10/17/16

Well we got transfer calls. Next transfer is going to be the first one ever that I'm not in the same zone as Elder Anthony. That's 7 out of 13. Let's not talk about how I'm on transfer 8 out of 13. However I'm exceedingly blessed because my mission is actually almost 19 months long. I have like 20 extra days past my 18 month mark approximately. #Lucky 🍀🍀🍀

I just found out there are a bunch of sick emojis in my email.

Here's some things I care about: 

🌮🌭🍕🍟🍔

🐈🐆🐄🐖🐗🐑🐐🐍🐳🐋

🌵🍉📎😼😽🙀😸🎨

But what I care about the most is:

📦📮📬

Also this thing is sketch I don't know what it is: 

🗿

Anyway back to transfers: 

Elder Center is gone to RSM zone. Elder Anthony is back to Chinese. Our new district leader is Elder Vaipulu. Elder Radeke is still a zone leader here somehow??? SISTER BAKER AND I ARE STILL COMPANIONS SOMEHOW??? 4 transfers together for sisters outside of Spanish and Chinese is UNHEARD OF! I will be companions with Sister Baker until she dies! For literally 1/3rd of our missions? I'm mostly just really surprised. Also she's serving literally half her mission in this ward. However, we're getting a third companion this transfer. Her name is Sister Ward. So that should be good. Hopefully. I've never been in a trio and had to get along with TWO people all the time. I'm disagreeable enough as it is. Just kidding. Be looking forward to pictures of us as the power puff girls in the near future. 

Unfortunately Sister Shumway is being transferred as well. I've never been more sad. Sister Shumway is literally my best friend. I love her so much. She's so loving and Christlike. It's just amazing. I'm gonna miss her. So she's going home and my other two best friends are not in English work. Looks like I'll have to make new friends. 

"It's a good thing everyone loves you." -Sister Baker

I think this week was really good as far as my spiritual development. I'm kind of hyper though so I can't remember. Let me get reverent. 

So we had zone training meeting this week and it was really good. Elder Chain gave a training. He talked about our weaknesses and how we can overcome them. He talked about how to become consecrated. He said that there are things that keep us from being consecrated and those things are like addictions. Therefore they can be overcome with the principles of the addiction recovery program. That's true I can attest to that. The addiction recovery program is like a 12 step guide to learning how the atonement works. If you've never checked it out I would highly recommend it. It's very uplifting. 

Step 3 is conducting a fearless moral inventory. So Elder Chain invited us to do it. I discovered that the reason I've been so lazy and depressed and apathetic is that I was angry with Heavenly Father. That was an incredibly distressing thing to discover. It was good however because I was able to seek forgiveness and set goals to be better. I feel much better even now. Repentance is awesome. 

"When I went to the temple I remember thinking it was awesome." -Kid in primary program 

"I don't know about you but when I think of adjectives to describe the temple the first one I think of is awesome." -Sister Baker 

"There was a period of time called the great apostasy when people were just guessing what the bible meant." -different kid

"That's a good way of putting it actually. That's true doctrine." -Sister Baker

"that kid needs to come teach with us." -me 

Slightly related: I saw my first primary program yesterday. Talk about cute. I'm looking forward to having children. Looking forward to a date in the distant future that is. On the other hand talk about a little weird if it's the first time you've been at church. A lot of people brought their friends. I guess that's not as weird because it's like "hey my child has a part in this cute program our church does." 

Anyway. I'm sure I have way more cool stuff to say. Here's the reading assignment though: 

I was reading this article in the ensign and it said  “His Atonement … provides the opportunity to call upon Him who has experienced all of our mortal infirmities to give us the strength to bear the burdens of mortality. He knows of our anguish, and He is there for us. Like the good Samaritan, when He finds us wounded at the wayside, He will bind up our wounds and care for us (see Luke 10:34).” I have never heard that parable interpreted as Christ being the Samaritan. If Christ is the Samaritan it teaches us that although the world may pass us by our savior will not. He will come to us and heal us and then he will make sure that we end up in a place where we can receive more support and care. He will also bless those who care for us and help us through our trials. 

So the assignment is: Choose your favorite parable. When you read it who do you usually compare yourself to? Read it again comparing yourself to some other person in the parable. How does the meaning change? 

for example: if you like the parable of the lost coin and you usually compare yourself to the coin, ask how you are/can be like the woman instead. 

