Week 13

Hello world!! I love you all so much!!

What can I say? Well, this week has been an adventure, and by an adventure I mean WACK.

To start this week off, I woke up at 5 am, not because I was ready to start the day, but because I was COLD. All of my blankets were on the floor at the foot of my bed!

I love the people of Montana! We have been busy teaching and serving, and I love it!

Wednesday, we had Zone Conference in Billings (2+ hrs away) and Elder Wong of the Seventy was there!! It was a new approach to zone conference this time, so it was different than any other.

 HOLY WOW!!! Elder Wong is crazy awesome! It was intense and overwhelming. He is bold, assertive, confident, powerful and HILARIOUS, ridiculous and sassy. My face hurt from laughter. Most importantly, he brings the Spirit. WOW!!!

I learned SO MUCH! I want to share some of my notes you.

• To follow Him, we give up all of our possessions; things that possess us. We become submissive and listen. It is essential for us to GET UNCOMFORTABLE, that's the only way we can grow.  When God sees fit to give us trials, we should give thanks for the opportunities to grow.

• Choose to find peace in living your story. It's easy to love and understand those just like you, but you must love and relate to those who are different. Reach out and connect with them.

• When you do something DO IT FOR A REASON. Slow down, and don't be boring.

• Perfection is not possible in this life, so STOP trying so hard to be perfect! In each moment, seek for improvement, not perfection. Be prepared to grow and take your life to the next level. Listen to the Spirit.

• There's no pressure because the Lord doesn't need us. He can do anything on His own. This is all because He LOVES us. It's for US! 

I started crying at Zone Conference when Elder Wong said, "Get on your knees." I told my companion about it and she said, "I think your biggest fear is that you'll  be sent home." (Or that something crazy will happen, I thought.) "I can tell you with all my heart that I know you're staying right here in Montana for the next 16 months. I know you've felt out of the loop and alone, but know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You have me. I need you. You are my companion and I need what you have to offer!"

I mentioned that I was afraid to ask the Lord for more, and that the best I've been at asking the Lord, was in the MTC. That's when all the crazy in my life started. She said, "You don't have to fear that you won't be able to make it or be strong enough for what the Lord has in store for you. You have CHRIST AND HIS ATONEMENT!"

It's not so much focusing on being who Christ is/was, but doing and acting as He would, that should be our focus. As we do what He did, we can become like Him along the way. As we practice being His disciples, then it will become muscle memory, instinctive and part of us!

It's the compound effect, the small and simple choices and actions, that build almost without notice, until we become a new being in Christ. "Behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass;" Alma 37:6

Be yourself and live the gospel and you will change lives. "As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free." Battle Hymn of the Republic

The adversary knows if we discover the truth, we will be unstoppable. DON'T GIVE IN TO DOUBT!

Elder Wong said, "I'm scared and I have weaknesses, but do I care about it? NO. If the Lord needs me to do or say something, I'm going to be the one to do or say it."

I want to be BETTER! I don't want to be so accommodating and go with the flow. I want to KNOW what I want and be bold! No being chill, no complacency, no tiredness... ALL energy, all diligence, determination, power and boldness!

Now let's go forth and become the beings the Lord created us to be! We are an unstoppable team!!

All my love,
Sister Alger

BONUS:

My companion and I have been listening to this song a lot lately.

No Pressure by Danny Gokey
There’s a battle raging
On the ground inside of me
I’m fighting my anxiety
And it gets so heavy
‘Cause it feels like I can’t reach
The person I’m supposed to be

I need to let go
I need You to remind my soul
That You don’t see me the way I see me

There’s no pressure to be someone
Other than who You love
I can let my stress fall to the floor
There’s no pressure to earn Your grace
You give it all away
I don’t have to be perfect
You tell me I’m worth it
There’s no pressure

I don’t have to be perfect
There’s a weight that’s lifted
When I get down on my knees
It’s like my lungs can finally breathe

I don’t have to earn it, no
You already tell me I’m Yours

We love to have fun in the work, as I am sure you will see in the pictures.

