Training in Taeys Valley! 10/5/2015

Sister Lunt and I had a great week. As we have humbly sought the direction of the spirit to guide our actions and thoughts we have seen countless miracles. Sister Lunt is growing and gaining more confidence in herself every day. I love her.
We picked up an amazing potential investigator who wants her family to be together for forever. I know that teaching by the spirit is crucial for the conversion of the Lords investigators. I love His work and I am soooo willing to do it His way.

Teays Valley 08/23/15

Sister Michie and I get to stay together in Teays Valley for another transfer! We are so excited! God is really watching out for us. I feel privileged to be Sister Michie's last companion before she flies home in six weeks. She is exactly like Sammy so we get along great! We are very similar.

Sister Michie, Ashley, and their new investigator!

This week we got stuck in the rain. When it rains in West Virginia, it pours! We ran into a gas station and a kind man offered us free coffee. Hahaha. We politely said no and waited for the storm to end. It was overall a great week. 

I think the rain is bringing the frogs out. It was so fun to hold the little guy he kept making cute little chirps. We got to go see Mothman a couple of weeks ago. We had a blast. Sister Michie has poison ivy.  Yes, I gave her Benadryl. We were weeding and I assigned her to trim the tree while I weeded the garden. I feel super guilty so I'm buying her lunch today. I knew dad would be called into Scouts. I am glad he is happy. He will do great. There are a couple of Physicians Assistants in our ward. I really like what they do. I think I might look into it when I get back. I am wearing pearls. My ears do hurt. Maybe I will try the real stuff.

POTATOES MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER!

You will never believe what happened to me this morning. I locked myself in the bathroom! Who does that? Our door knob is pretty ghetto. We always have to use every muscle in our bodies to open the door. Well, this morning it wouldn't open. I tried everything to open the dumb door but it would not budge! So I started to cry out to my companion who I thought would come running to my aid immediately but I was wrong! I am pretty sure I sat in the bathroom for a good 5 minutes before Sister Michie heard my plea for help. She was washing dishes so she couldn't hear me. Ugh. Sister Michie begin to tug and pull and jiggle the door knob around but nothing worked. I thought I was going to die alone in our tacky 70's style bathroom! But I gave the door one more turn and it came loose! Thank heavens! The church is true! Haha. We are buying WD-40 today.

07/07/15 From Sister Packard

Lets start with the fact that she's stinkin funny. And she hates her crazy curly hair. And every companion so far has taught her something to make her more "girly". I told her I'd teach her how to spit, and that was about all I could do for her.

Wednesday we went to the Nevins and shot whipped cream into each others mouths by spraying a blob on our fists then launching it into the air. It was fun!

Thursday was transfer day so we drove to Charleston and got Sister Campbell set up with her new little missionary, said goodbye to the departing missionaries, and then Sister Sorensen and I got going. Once again no one will meet with us and we're struggling to find new investigators.

Friday I had a bit of a non-functioning day. That was fun for Sister Sorensen..........I had hoped to go a little bit longer before letting her see that side of me, but, what can ya do? We're working together. And I have no doubts we're together for a reason. It's cuz she makes me laugh.

Saturday was a Holiday! There was a parade downtown that was pretty cool. They threw out so much candy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were having a lesson with Pam when her Visiting Teacher called on accident, butt dial. But she came and picked up Pam for the parade as well. It was perfect for her. She might be getting surgery this week and it's making her nervous so it was exactly what she needed. We had dinner with the Nevins and used some cheapo sparklers. It was fun! Then we walked to the local park. It was gross to get hit with the wall of sunscreen and sweat. There were so many people. Three fields jam packed. And it was humid and hot! But everything was free. Free ice-cream, snow cones, cotton candy, hot dogs, etc. We found the shortest lines and got us some snow cones. We had to be home before the big fireworks started. But our neighbor had some VERY illegal fireworks we watched from our front porch. And they went off all night.

