One Question

Monday - July 14, 2014

So, random neat piece of news I forgot to share, on September 6th we have an all mission conference and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder David S. Baxter and Elder George F. Rhodes of the Seventy, will all be attending! Pretty exciting huh? I'm excited:) Also, an announcement has been set forward by the church saying that all missions in the US will have ipads by the beginning of next year. So now we know for sure that we will be getting them soon. I am excited to be able to use more of the media resources to share the gospel. I realize how much I took it for granted before my mission to always be able to use those resources and how much the church is using technology now. 

In other news, this week had it's typical ups and downs and goods and bads. I am getting really nervous to find out who my new companion is. I find out on Saturday.

Anyway, I better get typing. I don't have much time left.

So, we have not been able to contact Claudia this week. We don't know why she keep cancelling and not answering us. It is kind of discouraging but we move forward. People are struggling with keeping commitments! They have all of these problems and want answers but the gospel is the answer. And you need to apply the gospel not just believe it. Faith requires action in order to receive the peace we seek. It's so simple yet so difficult for people. It makes us feel stuck when they don't keep commitments. 

But we do have a new investigator this week. A women named Hazel. She is older and has been through a pretty tough life but has such a strong testimony of our Savior. She truly is striving to listen to the spirit. She has many friends who are LDS and has gone to church before but still isn't a member. Missionaries have taught her before but she has a problem with prophets. But this past time we went over she said that she had started to feel lately that maybe there was something she was missing and that maybe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has it. We invited her to pray about prophets and if God has called a prophet now. She said she would. She is the sweetest lady and we are excited to move forward with her.

Another random story, so we had a service auction this week at the church for Relief Society. We auctioned a Family Home Evening night with the Sisters, lesson and treat provided, and 2 hours of service of any kind except babysitting:). We ended up winning an hour of dance lessons with a Young women in the ward, so that will be our P-day today:) Also, I was bidding on some homemade bread but got out bidded and then the lady who ended up winning it, gave it to us. That is the essence of a service auction. Such wonderful people here in Rawlins. I really LOVE the people here and I love Rawlins too. Who would have thought right? haha. I don't want to leave this place so I hope I end up staying this week.

Funny story, I got a bug bite on my eyelid...that was weird. But my eye was all swollen and puffy for a couple days, so that was really fun. haha. 

We did Music in the Park again this week, and with our new ward mission leader we are really involving the members more. We love it. We have been striving to find members for every appointment, and involving them in our finding. So this week at Music in the Park we had members at our booth and more signed up for the next couple weeks. It is going to be great to get them involved more.  

The work is moving forward There are times I feel stuck but then we just keep moving forward. My companion goes home this week, and I have no idea what will happen from there. I have learned lots from her We have had our ups and downs, but a neat thing is that all the members here say that there is just a neat connection between us that they feel. I can't tell you how many members tell us that we are just a really neat companionship and carry a light together. So, even though we have our rough times, we don't let them influence the work. We always strive to work through them so that we can have the spirit with us. Which is hard sometimes. We haven't even come close to solving a lot of our differences but we work with them and do the work anyway. The Atonement is real and can carry us and our relationships. 

One neat question that we have been asking to people is, "IF you could ask God one question, what would it be?" Ponder on that this week. I would love to hear some responses to this question from you all. I'll share a few of the responses that I have heard too in next week's e-mail. 

This work is real, the scriptures are true, the Lord is in charge and He is so much more powerful than Satan. We can overcome anything with His help. I love you all!!! I'll let you know about transfers in next week's e-mail. Thank you all for your emails and letters.

Love,

Sister Karissa Young

Bowling with the Greens.  They take care of us well :)

Music in the Park.  

Taylor family.  RS Pres and just an amazing family!!!

YW in the ward. Awesome :)

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Dear Everyone!