Plot twist. Here's some quotes: 

 

"Elder Howard's dad drives two fiats depending on the day." -Elder Chain

"the way you said that made it sound like depending on the day he either drives two fiats simultaneously or some other option." -me 

"He's a large man." -Elder Howard

"Elder VanOrden and Sister Baker are arguing about whether corn or potatoes are more deadly." -me 

"The reason I have a hard time making friends is that I just have no idea how to insert myself into such a conversation." -Elder Chain

"Wow Sister Atchley your handwriting is really nice"-Elder Chain

"L-O-L what?" - me 

"Oh yeah it's lovely will you dear John my girlfriend for me?" -Elder Howard

"I feel like everyone is too cool for me." -Elder Chain

"Well you'll never have that problem with me because I'm lame." -me

"I feel like there's this really high level of cool where you're too cool for everyone but the next level of cool is just cool with everyone and that's like you. Plus you can't be lame if you have cool handwriting." -Elder Chain

"I'm worried because everyone in my family is athletic so I'm afraid my children are going to get their genes but i'm like... this... so I'l have all these huge athletic children and they're going to dunk on me or something and I'll just be like *wimper* Shakespeare?" -Elder Chain

"I mean there's the higher law of consecration." -Sister Baker 

"Yeah but nobody can figure that out either. For example if we were consecrating our time we would go knock on Sister Selway's door." -me 

"We don't have real conversations anymore we just say inside jokes back and forth and make no sense." -Sister Baker 

"I don't have as much bread this time sisters." -Rosie 

*Pulls out 3 times the usual amount of bread* 

"All I'm saying is that Rosie Garcia is way better at clowncaring a bunch of bread in a paper bag." -me

"I forgot what I normally do with this knife." -Sister Baker

"Uh.. usually they're for butter...." -me 

"Hey Sister Atchley come be in our group!" -Elder Anthony and Elder Radeke from across the room

I've never been invited to a group from across the room before. I feel like I've made it. I'm finally cool. 

"Can I ask you what your goals in life are?" -Elder Anthony

"I want to be a mom." -me 

"I want to be level 75 in runescape" -Elder Radeke

"Does he even know about rusescape?" -Sister Baker

"Doesn't everyone? Maybe that's just everyone I hang out with?" -me 

"HEY DO YOU GUYS KNOW ABOUT RUNESCAPE?" -Sister Baker

"NEVER HEARD OF IT" -Sister Hawkins

"Well that answers that question." -Sister Baker

"that was basically the entire scientific method." -me 

"Does anyone know how to jump a car?" -Sister Baker

"Elder Fife seems competent." -me 

"He just popped the TRUNK." -Sister Baker

"Wow Sister Atchley... you went to art school for this." -Elder Radeke on the postit notes on our dash

10/10/16

I gotta write a letter y'all. This is always super difficult for me because like 400 amazing things happened to me this week but I don't know which ones to share and/or I don't remember them all.

I talked to President Clark this week. It was awesome. President Clark is a very loving man. I told him all the things I was struggling with and he listened to me for a very long time which was good. Then he said "Sister Atchley at the end of this meeting I would like to give you a blessing, or... at least if we could say a prayer together." I was like blessing plz :'( Then he told me a lot of stuff about how to resist temptation and stuff. Then he talked about the doctrine of being converted to Christ. He said the Book of Mormon is the only place we find that doctrine and I have no proof but I believe him because I think he has the whole standard works memorized. He talked about how when we're converted to Christ that means that we will not return to the way we used to be. I studied the scriptures about it later and this was my favorite one:  

3Nephi9:13 O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

I learned that being converted to Christ means being healed by the atonement. As we reach out to our savior he heals us and changes us so that we have no more desire to do evil but to do good continually. Now I know one of the main reasons that I'm on a mission is to be healed. Also I understand part of my patriarchal blessing that has never made sense to me before. Amazing. Always follow promptings guys it's worth it every time.

President Clark also teared up a lot during our conversation which was so touching because he's a very serious business guy and you don't expect that sort of thing from him. I could just tell how much he cared about helping my soul. He said a bunch of really nice things too. I asked him how I could be sure I was going to be safe and He said "Sister Atchley from the spirit I feel in this meeting and from the email I read from you every week I can tell that you are someone who just loves the Lord." So basically I was sobbing because it's been a really long time since someone has pointed that out to me. I mean I obviously don't love the Lord to be seen of men, but at the beginning of my mission everyone said that all the time. I thought that because people had stopped pointing it out to me that my love wasn't deep enough that it displayed outwardly. So I've been worried that my love for the Lord hasn't been motivating me to be Christlike outwardly if that makes sense? 

Then he gave me a blessing and said he was my friend. <3 <3 <3 He said "Sister Atchley, as your mission president *sniffle* ... and ... friend..." So anyway that's a story all about how President Clark is my friend. He's a really fortunate friend to have I'm so blessed. 

The other really good thing that happened this week is that I went on exchanges with Sister Hollenbeck. We taught Helen. Both things were awesome. 

