December 22, 2014

We made homemade pies for our bishops and then we dropped them off and caroled to them :D 

Not a lot has happened this week but one thing Jen is on date for baptism for Jan 10th. she is so ready to be baptized. We are so excited. She told us she wasn’t going to be able to come to sacrament meeting this week but she ended up coming. It was so coo l. she loved it. We are doing the 12 days of Christmas for her and got our ward involved with it. Sister Gurny said that it has helped her so much. The first day the bishop stopped by and I guess Jen was feeling really low that day, every day since she has been soo happy. We asked the people doing it to get to know her and introduce themselves. so fun :) me and sister Allred are going to buy Jen a CTR ring. she tried mine on the other day and she wants one so bad so we are giving it to her for the 12th day of Christmas :) we are still working with Jacob and Darren. Today I was studying in the scripters and I read something I didn’t realize. It’s in the book of Mormon in Alma 13 1-3 and as I was reading it I realized that before we came to earth God already chose the prophets and leaders. He already chose Jesus Christ. He already chose Adam and Abraham. well yea we all new that but he also chose people that might not have accepted it and it was cool to come to a realization of that because I am a missionary and I want to share the gospel to everyone I meet but now it’s a little different to think as I’m talking to some guy on the street maybe God called him to be a future LDS Bishop or stake president idk but it’s cool to think how talking to one person is helping Gods plan. God already called them. Wow its cool to think about. I was also thinking about my patriarchal blessing and how we are all different. Not one person is the same. and we are giving a blessing that really just helps us live up to what God wants us to be. I love reading and re reading my patriarchal blessing. I get something new out of it every time. God has a plan for me and who He wants me to become. He has given me a guide. the scripters, my blessing and my amazing parents to be an example. This gospel brings so much peace. in church we were having a discussion and its funny how you can grow up in the church but you find things you haven’t heard about before and how if you have faith and really try to understand it, it makes sense and you have a greater understanding of Gods plan. I cant really describe what the lesson was about without going in to depth of what I was thinking but I love that sense of peace you feel when you understand. I felt the spirit and it was there to testify of what I was being taught :) it was cool to be on the other side of being taught and using my agency to be open to accept what I was learning. I was trying to put myself in the place of someone who is looking in to the church and if you are open to it and willing to try to understand it you are showing God that you have faith in Him and His word and you will be able to feel the holy ghost testify with in your hart of its truthfulness :)

This week I gained a stronger testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know God is real. I know He is our Heavenly Father and that He loved us so much that He gave us this experience on the earth. He let us go so we could grow and learn. as a missionary i understand a little bit of that sadness and joy that God feels every day when people choose to come back to God and follow Him and when people deny Him and choose to deny His existence. it’s a roller-coaster of emotions but we can chose to fallow Him. We can chose to testify of him and help others find him :) I love this gospel. I love my Father in Heaven. I love my Savior and all He has done for us so that we can return to our Fathers presence. I love my family. my mom and dad and 4 older sisters and the things I have learned from them and the examples they are for me. Getting married in the temple and living up to the covenants they made with God. I’m grateful for my aunts and uncles and cousins that chose to be a good example. To go serve full time missions and live their lives in harmony with Christ teachings. I’m grateful for my life and all the things I had to experience. the trials and also the success. its all made me who I am today and that’s Gods plan. we are all here to grow and learn from our mistakes and to find joy in this life and strive to return to our Father in Heaven again. I love this church and I sustain all my church leaders. I know Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet of the restoration and was given the priesthood, the power and authority given by God to speak and act in His name. I know he really did see God the Father and His son Jesus Christ. I know that we have a living prophet today Thomas S Monson and that he holds all the keys to run the Lords church and I know that Gods kingdom is growing the work of God is hastening and we cannot be afraid to share the testimonies that are in our hearts. so many of Gods precious children don’t know or understand the fullness of Christ’s gospel.

I say these things in the name of my Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ amen

Love,

Sister Lacey Steen

More tracting Pictures!

