Sister Ellyn Adams' new addess, email and pics from August 12th

New address:

Sister Ellyn Adams

PO box 11

Lehman, PA 18627

 

Companion: Sister Suckow (Sue-coe)

 

im right next to scranton, PA! woot woot!

love you!

Sister Adams

HI momma!

Ok, so I'm in Scranton now and my companion is Sister Suckow :D  She's awesome! very obedient, funny and kind of ridiculous :) We get along really well. I think it may be because she's 19 too. she's been out for 3 months and I've been out for 4, so we're extremely even in our knowledge... we sometimes walk around aimlessly... kind of not knowing what to do, haha. We have 2 baptismal dates and I'm super excited! I hope they work out. They're names are Colleen and Samantha and they just need to come to church and they'd be GOLDEN, PRAY FOR A MIRACLE!  :) So, hows home? It seems that time is going by so quick. Alora is turning 3, Dads turning skinny and so is Arielle! Take LOTS of pics at the Alorapalooza III for me, OK??  I have a present for her.  I am seeing so many small miracles, but especially the ones in myself. I'm not sure if that's bad that those are usually the ones that I notice... maybe I need to notice more of the ones in other people, but I feel myself more and more each day going through a change and becoming more converted to the gospel. I am learning how to be a better mother and wife.... hopefully. I have seen good and bad examples, so I am figuring out who I want to be. The area is beautiful, 

My apartment is super SUPER retro... like one step away from shag carpets, and my companion is beautiful. We have elders in this ward also.  Sister Suckow told me before I met the ward...it was a ward full of characters. Totally saw that on Sunday. Everyone is unique... and I like it. haha. One couple, the Deans, are AWESOME! When she met me she squealed and walked really fast to hug me. it was nice to feel wanted, haha. But she is super involved in missionary work. She has an awesome story! She grew up in the church but wasn't super active, became a truck driver and met her husband who was another truck driver... who was a Mormon too! Then they got married and he always said that he would have it so they would get sealed in the temple. they finally did this last July! After that, he got cancer, but he's finally home and getting better. I think that after her husband got cancer she REALLY became involved in missionary work because she saw the blessings from it. :) She is NICE to everyone, and I just felt so welcomed from her. Be that way for the missionaries that come into our ward, OK? The missionaries need it, they really do. Let them do laundry at our house, let them raid our cupboards, give them rides. They need it. And you need the blessings :) Its hard coming from a ward that was so missionary minded to one that isn't so much so. Like, they don't even pass around meal calenders because its a distraction... I'm going to be sweetly bold and change that. I just don't think that's acceptable. Members think (righteously, I might add) that we are the finders and teachers. Nope. members are the finders. I never knew that until I came on a mission! :) Instead of praying for us to find people, they need to pray to find people. The Lord has PROMISED miracles when that happens.  Its hard when the ward doesn't get that. Have you watched the missionary fireside put on at the Marriott next to the MTC? It pretty much just talks about that, and its WAY awesome! Anyways, I love you. Keep being awesome ward members. dad- you're an awesome leader for those young men and I admire that :) mom- you keep being an awesome ward missionary... they need people like you who are willing to do anything for them :) I love you a lot and miss you a little bit less this week! Love you, and you can send packages to my P.O. Box! I'm sure I'll be staying in this area for a while. Its awesome though... 3 areas in 4 months! anyways, I have to write president. LOVE YOU!!!

<3 Sister Adams 

Sister Adams' email and pics from August 5th

Hello All, 
News: I got an iPod!!!! Ope, and I'm being transferred. I'm really really really mad. I'm finally in an area where I love the people, love my companion and its beautiful. We're surrounded by water and its gorgeous. Sometimes for "exercises" we go for morning strolls at North East park which looks out towards the Chesapeake bay and its so beautiful.  I'm mad because my companion and I got along so well, but sometimes I feel like I'm on a vacation trip rather than a mission trip, so it might be for the better. We just get along so well... Ugh this sucks. I can't even explain how much I'll miss the Fletchers. They have become my home Away from home and its just hard knowing that I'll go into another area and probably not have  a family like them. Like, who else would take the time to email and CALL my family? I cried a lot last night after we got home from the farm with them (some of the pictures are from the farm and MOST of the pictures involved the Fletcher's)... I'm just going to miss them a lot. Can we visit them when we come back here after my mission? :) anyways, so yeah. They bought us an iPod after they found out that I was being transferred! That's what I'm writing this  email from :) we have wifi in our apartment and its awesome.   They invited us over for dinner then told us we were eating dinner at the mall in Newark, Delaware, but then bro Fletcher lead us into an apple store. It was awesome!!! THEY are AWESOME!!!!

