12/30/31

NEW YEAR 2014

How did this come so fast?!  

It is amazing!  how fast time goes? 

Well i dont know what to say really, cuz i talked to you all. Everything is great and the same. 

I got to go to Ditricks Baptism! it was SO good to see Everyone in Prestbury. It was like going home. love those people!  Sister Smalley is the best. she is so wonderful. I got to see ROSA!! aka Abuileta Mango! she is so cool! and she gave us the most delish food! 

We had a good time doing that.  

Yesterday was the big Bears vs. Greenbay Packers game. so we didnt even try knocking. everyone is SPORTS crazy out here.  dont mess with that!  

We went caroling this week with the bishop and his family. that was super fun! we all loaded into his 15 passenger van. i felt like i was on a road trip with the sorensens. anyways then we had a good time singing and bringing people joy.  We went there for dinner on christmas eve, (that was when i was sick) so i didnt eat much, i had their good salad and some yummy rice, BUT the meat that night was rabbit. sister coburn said it was gross. I wish i had had a stronger stomach to have tried some. but then she was asking what part of the rabbit she was eating and Johnathan (their 15 year old) just said "that is the gluetious maximus"  I started laughin and i said hahaha you ate rabbit Butt!! hahah it was awesome! 

Then we had a wonderful christmas dinner with the Simpson family and Mamma goods. she is awesome. and It was some of the best food! 

Thank you again for all of the wonderful gifts and fun things! i appreciate them all! I love you  and am so grateful for all of the letters and words and things. it was all so great. 

It was a great christmas. sad it is over. on to new and greater things i guess. love you all. got to run! off to convert the world! :) 

love love love

Sister O'Neil  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! HO HO HO!                                                             12/21/13

Well this week i have really felt that there is a true feeling of Christmas in the air. people are just so jolly and happy to be alive! everyone we talk to. its awesome.  Monday we just went and said goodbye to everyone (for sister Payne) she packed up and then on Tuesday morning we had to be at the Peoria stake center by 5:30 so that was an early morning. 

and then after i dropped her off i spent the day in Mini Mexico!!

Mini Mexico was so much fun! I was with Hermana Torrez. and it was 100% en espanol! :) 

I met up with her around 7:30 am and we did pretty much every aspect of missionary work together. I had an hour of language study and then prayers in spanish. it was fun! I understood a lot of what they were saying but it was SO hard to communicate at all so most of the time i just sat there. haha i introduced my self, but that was about it. SO much for taking all those spanish classes. i guess it helps, because i could understand most of it. haha  but i would just sit there and every appointment i would recite the 3 or 4 sentences that i had memorized like : Se que el libro de mormon es verdadero y se que la profeta jose smith es de Dios." things like that. it was fun. haha I NEVER thought i would go to mexico and back on my mission. - first time for everything :) 

Then sister Coburn got here, my wonderful new companion! i LOVE her! We get along great! and have laughed a lot already. Yesterday i was looking back and it felt like we had been companions for weeks and it had only been 3 days. haha awesome! i am excited for the next 7 weeks with her!  Miracles are going to happen and lots of good memories along the way!

We had a wonderful lesson with Kira on wednesday, we made cookies with her and related the ingredients to things that we need in our lives. like scripture study, prayer, church etc. and how all of those make a good base (or dough) to withstand the trials we go through or the changes( like being baked) and how we come out on the other side all wonderful and delicious because we put the right things into our foundation. it was pretty genious and fun to do. Baking can really be applied to ANy aspect of the gospel. its awesome. 

Then we also had a good lesson with an investigator named Mark.  He wanted questions answered like Why to bad thigns happen, what is the worst sin, how do we know if we will go to heaven or hell. 

so we answered all his questions with the plan of salvation. it was great! 

Today we were supposed to be in Naperville for our chrsitmas party with President and it was cancelled becasue of the freezing rain! it is crazy out  there, let me tell ya. so that was cancelled and we will be going up there on monday now.  dont know if the weather will be much better, but we will be there.. haha I am planning on wearing this red and white tutu that a member made with a green shirt. haha i have been thinking about it for a while and am just going to do it. only one chrsitmas party on my mission! President will love it! i know it! haha (kinda nervous not gonna lie.) haha 

So we had all of these wonderful caroling appointments set up with members for this week, and all but one of them was cancelled, due to the weather, So hopefully we will get to go at least one more time. I LOVE the caroling kit! and want to use it again. I just love singing! 

and then today we had a little bit of a miracle.  The elders had a baptism for the son of a less active. well the less active is now active and was active enough to baptize his son today, so everyone shows up and the elders had forgotten to get a white jumpsuit/ pants for him because this guy was a bigger guy and so they had to order a big size from the Nauvoo temple. well no one did that. so 10 min before the baptism, we were scrambling and we called a member who we thought might have one and he had it, IN HIS CAR!  crazy! they live out in the boonies and it was freezing rain and stuff, anyways after the baptism he told us that he had felt really inspired to grab an extra white shirt, he was thinking it was because maybe he was going to spill and would need to change, but then it was for brother mead to baptize Gideon(his son) it was awesome! EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON! dont neglect those promptings!!  it was a wonderful baptism

I love life. i love being a missionary. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone.

I hope you take a private moment to ponder and reflect on the true meaning of the season. I am go grateful for the Savior Jesus Christ and all that he has done for me personally. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the way it blesses my life. 

i love you all

Merry Christmas,

Sister Jenny O'Neil 

12/16/13—here we are a caroling among the trees so …. WHITE!

well that is a bummer that my last email didnt go through. i guess thats what i get for trying to use an iPad instead of a real computer. 

Here is a summary of last week: dinner with the deaf, decor, devo and double feature. 

