One year! :)

May 2, 2016

Holy canole guacamole....time flies. I can't believe how fast time has gone. But I am so grateful that I am out serving a mission for my Heavenly Father, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else:)

Happy Mother's Day mama! Can't wait to see you guys Sunday:) That is awesome you & dad were able to meet with Elder Holland. I bet his talks were amazing as well. Also congrats to Anna Stone & my trainer Sister... I mean Brooke Donehue for getting married this past weekend:)

Sister Jensen and I had a pretty adventurous week hahahah. The bus is always very interesting. There was a man at 11 am who was just...gone. The bus driver pulls over and walks up to him. He goes, "my brotha, my brotha, wake up." & nothing. Then this lady next to me goes, "That won't do it. HEY HEY HEY!!!" & the guy still didn't wake up. The bus smelled like alcohol and the guy rode to the mall to be helped out. Wednesday we got lost on the bus for a while but we knew that was bound to happen haha. Then these 2 ladies at a bus stop go, "Ya'll the Mormon girls, huh?" I asked what they knew about the church & she said, "Not right now honey. I'm druuuuunnnnkkkkk." Sister Jensen then says, "Is there a better time we can come back & share more of our message with you?" Hahaha Sister Jensen.

Ahh we were able to see so many less-actives this week & we had so many miracles!:) When you really look for the tender mercies from the Lord you will find them:) We were able to have lunch with Sister Man who is from China. There are a lot of Chinese in the ward & a lot who are less-active because it's hard not really being able to understand English. We might be starting a Chinese Sunday school class :)

We met with Sis Johnson a LA from Haiti who is a seamstress :) She will be fixing some of our skirts!

This week we helped the Mikolyski's who are moving, paint their bathroom. I tripped onto the paint pan, fell against the wall & got paint all ova me hahahahah. Things my mission hasn't changed: my spazziness.

We are teaching 8 year-old Meghan even though her parents are both members. Her mom is anti-Mormon now & her dad is a returning member. All of her siblings were taught after they were 8 so her dad asked us to teach her still. It was so fun teaching her with the Restoration cups. Children have such tender hearts & they are so willing to follow the Savior.

We also met with a recent convert Sister Bowles. She is an amazing lady with an incredibly strong testimony of the Savior. We also helped the Mahaffey family do service! I have never seen so many bugs in my life out here in the East! Haha. Then Saturday was fun because we went to a boy-scout auction our ward was throwing. They were able to make a ton of money. Brother Hartung had us bid as a joke to make it more interesting so it was fun :)

Funny story.... when I served in Frederick there was a family, the Melby's. There son was called to a rarer mission in Brazil. Well there is an Elder here in Columbia serving there so I told his parents about the Melby's. They got in touch & became good friends so I was able to go over to the Olivier's to see the Melby's again- it was awesome:)

I love you guys so much & I love this gospel of hope! Ahh & I love the Book of Mormon with my whole heart. It can change our lives if we let it!! Love you love you:) Xo, Sister Stolworthy

Goodbye district #8:)

the magic bus

April 25, 2016

Happy birthday mom! I hope your day is great Wednesday:) Also, congratu-stinkin-lations to Ally for winning Southern Region Rep for Nevada stuco, that is so awesome:) & that is so cool you guys did the National Eating Disorder Awareness walk with all the fam in Salt Lake:)

For transfer news, since this past transfer was 7 weeks long we had call-outs yesterday instead of last Sunday. Sister Jensen & I will be staying together for another transfer!! We are excited!:)

Ahh this week was exciting here in the Columbia 2nd ward:) Sister Jensen and I live pretty far from the nearest members & since we share a car we decided to invest in some bus passes. It has been so much fun meeting all of the people. Native Marylanders are my favorite:) When the bus driver see us walking around they honk & wave so it is fun that they know who we are! We met a really funny guy named Keith who kept preaching to us about God's love & how it is so great we are serving missions haha. 

