ALL RIGHT Family and Friends.....Tori is needing some letters from home... she has almost been out a year and the letters are dissappearing... in fact she has made comments in her last few letters that she is missing news on the home front.... so take a few minutes if you can and drop her a quick note!! thanks so much
.......and just a quick Thank You to ANN for the comment you left a few days ago... I also enjoy "small peeks" into my daughters mission life too.... I can't wait to email her tomorrow and ask her about Elder Richardson!! PLEASE continue to enjoy her blog! Thanks
Sister Houston's email
March 9, 2011
Hi family,
How are you all doing?? I hope well! It sounds like the ward is flourishing with missionaries these days! Im so excited for Kailie and Lauren. Wow Argentina and England! They will be OUTSTANDING sister missionaries and they'll have so many great adventures im sure. Send my congrats there way would you please. Tell them its the best thing ever to be a part of!
Well.....i wish i could say winters over and spring is here. Not quite yet! Its warming up a little, but still really cold for me. One day its nice and sunny, the next snowy and cold, the next rainy and cold! Ohio has the craziest weather ever! Im ready for nice sunny, hot days. They'll come soon i hope :) Once it starts warming up, the crowds start at Kirtland! I better start getting ready for them! Do you realize family that in 2 months i will hit my year mark??????? oh my ooooh oooooh my my.....i just had a little heart attack.....ok, im ok now. Remember our nice road trip to utah and the day you dropped me off at the MTC?!?! It feels like just yesterday! Ok im done next subject :)
Well....the highlight of the week was last night. Marlayn, our investigator, has been really really busy with life. Shes been trying to get everything all situated and ready here as well as down in North Carolina for her move in just a few weeks. Sister Lyman and I have been so sad. She's been cancelling every appointment we've set! The good thing is she feels bad about it. She has told us that if we are ever in the area we can just stop by to see if shes there. Yesterday thats what we did! The light on her face after we had left made me so happy :) She was having such a bad day. Everything just seems to be going wrong with all the arrangement for this move. We had a nice lesson with her and her mom Felice about the Book of Mormon. They recognize that the only way to find peace in all this is to turn to Heavently Father and Jesus Christ. I even told them about some struggles we have been having as a family.... I think that helped them alot, to see that in life this just happens even if we are trying are best to do everything right. They know that there is something good here but they're still not quite recognizing what this all means for them and their family. They both have a desire though! Baby steps and we'll get there im sure. We're going to continue to work with them and help prepare them for missionaries in North Carolina. They said last night they would still be willing to meet with them but they wish it was sister lyman and I! :) heehee We love there family! This Thursday there is a Relief Society activity Marlayn and Felice are planning on coming to as well as church on Sunday. We hope they'll come! It'll be so good for them.
Anyways, the mission is going good. I love being able to be a part of this work. I love having the opportunity to see the gospel change peoples lives and to see there countances change as they feel the love that Heavenly Father has for them. Its a beautiful thing :)
I hope you all have a wonderful week! Keep working hard and make sure to write me!
I love you and miss you!!!!!
Be safe.
Love,
Sister Houston
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
TRACTING...MORE TRACTING....POLICE??
NO Worries... the sisters are not in trouble or jail... just a silly person didn't like them in their neighborhood!!
How do two young ladies in skirts look suspicious? silly people...
Sister Houston's email
March 2, 2011
Hello Family!
Happy to hear everyone made it back safely from Disneyland! I'm excited to see pictures and hear all about it! Oh and I have to say I loved your little hotel note!! heehee thank you for thinking about me always!!!! even when your having fun :)
Well its been an eventful week full of tracting, member lessons and more tracting.....
One day while tracting in this really really rich neighborhood in a little town called Moreland Hills a grumpy person didn't like that we were wandering around their neighborhood. They decided to call the police on us. Silly people. Missionary work isn't illegal!! The police man was really nice. He just asked us who we were and what we were doing and then sent us on our way!
Then just yesterday Sister Lyman and I got chased out of someones yard by their big mean dog!! Literally ran for our lives! It was scary! I'm sure the owners had to be cracking up! We decided to just leave the passalong card on their mail box instead. Oh well I guess it has to happen to everyone at least once right.
Despite all of this we had a pretty neat experience tracting yesterday...
Sister Lyman and I were running behind schedule. We had meetings in Kirtland all morning and afternoon and got back to Solon around 4:00 . Dinner was planned at 5:00 but since we had a late lunch we both weren't hungry at all and we didnt have a member dinner that night so we were on our own for dinner. We felt like it was ok to continue tracting for a little longer instead, but prayed about it first. Continued to feel it was the right thing so off we went....
