February 8, 2021 Broken to Glow

 I want to begin with a story: 

A young mother waited in line with her two children at a local store, her younger son began to cry. The woman looked frantically in the cart for something to distract the young boy with, quickly, she grabbed a pack of glowsticks that had been tossed in her basket. Opening the pack, she handed the little Boy one of the glow sticks, which stopped his tears. Happily, he held the stick as he waddled around. 

After paying for her purchases, she gathered her children and began to leave when she heard her Toddler cry out again. She turned to see that the older Son had taken the glow stick from his brother. Before she could yell out, or intervene, the older Boy bent the stick and handed it back to his brother. 

The Toddler watched in awe as the stick began to fill with light. 

"See" the older Brother said, "I had to break it so it could glow". He took his brother's hand as they walked out of the store to load the car. 

What a valuable lesson this experience holds! The young toddler was unaware of the potential of the Glowstick; he was content in his circumstance, but the older brother knew the value of the glowstick, and how great it could become. 

Often we live life day by day feeling content in our situations, but God knows our worth and He knows how great we can become! Oddly as it may sound, it is His Grace that allows us to be bent and broken so we can then learn to Glow! 

You might ask, "how can trials possibly help me?? Surely this challenge is for no good." Maybe you feel as if you are drowning, and every time you come up for breath, another wave crashes over you. It may seem that no matter what you do, you can't get back up. 

Can I tell you that you are not alone in feeling this way! I have been there. I understand! 

While Serving in MacGregor, I suffered with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which was the result of abuse from a previous area in which I served for three months. For me, PTSD was something only soldiers who witnessed extreme death and gore might suffer from, but when I was recommended for counseling to help me cope with post traumatic stress disorder, I had to relook at my idea of what PTSD was. 

There would be days where I could function normally, and then other days where I couldn't even bring myself to smile. Small things like a smell or someone tossing a ball in my general direction caused me to shut down. I was left to juggle these challenges that seemed too big for me to carry. I was a shell of myself.  The thought that I was broken, that I couldn’t move on, haunted my mind, blocking out any hopeful dream for the future. 

There were nights I cried myself to sleep, waking in the morning to find a swollen eyed girl staring back at me in the mirror. 

Broken, I thought I would never be whole again. I felt alone. Helpless. Shattered. Months passed and my situation only seemed to grow worse. More challenges where thrown in my path, and eventually I contemplated going home. 

I remember sitting on the balcony in the dark as I cried out to God "When is it enough?" The weight of my experiences rested heavily on my shoulders. 

If only I would have recognized that in the midst of my hardship, the Savior's hand was shaping me into who He needed me to become. 

Remember the current bush? Afraid to let the Gardener trim his seemingly flawless branches. The bush could not see what was to come, but the Gardener knew it was necessary to trim back the Bush in order for it to reach it's full potential. 

 We cannot envision who we are becoming, but God can! We must trust in him!

Life is challenging. It seems like every time our feet finally hit the ground, we are constantly being knocked back down. But we must remember that Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for each of us. 

So, as our faces are pushed into the ground, we might taste the dust where the Savior's feet have stepped. As we desperately grasp for something to pick us up, our hands might feel the nails that pierced his precious skin. As we breath in the air around us, we might smell the blood he spilt for us. When restless for relief, we may drink the tears he shed, and when darkness closes in, we might see the light he is holding up. 

When we are down, that is where the evidence of the Saviors perfect love and infinite atonement is most prominent. 

So as we are mocked, shut down, yelled at, threatened, criticized, judged, abused and broken; when our face is once again pressed deep into the path, instead of our feet happily prancing along the way, recognize the evidence of God's love! 

Then, when you finally reach the end, that is where YOUR father is waiting to pull you into his arms! An embrace so tight that he will fix all your broken pieces! God loves you perfectly! He lets us experience trials and challenges, because that is part of the path we must walk to return to His loving arms. The amazing thing is that we don't have to do it alone! God will give you no trial too difficult for you to overcome. 

The Savior will support you every step of the way, if you let Him! 

My PTSD did not disappear over night. I struggled for months, and sometimes still catch myself reliving those nightmares, but as I put my trust In God, he has helped me recognize my potential as His daughter! Now, more then ever, I am filled with an unending joy!  My trials have brought me closer to my Savior. I could not live with all the pain and the hurt I had been trying to carry. I needed Jesus! I had to learn how to give my sorrows to him. He has already Suffered for each of us, but we still have to choose to hand it over to him. We must have the strength to go before God, unload all that is on our heart. Pains, sorrows, fears, anxieties and more. Then, we must build up enough strength to leave it with him and walk away.  

Through my hardships, I have experienced quick, clear answers to prayers. I have felt the presence of angels around me. I have heard the voice of our Lord speaking softly to my anxious soul. I cannot deny that God's hand has been busy at work shaping my life. I will forever be grateful for my Mission, I have learned more then I could have ever imagined! 

