week 33: exchanges and blisters

July 18, 2016

       Wow what a week this has been! It's been full of ups and downs!
As the weeks of my mission go by, each one gets faster and faster and
I can't tell the difference between days, this whole week felt like
one whole day! Ahh I need it to slow down!

       Alright so last Monday, we decided to go to the city of Loomis to go to the
super Walmart because I was sick and tired of going to the Walmart
Market and having no options. Well for anyone who knows me, they know
I have zero sense of direction so of course we got way lost and had to
turn around at least 6 times...it was frustrating. But it was well
worth going because on the way out, right in front of me was a MOD
PIZZA! I literally screamed! I didn't know there was Mod anywhere but
Redding! So I'm super pumped to eat there!!

 Tuesday was great! Sister P. hurt her knee last transfer
so we went to the doctors in Roseville. It was fun and stressful, I
haven't experienced traffic like that since I have been home so I was
stressed out, plus I didn't really know where I was going so I was
just overwhelmed. Well we made it there safely and we were walking
around trying to find the building and we run into Sister C. (and
her companion Sister W.)!! It was such a fun  surprise to see her!!

       

Sister Gore & Sister Cowden

When we got back we had dinner and tried to see A.L. She
was still on vacation but her dad accepted a Restoration pamphlet! He
isn't interested in learning about the Gospel right now, but maybe
someday in the future!

 Alright, Wednesday. We had Zone Meeting and it was probably
the most Spiritual Zone meeting I have ever been too. I can't remember
what we talked about now but one of our ZL's, Elder C. did an
activity with us. On the chalkboard he wrote JESUS CHRIST and put a
box around His name. Then he had us go up and write around the box,
one thing we are grateful for. We had a good size list of things like,
freedoms, A/C, cars, a home, food, family, Mom, being able to serve a
full time mission, etc. Then he had us go up and erase one thing,
starting with the least important. As the list grew smaller, the more
important things remained, like family, Mom, Temples, and it became
harder and harder to erase things. Everything was gone until the only
words on the chalk board were JESUS CHRIST. Now, at this point I
thought Elder C. would explain that even when everything is taken
away, Christ and His Atonement remains. But he didn't. He asked Sister
Smith to erase the chalk board. It struck all of our hearts; tears
filled her eyes as she asked if she had to. With tears in his eyes
as well, Elder C. nodded. Tears filled mine as I watched Sister S.
solemnly erase Christ name. The Spirit was incredibly strong, yet with
erasing His name I just wanted to go up there and write it again. He
then related how we all felt about just erasing His to imagining how
we would feel if we erased Him out of our lives all together. He
encouraged us to remember Christ always and that there are so many
people who don't even know what He has done for every single one of
us. This experience touched me in a way that I will never forget. I
definitely do not want to know what my life would be like without
Christ.

That night we had a lesson with a family in our ward. The mom really wants

to start coming back and her daughter even started going to young women

activities! But something is holding them back and we can't put our finger on

 what it is. We shared a video with them about the Restoration and the Spirit

was so strong as we were able to testify of the truthfulness of Joseph Smiths
experience! We even talked to them about missionary work and the
sacrifices we make, but how incredibly worth it to go without all the
things of the world for this period of time! Somehow Top Ramen came
into the conversation and that’s when their 16 year son really got
involved haha so we need to find out how we can relate Top Ramen to
the gospel haha any suggestions?!

       

 Sister Cannon & Sister Gore

Oh my heck Thursday was the best!! Sister C. and I went on
exchanges in my area and it was the best! She's also from VA, we live
in the same school county, we were at the same Mormon prom and Youth
celebration and we both went to BYU Idaho! How did we never meet!?! So
we had a lot to talk about!! I’ve been having a bit of a rough go at
things recently so she was really able to help me come up with
different solutions to how I can't help my situation. I know that God
places people in our path at certain times for certain reasons, and I
am incredibly grateful for that!

We were able to contact R., the man we met a couple weeks ago who

accepted a BOM! He hasn't been able to read it, so we invited him again

 and promised him if he did that God would reveal to
him if it is true! He is going through a rough patch right now, so we
also promised that he would feel peace and comfort as he reads,
because it's totally true! I love the Book of Mormon, I can honest say
that I love it. As I read more and desire to understand it, the Holy
Ghost helps me to know the things I read and feel are true and I
definitely gain a better understanding of what I am reading as I ask
for guidance! If you haven't read the Book of Mormon, I challenge you
to read it! Start anywhere!! Don't know where to read? The
Introduction is always a good place to start! Don't have a copy? Ask
the missionaries or a Mormon friend!! How can you contact
missionaries? Mormon.Org! How can you know that it is true? Ask God!
It's really that simple. I promise you that He will give you an
answer! I have prayed to know for myself and God answered me in the
way I needed and would understand best.