I love the streets of Bozeman!

Zone Conference

Christmas time is here!

The beauty here is unreal!

Week 12

Well hello again loved ones!

This has been another week of go go go! Things often don't go as planned, but there certainly isn't a shortage of work to do here!

I love our area more and more each day! Montanans are seriously so generous and kind. Boy oh boy, do they know how to cook! Many people serve entirely homemade meals, including meat that they've hunted themselves! I am very grateful for the fresh foods and for their kindness in understanding my not eating sweets. 

Anyway, we had 5 people come to church this Sunday! We exceeded our goal of 4, it was awesome! We had the help of some members giving rides and one member brought one on their own. We have an awesome missionary focused ward! Of course there is always room for improvement, for us as missionaries as well, but we have gotten lots of support as well as referrals! We also had a first lesson with an interested person and his fiance, who is an inactive member. It was my first time doing a first lesson! I felt it went very well, we got to know them and explained our purpose. We then answered any questions they had, and transitioned into teaching the restoration. They were so receptive and had amazing comments and questions. Their interest in the church is because of how family focused and organized it is. We invited them to read the Book of Mormon, and to pray to know for themselves of its truth. It turned out that they had already been reading it! What gems!! Not to mention the fact that when they offered the closing prayer, they thanked God for the spirit that they felt during the lesson! They recognized the Spirit, I think this will go very well indeed!! They liked the idea of us coming back to teach more. We are so excited!

If I have learned anything this week, it is to ACT. The Lord needs to know that we are committed to Him and that we will follow through. If we want guidance, blessings, or answers to our questions, we must take a leap of faith in the dark.

"Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." Ether 12:6

As we have put forth our faith through action, we have seen blessings and received answers after much prayer and reflection. They didn't come through marvelous revelations, but in the little tender mercies that are revealed through searching and reflection.

Another thing that I want to talk about is building character. It may seem that the big moments and decisions we have in life are our defining moments. In a way they can be, but what truly defines and creates our character is the little decisions and moments we go through each day. During our companionship study, Sister Flake and I shared our hopes and desires for our missions before we left home, and how they have showed up or even changed as we've gone forth. Sister Flake shared that as she's looked back on the moments that she experienced the most joy and fulfillment, she was surprised! She has come to realize that the times that were the hardest have brought her the most joy and fulfillment, rather than times with baptisms or more statistical success. This is because in hard times, we have to focus more on every little decision to find joy and motivation. Therefore, as we become more consistent and integrous in each of our seemingly small decisions, we become more joyful and THAT is where you find your true character.

A scripture that I love goes along with this is 2 Nephi 32:9. It says: "But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."

Prayer is how we can build and change our character through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Daily repentance is key, as well as allowing God to consecrate our performance for the welfare of our souls! Always have a prayer in your heart, so you can  always have guidance from the Lord, through the Holy Spirit. We can not do life on our own, and we certainly cannot make lasting change without the gift of the Atonement. "Ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save." 2 Nephi 31:19


Fun / Funny Moments

Feeding the neighborhood ducks with an old man we ran into (after sharing a message with him of course)! He kept saying "I bet you've never done THIS before!" It was SO DARN CUTE. He said that he feeds the ducks every morning and afternoon, they are quite fond of him I believe! After that he randomly asked us if we liked jerky and gave us some before we left heheh. What a sweetheart!

I have had 2 dreams since being in the mission field that I was reassigned again! The first dream I was reassigned to Mexico and the second one was Iceland… I missed my flights both times, I don't know why but it's so odd! I wake up feeling so unsettled heheh I don't want to be reassigned again (x

A little girl at church came up to me and asked me what my name was again. She said that it's such a weird name and asked where I got it from, and I said my parents gave it to me. She had such a look of disgust and said what's wrong with your parents! Why would they give you such a weird name?!

