Where is your treasure?

What a week, what a week.....week of miracles!

 

In all my missionary service I have never been so busy! We have appointments all day everyday and it is simply amazing. I am called to teach and that is exactly what I have been doing. So many funny things happen everyday so I thought I would share a few!

 

We do a bible study at an assisted living center every Sunday and there is always something funny that happens. You can count on it. This time we taught about the 10 lepers from Luke 17 and helped them understand how many blessings they have been given. They are all a little nuts. While we were teaching one of the ladies kept randomly asking if anyone had seen her shoes and she kept saying she lost them. La Vern is the only one in the group who hasn't lost her marbles and she kept saying "No Betty you didn't lose your shoes the nurse has them". Man, I just love them.

 

We are teaching a guy named Paco who speaks very little English but loves talking about God. Paco is from Peru and sinse he doesn't speak a lot of English he kind of has to act out what he is trying to say. He likes to talk a lot and everytime one of us would talk he would start talking about who knows what in Spanglish.  At one point he was talking about how all the teenagers do drugs and then Sister Earl said "Paco, we don't do drugs." Then he said "Ooooooh!" and looked really relieved. Aparently he though we did drugs! hahah.

 

There is a very sweet fellow named Brother Crutiss who lives an a different assisted living center. He ios about 83 and intently listens to every word you say and really analyzes you. About half way through our lesson he looks at me and says: "You can be trouble. You are a good girl, yous all are (referring to my companions).. but you(me) can be trouble". we laughed a little then continued and as we were leaving he held my handshake a little longer and said" now you stay out of trouble".

Earlier with the same brother Sister Earl tripped on her shoe a little and he said "are you tipsy?" haha. I love that man.

 

On a more serious note.

Church this Sunday was so filled with the Spirit. There was a young couple who spoke named the Waters. Sister Waters is from Austrailia :) She spoke about the talk titled:" Where Your Treasure Is". She did really well and asked the question --> Write down a list of things that are most important to you. What are you doing each day to build or contribute to those things? It really struck me. Most people would name things that are most important to them like God, family, friends, etc. Well that is great. Then the next question of what you do each day to build or contribute to those things is the real kicker. I encourage all of you to find ways to focus on your priorities and let all the little things that don't matter fall to the side.

 

This week was very rewarding. We have continued to teach our investigators Rich (who is getting baptized on Aug 10), Keith, and Jeff. They are all amazing!!! Rich is so solid and just understands then lives whatever we teach him. He knows everything  is true and he is at church every Sunday. We see them all on a daily basis which has never happened before. I love Milford, PA!

Sister Simmons and Sister Earl are the bees knees! We all get along so well and we have a great desire to be obedient and work hard. We love to laugh! You really have to sometimes as a missionary.

 

Love you all and have a grrrrrrreat week,

Sister Zeller

God Bless America!

What an amazing week this was! There are so many things that have happened this week including transfer calls. Sadly, I am getting transferred tomorrow morning. I have no idea where I am going or who I will be with but stay tuned for next week :) Dover has a huge place in my heart.

Something I learned this week: Anyone can be ready for the gospel. We have an investigator named Chrissy who lives in the ghetto and we drop by her house a lot. Her next door neighbor is always on the porch kind of glaring at us. We always say hi but she never says anything back. Well on Tuesday when we stopped by and Chrissy wasn't home we started to write her a note. Then the lady on the porch next door asked us what we do. We told her how we help families and she said "well, ya'll need to come over her and help my family!". haha it was so funny. We went over and taught her and she is a new investigator. You never know who is ready! It might be the lady who gives you the stink eye!

We got to teach a lot of less actives this week. One in particular, Sister Love, had a lot of misconceptions about the church and forgot a lot of the teachings. For some reason afterwords Sister Jolley and I didn't have the spirit. If you don't know this already, nothing gets done in missionary work without the spirit! You must have it constantly if you want to serve. Well we tried to find a potential investigators house and it didn't exist. We said a prayer in the middle of the sidewalk. In my head I was pleading with Heavenly Father for a miracle! I told him we are so obedient and we are just trying to help His children. Just give us a miracle. We started walking down the street seeing which house the spirit wanted us to knock at. We saw these amazing flowers and decided to knock at this door. The lady came out and she was awesome! She had met with 2 sets of missionaries before! What are the odds. She was no where in the area book. Diana. Sister Jolley and her golden have an appointment this Friday with her. 

We had a meeting with all the zones in Delaware on Friday. The STL's took all the sisters into a room to teach us seperatly. They taught us about our worth. I didn't realize how much I needed the words they spoke. They taught us that our [great] worth is set. It will never change. No matter numbers ( weight, baptisms, lessons, zits on our face). None of that matters because it doesn't effect our worth. The only things that matters is our commitment to do the Lord's work. That's what makes us a successful missionary. 

