A really strong member friend

We had another wonderful week. Here is one of our miracles:

I was on exchanges and literally all of our solid appointments fell through. I was praying for a miracle because I really wanted this dear Sister to experience it. We began to knock and sure enough it was the last door we knocked on. We met a wonderful lady. She recognized us as the Mormon missionaries instantly. She loved the prayer and accepted a Book of Mormon. She asked us where the nearest ward was.... turns out she grew up with a really strong member friend. They have kept in contact all these years. She went to young womans with her as a child and everything. She related how she had always been so impressed with this family. She had only been living in that area for a week and she knew we were sent by God. We followed up the next day and she related how she had taken a picture of the Book of Mormon and sent it to her friend with the caption "Look who knocked on my door last night". They even talked about the chapter we left with her in the Book of Mormon! When we were doing our How To Begin Teaching she expressed that she wanted the genuine happiness that we all had...when we asked her what she needed to do to receive it she replied, "Well I guess I need to be baptized!". She is elect and it is all because she had a great example all these years!!! She herself even related that had it not been for her member friend she would have wanted nothing to do with us. It was great to share this experience with our members yesterday about how there examples really do make all the difference!

We had Zone Training this past week and President came.

Mom this is what we did for the ZL's... we did a sunshine scavenger hunt around the church.. haha they enjoyed it and felt lots of love... they loved the yellow fuzzy socks... we had fun at the dollar store ...you would have been proud.

Matched on Sunday and didn't even plan it.

Yes Mom we are still biking. :-D

Sister Aisa and I are getting along well. We can communicate openly and I am grateful for that. We are learning so much together. We had an amazing day yesterday. We both bottle up stress and yesterday we both realized that there was a lot of stress and things we needed to talk about so we did. We both agreed that when our sisters have problems like this they have us that they can call but when we have problems we have no one to call... then it clicked that there was indeed someone to call! Sister Richardson!!! (Mission President's wife) At first we didn't want to... our pride was preventing us from doing it. Then we realized that this is how our sisters must feel when they know they need to call but don't. We realized that if we want our sisters to do the same thing then we to must do it. So we humbled ourselves and called Sister Richardson. I am so glad that we did!!! It was refreshing and exactly what we needed. We told her what we were going through and what we needed help with. She gave us the council and direction we needed. She was so happy that we trusted her enough to call her. She let us know that that is exactly what she is here for. She was so grateful. We all rejoiced and were edified together... (Sister Steg that was for you!!). God always provides servants to help us. It was a great lesson learned. I am so grateful to be on my mission. I am learning life lessons for eternity. I can't believe how much trust God puts in us. We are so young and have so much responsibility as missionaries/leaders but we are sanctified and purified as we leave ourselves behind and seek the Lord's aid in all that we do. It is the best 18 months to 2 years we could ever do.

A highlight of this week was getting to go on exchange in my old area!!! I got to go back to Delray! I am so grateful. We got to teach one of my recent converts in one of my favorite members homes... I also got to talk to one of my favorite members on the phone. It was such a tender mercy. It is such a blessing to still be in the same zone. I love exchanges. I learn a lot from the Sisters. They are all amazing. Sometimes I think we learn more then they do.

All in all, it was a wonderful week.

This beautiful girl lives so close to the spirit!! Her prayers are so POWERFUL!

Love

Sister Hartley

Turns out she is even a minister at her church!

Wow what a week! We saw so many miracles and I am so grateful. I LOVE Sister Aisa!!! We are so unified and I love it. We get along well, which I am grateful for. We have a lot of time in the car so lots of time to talk, laugh, and just enjoy the moment. We only get to be on missions once. We have the best sisters and we love going on exchanges with them. I got to experience my first MLC (mission leadership conference) and it was a treasured experience that I am grateful for. This is undoubtedly God's work. 

Comp Study with the Assistants! These are the hardest working Elders ever!!!!

This one time we were in a trio for the afternoon...

Picture from my first MLC (Mission Leadership Council). All the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders come together to receive training from President and the Assistants. The District Leaders were invited this time as well.