Helen came to church this week. She made a huge effort and was super blessed for it because she LOVED CHURCH AND FELT THE SPIRIT. She's been having a hard time making it because something (It's satan y'all) always gets in her way. So yesterday we went to her house before church and made sure she got ready on time and made it out the door. As we were getting ready her dog took off out the door. I'm pretty sure dogs aren't subject to the will of God because they disrupt the spirit aggressively all the time. We'll go to pray at someone's house and their dog will lose it and bark and tear around the house and jump on you. We go to get Helen and Toby takes off into the complex. Luckily peepa - b gave me lots of practice dog wrangling so he didn't get vary far. We got judged hardcore rollin into church late by all the members of our ward who were getting there at the exact same time. #JustSayin The Sunday school lesson was on the law of Chastity and we thought it was going to be super awkward and a train wreck, but Helen was like "these are my personal beliefs I've lived the law of chastity all my life! You are never teaching me anything new or weird this is things I already believe!" true Helen that's because you are very converted to Christ and this is His church. 

We taught her lesson the the gospel of Jesus Christ the other day and she was amazed. We read the scriptures with her and she was like "YEAH faith is like a seed! I had the seed planted when I was very young and I always am watering it all the time. For example when I was at my lowest point and I prayed to God and promised him that if he gave me a second chance to be strong again I would be baptized so now that's my ultimate goal so I can have my end of the promise because he already healed me." and "Oh yeah yes when you have more faith it causes you to do things that are bringing you closer to God and lord!" and "Yes! this is what I want to do! I want to be baptized so I can have his spirit more with me in my life because I will be clean like the death of my old life!" and also "I already know everything you teach is the truth I can see it in your eyes and I've actually been thinking since first time I came to your church that I want to be baptized to it. I just need to know what my faithfulness will be like afterwards!" She basically has put the entire doctrine of Christ together by herself and has just been waiting to find the right church. She was participating in the relief society lesson and everything. Someone was like "you have to have faith." and Helen was like "You can't just have faith you also have to have commitment to be faithful." Everyone though she was already a member. 

My exchange with Sister Hollenbeck was really good. Everyone said a bunch of stuff like it was going to be hard and I was like really surprised when we had a great day and worked hard and had fun. I've learned a lot lately that when you just treat people like they've already reached their full potential they work harder to actually do it. So I just decided to treat Sister Hollenbeck like she was a normal person and a good missionary and SHE MIRACULOUSLY WAS! Also she opened up to me a lot about stuff she's had a hard time with on her mission. 

It's kind of like how everyone always says Sister Shumway has no desire to be social and likes to not talk and she's introverted and blah blah, but I treat her like any other person I want to talk to and she TALKS TO ME FOR HOURS! Everyone is lowkey really similar because we're all children of God and when you treat others like they are a child of God they act like one. 

Here the main lesson I wrote in my PMG: 

The absence of your love will never motivate anyone to change for the better, but the presence of it can.

Here's some quotes real qick: 

"there's a lady in Africa that has to carry her drinking water for the whole week for miles back to her home who has no sympathy that my finger hurts from carrying this laundry across this apartment complex." -me 

"What an unusual application of a fake owl." -me 

"You look like a goblin" -me 

"I'm like a box troll, but a kan jam troll." -Elder Radeke

"I only take luscious pictures." -Elder Fife

"Hi my name is Wesley" -Elder Fife all the time

"I can't play frisbee I have no depth perception!!" -Sister Baker 

"You don't like anything I say you remind me of!" -me 

"I would think you were really nice if you said I remind you of.. a white tiger..." -Elder Keith 

"I got a fortune cookie that said I would have the surprise in the next month. Today our investigator say he is getting baptized. Go to Panda Express and get a patriarchal blessing." -Elder Vaipulu 

"Whhhhat a beautiful name!" -President Clark 

Dad did a good job because every single older gentleman who has ever learned my full name has been like wow sooo beautiful. President Orgill said it was like a European princess.

"OH MY HECK IT'S SISTER ATCHLEY!! DUDE HOW ARE YOU DOING!?! WHAT THIS IS SO CRAZY!! CAN I TAKE A PICTURE OF YOU!?!" -Jake Henderson fav youth from my entire mission 

"I've knit three whole stitched in this scarf! made with love from Sister Baker" -Sister Baker

"You know that light was red?" -cranky guy

"Yeah sir I'm soo sorry!" -Sister Baker

"DON'T BE SORRY TO ME!!" -guy 

"WHAT DID HE WANT ME TO SAY!? Yeah sir I'm driving to the dmv to turn in my license right now!" -Sister Baker

"Did you guys know my first name is Daniel!?"-Elder Rassmussen 

"Uh yeah that's what your mail all says." -Sister Baker

"IT'S NOT IT'S NICHOLAS!!" -Elder Rassmussen

"I can talk for 10 minutes no problem" -me 

"I don't doubt it" -Elder Richardson

"I've never been around so many people I think are so cool before in my life" -me 

"I can leave to balance things out." -Elder Richardson

"Do you hate comp inventory?" -me 

"No I hate comp" -Elder Richardson 

"He calls me Sister Rassmussen all the time" -Elder Rassmussen

"Some people's kids" -Elder Richardson

"Some people's dad." -Elder Rassmussen

"Hey Elder Radeke!" -Sister Baker

"What Sister Baker!?" -Elder Radeke

"Do you want some bread?" -Sister Baker

*crickets*

"Dude! She literally pulled a loaf of bread out of that bag!" -Some random greenie 