Last week was good. We helped mamma goods put up all her christmas decorations. It was SO MUCH FUN!! she even gave us our own little christmas tree! (hopefully i can send some pics) and she even has Christmas bedspreads! and there is Christmas in the BAthroom!! its just all so exciting! i love living with a member for the holidays!  YES!! 

Also this has be the best christmas ever! I just love being a missionary! 

the Christmas devotional was SO wonderful! i loved it! and what made it better:  We went to the church to try and watch it from the satellite in there and bishop didnt come untill like 10 min before it started. which would have been fine, but it didnt work. so we went down to the FHC and those computers didnt work. So Brother Bill and Sister Janet Allen, The elders(Prince and Austed), Us, Bishop Pincock, Brother Steve Wageman (our WML) and Sister Crista Smalley(my fav.) and her kids. and two of bishops kids. all crammed in this little room to watch the chrsitmas devotional from.... wait for it... my iPad!! hahah it was the funnest thing. i love this ward! we are just one big happy family.  it was just perfect.  

Then on Sunday, everyone that came to chruch didnt know they were getting a double feature of Sister O'Neil. I didnt even know really.  - well sorta.. haha but I had been planning to sing our song "to hear the angels sweetly sing" for like 3 weeks and so i knew about that. and then on Wednesday (before sunday) Brother Davis (1st councilor) called and asked me to speak about christmas traditions and ways we can invite the christmas spirit into our holidays. 

so i sang and spoke, right after each other. hahaha.  (felt like Dejavu from my farewell).haha anyways. And then in my email that I did write and send -which has now been lost in the techno world - i concluded by saying how many christmas miracles were going to happen this week  and how i could just feel it. 

well now that the week has come and past. YES!! christmas miracles happened! and you want to know what?!?  we have 4 new investigators!!! WOOT!!! and they are awesome!  on Monday we went to stop by Amanda - she has two kids. and It was great that we got to meet with them. we have another appointment with them tonight, Its going to be great! 

and then on Wednesday we had 2 appointments! one with a less active- Sister Webster. and she introduced us to her fiance Mark. And he is interested in learning more, we had a really good chat and answered a lot of his questions. and are going back to answer more and teach the first lesson. sometimes with investigators i feel like they are already members. and He is one of those, just have to help him with his smoking habits. 

And the James, James is interesting.His sister married a mormon and recently was sealed.- so this is obviously a sign we are supposed to be there! HELLO!?! duh!  He got a book of mormon from his moms storage and it is all marked and it came complete with 7 or8 or 9 other anti mormon literature books. that was interesting.I guess his mom liked to study religions and so she bought all these other books too. but it was weird to see them/ and he made us look/hold at them... that was even weirder.. but He is extremely Intelligent! and i love teaching him because it kind of keeps me in check. Often as missionaries we use words or terms that we dont really know the meaning of or fully comprehend, so he will always stop us and ask, "what do you mean by that? becuase it really  means this... and thats not what you are saying." so i love it becuase I feeli liek i am learning more as i teach. and have to help fully explain things. I know the meaning behind these things, but you dont realize that you do until you are tested.  Its a great experience! I love IT!!  

Monday was so wonderful! we had a good Preparation day and then guess what i came home!! AND THERE WAS THE CAROLING KIT!! It was so  amazing! and i loved it!! i just love it so much!!!  and so.. we lined up for a family to go caroling with us every night this week! ITS GOING TO BE AMAZING!! we went last week with Sister Smalley and her kids. have i said I love her yet? but it was so much fun! (see picture) She had made the tutu for a 5K she did (and dressed up) and so she made us wear it. it was fun taking turns and seeing all the people stare at us. haha 

I love caroling, so much.  I love singing! recently i heard or read something somewhere that was talking about the voice. and how it really is the only instrument that comes right from the soul, and there is so much power and conviction that comes from a singer or voices that doesnt always come through other instruments.  I was thinking about this as we were singing to many of Cristas (Smalley) neighbors.  That area of town was where the great tornado began. and so many of her immediate neighbors cant live in their homes because they have no roofs or its unstable, so we were singing to others in that area who were home.  And there was one lady who came to the door in her nighty and rollers in her hair, and she just started bawling. She told us how grateful she was for us to come and stop by her house.  Little Liam smalley asked her "why are you crying?" and she said "becasue i am so happy! , dont you ever cry when you are so happy?" and he just said "no" -haha it was funny. but touching to see that in some small way i accomplished my purpose that night.  In some small way we helped those who were struggling feel better. 

ON friday we had the most wonderful Zone Conference ever! i feel like everyone i go to is 123879234 times better than the last one. I love it!  I love Presidents preaching. intense like a baptist preacher but with all the right doctrine. I record him, so you can all hear his wonderful sermons someday, and i can learn from them after my mission :) -thinkin ahead- :) ...  

have i told you how much i love President Fenn? He is just so AWESOME!! i love him! its wonderful. and i am SO SOOO SOOOO grateful that i get to serve under his direction. - also, he is hilarious. - that is all...

All i want to do is watch white christmas with bing crosby and frank sinatra and watch the secene where they sing the song "snow" snow.. Snow.. SNOWW.. SNOOW!!   let me tell ya! it is a winter wonderland over here. and SO beautiful! there are so many trees and they all get outlined with this beautiful white sparkly fuzz. All the White makes me so happy! and this gives us so many opportunities to serve! SNOW SHOVELING! - good thing i lived in Idaho for a while so i have a wink of an idea how to even do that.. haha 

Transfer calls came. I will not be transferred. I will be staying here and will serve as the senior companion.. dun dun dhun....  Sister Coburn will be my new companion, and I know next to nothing about her, ive heard the name and thats all. :)  

Sister Payne is really sad to leave, This is where she was born and raised and now she is going to the big bad world of Wheaton,IL. Its really close to where i was serving. Sister Pankretz and I had friends serving in that area and we would go on p-days to hang with them. so i go to tell her a little about her area, and how different it will be.  Wheaton is a City compared to this place. It will be good for her, but a hard change, Its like leaving home again. Ive been telling her that everything she knows is going to be thrown out the window.  which is true. it will. it happened to me, so i hope she adjusts well.  It has been hard for her to say goodbye to everyone. so another 7 weeks for me in stinkin pekin. (not because i dont like it here, because it actually stinks, the air always stinks here!  haha)  

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE PACKAGES!!! WOOT!!! 

