January 21

Dear Family,

Well I made it smoothly to Lubbock. Definitely the hardest part was saying goodbyes.. and then also having to pack again...ugh. ha ha.

Texas Tech is huge. There are a lot of atheists and agnostics. I am trying to adjust and learn how I can best help and benefit those here. My companion is Sister Soules from Hawaii. She is awesome! She is trying to convince me to go to BYU Hawaii. ha ha.

We had two amazing tender mercies this week. A year ago (when I was in the Regal Park ward) we were teaching this guy named S. He grew up Muslim but in the past couple years converted to Christianity. Because he wasn't going to be in the family ward we passed him to missionaries that were currently in the YSA ward. After awhile he wasn't being taught anymore though. So a year later I give him a call, thinking he wouldn't remember me at all. But he totally did! And in fact he wants to meet up and start taking the lessons again!

The other tender mercy, was a year ago on Sister Dunham's first day in the field during her orientation all the new missionaries were assigned neighborhoods to knock and get some first day experience. I went with her and we knocked on a door and this guy answered. He was really interested and talked about how Jehovah Witnesses knocked on his door last week, and he is searching for truth, but how can he come to know which is true? I remember thinking he had so much potential. We gave his information to the missionaries in the area, but unfortunately I don't think it ever got carried across. I had only met him once for about 10 minutes, but for some reason since I had gotten here in Lubbock he kept coming to my mind! I knew the Lord was trying to tell me something. The only problem was I couldn't remember where he lived or what his name was. I remembered he lived by a park... So we looked up parks in the GPS near campus. We tried two and neither of them were it. We decided to say a prayer, and the third park we went to was THE park!! We knocked on his door... but he no longer lived there.  His sister lived there though, and she told us he still is here in Lubbock and going to school at Tech! We got his number and gave him a call, and he too totally remembered me.. Which is CRAZY! Because it was over a year ago and we met so briefly and left him with a Book of Mormon. So we are going to start teaching him as well!! 

Its so neat how my experiences a year ago have led me to where I am now. Even though it was extremely hard to leave my old area, I know this is where the Lord needs me now. I am excited to start working with the ward and members as well. 

This transfer our companionship theme is "enduring to the end"! We are working with a lot of less actives who we are helping to try and understand this concept. And with me coming to the end of my mission, I am trying to give my all!

Its awesome having a companion who too is a sister training leader! We are staying very busy! We have 6 companionships of girls we cover, so we have to do 6 exchanges this transfer! But I am excited! Its going to be lots of fun!! Love and miss you all!

Sister Turner

January 13

Dear Family,

Well you will NEVER believe it...I am getting transferred.

I was just as shocked as you are!! When I first heard the news I was devastated. I am feeling better now though. I have really learned to align my will with the Lord's, and I know I am needed somewhere else. 

So any guesses where I am going?

I am going back to Lubbock! I will be in the YSA ward there on the Texas Tech University Campus. The ward is SO big that there are 3 sets of missionaries that cover that ward. I will be sharing the ward with my wonderful old companion Sister Kramer and her new companion, and then also with the assistants to the president. My companion is Sister Soules. She is AWESOME! She also is a Sister Training Leader! This transfer is the first time in our mission that STLs will actually be serving together! We are going to make a great team! I am so excited!! I know a few people from the YSA ward there as well, and I am excited to be in Lubbock because I will be able to see old faces from my first area! So it definitely has its pros.

I have learned so much these past 6 weeks, and I have fallen in love with the branch. Our branch president is incredible. I look up to him and his wife in so many ways! We both thought I would be here till I went home. I hope I made a difference. 

Of course the people I will miss most though are my recent converts. They were pretty shocked too.. Luckily I can just add them on Facebook in 3 months though... so weird. ha ha. 

The girls we knocked into last week we are teaching tomorrow.. and there are many others we are working with I will have to say goodbye too, but I know Sister Davidson will continue to help the work here in Canyon. I went on exchanges this week up to Dumas too. That was a lot of fun. I always love how much I learn on exchanges. Even though I am the one training, I feel I always learn so much more in return. 

D's baptism was incredible!! He is the most humble person I have ever met in my life. Its just so amazing how life changing the gospel is, and to think only a few weeks ago he knew nothing about the church!

I love this work so much! I can say I know for a surety this church is the only true church on the earth today, with Christ at the head and the restored priesthood power to perform all the saving ordinances required. I am going to give these last 2 transfers my all!! Miss you all!

Love,

Sister Turner

January 6

Dear Family,

THE CHURCH IS SO STINKIN TRUE. I feel so grateful to be a missionary!! We were knocking the other freezing cold night and two girls let us in. After we shared the restoration, she grabbed her head and yelled, "my mind is blown! I have grown up my whole life not even knowing about the book of Mormon or that there were prophets in America, but it goes along with everything I believe. It totally makes sense!" - I am so grateful for experiences like that!!