"First of all he's this HUGE polish guy with like... a man bun right and he's like this big JACKED really tan guy. Super tan ok! So he like shook my and and CRUSHED IT. Basically I've never been so afraid of a girl's dad before." -Noah Holmes 

"So let me get this straight.. you went on a date with this girl.... AND her dad?" -Sister Baker

*Sister Holmes nodding* 

"I'm just imagining a ham with spider legs." -Sister Baker 

"What are we going to do if we can't download the Book of Mormon?" -me 

"DIE!!" -Sister Baker 

*Incredibly angry aggressive political rant about Hillary Clinton that would probably get me on a government watch list if I typed out* 

"haha so how's your Book of Mormon reading going?!?!" -Sister Baker 

"Stop fishing for compliments!" -Sister Carr

"I'm feht!" -Elder Radeke

"You're not fat but you have weird skinny wrists." -me 

*Elder Radeke busting up* 

"Sister Atchley your testimony always brings the spirit I don't know how you do it. You must fast and pray and read the scriptures or something." -Elder Chain 

"Audibly crapping" -us all the time

"Sister Baker will you tell Sister Atchley that I really appreciate her testimony?" -Elder Radeke

"Are we not on speaking terms?" -me 

"I had a dream that my arm was a bread stick!" -Sister Baker

"NO it was actually really hard because I didn't wake up to the first alarm but it went off in my dream and I had to turn it off with my bread stick arm!!" -Sister Baker

The reading assignment is this: 

The Balm of Gilead by Boyd K Packer

10/3/16

Wow I'm starting this letter really late into my email time so like sorry if it's poor quality. I actually don't know what I did this week. 

Sister Baker and I are on a lot better terms because I talked about my feelings. I learned again for like the 5th time that being humble and talking about you feelings increases the amount of love most of the time. One day I'll just be really humble and open about like all my stuff, but it will probably take a really long time. 

We went to the temple and had general conference this week. I received a lot of revelation. Something really cool that I experienced was the fact that Heavenly Father was willing to address the things I actually care about and worry about even though they weren't the most relevant to missionary work. I felt kind of bad because Heavenly Father loves me so much and I really should try to more closely align my will with his. If I was a super consecrated missionary I would just be having questions about missionary work and how I can be a better disciple. So I was asking Heavenly Father to help me align my will with his during conference on Sunday and I learned a lot. Namely that when you come unto Christ he shows you your weaknesses. 

I have a lot of weaknesses and fears. I was so grateful to Heavenly Father for showing me what I need to do in order to get the blessings that he has promised me in return for my missionary service. I'm also thankful that I am learning this now, half way through my mission, so that there's time for me to grow and make changes. 

I learned something about promised blessings at conference. I have no doubt in blessings that are promised in priesthood blessings, or by missionaries, or apostles, or in your patriarchal blessing. Basically I just know that D&C1:38 is the truth. 

"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."

While I was listening to conference I felt distinctly impressed that I would be able to accomplish a specific thing by the time I come home. I realized that this was a promised blessing from the spirit. I had never before considered that the Holy Ghost can promise you blessings. Of course he can promise you blessings though, he is there to communicate between you and the Father. Of course those promised blessings are equally likely to come true because they are directly from the Father after all, just like any other blessing. I'm so excited about how much I'm learning about the workings of the spirit on my mission. 

There's one more thing I learned this week that I feel like sharing. Hopefully I will be about to use the English language adequately enough to explain.
So I just got to the war chapters of Alma and I was reading particularly about the title of liberty. Some verses impressed me:

 34 Now, Moroni being a man who was appointed by the chief judges and the voice of the people, therefore he had power according to his will with the armies of the Nephites, to establish and to exercise authority over them.

 35 And it came to pass that whomsoever of the Amalickiahites that would not enter into a covenant to support the cause of freedom, that they might maintain a free government, he caused to be put to death; and there were but few who denied the covenant of freedom.

 36 And it came to pass also, that he caused the title of liberty to be hoisted upon every tower which was in all the land, which was possessed by the Nephites; and thus Moroni planted the standard of liberty among the Nephites.

 37 And they began to have peace again in the land; and thus they did maintain peace in the land until nearly the end of the nineteenth year of the reign of the judges.

While I was reading this the phrase "planted the standard of liberty" stood out to me. I thought about how we have to establish our standards. So I went back to verse 34 to find out how Moroni did it. So, Moroni being a man who was appointed (given agency) by the chief judges (The Godhead) and the voice of the people (the council in heaven) therefore he had power according to his will (agency) with the armies of the Nephites (the help of the spirit), to establish and to exercise authority over them. (Make decisions and determine the course of his life) 

Are you following? 