So many came this week. It was amazing! I love it! -"ITS A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!" And i just got the count down on saturday night and so i opened three and now will open two everyday. Thank you so much. I love it SO so much! I started crying when i realized some of the treasures found in the envelopes!  thank you family! i love you so much!  The lamannas sent me a christmas package - so nice of them. Love them! Laurie is lookin good!! - love friends!

Ok this is by far the longest letter ever. you're welcome :) haha just kidding. 

thank you so much! i love you! I know the church is true! 

Sister O'Neil 

12-2-13

CHESTNUTS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE

CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE!!!

there are so many houses with Christmas lights up and more and more are added everyday and i LOVE IT!! .

Sunday was wonderful - as usual!   probably one of the most uplifting scarament meetings i have ever been to. it was what i needed to hear and just what our investigator Kira needed to hear. 

so about those 5 new investigators. we are back to the 1.  it was a rough week. we got a text at about 8 pm from one person telling us she wasnt interested- dropping us - went to bed feeling like crappy missionaries. and then we woke up to a text from our other investigators (a couple) telling us that they were not interested. so that day was one of those "im gonna make it" kinda days. :) 

but none the less it was a good week.  Monday and tuesday sister Fenn put me on "bed rest" becasue of the nasty head cold i had - never had a fever - but they would rather have us rest then work and end up being sick for 3 weeks.  so we studied did, some stop bys, took a nap etc.  and then on thursday we had thanksgiving!! 

i hope i never have to have two thanksgiving meals again!! :)

i was very nice but the whole eating two meals part of things was not so nice to my insides.  haha We started our day at the Pincocks house. that is the Bishop and his family. and I cannot tell you how much i love their family! so much!  they are SO funny! and just so fun to be around.  they had the most delicious turkey i have ever had and just yummy food and every kind of pie you could think  of.  it was a fun time there. 

then we went straight to the Cassidys house. Sister Cassidy found out about a month a go that she has Lyme disease and a lot of other health allergies, which has caused a lot of problems for her in the past, so we had a gluten free thanksgiving!  if you didnt tell me i never would have known.  i mean its not that there is a lot of gluten in thanksgiving anyways but.. the things that did, you couldnt tell.  - a tender mercy.  i was actually really excited to try it all. and it was fab! 

so we just ate with them and then went home. 

friday we worked and worked and met a really nice old man who is just so sweet. and we are going back to teach him. he just lost a TON of his family this year to deaths and is struggling. anyways. 

Lots of miracles are going to happen this month. I can feel it!  

then we can truly say  -- ITS A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE! 

may we each look for the Christmas miracles this month and have the courage to do as elder Ballard invited. to reach out to one between now and christmas!  -- JUST DO IT!

love you all!!

Sister O'Neil

11-25-13

clean up everywhere

talk about amazing!!  There is destruction EVERYWHERE.  On Tuesday we went to Washington to help clean up from the destruction. It was incredible. we went to a neighborhood and you could just see for ever just piles and piles of debris and house and stuff. everywhere.  and you think that is all there is. and then you go 5 blocks and another neighborhood is the same. and you go another 5 blocks and is is the same. it is just heart breaking.

And then all of the big harvesting fields are completely covered with debris. and any open space. it is just amazing what a tornado can really do. I never thought it was this bad.

So for the last 5 days (tuesday - saturday) we have been out in washington helping people. the first couple of days we were working with people at their houses to find their memorabilia and stuff.  It would be so hard to loose your house. It was a great testimony building experience to be there as these people expressed their concern and desire to just have pictures of their loved ones and gifts from their children.  just shows you what is really important in our lives and that when things like this happen we are grateful for the lives that we have. and the people we have to love and share this life with. 

Then one day we passed out papers to every car at all of the police check points. it was info about the scheduling and all the details that people have questions about. so we were helping people to have an idea of what was going on. and then on Saturday we spent the WHOLE DAY with our district and zone cleaning a golf course.  It was amazing how much debris was on that course.  We helped to pile it all up and load it into trucks so that it could all get cleaned up.  I think the most impressive thing i saw was a full piece of plywood that had been thrown into the grass and the wind was so strong that only a small part of it was sticking out of the grass.  - i dont know if you can understand that but the wind was so strong. just amazing the things we saw.  - a car upside down in a basement.

this one ladys house half of it was completely ripped off and the other was totally fine. we were helping to pack up her kitchen and she said that only one things moved in that room. and it was this light weight paper star thing. and then you walked 3 steps and the house was torn to bits.  crazy!!

so from being outside on the golf course and just outside all week. i have an extremely wind chapped face. and I am sick.  I have a really bad head cold.  So ive been better but it was all worth it."when ye are in the service of your fellow being ye are only in the service of your God."  Being on the golf course was probably the coldest i have EVER been.  I didnt realize just how cold i was until i went to the bath room and i couldnt feel my legs.  - a strange phenomena. hahahaha!!

On Friday we got our iPad minis! what an honor. similar feelings came again that i already told you about.  We watched  a video from Elder Perry - him talking at the world wide broadcast <which i was there for:) > but he said that this time in history is equally as important as the first vision and the restoration of the priesthood.  WHAT AN HONOR to be a missionary.  I kid you not, never in a million years did i think i would have an iPad as a missionary. or be on facebook or anything!! this is amazing!  makes me wonder - What is missionary work going to be like 10 years from now?  or 20 years when my kids go on missions?! crazy! #privileged!

