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| The McKlemore's are so awesome. They're members who moved here from Texas. Sister McKlemore is actually from Clovis. So cool. Connections everywhere. I love my fellow Texans!!! Texas is the BEST state by the way! Illinois is a close second ;) |
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| Yes Sis. Mühlestein and I found the coolest footies. It was a hard choice between the unicorn and the giraffe. |
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| Matilda (Tilly) and Esther (Essie) 2 of the Oxborrows kids. Aren't they so cute? I LOVE the Oxborrows❤️❤️❤️ |
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| Yes we are 5 at heart!
Illinois is so beautiful !!!!   
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| Brother Hurst the donut master helped us make donuts. Yup, "DONUT WORRY", I'll be adding this to my resume when I return home. |
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Since I always tell Sister Mühlestein everything builds character, she left this on my desk after I told her I wasn't eating anymore chocolate. I laughed so hard. #daymade
Morton 50TH ANNIVERSARY Pumpkin Festival
  
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| Eurla is a cute lady we visit sometimes. I love her. She's so cute. |
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| I LOVE CORN. " get that corn outta my face!" |
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| DONUTS WE MADE |
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| Cool story: Sis. Mühlestein and I met a girl named Kelsey awhile back. We have been trying to get hold of her, but haven't been able to. Today we passed a girl and her dad at the store. The dad said, "hello sisters!" and we gave him a pass a long card. When they walked off, Sister Mühlestein said, "I think that's Kelsey..." We HAD to talk to her, because in Freeport I had a similar experience, but I was too scared or didn't want it to be awkward so I didn't go and it's something I SUPER regret. It may not have come to anything but "you never fail until you try." So we went and talked to her and...sure enough it was Kelsey. It was seriously a miracle! I feel like this was Heavenly Father giving me a second chance. I'm very grateful for it. Something I've come to really love and understand is " NEVER let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. "
MISSIONARIES LATE FOR CURFEW FROM PUMPKIN FESTIVAL .... RESULTS IN BEING TURNED INTO PUMPKINS. 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
This week has been good! We learned how to make HOMEMADE DONUTS. THEY WERE AMAZING!!! Brother Hurst is the master at donut making. He showed us how to make them so we can use this new acquired skill to bring people into the gospel. Haha.
We also had the Pumpkin Festival this week! Morton is the Pumpkin Capital of the world so of course there had to be a pumpkin festival! This year was the 50th anniversary so it was the "Golden Pumpkin". We worked in the Sweet Shoppe. It was all things pumpkin. Pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin shakes. All things pumpkin. We started work outside where we were handing people menus. We had to wear hats so OF COURSE Sister Mühlestein wore her Angels hat! Yes, people kept teasing her about my hat. Everyone out here are either die hard Cubs fans or die hard Cardinals fans. It's super funny.
We got to take a break and so we went and got some food, because I was getting super Hangry. We got 2 corn dogs and shared a cheesy curly fry. We were in line to get them and the guy in front of us goes "hi sisters"! We were kind of taken back by this but we said hello! (We didn't know him) He said that he really appreciated us and all the service that we do. It was so nice 😊 THEN. He gave $20 to the cashier and said, "this is for whatever they get." I ALMOST CRIED. IT WAS SO NICE. I asked him if he was a member and HE SAID NO, but he had been to church a couple of times. We gave him a pass along card and told him to give us a call and we would come teach him more. He said okay. Pray that he will call!!!
We also got a funnel cake to share. IT WAS SO GOOD. It started raining as we were eating, so there was just two Sister missionaries sitting in the rain eating our funnel cake. It was probably pretty hilarious. But we didn't care because that funnel cake was so worth it.
When we got back to the Sweet Shoppe tent it was still pouring rain so they let us stay inside and help. We made ice cream cones and cups. My first ice cream cone was a mess. The machine was weird so instead of pulling down you would pull left and then turn it off by going right. I kept forgetting to turn it right to turn it off. I would get this perfect cone, then pull left and get an overload of ice cream! The other volunteers said they wish they had You-tubed Sister Mühlestein and I, because it was so funny. BUT by the end of the night, we were making cones like a pro.... Okay, actually that's just Sister Mühlestein. I learned an important lesson... GO TO COLLEGE & GET AN EDUCATION because making pretty ice cream cones IS NOT something I will be putting on my resume.
At the end of the night we tried the pumpkin ice cream. WOW. IT WAS AWESOME. We were eating it running back to our car in the rain with no umbrella. I was running so fast half my ice cream fell off. We forgot our umbrellas in the car, and forgot where we parked, so WE GOT SOAKED. Anything for the pumpkin festival right?
It was super fun. President said we could go but we had to be home by curfew or else he'd purn us into tumpkins. We got home just a few minutes after curfew so ... Tissionary Tumpkins we are ...