So in verse 35 Moroni with this power that he has been given decided to enforce on the people of the land the standard of liberty. I thought of all the people it talks about  as the different habits and attributes that we have as part of our personality. I thought about how he decided what the standard was and then just eliminated all of the people that did not live up to those standards or were willing to try. So basically what I'm getting at is that we as people with agency have to decide what our standards are. We have help with this as faithful members of the church because our Heavenly Father tells us what he expects of us through the scriptures and through modern prophets. For example we have The Family A Proclamation to the World, and For the Strength of Youth to help us know our standards. 

Once we decide our standards we, like Captain Moroni, have to examine all of the things that we do, or all of the people, and make sure they are up to our standards. If they are not we have to cause them to be put to death and replace them with our standards. Then we will be able to "have peace again in the land." 

So there's no reading assignment this week, but I want to invite everyone to write down some standards you have. It doesn't even have to be your standards as a latter-day saint, it could be your work standards, your standards as a student or a mom, or your standards in regard to how how you honor your priesthood.  Write down some personal standards that you have and then put them somewhere you can see it. In this way you can start to "[cause] the title of liberty to be hoisted upon every tower which [is] in all the land" and you can plant in your own heart the standard of liberty. 

Here's some quotes: 

"I've never had to buy stamps before I don't feel comfortable." -me 

"You just go up there and be like HI can I have some stamps and he'll be like yeah what kind do you want?" -Sister Baker 

"Hi can I have some stamps. Wow now I feel more comfortable. Thanks for role playing that with me." -Me 

"Sister Baker..... This is a picture of us married." -Brigham Porter age 4 

"Wow I've never been proposed to at dinner before"-me 

"now this is a picture of us kissing." -Briggs 

"WHOAH NOW! Briggs you can't say stuff like that because... well... I don't even know where to start." -Sister Porter 

"I hope everyone learned a valuable lesson today." -Brother Trippe

"Don't come to Brother Trippe's house our you'll be eaten by a crocodile." -me 

"Ah yes... the removable crevice tool." -me 

*Sister Baker dies laughing* 

"I like how you never put the vacuum away." -Sister Baker

"Don't you know I only vacuum to be seen of men" -me 

"It's not goals that don't work... it's... US THAT DON'T WORK." -me 

*Sister Baker dies laughing* 

(review quotes in june 6 email) 

"How do you feel about red tape with white polkadots? Is it masculine enough?" -me 

"Whatever the spirit directs." -Elder Foutz

"I feel like outside the temple more revelation is received in the shower than anywhere else." -Sister Baker 

"I'm the brain and he's the spokesman." -Elder Richardson

"No I'm the brain." -Elder Howard

"Together we're a brain" -Elder Richardson

"You're probably right together you are A brain" -me 

"I just feel like fish are swimming around in my stomach right now." -Sister Wimmer 

"Candy!? this is the chapel! Sacred ordinances are performed here and you're eating candy!?" -Elder Radeke 

"OH NO SISTER ATCHLEY!!" -Elder Radeke 

"uh.. what?" -me 

"YOU'RE TURNING INTO YOUR MOTHER!!" -Elder Radeke

(I was knitting) 

"Sister Atchley's resting face is so grumpy that in Irvine I saw her go by in a car and I had to call and make sure she was ok because I thought something was deeply wrong with her soul." -Elder Chain

"Wear this scarf" -me 

"Will it make me pretty?" -Elder Fife

"Maybe." -me 

"I'm already pretty. HEY! Don't snort!" -Elder Fife 

"My dad would be so annoyed if he knew I was doing prime factorizations for fun right now." -me 

"They're out of Dr Pepper! They don't even have diet! Do you even see this? What even? I have to reevaluate my whole life right now." -Sister Baker 

"Calm down you're being really basic right now." -me 

Love Y'all!! 

9/26/16

Well Zach did not end up getting baptized this week, but he's getting there. We accidentally hung out with him while we had lunch because he was randomly at the church. He apparently showed up a million hours early to his interview so he just went to district meeting with Elder Fife and Radeke. He said that in the district meeting they asked him what made him decide he wanted to get baptized and he said it was the first time we met with him. He said we were the first people to ever tell him that he could and needed to pray and ask God and find answers for himself rather than us telling him what to believe. It's pretty cool because that's a how to begin teaching point. His turning point was within the first 5 minutes of the first lesson. Amazing. Preach My Gospel is so inspired. It's really cool to see how everyone was "converted by" different lessons. For me it was the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I can't imagine going to a district meeting as an investigator though. That is brave.

This was a really long week. We did not get very much done. The best day was Thursday when I was on exchanges with Sister Carr. Sister Carr is awesome. I went on exchanges in YSA. That was pretty fun. We taught Aysia who WE used to be teaching. She is a member who just doesn't have a knowledge or a testimony of like anything. So we taught her the restoration which Sister Baker and I never did for some reason. She loved it and she was so happy afterwards. She's going to get reactivated for sure. Sister Carr is an art student and UVU that's pretty cool because hopefully soon I will be an art student at UVU. That means we're going to be in the program together. #Homies. All my Sister friends go home at the end of next transfer. Well not all of them but all of the best ones. I'm losing Sister Baker, Sister Wimmer, Sister Shumway, and Sister Carr. I am also betting Elder Center, Elder Radeke and Elder Anthony will get transferred next transfer. Then I will have like very few good friends in this zone. I'll have to make new friends. #bummer #waaahmbulance #Emo #MiddleSchoolRound2 #melodramatic Yeah so basically I haven't changed on my mission at all.