Sunday was a very special day for me. I fasted with a very specific question in mind and got a very specific answer. I love Sacrament meeting. We're continuing to explore and meet new people. We're continuing to find people who are ok with us coming back, but whenever we can find them...........UGH! No new investigators this week. But it'll get better. It always does.

-Sister Packard

Best:

1. Free snow cones.

2. President's interviews.

3. A patient companion.

Worst:

1. My patient companion is a cleaner. Like, throw away everything in the house cleaner. Even food............so my patience did not match hers. We'll find a balance :) I like stuff, options is a better word.

07/01/15 I Ate Squirrel!!

Wow. This past transfer flew by. Sister Kirkby is a wonderful missionary and she will be an amazing trainer. As we focused on becoming full purpose missionaries we were able to consistently reach our goal of 20 or more lessons a week. Training has brought so many blessings to the Ripley area.
As I have come to understand my purpose as a trainer, it has helped me become a more effective/responsible missionary and help our investigators come unto Christ. In the Instruction for Trainer packet it states, “Your purpose as a trainer is to help your Companion understand and live the principles described in Preach My Gospel.” The blessings that come from understanding your purpose as a trainer are endless. I have learned so much from Sister Kirkby and from my Heavenly Father!

This week was crazy! So many things happened!

- I ate squirrel! It was disgusting. I also ate a fried Oreo! It was the best waste of calories ever!  

- A tornado hit our little town. I may or may not have freaked out a little bit! Haha. It didn't do a lot of damage but it did uproot a lot of trees.

- Sister Kirkby and I attended a viewing with a women from our Branch. We had no idea who had died and we were in our T-shirts. It was embarrassing.

- I got to see a llama! I was pretty excited! It wasn't an alpaca but it will do!

- I am getting transferred to Taeys Valley West Virginia! My new companion will be Sister Packard!

I am going to miss Ripley so much! But I cant wait for the new adventure! Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Sorensen

5/17/15 Lost Dog!!

I love animals! The little creatures have a special place in my heart. All growing up, I had pets and enjoyed watching my neighbors pets. Never ever ever have I ever lost a pet. Until this past week.

Sister Kirkby and I had just arrive at a less actives house for dinner Saturday evening. We ran up the steps anticipating the scrumptious meal that waited inside for us. As we approached the door we heard an old man yell," Come on in but don't let the dogs out." I slowly opened the door and saw 4 excited fluffy pups fly towards the door. I immediately threw my hands down and my butt flew into poor Sister Kirkbys face. The next few seconds were are all blur. Sister Kirkby was shoving me in the door, the words "don't let the dogs out" were still being yelled at us, and I was practically crawling on the floor trying to make sure the dogs stayed in. In the chaos the most unspeakable thing happened. One of the dogs ran through my legs then out the door. Before I could say a word Sister Kirkby shut the door and was walking up the stairs. She had no idea a dog had escaped! I was in complete shock! How in the world was I going to fix this horrendous problem! I grabbed Sister Kirkby by the shoulder and told her we needed to take our shoes off. She gave me her"okay but your really weird" face and followed me back down the stairs. Our less active yelled at us and told us there was no need to take off our shoes because every square inch of the place had either been peed or vomited on. " We let a dog out," I whispered to Sister Kirkby! I watched as the color drained out of her face and her mouth hit the floor. " What are we going to do?"she whispered back. I shrugged my shoulders as we both ran back up the stairs and sat down. Images of a dead dog started to exploded in my mind when my amazing companion ask our host if we could grab" our phone" from the car. I have never been so grateful for a dumb phone! We quickly walked back down the stairs and outside. There was no trace of a dog anywhere. Ugh. My stomach dropped. I had lost this man's baby and was going to get the special privilege of telling him that "snowball" was out in the world somewhere smooched. I said a quick prayer and looked around the other side of the house. Miracles are real! I saw the dog by a bush and ran towards him. I scooped the obese dog up and tossed him to Sister Kirkby. We slowly opened the door and threw the dog back into the house. As we casually walked back up the steps it took every fiber of my being not to bust out laughing. We sat down and had a wonderful dinner!