 We are hunters :-)

 Share the gift!

 Sister Gurrny gave us these ornaments.  I love her and brother Gurrny :) 

Temple Week :-) December 18, 2014

Our investigator Jacob's 18 wheeler :D

This week was a long one. We didn’t have pday on Monday cuz it was temple week. the adversary worked so hard on me this week by discouraging me and making it so I wouldn't feel up to going to the temple and we almost didn’t make it. Everything was going wrong but when we got there all that panic and anger just left. I love the temple and how strong the spirit is there. We had 2 people drop us yesterday and it just was the last thing I could take. I broke down :( but I cried it out and I’m ok. I have to remember we aren’t fishers anymore we are hunters and we are looking for that one person that is ready and accepting of the gospel. Last Tuesday we had a Christmas devotional and it was sooo good. We got to watch a slide show of our mission. That was so fun. They gave us all a copy of it :) my birthday was so fun! I loved it. I got pretty spoiled. I got a big box during the Christmas devotional and every one was asking who sent me flowers. It ended up being my best friend Eddie :)

 they are so pretty he is the best!! 

Our investigator Adriana got baptized on the 13th Saturday morning at 9:30.

 On Sunday me and my companion sister Allred sang in church for invitation Sunday. We sang Come Follow Me. Our investigator Daren was there. His wife was so sick. She had a kidney stone and still came to church so her husband would come. We had a lesson with them that night. We tried to put him on date but he said no. It’s been a hard week but worth it. We got a text the other day from Jen our investigator asking what she needs to do to prepare for baptism. Me and sister Allred freaked out and at that moment just knelt down and prayed and thanked God for this miracle. Jen also asked us if she had to wait until she is baptized to get a CTR ring or if she can get one now lol she went to primary with her daughter and learned what CTR meant :) and she loves it :) we got to go zone caroling it was fun lol its funny people even reject the missionaries when you just sing to them. We get to go and do it again tonight :) not a lot happened this week just a lot of ups and downs but its good. I love it here :)



Love, Sister Lacey Steen :)

 saying goodbye to Elder Kennedy

 My mom and dad sent me a 12 days of Christmas package. It is so fun

 And CIRCLES!!!!

 Trying to teach a group of missionaries to make coffee for a service project we did.  lol it was pretty funny!! we had no clue what we where doing!!

at the Gullion's house

 

Over eating wailing and gnashing of teeth December 8, 2014

My week has been crazy but fun :)

Last Monday me and my companion Sister Allred bought a turkey :) and after pday we went out and worked. We got 3 other lessons. That never happens on a pday :) then we had Family Home Evening with the Gullions at the Brooks house. That wasn’t such a good idea. lol Lots of talking. We were there for 2 hours trying to finish our lesson lol those Gullions! lol then we dropped by brother Dunlaps cuz it was his birthday and gave him a triple combo with his name engraved :) he was so happy :) then we went home and strung popcorn for our tree that some members let us borrow :)



Tuesday we had Family Home Evening with the Dunlaps. It was so much fun and we got pictures with them. We love that family. Daren, the dad, has been reading the Book of Mormon everyday with his family :) We have been really praying and fasting for him to get his answer. Before we started his youngest daughter Rebekah picked the song “I love to see the temple” it was so cute and as Daren sang it his wife cried :) me and Sister Allred also both got our new boots. I love mine. My mom and sister have good taste :) they are warm!

