This is Canada

The Hewitts took us out to a lake in our area today, and it was so fun!! As a result emailing time is cut pretty short today. While we were out "in the bush" (Canadian for "out in the country") and "on the patch" (Canadian for out on an oil patch) Brother Hewitt included said we were next to a little lake, ice fishing, with a fire for a smokey roast: "This is Canada." Oh man. It was so great. I need to go camping real bad.

Brother Hewitt is a sneaky "kiss the fish" picture taker. Don't trust him. Slimy fish does not taste good.

Sister Hollon
was at the same zone conference,
so we took the temple picture
we didn't get to take at transfers

Last Wednesday we went in to the city for zone conference on Wednesday and it was the best. We learned about how to help members more effectively use social media to share the gospel. At one point I wrote in my notes "This is going to be me." Furreal. I basically just received a training on how to be a good member missionary in a couple weeks haha

A few days ago we were having a lesson with someone who won't really get their act together and come to church even though they know they need to. We've been unsure what to do to help this person decide to  ct. During the lesson I was kind of exasperated that this person wouldn't just make the choice they knew they needed to, but I stopped myself and thought about what I'd just heard in the women's conference from President Eyring.

My last Red Dot Day homies.

Seeing people as God sees them, I said a prayer in my heart that I'd feel how Heavenly Father felt about this person and my heavens if you want to have your heart explode with love, just pray and ask God how he feels about His children.

I was reading the Book of Mormon later that night and read in Alma 5 where Alma begins with explaining the change wrought in the people of Alma's hearts after they escaped King Noah, the Lamanites, and sin. In verse 9 he says "they were loosed, and their souls did expand." I think that that's a much more verbose way of describing what this 18 month service to the Lord has done to me. My soul has expanded. I, like them, "did sing the song of redeeming love." What beautiful music love has been.

So many times throughout my mission and even yesterday, my soul is filled as I witness the truth of the things I know are true. I don't know how to accurately describe it other than that it fills me. My soul expands.

Peace and Blessings
Sister Hepworth

How unfortunate!

P.S. After zone conference last week, we decided to use our time in the city to our full advantage and went out to dinner at Panda Express. Mmmm I love me some orange chicken. Once we'd finished we all reached for our fortune cookies. Sister Taylor's said something about exciting things happening in the next month and I was so pumped to open mine and get something so revelatory. Well I was jipped haha I didn't get a fortune. I showed Sister Taylor and she said "How unfortunate." Ha. Ha.

HELLO 7-11 had a Bring Your Own Cup day for $1.50, so you know we got a quart jar's worth of slurpee

A Great Day

OH MY GOODNESS GUESS WHAT WORLD. RONI IS GOING TO THE TEMPLE. GUESS WHO IS THE HAPPIEST PERSON IN THE EXISTENCE OF THE PLANET. GUESS WHAT ELSE. SHE'S COMING FOR THE DEPARTING MISSIONARIES' TEMPLE SESSION SO I GET TO SEE HER. OH MY GOODNESS.

We forgot about Pi day last week,
but Sister Hewitt did not.
We had pie for dessert of course.

I'm literally so pumped. I wish I could accurately convert to all of you how full my heart feels in this current moment. Hoooooly man.

In other news we had an awesome week! Our investigators are doing well and we're workin our tails off! Peter was able to come to church again this week and he's just so great. I'm so excitied for him to keep learning and growing in the gospel. He's a great guy with a big heart.

Came in for district meeting

We'd been so busy all week, that by the time Saturday rolled around we were really behind on goals we'd set in tracting for the week, so we spent most of the day walking and talking. We told ourselves that if we reached our goal, which was pretty lofty, we could go out for pizza and ice cream. Mmmmm one spicy perogie pizza and tropical chicken pizza we were very satisfied with out labors for the day.

The Relief Society had a dinner on Thursday
and told everyone to wear "fanciful hats."

On Friday I started my morning prayers with asking that it would be a great day. Instantly I had the thought "Aww dang it, now a bunch of crappy things are going to happen and I'm just going to have to choose to make it a great day." Well for some reason none of the forks I used all day worked because I dropped my food in my lap twice that day haha It really was a great day though. I'm definitely an advocate of choosing my attitude. I can make any day I want to great or not. It doesn't matter what happens or doesn't happen. It's totally up to me.

