The Bethlehem Trio!

Well,

I am no longer in Medford. It was really hard to leave, especially since it is such an awesome place with amazing people. But what's crazy is that transfers were supposed to be Wednesday morning, but we got hit with a crazy snowstorm Tuesday day. The weather got progressively worse, and by the end of the night President decided to move transfers to Wednesday at noon. Well, on Wednesday morning we got a call saying that transfers were on Thursday instead. So I pretty much spent most of the week in Medford anyway, haha. 

At transfers I was so nervous to see where I would go next. It's always really nerve-wracking at transfers for me. Then it was announced: "Joining Sisters Wilson and Wiehl in Bethlehem is.... Sister Singleton!" I was really surprised, because I haven't been in a trio so far on my mission. And it was funny because like two days before at the Mass's we were talking about trios, haha. 

What's really crazy is that Bethlehem (pronounced "Beth-lum") is right next to Whitehall, PA (for those of you who don't remember, I spent about six months in Whitehall last year). In fact, they meet in the same building. When I got transferred to Medford, I thought it was bizarre because it was right next to Moorestown (where I started my mission). Now I'm right next to Whitehall. THIS IS REALLY BIZARRE. 

Let me just say that even though I've only been in a trio for a couple days, it has been a BLAST. Sister Wilson and Sister Wiehl are loving, laid back but hard-working, and we all get along swimmingly. From day one I felt so much love from them, and I am super excited for this transfer! What's really crazy is that we've all been out about a year (give or take a couple months) and we're in a trio. That does not happen very often. But I am so excited! There's a lot of work that needs to be done in this area, so I'm happy to be a part of it!

We're teaching Katherine right now, who is an older woman who is amazing. We have to teach her short snippets of the lessons (as to not overwhelm her with stuff), but she's been catching on to things quicker and quicker, and she's set to be baptized in a couple weeks. It's amazing to see how much the Spirit can help someone, because the Sisters told me that at first she had a really hard time understanding the lessons, but now she's teaching herself! What a miracle! I'm excited for her.

Well, since I kinda came in at an awkward point in the week, I can't really think of much to add. Oh! Funny story: Sister Wilson and Sister Wiehl didn't tell the District Leader that they were getting a third sisters. The Assistants called the Sistersafter transfers calls to let them know they needed to be in Broomall to pick up their new companion (that's me!). So we showed up to district meeting and our District Leader, Elder Wirthlin, didn't believe that I was actually transferred there, haha.

Love!

Sister Singleton

Weather Woes

Why hello,

We kept hearing from people that Tuesday was going to be super cold, but I don't think anyone telling us about it could've braced us for it. Tuesday we went on exchanges and I went down to Vineland for the day. But before we left, in the morning we tried stopping by a few people and after being outside for a minute, I couldn't feel my face at all. At lunch time I put on all the thermals and layers I could find and we went to Walmart so Sister Wright could pick up thermals.

I went down to Vineland with Sister Watson (who is fantastic!) and we had a couple appointments that evening. At one point we were trying to find an address that doesn't actually exist. We walked four blocks and the cold was excruciating. The wind was so bitter! We took refuge in a Dry Cleaners and we talked to a woman there for quite some time. It was definitely no coincidence, because her husband recently had a quadruple bypass and she was looking for guidance and a church to go to. Sister Watson was able to leave the woman with their (Vineland's) number and they hope to see her again soon.

We then had a dinner with a really awesome woman, Jackie, who has a young kitten that I played with. The cat sits on your shoulders like a parrot and jumps from people shoulder-to-shoulder. IT WAS SO CUTE.

I also had the privilege of meeting Bobby. The Sisters found him just six weeks ago, and at that time he considered himself atheist. After their first meeting with him, he said something along the lines of, "You know, I think this might be true." Well, he was baptized yesterday! It was neat meeting him, because his testimony is so strong and he is just super amazing. Plus, he totally has a flat top hair cut and he wants to do graphic design. Talk about cool.

We heard from someone that with wind chill it was -14 degrees (keep in mind the humidity...) and that it was the coldest day in decades.


