Email 4/22/13

The castle was amazing!!!!!!! I loved it!!!!!

My week has been all right. Just a little homesick. But I think that it will constantly stay with me. We have met a few new people but they are just potentials right now. The ones we are working with right now are great and one just set up a date to be baptized on the 8th of June.

I am so excited!!!!! I do have to say I am a little jealous that you went to Payson with out me!!!!! That sounds like it really would have been amazing. I am glad that she was able to tell you what to ask the doctors. That should be a big help to Grandma. How are they doing????? Have they been able to find a house yet???? I have a feeling that he won't remember me when I get home. I am glad that you are there to spend time with them though.

Wow that is crazy!!!!!!! It doesn't seem like he has been out that long!!! I bet she is just so excited!!!!! How is their family doing???

That sounds like it must have been really spiritual and amazing!!!!!!!!! I would have loved to see that!!!!!

That lesson was for me as well. The past few weeks I have been learning about gifts and talents that we are given, and that we need to use them. I have been trying to be better at recognizing my gifts and using them to help the people around me. So on the 18th of May Sister Clawson and I will be singing in Sacrament meeting. I am absolutely terrified. We are going to sing the 1st and 3rd verses of Where can I Turn for Peace and the 1st and 3rd verse of Be Still My Soul. And I Have a solo for part of it. I hope that it goes well.

All right Just let me know what you figure out!!!! I am excited to talk to and see all of you. I really need it. I miss you so much!!!!!!! I will have to go to a members home. What time of day would you like to do it??

Transfers are next week and we are staying because I told president that he could not take me out of Rhyl yet because I am still needed here and he agreed.

 

I love you so much!!!!!!!!

I hope all is going well!!!!!

Love

Sister Ballantyne

Email 4/15/13

I am doing a little better just taking it one day at a time.

 

We have had quite a few more miracles this past week one happened on Tuesday night. As we were planning we planned to call by a potential investigator at 2:30. So on Wednesday we called by a member that we had set up a meeting with and had a really good lesson. After we asked her about some of the people we were going to see. She told us about them so we kind of changed our plans to go and see them. As we were walking down the street we stopped to talk to a woman. We had a really good talk with her she said that she had met the elders before and that she believed in Jesus and felt that she was on the right path. We were able to get her name and address and set up a time to come by the next day to teach her. After she left we realized that her name and address sounded really familiar. We looked at our planners and there it was her name and address at 2:30 on Wednesday. So we saw her at the exact same time that we had set in our planners that night before. It was absolutely spirit led. We went by the next day but she was not in so we are going to try by again.

 

There was another one yesterday. We got on a bus at a different time then we thought we would and as we were walking to the back of the bus two girls saw our badges and said that they have always wanted to ask what they were for. So we were able to tell them. The time came for us to get off the bus and we said good by and that we were going to kill an hour. We got of the bus and sat down to make a plan. We looked back at the bus and the two girls got off and came over to us and said that they had an hour to kill as well they might as well kill it with us. We were able to share the message of the Restoration with them and gave them a Book of Mormon. It was so amazing to see the Lord guiding us to where he needs us.

 

Thank you for telling me that I haven't really felt like an example!

 

We have not been able to meet with him again but we called by and spoke to his mother. She said that they were still waiting for her results.

 

Yes we have been teaching him!!! It has been going really well. We are teaching him again tonight.

 

The YSA are taking us to a Castle today!!! I am excited!!!

 

The ward members are really great!!!!! They are a lot like the Chorley Ward. We have quite a few meals but Sister Clawson and I do cook every once and a while. Good thing our parents taught us well. We have made some chicken dinners that have looked amazing!!! We both said that we don't think the Elders ever eat like this when they have to cook for themselves. hehe

 

Sister Clawson and I have been doing an experiment off of the talk by Richard G. Scott. We each picked a scripture.  During the day if we start thinking about worldly things we would read that scripture and it would help us focus and keep the spirit with us. It has been an amazing experiment. Last week my scripture was D&C 121:7-9. This week is Helaman 5:47.It is a great way to remember the Savior and to memorize scriptures!!!!

 

Love you tons. 

