AWESOME MIRACLE WEEK!!!

Hey, hey, hey!

Sounds like there was a lot going on at home this week. I have to say I knew I was missing a good week, but that is ok! Ryan is all graduated from BYU and all grown up. Megan ran a half marathon in DC, Ty went to Prom….well you know what? We had a good week too! We have worked hard and the miracles and blessing have followed. Let me tell you all about our AWESOME miracle this week!!! It was Thursday and that day we usually go all the way up to the farthest part of our area and see 2 investigators and we have some less actives over there. They are usually really productive days, but literally everything fell through…everything, back-ups back-ups, everything. So we prayed about where we should go and both felt prompted to go tracking along this really busy road near a members home. We went and tried to be as gung-ho as possible (tracting is not my favorite…), but we came to this long gravel road and prepared ourselves to walk down a mile driveway because that is very normal out here in Goochland. We started walking down this road and a man with a huge beard, long pony tail, earrings, and all together scary looking man came into view. I have to admit I got a little scared, but Sister Rushton is great and was like it will be okay, lets just talk to him. So, we did. We taught him the first lesson and about the Book of Mormon. He said that it all sounded sooo beautiful. The he told us that because we came down his road today that he knew that God loved him and answered his prayers. He said that we had great energy about us and we told him that was the spirit. He became our new investigator and said that he would be baptized if he knew it was true!  What a miracle!? I was starting to think that no one is prepared in Goochland, but the Lord proved me WAY wrong. After this miracle we went off and prayed to thank Heavenly Father for this experience.

It was a good week and hard work really pays off! I am so grateful for that! How great is that? It was soo cool! We tracted a lot this week, so I am pretty sure the Lord was like, okay here you go! But I am determined  to like tracting by the time my mission is over. Also this week something really funny happened…so, I have been writing my friend Haden N. a little bit lately and he sent me a letter with some pictures in it from his mission. Well, my companion, being as hilarious as she is, steals the pictures without me knowing. We were visiting with this older lady who can't come to church because she is home bound with memory problems. Sister Rushton pops those pictures out and starts telling this lady that I am getting married and that my CTR ring is really an engagement ring. Hahaha, so this poor lady is falling for it and I am dying. She has done that a few times this week…that bum! It was pretty funny!

We also went to volunteer at this retirement home like we do every week and this lady told me I looked like a dog and that I looked stuck up….this week has been really funny!! Good memories of this week! I have been doing so much better, soooo much better! We worked hard this week and it felt really good to do so. Goochland is still Goochland. Hard in ways, but the thought that I could be transferred next week makes me almost want to cry. I mean I have been here forever, but I love it here. I love the people. I love my companion. I love the area. I love how nice everyone is. I love it! Goochland and I had kind of a hard start. I think I finally know how to be a missionary in Goochland and I hope they don't take me away from that. :( But who knows!

This week the Richmond Mission and the Chesapeake Mission get to meet together to listen to Elder Bednar. We can't wait. That means there will be over 500 missionaries meeting together. I can't wait! I love Elder Bednar!

Thanks mom for the new music you sent me. I was getting a little tired of the music I have been listening to for the last 11 months! Can you believe that!? 11 MONTHS! Next week I will have been on my mission for 11 months! Where has the time gone? I am officially an old missionary. Sometimes we will be driving down the road and it will just hit me that I am in Virginia and that I am a missionary. It still all seems so new and stuff, but in reality it has almost been a year. I can honestly say now, that I love being a missionary! I have to say the thought of going home and being normal kind of freaks me out. Oh no, I am going to be a weird returned missionary…haha

This week has been so great! Sister Rushton and I had a really good companionship inventory and it had really brought us even closer.  Our communication has grown and so our love and our companionship unity has increased. It feels so good!! I can honestly say that I LOVE MY COMPANION! She has helped me so much! YAY! I am finally getting back to myself after having some difficult times! I am so happy for that! I still have some anxieties but I won't let it define my mission. I know this trial will help me with life and with helping other people and missionaries. One other thing that I have learned this week is really how if you prepare yourself in the morning (studies, pray, act.) and then when you go out and you trust the Lord to put you in places to talk to certain people, he will be there. He will give you the right words to say and the right things to do. I love that!