Wednesday we tracted all day so we decided to make it fun and took pics with everyone’s stuff that doesn’t talk back!! We took some with stuff if the people were nice. One lady had this huge house. We talked to her for a while. She was older and her son lived with her. We asked her if we could do service for her like clean or help finish her tree. I had a big smile on my face so she said oh maybe I should let you clean. You look super happy lol then she said if you could just be my daughter and live here. lol it was funny. Sister Allred said how about two daughters and she looked at my companion really weird. I think she thought she said I have two daughters. lol oh well. It was funny but we had fun and talked to a lot of people and gave out “He is the gift” cards. It’s such a good video

Thursday, now here’s the funny part of my week. The wailing and gnashing of teeth part. lol me and sister Allred were tracting and we get to this house with a fence so she stops and shakes the gate. Nothing happens so I proceeded to open the gate. Then we hear a dog barking in the distance. I stop but she said it’s coming from the other yard so we keep going. As I’m trying to shut the gate this dog come barreling around the house hair straight up and teeth bared. I’m trying to get this dumb gate to open then next thing I know my companion is like “I’m out” grabs me by the backpack and then gets out as I’m trying to keep the dog in the yard and get out too. So I put my foot in between the gate and the dog and it flipping bit my boot!! My heart was racing and I thought I was a goner but somehow we both made it out alive and unharmed. lol that dog was evil !!!! Straight up!!! After that we told and retold that story as we tracted. Then are backs started to hurt so we turned our backpacks around and we called it pregnant backpacking. lol when we got to a house or saw someone we flipped them around really fast. lol it was a work out. That night we were still tracting. It was pouring down rain. We were riding our bikes passed the Wibergs house singing jingle bells and the kid’s chimed in. it was so cute lol my companion kept using really big words that I ended up writing down and looking up in the dictionary hahaha



Friday, My 20th birthday, I woke up and my companion made me a huge pancake and eggs. Yumm! She got me my favorite candy and it was weekly planning day so we got to stay in until 5. Sister Stewart came by and dropped off a yummy red velvet pumpkin roll and a Card. I love her! Then Sister Monson came by and gave me 2 presents. I opened one it was lasagna cuz for dinner we are having clam chowder and I told her the story about brother Toolson asking what my favorite food is and then getting clam chowder anyway haha the Kennewick park elders made me cookies and hot chocolate. I didn’t open sister Monson’s bigger present until her daughter got off school. She brought me a balloon and candy canes and drew me a cute picture :) then I opened the other present and got 3 boxes of chezzits!!!!!! I was so happy :) we started making our turkey in the morning and it got done right at 12 so we had a thanksgiving lunch and it was so good. We went to the Toolsons for dinner. The clam chowder was good and they made me a cake :) they sang happy birthday to me. That night the Zone leaders dropped by and sang the best happy birthday song and they bought me my favorite ice-cream cake ever! Cookie dough! I don’t know how they knew but I had the best birthday ever! I didn’t record it at the door but I got to the next day. I ate so much!

Saturday zone meeting I got to do a training on roll plays. it went good :) we had a training by elder Palmer and it was on Jeremiah 16:16 we are Hunters now!!!! Hunt them from the Mountains, hills, and out of the holes of the rocks. Dig, Scratch, and claw. Find them!!

 We aren’t fishing anymore no more nets we have to find that one person that is searching for the truth that ONE that doesn’t know yet. We have to hunt for them. They aren’t just going to come to us. We have to search. We have to work hard and start now!!! Jeremiah 16:16 is my life and I’m never ever going back. I love this work too much. I love seeing how the gospel changes lives. Why would we ever go back? Why would we even think it? I cry and pray for those who go back. I’ve seen too many of Gods miracles to even think of going back. I beg you all who have found the trueness of this everlasting gospel to never ever go back. For all you missionaries and return missionaries you’ve seen Gods hand in the work. Never forget that! Never! And for those who have never experienced a mission live it! That is your mission. Live the gospel. Please be that example to those who don’t have the gospel. Don’t go back. Search diligently for your everlasting testimony and share it. Don’t hide your talents. Don’t hide your faith. I’ve met way too many Christians that don’t share there beliefs or love for God. If you love God WHY NOT SHARE IT? Why not tell the world that YOU ARE A MORMON!! I’ve never been happier then I am right now living the gospel and sharing it. It’s the greatest feeling in the world. I love you all so much and I want you to have this joy " HE IS THE GIFT" I invite everyone family and friends member and non-member to DISCOVER THE GIFT EMBRACE THE GIFT AND SHARE THE GIFT and never ever go back