Haha. Oh my goodness. Sister Kirkby and I had a hoot this week. We met a women who had 5 pet squirrels and 4 baby bunnies. 2 of the 5 squirrels were new babies that had lost their mom in a lumber accident. Baby squirrels are ugly little things. They look like hairless mice. But Sister Kirkby and I enjoyed looking at them.

Sister Kirkby and I found a new family this week. They just got married and are super elect. They are so prepared and ready for the message of the Restoration. We are super excited to see them progress.

This Sunday is going to be crazy. Sister Kirkby and I are both speaking in sacrament meeting, teaching gospel principles class, and teaching the lesson in Relief Society. Hahaha . My mind feels like its going to explode. Wish us luck.

Sister Sorensen

From Ashley's Companion (Sister Kirkby)

Sister Kirkby likes to take car selfies.

I told Sister S that my email home this week was about her, and she was like "At least send it to my mom" So i did :) You have an incredible daughter, and thanks for teaching her all she knows, because her influence in my life will change me forever. 

Sorry I don't have anything too exciting to report on for this week. It was just kind of a normal, every day missionary kind of week with teaching and finding and learning. Sister Sorensen is still just the greatest ever, and I love her more and more every day.

A few fun facts about my trainer:

1. She is a vegetarian

2. She has an adopted little brother

3. She loves cats, and wants to take them all home with us.

4.She likes to be the big sister, which makes me a little crazy ;)

5. She is the PERFECT trainer for me

Yesterday was Mothers Day, so HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all you amazing moms out there. Being a mom isn't easy, and so you get the gold star for doing what you do. I got to talk to my family last night, and it was so great to see them all! Jainna and Vannah are already growing up too fast (okay maybe not... it's been a month) and I miss my best friend (aka Hannah) like crazy. I loved talking with my mom, and answering all her questions, and after we got off the Skype call, all I could do is think about how I could just sit there and talk to all of them for hours. Oh how I miss them!

God gave us families to help us become what he wants us to be.

I love you all!

Love, Sister Kirkby

Toe to toe and tan line to tan line:)

Yup, another car selfie!!

Make a wish!

Making a new friend.

Rain Rain Go Away! 4/27/2015

This week was wonderful. I am so blessed to be serving here in Ripley.Miracles are happen everyday. Sister Kirkby is the perfect trainee! She knows that obedience is the key to our success!

Sister Kirkby and I were really focused on finding this week so we decided to tract a road in a little town called Cottageville. The next day we drove our Equinox up to Cottageville and by the time we reached out destination the weather had dramatically changed! It was pouring rain! Buckets and buckets of water was falling from the sky! We parked the car and started to second guess our decision but deep down we knew we had made those plans for a reason so we hopped out of our warm car and started walking. I don't know why we brought our umbrellas because they really didn't help us stay dry much. We knocked and knocked and knocked but no one let us in. I'm not going to lie I was a little aggravated but we kept walking. By the end of the night we had picked up two potential investigators but they both were not super interested. We drove home in our sloppy wet cloths and started to plan for the next day when the phone rang. It was Carlos a man Sister Lopp and I invited to learn over 4 weeks ago. Sister Kirkby and I had tried to contact him but we couldn't reach him. Carlos told us that he had been super busy but he really wanted to meet with us on Monday to hear our message! Crazy awesome!!!!! Faith brings miracles! We are so excited to teach Carlos tonight!

I love you and hope your week is full of faith and miracles! Work hard, pray hard!

Sister Sorensen

Sister Swanson and Sister Kirby....They always pronounce our names wrong :0)

Haha. That is what everyone calls me out here. Its like their lips wont let them say Sorensen. Most people just give up and call me Sister S or Sister Soren.  

