March 16, 2015

We had an awesome week :) We have 4 people on date for baptism and we are praying so hard for them. Andrea didn’t make it to church. I gave her a dress and everything she said she left it at her son’s dads. I got a little frustrated but it’s just a dress. Thomas is on date and are trial with him is getting him and Laura married or help Laura understand that they can’t progress if she is living with him. She has a desire to get active and get a testimony Thomas is just waiting for Laura to fall in love with him. I love them both and I know the Lord will help them :) Casey didn’t make it to church. We even went to their house and rang the bell and knocked on all the doors. We called and texted and we still haven’t heard from them so he can’t be baptized on the 28th like he wanted but that’s ok. When he really wants it he will work for it. We are going to just help him find that desire and Kevin is on date for now the 18th of April. Woot! He picked his own date and his goal is to get sealed to his wife :) he is sooooo solid. We had dinner with them last night and he is just a really great guy :) sorry this email is going to be a bit short I haven’t felt too good today but I’ll catch you up on everything next week. Just know the work in Pendleton is progressing and we are sooo exited we are just trying to get our members excited too. We can’t do this work without them. It’s impossible!

Faith, just remember, is the first principal of the gospel. Without faith there is no progression. Act in faith every day. Have faith in the Savior even when you feel there is no hope. It’s the will of God to find his vision for you and you will succeed in all you do. This life is just a small part of eternity. The joy we feel here is nothing compared to our celestial joy in heaven



Love Sister Steen

March 9th 2015

A week of acting in faith and followed the will of the Lord!

Well first off we have a new investigator. Her name is Dee. She is sooo sweet and I love her. She told us she doesn’t normally let missionaries in her house but we were different. She was telling us about her yard and how she really needs to get the leaves out of the yard and clean it up for spring. Sooo on Thursday we did service at Dees house and she told us that she wrote a letter to the church about us. lol I didn’t know people did that. We are going to put her on date today for April 4th we are so excited for her to progress.

Andrea is kind of in a place where she can’t progress. She is living with 2 men because she is homeless and we are trying to find a cheap place for her to live. We found a really small one bedroom house that she might be able to get. I hope so. On Tuesday we are going to put her back on date for March 28th.

We had a lesson with a guy named Ryan. He is very smart and kind of intimidates me. I always feel like I have to say something really profound for him to acknowledge I exist. lol but the other day I just told him my testimony about the atonement in very simple terms and he looked at me and said I agree. It shocked me. I just know the Holy Ghost will help us talk to anyone. If we keep it simple they will be able to understand it in their own language too :) it was cool. We are going on exchanges tomorrow and we have a lesson with him and we are going to put him on date for April 4th. I get to be the one that stays in the area. There are a lot of set appointments on Tuesday where we are going to put people on date and have members in their home with us. :) On Friday we contacted a referral that a member gave us. It was their neighbor. Her name is Mary and she is another new investigator. We asked her if we could come back and teach her more she said yes. We were headed over to our members house so we invited her to invite her neighbor to the lesson. She was like yea of course. lol it was so cool.

We had an awesome zone meeting on Saturday in Milton Freewater. We had trainings on so many things that me and my companion where really struggling with. We didn’t really know why we were but we were. Well one thing that came up in a discussion was when you put people on date to be baptized you put them on date for four weeks, no further. Me and Sister Rasmussen looked at each other and looked down. We were going to put Casey on date for July and we felt so silly. Then we had training about having faith to drop. When I heard that topic I thought of Thomas. He currently is not progressing because he is living with a less active member and she doesn’t want to marry him and he doesn’t want to kick her out well because he loves her and she doesn’t love him. So he can’t be baptized. This week we have to have a drop lesson and really help him understand how important it is to be baptized and not procrastinate the day of your repentance. He knows it’s all true and he wants to be baptized. But he loves this girl more than God right now so we have to have enough faith to drop him. I learned that we need to act in faith a lot more and follow the will of the Lord.

We got dropped off in Adams and tracted the whole day. A lot of people weren’t home but to the people that were we taught the restoration and even invited one to be baptized. She said yes if she came to know what we have is true. She said we can come back but wouldn’t give us an exact day and time so we are going to try her on Saturday. We talked to a lot of really nice people that said they wouldn’t change but they want us to come back so we are going back.