While tracting we met a lady named Kris. Kris is probably in her late 50s early 60s. Her and her husband Eddy have no kids just 2 cats. She was super friendly to us. Came right outside to talk. We had told her who we were and that we were looking for people to share a message about Jesus Christ with. I had asked if she was currently going to a church and she said "Oh no my backyard is my church". I was a little bit confused....wasnt quite sure what she meant by that. We kept talking and asking questions. The entire time I had felt the peace of the spirit with us. Kris doesn't know if God is an actual being or if he's just some sort of power. She finds peace in the beauty and nature of things. She had said that she's had experiences that have brought her a greater sense of peace and made her feel like their was someone aware of her. When she made the comment that she feels she is open minded enough that when she finds new information that she is suppose to believe in she will be open to except it, we had tried to help her see that maybe this was it. Her heart started to soften even more after that. She said she had such a good day and felt we were the icing on the cake! Kris didnt give us her number but she said we were welcome to come back. Based on the comments she made about her husband we feel he might be opposed to all of this and not to happy she was even talking to us. I don't know what will happen from here but it felt so good to know we were being lead by the Spirit to be at the right place at the right time. We don't know whats going on in the lives of others but Heavenly Father does. Its such a great blessing to be able to be someone he can act through for the blessing of his children.
Anyways, Marlayn is doing ok. Bad news though. She has decided to move to North Carolina after all. Sad for us. She cancelled her appoint this week because her little boy was sick and didn't come to church. We're praying things dont go south but know that the Lord's hand is in everything. If she's ready she is ready! We just have to work our hardest!
Well family i better get going. I love you all so much and miss you!! I think its about time I received some letters dont you???? heeeheee pretty please :)
I hope you all have a great week! Be happy and safe!
Love,
Sister Houston
How do two young ladies in skirts look suspicious? silly people...
Sister Houston's email
March 2, 2011
Hello Family!
Happy to hear everyone made it back safely from Disneyland! I'm excited to see pictures and hear all about it! Oh and I have to say I loved your little hotel note!! heehee thank you for thinking about me always!!!! even when your having fun :)
Well its been an eventful week full of tracting, member lessons and more tracting.....
One day while tracting in this really really rich neighborhood in a little town called Moreland Hills a grumpy person didn't like that we were wandering around their neighborhood. They decided to call the police on us. Silly people. Missionary work isn't illegal!! The police man was really nice. He just asked us who we were and what we were doing and then sent us on our way!
Then just yesterday Sister Lyman and I got chased out of someones yard by their big mean dog!! Literally ran for our lives! It was scary! I'm sure the owners had to be cracking up! We decided to just leave the passalong card on their mail box instead. Oh well I guess it has to happen to everyone at least once right.
Despite all of this we had a pretty neat experience tracting yesterday...
Sister Lyman and I were running behind schedule. We had meetings in Kirtland all morning and afternoon and got back to Solon around 4:00 . Dinner was planned at 5:00 but since we had a late lunch we both weren't hungry at all and we didnt have a member dinner that night so we were on our own for dinner. We felt like it was ok to continue tracting for a little longer instead, but prayed about it first. Continued to feel it was the right thing so off we went....
While tracting we met a lady named Kris. Kris is probably in her late 50s early 60s. Her and her husband Eddy have no kids just 2 cats. She was super friendly to us. Came right outside to talk. We had told her who we were and that we were looking for people to share a message about Jesus Christ with. I had asked if she was currently going to a church and she said "Oh no my backyard is my church". I was a little bit confused....wasnt quite sure what she meant by that. We kept talking and asking questions. The entire time I had felt the peace of the spirit with us. Kris doesn't know if God is an actual being or if he's just some sort of power. She finds peace in the beauty and nature of things. She had said that she's had experiences that have brought her a greater sense of peace and made her feel like their was someone aware of her. When she made the comment that she feels she is open minded enough that when she finds new information that she is suppose to believe in she will be open to except it, we had tried to help her see that maybe this was it. Her heart started to soften even more after that. She said she had such a good day and felt we were the icing on the cake! Kris didnt give us her number but she said we were welcome to come back. Based on the comments she made about her husband we feel he might be opposed to all of this and not to happy she was even talking to us. I don't know what will happen from here but it felt so good to know we were being lead by the Spirit to be at the right place at the right time. We don't know whats going on in the lives of others but Heavenly Father does. Its such a great blessing to be able to be someone he can act through for the blessing of his children.
Anyways, Marlayn is doing ok. Bad news though. She has decided to move to North Carolina after all. Sad for us. She cancelled her appoint this week because her little boy was sick and didn't come to church. We're praying things dont go south but know that the Lord's hand is in everything. If she's ready she is ready! We just have to work our hardest!
Well family i better get going. I love you all so much and miss you!! I think its about time I received some letters dont you???? heeeheee pretty please :)
I hope you all have a great week! Be happy and safe!