We have seen so many miracles this week, and miracles that only the Lord could have made happen. One that truly stood out to me and showed me the power of God had to do with a lady named Jessica. We received a media referral this week, over a text message, that gave us her name and a brief description but no address or way to contact her. So we called the number of the lady who gave us the referral and she told us that she had been driving through town and met a lady at the park who just moved there from Georgia. She said she was living in a camp trailer in Rawlins and had 3 boys and a dog. She said that the best way that we could probably find her would be to go to the park and see if we saw anyone who fit that description. That was a pretty long shot, but we were determined to find her. So, we decided that we would try to go to the park every once in a while over the next week and see if we could see her. But we went about doing the work the next day. We pulled up into a trailer park  to go and teach an investigator and we were about to pray and I looked over and saw a camp trailer with a Georgia license plate and at that very moment a lady and 3 kids were walking into the trailer with their dog tied up in the front yard! We were amazed and decided we needed to go see if that was Jessica. We went over and introduced ourselves and she said that she was Jessica! The Lord had placed us in that spot at that time, out of anywhere in Rawlins. She doesn't even live close to the park that the lady met her at. We called the lady who referred her to us back and she said she had been praying all day. This story just shows the power that can happen when members and missionaries work together! There were some many people involved in this miracle and we could not have done it without the Lord. It was amazing!! 

The second miracle/3rd miracle happened on the morning of the Fourth of July. First we had a church tour with a lady that was interested in learning more. The cousin of the Archuleta family. We gave her a tour while we taught her about the Restoration, Joseph Smith and the Priesthood. She said that when the time comes, she would love to be baptized and have her 2 kids ages 8 and 10 be baptized as well. She was excited to learn more and we set up a time to come over and teach her and her family this week. She truly is searching for the truth and is really going to put forth the effort. It was so neat. The second miracle happened in part because of the first one. We decided to stay at the church to do our weekly planning, which we never stay at the church. We were about to start and then the phone at the church rang. At first I wasn't going to get it but then I felt like I should so I went down the hall and answered. On the other line there was a lady who was frantic. She said her car had broken down and her and her husband didn't know anyone and had been calling around and no one had answered but we had answered. We said we would call her back with information on who could fix her car. There are tons of men in the ward who work on cars, but it was the 4th so one one was in town! Finally we thought of a less-active who worked on cars and asked if he would help. He agreed willing and we went up to the hotel to help them. While the men were working on the car we went and got lunch for his wife and him. We then got to talking to the wife in the hotel room and she told us how much of a miracle we were. She said that that morning she had just been praying and praying for help and the words "Latter-day" kept popping into her head. So she looked in the phone book and found The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She called and knew we would answer, she said when we answered it was like a voice of an angel. We ended up teaching her about the gospel and gave her a Book of Mormon. She said she wanted missionaries to come by in her town, so we got her address and phone # and told her that we would take care of it. The ward was able to help them out by bringing them meals and supplying the hotel for them while everything got fixed. It was such a neat miracle to be a part of. Her heart is truly softened and she is looking for the truth. Miracles happen!!! Such a neat week of learning. I really do love being a part of this work. There are hard times, really hard times, but the miracles make it worth it. 

There are so many other experiences that I could write about but I am running out of time. Thank you all for your love and support!! I love each of you!! Pray for Claudia and her family this week!!

Love,

Sister Young

Edna, the sweet lady we visit at the Nursing Home

Tea Party that we had with sweet Sister Green:) from England

Fourth of July!!!

Beautiful Wyoming!

