over the hump! :)

February 1, 2016

Holy cows. I can't believe on Wednesday it has been 9 months since i went into the MTC:) Time really does fly... So Sister Tait is here in Woodstock! She is from Cedar City, UT and graduated high school last June. Transfers went well and we exchanged with other sisters in Frederick. She just got out of training and is an amazing missionary. She's quiet, but she has a powerful testimony and she is so Christlike. I have already learned so much from her! 

We had some sweet miracles this week:) Jenna, who attends the military academy, got back to us and we were able to go over with Jadi and teach her the plan of salvation! It was awesome. 

We also were able to teach a woman named Donna. She said that when the Elders helped bring in her groceries there was a light about them that seemed real. She said she felt that same happiness when we called to set up an appointment:) We brought an awesome member of the ward with us to teach her. After the lesson, the member asked us how we decide who to bring to appointments with us. I told her we pray and follow the Spirit:) She started crying and said that she was having a really hard day feeling that she wasn't able to do anything she used to and then we called her. She said it was an answer to her prayers... how cool that the Lord uses us to answer prayers even in the smallest of ways?

Also, the Hudsons in our ward are a really funny couple from Utah. They said that they know the Sinks from North Las Vegas! They used to be their neighbors! They wanted me to say hi for them! Haha, small world again:) 

Brandi came to church yesterday! Gospel principles was very interesting haha. I love the tiny Woodstock Ward with my whole heart. There are incredibly special people here. 

Oh man, I wish I could write out all the many miracles and experiences I have had this week. There have been so many. And so many times has the Lord answered my prayers. He is so real. I know this beautiful gospel is true. I love the Book of Mormon. It's power is real. Have a blessed week:) 

Xo Sister Stolworthy 

i feel it in my bones

January 19, 2106

Hola familia! Happy Martin Luther King Day! I feel the cold in my bones...also the gospel like Grandma Joy would say...but the cold as well haha. The weather continues to drop and drop. It was below zero the other night and the high is 20. I think with the humidity it feels like 10 degrees haha. We are supposed to get a snow storm Thursday & Friday! Here it comes:) 

Transfers are going to be a little different now. Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave some new training that we no longer meet at one central spot for transfer meetings. So now we just move along to our next area :) Transfers are already next Wednesday. I can't believe time flies by so fast. Because the MTC is now 3 weeks for english speakers the transfer dates will be switched up for everyone, so we shall see what happens! 

Monday we had a really cool lesson. A returning less-active came to a lesson with us. She bore the most powerful testimony of the Restoration. I felt the spirit so strong! I love this gospel. We then went bowling with her Monday which was fun:) 

Last night we went over to a returning less-actives home and taught her and her kids how to have family home evening. Such a happy spirit as we sang "Book of Mormon stories" haha. I am so grateful and my heart is so full with love for these people I get to serve around. I feel so very blessed to be around such faithful people, who always build up my faith more than they know. 

Crazy story. Sister Olsen and I were walking to the church the other night when we heard a guy behind us go "hey!" we turned around and he started speeding up so we started to speed up... when we finally got to the church I tried to unlock it as fast as I could and he started to speed up and cut across the grass. I felt like I was in a movie trying to open the door! Haha. We got in and ran into the maintenance man. It was so scary! Haha. But then a ward member happened to drive by which doesn't happen too often and gave us a ride back. Just a little odd haha. 

Sister Olsen and I had the chance to sing in sacrament and Joyce came to church! She is moving slowly but surely now. I know that the Lord has His own timing for everyone. 

Saturday was Social Media Split day. We were able to help out Olivia Harris, the Wrights, Sis Wages, and Sue Eldridge :) This ward is a blast. Thursday we went out with our relief society president, Sister Funk, to visit some less-active sisters that live far away. It was a great opportunity:) I love you all so very much. I am grateful for the chance to be out here each and everyday. Have a great week. 

Love, Sister Stolworthy 

PS - Here is my tiny district! That's what happens when you are out in the boonies :) Also, look how tiny the Luray building is! It used to be a house :)

PSS - I saw a baby cow for the first time with it's mom!! Hahaha. 

ice ice sister

January 11, 2016

Hi faaaaamily!:) Holy guac, I can't believe Al got her license. Congratulations! That is crazy fun :)

This week we had interviews with President:) Interviews are the best. It's also his birthday today!... and wha da ya know, there's a "Christiansen drive" here. So we're gonna go take a picture of it haha. 

This week was awesome, but also hard. Even though this is a larger area, there are so, so, so many churches here. A lot of people think they already know God. There are a lot of bible bashers and people who know a lot of anti. I think we get anti about everyday. But that's okay because Sister Olsen and I were listening to a really good talk by Jack R. Christensen about missionary work. He said that the Book of Mormon is always under attack because not only is it the keystone- but if you take down the Book of Mormon than you also bring down Joseph Smith. He says that if we have that solid testimony of the Book of Mormon than we can always be strong in the gospel no matter what. I know this to be true:) I love the Book of Mormon. I feel like on my mission I am growing closer to the Savior as I truly read and ponder about His life and ministry. 

In the lamb of God production, there's a line by Peter that really resonates with me. He says, "Thou hast taken stripes for me, could I not take but one for thee?"

I love that line so much. I love my Savior. I am grateful to be a representative of truth. I know this is His gospel. I know that He is the only way to our Father and His gospel is the only way to happiness and salvation. Have a blessed week:)

 Xo Sister Stolworthy 

let it snow let it snow let it snow

January 4, 2016


Dear Familia, 

The cold goes to your BONES. It is so cold. I am so cold. But that's okay because it is worth it:)It finally snowed here! This weather hasn't been normal...usually it's snowing like crazy here but it finally hit.  I hope you had a great New Years!:) Yay for 2016!! 

Sister Olsen and I had a crazy New Years Eve. We drove down to D.C. with the Petersburg Elders and Sister Lyday in our ward for the visitors center show:) It was so fun! We got home at 11:45 so we figured we'd just celebrate haha. It was so fun getting to be with the missionaries from our mission on New Years. 

Sad day, Joyce dropped us yesterday:( She said, "I don't want to be baptized and I don't want to be a mormon. I don't want to think about it and I don't want to talk about it." It was really interesting to me because we talked to her early this week and I saw a light in her eyes that she knew she needed to ask God if this message was true. I share this because sometimes we give people what they need and they have the agency to act just like Elder Teh taught us. It's sad, because you love these people with your whole heart and they turn away happiness. But I imagine that's how the Savior feels when we turn away from what we know to be right. I am grateful for the marvelous atonement. President Butterfield talked about the Atonement at zone training. It reminded me of a sacred experience I had right before my senior year of high school when I truly wanted to change and become what the Savior wanted me to be. I want to recommit myself to using the Atonement everyday to change and to have hope. My word for 2016 is hope. Instead of resolutions, I want to work on everything in my life that has to do with that word:) 

I'm glad you all had a great week and have fun getting back to work and school:) And good luck on your drivers test Ally! Xoxo:) Sister Stolworthy 

PS - Sister O and I saved a stray kitty in a storm drain this week haha.