With all my love!
Sister Alger

Snow piled up on everything, it looks so cool to me!! 

Daily Pics

Me trying to get the sparkles of the snow to show on camera 

I took a video that probably shows the sparkles better:

https://youtu.be/bi20uZhssGQ 

Daily out photo!

Two views from our spot in the library(:

Exchanges with the sister training leaders : Sister Brereton and Walstad! 

We love them!! That day was wack and so full!!

Feeding the neighborhood ducks with an old man we ran into (after sharing a message with him of course)! He kept saying "I bet you've never done THIS before!" It was SO DARN CUTE. He said that he feeds the ducks every morning and afternoon, they are quite fond of him I believe!

These are right after feeding the ducks, we felt very accomplished!

Sister Flake got a hold of my phone...

Week 11

Hello my dearest loved ones!!

This second week in Montana has been fantastic! Every single day has felt unique. We have been running around, working on referrals, contacting new people, studying, training, and working with recent converts and returning members. We definitely aren't lacking for work in this area and I love it! We didn't meet our personal goals this week though but that doesn't mean that we can't next week!

I grow more in love and connection with my dear companion, Sister Flake, every single day! It feels as though we have been together a lot longer than a week and a half, and it feels like I've been a missionary for a lot longer too! Sister Flake is amazing at her job as my trainer. She is loving, straight forward, organized, and motivated. I especially appreciate her ability to have joy and fun in every moment with me. I love to be silly and enjoy the little things! I also truly appreciate her big heart. She cares so deeply for those that we work with, and she cares for me! For example, I was not doing so well in the beginning of this week health wise --I had caught some kind of a sinus infection or cold thing. One morning she noticed that I was doing worse than before and sent me back to bed to rest a bit longer. Luckily, by now I am quite well, just a lingering cough, but I am thankful for her awareness, because I would have made myself stay up and exercise, when it would have completely exhausted me before the morning was even through!  I made a promise to myself before coming out to the field that I wouldn't let any illness (or tiredness) get in the way of my diligence and attitude if at all possible! I still hold to that promise, but "...it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength..." (Mosiah 4:27). It is so important that while we work diligently to serve the Lord, we also listen to what our bodies need. The last thing I'll mention about my relationship with my companion is our studies. I love hearing her ideas, insights, and perspectives, as well as being able to share mine. It's nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of at any time and have the opportunity to process thoughts and put them into words.

I have had some wonderful spiritual experiences this week. Many of them came from moments where I was bold and let go of my worries. I have sometimes held back because of propriety and fear of not being able to fully express myself or give what others need. I would say that since being in the field, I haven't really had issues with that, just a touch here and there. As I have been praying and studying though, that is one of the biggest things I am focusing on completely overcoming! I need to be bold as a missionary in order to share the gospel and penetrate the hearts of others! Faith and fear cannot coexist. So I have reminded myself that I am representing Christ, NOT myself. I don't need to even think about myself!

The biggest moment from this week, on that topic, was with a potential member named Sophie. We were invited to a lesson by some elders because they felt like they were going in circles with her. As we were reading and discussing with her where she was at in the New Testament, I shared some thoughts along with testimony. In that, I somehow brought up prayer and asked her about her prayers. It turns out that she has been struggling to just open her heart to God in prayer, let alone ask Him if He loves her! That is a big deal, no wonder she is struggling to move forward! God was truly speaking through me in this instance because I didn't know what I was going to say that could help her. She is very closed off and we were all at a loss as to what she needed. My companion is brilliant and closed it all off with a challenge for her to ask God if He loves her every day this week in prayer and record her thoughts and feelings in a  journal.

