Well, I am officially in the mission field.. crazy huh? I have been in Indiana for only 6 days and it is so different, but also so similar. Right now the weather is about the same as Utah was, just a little warmer. It also looks just like Utah except they don't have the mountains. Maybe I will notice more of the trees in the spring and fall time, but everything is just dead. It is pretty here and I am really enjoying it!
Well my new companion is Sister Kelcie Carter. She is from Layton, Utah and she goes home in just 3 weeks!!
We are serving in the Indy 1st ward in Indianapolis. We re-opened the area.. it has been closed for 6 weeks. We were also double transferred (which means that neither of us have been in this area.. so we are both super lost). And it went from being an Elder's mission to a Sister's mission. So needless to say, we have been kind of lost and directionless these past few days. We are making the best of it though. We don't have any investigators yet because the area has been closed. Most of the previous people who they had been teaching were last taught back in October or November. So I am not having the normal "new missionary" experience. We both kind of feel like new missionaries. But a cool thing is that I am 1 of 2 of the first 19 year old sister missionaries in the state of Indiana!! Some members were joking with me that I was a legend :) haha Also! I have my new address! it is:
Sister Emilee Farr
8515 Red Oak St Apt G
Indianapolis, Indiana 46227
I hope that helps everyone contact me easier! The apartment is just fine. There isn't anything too special to talk about there.. besides that the last missionaries left their food and things in the cupboards and they were all really old and expired so we had to throw away a bunch of things.. so we are kind of starving, poor, missionaries. But we will go shopping today and get some food.
Let's see, this past week has been really kind of slow. We went tracting this Thursday, but only 4 people answered their doors because everyone was at work. We didn't find any new investigators, but every door I pretty much had a heart attack. I am not quite used to this whole 'talking to random people' thing. But mostly we have been going to members homes and eating dinner with them and sharing a short message. Last night we went to the Buckles' home and had Navajo Tacos! Yum! But afterwards we shared the message of how Heavenly Father loves His children. It went really well. But as always, I was a bawl baby and started to cry in front of all of them. But it is cool being a missionary and being a representative of Jesus Christ and being able to feel the love that He has for the people you see. I became overwhelmed with love for the people that we were teaching. I wish that everyone could feel that. When I meet random people I am overcome with love and care for them, even when I don't know them. It truly shows me how much Heavenly Father cares about each of us even when we go astray or don't even know that He is there. I am very grateful to be here on a mission.
My mission president and his wife are AMAZING!! They are so sweet and understanding. They honestly have love radiating from them. They barely even know you and they will come running to help you with anything! I am so sad they they will be leaving in the summer and we will be getting a new president. But they have already left a lasting impression on my life. They are great examples of who I want to be when I get older. I have many examples in my life of great people to look up to.. I am so blessed. I hope that I can become the woman that Heavenly Father sees in me.
Anyways..this was a cool thing of the week: I got to go to the Louisville, Kentucky Temple on Friday!!! :) You see, Sister Carter taught an investigator named Peggy last year and she was baptized. Well, this past week she went to the temple to get her endowments out and we got to go with! I was just lucky enough to be Sister Carter's companion and get to tag along. The temple was beautiful. The people were so nice, as always. They were all so excited to see us because we were sister missionaries. I just love the sweet spirit that I can feel in the temple. I feel so blessed that Heavenly Father gave me the opportunity to go to the temple on my mission. Most missionaries don't get the opportunity to go to the temple for their entire time in the mission field; but I got to go during my first 4 days! Lucky me :) But it really was cool to meet some other people from Indiana and be able to go to the temple with them.
Louisville, Kentucky Temple
Let's see.. the Ward Mission leader here is great! His name is Brother Wheeling and he is so ready to work and help us in any way that we need! The ward in general is just wonderful! We got to meet them yesterday and they were all so excited to see us and greet us. So many people came up to us and said hello and gave us hugs and everything! I actually met a sister in my ward that knows the Hamners! I can't remember her name.. there are so many names running through my head.. but she started talking to me and we figured that out! She is blonde and said that we will love her family the best. :) haha. But the ward is so willing to help. They all volunteered to give us dinner.. we have a dinner with a member EVERY DAY for 2 months!! That is crazy! And some days we even have lunch and dinner scheduled. They are all just so happy and excited to have Sister Missionaries in their ward. :)
There are also a lot of less active single sisters in the ward. The Elders before us couldn't visit them very often because they are not allowed to go into a home with just a sister unless there is another male with them. But now we can go and visit them all we want! It is great to know that we can help out so many people who have not been to church in a while. I am determined to get the members of this ward back and activated.. for the right reasons (for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ). Not for the missionaries, not the people in the ward, but because it is part of their eternal salvation.
I think that the work here will go great! I have high hopes for the future and I am very determined to find those people whom the Lord has prepared for me and Sister Carter to find. We will find them! As we are obedient and diligent and patient, we will find those people who are searching for the work.
Thank you for all of your prayers! I definitely need them. There are a lot of trials and struggles already that I have had... But I am just trying to keep my faith in the Lord and trust in Him. Heavenly Father is definitely teaching me patience out here. I just have to keep my hopes up and my head high and know that everything will turn out okay.
I love church. I really do. I liked it before and it was nice to go to church to feel the spirit and such, but on my mission, church has taken on a whole new meaning. I have learned a lot about revelation through church attendance. When I go to church, I take a question that I need answered.. about anything at all! And without fail, Heavenly Father always answers it. Whether it be through someone's talk or a testimony or just the spirit speaking to me, He always answers it!! Try it. I am committing all of you who read this to take a question about ANYTHING next week to church. Write it down in a note book, and then curing church, take notes of the speakers and write down the impressions that come to you from the spirit. And I promise that He will answer your questions! But you have to be listening. You have to be paying attention. You may miss it. It can be very subtle and out of the ordinary. Sometimes I don't realize that it is my answer until I am writing it down just as notes and I realize that it was exactly what I needed to hear. But I want all of you to try it out. I promise that He will answer you.
I can feel my testimony growing and I can feel the spirit around me all of the time. I don't want this feeling to go away. I can already see the changes within me. I am learning more about how to be a better daughter, friend, wife, mother, sister, a disciple of Christ, and a servant of the Lord. I hope that each of you are studying your scriptures each day and praying multiple times a day. Make Him a part of your life and He will gladly help you. I have seen Him in my life and in the life of those I serve with.
I love you all!! Keep pressing forward.
Love Sister Emilee Farr
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