We made it to stake conference and my first ward mission leader brother Ryan Wood was there. It was so cool. I didn’t get to say bye to them when they moved. Our ward was chosen to do a role play about ward counsel. It was really scary and fun. lol then he invited the people that have ever been less active in their life time stand up so I did and 4 other missionaries did in my zone and half of the people in my ward counsel. I looked at a lady and when she saw me she started to cry. After stake conference was over she came up to me and said “you are so strong. I’m grateful you are on a mission to share your conversion story.” I didn’t know the lady and she had no clue my conversion story but she knew by looking at me that it changed my life. I found out later she was a bishops wife in Walla Walla. Brother Wood and Sister Wood, ward mission leaders in the 1st ward, drove us home and bought us some ice cream. When we got home I was so tired because of the time change. lol Sunday I had a hard time waking up but I did it and we got to Walla Walla again for the Sunday Session. Andrea didn’t make it :( after conference we went home and talked while we ate lunch. Well since my year mark I’ve been struggling with thoughts of going home and staying out. I’m so tired all the time and the work is really flat. I didn’t know what to do. I was wondering if I had the desire to stay out or if I just needed to go home. Well I told my companion that and she felt the same. We have both been struggling with that. We both figured out that we still have the desire to do the Lords work we are just really tired. Well I told her that I just need a second wind and then I know I would be able to finish my mission strong. I told her I want to be able to hug my family and tell them that I did it. I finished my mission and I have no regrets :) well that night we got the promptings to go to a guy named Kevin’s house. He married a member and has been going to church every week since I’ve been here. We have asked the bishop 3 times if he could invite him to take the lessons. Every time we follow up he says he will and never does. So after dinner we went to Keith’s house and taught him about the restoration and invited him to be baptized on April 4th. He thought about it and said well it will help him get to his other goals like being sealed to his wife in the temple so he said yes and he said if he can’t on the 4th he will aim for the 11th. We got in the car and just screamed! We were so happy. We acted in faith and followed the will of the Lord. Right after that we ran to Casey’s house and we sat him down and went over his reading and then proceeded to put him on date for the 4th of April as well. He asked if we can move it up to the 28th of March and we said yes. He said thank you so much for caring enough that you didn’t give up on me. I know that what we did that night was an act of faith and I know that we followed the will of the Lord. He really does listen to us. I found my second wind and I’m ready to finish my mission at a dead sprint. I’m going to act in faith and follow the Lords will.

This is the Lords work. It’s His will and we have to be willing to say not my will but thy will be done. I’ve learned that the work is easier when you act in faith and follow the will of God. I love this work and I only have one time in my life that I can serve a mission like this one. I know there are many missions out there waiting for me. I just have to show my self I can do this with the Lords help.

Alma 37:47 And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto this people and declare the word, and be sober. My son, farewell.



Our missions are to do the will of the Lord now. Look to God and live. Act in faith and invite Gods children to come unto Him. I know that this work is the work of the Lord. In these things I pray in the sacred name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