I had a lot of really spiritual experiences this week though. By spiritual experiences I mean spiritual personal studies. I'm really excited that I can feel the spirit this transfer. Not being in tune with the spirit is the worst day of my life. I read a scripture this morning that was really good.

D&C19:20 Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit.

Basically Christ is saying that the punishment we will have in the next life if we aren't righteous in this life is going to be like a really intense version of not having the spirit with you. I don't think I could handle that because I feel terrible when I don't have the spirit with me. 

I had a really good study on faith. I mailed my notes to Matthew so uh.... basically he's my favorite because I don't mail a bunch of revelation to everyone else. I realized that I mail him revelation all the time, like my whole mission, but not to everyone else. I mean, sometimes I include revelation in things I send to Whatcott I guess.... You'd think I would more evenly share what I'm learning though. Sorry homies. 

So I guess I can make a brief summary of some things that I learned about faith this week. So I was kind of pondering what it means to have perfect faith and I thought of that scripture in James chapter 2 that says "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?" Then I thought that works are usually righteous actions in response to spiritual promptings. So then I was thinking about how sometimes it's hard to act on promptings and sometimes you don't get the desired result when you do. It can be hard to trust Heavenly Father's plan when you do something and you can't see the immediate blessing of your action. So I was thinking about how when you make a righteous action, such as following a prompting, Heavenly Father controls the situation so the outcome his the one that he intended no matter what the outcome is. So then it's as important for us to respond to the outcome in faith as it is for us to act in faith the first time.

So basically

1. Act in faith 
2. Heavenly Father's desired outcome happens
3. React to that outcome in faith. 

 Then you will be able to receive the witness. (Ether12:6) 

I also had a really good study of the talk "His Grace is Sufficient" which I also mailed to Matthew. I was studying it for him. While I read it the spirit testified of its truthfulness. I received a witness of the atonement.

A scripture that has been standing out to me a lot lately is Alma chapter 40 verse 8, specifically the part that says "all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men." Something that I have been learning lately is that not all lessons can be learned in a couple transfers. That is ok though because Heavenly Father doesn't count how long it takes us to repent only that we are trying our best. We are the ones who put a timeline on our progression because "time only is measured unto men." Heavenly Father will help us and give is divine strength to overcome anything no matter how long that process takes. 

OH! I experienced a tiny miracle! I've asked literally like everyone I know for a card with all the scripture mastery scriptures on it since the MTC and nobody has ever given me one. So I prayed about it and yesterday everyone in the ward council got a thing with all of the doctrinal mastery stuff on it. #blessings. If I memorize 3 scriptures a week for the rest of my mission I will have all of them memorized when I come home. 

Coming at you with some quotes: 

"I can't even stand the thought of kissing. Even the cutest boys! They have all these gum diseases and calculus all over their teeth and mouths are just gross!" -Beverly 

"So did you guys just rock paper scissors for who was going to teach me?" -Zach

"So Sister Atchley what are you doing after your mission besides finding your super detailed specific husband?" -Zach

"There's the authority one with an ice cream truck vs a police car. You would let a police car pull you over but not an ice cream truck." -Elder Radeke 

"Therefore you have to be baptize by someone who drives a police car rather than an ice cream truck." -me 

"You're like this pen."- me 

"Empty inside?" -Zach 

"Yeah and this is the Holy Ghost. It can just touch you before you're baptized but after you get baptized it's inside of you and you become a fully functioning pen" -me 

"If I was going to get my own money out of the bank that would be ok but if I wanted to get Sister Baker's money out of the bank I would need her permission. Therefore you need God's permission to get his money out of the bank." -me 

"What does money represent?" -Elder Radeke

"Covenants" -Sister Baker

"I think I've learned more in the last five minutes from Sister Atchley than I have from you guys ever." -Zach

"SHE'S NOT EVEN BEING SERIOUS!!" -Elder Radeke 

"You guys said missionary work was hard. This isn't hard you just have meetings all day and then eat lunch at the church." -Zach

"No don't draw the same thing as me! My drawing will look bad!" -Sister Baker

"Did you just say draw my future cat?" -me 

"Yeah" -Elder Radeke

"Elder Anthony's future wife? That's a cat. That's not very nice." -Elder Anthony

"It used to say cat! Also it used to say Radeke!" -me 

"You need an apron that says #1 dad" -me 

"Now TAHT is an apron I would wear." -President Clark 

"Ew they're talking about girlfriends." -Sister Carr

"BOYFRIENDS blah blah." -me 

"Name a primary song with hand gestures." -ysa guy

"Sorry team I'm a convert." -me 

".... yeah..... and....?" -Literally everyone 

#NoSympathy 

"Guess what I'm going to be for halloween! I'll give you a hint it's a president" -Cole 

