Another 6 weeks.....still together!!

Well Sorry i haven't posted for awhile!! (bad mom) Tori and Sister Stewart have survived another transfer and will be staying together in Norwalk!! They are so happy to still be companions in the area!! They are hoping for some great success to happen in the next 6 weeks!! Tori has sent some wonderful emails home!! She is doing good and loving the area and the Ward they are in!! She has been quite busy teaching and trying to activate the less active members in area! We love getting her emails and letters!!
Anyone wanting to send her a note via "snail mail" or email, she would love to hear from you and to know how life is going!! Drop her a line!!

Hopefully we will get some new pictures soon!!!

Here are a some of my favorite emails, from newest to oldest:

August 31, 2010

Hello family,

I finally get to email!!!!

Sorry I wasn't aware that on transfer week some missionaries have to change there p-day to Tuesday instead of Monday so that is why I didn't email you yesterday!

And of course today has been so crazy....p-day is over at 6:00 which is an hour so I have to hurry....
Sister Stewart, me and the two elders we serve with in the ward were invited by an older lady in the ward to go have lunch at her club house...well we didn't realize its a 45 minute drive so we just barely got back. It's beautiful where she lives, right by lake erie.
One of the Elders, Elder Hoggan is going home tomorrow so that is why we decide to go. Kind of wish we didn't because now I don't have time to write any letters and next week I wont either because it's zone p-day i guess....
It's where a few zones get together and play games.....it 3 hours away from Norwalk and we have to be there at 9:00 in the morning so we'll have to leave here by 6:00!! arggg....i so sorry if you guys don't hear from me for a couple weeks. I really really hope we'll have time to at least email.

Anyways....Oh yeah I am staying in Norwalk!!!! YES! Me and Sister Stewart got the call from our zone leaders last night, Elder Hoggan and Elder Fronk. They are the ones who serve in the same ward as us so we see them all the time so of course they had to first lie and say we were both being transferred....dumb elders but we're not. We get to stay together and be here in Norwalk for another six weeks!

Im glad!

Oh I got the package yesterday! Thank you mom and shalyse! I love all my goodies! You guys spoil me way way to much :) Tell grandma thank you too!!

Well I am so sorry I have to go now....makes me sad but I will try to do better next week.

I haven't heard from you guys much lately. I hope everything is going ok back at home! I miss you guys!

Talk to you soon k!

Love,
Sister Houston

By the time i got this last email mom was a little panicky because for the last couple of months she has faithful emailed home on Monday!! so, when no email was there on monday morning, the crazy mom that i am checked all day, every hour and to no avail "no email" But then the next day yah!! we got one and she explained what happend! so next transfer i won't panick as much cause i will know what to expect!! (silly mom)

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August 23, 2010

Hi Family!!

How are you???? I am doing good. These last couple of weeks have flown by! Can you believe I only have a week and a half left in this transfer?!?! Crazy that it's already here. Sunday we should find out if we are staying here in Norwalk or if we will be transferred! Then next Wednesday's the big day! I think they would keep Sister Stewart and me here but I don't really know how long you stay with the same companion. AHHH....transfers stress me out man! Sorry I haven't sent any pictures home. I will send some home next week. There are a few missionaries in our district who will be going home so i'm sure we will be taking pictures so I figure I might as well wait until then. Well bad news......Tuesday on our way back from district meeting we got a call from Mike. He said he's decided that he is going to start going to church with his brother and their family. It hurt my heart so much to hear that!!! Since Sister Stewart was driving I was the one to talk with him. I was so nervous. I had no idea what to say. I asked him if he knows the Book of Mormon is true and he said yes! I then yelled THEN WHAT THE HECK IS THE PROBLEM!!!!!!
heeheehee no i didn't say that...i wanted to and wish i could of!! All I could really do was bear my testimony. He agreed to have us come over the next day but when we did he wasn't home. Its sad and disappointing but it's ok. I'm grateful to be the first one to introduce the Church to him. I know adventually he will accept. I hope soon!!

dang library lady!!!! She is kicking me off because their is someone who wants to use the computer! NO its mine!!

I will try to get back on later so I can email you some more...but if not sorry this is so short. I love you all!

Sister Houston

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August 16, 2010

My week has been ok. We tracted in the pouring ran! It was quite the adventure. I was wearing my colorful cotton skirt so by the end it was completely soaked! It was so funny trying to invite someone to learn about the church and the Book of Mormon having to scream at the top of our lungs so that they could hear us! haahaa Most of the people just laughed and looked at us like we were crazy!! No naked old men in underwear though....thank goodness.

