Baptism!

Get ready for the email of your lives...

1. So remember how I haven't thrown up in like nine or ten years? Yeah, that streak has ended. 

2. It's snowing today. 

3. (Most excitingly) Meagan got baptized yesterday!

So, starting with the most exciting, Meagan got baptized! We've been working with her since I got here, and it's been so great to see the change in her life. She's really let the Gospel change her life and the Spirit has worked so much in her. She's so awesome!  She's really mature for her age (she's 17, she graduated from high school early, and she's had a full-time job in Philly for over a year), and she's been able to really change her life around. The baptism went really well (and the water was warm this time!), and her and Shawn (he got baptized last month) are super good friends. Also, one of the priests in the ward, Alex, had the opportunity to baptize her. 

Last week was the first day of spring, which meant free Rita's (water ice)! It's a big deal out here. Sadly, it is snowing a lot outside so... welcome spring?

Something I forgot to mention last time: a couple weeks ago we were looking through old teaching records and one woman, Adrian, really stuck out to me. We were planning one night and since we were going to be in that area of Willingboro, we put her name on a list of people to stop by. After a lesson we could only stop by one person, and Sister Meeks felt like we should stop by her. We knocked on the door and someone asked, "who is it?" "The missionaries!" Immediately the door opened, and Adrian's response was, "Every time I say a prayer, you brothers or sisters show up." It turns out she had just finished praying for help no less than two minutes ago and we knocked on her door. We were able to talk with her for a little bit and say a prayer with her, and we'll be seeing her this week. It really is amazing to truly be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Miracle!

Last night we were knocking in an area before going to a dinner appointment. As we were walking away from the last house, heading to our car, a woman saw us and shouted, "Hi!" I admit I looked around because that doesn't happen too often here in Jersey. She told us she was late to dinner with her boyfriend, whose house we just happened to be leaving, but that we were more important. She said she was looking for a church and that she really wanted to find some more women to befriend and be part of a women's group. WHOA, Relief Society much?! We were able to set a return appointment for her and I'm super excited!

And if you're wondering, on Thursday night I didn't feel too swell. I was talking to Elder Ellsworth, our district leader, on the phone and handed it off to Sister Meeks. Then I ran and threw up. And after a little bit I decided to get the taste out of my mouth, so I drank some cider and ate pretzels. As soon as I finished the cider I was like, "Umm... I don't think the cider was a good idea..." and puked into the garbage can. So we stayed up until I felt a little better and she read Alma 26 to me. I woke up at 2:00 to go to the bathroom and as soon as I stood up I went and threw up. So I just sat there until I threw up again at 2:30, in which Sister Meeks came in to see if I was okay. Sister Meeks keeps saying that I don't have the stomach for a mission, haha. But no worries, I'm all good.

So yeah, it's been a crazy week. Full of upchucks (okay, I couldn't resist) and downs. I love all of you so much, and I hope to hear your miracles!

Love,

Sister Singleton

Insert Title Here?

Dear Familia and friends,

This week we had our Relief Society activity, themed "A Trip to Oz." Sister Meeks and I helped decorate cupcakes with Sister Guymon for the event (I spent most of the time cutting out the rainbow wrappers to put around the cupcakes), and it was deliciously fun. 

We had some really great lessons this week. Do you remember the miracle phone call I talked about a little while back? Well, we met with the man this week, and it was a very insightful lesson. He's probably one of the most interesting people I've met thus far, and Sister Meeks and I walked out of the lesson with some crazy new insights. His main question was whether the story of Adam and Eve was literal or a figurative representation on how men and women grow together, sin together, and fall together and how it still happens today. Well, my thought was "why not both?"

Yesterday was ward conference, and we had the opportunity to listen to President Corbitt speak. He talked about how in the scriptures it says that "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things" (2 Nep 2:11), and that when there's a problem or obstacle, there's a built-in solution! Opposition isn't a bad thing; it's what makes us grow. Instead of looking at trials like we're falling in a pit, it's more like rungs to a ladder to help us climb higher. 

In Relief Society we talked about being perfect. God commanded us to be perfect (Matt 5:48), which sounds impossible, right? Well, we know from Nephi that "the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nep 3:7) So, even though it's hard to become perfect, God has provided us a way to do that. Think about this: Jesus wasn't perfected until he was resurrected. When Christ was on this earth, he said "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt 5:48). After he was resurrected, he then said to the Nephites, "Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect" (3 Nep 12:48). So, we can be perfect, it just won't be in this life.

I love all of you, and I hope you keep praying, reading your scriptures, and asking for miracles.

Love,

Sister Singleton

Outside of Love Park with Sisters Gawu and Argueta.

I wore jeans.

Dear Peoples,

So, first off the bat I have some exciting (?) news. They officially changed a mission rule and now we're allowed to email familyand friends (including other missionaries). So no excuses for not emailing me. 

Well, this week was pretty awesome. The weather was mostly nice (minus one day where it randomly snowed then disappeared), and we were able to help an investigator move, which, I'm not going to lie, was a great reason to wear jeans. But mostly it was fun to help her out and do something we don't normally get to do.

