THE DD FOR THE STRUGGLE BUS OF LIFE

September 29, 2014

Howddddyyyy fambam! So this email is all over the place this week....forgive me. So are y'all so excited for General Conference or WHAT?! I am stokkkeeedddd. I love President Thomas S. Monson and I know he is called of God to lead and guide us. Please pray this week and prepare! Bring some questions with you that you would like to have answered, and I promise God will hear and answer YOU. Because each of us is His child.

 

This little boy that I taught in Kanesville got baptized on Saturday. He taught me a very valuable lesson on the scriptures--"a chapter a day, keeps the devil away." HAHAHAAHHA. I LOVE CHILDREN. They speak the truth!

 

Our ward got a new bishopric on Sunday! Crazy sauce. No one saw it coming. It's like a whole entire fresh slate for the Cold Springs Ward. New missionaries. New leaders. Everything. I'm so excited! We have to and can only rely on God's will if we want to get ANYTHING done.

 

So something that I've finally learned is that the scriptures are incredible. I mean I knew that--but golly, I just love them so much. Whenever I need anything, I can turn to them and they bring me peace and comfort and joy and hope and I could really just go on and on. I love how one week I'm just on cloud 9 on happiness and then the next it's like BOOM. crash and burn. This mission stuff...woof. I swear, sometimes I'm like "it's okay....it will all be better one day..." Right? I mean that's what I have to keep telling myself haha or else I might go crazy. Being in a trio is HARD. A mission is HARD. I love it--but it's a struggle still. This whole companionship thing is constantly preparing me for my own family someday and Heavenly Father is a gem at reminding me of that when I have those moments when I'm about to pull my hair out. I'm learning a lot about myself that I never really knew before I left--  like love languages. WHY IS IT THAT I AM THE ONLY SISTER WHO'S LOVE LANGUAGE IS TOUCH? (well except S. Dumont...haha that is probably why we are the best of friends....xoxos) Like the case fambam is just touchy and lovey and huggy and I love that! Others are not....and it's been really hard for me at times...but that means I'm able to stretch and find ways to love and serve them the way they want to be loved and served. I will be honest, yesterday was rough. I felt like I was crying all day...and I just wanted a hug....but apparently lots of people are not about that life...and so there I was...secretly crying while studying....praying for a hug from my Heavenly Father in some way....and then I looked up and I knew that Heavenly Father heard ME. We still haven't been able to put things away so my picture frame that y'all sent me for Valentine's day is near by and it just tickled my heart. Yesterday I wore the outfit that I wore on my 1st day entering the MTC and there's you and me Ma, same outfit, and you've got your arms wrapped around me and we're just smiling away and it was right then that I got my hug. I literally felt it and I knew that everything was going to be okay.

 

 Heavenly Father does that a lot--when we actually take the time to notice the little blessings all around us, we can't help but feel loved and have hope and know that "it's alright. Everything will be okay" When we open our HEARTS, not just our eyes, to all the blessings and miracles that God is giving each of us individually, we see things in a whole new perspective.

 

Back to the prep for the fambam life, I feel as if I'm truly preparing to be a mom. Each companionship has those moments--the glares of being corrected...hurtful comments every now and then...but like you have to roll it off and smile and even when your kids hurt your feelings--you still love them and want to help and do whatever you can to help them succeed. So with that, I apologize 1002x for each horrid thing I ever did and for all the love y'all still gave me. Thank you for never giving up on me. I love the atonement and I am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. Without him, I would be nothing. He leads and guides and CARRIES me through every single thing I go through. My desires have changed. I'm different. And it's because of him and his infinite love for me. The atonement is REAL and should be used every single second of every day. I mess up, I struggle, and I fall. But "He is always near me, though I do not see him there. And because he loves me dearly I am in his watchful care."

 

I love my Savior so much. I can do all things in Christ. And I will keep turning to him until the day I die. Heavenly Father knows me better than I know myself, and He knows what I need and what I can become. He's in the details of our lives and will continue to stretch us because He knows the incredible  that are awaiting us.

 

I love y'all. I love this gospel. I love being a missionary. I love love. I love hugs. I love cupcakes. I love life.

 

love always,

 

Sister Case

We got to help with the Pancake Breakfast!

 

Apple picking party with the YSA ward. ( Young Single Adults)

 

 

It's a GIRL.

September 22, 2014

 

howwwddddyyyyyyyyyyy fambam! Oh my heart! My sisters are gorgeous! Y'all looked so beautiful for homecoming. Ashley--I am STEALING your dress! Y'all are foxes.

So I have so much to say! eeks! Well I'm just going to go it in numbers because that will be easier....