Love,
Sister Houston
BUSY, FUN P-DAY
Sister Houston's email
February 23, 2011
Hello family!
I'm here!! Sorry I'm sending this so late! We decided last minute a couple days ago to go to the Cleveland Art Museum today! Sister Lyman and I and the Twinsburg Sisters went with sister Jenson a member from the solon ward. We've been there all day and just got back. We planned to go a few weeks back because there is a less active in the Twinsburg area that wanted to give us a private tour of the exhibits he helps put together. The weather was to bad so we ended up not going and last week Sister Jenson volunteered to take us today! It was fun. Art is....interesting.
There was so many things to see...to big to see in one day. The brother that took us on tour is over the Mediterranean exhibit, like the Greek and Italian things. We were there longer then planned but it was fun. I'm glad we were able to go. We don't get the opportunity to do things like this very often!! But I am sad I don't have a lot of time to email today because we also have a member dinner at 5:00 we unfortunately have to go to. That means no letters either......please forgive me!!
Well nothing to exciting has happened this week. We are all moved into our apartment...i wouldnt say settled in just yet. I still need to unpack some of my clothing :) We are always going going going as missionaries! Besides I was also asked to speak in sacrament meeting last sunday so every spare moment I had I was working on my talk! It was so scary!!! The Kirtland directors, the Edmans, decided to surprise us and come to our ward and the area of the 70 was there as well!!!! I guess if I can get through that I can get through anything right?? So far we are liking the area. Its nice because we also have some other members who live in the same apartment complex as well.
Anyways, still working hard to find new investigators. I do have good news about Marlayn. We haven't seen her for over a week which can be kind of scary. Her and her mom went to North Carolina to look for houses. But the good news is that when we talked with her last she decided that they arent going to move after all!!! Yay! Apparently its to southern down there for her. She likes the city! We are very excited about this because now we get to continue to work with her and now we dont have to pass her off the the Carolina missionaries!
We'll I better get going....sorry this is not a very good email....
I hope you all had a great week and have fun at Disneyland!!! So jealous!! Take lots of pictures!!! and be safe please!!!!!
I love you all so much!!
Love, Sister Houston
February 23, 2011
Hello family!
I'm here!! Sorry I'm sending this so late! We decided last minute a couple days ago to go to the Cleveland Art Museum today! Sister Lyman and I and the Twinsburg Sisters went with sister Jenson a member from the solon ward. We've been there all day and just got back. We planned to go a few weeks back because there is a less active in the Twinsburg area that wanted to give us a private tour of the exhibits he helps put together. The weather was to bad so we ended up not going and last week Sister Jenson volunteered to take us today! It was fun. Art is....interesting.
There was so many things to see...to big to see in one day. The brother that took us on tour is over the Mediterranean exhibit, like the Greek and Italian things. We were there longer then planned but it was fun. I'm glad we were able to go. We don't get the opportunity to do things like this very often!! But I am sad I don't have a lot of time to email today because we also have a member dinner at 5:00 we unfortunately have to go to. That means no letters either......please forgive me!!
Well nothing to exciting has happened this week. We are all moved into our apartment...i wouldnt say settled in just yet. I still need to unpack some of my clothing :) We are always going going going as missionaries! Besides I was also asked to speak in sacrament meeting last sunday so every spare moment I had I was working on my talk! It was so scary!!! The Kirtland directors, the Edmans, decided to surprise us and come to our ward and the area of the 70 was there as well!!!! I guess if I can get through that I can get through anything right?? So far we are liking the area. Its nice because we also have some other members who live in the same apartment complex as well.
Anyways, still working hard to find new investigators. I do have good news about Marlayn. We haven't seen her for over a week which can be kind of scary. Her and her mom went to North Carolina to look for houses. But the good news is that when we talked with her last she decided that they arent going to move after all!!! Yay! Apparently its to southern down there for her. She likes the city! We are very excited about this because now we get to continue to work with her and now we dont have to pass her off the the Carolina missionaries!
We'll I better get going....sorry this is not a very good email....
I hope you all had a great week and have fun at Disneyland!!! So jealous!! Take lots of pictures!!! and be safe please!!!!!
I love you all so much!!
Love, Sister Houston
HALF WAY HOME!!!!!
Can't believe Tori has been out 9 months!! Time is flying by.....hopefully for her it will slow down a bit! she loves serving her Heavenly Father and the people of Ohio!
Sister Houston's email
February 15, 2011
Hello family!
Happy Happy Valentines day!
How are you all doing??? I'm doing great. Sister Lyman and I are staying in Solon for another 6 weeks. But unfortunately we are moving out of the Nortons and into an apartment. The members who the Twinsburg Sisters are living with decided that having missionaries there is just not working out for them so they are moving to the Nortons and we are going to an apartment. We've been packing and moving all morning!