 

I have been bent and broken so, through the Grace of God, I have become strong, whole, unshaken. Through God, I have learned how to Glow. 

Nothing that will bring us closer to God will ever be easy, but it will always be worth it! 

I testify that God will never abandon you! It is not in his character to do so! So, when you feel you cannot go on any longer, look to him! His Grace will carry you home! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen! 

Love y'all!!

-Sister E. LLP

District in Alvin Texas

P-Day with the Alvin District

Joel, Sister Elgaaen, Eren, Sister Barlow

Sister Barlow & Elgaaen at Busy Bee Cafe

Sister Bennett & Addi Sister Barlow & Elgaaen

Mowing a lawn for Sister Holbrook

February 5, 2021 Letter from President Guthrie Texas Houston South Mission

 

 

TEXAS HOUSTON SOUTH MISSION

602 Eldridge Road

Sugar Land, Texas 77478-2804

Phone: 1-281-565-7117

 

February 5, 2021

President Joseph A. Haughey

Provo Utah Bonneville Stake

177 S 400 E Provo UT 84606

 

 

Dear President Haughey,

It is a pleasure to inform you that Sister Ann Marie Elgaaen has honorably and successfully completed her term of service as a missionary in the Texas Houston South Mission. She will leave the mission field for her return home on Monday, February 8, 2021.

Sister Elgaaen has been an exceptional missionary in the great Texas Houston South Mission.  Her willingness to accept the will of the Lord, and desire to continue pressing forward with steadfast faith in Christ will forever impact the heart of Sister Guthrie and I.  She is receptive to the whisperings of the holy ghost, and obediently follows those promptings.  This pattern will continue to lead Sister Elgaaen back to His presence, influencing many others for good along the way.  It is easy to identify her growth as a representative of Jesus Christ. Sister Elgaaen has an infectious smile, and light that shines radiantly from within.  Her giggle brings joy to my heart, a sound I will always treasure. She is full of virtue, and seeks after righteous things. She desires to help and lift all around her. Her testimony of the Savior and his Atonement has increased as she has lived and applied the doctrine of Christ in her life.  Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End have taken on new meaning. We know Sister Elgaaen will continue to blossom and discover her beauty in the eyes of her Heavenly Father.  Her call as a disciple of Jesus Christ does not come to a conclusion.  It is a call for life.  She continues to “be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  She has been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they may have eternal life.” (3 Nephi 5:13). “Her mission didn’t begin the day she was set apart and won’t end the day she is released. Since the time she was baptized, she has been on the covenant path that leads to eternal happiness, joy and peace.” She has taken on herself the name of Christ, always remembers him, and strives every day to keep the commandments. Together with the Lord, Sister Elgaaen was able to bless the lives of many, including those she taught as well as members, leaders, and other missionaries. Sister Elgaaen served as a trainer, and Sister training leader, and did so with charity in her heart, serving with her might mind and strength. Our prayer is that Sister Elgaaen always remember she continues in the Lord’s watchful care; He is grateful for her offering she has so willingly given. Sister Guthrie and I love Sister Elgaaen. She has left a lasting impression on our hearts. We consider it a blessing to serve with her and look forward to a continued relationship with her! May she spread her wings and FLY!

 

Sister Guthrie and I join in expressing sincere appreciation for the excellent missionary service rendered by Sister Elgaaen.

Sincerely,

 

 

Jeremy S. Guthrie

President

Texas Houston South Mission

February 1, 2021 Final Week!

 Hello!! 

Apologies for the lack of photos this week!!  I totally spaced capturing some of these amazing moments we have had! 

This week has definitely kept us on our toes! We have had the chance to teach Teresa's Tribe (which include Teresa, Richard, Martin, Erika, Aaliyah, Isaiah, Kaitlynn, Nataly, Sylvia, Arianna, Erick, and Oscar.... there is more....but those are all the ones who have taken interest in the message so far.) They are a BIG family! 

It has been a privilege to be trusted to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to these individuals, as well as all the others we taught!! 

We had an amazing lesson with our friend Eren who is progressing very well! She expressed to us this Monday that she knows she needs to be baptized, but she feels something is holding her back. Prayers for Eren!! 

This week I had interviews with my mission President, President Guthrie. It was my final interview, and I was able to reflect on things I have learned and the blessings I have seen! Afterwards, he gave me a blessing. He told me that I would witness miracles during my last week of the mission. Right after the interview, we drove to a lesson and were able to help Sylvia and Erika accept a baptismal date! Miracles are already blooming!!! 

I am exited for this last week! 