The highlight of the week was when we were out tracting a street yesterday. When we walked up to the last house on the street, there were a bunch of kids in the window laughing and staring out at us. The mom invited us in and we were able to teach her, her four kids, and two nephews about the Restoration of the Gospel. The kids were super cute and asked us a bunch of questions, and we're meeting again with them next week! It was such a wonderful blessing and miracle. 

Well, I'm not quite sure what to write. Oh! We had Zone Conference last Tuesday. We met up at the church building in Philly and were able to learn more about how to help our investigators, specifically with repentance. Repentance usually has a negative connotation, like, "Oh, I have to repent now. Well this sucks." But it's not! It's a gift our Heavenly Father has given us so that we can be happy and relieved from those bad feelings. Sin already has consequences, and repentance takes away the pain and sorrow and makes us whole again. So remember, repentance is an awesome gift we're given.

On a random side note, we didn't know about the time change until late Saturday evening. Uncool, uncool.

Love,

Sister Singleton

Game piece park. Monopoly piece.

Monopoly piece again.

Philly pictures. We're at game piece park in the Monopoly piece.

The giant dominoes.

Monopoly piece.

Love park.

I ran up the Rocky steps. I thought Tyler would be excited.

Roller Coaster, Car, and Phone Call

Dear Family & Friends,

So, this week was definitely a roller coaster of a week. Last Monday, while we were playing Settlers of Catan (yes, you read that right), Sister Meeks didn't feel very good, so we went in early hoping she could get some extra rest. Well, on Tuesday we both felt sick and stayed in most of the day. Most of our appointments throughout the week fell through, but we had a few stand out lessons that really lifted our spirits. Oh, and we also got a new car! It's name is Goliath. We've had some fun with the bluetooth calling. Yes. 

Until Friday. Out of the blue one of our investigators called us and said she didn't want us to see her anymore and hung up. We were both devastated; we have no idea what changed, and it made me super sad. Throughout the day our appointments and plans kept falling through-- even when we went to the library to use the computers it was closed. We knew the Lord needed us to do something, but we just didn't know what. I wasn't frustrated, I was just at a loss what to do, and so was Sister Meeks. 

We were tracting a street that night and walked by a house with a woman standing at her front door. We decided we were going to go to the next house and come back to talk to her when she walked out of her front door and started talking to us. So we turned our course around and had a chat with her. Turns out she had talked with the missionaries a couple years ago, and she wanted to meet with us! It was such a blessing and a mercy to meet her after such a long, disappointing day. Miracle!

Saturday was a big turn around. Sure, we had more appointments fall through, but we were excited and full of energy to go out and work. We were knocking a street in Willingboro and talked with quite a few interesting people, including the world's biggest NASCAR fan. We were able to find two new people to teach, which was another blessing the Lord gave us. It was amazing how when we went out with energy and excitement for missionary work we saw so many tender mercies from the Lord. How wonderful!

And Sunday was an awesome day as well. We were in our apartment making phone calls most of the day, and there was one particular call that was a huge miracle. Sister Meeks called a man who had visited with the Elders a couple years ago. The beginning of the call wasn't promising; he talked about how he had his own opinions and things were open for interpretation. After a lengthy chat about the this and that of religion, Sister Meeks simply stated that we weren't going to change his mind, but that the Holy Ghost is the only one who teaches. There was a pause and you could feel the Spirit soften the conversation as he responded, "Yes, I know that is true." He said he would find his copy of the Book of Mormon and that we could meet with him in a week or two. It was a miracle! I know that the only reason that phone call ended up the way it did was because of the Spirit testifying to him of the truth of what Sister Meeks said. It was an amazing moment!

So yeah, that's my week! I love all of you so much.

Love,

Sister Singleton

PS. Pictures are of us making swirly cupcakes for a bunch of people's birthdays.

Baptism!

Shawn's baptized!

Let me start from the beginning of yesterday:

Not only did I break the zipper on my dress by accident, but as we were cooking breakfast, the kitchen was filling up with smoke. We found out early that Brother Gale wasn't able to fill up the font in the morning, so we had to be at the church early enough to start the water. 

As we were driving to the church, we realized that Shawn's last name might've been spelled wrong on his programs. So we started a crazy texting frenzy to a bunch of people to change the programs. After we realized it would probably just be easier to go straight to the source, Shawn told us it was spelled right. Phew!

We started filling up the font with hot water, and right before sacrament meeting started we turned on the cold, agreeing to check it every 20 minutes. It had only filled up about 1/4 of the way, so we figured it would be okay. As soon as the sacrament hymn started, Sister Meeks wanted to check the font, but I was like, "Ah, but sacrament's just begun, let's just wait until they're done." As soon as the sacrament was done, we went and opened the font doors. To our horror, it was almost overflowing. Seriously-- it was like half an inch away from flooding. Turns out we didn't really take into account the fact that it was filling up like ten times faster than before. After shouting nonsensical words, I reached over and shut off the faucets. We stood there, not knowing what to do. After an initial panic, we went to the kitchen. We spent about 10 minutes scooping out water with pitchers when we realized it wasn't going to help much. After braving the idea of turning on the septic pump to see if it would help, it slowly began to drain. We waited through the rest of sacrament meeting until it was at a non-floody depth.