Birthday on the Mission

June 30, 2014

My birthday weekend was the best ever! Let me tell it from my side of things. So I knew I had a package coming in the mail but it hadn't shown up yet and I was getting really sad. So I prayed, I know it was kind of selfish, to be able to get my package before or on my birthday or at least be able to feel love. Wow! It was certainly a day where I felt loved. I didn't expect too much to happen on my birthday, because there are other things to focus on here, but I was not forgotten. Quite the opposite. I woke up to the Sisters singing Happy Birthday to me :)  Then I got up to go to the bathroom and there were signs and notes allllll over the house, wishing me happy birthday. Even on the toilet lid! I found notes ALL over for the rest of the day in random spots. The sisters had been busy. Then we left to go to our Zone Meeting in Laramie. We took the scenic route through the wonderful mountains! What a great present for me! The mountains! Then got to Zone Meeting right on time. It was a wonderful meeting with exactly what I needed to hear. Involving the Spirit more, and Finding ways to use my talents as a missionary. Then we all went to Pizza Hut for lunch and the Sisters had made me a cake and the whole zone sang to me. Then we ate cake and shared with some random people in Pizza Hut:) Along with a man who we ended up giving a Restoration pamphlet. Then we did some quick shopping and headed back to Rawlins. When we got back to Rawlins, I was sad to see that my package hadn't come from my family. But it was ok. Then I walked into the house and on the table was a huge German Chocolate Cake with lime green on it, flowers, ice cream, soda, lime green plates and cups. Then I went to my bedroom and it was covered with balloons and streamers and a huge happy b-day sign. With a bag of rice sitting on my bed. Haha. Sister Welch, lady in Rawlins, went all out!! Oh my goodness! Then we went about the rest of our day, teaching, and serving and I thought my surprises were over. Then we got home and had planned to party with the other sisters. Then Sister W showed up with a huge package!! That was the best thing ever! So, I asked Heavenly Father for something so simple as to get my package by my birthday and I ended up getting a whole day full of love. It just shows that even with the small little things that we ask for, the Lord can make even more than what we ever could imagine. Then, on Sunday, yesterday, Sister B, also a lady in Rawlins who traveled to St. G this week, brought me a cooler full of KOREAN FOOD from St. G!! I went crazy with joy! Holy cow, that was amazing! My family never ceases to amaze me. Thank you so much for all that you did for me this week. I just felt your love all week long. And even through all these hard times in your week, you all still made my birthday wonderful. Thank you so much! I am so blessed. 

 I learned a neat lesson this week while watching a Mormon Message with President Monson. "Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." Always remember to love.

The work in Rawlins has been slow during the summer because people don't stick around. But this week we tried a new finding activity. Every week here they have what they call Music in the Park, where they have a musician and booths set up all over a park. We signed up for a booth spot and the members helped us get a canopy, a table, and everything we needed. We couldn't approach anyone but we sat at our booth and talked to people about the gospel. We ended up giving away 6 copies of the Book of Mormon, a restoration DVD, some pamphlets, getting contact information for a few people, and talking to all kinds of people. It was very successful!! There was one guy who came up to us and started saying how he didn't believe in Joseph Smith but he wanted a copy of the Bible. So we gave him one and started talking. We tried to give him a mormon.org card and he wouldn't take it. Then he came back a bit later and got the pamphlet on Joseph Smith for his wife. Then he came back and said that he wanted a card with our number because he might be interested. It is just neat to see hearts soften. It was an interesting experience because at events like this, in Wyoming, there is always drinking and smoking. We joked that we were the light in the middle of  Sodom and Gomorrah:). We were tempted to put up a CTR sign. haha. But we also saw many members there and told them to invite their friends to the booth. We might try it again every other week because it was so successful. We love just getting out in the community and seeing the people. It is such a small place that it is good to have people see our faces and see the church's name. 