Same with member missionaries. You can't mesure your's success by the outcome. The fact that you invited is the only thing that matters. Christ provided us with the atonement. When people don't accept and use that atonement, does that mean He failed? Nope. Same with our invitations.

Hope 4th of July was fabulous! All the missionaries got to stay out until 10!!! SO late!

One more quick funny story. 

Fast Sunday this Sunday. Super nervous to go up and bare my testimony (thought my mission would help with that...guess not). Waited till the last minute and walked up while the last lady was talking. Sat down on the stand. Once you are up there you have to talk right? wrong. Bishop Harrison stood up and closed the meeting and I was just sitting there!!!!! hahaha according to the members I looked pretty surprised. Everyone was smiling. hahaha after the meeting Bishop came up to me and said he didn't see me and he felt so bad. I suppose it didnt help anything when I told him I was being transferred. He felt SO BAD! He made up for it by feeding us dinner. I am going to miss him and the ward. Truly is the promised land down here. DON'T PROCRASTINATE!

Happy 4th and Shout out to Elder Joey Tanner! FB friends :) He is just right above me. 

Love,

Sister Zeller

Rehoboth!!!

Hello everyone,

Go USA!!!! Wahooo!!!!!!!

Anyway, the gospel. 

This week was a little slower than most but there are always shining moments :) The amazing new investigator William that we met last week we were able to teach him again this week. The more we teach him the apparent it is to us that he has truly been prepared by the Lord to receive this message. We emphasized different ways to invite the Holy Ghost in your life and one that we talked about was through reading the Book of Mormon. He picks up the book and says "man! I need to read this!" haha. almost cried. Towards the end of the lesson he slid The Book of Mormon to us and said "Mark something for me to read". He has no idea how happy he is going to be. 

We met with Ieshia again this week and gave her a tour of the church. She loved it! When we went into the Chapel for the last stop in the tour she looked at us and said she had goose bumps. Sister Jolley has grown so much these past three months and it was very apparent in that moment. The member we brought with us even said so after the lesson. It is such a privilege to train her. We invited her to church on Sunday and she didn't make it. again :/

We are teaching some girls in the ghetto part of town and it is the coolest thing!!! It is hard when you teach people and they don't really have a desire to learn and find out for themselves if it's true. However, Chrissy and her niece definitely have that desire!!! They want and need something so bad. We invited them to volleyball tonight with the YSA and they are on track to come. Amazing things are in store for them and we can't wait. 

cool experience: We started volunteering at the public library in the job center. I went over to this lady in the corner to see if she needed some help. She did and so I started helping her. Then she noticed my nametag and started asking all these questions. She was so intrigued and found out we believe a lot of the same stuff. She was the coolest lady. I know you probably don't think this is that cool but I don't have enough time to explain any more. Just believe me! haha

Love you all and route for U.S.A!!!!

Sister Zeller

P.s. Went to Rehoboth beach today with a member. One of the hot spots here in Delaware. Got to see the Delaware Bay. This state is so tiny! There are only 3 counties. Not sure how many of you know this but I really really love America but I also really really love Britain. Sister Howard turned around in the car after I freaked out about the cool restaraunt in the picture and said " Choose this day whom ye will serve Sister Zeller." haha too good. 

The people of Dover continue to amaze me!

Bonjour!!! So many wonderful people that I love so dearly. Here is a list of them that we saw this week.

 There is a lovely lady named Liz who lives here in Dover. She is in her early 20's and has been a member for just less than a year. She is inspiring! The only member in her family and in her college. She asked us to teach her and it has been amazing to so her growth and progression. We spent a lot of our Pday with her today. She made us lunch and gave us a tour of the college. She is such a light to those around her and she has no idea!

Jesse is father we saw this week who is not active in the church. He is married to a wonderful born again Christian lady and they have a little boy. They invited us over for dinner and we were able to have an amazing conversation about our Heavenly Father and his love for all of us. I feel the importance of uniting with those who believe in Christ especially in this day and age. The spirit was so strong as we shared our beliefs. Hopefully we will see them again soon.

Tabaris & Sharnette are a part-member family. Tabaris stands at about 6"7 and was a convert at a young age. Sharnette has some reservations for the church but still let us come and teach them. She was very stand off-ish as the lesson began and wouldn't even look at us. I love opportunities like this to exercise my faith and see the spirit soften her heart. We started off with singing them a song which always brings the spirit. She relaxed a little. I felt the prompting to bare testimony of God's love for us and the spirit was even stronger. We taught them the restoration and asked her what was going through her head. She finally opened up and began to pour out her concerns and beliefs to us as she cried. The spirit truly touched her heart and she agreed to read the Book of Mormon and have us back this week. I love being a missionary. I know none of that miracle happened because of me but because of the spirit. I'm just lucky enough to be a part of this great work.

