Happiness, not just pleasure!

Cute girl is doing great these last two weeks! We love her!!!! She says its HOT and humid,but today she is buying some very warm winter boots in anticipation of a cold winter to come!

She also gets to go to a big pday activity where they are playing beach volleyball on Lake Michigan! I told her Missionary life doesn't sound too shabby! 

Aug 3

Hey ya'll!! This week was amazing! :) Well that's just how missionary life is! But seriously, it's just great! So my subject this week is happiness not pleasure and it came from reading the Jesus is The Christ book this morning. I read about how true happiness and true joy come from being converted to the Lord and then how pleasure if the worldly happiness. It was really cool, I have seen that become so true as I have went about my short life! :) We receive real happiness as we keep the commandments, do the things that qualify us for the spirit and as we serve others! So get out there and be obedient to the commandments! :)

We had some incredible experiences happen this week as we did the Lords work. One of them was that we finally got in contact with some of these less actives in our ward. They have 9 kids that haven't been baptized and like 5 of them want to learn and be baptized. So we finally got to meet with them and the 3 kids all want to be baptized and we are going to help them to learn about the gospel and to come back! So if you want to say a prayer for the Pendergrass family that would be wonderful! :) They are great, but it makes me think of Elder Andersens talk when he talks about how we much have our spiritual masks tight before we can help others. This truly applies to all of us, we can never help anyone else if we don't have our spirituality in play. It's so important to have your own conversion. That is what will help us withstand the temptations all around us! :) 

We met some super interesting people this week! You honestly never know who you will meet, this one guy answered the door and told us he had read the book of mormon and didn't believe it, and then as we kept talking and testifying he said, that he would be willing to learn about prophets and the priesthood and then let us in and gave us some water! It's amazing how the Lord prepares and softens peoples hearts. I know this truly is His work. There is no doubt in my mind. He is our great Mediator, He is our Redeemer and He is our Savior. I am grateful to be His representitative. 

Have a wonderful week everyone!! :) Go and read over conference talks, go and read your Book of Mormon, go and pray and thank your Heavenly Father for your blessings. He loves you.

also.. go and feed some ducks! :) haha  

Love Sister Chisholm! <3 

July 26

Hey everyone!! :) I sure hope you all are doing well and that you are having a wonderful day! I sure am! This week has been great! It's been full of learning experiences, I have decided that even though sometimes those are hard and that we don't like them in the moment they always are for the better!

This week I have thought a lot about prayer, and the Atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How grateful I am that truly He truly understands us, no matter what. He has bourne our griefs and has carried our sorrows. A lot of the time we can't understand or comprehend all that He truly did for us but as we remember that we are children of God and that we are here to learn and to listen to the promptings of the spirit we can come closer to Him and feel His grace and love more fully. We are teaching a lot of people right now that feel like they aren't loved, that they can't change, they don't know who they are, where they are going or what it is they want to accomplish in life. This has helped me to reflect on 3 very specific questions I want to bear my testimony to each of you these 3 questions that I know are true, and how I know that they are true! 

1. Who am I? 

This is a question that I have definitely asked myself before, just as I know we all have. I know that each of us are sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. He knows us, He knows our name and He cares about us more then we can even understand. He truly does answer prayers and He wants us to succeed. We are all Children of God. I know this because of the moments of darkness I have experienced and how I have been able to come out of them by prayers being answered and from the spirit encircling me! 

2. How do I understand Jesus Christ?

This is a good question as well, I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, Redeemer, Brother, and truly the only way we can receive eternal happiness. We must strive each and every day to become like Him. I always think of the Primary song, If the Savior stood besides me, would I say the things I say. Would I do the things I do? Would I be the person I am? If those questions are not as I want them to be it's exactly the place I need to start. I know that as we partake of the sacrament each and every week and reflect on Jesus Christ and His life, His teachings and everything in between we will come to understand Him better and apply His Atonement more fully in our lives. 

3. How do we strengthen our faith?

I feel like I get asked this question all the time. I have come to realize more then ever that truly we strengthen our faith by doing the small and simple things. Prayer, scripture study, reading  conference talks, receiving priesthood blessings, going to the temple, serving others, doing all of the things that Jesus Christ would do. It's a process, it can't all be done at once but as we strive or even have the desire to strengthen our faith I know that it can and will be strengthened! :) 

Well I love you all! I hope you have fantastic weeks!! This gospel is true! It's real, it's life changing!!!! :D 

Love Sister Chisholm! <3 

Two of our favorite Office missionaries came to our ward yesterday!! We love them!! 

Missions are the BEST!!! :D 

 A less active member they've been teaching that really responded to their lessons!

 A beautiful Michigan sunset!

 Our family went to California this past week and when we saw Pooh and Tigger we had to get a picture of our favorite missionary with them! Tigger is her absolute favorite!

 At their fun half mission pday!

 Helping a friend paint for a service project!