What A Week!

So this week has been crazy. We drove up to Tallahassee on Tuesday night and stayed at some of the sisters' apartments. The next day, Sister Jackson and I got our new companions! I really love Sister Jackson and I’m going to miss her so much but this transfer will be good :) I am now with Sister Peterson! We are very different but that makes things fun. I know I have a lot to learn from her and it’s going to be a good time. 

We went to the General Women’s Conference broadcast in Mobile on Saturday night and it was awesome! In one of the talks, this was said about Jesus Christ: "He will do anything to take this from you; in fact, He already has." I LOVE THAT! I have been learning a lot about deliverance this week. The Book of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon is all about deliverance and I have really been studying it. Before my mission, when I was having a really hard time, I would go to my mom or dad, my best friends, my siblings. and THEN I would turn to Heavenly Father in prayer. It is so cool, because out on your mission, all you have is God. He is all you can turn to so it kinda forces you to turn to Him and then from that experience, it really teaches you that He is truly the best source. He can deliver you from anything, but only HE can do that. 

Mosiah 23:23 ~ "For behold I will show unto you that they were brought into bondage, and none could deliver them but the Lord their God." 

This week one of our investigators, Jhemarial came to church. It was the best! She is 16 years old and so mature and so prepared for this gospel. The ward was so welcoming and nice and she is coming back next week to bring her sisters. We are going back over to her home tomorrow to teach them the plan of salvation. 

A lady named Emma asked for a Bible on mormon.org, so on Thursday we went to her home to deliver it. We got to talking and as we were about to hand her the Bible, she said: “No, what I really want is a Book of Mormon. That has to be what I am missing in my life.” It was SO COOL! We are coming back to teach her this week so I’ll keep y’all posted :) 

Ah, miracles are happening guys. Life is good when you truly turn to God and let Him guide you 100%. I love you all! Thanks for reading my emails and for all the prayers and support. I pray for you guys all the time!

so much love,

sister fletcher

My last day with Sis J

Our awesome district!

Doug and Linda,
my grandparents!

The day Sis J and I parted...
and her new cute companion!

My love sista house!

Me in front of a pretty gate

Sister Peterson

Times Fun When You're Having Flies

HI! This week has been so crazy and I have no time, SO I am going to send a bunch of pictures to sum it up and fill y'all in more next week :)  btw, I'm getting a new companion on Wednesday! Transfer calls were Saturday morning and a new sister is coming to Fairhope so tomorrow Sister Jackson and I are going up to Tallahassee to stay the night at the FSU campus.  We will then pick up our new comps the next day. It's gunna be awesome :) 

I just wanted to say how true this gospel is! and how grateful I am to be serving a mission! There is truly no place I'd rather be :) I love you all! Have a great week!

much love,

sister fletcher

Angela
(one of my fav investigators)

Linda at sewing activity

Sister Masi!!!!
(We had exchanges this week in Monroeville...
a town two hours from Fairhope...
It was so fun spending the day with her! She's my favorite ever!!)

Typical adorable Alabama boys

Beachin it today!

Fort Morgan

Beach!!

100 + Days of Being a Missionary!

100 + Days of Being a Missionary                                                              

Hey guys! How has everyone's week been? I miss you all! This has been such a great week. Last Tuesday on our p-day, we had a huge zone activity in Mobile and played dodgeball with the elders. There were only four of us sisters who played with 35 + elders. It was so intense but so fun! Today, we played basketball and football with the elders in our district and that’s so fun too! Sports are just so fun, especially out on a mission haha. 

We have had a super productive and eventful week and were able to meet lots of new people to teach the gospel to. On Thursday, we dropped by a home of a girl named Alliyah who requested a Bible on Mormon.org. Turns out, she is 13 and lives with her grandma. I just wanna say that never have I felt so much love for a person as quickly as I did with her. She is one of the most pure and precious young girls I have ever met. Instantly, before we even went inside, I felt the Spirit, as well as some of the direct love God has for her. Her grandmother invited us in and we taught them the restoration of the gospel. I am so excited about this little family. They are SO humble and SO prepared by God to receive this perfect gospel. 