We should be having a double baptism this weekend! Canyon truly is on fire!! The Lord is preparing people left and right. I can't even keep up with the work! I have been begging our mission president to get us another set of sisters in the branch! He is working on it! So exciting!

This week LJ, who recently got baptized, called us. We asked her how she was doing and in her own words she replied "AWESOME!" She then went on to tell us she is a poor college student who is so in debt from student loans, can't even pay her bills, but knows she needs to pay her tithing. She technically didn't need to pay until the end of the month, but she made a vow to God she would pay it first because that's what the Lord would want her to do. That night she recieved a check in the mail for 400 dollars!! She said, "Sisters, God loves me!" Tears filled my eyes as I heard her say this! Is this the same LJ from a few weeks ago! Then with her funny personality she had to add... "and you want to know whats so ironic? My uncle who sent the check is athiest." ha ha.

D. is getting baptized this weekend. He truly has changed my life! I have grown so much teaching him. He is going to go so far in life! I will have to tell you all about him later!

I got to go to MLC and see missionaries who were serving in my first area!! S. my very first baptism is doing incredible!! She is a ward missionary, and the missionaries told me she brings more people to church than the actual missionaries! She keeps Books of Mormon and pamphlets in her car, and in fact one time she was so so sick, and she got down on her knees and prayed "Lord there is too much missionary work to be done! I DON'T have time to be sick!" She soon recovered!! I will be going through the temple with her soon!!! I cannot wait to see her! I love her so much!! 

I wish I had more time...just SO many MIRACLES! Ahh!! so many incredible stories. Just know I love this gospel so much. Being a missionary is the coolest and funnest thing ever! Love you all! 

Sister Turner

December 30

Dear Family,

Wow! What an incredible week!! LJ's baptism was beautiful! The most spiritual baptism I've had thus far on my mission! She bore her testimony at the end sharing of how her athiest views controlled her life. How she was told she would go to churches the rest of her life and feel nothing. Then she came to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and felt something. That something was love, and that love comes from God. She testified so boldy and profoundly that she knew Heavenly Father and her Savior Jesus Christ lives, and she now knows her destiny! Wow! 

I truly love this area and this branch so much!

Right now we are working with many international students from Mexico, South Korea, China, France, Germany, and Thailand! So cool! The spirit truly is universal!

T. one of our recent converts from China is a professional chef! I keep telling him he needs to open his own restaraunt one day! He told me I can be his manager and get all the free food I want! ha ha. We dont get fed much in the Young Single Adult branch, but his meals make up the difference! Its like going to a legit Chinese resturaunt. ha ha.

Can you believe another year has come and gone!? I hope ya'll have a wonderful new year! We talked about goal setting in church, and as a missionary that is one thing I have really learned to do. With goals our hopes can become actions! Goals should be difficult but not impossible, they should be the desires of our heart, show our faith, and we need to discipline ourselves and follow through.

Write your goals down! I once heard, "An unwritten goal is simply a wish." We had the opportunity to be taught by our branch president, President Horn yesterday for the 5th sunday and had a lesson all on goal setting! Start with longterm goals and then make smaller short term goals to accomplish those big goals. 

May we all strive to be a little better, a little brighter, and a little more Christlike this upcoming year!!

Love you all!

Sister Turner

Christmas Day with my companion

December 23

Dear Family!

 

Seeing as I will have time to talk to ya'll on Christmas, I wont really say much of how this week went. Hope you all remember the true meaning of Christmas this year! What a great time of year to remember our Savior's Birth (Luke 2)

Ok so some of these are kinda a stretch ha, but for the most part here is a look into mission life from good old West Texas! 

25 Days of Christmas in the Texas Lubbock Mission

1. #1 beef captial in the nation 30 min. away (Hereford TX)

2. New Areas I've opened

3. Times I've read the Book of Mormon on my Mission

4. Areas I've served in

5. Companions I have trained

6. Months I've been a STL (Sister Training Leader)

7. Baptims I've been a part of or soon will be :)

8. Hours of sleep each night

9. People I know of I've helped reactivate to the church

10. Transfers down

11. Companions overall

12. Favorite Chapter in book of Ether

13. Months I've been out (almost 14)

14.Weeks left of my mission :(

15. Average number of prayers I say daily

16. Hour Days (From 6:30am-10:30pm)

17. Different ways to say hi in Texas (ha not really)

18.Months of missionary Service

19.Age sister missionaries can go out

20. Average of belt buckles or cowboy hats I see in a day

21. Cotton fields on the way to Lubbock

22.Years of life experiences

23. Jospeh Smiths Birthday!

24.Oil pump jacks in a field in Midland TX

25. Average number of churches in a mile radius

 

Love,

Sister Turner

December 16

Dear Family,

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! I repeat.. I love being a missionary! I honestly don't ever want it to end.. I know that might sound crazy, but for real. Its truly incredible. I feel so honored to be here and to be an instrument in the Lord's hands!

