Mission Sisters

29-Oct-2012

Hey!

I actually haven't heard anything about any hurricanes expect for one that apparently hit Florida a couple days ago.

I'm glad you guys are safe and sound, and that you got my departure date! It's crazy to think that I only have two

transfers left. I'm hoping maybe JT could teach me guitar when I get home if he gets to be good enough. Maybe

we will do a duet in church for my homecoming (not on guitar, but with his cello). It's so weird to think how fast

this mission has gone by and how much this experiance has changed my testimony of the gospel.

 This past sunday I (we didn't relize it was fast and testimony meeting with stake confrence

being next week!) had the opportunity to bear my testimony about the missionary work. There are a couple youth

in our ward that have changed their plans and have already started to work on their papers, and I had

felt strongly that I needed to share my testimony on missionary work and how much it had blessed me.

From the very first day I stepped off the plane to be here in Oregon until now, I can see so many changes and

blessings that have only been brought to me from serving a full time mission.

My testimony is solid and I now have a further understanding of God's plan for all of his children. I can know

communicate somewhat in American Sign, and want to further that knowledge when I get home. I have met

so many people, life long mission commareds that I want to keep in contact with and that will become life long friends.

 A mission truely gives you the best and the hardest experiances that will help personally you grow and stretch.

There are many other blessings I'm sure that have and will come from it, but the most is seeing other families come

into the gospel and to be sealed in the temple! This week, we were able to commit another investigator who's mother

is coming back active. After we had watched the restoration movie with her, we asked her if she knew Joseph Smith

to be a true prophet of God. It was quiet for a minute, and then the spirit was strong. She said yes, she did believe

and we commited her to a baptism date of December 15th.

We also have another baptism with a 30 year old who is getting baptised December 8th. We are excited for both. With the

30 year old, we extended the baptism date the very first lesson and he completly accepted it. He has had a life long friend who

had been a member all of his life, and this influence has helped him with the knowledge of the gospel.

The part time deaf work is moving forward slowly. It looks like we will probably both be transfered out of this area into another

one next transfer, to be closer to the branch, but we will see. We're picking up the deaf area book today, so we're excited to start

with that and the referels we keep recieving. I haven't signed in such a long time. It's been a bit hard to pick it back up again, but

I know that the spirit will help as I study.

Halloween is this week. We're not allowed out expect to be with members, so we're going to the ward's trunk or treat and then to

decorate cookies with the Rea's. What are your plans for halloween? Everyone needs to send me pictures.....(a package would be nice)

Today we're headed to play games with our district here. I really like where I am right now and that I stayed for another transfer.

I love you!

Sister Embley

16-Oct-2012

Dear Family,

Transfers were this past monday, and I now have a new companion! Sister Monson is now home, the last week was such a struggle for her to

 get through with being in so much pain. It will be good for her to be home. My new companion is actually Sister Gentry again, the ASL sister I

 trained in Portland with the ASL branch. This will be our secound time being companions together, but this time on the same level of things.

 We're doing some part time ASL work here in the south of Oregon. President has split the map to where if we do geta referel, we will go and teach.

 I am hoping to get things up and running with the ASL down here before I get transferred back to being full time in the deaf branch. It's so nice to be

able to sign again! While I've been here in Silverton, some of the members actually know ASL or are studying, so we have been able to converse in

sign more than I have in the past 6 months. Language Study I know will defintily be more affective.

Monday Night we had a lesson here in Silverton with a family we are working with and the Morby's were able to come down for it. I've never actually

taught a lesson with the there mission president before besides in a practice teaching for zone confrence. The spirit was powerful as we used examples

from the book of mormon about the gospel of jesus christ.

You know the cool thing about the Book of Mormon? One of the center messages of this book is that we know through the restoration more of the

Atonement of Jesus Christ. There is only one refrence in the Bible (Romans 5:11) That actually calls the atonement by name. But this is why the book

of mormon is so powerful. It teaches us more of how the atonement can be used to overcome all of our struggles and Why this act was so essential.