We have had so many beautiful experiences and I wish I could share them all but I just don't have enough time :( I will tell y'all when I get home next year! 

I just wanna close this email by sharing one of my new favorite scriptures that I’ve really been studying lately - Galatians 2:20:  I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live. Yet, not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

I hope you guys have a great week! I love and miss you all :))

with so much love,

sister fletcher

 

Pretty view during weekly planning
one evening

Literally the only picture
I took this week!

The Zone!

Blessings on Blessings!!

HI! :) I don't have a lot of time today because we have a zone activity in Mobile soon, but I wanted to touch on a few amazing things that happened this week.

Last Monday we were able to go to the beach with a member and an investigator. It was so awesome! I miss the beach so much, man. Here, the sand is SO WHITE! and the water is warm. We taught a lesson on the beach and it was great :)

We did tons of service this week including cleaning out a lady's attic where the floor was nowhere to be found!!!, serving food at a Young Single Adult activity, yard work, and painting. Service is always so much fun!

President Smith came to our church meeting this week so that was awesome. He and his wife actually drove Sis Jackson and I home. It’s so amazing to see how much they love their missionaries. They are both such selfless and inspired people.

Fairhope holds an Art Walk every first Friday of the month so we were able to go this week. It was the PERFECT place to contact and meet people. We met three women who came out from Mobile who completely made my day with their kindness, energy, and pure love for God. We got their information so the missionaries out in Mobile can teach them and grow upon their foundation of Jesus Christ.

Yesterday we had Zone Conference which lasted from 9:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.. It was a long day but I learned so much! Mobile is such an awesome zone! These people are already some of my best friends! After the conference, we had a huge finding activity where we broke off in companionships and knocked on doors or talked to people around Mobile. We were supposed to all meet back at the church at 7:00 p.m. Sis J and I found a lot of awesome people out there. Then we were about to head back to the church but decided to knock on one last door which we both felt really prompted to do. Inside was an African American family consisting of a younger husband and wife and their two little daughters. After being invited in and talking for a while, the Spirit directed us to share the message of the Restoration of the gospel with them. Even though we were way past time to meet back at the church, we knew that was what was needed. They were so receptive to the message and so excited to read the Book of Mormon as a family. We promised them that if they read with faith and asked God if it was true with a sincere desire, they will know through the Holy Ghost that it is. Tears came to the wife's eyes, and she said: “I can see the passion you feel about this gospel and the love you both have for it so why would I not want to read this book? Why would I give up the invitation y’all gave me because I just want the Spirit you do! It was such a tender and touching moment. It made me sad leaving and realizing we can’t teach them because they are out of our area,(the elders in Mobile will) but I know they will have this true gospel no matter what, and that's such a blessing. Anyways, afterwards all the sisters came back to our apartment and we had a sleepover and now we are all together today!

I just wanted to end by touching on something I have been studying a lot lately. I've realized more fully that there is a difference between having a testimony and being converted. Elder Bednar once said, "If a testimony is what you know to be true by the witness of the Spirit, then conversion is consistently being true to what you know." Having a testimony does take work, it is something you need to consistently try and grow, but being converted is LIVING the gospel everyday. Conversion is what we should really strive for, being Christ-like, emulating His light in us. In the Book of Mormon, in Alma 23:6, it says: "And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophesy, and the power of God working miracles in them. Yea I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did they fall away."

I can testify that if we are truly converted to Christ, we will never fall away. He will walk by our side through it all.  I hope you all have a great week! Thanks for reading my emails. You are all in my prayers!

so much love,

sister fletcher

Blurry me with a letter
because I love letters!

Walking to the pier this morning

Me

Sis J and me

The Gulf Shore

The Hangout

The beach at night

We thought this sign was funny!

The awesome ladies we met
at the art walk

The Art Walk with
our recent convert Linda

Another from the beach

The Week We Found An Acai Store!