What we got done this week

A pile of wheat

March 2, 2015

This week has been full of miracles and has really strengthened the foundation of my testimony. It’s reminded me of my conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve been able to see the atonement of Jesus Christ heal me and I’ve seen it heal the people we teach the gospel to. I was able to share my testimony on Sunday in church and I talked about my conversion but I focused on the atonement and on families. I know that families are essential for our happiness. I’m so grateful that my dad joined the church and got sealed to my mom in the temple because that was the first steps to my conversion and knowing that families can be together for eternity after this life. My parents were that example to me my whole life. The fact that they went to the temple was ingrained in my head and that is a goal I set when I was very little!! I didn’t realize it until I was older and boys talked to me about marriage but the thought always came to me that I want to get married in the temple. Even when I wasn’t on the path for the temple it was a path I knew I wanted to be on. My parents were always there in good and bad times in my life. They always knew just what to say and they always gave me the choice to make. I’m so grateful for that because I know that I made the choice and they didn’t force me to make the right choice. Even though I didn’t always make the right choice I was able to learn from my mistakes and my parents where always there to comfort me and love me. I’m grateful for the trials God puts in our lives to grow. I don’t ever want to go through them again but they have helped me become the person I am today and that I’m grateful for :) I never really knew what the atonement meant until I got out on my mission. I wasn’t using the atonement to its fullest because I didn’t know how the atonement worked. I now know that the atonement of Jesus Christ can heal you. As I studied about the atonement I realized how simple it really was at that. If we don’t use the atonement to the fullest then we are pushing aside all that Christ did for us and we are basically telling him that we will suffer for our own sins but we don’t have to do that!!! Christ suffered for our sins so that we, during the judgment, won’t have to suffer. We can enter in to Gods celestial kingdom where we can be in the presents of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and we get to be with our families. We get to continue to progress and learn :) the simple steps for us to enter into celestial glory is to believe. By having faith in Christ our redeemer, by repenting daily and I say daily because even as a missionary I mess up every day. I either didn’t act in faith or I didn’t do the best I could that day. I could have thought a mean thought to my companion or to someone that was mean to us first, there are so may little things that happen in our lives every day and God gives us that time to pray to him and just ask for forgiveness for what we fall short of. I used to think of repentance as a scary thing but what’s even scarier is suffering for my sins after Christ already did. I don’t have to go through that. All I have to do is act and ask and pray and have communication with God :) in a book I read called “our search for happiness” it said we must be doers of the word and not hearers only. I see myself doing that a lot. When I hear something and I feel the spirit witness to me the truth of it. I get such a good feeling. But when I don’t act on it then I don’t do that and that’s why I love repentance. Because when I catch myself falling short I can repent and I can do better the next time :D I love 2 Nephi 25:23 it says (it is by grace that we are saved, AFTER all we can do... doesn’t that just tell you how much God loves all of us? that after we do all we can then he will do the rest. we all fall short but though the atonement of Christ we can be healed and we can be better. we can enter into Gods kingdom but we have to work for it. there’s a scripter that I found that reminds me of my conversion and helps me to continue to strengthen my faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. you will have to look it up. it’s kind of long to write but it’s in 1 Nephi 21:14-18 it just reminds me that I will never go back to how I once was. I will continue progressing and never allow myself to digress and I will continue to use the atonement to its fullest and show Christ that I’m grateful for what He did for me and I’m not going to lay that gift to the side but use it to its fullest!

I’ve seen a lot of miracles this week. We were able to go to Helix, a really small town outside of Pendleton. We decided we were going to try to talk to everyone in Helix after we try to go by all the part member families out there. They ended up all living in the far country of Helix. Well we got to one families house and they weren’t home so we left a sticky note telling them that we would love to do service or help out in any way. As we were leaving, a guy in a truck pulled up and we talked to him. He said he lived there so we just assumed that it was the guy that we were looking for. He said they were busy until January next year lol because they are farmers. so week took that and ran with it :) we asked them if they knew the Jones he said yes and gave us directions :) so we drove even further and couldn’t find the house. So we pulled in to this driveway to turn around and this lady came out and wasn’t really friendly at first. We explained that brother Ferenbocker told us that the Jones lived over here but we couldn’t find the house. She looked confused and said who told you that and we told her his name again. She said MY HUSBAND?? umm i think sooooo??? She said her husband is over there in the field and we asked if they owned another house they said no lol so we found the real Ferenbockers and she said we can come back on a Sunday !!!! So we are really exited and she gave us her number and real address :) that was the first miracle. Then we got in contact with TARESA!!!!! We thought she fell of the face of the earth for 2 almost 3 months and we now have an appointment to teach her tonight at 6!!!!!! I’m so excited! We are going to put her back on date and help her get back to where she was before all the trials started in her life. she got really depressed and sick. She might have cancer :(

We ran out of miles Saturday night right before dinner so we parked our car and walked :) until Sunday lol it was funny but we wanted to be obedient :) we have a lot of new people we are teaching in 1st ward and we are going to teach Dee and her daughter tonight :) she is a less active 7th day Adventist. She is really nice and told us she went to seminary :) Andrea is getting better from what happened last week but she is living with her x and that’s not good but that’s the only place she can go so we are going to have a member present lesson with her at the church 2 times a week. We are just going to help her get out of that bad environment :)

