I got corned in Wisconsin! 10/12/2015

Hey Family and Friends!

What a week! 

We had a Zone Training Meeting in Oshkosh. It was a good last meeting and lots of great things discussed for the next few months. We all got ice cream for exceeding our goal of 75 baptisms from July to September 30th. We got 79 it was great!

We also had a great lesson with an investigator couple, Kaitlyn and Darrel. They are an interesting couple haha they want to find a church but they dont want to go to ours. i dont know...haha

we talked about where the book of mormon came from and it seemed to spark their interest more. they went from not going at all to that they might go...sweet! IMPROVEMENT!

We went to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate my 18 months down! It was delicious. i got ribs :) but then i had a blonde moment and put the box with my leftovers in my purse and it leaked and got corn juice all in my bag! that was exciting. that corn was put in the garbage can and i ate the last rib the next day. it was a good celebration though.

We were also able to see Lila who is an investigator! she is sweet and has a Texan accent! She loves the Plan of Salvation. we had a great lesson with her. 

i was very sick this weekend with a whole bunch of sinus and throat stuff. i was not feeling well at all yesterday. i still went to church, but it was very miserable. i was able to receive a blessing from the elders in the ward and I go home and rest. I am really grateful for the priesthood. I feel 10x better today. I  know that through the power of God anything is possible. I  have truly experienced that on my mission. I love you all. Have a great week!

Love Sister Emily Sarah Eaton

October 5 2015

Hello Family and Friends,

I hope you all enjoyed General Conference! What a wonderful conference it was. I got a lot of emphasis about trusting in the Lord. I am really working on that. As I have been doing that I have seen myself becoming more confident. Sharing the gospel isn't so hard from me and it has been so wonderful to be able to just go out and teach with little fear. I still get nervous, but I am beginning to see that God is right behind me to catch me. It has also been a very humbling experience as I have needed to let go of my pride and let Him "take the wheel". I didn't ever realize the pride that I had until I got out here. My mission has been a very eye opening thing for me and I am truly grateful for it. 

This past week, we have been struggling to get in with our investigators. It is really frustrating and sad to me. I wish that these people knew how much this gospel could bless them. They will sit there and complain to us about how their life is hard and if they could just give up smoking or if they could just get a better job then they could start meeting with us because they would have more  "time". I am starting to realize that as we see this happening with almost everyone that we can all start now! Start where we are right at this moment because God and Jesus Christ will take in anyone and everyone at anytime in their life. We just need to take that first leap of faith. It reminds me of a talk that was given this last weekend...I wish I could remember who it was by and what it was called, but it talked about how there is never a time when you are "hopeless". I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that anyone can get back on their feet and missionaries are here to help with that too. If you are going to start somewhere why not here....? right?

On  the other side though, Leann, who is the elder's investigator, but we see her as well, and her husband, Chris, are both doing well. They had us and the elders over for dinner the other night and had a good talk. Chris made his famous Gumbo...I tried it, but I didn't dare eat the crawdad. ugh. It wasn't bad. Kind of spicy. I don't mind spicy though. But one of the elders and Chris finished it for me. 

We went to this less active's house for dinner on Saturday night after the afternoon session. We got there and she came to the door and told us that we could all sit outside and talk because her ex brother in-law was on the couch sleeping (wisconsin can be complicated with their families :p) So we sat there and talked to her a little bit....still waiting for her to say something about dinner...Then we finished up and said a prayer with her. It was a good talk and she did watch some of General Conference so that made us happy. Then we got in our car and Sister Brewer looks at me, "Well....Arbys?!" 

"Ha I am way ahead of you Sister!"

Sometimes people forget that they are feeding us, but its ok :)

Last night was kind of an interesting experience. There is this family that is semi- interested (the kids are excited to learn but the parents are not). So as we try and teach the kids, the parents and their friends are talking over us...its weird. But it was kind of cool last night because the 3 girls were there and then their friend and some other friends of their parents. It started out with just Savannah listening to us but then Harmony came over and said,"oh! I want to listen". Then their friend sat in and it was just this circle of young girls from 7 to 11. We started teaching the Plan of Happiness and they all had so many questions! I really felt like Jesus as the circle felt like it was getting bigger and bigger with children that wanted to listen! I am sure that the adults were quietly listening though. It went well though and we hope that we can start teaching them all in better environments.