After district meeting the elders did my birthday song again. I recorded it this time then we went to Texas road house. I got a 6oz sirloin. Yumm! We had a Christmas party and it was so good! It was an adult one in Ridgeview cuz they have so many people there isn’t room for the kids so they do a separate one for the kids :) dinner was good then desert came and I wanted to try everything. I got full fast and this guy I was sitting by was like “looks like your taking that home” well we are on bikes and I’m not going home until later so I either waste it or eat it. then he was joking with me and told me a story of this guy that would stand by the trash can and every time a little kid was about to throw away all his food the guy would tell him to go finish it and not waste it. So I felt like I couldn’t just throw it out now. Then my comp dared me to eat it all. Oh man the brownie was so rich I was sick and then she told me to cowboy up! lol so you know me I had to finish so I did and then felt like I needed to throw up. funny story we had an appointment in like 20 min and we have to bike there it talks about 30 min to get there on bikes so I pulled myself together and we biked fast and got there in under 20 min and our ward mission leader met up with us to teach Jacob. We got in there house and it started off rough. He talked about Dunbels for 15 min then we prayed with him and the spirit was there. After the prayer I felt better I didn’t even feel sick we talked about the atonement more with him. He doesn’t really grasp what the atonement is about. I shared my testimony of how it took me awhile to really understand the atonement and how it took a while for the burdens that were on my shoulders to go away. They don’t always just go away. The first time you pray and ask for forgiveness. I know that and you have to have faith in God and show him your willing to keep doing it and never giving up. I asked him if he would like a blessing. He told me getting a blessing is like an athlete doing steroids he thinks if he gets a blessing he is cheating. If he only knew how the power of the priesthood feels and how it can help lift burdens!! :( He also gave an analogy of a brick in the purse. how if you have a heavy brick in your purse for so long its annoying but you get used to it and that how he feels that he’s used to it. He is so hard on himself and he doesn’t know that if he really tries to repent the burden goes away if his mind just makes it go away or if it’s really gone and that bothers him. He thinks too hard on that. We invited him to really pray and go with his questions and then read the book of Mormon and he will find his answers. He didn’t promise us that he would. He told us a dream he had about how he was on a plane and it was falling out of the sky. He knew he was about to die so he prayed and the lady by him saw him and started to pray too. Then the plane stopped falling and landed safely. He got another chance but he didn’t really grasp what the dream meant. He is just too hard on himself :(



Sunday sister Pratt shared her testimony about an experience she had with me and sister Allred. She said we are so bold and she doesn’t think she can ever be that bold and how grateful she is that she got to be a part of that. sister Vicary came up to us after and told us she wanted to share her testimony but she was so scared and she is so glad sister Pratt got up there. Savana, Brother Dunlap’s daughter, told us she is fasting for her dad. She is about 10. It was so cute I started to cry. I know Darren is going to find his answer about the Book of Mormon soon :)



I know this church is true. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ and the priesthood, the power and authority given to man to speak and act in God’s name has been restored by a prophet Joseph Smith who was called to be a prophet of the restoration. I know that the temple is a sacred place where we make sacred covenants with God and where families can be sealed for time and all eternity. I know that the covenant of baptism is a sacred ordinance that we do to show Christ we will follow Him. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world and that through His atonement we can repent and come unto Him. That we can give him all of our burdens and sins. That we can be clean. I know that after this life we can be with our families and with God once again. I know that this gospel can bless the lives of families and individuals. I know that my Redeemer lives. amen

Thanksgiving Week!! December 1, 2014

Thanksgiving week was pretty good!!