I know this church is true. I know that it was restored in its fullness by Joseph Smith and I know that the priesthood is back on the earth. It was given to Joseph Smith to run Christ church. I know that families can be together for time and all eternity and I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ can heal you and lead you to celestial glory. I know that is gospel has changed my life and I see myself changing and becoming more like my Savior every day. I see myself having more Hope for the people I work with. I have more knowledge of the gospel of Christ. I have more love for my investigators and companion and more charity :) I’m more virtuous. I have more faith and I strive to act on it every day. I’m more humble and diligent and I am much more patient in Gods timing for everything. I’m much more obedient than I was when first came out. Those are all the attributes of being more like Christ. A quote I love and i wrote on another quote my mom gave me is (When you have done your very best, you may still experience disappointment but you will not be disappointed in yourself. you can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when you feel the spirit working through you.)

I’m really working on accomplishing my goals this month. The goal this week is to help me accomplish my goals for the month. We want to get 3 people on date 4 to church 10 lessons with a member present 7 other lessons and we want 8 of our investigators to progress in the gospel. We want to talk to 70 people this week about the gospel :) and we are going to invite 5 people to be baptized. I’m really exited for this next week. We are going to work really hard to accomplish or exceed our goals :)



Love Sister Steen

 Trying to take cool pictures with our badges

 My face is healing up so fast. It got so bad when I was sick. I am so grateful how fast it is healing.

We do service at PAWS a animal shelter and we got to name a bunch of cats. I named these. Scrapper reminded me of Grandpa Wright's cat Scrapper.

 These are the cats I got to name

Tree dripping with sap

Me and sister Rasmussen playing with my twisty scripture marker

Me and Sister Rasmussen

February 23, 2014

Andrea:

We had dinner with Sister Berr and she made a lot of food and we didn’t eat half of it. She invited a friend over and she canceled so she just had a lot of food. After dinner she asked us if we wanted all the food so we took it and right when we left we thought of Andrea. We texted her and asked her where she was because we had a surprise for her. We stopped by the church and picked up the hotdogs that the boy scouts gave us that was leftover from their blue and gold banquet so we had a lot of food and we gave it all to her. Her friend told us that she was trying to figure out how she was going to feed her kids. It was so cool being an answer to a prayer. We ended up having a short lesson with her and her friend who ended up being a less active member and she said she might come back one day and that’s a great thing to hear. When we were having studies I was reading and I read something that reminded me of Andrea and I felt like I needed to share it with her. I told Sister Rasmussen that we should send her something. So right when we were talking about it she called us and she was crying :( so we prayed with her over the phone and we shared 1 Nephi 11:27 with her and I shared my testimony with her and we talked with her a little. She asked us if we can drive up with her to the church for her baptism interview so we told her we would then we said another prayer with her. It was so cool how the Lord works. we had an appointment for her baptism interview and we had the Williams pick us up because Andrea called us an asked us if we can ride with her. So we met them at her old place. She has moved all out but because of her anxiety. She is just too scared to leave her apartment complex so she was staying with friends but they don’t want her there and she needs to be with her kids. It took a little for her to get in the car when she got in I was asked by brother Williams to say the prayer after I shared my testimony to Andrea about how I know the Lord can heal her then we drove away we got to the gas station then she couldn’t do it and wanted to go to the hospital. It was really bad. She was having a really bad panic attack so we took her to the hospital and I had to hold on to her. She was so scared. When we got inside she was a little calmer. Open spaces scared her. We were with her in the hospital for about 6 hrs. The district leader came to the hospital to give her a blessing. We read scriptures and talks with her and we shared are stories of our conversion and she was able to get the help she needed. Then Sister Williams was able to get her to where her kids were staying. She didn’t end up going to church. She slept until 8 at night. She was wiped out. We are going to reschedule her appointment for her baptism interview next Friday.

Loren:

Had a lesson before Andrea’s interview and we invited a less active girl to come with us to the lesson she knows Loren really well so it was cool. She is a returning less active. She was able to share her testimony with Loren. :) Loren is Jewish, kind of, so she doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ but I know she is going to get a testimony of Christ because she is making it a goal to read the book of Mormon every day :) it’s going to take her a little but I know with time she will get a testimony of the gospel if she really wants it :) we invited her to be baptized she said No and that’s ok. We acted in faith and we are going to act in faith every time until she gets her answer.