The Relief Society councilor asked us to give the lesson this past Sunday in Relief Society. We gladly excepted and were assigned to ch.10 from the Joseph Fielding Smith book: Our Search for Truth. I'm not sure why but I got a little nervous before the lesson and prayed for the words to help the ladies in some way. Of course, he helped out a lot and the lesson went so well. The women in this ward are simply remarkable and everyone participated. The Spirit filled the room and did I mention I love being a missionary? For the first time in my life I LOVE to teach and especially to testify. 

The last person I want to mention is a recent convert of about 6 months named Foster. He is from Ghana and he and his wife are the cutest thing. As we sat in Gospel Principles talking about our loving Heavenly Father the teacher asked the question: "Who is the happiest person in the Universe?". Foster, who doesn't talk much, sincerely explained "I am". Everyone kind of laughed but he was completely serious. He went on to say ", I have the gospel in my life and my family. What more could I want?". It was the most sincere comment and made us all step back for a second. I want to invite you all to step back and see the beauty in your life. We have the gospel and our families. What more could we want?

I love you all and encourage you to be the happiest person in the universe,

Love Sister Zeller

The ups and downs

This week was full of "ups and downs". However, the ups far out way the downs! Our progressing investigator Leshia is still progressing. She didn't make it to church on Sunday because of some  miscommunication but that is all sorted out now. She is prepared! We had our second lesson with her this last week about the Plan of Salvation. She had read from the Book of Mormon last time and wrote down all sorts of notes and questions. She is truly progressing. Plus Sister Jolley and I really prepared for the lesson and Heavenly Father helped us out a lot. That tends to happen when you do everything in your power to prepare and then let him guide the way. I love her and she has been waiting for this for a while. 

One of our progressing investigators dropped us. She was one that came to church but we went to visit and she told us the church "wasn't for her". Of course, as a missionary, I have had this before but I have really grown to love people so it hurts more and more every time. 

We have been working with a guy named Victor who is husband to a member of our ward. He has been through sets and sets of missionaries and began to progress when we first got here to Dover. As time went on he stopped progressing and he would go upstairs when we came over. They signed up on the meal calendar and when we went over the house was in chaos. The kids were jumping everywhere. Someone punched a whole in the wall. It was a mad house! We had no idea how we were going to calm everyone down to have a lesson. 

We offered to sing a song and that calmed things down a good amount. Sister Jolley whipped out her iPad and showed a slower more serious video which I didn't think would work. However, I knew she had the spirit so I supported her and it made all the difference. We showed "Mountains To Climb" and Victor was mesmerized. Apparently his sister had been in the hospital and that was exactly what he needed. As we left he walked us out to our car to make sure we were safe just like he used to do. The fire is rekindled!

It doesn't end there. We love fast Sunday and we decided to have a special fast for Victor to know what he needed. He came to church on Sunday (so happy!) But after Sacrament he promptly went to the van. Apparently he would go out there and wait until church was over. Not okay! So we found him and invited him to gospel principles. He kept saying he had some stuff to do but we began to address the importance of church. We ended up staying outside talking to him during all of second hour. He really opened up and we learned his real concerns. We went to dinner later at his house and were able to invite him  to be baptized. He excepted and is praying about a date. He said it meant a lot to him that we missed all of Sunday School just to talk to him. He is changing :)

If anyone one got through reading this entire thing I love you! If you didn't you missed out. John I am glad you are alive and invite you to never buy a bike again :) Congrats Jeff for graduating!!! I wasn't sure there for a while. haha jk. but seriously :) 

Love you all and remember to do your best and trust God,

Sister Zeller

pictures:

3204- I think I am going to make a wall of all the pictures I get with animals from my mission. This puppy really loved me and slept on my lap the entire lesson!

3202- Sister Jolley and I were walking to our dinner appointment when we hear the loud crack. We look over and see this tree falling over then BOOM! It hits the ground. It was crazy! Right in the members back yard. 

Watch out! Tornado!!!!

What a packed full week. I'm not sure really where to begin!

Last Monday about this time Sister Jolley got a frightening email about her Nephew who almost suffocated. She was so distraught. I suppose you would call them my *motherly instincts* kicked in and tried to comfort her for the rest of the day. She got a blessing from the zone leaders that night which helped a little. It's a little harder when your family doesn't tell you the whole story and you have no way to find out what's actually going on. I love her to death and we really learned the power of prayer. 

One of the Sisters in our town home finished her mission today. Mission Accomplished!  I made them all French toast that morning, not to brag but it was super delicious. We made her a cute little banner with funny quotes and tender messages. She loved it and we totally surprised her.She is the most adorable thing from San Francisco. She will be missed.

