sister Gish, and Sister Fuge in their mission shirts

Sister Gish with her MTC district

Sister Gish got a package from her friend Quentinn

Sister Gish with her MTC district

Sister Fuge and Sister Gish

Sister

Sister Fuge and Sister Gish

Sister Fuge, Sister Van Camp, Sister Gish, and Sister Harkness

Sister Gish and Sister Harkness

Sister Gish and some of her missionary friends

Sister Gish, Sister Fuge, Brother Lim (fave MTC teacher), Sister Harkness, and Sister Van Camp

Sister Gish is still out of control