Zone conference:

It was amazing :) We learned about the atonement of Jesus Christ. One of the best Mormon messages that really helps you understand it is (Lifting burdens) it’s so powerful :D We learned about patterns and sequences and of faith. I love learning more about faith. One thing that stuck out to me was “Are you willing to take the steps of faith??” and I was thinking what am I doing to take the steps of faith and I thought well I’m on a mission that one huge act of faith :) I thought how I act in faith every day when I wake up and study :) I act in faith when I go out and talk to people about the gospel and I act by sharing my testimony. I get to act in faith every day. I just get so caught up in when I don’t act in faith and I feel like I failed but I’m so grateful for the atonement so that when I do mess up I can repent and try again :D as I've been reading in the scriptures I look for a couple of things. One is FAITH, also I look for Go to the mount which means pray often :) and also I’ve been looking for temporal and spiritual :) I started over reading the BOOK of Mormon. On the 19th I’m trying to do the 80 day challenge and its cool I’m learning sooooo much!!! I’m way ahead of where I’m supposed to be. I can’t put the book down. I've just gained so much more love for the word of God :D its beautiful how much God truly does love us. he gives us soooo much !!! I’m so excited for district meeting. We learned so much during a role play we did at zone conference. it was a role play of district meeting and I just love how unified it is going to make us and how we set goals and how it just makes me excited lol in weekly planning we do monthly planning at the beginning of the week and it’s going to help us stay on track with goals

I know the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints is the Lords church. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ I know that the book of Mormon is the word of God and I know that anyone that reads it with and open heart they can come to know for themselves. I know that the atonement is real. I know that if we repent we can be clean. We can be filled with the spirit and we can progress. I know that daily scripture study is so important. Especially in family’s so that children can learn of God and so that they can be firm in their foundation of Christ. I love how in 2 Nephi 2:4 it says Thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory. I know that the prophet Lehi taught his children the gospel of God in their youth and it really makes a big difference. I love the gospel. I love the peace I feel and I love the opportunities we have to grow every day. As we stumble and as we have trials if we endure them well we will be so strong and He will bless us. God loves all of his children. Act in faith every day pray and be guided by the spirit of the lord. Pray for help. Ask the lord for guidance. I know the lord is the savior and redeemer of the world. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ Amen

February 17, 2015

Heart Attack!!

Andrea is still on date for 27th of February. Woot! we are praying really hard for her because she also has to be out of her apartment by the 19th so its really scary because she gets really stressed but if she reads and prays everyday she will be ok and she will get through it :) we had a zone meeting on Saturday and it was really good. We have a goal to have each companionship have a baptism in the month of March. I’m really excited! We are working with a couple people that if we are really obedient and pray hard and work hard we could make that goal. We have a goal to get 8 member presents each week. That is where a member goes to lessons with us. We haven’t had a lot of success with that so far. It is going to be really hard but it’s achievable. We just have to want it and work for it. The spirit in that meeting was really strong. Me and Sister Rasmussen were asked to give a training on confidence in Christ which is basically faith. lol We talked about what confident missionaries look like but we also asked the missionary’s what confident missionaries feel and sound like. Me and Sister Rasmussen were talking and we realized how much our testimonies have grown from when we first came out as little greenys to now. I thought how when someone tries to bash or gets upset or says something mean my testimony is no longer shaken. I have built my testimony on a strong foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Teresa fell of the map completely :( we tried to stop by and call her but she won’t answer the door or her phone :( we are still praying for her. We have zone conference coming up on Saturday I’m excited. I’ve been sick since Saturday. I’m on medication so hopefully I get better soon :D I was looking for the link to the talk being a consecrated missionary and i couldn’t find it but I’m going to make copies and send it to my mom and to some of my really good friends out serving missions.

if i wasn’t sick for 4 days I would have been able to tell you all I got through the whole Book of Mormon but I cant I have 2 chapters left. I’m so excited to finish and start over and really go through and mark it up and just get more revelation for myself :) I know this church is true I know that if you read the book of Mormon with a open mind and a willing heart to really know that you will gain divine knowledge. My mission has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life but I’m so grateful for the growth I’ve made. I’ve been cut down to the core and when I think i can’t be cut down anymore God lets me know that I still have a lot of growing to do. He has made me a stronger person more loving, kind, patient and bold. He has helped my testimony grow on a foundation of Christ and i couldn’t thank Him enough so I’m going to serve him for the rest of my life just like He has asked us all to do. There are many ways to serve but we have to be willing to do it :D

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love this work.



