We’ve Walked the Streets of Kansas

Well, today’s a little bittersweet.. I sometimes have no desire to write these little group letters, but now that it’s my last one, I wish I still had a hundred more to write…

We saw lots of miracles, my favorite being the beautiful baptismal service for Tori. She got baptized! And what an adventure of a day! But all of it was very much worth it seeing her there still dripping wet, with a smile on her face, just moments after her baptism. Her mother-in-law gave the talk at her baptism and shared her sweet testimony of how it’s been five years that her and her family have been praying that Tori would accept the gospel in her life and become a member of the church and how grateful she was that it finally happened. And it made me think how grateful I am that the Lord allowed me to play a small part in that happening.

This coming weekend, our sista Chrissa is getting baptized and I’m so excited for her! It has been such a wonderful journey with her and her family. I still tease Chrissa about the first time we taught her and her family and how she’d said she would never get baptized.. because here she is, less than a week away from her baptism! It’s amazing how the Lord can work in our lives when we let him. And it’s also amazing to be able to see so quickly the ripple effect caused when one person decides to follow Christ. It first began with Serena, then her cousin Alex came along, and now her mother Chrissa is getting ready to take that step. And pretty soon her aunt Crystal will also be joining them! God is just so good. And getting to be a missionary, a called representative of Jesus Christ, is just so good.

I can’t describe in words what my mission means to me, and I can’t express adequately the love I now have for my Savior and for the people I’ve met here in Kansas. Neal A. Maxwell once said, “Moments are the molecules that make up eternity.” and I’m grateful that the Lord has allowed me to have each of these precious moments here on my mission. I know it’s not only a part of my eternity, but it’s also forever changed my eternity. I am changed because of my mission.

With this being my last group letter, I just want to share my appreciation for each of you. The prayers, packages, loving notes, and outpouring of support has meant the world to me. I’m especially grateful for the examples each of you are to me. Light radiates from each one of you and I’m grateful you’ve shared your light with me. This last week, I will not be counting the days, but will be doing everything I can to make the days count. I’m still on the Lords errand and there’s not a minute to be wasted.

I feel like there’s so much to say, yet I’ve said it all before so I’ll end with sharing something close to my heart, which is my testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know and can testify that God is our Father in Heaven and that He loves us infinitely and eternally. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he has redeemed and enabled each of us through His Atonement. He has cleansed and refined me and made me into someone more than I could ever be on my own. And He continues to change me as I reach out and rely on Him. Christ has become my best friend as we’ve walked the streets of Kansas together. I know He is with each one of us, He sacrificed everything for me, you, him, her, them….  And what do you give to The One who gave you everything? You give Him your heart. You align your will with His because that’s all you have to give. And that’s what I’ve been striving to do my entire mission and will continue to strive to do the rest of my life. Because it’s only by aligning our wills with God’s that full happiness can be found.

I’m happy. I’ve never been happier in my entire life and I know it’s because God is helping me give everything to Him. On my mission, I’ve learned to trust Him. President Ezra Taft Benson, thirteenth prophet of the Church, taught: “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life.”

I invite every one of you to ponder and pray about what changes you need to make to be aligned with Gods will and be ready and willing to act on the answers that come. What He asks of you may be difficult, but I can promise that this is the path to being happy right now and in eternity. Trust your Heavenly Father, He knows you and loves you more than any of us can comprehend and He will always lead you to the places you want to be. I’m grateful for my Savior, the opportunity to change and become, and for Gods plan of happiness.

Make it the best week,

Sister Wade

Tori’s Baptism

& made brownies to celebrate Tori’s baptism

Coordinating with my Sistas

Little Junior! His mama is getting baptized this weekend(:

Junction City Sisters & Courtney haha

About to finish the Book of Mormon again & if you ever need a way to turn your day around, just pick up the Book of Mormon and start reading. Guarantee it’ll change your day and your life. Love you all!

 

Be a Hero

Hey everyone!

I apologize for not writing last week, but I hope everyone had a delicious thanksgiving and we were all able to reflect on the many things we have to be grateful for!

This week it’ll be December, and the church has a really cool initiative this year called #LIGHTtheWORLD. It’s all about following Christ’s example by being a light to others. Each day starting in December, there’s an idea shared on mormon.org about how to share His light through service during the month. Christ really is our perfect example and one of my personal heroes. “A hero is someone who has given their life to something bigger than oneself.” I have a lot of heroes in my life, and with #LIGHTtheWORLD, each of us has the opportunity to be someone’s hero through serving and loving them as Christ would. So be a hero! Light the world.

