Happy Late Valentines!

2.16.15

Hey everyone!

So this week was slow compared to last week but it still was not a bad week. We have been meeting with lots of investigators this week and a lot of them are doing really well with the lessons we have been having with them. We actually had a really cool thing happen after district meeting. So for district meeting we have to drive to the next town over which is Buckhannon. Anyways we have these investigators that told us about this doughnut shop in Buckhannon and so we deicide to stop there and grab some from them and of course a snack for the ride home;) So we were talking to the guy who was helping us and he had heard of missionaries before and he was really interested we were excited but kinda sad because we assumed he lived in the place where he was working but turns out that he drives there because he just finished culinary school and had to work at some bakery that made their stuff from start to finished so we gave him our number and he said he would call us when he got the chance to. It is so exciting when we invite people to learn and cool things like that happen to us all the time.

So the weather here has been pretty cool, (nothing a Wyoming girl can’t handle,) and they canceled church because of the roads and the temperature. It had snowed a lot and we had many members calling us to go home and get off the roads but as a missionary we do not want to waste the time that we have been given, 18 months seems like a long time but it goes by so fast. SO we decided to stay out on the roads and go visit a few more investigators or less actives and we had a great lesson with one of our families and we also had a great discussion about patriarchal blessings with one of our less active yw and she though it was so cool. It is wonderful to see the blessings that come when we are working diligently and put our trust in the lord. The further I get into my training the more I realize how important prayer is and I love to pray now. I am so grateful to be on a mission here in Elkins and at this time in my life. What a great opportunity it is.

 I hope everyone had a wonderful week and Valentines day as well. Love and miss you all and keep up the great work at home.

Love Sister Mauck

The Lord blesses us for being BOLD!

2.9.15

Hey!!

We had a super busy week this week! We talked to lots of people and the Lord blessed us for being bold because we now have 9 new investigators. We had a really cool experience last night. We went with a member to this apartment where people had asked us to come back. We got in the apartment and there were friends hanging out and they were all Muslims and it was the coolest thing to learn about what they believe and to teach them what we believed. We asked them if we could start our discussion with an opening prayer and they gave us a Muslim prayer and that was very interesting to watch. But we said ours and they really liked it. They were interested in clearing up what their religion was but were full of questions as to what we believe too. As a missionary it is really cool to hear what others believe and to be able to share a message with them that will add to their faith in Christ. Elkins is a wonderful place full of people that really do love God. Wish I could write more but we were really short on time this week because we are having a P-day in a different town to hang out with our district. Hope everyone is well and I will send pictures next week!!

Love,

Sister Mauck

A Slow But Blessing Filled Week!

2.2.15

Hey!  

  It has been cold here the past week with snow and rain all week and people do not really go away from home when it is snowy so we have actually not had any of the people we are teaching at church for the past few weeks, Hopefully we can get more people to teach and to church this week. So last Monday night right before the end of P-Day we asked the Elders in our area if we could borrow their GPS because we were trying to find a referral that we have had for a while so they told us we could borrow it and to meet at their house. So we went over to their house and my companion decided that it would be a good idea if she threw a snow ball at the elder and I told her she could... After we had the GPS. Well she almost listened to me but she didn't have the GPS all the way before she threw the snow ball and the elders took it back and closed the door. So we waited outside until they had to leave for their appointment which was like 2 minutes. They came out and we politely begged for it back but they said no. So they gave us a proposition and said that if we put snow each other’s head we could have the GPS. SO we did so and it was super demeaning but in the process we got the GPS and have been able to find many more people this week because of it:)

So one day this week we were going tracting down a road and stopped at a lady's house and she was not interested but we offered to shovel her drive way and she said sure if you want to, so we did and didn't think much more of it. So the next night we went to one of our investigators houses and they asked us if we had shoveled someone's drive way the other day and we looked at each other confused  and looked back at him and said yes we did. And then he proceeded to tell us that it was his daughter that he had wanted us to go and see and that she was going to be stopping by the next night. The Lord really does work in mysterious ways. But I think we are going to try to find out a way to slowly break her into the lessons because we have seen her 2 more times around town and we just think that it is important that we teach her if that happened and we keep showing up. I know that as we continue to listen to the promptings of the spirit we will be able to find more people to teach and to help out.

So we did a lot of tracting trying to find more people and another day when we were tracting we knocked on this lady's door and said that there were people sleeping in the house and to come back in a couple hours. Well we went on exchanges that night and my companion forgot back that night when she was with one of our sister training leaders. So we went back the next day when I got back to Elkins and that was a tender mercy because she was not home but her brother was there watching the kids and he was really interested and had been wanting to go back to church, soo cool. We won't be teaching him for a little while but we will be able to teach him when he gets back from his work that is out of state. We also met his wife and she seemed pretty interested so hopefully we will be able to teach them all.

I am gaining a stronger testimony of listening to the spirit every day and know that if we listen to that small voice when we are not sure what to do, our lives will be blessed for that. BUT I have also found that the more worthy we are of the spirit the more opportunity we have to have that spirit to be with us. Before I came on my mission people would ask me all the time why missionaries had so many rules and I never actually knew the answer I would just say because it keeps us safe. But now I know that is it because those rules make us more worthy of the spirit and also give us more times to work closer with our Heavenly Father. As missionaries we recite the 4th section of Doctrine and Covenants every morning and it is a section of what missionary work is and I love it. I know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ in these latter days.

I hope everyone is doing well. I love hearing from everyone soo much and hope that I can continue to hear from y'all via email or even snail mail because when we open the mail box at night and there is a letter with our name on it, that is sometimes the highlight of our day when we have a hard day on a mission. Thank you soo much and LOVE you all!!! 

Love you all,

Sister Mauck