Another story I want to share from this week is about a lady who we met while searching for less-actives. We knocked on her door and she invited us in. She is this 68 year old lady and is super sweet. A bit standoffish at first, so she appears, haha, but really the sweetest lady. But her story is one of the saddest stories I have heard on my mission so far. It really hit me hard and taught me an important lesson. When this lady was 17, she had been super active in the church and made some mistakes and she got pregnant. She got married shortly after to the dad. But after she was married, she had her Young Women President come over and tell her to never come back to church because she was a bad influence on the other girls. This girl really took that to heart and did not come back. Even to this day, at age 68 she remembers that experience and has not been active since. While I know it is our responsibility to choose not to be offended, it is also our responsibility to be aware of the things that we say and how they can affect other people, even for decades and generations to come. I felt the pain that this women felt and still feels from that experience and it makes me hurt for her. All that pain could have, and still can, be taken away by understanding the atonement Instead of telling someone that they have failed we need to be showing Christlike love to those who are struggling and let them know about the power that the atonement can bring into their lives. It is vital that people know that they can change and they don't have to be weighed down by their mistakes. If that Young Women leader would have understood the atonement, this women might be active now in the church and not have had so many awful struggles through the years. That pain would be lifted from her heart. I realized the importance of watching what I say to others, it can affect generations. 

An interesting experience I am having here in Rawlins is working with so many women of difference cultures and who speak very little English. There is a women we are teaching who speaks Farsi and a women who speaks Chinese, and people who speak Spanish. It is a challenge at times to be able to communicate simply. But this gospel is so simple! So it is good practice for me to be able to make things as simple as possible. 

Well. as always, my letter is a novel. But that's ok. This week we are striving to find more people to teach who are ready for this gospel. We want to have things speed up more but we need to trust in the Lord. 

Thank you again for a wonderful week! Thanks for all the Birthday e-mails and letters. I really am soooo blessed! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Young

One of my birthday cakes

This is a neat family in the ward, the parents are converts as of a couple years. They were sealed in the temple, and now their little girl just turned 8. We got to go over to just help her feel ready for baptism. They are such a neat family!! 

Birthday notes from Sisters!

Happy Birthday!!

True Beauty

Well...This week was a little tough. Probably our slowest week yet in Rawlins. Which can be really hard. In the summer time, no one likes to stay in Rawlins because it is the one time they can get OUT of Rawlins. Haha. So it is really hard to get people home or even progressing. We did get to teach a lot of less-actives this week though and saw so many of them come to church this week which is awesome. There are so many less-actives that are working towards going to the temple and there is finally a temple prep class that will be starting soon. We also are still working on getting an Addiction Recovery class started. The book that the church has put out with the 12 step program is amazing. So focused on the atonement and change. We are trying to get the members more involved in the work and this week sent a survey around the Relief Society to see what languages others speak, when they are free, if their homes would be open to bring others over, and if they want to come with us on visits. We finally got a new ward mission leader yesterday, which will really be great to help the work move along now. The ward mission leader is key in this work. 

This week we had our Zone Conference in Laramie. We woke up a bit earlier than usual, and took the scenic route to Laramie. Only a few extra miles. It was beautiful!! I think we might have been there before as a family. It is through Saratoga, then past Lake Marie, and then through gorgeous trees. On my goodness! I didn't know Wyoming had so many trees. haha. I love Wyoming. So glad I grew up in this state! Our Zone Conference was very focused on families and eternal marriage. It was kind of an interesting topic for a missionary conference but it was really neat. Seeing how to help others find true happiness through strong family relationships and covenants. It was a really neat conference and so good to be around other missionaries! We are in the middle of nowhere so we don't get to see many other missionaries. haha. My companion, Sister Zvirzdin, gave her departing testimony at the meeting. It's super weird to see people going home and to think about how fast time flies by, but also how slow it is. I have been out for 5 months. I still have a year and a month to go. But seeing my companion prep to go home has made me think, what I want to be like when I get to that point. I have a ways to go and a lot still to accomplish. But it also makes me think of when it is my turn to go home. But I need to not focus on that. It's just hard when that is what your comp is thinking about. But Heavenly Father knew I needed to be with Sister Z, so He knew I could handle whatever would come. We are determined to work as hard as we can and move forward. 

