Week 36 - Happy 2016! (almost)

Talk about a busy week! First of all, it was so good to see and talk to my family!! We only get to skype twice/ year so I would say that made my Christmas complete :) But aside from all the Christmas craziness we had a solid week! Monday was probably the most stressful p-day of my life. Whoever said p-days are relaxing lied. Lol. But even amidst the crazy stress I still feel like the Lord is blessing me. Our lessons that night were great and President Cutler arranged for a recent convert to come with us to our next lesson with Jessica. Also, our investigator, Sara, finally texted us back!! Made me realize how the Lord is always taking care of us. It's just some days are overwhelmingly tough. But those are the days that I have learned to rely 100% on my Savior. 

Remember that recent convert Pres. Cutler arranged to come to Jess's lesson? Yeah. Coolest woman ever! Her name is Kendall. She was baptized about a year ago in Madison, but has since moved out West to Provo. She is such a rockstar!! And has the most beautiful testimony. It was such a blessing to be able to have her with us when at the appointment. We had a really powerful lesson and we set a new goal with Jessica for baptism!! Hooray! January 17, look out! We are really praying she'll feel ready by then. She's doing so well, though. 

Earlier on Tuesday we went visiting teaching with a lady in the ward and man, that woman knows how to get it done! Seriously. We saw three less actives in an hour and a half. This woman doesn't mess around! But you know what, I'm beginning to understand just how important it is to be a friend to those you visit. In our 12 weeks training, we watch little clips of talks and such given by General Authorities and this week we watched a clip of Elder Jefferey R. Holland's testimony. He says something along the lines of how these people that we are visiting and teaching are not lifeless objects disguised as a baptismal statistic! They are real human beings. Our brothers and sisters and how we need to treat them as such. (It's much more powerful when E. Holland says it...) I can't add anything more than that. It's so important to try to see these individuals as our Father in Heaven sees them. Even though sometimes it's really hard. 

Hah, on Tuesday I gave a training in our District Meeting on the Christlike attribute of "charity". It was interesting as people shared their experiences I was reminded of an experience I had a while ago in Oshkosh. We had been visiting this less active woman for a while and one night we went over to offer her some service, and by the time we had to go I felt bad cause we didn't even help her. We just had talked about life and the gospel and stuff and so I apologized for not helping her like we came over to do, but I remember she just looked straight at me and said, "oh, but you girls coming over here and just talking with me means more than you'll ever know". Charity is so much more than sharing the visiting teaching message. It's giving your time and sharing the light of Christ within you. 

So I wrote some things on a sticky note that I wanted to mention in this email but I don't really have time to explain so, sorry about that :)

- Brent is an amusement park encyclopedia (seriously. name any state and he can tell you all the amusement parks there or name an amusement park and he can tell you where it is...even the ones in Canada!!)

- Went to Buffalo Wild Wings with the girlssss for Hermana Martienez's birthday. Haha that place is like sin city for missionaries.

- Finally got to see this less active that we've been trying to get in contact with since I got here! And set up a return appointment-- woot woot!!

- Mosiah 2:41 (eternal joy, people, this is what is in store for those who keep the commandments of God!!) 

- Both Sara AND Jessica came to church yesterday!! Holla!! I never knew how happy I could feel sitting in between two of the most solid investigators! Blessed.

- So lately I've been getting this feeling I need to ask this man in our ward for a referral (his grandson) and yesterday at church, I did! We both felt the spirit so strong! It was such a powerful moment and I can't wait to go over and contact him and his family. 

Alrighty, well. Time to venture out into the tundra. Pray for me. Jk, We'll be fine...I hope. 

Xo,

Sister Quist

Happy Navidad! ;) Confession: sometimes I feel cooler when I hangout with the Spanish district cause they call me "Hermana Quist" haha

love this companion of mine!! :)

christmas eve with the Munoz family! 

Christmas morning breakfast with the Cutlers 

Sister Cutler, Sister Smeltzer, Sister Gross, 

Me, and Sister Garner

 face timing the family! Best part of Christmas!

 feelin' the love

Week 35 - Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays (n*sync, anyone?)

Merry Christmas, everyone!! It's so strange to not be with my family this time of year, but it's okay because I get to spend Christmas in the service of my Heavenly Father! And how many times in my life can I be a missionary at Christmastime? Not many! It's been such a special opportunity to see how people's hearts soften during this season. The spirit of Christmas is a real thing! We have been studying the Living Christ for zone conference last week and the zone leaders asked a handful of people to memorize portions of the Living Christ to recite during the special Christmas program we did at ZC. And I was one of the lucky ones who got to participate! This was my part:

Of Him the Prophet also declared: "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That He lives! 