Our ward mission leader is incredible!! He is the best one i've had thus far on my mission. And he's only 18, and he hasn't even served his mission yet! His help makes a huge difference in the work, and the whole branch. Our Branch President has been so supportive, and him and his wife are great! That is who we will be spending Christmas with! Those we are working with see the success that is coming from our efforts and hopefully its pumping up the whole branch!

Sometimes I feel like I am on a foreign mission here! Its awesome! ha ha. A recent convert from China, and another one from Africa. They have become two very close friends of mine, and we are now teaching D, from Mexico. He is so prepared! He can't wait to be baptized and he wants to serve a mission! He is 21, an honestly how I would describe him is, pure in heart! He is such an example to me and really just wants to serve the Lord! The branch loves him, and he will be getting baptized in a few weeks when he gets back from the holidays! His story is pretty incredible with how he came in contact with the church, but because of lack of time, I will have to share that one another day! :)

Tomorrow we have our Zone Christmas Party! I am really excited! We will get to see many of our previous companions and have a good time! 

I love you all so much. What an amazing time of year! Instead of the hussel and the bussel of holiday shopping and baking, think of the real meaning of Christmas. The birth of our Savior Jesus Christ! Love you all!

Sister Turner

December 9

Dear Family,

Wow what a week! Packing was like trying to fit a jig saw puzzle together. I hadn't packed in 7 1/2 months and collected so much stuff I dont know how I got it all to fit in 2 big suitcases and a carry on. Good thing I was coming home yet, because pretty sure each suitcase weighted over 80 pounds! ha ha.

Canyon is amazing! I love being in a YSA branch! Many are return missionaries and have such a fire about doing missionary work! Its really easy to get members out teaching with us, and the students here at WT campus are so prepared and ready to hear the gospel!

Seriously I know I am supposed to be here in this area. I have such a fire, and the town is just glowing! Our Branch President, President Horn is incredible, he is like all the students' dad away from home. This past conference he flew all the recent converts to General Conference in Salt Lake City! What an experience for them!

One of the recent converts here is T. from China. He is incredible, and he can't wait to go back to China and be a light to those there. He tells us that Jesus Christ is his best friend. He is so sincere and sweet.

A. another recent convert, just got baptized 2 weeks ago. She is so sweet and is the pioneer for her family. Now her grandma and her younger sister back at home are investigating the church. 

C. another recent convert came form a devout church of Christ household. In fact his father is a church of Christ minister! He was a very tough cookie... so he says. Ha ha. It took many months of deep doctrine and one of my favorite sisters (Sister Davis who is now home) is actually the one that taught and baptized him. He is 22 and plans on going on a mission in June! His family was way against it but they are slowly softening. Its so amazing meeting all these recent converts, many who gave up much for the gospel, because they knew it was true! I know I will be making friendships here that last a lifetime!

I know that everything I have learned on my mission up until this point is to help with this area. The branch is so amazing. It gets me way pumped to be a great member missionary when I get home.

We are planning to have hopefully three baptisms this month! P who has a date for the 21st. E  we just contacted on campus and progressing very well. He loved church yesterday. His date is for December 28th and LJ- comes from an atheist background but is making a lot of progression!

Its freezing here. With the windchill is about -13 degrees, but somehow I am still smiling and excited about the work! ha ha. I think I will end my  mission here, and I am really excited all that I can bring to the branch.

WT campus is really cute. They have a lot of people who do agriculture stuff here like judging meat and stuff. ha ha. The church is pretty well known here. Many professors are LDS and they even have an LDSSA (LDS student association) here! They have a festival of trees here, and LDSSA did a Christ tree which is everyone's favorite! Super cool!

I had some crazy things happen this week too! Lost my bike and my wallet! Luckily they've located my bike its in a small town south of here. It got lost in the mix of transfers, so hopefully I get that soon. And we can't seem to find my wallet anywhere, which has made things quite difficult. Pray I can find it. [Update: Sister Turner's wallet was found shortly after she sent this e-mail!]

Hope many of you were able to watch the Christmas Devotional last night! It was awesome! Love this time of year to remember our Savior, the Prince of Peace.

I will be training sisters in two areas in the panhandle this transfer as STL, another STL Sister Boughton will be going with me and we will be leaving our companions behinds and they will work together, and we will work together in exchanges in the areas of the sisters were over. (if that makes any sense. ha) Its getting close where STL's will actually be companions! That sure will be nice!

I love this gospel so much, and I have such a desire to share the gospel with everyone! I want to give my all these last 4 months! Love and miss you all!

Sister Turner

My companion

At transfers