We were so excited to eat pizza
we didn't remember to take a picture
while it was still on our plates.

We're in Edmonton for the day for a meeting tomorrow. We get to go to the temple tonight and I'm so excited. I love the temple. I love being a missionary. I love Sister Taylor. I love Canada.

Peace and Blessings
Sister Hepworth

P.S. This is mostly courteous of Sister Taylor's email today haha "I was making paper footballs and all of a sudden I hear Sister Hepworth looking up french phrases. "Caca sur un bâton" That sounds fancy right? So i asked what fancy phrase it was...

We learned a trick last night ;D

Lo and behold... "Poop on a stick." Sister Hepworth cracked up!! I just looked at her like "are you for real?" Of all the things to look up in french, you are looking up POOP ON A STICK?? Ooooohhh boy... She just laughed and laughed and laughed. I smiled and rolled my eyes.. Silly girl :)" Our day of tracting was the next day and we were still (and ARE still) enjoying our new favorite French phrase. Sister Taylor again: "We would say it in different tones:    Sad: Caca sur un bâton  Offended: Caca sur un bâton  Jovial: Caca sur un bâton   As an insult: Caca sur un bâton Oh how we laughed! We would laugh as we went from house to house and would have to pull ourselves together before we could knock on another door!"

His Hands

Fill My Soul With Peace

Sister McSweeney on soprano, me on
alto, Eder Gibson on tenor, and Elder Saumweber on bass

My Kindness Shall Not Depart

Don't Lick His Face

So we had another cold snap
and we were hitting -30 windchills again,
but we're supposed to have
temperatures on the positive side
of the scale the rest of the week.
Spring is coming :D

We had supper out at a member's pond a few days ago and his 3 year old grandson wanted more chocolate milk. The grandpa jokingly suggested licking off the milk moustache from his older brother. Apparently chocolate milk is chocolate milk to 3 year olds because without hesitation he stuck his tongue out and went for his brother's face haha The kids' dad had to come pull the younger brother off his older brother he was so determined to get that chocolate milk.

It's been an incredible week! Last Tuesday night we made a plan with our investigator Peter to quit smoking. We set specific cut backs and checkpoints and he's been doing so great. He's going to be baptized in April and he came early to church on Sunday to shovel all the sidewalks! The ward loves him and he just fits right in.

Little Library + Book of Mormon
= Happy Sister Missionaries

A recent convert Elizabeth has a 9 year old son Alex who also wants to be baptized next month! Alex is pretty shy, so when we first brought it up he refused and talked about how crazy it is, but had a sneaky smile the whole time. Elizabeth kept prodding him and pointing out his little smile, and by the time we left he said "Ok! Ok! I'll be baptized!" He was so funny. We could see how bad he really wanted to, he's just nervous of the unknown like we all are.

Someone gave us a
Boat in a Bottle Kit!
Holy fun.
We now know the secret!

The calibrar of the people here is seriously so inspiring. There are so many people in just terrible situations, but they just grin and bear it. They have faith that it'll all work out, and it totally will; it's just so cool to see people really have the trust and patience to endure well to the end. It really inspires me to never complain. There really is always something good. Our attitude is a choice.

So I've been doing My Plan, which is a program that helps missionaries in their last weeks figure out their post-mission lives, and I've loved it. It's been cool to reflect on the things I've learned and set goals for the future. I

Round 2 lice treatment

remember Caleb Brown telling me after he got home from his mission that you know you're almost home when the milk expires after you do. I'm not quite there yet but getting closer everyday. I'm just so thankful for the change this has brought about in me. I know I'll keep developing and growing and becoming my whole life, but I've really learned a lot about who my Heavenly Father wants me to be up here.

Peace and Blessings
Sister Hepworth

Sister Taylor snuck a picture
as we were walking out of the store.
Probably my favourite picture ever.

P.S. So we were at the Dollar Tree today buying some cheap chocolate and I saw the balloons over in the corner. I looked at Sister Taylor, looked at the balloons, and ran over and bought myself a bright yellow smiley face balloon. I don't know what it is about holding a balloon, but it literally makes me so genuinely happy. Sister Taylor thought I was joking with how happy it was making me, but then she bought a balloon too and totally understood. You just can't be grumpy with a balloon in your hands. We have an experiment planed for this week involving helium and bubble gum. I'll fill you in more next week.