We put Dee on date for May 21st! She is the senior from Liberia! She is so cool. We taught her about the Book of Mormon & she kept saying "this is so good it just makes you want to keep reading." It is so awesome to see her faith!:) 

We met a World War 2 Vet which was really cool. There aren't a lot of them left. We helped bring in his groceries and he told us some stories. He reminded me a lot of papa. 

We were able to see a couple less-actives we normally can't get in with which was another miracle. I love the people here. Columbia is a very busy city & people are always in a rush. It has a really high price of living and people usually work for the government. That's why it is sooo awesome when people let you in to talk! haha:)

In other news, I burned microwavable rice and french toast this week. Hahahah I shall learn, someday. 

I love you all so much! So, so, so much. As I've been reading in the Book of Mormon I am so amazed at the courage of the sons of Ammon, or the stripling warriors. They knew that no matter what God would deliver them. I know God is aware of each and every one of us. This week I had a spiritual experience & I just know without a doubt in my mind that the Lord calls us to our specific mission for a reason. Love you love you:) Sister Stolworthy 

"race me!!!!!!"

April 18, 2016

Hello fam:) This week has been an interesting one haha. We have been mostly walking this week. The car broke down when the elders had it & it's because there was water in the gas tank...we think that some hoodlums pranked the elders but we aren't sure haha. That's okay though.

Monday...Sister Jensen and I won 5,000 dollars. We got one of those ticket things in the mail. Well the odds of winning were 1 in 40,000 & we won!! Hahahah...unfortunately, we don't have a state ID since we are just visitors so we couldn't claim it ;)

Tuesday was sad- we had to drop 2 investigators & our appointments fell through. It just makes me sad because I know how much the Savior can help all of His children and so it is hard seeing people turn away from it. But we were able to see a couple less-actives this week who we hadn't been able to get in with which was cool:)

Saturday we were able to teach a recently returning less-actives 8 year old daughter about baptism. She wanted to learn about it from the missionaries. It was so much fun:) We used the pepper in water with dish soap visual. Children's hearts are so open & ready. It was a lot of fun. It was also #socialmediasplit Saturday so we did a lot of service for people around the area.

Sunday was an amazing miracle. We had dinner with Brother & Sister Johnson. Brother Johnson used to be Bishop here. Remember how I talked about the less-actives wife we ate dinner with? Well Brother Johnson had been meeting with her husband & she wanted to meet the Johnsons- so we had dinner over at the Johnsons house with her!! It was really cool. 

Sister Johnson is from Japan & April is from China and they were talking about their similar stories with Christianity. Aprils parents had to hide the bible in their country & Sis Johnson joined the church with her mom since religion wasn't a very common thing growing up after the war. 

Brother & Sister Johnson bore their testimony of the spirit & the gospel. April said that she knows God hasn't given up on her because of all the ties she has with the LDS church. It was so stinkin' cool. Probably one of the coolest moments of my mission. The spirit was so strong & it just made me so grateful for the Holy Ghost which softens peoples hearts. It was such a joy! :)

I love you guys so much. I hope you all have a wonderful week. Love, Sister Stolworthy

PS: The elders said they've been having some trouble with some people giving them a hard time in their neighborhood so Sister Jensen & I went to try and talk things out with them. Here they are....


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Hahahahaha!! They were so funny. We were all racing each other:)

Book of Mormon

April 11, 2016

Hi family! This week was good :) I got sick again on Tuesday. This time it i just a cold. Hopefully it will pass by soon :) I lost my voice for a little bit so that was funny.

Tuesday we had quarterly interviews with President which were awesome. It is really cool how inspired he is & how much he can help us. It was a really cool experience.

We were able to pick up a new investigator this week! Her name is Dee. She is from Liberia. She is 17. There are actually a ton of Liberians and Nigerians here in Maryland. She was a referral from the DC sisters. She used to live in their apartment complex. She was so excited to learn...it was amazing teaching her the Restoration & seeing it click for her. When we invited her to baptism she was so excited! It was really cool:)

Wednesday we had exchanges & I was able to be with Sister Talbert here in Columbia! This was our 3rd time being on exchanges together- we just follow each other around the mission haha. She is awesome.