Our area is doing well. We experienced a huge finding miracle this week! Following MLC, we talked together on the way home about what we wanted to apply in our stewardship and area. We felt that we needed to be more persistent with our OYMing. Rather then focusing on giving pass along cards, we determined to seek a harvest prayer at every opportunity. God gave us an immediate situation. We had just followed up with a referral and were heading back to the car when we saw a couple getting out of the car. We approached them, gave them a card, and began to talk with them. Looking tired and complaining, the wife claimed she wanted nothing to do with us but said that we should pray with her husband. She headed up to her apartment expecting us to stay there and pray in the parking lot but we didn't. We testified that it was a blessing for his home. Finally, he agreed and we followed him up to the apartment. Long story short, in the end both the husband and THE WIFE joined us for the prayer and they loved it! We gave them a Book of Mormon, invited them to be baptized, and they agreed to come to church. We didn't once doubt that they would come. They were honest people. On Sunday they both walked in!! Not only that but the wife got up and bore her testimony!!! She started off with, "Well this is the first time I have ever been to a Mormon church. . . " and it went from there. Turns out she is even a minister at her church!                              

Our investigator that bore her testimony on Sunday!

She related how we found her and how impressed she was with our love, boldness, persistence, and obedience. She could tell that we had a purpose for being there. She commented on how we were so full of faith and determined that she just couldn't say no. It was such an incredible testimony. She recognized the light in us. It really hit us that this is what being a FFLM missionary is all about. We are bold. We are loving. We are full of faith. We are persistent. We are challenging and testifying. All-members and non members-will recognize these qualities because we literally are being beams of light for all to see. This is what FFLM is all about.

This experience of having one of our investigators bare there testimony also developed a lot of trust with members of the ward. They were able to here what we do in relation to harvesting from the investigators perspective. They were able to see how hard we work. It was such an incredible experience. We were so grateful to God for allowing us to see such a big miracle! We know many more are in store as we continue to be true FFLM missionaries.

There are twins in our ward!

                              

In effort to greater know the ward and develop the trust of the members, we decided to go to Young Women's. I felt so old! haha they are all SO young. It was an amazing experience though. Sister Aisa and I were able to contribute a lot to the lesson and we could tell the leaders really appreciated us being there. It really impacts the girls to have us there. It made me so grateful for my own young women's leaders and teachers. They have all impacted my life so much. I never thought that I would receive my Endowment at such a young age. However, I was prepared to do so and the young women's program and my leaders played an integral part in that. I am so grateful.

We have another busy week ahead. It will be another amazing one filled with miracles! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Hartley 

Exchanges really tire me out

Bro. and Sis. Sommerfeldt are back in Canada

That is so weird to see you with the Sommerfeldts!! I sure love them and miss them. I am really happy that you saw them. Happy Birthday Dad! It sounds like you had a great day. Sister Aisa and I had a great week. Together we are both very positive and full of faith and we are trying to instill that in all our dear Sisters. I love Sister Aisa. She is teaching me so much. I love my area as well. We literally have the best zone in the mission and the best zone leaders. They are such extraordinary missionaries and men and I am so grateful to serve along side them. Really we are just loving life and loving being missionaries and servants of the Lord. Travis I am so happy that you are training!! O my both you and Sariah are greeny training! That is so awesome! You'll be a ZL and STL before you know it! Katelyn you look adorable as always in all your pictures. You look so happy and I love it. I am learning wonders about the atonement. It truly strengthens us beyond what we can do. I have never been so tired in my life. Most nights I just drop to my knees, not knowing how I am going to have the energy to do it all again tomorrow but then I begin to pray and I feel Father take over.  physically, spiritually, and emotionally. But I am learning so much and loving every minute of it. Our sisters and investigators are so wonderful and sweet. I love them all. I am so filled with gratitude for all of the many blessings Father has given me. I have no room to ever ever ever complain! I have been given so much. I am so grateful. I hope that you all have a great week!

I love you!