Member Referrals are where it's at! We got one this past week and the member brought her to church. She loved it and had us over on Tuesday to teach her. We taught Ieshia the restoration and she started crying right at the beginning. She was crying tears of joy because this is what she had been looking for. She accepted our invitation to baptism and she is so excited. 

Another miracle: We followed the spirit to this house and met a lady who was just about to step out of the door. She asked if we had something we could leave with her so we gave her a pamphlet. We stopped by so many times after that to get an appointment. This Wednesday when I was on an exchange with the STL we drove by to see if they were there and didn't see them so we kept driving. The thought popped into mind "what if she was home and I missed this opportunity?". So I popped a Loui (as sister Jolley would say) and knocked on her door. She was home and it was her day off! Thank goodness for the spirit! We taught her the restoration and she was so prepared and interested! We invited her to be baptized and she said she would be when she knew it was true. The only thing is her husband is deployed in Kuwait and won't be back for a number of months. We just got a text from her today saying she wanted to wait until he got home to learn more. They will totally get baptized!

Now for the grand finale! 

Thursday we were planning for the next week at the church when it started to rain super hard. Then we heard some lightning and I dragged Sis. Jolley outside because I think lightning storms are really cool and I wanted to see. Then the Elder's from the other ward came in and said "oh good. You Sisters are already here" and kept walking to a different room. We were a little confused. When we finished planning and the rain stopped we saw Bishop Harrison. He asked if we were okay and we said yes a little confused. He began to say that there had been a TORNADO in our area! Two houses down the road had been demolished because there car was moved on top of their homes! 12 in total for the city of Dover. We could not believe it. We had no idea! hahah a couple got some injuries but they are okay now. Crazy stuff!

Crazy crazy week full of miracles and growth! I love being a missionary.

Love you all and remember to follow the spirit without delay. As we do this God will truly know our love for him and his children.

GOD BLESS AMERICA! Happy Memorial Day!

love,

Sister Zeller

P.S Sorry this is so long. There was just so much that happened!

P.S.S Margarette! I am so glad you got to meet Elder Jones in Philly. He is one of my favorite men.

pictures:

3135- The one way is Jesus Christ :) 

3152- Freedom! Happy Memorial Day! Thanks and respect to all those that have died in the fight for freedom!

Miracles & Following the Spirit

I have been on my mission for 7 months! This is crazy!

Hello! Golden retraining ( meeting for all the golden's and their trainers) was so amazing!! When all the trainers were in the room with President Anderson and he asked us how we handled our golden's homesickness I wanted to reply but didn't raise my hand for some reason. If I had spoken I would've said the best thing to do to help your golden with home sickness is just to love missionary work. That is what I did and she followed. When you realize the joys of being a missionary you realize why it's worth it to be away from them. Also, working out your problems when they happen instead of waiting until later. Being the trainer is the best thing I have ever done. It has helped me love more like the Savior and truly follow the spirit. 

  

Like every missionary, when I first came out I wanted so badly to recognize the spirit. I feel in my 7 months of being a missionary I have improved so much. 

I want to share two miracles that happened yesterday that have to do with following the spirit. 

Our appointment cancelled so we went to visit an unknown on the ward list for backup. They weren't home and before we left to see our next person I saw a lady cleaning out her adorable baby blue convertable. I was trying to figure it out when the words of my trainer came to mind "Just do it". Sister Jolley was a little tired but I told her it was from the spirit. We walked a ways down the street and started talking to this lady. She was not interested at all :/ We walked away a little confused because I was pretty sure it was a prompting from the spirit.Then, I saw a family! We went over to talk to them and started up a conversation. After a little chatting she agreed to watch the mother's day video. Afterwords,  she expressed she had been looking for a church for her family. They had just moved in and didn't know anyone. They are a family of 5 and we are planning on teaching them this week. What a miracle!!!

Later that day when Sister Jolley was more awake and pumped we tried to find another unknown on the ward list. We drove by and couldn't find the number so we decided to park, get out and walk to see if we could find it on foot. We did and we passed a man sitting outside. We asked him if he knew the person we were looking for and we started talking. He knew who we were and had been taught by missionaries before in NY. He had so many questions (concerns) that we answered and resolved. We taught him about the restoration. I had a Book of Mormon with my testimony and favorite scriptures marked in it. Sister Anderson challenged us to hand it out and promised that the person we gave it to would get baptized. At first I thought I should, then after a few minutes I wasn't sure. We asked for a return appointment and he started saying excuses when I asked him (I love asking inspired questions) Lino, What if this was true? He stopped for a second and said... I'll try it. I took out the BOM and put in his name. He said he would read it and I have a strong feeling he will be baptized. I love him so much!!

There are so many more miracles but not nearly enough time.

Congrats to Joey for getting his mission call to Rochester NY!! Can't wait for you to come over here next to my mission. Love you all!