On Tuesday we went with our new Sister Missionary in the ward and her husband to teach Isabela and her boyfriend Paul. It’s a very interesting couple. Isabela has a husband, a boyfriend and some girlfriends. We were teaching her and him about “the Family a Proclamation to the World”. Isabela doesn’t like that we pray to a man. She hates that in scriptures it says mankind and not womenkind. We answered all her questions and at the end invited them to read the Book of Mormon and pray. Paul doesn’t know if there is a God but he said he will pray.

on Wednesday we did service for one of our ward missionaries, sister V. We helped her sort food into boxes. We had dinner at the Fulmar’s and they had to friends over that were our age. We talked about the gospel and we shared with them are favorite scripters. Adriana is about to be baptized. It’s coming up on the 13th and she is so excited. We were asked to talk in church. My talk was on how I decided to serve a mission and my preparation of going and how it’s blessed my life. Thanksgiving Day was crazy!! We had so many dinners and it was like in the 50s. It WAS SUCH A NICE DAY!!! We helped the Gullions make breakfast and helped make the turkey. it was huge! just for 3 people lol

 and helped make a pumpkin pie. Then went to the Stokers and had one of the healthiest thanksgiving dinners ever. lol then went to the Kinsies then the Brooks where they had over 20 pies. It was really good. It’s cool to see other people’s traditions. Lots of people didn’t make gravy lol and they almost all had ham and turkey. Well after that we did weekly planning and that night and on Friday we had an amazing lesson with the D family. Daren hasn’t gotten his answer if the Book of Mormon is true or not but he said he won’t give up. He said he hasn’t felt the Holy Ghost yet. He said the only time he feels the Holy Ghost is when we are there :) so we read the Book of Mormon with the family then invited them to read one chapter a day until the 14th and pray to know if it’s true. He said he would. Today is his birthday and we called him, and sang happy birthday and are dropping off a present. Me and my comp are going to buy him a triple combination with his name engraved in it :) On Saturday we went to the G family’s and read with Adrianna. We tracted then we went to the Kinsies for dinner. I had a bad reaction to something. I started being itchy before we went to dinner but it got really bad at dinner. I asked my comp if it was bad she said no so we went to dinner. When we got to dinner sister Kensy said i had hives all over my neck. Sister Allred said no its just red. lol after dinner we went home and I took off some layers and my whole body was covered in hives. my lip was swollen and sister Allred called Sister Monson then a ward doctor came and I took Benedryl and got a blessing. Then I was out the rest of the night. Good thing I was done preparing my talk for Sunday. I slept until i had to go give my talk and ended up not even reading what i had prepared but really talking from the heart. I shared a quote that my mom gave me by Ezra Taft Benson and that’s really what made me want to serve a mission. After my talk sister Allred spoke and it was amazing. Then our ward mission leader Brother Ewing talked. It was such a good sacrament meeting. Someone came up to me after and said thanks for sharing that quote. he had heard it once before and wanted to send it to his son but couldn’t find it so he looked it up and sent it to him :) at the end of the night we stopped by a potential investigators house, Eric and Pallen and they let us in. Eric said we ran in to him 3 times and he knows that God led us to him. He kept saying that and that’s why he let us in. We taught about the restoration and the Book of Mormon and invited them to read it and pray to know if it is true. He said I know God sent us to him. The spirit was so strong! I love being a missionary. i love this work and i love all the people i get to teach and talk to every day :)

my birthday is coming up I’m going to be 20 lol Brother Tolsen in the ward asked me what I want for dinner on my birthday. I told him I like lasagna so he’s making me clam chowder. bahahaha it’s going to be great :)