Love,

Sister Hartley

Parcels the Sommerfeldts brought home for me.

I am very excited/humbled to be serving as an Sister Training Leader

my beautiful Aussi comp

A little taste of Palm Beach for ya... it is pretty humble.

Saying goodbye...hardest thing ever!!!

Well... what a week it has been. I am so excited/overwhelmed for this transfer. Transfer meeting was CRAZY! There were so many changes made. It feels like a completely new mission. President Richardson is making it his mission. He has been here for a while now and has things figured out as to how he wants to do it. I am excited. I about died when they read my name and said my new area and companion! I am now serving with Sister Aisa in an area called Palm Beach. The funny thing is I didn't even leave my zone! haha I have been in the same zone my entire mission so far... (Sister Steg why am I just like you?! haha) Sister Aisa is such a good companion. She is from Australia but not Travis's mission she lives in the Brisbane mission. It was funny she was my STL and we went on an exchange just under 2 weeks ago and had a great time and now I am her companion. I am very excited/humbled to be serving as an Sister Training Leader with her. We look after 7 companionships of Sisters. We go on one full exchange and 2 fire exchanges every week... in other words, we are very very busy. I have never been so tired. It is a good tired though. I figure I only get to serve the Lord in this way once and I need to embrace it and cherish every moment. I love our dear sisters so much. They are amazing. I went on my first exchange this past week and was very humbled. I learned a lot. Most Sisters think the STL's are there to be an example and learn from but in reality the opposite is true. We probably learn more from them then they do from us. As a leader you see lots of things that you don't as a regular missionary. So much goes on. Basically it has taught me that I literally have so much to be grateful for. I have no reason to ever ever complain!!!!! 

The Comp Study with our District leader

Heavenly Father has blessed me so much. I have a new appreciation for the Assistants to the President. Man are they ever amazing and work so so very hard! I enjoy getting to talk to them regularly I learn so much from them. Looking back I can see how God has been preparing me for this my entire mission... especially with Sister Stegelmeier being my trainer. I am so grateful. One thing I love about being a leader is having an awesome companion! You don't have to worry about dis obedient issues or anything like that because we both have to set the tone and be the example. It is nice. We get along really well together and both work very hard. Even though we have only been together for a week we are really unified. We teach very well together. I am so grateful.... I just love her to death. The new area and ward are awesome. The zone leaders serve in our ward to so we get to spend lots of time with them. It is really fun....I think I will stay. :D haha  Anyways I don't have much time.... to be honest letter writing is going to be hard. On PDay's all we want to do is sleep... haha I will do my best. If you don't get a letter just know it is not because I didn't want to, it is because I am losing myself in this great work. Now I not only get to work to bring our investigators closer to Christ, but other sisters as well. I am so excited. I love this work.

Pray for me and my new area and companion

I don't even know where to start it has been a wonderful week. We had transfer call last night. It was wild like always. The unexpected happened as usual...but I felt that I would be leaving. I am just starting to get to comfortable here and I need to get out and climb the next mountain. I love this area though and all of the people in it: members and recent converts especially. But they will be taken care of and will see them again. 

So this was my face when I found out I was being transferred!!! No just kidding... Sister Furner hid in the bathroom and when I opened the door she scarred me and took a picture of it! Best picture ever eh?

I am so very humbled to have spent the first 7 transfers of my mission in the Boynton area. I have seen many miracles and I can definitely see God's hand in me being here so long. I may have been in the same area but much has changed. I was able to be a part of the newly formed Delray Beach ward and play an integral ward in pioneering the missionary efforts as well as now seeing a newly formed Boynton Beach Stake. Same area but different ward and stake! God's work is surely hastening and I am so grateful to have been able to witness this first hand. 

Wahoo we are done 12 week!!! One of our miracle returning members. I just adore her. Classiest old lady ever...

 One of our miracle returning members. I just adore her. Classiest old lady ever...

