6/16/14

Bread Day is Back

Hello family! So good to hear from so many of you, it really uplifts and inspires me to keep going, even when things are hard, like this week. 

First things first... - happy Father's Day, dad!  Sorry I've been a slacker.. I kinda forgot it was Father's Day until the children got up to sing yesterday.  But know that I love you and care about you, and am so eternally grateful for you and all that you have done for me. I love you. I am SO LUCKY! :) 

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!  I love you so much, and hope you have a wonderful day today, and eat cake and feel of heavenly fathers love for you. I love you so much, and am grateful for you as well. 

Both of you can expect something in the mail! Woot! Snail mail to the maxxx! 

Ok, so Peoria, it's great. We are one of three sets of missionaries in this ward. Our district is all elders except for us. So that is a change. All the rest of my mission has been more sisters. So it's different, but fun. I feel like in some ways I have been sent back to my first area, because it is a city that we live in, and not a town with fields all around. And there are SO MANY PEOPLE HERE! 

I love it. there is always someone out to talk to. and there is so much work to be done. Even though it is hot and sticky now, I am so grateful it is summer because now everyone is out and will answer their doors! Its great!

Well my first week in my new area is always hard. I was constantly thinking about my friends and family in Sycamore and wanting to know how they are doing. But now I have great people to work with. Sister Bailey is great! we are good friends, there have been some hard days this week, so I have felt the help of The Lord as I have had to work and get organized in a timely fashion.  So I have pushed my self to memorize names and faces, faster than I have in other areas. We are really going to try and help this HUGE WARD become more missionary minded,  They are great, but there is always room for improvement. There are SO MANY primary children in this ward. I loved when they sang to us yesterday for fathers day. the spirit was so strong!!

So! great things happened. on our way down to Peoria ..(the land far far away)... I found out that I would have the opportunity to go to  PEKIN!! WOOT~!!  It was so great! I got to Work with the sisters there for a couple of hours, and we got to see Kira! It was the greatest! I love that girl so much. She has just blossomed since she has been baptized.  she was so happy and so excited, and she has a job, just doing great things with her life.  I am so proud of her and so happy for her! love that girl. and such a tender mercy to be there for a short visit and smell some of the good ole stink of pekin! - such a gross- yet touching- smell... :)

Then we came home to our area, It is pretty nice, Really big and the first things sister Bailey said to me were: We get to go to the Nauvoo Temple and We have a baptism on Saturday!   WHAT MORE COULD I ASK FOR?!?!  - seriously though- (Its the BEST!! - nacho) so we don't know when we will be going to the temple yet, but when we do, YOU WILL KNOW! I am so excited and love that it will be in june/july sometime.  in honor of the first time I went as a youth at EFY!! woot! 

So the investigator that was to be baptized on Saturday is Linda. Linda has been taught by the sisters for over a year, and finally just knew that she needed to be baptized. Well this past week she had boils under her arms, and wasn't doing the best, and on Thursday night they had become worse. So we had the opportunity to go to a relief society activity that night and I was able to meet a lot of the sisters in the ward. ( my favorite so far is sister Claghorn - she has an amazing story I will tell you one day) Anyways, She has so much faith, and as we told her and some other sisters about Linda's status she said "Well, Why don't we just pray right now for her?" so we did! It was a beautiful prayer.  And then we went on our merry way and then the miracle!  Linda called us on Friday morning and left us a message and said, " sisters... I don't know what happened and I don't know why it happened, But my boils are gone! They are not tender any more and they have just scabbed over."  It was so amazing! Just a testimony building experience.  It was great. we went over to help her fix some refreshements for after the baptism and had a good discussion about the priesthood. And then we left. 

Saturday we went to our service opportunity. We go every week to downtown Peoria to volunteer at the Methodist church to hand out things to the homeless and needy throught a program called "loaves and fish". AND can you GUESS what the main thing we give out is?!?!?! That's right BREAD!!!  EVERY SATURDAY!!  

Bread day is back! it is so cool!  only its better because I cant eat what I want, like I can at home. - its great for self-discipline weight loss!! YEAH! hahaha...  We have met some really awesome people. and it has been great.  (like the girl with the awesome hair! )  So this week we were able to help in the clothes closet. (we work in there every other week) and it was such an interesting experience for me. I could easily recognize those people who were actually thankful and grateful for the assistance and help that we gave them and those who just wanted to come, to free load.  And even as I sat there listening to the women we were working with, talk about their faith in Christ, and beliefs as Methodist, My mind was brought back to the scriptures that say "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess." I am so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel, and the real solidity of it. We KNOW things, We receive promptings and revelations from the spirit which means we know things from God.  the gospel is SO true!

so after that we got a call from Linda and she was very ill (sore throat, repertory infection, and achy body.) so we had to postpone the baptism. It is kinda a bummer and she was so worried about disappointing people. But I think her testimony of the church was strengthened through this experience. There is a family in the ward, and he is a doctor and he drove all the way up to Chillicothe to visit her and then gave her a prescription and found it super cheap for her. He called around and looked for a prescription that would have been over $200 and found it for 10 stinkin bucks! it was awesome! she was SO appreciative and so grateful for him and all that she did for him. It was awesome to see her testimony grow and her love for the people develop more as well. she is great!