On Sunday we went to the viewing of a 6-year-old that was tragically hit and killed by a bus earlier in the week. He was the grandson of a ward member, so we went down to talk to and comfort her. While we were waiting in line, I just kept thinking about the Plan of Salvation and how perfect it is. In the scriptures we learn that death is not the end of all things:

"11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.
 12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow." (Alma 40:11-12)

We also learn that children are perfect before the age of accountability, (which is eight years old):

"Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin;..." (Moroni 8:8)

Then we learn that if they die before the age of accountability, they are taken directly up to Heavenly Father:

"And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven."(D&C 137:10)

I love Heavenly Father's plan. Although the death of this little boy was tragic and premature, he is in the Celestial Kingdom and he is perfect. How wonderful it is that not one soul is lost to our Father! He loves each of us, and He's given us the knowledge of His plan, which gives us hope. I can testify that the Plan of Salvation is real, and that it is centered in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love,

Sister Singleton

PS.. 

Yesterday night we were leaving an appointment and Sister Wright checked the phone. She went silent and just stared at the phone, but she looked excited. I had walked past her without noticing, then I turned around.

"What??"

*silent excitement*

"What??!"

"It's Logan!"

So I looked at the phone and it said..... wait for it..... that he wanted to serve a mission!!! We both freaked out and immediately called him. It was AWESOME. I've never seen such amazing progress in anyone, and I'm super excited. It was almost heartbreaking to tell him that he had to wait a year (you have to wait a year after baptism to go through the temple, and you have to go through the temple if you want to be a missionary). 

The Year of No Fear

So, let's just jump into this, shall we?

On Tuesday I went to the dentist, which in itself wasn't exactly the funnest thing, but it was neat because the dental assistant and the dentist were both asking us questions about religion. The dentist had actually read an article the previous day written by a Jewish man about how the Jewish community should follow the pattern of Mormon missionaries. He even gave us the article to take a look at. It was fun because we got to answer questions about the church and talk to them about why we (missionaries) do what we do.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful until we went to dinner at the Clay's house. We had a super delicious dinner and played a couple games with the family (Uno Blast and Headbanz, anyone??). We ate so much that when we got back to our apartment, we could barely spare enough room for a Martinelli's toast. But we did it.

I swear more things are closed on New Year's day than on Christmas. I can't remember if it's like that in Utah, but it was like a deserted wasteland on Wednesday. However, we were lucky enough to start the New Year at the Mass's house for breakfast and we had a great dinner at Sister Foulk's house. Both wonderful families-- I couldn't ask for any better way to start the new year.

Thursday we had a really great lesson with two investigators. They're older, Episcopalian, they love the Bible, and they're super great. We've been trying to help them see that the Bible and the Book of Mormon complement each other and they they go hand-in-hand. Sister Wright then invited them to be baptized... four times. They ended up saying no for the time being, but they committed to praying about the Book of Mormon and baptism.

On Thursday a snowstorm came in, and our leaders asked us to cancel all appointments after 6:00 because of the storm. I thought it was a wee bit dramatic, but I'm grateful because it got pretty icy. The next day there was a "State of Emergency" because of extreme low temperatures. We were still out working, and everyone thought we were crazy. I mean, it was crazy cold all around with the humidity, ice, and low temperatures.

However, on Friday night we had an amazing appointment with a less active/part member family. It started off with us talking about spiritual goals, but then quickly turned into a wonderful lesson. The Spirit was so strong, and I could tell that every person was touched by it. One of the family members told us as we were leaving that it was exactly what he needed. The guy who isn't a member even asked us how one goes about being a member of the Church after we told him and his girlfriend that they could be sealed together next year to their baby. Then we asked outright if we could just start teaching him officially, and he said yes.  It was an absolutely amazing lesson, and the whole way home I barely said anything because it was so incredible.

I am so excited for this new year. I am excited for the new possibilities and changes that the Lord has planned. Our new theme for the mission in 2014 is this:

2014: The Year of No Fear

In Doctrine & Covenants it says:
"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." (D&C 6:36)

Don't fear. Have faith.

