**Note from Tiffany: As always, please write to or email Sister Prenatt. That is so important to missionaries, to know that their friends and family back home love them and are thinking about them.**
Hey friends and family!!!
I hope everything is well with all of you. Let me start by telling you about a companion exchange that I went on last Tuesday. My companion stayed in our usual area, and I switched with a sister missionary in the River Ridge Stake. My temporary companion and I were at the house of an investigator who was having some new furniture delivered that day. When the truck showed up, I heard one of the delivery men saying that he is from Hawaii. I immediately asked him what town, and when he answered, I said "That's where my companion is from!" I told him her name, and it turns out that they went to high school together! What a SMALL world!
On Wednesday, I was back in my usual area with my regular companion. That night, we had the opportunity to teach Hula to the girls at Activity Days (my companion has been dancing Hula since she was very young). The girls loved it and had a lot of fun.
When Friday came along, it turned out to be very eventful. We got to go to a nonmember's house and help her feed her goats. It was super fun! There were 22 goats, 30 chickens, and 4 horses. We fed them, cleaned out their water bins, and pulled weeds. One of the goats tried to eat my companion's pants. There was a boy goat who was in a pen and trying to get out while we were cleaning his water bowl. The owner was in the pen with him, and the goat kept trying to rear up and head butt her. It was really exciting to watch.
My favorite thing about doing service there was that there was dirt under my nails by the time I was done. That's how you know you have been working hard :) Before we left, the owner let us wash our hands with goat's milk soap. Goat's Milk SOAP!! How cool is that?!
Later on that evening, we had the chance to have a lesson with a couple of recent converts who got baptized in January. The Spirit was so strong in their home that I felt completely at peace. We watched a video about a man named John Tanner, and talked about the faith that he had that lead to many blessings in his life.
On Sunday, we got to sing with the 9th ward choir. It was so much fun to sing with that congregation. I've really missed singing in choir.
The thing that I learned the most about this week is how we should speak to ourselves. Generally, when we make a mistake, we are very hard on ourselves. But, that's not how the Saviour would talk to us. He would comfort us and use loving words to encourage us. That's how we should talk to ourselves and each other.
Love,
Sister Prenatt
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Be A Friend
Hey all!!! I hope that life is treating you all well!! I especially hope that you all in West Virginia are enjoying all the green and hills.
This morning, as my companion and I were heading out the door at 6:30am for morning exercise, the sun was peeking over the mountains, and it's light caught on the cumulus clouds that were also moving west, tinting them each a light shade of pink undermined by dark orange right at the mountain peak. It was beautiful.
This past week has been busy. On Monday, we were privileged to meet with an 8 year old who is preparing to be baptized this upcoming week. It's amazing how someone so young can already know and understand so much about the gospel!
On Tuesday, we got to meet with a less active sister in our stake who has such a testimony of the importance of family and studying scriptures. Never lose that. She continues to develop her testimony, and she does that by reading the scriptures and applying those principles to her daily life. That's the key. What good is all that precious guidance without applying it?
On Wednesday, we spent about an hour in the morning pulling weeds, which I now have a respect for and really enjoy. It's crazy how fast weeds grow and how big!
On Thursday, we were honored to hear from Elder Don R. Clarke of the Seventy in a meeting at the mission office. He spoke mostly about what our purpose is and how we can be better by helping everyone deepen their faith, no matter who they are. After our meeting, we went to meet with a less active sister in our stake only to find out that she was having a horrible day. We talked with her about how her washer had broke, she dropped her phone into water and it stopped working, and how everything seemed to be going wrong. We knew that God loves her, so we immediately got a hold of some members who would be able to help her out. The greatest gift that we can offer one another is our individual love and support. Sometimes people just need someone to care and be there.
On Friday, we had companion exchanges. I love exchanges! It gives the missionaries an opportunity to work in another area with another companion for 24 hours so they can see what things work in other areas, then apply those things in their areas. It is also really helpful in developing a fresh view. I got to be with Sister Ngauamo, who is from Tonga. She taught me a little Tonga while I was there. :) We also got to meet with a family who has been less active, but their children are wanting to become active again and be baptized. It's amazing how much children can influence us. They have such an innocent faith in God that He loves them and will provide. If only we could all be like that.