A quote I love that I've been pondering this week:
"If the words you spoke appeared on your body would you still be beautiful?" I've thought a lot about my language before the mission, as a new baby missionary, and now. I have become so much more aware of the things I say, since I'm a full time representative of the church, my family, and The Lord. I've tried to be a LOT better at having clean language. I've asked myself, "if the Savior stood beside me, would I say that?" Language is seriously so much more important than we think it is. Sis. Mühlestein and I got the opportunity to do a training for some of our missionaries about this.
Cleaning up our language has been a BIG focus in this mission and we've seen a lot more success and miracles from doing so. I wanna invite y'all to look for ways that you can clean up your language and apply it into your life. It's not always easy, so we need to ask God for help. Pray for the desire to not say those certain words or phrases anymore. I promise as you do you'll see such a difference in your day-to-day life. You'll sound more like your real self and knowledge and light will shine through so much more.
Do y'all ever have problems comparing yourself to others? Yeah, same. I think we all have times in our lives where we are more vulnerable to that. But it ISNT GOOD. NO BUENO. QUE ?¿? First of all because it makes us MISERABLE, creates feelings of inadequacy and self pity, and makes us feel like we aren't worth much. THOSE THOTS ARE ALL FROM SATAN...so tell Satan to get going! Brigham Young said, "if you have a bad thought about yourself, tell it to go to HELL because that is EXACTLY where it came from." Mosiah 4:27. It's soooo NOT GOOD to
COMPARE ourselves to others. We don't have any idea what it's like for them behind closed doors. All we see is what's on the outside and what people show us. We are all are so beautiful and unique in God's eyes. So look deeper within ourselves and seek to find the talents & gifts and abilities God has given to each of us. I know we each have them. "Comparison is the root of all evil and thief of all joy!" , now that's a pretty big thing. Let's BE HAPPY and look for our talents and use them to help others as Jesus Christ did. Our whole purpose is to become more like him! GIVE IT A TRY.
Take some time and write down all of your talents and abilities.
If you're struggling to see them GET ON YOUR KNEES AND PRAY asking our loving Heavenly Father to help you see them. Ask him to help you see yourself through his eyes. If you're sincere I KNOW He WILL help you. Cause he helps me. He loves us all. We are his children. I KNOW it.
A hymn that I love is:
Where Can I Turn for Peace?
When we have bad moments or bad feelings this hymn can soothe the soul and get rid of our bad thoughts.
1.
Where can I turn for peace?
Where is my solace
When other sources cease to make me whole?
When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice,
I draw myself apart,
Searching my soul?
2.
Where, when my aching grows,
Where, when I languish,
Where, in my need to know, where can I run?
Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?
Who, who can understand?
He, only One.
3.
He answers privately,
Reaches my reaching
In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.
Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching.
Constant he is and kind,
Love without end
Ward BBQ.... Non members came...volleyball in dress...digged it a lot.
Funny story, (Alicia gave me permission to tell y'all this). It's funny so listen up:
A few weeks ago we were at Tanner and Alicia Anderson's house. We enjoyed an awesome meal, as always, then it was dessert time.
ICE CREAM! Wahoooo!!!! One of my favorites!!!! We were eating and it tasted kinda interesting, but I didn't say anything cause I was just super grateful for the ice cream. A couple minutes later it got super quiet. Tanner said, " Does this taste like medicine?" We all busting up laughing. Tanner asked, "is this Light ice cream?"
Alicia had bought light ice cream since it was cheaper. She said she hoped Tanner wouldn't notice. Psych. 😂😂😂 I love the Anderson's.
Another thing I've been thinking a lot about recently is how Heavenly Father has blessed me with SO much. One of the things I'm most grateful for right now in my life is the opportunity to be on a mission and to watch people change and have the desire to do so to come closer to Jesus Christ. It's amazing what happens when people first have the desire to change.
Count Your Blessings
1.
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.
2.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings; ev’ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.
3.
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.
Count your many blessings; money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.
4.
So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged; God is over all.
Count your many blessings; angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done
Last week in church Brother Shurtleff talked about learning to laugh at yourself. He told a story of how President Faust laughed during a prayer. It is important to laugh at ourselves in life, as it helps Balance us. "Balance lies in our attitude." Laughing is one of the best balancing pieces of the GOSPEL. For those of y'all who know me, I can TOTALLY relate to this. I sometimes laugh in prayers if I have been laughing before.
I've picked up a new trademark recently. Whenever something Happens that was unexpected or hard or funny, I say, "It Builds Character". We were at the Jarnagin's home ( some of the most awesome members). Brother Jarnagin has heard me say it a few times, so now he says it. At the Ward barbecue last week someone dropped cherry pie on my shoe. Bro Jarnagin was standing right there, started laughing and said, "It builds character." I laughed too and said, "well some kids don't even have shoes."
I love the gospel. I love being a missionary. It may be hard but again "it builds character. and some kids don't even get to go on missions"
I really am so blessed. I'd love to hear about the challenges I invited y'all to do and see how it went. Remember to be more like Jesus. And Stay rad my friends. I love you all.
Love always
Seester Ällowitz
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