Love you all



Love Sister Steen

November 24, 2014

Oh man this week was crazy and it went by way way too fast!! Because of the holidays a lot of are investigators are not home or they are just too busy to see us. But we keep finding new people but sadly we also have lost a few. One of our investigators, Hazel, just dropped us today. its really hard but you have to think positively. They didn’t drop us they dropped Christ. This is his work and his gospel. We are called to be his missionaries and to be his voice. D&C 28:16 says "And thou must open thy mouth at all times, declaring my gospel with the sound of rejoicing. Amen." As a missionary I know it’s hard. Some people are mean. Just last night I introduced me and my companion as missionaries for Jesus Christ. This man told me he wasn’t interested. I was about to ask him if he would like some help in his yard and he got really close to my face and yelled and told me.. I said NO!! and it hurt. It really did. I could only imagine what Christ felt like when people started to deny him and in the end hung him on the cross. I will never go through the suffering Christ did. This work is hard but I know God never told us it was going to be easy. He just said it would be worth it and it is. this is the hardest thing I’ve done in my life but it’s the best thing I’ve ever chosen to do :) every day I wake up and I kneel down and pray for strength to do all I need to do to help the people I see come closer to Christ. At times the adversary comes in my mind and tells me I need to give up this is too hard. People are just too mean. But it’s never true. When I get past that feeling I feel comfort knowing God is pleased with me and he is cheering me on. I love D&C 24:12 it says "And at all times, an in all places, he shall open his mouth and declare my gospel as with the voice of a trump, both day and night. And I will give unto him strength such as is not known among men." I know God gives us strength. I would just like to invite you to share Christ’s love with everyone you see this Holliday season. One of our progressing investigators is in a part member family. He is the only one that isn’t a member. He decided he wanted to invite all these people to thanksgiving dinner. his wife told us he doesn’t know them but they were homeless and didn’t have a place to go so he invited them. Brother D is one of the most loving guys I have ever met. He has such a strong testimony of the spirit. He knows God listens to his prayers. We had an amazing lesson with him and his family. It was focused on the Book of Mormon. We invited him to be baptized and he told us when he comes to know the book of Mormon is true he will be baptized. The day before that we had a multi zone meeting with the mission president and Elder Arnold of the 70. It was the best rebuking I have ever had. You know before my mission if I sat in this meeting I would have left there with nothing. Because I know that you will always have someone helping you become the best you can be and if you can’t take someone telling you “ok what you are doing isn’t working. Try this.” And you get offended then you will never grow to the person/ missionary God needs you to become. the mission has taught me how to humble my self before God and to try new things that will help the work move forward. so that’s what me and sister Allred did. we used what we learned in that meeting with Elder Arnold when we got to brother D’s house. The first thing we did is prayed on our knees with the whole family and it brought the spirit so strong we threw out the lesson. We gave him scripture verses to read and he read every one and told us about it. We will never ever read to an investigator again. The spirit that was in that house was so strong brother D shared his testimony about the spirit and how it has been a big part of his life. Then his wife bore her testimony. Me and sister Allred left there with so much excitement. I imagined brother D in white and I saw that family in the temple being sealed to each other for time and all eternity. I like to look at the people I teach with the end picture to see Gods sons and daughters in white and it brings me a desire to help them reach that goal to be a part of Gods kingdom on the earth. a scary thing happened the other day we were tracting some apartments and this lady let us in. she had a lot of questions I’ve never gotten on my mission like how do you know that God isn’t a girl. It was really hard to picture this lady in white. She invited us in this room where there was some hookas and the room was giving me a headache my poor companion was oblivious to her surroundings. During the lesson I was dropping hints and it was still over her head. lol

As the lesson came to an end the lady left the room to get something and I looked at my companion then pointed at the drugs. Her eyes got big and I mouthed that we should go now. The lady came back and she asked about the Book of Mormon and if she could have one. We gave her a restoration pamphlet and told her to pray about it and next time we will talk more about the Book of Mormon and give her one before she left she asked us how old we were then she told us that she was an adult entertainer and she loves everything we taught her. She wants to put it in her books she is writing I sighed she asked us to come back and we asked if we could bring someone next time. She said of course. We weren’t in danger but we both knew the spirit couldn’t be there :/ sister Allred said to me she wondered why she couldn’t feel the spirit. She is one of our new investigators. It is hard not to say she will never be ready for the gospel. That’s not my place to say. I’m here to share the gospel with whoever will listen and to invite them to read and pray and be baptized. I grew that day and I feel like I have more of Christ’s love in me :) I love you all and hope you have a happy thanksgiving :)

Love Sister Steen