So a few updates on our happenings here…  our sister, Tori, is getting baptized this Saturday and we are sooo excited for her! I think I’ve mentioned her before, her husband is a less active member of the church and she has three cute kids, and she has been coming to church and helping her family get more involved in church again as she’s been preparing for her baptism. I’m just so happy for her because she has had to overcome a lot of mountains in her path to get to where she is now. So that’ll be a happy, happy day!

Little Alexander was confirmed this week and the poor kid was sooo tired haha but he said he felt really good afterwards and Serena got to remember how she felt at her confirmation just a couple weeks ago so it was a good experience. Also, update on Serena’s mom, Chrissa is doing so good! She’s getting baptized next weekend. Keep those prayers comin! Seriously, your prayers are powerful. Chrissa and her family have been going through a lot but they’re doing well! I love them as if they were my own family, I’m so grateful for the examples set by those we teach and for how much I am changed by each person I meet. The Lord teaches me so much every single day and I know I’ll always have so much more to learn, so I’m grateful He keeps giving me opportunities to change.

A neat little miracle we saw this week happened while we were walking through a neighborhood to our next appointment. We saw a lady raking her front lawn a block away and we felt that even though we didn’t have time to waste because we’d be late to our next appointment, we needed to talk to this lady. So we walk over and start up a conversation, turns out she’s been living here for years but when she was living in Hawaii she had met missionaries and had taken the discussion, has a Book of Mormon,  and had no idea we have a church here! We were stoked! So we had a nice conversation and we’re now helping her prepare for baptism this coming month. Super stoked for her! Just goes to show that you never know who the Lord is placing in your path. Could be someone right in front of you, or could be a lady a block away raking leaves. Never miss an opportunity to open your mouth and share the things that matter most to you (aka the gospel).

Having only a couple more weeks left on my mission is a bit of a hard reality to face. And it’s hard to explain how it feels.. You know when you’re on the last chapter of a really good book and you’re hesitant to read it because you know once you do, you’re done with the book? Or you just watched one of the greatest movies you’ve ever seen and you just sit there still soaking it in as the credits are playing and you don’t want to get up yet? Or like when you’re hanging out with a really close friends and you’ve spent hours together and you’ve ran out of things to talk about but you’d rather sit there in silence then leave? That’s kinda how it feels.

But I’m very grateful that this isn’t something my minds been too preoccupied with. The Lord has given me peace in knowing that Gods plan for me is perfect. So even though my heart hurts when I think about having to leave this sacred heartland, I know that I’ll always be doing the Lords work and my purpose will still be to help others come closer to Christ as I strive to do the same. So until I get on that plane, I know there’s work to be done. There’s people to meet, lessons to teach, and joy to share. We are seeing so many miracles here in Junction City, KS and I’m looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for us this coming week!

I’m grateful for each one of you, I’m grateful for the opportunity I have to be here at this time, and I’m grateful to know that we have the capacity to find in life what we’re looking for – so if you’re looking for happiness, you’ll find it. If you’re seeking peace, it’s coming. And if you need more joy, just look to our Savior and it’s there.

Make it the best week,

Sister Wade

Trio life is the good life!

Zone Conference with Elder Anderson of the Seventy

District pic after the Christmas parade #LIGHTtheWORLD

Kahlan taking care of the sickly Sister Wade. No worries, I’m better now.

Kansas skies ♡

Always More

Hey family & friends,

Not a lot of time this week but we have transfers and instead of losing a companion, we’re gaining one! Sister Pritchett will be joining us here in Junction City and we are so excited for her to be here! Gonna be a party every day.

Our sweet Serena was confirmed yesterday and she was just glowing! I absolutely love her and her family, they are incredible. Serena’s mom, Chrissa, is working towards overcoming some things so she can get baptized in a few weeks and it’s so amazing to me to see how the gospel changes families so immediately. It started with Serena, and now her whole family is slowly catching the light and following her example of following the Saviors example. Her cousin, Alex, got baptized this weekend and also a few others here in Junction and I’m just very grateful to be able to be changed as I meet these amazing people and see them change their lives to receive greater happiness through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Keep Chrissa and Crystal in your prayers please! They are changing their lives drastically to accept the things we’re teaching them so they could use the extra faith from all of you!