Spring is here!!! Sister Kirkby and I did a ton of service this week. We started the week out by helping one of our members plant some Holly bushes in their yard. They have a soon to be teenage girl that they are afraid will try and sneak out of the house. They are putting in an alarm system and planting pointy Holly bushes by every window. Sister Kirkby and I kind of laughed. If a teenage girl wants to sneak out of the house she is going to sneak out of the house no matter what it takes.

The next morning we went to Sister Walters home and painted her nasty yellow shack into a beautiful gray shed. She was very grateful for the help and we enjoyed doing it. I have come to love yard work while out on my mission. There is nothing more satisfying then good hard work. And we get to wear pants! Yay for pants! I miss them. haha.

This week we were able to talk to our investigator Mike who recently got home from rehab. He is a great man who is ready to make some changes in his life. He is really upset about his past mistakes and wants to apply the atonement! He is an amazing example of never giving up and how it is never to late to change. Christ is always there for us! Arms open ready to give us a nice warm hug. I love you and hope your week goes well!

Sister Sorensen

Kasey Johnson's baptism.  Sister Erickson and I got to teach her when we were in Flatwoods!

4/13/2015 I am a trainer!!!! and Happy Late Easter

Sister Kirkby and Sister Sorensen

Everything is going great here in Ripley. I cant believe I'm training! Sister Kirkby is settling in and learning fast. She is a fantastic Sister and I am so excited to train her. This experience has made me so grateful for my trainer Sister Erickson. Sister Erickson taught me how truly important obedience to all mission rules is and how the small and simple things really do matter. As Sister Kirkby and I serve together I am looking forward to sharing that knowledge with her.

Earlier this week Sister Lopp and I were out walking along main street trying to invite one more person to learn so we could meet our goal for the week. It was 8:58 and we were pretty sure we had walked all over town! We slowly drug our feet to the car when out of the corner of my eye I saw a man! Sister Lopp and I ran toward him and started talking to him. We learned that his name was Carlos and that he worked at the restaurant down the road. He was super happy to see us and told us that he had gotten out of the habit of church and was looking for another church to attend. Crazy right!

I am so excited for this transfer. Training brings miracles and Ripley needs a lot of miracles! I love you and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Sister Sorensen

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Selfie with Sister Lopp

I am going to be a trainer!

3/23/2015 Elder Christofferson

Love You!!

 

 

Sister Lopp and Sister Sorensen

 

Wow. What a week! Our mission has been greatly blessed. As Elder D. Todd Christofferson said, “it is a rare event to gather an entire mission and it likely will not happen again during your mission.”Sister Lopp and I have seen countless miracles as we have applied what we have learned from the past couple of weeks.

It has been a lot of work but the blessings out weigh the hard times.

On Saturday we got to hear from Elder Christofferson. I learned how important it is to be consistent in organization and in following up with investigators. I got to sit in the front row and I noticed that he really glows with the spirit! Haha. At the end of the meeting I got to shake his hand and tell him where I was from. It is an experience I will never forget. I got to see Sister Erickson and Sister Alligood! It was so much fun as we laughed and shared memories with each other. 

Reunion with Sister Erickson!

 Yesterday, we went to stake conference and listened to Elder Christofferson again. It was amazing! Before the meeting I got to see all the old members from the Flatwoods Branch. Brother Ash asked me if I was getting enough potato chips. haha. He told me that he missed me and wished we could've hugged. It was so sweet! I miss my old branch but I am very happy to be here in Ripley!

After Stake conference, we went over to the Branch President's house for dinner. They took us on a little tour of their farm. They just had baby goats so we got to hold them and play with them.

The work is slowly progressing in Ripley! It is slow but it is increasing! I love being a missionary and I love serving with Sister Lopp. She has taught me so much. I love you!

