Merry Christmaaaasss!! :D

Monday, 19 December

Dear family and friends,

Say whaaat? Christmas is this Sunday?! December flew by (as do most of the months...). We have been contacting like crazy and sharing the #LightTheWorld initiative with everyone. It is so fun to share the true joy of Christmas with everyone we come in contact with!

On a district call we had recently, we were asked to share one thing that brings us joy in missionary life, and I shared that I find joy in talking with everyone!

I used to be so shy and terrified of talking to random people in the streets. (Haha, that's the life of a timid greenie ;)) Now, love it! It is so fun to walk up to someone who is checking their mail (just an example) and say  hello. I love sharing the Christmas video with them and helping them to see the true joy of Christmas! This gospel is so true and it brings so much joy!

MIRACLE!

Currently we're in "finding mode" and so we went knocking with a young woman in the ward. She said that is her favorite part of going out with the sisters! And it really was a fantastic day! At first, no one answered. 

​Then, w

e ran into someone who wasn't interested. And then, we knocked on a door, were starting to leave (because no one answered), and Sister Leyba heard something so she turned around just in time to find Odell! 

As soon as we said that we were missionaries, Odell invited us in. She didn't even wait for us to explain ourselves! We were blessed with an opportunity to share about the Book of Mormon with her and she immediately took it. She kept looking at it and at a card we had given her, and it was touching to see her as she did so! We now have a return appointment with her and we're so excited to see her again! :)

​Y'all, the gospel is so true! I know it! I know that it changes lives! It helps us to find joy even in the hardest of circumstances! I testify of this with all my heart that the Savior​ lives! He loves us! He knows us individually and personally! His Atonement is there for all of us, to carry us through ANYTHING! 

My invitation to y'all is to seek to apply the Atonement in your life. Reflect on what the Savior has done for you, especially as you are nearing the special and sacred time of His birth. He truly is the reason for the season. I testify that as you do so, you will begin to see life from a different perspective. You will begin to experience true joy. Joy that can not be explained, because it is so wonderful!

I love y'all. I love this Christmas season. And I especially love my Savior.

Keep smiling, and have a blessed Christmas!

Christmaaaas! :)

(Don't'cha just love our little baby Christmas tree? :))

Nicknames

Monday, 12 December 2016

Dear family and friends,

It's Christmaaaaasss! (That's what Sister Leyba keeps singing :))

Wow, time keeps flying by! I can't believe it's almost Christmas. As soon as Thanksgiving was over, lights and cocoa and presents started appearing. It's so fun this time of year to see the nativity scenes and Christmas lights. I love how everyone here celebrates Christ, especially this time of year. It is a wonderful time to share the joy of our Savior with everyone!

We've been sharing the #LightTheWorld initiative and video with everyone. It is so fun to see their faces light up as we do so! :)

RAY OF SUNSHINE:

-After two months, we went to visit Betty and Chantay, some investigators that we had stopped seeing for a bit because they told us they weren't ready for visits yet (Betty's husband passed on recently after we met them). They immediately invited us in and we shared the Christmas video with them. They then told us that they would love for us to come back and share more with them! :)

MEMORABLE MOMENTS:

-We now have a bajillion nicknames. A little boy that we see every Monday (at a meeting we go to) always greets us with excitement. This week, we were "Shoo and Boo!"

Last week we were "Sister Candace (me) and Sister Jackie (Sis Leyba). ;)

SO CUTE!

My invitation to y'all is to go caroling! Go #LightTheWorld by caroling to those who need some Christmas cheer!

Have a blessed week and a wonderful time caroling! :)

Keep smiling,

We took Steff Curry (the dog) with us for a little trip! :) He's our visitor from District Meeting (we won him). :)

Christmas cookies! :)

Ugly sweater pics! :D :D :D 

(We stole the sweaters from the Centerville elders)

Whaaaaat?!

Monday, 5 December 2016

Dear family and friends,

Nope. I don't want to believe it. ONE YEAR? Nah...

Sister Leyba and I hit our year mark this past week. It was really weird and didn't feel real. But now it does. And I just don't know what to think. It is definitely bittersweet. I think I want to cry. Nope. Not gonna cry. I'm going to smile because it happened! :)

It's been a long year. It's also been an absolutely incredible year that I would never trade for the universe! I've learned so much. I've grown to love my Savior more than I ever could before my mission. I am so thankful for this time I've had to serve the Lord! I know it'll continue to go by fast (which is crazy...) and I am thankful that I still have 6 months to serve! 

RAYS OF SUNSHINE:

-Learned how to change a flat tire! Yaaas! It was quite eventful! (It was at a sisters conference.)

-We went to visit Sister Coble, the sweetest and funniest woman in our ward! She is a widow and she's lived in Snellville her whole life. We felt prompted to go visit her and ended up cracking pecans with her as she told us about her life. It was the sweetest thing--when Sister Leyba shared the spiritual message about Christmas, Sister Coble smiled at us and said with glistening eyes, "You know, there are two people who have helped me to see God. Brother ____, and the missionaries." It was such a tender mercy. And that day happened to be "Jesus helped others to see and so can you" for the Christmas initiative (see next paragraph)! It was beautiful. :)

And what a joyous time of year this is! Christmas is amazing! What better way to celebrate our Savior than to go out and serve others? I'm sure that most of y'all know this, but the LDS church has come out with a 2-minute Christmas video and Christmas countdown! It is called #LightTheWorld, and it is all about sharing your light with other through service. Go to the website, mormon.org, and find out more! 