Love Sister Steen

 District Meeting :)

 This place looked like a jail. it was so sketchy I was scared to knock. Then we got kicked out because this guy told us it was illegal to be on the property and he was going to call the cops. Imagine me going to jail for knocking on doors. We get that a lot. They don't have signs posted so we are going to talk to the manager and see if it is ok if we tract there.

 a lady gave us chocolate cigars

 We were teaching a young man who is living with his grandpa and when we were waiting for him to come home his grandpa showed us his bike and I got a picture with it.

 My circle chart of how long I have left, the companions I served with and where I have served.

 Today we went to the temple

The elders in our zone

February 9, 2015

This week was a good week. Not a lot happened but one night we were tracting because an appointment canceled and we only had 5 book of Mormons left. We were going to be careful who we gave them to. Then every person we talked to wanted to learn more and wanted a book of Mormon they exactly 5 people. We had the perfect amount! Funny thing about it is that they were almost all young single adults so we had to pass them off to the sisters over YSA. lol then we found 2 more books in the car so we were being blessed. There is nothing worse then being a missionary and not having a book of Mormon. It’s like this saying hey we have this awesome message that the gospel has been restored by a living prophet called of God and the book of Mormon is evidence of that. Then them saying can I have one and you saying oh we don’t have any. It hasn't happened yet but I was scared for a second lol the Lord is looking out for us. We will get more books of Mormons on Saturday. Andrea is still on date for the 26th :D she is getting slammed by the adversary the poor girl its cool. we always know when she reads because she is more calm and her kids are calmer and the lesson just flowed but when she doesn't her anxiety flares up and her kids go crazy she has lots of deep questions and we try to answer her questions in a simple way she really wants to go to conference when it comes :) she missed it last time because her anxiety its really hard for her to go places I’m so happy she makes it to church every week :)

So we are working with a part member family Jamaica is the non-member and Senon is the less active member they came to church for the first time ever and we were freaking out. She is so awesome and her husband keeps saying that when he gets worthy he can baptize her ahh that was the coolest thing to hear. They are progressing slowly but they are progressing!! we are working with a lot of awesome people but those are the 2 that are really solid :) Teresa, the one that was going to get baptized couple weeks ago, vanished off the face of the earth :( that’s been really hard but I love this work I love serving the Lord. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Transfer calls came and I’m staying 6 more weeks here in Pendleton, Oregon. Woot! I’m excited! I get to stay with my companion sister Rasmussen :)

I’m working on being a consecrated missionary. There’s a talk on mormon.org about it. It’s really cool and that’s what I’ll be working on the rest of my mission. I want to be able to say I gave the lord everything I had and I endured to the end :) I love that it says consecrated missionaries don’t hold any white flags we never surrender :) this is the Lords work and I am called of God. I am a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ



Love Sister Steen

February 2, 2015

This was a really good week. Andrea is doing so well. She is going to move so the elder’s quorum is going to help her on Saturday. She told us she is going to marry a member. I think she is battling with herself on that. She really wants to do the right thing and go through the temple. It’s so cool when she reads the book of Mormon you can see a difference when she doesn’t. We usually can tell the moment we walk in her house if she has been reading or not. She has been doing really good keeping commitments and doing all she needs to to get baptized. We might move her date up if she keeps progressing :)

we were trying by people in this apartment complex and I had a feeling to go try our referral we got last time we were there. It ended up being a really less active lady her name is Lacy. She has some drug problems but she is going to get help and wants to come back to the church. It was a really interesting lesson but the spirit was there. In a way I was able to understand how she feels. I mean I never did any of that but the trials I had to go through from the choices I made really helped me help her out. She had a really rough life and I can’t tell you everything that was said but the spirit was strong and I know she can come back. It was a really emotional lesson and after it Sister Rasmussen asked why I was crying. I told her that I just felt the spirit and that I didn’t know what to say to Lacy but when I opened my mouth it was filled. I said what she needed to here and that’s it. I told her how grateful I am that we have trials in our life so we can understand some of what people go through and it really helps you be more sensitive to their needs. We got 2 new investigators Tawna is dating and investigator mark and he hasn’t been home so we started reading with her and her granddaughter and the spirit was so strong so we set up a time to go back she has opened up to us a lot and it’s been cool to see them change :)

