I'm emailing you from my iPad! 5/26/15

Hola people!!

How is everyone doing?? Well it has been a great week here in Vermont.
I told you it was green but somehow it's gotten greener!! And the
lilac bushes are out of control here. Grandma Innes has been watching
over me this week, I'm sure of it.

Well it has been an interesting week! We drove down to New Hampshire
for an all-mission conference which took up pretty much all of Tuesday
and Wednesday! We received training on how to be missionaries in the
digital age and we got iPads!! They have already been amazing tools.
They told us that we weren't getting them this week so I was not
expecting it and so when I found out we were I had a mini heart attack
and it's been weird ever since. I felt guilty even turning the thing
on for the first day and then it was just weird. I was scared because
before my mission my habits weren't to great with technology. But at
our training they talked about how this is the perfect time for us to
set good habits with technology and this will change how we use it for
the rest of our lives! I am so grateful. It's already been so amazing
using them in lessons. We have the whole gospel library at our
fingertips, it's amazing!!

On Thursday we were able to get in with our investigators finally! :)
we met with Brother Yakowich  and the boy had read 40 pages in the
Book of Mormon! He said that as he has read his testimony of Jesus
Christ has been strengthened. He also said that he had started praying
more instead of just on Sunday. It was cool because we had felt
prompted to talk about prayer that day. He said he had told Heavenly
Father that he was relying on Him now. He has a big decision he is
trying to make and so he has started praying about that! I shared with
him about how I got my answer to go on a mission and how Heavenly
Father answered my year of prayers...and how on my mission I have just
come to have a firm testimony that Heavenly Father does answer our
prayers!! 2 Nephi 32:9 "But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray
always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the
Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name
of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy
performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." My mission has been
the best thing for me. I know it's where I am supposed to be.

Yesterday we had dinner with an amazing family in the ward, the Dyes!
They moved all the way to  Vermont from Idaho after they were prompted
by Heavenly Father. They are so full of faith and so close to the
spirit. I want to be just like them. I want to make whatever sacrifice
I have to do the Lords will and serve him in whatever way He needs me
to. My favorite scripture: Words of Mormon 1:7 "And I do this for a
wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of
the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all
things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore,
he worketh in me to do according to his will. And my prayer to God is
concerning my brethren, that they may once again come to the knowledge
of God, yea, the redemption of Christ; that they may once again be a
delightsome people."

I hope you all have a great Memorial Day and an amazing week!!! I sure
love you!!!

Love, Sister Innes

Angels!!! 5/18/2015

Dear Family and Friends,

It's been an amazing week, Heavenly Father has taught me so much this week. Did I tell you that I love being a missionary? Lately I have been filled with so much gratitude to be where I'm at. Never in my life will I have this opportunity again to give my all to Heavenly Father. I have felt His love and I have felt true happiness... I just want everyone to know!!

I had a cool experience this week. I was studying the plan of Salvation pamphlet, specifically premortal life. In the pamphlet it says, " Satan, one of God’s spirit children, rebelled against Heavenly Father and did not accept His plan. He wanted to force us all to do his will. Sadly, many of Heavenly Father’s children chose to follow Satan. Satan and his followers were sent away from God’s presence and were not allowed to be born on earth. They continue to exist as spirits. They are miserable, and they want you to be miserable. They tempt you and all God’s children to do things that bring unhappiness and that are not pleasing to God." As I was pondering this I was thinking about that fact that there are spirits on this earth...some of them are Satan's followers but not all of them. And the though came to my mind, "If Satan and his followers can have influence on you then so can angels." And as I sat there I could feel the veil become very thin. I felt a spirit in the room but I could not figure out who it was. It was a sweet spirit though. A good one....I continued to ponder about this experience until we met with Sandy a couple days later. As we were teaching her I felt prompted to share my experience with her. And with tears in her eyes she told me that her deceased father had visited her the other day. And it hit me that he was the spirit in my room that day!....after that lesson me and Sister Upton were talking about all that had happened and we realized that Sandy's father probably hadn't had his work done and Sandy would be the one to get his work done. And the spirit testified to my soul that is was true! He was watching over us and I believe he is still watching over Sandy to help her get baptized but also so he can get baptized. My testimony is that angels really are among us! Not only do they watch over us but they may need us to do something for them. Heavenly Father wants us all home. Missionary work on both sides of the veil is so important!

Sorry this is short. But, now is the time for us to prepare...things are going to get much worse before they get better. I have felt so much urgency this week...listen to the prophets, stand for whats right, be obedient, read your scriptures, pray deeply, and love unconditionally! Heavenly Father is more aware of us then we know. He loves me and he loves you! 

Have a great day :)

Love, Sister Innes

Full time missionaries!! 5/11/2015

Hello family and friends!!

Wow what a week it has been! It is nice and humid and green over here :) and I'm lovin it! 