This week we have been running every morning. It makes me feel SOOO good! But on top of that, it is exhausting me. So tired every day. But my body will get used to it. One night, I was so tired that at dinner, with a member, I couldn't keep my eyes open and I was nodding. Then they divided their HUGE pan of cake into 6 giant pieces, and that woke me up!! Sister Z and I looked at each other and tried to pass the huge piece to the other person, but it didn't work. So we couldn't stop laughing. Anyway....fun times. 

We met a lady this week, who has the cutest 3 year old son, that acts like a dog when we come over. He even plays fetch! haha. So cute. His mom is a member but hasn't been active for about 20 years. It is interesting to see how easy it is to forget this gospel if we are not living it consistently. We are re-teaching her and in turn teaching her  son so he can decide for himself when the time comes. We also had a chance to do some service for a less-active lady. She is super neat and we have seen her heart soften little by little as we have gone over and just shown her and her family love. We are going to be doing some more service for her this week. 

Another experience I want to share, has to do with how we need to redefine what beauty really is. Every week we go and visit this lady named Edna at the Kindred Assisted Living Home. (Also, side note, we do service there and paint ladies' nails. Yes...I paint people's nails...which I have never done in my life. haha. Let's just say, they don't turn out too well so it's a good thing that some of them can't see them.) Anyway, back to Edna. This week as we were leaving we told her that she is beautiful. Then this 92 year old lady said that she didn't think that she was beautiful. She said that she thought that the celebrities and famous people were beautiful, not her. It was so heartbreaking to see that even when someone is 92 years old they are still struggling with the skewed perception on what beauty really is! Society has really messed up what we define as beauty. We need to change that in our world! Edna is one of the most beautiful people I have met. She is so kind to everyone around her and her light just shines to everyone around. This week she even asked for a Book of Mormon, and had us write in it what she said, so she can give it to someone that she knows at the nursing home. She can barely move, talk, or do much, but she is still sharing the gospel. Let Edna be an example to each of us. We are so capable of sharing what has brought us joy! This gospel and knowing that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father, can bring us true joy and help us see what true beauty is. Each of you are beautiful. 

I love each of you!! Thanks for your prayers and support. You all are amazing! Keep searching for those opportunities and making those opportunities to open your mouth and share the gospel. :) 

Love, 

Sister Young

Robinson family. Related to the Banks family.

Baptism!

June 16, 2014

Life is good in Rawlins! This week was great. We are able to get new investigators every week. Helping them to progress in the hard part though:) 

Katelynn was baptized this week!!! It was such a neat day for her and her family. And for us:) Her mom is a member but the rest of her family is not. But, even though her step-dad and brother are not religious at all, they came to her baptism and stayed for the whole time. There was such a neat spirit there and I know that they both felt the spirit. In the Lord's timing I know the rest of the family will be able to learn. Katelynn is such a special girl and really is striving to do what is right. This is only the beginning though for her. There is so much more for her now. But with the Holy Ghost she will be better able to move forward making the right choices. 

Another neat experience this week was teaching A, the lady we tracted into who was my HS secretary. She had us come over  this week and we taught her the first lesson. Hearing her story it is so neat to see how the Lord has been preparing her to come to this point her whole life. There have been so many good influences in her life over the years. Many friends who were members of the church. I see that all the time with people we meet and talk to and realize even more how important our examples are to those people around us every day! Always remember, even though you may not feel like anyone is watching or learning from your example of living a Christ-like life, people remember you and the spirit that you carry. It is so important!

Bummer situation of the week, the A family contacted us again this week and said that she had talked to her husband and that he didn't feel ready to switch churches. She sounded pretty crushed. She wants this so badly for her family! Keep praying for them. In the Lord's timing all will work out. Her cousin might still be interested though. We will continue forward. 

Funny story. So we were at a member's house and one of the little girls had a bowl of ice cream and wanted to show me a neat trick. She was trying to do the thing where she tips the ice cream upside down really fast so it stays in the bowl, but she did it too slowly and so all her ice cream fell on the ground! I couldn't stop laughing for a couple minutes. It was so funny. It reminded me of something one of my sisters would do. 

