Wednesday, February 26, 2014

REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD....

February 24, 2014

HOWDY FAMLIA! How are ya? OMH Carrollton 4th? That's incredible! Yee to the haw. Mother dearest--THOSE PDAY SHIRTS ARE AMAZING. I love em! Thank you!
Drum roll pleaseee.......I'm still in Columbus....WITH SISTER VOGEL. AGAIN. Like hangin' with the trainer in Sioux City status all over again! Crazy! And like apparently President puts sisters with me to see if they can handle me...and if they can,  then they can obviously handle the sisters in the rest of the mission and then they become sister training leaders!  :) Happened with Sister Vogel and now with Sister Dumont! She's going to be incredible! Golly she's gong to be great! Like am I crying in the library right now? It's quite possible...I just love her so much! She was an incredible companion and taught me how to love: myself, others, Heavenly Father. AND SO MUCH MORE. When I 1st got on my mission there were these 2 sisters who were bawling because they were getting new companions and I remember telling myself that I hoped I would find someone like that where it was so hard to say 'see ya later' to and it happened :) She will always have a special place in my heart! She's going to be amazing in Kearney! And omh Sister Vogel is just the best! We've just picked up right where we left off and I'm oh so happy! Both of us have only served in 2 places--Sioux City and Columbus. And since she was a Sister Training Leader and came on exchanges she already knows a bunch of the members and investigators and there are so many miracles that I have seen in the past 3 days! I'm also really having to rely on my Savior even more and I'm loving it! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. Ya...I'll never stop saying that one.
Final Pic with Sister Dumont.
Back together again with Sister Vogel.
This week I was reading "Do We Know What We Have?"--Carole M. Stephens in Oct 2013 General Conference and I loveeed it. We all NEED baptism. the gift of the Holy Ghost. temple endowment. sealing ordinance. sacrament. PRIESTHOOD. (golly we're annoying/needy humans...good thing our Heavenly Father loves EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US.) It's through the priesthood that we can have these incredible gifts that we NEED to help us each day and to be able to return to our Heavenly Father. The priesthood is incredible! Worthy men can act in the place of God and be instruments in His hands to help His Children and help move His work along and to help us have the desire to become like Heavenly Father. HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING and is constantly helping us to reach our potential. It's through the priesthood that it's all possible! So aka I will ONLY marry a man who honors his priesthood. #1 on the list now...(I guess smelling good doesn't matter as much....) I'm so very thankful for the wonderful examples in my life that have honored their priesthood. I love y'all!
I can't wait for all the many miracles that will come this week! I love this gospel!
Have a great week and smillleee and be an example! xoxoxo
Sister Case
Brother Vavra

I must have one of these someday.

Columbus Fambam

Mamma Spicer and her baby girl

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Don't ya just looovvveee love

February 18, 2014

 Howdy fambam! Oh my heart. Thank you gram and grams and Kathleen and Uncle Tracy and Di for the cute presents! Y'all are the sweetest! And thanks fambam for the adorable package! I'm in love with the picture collage. (Ashely, you bum. You would choose the worst picture EVER.) How did you know that S. Dumont is obsessed with mustaches AND chevy? She had an in love freak out. And those bracelets. stop. And we jam to Hillary Weeks for days now. Thank you!

Heavenly Father is seriously the best! So once upon a time, little ol' me was kinda bummed because I wanted to leave sooner on my mission and blah blah blah. WELL Heavenly Father knew what He was doing. Duh. Because now I get 2 of some of the best holidays! (and holidays on the mission are the best! b/c people are kinder and you get their attention and well hellllooo I love holidays.) This Valentine's day was the BEST. ever. (s.dumont and I were talking about what we did last Valentines Day and I go....ya well my date last year is now married. HAHA we had a good laugh. Yeeehhaawww for missions.) I never saw Valentine's day as a day to love EVERYONE around you or showing your love to Heavenly Father or even taking the time to see how much our Heavenly Father loves each of us. Earlier this week we made valentines (thanks for the cute kit mom!) with people for lessons and read scriptures about love and how serving others makes Heavenly Father happy. It was so fun! And you know that door kit you sent us? Well instead of decorating our door we used the different hearts to pass out to our members that help us constantly and we had a little love lesson with them. I couldn't have asked for a better valentine than Sister Dumont!  I LOVED IT THIS YEAR!
 
 
Oh HEY. We're moving out of the Peshkies! It's just been a bunch of things that have added up so we all just need a break for a bit.  So we will be heading to an apartment. But I'm very grateful for the time that I lived there because I learned a lot about myself and how to be a better person and in some ways to just simply grow up. It was a great learning experience and I'll always be grateful for the Peschkies for the life lessons they taught me!
 
For the next zone conference we're having the Olympics and this week we competed in the zone against the other sisters and mission status. Somehow I'm still somewhat athletic...what....because I won pushups, sit ups, and ladders. Hollerz for being able to do 100 serious push ups in 5 minutes. Who knew?  Not me.
 
We had the most tender lesson with GJet! She finally broke down and opened up to us and was crying and wahhh I love her. She needs hope in her life and the gospel can give her that. The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the hope of a new day. As we develop trust in Heavenly Father and His timing, we're able to know that everything will be okay, even if we don't know what lies ahead. We're able to endure and continue moving forward when it seems that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. If we're keeping His commandments and living worthily, we don't need to fear because He is with us ALWAYS. "Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, He is with us. He has PROMISED that this will NEVER CHANGE." ~President Thomas S. Monson. I love being a missionary! and I love being an instrument in the Lord's hands.
 
