WINTER IS COMING

Walking to the church the other day, it was -5 degrees. -5.  And this is only the beginning. I bought boots for -40 the other day. And for you Fahrenheit people thinking that's not too bad,  Celsius and Fahrenheit meet at -40. Don't believe me? Google it. Now that you've googled it and believe me, we can shed tears together. Mine will just freeze to my face hahaha


But the cold can't keep me and Sister Hill from spreadin the gospel! We're still out tryin to find and teach anyone who will listen! Oh man. We had an awesome lesson with a new investigator the other day. We were teaching him about prophets and he re-explained them to us better than we explained them to him haha sometimes people are just so ready to hear the gospel that no matter what we sat they're gonna soak it up.

My red dot day surprise
celebratory sticky note note.

By the way, HAPPY RED DOT DAY TO ME!! Red dot day is the month anniversary to entering the MTC, so it was actually on the 23rd haha Sister Hill made red dot day up cause on the first day of the MTC new missionaries have to wear a red dot on their name tag. So every month for the next 18 months the 23rd is a day of celebration!

I went on my first exchanges this week! For exchanges, we "exchange" with another set of sister missionaries and one of us goes to their area and the other stays in Tofield with the other sister. I went into the city with Sister Platter! The Edmonton skyline is so pretty!

Sister Hill and I
with the Sisters
we went on exchanges with

We went contacting on the light rail train that's in the city and the next day we set up a booth in front of one of our church buildings and passed out mormon.org cards, Book of Mormons, and free cookies 


SPEAKING OF COOKIES. Our investigator that's on date to be baptized on November 7th is a doing a week long stop smoking program the church has, and to support him we're giving up sweets for a week. He's doing great and is so ready to be baptized. So Sister Hill and I have a double batch of cookie dough and a big bag of chocolate almonds waiting for us at the end of the week haha

We had a sacrament service in Veg this week. There are some old ladies that can't travel an hour both ways to get to church every week, so every last Sunday of the month, we have a service in Veg. It's inspiring to see people so devoted to the gospel. Even though they physically can't come to Tofield for church, they don't lose their faith in those weeks without it and diligently attend in Vegreville. 
That's how important this gospel is guys. It's worth every effort to make it something that's important in our OWN lives. The happiest happiness we can have comes by following Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I promise.

The cookie picture!
 Sister Roughley is the one on the left;
she's the branch relief society president
and came with us to the lesson

Love you tons! Peace and Blessings!

Sister Hepworth

P.S. Our investigator that understood prophets so well took our picture after the lesson haha He likes to draw and wanted to draw our picture, but made us retake it a bunch of times, trying to get good lighting, or have our arms positioned the right away. We couldn't get our arms to his liking so finally he just made us hold up cookies hahaha

One of our potential investigators
has a bear. A bear. In his house.
As a rug. A bear. So obviously we
had to take pictures with it haha

He also this giant standing bear. It's head is about 3x the size of mine

Has it Been A Week? Already?

K yeah this was just to show that
Canada is pretty GORGEOUS ;D

It seriously feels like I've been in Canada for a lifetime but that I
 just got here yesterday haha I love it. I love my companion and I love
 the branch and I love the people we're teaching and I love being a
 missionary. Sister Hill and I were saying that sometimes missions seem
 like the hardest thing ever, but they're really the easiest thing you
 could ever do. You just have to spend 18 to 24 months dedicated to
 Heavenly Father. You don't have to worry about bills, or school, or
 work. It's just whatever Heavenly Father wants. It's a pretty sweet
 deal.

 I have to say it right now before I forget again!!!

 I SAW THE NORTHERN LIGHTS. MULTIPLE TIMES. THEY'RE AS AMAZING AS YOU
 THINK THEY ARE. Seriously. So. Cool. The first night I come out to

Smarties are called Rockets in Canada!
And they have a candy called Smarties
 but they're like off-brand m&ms!
I was gonna send them back home
 but I took a picture and ate them instead
 eheh

 Tofield they were so bright and green and moving and just flipping
 awesome!! We've seen them a couple times since, but never as good as
 that first night. I had to leave the shutter open for 16 seconds to
 get a picture and I tried to hold really still, but it's still a
 little blurry and not NEARLY as cool as in person, but still sooooo
 cool. I forgot my little camera so I'll send the picture next time. It
 hasn't snowed yet, but it should be coming any day now.

