CPR - Church, Pray, Read

I've been in Texas for over a month now I think!! So crazy!! Am I really winning the world cup bracket?! booya!! I can't believe Spain did so stinky!!! And that is seriously so amazing that you guys got those temple names!!! Thank you so much for the package I looooooooooooved it!! I haven't had a Kit Kat forevs it was so good and yes everything was much needed thank you!! So last week for Pday we went on a bike ride which was way fun, but today the missionaries in our Zone get to go on base at Fort Hood and go to the museum thing.  I'm excited! Basically everybody here is in the army and works there so it will be cool to go.

We work in Copperas Cove family ward and all over for YSA Branch.  We have 5 sets of missionaries including us.  I email the President weekly and I will see him and have follow up training on Thursday!!

We had exchanges this week with the Sister Training Leaders so I went to Gatesville with Sister Zo, she is super nice and it was awesome to see how she does things she's so good, she really listens to the spirit and lets it direct her and I want to do that better! Have you ever heard of Wickens?? I keep hearing it here and finally found out its like a religion but for witch craft... it's so creepy!!! Anyway we always go visit Sister A who is a less active here (she used to be a Wicken) but our last lesson was so amazing the spirit was so strong that she has come to church the last 3 weeks and she's read the first 10 chapters in the Book of Mormon when she hasn't read from it in years!! Seriously all you need is to CPR (Church, Pray, Read) those are the things that make you happy and we can see that when these less actives just start doing those things again, its so simple!!

So Iz went to Girls Camp this week and loooooooved it!!! She made so many new friends and she came to church on Sunday and loved it too!! Her mom is getting all excited for the baptism and making invitations and buying her new scriptures and sewing her a dress! I still am amazed by the power of prayer so that her heart could be softened :) and her mom said she is going to come to church with Izzie every week now yayyyy!! Oh and also this is so awesome, so D who is a recent convert lives by her whole family and her sister B had a baptismal date I guess a couple months ago, but she has word of wisdom problems so it didn't happen. Well she just got back from rehab and we met with her and she said that at the rehab place she would tell the people, I'm not just doing this for me, I am doing this for God so that I can be baptized!! ahh and we read Mosiah 18 talking about baptism with her and just like it says in verse 11 And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts. That literally is her!!! It is so exciting to see people completely change like it is amazing the power of this gospel!

Well I love you all so so so much!!!!!! Thanks for your prayers!!

Sista Wells

Prayer is so Powerful!

Hi!!! Sounds like the #bfr was a blast!!! I wish I could have seen the lip syncing haha! World Cup sounds awesome but what happened to Spain?????????? like whaaaaaaa?? Izzie gave me some details on the recent games so that's good :) I can't believe Brayden is getting married, tell him congrats for me!!

Also thanks Dad for sending those excerpts from your mission, those were really cool and I am like the same, I feel like I need to be doing something every minute!! But that is really cool that the missionaries in that ward want a baptism every week, that's like amazing! And members are very important, I have been learning a lot about this in my 12 week training thing. So how is all of your guys missionary work going?? I think the talk Follow Up by Elder Ballard is really good. Read it! and do it!!

This week has been super busy, but really awesome! Just a quick story that is amaaaazing was that at District Meeting this week for accountability Sister Tuck and I talked about Iz who has a baptismal date, but her less-active mom never will bring her to church like I told you about last week, so we told our district and asked if they could pray to soften her moms heart, because this is what Iz wants.  The next day we went to meet with her and her mom and her mom had a complete change! She said that after Girls Camp Iz will be at church every Sunday up to her baptism whether she is wearing the same outfit or not! What a change, she was getting so excited and was asking lots of questions about the baptism so that it would all run smoothly and that she wants to make a cake for it and wants Sis Tuck and I to be her baptism bridesmaids haha so cute. Prayer is so powerful, wow all the prayers from our district really did help to soften her heart so now Izzie can progress and get baptized. That was such an amazing experience.