We had Stake Conference this weekend and 2 general authorities came to reorganize the stake. It was such an exciting day. Great things are happening in this part of the vineyard. In Stake Conference the General authorities talked all about the work of salvation. We don't hasten the work by being hasty. What it really means is completion. Completing families...on both sides. Both missionary work and family history work. Part member families must be completed and non members baptized and then on to the temple...it was such a good conference. It was very motivating. I loved every minute of it. Our new Stake President himself is a convert of 14 years. He is a piano tuner and one day he went to a ladies home and while he was tuning her piano she shared the Gospel with him and gave him a Book of Mormon. He is so converted. He may have only been a member for 14 years but he said he has only sat with his wife for a year and a half because of his callings! He has been in a bishopric, bishop, high council, you name it he has done it! He is so awesome. There are prepared people. We must open our mouths and talk to them!!!!! 

Hope you all have a great week. Pray for me and my new area and companion please. Thanks for all the love and support! 

 The sandwiches we had for lunch were HUGE! 

I live with two crazy sisters

Zone Conference

 My STL's and me. I love these dear sisters. Exchanges with them are the best. 

FHE with my favorite family! We teach the new member lessons in Members homes for FHE's...it is always some of my favorite memories. We taught of the importance of prophets. Each paper had a different bible/book of mormon prophet and they had to ask yes or no questions to determine who they were. It was a lot of fun. They are all getting to no the Book of Mormon really well!

My foot continues to heal from the bike crash... It was starting to get infected and we just happened to be teaching a lesson at the mission nurses home she checked it out and told me what I needed to do. All my shoes would rub against it so she told me to go without a shoe. Made for a good conversation starter with people. 

Teaching one of our investigators... he was so excited when he found out I grew up on a ranch. I brought him all sorts of pictures and he just loved them and asked question after question. He was pretty disappointed though when he found out I didn't ride much and didn't even have my own horse.. haha He had a CAT hat on and I asked him if he ever wore John Deere hats and he said he did. The next lesson he brought each of us one!!! I was so happy. The other man is another one of our investigators...we had a combined lesson with them both. 

Sister Andrew is amazing

Wow what a week! In the 12 week program it was for Sister Andrew to take the lead in EVERYTHING. I really had to keep telling myself to keep my mouth quiet. Sister Andrew did an amazing job!!! I was so so so proud of her. She has grown into an amazing missionary. We also went on exchanges this week which is always a great time with the sister training leaders. I went up north and Sister Andrew took over the area for the day. Again she did an amazing job!!! I am so proud of her. It is hard to believe that this could be our last week together. Transfers is next week so I won't be emailing until Tuesday. I am trying really really hard not to think about it. The thought of leaving Boynton honestly scares me to death! There are just to many precious people here and I know the area...anyways where ever the Lord calls I will go. For now I am just choosing not to think about it. haha I will worry about it next week. 

We had a zone activity last PDay and I learned a great lesson. We played smash face--missionary version of dodge ball. If you get hit you must go down and the only way to get up is to tag someone who is up or get a ball and hit someone else who is in. The other way to get up is if the person who got you out gets out you get back in. Anyways... so I was out and couldn't remember who had gotten me out.I was content watching everyone else play--the elders are very entertaining at it--and wasn't trying to hard to get back in. One of the Elders must have noticed that I hadn't gotten back in in a while. He came over and kneeling down beside me asked who had gotten me out? I told him that I couldn't remember. He responded that it was ok I could just get back in and play anyway. I told him  I was ok and was happy to just sit and watch. He kept trying to get me to play. Finally he stuck out his hand and said here just tag me and I will go down and you can play. You can take my spot. Again I resisted. Finally, refusing to be defeated, he said Sister Hartley don't let my atonement for you be in vain." That did it. I finally got up, tagged him, and went in to play. I didn't think to much of this experience at the time but as I have pondered it I have learned much from it. How many times is the Savior right there offering to tag us back in but we refuse because of pride? More specifically, being content with where and who we are. In Sister Steg's words... we are comfortable. I cannot let the Saviors Atonement for me ever be in  vain. It is always there. He is always there to tag us back in if we will but only let him. We must access it.