If you know me even just a little bit, you know that I LOVE acai and so when we found an acai bowl shop in Fairhope, I was overjoyed !!!  But don’t worry, that was not the highlight of my week, something to do with missionary work was ;) This week was probably the hardest I’ve had on my mission but it motivates me to have an awesome super happy week this week!  We just had a ton of dropped appointments, our car was in the shop for most of the week so we did a ton of biking in the August heat, and to top it off, I’m starting to get sick again. :/ But no matter how rough the week was, there was one amazing moment last evening that truly made all the hard times worth it.  Last night around 8 pm, we were in south Fairhope going to a few investigators' homes to try and teach them a lesson. We already had three appointments drop earlier and no one was available for a lesson. Normally when it’s that late and everything drops, we go to the pier for the remaining hour of proselyting time to find and meet people who want to hear a message about Jesus Christ. When we were about to head there, I had an impression to go and see one of our recent converts, Linda. I said it out loud to my companion, then we both kind of laughed because of how ridiculous that would be since she lives about 15 miles from where we currently were. (and if you know anything about driving on a mission, miles are CRUCIAL, so you usually want to plan a time to go to different places and see all the people you wanna see out there, not just make separate trips.)  For some odd reason, we both felt good enough about seeing Linda to spend the miles and time to get out there.  Long story short, when we got there, we talked with her for a while and she stressed how she has been really struggling with church lately and with feeling important or loved. We sang her the hymn, “How Great Thou Art”, which brought her to tears, then shared a scripture that connected so well with the fourth verse of that song. She just let everything out, all her concerns and worries and said she really needed us to come tonight. The Spirit was piercing in that room. We were all in tears. Through this experience, I have learned how REAL the Spirit is, how much God loves His children, that He sends us as his servants, to those who need His comfort and love. How beautiful it is that this time in my life, I am able to be a direct servant in God's hand, to bring comfort and peace to God's children, his most precious children. I don’t know how I got so lucky :) The Spirit is REAL! Never ignore a prompting. It will bless your life, it will lead you and direct you in everything you do. I’m so grateful for this gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and for this opportunity to serve a mission in the south, despite the hard times. Look for ways the Spirit speaks to you this week. I love you all very much!  xoxo, sister fletcher Found a cute Coca Cola sign! My absolute favorite person - Beverly Giles ACAI When the district mis-matched clothes Sleepover with the STLs!!!

Life is Beautiful in AL :)))

Hi y'all :) How is everyone doing? I hope you guys had a great week with summer coming to a close. This week was kinda rough at first, but the last three days have been amazing! 

We went to the chiropractor on Friday and also this morning finally! I am still in some pain from the car accident, but I know the chiro will help :) So when we went on Friday, I started talking to the lady at the front desk named Mandy. She asked me all about our church and said that her and her husband moved here a few years ago, are Christian, and have been looking for a good church to go to but none have really clicked yet. I shared with her the basics of the gospel of Jesus Christ and she gave me her phone number and address. I am so excited to meet with her! It's cool to see how God has prepared us to be in different places just to have a run in with one person. Again, I believe the whole car accident happened for a reason.

We have been doing a ton of yard work this week! I would like it a lot better if it wasn't so blazing hot but it's all good. It feels awesome to serve others :) Some people act like its complete madness that we are mowing the lawn, since we are girls. It's pretty funny.

On Saturday, we had a lesson with one of our investigators, Sandra. She has not been progressing a whole lot but we continue to meet with her because there is so much potential and faith in her. We taught her more about the power of prayer and the spirit was so strong. I walked out of that lesson not remembering anything I had said. I realized it's because it was all the Spirit. The only reason we were able to make more progress with her is because GOD made the progress with her. We invited her to come to church the next day and she said she would try her best to get there. So Sunday came and we kept looking back every time the door of the chapel would open. I was so hopeful she would come. Finally, for what seemed like 283484 hours later, (even though really it was just like 10 mins) she walked into the chapel. Sister J and I were ecstatic!!! She stayed for all three meetings and at the end of the final meeting, she looked at us and started to cry. Tears came to my eyes as she said something along the lines of, "Girls, thank you for bringing me here. This is exactly what I need to get my life together again. I feel something special here that I can't wrap my finger around, but i just feel happy. I need that in my life" I am so excited for Sandra and for the Spirit she was able to feel at church. God answers prayers, everybody. Often times, he answers them through reading the Book of Mormon or through experiences we have. Sandra expressed to us that the Book of Mormon has already "changed her life". Having an investigator at church literally feels better than any gift I've ever received. It is pure joy and happiness. 