On Friday we had interviews with President!!! He is sooo cool!  I just was able to ask him some questions, and he gave me some advice and it was just amazing. He then spoke at Stake Conference which we had this weekend and so did Sister Ames! And also the temple president! and the Stake President!! so good! None of our investigators came, but K a less active came and slept. haha  That is one thing we are trying to work on, to get more investigators and less actives to church because it is such an amazing place!!

Also D's baptism was so great! His baptizer didn't show up...... so that was really weird still haven't gotten a hold of him.. so we started late, and our ward mission leader performed the baptism, but the spirit was so strong, and after D bore his testimony, he has such a strong testimony he had everyone about in tears, I know that these are the reasons why I am here on my mission.

We had dinner at Sister Newman’s tonight do you by chance know a Rebecca Newman or the Engles from Kanab??? She lived there!!! Oh my I was dying I just talked to her about and she knows grandma and grandpa and apparently they used to sell her poems at the book store she was the Kane County Deputy Sheriff!!! Isn't that so crazy cool??!!!! But after dinner we were giving her a hug and then Sis Tuck reaches for the closet door, hahaha she thought it was the door outside I died and then she was like whoops and started walking further into the house instead of the door, haha she always does stuff like that haha she's a blond, I love it!!

We drive alotttt from Killeen and back and all over so we love my two cds! If ya have any other good ones let me know ya know?! Also Sis T has never had cookie butter, so whenever you go to Trader Joes sometime will you get me some??  I love you lots thanks. Well you guys are fab!! Love you lots!!!

Sister Wells

D, baptized June 20!!

Me and my Sista T

Chillin' on my bed with the fam behind me. LOL Love You!

Love Y'all So Much!

Howdy!!!!!! So this week was fab of course and it went by so fast! I can't believe it's already pday again?!! Anywho, Sister T and I have been trying to ride our bikes as often as we can which is super fun! And we meet sooo many people when we do it, because of everyone just walking or sitting outside their houses. One thing I have noticed is nobody uses their garage for cars haha its like another room they have couches and they chill in there haha. 

This week I had my first Zone Training, it was really awesome and we talked about the importance of planning, that's good for me, because Thursdays are planning days and to me they are sooooo long and kinda boring, butttt I know that if we plan well then miracles can happen. One day our appointment fell through and we had about an hour so we decided to try and contact people and we made a goal to teach two short lessons. Lots of people just shut their doors on us, but we actually were able to teach two lessons about the restoration on their doorstep! When we make goals, Heavenly Father will help us accomplish them! But that really goes for everything and everyone!

Also this week I invited Iz who is 12 to be baptized and we have a baptismal date for July 19!! We just need to make sure she comes to church, her mom is a member but won't come to church and bring her, their excuse is she doesn't have skirts..... we gotta work on that, but I know that she can be ready by then! We have visited lots of less actives and got three to come to church this sunday, it was awesome!!! And it's so weird I've met like over 5 people from South Africa, like why would they come to Killeen Texas? It's known as the black hole ahhaha. 

I have been reading from the Book of Mormon lots and it is so cool how we really can receive revelation from the words, in 1 Nephi 17 Nephi is commanded to build the ship and he tells his brothers, if the Lord has commanded me then I can do it because God can do all things. That was so helpful to me, because sometimes I feel like I don't know anything, how can I teach and help these people? But God has called me here, so he will help me teach the people of Texas! For reals though, I was thinking about it, like why would a 30 year old or 40 yr or however old listen to a teenager girl and get help from her?????? No one really would, but since I have this badge and am called by God to do this, they really do listen!! Crazy cool. 

D is scheduled to be baptized on Friday, oh my I'm so excited for him I almost started crying when we were meeting with him, Heavenly Father is like 1000000x more excited and happy for him than I am, I can't wait he is soooo solid!!