"Brigham Young" -me 

"NO! of the united states!" -Cole 

"Wait that's a way better idea!" -Brother Mackay

"Oh It's Abraham Lincoln." -me 

"Yeah first try!" -Cole

"I'm taking Cole to get an Abe Lincoln costume tomorrow." -Sister Mackay 

"You're not even giving me time to sway his opinion?" -Brother Mackay

"Four score and seven years ago" -Cole

"Thank you Brother Brigham." -Brother Mackay 

"Why do you like Abe Lincoln?" -me 

"Because his ghost haunts the white house! Also he was a president and he has an almost all black suit and 16 is not an unlucky number." -Cole

"John Lennon said they were more popular than Jesus. People got mad." -Cole

"I was so mad when that happened." -Morgan

"oh yeah!? What uh... what did you do when that happened?" -Brother Mackay

"Well I... I almost.... took him apart." -Morgan 

"Jesus is so romantic!" -Morgan

"Maddy lost her 10th tooth today." -Cole

"Who is that?" -Brother Mackay 

"She sits next to me in class." -Cole 

"Y'all are pretty close friends if you're keepin up with how many teeth she's lost." -me 

"yeah" -Cole

"White or wheat Elders?" -Bishop 

"I'm a white... uh.. bread.. uh kinda guy... Dang. I almost said I'm a white guy." -Elder Center

"What do you think Heavenly Father's love language is?" -me 

"Oh I know! God feels love.... when we keep his commandments." -Sister Wimmer 

"You know whose love language IS physical touch though? The apostle John." -me 

"Yeah! Nestled in Christ's neck in every picture." -Sister Wimmer

"I have a funny story about nestling in necks from the MTC" -Sister Hawkins

"WOOOOOAH!" -Everyone 

"This is going to take a real left turn from what all of you are thinking because we had to move residences because a girl woke up to find a bat nestled in her neck in mine." -Sister Hawkins

"Lets be real would you rather wake up to find a bat nestled in your neck or an owl?" -Sister Baker

The reading assignment is this! 

This morning I was reading things in my mind in that voice that Elder Holland uses when he yell-cries at us at conference. You know the one. So I read D&C 19 in that voice an I realized that in it Christ is not telling us to repent or else he'll punish us, but he's pleading with us to repent so that he doesn't have to. He knows what it feels like to suffer the penalty of sin and he is trying to warn us. Give D&C 19 another read. It's one of my favorites. 

Love Y'all!! 

9/19/16

Greetings citizens! I have to tell you all a funny story about some succulents, but that can wait a minute.

We got our carpets cleaned this week! Now I don't feel like I'm wallowing in hundreds of companionships worth of dead skin cells and foot germs and spilled food every time I want to lay on the ground. What a blessed occasion! Also our carpet is literally like 15 shades lighter in some spots. Somehow we managed to fit literally all of our furniture in the kitchen, both bathrooms, and the patio. #Magic 

So literally every day of this week in my journal starts with "this was a stressful day." That's because this has been an incredibly stressful week. I feel like I'm trying really hard and doing a lot of things that I can do, but then I keep leaving stuff out and messing up. We only got like 11 contacts this week, but I feel like I was trying SO HARD to be a good missionary. It's hard because I'm also really sick. I have like anywhere between 2 - 20% of my voice at any given time. Then I'm also in charge of the phone all the time so I keep forgetting to send all these texts and follow up with all these people. Also we haven't had studies except for like 1 day this week and I can't even function or handle my life without having good studies. ON TOP OF ALL THESE THINGS Sister Baker has been unusually mad at / mean to me this week. So basically I keep slightly failing at my life and doing literally anything else and then Sister Baker rolls her eyes at me and acts like I just did the dumbest thing she's ever seen. Also we haven't talked about it because comp inventory makes her mad also. So basically this companionship is getting harder instead of easier somehow. Also Sister Baker's mom reads this sometimes I think. Hey Momma Baker..... I just wish I knew what I had done to make Sister Baker decide to treat me like a gigantic idiot though. I'm just trying to be a better person. 

The good news is I've been successful at being closer to Heavenly Father this transfer so far. I am remembering how to listen to the spirit and I can tell He is directing me all the time. Even though I've been really stressed out I haven't been discouraged or depressed that much too. Basically I've stayed fairly cheerful which is definitely the spirit. This week we saw a ton of success. By a ton of success I mean we had 2 NON MEMBERS AT CHURCH AND I FOUND OUT ZACH IS GETTING BAPTIZED THIS SATURDAY!!!!!!!! #Winning 

We got this referral from the Spanish Elders this week for this lady named Veronica. We contacted her and she needed some babysitting THAT DAY. So we texted like half our ward and none of them were available except Sister MacLean. So Sister MacLean watched her son and was super friendly and invited her to church. She came! She said the only reason she didn't stay for all three hours is because she didn't know it was going to be three hours long! So she's coming this week to all three hours. 

