Beautiful waterfronts
Love the amazing and beautiful nature here
Me and my new companion Sister Muti
Beautiful waterfrontsLove the amazing and beautiful nature here Me and my new companion Sister Muti
This week , I will be going to a new ward, in a new stake. I will be moving to Silverdale, Washington to serve in the Silverdale 3rd ward with Sister Muti. Please refer to the map of my current location on the About page of my blog if you don't know where Silverdale is, or you can google it! It definately seems like a beautiful area, and it will be beautiful this time of year! Sister Muti is polynesian and really fun, and I can't wait to be companions with her! I have found a lot of success here in the Deschutes River ward, and I am sad to be leaving Sister Barker! She has been an awesome companion, and we have had so much fun together bringing people unto Christ! I will be returning to the Ward here in Yelm for a baptism of a really neat lady named Judy. Judy showed up at church a few weeks ago, and said that she was ready to change her life, and wanted to be baptized. Her husband of about 5 years is a less-active member, who was baptized as a child, but hasn't been to church since then. But Judy told him that she was investigating the church, and wanted to be baptized. He is supportive of her decision and is happy to see her doing so well. Judy is a recovering alcoholic, and when she showed up at church, she was only about 15 days clean. In the last week or two, Judy has really let the gospel change her life. She not only has read most of the Book of Mormon, but also the entire relief society manual for this year. She texts us with questions almost every day and she prayed about a date to be baptized on, and received an answer (June 27th)! She asks us for home work, and anything else she can study, because she says that the gospel just makes her so much happier, and that if there was church every day of the week, she would go! Judy is what most missionaries might call a golden investigator. Someone who is really seeking to know and better understand the gospel . The gospel can be applied to all aspects of our life, and is there whenever we may need it (which is always!) Judy has been able to overcome opposition in her life, and find peace and joy through the gospel. She was an alcoholic, and her life was upside down, but through reading the bible, she has been able to slowly increase the light of Christ in her life, and that has eventually lead her to the church, and to soon make more covenants with her Father in Heaven. Judy chose to exercise her agency, and seek for the light of Christ In her life. Are we not all like Judy? Seeking but not knowing where to find the light? We can help those who are seeking by directing them to the light. I love that the gospel and the light of Christ is referred to as, well, a 'light'! The history of electricity and light is very vast, but we know that it was not invented until Thomas Edison came along, and he had all of the right tools to make the light bulb. Just like the gospel was restored and the Book of Mormon came forth when the people were ready to receive it, not everyone was sure about the idea of electric lighting, because they didn't understand how the concept. Just like In today's world, there are so many people who are just not fully understanding the gospel, and what all of it in tales. But we can partake of the blessings of the church simply by making the effort to flip a switch. We have been blessed to live in the promised land here in these latter days, with not only electric lighting, which is awesome! But also the church of Jesus Christ which is here In its fullness. We have covenanted with our Father in Heaven to take it to all the world, but how can we shine his light if we are not willing to embrace it fully in our own lives? When we make the effort to stand up, walk across the room, and flip the light switch, we are able to fully see what is around us we are able to put a whole new perspective on life. We can see more clearly in our lives who we are and where we are going, and that light will shine for others around us to see more clearly as well when we embrace the gospel fully in our lives. Don't take the blessings of the Lords gospel for granted. One of my favorite quotes that sits framed on my desk, and has been there my entire mission is by Elder Uchtdorf - "Spiritual light rarely comes to those who merely sit in darkness waiting for someone to flip a switch. It takes an act of faith to open our eyes to the Light of Christ. " I encourage you all to not be idle in the Lords a work. Whether or not it is to shine the light of Christ In your life to free yourself from the darkness, to share the light of Christ with others, or just to simply be grateful for Jesus Christ in your life, don't forget who you are, and what you stand for. Keep moving forward, Go with God, Sister Megan Chapple Sister Barker and I Cute kids from our area wearing our name tags.