I will hopefully send out a letter sometime next week with an overview of my mission, and I cannot wait to see so many of you soon!! Love you all!!!🥰

Photos: 

#Exchanges with Sister Rhoades

#A picture of the Houston temple we attempted to draw for one of our investigators birthdays!! 🥳

#The Wofford Family and us missionaries.

January 18, 2021 #TeresaTribe

 Hello Family and Friends!! 

This week has been off the charts! We held the big Zone candy land game, which was loads of fun!! I went on my first exchange being an STL, and we remembered this whole week to take TONS of pictures!! 

This week we really gained a deeper relationship with quite a few of the people we are teaching. First off with Teresa, we were able to attend one of her sons basketball game, and they have invited us to come over as much as we can!! Some nights they call us just to zoom with us to say goodnight! It feels like we have been adopted into their very large family!!! 

When Sunday rolled around, we attended the Spanish Branch on top of our English ward to support Teresa and Erika who said they were coming at 12 for the Spanish branch. When it was 11:58, we called Teresa because they weren't at the building yet. They told us they were around the corner!! 

We watched as two cars pulled into the parking lot, all filled with Teresa, Erika and their family!! 

In total, 7 of Teresa's family members showed up to church! You should have seen the look on the members faces when we walked into sacrament and the family took up two rows on the benches!! They Loves church! 

It was a huge miracle to have Teresa and their family attend sacrament meeting! I am exited to see this family progress!! 

Another Person is Miss Shirley. She is someone we have kept in contact with for a while, and this last week she called us out of no where and expressed to us that she had had a dream in which a voice spoke to her saying "we are watching over you". 

She had us, over the phone say "we are watching over you" one at a time. I said it last, but when I said those words she gasped and began crying. She said that It was my voice that had spoken to her in her dream. She wanted to meet with us in person as soon as we were available. She invited us to Olive Garden Saturday and Bought us Dinner. She is such a sweet lady! 

This next person isn't someone we are teaching, but someone we referred to the Spanish Elders. His name is Gabino, or Gavin in English. We had made contact with him once at a park as he excitedly approached us and wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon. 

We were biking this week and we saw Gavin sitting at the park with a blanket spread out on the grass. We approached him, and he was SO happy to see us! He offered us fish which he had been cooking. I accepted (even though I am not a huge fan of fish.) He told us he didn't have any spoons or forks, and he used a stick to cut the fish. Hesitantly we accepted the fish. The fish was pretty tasty  He was overly exited to see us again! He insisted we take a picture with him! 

We finally met up with Joel at the park and introduced him to our Bishop. It was a surprise lesson... the only one who didn't know it was happening was Joel himself. We know he goes to the park each day around 5, so we showed up at 5 and invited the Bishop. We approached Joel and began talking to him. We turned our conversation into a lesson, and at the end I felt prompted to ask if Joel would like to receive a priesthood blessing to help him cope with challenges he is facing. He accepted. Bishop Roofner did it right there at the park, and immediately after Joel said he was already feeling better and comforted!! Joel promised to attend church this Sunday!! 

Lately I can give you an update on Eren. She has been reading the Book of Mormon like crazy!! She is an amazing woman and I cannot wait for her to progress towards baptism and making covenants with god!! We set up a virtual temple tour with Eren!! 

Sorry this letter was all over the place, but I thought I would give you a quick rundown of some of the fun experiences I had this week!! 

I love you all!! 

Pictures: 

-Sister Barlow and myself dropping off a table. 

-biking 

-thumb pic biking 

-biking again 

-at the basketball game with Teresa and Erika 

-stingers up Alvin Basketball game 

-after dinner with Miss Shirley

-Teresa's family came to church!!!! 

-us with Gabino at the park 

-exchanges with Sister Haddock 

-bike pic with Sister Haddock 

-us on bikes again!! 

January 11, 2021 Candy Land Race & Baptismal Challenge

 Hello family and friends!!!! 

I hope 2021 has been great so far! 

I wanted to explain the picture of the giant candy land board game before you get too confused!  This week as a zone we will be participating in a Candy Land game based on missionary activities. (Just wanted to clarify) 

This week we saw great success! We were able to find 7 new people to teach, two of our friends came to church and our friend Melinda accepted Baptism!! 

The story of how Melinda accepted was quite the miracle! We were driving to her house, when I had this overwhelming feeling to invite her to be baptized. She had already declined before, and for a month we had stopped teaching her. Eventually We were able to set a new appointments, and we were both curious at how the lesson would go. 

We drove over, and I expressed to Sister Barlow how I felt we needed to invite Melinda again. Sister Barlow wasn't so sure and told me I could if I wanted, but she didn't think Melinda would accept. 

During the whole lesson I prayed nonstop for the convincing power to help Melinda understand the importance of baptism. I don't remember all that was said, but by the end of the lesson, Melinda had accepted to he baptized February 28th! 