I am very grateful to be a missionary. I am grateful for all of the wonderful things our heavenly father has given us.  I am grateful for all of you and the love and support you give me. I love you.

may we each express thankfulness to the Lord for all of the wonderful things he has given us.

I LOVE thanksgiving!! I hope all of you have a wonderful turkey day! and eat lots of food! - because that is what we do! :) hahaha

The church is true! Endure to the End!!

love love love!

Sister O'Neil

11/18/13

TWISTER:   not the game .. An actual twister! like a tornado in the green sky with wind rain and all i could really say was WHAT THE HAIL!!?   :)

It all started in Sacrament meeting yesterday.  It was High council sunday so everyone was half asleep or not paying attention.- haha typical - anyways.  we are sitting there and you could hear the wind flowing through the building. almost to the point that you felt like you were being pushed as well. - remember this is a sound building - built to withstand up to a category 4 tornado.  And then I guess the Lord really wanted us to wake up and listen because a lot of cell phones went off with warnings.  and the church building was equipped with a warning system so this loud alarm went off as well. ( at this point i was kind of freaking out a little inside but still some what calm.)  then a sister in the ward jumped up and showed the bishop on her phone the weather update and his face said it all.  mean while the speaker is still going trying to act like nothing is wrong- no one was listening. everyone was confused/ worried/anxcious/ hyperventilating etc etc..  

THEN a couple of brothers went out of the chapel to check on things and they came back and things did Not get better.   and the crowning event of my fright. was when the tornado sirens went off.  -  I was always told since i got here that they only go off if there is actually a tornado.  so that just freaked me out.  I felt like i was in a movie and i had to keep reminding my self- this is real life!! THIS IS REAL LIFE!  

I still think it is funny that the speaker was still going. -seriously no one was listening at this point. haha  

anyways then bishop stood up and told us that after the prayer we would be going into the hall way (it was away from all the outside walls and windows etc.) so we all went out and stood out there for the next 30 or so minutes. not really knowing what was happening or what to do.

haha i wasnt sure if our mission president was aware of the situation or not so i texted him while we were waiting there and i told him " we are in a tornado. we are with our ward family. we love you :) tell our parents we love them"  hahaha all he responded was "make sure you are safe" and we were in the church.  grateful for his concern. I love him so much! 

after it all blew away> we surveyed the damage.  this was the first time in 30+ years that a tornado ever touched down in Pekin itself.  half of the town is still out of power and to our knowledge none of the members in our ward were affected.- except for the power thing.    I was so touched by the love and hospitality that the bishop and his family showed to us.  we were told (as missionaries) to stay at the church building. rather than going home and mostly everyone had left. some were still at church because the roads were closed and what not. but the bishop after all of the stress and concern i am sure he had he took us to his home and we had lunch with their family. it was a sure way to calm and heal and turn off all the alarms and red flags going off inside and just get back into the "im safe" mindset. I am grateful for them. ( just think. we are pretty much strangers > another reason i know the church is true! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! )    

But within  our district it is a sad state.  our district makes up the pekin ward and the morton ward. and Washington IL is where over 50% of the morton ward members live.  Washington is where it is the disaster status is and so we are hopefully going to get to go there today to serve and help in anyway.  The sisters in that ward are safe and doing well -  they have a loss of power to their apartment.  please keep Elders Payne and Blackner in your prayers.  their apartment was hit by the tornado.  they are living at thier bishops house for the time being and i cant imagine how they are feeling right now. ( i am sure they  are fine, but if it was me i would prob. be pretty sad.)  

President Fenn, our Stake president and their bishop are working with the red cross and other organizations to try and get them to allow 20 missionaries to come in and help today.  so when we get the call is when we will go.  we cant just go because now it is all organized because Fema is there to help and etc.etc.  - its a sticky situation... 

The whole time i was in the church i kept thinking about the movie twister and at the end when they have to tie them selves down to and hold on so they dont fly away. and then i would start thinking > am i ready to die? what do i need to repent of? haha it was funny. and then It was " wait! i cant die! i have things to do! people to see! a life to live .. the Lord wont take me away." so i was fine after that.  oh also as a district we decided to fast for our investigators yesterday and as soon as we heard the sirens i thought " AND THIS is why we are fasting today" hahaha

It was an exciting time and experience. never to be forgotten.  I will write you next week about how service goes and all we come in contact with.      Friday we will be receiving our iPad minis!!  pretty exciting! 

I am grateful for these type of experiences.  they bring a lot of perspective and help you feel alive - i dont say this meaning i am happy this happened. but I know that "nothing shall be done save it shall be for our benefit and good"  so there is good in all things. we just have to look for it.  HOTRO(ptimistic)CKS! - right!   

hope i explained everything well. ask me questions if you dont get it :) anyways. love you all

all is well. 

i am safe. :) love    Sister O'Neil 

11/11/13

BIG NEWS

Where do i even begin...  

this week: we have 5 new investigators!!  - that is a huge deal fro Pekin! you have no idea! i am so excited! all 5 of these individuals are going to make EXCELLENT members of the church! it is amazing!  

Parents: last week we went shopping for Coats, and i got two coats and a pair of boots for $160.00 i thought it was a pretty good deal, so i did it.  and one of the them was a Steve Madden coat, and it is SO cute!   

I am privileged to announce that I am officially an Online missionary.  This means that I am on Facebook, email, mormon.org, skype and blogging.  

We are the 10th mission in the world to implement this program and there will only be 30 missions to pilot the program out of 405! 