Well, I love you all a whole lot! I am so glad the the weekend was great at home! just 2 weeks until I get to Skype and I can't wait!!!

LOVE YOU!:)

Sister Siepert:)

They Love Jesus in Goochland:)

 Tracting in Goochland…you notice no houses? The squirrels used to listen, but every since I ran over their grandpa they hate us and throw nuts at us. The snakes are just mean. The bunnies are nice if you can catch them, but basically everything is Baptist!

 Look I got an English Name tag now I fit in Virginia!!

Happy Easter From the Gooch!!

Happy Easter from the Gooch!

Hello Everyone!!!

HAPPY EASTER!!

We helped at the retirement/rehab center this week. I love volunteering there so much. It is so fun to go there because they recognize me and that makes me so happy! We helped hide eggs for an Easter Egg hunt this week. We then sat back and waited for the little kids to show up. It was so sad because not one child showed up to hunt for eggs. Kind of awkward:( I however had a great time sitting and waiting and talking to the cute residents that live there. I have been officially adopted by an older couple there. Their names are Hazel and Bill. She is 84-ish and he is almost 90. She doesn't act 84 at all, her husband has really bad memory problems (I can't remember the medical name for it). It makes me so sad because he just pushes her around in her wheel chair. He only knows her, but doesn't recognize anyone else. But they said that they would adopt me because their daughter died not to long ago:(. I love that place, but sometimes it makes me really sad because their families never come to see them. Some are blessed with great families, but most of them are just there alone and will die there alone. Breaks my heart:( I love being there with them. It has to be one of my favorite parts of the week. They all think it is hilarious when Sister Rushton and I start dancing:). In fact, I started to dance and some old man started to rap. Hahaha, I have a lot of fun stories from from that place:)

Well we had a three hour lesson this week. A new record for me!!! I have learned that some people love the "Plan of Salvation" and some do not. I have to say she was one of the nicest Bible Bashers I have met. It was actually interesting because she kept contradicting herself….nope it didn't shake my testimony. I love her, but we may have to drop her soon which makes me sad. She just isn't moving forward and tries to pull us back. Breaks my heart but we may have to step back:)

We participated in the Ward Talent show this week. We were asked to do a song doing the cup thing (kind of like the cup song from pitch perfect). It was really fun and a couple of the Boys from the ward that live out here in Goochland helped us. It's interesting that most of the kids in our ward that live out here are home schooled. Almost everyone. I haven't been around that very much in my life. We sang "Nearer my God" while doing the cup thing. I actually sang the second Verse in Portuguese. Yep, that is the most Portuguese I have used on my missions so far! Haha! It was such a good night a Couple from the ward took us and we had dinner before and Ice cream after with them!! They are the best! They actually fed us twice this week! We live so far out we just don't get fed very often so every dinner appointment is so appreciated! We survive but it is a bit hard on our small weekly money allotment:) Roger and Belynda take good care of us. I love them a whole lot! The people of Goodchland are really good people. I am really enjoying the country life! However I am getting a little skeptical that there are people here that are being prepared to be taught. I just need to have faith that they are here………somewhere! Haha

I was just thinking that Mothers Day is just a month away!! I get to call home!!! I am not excited at all or anything…..YEAH RIGHT!!!! I am so stoked!! I could still be here in Goochland or I could be off to a new area! Who knows?:) Or I could be in Brazil, I guess!! Sometimes I forget that is my final destination….well, maybe.

We have interviews with President Wilson this week. I am so excited for those! I Love President and Sister Wilson so much. They help me in so many ways.. Oh we found out who is coming to our mission. Elder Bednar is coming in May to talk to our mission and also the Chesapeake mission. We get to meet together with the other mission. I am super excited! 

We are all so blessed because of HIM… I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints because of HIM!!! We all have Easter because of HIM. Please watch this because of HIM:) I love my savior Jesus Christ!

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week and a beautiful Easter,

Love,

Sister Siepert

A member of our ward had pigs. 

This pig is named after me:) Isn't she cute????

Ok, who knew that Virginia had huge spiders, huge lizards and snakes? I thought that only happened in places like Mexico:) Think about it two Sister Missionaries in the country with spiders, snakes and lizards! We may or may not shriek from time to time!