Love,
Sister Singleton

PS... I forgot to mention... LOGAN BLESSED THE SACRAMENT ON SUNDAY. With his dad! It was awesome.

Betcha never thought of Jersey like this.

Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

First things first, it was a great Christmas! We went to the Mass's house for breakfast, which was most excellent (but I still wish I could've worn pajamas...). Sister Houcek came over to breakfast as well, and we had a great time. It's always a hoot at the Mass house.

Afterwards we stopped by people in the ward to wish them a Merry Christmas. We even got a call from a Sister in the Spanish Branch who asked for two copies of the Book of Mormon so that she could give them to her friends. We were super excited and stopped by to drop them off and wish her a Feliz Navidad.

Later in the afternoon I got to talk to my family! It's super awesome that we have the capabilities to Skype, and I'm very grateful for that. I must admit that my family is really loud, and there wasn't really one solid conversation in the entire hour we talked, haha. But I love you guys! After having a ham dinner with Sister Houcek, we went out to go caroling with her. We only actually got to carol to one of her neighbors, because either no one was home or they were all partied out by that point. So.... we decided to stop back by the Mass's and carol to them! Then we enlisted Kyra and her cousin and took them to their neighbors' houses to go caroling. It was a blast! And we got to end the day the way we started it-- at the Mass's.

So I'm going to backtrack just a bit-- in October's General Conference, Elder Ballard issued a challenge:

"We are simply asking all members to pray, knowing that if every member, young and old, will reach out to just “one” between now and Christmas, millions will feel the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what a wonderful gift to the Savior." ("Put Your Trust in the Lord," Elder M. Russell Ballard)

Sister Wright and I decided to take this challenge, but to make it more than our usual day-to-day missionary work. We decided that we would find someone by Christmas who would accept a baptismal interview date. Well, we've been praying, searching, and trying to find someone before Christmas. Well, before you get your hopes up, we didn't find anyone. But! I am going to explain to you why it's still a miracle.

So as Christmas came closer and closer, we still hadn't found anyone. We were looking, and we had a couple appointments in which we were going to invite someone to be baptized. But it seemed as if all our appointments kept falling through, and when we were in an appointment and the Spirit was there, right as we were about to invite the woman to be baptized, her phone rang, she answered it, and the Spirit was gone.

So we continued to search. We prayed, we sought out opportunities to invite to baptism, but it didn't happen. On the morning of Christmas Eve, we were studying when we got a text-- YAY!! REFERRAL TIME! (That's what the referral hotline is listed in our phone) For those of you who don't know, Headquarter referrals are really precious to missionaries. We don't get them too often, and we take them as specific direction from the Lord as to where we need to go. It then occurred to me that a referral might have been our answer to our prayers. We stopped by that night, only to find out that the girl who asked for missionaries to visit wasn't going to be there until after Christmas. We had this grand vision of meeting her, teaching the Restoration, and inviting her to be baptized. Well, it didn't happen.

On Christmas day, we decided to go back to the area and knock, because we both felt like there was someone there who the Lord wanted us to find. We didn't have too much time before we had to Skype, but we went out an knocked as many doors as possible. Well, the last one we knocked we talked to Rich. He seemed skeptical at first, saying that he had "heard things about the Mormons." I simply asked, "Well, don't you want to know more about those things?" He thought for a second and said, "Well, yes!" We talked to him, shared some stuff with him, and set up an appointment to return. And he even asked about when Church services were, too!

And the end of Christmas day, we didn't find someone to invite to baptism. But it occurred to Sister Wright and I that our plan was not Heavenly Father's plan, and that maybe what He intended was that we find someone by Christmas who's ready for baptism, not to just invite someone by Christmas. A small, but significance difference. As I think about it, I truly believe that one or more of the people we're currently working with are ready for baptism, and that now we need to invite. Our miracle wasn't just finding someone to invite, it was finding someone who's ready.
It just makes me think of a verse in Isaiah:
"8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

__________

As for  the rest of the week, we had a pretty low-key week. We did, however, finally have a chance to visit the less active members who live clear in the boonies of our area. Well, we had saved up enough miles to go out there, so we made a day of it on Saturday. I was so excited to visit clear out in the Chatsworth/Shamong area, and when we were driving we noticed that Sister Wright's GPS was taking a shorter distance than my GPS. We were kind of confused at first as to why the routes were different, but I decided to just follow her GPS because it was a significantly shorter distance.