Our Zone

We had an amazing miracle yesterday. We had just finished dinner and began briefly planning when we got a phone call from a member. He said there was a guy in the parking lot that we had OYMed several weeks ago! We went to the chapel immediately and he was just smiling when he saw us. He said, "I promised I would come and I am a man of my promises." He is an older gentleman. We gave him a chapel tour and did some how to begin teaching. He is amazing. He knows the end is near for him and he wants to get his life in order. He knows there is so much more to life and he is so weighted down with guilt and shame. He accepted everything. He is a miracle. 

Anyways.. I love you all. Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Hartley 

Look what I found while tracting

I love my Companion!

Travis I love the pictures of the Tim Tam Slam! haha I showed Sister Andrew and she got so excited. I guess it is a New Zealand thing eh? Speaking of Sister Andrew and New Zealand... she has started driving so she can better learn the area. In New Zealand they drive on the other side of the road and the steering wheel is on the other side of the car. Basically everything is opposite. We haven't died yet though so that is a blessing. I sit very cautiously though in the passengers seat! haha I think the funniest thing is when she goes to signal and the wind shield wipers go. It is priceless. I love my companion! 

I am so proud of Sister Andrew she has come so far, I have as well. We have had many precious experiences together. However, I have been feeling bad that we have only had 1 baptism together and it was right when she first got here so she hasn't really been able to see anyone progress and be baptized. I have been trying not to let this bother me. I really want her to experience it. Before I been very blessed to baptize consistently and the fact that we hadn't been somehow made me feel like I was failing as trainer. I look back now and realize how prideful that is! (Don't worry I have repented...) Well Elder Harper, being the inspired District Leader that he is, gave us a revelatory comp study on what a successful missionary is. I know page 10 of PMG really well but until this point had not yet fully internalized it. We talked about the most important thing about our missions is that we come closer to Jesus Christ. We strive to acquire and emulate his attributes and character and then help others to do the same. As long as we are doing that we are successful. During this comp study I realized a very important lesson. That being, that both Sister Andrew and I are doing all that we can. We doing our best to be exactly obedient, we are diligent each and every day, and we are full of faith. Both feel like we are giving it our all. I realize better now that the best thing that I can do as a trainer is to help Sister Andrew see that a successful missionary is not a baptizing missionary. It is a Sister who has internalized both her purpose and the atonement. It is one who is constantly and consistently changing and becoming something better through Christ. This is where we find the greatest joy. What a trust and responsibility the Lord has given me to help teach this lesson to Sister Andrew, for it is a lesson that will benefit both of us eternally.

A quick miracle from this past week is that we were on our bikes contacting and harvesting. We had been going for an hour and not seen much of anything happen. We realized that we were running late for our next appointment so we started heading back to the car. On the way back we biked by a house and felt like we should knock. We knew were were going to be even more late but we turned around, parked the bikes and went to knock. We waited and waited and no one answered. Satisfied, we left a card on the door and headed back to our bikes. Just then a man rubbing his eyes stumbled out the door obviously just woken up. We were able to bless him and see him accept everything. It was a miracle. Biking is the best. Honestly...even in the Florida humidity--which I may add is the strangest thing! You literally walk outside and are immediately covered in sweat. When we get back from running in the morning we are really soaking. When it rains it is a blessing. 

you. 

Also guess what? Elder and Sister Sommerfeldt are coming home this week! I am so so so sad to see them go! 

I love you all! Have a great week. We are having a zone activity today so it will be really fun. Our zone is full of a lot of hard working, converted Elders and Sisters and I love them all to death. It will be a fun afternoon. 

Love you all! 

I got a flat tire on my bike this past week. The Elders gave me step by step as to how to do it over the phone. I got pretty far by myself but you all know how I am at these kind of things. Finally I got called our favorite part member family and he said he would take care of it. It was a win, win. He fixed my bike and we got to visit with his wife! 

I love the Delray Ward! One of my favorite members and the young woman! Love them all.