Love,

Sister Zeller

Pictures:

3084- 7 months with the golden's, all their trainers, the AP's and President and Sister Anderson

3095- I love Delaware (ave)!! haha.

Happy Mother's Day!

Well this week went by way to fast! 

But I suppose I say that every time. We had Zone Conference which was absolutely fantastic! The Mission Doctor couple came to teach us about keeping our mind, body, and spirit healthy. I love things like that so I definitely got a lot out of it. The Assistants to the President then took over the 2nd part of the meeting and talked about commitments and following up. They showed us this bible video: Peter and John Heal a Man Crippled Since Birth. The spirit filled the room! It took faith from both of them for that miracle to occur. After he stood he began to rejoice for everyone to see. My favorite part is that instead of running home and telling everyone he could walk or whatever else he would've done he looked to the temple. He desired to enter. Peter and John were so happy in the background when the man entered. That is just like when we commit our investigators to follow commitments. As we (the missionary) and they the investigator have faith, the miracle will happen. The investigator will experience the amazing joy that comes from living the gospel. I LOVE the Bible videos and if you haven't watched them please do! Not for my sake but for yours. 

The Lord has blessed us with so many people to teach this week! There is a lot of work that is put in but it is so worth it. One investigator in particular we were finally able to sit down and have a lesson with. After countless times of us stopping by her heart slowly softened. As we talked with her she shared her life experience as a mother and daughter. My heart was broken for her but also full for the wonderful family I was raised in. For my mother and all she has done for us kids. She has had a hard life and she believes it is no coincidence that we met her. My favorite part is testifying to people that Heavenly Father loves them and then seeing them believe it. That's what Sister Jolley and I did. Because of our "caring manner and firm belief" she agreed to come to church and find out for herself. We are seeing her this Wednesday and she is changing already. I LOVE being a missionary.

My oh my it is starting to get toasty outside and the bugs are popping out of thin air. Thank goodness for the beautiful greenery, makes it all worth it.

It was so great seeing the fam yesterday! Although I only saw M
om, Dad, Marg, and Jeff (who was passed out on the couch). He did muster out a "hi" though. Thanks for all the love and support back home. It motivates me to work even harder. See you at Christmas Rachael! Congrats to Cassidy! Can't wait to hear about your adventurous mission in Panama :)

Lovely Sister Jolley got me a "mother's day" treat! haha get it? cause I am her trainer? She took me out to Rita's today. Best daughter ever!

I love you all! Keep praying because I know Heavenly Father hears every single one. 

Much love,

Sister Zeller

3073- Beautiful greenery :)

3062- Dover Zone

Dover Days!

What an amazing week! 
Spring is really here and there are people out and about. Sister Jolley is a boss at talking to everyone. Sometimes when i might have been hesitant because the person was on their iPad or something -BOOM- she talks to them anyway. She is such an amazing missionary already! I love her to death. 

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was the Dover Days festival. People all around come and run around the may pole. There are people in Colonial outfits roaming around the capital. Then there are shops along the fields (A lot like Saturday market). It was almost overwhelming how many people were there. But, the spirit led us to those we needed to talk to. This week we have 6 new investigators! Thank goodness!

One of our cutest investigators is a boy named John. We met John when we were locating a ward member who aparently had moved. John answered the door (he is about 10) and we showed him the Because of Him video on our iPad. He loved it. We felt prompted this week to go by and visit and he was home. We started talking and he opened up a little more. We taught him a story from the Book of Mormon, Samuel the Lamanite, and explained how the stories can help us in our everyday lives. He started saying his mom and dad said that God and Jesus were the same person but he didn't thinks so. It was the sweetest moment I have ever witnessed. His parents aren't interested but they want their son to decide for himself. We are so excited to teach him and eventually help the whole family get to the temple to be sealed. I LOVE being a missionary!!!

Lately, I have been studying from Jesus the Christ and my oh my it is a wonderful book. I was reading about when Jesus went to the Temple of Herod and flipped over the tables. When I first heard about this story I was a little caught off guard. It didn't seem like something Christ would do. As I continued reading It said : "The incident of Christ's forcible clearing of the temple is a contradiction of the traditional conception of Him as of One so gentle and unassertive in demeanor as to appear unmanly. Gentle He was, and patient under affliction, merciful and long-suffering in dealing with contrite sinners, yet stern and inflexible in the presence of hypocrisy, and unsparing in His denunciation of persistent evil-doers."

I love that he will not stand for unrighteosness in his father's holy temple. It reminded me a lot of this past conference and how they invited us to be firm in our faith to withstand the worlds. Not to be offensive to others but to defend our faith. 

Those are my two cents.