Transfers are this week so I'm way nervous but hey, if I get a new companion then that means I get to stretch and learn and grown and rely on my Savior even more, and I couldn't be more excited for that wonderful opportunity! I'm excited for a new best friend :)....but I love the one I've got right now! Missions are incredible. This gospel is incredible. And I'm just so happy that I get to be a part of it!
 
Have a great week and smillleeee. xoxoxo
 
Love Always,
 
Sister Case
Leberton's little girls gave me a new doo.
J. Miller :)
Sister Missionary Dolls. See the resemblance?

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

DQ Blizzards should be 1/2 off when there's one outside

February 10, 2014

Howdy fambam! Tell me stories. What's new? How are the Olympics? SINCE NO ONE TOLD ME. Where are they anyways? What's this show called Downtown Abbey that every human is obsessed with over here?
 
THE SPICERS ARE HAVING A BABY GIRL. Daddy Spicer says he needs to put Papa Case on speed dial b/c we joke that he's going to have all girls. Yeeeehawwww
                  College Sweats with Mamma Spicer
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HERMANAN WHEAT. and MAIDISON SHANNON. XOXOXO. How was your birthday Amanda?
 
There was a blizzard here this week. Okay not really....whenever little white monsters...I mean snowflakes...fall from the sky I call it a blizzard. But it did snow so much that our cars were grounded for almost 2 days! Talk about stress to the fulllll but thankfully some of our lovely members saved the day.
Missionary Snow Angels
 JOAN WAS BAPTIZED ON FRIDAY!!! It was such an oh happy day! Joan's been taught since sisters first came here-- in may--and has had some serious baby steps. But it's been incredible to watch her grow and take the leap of faith to be baptized! I remember when we watched The Testaments with her and afterwards we had this amazing lesson and it was just what she needed, to help her move forward. I wish I could truly describe all the little things that led to her big day, but since I can't--just know that missionary work is incredible and I love it out here! I'm so thankful that I'm able to see so many miracles each and every day :)
 
 I had to train at district meeting again. I talked mostly on how the restoration is the foundation of our testimonies and that we need to share personal experiences with others more. Sister Weilding said--Joseph Smith shared his personal experience with others and now look at where the church is. All because he had the courage to speak up and share! Boom. (ps. there are now 4 sets of sisters in our cute district. #takingover) We can all share experiences and testimony builders with those around us EVERY DAY! Every member is a missionary! So before you walk out the door, don't forget your smile, testimony, and some courage, and you can do anything!
 We had interviews with President and golly do I just love him! One of my yearly goals is to be buckets more charitable b/c well I'm not.  So I'm really working on it! I'm so grateful for the atonement so I can start over each day to be a little better. Sister Schrader helped me out with something. "Sister Case, say that your husband has this super horrid mother-in-law but he loves her sooo much! What will you do? Well I'll love my husband so if he loves her...then I love her. Well then do you love your Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? Yes. Then you love *insert humans* because your Heavenly Father loves them and He sees all these amazing qualities about them." She's great. Obviously.
 Okay sooo funny. At interviews the Zone Leaders forgot to bring food but I had this box full of candy that I've been trying to get rid of so that was easy. and I brought in some of Mom's bar cookies  to share with everyone and all the elders freak out and say nooo because that's holy food and you can't eat that--but the zone leaders are like "i'm going in." and take off their shoes in order to eat the bars. Funny moment of the week. Oh and the Zone Leaders said that Sister Dumont and I have some of the best numbers in the zone and to keep up the great work! Yay to hard work. Well it's fun work. So whatever you call missionary work. Oh and people are still being boooo bears....to the point where I swear someone will start driving by us and throw tomatoes at us... but oh well. I love it :) Bring on the prepared people in Columbus!
 
Sylvia and Emily are still MIA. We'll keep trying. The Apple's little girl--Caylyn--had her 3rd birthday and wanted their favorite missionaries to come over :)
 I just love it out here and the cold and everything BECAUSE I'M A MISSIONARY.
 
I love y'all! xoxo
 
Sister Case

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

#endure the burrrrr

February 3, 2014
 
Howdy fambam! Anything fun happen this week? That is so great to hear about Megan! Congrats Cuz! I would like pics of her and Brody  and engagements of humans like BB and others!
 
I never realized how important visiting teaching is! Aka sorry s/o to my 3200 Taylor Hall girls....woof. But the branch is beginning to see the vision of it all and they're really starting to be great missionaries to everyone!
 
GJET. Miracle. We went and knocked on her door and she wasn't home...so now we're just standing at her door while planning our next move of attack when that gem and her kids walk into the apartment building. (cue angles singing) They tell us that they're going to the park to feed ducks and anyone who is anyone knows that that is my FAVORITE thing to do so naturally we go with. We had a really great lesson with her while her kids played at the park...with peter...hahahaha okay I'm just funny...We were super bold but backed it up with love. She might even let us teach Mav and Felecia (9 & 11) I think she knows that she will one day become a member but she doesn't want to change everything yet. But hey, those little baby steps still help you reach your destination. She even texted us one night saying that she was reading the Book of Mormon. Yeeeeeehhhaawwwwww.
 
The super bowl ruins missionaries lives...we texted like the WHOLE town and only one family let us come over for a smidge so we did weekly planning during the game. I will always still cheer on my patriots....hahahahahaha. and OMH Bruno Mars? Of course it was someone perfect the year I'm gone. Rude.
 
I've never had so many doors slammed in my face before! Like one boy even screamed when he opened the door. Rude. But I know that there are prepared people out there! Heavenly Father will lead the way and it will be grand.
 
I love y'all soooo much! Happy early birthday Amanda-mo. xoxoxoxo
 
Sister Case
 

Sister Schrader
 
Surprise Party for Tanya
 
Huskers LOL