One Year!

This has been the most INCREDIBLE, stressful, WAY out of my comfort zone, SPIRITUAL, fulfilling, ADVENTUROUS, life changing, GROWING, wet, MIRACLE filled, anxious, BEST, Memorable - there's really no way I could completely describe the experiences of this past year serving a mission!! I've included a video of the year filled with AMAZING family, friends, companions and all those I've been so blessed to meet and LOVE!

THANK YOU for being part my life this past year! (:

My second title is: NOTHING Is Ever Easy!

BUT it will be worth it! (: 

Martha wants to be baptized!! We are SO excited for her but just as the title says it can't ever be this easy (; She's had contact with missionaries and the church for the past two years, her life has not been easy and she's had things hold her back from being baptized but this past week she got a priesthood blessing and in her heart she had a burning desire she knew she needed to be baptized! She is the sweetest, humble lady who has so much faith! You should see her happiness and light when she talks about Christ and her family! Be ready because this week will be a crazy one for this trio!

Thank you for the prayers, love and support!

I LOVE you!!

~Sister Warburton(:

 

(I hope the video works!)



My Answer

I turned twenty and now I feel all grown up!

I've had a lot of spiritual growth this past week. Thoughts, questions, doubts, everything answered in multiple ways throughout the week. Change is difficult! Why do I need to grow when I feel comfortable where I am? At the same time, why do I feel like I have untapped potential that I can't seem to reach myself? 

I can sincerely say I know God hears our prayers and He answers them. Because of the experiences I've had this past week my faith has increased so much! To sum a bit of it: my mom sent me this quote from her studies this past week: 

"Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously.  When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Proverbs 3:11-12).  He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit.  To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain." (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 16-17)

This quote was just the beginning: More answers came! They were little but then built up.. they brought more questions and I did A LOT of pondering! But experiences and scriptures brought my answers (: I know this is pretty vague but the message of it all was to Trust God. I feel I'm growing to be the person my Heavenly Father is designing me to be. I know He has a plan and through the Savior we can be forgiven and healed.

I'm liking cute little Brownsville and these cute companions (: Sister Elizondo is from Nampo, Idaho and she's got a cute funny sense of humor! Sister Phelon is from Cedar Hills, Utah and it's been fun to find the similarities we have! These two are awesome missionaries I'm so grateful I get to serve with (: 

I also met my twin! 50 years difference but hey! Her name is also Marie and she doesn't like beans either!! (Did you hear that dad! It's not just me! (;

I hope you all have a happy sunny week! Remember Heavenly Father hears our prayers (:

I LOVE YOU!!

~Sister Warburton(:

 

"Fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith." -Thomas S Monson

 Hello Brownsville!

 Me, Sister Phelon, and Sister Elizondo!

Marie and Marie - don't try to feed us any beans (;



Brownsville

Guess who's being transferred again! I'm leaving tomorrow to Brownsville (next to Sweet Home) with sisters Elizondo and Phelon! Yep a trio!

Even though I was only in Willamina for 6 weeks this has been one of the hardest transfers. They're closing the area but Elders from Monmouth will be teaching our people. (Basically preparing the area for a whitewash! Do I even get a break?!) There is so much potential and I've seen so many miracles here. It kills me to be leaving at this time. I'll miss everyone here and sister Call - I can't express how grateful I am to have served with her the past 6 weeks! 

Thank you for the birthday wishes! And It was AMAZING to Skype home for Mother's Day (: I love my family so much! 

There are hard times but I'm so grateful to be on a mission! There's no way I would want to be doing anything else (: THANK YOU for the prayers, love, and support! 

I LOVE YOU ALL!

~Sister Warburton(:

 

I'll miss this girl!

Birthday party on the mish - they spoiled me good (:

Sweet drawing of our district

Skyping!

 



Ah! The Harvest has exploded

This place is exploding with people to teach! It was such a crazy week with so many crazy stories and just... ah!