Sister Sorensen 

 

Sister Sorensen, Lisa Fisher-Medford, Sister Lopp out to dinner.

I will teach anyone (anything) that will listen!

 

3/9/2015

This week was fantastic! Ripley is a wonderful area filled with wonderful people. There is no place I would rather be! Sister Lopp and I are doing great. I am learning the importance of working hard every minute of every day. In Jacob chapter 5 the Lord commands us to work with all our might in the vineyard that we might"prepare the way" to bring forth fruit.
I love being a missionary and I love working hard. Everyday I want to labor diligently in hopes that one day good natural fruit will spring up. This fruit won't just be any fruit. It will be fruit that is more precious above all other fruit!

Guess what?!!!!!!!!!!! Elder Christofferson is coming to speak to us on the 21st of March! I am sooooooooooooooooo excited!!!!!!

On Monday Sister Lopp and I were driving out in the middle of no where looking for a referral when we came to this hill. It looked a little icy but I thought our little all wheel drive car could totally handle it. I was wrong. Way wrong! We started driving up and up and up when all of the sudden the slush turned to ice. Our car started to move backwards!!!!!!!!!! I may or may not have freaked out a little but poor Sister Lopp had a come apart and jump out of the vehicle. We spent the next 45 minutes backing up, moving forward, and moving sideways trying to get the car back down the hill. With time and a lot of prayer we made it down safely. No one was hurt and the car was just fine. Thank heavens. I told Sister Lopp several times that if the car went off the cliff I was going with it because I was not going to call our car czar and tell him I destroyed another car! Hahaha. I learned that there is a difference between all wheel and four wheel drive. Moral of the story is that I miss my truck!

On Monday I was looking through some potential investigators in our area book when I came across the name Eleanor. She was taking the discussions and was progressing really well but no one had taught her for a year. I got this feeling that she needed to be found and that I was the women for the job! So began our search for Eleanor. We had small clues as to where she was be no real address. So we looked her up in the phone book and it said she lived on orange road. We put the address into the GPS and it said that there was no orange road. We drove to 3 different gas stations and asked some local people but no one knew where orange road was. Finally we went to the police station and ask some super kind police officers if they knew where orange road was. They jokingly said, " We don't have any orange roads in Ravenswood. Only black ones." They called up dispatch and got directions for us but sadly the house was outside of our area so we couldn't go to it. My heart was broken. Sister Lopp and I had spent half of a day looking for this woman because I had a feeling to find her and we could not meet her. It just didn't make sense.

I am running out of time so I'll have to write you a letter with the rest of he story. It is fantastic! your going to love it!

Love,

Your Sister Sorensen

Ripley Has a Walmart!!! I am so pumped! 2/25/2015

This week has been super eventful! It literally rained ice! Where in the world does it rain ice? West Virginia of course!!! The ground was this thick sheet of ice and it was impossible to walk anywhere without almost killing yourself. The sick kitty is much better! This cat is only alive because of Gods loving grace. I didn't do much for it!! Haha. 

Snow and ice!

More snow!

Thank you for the birthday wishes. My birthday was filled with cheese cake, laughter, progressing investigators, and a super great companion. I am so blessed to have a family that loves me and wants me to progress and succeed! Thank you so much.

Happy birthday banana bread.  (Hmmm)

Happy birthday cakes with Diana and Sandy.

I got a hair cut last week. The women totally chopped off all of my hair! I was not impressed! AT ALL! Haha. Good thing it will grow back. 

West Virginia sweatshirts and a hair cut.

 So I have some great news! Sister Erickson and I are both getting transferred tomorrow. She is going to Blacksburg Virginia and I am headed to Ripley West Virginia. The missionaries in Flatwoods will be Elders now. When they changed the mission age to 19 for sisters there were a lot of sister missionaries.  Now they are all going home and there are not as many sisters so we are turning Flatwoods over to the Elders.  My new companion will be Sister Lopp! She is so sweet! I have met her a couple of times during zone meetings and exchanges.  She is fantastic! I cant wait to serve with her. I will however miss Sister Erickson with all of my heart. She is an amazing missionary and she is going to change the world. I love her so much.