That's my invitation to y'all. :)

Keep smiling! Have a blessed and lovely week!

Shorter And Shorter

Monday, 28 November 2016

Dear family and friends,

TRANSFER NEWS! Real fast because I have to go.

Sister Benedetti got transferred to KSU (Kennesaw) and she's serving with her trainer again!

My new companion is Sister Leyba! :) She was my MTC companion and it's been fun to be companions again!  :D

Highlights:

-We gave Cinderella's footman a #LightTheWorld Christmas card! And we saw Santa! :)

I love y'all! Keep smiling!

Pics of enjoyment!

Real pizza, made by the professional! :D

GA skies! GORGEOUS! My camera can't ever capture the true beauty. It's incredible!


Beautiful holding adorable-ness! :) Put it together and it makes the-bestest-thing-ever-that-happens-to-be-on-a-hard-day-and-so-it's-a-tender-mercy! ;)

Dragon pajamas!! :D Well, without wings... ;)

This is for you, Cumorah!

EXCHANGES! Improvised couch and epic awesomeness! :)

Modeling is Sister Washburn. :D

Elsa hair. ;)

So Much To Say, So Little Time...

Monday, 21 November 2016

Dear family and friends,

Well, this week was so eventful that I have run out of time to email y'all!! So, sorry this is going to be short.

Transfer news came on Saturday... Sister Benedetti is leaving. :'( But I will be staying here in Snellville. :)

RAYS OF SUNSHINE!

-YAAAS! Three investigators at church! This area is skyrocketing because of the members! They're so amazing!

-The Shaffers (mission parents) are missionaries now! We saw them at zone training. :)

-Temple was AMAZING! Finally got to go again! Very touching and filled me with a lot of peace.

-I learned how to do the Haka! That was fun and interesting... ;)

My invitation to y'all is to check out mormon.org and do the Christmas challenge! 25 ways, 25 days of service! It's going to be absolutely incredible! #LightTheWorld

Keep smiling! I love y'all! :)

"The Fierce Winds Are Blowing Us Closer To God" (Ether 6:5-9)

Monday, 14 November 2016

Dear family and friends,

Well, it's been a frustrating week. But guess what? Life is beautiful, and as Sister Foote (mission president's wife) said, "The fierce winds are blowing us closer to God". Sometimes we face disappointments. Frustrations. Anxiety. Anger. Depression. 

All of this blocks us from progressing if we dwell on it. But if we allow the Lord to take the lead, He will help to make "weak things become strong" (Ether 12:27) and He will bless us with comfort and joy! This morning I read in 1 Nephi 14 in the Book of Mormon, and the first verse really stood out to me. 

"And it shall come to pass, that if [you] shall hearken unto the Lamb of God... he shall manifest himself unto [you] in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of [your] stumbling blocks." (1 Nephi 14:1)

If we hearken to the Lord and follow His will, then He will take away our stumbling blocks and free us from our burdens! It was a great reminder to me of the importance of following the Lord's will and trusting in Him. 

Sometimes we just want things to go OUR way. Sometimes we want our lives to be perfect and happy and amazing. But if we didn't experience struggles and pains, we wouldn't be able to experience the joy! :)

This past week was really hard for us. There was a LOT of opposition that we faced. No one was home, everything seemed to be going wrong, and we were frustrated. And then on Sunday, Glayce (who is preparing for baptism) didn't come to church, so she can't be baptized yet. It was so frustrating! We just wanted things to work out. We wanted things to go the way we wanted them to go. We didn't trust in the Lord's timing, and because of that, we felt like failures.

Finally, we turned to the Lord. After all the struggles and frustrations we faced, we turned to the One who would help us and give us the perfect advice. And He did. He carried us through it. As we turned to the Lord, He gave us comfort. He has said that he would never leave us comfortless (John 14:18). That is so true! The Lord cares about each of us as individuals. He knows our pains. He knows our weaknesses. He knows what we are facing each day and as we turn to Him, He will guide and comfort us! 

On Sunday, I felt a bigger change. I no longer felt discouraged. Even though we knocked on a bajillion doors where no one answered, I was happy. I went about with a cheerful countenance because I had the joy of the gospel! I realized that if I just turned outward and focused on others, I would be happy. If I followed the Lord's will, I would find joy. There is so much joy to be found as we lose ourselves in the service of the Lord. That is something I've been learning. Giving my ALL to the Lord--heart, might, mind, and strength--is where the joy will come. God gives us joy when we turn to Him and when we choose to focus on others. When we serve selflessly and happily. I testify that there is so much joy to be found in the service of the Lord! We are doing the right thing. We are on the right path. This is a great and marvelous work that we are participating in and I am so thankful to be a part of it!

My invitation to y'all this week is to attend the temple at least once a month. (Or if you aren't a member of the LDS church, choose a day to walk on LDS temple grounds). These visits to the Lord's house (the LDS temple) will bring you so much peace. I know that as you do this, you will feel God's love for you and you will have greater strength to withstand the fierce winds and follow the Lord! 

Y'all are amazing. Keep moving forward and remember life is beautiful! Keep smiling and have a blessed week! I love y'all!