This week I have felt more like myself than I have in a long time. I think it takes me a transfer to get adjusted and start being myself. I really am loving Rawlins and the wonderful people here. Sitting in church yesterday, I just looked around and felt so much love for these people. Wow. Everyone has their own struggles and testimonies in this gospel. I never realized how much the members need the missionaries too and how much I can learn from the members as well. One thing that Sister Z and I do during the day is talk about things that we have learned on our missions so far and what we are learning now. It has really helped me to see how much good this mission is doing not just for others, but for me! I always heard how good it would be for me, but I didn't realize how much I would really learn. About myself, about others, about how the Lord has set us Him church and this gospel, about the importance of the little things,the importance of visiting and home teaching, just how perfectly this church is set up. The people running the church are not perfect but the church and the gospel are true. I'm not saying I don't have my days when I have doubts come to my head and questions. But those are normal. They are there to help our testimonies grow stronger as we act upon those questions and pray to know the answer and gain a stronger testimony.

Oh! I forgot to tell you all that I spoke in Sacrament meeting last Sunday. I spoke on the talk by President Holland that is in the Ensign this month. "The Call to Be Christlike." I was able to share some personal experiences with the ward about how to stand up for what you believe and not to check your religion at the door. It is hard but so worth it! Check out Elder Holland's talk:  https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/06/the-call-to-be-christlike?lang=eng

Let me know what you think:) I'd love to hear some insights!!!

 Two fun things that Sister Z and I have been doing to help our companion unity. We are reading Preach My Gospel together in one transfer and also making video blogs every night at the end of the day. They are super fun!  Well, I better get going. But know that they are so many other miracles that I don't talk about that happen daily. I am well taken care of and there are wonderful people all around me. I am learning lots and feeling lots and becoming better every day. I love you all!!!! Keep smiling! 

Love,

Sister Karissa Young 

Katelynn's Baptism

Another Transfer in Rawlins!‏

We have worked a lot with less-actives this week. It's been pretty neat to have the Lord guide us to families who are struggling and who are getting ready step by step to come back. Miracles always happen at the last hour of the day. We met an amazing family, less-active, who hasn't had missionaries stop by for about 2 years. They were converts, got sealed in the temple, and then got offended and fell away. But they opened up to us and even invited us over for smoked ribs and corn on the cob this week:). Tis the season for BBQ's and red meat...haha. 

Another neat thing, remember the lady that we tracted into who was the secretary at my high school? Well she finally agreed to let us come over this week and teach her. She seems really open minded. We also are teaching the whole Ar family this coming week finally. So this week should be pretty great! Keep us in yours prayers so that we will be prepared to teach them, and them so that their hearts will be softened.

We did a lot of service this week too. Helped at the Pen to Pen fun run this week. Everyone has stripes who participates in the fun run so it looks like a bunch of prisoners are running through town. It was great to be able to serve at it and talk to so many people. 

We have been working with K still this week to get her ready for her baptism this Saturday! It is coming up fast and there is so much to do! But she is excited and everything looks good. Keep her in your prayers too though. Her mom is nervous because she wants her to make the choice for herself and not be influenced by wanting to please her mom. She is so sweet though and always is ready with her scriptures on her ipod when we get there. 

Oh.... so, story time!! This week for our weekly planning session, we wanted to get out of the house because it was such a nice day. So we drove to a mountain at the edge of town, and hiked up a short distance to a rock overlooking the neighborhood. It was great!!! But we forgot one thing. Sunscreen:) So...needless to say, I got one of the worst burns on my legs that I have ever gotten. But that is ok:) But then the next day I realized that my right ankle was getting all swollen. I looked like an elephant. I got a little worried but it seems to have gone down a bit today. So we will figure it out I guess:) It's the same ankle that I twisted a few months ago but I think it was just from the burn. 