The Lord is working miracles here and I’m so grateful to be able to witness them. The Lord never stops so neither can we. There is always more we can do, more we can become, and more to give and I’m grateful the Lord is giving me those opportunities daily. Love you each and have the best week!

Sister Wade

Pictures:

The crew at the baptism this weekend!

Alex before his baptism!

Alex after his baptism and with his mom Crystal (,:

Anais also got baptized yesterday and we are so proud of her! She faced a lot of opposition but knew it was what her Father in Heaven wanted for her so she made it happen. We made candy leis for her and Alex (:

 

Where are the Keys?

Hey everyone,

Still living in paradise here in the heartland of America! Every day is the best and I love it here with all my heart. I don’t take the days for granted, every morning when I put my tag on my chest I have so much gratitude for this time I have here. The people we meet, the lessons we teach, and the spirit that is always present is such an incredible blessing and we see so many miracles on a daily basis.

We had a bit of an adventure Saturday evening… we had dinner at a members house, nothing out of the norm, but when we said our goodbyes and walked out the door, I couldn’t find our keys in my backpack. I thought hmm maybe it fell out on the couch. Long story short, we looked for those keys for straight hours because everyone was sure the three yr old daughter had taken them. We had seven people looking for those keys! We also had a few people outside trying to open the car up in case they were somewhere in there. We had neighbors outside, a cop stopped by, and it was a party haha Finally, someone decided to just call a locksmith and get it opened up and there were the keys, in the backseat under a box. So there it is, I locked my keys in the car for the first and last time! I felt so bad haha but moral of the story, when the adversary can’t get to the people we’re teaching because they’re so solid, he’ll try to get to us so we’re unable to visit them. And even though this all happened, we were still able to talk to everyone we needed to and everything worked out as planned because God is good and nothing can prevent His work from moving forward!

Yesterday was definitely the highlight of my week, our sweet Serena was baptized along with two others here in Junction City and the baptismal service was powerful. Serena was a little nervous beforehand, but after her baptism she was just beaming! She couldn’t stop smiling and kept saying how good she felt inside! Her mom also had a powerful experience watching her daughter get baptized and we really feel she’s getting close to giving up what she needs to in order to get baptized herself! I absolutely love their family, they’ve grown to become my own family here and I know they are one of the specific reasons I was sent to serve here in Junction City during this time. We gave Serena a CTR ring after her baptism so she will always remember to Choose The Right, and we know she will!

She had lots of people there to support her, and her cousin Alex was one of them, he’s very excited for his own baptism this week so keep him in your prayers! I love teaching young people, well I love teaching anyone and everyone, but I love when we teach younger people because giving them the gospel early in life will enable them to set a course for their life that will prevent a lot of heartache and grief from happening to them and will create such a strong ripple affect on those they come in contact with as they get older. I love how much the gospel blesses everyone so specifically in their lives. No matter who you are or what you’re like, the gospel brings greater joy and happiness. Don’t believe me? Just try it!

I love this gospel with all my heart and I love each of you! Make it the best week!

Sister Wade

Zone Conference! Manhattan Zone November 2016

My sistas!

District was invited to a Samoan bday party, it was legit!

Weekly Kahlan picta!

Serena’s baptism! (‘:

Christmas is in 55 days!

Hey hey!

Wow, can you believe it’s already almost November! And then it’ll be December and it’ll be Christmas! Woo! Christmas is the best. Anyways, it’s been a gooood week guys, I don’t even know where to begin! Kansas becomes more and more sacred to me every single day. Not only because I am getting to know my Savior more, but also because I’m seeing the Savior work in so many people’s lives. I feel so blessed getting to see lives change so much here and I’m even more grateful for the changes occurring within myself. 

One of the miracles we saw this week was visiting a family who are all members of the church except the mom and she has had missionary after missionary in her home but has never had even an inkling of a desire to change and to work towards becoming a member of the church. This last week we were having a lesson with her and her family about the plan of salvation and she randomly was like, “you know I’ve been thinking a lot, and I think I’m ready to become a member of the church.” We just stared at her for a second before it processed haha but she’s getting baptized in a few weeks so we’re way stoked for her! Going to be an eternal family now (: 

Serena is getting baptized this Sunday and she is so excited! She brought her cousin to church this past week and was showing him around the church and telling him all about the service and everything and it was the cutest thing. Her cousin, Alex, is also eight years old and his baptism is scheduled next week so keep him in your prayers as well! They come from a very catholic family and we’ve been a little worried with how they’d react even though their parents are all very supportive of them. Yesterday they went to see their grandpa who is in a very high position in the Catholic Church and we were praying sooooo hard that it wouldn’t sway their faith and desire to be baptized. And guess what? The grandpa was totally on board! What a blessing. So yes, very excited for Serena! She’s become like a little sister to me and I love her and her family so much!