https://www.lds.org/new-era/1978/05/mothers-in-israel-and-daughters-of-zion?lang=en When I reflect on the many blessings in my life, thoughts always take me back to my Mother. What an example she is to me. What a beacon of hope, a standard of truth, a light in the ever-increasing darkness; My mother has been all this to me ,and so many others. Whenever life seems dreary, or lost, or hopeless, I know that I can draw strength from a mother who helped me build my foundation on the rock of the gospel. She taught me how to love as Jesus loved. She taught me how to move forward with faith. she taught me that when life gets tough, we can rely on the Savior and His love to help us keep moving forward. She helped me to be happy, and look towards the future. She taught me that each day is a new day, and that every choice is my own. She taught me that God loves me so much, that he sent his Son to atone for my mistakes and short comings. She loved me so much, that she sacrificed so much in this life, to give me and my family the happiness that she desired for us. She taught me the things that were most important in life. She stayed up late to help me with my homework. She comforted me when I was sick. She taught me to dream big, and shoot for the stars. She taught me the importance of sharing the gospel with others. She taught me how to be a light on a hill. She is the mother of a missionary. She is my advocate. She is my best friend. She is my Mom. All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother. - Abraham Lincoln To all mothers everywhere, THANK YOU. Thank you for who you are. Thank you for what you do. Thank you for being the one who was and is there when we need a friend. No matter where you may be; Near, far, in our homes, in our hearts, or in heaven; it was you who gave so much to your children to lift us high. To bring us closer to our Father in heaven. To teach us his commandments. To be the example. To teach us right from wrong. To be the one who cared. You put the music in each of us as your children, and for that, we are eternally grateful. Happy Mother's Day Mom! Sister Megan Chapple Picture of Me next to the Deschutes River in a members back yard Map of my Area - The Deschutes River ward is named after the river that runs through my area My District (left to right) Elder Brandow, Elder Kelly, Elder Stradling, Elder Ivie, Sister Chapple, and Sister Barker Sister Barker and I :) . We decorated our apartment (Missionary On!) The birthday cake Sister Barker made for me! <3 Cute baby Robin birds right outside our apartment. We have been watching them grow and can't wait until they learn to fly!
This last weekend, I turned 20 years old. On my Birthday, I was able to baptize 2 of my investigators, Tristan and Rainy. Tristan and Rainy are 9 and 10, and they are super cool! I love them so much, and I was so glad that I was able to teach them, and help them come unto Christ. It was the greatest birthday that I have ever had, because I was able to help bring 2 of my brothers and sisters into the fold of God. Instead of waiting until Sunday to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, they were able to be confirmed right after they were baptized.
The Holy Ghost is the greatest gift that we have been given in this life - hand in hand with agency, we have the tools that we need in order to learn and grow, becoming more like our Savior. When we can remember our purpose in this life, we can better help others remember theirs. How can we continue to move forward, and continually come closer to Christ? -By keeping ALL of Gods commandments! http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/obedience-to-the-ten-commandments We can appreciate the gift of the Holy Ghost, and keep Gods Commandments in order to find true happiness in this life, and in the life to come. We are eternal beings, and we can be great. We can achieve greatness! God has given us such great gifts - The Book of Mormon, the Holy Ghost, our friends, our family, the prophets and apostles, and so much more! But the greatest gift that God has given us is the gift of our Savior Jesus Christ. Because of his grace, we can return to live with our father in heaven again, and receive the gift of eternal life. http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/the-refiners-fire No matter what trials and challenges we may face, the Lord is shaping and molding us to become who he wants us to be as we pass through the refiners fire. If we can continue to obey the commandments and keep moving forward in faith, we can receive all the blessings that are in store and receive the greatest gift- the gift of eternal life. Of these things I testify of in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Sister Megan Chapple D&C 1:37-38. 37 Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled. 38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. General Conference this last weekend was Awesome! I loved being spiritually fed by the prophets and apostles - it is definitely something that I took for granted before coming out on my mission. As a missionary in the WA-TAC, we do not have regular daily access to the internet to watch and listen to the prophets and apostles. For those of you that are surrounded by your smart devices, computers, phones, etc, I encourage you to watch, listen and/or read the prophets words daily. Just like we need physical nourishment, we also need spiritual nourishment as well! When I first started college at BYU-I, I was so excited to be at a new school and a had a lot going on in my life. I started to get super busy with all of my classes, my new social life, and when combined with my new exercise habits (of walking everywhere on campus) I began to lose weight, with out even realizing it! Before I knew it, I was beginning to feel sick, and unhealthy, and I had lost inches on my waist. Rather than gain the 'freshman 15', I had lost about 15-20 lbs in approximately 2 weeks. I did not realize that it had happened, until my clothing began to be too big for me, and that was when I took the time to stop and reflect on the choices that I was making in my life (diet, and nourishment, etc) and where I had placed my priorities at the time. I had forgotten one of the most important elements of my life in substitute for other