God works miracles! We just have to be ready to let him! 

Love you all!! Have a great week! 

January 4, 2021 Park Miracle

 HELLO family and friends!! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope your year has started off well! I wanted to share a miracle that we experienced this last week. Bear with me here  

While roaming around a park two weeks ago during a rain storm, we happened to pass a man who was taking his dog out for a walk. The dog was a very jumpy husky puppy with adorable blue eyes. We had to stop and say hello! 

Within the first few sentences, we asked for the man's name. He told us, "My name is Joel, and I am a Christian." 

We responded by letting him know we were also Christian. We excitedly asked which church he currently attends. He told us he was looking for a church. He expressed that he was having a particularly rough day that day and wanted to get a breath of fresh air. He told us it was no coincidence that we had met him at this exact moment. He motioned at the rain that was falling down around us and told us he was grateful to God for sending us his way, even in the rain. 

We offered him a Book of Mormon, and his response was, "are you sure you can part with this?" 

We jotted down his number and let the man continue on his way. 

Later that next week, we receive a text back from Joel after having messaged him several times with no response. He expressed to us that he has watched a documentary about our religion, and he has begun to read the Book of Mormon. He was grateful that God had Led him to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!! We were so exited to hear this from a mere stranger we had met in the park!! 

We set up again with him, hoping to begin teaching him more about our religion. We set up a time for Friday at 5. We planned on meeting with him at the park.  

When Friday came, We texted Joel to confirm, and the text he sent back broke our hearts! 

He told us that he didn't want to study with us, but that he appreciated all the efforts we put into helping others come closer to Christ. He explained that he wanted to attend Joel Osteen's church instead and he apologized. 

We were heart broken!! 

That Friday, all our lessons canceled, and with nothing to do, we decided to head to the park anyways hoping to find another person we could share a message with. After walking up and down the park, eventually we sat at a picnic table and began calling people in our area book. 

Soon, Sister Barlow perked up. "Is that Joel?" She said motioning with her head. I looked to see a husky dog that looked as if he was taking his owner for a walk. Pulling and jumping, I knew it was Joel's puppy!! 

Joel approached us and we began talking. We ended up sharing a message with him, and clarifying some of his questions. He was anxious to meet with us again, and we set up a time for this next Sunday. 

He continued his walk, and we felt overcome with joy! 

While still sitting at the park's picnic table, we began a video call lesson with one of our members. Not 10 minutes later, Joel came walking back to our table and asked to join our lesson. We sat around the table and we shared our simple message about coming unto Jesus with Joel and the member! 

I know that Heavenly Father's hand was in that experience. Joel is am amazing individual, and I cannot wait to continue working with him!! 

Pray for Joel! 

Love you all!! I hope you have had a great start to the new year! 

December 28, 2020 Christmas in Alvin

 Hello family and friends!! 

Transfers happened again!! I am staying the same, the only difference is I am being called as a Sister training leader!! we will have to see how that goes.  

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas!! I sure did!! We were able to make a fort on Christmas eve after watching Mr. Kruger's Christmas as a mission. (Get this... every year my family would watch Mr. Kruger's Christmas on Christmas eve. As a missionary, I didn't expect to be able to watch it, but last year we watched it with a member, and this year as a mission!!!! The tradition still goes strong!! Haha) 

We actually went caroling as a district on Christmas Eve! Before Christmas, we had been helping this family decorate their tree, when Darrell, the man we were helping, pulled our his LONG stocking. He told us it was his biggest dream to have his stocking filled up to the top! His wife laughed and told him "you know we cannot afford that!!" We joked around about filling it up with Toilet paper for 2020, but while leaving that service I had a determination to fill that stocking for Darrell this Christmas! With help from amazing members, we were able to gather together loads of treats and hygiene products. When Christmas Eve rolled around, we had a big box loaded with stuff!! 

It was a touching moment when we came caroling to Darrell and asked to borrow his stocking. We took it to the truck and filled it to the brim! Struggling to hold it up, we walked it to his door and knocked again. 

To see Darrell's face when he saw his Christmas stocking filled was so touching!! 

Later he messaged us a BIG thank you for helping him fulfill his dream that he had had for 30 years! 

This Christmas has defiantly been one of the most touching memories from the mission! 

I would love to hear about your Christmas!! 

Pictures: 

*me

*Darrell, pam, Sister Barlow and me helping to decorate their tree.

*me, Darrell and Pam

*Sister Barlow and me waiting on some camping chairs

*Christmas PJs!! 

*our Christmas "fort"... we ran out of material. 

*Prez-90X workout with our mission president, his wife and the APs Christmas morning. 

*Sister Bennett. ADDI Sister Barlow and me

*the Bennett's and us at a campfire 

*Sister Barlow, Addi and myself.