I seriously love it so much.

In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lamb

She's two months in and I'm two months to go (ish)

So it snowed some more! I have no idea how much, but lots haha We visited an old lady in the hospital and when we talked about all the snow she said, "March always comes in like a lion and out like a lamb." This is true in more ways than one this week, but let me start from the beginning.

I'm out in Drayton Valley with Sister Taylor and we are literally having so much fun. Like, missionary work is fun man, but we're for reals just havin a pretty jammin' time out here haha Drayton Valley is a little town about an hour and a half away from Edmonton. In town the population is about 7,000 and with the outskirts there's about 4,000 more people. So Gridley-esc, but they have more than four stoplights haha The people out here are so nice. I mean, nice people are everywhere, but there seems to be an especially high population of them here. The ward was just recently bumped up from branch status last year. They're some pretty amazing people.

Linus the Louse

The more I think about it, the more Sister Taylor and I are like the same person haha I don't have anywhere near enough patience to list all the ways, but needless to say WE HOMIES. She's from Bismarck, North Dakota and this is her second transfer on the mission. We snack, we laugh, we snack some more haha It's seriously been such a solid week. We both just want to work our tails off so it's a perfect match. We've definitely seen miracles from putting in time to WORK and from doing the hard things.

On Tuesday, Sister Hollon and I got to go on Whyte Ave and street contact with the new missionaries again. It's seriously so fun. There was one girl that I talked to that said a bunch of her friends are actually on missions right now, but when I asked her if she knew anything about the church she said she didn't. When I asked her if she wanted to know she said she did. It made me think of all my friends that my whole life who knew I was Mormon, but that never really knew much more than that. I'm pretty pumped to come be a member missionary! 

I bore my testimony on Sunday about love and how it's the essence of the gospel.  When I got home I read my journal, and in last year's March fast and testimony meeting, I also bore my testimony on love. Love really has been the most important thing I've learned from being a missionary. I've seen the difference in people's lives when they let the Savior's love in and it's almost indescribable how wonderful it is to be a part of. I feel like the Grinch at the very end of the movie where they try to x-ray his heart and it breaks the scale. My heart feels like bursting it's so full of love for my Savior, for missionary work, for my family, for all the people I've had the privilege of being a part of their lives.

At transfers on Wednesday, we had one last performance of His Hands for all the missionaries and it was...tender I think is the word for it. Sister McSweeney and I had talked about how we were trying to just be numb to everything because if we let any emotion come, there were too many to be had for good and for sad. After the concert, we stood in the chapel and sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." I could hardly make sound I was so overcome with the Spirit. I went and gave Sister McSweeney a hug after and said it's hard to feel numb when you feel so much love.

I love you all. Thank you for all the support that you always show me.

Peace and Blessings

Sister Hepworth

Linus the Louse

P.S. So this other lion. Yesterday morning, Sister Taylor said "I have a really important question" after she got out the shower. She displayed a piece of toilet paper with a little bug trapped in one of the crevices. "Does this look like lice?" And thus began the most gong show of a day. Our iPad is pretty restricted in things it's allowed to do, but I decided to try and ask Siri what lice looks like, then we screamed.

Then we texted Sister Pattison and she called us and we all screamed again. We cancelled everything, bought lice treatment stuff, vacuumed the entire house, and bagged up our bedding and clothes to wash on high heat. Major shoutout to the Hewitt family right here. We went and did a gazillion loads of laundry at their house and they made us supper and gave us two servings of ice cream and they're just wonderful. By the time we finished all our laundry, we came home to nit pick the rest of the night away. When we had talked to Sister Pattison earlier in the day, she asked if we had been anywhere  dirty in the last few days.

Launder all the things

Well, such is the life of a missionary, we are often in rather sketchy and/or dirty places haha BUT I will say that I've gained a greater testimony of fasting. I always wish I had more time with one transfer companions to really bond, so I fasted that Sister Taylor would be able to really be homies with the 6 weeks we have together. Well I tell you what, if spending hours digging through someone's hair looking for bugs isn't a way to bond I don't know what is haha Literally all night one of us would randomly giggle because it would freshly sink in that we in fact had lice.

Puttin in the treatment stuff

We basically watched all the videos on Gospel Library last night