Sister Erickson and I have really focused on bearing our testimonies this week. A lot of our investigators and members are really sad to see us go. I don't blame them at all. I was the same way when I learned the Sister Missionaries were being transferred from our stake back home. It has been amazing to see the way the branch has become unified and the determination our investigators have to keep progressing. I will miss them so much. 

But I know that there are good people everywhere and I cant wait to meet the members in Ripley. Its going to be a great adventure!

I love you!

Sister Sorensen

Beautiful West Virginia!

Just Do It!

Fred and the Sutton Food Bank Crew.

Happy Birthday! 2/20/2015

It has been a little chilly this week. It has snowed and snowed and snowed! Like 6 inches!!!!! The world stops in West Virginia when it snows. Nobody goes out! They have these things called flurries here. Its where the wind picks up the snow that has already fallen and blows it in your face and up your skirt! It is not a pleasant feeling at all! Haha. Mercy, its gets cold!

This week was full of adventures! I drove the truck through a super deep river! We may or may not have almost got stuck and died. Sister Erickson almost peed her pants! It was a blast! I love driving a truck!! You can go anywhere and do anything! I am wise though! Safety first!!

On Monday I got a call from one of our investigators asking us to come over to her house because her cat had a wound that needed to be fixed. She knew I internshipped with a vet clinic for a VERY small portion of my life and wanted me to see if I could help the cat or not. So we get to the house and the cat has an open wound the size of a silver dollar!!!!! I have no idea what to do!!! I came on my mission to help people not animals!! Sister Erickson was totally grossed out and so was I. We irrigated the injury and put some neo on it. I then told the family that I had done everything I could but we needed heavenly fathers help too! So we all kneeled down around this dying cat and said a short but sweet prayer. The cat is still alive! Thank heavens!

So I had a sorta kinda had a traumatic experience this week. I was backing up the truck and I scraped a little bit of the paint off of the upper right side of the bumper. I lost all hope for a couple of minutes. We called the mission vehicle coordinator and he told us he would examine the truck at zone conference on Wednesday. I was freaking out!!! We super washed the truck and vacuumed the inside like twelve times in hope of softening his heart. The day quickly came and I thought I was going to vomit! During a break in the meeting I walked up to him to apologize for the damage. Before I could speak he shook my hand and told Sister Erickson and I that we had the nicest looking vehicle he had seen in while. The scratches were not super deep so he wasn't worried about them! I am so blessed! What a tender mercy!

This week was full of miracles. When it is cold the people don't like to go out. So we can knock on any door and someone will be home. We have picked up 7 new investigators this week! What a blessing! Our investigators are all progressing! I know that it is all because of God! I am so grateful to be serving in Flatwoods. The blessings are so great as well as the people. There is no greater gift than to get to serve Christ! I love ya.

Sister Sorensen

Busy Week! 2/9/2015

With President and Sister Salisbury

Sister Erickson and I had a super busy week. We love busy weeks because it means there are good people out there that are ready to hear our message of comfort!

I when on exchanges in Charleston this week with Sister Kitto. Thankfully there were no falls or injuries. Haha. I love exchanges because you get to see different teaching styles and learn more ways you can be obedient. I LOVE our Sister training leaders. They are always reminding us Sisters to look at our hearts and to never focus on the negative. They are the best! 

 

However, coming back to Flatwoods was my favorite part of the exchange. Flatwoods has become my home away from home. As soon as we pulled into the driveway I hopped out of the car, ran inside the apartment, and gave Sister Erickson a huge hug. She is by far the best companion and Trainer ever! I have come to love her like a real sister.