One thing that we have started to do this week is to listen to conference talks in the morning from the time we wake up to our personal study time. It has really uplifted all of us and make us more dedicated. Try it out this week! Listen to conference talks as you get ready! It will increase the spirit in your lives. 

I'm sorry that their isn't a lot to report this week but know that miracles are always happening. We just need to open our eyes. I love you all so much!!!! Thanks for all you do!

Love, 

Sister Young

Sandbags, Baptismal Dates, and Talking to Everyone!‏

Monday - June 2, 2014
It's been a really good week. Kind of a random, unexpected, week but a really good week, nonetheless. Guess I will start at the very beginning. 

On Tuesday we had a lesson with the S Family, their 10 year old daughter is taking the lessons. We taught her about baptism and then invited her to be baptized. She said yes and we set a date for June 14th! Super exciting for her and her family. We are all praying that her baptism will inspire the rest of the family, the dad and brother, to want to learn more about the gospel as well. They are such a sweet family. 

Wednesday we woke up just like any other day and went through our morning routine of workout, breakfast/get ready, personal study, and comp study. Then right as we were making final preparations to get out the door, we got a call from our Zone Leaders saying that Saratoga, WY was having really bad flooding and needed all the help they could get. So, all 4 of us sisters got into our jeans and drove an hour to Saratoga. We filled sandbags and helped out for about 8 hours straight. It was such a neat day! The National Guard was all there from all over Wyoming helping out, there were inmates from a correctional facility, church members from around the whole stake, community members, and almost all the missionaries in our zone. We got to meet so many people and it was just a really great day! I felt more like myself that day as I served than I have in a long time. It reminds me of the scripture, 

Matthew 10: 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his lifefor my sake shall find it.

We didn't get to teach any lessons that day because we were doing service all day, but they truly needed all the help they could get just filling sand bags and the joy we were able to share with others was amazing. 

Another neat experience this week had to do with one of the families I talked about in a previous letter. Remember the couple who stopped in the rain storm and gave us some money and she said she was Less Active? Well, we were finally able to catch her home this week! It was one of the neatest experiences I have had. She told us her story and how she is recently married but hasn't been active for over 4 years. She has been feeling like it is time for a fresh start now that she is married, but she is so worried about going to the bishop. I love, at times like this, being able to share my testimony of the atonement and the power it has in each of our lives. So many people feel that once they have done so many wrong things, that there is no hope for them. Since they strayed from what they were taught while growing up, they can't get back to where they were before. But I know that you can get back to where you were, and even better than where you were if you just let the Savior's atonement into your life. I've seen it time and time again. She said that she was going to start coming back to church again that week. We also learned that her husband had started taking the discussions before they moved and is very open and wants to learn more. So we also have a new investigator! 

Another wonderful thing that I learned this week is how important it is to talk to EVERYONE! We have been really striving to do that this transfer. You never know, especially in small town Wyoming, who you will run into again or find random connections. There was a lady we talked to at the beginning of our time here and asked if we could help her move, since they had a U-haul. She said no, but we gave her a mormon.org card with our number in case. This week we ran into her when we went to visit a less-active member. We  found out that she was their daughter and she remembered us. Weird connections like that all over. So important to talk to everyone. The Lord places people in your path. 

One experience that really strengthened my testimony of talking to everyone, actually happened last night. It was nearing the end of the night and we were trying to figure out what the Lord wanted us to do with our last half hour. We were kind of loosing steam and didn't know what to do. We passed by a less active member's house and saw that they were home. We parked a few houses down, prayed, and started walking over. On the way we saw a lady and her kids on the front lawn of one of the houses. We felt like we needed to talk to her. We started talking to her and then told her about how the gospel could bless her family and asked if she would be interested in hearing more. She said, "Sure, come on it." We were surprised but grateful. People usually never invite you in to share more especially at 8:40 at night! We went in and began teaching her. At the end she said how interesting it was that we had showed up because her and her cousin had just been talking about how they didn't feel like their current religion was right and they had been wanting to look into the "mormon" religion. She expressed how she was grateful and saw God's hand in our meeting. She said she needed to talk to her husband but that she wanted her family to learn! Also, she has a cousin with her family that is interested in learning as well! They have four kids and are such a sweet family. The Lord truly is preparing His children and placing them in our path.