So I’m almost done reading the Book of Mormon I’ve listened to it but I’ve never read it by myself so I’m in 3 Nephi and wow my testimony of the Book of Mormon has grown. I never realized how strong the adversary is until I got to Alma and all the wars that happened because people stopped looking to good and they got prideful and selfish and all they cared about is the things they had, the wealth. But when they did that they weren’t protected by God anymore because they decided they didn’t need God. Wow its crazy to see that now how so many people don’t even believe there is a God. I talk to about 20 people a day or more and literally more than half either don’t believe there is a God, don’t care if there is a God or not or just don’t love God enough to talk about it. And they wonder why their lives are so rough. I really have a strong testimony that if you have a faith in God if you love God enough to testify of Him he will protect you. He won’t stop bad things from happening to you but he will protect you if you have faith and trust Him. You don’t have to be Mormon to love God to worship Him to acknowledge all the things He has done for you, to fear Him and not man. Man is nothing compared to God. I wish more people had the courage to say I AM A CHILD OF GOD and really mean it because that’s what we are. We are children of God. He loves us. He gave us this opportunity to gain a body and to progress in this life to make choices and to learn from our mistakes. God loves us enough to cut us down to make us grow from our trials. It’s our choice to learn form that trial or blame God. I promise if you try to learn from them and not blame God you will be so much happier and you will grow from it and you will eventually be the daughter or son of God that he wants you to be. The question is are you willing to let God cut you down to the stump first? Do you love God enough to learn from your trials?. wow I’m pretty sure every transfer He cuts me down over and over and let me tell you.. The day I decided to learn from the trials is the day I really started to grow on my mission. You can’t progress if you don’t let yourself. I love my mission. I love the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness of this restored gospel. I’m grateful for a living prophet that leads and guides Gods children just like in the Bible and Book of Mormon. Why wouldn’t God still call prophets? God still loves us doesn’t He? God still wants us to learn new things. We are constantly progressing. That is God’s gift to us, progression. We choose to use it or lose it. I’m grateful for a loving family who supports me on my mission and an amazing friend, Alyson Taus that has always been there to cheer me on. I’m grateful for all of you that have read my emails and are with me in my adventures. I will never be an amazing speaker but when I go home you with see the light of Christ in my countenance. I love the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. I know it’s the one true church with the priesthood authority in it. In Preach My Gospel in the first vision Christ tells Joseph Smith that all the churches were wrong and all their creeds where an abomination. I was thinking I would never tell someone that when I was a greeny fresh out in the field but that just shows that I had no faith in my Savior or in my church, in this gospel or in myself and I just want to share a simple powerful testimony that God lives and Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. That Joseph Smith did see God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ in the flesh and that Christ bore a powerful testimony to Joseph that the churches on the earth were an abomination. He said in His own words that they draw near to me with their lips , but their hearts are far from me. He goes on to say that they teach from doctrine the commandments of men having a form of godliness but they deny the power there of. I know this is true. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of the restoration and was given the priesthood (power and authority given to men to act and speak in God’s name!) I know that you can know this is true by reading the Book of Mormon and asking God if it is true and by acting in faith you can know the truthfulness of all things. amen

Love Sister Steen

 my district

 me being a dork

  cutting down a blackberry bush for a potential investigator :) 

 put that in by my self it hurt lol 

 after we got it all cut :)

 we were meeting a less active lady at the library and sister Rasmussen took a pictire of me talking to her on the phone.  I was by this sign lol kinda funny :) 

  Transfers calls are on Saturday and so we as a district did transfer predictions. That's is my district leader Elder Ojeda.  He is pretty cool!

 Sister Rasmussen the first time she has ever held a fish. it was so funny :

 Alyson sent me a birthday/Christmas package and she made me an L with memories of us on it. 

I LOVE IT!!!!!

in this picture there is a cloud of fog that we are heading towards.  it looks really sketchy and its funny in Milton free water where we had district meeting it was so foggy you could hardly see and in Pendelton it was a sunny day lol