Week 41

Hello! We had another great week here in Greeley! 

We saw so many miracles this week!

A couple weeks ago, we got a bible request for a lady named Margarita! We left a bible and a Book of Mormon in her mailbox. She said that she has a crazy work schedule so we hadn't been able to get an appointment with her. We were on our way to get gas and we were going to pull into a nearby gas station, but it was kind of sketchy! We kept driving and as we were passing Margarita's apartment, we saw her outside and we were able to meet her in person! We talked about Jesus Christ and His atonment and we got a return appointment!

On Sunday we went to have our lesson with Margarita and as we were approaching her apartment, there was a dog in the middle of a busy street. We helped move him out of the street. When we got to Margarita's, she had to cancel because she had family come to town unexpectedly. We were super bummed as we were leaving. On the way to our car a man pulled up next to us and whipped out a gun... actually, he didn't. He told us that he thought it was nice that we rescued that dog. Then he asked if we were inviting people to church because he was looking for one to attend, so we gave him a book of Mormon and gave him a pass a long card! It was so cool!

Yesterday, I got to go on exchanges with Hermana Garza! It was so fun! She is such a wonderful missionary! She is so bold and a wonderful example of bearing testimony right when you approach someone! We had a pretty funny experience. We were trying to take a picture in downtown Greeley and I made a little tripod out of my purse and we used my self-timer. We must've looked really cringey because a cop stopped and asked if he could take our picture because it was painful to watch us struggle. We were able to give him a Book of Mormon and bear our testimony. 

I just feel very blessed by the Lord. We haven't had a whole lot of finding time this week, but He has been putting so many people in our path who are searching for the truth!

I just want to share a quick story that I came across. It is in a talk that Elder Holland gave at the MTC. It says:

"I had a missionary ask me once if I would give my life for the Church. I 

said, “Elder, I am giving my life for the Church.” I know what he meant. 

What he meant was, “Would you die for it?” Well, that’s the easy part. 

That’s a snap! On some days it looks really appealing. That’s the easy 

part, to die for it. Well, what God needs is people who will live for it, 

people who will go the distance, people who are in this race we’re talking 

about that will go all the way to the tape. And some may die along the way 

and that’s wonderful, but He needs people who will finish the work. He 

needs people who will wrap this up, and that’s the pledge I make to you, 

and that’s the pledge He asked. We’re in this together."

I loved this story. It really made me stop and ask myself if I am living for the church. I am so thankful that I have this time on my mission specifically set apart to live for the church. It made me realize the way I need to live my life when I get home. I need to live my life for God and My Savior!

I would invite all of you to look at your priorities. Are you living in a way that would be pleasing to God? If the Savior stood beside you, would you do the things you do? Because I can testify that He does! He is always right beside you! 

I love you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Gish

Hermana Lee, Sister Gish, Sister Bishop, and Kronk

Mission Tour with Elder Anderson

"My Mission President is cooler than yours"

Week 40: Sister Gish Hits Her 9 Month Mark

Guys! This week has been C-R-A-Z-Y!

I hit my 9 months mark on Wednesday! How crazy is that?! This mission thing needs to slow down just a little bit! It was a bittersweet day! I had to say goodbye to Sister Stapelman! I may have cried like 5 times leading up to it! It's fine though, because now i have not only one, but two great companions! Hermana Lee and Sister Bishop are so great! Hermana Lee is from Anaheim California and Sister Bishop is from Lake Orion Michigan! We are having so much fun! The ward here is so great! We have a lot of investigators and the members are so helpful! Not even the smell of Greeley could ruin the work! ;)

This week we were able to teach Kelly! She is an atheist, so it was hard to know what to teach her at first, but the lesson went really well! She told us about the loss of her husband. We asked if she thought she would see him again and she said yes. We asked her what she thinks happens to us after we die, and she didn't really have an answer, so we decided to teach her the Plan of Salvation! It was a moment where I felt a lot of success as a missionary! I could tell that she was feeling the spirit as we testified to her that because of temples, we can have eternal families! 

The most exciting thing that happened this week was mission tour! We had the privilege of having Wilford W Anderson of the 70 visit our mission! He is so amazing! You can find talks that he has given, such as "The Music of the Gospel" and "The Rock of our Redeemer" on lds.org! We  got to attend a special Missionary Leadership Council meeting and receive instruction from him on how we can be better leaders. He talked about how rather than simply praying to bless others, that we should ask God what WE can do to be an instrument in His hands in blessing others. The statement he made that stuck out to me the most was when he said "When people feel the Savior's love, it makes them love the Savior!" How beautiful is that statement? I would definitely encourage each of you to do something nice for a friend, neighbor, or acquaintance this week! Let Christ work through you, so that you can help His other children come to know Him!