 Sister Hill and I are teaching 15 investigators, but we only meet with
 about 7 regularly, but part of the 15 were 2 new ones that we found in
 the last week so hopefully they'll become regular ones too! :D We see
 lots of less active families as well. Our purpose is to help "people"
 come closer to Christ. Active member or not, investigator or random
 person on the street, we're trying to help everyone find happiness and
 peace that only comes from Jesus Christ and his gospel.

 Sister Hill really wanted some cookie dough the other day so I made a
 batch at lunch and we ate it all in about 4 days. Cookie dough is the
 only recipe I have memorized, and I've only ever made it at home
 before. When I made it the other day though, it still felt like I was
 making it at home. Being on a mission feels like home. I feel like I'm
 exactly where I'm supposed to be and I know I am.

 So one of our investigators committed to be baptized which is great!
 But we're worried he doesn't really fully understand what he  haha
 We've been trying to get back to his house to teach him again, but his
 dog will NOT have it. In the last it's always been super friendly
 whenever we came over, but the past 3 times we tried to go over, it
 literally tried to kill us.   If he weren't tied down he would have
 tackled us  pans eaten our faces. The last time we went over he ran so
 hard to trend get us that the big wooden picnic table he's tied to
 literally flipped over. We'll just have to figure out how to get our
 investigator to come out of his house and wrestle his dog so we can
 teach him again haha

This is the Kastendieck family.
They're the bomb and took us on a walk
 out by this lake last P Day.

 So Sister Hill and I go to Veggreville twice a week because it's in
 the Tofield branch boundaries. On our way home Saturday night, we
 received some pretty amazing divine intervention. We were going about
 110 km/her down the highway when all of the sudden four deer showed up
 in our headlights while they were trying to cross the road. We both
 started screaming and Sister Hill slammed on the brakes and we should
 have hit the deer. We both could see right where the deer were
 standing when we skidded past them, but we didn't hit a single one. We
 seriously only could have not hit them unless we were being protected
 by Heavenly Father. And I know we were.

 I'm still not an ace at teaching, but I think I'm getting better. I'm
 definitely trying and praying real hard haha Sister Hill is seriously
 AWESOME. We've literally only known each other for 14 days and it's
 like we've known each other for years. Heavenly Father has definitely
 blessed me in the companion department. We're both crazy so we're
 gut-laughing about 80% of the time we talk to each other.

 We had a really cool experience this week when we taught an
 investigator about the Atonement and how personal it is. He has some
 struggles that he knows he shouldn't be doing but can't find the
 desire or strength to stop. Sister Hill testified of how powerful the
 Atomement is and how perfectly Christ knows how each one of us feel.
 And because of that, how perfectly Christ knows how to help and
 strengthen us. The Spirit was so strong no he just kept saying "Ok.
 You got to me." It was powerful.

 K this is the longest letter ever but guys it's true. Christ knows and
 loves us PERFECTLY. He paid for our sins and felt everything we've

We were walking and sat down to figure out who to see next.
Obviously I had to whip out the selfie cam.

 ever felt to "know how to succour his people." We just have to let
 him.

 PEACE AND BLESSINGS

 Sister Hepworth

 P.S. We met with this 85 year old man and his wife and he kept showing
 off how agile and active he was haha he was literally doing lifts and
 jumping jacks and made us feel his muscles. SO. FUNNY.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday was Candaian Thanksgiving! My companion and I were fed THREE Thanksgiving dinners!! Holy. Turkey.

MY COMPANION!! Her name is Sister Hill and I love her So. Dang. Much. She's from Logan, UT and is da best. We're almost constantly laughing cause we have the same ridiculous humor haha She's a dang hard worker and I couldn't have asked for a better trainer. She teaches so well and loves everyone so much and everyone loves her so much! It's great!