Well I hope  you all have a great week! If you  haven't watched conference yet then go watch it!!

I love you all!

Love Sister Emily Sarah Eaton

September 14 2015

Hello family and friends!

Transferred again! Ya i know! WEIRD! But thankfully this will be my last. Next transfer I will be home. Its so strange to think about. 

Well it was a crazy week. I had to say goodbye once AGAIN to Sister Kunz and it was bitter sweet. We were able to get everything packed amzingling. We drove down to Milwaukee so she could pick up her trainee and I rode up to Oshkosh from Milwaukee to meet Sister Brewer, my new comp. I was able to see one of my previous companions, Sister Wood. She was going home and so we got to take pictures and say goodbye. 

Then sister Brewer and I were off! We drove down to West Bend and got some lunch. We live in a members house. I was a little hesitant when I heard that just because of past experiences. So far it hasn't been too bad though. Sister Blank is very sweet and she has a nice house. No spiders and she keeps it clean!

The ward here is great and they sure love the missionaries. I wish I got a quarter every time I was hugged or shook someones hand. haha 

Sister brewer is great as well. We are both very different from each other, but we both love this work so that is all that matters. sister brewer has been out for 6 months and West Bend has been her only area so far. she is from Clay Springs, Arizona. I have become the senior companion once again. This area is cool. I feel like it is like a little bit of all my areas mixed together. There are little things that remind me of all of my areas so it makes me feel a little more comforted. 

We have a small teaching pool right now but we plan on building it up. I really want to work my hardest here and put all the rest i have in these last 5 weeks! I know i will miss it when i go home so I want to love every second i have here. 

Last night we went over to an older lady's house to visit her. Her name is Leona and she is the sweetest thing. We talked about the spirit world (my favorite topic) and I was sitting on the couch by myself while Sister brewer and Leona were each on a recliner chair. I was thinking about the times where I have felt alone in my life and on my mission, but then I always go back to how I am not alone. I could feel the embrace of my relatives that have passed on and doing greater work in the spirit world. Most specifically my Grandma and Grandpa Eaton. I could feel them sitting right next to me on either side. Then I thought about how not only is it just my relatives, but also my Heavenly Father. He truly knows everything I have been through and will go through. I love this gospel. It has truly blessed my life and the lives around me. I love that I will be with my family forever. 

Next Wednesday, Sister Brewer and I will have the opportunity to go to the Chicago Temple. That will be our Pday so don't plan on next Monday for me to email, but Wednesday the 23rd. I am so excited to be able to go again. I was able to go at the beginning and now the ending of my mission and it will  be a great way to finish it off. I hope you all have a wonderful week! Please pray for Makayla and Carol as we are praying to get back in contact with them and have baptismal dates with them this week. 

I love you all.

My new address:

657 Polaris St. 

West Bend, WI 

53095

Love Sister Emily Sarah Eaton

September 8 2015

Hello Family and Friends!

Wow I can't believe I have 6 weeks left of my mission! I am also being transferred tomorrow to West Bend! I am kind of stressed out because I have to pack everything up again...blah. At least the next time I pack it all up I will be heading on a plane. Then I will never have to pack again! haha jk

So this week has been a little crazy after all that has gone on. 

Autumn is doing great and she is still good for her baptismal date. She loves church and wants to make it a priority in her life. We were able to have a great lesson with her and a member. We watched the Restoration and even though there were 5 kids running around being loud haha Autumn was glued to the TV and she said she was able to really feel the spirit! She was able to gain a confirmation that Joseph Smith is a prophet, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church and that the Book of Mormon is true! Sister Kunz and I were really just blown away! She is awesome. Last night she wanted to add me on Facebook so I am excited to keep in contact with her after my mission. Please continue to pray for her. Sister Kunz will be training and I know she is way nervous, but she will do great!