I can not tell you how privileged i feel right now.  Elder Martino from the second quarm of the 70 told us that we were one of the most obedient missions he had ever seen, and that he was very impressed with us.  The truth is, president Fenn told us later that he only said that we were one of the most  he had seen, because he didnt want us to get big heads.  But he told President Fenn in his office that the first presidency believes that we are the most obedient mission in the world right now.  and they base that off of anonymous surveys that we filled out and that 98%of our mission rates them selves as being exactly obedient.  Also that 95% of the mission gets up every morning by 6:30.  anyways. i cant tell you how privileged, excited, anxious, honored and special i feel to be a member of this mission, and a missionary serving under President Fenn.  He truly is an inspired man and I am SO grateful for him.  I am excited to be a part of this pilot program, but i feel like a huge weight has been placed on our shoulders.  This is a HUGE opportunity and we get to pave the way for future missionary work.  It is amazing to think that in 10 years from now even 5 years from now how different missionary work will be.  ITs just like when those missionaries frist got the "preach my gospel" program, and think about how that has changed our membership since then.  AHH! it is just AMAZING to think about! it is so cool!! 

WE have been on Facebook every day for at least an hour since thursday and will be from now on.  WE are allowed to be friends with friends and family, but this will not replace weekly communications. it would be for the sole purpose that you could observe who i am teaching and what i am teaching and that you could refer me to your friend s and family so that we might be able to start teaching them via, Facebook and Skype.  I can teach anyone in the world!! it is amazing to think of.  

Being on FAcebook is the most draining thing ever!  everytime i get on i feel like i am breaking Every commandment ever given.  it is so hard. i just feel so drained after we get on and that i have SO much repenting to do. its not funny. haha  but i just have to keep telling my self that i am allowed to be on. hahah its really hard.  so lots of changes, they are hard, but they are good. 

OK!! the big news!!  

WE will be the first mission in the world to recieve 32 GB iPad minis.  wait for it... EVERY MISSIONARY will have their own!! -- WIKA WHAT?!?!? this is CrAZY!!  and SO exciting! THis is going to change our teaching, communication, scheduling. EVERYTHING!!  !! its so cool.  

our area books, planners, etc, will all become digitalized and be on our iPads.  When we get transfered President just goes -whaa la and we get our new area book.  Its just so cool! 

SO PRIVILEGED!  no joke!    anyways! now you know. Its pretty exciting! - oh I am not being transferred, neither is Sister Payne.  so another 5 weeks together.  should be great! 

hope i got all the important details in there. oh we will get the iPads around the 20th of November.  

its all just So exciting! :)  

So are all the CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!!!  - it makes me so happy people are putting them up already! every time we pass a house that has them i freak out!  YAY CHRISTMAS!!

I love you all!  - keep the faith! 

Love love love!

Sister O'Neil 

11/4/13

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  

You guessed it. I dressed up as a missionary for Halloween. it was super fun.  On Monday we had a really fun Zone activity with our zone. and we met at the Normal Bulding in Bloomington/Normal, IL  It was fun and we had a great time. we played SO many sports. And It was just fun to be there as missionaries all together. It was my first Zone activity on the mission. and the Hermanas brought this super yummy fruit salsa that they made. so yum!  then on Tuesday- it was Up early sitting all day again.  we were up at 4:00 to get ready and meet other missionaries by 5:30 at the Morton Ward to catch a ride to the  Joliet Stake center for a meeting that started at 8:00.  It was worth it. because let me tell you. The meeting we had was one of the best ones i have ever been to.  It was right up there with General conference status! i mean AMAZING!!  Elder and Sister Martino from the Area 70 came and spoke to us. And i learned so MUCH  and i have copious notes to prove. in addition I think the best purchase i have made to date would have to be a recorder. I bought it when i was with Sister Pankretz and I have recorded so many great talks! I love it. so i have been listening to the best parts of the discussion and relearning and learning more! it is wonderful!

Thursday was HAlloween - as we all know. we had to be in by 4:00 so we were but before then we tracted in the morning. and walked over to a street from our house and guess what we saw/heard!?  we knocked on a door, and then there was this voice talking. it was like "doorbell, HELLO!! get the door!  Hello! welcome!" and neither of us could figure out what it was and then as we were about to leave we passed their big window again and inside was a talking Parrot!! ok i thought those were only in the movies! haha it was so AWESOME!  i wanted to knock on their door again just so we could hear the parrot talk. haha it was awesome. 

We got permission to hand out candy - because we live with a member , on the busiest street > they BUS the kids in to trick or treat on this street. it is awesome.  - felt at home with it all.  and i was amazed at how many people we did have because it was raining buckets!  and windy and just cold.  so sister Payne and I got some blankets and our sweatshirts on and sat outside on the porch handing out candy. and guess what we  did!  for all of the adults who would come up with their babies in strollers - who looked too young to eat candy anyway - we gave them Mormon.org cards! haha we put a whole bunch of cards in our candy bowl and let people pick. and a few times people picked the card! it was awesome! so hopefully something will come from that.  "beggars cant be choosers" right?!!?

On Friday we had a great experience. we met Cali a young mom with a new baby (7 weeks old). and she just let us right in when we knocked on her door. I could already feel the peaceful spirit in their home. and she was SO receptive to the gospel. this lady is going to be a great relief society president someday!  We have been praying for miracles this week and this was one! it was great! we are going back on Thursday to meet her husband! and teach them both. we are so excited!  It was so weird because the next like 3 houses we knocked on after hers all had babies in the last 3 months. - Talk about baby central!  