I am so excited for mothers day! Can't wait to see your beautiful faces :)

Have a great week, 

Sister Zeller
(May 5, 2014)

Easter and a New Assignment

What a wonderful Easter it was!!! If you want to know what is new with me the answer is: Everything!! My current area is in Dover, Delaware. The capitol of the first state and they won't let you forget it. Haha. It's a lovely place and all the buildings are beautiful historic brick buildings. It is just adorable. As for my brand new companion her name is Sister Jolley from St. George, Utah. She is quite the little personality and I am excited for her "golden fire". We are in the Dover ward which was just barely made last week. We had stake conference this week so we still haven't met our actual ward yet which is a little strange. We live in a little town house now with two other Sisters. It is so much fun!! I love Dover so much and the road names are the best. Stay tuned for those pictures next week!

Stake conference was amazing because Rafael Pino of the seventy came to speak to us. He was so hilarious and such a great speaker. He talked about hastening the work of salvation and it inspired me to be even better! Something that I loved was he said it's all one work now. Before temple work and missionary work were separate but now they are one and the same. Instead of mission presidents just talking about the ordinance of baptism they are now talking about family history. Heavenly Father is truly hastening His work and I can feel it every day. 

We can all be missionaries whether we have a name tag or not! Invite your friends and never be scared to tell them what you believe. God will always help you do His work.

Today for our grocery shopping we went to this little Amish grocery store and it was amazing! The people with their bonnets and buggies. I love being a missionary :)

My condolences for the DeRoest family. I love you and am so grateful for the plan of Salvation. My prayers are with you. 

Love and pray for you all,

 

Sister Zeller

Blown Away!‏

General Conference blew me away!!!

 

I can't believe how fast it went by. Wow. It was so amazing! ALL of the speakers had such amazing things to say. The one that truly touched my heart was by D. Todd Christofferson. He talked all about Christ and it left me overflowing with the Spirit. We had a long car ride to our dinner appointment in which Sister Reyes and I were silent. I reflected on my service as a missionary  and my plans to change in the next six months. I also loved the "4 minute" one and speaking with grace for the hearers. They were all so well done and enlightening. It sounded like they were preparing us for prosecution and the crazy stuff in the world that is coming up. 

 

God truly knows what he is doing. I also reflected on the missionary age change and all the other changes to the church through media and the youth programs. My theory is that God lowered the missionary age to allow more Elders and Sisters to go on missions because we are going to need stronger families in these last days. Two faithful returned missionaries are sure to create a home based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ. I know that many things I have learned on my mission will bless my future family immensely!

 

I love this work! We made some really good progress with one person who hasn't regularly gone to church in twenty years. She opened up to us and dug deep to find why she was so hesitant to go to church. That "digging" is such a huge step in and of itself. She found an answer and is willing to work on it. We invited her to watch General Conference and we are going to follow up soon. Hey! 

Our solid investigator Juan is getting baptized this next Sunday!!! He is progressing so well and has been very prepared. He watched the Sunday sessions of conference. Our other investigator Mary (who was introduced by a member) will be baptized in May. She came to a members home and we watched conference there. She loved it!! The member and her got along really well. During the talks she kept saying "Mmmmmmm-hm!" and "AMEN!" It was awesome.

Zone training was also great. Elder Kitsell, Elder Hunsaker, and I sang Go Forth with Faith to the tune of Abide with Me 'Tis Eventide. It was scary but brought the spirit and we all loved the arrangement :) We learned about doing family history research and it sparked something in me. One of the elders got us all pretty pumped. I have a lot to learn but with the little family history I've done, I've already experienced a connection and love for my ancestors.

 

I can't believe it is already the last week of the transfer! I love you all and invite you to read through the Christlike attributes section of Preach My Gospel. It is a great resource for being happier ;)

 

Have a good one,

 

 

Sister Zeller

 

 

 

One of the members has a pet skunk!

All ma girls :)

 

 

The Super Sampler!‏

Well this week was quite the week of running around.

We had a ward activity (the Super Sampler), which we along with the Ward mission leader planned. Members and investigators brought food from different countries: both desserts and normal food. Although we didn't get the amount of new investigators that we planned for, a bunch of our current investigators came and it was amazing! They had such a great time. Each of the auxillaries set up a booth about different things like family home evening, provident living, prayer, faith, and the Atonement. It was really cool. Sister Reyes and I made little temple sugar cookies. We barely had enough of the ingredients and did a lot of substituting (sugar and brown sugar are like the same thing, right?) They actually turned out to be a hit! Sister Reyes got some crazy blisters from mixing the frosting. Haha. 

 

One of our investigators is progressing so well. His name is Juan and he is ready for the gospel. He has never had so much fun at church and he fits right in with the YSA. The Super Sampler was so perfect because it allowed him to meet and mingle with all the members. 

The temple President for the Philadelphia temple came and had an awesome booth as well. President and Sister Anderson also got to stay a while. It was so cool to have them there.