Please continue to pray for me as these last 6 weeks will be awesome, but also challenging for me. I know that Satan is going to try to throw some bullets at me. I am trying my best to prepare for it all. I want to work hard and my best these last few weeks though. 

Well I hope you all have a great week! Stay safe. 

Love Sister Emily Sarah Eaton

August 31 2015

Hello Family and Friends,

I hope this week has gone well for you all. Surprisingly, it went by pretty fast even though we had no car all week. We walked a lot! We did ok though. We are now more tough :) 

Our investigator, Autumn came to church yesterday! We were so happy. I made her pinky promise me that she would come so I think that is the trick now :p The members were wonderful though. They took her right in and her kids had lots of fun. We were able to schedule to see her 2 times a week now and we are going to invite her to have a baptismal date this week! We are shooting for October 3rd. I was laughing about how all the baptisms I have been to lately have all been on someone's birthday back home. I think that is the trick also! 

We were able to be seen by lots and lots of people this week as we walked everywhere. Sometimes when we aren't able to actually talk to people, people seeing us on the sidewalk is still a seed planted. We did have a lot of people cancel on us when we finally got to their house, that was a little frustrating. I am working on letting things go though.

Tomorrow we have a zone training meeting. It will be my last one. 

We get our car back today :) They even washed and vacuumed our car. That really made our day.

As I am nearing the end of my mission, President Cutler has asked me to write down goals and plans for 1 year after my mission. It has been pretty easy because I am a future oriented person already, but I have been thinking about specific things. I plan on continuing my good habits of scripture study that I gained on my mission. There are few times on a mission when we aren't able to do our studies in the morning and when we don't I feel like something big is missing. Praying every morning helps put on the armor of God for the day, but its that scripture study that truly helps it stay on throughout the day. I am excited to keep that habit going after my mission. 

I love you all and I hope you all have a great week! Stay safe.

Love Sister Emily Sarah Eaton

August 24 2015

Hello Family and Friends!

This week we had a great lesson with a less active that no one had been able to get in with for a while. Lorie hasn't been to church for like 20 years and she has kind of gone a little bitter. She is so sweet though and let us right in. We were able to talk to her about almost everything. We were all able to relate with having anxiety. Sister Kunz and I immediately felt God's love for her as she became open to us. We were so grateful that she wanted to talk to us and get her life back in order. It was a really good talk and the spirit was there. I was able to say things that really helped her as I tried to relate to her. I love when I can't really remember what I said in a lesson that went really well because then I know the spirit was directing it and that means I am worthy of the spirit and that means I am doing my job and fulfilling my purpose as a missionary :) That night was when a big rain storm hit so that was an adventure to drive in. Our correlation meeting got canceled so we decided to go to a less active part member home and we figured since it was pouring rain that they would have to let us in :p

He let us right in and we were able to meet his lovely wife who is not a member and is kind of stand offish with the church. She was very nice to us though and we were able to create a good relationship with her. It was a great blessing with the rain and all. We sister missionaries can be sneaky sometimes!

On Wednesday we go volunteer at an altimers? Alztimers? alzimers?(i cant spell this word for my life! you get the idea) and dementia home with one of our investigators, Autumn. We helped tie dye socks with them and it was a blast! They all wanted to use yellow so there was a dilemma with that. I can see why though. Yellow is a good color.

We had a good exchange this week with the STLs. I stayed in Sun Prairie and got to be with Sister Clark who is from the Ukraine and is out here doing her 3 months of proselyting because she is a temple square missionary. she will go back to temple square in October I think so I told her I would visit her when I got home. She is a sweetheart and is really enthusiastic about the work! She loves the idea of being OUTSIDE of the square right now. She says sometimes you want some change. We had a great time together though. Chatting about City Creek, Temple Square and dub step :p 

Sister Kunz and I were also so privileged to attend yet ANOTHER BAPTISM this Saturday :) Brother Eric Brown from Madison 4th ward was finally baptized after being taught in February. I think he went through 7 sister missionaries...? All I know is that only 3 weren't able to come because they are all home, but he was able to have most of us there. It was a blessing that I was able to come back because I am in the Madison zone. It was a great night though. Most people in 4th ward didn't remember me, ha but that's ok. It was a fun night. Well I love  you all! Have a great week! Be safe.