 "If the Restoration did anything, it shattered the age-old myth that
God has stopped talking to His children." -Russell M. Nelson

Alright, this detailed email thing is wearing me out but I just
want to tell you ALL of things! Okay Friday was our Car Fast day! So
every 3rd Friday of the month, the whole mission goes without a car.
We can walk, get rides from members or bike to get around. So after
weekly planning, Sister P. and I walked the 45 mins to Sister
R.’s for our BOM reading. Well I thought I wore the right shoes,
but because it was so hot, they rubbed against my skin and I got some
pretty gnarly blisters. #notfun

      So we then walked to dinner and Sister M. invited her
Buddhist friend S. to come to dinner! We had a great chat with
her and pretty much covered the entire Restoration and a good chunk of
the Plan of Salvation! She wasn't interested in reading the Book of
Mormon, but we know she felt the Spirit, so I know that one day she
will remember what she felt and want to learn more.

Saturday: Well we finally got to see T. and A.!! They are
doing great! Still not interested in taking the lessons, but he had
questions for us that we were able to help him with. His journey in
the gospel is just progressing differently than I thought it would be.
But that's the thing about this work, it isn't mine, it's up to the
Lord and I know that it is in His hands.

Sister Price, B & Sister Gore

 We were also able to see B! He had some questions about baptisms
for the dead and he couldn't find it anywhere in the Bible! We didn't
know the answer but we searched and found a scripture in 1 Corinthians
15:29. He appreciated us finding it and said he would read it after we
left. It was wonderful to be able to be led by the Spirit and have the
tools to be able to answer his questions. #thankgoodnessforiPads

That night we had dinner with the L's. The husband called earlier in the

 week and told us that T, a friend, wanted to hear the first lesson!!

We were so excited!! We got there and someone asked if T was getting

her first lesson. Brother L answered yes and T said she had no idea about
it....It made it super awkward to say the least. We tried to take the
pressure off and asked her if she wanted it, otherwise we could just
share a dinner thought. She said it was fine and that she likes
learning about other religions. It was a good lesson, but all the 5
members that were present bombarded her with the little details of
things that don't really matter. It was kind of a mess. I could tell
she felt kind of pressured. She said she's open to learning but

wouldn't join. It was such a lesson to me of teaching the plain and

 simple truths of the Gospel. I am grateful for the members who want

 to share the gospel and their enthusiasm, but it's the simple doctrine

 that the Holy Ghosts uses to testify and touch their hearts.

*sigh of relief* So that was my week! Something I am getting
into (finally) is journaling! I just finished my first journal and I
am so proud of it! I started a new one and it’s amazing to see how much
I have progressed. I am definitely not the same person I was when I
left (thank goodness)! So I encourage you all to keep up with your
journal, if you don't have one, buy one! It's never too late or too
early to start!

Love y'all


Sister Gore🙌🏻

week 32: For time and all eternity

July 11, 2016

7-11 day!!! Free Slurpees!!!

Wowzah! What a week that has been! It has been a whirl wind of
emotions! We have been busy, busy busy! This week I am happy to say we
taught 12 lessons! What!?! I haven't done that since Redding!! It was
incredible! And only 2 of those were set! I'll tell you all about it!
Monday was the Fourth of July which was a BLAST! We went for a hike at
hidden falls in Auburn! It wasn't like any of the hikes I did up in
Redding, but it was fun to be outside exploring! We went to dinner, we
had pork chops and potatoes and corn on the cob it was very good!
 We had to be in by 7 so we went home and waited till it got dark then
played with sparklers! It was just us on our balcony and I forgot to
buy a lighter so we had to be inventive about how we lit them haha it
was a great day!

Tuesday was fantastic! We had a lesson with A.L! She asks a lot of
questions during our lessons; I love how inquisitive she is! We ended up having 5 lessons that day all of them being unplanned! It was quite amazing, we felt so good at the end of the day! That night we contacted a referral we received from the Stake Presidency! They are an elderly couple who live in the boonies
of Loomis, which isn't in our area but they requested Sisters. We
chatted with the husband and they have a son who is a member and is a bishop
and they have lots of family who have joined the church. We had a great visit
with him and invited him to read from the Book of Mormon. They are both  in poor health so he didn't want to schedule a time for us to
come back, but he said we could pop by again! We are excited to
continue to get to know him and meet his wife, G.