Anyways, Its been a good week. We saw Marlayn again on Sunday. She is doing better. Still grieving for her friend, but she says she is excepting it as it is and trying to stay positive. We had a great lesson on prayer and the member who came, sister white shared very simple but powerful expererience that she has had that really help Marlayn see the importance of prayer. At the end of the lesson we invited Marlayn to pray and she did without hesitation! There is something special about feeling the spirit when an investigator prays for the first time around you. As far as right now things are looking positive for Marlayn. She and her mom Felice and her two kids are planning on coming to church this Sunday! We hope they can make it.
Lets see not much else has happened this week....
Sister Lyman and i went on exchanges with the Twinsburg sisters! I stayed in Solon and Sister Lyman went to Twinsburg with Sister Morrell. It was a great experience and I learned so much in the day Sister Schwanke and i were together.
I also had an experience at site the other day that lifted my spirits! Because we don't get very many tours in the winter, we pull out the comment cards left by members who came through during the summer months and call and thank them for coming and ask if there is anyone in there life that they would like us to contact to see if they are interested in learning about the gospel. To give you an idea, of the 20 non members or so we call a day maybe 2 will accept to have missionaries come by. So I was talking to this member who came through last march with her family. They had done a church history tour and at some point along there trip a friend of hers came to her mind so she left her name on the back of the comment card for the missionaries to call. Well the missionaries called and the lady wasn't interested. The member had kept in touch with her through out the year and just last week the member said that her friend who she referred said she was ready to see missionaries! it was so cool to hear because we don't ever really get to see what happens after we call and talk to these non members. People are being prepared all around us and often times we don't get to see the impact we can have on them!
Oh and I also talked to Joseph Fish in the harmony ward! I don't know who he is but he knew me! heehee
Lets see...oh and guess what???? I hit my 9 month mark!!!! Oh my goodness! So so crazy. i can't believe that I've been out serving a mission for 9 months already! i'm excited for the next half of it! It will be great and hopefully it wont go by to to fast.
Well i better go! Thank you so much for my valentine goodies!! I feel so loved :)
I hope everyone has a fabulous week!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Sister Houston
Sister Houston's email
February 15, 2011
Hello family!
Happy Happy Valentines day!
How are you all doing??? I'm doing great. Sister Lyman and I are staying in Solon for another 6 weeks. But unfortunately we are moving out of the Nortons and into an apartment. The members who the Twinsburg Sisters are living with decided that having missionaries there is just not working out for them so they are moving to the Nortons and we are going to an apartment. We've been packing and moving all morning!
Anyways, Its been a good week. We saw Marlayn again on Sunday. She is doing better. Still grieving for her friend, but she says she is excepting it as it is and trying to stay positive. We had a great lesson on prayer and the member who came, sister white shared very simple but powerful expererience that she has had that really help Marlayn see the importance of prayer. At the end of the lesson we invited Marlayn to pray and she did without hesitation! There is something special about feeling the spirit when an investigator prays for the first time around you. As far as right now things are looking positive for Marlayn. She and her mom Felice and her two kids are planning on coming to church this Sunday! We hope they can make it.
Lets see not much else has happened this week....
Sister Lyman and i went on exchanges with the Twinsburg sisters! I stayed in Solon and Sister Lyman went to Twinsburg with Sister Morrell. It was a great experience and I learned so much in the day Sister Schwanke and i were together.
I also had an experience at site the other day that lifted my spirits! Because we don't get very many tours in the winter, we pull out the comment cards left by members who came through during the summer months and call and thank them for coming and ask if there is anyone in there life that they would like us to contact to see if they are interested in learning about the gospel. To give you an idea, of the 20 non members or so we call a day maybe 2 will accept to have missionaries come by. So I was talking to this member who came through last march with her family. They had done a church history tour and at some point along there trip a friend of hers came to her mind so she left her name on the back of the comment card for the missionaries to call. Well the missionaries called and the lady wasn't interested. The member had kept in touch with her through out the year and just last week the member said that her friend who she referred said she was ready to see missionaries! it was so cool to hear because we don't ever really get to see what happens after we call and talk to these non members. People are being prepared all around us and often times we don't get to see the impact we can have on them!
Oh and I also talked to Joseph Fish in the harmony ward! I don't know who he is but he knew me! heehee
Lets see...oh and guess what???? I hit my 9 month mark!!!! Oh my goodness! So so crazy. i can't believe that I've been out serving a mission for 9 months already! i'm excited for the next half of it! It will be great and hopefully it wont go by to to fast.
Well i better go! Thank you so much for my valentine goodies!! I feel so loved :)
I hope everyone has a fabulous week!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Sister Houston
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