Dad! I hope your fathers day was good, and the firepit looks amaaaaazing!!!!! and Zach how is work, getting a nice tan? I heard about Spain losing like whhaaaaa?!!! I got a guy in YSA who said he will give me all the deets on the games :):):):) and sounds like you went on a crazy hike zachy poooo!! Syd, so glad Girls camp was fun! and Swig really is the bomb. Since you're being a fashion designer, you'll have to dress me when I get home:)

I love y'all so much!!! I actually said y'all this week once without thinking about it! Oh my it was cray! I love you!

Sister Wells

ps don't forget about me kk?

A photo she sent from the MTC.

God Loves Us All!

Thanks for all the emails!! I seriously get so so excited I had like 20!!!!! Brandie, glad to know you haven't forgotten about me:) hope the studyin and all the tennis is going well! And Zach’s hobby of doing handstands with his shirt off made me lol in the library hahaha. I love picturing that!!  Also very cool pics doing the repelling that looks like fun! And before I forget, thank you so much for the package!!! So cute and yum, also that little plate is adorable, I love that quote!! Like 10 billion people have asked where I got my Texas necklace from, so where did you get it haha? And another thing, in the YSA ward there is a girl named J from Chuuk!!! We talked about it for awhile and she thinks during the time Brady was there that she was on Palau or Pohnpei, cool though huh?!!! She is moving to Lehi and will be doing translation and stuff for General Conference! She's awesome. 

Ok anywho it has been sooooooo hot, but everyone just says it will get hotter, but these last two days in the morning it poured, like soooo much rain and loud thunder, but by the end of the day it was hot again haha. Since we have two wards, well branch and a ward, we have a lot of area to cover and to get to most YSA we have to drive 20min so we bike only sometimes! 

Well last week was fast sunday and I'm pretty sure that was the first time I actually didn't eat for a full 24 hrs but I will never do it how I did before. I really did get help and answers for the things that I fasted for, it was really cool! When I meet all these different people I realize how lucky I am, like I have the gospel and my family is pretty much the best, it really is though. I feel like I already knew that before, but I realize it even more now!! Thanks!! 

Again I have met more weird people, this lady that is a recent convert/less active (so sad) didn't stop talking about our country and how we are all gonna get chips in our hands so they can track us and that Obama is the anti-christ she's crazy! But on the flip side haha I can't remember if I told you that D has a baptismal date for the 20th so hopefully he is living the WOW so he can be baptized!! Also at district meeting we talked about not labeling people, because underneath we are all Gods children, that was good for me, because I feel like I get scared to go talk to scary random people, so that's what I'm working on!! We've met lots of new people and get appointments with them, but then they always bail!!! Like we call the night before and say are we good for tomorrow and they say yeah, then they aren't there! It's so sad, but we just keep trying! But what was really cool, is that Dr from YSA gave us this guy he works with that wants to read the Book of Mormon because he just wants to see what it's about, so we called him and said we could give him one and share a message about how it came to be haha so sneaky, and he said we could but he's not trying to convert! He brought another of his friends too and we taught them the Restoration, and they felt like it could be possible and they are going to read some and we will meet with them again this week, I'm excited!! 

Ok so now I just have two funny stories. So at district meeting the elders in our ward were talking to Sister T and I and they were saying every time they take this one member with them to lessons he bears his testimony on tithing, every time no matter what! And yesterday during sunday school we were talking about Joseph Smith and the Restoration, and he raised his hand and bore his testimony on tithing I tried soooo hard not laugh I was dying!!!