While I was with Sister Ngauamo, she gave me some very good advice. She said, "The strongest person is not the one who shows it physically, but the strongest person is the one who can control her heart and her thoughts, and control her eyes and lips, and can control her ears to hear. That is the strongest person."
On Sunday, we had a miracle. We had invited a less active sister to church, so we went and knocked on her door at 8:30am. She felt too sick to go to her ward's sacrament service at 9am, but she came to another ward's sacrament service at 11am. Also, the less active sister who was having the trouble with her washer earlier in the week also came to church. Immediately, she became friends with members in the ward.
I cannot stress to you enough how important it is to be friends with people, and I mean everyone you meet! Think about how you would feel is every person you ran into just passed you by. You'd be lonely! Don't let it be that way. Be a friend. Matthew 24:12 talks about what happens if we stop being a friend. Let's not let that happen.
P.S. It is my brother's birthday this Saturday (August 23), so if you see him, wish him a very happy birthday!
This morning, as my companion and I were heading out the door at 6:30am for morning exercise, the sun was peeking over the mountains, and it's light caught on the cumulus clouds that were also moving west, tinting them each a light shade of pink undermined by dark orange right at the mountain peak. It was beautiful.
This past week has been busy. On Monday, we were privileged to meet with an 8 year old who is preparing to be baptized this upcoming week. It's amazing how someone so young can already know and understand so much about the gospel!
On Tuesday, we got to meet with a less active sister in our stake who has such a testimony of the importance of family and studying scriptures. Never lose that. She continues to develop her testimony, and she does that by reading the scriptures and applying those principles to her daily life. That's the key. What good is all that precious guidance without applying it?
On Wednesday, we spent about an hour in the morning pulling weeds, which I now have a respect for and really enjoy. It's crazy how fast weeds grow and how big!
On Thursday, we were honored to hear from Elder Don R. Clarke of the Seventy in a meeting at the mission office. He spoke mostly about what our purpose is and how we can be better by helping everyone deepen their faith, no matter who they are. After our meeting, we went to meet with a less active sister in our stake only to find out that she was having a horrible day. We talked with her about how her washer had broke, she dropped her phone into water and it stopped working, and how everything seemed to be going wrong. We knew that God loves her, so we immediately got a hold of some members who would be able to help her out. The greatest gift that we can offer one another is our individual love and support. Sometimes people just need someone to care and be there.
On Friday, we had companion exchanges. I love exchanges! It gives the missionaries an opportunity to work in another area with another companion for 24 hours so they can see what things work in other areas, then apply those things in their areas. It is also really helpful in developing a fresh view. I got to be with Sister Ngauamo, who is from Tonga. She taught me a little Tonga while I was there. :) We also got to meet with a family who has been less active, but their children are wanting to become active again and be baptized. It's amazing how much children can influence us. They have such an innocent faith in God that He loves them and will provide. If only we could all be like that.
While I was with Sister Ngauamo, she gave me some very good advice. She said, "The strongest person is not the one who shows it physically, but the strongest person is the one who can control her heart and her thoughts, and control her eyes and lips, and can control her ears to hear. That is the strongest person."
On Sunday, we had a miracle. We had invited a less active sister to church, so we went and knocked on her door at 8:30am. She felt too sick to go to her ward's sacrament service at 9am, but she came to another ward's sacrament service at 11am. Also, the less active sister who was having the trouble with her washer earlier in the week also came to church. Immediately, she became friends with members in the ward.
I cannot stress to you enough how important it is to be friends with people, and I mean everyone you meet! Think about how you would feel is every person you ran into just passed you by. You'd be lonely! Don't let it be that way. Be a friend. Matthew 24:12 talks about what happens if we stop being a friend. Let's not let that happen.
P.S. It is my brother's birthday this Saturday (August 23), so if you see him, wish him a very happy birthday!
Monday, August 11, 2014
A quick, busy week!
Note from Tiffany: PLEASE take the time to write Amy a letter. Missionaries absolutely love letters, more than emails, because they can keep them with them all week and remind themselves of the love people have for them. If you don't have time for a handwritten letter, please send her an email. Here is the link to the post with that information.