There were many other instances where I felt the Spirit this week. I've truly been able to set apart when the Spirit is testifying of truth to me! There were moments each day where I would feel goosebumps and a wave of overwhelming warmth/energy or emotion. It was when we'd be teaching families after having dinner with them, or when my companion and I discuss and testify during studies, or when I was in sacrament meeting yesterday and our returning member friend cried beside me, or when we taught recent converts and felt their new glow and burning testimonies, and I could go on! It is amazing to think that every time you feel the Spirit, it is cleansing you and making you more holy. WOW!! This makes me eager and excited for more ways to come closer to the Spirit!

CHALLENGE:

I want you all to test out the challenge that Sister Flake has given to Sophie this week. Pray to Heavenly Father each night and ask Him how He feels about you, then write down your thoughts, feelings and impressions as you go.

I testify to you that He will answer you. He will show you how much He loves you, for "all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator" (Alma 30:44) and "God is love" (1 John 4). Because God IS love and all things denote there is a God, ALL THINGS DENOTE GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU.


"He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for He loveth the world, even that He layeth down his own life that He may draw all men unto him. Partake of His salvation and of His goodness, NONE are forbidden." (2 Nephi 24-28)



Some Funny/Fun Moments from the week:

Sister Flake and I were about to get out of the car for a lesson and she bumped the car alarm… we both freaked out and two guys across the street got quite a kick out of it. They said "well now you've got our attention!" and we just kept walking past them into the apartment complex laughing heheh

We contacted an 83 year old man and we brought a girl from our ward. We were chatting with him and he kept interrupting us and hitting on me… he was complimenting my complexion, hair, and teeth and staring at me…. ahhhhh it was so weird!!! Both Sister Flake and the girl we brought bursted into laughter when we left and said "oooh you're quite the looker huh?" This man is crazy and kept telling us where the door was every other second so we could leave, but then kept talking! Yikes!!

I saw my first snow storm yesterday!!! We got out of church and I saw snow going sideways from the sky through the doors! I think I almost passed out I was so excited and amazed heheh! Everyone kept telling me I was in for a surprise when winter really kicks in and that I might not be so enchanted at the sight later on, but I choose to believe I will (: It is so beautiful and magical!!

With all of my love,
Sister Alger

My face after tracting for the 1st time ever! We were out for a few hours and our faces and hands were freezing, but I LOVED IT!! 6 people answered their doors and we talked enough with 3 that we got their names! (Shawn, Charlie, and Barrett) 

I took pics of Sister Flake walking in front of me right after my first tracting. Its only fair to have her face as well as mine! I love her!!! 

Sis Flake and I being silly at the library after studies

With our recent convert friend on her birthday, giving her flowers. WE LOVE HER SO MUCH!

Silliness in the truck

The view out of our car windows (one is icy!! The windows were frozen shut!) 

My first snow storm after church on Sunday

Week 10 - Montana

Hello Loved Ones!!!

I am pleased to say that I am loving it in the field, and particularly serving in Montana!

The first few days were rough. I left for Montana around 5 am, for a 3 hour flight. Then I had a 4 hour layover in Seattle, and then another 3-ish hour plane ride to Billings, Montana. It was a bit nerve racking, as I was alone, and very tired because I was up at 3 am to go to the airport! I was nervous too. I had no idea what to expect, and I was heading straight into the field from home,  no MTC buffer. Saying goodbye for the second time wasn't easy, but I knew that I wanted to be out in the world sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. With all my heart, I want to serve the Lord and His children as a full-time missionary, wherever that may be!

We spent Tuesday-Friday morning at the mission home doing training and orientation. Transfers were moved from Thursday to Friday because of Halloween, so we had a day more than we were anticipating. Tuesday-Wednesday was intense; we were being trained non stop! Not to mention I knew no one. The rest of the greenies had just come from 3 weeks in the MTC together! It was difficult to not feel a bit out of the loop with things because of that, and not having had English MTC training etc. It all worked out okay though! We eventually played some games, and got to know each other better, especially on Halloween. That day we had some training, as well as video call lessons, but we played lots of games, laughed, and that evening we watched Coco (approved by President Larson) with the tons of missionaries that were there for transfers. It was refreshing to be able to get to know the missionaries that I'd be serving with for the next 16-ish months. I realized that missionaries are humans, and we can have fun!