Yesterday  was sunday- my favorite day of the week. - yet another reason i am grateful for you parents teaching me to accept callings/ assignments when you are asked - and with a smile on!  10 min before church started we were asked to teach the gospel doctrine class for all the adults. SCARY! so all during sacrament we were reading the lesson and preparing. and praying!  It was a pretty easy lesson and its great the church prepares so much material so no one is ever left in the dark. I think it went pretty well. it was a good discussion and it was perfect because a couple of people in that class had shared their testimonies in Sacrament on prophets. so it fit with our lesson. It was great! 

We are teaching the young Women on Wednesday night all about missionary work. to help them finish some of their personal progress. I love personal Progress. I am so grateful to have participated in it. and for all the things i have learned from it. I think i will make it a goal to do it again when i get home. It is an awesome program!  love it!   

This thursday we are having a training meeting about online proselyting. I am So excited/nervous/anxious!  This is a whole new world to be an online missionary. I am privileged but scared for what is to come.  - just being pushed out of my comfort zone again.  There are just SO many distractions on the internet. so i am excited for the things we will be trained on and the ways in which we can use this tool and still stay focused. 

Friday we are helping some members clean their house. Remember "Rat town 2009"(i think it was 2009) when our house had Tons of rats? well they have the same problem. but their mice and rats live in their tupperwear. SOO we are going to help them clean out their kitchen.  dosent surprise me. they are pretty messy people. BUT... It will be fun. sounds like a slightly scary adventure. hahah hopefully i dont get bit!  

and then Saturday. the fateful day.  Transfer calls.  I will let you all know next monday what is going on. Cant believe that 5 weeks have already passed by.  the MONTHS are like half days. but the days are SO extremely long.  

ok well i am running out of time. I LOVE being a missionary. SO much.  I have learned so much about the gospel and my purpose here, that i know i could have never learned anywhere else. I am just so grateful that i answered the call to come on a mission.  

the church is true!

Love, Sister O'Neil

ps. thank you Chris and Nicole for the halloween pictures! Lisa, Megan, Jill> where yours at? did your kids dress up? haha jk

Happy birthday little Everett! -yay! for being 1!   

10/28/13

BLACK SQUIRRELS

have you ever seen a black squirrel?!  i had never seen one until this week. we were tracting and there were so many of them on just this one persons yard. it was so strange. i felt like it was unlucky to be there- like a black cat who crossed your path- but a squirrel.  come to think of it nothing really came of that street. after all the doors we knocked on. just a black squirrel.  awesome-  everything denotes there is a God.- true. 

moving on from the squirrel.  I am so grateful for primary! - first of all this week we knocked on SO many doors. its ridiculous. and so a few times we had good discussions with people. and one time this lady Gina came to the door. and she had SO many questions for us and kind of wanted to bash. but we didnt go there. . but at the end of it all she said what are the foundational things that you believe? and so i started reciting the 13 articles of faith.  I was SO grateful for all the songs and the memorization we did as a kid. it really helped us to state those things. she was surprised and i think she has some things to think about after talking to us. I know someday she will come around.  Dang Gina.. she better..

On Sunday we had ward council. and I was asked to speak. that day. 20 min. after ward council.  sooo... i did. and all things considered it was ok. haha i just got up and told a little about my self and then explained how i decided to come on a mission. and then bore testimony..  i did include the story of the man on the boat. the one i have been obsessed with for the last like year. haha but how we can all reach that potential of being excellent member missionaries.  (see what i did there?) Missionary work!! haha. it was such a good sunday. i just loved it. I LOVE sundays. 

The trunk or treat was this week! on friday. about a 1/4 of the people there were non-members! it was awesome!! a couple of people we met and sat with found out about the event on FACEBOOK!! AND they came. it was super awesome!! they left early. and we didnt get to talk too much. but still. it was great!  and so many people invited friends. the members are working! it sgreat!

Speaking of facebook!!!   our mission has been chosen to participate in the internet pilot program!  we will be internet "certified" in Novemeber! SO exciting! we will be on Facebook and Skype. i dont know all the details yet.  well i dont know any really. but I am excited as to how it will all work out!  i feel like we are on the final frontier with all the advances and what we can do now! it is all so exciting!

I am so privileged to be a missionary. i love this work. there is nothing i would rather be doing. I know the book of Mormon is true. I know that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. I love him. I am grateful for this church and the blessing it is in my life. and for the knowledge i have of the gospel of Jesus Christ! 

from Anastasia "if i can learn to do it, you can learn to do it... there's nothing to it! " you can be a missionary too! 

love you all!!

Sister O'Neil

10-21-13

Well mother,  I met your favorite author   (Clayton M. Christensen:  The Power of Everyday Missionaries).  

Elder and Sister Christensen, the authors of  "the power of everyday missionaries" came and spoke to us.  it was SO good.  so we drove 2.5 hours to Naperville to attend that. total we did 6 hours of driving on Saturday because we drove to Naperville and back and then we had stake conference,(the stake center is about 40 min away from where we live) so we went straight there to be ontime.  the missionaries were allowed to attend the adult session. it was super good. -will share thoughts and lessons below- we got there and they recruited us missionaries to be in the choir. so we all practiced the song 3 or 4 times and then got up there and sang it for conference.  it was pretty good considering. I am sure nothing like the choir at your stake conference that sounded so wonderful!  so that was a LONG DAY...   

and a highlight was seeing Sister Pankretz!! YAY!! i love her!  it felt like we were companions again for a couple of hours at least. I just love her SO much. I am going to miss her when she goes home.  and i got to see a lot of my other missionary friends. it was a great reunion! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!! 

Did i tell you that we share our area with elders?  it has been a fun experience sharing our area and ward with them.  it makes a difference as to the speed of the work! its so cool!!  do you have two sets of missionaries yet?  

so some thoughts from the lessons learned from Elder Christensen and the speakers in Stake conference. 

First, our main focus with our discussion withe Elder Christensen was how we as Missionaries can make a difference in our wards. and how there are great things that we can do to really help the members get involved and inspire each other to love missionary work.