We taught Mike again...he's not doing so hot. Last Sunday, I think I told you, we had a commitment from him to come to church and Saturday he cancelled, said he had errands to run. All throughout the week we tried to get a hold of him. He wouldn't answer the phone or return our phone calls.....pewww....sorry lost my train of thought...I'm sitting in the library by the lady's bathroom and they keeping opening the door....It smells like a smelly butt!!!! gross ok sorry back to Mike.....finally we got a hold of him, taught a great lesson on baptism and by the end he excepted a baptismal date for September 18th. We set another appointment for later in the week but he cancelled because of family issues. We've invited him to come to church, even to come take a tour of the church to get comfortable with the setting but he said no. My heart hurts. This is the worst part about missionary work. He is so confused. He says he knows the Book of Mormon is true but now that his family is inviting him to come to their church with them he doesnt know what to think. His family didn't even care whether he came with them or not until we started showing up! One time we were over sitting on the porch with Mike and his brother comes out and starts pulling weeds! Haahaa it was funny. That was his way of ease dropping i guess. Man Mike the church is true!!!!!! We'll keep working with him though! Not going to give up!

Bless our Sister Missionaries!!!

"SCRIPTURES"

This weeks email from Tori was kinda a sad one!!


Not on her end of course but something she had to hear from home!

One of her cousins Beth Houston was killed in a motorcycle/car accident this week. She was almost 25. She has not been an active member of the church for many years, but we know she was loved by all her family!


It was sad for me to have to tell Tori thru an email. Tori said this is one of her worst fears, to hear about family members passing away while she is on her mission. She said to tell everyone to "stay off motorcycles and don't run red lights!!"


But the wonderful missionary that she is had some wonderful words for all of us to remember, why we are here and that our Heavenly Father is alway there for us even when we have forgotten Him! He loves us all unconditionally!

Here are a few Scriptures from Sister Houston:

" Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." proverbs 3:5-6

"Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." joshua 1:9

" ...I will go before your face I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." d&c 84:88

I know that our Heavenly Father loves you all! Trust in him! Know that he is there always!

Lots of love,
Sister Houston

Norwalk

Tori is in a wonderful area in Norwalk Ohio! She seems to be enjoying the members of the Ward and the area. Tori's mission President sent us a map of the cleveland area and all the areas are marked separately so we can see any of the areas that she will be serving in during her mission! It has been fun to be able to see exactly where she she is at!!

Hopefully will get some pictures soon!!

Here is here last email,
she shares a few experiences, so ENJOY!!

August 2, 2010

Hello my wonderful family,

So the mission president sent you guys a map of the area i'm in?? Thats awesome! I had know idea they would do that. Our area is huge but the church out here is not! There are tons of less actives too. Makes me sad but grateful for where I grew up! I'm in the Sandusky Ward which covers both the Elders area and our area but the chapel is in there area so it takes me and Sister Stewart like 25 minutes to get there. Alot of people have to travel 2 and a half hours to get to the Columbus temple and a half hour or so just to get to church! We are so lucky to have the church building and the temple just down the street! I miss the temple :(

I love being here! I wanted to share a few experiences with you!

Our second day here in Norwalk Sister Stewart and I tracted into a guy named Mike Edington. He's single, 33 years old, lives at home with his brother and his wife and their son and daughter. He use to weigh almost 700 pounds and just this last January he got that gastobypass surgery and has been making alot of life style changes. He's lost so much weight that his skin is saggy!! It just hangs off his arms like jello! He grew up a Baptist but stopped going to church years ago. He is very quiet but so nice! When we first met him he liked what we had to say so we asked if he had time for us to teach him more right then so we sat on his front porch and taught him the Restoration. The entire time we were talking to him the spirit was so strong, the strongest I have felt since being out on my mission! To sit there and hear someone read the Book of Mormon for the first time and watch the features on his face change was the most amazing experience!
We set up a return appointment and asked him to pray to know if the things we taught him were true. When we went back for the second appointment we asked if he's been praying and he said "it's weird because i felt a feeling that I cant explain. I just felt at ease." AMAZING!! We have been back to teach Mike 4 times since! It seems to good to be true but things are going good so far and hopefully if things still continue to progress he'll be baptized!

I have seen so many miracles this last week which I am so grateful for. I know that the Lord's hand is in the work and it's so neat to be able to see him work through me and my companion! There is a less active in the ward that lives in our area that Sister Stewart and I have been trying to get a hold of. His phone got disconnected so we called to get another number from his mom and found out he moved back home so he was now in the Elders area. So we called up the Elders to let them know and asked if they could stop by. In there planning the night before they put down this family to stop by and so when Sister Stewart and I called to tell them they were already on there way over there!!
That same day, around 8:30 we had about a half hour to tracted before we could head home. Our second door we knocked on was a part member family that the bishop had know idea lived in the area. They invited us in and we stayed to visit with them for like an hour! Miracles! I love being able to be apart of this! Our Heavenly Father knows us and is guiding our every step and I love to be able to see it out here on my mission!