We did a lot of tracking this week with not much success. It was a beautiful week so no one was home. We looked everywhere. We went to the park, the grocery store, and the gas station. When the weather is nice I'm not sure where the people of Flatwoods go? Haha. Next time its sunny outside I'll have to go on another adventure!

Sister Erickson and I also had a Zone meeting this week. It was great. I learned that you reap what you sow and we should always be striving to make a Christ like effort in all our actions. Zone meeting is always fun because you get to meet and mingle with other Sisters.

We put a new investigator on date to be baptized while another one went to jail. That was interesting. Haha. I have learned how bad of a drug problem America has while serving here in West Virginia. It breaks my heart to see people ruin their lives and family's lives.

We met our new investigator through his wife who is a less active member. He is super kind!

Sister Erickson and I have high hopes for him!

I love this gospel! It is the best thing ever! .

Love,

Sister Sorensen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just had to take a picture of this.

Look at what Grandpa sent me!!!  Potatoes!!!!

 

No words necessary!! 

Happy, healthy and DRIVING! 1/26/2015

I can DRIVE!!!!  So quick funny story. Sister Erickson and I were in the truck in front of an investigator's house. Sister Erickson was saying a beautiful touching prayer when all of the sudden my stomach growls. I leaned forward in hopes of muffling the grumble and in the process I hit my head on the truck horn! My companion quickly had to finish praying because we were laughing so hard.
I love this gospel and I am grateful for the opportunity I have to share it with the people of West Virginia. I know my Savior lives.
This morning for personal study I read through the white handbook. We are so blessed to have this book of guidelines as missionaries. On page 5 it states " You represent the Lord in this area and are responsible for obtaining His direction in carrying out your assignment and blessing the people there." I love this statement. We have the amazing assignment/privilege to bless others through service, prayer, study, conversation, and our testimonies. We must stand a witness of God at all times and in all things so that we can be lead by the spirit to those who are ready to hear His word.

This week was wonderful! We have five new investigators!!!!! Sister Erickson and I are so blessed!! We went tracking in Clay last week. Clay is so far away from Flatwoods so we don't get to go down there very often. So we saved up our miles and drove down there! We had some pretty amazing visits with people. One visit was with a women by the name of Wilma. We knocked on her door and she came out on her porch to talk with us. We gave her a Book of Mormon and set up a return appointment to meet with her. The conversation was like every other conversation we had had that day and we thought that Wilma (like a lot of our investigators) would probably cancel on us.

The following week we stop by her house kind of expecting her to tell us that we needed to reschedule. We knock on the door and she surprisingly lets us in. Wilma then tells us how she has started to read the Book of Mormon as well as the pamphlet we left with her! Crazy Cool! She told us that she had a couple of questions for us and about how she was looking for a book that would help her understand the Bible better! AMAZING!!!!!! We had a wonderful meeting with Wilma and her husband and committed them to continue to read the Book of Mormon and to pray to see if it is true. They both said that they would and we get to go teach them the plan of salvation this week! Sister Erickson and I are super pumped!

After our wonderful day in Clay we had a member drive us home. It was pouring rain. Buckets of water were falling from the sky!! We got home said good bye to the member and started to walk to the door. I then realized slowly that I had locked the house keys in the house!! AHAHAHAHA! Why!!!!! I am locked out of my apartment in the pouring rain with a ticked off companion (I am exaggerating here). Can the night get any worse? Yes it can!!! Our district leader decided to visit us!!!AHAHAHAHAHA!!! Our very patient district leader and his companion do everything they can to break into our house! But nothing worked and they had an appointment they had to get to!! WHY!!!!!! We then ran to the neighbors house and they kindly drove us to security to get the spare key. Mercy. I just don't make mistakes. I royally screwed up! hahaha. I love being a missionary! I am so very grateful for all the kind neighbors in my life that have taken me in from the "rain" of life! I know our Savior lives and loves us! Stay strong.