He made the point about the Atonement. that it wasnt just one giant mass of sins and sadness that He experienced all at once, but it was very individual for each of us. experiencing everything - as if he has literally lived our lives. -  and so when we are bring the gospel to others lives and teaching them of this love we are no longer neglecting that part of the Atonement. This allows us to use the atonement in a greater way than we ever have done before and help others to use it in theirs.  what a great calling each of us has to use the atonement more fully in our lives.  i love that eye opening thought!   - thank you Elder Christensen.  

At stake conference we got to hear from The Nauvoo temple president and matron. they are wonderful and really stresed the importance of reaching out to those how have fallen away.  It just loved hearing from them.  And Just all that jazz.  

It is just amazing to be here as a missionary in the beginning stages of "changing the paradigm".    as many have said.  That i get to be a missionary during this time we have really felt the push to bring more into the fold.  I feel like i am a pilot missionary helping to pave the way for future missionaries and wards. as to how to work with each other and unite our efforts in being missionaries.  I am privileged. 

I am so lucky! 

this Church is True.  Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.   I love him.  Amen. and Hallelujah!! 

peace and blessins.

Sister O'Neil      

10/15/13

This week has been so full of service, its been fun.

last week we went to zone conference and had a really good time there. There was just so much to learn and i feel like i am becoming a better teacher after that. its awesome. just love zone trainings. and then i finally had my interview with President Fenn. He is one inspired man and i just love him so much.I really appreciate all that he told me and am  just so grateful for him.

so on Tuesday last week we cleaned out Sister Goodrich's gutters and swept off her roof. that was fun. we had a good time. i cut off some branches from the trees while i was up there.  and then just yesterday we helped her install insulation in the roof of her basement. it was actually in our room, so i felt like i had to help., but it didnt have fiberglass in it. it was insulation for sound more than anything else, but now i have ichy eyes today and i had a TON of blue boogers yesterday. it was so gross. I starting singing that song "im blue daba dee daba do a dabadee daba do... "and so on...  

So those were some fun days. 

We have been doing A LOT of tracting. I hate starting it but then once we are doing it it is my favorite thing. I love it. there are just so many interesting people and sometimes i just dont understand.  but in one day we ran into an athiest, a Jehovias Witness and then a Racist. 3 doors in a row. it was madness.  Sister Payne told me that there are a lot of member of the KKK out here in this area.   pretty crazy if you ask me. But the guy at the door looked at the Mormon.org card that we handed him and he noticed that there was an asian and a mexican on the card. and he said "oh your church has more than just white people?"  here i was thinking, YAY he is going to be interested and accept the gospel because we are not exclusive. and then he just said the exact opposite. "oh.. well if it aint white it aint right!" and handed us back the card and said "yeah im a racist and proud of it."  

dont know if he really was or if he was just saying that to get a reaction out of us or what. but hes crazy.  I am NOT being held accountable for that one Heavenly Father. haha at least that is what i told Him. :) I just wonder how those three neighbors get along. that would be interesting to watch them interact.  they prob. dont but if they had to.  haha! 

All is well here in Illinois.  Its getting cold. so i am going to go and look for a jacket today.  and start wearing more layers.  

I love being a missionary.  I love being obedient and I love the Lord. 

The church is true!

I love you so much

Sister O'Neil 

 

 

10/7/13

LOVED conference! (exclamation point!)  (if you watched you would get that :))

Ok seriously so good. i could just sit here and write a report about all the things i learned and how i am going to improve my life and my missionary efforts, but that would take WAY to long and.. each of us have different spiritual experiences. So instead each of you re read your notes and make those improvements! yay!   I love repentance and the atonement.   BUt i just love love LOVED conference and what was said.  And i am grateful for our prophets and apostles who prepared those things that the Lord would have for us to hear.   Church is true. 

Well... Peoria is great.  its smells like toast/english muffins with a hint of rotten egg in the air, because just right down on the banks of the Illinois River is where a corn factory is and where they process all the corn that occupies this state.  (have i mentioned before how much corn there is here?.. well theres a lot! )  we share this area with Elders and so it was split down the middle and we have everything west of the River and just a tad on the east side. anyways. its fun to share a ward with the Elders. a different experience but still fun.  It is a really small ward.  i didnt get to meet too many members this week just because it was conference but there are only 6 rows in the chapel. and most of the ward is 65 and older.

I live with a member!   her name is Sister Goodrich.  she is just a hoot!  she has lived here a long time but has the cutest southern accent. and just the sweetest lady.  we live in the basement and have our own bathroom>upstairs> and we get a along great. and she has family in town who come over a lot. She has 4 kids all married and has a lot of grandkids. so she is great! and we love her.  I even nicknamed her "mama goods" haha i love her already. 

It has been a hard adjustment.  leaving my first area and the people i love, and just being with a new companion.  Its just a BIG restart.  in pretty much every way.  so in some ways that is a blessing, but i do miss Sister Pankretz dearly and have just been pushed out of my comfort zone again - but for good reason.

Its really pretty here. the streets are mostly brick and they are tree lined. so i enjoy knocking on doors. :) its pretty.  We have zone conference this week. so i am looking forward to that. and the great instruction i will receive there.

Sister Payne is awesomel. she is from Bosie Idaho and is a great missionary.  She has a strong testimony and has a deep desire to bring others unto Christ.  Its been pretty cold these last couple of days. nothing too bad, just cold days.  i pulled out my rain coat as just another layer to have. 

"i think im gonna like it here! " - Annie   I am grateful to be here in Peoria and to serve with the missionaries that are here.  Its going to be great.  I am going to push my self to talk with everyone as Elder Ballard said. I just LOVED conference and i am excited to see miracles unfold as we follow the council from the Lord.  I LOVE this gospel. I LOVE being a missionary. and i LOVE my savior.  