Ok funny story well more like a distrubing story. Yesterday we were tracting and an old man I mean a REALLY OLD man answered the door in his underwear, JUST his underwear nothing else and they were Whitie Tieties pulled up to his belly button!!!! Disgusting!! He said "oh sorry you caught me at a bad time i was just getting ready to get in the shower!" I was trying so hard not to laugh!!
Ohio people are crazy!!

Thank you for the package mom!! I LOVE the shoes!! They are so cute. Wearing them right now too :) Sister Stewart says thank you. Our feet definately need some pampering! And thanks so much for sending me those talks! Tell Becky thank you for me too! They were perfect!


Well I love you family! Thank you so much for all you do! I hope everything is going great back home!

I'll write soon!

Love,
sister houston

Where is Sister Houston emailing from????

Tori did get her transfer!! She is in Norwalk!! Sounds like a Heavenly place to be!!
Here is Tori's email about her first week (almost a week) in her new area!!


Tori's email:
July 26, 2010

Hello my wonderful family,
I miss you!!

So are you all ready to hear what happen to me???

Wednesday Sister Stewart and I spent all morning packing and cleaning to get ready for transfer meeting at 11:30. Like I said in my last email, we got the call on Sunday that we were both being transferred but no one ever knows where or with who until that morning at the meeting only those who are training are told on Monday which area they will have but not who there companion would be. The new sisters all came in Tuesday and stayed over night at the Mission Presidents house. Then on Wednesday, everyone who got the call that they are being transferred meets over at the stake center where the new missionaries meet their trainer and everyone else finds out where they are going. Since all the ten Sisters who are training knew which area they would have, Sister Stewart and I found out on Monday that Sister Barker (one of the sisters training) would be taking our area, Willowick. Well anyways long story short, I was so nervous because I had know idea what was going to happen to me. I just got comfortable with the area and now I was getting transferred to who knows where and everyone had a pretty good idea that Sister Stewart was going to be transferred out to go to a full proselyting area so I figure we aren't going to be staying together....long story but we knew there where big changes coming because with all the new missionaries coming in there weren't enough areas so we knew that they had to open up a new area, or put a companionship at full sites or full proselyting....anyways hopefully this is making sense.

So we get to transfer meeting, sing a song, a few of those going home bear there testimonies and then the Zone Leaders get up and announce the changes.

"In Norwalk, Sister Stewart and Sister Houston."

Where is Norwalk you ask??

Well family, for at least the next six weeks I am now a full proselyting missionary. Norwalk is about an hour and 45 minutes away from Kirtland. The area is huge!! It covers all of Norwalk and a few cities to the north, east, south and west. So after transfer meeting they give us a GPS and stick us in the car and on our way we go hoping that "Sally the GPS" would get us to our apartment.
We made it though!!
Sister Stewart and I are what you call "white washing" an area which means that two missionaries who have never been in the area come to serve (maybe dad and chase can explain it better).
The Elders before us I guess were not doing so hot one even went home early, we dont know details but yesterday at church the Bishop of the ward told us he had a talk with the Mission President and said there has to be a change and to send over his two best missionaries!! Can you believe they sent me??? Basically we are starting from scratch searching for those who the Lord's preparing and trying to contact the many many less actives who have lost there way. The last few days we tracted a total of 9 hours!! Its hard work but I am so humbled that the Lord would put me here and give me this opportunity out of all the missionaries. I love these people already and want to do all that I can to help them! I am praying really really hard that the Lord will help me become the person I need to be and to have the abilities to teach the gospel as best I can! Its been hard but I can't even explain how many miracles I have seen in the last few days.
The ward is so excited to have sister missionaries! They haven't had sisters for over five years! I even had to give a talk in Sacrament meeting yesterday!!

The second night we were here we even had a tornado warning! Sister Stewart and I were called by the elders and ward mission leader to go camp out in the closet under the stairs! Yes I was freaking out but its ok no tornado just alot of rain and lightning. We only had to stay under there for a little while and then went up stairs to bed! Hopefully no more tornados!!

I love you family! I don't know if any of you wrote me this last week, but I got mom's letter she wrote on the 18th and dads letter too. If you did I hope the Visitor Center forwards over my mail!
Well I will write you letters today so expect them sometime this week. Oh and thank you for finding that talk for me!!! Tell Becky thank you too!!