WELL, we found out real quick that it was taking us on really long dirt roads (whereas my GPS was avoiding them). We must've driven about six miles on one dirt road and promptly moved onto another. Well, as we were driving, we hit a dead end:

"NO TRESPASSING-- PRIVATE PROPERTY"

Uh oh. Where were we?! We looked at the GPS and realized that we were only .9 miles from the woman's house, but we couldn't get there because of the private road. POINT NINE MILES! I was so bummed. We had to turn around and drive right back up the dirt roads. We laughed.

I don't want to drone on too much more, but I encourage everyone to go watch this video and think to yourselves about what your spiritual goals are for 2014.

http://youtu.be/lrZij9MSTRI

Love yous!

Sister Singleton

Christmas-y things.

The Mass family.

My family!

One Year, Christmas Devo, & Logan

A GREAT WEEK!

So. First of all I have to point out that as of Thursday I've been out ONE YEAR! It definitely does not feel like a year at all.

Secondly, we had a super fun Christmas Conference/Devotional/whatever you want to call it. The Cherry Hill North and South zones got together and we watched the movie Ephraim's Rescue, which was pretty awesome. Then we had a short devotional in the Chapel with talks from President and Sister Anderson. Afterwards we had a fantastic talent show with some really talented performances (or just plain entertaining). Some of them were these:

My favorite was when Elder Dial played and sang "Homeward Bound" on the piano-- it was absolutely gorgeous.

Another fantastic talent was from the Vineland district-- they did a song/dance to "Carol of the Bells," but it was hilarious. They all wore tacky Christmas sweaters and pranced about like they were in the Nutcracker. Then the song turned into "Pirates of the Caribbean" and they all started fake fighting. Oh, the creativity of missionaries.

Another was simply called "Toast." Elder Morgan had a toaster and two spoons and he sang a song about toast. He would sing, bang on the toaster, and randomly yell, "Yeah toast!!" It was frightening at first.

And last but not least, Elder Hellyer (our new district leader) got up and started playing "Frosty the Snowman" on the guitar. At first I was like, "Oh dear, he's not very good..." but it was all a guise! Elder Morris (his companion) started yelling "Put on the strap! Stop it! You're not doing it right!" and went up and took the guitar away from him. Then Elder Morris started playing and Elder Hellyer sang to a version of "Frosty the Snowman" that they wrote themselves. It was SO good! And hilarious!

Back to missionary work...

We didn't really get a chance to meet with Logan this week, which totally made us feel super empty. But we didn't really have any good food to eat on Saturday (don't panic, mom) so we stopped at Shoprite to pick up some chicken. Well, Logan works there so we just pretty much hunted him down at his line and got a chance to talk to him. But we were super excited because Logan told us that he was planning on going to the YSA in Pittman (Young Single Adults' branch).

Well, on Sunday Logan got confirmed and sustained for the priesthood. For those of you who don't know what that is, it means that we as a congregation supported the decision to give him the priesthood. And after sacrament meeting he received the priesthood!!! Both Sister Wright and I were super duper stoked. And not only that, he went down to the YSA branch and..... wait for it.... passed the sacrament!!! So within a week of getting baptized, Logan got the priesthood, went to the YSA, and passed sacrament. I couldn't ask for any better Christmas present!

To close, I'll leave with you a portion of the Christmas story:

 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
I can testify that Jesus Christ was born so that we can make it back to our Heavenly Father. I am so very grateful for His infinite love and perfect example to all of us. How wonderful the Christmas season is to share the love of Christ, which is charity and service.

Please watch this video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH9nK_9OBDg&feature=share&list=PLD60B23A37F523BE3&index=2

Love,

Sister Singleton

Our district!

One year

Sister Wright and I in the car waiting.

"Carol of the Bells"

Elder Shore in his Christmas sweater.

Sister Grover and I