 

Sister Ballantyne

Email 4/8/13

I absolutely loved conference. I realized that being at home and listening to it I never really gained anything because I would be doing something else. This time I went with a question and it was answered. We are so blessed to have the opportunity to listen to the Prophet and Apostles. Yes she has been in for a long time. I was sad to see her released, but these new sisters well be good. I can not wait for the ensign as well because we did not get to see the Sunday afternoon session. They all have wonderful stories. You could send me one if you want. 

 

The miracles we had last week were just that we were able to had out Books of Mormon every day. And we have quite a few potential Investigators now. We will be calling by them this week. We also received a bunch of referrals from members. It has been quite a busy week. One of the miracles was that we were walking down a street and Sister Clawson had a feeling to knock on a door, but decided that we could keep walking and if we walked by it again and she still had that feeling we would knock. So we came back around and she still had that feeling so we knocked on the door. He was not interested. As we were walking away from the door we ran in to a young man and his two adorable kids. We started talking to him and he had never heard of Mormons. We told him how families can be together forever and he told us that we could come by sometime. He showed us where he lived. The next day we went and knocked on his door. No body answered. So we left a little discouraged. We went and talked to some other people and later I had a feeling that we really should go back. We went back and his mother answered the door. She had been crying because her daughter was in the hospital. It is this mans sister. So we asked if we could do anything. She said no. So I asked for her and her daughters name and told her that we would keep them in our prayers. A few days later we saw this man again in another part of town. He was in his car and we waved at us. We both feel that we really need to teach this family.

 

I just studied the last week of Christ life in Matt.,  Mark, Luke, and John. It is the last few chapters in each. It was a great experience to be able to study that at Easter. I want to do that every year now. It really does make a difference in Easter. 

 

It has been absolutely beautiful weather this week. The sun has been out and it has been quite warm. Just a little chill. I have been able to walk around without my jacket on. ;) 

 

I am glad that you liked the package and that it got to you!!!! Thank you for that package as well. I love the granola!!!!!!!!!! The pictures are cute. But where are the family ones???;) How am i supposed to show people my wonderful amazing family. I only have the really old one.

 

I love the view of the ocean. The other day we saw a castle and it was magnificent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wales has really found a special place in my Heart.

 

It has been a little tough this past week, but I am doing alright.

 

Love you tons

 

Sister Ballantyne

Letter we received from a ward member in Chorley

Dear Brother and Sister Ballantyne

I recently served as the ward mission leader in Chorley second ward and the last set of missionaries I worked with were sisters. One of these being your daughter - Sister Ballantyne. 

I just wanted to thank you for sending her over here, she is hard working sincere and respectful with a great sense of humour.

She is a credit to her country, church and you as an ambassador of her family.

We shall miss her.

Thanks again,
Robert Watt

Email 4/2/13

It was a really good Easter.We had the opportunity as a mission to study the last week of Christ life the week leading up to Easter. It was an amazing experience and brings a whole new meaning to Easter. I really enjoyed it and I wondered why we don't do it. We read about his birth at Christmas time. Why not about the Atonement which is just as big if not bigger on Easter. It is something I want to keep doing.

 

Sorry that we were not able to write yesterday. It nearly killed us that it was a Bank holiday and the Library was closed. Wow That is amazing we really do tend to take the sacrament for granted. We had Fast Sunday this week and it was so wonderful to have Fast Sunday on Easter Sunday.

 

It is so weird I really feel like it was me who just came out into the mission field last week.

 

Wow that is crazy!!!!! I will definitely keep an eye out. It really is a small world in the Church. There were some people in the ward that said that they remembered an Elder Ballantyne coming on Exchange here once.

 

I am excited for conference as well I wish that I could watch all of it. But at least i will get to watch some of it.

 

We don't get packages at transfers. I should be able to get it next week. Please send the next one to the mission office as well.

 

I am loving it here. The people are so nice and are really taking care of us. And the view is breathtaking!!!!!

 

Tell kado congrats. I still can not believe that he is old enough to start driving. What is he going to learn in?? I am sure that Grandma and Grandpa are going to love having them there. Tell them all that I love them.

 

We have seen so many miracles here in Rhyl. I love it so much!!!!

 

All my love

 

Sister Ballantyne