Thursday we were able to meet with a Liberian family who just moved back into our ward-hopefully we will get to start teaching one of their daughters.

We had a lot of appointments fall through this week but we had a miracle yesterday. We met a less-actives wife a couple weeks ago. She is from China! Her husband is out of town for a few months so she invited us over last night for a traditional Chinese dinner:) She isn't a member & she expressed to us some concerns about the Book of Mormon. We were able to share with her our testimonies of the Book of Mormon.
As I have read the Book of Mormon on my mission I have grown to love my Savior so much. Before my mission when I would read it, maybe it didn't always click for me & maybe I didn't give it the attention it deserves. This time I have tried to really dive into it with my whole soul. As I do I feel a desire to keep reading & learning more about the Savior's atonement. I love the Book of Mormon with my whole heart. As I read it, I feel so close to my Savior. I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is true. Without the Book of Mormon I would be so confused. I am grateful for Joseph Smith and that he was worthy and able to translate it. It is a marvelous book & I know that in my life as I have read the Book of Mormon, I have felt the spirit so abundantly & I can truly feel of God's love. It was an amazing experience getting to share that with her... we will be bringing her a Chinese copy of the Book of Mormon. I hope she reads it and finds out for herself. When we receive that witness from the Holy Ghost, no one can take it from us.

I love you guys so dang much. I hope you have a great week. Good luck running for Southern Region Rep Al:) Love, Sister Stolworthy

PS: things about Columbia, Maryland 

1. The price of living is very very high

2. Howard County (Columbia) is the 2nd richest county in the US haha

3. There are a ton of town-homes/apartments because of the lack of space & the price 

4. No one hardly has garages and if they do they are small so there area always cars parked on the street.

5. Houses are pretty close together & yards are small

5. The weather is crazy- it was hot last week and then snowed Sunday:)

6. It is very rare that you will find a native marylander because most people work for the government

7. They have all 4 seasons:)

Heaven is rooting for you! :)

April 4, 2016

Hi family!! General Conference was so awesome!! I am glad you enjoyed it mom! Hahah. It was really great:) Also it absolutely poured rain on Friday hahaha. It was insane. In my 11 months of being in Maryland/Virginia I have never seen rain that crazy! The thunderstorms are really cool here:)

Tuesday, Sister Jensen and I instructed at zone training. We were asked to instruct on what Sister Tait & I instructed on last zone training in Winchester! Haha. It was awesome. We instructed on using the Book of Mormon as our main source in resolving concerns & teaching the restored gospel. One of the 70 came to a leadership conference recently and talked about how we should be using the Book of Mormon as our main source in teaching. That's something I have been working on a lot the past few months. I am trying to read the Book of Mormon right now by this summer. As I immerse myself in it whenever I have spare time I feel so much closer to the Lord. I love learning about His covenant people who were over here and the blessings that come from following the Lord.

And then Wednesday..... I got sick. I think I had a 24 hour flu. It was awful. Oh man. It was bad & my stomach felt so weird for a few days after. We took Wednesday off for me to get rest. I ate a lot of saltine crackers & drank coca cola haha. Let me just tell you that as a missionary, staying in is the absolute worst! Haha. It is no fun being stuck inside when you can be out talking and visiting with people:) Thankfully I feel better now:)

We received so many referrals this week & we have a lot of potential appointments this upcoming week! We are excited to meet with those who are prepared:) It is so true that more & more millennials are being drawn to the gospel.

We taught a Haitian woman named Flo this week. She lives alone and she was interested in learning more so we were able to teach her about the Restoration. She really has a lot of faith in God & understands that Christ is the reason we will be able to return to live with God. I love that the Book of Mormon always teaches us about the doctrine of the atonement and the sacrifice of our Savior.