Thank you for all the prayers and support. i love you and feel of your love.  

love love love

Sister O'Neil   

9/30/13

I am being sent to live with "the sticks and the hicks" - as a member in our ward said.  I am being transfered to Peoria, IL.  and i am pretty sad.  I feel like i am being taken away from all the people i love and being exiled to the booneys.  ok, I dont really know what peoria is like, and i know that i will love it. But i will miss this ward and many of our investigators here.  I will also really miss SIster Pankretz. we have become best friends and she has taught me so much.  and has really helped me to continue to be me while preachin the good word. :)  I love her so much! we will be life long friends. i know it.

So i am going to peoria and my new companion will be Sister Pane.  and on the phone President Fenn was sure to tell me that she is not a pain.  hAaha  but something interesting, which might add challenge to my job, is that we have been out the same amount of time.  so we are co-senior companions.  should be fun. dont know anything about her or where she is from. and will find out tomorrow all the deets (details). 

this week we had exchanges again. so sister Higginson (one of the Sister Training Leaders) came and I was in charge of our area. it was so scary/exciting.  we had a great time and it was a busy busy day with her.  We met this really nice lady at the park and had a good chat with her. she said she knew some members from the Geneva Ward (which is the ward that sister Higginson usually goes to) and that she wasnt interested at all, but later that night we got a phone call from the sister in the Geneva ward that she knew and the sister told us that she was asking all these questions and becoming interested. so that was awesome! and just so exciting!  also it was really funny/awkward. we had dinner at a single male members house. so we brought another sister with us from the ward.  We didnt know him that well so we asked about his conversion story, and he told us and then just went on and on all about how he used to be a womanizer and how he met his now wife.  haha it was really awkward and funny. 

WE met this guy Ditrick (d-trick) and he is awesome! he has such a special spirit. he is trying to raise 4 boys by himself, he is on dialisis and has no toes on one foot.  he drives around every Sunday morning to pick up his boys and take them to church.  and now he is really interested in the chruch.  we found him tracting and he came to chruch on sunday! and it was soo good to see him there. and he LOVED it!  it was awesome! he is just so cool.  I am excited for him.  Sad to leave here and miss out on teaching him.  

Sunday was HIllary Zapatas farewell "party" at the bishops house. so we went to support her and I got to say goodbye to a lot of people i love. And especailly Liahni Hamrick. I love her so much! i will miss her.  

We were supposed to have interviews this week, but we were treated like the middle child and forgotten. (not really forgotten, but our whole zone got moved to another week because President was so stressed about transfers.)  so those didnt happen.hahaha    dont know when i will have that opportunity next, but i am looking forward to it. :)

Saturdays broadcast was just wonderful!   i really enjoyed President Monsons talk. (to be expected.)  and just the overall message from the meeting.  It was great. I love being a woman in this church.  I love being a missionary. and I love being in Illinois!   

The Church is true.  Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord. I love him. Heavenly Fathers love is real.  real good. :) 

love love love. 

Sister O'Neil 

9/23/13

HELLO!! 

first, to explain the subject of my email.  We started teaching this girl Marrie. She is african american (to be policially correct) and she is 20 and has the greatest black attitude. so funny. so she was telling us how she dosent like those Holy roller, Hallelula churches.  especially the ones who shake and "look like they be havin a seisure" when they feel the Holy Ghost.  they she said " i dont want to feel no holy ghost, they all dancin like they on fire or somethin." we laughed and it was funny and then she was talking about another chruch that would dance when they felt the spirit and that is when she said "are we at the club? or is this Jesus' house?"  haha so funny! we laughed for a couple days about that one.  haha :)  

Saturday we went to Teri's again. and helped her peel and cut up apples. SO MANY APPLES.  we were working for 2 hours. and then she fed us delisious pot roast and SHE asked us if we could have scripture study! that was SO awesome!   we went over the introduction to the B of M and she really felt the spirit you could tell.  anyways it was super good and we had a great time with her. she is funny too. i just love all our investigators! they are awesome people!

ok sooo something happened this week.  mom, remember in june on my birthday eve and i was up all night because i was sick.  well. all that happened again - just a mini version.  get ready for another nacho libre quote because here it comes.... it felt like i had "direahhas since easters! "  hahaha. wednesday night i got SO sick.  It was about 7:30 and we were waiting outside for Liahni Hamrick (from our ward)  to come and pick us up to go to a lesson with Kim and it hit me. my stomach got so hard and i just was not feeling well. and so I told sister pankretz and i booked it inside to the bathroom.  there are many lessons to be learned from this experience, including, but not limited to:   

• never eat at sonic!  most people think its cool because it is all old fashioned, yeah not soo cool!!  i am pretty sure the lunch we had from there gave me food poisioning becasue it was exactly 8 hours later. so dont eat there. i am never going to again.  
• dont wish for something you are not willing to work for. >dont know why i learned this lesson, but i did :)   
• afflictions are but for a small moment.  (D&C 121:7)  I was quoting this the whole time I was sick, just praying that my pain would go away. and it did!  :) power of prayer is real.  and looking back. i almost forgot that even happened.  just feels like it was weeks ago.  

anyways the Elders came and gave me a blessing.  and all is well :)  im better

one day later i burned my leg from boiling hot water. its not bad. just it happened.  and all is well :)  

all in all it has been a REALLY good week!!  I love my mission and wouldnt trade these experiences for anything.  transfer calls are this saturday, so it will be a long week in anticipation for those. BUT we have interviews on thursday so i am looking forward to that. AND we are going to go on exchanges again this week. so should go fast. 

love love love!  

thank you for all you do for me! I love ya! 

Sister O'Neil