Feb 2014 Emails and Pictures from Ellyn

New Address:

Sister Ellyn Adams

4405 Bristol rd. Apt 1B

Trevrose, PA 19053

Some pictures and exerts from the last few months of emails from Ellyn...

2-9-14

I had chips and salsa and oreos for lunch so this letter is going to be short because I am nutrient deficient!

Well this week I served in Center City Philly for an exchange with the Sister Training Leader. It was awesome. There were so many people, it was kind of overwhelming! I loved it! People dressed super cute and it kind of smelled and it was like a dirtier San Fran.  We met a couple people in the train and we taught a guy in the hospital and it was just what I needed to be more pumped about the work :) It seems that I am usually a roller coaster of emotions, but that exchange really helped me see things a little more clearly :)

We also had an awesome zone training that helped me so much. I don't know... the more I'm out here the more I want to stay. I really don't ever want to leave just because of all the miracles we see everyday!

The people really look out for us :)

There's a group of 7 Sisters and no Elders coming in next transfer. Sister Cox thinks I'm training again.... I might be up for another adventure ;)

I am just so grateful for all the wonderful things that happen everyday, even the things that are happening within myself. I am seeing myself change every day and either I change for the better or worse. Its really cool though knowing that its all my choice which way I go :)

Welp, we'd better get going, we're probably gonna go ice skating :)

Love you all!

Sister Adams!

and yes... its FREEZING here! :D

Ellyn's new apartment (obviously in the summer)

1-20-14

I am turning 20. My 10 month mark is TODAY. And I'm leaving Wilkes-Barre. This place means so much to me. I have grown so much and I feel that I have changed a little bit more into who God wants me to be. I have been through a lot of hard times. A lot of times where I have felt alone, but I found that God is there. He is so present. We just have to open our hearts and have that desire to change and know, and He will show that to us. I am so grateful for the people and the richly spiritual experiences I have seen in this area. <3 I am so eternally grateful. I can only look back on my mission so far and say how full of gratitude I am towards our Heavenly Father.
This week we had another snow storm. It wasn't that cold, but it was snowy. One of our investigators, Rose, called us and told us it was too dangerous to go up the hill to her house in the snow, so she was going to cancel. We had already been cancelled on that day and me being the stubborn Sister that I am, I told her that we would walk up the hill.She was surprised, but we went anyways. Well, our car made it up SUPER easy up the hill and then we had an AMAZING lesson with a lady that just wants to do what God wants her to do. She then told us "You know, after I got off the  phone with you I told my husband 'those preachers and ministers are sitting in their nice, warm church buildings while these girls will walk up the hill to teach me the gospel' and so you girls are different." It was awesome. We had the excuse to cancel all of our appointments because of the snow, but we didn't and our day went EXACTLY as it was planned! It was awesome!  And I am so grateful. The Lord definitely blesses the people who put the effort in!

We did yoga this morning. Well, not really yoga, but meditation and it was super awkward. Like the lady was like chanting in a foreign language and it was just super weird. Lots of weird juju. But it was nice for only $6. :D

I cant wait to go to my next area. I'm super sad. I'm going to send more pictures now! I love you!!!

Happy January! :)

I love you!

Sister Adams :)

1-13-14

This week at District Meeting, it was about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It was exactly what I needed to hear... and this is why:

(excerpt from a letter to the Mission President)

"So me and Sister Baluyot both tried something this week... We tried to regain our faith. We stopped doubting our lessons falling through and stopped talking about all of the reasons for the lesson to fall through or go negative. It was kind of hard, but guess what? IT WORKED. We stopped making an excuse out of our lack of faith. We worked hard and diligently. Lunch breaks became shorter, we worked even though it was 4 degrees outside and we TRIED. We tried so hard to try. And our goals and actuals are steadily going up. We have seen many miracles this week. I feel that we are both refining each other. I love my companion and the rich spiritual experiences that we have been having, and WILL continue to have. (Sorry about all the capslock, but not sorry because I feel so strongly about this! This has changed my whole outlook on my mission!)"

Jan 6, 2014

This week has been... interesting. We had a wonderful pancake-filled breakfast with the Deans to start the New Years off right with carbs and more carbs. It was awesome :D So delicious. Brother Dean made all of it (he just got done with Leukemia... he is AMAZING! Such an inspiration) and then they came out and worked with us the rest of the day.

The next morning, to kick start the New Year, I decided to work out hard. I was doing high knees when I tripped over the step that goes into the kitchen (its just one little step) and sprained my ankle. It was a lot of fun. That meant I got to lay on the couch for a couple of hours with a member while my sweet Golden got to teach all the lessons. It was good because I will probably be transferred soon so she needs to learn the area  more.

The next day I got a massive cold (I think it almost turned to strep except I got super blessed from the Lord so it didn't) and now I sound like a man. I have been praying to be humble and to stop talking a s much... Heavenly Father DOES answer our prayers, and I am a perfect example of that!

12-9-13

At the end of a recent lunch with Sister Panohaya (it was just her, so we had a hard time communicating with her little English and Sis Baluyots little Spanish and my even littler knowledge of Spanish!) we shared a message.  We talked about Nephi, and all he did. She was trying to talk in English but we told her to just talk in Spanish to make it easier. She did and I remember just looking at her and listening as best as I could to what she was saying. I just kind of guessed at what she was saying and the feelings of the Spirit, like understanding, were there so strong. Sister Baluyot knows more Spanish than I do and ever few sentences I would look at her and I would say what I thought she said, and Sister Baluyot was so surprised that I knew what she was saying. It wasn't because of the expressions on her face or the way that she spoke, it was because of the Spirit. I was able to understand her because the Lord needed me to understand her. The Spirit is real. I know that to be true.

11-25-13

The only thing that I want to do today is cuddle up and watch Elf.  

11-25-13

This week we went and visited with Ed again (remember the one who was a turd to us the first time we met him and then he turned out to be golden?) I am a pessimist and was like "oh, it was just one good lesson, this next one is not going to be as good..." BUT...it totally was awesome! We were going to teach him a quick restoration lesson, but it turned into reading Enos from the Book of Mormon and the Spirit was so strong. We talked about prayer and how he can feel the way that Enos felt, like he was clean and how he can also have that connection with God. (If you haven't read Enos, you totally should, just sayin.... and if you have, read it again!) and he said that he would read the Book of Mormon, because we told him that is how he will know if our message is true. At the end of the lesson, we asked him to say the prayer, he said no. We asked why, he said no. We taught him how to pray, he said no. We asked him again, he said no. A little persistence, and BAM! the 5th times the charm! He prayed. After he prayed, we asked him how he felt. He said he felt good. We told him that feeling is from God.  Man, miracles are everywhere, even in Plymouth... lol ;)