The past two weeks have gone by like a flash! Here are a few highlights from this past week.
At the beginning of the week, my companion and I visited one of the ward mission leaders to talk about the progress in his ward. We mentioned a name that we had felt lead to visit, and we discussed what happened when we visited that family. The ward mission leader smiled and began to tell us what he had been praying about the past week. He said he prayed to know what family he needed to visit and invite to come back to church. He said this same name kept coming to his mind, but he assumed that it was his own mind that kept bringing up that name and he wasn't sure that it was the Holy Spirit leading him to that family. He asked God to confirm that it was the Holy Spirit prompting him to visit that specific family. He said "If I am supposed to visit them, then when the sister missionaries come to talk to me, let them bring up that name." We had never discussed this family before, so there was no reason we would mention them the next time we talked with him. But there we were on his doorstep telling him about that family! Miracles like this happen all the time, we just need to recognize that they are miracles.
A few days later, we were walking down the road when we saw a sign that said "T-shirts for sale" outside of a member's home. We stopped by and chatted with the member who was selling these shirts. It turns out that he produces themed shirts for schools all over the nation. He gave me and my companion a free t-shirt! Mine is black with gold splatter in the shape of an eagle. It was a joy in my day. :)
On Thursday, we were meeting with a less-active member who hasn't gone to church in over 20 years. The sister missionaries here have been meeting with her since May, and she has always refused to give the closing prayer at the end of the lesson. We've been focusing on studying the scriptures with her, and studied 3 Nephi 11 and 27 with her on Thursday. After we were done with the lesson, she said the closing prayer! The little things like studying your scriptures and praying can have such a huge impact on your life.
On Tuesday night, we met with a man who is investigating the church, but is very active in his own religions. Since Tuesday would be our last lesson with him, he showed us his room for Masonic rituals, as well as an Alchemy lab. He makes various medicinal products and sends them to Free Mason hospitals all over the U.S. He gave my companion and I a jar each of Arnica salve, which is used for pain relief in muscles and joints.
Yesterday, my companion and I decided to join one of the wards for choir practice. We sang a medley arrangement of "Be Still My Soul" and "Come, Come Ye Saints". I was overjoyed to see that half of the song was in compound meter, and it had a lot of syncopation and dotted eighth-sixteenth combinations. If you know me, you know that I am a music geek. I was so excited about this arrangement! We get to sing with that ward in sacrament meeting in two weeks!!
The other day, I was eating lunch and came across a fantastic article in the August edition of the Ensign magazine. It was titled "Taming the Media". If you have not read it, I encourage you to read it. If you don't have the Ensign delivered to your home, you can access this article at Taming the Media on lds.org/ensign. It has great suggestions of how to keep your media use in control, both for yourself as well as for your family. I especially like the idea of setting your smartphone/tablet to airplane mode with using it at church. I don't know how many times I've been in Relief Society (before my mission) and following the lesson on my Gospel Library app when suddenly a text or e-mail would disrupt the Spirit. Brilliant idea!
I love each and every one of you that reads this blog. I keep all of you in my prayers daily. If you ever want to know something specific about how my mission is going, or you have a question about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, please don't hesitate to send me a letter. My address is posted here on my blog, but you can also ask anyone that knows me, and they'll tell you the address for my mission. Keep praying with real intent, and your Heavenly Father WILL answer you.
The past two weeks have gone by like a flash! Here are a few highlights from this past week.
At the beginning of the week, my companion and I visited one of the ward mission leaders to talk about the progress in his ward. We mentioned a name that we had felt lead to visit, and we discussed what happened when we visited that family. The ward mission leader smiled and began to tell us what he had been praying about the past week. He said he prayed to know what family he needed to visit and invite to come back to church. He said this same name kept coming to his mind, but he assumed that it was his own mind that kept bringing up that name and he wasn't sure that it was the Holy Spirit leading him to that family. He asked God to confirm that it was the Holy Spirit prompting him to visit that specific family. He said "If I am supposed to visit them, then when the sister missionaries come to talk to me, let them bring up that name." We had never discussed this family before, so there was no reason we would mention them the next time we talked with him. But there we were on his doorstep telling him about that family! Miracles like this happen all the time, we just need to recognize that they are miracles.