Wednesday was great! We had district meeting and we talked about
revelation through church attendance. I have especially learned the
importance of attending church while on my mission. Church is where we
have the opportunity to take the Sacrament. This sacred ordinance
allows and invites us to renew the covenant we made with our Heavenly
Father at baptism. Each week we are able to recoup and start over with
a clean slate! I mess up a lot, so I look forward to the Sabbath to be
able to recommit myself to be better the next week and feel the love
my Heavenly Father and Savior have for me.

We had a lesson with B. and it went really well! We read 2 Nephi
31 and taught the Gospel. We explained the repentance process and we
were able to bear our testimonies of the Atonement was amazing! I
even got to use Sister W’s visual with the paper and the water!
Pretty much the visual explains that the Atonement doesn't just patch
up our mistakes, but it makes it so they can't be seen in the eyes of
God, we are completely forgiven and God remembers them no more when we
repent. I am so incredibly grateful for my Savior and His sacrifice
for me. I know that He loves each one of us!

Sisters P, N and Gore

Thursday was a neat day! It was MLC so Sister N. who is serving
in the Rocklin YSA, came a joined us, so we were a trio for most of
the day. It was fun to have another person’s perspective and ideas, a
little weird doing door approaches but not as awkward as I thought it
could be! We had a great lesson with A.L. where we talked about the
creation and how God gave us each talents and abilities to helps us be
creators in different capacities.

That night we had Book of Mormon class. No one came, so I used that
time to type out an email for my brother. Not sure if that was the best idea
because all the emotions came, when it really hit me I wouldn't be
there for the wedding. But in those moments I felt so much peace and
comfort that I was in the right place doing the right thing. I felt
Angels all around me, and I recognized who they were. I am grateful
for a loving Heavenly Father who knows us each personally, who answers
our prayers in the way we need them, He provides love and comfort to
us when we are confused or despair. I know that I am His daughter and
He loves me.

So Friday wow what a whirlwind. I could barely focus on anything
because it was the day of Zach and Bree's wedding. My wonderful, loving
mission President felt impressed to allow me Skype after they were
sealed. That was such a blessing and tender mercy. I was having a
rough time dealing with the fact that I wasn't there, and being able
to see my family made it better. I am so grateful for my family and
their endless love and support. They all said that they missed me, but
they wouldn't want me any other place and I agree with them. So
congratulations to Zach and Bree! Oh happy day!! Sister P. was so great
because she pretty much planned while I cried haha.  A member took us to
Red Robin for dinner and it was so so fun!! We then went to HomeSpun to see if
Ik. was there and he was! He wasn't able to read from the BOM
because he lost his copy so we brought him back a new one and invited
him to read 3 Nephi 11 when Christ comes to the Americas! He was
disappointed it wasn't a war chapter but we promised him this would be
better!!

Saturday was great, we helped a lady in 3rd Ward move stuff out of her
house because her house flooded! We then went to a baptism of a lady
named P. in the 6th Ward. When Sister S. and I were in exchanges
we had a lesson with her and it went so well I remember feeling very
strongly that one day she would be baptized and she was! We then did
lots of finding, either no one was home or they weren't interested :/
But then we tried a former investigator and he wants to meet with us again! So we are super excited about him!

Sunday was wonderful!! Church just seemed extra good this week! In
Relief Society, we talked about the Temple and how important it is
that we keep ourselves worthy of a recommend even if we can't
physically go. Temples have been on my mind a lot lately so this was
perfect. We called President on Friday and he allowed Sister P. and
I to go to the Temple in two weeks! We are sooo excited to go! I love
going trove Temple, I love the love and peace I feel while I'm there.
I know that it truly is the house if God!
I love being a missionary! Pray for missionary opportunities and act
in the promptings you receive!
Love y'all
Sister Gore🙌🏻
Ps. Today I hit my 8 month mark! It's crazy how fast time flies!

Week 31: God Bless America!

July 4, 2016

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! Hooray! I am so grateful to live in a country
where I can freely worship my Heavenly Father! What a blessing that
is! I'm so glad it's Pday this Fourth of July, it's one of my
favorite holidays! I love the bbq's, the family and friends, the
fireworks and the feeling of Summer. This Fourth of July will be a
little bit different, I'm not with my family, I won't be with friends
and no fireworks and it's definitely a different summer than I usually
have. But there is no place I would rather be. I am going to enjoy
this time that I have to be a missionary on this day! I am grateful
to be a servant of the Lord and to preach His word and to share His
light and His goodness!