We were able to receive more instruction from Elder and Sister Anderson as well as President and Sister McMurray at mission tour! Sister McMurray talked about being rescued. As a missionary, I have the responsibility and privilege to help rescue souls! It really made me think about my mission! I am halfway through and I have already had so many experiences that have changed my life! It was a good reminder that although I have been able to help rescue, that my mission, and ultimately, the Atonement of Christ, has rescued me! I am thankful for my Savior! When I yoke myself to Him, my burdens are truly lighter! How has the Savior rescued you? 

I love you all so much! 

Love,

Sister Gish

Sister Gish hit her 9 month mark!!! Over the "hump"!!!

Sister Gish and Sister Stapelman

Sister Gish, Sister Bishop, and Hermana Lee

Sister Gish and her Laramie District!

Sister Gish, Sister Bishop, and Hermana Lee

Week 39: Sister Gish Is Heading to Greeley, Colorado!

Hello,

This was quite the week! I am just loving being a missionary!

I had a great P-day last week! It was district p-day, so we got to play sports with our district! We are lucky to have great elders in our district! It was way fun! Then we had a lesson with Cody that night! Before the lesson, we read his teaching record and it talked about how he struggles to know if God is real. So we were really struggling to know what to teach him because he has heard all the discussions and we wanted to really connect to him personally. The lesson was 500% guided by the spirit. We had planned on teaching the restoration again, but instead talked about prayer and how we can come to know God. We shared scriptures in Moroni 7:12-13 and talked  about how his inspiration to do good was from God. Then we shared Alma 30:44 and talked about how everything on the earth is literal proof that God exists. Then we assigned him to read Alma 22 (and 18) which is the reference given in Preach My Gospel for the question of the soul "Is there a God?" Our companionship just so happened to feel very prompted to really study the Book of Mormon this week and to use it more powerfully in our teaching! We made a goal to memorize the questions of the soul and their references and to watch the Book of Mormon broadcast on the missionary portal again! Little did we know, it was all for Cody. Divine design is a very real and powerful thing!

As a missionary, one of the hardest things to do is talk to everyone. In Preach My Gospel it invites us to pray for the faith to be bold. I have really been working on that this transfer and the Lord has helped me immensly. On Wednesday we went to try a potential investigator today but no one answered. As we were walking away, this guy, Kyle, came up the stairs and he was super open to hearing what we had to say! We shared Alma 36:3 with him and he accepted a Book of Mormon! We were even able to get a return appointment! 

We have been really diligent in setting daily finding goals this transer, and it has been amazing to see how the Lord has consecrated our efforts and help us achieve them, no matter how small. We had set a goal to do some service for someone by walking their dog. The lady we had planned on doing it for cancelled, but we were able to walk the dog of another member we tracted into. We had also set a goal to hand out 3 Book of Mormons that day. We finished knocking our 50 doors before dinner but had only handed out 2 books. So, after dinner we went to an apartment complex we had gone to earlier and literally at the 2nd door the guy that answered was super nice and accepted a Book of Mormon! We also got a return appointment with him!! If you really have a desire to reach your goals, the Lord will provide a way for you to achieve them!

Thursday was a little insane. We received some tragic news, and it was really hard to focus. We were able to have a lesson with someone we tracted into the other day. It went well! He and his roommate were really open to what we had to say and they both committed to read the Book of Mormon. In personal study I was studying questions of the soul in Preach My Gospel. It is just so amazing how the Book of Mormon can answer all of life's questions! 

We had another kind of scary situation on Friday. All I can say is that I am very thankful for the Gift of THe Holy Ghost to warn me of risky situations. I pray that we all live worthy of that companionship. 

On Saturday we received transfer information. I will be going to Greeley Colorado. It is pretty amazing how the Lord's time table works. For those of you who don't know, my step-dad has been working in Greeley since the beginning of my mission, so he and my mom make periodical appearances every now and then. I'm not going to lie, when my mom told me that they would be in my mission a lot, I was really mad at God. I felt that my call wasn't very inspired, but through much prayer, I was able to accept the Lord's will for me. I can honestly say, it was the best decision I ever made to accept His call. This mission is exactly where I need to be. How incredible is it that just when the Lord needed me in Greeley, my step-dad's project would wrap up? I also have the opportunity to be a Sister Training Leader. This means I will have the opportunity to go on exchanges with many sisters and learn from them and love them! I will be companions with Hermana Lee, and we will be training a new missionary! I am just so excited for the opportunity to lengthen my stride this transfer, as I strive to fulfill my missionary purpose! 