A few days later, we were walking down the road when we saw a sign that said "T-shirts for sale" outside of a member's home. We stopped by and chatted with the member who was selling these shirts. It turns out that he produces themed shirts for schools all over the nation. He gave me and my companion a free t-shirt! Mine is black with gold splatter in the shape of an eagle. It was a joy in my day. :)
On Thursday, we were meeting with a less-active member who hasn't gone to church in over 20 years. The sister missionaries here have been meeting with her since May, and she has always refused to give the closing prayer at the end of the lesson. We've been focusing on studying the scriptures with her, and studied 3 Nephi 11 and 27 with her on Thursday. After we were done with the lesson, she said the closing prayer! The little things like studying your scriptures and praying can have such a huge impact on your life.
On Tuesday night, we met with a man who is investigating the church, but is very active in his own religions. Since Tuesday would be our last lesson with him, he showed us his room for Masonic rituals, as well as an Alchemy lab. He makes various medicinal products and sends them to Free Mason hospitals all over the U.S. He gave my companion and I a jar each of Arnica salve, which is used for pain relief in muscles and joints.
Yesterday, my companion and I decided to join one of the wards for choir practice. We sang a medley arrangement of "Be Still My Soul" and "Come, Come Ye Saints". I was overjoyed to see that half of the song was in compound meter, and it had a lot of syncopation and dotted eighth-sixteenth combinations. If you know me, you know that I am a music geek. I was so excited about this arrangement! We get to sing with that ward in sacrament meeting in two weeks!!
The other day, I was eating lunch and came across a fantastic article in the August edition of the Ensign magazine. It was titled "Taming the Media". If you have not read it, I encourage you to read it. If you don't have the Ensign delivered to your home, you can access this article at Taming the Media on lds.org/ensign. It has great suggestions of how to keep your media use in control, both for yourself as well as for your family. I especially like the idea of setting your smartphone/tablet to airplane mode with using it at church. I don't know how many times I've been in Relief Society (before my mission) and following the lesson on my Gospel Library app when suddenly a text or e-mail would disrupt the Spirit. Brilliant idea!
I love each and every one of you that reads this blog. I keep all of you in my prayers daily. If you ever want to know something specific about how my mission is going, or you have a question about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, please don't hesitate to send me a letter. My address is posted here on my blog, but you can also ask anyone that knows me, and they'll tell you the address for my mission. Keep praying with real intent, and your Heavenly Father WILL answer you.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
July = Non-Stop Fireworks!
For the record, the entire month of July is FILLED with fireworks!!! All the time.
Monday it started raining, and then it just kept raining straight into Tuesday!!! On Monday night, I had zucchini bread, which I didn't realize was a thing. I don't think I ever realized that you can make bread out of a vegetable, especially not one as icky as zucchini. But it tasted amazing!! Also, a ward mission leader's wife made a beet smoothie for me and my companion. A beet smoothie! It had beets, coconut water, strawberries, and carrots. It was amazing!!! And very healthy. ;)
On Wednesday, we had a Zone conference. A few zones met at the mission office to receive instruction and training. It was really inspirational, and I came to the realization that serving a mission is like being in a huge, long refiner's fire. Everything we learn here helps us to be better people.
On Thursday, my companion had a mission leadership conference meeting at the mission office, but I got to join the sisters in a neighboring stake for the day. And guess who I ran into?! Elder DeGooyer's family!!! It was AWESOME! I got to meet the mother and siblings of a missionary that served in my area back home!! I told his Mom how wonderful of a missionary he is and how he helped my family and the ward. The world is so small sometimes!
On Friday, my companion and I went on companion exchanges. I went to the South Jordan River Stake, and the sister there came to my stake for 24 hours. I got to be companions with Sister Hinkle! She and I are from the same stake back home, so it was great to reminisce about our "home among the hills". :) I had lots of fun being in a walking area, since my assigned area is a driving area. The sun was really bright and I got sun-burnt, but that evening we got to help a member pack to get ready to move.
On Saturday, Sister Hinkle helped me to understand the simplicity of the gospel. All that Christ teaches really is simple. Have faith in Christ, repent of your wrong-doings, come unto Him and be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and follow the commandments until the end. It's that simple, folks. Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to do everything we can to return to him. That's why Jesus Christ came to earth and suffered the punishment for our sins, as well as suffering EVERY pain and temptation that EVERY person has every felt.