This week we had MLC in Manchester and it was so amazing. I had a lot of questions that I was having answered. One thing I loved that was said is that members really are the  the full-time missionaries. Yes, we as missionaries are are full-time but we are not going to be in a certain unit or area forever. So therefore, members are full-time in the fact that they will be there full-time for a friend who is investigating the church or a member who may be returning. This week I have  really realized how crucial all members are in this work. Missionaries cannot do it on their own! It just won't work out the way it should. Satan has been working very hard on Sandy this last week and a member Sister Hall has been the biggest help in going over without us and just being her friend and letting her know she is loved. So awesome! It is crucial that people have a testimony of the gospel before they are baptized but they also need friends. They need to feel loved and accepted and not just by the missionaries. 

I mentioned Brother Yakowich a couple weeks ago, who we haven't seen in a couple weeks but we were finally able to see him last Monday! He told us that he has a goal to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of May and He should be all the way to Jacob by the time we meet with him tomorrow. The kid is so awesome. As he has began to read it's been awesome to see how he just wants to know more. In Preach My Gospel it says that those who read the Book of Mormon take an important step in coming to know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored! He is taking that step and I am so excited for what will come. Because, I know if he prays he will get an answer. Moroni 10:3-5 "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

We met with Sandy only once this week due to technical difficulties and when we got there she was so distraught. The Adversary was really working on her. I felt prompted to sing "Be Still My Soul" and as I did the spirit came so strong into her home. And afterward I shared this part of Joseph Smith History as prompted by the spirit. "After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear him!" I didn't een plan on sharing it but I realized that it was so relevant to Sandy and to all of us. Satan works so hard to keep good things from happening. I've seen it so many times in my live! But just as Joseph Smith was able to get through it so can we. Satan will not win, he can't. So don't let him win with you!

Well, I just want to end with my sincere testimony that I do know the Heavenly Father loves us and He is so mindful of us and our situations. Call on Him! Trust in Him, He will never lead you astray.

I love you all sooo much! I hope you have a great week :)

Love, Sister Innes

May the fourth be with you! 5/4/2015

Hello people!  

The sun is shining and it is finally in the 70's in Vermont! To say I am happy is an understatement :) Spring is finally here and before we know it, it will be all green!

Well I'm going to try and fit in all the awesomeness of this week, I probably can't but I will try! ;)

So last Monday was really rough, probably the hardest of my mission! I couldn't pin point exactly but Satan was working very hard on me. Well, come to find out he was working on me because there were amazing things to come! Monday night we met an amazing lady while knocking doors. She told us that she had just recently lost her husband and daughter...and she felt like we were sent to her at the time she needed us. We were able to bear testimony to her of the Plan of Salvation and that fact that she would see her husband and daughter again...the spirit bore witness to her. She said she was definitely interested and that she would be calling us soon. Well this morning guess who we saw while we were taking our morning walk? The same lady! Not a coinicidence...and she is so sincere. I think we will be seeing her soon :) ALSO, Monday night we met with Sandy. She loved church and she has committed to be baptized on May 30th! The light that is in her eyes is so cool to see. She just knows with all her heart that the gospel is true and very determined to get baptized no matter what may come. :)

Wednesday we met with Sister Lolax and we were reading with her in Jacob 4. And in verse 10 it says, "Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works." And after we read that we asked her if there was anything that she had been taught that she had a problem with...and she said her only struggle was coffee. Sister Lolax has been taught for about a year and she still is trying to get an answer. We kept feeling like coffee was keeping her from getting her answer, so we bore testimony to her that if she would love the Word of Wisdom that she would receive her answer. The next day we met with her again and that morning I was studying for her in Alma Chapter 22 and this verse really just stuck out to me and I couldn't figure out why so I asked Heavenly Father to help me understand what he wanted me to. in verse 15 and 16 it says, "And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy. But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest." And as I read it again I realized that it was Sister Lolax! In order to receiver her hope or answer she needed to repent or live the word of wisdom and show her faith and then the Lord would answer her! And so when we met we shared these verses with her and the spirit just bore witness so strong. So she knows what she needs to do and now all she has to do is do it! :) I pray she does because I know she can.

Thursday we met with Larry, who has now come to church for 3 weeks in a row, and we committed him to be baptized on June 13th! I can't be at mt best friend's wedding So I guess we will have a baptism instead. ;) No, I didn't realized it until after but I think it will be a great day for Larry! He has a very pure heart and he loves his Savior! We have a long way to go but oh how excited I am for him. :)

Sunday I was so excited and my heart was full, one by one came Sandy, Larry, and Sister Lolax into church!! I don't know why but Heavenly Father is really blessing us here. Alma 26:3 " Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work." The Lord will use us how he intends if we give ourselves to Him. This is his work and he continues to work miracles everyday! The work is hastening people, what joy we can find in helping other people to know the truth for themselves. I know that if you pray He will help you to find those who you are supposed to chare the gospel with in your very own special way.

I love you all!!! Talk to you soon ;)

Love, Sister Innes

P.S. this is my awesome new companion, Sister Upton. I think my favorite thing about her is her hair :)