Love you all,
Sister Houston



OK so thats my girl!! Isn't she amazing? only out 6 weeks and doing full-time proselyting in a new area!! I knew Heavenly Father was gonna bless her! She is amazing! Hopefully she will find those that are looking for the gospel! Sounds like she might need some new shoes soon! :) I know she will miss being in the Kirtland area and being with the sisters there, but hopefully she will get to go back again sometime before she heads home!

Well keep up the good work Sister Stewart and Sister Houston!! We love you!!

Transfer!! Do I Stay or Go??

These will be the last few pictures of the Kirtland area for now!

Tori got a call on Sunday saying she would be transfered on Wed July 21st

Where will she go??

These sister's are trying to spell the word "Kirtland"
Great job girls!!



If Tori gets moved out of the area i know she will surely miss the friendships she has gain in the last 6 weeks!!

This is part of her email she sent expaining the transfers!

July 19, 2010

Hello my wonderful family!

I hope everyone is doing well! I just read your emails Mom and Shalyse and have a huge smile on my face! I love you family! Every story you tell, every advice you give, seriously everything you guys write makes me so happy!! You always have the perfect things to say, everyone of you, in your emails and letters! I wish you knew how much you help me and how much you inspire me to do better and be better!!

This week has been crazy. I think i say that every week but every week is crazy heehee! So I explained last week that transfers are on the 21st, this coming Wednesday, and so schedules have been changed around for the last two weeks because so many sisters are being trained to train the ten new sisters coming in. This week we were at the Kirtland sites for four full days, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and after church on Sunday. Tuesday and Friday we had half day at sites and the rest of the day in our area. Friday was a busy busy day at sites. I wasn't there but I heard that there were about 1800 people who came through and a couple even knew me!! One of the sisters told me on Saturday when I went in to sites that someone from the ward came through asking for me. She couldn't remember his name but she thinks it was a scout master. Do you guys know who it was??? And then that same day Caitlin Owens moms friend came by and left a note for me saying Hi!! She said they told her to look for me here! How fun huh! I'm sad I missed them! It would of been fun to say hi to familiar faces! On Monday night after p-day ended we went to the Emma Festival which is a celebration that the Community of Christ puts on every year to celebrate her birthday. It was held in the Kirtland Temple and the Community of Christ church put on a program all about emma. The sister missionaries were asked to sing a few songs so we got to sit in the choir loft (i think thats what its called) and sing! It was so fun to just sit there and think about everything that took place in the temple and being right where Christ appeared!! I still havent comprehended all that took place here in Kirtland but it is so awesome to be serving in such a sacred place where so many things happened! I can't wait to learn more!
Ok so I am so nervous for transfers. On Sundays before the Wednesday transfer someone will call you and tell you to pack your bags. Not everyone will get a call so if you don't then your basically staying with the same companion and the same area. If you do, you pack up all your things and then go to a transfer meeting on Wednesday where they will tell you where your going and who you'll be with. You could still be with the same companion and the same area you just might be in a different house or even just move into a different room in the same house. So yes guess who got a call last night to pack there bags?? Me and Sister Stewart! I am so nervous because I have know idea what is going to happen. I could change companions, change areas, be called to full sites or full proselyting, or just move down stairs to another room or just another house! Its crazy! and I wont know until Wednesday!!! I didn't fall asleep until like 1:00 this morning and had to be up by 6:00 so i really sorry if this email doesn't make any sense heehee i really tired :) Im going to be packing and cleaning all day today and I wanted to write letters to everyone and send out like 8 birthday cards!! I will let you guys know what happens on Monday though and Im really sorry if I don't get to write letters this week! I have so much to say to you guys too :(

Dad, Happy Birthday!!! I hope you are doing good. I need a letter! You better write me soon!
Mom, Thank you for the box of goodies and pictures!! What a cute family forever plaque and I love the picture of Christ! I hung them above my study desk. Thank you for all the treats and the book and bookmarks!! I have the best mom in the world!!! Sister Hill said thank you too! She loved it!
Ok so sorry this email is so random!!
I have to go now. I love you all. I love this work and know with all my heart this church is true. What an awesome blessing it is to have each other forever and to know all that we know! Keep reading your sciptures and having family prayer. I know that as you seek for the Lord's help in every decision you make he will help you and lead you along the way! You guys help me so much so keep writing!

PS I love all Chase's missionary advice!! Thank you and Dad you should send some too! I need it!

Love you family!
Sister Houston

Amish? Whoa!!

"Whoa? where am i?

These are some of the pictures Tori Sent when she went to Amish country a couple of P-days ago!! Sister Hill, Sister Stewart and Sister Carter. Looks like they had a great time visiting the shops and seeing some of the Amish tradtions!!

Check out the stroller on the top of the buggy!! Too funny!!