1. I got transferred
2. I still get to serve at the Trail Center :)
3. I'm in a trio
4. I'M TRAINING. I HAVE A BABY GIRL.
5. My other companion--sister Cragun--and I came out together. #tender
6. Sister Strong (my baby girl) is a visa waiter FOR TAIWAN.
7. I'm leaning a new language basically.
8.I'M IN THE COLDS SPRINGS YOUNG SINGLE ADULT WARD.
9. oh.my.heart.

Training Sister Strong

Sooooo that's my life! I would have never thought that I would train or being in a YSA! (Young Single Adult)  ahhhh. So I'm like training this sister on life and for the trail center. Do I have any clue what I'm doing? hahahaha PSYCH. But Heavenly Father is leading and guiding every step of the way. And Sister Cragun is helping as well so it's grand. I love the two of them. This is now my 3rd apartment that I've moved into after elders......boys are so gross. the end. Like....we have no soap? hahahaha the struggle has been real the past few days. You try eating oatmeal with a knife.... so we're deep cleaning and organizing and unpacking for our pday. yeeehawww.

Sister Cragun is from Roy, Utah and Sister Strong is from Hooper, Utah. Actually, they knew each other in high school--how funny is that?! So our studies go like this 1 hour of personal study. 1 hour of companionship study. 1 hour of 12 week (for the new missionaries.) and then 1 hour of language study. and then lunch....and then off to the trail center at times. So our little time in the area is rough but the time that we do have IS INCREDIBLE. I HAVE SEEN SO MANY MIRACLES IN JUST THE LAST 24 HOURS.

We worked on shift Thursday night so I didn't even really get to say "see you later" to anyone in Kanesville, but all is well. I will see these gems again someday! I was just about to have a baptism too! for this 11 yr old boy named Thomas. He is so great!

I did get to say " see ya later" to the Brockways. I love them.

So with helping Sister Strong study Mandarin..good golly that stuff is intense. Like Heavenly Father knew what He was doing sending me state side. But we will play little games with her or I'll read words to her and she repeats them back in the language. But like it's really neat because I'm starting to understand the tones of it all and I'm able to correct things when she messes up. I don't know how to explain it but it's so neat! Like I will never speak this stuff, but Heavenly Father is helping me at least wrap my brain around some things to help her with her studies. She was the only sister that came out that's heading to Taiwan and so it's some pressure but such an honor and privilege to be training Sister Strong and helping her in any way that I can. Thank goodness for the trio!

Sister Case, Sister Strong, Sister Cragun

We have a new investigator named Angelica that we met for the first time last night and she's already set for baptism for November 1st! She is GOLDEN. She's been reading the Book of Mormon and referred herself on mormon.org and WANTS TO GET BAPTIZED. AHHHH I LOVE HER. We asked her if she has prayed to know if the Book of Mormon is true and she goes, "no, I just know it is. I mean I had some doubts...but when I was reading my eyes just turned to this one verse and it answered all my questions. It was like God was talking to ME." Oh my heart we all walked out of that lesson wanting to just cry tears of joy.

When President called, he asked me to pray after the call to know that I need to be in the Cold Springs YSA ward with these two sisters. Heavenly Father opened my eyes to the reasons why I am needed there and it was such a testimony builder that He truly knows each of us and our concerns and wants to help in any way. And that He answers prayers. I can see all the different ways I will be stretched and I'm excited for it. I know it will be hard, but with my two incredible companions we will be able to fulfill God's will. Like it's so weird working with people my age! And some of these girls--I swear they are 28...nope. They graduated with me....I look like I'm 12 years old compared to all of them. Whatever--they can all go get married and I'll keep being a missionary. But all these references about dating and marriage and back scratches during sacrament. DYING. Oh and our 1st lesson in the area was to an engaged couple. hahaha I love my life! And we get to help her with her wedding center pieces. Toooo good. and We have fhe every night and tons of activities all the time. I love it here! And it's helping me strengthen my testimony of the kind of person I want to be after the mission. I'll explain more next week :)

We pink washed the area--so elders leave and sisters come in. So we know NO ONE OR ANYTHING. But I love that the 3 of us are all new to the area because we HAVE to rely on the Spirit. We don't know these people, but Heavenly Father does. And He will make us instruments in His hands. The lessons that we have had, have been exactly to their needs and I walk away from those lessons just feeling pure joy, just knowing that we're on the same page as Heavenly Father and being able to do His work. I love it out there! And it has been so incredible. He cares about every one of us and we get to come be His helpers.

We cleaned the temple this morning for part of our pday! I love the temple! And it is so beautiful. I can't wait for y'all to see the Winter Quarters temple someday! I got to clean Heavenly Father's home. How neat is that!

Well I am just a happy camper. I just love life and I am so grateful that I still get to be at the trail center. (this will probably be my last one because President told me he wants to make it a proselyting area.) Ahhhh i'm just so happy!

love y'all!

Sister Case

Look who I get to study up on!  Go Grandma Patty!

Love my Sister Schrader