Friday was a miracle! We were trying by a less-active family to see if they still lived there. The non-member wife answered the door. Her name is April & she is from China! She met her husband over in China. He is on a business trip for a few months. He told her before he left, "the missionaries will probably stop by. They can't come in though because I'm not home."
When we got there she saw that there are sisters now so she invited us in! It was really cool talking to her about the church and about her beliefs. She wants to get together with us to do bible study. She teaches Chinese for the military and she said she always knew who the LDS kids were because there was something special about them. It was so sweet!! We are having dinner with her this week:)

I loved all of General Conference. It was really powerful for me, especially the prayers & the music. The spirit was there in such abundance! I loved what Elder Holland said about how Heaven is rooting for us! We learned so much about how our Savior just needs us to turn to Him. And how He is waiting for us to let him help us. The simple truth that our Father in Heaven loves us and we are His children is so amazing. It is so sad how many people don't know that. I'm grateful that as a representative of Him, I get to share these pure gospel truths with those that I come in contact with:) I was also reminded a lot about the temple. Oh man oh man, I just love the temple. I love the covenants that we make there and the spirit that is felt. I also loved how President Uchtdorf said that obedience is liberating and a lifeblood of faith!:) As we obey, our eyes are opened & we are truly free.

I also loved Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson's talk about all the gospel truths we know of. I loved what Elder Christofferson said about fathers:) & I am most especially grateful for President Monson's commission for us to choose the harder right.

I love you all. I love the Book of Mormon, which testifies of him. I love the restored gospel, and I am grateful for continual repentance. Eternal life is not out of reach. Our Savior is always there to lift us back up. Xo Sister Stolworthy






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PS For my birthday last week Sister Campora gave us a session of yoga! She does one-on-one yoga at her studio & it is normally super expensive but she let us do it with her! haha. she is a ward missionary and she is awesome!! She is from the Czech Republic & her son is on a mission in Poland. She goes out with us a lot to lessons:))

20 :)

March 28, 2016

Hi familia! Yesterday was awesome!:) I can't believe I am not in my teens anymore haha, but I'm so grateful my birthday fell on Easter:) I just love my Savior so much.... as I have been studying His life in the New Testament & in Jesus the Christ I feel like I have come to know Him so much more. I have such a deep testimony of the Savior's Atonement. I know with all of my heart that it is real & that the love that He has for all of us is so real and true. It makes me so happy. I can't even begin to describe. I am just so grateful for Him.
March 27th is also the day that the Kirtland temple was dedicated. Ahhh we are so lucky to know and live this Restored Gospel:))

This week was fun! We were able to go see Shantavia again & talk more about the Book of Mormon. We brought Sister Beurger with us (the one who was my TA at BYU hahah) and she was so awesome. Sister Beurger was due Yesterday! She is literally about to give birth & she bore the most awesome testimony at our lesson.

We also met this really awesome referral from the Hermanas. Her name is Marie & she is from England!! She has her phD in Bio Chem & she lives with her husband here in Columbia. He travels a lot & she is so prepared! We are excited to start teaching her :)

Saturday was the Women's session of General Conference and it was so good!!:) Everything that was taught was further knowledge on an answer I received from Heavenly Father a few months ago. It was really cool. D. Todd Christofferson is right when he says that we have more of us to find as we lose ourselves in service to others:)

We also found a new investigator named Irene! She lives in a trailer park & was interested in learning more so we are excited to teach her too!:)

My heart is so sad for what happened in Brussels. My prayers are with all those who were affected. I am so grateful for the infinite atoning sacrifice of our Savior & for the plan of Salvation that brings us peace in this life.