The absolute best part of my week was talking to my family. I am thankful for their love and support. I am thankful for the Plan of Salvation and the truth that I will be with them forever! I am especially thankful for my mother! I love the story of the stripling warriors and their mothers! Just like their mothers, my mom has an amazing testimony of this gospel. She has taught me to build my foundation on Christ, and because of that all my burdens have been light. 

This has been quite a transfer. I can honestly say that it has been the transfer of the most spiritual growth. I was blessed with amazing zone leaders, wonderful Sister training leaders, and an awesome district leader, but I would definitely have to say the biggest blessing this transfer was my sweet companion, Sister Stapelman! She has taught me so much and I know she will continue to do amazing things on her mission. She is hardworking, obedient, and she loves the Savior. Those traits alone make her an incredible missionary! I will miss her a lot and she will always hold a special place in my heart!

Change can be scary, especially when what you have now is so great! I can just bear my testimony that the Lord has a plan for all of us. It may not be what we want, but it is always what we need. When we get too comfortable we stop growing. I am thankful for the changes in my life. They have strengthened me and have also opened my eyes to the abundant blessings of the Lord that he freely gives to all of us!

If you made it to the end of this weekly, I'm proud of you! You must really love me and know that I love you too! 

Love,

Sister Gish 

Sister Gish hits her 9 month mark! Where has the time gone?

Some of Sister Gish's favorite people from Laradise!

Sister Gish with her favorite district ever!

Sister Gish and Sister Stapelman

Sister Gish got to Skype home for Mother's Day! We loved getting to talk to her!

Week 38

Hello! This week was a roller coaster of emotions, but it was so special! 

I want to start by sharing some tracting experiences that we have had!

-Last week we tracted into a baptist minister! He was so nice! He told us how he loves Mormons and that he loves to defend us when people accuse us of being a cult. He says he loves what we believe in and then he told us to be safe! I just love when people are kind. It reminds me that no matter what religion we are, we worship the same loving Heavenly Father, and His son Jesus Christ. We should all strive to be more like them.

-We were tracting a street and EVERYONE thought we were Jehovah's Witnesses because apparently they tracted the street the day before. I was a bit hesitant to tract the street, but Sister Stapelman had a prompting that we should knock at a small apartment complex at the end of the street. We tracted into a guy named Noah. He said he took a religious studies class at UW and we asked him what he learned. I was obviously not shocked when most of the information was incorrect. We bore powerful testimony of the priesthood and of Joseph Smith. We even got a return appointment!

-We also ran into a basher this week. We did not engage. It was a good reminder that if you have a hardened heart, you will not be able to feel the convincing power of the spirit. 

On Wednesday we had interviews with President McMurray! I can honestly say that he is a man of God. I feel blessed to serve with him. We also got to go on exchanges with our sister training leaders this week. I went with Sister Sperry. That girl just radiates the spirit! I learned so much from her. We were able to meet with their investigator, Tammy. We were going to teach The Gospel of Jesus Christ, but Sister Sperry felt like we needed to show her the talk by Elder Holland "Be Ye Therefore Perfect- Eventually." You could feel the spirit so strong! Tammy said that she wanted to be baptized and we put her on date. I am thankful for Sister Sperry's example of showing faith and fearlessly acting on promptings! I love her.

On Tuesday, we went to have a lesson with Jody, and when we got there we asked if she was excited for her baptism that weekend. She said yes, but that it was too bad that Mikey (her boyfriend) had gone out of town. I selfishly wanted to have the baptism anyway so that I could see the fruit of my labors before transfers happened. I know it was more important that Mikey was there, and that he would be really sad to miss it so we pushed it back for 2 weeks. Then by some miracle, Mikey was back in town and Jody called us Wednesday night to tell us that the baptism was back on! It was really last minute, but our amazing ward really helped pull it together. It has been amazing to see Jody grow closer to her Father in Heaven. I have truly seen her blossom into a happier and more outgoing person! She popped out of the water and gave a huge thumbs up to everyone who came! I am thankful that I was able to be there. It was a testment that exact obedience and hard work brings to pass great things. 