So it was transfers this week and they are always super crazy
and I've only been in this area 6 weeks so I feel like I am shot
gunning! It's tough, it’s a big area and everything looks the same!
But with the Lords help I will figure it out!
Pday was fun, it was filled with just hanging out, signing in journals

and saying goodbyes. Elder Dunn, the former AP is headed
home, so we got to say goodbye to him!

Tuesday we stopped by the other sisters apartment so Sister M. could say goodbye and we headed to the mission office! Well we
actually made some pit stops to Bath & Body works! The only one
around here is in Roseville so we had to take advantage of this
beautiful opportunity and I am so glad we did because THEY WERE HAVING
A SALE! I repeat S.A.L.E.! It was beautiful! Then we stopped by cover
to cover, which is like a Desert Book and got Holy Tabbs! 

If they don't know what they are look them up! It pretty much helps you mark all
the scriptures from the Preach My Gospel lessons and helps you find
them more easily! I'm excited to put them in my scriptures!!
We finally made it to the mission office where Sister P was patiently waiting because we were late, per usual. Oops!  I love going to the mission office on transfer day it's a big reunion! I got to see Elder J. and Elder K.  who I
served with in Redding!! Sister L. was there too and she came out
with me! It was just a blast! I found out some missionaries were coming down
from Redding, but they wouldn't be there for another hour so I was
bummed I missed them!

We came back to the apartment and got Sister P. settled
in. She hurt her knee a while back and had an allergic reaction to
some mosquito bites, so she rested for a while. It was nice to have
some quiet time and get some things done! I was able to write some
letters and Thank You notes from my birthday! The only thing is, I
wish we could've gotten straight to work, I find that the way you
start the transfer sets the tone. But we had a really good night so
it's all good!
        We had dinner and then went finding! We tried contacting a
former investigator but the house was empty so we tracted the street a bit.
We then tried a member who no longer comes to church, I had never met and she
was actually home and we were able to have a wonderful lesson with her
and invite her to read the Book of Mormon everyday! It was a great
start of the transfer!

Alright! So Thursday was probably my favorite day of this
whole week! We did some service at the Salt Mine and had lunch with
our district. The Salt Mine gave us free Little Caesars!! Yay free
lunch! We then went finding! We met a former investigator who let us in and gave us water! We got to talking and he let us share a scripture from the Book
of Mormon with him. We shared 2 Nephi 25:26 with him and talked about
how that verse sums up what the Book of Mormon does. It testifies of
Jesus Christ and how we can follow him and how be forgiven of our
sins. He really appreciated it and we invited him to read the
scriptures each day, he said he would!
         Then we were sitting in our car figuring out who to see next
when we hear a noise that sounds like pebbles hitting our car. We look
out the car window and see two pointy ears! We open the car door and a
little puppy runs in and practically jumps on top of Sister P. haha
it was so hot outside its poor little paws were probably burning up!
We found a phone number on her dog tags and called the owner! It just
so happened that they lived right around the corner from where we
were. We drove over and dropped off their dog.

Despite having a good day, I wasn't in a very good mood. So we
went to our dinner appointment and they gave us $25 because her dad

was in hospital, so we went to subway and it was super good!
We then decided to go to HomeSpun for desert!

So we're at homespun (oh my goodness, I'm so excited! I've been
waiting all week to tell y'all this story) and I usually get the same
thing every time and this was Sister P. first time so I have my fro
yo and she was still deciding the flavors. So I was helping myself to
some toppings, when the boy working behind the counter asked me how I
was doing and if I had just gotten off of church. I explained that I
am full time missionary for the church. He was like oh that's super
cool, so which church I love learning about different religions. I told
him the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and asked him if
he's heard of it. He said that he actually has met with missionaries
in the past! I can't remember the entire conversation, but I was able
to bear my testimony of the Savior and how much the gospel has helped
me in my life. We talked about the Book of Mormon and he said he's
read from it and really likes it! He mentioned he likes the Old
Testament because of "it's darkness" haha so we told him he would like
the war chapters and invited him to read from Alma! He said that we
would do that as soon as he got off work!!! Sister P. was next to
me at this point, so Ikaikah, the boy working, gave us free fro-yo!!!
Like what!?! A gospel discussion and frozen yogurt?! Can it even get
better than that!?! So we are excited to go back homespun and check in
with him!!

I fully believe that there are no such things as coincidences.
We were supposed to be there at that time. Ikaikah needs the gospel
and I needed that experience of bearing my testimony of my Savior! I
am so grateful for that experience, it testifies to me that the Lords
hand is in all things. At that time I was willing to have a gospel
conversation, more than willing, I wanted to have one!! And Ikaikah
was being prepared! Miracles happen, if we are obedient and willing to
follow the Spirit.