Brothers, I thought you would think this is cool, the Vice President of Caterpillar is in my ward... going to his house for dinner! Pretty nifty! :)

also I want you all to know, that This week sister Bailey and I have woken up 30 min early every day to read the Book of Mormon together. our goal is to finish it in 6 weeks. should be fun!   don't be fooled. I am still not a morning person, But I am slowly improving. "by small and simple means are great things brought to pass!"  - but seriously still a grump.. I will be one of annabeths 7 dwarfs! :) - grumpy. :)  haha

I love you! There are great people in this world who teach us of Christ, wether or not they follow him, and there are great people in this world that need the gospel in their lives. you find them, we will teach them, and He will save them.

#thechurchistrue  #happyfathersday #ilovemymission #thetimeisfarspent

       

Love from the Midwest,

Sister O'Neil 

6/9/14

People Dying Everywhere

Well this week has been somewhat bitter sweet, with a lot of sudden changes. 

one being i turned 21. that is a big change. Woot!! THANK YOU FOR THE PINATA!!  WOOT!! made my day! Just what i wanted too! :)  You're the best mom and dad!  :)  oh i also had pancakes with a candle in them for breakfast!  thank you for that tradition mom.   #tradition!! #pancakesonyourbirthdayarethebest.  

The picture you got was from the Neumanns home. They are AWESOME members in the ward. They remind me of you (mom and dad) and their Son, Andrew just returned home from his mission in April.  He is a great member missionary now.  I love their family and will miss them. 

I got 4 cakes on my birthday!! WOOT!! Sister Metoyer made me one. -love her! 

and the Hermanas made me one! and sister Jenn Thomas from the Dekalb ward made me one- it was a key lime cake... so DELISH!

and then the Neumanns made me one and we had a great time with them. 

Lynn and John White contacted me on Facebook, and offered to come all they way out here to sycamore just to take sister Oliveira and Me to lunch.  It was so kind of them and so thoughtful. I wanted SO badly to say "yes" but i knew it would be distracting so I thanked them for the offer and their thoughtfulness, and said no.  I knew it would have led me to want to see Jill and Riley and the kids.. etc...  too distracting. 

Good news or Bad news?  

I will just get it over with. 

One of our investigators passed away this week. Its affected me in a way i never thought death would.  Its an interesting perspective to be a missionary and have someone you know pass away.

We weren't very close with them, but I did have some very sweet experiences with them.  They are seriously the kindest people I have ever met,  so kind that you almost want them to stop.  Kreepy kind...   :)  They bought us dinner a couple of times, Shared their wonderful player piano, let us even have a try! I just feel so sad for Ruthann, they were high school sweethearts, and just connected at the hip.  I am sad He didnt accept or fully understand the gospel in this life, and I hope this experience brings Ruthann to a knowledge of the truth. I cant imagine how she is feeling with out the comforting knowledge of the Plan of salvation.  Even with that knowledge, death is hard. and Because of the Atonement that burden is eased.  Rest in peace, Stan. 

Ok, This week we Put Chris Cain on date to be baptized!! WOOT!!! She is preparing to be baptized on July 12. She is so great! I have loved teaching her from the beginning and learning with her. I will miss the opportunity to come and be here with her to watch her be baptized, but I know the Lord has a greater purpose for me.  

Also this week, We had SUCH a fun FHE with Sue and Jerry and Tim and Loni... If i wasnt a missionary, i would ask to be adopted into this family... I mean Loni pretty much was.. so I guess i can be too. We had such a fun time. We Taught them a really good lesson on Faith, and then Loni brought a fun game of to play together. I think they really enjoyed the experience of having a family evening together.  Jerry expressed his gratitude for seeing his son Tim more, since his agreeing to meet with us. so that is a plus!  

Then we taught them a lesson on Saturday, and I started crying as i bore my testimony to them for the last time.  I knew that it was going to be my last time to teach Sue.  Sue is such an amazing person. I love her SO much.  Saying goodbye to her yesterday at church was one of the hardest things for me. I have watched her progress so much, and truly change through the Atonement.  I will miss her and their family very much.  Tim invited me to come for his endowment in August, So we will see if President will allow for me to come back for that.  I HOPE! 

Our mini-missionary was Heidi Galster, she is simply amazing!! I love that girl. she is literally already a missionary.  no training needed.  And she is SO mature for her age. She is the drum major at her school and a great leader.  We had a fun time helping a member in our ward clean and move somethings around in her home, and we had fun goofing around with her and our member. :)  Work Hard PLAY hard.. :)  And we 

  

I am bring moved back to far far away on Judeas Plains, AKA Peorias Plains. :) 

I am going to the Peoria North Area, and will be serving with Sister Bailey.  She and I are great friends and so i am excited to serve with her. :)