So lesson learned: listen to your companion. She's probably right.

As soon as the baptism started, we were calm and excited. Brother Ryan Smith gave a talk on the ordinance and importance of baptism, and as soon as he started talking I could feel the Spirit. Brother Williams followed with a talk on the Holy Ghost, and after that... the baptism! You could tell as Brother Ryan Smith walked into the water it was cold (whoops?), but Shawn was smiling so big and he was just so excited. As soon as he came up out of the water the Spirit washed over everyone. It was so amazing. 

It's been so awesome to watch Shawn's progression. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for him next, and I know it will be just awesome! 

Well, that was my awesome Sunday. I love you all, and please tell me the miracles in your lives!

Love,

Sister Singleton

Transfer 1 Week 5

Well hello!

This past week was loads of fun. Last P-day (Prep day for those of you who are unfamiliar) we went to the Stake Center with our district and even our Zone Leaders and played a crazy awesome game of capture the flag. We had tables and chairs set up as barriers and what not, and we played for a couple of hours. Needless to say, we were all terribly sore for a couple days. It took a lot of effort to get out of the car every time.  

Saturday we went to a Young Women's Camp fundraiser. The theme was an All Around the World Banquet, in which Grandma Van Sciver, who is my New Jersey Italian grandmother, cooked all the food. There was food from America (Thanksgiving dinner), Poland (kielbasa and sauerkraut), Russia (beef stroganoff), Mexico (taco bar), and Italy (baked chicken tortellini). It was so good! Then at the end they had a dessert auction. I've never seen people get so competitive to buy a dessert. A trifle sold for $100, and a couple cakes sold for $80. We had two of our investigators come and we were able to have a fun time with them, and one of them even managed to buy a dessert! It was a lot of fun, with tons of good food. The best part was I was talking with Grandma Van Sciver and a woman who's being taught by the missionaries in another area (she visited for the night). The woman said: "I'm going to go get some carrot cake."

Me: "Carrot cake's my favorite!"

Grandma Van Sciver: "Everything's your favorite."

Me: "But it's my favorite favorite."

Well, moving on from the food... this week was the first week both Sister Meeks and I were chased by a dog. We were stopping by a really old address we had, and there was a cute white labradoodle on the front porch. Me, in my awesome knowledge of dogs said, "Oh labradoodles are really nice and friendly, let's just knock." I got up to the top step, and the dog just stared at me. I reached for the doorbell and was about two inches away when the dog jumped up, snarled, and started snapping at me. So naturally I screamed and started running. I passed Sister Meeks at one point, and so the dog went after her. It was hilarious. We knocked the door right next to that house and found a young woman who is a Quaker (I've never met a Quaker before, so that was pretty neat!), and we were able to chat with her and invite her to come to church. We're looking forward to meeting with her again, because she had such a genuine charity about her and she wanted to learn more.

Another great moment was when we were heading to the Moorestown library. We stopped and talked to a man outside about the Book of Mormon. His response was surprising when he said, "It makes sense that there's more scripture, because there were other people who kept records too." We asked him if we could come teach him a little more sometime and we were able to set up an appointment. Miracles! Exciting ones, too.

So guess what? This week is supposed to be Shawn's baptism! He is SO AWESOME. He's the one who decided to quit drinking before we even taught him the Word of Wisdom. He is just so prepared to follow Christ, and I am super excited for him. I'll let you know more in next week's email, of course.

On Sunday Sister Meeks and I had a missionary fireside. We strayed from the norm of having a few people talk at the pulpit and decided, with the help of Brother Gale (our ward mission leader), to have individual break-out groups to discuss missionary work more. We had eight missionaries who had small groups of people to talk about what's holding people back from sharing the gospel with others, what fears we have about doing missionary work, what we can do to stop filtering the gospel out of our conversations, etc. It was pretty awesome. The whole purpose of the fireside was to help people "Overtly live the Gospel" and not be afraid to talk about gospel topics. Too often we filter out the gospel in conversation because we're worried what others might think, how another will respond, if we'll offend someone, or something of the sort. But the Lord has told us our purpose, "Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question-- unto what were ye ordained? To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth" (D&C 50:13-14). It's our responsibility to share the gospel. The Lord has given us this wonderful knowledge and gift, and we shouldn't be keeping it to ourselves. There is no comfort in our growth zone, and no growth in our comfort zone. Get out of your comfort zone and share the gospel! And even if you say, "But Sister Singleton, when I share the gospel, they don't respond at all." Well the Lord has promised that "no effort is wasted" (Preach My Gospel), and that every time someone learns more about the gospel, they come one step closer to Christ.

Thanks to my family (including Chris) for the awesome Valentine's cards. I was laughing so hard at Mark's, and now I can't fold Becca's up again...

I love you all so very much! Please keep praying and looking for miracles!

Love,

Sister Singleton.

PS- Elder Barker is being transferred this week. I forgot my card reader so I will hopefully show you pictures next week.