The other person that was at church was this lady named Kim. She's been meeting with the missionaries since February and this is the first time she came. Sister Baker was fixin to be ready to drop her, but we went over and had a heart to heart about why we were meeting with her and why she wasn't coming to church. She came for the first time! Also she liked it! 

Now I got to tell you this story about some succulents. Then we'll have quotes. 

The other day Elder Anthony was on exchanges with Elder Center in our ward. That's a funny story too because he happened to be here the day that we, by pure coincidence, had ALL THREE MEALS TOGETHER AT MEMBERS HOMES. Elder Mueller was with Elder Rasmussen in Las Flores. So yesterday We got home for lunch or something and Sister Baker discovered that someone had thrown away her succulent. She was super sad about it. So I, under the guise of following up with some members, had a super sneaky super illegal conversation with our Elders in which I convinced them to help me find some new succulents for Sister Baker. 

"Hey can y'all wrangle up a pot with some succulents in dirt?" -me 

"What the fetch is a succulent?" -Elder Center 

It was a bit of a process.... Anyway we were having this conversation about succulents over text when they decided to almost blow it by CALLING ME TO ASK WHEN THEY COULD GIVE IT TO ME. So since boys are way bad a secrets I had to play it cool. I pretended we were having a conversation about the member area book that we also needed to exchanged. They worked out that they were going to leave the succulents in the garage. I have no idea how they got some on such short notice at this point but I'm down. 

So we get home and there to the side of the garage is a really nice pot of three different super cute succulents.
"Hey Sister Baker, I got you a present." -me 

*Sister Baker freaking out for like 5 minutes* 

Then, since Elder Mueller is our district leader he called us for numbers and explained why they were so efficient at succulent wrangling. 

"Apparently sometime in the last two hours you and Sister Atchley were in cahoots to get me a new succulent and I had NO IDEA SOMEHOW!!!" -Sister Baker

"When I was on exchanges with Elder Rassmussen I noticed that there were a bunch of pots on their patio so we just went to Las Flores and grabbed the one that looked least dead." -Elder Mueller 

And that's a story of how everything worked out perfectly somehow. 

"This is the missionary that Baptized her!!" -Elder Center

"Wow was his hair always like that even when he was teaching you?" -literally everyone

"How long did it take you to be able to do that?" -me 

"Considering I played minecraft for 8 hours straight once a week like... 8 hours a week." -Elder Radeke

He's really talented at making zombie noises 

"I'm not even gonna date around I'm just gonna marry the first girl that looks at me funny." -Elder White

"I don't want to leave this blessed apartment" -me 

"Lets get them to bless it again so it's even more blessed." -Sister Baker 

"Elder Mueller is just one of those people that makes me extremely uncomfortable because he's super ripped and there is literally no explanation." -Sister Wimmer 

"Hi this is Veronica! I live next door to Peter and Mackinley"-Veronica 

 "Elder Quest and Elder Soreness! Thanks autocorrect!" -me 

Elder Quast and Elder Sorensen is the accurate one. 

"Oh! Sorry! I fell asleep!" -Charlotte

"It's ok Isiah does that to me too." -Sister Baker 

"President was like 'tell your zone leaders to let you present this at zone training meeting' when we talked to him" -me 

"Hope you can get a hold of your zone leaders then." -Elder Radeke

"Is this a cat on a hamburger!? I've never seen anything like this before!" -Sister Fagan

"The main reason we're here is the atonement which is very sacred so we're not going to talk about it in this sacrilegious role play but..." -Elder Radeke and Elder White teaching me a really bogus Plan of Salvation lesson 

"I practiced saying your name like 5 times before I came in for this dinner appointment." -me 

"Thanks now I feel like I can trust you." -elder Houghtalen 

"I tied for the record, but I want you to know that it wasn't too much. I... well I could only wall sit for twenty minutes." -Sister Clark

"I can't be in squat position Elder! My pants are TOO TIGHT." -Elder White

"We're trying to move this dresser, but Elder Richardson's fingers are too weak." -Elder White 

"YSA contacting good! Family ward contacting BAD!" -Elder Radeke 

"Yeah Jesus and Lucifer are brothers. Jesus is my brother too. Lucifer's not special. Technically we all got less active siblings." -Sister Baker. 

"You're replacing Elder Mueller so you have to eat like 5 plates." -Sister Baker 

"Ok Brother Moorhead we dusted all the things." -me 

"Wow, impressive." -Brother Moorhead 

"Elder Center reminds me of Branden." -Brother Byrne 

"Oh yeah he could totally be a Branden. Wait.... That's literally his first name." -Sister Baker 

Your Reading assignment is this: 

Read Alma 40-42 after praying to learn something new about the plan of salvation.