Love Sister Emily Sarah Eaton

August 17 2015

Hello Family and Friends!

This week has been quite a blast. We most likely spent most of our week outside of our area than in it. We had to go to Madison on Tuesday for my appointment with the therapist. That went well and I think that this is really going to help me out a lot. Although Madison traffic is much like New York traffic, but we survived. We had a great time at a member's birthday party later that night. It is always fun to go to those things and be able to bond with the members on a informal level. They seem to like you a lot more :p

We had zone conference on Wednesday. Not just any zone conference though. This was my last one! It sure did sneak up on me. So that meant that I would be one of those missionaries that would stand up and bear my testimony about my mission and be all emotional and such. It was a great zone conference though. I always love President and Sister Cutler's trainings because they always focus on eternal families. They always say, "Eternal life is Family life". 

We are in finding mode here in Sun Prairie so there isn't much flourishing going on yet. We are still both getting to know the members and help build their trust. It isn't always an easy thing. I have always struggled at trying to build it up again after some missionaries have been difficult for members to work with them. But Sister Kunz and I work well together so hopefully it will help.

On Saturday we had such a great day! We had the privilege to go BACK to Stevens Point for Mackenzie's baptism! Stephanie Jarrett from Stevens Point was SO generous to drive down from Stevens Point and pick us up from Sun Prairie to take us back up to Stevens Point for the baptism. We were so ecstatic! I really wasn't expecting to be able to go because we had to find someone to drive us because we both don't know the Sun Prairie ward very much and so the only other way would be someone from Stevens Point, but that is such a long drive. Sister Jarrett hopped in her car at 2 pm and picked us up at 4 pm and we made our mini road trip back up to Stevens Point.

When Sister Kunz and I walked in the church we both felt like we were walking into Heaven. It was such an amazing reunion with everyone.

It was such a glorious baptism! They had 3 men carry Mackenzie into the font and it all was done with ONE dunk! The spirit was so strong there and I was on the verge of crying. She was so ready and I am so excited for her to receive so many more blessings for taking that step of faith.

After she was baptized, she even bore her testimony to her friends and we were both just so astonished! She has grown so much since I left. Then Sister Smith, the RS pres, got up to welcome her to RS. She mentioned the temple and that it was Mackenzie's next step. If you remember, Mackenzie was very uneasy about the temple. That was one of her bumps in the road that was difficult for her to cross. But when Sister Smith talked about it Mackenzie cheerfully smiled and said she was so excited to prepare for the temple now. Aw that just truly melted my heart! I love this girl so much! I told her I would Skype her in October so we are both looking forward to that!

Afterwards, Sister Kunz and I had to quickly say our goodbyes. Sister Jarrett needed to drive us all the way back again! I won't say how late we got home, but we all arrived safely home :p

Sunday was such a wonderful renew as I was able to partake of the sacrament for this next week. Since I have been out on my mission and I have been able to understand the Atonement and the Sacrament more, I have really learned to love Sundays. Not that I didn't before, but the sacrament has so much more significance now. I feel so ready to start the next week.

Last night we were also able to get in contact with an investigator that has been hard to get a hold of lately. I hadn't met her yet so it was such a blessing that she was home. Iris is such a sweetheart and her and I clicked so fast! We both went on and on about interior design and Sister Kunz had to remind me that we had a curfew haha oops. We were able to set a return appointment and we made it home on time as well. I am so excited to see what this week brings. I am not to fond of exchanges this week so please pray for me with that. Thank you for all of your support. I love you all and can't wait to see you soon!

Love Sister Emily Sarah Eaton