    Friday we had district meeting which was really strange, because
our district leader is shotgun training!  And then we got to work
weekly planning. It's always weird the first weekly planning of the
transfer with a new companion. Everyone likes weekly planning
differently so sometimes it's hard to adjust to different styles.
We're still figuring it out, but I am very excited for this week!

So here's some bad news. So it's Saturday afternoon and I call
T. to remind him about church and that's it's fast Sunday (last fast
Sunday he asked us to call him and remind thin because he wanted to
fast too) and he answers and says there are some things that he just
can't wrap his head around.  He decided that he doesn't want to take

the lessons anymore. He loves us and thanked us for helping him come

closer to God but he needs a break. I told him we were sorry we couldn't

help him more. I am so sad, I wish I did more, but I know that he has his

agency. I think his experience shows me how important it is to have a

testimony of the basic principles of the gospel and the Restoration.

 T. does not have that. So when the deeper things came, he was just confused. We  could all do better, but we cannot force our investigators to do
things, they have agency. I really thought T. was going to be
baptized, but I know that one day he will. I am grateful for the
experiences I had teaching him. My testimony has been strengthened and
he has become a friend that I know I will come back and visit.
Hope everyone is doing well and enjoys their Fourth of July!
Love y'all!
Sister Gore🙌🏻

week 30: Miracles and Change

June 27, 2016

      This week we have seen so many miracles! I realized that it
became hard for me to see the Lords hand in my life each day. So
Sister M. and I got out the handy dandy white board and decided
that each day we would write down at least one miracle we saw! As we started to look for them, we began to find them. Every. Single. Day. It was amazing. We actually started last Saturday but I wanted to be able to report a whole of miracle searching.
       So I think I told you about the list the Ward council gave us
to find out if a bunch of members live at the address we have.
Well we have been trying our best to see them but the majority either are not home or ignore us, so we have not had much luck with that. But as we've expanded our efforts we have found! Instead of just knocking on the names we have, we've started knocking on neighbors or sometimes the whole street, and we have been able to find and hand out copies of the Book of Mormon. We handed out more Book of Mormons this past week then we did in the entire transfer! I love the Book of Mormon! I know with all my
heart that it is true, that it is Gods word and Joseph Smith did
translate it. I know that it will help us receive answers to our
questions and bring peace and comfort into our lives as we read and
ponder daily.
        We had an experience this week that really testified to me the
importance of sticking to the doctrine of Christ. In our last lesson
with T., he asked us where God came from? Obviously no one knows the answer to this; we said that we don't know and that it is based
on faith. But different speculations were brought up and T. just held
on to it and couldn't let it go. He has been pondering this now and it
was brought up again in the lesson this week. We tried to clarify but
he wouldn't have it. He texted us and asked us to stop by to answer
more of his questions about God. Sister M. and I were pretty
nervous. We didn't want it to become a bash and we didn't want our
mistake to cause him to stop meeting us. We prayed for the inspiration to know what to say and know how to help him. We decided that we would just listen. Listen to his thoughts and questions and then be honest.

I was able to bear my testimony of the basic and simple truth that God is our Eternal Heavenly Father who knows us and loves us. It was quite a beautiful moment. He felt more at peace after our visit. I am grateful for this experience because it showed me how important it is to teach the doctrine of Christ and only the doctrine.
My MTC told us to "teach the doctrine of Christ, nothing more, nothing less."
     We were finally able to have a lesson with a girl named B.
She is C's, a teenage girl in our ward, friend from high
school. She has met with missionaries in the past but because of
school and sports she wasn't able to meet until this week!! She is so
sweet! She was so excited to meet us and hear more of the gospel. We taught the Restoration and her eyes were clued to us as we taught. We  could tell she was feeling the Spirit. I was able to share my testimony of the Atonement and my gratitude to my Father in Heaven who gave us His son to die for us, so that we don't have to go through the hardships of this life alone. B. also expressed her gratitude for her Savior. We invited her to be baptized and she said that some day she would like to do that. We're hoping as she learns she will draw closer to her Savior and her desire to be baptized will grow, but in all things, we will see what happens!!
               OH MY GOODNESS I ALMOST FORGOT!! This coming week is transfers so we found out that Sister M. is leaving Lincoln and shot gunning an area in Chico!! I am so sad she is leaving! I was so hoping we would stay together another. I have learned so much from her and she has become one of my dearest friends! But she will do great things! My new companion will be Sister P! I don't know her too well, but I am so excited to get to know her and work in Lincoln 2nd with her!!
Whelp that was my week! I'd love to hear about yours!!
Love ya lots,

Sister Gore