IT IS COLD!! The first couple of days I was in Montana, it was below 0°. Arizona was barely making it down to 70°, maybe a little lower! Thank goodness I have plenty of wool everything! I have actually quite enjoyed the cold and snow. I think it's wonderful! I love how white and glowing everything is with the snow. The mountains have more definition, the trees and houses look cool, and I could go on! I also love the crunching and crackling of the snow under my feet as I walk! Maybe I'm silly, but I just can't help it. My excitement is too much to hold in! hahah (:

Friday is when we did transfers and left for our new areas. I was assigned to Bozeman! After a 2.5 hour ride of napping, looking at the beautiful scenery, and some Book of Mormon studies, I finally met my trainer! I love my Sister Flake so much! She is such a dedicated and hard working missionary. She is an amazing teacher, and is very kind, considerate, inclusive, attentive, responsible, loving, efficient, among sooo many other things. I am extremely grateful to have her as my trainer, I can hardly wait for what the future holds for our companionship!

I love my area so far, I had heard so many awesome things about Bozeman, and I have to say it is certainly living up to it! We are doing plenty of teaching with interested and progressing people, as well as with members. We have set high goals for this month and we are pumped to reach them! We are feeling great about it so far because we had an unexpected lesson this morning! A man knocked on our door and was there to check on the internet and wifi connection for the whole apartment complex. We told him we don't have any of that and explained why (this included our missionary purpose). We asked if he'd like to learn more about our church and ended up showing him a short video and getting his number!

Here are some funny and random moments from this week:

When I was at the airport, someone's phone blurted out, "Search results for do most redheads have curly hair?"

I saw an albino deer on Wednesday right before going to dinner!

I kept almost walking into the men's restroom at the church building we were being trained in, because its where the women's restroom is in my building at home… heheheh

We had two dinners yesterday! It worked out because it was fast Sunday and we were hungry!

I hurt my back somehow (maybe the plane rides? I have no idea, it's weird), so it has been hard to put warm tights on and sit/lay down. heheh Luckily, we get free chiropractic work done by a member here. The missionaries have standing appointments, weekly! It was seriously an answer to my prayers!!

I want to share a couple of things that really stood out to me this week in my personal study. I have been studying the character of Christ, His attributes, characteristics, qualities, titles, etc. It is amazing, each time I study, how every page of The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ and of His endless love for us. It is never too late to turn unto Christ and follow in His light. It is NEVER too late, no sin is too great, no sorrow too deep. His hand is stretched out waiting for you.

2 Nephi 26:24-28
"He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him..., partake of his salvation... and ... of his goodness..., none are forbidden."

All that Christ is and does is because of the love He has for us! He is LOVE! Everything He is and does is for the benefit of the world. All He wants is to draw us near unto Him and vise versa. He desires ALL to partake of His salvation and goodness. NONE ARE FORBIDDEN. He will never deny anyone who desires to come unto Him at any point!

2 Nephi 26:33
"...he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men..."

This is another phrase that stood out to me. The Lord does not try to trick us. He provides knowledge and understanding in a way specific to us! If we want to know Him, we just have to make effort and it will become "plain unto [us]"!

I love you all so much and am seriously grateful for the love, support, and prayers!

All my love,
Sister Alger

PS
Boy oh boy does it feel good to close with "Sister" Alger (((:

Sis Lemmon, Sis Lee and I at the temple

Sis Neely, Sis Anderson-Uys,  and I

Billings temple

My first time seeing my trainer Sis Flake!

The view from my apartment.

Sis Flake and I 

Albino deer, so rare and cool! It must be a sign!!!

Driving through town

The road is so pretty

Trying to get a new Facebook profile pic

   

The view out the truck window!

SNOWWWWW!!!!!

  

Silliness with Sister Flake!

I LOVE HER!!!