It is a continual journey to try to learn how to follow the spirit, but I am learning that the Lord knows how to work with us. We may not feel 100% inspired to do something, but we just go about doing and the Lord will place people in our path. We can only do our very best and the Lord will do the rest. This was so exciting because we are continually looking for families to teach so they can enjoy the same happiness that we enjoy as a family.Please keep them in your prayers. 

This week hasn't been all roses and flowers, but on the tough days, we just move forward and keep doing the work and trust that better days are ahead. The Lord gives us those days so that we can appreciate the good days even more. Some days I question, is there any work to do here in Rawlins? And then my answer comes in miracles like what happened last night or on other good days. 

Another neat story I wanted to share. One day was just a hit and miss day for us this week. We knocked and so many doors and no one was home. We didn't have a dinner that night with anyone in the ward so we decided to go to the most talked about restaurant in the Rawlins area. It is called Su Casa. It is actually in Sinclair but it is super popular. We went and there was a long line and it was super busy but we decided to stay and we just talked to everyone that we could while we waited. We gave out a few mormon.org cards and other materials and just got to know a lot of people. I meet people from Green River all the time that I didn't even know when I lived there. When we got to the front of the line, they said that they had a big table in the middle of the restaurant that they were just sitting random people at together. That was perfect for missionaries! Haha. So we sat with this couple and got talking. They are from Green River, he is a police man and knows many of the same people that I do, including the Morins. We just had a nice conversation and talked about our missions a bit more and what we do and teach. They were great people. They said goodbye and left before we were done. We finished our meal and went to pay for our food and we were told that they couple that was sitting by us took care of our bill. I just felt an overwhelming feeling of love in that moment. From my Heavenly Father and from that wonderful couple that sat with us. It made the really tough day have a glimmer of hope to it. 

Another fun moment was this morning. Sister Z and I were woken up by Sister Waite and Hoer yelling to wake up, put warm clothes and shoes on, they had a surprise for us! It was 5:30am! hah. But we put our warm clothes on and jumped in their truck. We drove to a random spot in the desert and the mountains and watched the sunrise while eating breakfast that the other sisters had packed for us. I was reminded how much I love the beauty of Wyoming. I feel so blessed that I grew up in this wonderful state and that I have the chance now to be back here on my mission. So many people laugh when they find out that I am so close to home. I laugh with them but I truly don't mind at all. 

I love being here in Rawlins. We find out about transfers this week and I am praying that I stay here. I feel like we all will be staying but I am not really sure. I just don't want to leave this place. Funny, I never thought I would say that about Rawlins! haha. It is so exciting to see the work hastening! We are getting a new ward mission leader soon too, and we are hoping that that change will also be a really great thing for the missionary work here. The Lord is in control and we are His hands. The power comes in inviting!  Invite someone to an activity or church or dinner or to hear the missionaries. Great things will happen! 

I love you all! Thank you for all your prayers and support:) My mailing address is still the same even though I am in Rawlins, WY. It is

Sister Karissa Young 

Colorado Fort Collins Mission

5285 McWhinney Blvd. Suite 100

Loveland, CO 80538

Now that it's summer, I would love to hear from each of you in your "spare time" haha:) I will write you back!!! 

Love,

Sister Young

Sandbagging

Sister Z & I doing service in Saratogo flooding

Helping with the flooding in Saratogo, WY

Cake fight