Ok and then earlier this week, we were on our bikes sweating, and this guy we talked to said, you should go talk to my friend in the house at the end of this street, so we go to this scary run down house and knock and this guy opens the door he has no shirt on, short shorts, a tooth missing with a cigarette, tattoos all over and his hair all snarly about to his shoulders... I was so scared haha but he said he wouldn't run us off so we talked to him in his front yard, yeah he didn't hardly let us speak, he had the weirdest beliefs!! He told us the bible was a badddd book and that all blacks and muslims will go to hell and all this other weird stuff and he said that basically in the next six months everything is going to start being destroyed so he's moving to the wilderness. So we squeezed our testimonies in, gave him a pass along card, and asked if there was anything we could do for him and he asked, "well do either of you wanna go out to the wilderness with me?" ahhhh we said we were here on missions to teach the gospel, and he said we could do that in the wilderness hahahah. It's kinda like Lehi going out to the wilderness before Jerusalem was destroyed hahah  what a guy, but Sister tuck and I just hope we planted a little seed, because Heavenly Father loves him just as much as me even though he swore every other word!

I really am so grateful for the experiences that I have been having, I have learned so much these last few weeks, I think I was dumb before I came on the mish hahah but I have so much more to learn and I'm super excited!!!

Love you!!!

Sista Wells

First Letter From Texas!

Thank you so so so much for all the emails!!  Anywho, I'm here!!! It was so fun to talk to ya on the phone at the airport! When we got here we just had some meetings and ate food and stuff, then we stayed at the Hicksons for the night, they are the nicest ever and no mom I didn't ask to look at the pictures, but I wanted to! I hope I looked ok hahaha. But the next morning we had a meeting and then got our companions! Sister T is so cool, she's so sweet and is helping me! She's from Tremonton, Utah and is 20.  She's been out almost a year, we have lots of things in common actually so I think we are going to get along great!

Yeah so we are in the furthest place away from the mission home.  It took like 3 to 3 and a half hours to drive here to Killeen! Apparently Killeen is known as the black hole, no one likes it haha but Copperas Cove is pretty good I guess. I like it just fine! Lots of military people here because of Fort Hood!

So we are over the YSA branch and also Copperas Cove 2nd ward! It makes it kinda interesting trying to get to meet all the members of each ward and we are trying to visit all the less actives which there are apparently hundreds of them here!

So every Monday we will go to YSA FHE and institute on Wednesdays, and then we go to both meetings on Sundays, 6 hrs!!!!! ahhhh it was really good though, and it was a great fast sunday, they of course asked me to bear my testimony in both, so that was good too!

The members feed you a lot here like almost every night which is nice, except the first night seriously there was like 7 different things to eat and then for dessert the lady gave me two brownies with so much ice cream, I was about to explode..... the Blue Bell ice cream is yummy though!! Also a guy took us to Red Lobster so I got my coconut shrimp!!:) I've never eaten out so much in such a short time.  I guess the members do that often. 

So there's so much to say I dunno but it has been great teaching with Sister T and it's really cool when you can tell that they feel the spirit!  D has a baptismal date for the 20th so that will be cool to go to! Lots of the work here is to be with members and lots of less active work so cool!  Also we met this guy B who was kinda interested in our church and he asked if we have supernatural people in our church, because he see's spirits and stuff.... it was so weird and he kept telling us all these visions he's seen! ahhhh haha 

So we went to pull weeds for this lady, it was sooooo hot, anyway after, her and her husband fed us lunch, and everything her husband would say was like weird hahaha  and he was talking about all his medical problems and then shared just a little too much with us. . .  I had to try soooo hard to not laugh!!!

Also our district leader went to Timpanogos! We know lots of the same people, but I never knew him before! Dad! Your letter, hahahahaha, so funny good work! And I can't believe that all our cars are breaking down again I'm sorry :( and Syd I love that mom is having troubles with her phone hahaha I miss teasing her:) Congrats on tryouts!!

Zach which team are you playing for?? Have you started working?? When's girls camp?? And Kels that is so cool about your friends, seriously!!!!! and about the guy bearing his testimony hahaha!

I love you all so so much! Thanks to those of you who email and write me I love it like for reals and I loved all the packages I got in the mtc, I almost got one everyday! haha but haven't gotten one here yet... waiting.. hahah just kidding, thanks so much I love you all!!!

Sister Wells