Fast Sunday was awesome! Since we cover 11 wards and 1 branch, we got to bare our testimonies multiple times. Each time, the Spirit was so strong. One of the wards here is fasting for missionary opportunities. It's amazing to me how sincere and dedicated members are to spreading the gospel and sharing God's love with ALL of his children. This message is not limited to certain people. The gospel of Christ is for EVERYONE. Also, we got to teach Relief Society, which is one of my favorite things to do!
After all our church meetings, we went to Mission Prep at one of the wards. There, we saw a video on Mormon Messages titled "The Hope of God's Light". If you have not seen this, I implore you to watch it. It is a true story about a man who thought there was nothing left in his life, but he went out on a limb and showed the smallest mustard seed of faith by fasting. It's an amazing story, so I won't ruin the ending for you. Just go watch it. It's only about 7 minutes long.
I love each and every one of you, and I hope your lives are going well. Your Heavenly Father loves you and wants to see you succeed. Trust Him. Talk to Him. Listen for the Spirit.
From Tiffany: Here is the video that Amy (Sister Prenatt) was referring to.
Monday it started raining, and then it just kept raining straight into Tuesday!!! On Monday night, I had zucchini bread, which I didn't realize was a thing. I don't think I ever realized that you can make bread out of a vegetable, especially not one as icky as zucchini. But it tasted amazing!! Also, a ward mission leader's wife made a beet smoothie for me and my companion. A beet smoothie! It had beets, coconut water, strawberries, and carrots. It was amazing!!! And very healthy. ;)
On Wednesday, we had a Zone conference. A few zones met at the mission office to receive instruction and training. It was really inspirational, and I came to the realization that serving a mission is like being in a huge, long refiner's fire. Everything we learn here helps us to be better people.
On Thursday, my companion had a mission leadership conference meeting at the mission office, but I got to join the sisters in a neighboring stake for the day. And guess who I ran into?! Elder DeGooyer's family!!! It was AWESOME! I got to meet the mother and siblings of a missionary that served in my area back home!! I told his Mom how wonderful of a missionary he is and how he helped my family and the ward. The world is so small sometimes!
On Friday, my companion and I went on companion exchanges. I went to the South Jordan River Stake, and the sister there came to my stake for 24 hours. I got to be companions with Sister Hinkle! She and I are from the same stake back home, so it was great to reminisce about our "home among the hills". :) I had lots of fun being in a walking area, since my assigned area is a driving area. The sun was really bright and I got sun-burnt, but that evening we got to help a member pack to get ready to move.
On Saturday, Sister Hinkle helped me to understand the simplicity of the gospel. All that Christ teaches really is simple. Have faith in Christ, repent of your wrong-doings, come unto Him and be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and follow the commandments until the end. It's that simple, folks. Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to do everything we can to return to him. That's why Jesus Christ came to earth and suffered the punishment for our sins, as well as suffering EVERY pain and temptation that EVERY person has every felt.
Fast Sunday was awesome! Since we cover 11 wards and 1 branch, we got to bare our testimonies multiple times. Each time, the Spirit was so strong. One of the wards here is fasting for missionary opportunities. It's amazing to me how sincere and dedicated members are to spreading the gospel and sharing God's love with ALL of his children. This message is not limited to certain people. The gospel of Christ is for EVERYONE. Also, we got to teach Relief Society, which is one of my favorite things to do!
After all our church meetings, we went to Mission Prep at one of the wards. There, we saw a video on Mormon Messages titled "The Hope of God's Light". If you have not seen this, I implore you to watch it. It is a true story about a man who thought there was nothing left in his life, but he went out on a limb and showed the smallest mustard seed of faith by fasting. It's an amazing story, so I won't ruin the ending for you. Just go watch it. It's only about 7 minutes long.
I love each and every one of you, and I hope your lives are going well. Your Heavenly Father loves you and wants to see you succeed. Trust Him. Talk to Him. Listen for the Spirit.
From Tiffany: Here is the video that Amy (Sister Prenatt) was referring to.
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