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Love ya!

Oh, and Happy Halloween (;

Sister Wade 

Had interviews with President McCuistion this past week! They were revelatory!

Leaves for dayzzz

Weekly Kahlan picta (:

We were on foot this week and sisters said they’d only pic us up for the gym if we made them cupcakes sooo we made them cupcakes (; 

Got some new rides this week… haha jk I could barely stand on it without falling 

This is Valorie who cut my hair today and she is an angel! Talked a lot about our purpose as missionaries and about family and we’re going to go back this week to teach her more! Oh, and when I went to pay she told me to not worry about it, seriously an angel. 

Love love love my Sista T!

Christmaaaaaaaas is coming! 

Have the best week (:

Sister Wade 

Believe Him

Hello familia!

This has been an incredible week! I apologize again on how terrible I’ve been with writing a legit update weekly but to be honest, I’ve been having a hard time just sitting here emailing. But today’s the day! We’re seeing too many miracles & having too much fun to not share a little about life. 

I don’t think I’ve shared much, if anything, about our friend Amber who is excited for her baptism in a few weeks but she is the best! She is so hungry for change and when we showed her around the church this past week, she said she just felt so good and didn’t want that feeling to ever go away. And at the end, she said the sweetest prayer asking for protection and strength to make it to her baptism and to be able to make the changes necessary in her life to obtain that goal. I am so happy for her, she’s already seeing so many blessings come into her life because of the gospel. She also has the cutest twins in the world, they’re five years old and full of energy. Right now, Sister Taotafa and I can’t tell them apart but it’s our goal to be able to do that by next week! Wish us luck! And please keep Amber in your prayers, she’s making lots of changes right now to get her on the right path and you have no idea how powerful your faith and prayers are! Never underestimate the power of prayer. 

Serena is continuing to learn and grow in the gospel and has become like a little sister to me. We just love her so much! She loved church yesterday and kept telling everyone she’s getting baptized November 6th and inviting everyone to it haha she made lots of friends and will definitely have a good turnout to her baptism. 

Something I’ve been doing these past few weeks is studying the recent talks given in General Conference and one I focused on this week was by Elder Bednar, titled “If Ye Had Known Me”. Solid talk. I could read or listen to it every day and not get tired of it! A part I especially love is when he talks about believing the Savior. “We come to know the Lord as we not only believe in Him but also believe Him and His assurances.” 

I’m so grateful for the things I’m learning every day, I’m grateful for my Savior, I know He lives and that it’s up to each of us to not just believe in him but also to believe him. Make it the greatest week of your lives! Love you all!

Sister Wade 

Hiked the “J” with Chrissa & Serena!

Manhattan Zone! Didn’t have a photographer so we selfied it 

Changing seasons finally 🍂

Coordinating with Baby T 

Had such a good exchange with Sister Dingman! Love those sisters so much! 

 

 

October 17, 2016

Hey everyone!

Low on time again… whoops. But here’s some pictures from the week! Hope everyone is doing well & I promise I’ll try to make more time next week to give some more updates (:

Team ups with our favorite people – Amanda & Kahlan (:

It’s mid-October and still in the 80s here! This weather is craziness! But I’m not complaining, I prefer the warmth 🌞but by the end of the day, my hair is always up in a bun on top of my head.

Loving all the changing leaves this time of year

Serena (girl we’re teaching that’s eight) invited us to her volleyball game with her mom so we made her some signs the night before! She was smiling so big!

On a walk today that was really beautiful! Played some volleyball in the sand

Always remember that God loves us with an infinite love and because of that, he will provide opportunities for us to learn & grow and become everything he needs us to become. Know you can do ALL things through Christ and have the best week!

– Sister Wade

 

Lots of Love

Hey fam! 

It’s been a good week! Love you all!

Sister Wade

Haha just kidding. But I’m not emailing much today and just wanted to say it’s been a good week and I love my mission more than anything! 