Sister Sorensen

 

The District in Flatwoods

Sister Erickson, Sister Sorensen, Brother and Sister McBean, Elder Stechnji and Elder Marcowsi,

Elders Neilson and Young and,

Elders Warner and Taylor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look who's driving!

 

 At the food pantry.

Dinner with the Whites.

 

It is freezing in Flatwoods!

Happy New Year!

This past week was wonderful. We had an investigator share his testimony during sacrament meeting yesterday. How cool is that! It was probably the best Fast and Testimony meeting I have ever been to. This week I learned how important it is to be specific in what you ask for in your prayers. How can God answer our prayers if we are not specific in what we ask for. Prayer is vital to an investigators conversion to the gospel. It is important that our investigators are specific in their prayers so that they can come to the knowledge that there is a God and that he has restored his gospel today.

This week was an exchange week. An exchange is where your companion switches with a sister training leader(STL). An STL is the equivalent to an assistant to the president but female style. I was super nervous. I wanted everything to go perfect! Hahaha. But of course it didn’t. HAhAh. Sister Combs and I started our day off in a Burnsville trailer park. No one was home! No one!!!! So I decided to try a women who Sister Erickson and I dropped because we could never get a hold of her. I cautiously walked up to her door and knock. The women answer the door and let Sister Combs and I in. We ended up teaching her the whole Restoration lesson and committed her to read the Book of Mormon. It was fantastic and we were able to pick her up as a new investigator. After we went and taught the Plan of Salvation to Crystal and she loved it. It gave her “hope,” she said. I love this woman with all my heart! She WILL be baptized before I leave Flatwoods! Sister Combs and I were going to go do more visits but we realized we had run out of miles!! AHAHAHA! How did I let that happen!!!! I may or may not have freaked out a little. Haha. After Sister Combs calmed me down and told me that everything was just fine we decided to make no bake cookies for my neighbors. But we didn’t have a recipe and I had accidentally left the phone in the truck so I ran outside to get it. Sister Combs waited on the porch for me as I ran toward the truck. I jokingly turned around and made a comment on how sexy I look when I run. Just as I said the word sexy I missed a step and totally did a mini flip in the air and biffed it hard. My skirt came up and over my head. The whole world could see my underwear including poor Sister Combs who was laughing/ screaming my name on the porch. Hahaha. I rolled over laughing and flipped my skirt down. Sister Combs came running passed me(Still screaming my name) grab the keys, got the phone from the truck, and came back to my side. I thought she had left me to die. HAha. Sister Combs helped me to my feet and back inside the apartment. We realized that I had been running so fast I gave myself road rash on my left knee and right hand. We laughed and joked that what was seen could not be unseen. HAhAh. We then made some no bake cookies and tried to take them to the neighbors but no one was home!!!! Again!! Well, I tried to have a perfect day but the Lord quickly humbled me. Sister Combs and I had a blast but I was very grateful to be reunited with Sister Erickson the next morning!

Yesterday was fast and testimony Sunday. A very old man by the name of Brother Ash stood up and shared his testimony. We have been teaching his grandson’s wife the lessons and they have made many a meal for us. We were able to attend their wedding the week as well. I love Brother Ash!!! He is amazing. Toward the end Brother Ash’s very touching testimony he said that he had learned something very important. He had learned that Sister Sorensen was addicted to potato chips and that she was a vegetarian. Everyone laughed so hard. I am so very grateful for him because now the whole ward knows that I am a vegetarian and will no longer feed me meat! He bragged about how he had made me the best vegetarian chill ever! I love him! Haha.

I love ya lots 

Sister Sorensen

Pictures! 1/5/2015

Diana Gratz teaching me how to make the best biscuits ever!

Sister Sorensen and Sister Erickson with Diana Gratz.









Looking for investigators.












Christmas present from mom.









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The Whitney Family

Plan of Salvation for All!

At Sutton Dam.

Sister Sorensen and Sister Erickson in their apartment.