I have a Facebook now too! It's SisterEllyn Adams. Here' the link:

https://www.facebook.com/ellyn.adams.3?fref=ts

We use it to post things to the people we meet on our missions and to spread the gospel in that way and to also show them that we're real people :)  But, sadly, you guys can't add me on it :/ but you can stalk me!!!!  So, this week we found out that we are going to be the mission to test run iPads. It's really cool to be in a trendsetting mission :D ahh, it's amazing. I can type so much faster from this thing. It's a pink iPod too :) I have been pretty trunky this week, it kind of sucks. It's funny though because I have complete control over it, so when I feel myself getting trunky I know the remedy is just to work. I just need to work hard today, that's all :) well, be prepared for my address to change once again... This sucks. 

Can you and Dad read:

"His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox 

"Beware of Pride" by Ezra Taft Benson

They are awesome talks! I'm sure that these talks can give you another perspective on our family. There's this girl in our ward, she and I were texting one day and she was having a really bad teenage day saying that she can't stand her family and that she does all she can to help them but no one cares. I asked if she really was doing all she could, like serving them. She went around the question, but I know her well enough that she wasn't. I know that pride, in whatever form it takes shape, blocks us from seeing the big picture and essentially blocks our happiness. That talk, when read with a humble heart, can change people.
So excited for Gavin!  This one girl at byui told me that "even if I help convert one person, I've done enough"  

Tell mom I love her too! I think about you often, too often, and I'm trying not to. I will try to type out a little August newsletter for the ward today, but no promises because I'm going to Newark today to go shopping at h&m and urban outfitters :))))))))) so excited!!! I love love love you.

Good vibes and love from North East Maryland for the last time

~Sister Adams :)

Sister Adams' email and pics from July 29th

Hey mom-

well, this week my mouth decided to develop a canker sore... its times like these that i really REALLY want to go on google and research home remedies.  Its taking over my whole mouth! jk, its like the size of a sunflower kernel. I numbed it with hydrogen peroxide, so thats helping a bit. it was cool to see it fizz up like things do with hydrogen peroxide. I would send you a picture of it so you could put it on my blog, but another sad thing is that my camera is GHETTO.

Amanda looks super pretty in that picture that you sent! I cant wait to meet sweet Isabelle.

I think about the babies a lot and I miss them lots. Give them hugs for me :) Hows dad? How are you, mom?

I cant believe its almost August!! its super weird to think that coming up on September 30th its my 6 month mark, then only a year to go! Mission life moves WAY too quick. Of course I miss everyone at home and sometimes wonder what every ones doing, but I am NOT looking forward to the day that I have to take this name tag off. I am realizing what kind of missionary I want to be. Last transfer was really hard, as you know. Honestly, it was the time where i really had to decide if i was going to keep being a missionary or not. It was not necessarily because I didn't want to be a missionary and teach people about the gospel, but it was because I didn't realize what exactly I was getting myself into and that I was giving up late summer nights, sleeping in, music, friends and Netflix and all that good stuff that seemed to be important. But now I want to be here because i feel so blessed to be so involved in the gospel and I'm finally realizing myself more and who Heavenly Father wants me to be, but  keeping in mind who I want to be, and aligning the two. There are more good days than bad days, but the bad days definitely are the days where I am learning things, and having to make the decision to change or not. This week I realized how blessed I am to realize I am a daughter of God. I also realized what kind of missionary I want to be. It came to the point where my companion and I had to discuss our use of time. We didn't agree, but one thing that she brought up is that she respects me and my decision to know what kind of missionary I want to be and I wont back down. Its pretty cool :) Dad wrote me a letter and said that one of the most important person converted on my mission will be me, and I am feeling that. I am feeling myself getting converted and its way cool. :)

I have been praying to find people that are wanting to learn about the gospel, and one day we walk into the library, and a journalist for the Herald Newspaper said "Hey, you have name tags, you would be a cool story." so he got to know us, and asked us some questions, but it was a cool experience to see my prayers answered. someone might need our smiles, you never know :)

Transfers are coming up, and everyone thinks I'm getting a golden and I say DON'T PUT THAT EVIL ON MY RICKY BOBBY and then I think it would be pretty cool, but super hard.

 

 

One thing that I would like to share in attempt to make up for the lack of fun stories is verse 4 in Ether chapter 3, which I have seen in a different light these past couple of days. It talks about missionary work, and how the Lord is preparing all of us. :)

 

"4. And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in the darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea."

 

Now what does this have to do with missionary work?

 

"4. And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones (us) , O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in the darkness; and they (US) shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have lightwhile we shall cross the sea.

5. Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men."

 

Since every member is a missionary, the Lord is talking to all of us in this verse. We are prepared and are continuing to be prepared to go into the darkness. And who is in the darkness? Everyone who needs the Gospel, whether that be active members, or random people we meet, we need to be that light, and the Lord has promised that as we do what He has commanded us, that Angels will be on our right hand and our left, to bear us up. (D&C 84:88) I know that with my heart. I know that you can help build the kingdom of God. Ask for help, ask for guidance, and he will give it to you.

 

I love you a lot and miss you a lot, but its getting bearable. Hugs and Kisses and good vibes from the East coast~

Sister Adams