Here’s a few pics from the week –

New Junction City district! Tried to spell “junction” with our bodies haha kinda worked? kinda didn’t?

Coordinating with Sis T as always! Love herrr

Sister Taotafa and I are trying to be healthier this transfer, so we had apples on our way to an appointment (; oh, and we picked up the sisters who were on their bikes and brought them to where they needed to go

Couldn’t find a sunflower field to take a picture in so took a picture with a sunflower sign haha

This is Adorah, she’s the cutest little girl and if only everyone got as excited to see us as she did

I love serving her in the heartland

Have the best week!

-Sister Wade

Better Than Christmas

Hey hey everyone!

Well, it’s been another incredible week here in paradise serving the Lord in his heartland! I’m so grateful to be serving in the best mission in the world and to have the experiences and opportunities we have here. God is SO good aaaaall tha time. He’s so good that me and Sister Taotafa get to stay together here in Junction City this transfer! We bought gelato today to celebrate! We were both so happy & we are looking forward to having the best transfer of our entire missions this transfer!

So we got to bike this week, and the reason I say we got to and not had to is because we always see SO many miracles when we bike, so it’s the best. Oh, but it is so funny how much bad luck we get on bikes… like you name it and it’s happened to us. The highlights of bad luck from this past week would include, flat tires (as usual), broken brakes, chains falling off, gears not working, and a pedal falling off completely while biking up a hill and no, it wasn’t my bike. BUT all of this was so worth it because we met PJ after a day of adventures! PJ is the son of an older lady who got baptized earlier this year and when we knocked on their door and he opened it, he looked so happy to see us and invited us right in and got us some cold water while we sat down. He was like a breath of fresh air, we talked for a minute and got to know him and at first, he was not very open to discussing his religious views because he knew what we do as missionaries. But by the end of the discussion, he was so excited to build a stronger relationship with God and when we invited him to prepare for baptism, he responded fervently that he would be honored to. And the spirit hit the room even stronger, it was a really powerful experience! We’re excited for his baptism later this month. 

 

This past weekend, we had the privilege of hearing from our prophet, apostles, and other church leaders in General Conference and it was incredible. In all honesty, ever since being on my mission, General Conference has been better than Christmas! Sister Taotafa and I were literally counting down the hours until it would begin Haha and it was better than I imagined it would be. If you didn’t watch it over the weekend, you should definitely look it up on lds.org and watch it because you’ll be able to feel Gods love and Gods power through the messages that were shared. Like really, you NEED to watch it. I know I’m changed because of answers I received throughout the sessions and I know those of you who watched also received revelation and needed guidance. And something I’m making sure to do is act on the answers I received. I’m so grateful to know we have a living prophet on the Earth and to know that what he has to say is what the Lord wants us to know. 

Well I hope you all have the best week and thanks for the great examples you are to me! Love ya! 

Sister Wade 

Coordinating Outfits

Failed jumping picture haha

Staying in Junction City! So happyyy

Still shot of me riding the bike Sister Taotafa was riding until the pedal fell off. I was able to make it for a bit! But eventually we just walked with it. Good times though.

This is what the front of our apartments looked like this week haha because of all our bike problems, we had six bikes in our apartment and only on them worked.

Weekly Kahlan picture(:

Kansas has my heart

It’s a picture kinda day

Hey everyone!

So sorry, but there’s not enough time to write this week so I’m sending some pictures for ya!  Love you all and I hope you have the greatest week!

 Remember, “Count your blessings, but also make your blessings count.” Our Father in Heaven has blessed each of us in sooo many ways and I know even though life isn’t picture perfect, God has a perfect picture of all we can do and become so trust him and don’t take the small things for granted! Talk to you next week!

Junction Cityyy

Had an incredible exchange this week! Love these sisters (: 

“Where do you work out?”

“The Gym.”

Haha saw this in Salina on exchanges! Kinda sketch but pretty funny. 

Posterity picture! Two of my “daughters” and my “granddaughter” Sister Kitchen!  

You can’t tell, but it was pouring in this picture so it was ironic ⛈

Got to see Rudi and Becky the other day at a devotional! Made my  week (‘: they’re both doing incredible and loved hearing their testimonies. 

Weekly Kahlan picture (:

It’s always the best week when you get to see a little water & you get to laugh and learn with Sister Taotafa. Love serving with her! 

have the best week!

– Sister Wade