 

I have a feeling that I won't be in Stroudsburg much longer. We had interviews with President in which he basically makes sure we are doing okay. I love him and Sister Anderson! Brian Emmett, did you get the picture? They are so loving and he basically said this was my last transfer. So sad. The Stroudsburg ward has a special place in my heart.

Yesterday, everyone we had planned to see was in New Jersey for some reason. That night made everything worth it though. First off, one of the members made me one of my favorite dishes (because somehow the word got out that I was going to be transferred soon). Mashed potatoes, asparagus, and steak! He even gave us the leftovers. 

 

Secondly, one of the YSA girls, named Melissa, gave us a ride all the way out to a member's house. We planned to stop by one of the investigator families that we hadn't been able to see in a while. They let us in and she was the perfect person to have with us. They loved her! It was a miracle to have her there because she is always so busy with school and work. God knows what he's doing and we just have to  be willing and worthy to follow Him.

 

Thanks for the love! 

 

Have a great week,

 

Sister Zeller

P.S. Mission rules allow us to be friends with immediate family members (only) on facebook. We can't reply or anything. It allows our family to see our progress. 

5 Months!‏

5 months. Say what?!

 

What an amazing week we had :) 

 

First of all, we went on exchanges this week which always makes things crazy. I went with Sister Shaia to Doylestown, PA, for my first actual exchange. I had never been out of my area before so it was really cool to see a different place. Especially one with random castles around!

 

We exchanged back at zone training on Thursday which was equally awesome. We learned about remembering our purpose. Sometimes it's easy to get in the swing of things but when we remember our divine purpose it really puts things into perspective. 

 

I had some firsts this week:

 

Philly cheese steak

 

Pizza with garlic powder (apparently it's normal here)

 

Rita's!!<---- This place is so delicious! It sells all sorts of frozen treats. I got a red swedish fish gelati (custard with italian ice). I'm not sure if they have them on the west coast but they should. 

 

We had some miracles this week which including two baptismal dates :) We went to visit a potential on a familiar street. We were looking for somewhere to park when I remembered a former's house that we had previously thought was deserted. I said we could park there when Sister Reyes pointed out that someone did live there. We went to go see if the guy was home and he was! It was such a miracle. We taught him about the Book of Mormon and he remembered when he saw missionaries in the Dominican Republic. He still had the Book of Mormon in his room. We got to see him again on Saturday and he is now preparing to be baptized on April 13 ~ last Sunday of the transfer. He came to church on Sunday and the YSA were so inviting. 

 

Another lady, whom one of the members invited to meet with us, will be baptized on Easter. She is such a sweet lady and so close to the spirit. People are all around us are ready for the gospel. We just have to invite them :)

 

This week was a great one and I hope everyone is having a lovely St. Patrick's day :)

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARGARETTE!!! I LOVE YOU! 

 

HAPPY 1 YEAR RACH! Time is fly-ing!

 

Love,

 

Sister Zeller

Pictures:

 Sister training leaders. Love em to death!

 Rita's!!! yum!

 5 months!! so tired .... ha ha ha

Pennsylvania: Windy Roads, Pot Holes, and Deer‏

Buenos dias mi amigos!!! (That is the extent of my Espanol)

This week was quite lovely! If I could describe my area and the general idea of Pennsylvania in 3 phrases, they would be Windy roads, pot holes, and deer.

 

Funny but SO true. 

 

The Lord TRULY knows what He's doing. Not sure how many times I am going to learn that but this is surely not the last. Sister Reyes and I thoroughly enjoy Thai food and we had the opportunity to go to a little Thai place for dinner. Whenever we go somewhere we look for someone to give a pass along card to. Two young guys walked in and I was thinking these were the ones we should talk to. In my head I was thinking, "How nice would it be if they just started talking to us for a change"... Five seconds passed and one of them started talking to us! So cool! We talked more and more and found out one of them knows some people in our ward. They committed to come to church and add us on Facebook. One of the YSA we went teaching with said they worked with him when we told her the story. On Sunday (they didn't show up) we talked to the family that Ryan said he knew from the church and they all got super excited. Daniel (the one who was baptized in January) said he even knew Ryan and that they have been friends for a while and he lives down the street! Connections! They are inviting him to the Wednesday activities and this kid has a LOT of potential. Miracles!

 

That's the story of the week and there are many more to come! Love you all and it has been three weeks since I got mail. Don't feel too bad. It turns out that the mail lady couldn't get to our mail box so it's all been going to the post office. Thanks Dave!

Have a great week and watch out for pot holes,

 

Sister Zeller

P.s. I got to go to Scranton (what? the electric city!) for a stake women's conference.

 

The district!

 

One of our investigators sent us this text. Too funny.

 SCRANTON!!!