Yesterday we ate with Sister Knudson & two of her non-member friends. Her friend Bill had his birthday on the 26th so we celebrated together! Haha. Then we had dinner with the Rosson's who just moved into our ward. It was a fun day :) Thank you for all of your testimonies. This gospel is so beautiful and true. My testimony grows stronger & deeper each day. I pray that we will all have Christ as an anchor throughout the storms of life. His love is abiding and endless. Love you all SO MUCH! Have a great week!:) Xo Sister Stolworthy

Follow Him :)

March 21, 2016

Hey family! Happy Easter! So grateful for this beautiful week & season. It has been really cool getting to hand out the #Hallelujah cards to people that link to the followhim.mormon.org website! You guys should check out the videos on there- they are really cool!! :)

Time flew by this week! Sister Jensen and I biked a ton hahahaha. The roads are really crazy & busy here but they are more flat than Virginia so I can't complain :)

We had a cool lesson with our investigator Shantavia. We taught her about the Book of Mormon. It was really cool to see her opening up & asking a lot of questions about what the book of mormon can do for her:)

We went and visited the lady who called us & said she wanted us to come to church. So we went and saw her & she told about all the challenge's she's faced in her life. She has gone through a TON. We felt impressed to share Helaman 5:12 and talk about God's love for her. We were supposed to go back and see her this week but sadly she is on house arrest.. :( It is a bummer but her desire to change is so real. We really need to counsel with the Lord on how to best help her.

This week we had a lot of appointments fall through, but that's okay. Just another part of missionary work. Since sisters hadn't been here in over a year it's a lot of sifting through to see who is still in the area since it can be pretty transient out here.

We got in with a less-active who the sisters hadn't been able to see since they got here. Her husband wasn't home so she let us right in and we had a mini testimony meeting and she talked about how she wanted to get back in the church & about how early morning seminary changed her life even though she hasn't been to church in 30 years. She still remembers how she felt there. So cool! :)

Yesterday we had bible study at the church with some of Sister Jackson's friends. I am trying to get through the bible before I get home from my mission. As I was reading in Matthew about the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane I was overwhelmed with love. I know the love required for that great endeavor was immeasurable. I also have such a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. As I read the bible I am so so so grateful we have even more scripture that testifies of Christ! :)

Funny story this week... we were biking and one of the roads were closed down because of construction. We decided to still try and bike through it. Well there was soft mud EVERYWHERE. It got all over my shoes, skirt, and bike hahahaha. It was not good. So much mud! Oh man, missions are great:) I hope you all have a happy Easter. So grateful I get to share this special day this year!:) Love you love you. Xo Sister Stolworthy

4th area, 7th companion, 8th transfer

March 14, 2016

Hi family :) Holy toledo does time fly. I can't believe it is already halfway through March! Man, I am so excited that my birthday falls on Easter this year:) It hardly ever does & of all years, I am grateful it is the year I am serving my mission! It is a tender mercy for sure:)

So a little bit about Sister Jensen. She graduated with me & she is in her 2nd transfer. She played water polo at a Junior College and she is from Southern California. She is a tomboy & she has so much energy! She is a hard-worker. :)

I definitely miss Woodstock. It was such a special place. It was hard saying goodbye... there were some tears but the people and memories I made there will never be forgotten.

Columbia is a lot different, but it is great:) About 45 minutes from D.C. so everyone's job who lives here "does computer stuff for the Government" hahah. You turn the corner and you are suddenly on the freeway. Freeways everywhere! Haha. Since we share a car Sister Jensen and I literally almost started walking on a freeway the other day hahah. It was so funny. There are so many busy streets & businesses. I was in a small town for a long time because I was shocked to see that there was more than a Walmart! Haha. The ward boundaries itself are a lot smaller than Woodstock because of the population:)

The members here are awesome:) They are so missionary minded. I can feel that there is so much potential in this area. I am excited to see all that will happen during this transfer. Especially since it is 7 weeks and longer than normal.

Saturday, a lady named Lisa called us who said that we had given her a card. She totally came to church! That never hapens!! Hahaha it was really awesome. We are excited to start teaching her.

Also Small World! Sister Beurger who is in this ward gave us a ride home a couple nights ago. We started talking about BYU and she said her major was special education. I told her that was my major & we found out that she was totally my T.A. for the intro class last year at BYU before she moved out here! Hahahah. Small world for sure:)

I love you guys so much. I am so grateful for the infinite atonement. "Repentance is possible, forgiveness is certain." We can truly change every day. It is worth it. Have a great week:) Xo Sister Stolworthy

PS- here are some photos from Woodstock.