We had so many good lessons and so many awesome people we are teaching! Each with an awesome story! We are at the top of our game right now (: Tuesday, we had a lesson with this lady who lives next to the old ward mission leader and he went over with us the previous week and got out of his comfort zone to ask if she would take the lessons from us! Yes! Awesome stuff going on there (:

We also stopped by Ariel and oh my heck I love her so much! She's a young mom and since we've stopped by a few times she says it brightens her day and reminds her to keep her faith. Things started to go better for her and we have officially started teaching her and ah! She's amazing! We taught her one night and she was taking notes and everything we taught her was just clicking! We left her the Book of Mormon to read the introduction - the next day we go back and it is completely marked and covered with writing and questions! It was AWESOME! Oh my goodness Willamina is just exploding with people to teach!

There's more: Saturday we had exchanges and Hermana Stockett came to Willamina with me! We came out almost a year ago together and she's seriously so awesome! Hahah so much happened during this exchange but the highlight was after this crazy experience happened we checked the phone and had a voicemail from a member that said... "okay you girls, we've got this man here who wants to be baptized and take the lessons" ... what?! We called, got the address, went over and yeah this man wants to be baptized! He's got some addictions he will need to quit before he gets baptized but he's already working on it and is having success! 

This is just all so crazy! "Here these sisters are working hard let's give them tons of people all at once who's been prepared and ready" (thoughts written down) does this mean I'm doing something right as a missionary? (; I know this is all from God! There is just so much goodness and miracles going on! My faith has been strengthened so much and I'm learning so much as I teach! I love the service I get to do and all the love I feel! 

I LOVE you all! HAPPY MOTHERS DAY this weekend!! Thank you to all the mothers and especially to my MOM! She's the reason I'm on a mission and for all the incredible experiences and the AMAZING life I have (: LOVE YOU MOM!

~Sister Warburton(:

 

 

"Therefore let your ​​​light​ so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and ​​​glorify​ your Father who is in heaven." 3 Nephi 12:16

 

Two cute girls we played with last week colored this for us!

Hermana Stockett! Love her!

Birthday picture with President and Sister Tateoka!



My Call to Serve 🖤

This week was so full of so much! Many miracles, inspiration, awesome discussions, and answers (: 

I wanted to work on humility, well... it was really cool! We met this man while out walking and he wanted to learn more! It was almost too easy - not super common - we set up to teach him the next night. He really was searching for truth and the way he asked questions and talked with us struck something inside me to see someone sincerely searching and who was humbly doing his part to know. He had read from the Book of Mormon we gave him, highlighted part of the introduction, and started gaining a testimony of it! The next day, he even sent us an email with questions about the Book of Mormon (I learned so much from it!) the only catch is he moved out on Saturday and we're not sure where to.. but it was an incredibly humbling experience for me to see this example of having a "broken heart and a contrite spirit" in words and action. 

There were just so many little things that connected and were like signs from above saying "you're doing the right thing" this week. I still have doubts, I still lack a lot of confidence in myself, I have a ton of imperfections BUT I'm trying. And I'm taking in all I can from these experiences (: 

"7 ​But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye ​​​declare​ in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

​​​​​8 ​And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the ​​​Holy Ghost​ shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say." (D&C 100:7-8). I hope to become the missionary Heavenly Father needs me to be. To be able to teach the gospel with meekness and show humility in my actions. Then to feel the Holy Ghost working through me to others and building their faith in Christ and His gospel. (:

We'll see what this next week brings!

Other experiences of the past week:

Missionaries know everything (: and somehow get involved in everything! (Ex: fashion show, singing at a celebration of life, giving talks in church, quilting, preparing a house for a new baby! TEACHING THE GOSPEL, romances between members, meetings, waving and smiling to everyone, etc) all included in the work! Each week we go out and do the same thing but each week is also very different from the last. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve!

Thank you for each of your prayers, support, and examples!

Happy May!

I love you!

~Sister Warburton(:

 

Our time to SERVE

 Hey Oregon!

 Oregon in a pic

Planning in the park

Pixie Jars!