very important things, and I did not know it! I soon recruited my roommates to help me remember to eat, and to leave time in my schedule to eat so that I might be nourished physically, to withstand the physical hardships that the rigorous college life was sure to bring. I was able to gain back all of the weight that I had lost, and maintain a healthy balance in my life once more. I think that this can be compared in our lives to not only being physically nourished, but also spiritually nourished. Sometimes we can be doing some important things that are good, but we don't realize that we are missing out on our spiritual nourishment until it is too late. We can decide now to daily read our scriptures, and study the words of the prophets, feasting on the words of Christ. Remember always that there is so much happiness and joy that is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Don't forget to keep moving forward, and to remain spiritually nourished so that you continue to have the strength to stand. Go With God, Sister Chapple I will be staying here in the Deschutes River Ward in the Yelm area for the next 6 weeks. Rainier is a beautiful awesome place, and I am getting to know the area well. However, holding true to my mission pattern, I will be getting a new companion! I have had a new companion every 6 weeks my entire mission so far. My new companion is Sister Barker- she was in my district for a transfer when I served in Tenino, and she is just the sweetest! I can't wait to serve with her! Sister Barker is coming from Lakewood, and I can't wait to welcome her back to the boonies! Today for P-day, we are having zone lunch in Lacey at a Mayan restaurant, and then we are going to play Laser Tag with our Zone. There are about 18 elders in the Zone, and only 4 sisters (sister Harbaugh and I, and the STL's!) This week I had the opportunity to return to Soundview, my last area in Tacoma. I loved being able to see all of the people there that I love, and I was so grateful to see my good friend Jeremy get baptized. Sister Heaton and I knocked on Jeremy's door about the beginning of February and he seemed interested. He told us that he was seeking for more in his life, and felt like there was something missing, after facing some opposition (in the form of scheduling issues) we began teaching him about a week or so later. During the first discussion, I was able to help Jeremy set a baptismal date of March 26th, - but before he could be baptized on that date (approximately a month later) he would have to stop smoking, which was something that he has been struggling with his whole life. He had been recently divorced, and was having a lot of family problems. Sister Heaton and I were able to promise him that through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can find peace and rest form our burdens in life. He thanked us, and said he would try his best to continue to read the Book of Mormon, and to stop smoking. Well, he did it! On March 26th, 2015, he was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. During that time from when we first started teaching him, to that date, he was able to quit smoking, take work off on Sundays to attend church, and even invited his non-member Sister to attend the baptism. Sister Horgesheimer (who took my place after I was transferred from Soundview) and Sister Heaton were able to help him reach the baptism goal that I had helped him set, and welcome another one of our lost brothers into the fold of God. What I beautiful experience it was to see one of my good friends, and investigators (whose door I had knocked on, and introduced to the gospel of Jesus Christ!!) enter the waters of baptism. Both before and after his baptism, Jeremy made a special effort to thank me, and tell me how grateful he was, that sister Heaton and I had made the effort to knock on his door. "You don't know how much you have changed my life." "I will always be grateful to you for what you did to change me." "It means a lot to me that you taught me the gospel. Thank you. Thank you so much - How can I ever repay you?" It felt so good to know that I had done what I could to bring a lost brother back into the fold of God, by helping him come unto Christ. Something that I have come to realize once again is that although Sister Heaton and I were the ones to bring Jeremy the Light of Christ, we were only just the tools through which God works. Alma 26: 12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. God truly is the master, and it is his plan. I know that all of my successes, all of my failures, all of my joys, and my shortcomings, I can turn them over to God, and he will carry me and lead me down the path that he has planned to accomplish his purposes. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord as a full time missionary. One day, I can not wait to fall down at the saviors feet and thank him for all that he has done for me, so that I can say to my savior lord, and king, "You don't know how much you have changed my life." " I will Always be grateful to you for what you did to change me." "It means a lot to me that you love me perfectly, and atoned for my sins. Thank you. thank you so much - how can I ever repay you?" When we can turn our lives over to the savior, we will be able to bring ourselves, and many others into the fold of god - and when we can humble ourselves and realize that when those we bring into the fold of god are thanking us, we can see that they are really just expressing their love for the savior and his plan - we are only experiencing pieces and glimpses of the joy that we can feel in Heaven. When we return to live with our father in heaven again, it is my home that he will say to not only me, but each of you, "Well Done, My Good And Faithful Servant. " This truly is the church of God restored on the earth today. The book of Mormon is the word of God. Baptism is the Way, and Joy is the Reward. Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Sister Megan Chapple Jeremy's baptism Sister Harbaugh and I, Elder Seamons, and Elder Tomlinson
Sister Harbaugh and I :) I love her so much! Sister harbaugh and I with Elder Doying and Kelly - The Yelm ward elders in my District. More pictures of our trip to the Seattle temple. Another picture in front of the Seattle temple.