This week I felt like we needed to go through our former investigators and see if any of them needed following up on. I saw someone named Cody, so we texted him and asked if he would be interested in meeting with us. He said sure. We asked what time, and he said "What time are services on Sunday? I'd like to come." Guess what? HE CAME! It was great and we will be meeting with him this week.

I just really love you all so much! I love being a missionary and wearing the Savior's name on my heart everyday!

I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Sister Gish

Sister Gish and Sister Sperry

Sister Gish, Sister Stapelman, and Jody

Sister Gish, Sister Stapelman, and Elder Mitchell

Sister Gish with "the best district ever"

Week 37

Hello Everyone! This week was just so full of miracles! This transfer is flying by WAY too fast!

On Tuesday we had a lesson with Mikey and Jodi! Mikey is Jodi's boyfriend and a recent convert to the church. We just talked about service and how it blesses our life! Service truly is an amazing way to help us follow our Savior's example!

We met with Jodi again on Tuesday and went over the baptismal interview questions. I don't know if I have mentioned this or not, but she is on date for baptism for this Saturday! Then we met with Tess. Unfortunately we had to push back her baptismal date. It is for the best though! We want her to feel prepared and ready to make covenants with God. 

Thursday was zone conference, and guys, it was SO GOOD! It was all about how we can use our faith in Jesus Christ to cast out fear. We watched a talk by Kevin Worthen. He explains a type of fear by using an acronym.

False
Evidence
Appearing 
Real

He explains that irrational fear comes from Satan and that we can increase our faith through serving others. It explains how faith is a choice and that we have already shown great faith by choosing to come here to earth! 

On Saturday, we made some super cute cookies and took some to investigators, less actives,  and our leaders! It was fun! My Grandma Richins taught me that the key to loving others even more is to make them cookies! It's really sound logic ;)
 
We also made a goal that day to tract 80 doors. at about 5:30, we were at a grand total of 15, and we had 2 scheduled lessons that night, so we decided to power through our dinner hour and just work. Boy were we blessed. We saw so many miracles and passed out  Book of Mormons!

-We met a nice catholic lady. She told us that she really admires what we do and she invited us in for a glass of water! We had a good conversation and left her with our number.

-We knocked on this old couple's door and they invited us in. We showed them Because of Him and talked about the Book of Mormon. She told us tht she read the Book of Mormon and that it is the missing link to the Bible. We asked her if she had been baptized, and she said "oh of course!" They were inactive members, and we were able to invite them back to church and remind them of how much they are loved. 

-We tracted into a lady named Ronda. This was a little crazier. She had like 700 teddy bears and rambled about her not 1, but 4 brain surgeries. We gave her a Book of Mormon and got a return appointment, but she cancelled. 

- We had our two lessons, and still needed 15 more doors to reach our goal. We had about 30 minutes left in the day. We knocked the 15 doors and no one would talk to us. It was a little depressing and it would have been really easy to go back home 10 minutes early, but the scripture Alma 26:27 was brought to my mind. It says:"Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success".

We decided we could keep going! On the very last door, we were able to talk with an agnostic guy. He asked us questions and Sister Stapelman and I both shared scriptures from the Book of Mormon and bore powerful testimony that it is true. We told him it could answer his questions. He gladly accepted a copy!

It is just so amazing to be a missionary. We didn't get any super solid return appointments, but there is a power and satisfaction that comes when you are diligent. The Lord blesses you when you serve Him with all your heart, might, mind and strength. 

This week, I have been trying to seek personal revelation! I have already experienced so much spiritual growth as I have asked God the questions of my soul in sincere prayer, pondered the scriptures/ words of living prophets, and wrote down my answers. As I have written down my promptings, I have had an easier time remembering them. It is so important to write down promptings, and I would invite you to do it. We have a quote in our apartment that says "The prompting that goes unresponded to may not be repeated". Writing down what we have been prompted with is vital. A special thought can also be lost later in the day in the rough and tumble of life. God should not, and may not, choose to repeat the prompting if we assign what was given such a low priority as to put it aside." I can testify that the more I have followed promptings, and written them down, the more I have received. I know the same can be true for you. It will help you align your will with God, which bings more happiness than we can comprehend.  

Sorry this was long and sporadic, but sometimes that is how revelation works. 

I love you all! 

Sister Gish

Sister Gish and Sister Stapelman making cookies

Sister Gish and Sister Stapelman

Sister Gish and Sister Blackmon

Sister Gish and Sister Walker

Sister Gish and Sister Sperry