"For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father--

"That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God" (D&C 76:22-24).“

As I have reflected on this, I have become even more grateful to my Father in Heaven for giving His Son, and to His Son for giving His life that we all may live with our families for the eternities! I know that Christ lives. I know that He was born to save us from our sins. I know that "He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the bling to see, and raising the dead." I know that He suffered for you and for me on Calvary's hill. He knows me better than I know myself and I know He has the ability to help every one of us through whatever we may be going through! Sometimes it blows my mind that one man would do that for everyone who has live or will live on this earth. But I have felt the loving grace of my Savior and there is no denying that Christ can heal even our deepest wounds. I love my Savior and am so happy to preaching His gospel in this part of the vineyard! Miracles are happening everyday because of the greatest miracle of all-- Christ's birth. 

John 3:16 " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas from Wisconsin!!

Xo,

Sister Quist

merry christmas from wisconsin!!

 Me and Peter and Lucy (the bunny)

 Sister Faddis, Sister Peterson, Sister Garner, and me at Panera! :) Love these ladies.

 Hi JJ!! :)

12 days of Christmas from home

a text from a wonderful member in West Allis: 

"The YW roped the sisters and me into joining in on this. 

Quite impressive that they did this in skirts!" 

Absolutely LOVE these glimpses into our girl's world! 

Thanks Katie!

Week 34 - "Speak up... or don't?

Life as a missionary continues to challenge and bless me. It's funny (and every person who has served a mission knows what I'm talking about when I say this) but seriously all the days this week went by so slow. But now that's it's Monday I feel like I was just sitting at the library emailing y'all last week! So much has happened and I honestly don't know where to begin. I guess I'll just start on Monday. That seems appropriate haha. 

Well, Monday was p-day, you know that. That evening we went to the Abshire's for dinner. I really like them. We shared the new church Christmas video and had a nice discussion about the true meaning of Christmas! After dinner we went to Sheryl and Wendy's. We shared with them the talk "Faith is not by chance, but by choice" by Elder Anderson. Which I seem to be hearing a lot about lately. It's such a GREAT talk!! I love those ladies. 

I forget that since I'm training basically half the day is spent in the apartment! Plus District Meeting on Tuesdays is 3 hours so BOOM it's seriously dark outside when we actually get to start proselyting. But after DTM we went and taught Dylan and Carly. Mostly Carly though... Oh MY GOODNESS THOUGH! Carly is progressing so well!! She is so shy, but seriously has come out her shell so much since we've been teaching her. Their mom has been a little hesitant on them going to church with their grandma, but guess who came to church yesterday? CARLY! We were so happy to see her there. For dinner we went to the Munoz's and we go in and they're like, "We're going to Buffalo Wild Wings"! Score! 

We're so blessed here. So we had a fun time with them. They are doing SOOO good. Afterwards we went to institute with Fred K. The spirit was really strong there. I know Fred loves going to institute, so it was nice to go with him and learn together!! He's a very spiritual man. He just doesn't seem to see that in himself. Also, my blow-dryer died. Sad. 

Wednesday I got a new blow-dryer (only the most important things here, people...). But while we were getting it we got talking with this super cool lady and I'm always a little leery of proselyting in stores, but I had to give this woman a card! So I did. It was awkward and uncomfortable, but the Spirit was there and she was nice and told us she would watch the video. It's amazing how the Spirit can testify of truth even in places like Walmart! That night we were able to visit with Tina. Who is an angel. I seriously feel so BLESSED to be able to teach her and teach with her! She is a very special person to me. We talked about how when we turn to God answers will come. Sometimes it's frustrating when the answers aren't what we want or don't come in the time we want, but they will come. 

We will just skip Thursday because nothing too noteworthy happened and I'm running out of time!

Friday was eh too, we saw Barbara!! So that was great! She is doing so well. We talked about the Sabbath Day and the importance of keeping it holy. We also went to see a cool nonmember, Judy. Her husband is an active member. I LOVE Judy!! She is such an amazing lady and has the coolest family. We also saw Trish and Callieblue. A mom and daughter who have been investigators (kind of) for a year! But they invited us right in and we are going to make ammonia cookies with them on Friday...we'll see how that goes haha...apparently it cooks out. Pray for us. Jk, we'll be fine :) 

Saturday we saw Jaclyn and actually had a quiet lesson!! That house is full of dogs and kids so sometimes it hard to feel the spirit, but it was there on Saturday!! And super strong. We also saw Jessica and this is where the title of this week comes in. I was talking to her and trying to be eloquent and you know...I'm just not the most eloquent speaker. So I was trying to give her advice and I was just like, "Speak up...or don't"?? Okay, Maren. That sounded STUPID! But lucky for us Jessica loves us and we just ended up laughing about it :) Dumb moments make for good laughs. 

I hope everyone is well!! Love you lots!!

XO,

Sister Quist

Week 33 - Love from Wisconsin

Happy Monday! What a week it has been. Transfer week always seems to go by pretty slowly, but it was a good week. Monday was p day! What a great day. We did the usual routine (laundry, shopping, emails, etc...) until noon when we picked up the Muskego sisters and headed to Denny's for lunch with the district. Why Denny's, you ask? I don't know. That's what happens when you leave the elders in charge of where to eat. Nevertheless it was fun and I have just loved this district oh so much! It's been cool to see the growth and success in each of our areas. God is definitely blessing His missionaries. That night was a BLAST! We went bowling with the Munoz family. Probably one of the funnest times on my mission. 