Yesterday my companion and I were able to baptize our investigator, and good friend, Bella Oliverio. She is 16 years old. In the last month, we were able to teach her all of the lessons, and then baptize her! It was such an amazing experience to see how much the gospel of Jesus Christ blessed her life, and allowed her to find peace and happiness; the true peace and happiness in this life can only come through Jesus Christ. Bella first became interested in the church a few months ago, when she learned that some of her friends at school always seemed to be happier, and saw that there was a difference in the way that they chose to live their lives. She began driving herself to church at 9 am every Sunday morning, and began to see and learn more about what it was that made life different for her mormon friends, and what it was that made them happy all the time. She could see that the choices that they made and the lifestyles they had were different form the one she had been living, and simply saw the happiness that came from being a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She approached us a month ago, and told us that she wanted to be baptized as soon as possible. When we asked her why she wanted to be baptized, she made it very clear that she had been reading the Book of Mormon and making changes in her life to become more like the examples the other LDS kids were setting at school. She had found happiness in living a lifestyle that was in harmony with the gospel and knew that being baptized and following the example of Jesus Christ was something that she wanted to do; not because her friends told her to or because her parents wanted her to do it, but because she wanted to change. She wanted to be better. In fact, her friends didn't even think she would be baptized, or that a whole lot would come from her attending church every week. And her mother is not a member of the church, nor is she currently very interested in learning more, but Bella found joy in being among the saints, and learning who Jesus Christ was, why we follow his example, and how he can bring us peace from the sorrows and trials in this life. Bella is so grateful for the light that the gospel has brought into her life, and I know that when we exercise our agency, we can choose to come unto Christ. We all have faults and short comings in this life, but when can lay down our burdens, and realize that we can be cleansed of our sins, and forgiven, no trial that we face, no burden that we carry, is enough to keep us down. Before coming to earth, we all experienced a premortal life that allowed us to grow and become stronger. We chose to come down to earth, knowing that we would experience these hard things and be tested. We lived with our father in heaven before we came down to earth, and we can all live with him in the celestial kingdom again. Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End, are the steps we take to get back to him. Each step we take back towards our heavenly home, and our Savior Jesus Christ, brings us happiness and joy in this life. By attending the temple, living the gospel of Jesus Christ, and truly being happy, others will see the joy the gospel brings. By being happy, we are shining the light of Christ. True eternal happiness is what we have to share with the world. Be in the world, but not of the world. Be an Example of the believers. Invite others to "come and see" by the way that you choose to live your life. You never know who might be watching, and want to know more. Just like Bella, there are those around us at school, work, etc. who are searching in life. Searching for happiness. That is our ultimate quest. People settle for other lacking forms of 'happiness' that this world has to offer, because they do not know Christ. If we can live the gospel, others will see the difference that it makes in our lives, and want to know more, when the time is right in their lives. Being able to be someone's true eternal friend is the greatest gift we have to offer our lost brothers and sisters. We shine the light, so that they can follow us, and find the path so that they can return back home through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and receive eternal life. We can also help others return to live with father again, by doing temple work. There is so much joy that comes from serving the Lord, in whatever capacity we can in life - but being happy and joyous in living the gospel is one of the greatest gifts of all. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/happiness-your-heritage?lang=eng I encourage you all to continue to seek for happiness, and remember how much you are loved, even though sometimes life gets you down, we can continue to seek for happiness in living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember who you are! ALWAYS! In that; you can never fail. Go With God, Sister Megan Chapple Bella's Baptism!! We went to the temple as a mission this week to do a session! So Amazing!
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