Yesterday we visited Therese Maradik, a lady in our ward who hasn't been to church in a while, as well as her husband who isn't a member. You guys, they are the DEFINITION of Alabama. I love it so much! They live way out in the boonies, in the middle of nowhere. It is so peaceful back there. They have their own garden and hunt all the time. They also built their own house and get mad at us when we say "you guys" instead of "y'all". I love them so much! They fed us fresh deer meat, pear juice from the pears they just pealed, and a pear pie fresh from the oven. Then we all went out to their garden and they gave us like twenty different vegetables they've been growing and some homemade jam. We call them Grandma and Grandpa #2, we just love them so much! We invited them to read the Book of Mormon together and they said they would, and the husband John, who isn't a member was eager to read. SO awesome !!!

There are two songs that are constantly in my head out here on the mission..."Everything is Awesome" from the Lego Movie and "Life's What You Make It" by Hannah Montana. I have no idea why, but they really motivate me! Cause man, Everything is awesome!!!! I could not be happier with what is happening in my life right now. Life truly is what you make it. I have really been able to gain a greater understanding and knowledge that everything we do in life, the good or not so good, it all is a matter of our perspective. If you choose to be positive about whatever gets thrown at you, I guarantee you will be a happier person :)

I hope you all have an amazing week! and thanks for reading my emails :)

love,

sister fletcher

Debbie Winters :)

Selfie on the pier

Bowling last P-day with the district

Farmer's Market!

Me with Krispy Kreme!

Dimples!
(her name is literally Dimples and i just adore her)
oh and she gave me this dress ;)

The Maradiks!

Beautiful Alabama Trees!

Quick Email!

Dear my faithful email readers,

How is everyone doing? I don't have a ton of time this week, but I just wanted to say hello :) This week has been kind of rough but there have been many tender mercies in every single day. It has been raining like crazy! but luckily no severe damage here.  There has been lots of flooding in Louisiana which I'm sure you are all aware of! Please pray for them. 

One of our most progressing investigators called us on Friday and told us that her health is continually getting worse and she just doesn't have time for the gospel in her life. That broke my heart but we were able to meet a 16 year-old girl, Jhe'merial, like ten minutes later, with so much potential. I have not been this hopeful about someone yet!  She is so prepared already and has really seen how God has had his hand in her life. We are so excited to teach her, so I will write more about her next week. 

We started teaching a man named Hector who doesn't speak the best English but we can understand each other enough. Sister Jackson and I are brushing up on our Spanish and I am really putting my three years of high school Spanish to use ;) Hector is so awesome and so humble! I just love teaching him!

We sometimes show some investigators awesome Mormon Messages (short videos online) in hope to strengthen their testimony and allow them to feel the Spirit. We showed our friend, Gypsy, one called, “Because of Him”, which I am sure many of you have seen. I have seen it many times since being out here on my mission, but during this specific time, I noticed a part specifically where a man was stumbling and could hardly walk and then fell into Jesus Christ's opened arms. The Spirit was immediately so strong, and I realized that person is literally me, that is all of us. I am really starting to fully understand that during ALL my struggles, all my trials, Jesus Christ is always there along side me, to lift me out of bondage, and heal my broken heart.  All we need to do is come unto Him, He will make up all that we lack, He will give us the rest. I invite you all to watch the Mormon Message on LDS.ORG: “Because of Him”. Even if you have already seen it, I promise, you will get something new out of it! 

Have an amazing week!

So much love,

Sister Fletcher

Precious little boy!

Our 103 yr old friend, Olivia

Our friend Bill playing us guitar

Dying of humidity and heat!

The district homies!