It's been a week! A whole week here in Canada! I'm about 40 minutes East of Edmonton in a town called Tofield. It's a lot like Gridley with farms all over the place. There are only about 2,000 people though so it's a little smaller than Gridley. We go to a town about 30 minutes away called Vegreville twice a week. There's a little branch here in Tofield with lots of investigators and less active members that we're meeting with. There are even more people in Vegreville population and less-active member-wise, but there's no branch or ward out there. We're workin on it ;D

We're teaching a lot of people and have three investigators right now who are on date to be baptized in November!! Holy cow though, yesterday we tracted for four and a half hours. We found 10 new potential investigators so it was totally worth it. We set a goal to pass out 140 Book or Mormons by the end of the transfer (5 more weeks) and we got five yesterday so we're doin good haha I gave out my first Book of Mormon!!! It was amazing!!

The branch is great! The picture of me with a guy with pie all over his face is the branch president haha There was a fall festival on Friday and I got to smoosh a pie in his face. I'm just so good at making first impressions;) I was wearing a black skirt that night so they stuck a witch hat on my head so I had a costume" haha The members love us though and are so supportive of us and the people we teach.

I'm running out of time, but this is the greatest you guys. I'm legitimately loving being a missionary and teaching people about how to find more happiness by coming closer to Christ. He's the only way to find true happiness. I promise.

Peace and Blessings

Pray ALWAYS

Sister Hepworth

P.S. Sister Hill and I were driving and saw a sign that said "G Sale." I said it probably meant that they're only selling things that start with the letter G and she said "Gizzards! And groupie selfies!" We almost had to pull over we were laughing so hard hahahaha

Your Missionary Has Arrived Safely in Edmonton

Hand written note from Sister Hepworth upon her arrival in Canada on October 6, 2015

Sister Hepworth with her new companion Sister Hill
& President & Sister Manion of the Edmonton Canada Mission

SURPRISE

Since we're leaving for the field TOMORROW we're writing to all you lovely folks today. Let's say it one more time though; I'M LEAVING FOR CANADA TOMORROW. It's crazy! This has been the longest yet shortest 12 days of my life. The MTC president said missionaries called to speak in their native language are called the "12-day miracles." It really is a miracle that I've been able to learn and grow as much as I have in the past week and a half. And I know that it only worked because the Lord "qualifies whom he calls." The only possible way I could have gone through these 12 days is through strength from the Lord.

The MTC's been a big 'ol slice of humble pie for me. I came into the MTC a little too sure of myself and my missionary readiness. I came into the MTC with an attitude of having my nose up in the air, and I definitely spent a few days with my tail in between my legs because of it. BUT the Lord only breaks us down so he can build us higher. I'm walking out of the MTC tomorrow with my head held high; not because now I think I'm a rockstar and I got this, but because I know now that I do "got this" only with help from on high. When I got here I couldn't wait to leave, and now I wish I could stay and keep learning forever.

BUT ALAS tomorrow is the day! I get to meet my mission president, meet my new companion, and go to WORK.

General Conference was so incredible. I'm so thankful for prophets who are called of God to teach us how to be happy. Thomas S. Monson is God's prophet today and I'm so thankful for his life of service and teachings. From conference, there were several talks that touched on the idea that God takes us as we are. He rejoices every time we take a step forward; the direction is so much more important than the speed. I definitely needed to hear that as I enter the field. I feel so inadequate as a teacher and as a representative of the Savior, but I'm trying to be better. That's all that Heavenly Father wants. He wants to take a step in the right direction and is so happy when we do.

This is real guys. This is the Lord's gospel and this is the way to find complete happiness in this life and in the life to come. He's given us the steps. He's laid it out in the scriptures and in the teaching of the prophets. We just gotta do it. And he REJOICES when we do.

I love you all so much. And Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you even more
.
Sister Hepworth

P.S. Funny story for the week: one of the Elders in front of us during general conference fell asleep and was straight SNORING. We were all dying of laughter.