Being on a mission has helped me see the atonement take action with people as they use their agency to come closer to christ. It's a powerful witness

to me of the truthfulness of this gospel to see it help change them and their circumstances. If you want to overcome anything, read the book of mormon!!

Last Friday I was able to go on splits again with the North Marion Sisters. They are in our district and It's been so nice having sisters here close by. We

have just had a number of things happen were it's been as a safety thing for us to have them here. But with the sisters (Sister Robbins and Sister Palmer)

I was able to go out country tracting in the pouring rain. It was Sister Palmer's first rain. I'm not sure if she liked it that much after it started to pour.

espically out country tracting when we had walked miles away from the car...

But as we were tracting, we had actually found a less active who had been a member of the church, but had fallen away for various reasons.

He didn't believe anymore that their was a God, and that because he didn't believe in a God, there was no consaquence for his actions; and how

people should live in the moment- if we worry to much about tomorrow or the decesions that we face then we won't enjoy the life here. He had preached

to us this long sermon, of consaquences. We tied his concerns back to the gospel- and how important our actions or agency truely are. If we didn't have

any consaquences to our actions, then we would have no need to repent. Then what would the purpose of life be? There is a purpose and we do have a

God who loves us so much. Sister Palmer, Robbins and I were able to bear a powerful witness of this gospel. I think that door was meant to be knocked on

by the three of us that day, everything we said had diffrent points that were able to help answer his questions from our own individual testimonies.

Anyway, today we are taking our P-Day because of transfer meeting and tonight we have several lessons to get too. I'm excited to have a working companion

again and for the ASL work to get accomplished!

Love you! Sister Embley

9-Oct-2012

Dear Family,

This past friday, as we were about to head out the door for lessons that day, we heard yelling outside. At first, we had just thought it was our

neighboors in an argument but it turned out to be so much more than that. There was running on the stairs and pounding at our door to open up.

The cop had banged on our door to get us all out of the apartment. The apartment two doors down from us was burning up from a fire we hadn't

even noticed that was happening. They had evacuated all of us onto the lawn, the poor families that were affected had to just stand back to watch

it burn. It was thankful though, that none of them (or us!) had been hurt by the fire. It was very lucky that day that the wind was blowing in the opposite

direction then our apartment. If it had been blowing in our direction, we would've been affected and probably would've had to move.

We ended up having to cancel all apointments and just wait for the fireman's go-ahead to get back into the apartment. Our apartment was not affected by this, and the smoke has since been cleaned out. They think the cause of this fire was, of all things a ciggerate butt. Somone had carelessly flicked one into the bush next to the apartment and because of this small act, two families are now affected by the fire. This made me really re-think a lot of things this week, in particuar of Satan's plan for us. One small act of disobediance can not only affect ourselves, but of our whole entire family. What are we doing on a daily basis that draws us away from our heavenly father? It can be the smallest things. You don't want his eternal plan to be destroyed for you by being addicted to one thing, or one choice. On my mission, I have had the great opporutunity to teach individuals and families about the savior's plan for us. It is so sad to see how addicted they are to a certain substance and won't give it up. That substance can be as little as a cup of coffee to keep them from achieving their full blessings of salvation. I am thankful for the infinite power of the atonement and how the savior's love and sacrifice can help us overcome all things, only if we come unto him. My challange to you this week is to re-evaluate what you are doing and find the small things that are keeping the spirit from being present or from your personal relationship with him. You don't want to give up your salvation for nothing. This i know to be true.

The next day for us was General Confrence. What a great announcment! I wouldn't be surprised to see so many more missionaries in the field after this. I'm excited for JT to go on a mission too. There were so many great uplifiting messages from confrence. I think one was Elder Holland's that really struck me the most. My companion and I watched it with some Investigators and a member made us some yummy cinnamon rolls. I don't know if I have told you this yet, but my companion has made the decesion to go home early because of her back. This has been a huge struggle for her, but the only thing they can do for her is surgery, and this will have to wait until she gets home. She's been a good sport about all of this, but prayers right now I think would help her get through until she gets to next Monday.

I love all of you and pray for you.

Love, Sister Embley