Our "ladies who lunch" tradition continued onward on on Tuesday when we went to THE most darling place for lunch! We only used a million miles, but YOLO. It was so worth it. Seriously, guys, it looked like Pinterest threw up in there! All of us were like "ahh! we need to instagram this! ...oh wait". Haha, and I ate probably the best salad I've eaten in the past seven months. It was a fun last hurrah before half of the original group got transferred. After lunch we went over to Barbara's to have a lesson with her and her grand kids. Dylan was sick, so it was just Carly, but what a great lesson. Since we've been teaching them it's been neat to see how much progress they've made. Carly is just a quiet little thing, but recently she is beginning to come out of her shell. We talked all about FAITH and how it's comparable to a little seem. It needs nurturing and care if you want it to grown. Alma 32:37 says, "And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit". As we take care of our faith we will begin to see the fruit! And let me tell you, it's pretty dang wonderful to see the fruit of your faith. 

Wednesday began bright and early. The new trainers gathered together for a meeting before we met our new companions. Praying with all my heart doesn't begin to describe my feelings leading up to this moment. All the trainers lined up after the meeting and started to sing "Called to Serve" when the new missionaries walked in to the chapel. I swear it was not too long ago that I was that new missionary! The Spirit was so strong, as it always seems to be when we sing that song. President Cutler began announcing the new companionships and soon announced that I would be training Sister Garner! So there you go, folks! My new companion is Sister Emily Garner. She is from Boise, Idaho. She went to two semesters at BYUI and she's really cool. Really quiet and reserved, but very nice and genuine. We seem to get along just fine. 

(pictures of transfer day - thanks to the mission blog)

Thursday was good, although both of us were feeling a bit sick. We were figuring stuff out with the police and the apartment complex half of the day. So that wasn't fun, but we got it mostly figured out ("welcome to Milwaukee, Sister Garner"!). We had a lunch date with Sister Peterson and her trainee, Sister Faddis, which is always a good time. We met a super rad girl, Jessie. Now this girl is the definition of "passionate". You know, I don't quite understand why religion is such a touchy subject for most people. Just talking to Jessie made me realize that when people are open about religion it connects one to another. But most people aren't that willing to open up. Later that night we had dinner with the Cragers--who are quite possibly the coolest humans (hi guys!). I always love going over there. They're kind of the bomb. After, we went to the Munoz's for a great lesson on family history. They need to get on that so they can go to the temple! I know I've said this a million times, but I just feel so blessed to serve and know this family. They are something so special. I was sitting next to Brittany last night at the Christmas devotional and I just felt such a peace about my whole life. It was sort of strange. I think I've been a bit emotional lately due to transfers (change is never easy) and also Christmas. I'm so happy to be out serving the Lord this holiday season, but boy oh boy I'm glad that I'm only missing one :) I'm grateful for families like the Munoz's to help me cope with being away from my own cute family!

Their family also set a date to be sealed!! I'm so thrilled for them. The temple is in their sights and nothing will distract them from that. Kelly and Brent were confirmed yesterday and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. The spirit definitely witnessed to me of the truthfulness of the gospel and the righteousness of their choice. I'm so proud of them and just adore them so much. They have made such an impact on my testimony and I don't think they realize how much they mean to me. The Lord definitely puts people in our lives for a reason! 

Our evening on Friday began with PIE. Shout out to the Mead's for making my favorite pie and letting us come eat it :) I love this ward oh so much! 

After our pie date we had a bomb lesson with Jessica. Oh, Jessica. I do love that woman! She's such an example to me in so many ways! We met her at Starbucks and had a really nice discussion with her about change and also 1 Nephi 17. She's literally so close. So close, people! Like if she was standing on the edge of a cliff and a tiny breeze came along, she'd totally fall off (is that a bad analogy? haha). But it's so true! She still has a baptismal date of the 27th though. So please pray for this girl to get her answer! 

Well. That about sums up my week. Sorry this was basically a novel. Congratulations if you actually finished it! :) Wishing you all a happy week! 

Much love from Milwaukee,

Sister Quist

sister wise, me, and sister peterson with our nasty gluten free brownies

 Thanksgiving round 1 with the Capps!

happy thanksgiving! love me, sister osburn, and sister stewart!

Orlando, Kelly, and Brent at the baptism last week! Don't they look so good in white?? :) 

I love this kid so much!! He's so awesome and I'm so glad the camera caught him smiling cause this kid does not like pictures... :) 

I still somehow find a way to accumulate t-shirts here. My fave right now, "Fear the Deer". Go Bucks!

Look who I saw!! My cute Sister Coley! :) So fun to be reunited. Even if it was for just a few minutes. 

Sister Garner and I at Urgent Care. Turns out her ear drum burst on the plane ride here. Poor girl. She's been a trooper!