 

Birthdays and Sunshine!‏

The sun has actually been out and spring is just around the corner--hooray for warmer weather!!

Downside? BIRDS. EVERYWHERE. :(

This past Sunday was one of the best Sundays I have had on my mission! First of all, Daniel who was baptized in January blessed the Sacrament for the first time today. That was a great moment. Then a former investigator by the name of Ron came in with a friend. I did a double take and then I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the meeting. We taught him from November to the end of December. He didn't want to follow some commandments even though he knew the church was true. He just decided to show up this Sunday :) That was also another amazing moment. Our ward mission leader texted us right before church and told us he needed someone to teach Gospel Principles class. Of course we said yes and it was so awesome! We had 0 time to prepare and were reading through the lesson for the first time with everyone else. Luckily, Heavenly Father always helps his missionaries. I've learned how to follow the Spirit in teaching and I feel like the Holy Ghost just leads me to what I am supposed to say next. I have worked so hard for that!

I love being a missionary not only because I get to help my brothers and sisters but also because I learn so much from all the people I meet. Yesterday we were talking to a lady on our street for quite a long time. She talked about all her journeys working with the UN and giving us all this advice. She was really kind of hostile towards religion like a lot of people we meet but she loved talking with us. Some people you just know you are supposed to meet.

There is a very special lady in the ward who is the best member missionary I have ever met. She is so amazing and goes teaching with us all the time. She invites everyone she meets to hear more. Her birthday was this Friday and we made her a delicious chocolate cake with grasshoppers (like thin mints) in the center and chocolate frosting. We crushed cocoa pita chips mixed with brown sugar and put it on top. We surprised her and made sure she had the best birthday ever. I love these people. 

There are so many candle places here it's insane! Like one on every corner!

Many more stories but no more time!

 

Have a great one,

 

Sister Zeller

 

P.S. Alex Zeller! Remember that journal you bought me? I am finally using it and it's awesome! I love you! Thanks!

Baking zee cake. So much fun!

Sister Wheelis!!! That cake was so good :)

Random cow at one of the candle shops

Deer and iPads

Aloha Everyone!

I hope you had a lovely week. The work in Stroudsburg is moving
forward and the iPads are helping a ton! Just the other day we stopped
by a former investigators home and instead we started up a
conversation with the neighbor who was outside. We talked about the
weather and asked if she went to church. She was born Catholic and I
felt really prompted to ask what her favorite part of the Catholic
Church was. So I did and instead of telling us her favorite part she told
us what she didn't like. I've been studying to get my PhD in Preach
My Gospel chapter 11 (about extending commitments) and following the
spirit in asking questions. We were able to find out the things she
was missing from the Catholic Church and what she wants to get back going to
church. We weren't able to get a return appointment but before we left
Sister Reyes had the random thought to show her the Mormon message
titled "Until We Meet again" by President Monson. She said she agreed
with everything the video said and we testified of prophets. What a
great tool!

Another miracle happened showing the exact same video. We are teaching
a couple in their 80's who are currently Methodist. They know Joseph
Smith is a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true but they aren't
understanding priesthood for some reason. The husband Bill is kind of
hesitant in moving forward with the church but we were able to show
this video and it changed everything. He remembers WW2 when he was a
boy, so he felt a connection to the video instantly. He started crying
when we asked him what he thought about the video. We were teaching
the Plan of Salvation and the spirit was so strong when we testified.
We are excited to keep teaching them and we left them a temple
magazine to read. Things are looking good!

This week was great and I learned a lot about asking questions. I have
so many stories I want to tell you all but I would be writing all day
and you have lots of things to do. What a great opportunity it is to
serve a mission and be so close to the spirit everyday. Sister Reyes
and I are getting along great. We both have a lot we need to do to
become what The Lord needs us to be.

We found out Sierra's name is actually spelt Cyara. Anyway, we talked
to her parents today and we will be seeing them either this Saturday
or sometime next week to start preparing her for baptism. Her little
Sister recently turned 8 so that is two baptisms planned for March.
Two on top of all the other investigators we will find and baptize.
Time is flying! Another transfer will be finished by this next Sunday.
How blessed I am to be serving in the Stroudsburg ward. Don't forget
to open your mouths and invite! Heavenly Father will help with
everything else.

Love you all,
Sister Zeller

P.S. We were driving and saw a deer so we stopped. We had some extra nuts
so stuck my hand out the window to see if it would eat them. While I
was calling for the deer 6 other deer came out of no where and started
running at our car. They surrounded our car! And there were a bunch
more that came later. The deer on my side was a wimp and never ate
from my hand but the one on Sister Reyes side ate all the nuts in her
hand and even licked it afterwords. Haha got it all on camera. It was
a hard day and the deer cheered us right up! Hahah tender mercies!!!!