August 12

Dear Family,

This week we had Stake Conference. It was great! All the speakers were incredible, and President Augustin got to speak. He told his conversion story and talked about how "now is the time." Its been prophesied in the scriptures of the work hastening, and now is that time! So exciting! It was also neat because I got to see many members of my old ward, so it was good to see them!

I had my first ever MLC meeting, the training meeting that is once a month up in Lubbock. I learned a ton! I am learning so much more about communication and leadership skills. The things I learned I now take back with me to my zone, and on Tuesday I will teach them at zone training. It was also fun because now Sister Dunham (the sister who I trained 6 months ago) is the newest sister training leader and so it was awesome getting to see her, and her growth! she is still in my first area, Regal Park. This will be 7 1/2 months there for her, and since I have been gone the area has boomed! They are averaging 8 baptisms a transfer!! Its so neat. When the Lord trusts a ward it grows like fire. Its a little hard not being able to actually be there to experience all the miracles but I still feel like I am a part of it!! I seem to always begin the growth of wards and then the Lord takes me somewhere else. ha

This week I am also headed to San Angelo ( 2 hrs. away) to train three sisters there. The following week I will be traveling to Brownwood, and Monahams. Many road trips ahead of me. ha ha.

This week we have been really trying to find people to teach. We met a man, R who lives in our apartment complex awhile back and he told us he wanted to talk to us later. I honestly thought he wanted to bible bash, but yesterday before church he found us and told us he believes in the Mormons and wants us to teach him. So that was a tender mercy from the Lord as well. We are working with a few others who are coming out of the wood works, as well as some less actives.

Earlier this week we were trying a former and when we knocked on the door they told us to come on in, we realized we were in the middle of a booze fest, with drunks and crazy music, we left real fast. ha ha. The many adventures we get to have out here, but the Lord always seems to protect us.

I have really been trying to focus on submitting my will to the Lord. I know as I do so I will see miracles. Love all y'all!

Sister Turner

All the sister training leaders for the mission right now--Sister Olsweld (who was also trained by sister Sekona - my trainer), me, and Sister Dunham (who I trained)

Aug 5

Dear Family,

This week was a little crazy. Just trying to settle in and work out how we can best help each other as a companionship, and learning to work together. My new companions are super nice! Once we get things going I am hopeful we will see success!  We had some adventures this week, saw some wild peacocks so that was fun! We had bike day on probably the hottest day of the history of my mission.

We have a couple we are teaching, J and F. J really wants it for her and her husband but F is a little more hesitant. He grew up catholic and is all about "tradition, tradition!" He struggles that we don't have crosses in our church, but we explained how we celebrate his life and focus that he lives, and don't focus so much on his death. I feel really good about them, but its going to take a lot on our part to help them know the truth for themselves. 

I am learning and growing so much out here! Its tough at times, but I know the challenges I face are for a reason, and the Lord puts them in my path so I can grow. My testimony has grown so much and there isn't a doubt in my mind that this is the truth. I have seen so much joy and happiness that comes from this gospel! I am so lucky to be a part of it, and its something that will always come first in my life. 

I love all of you so much! Hope all is well!
Sister Turner

My New Companionship! Sister Bradford from Ogden, me, and Sister Tooley from Highland

July 29

Dear Family,

Well was I wrong about transfers.. I'm not staying here in the Midland 1st ward :( It was hard for me to hear. I just felt like the work was finally starting to go somewhere and its hard having to say goodbye to those we are working with.

I will be training yet again two sisters. One I am finishing up the 2nd half of her training, and the other will be straight from the MTC. I will again be opening up a brand new area, this time not far away! I will be staying here in Midland actually! Just a new area and a new ward. So I'm grateful to at least be in the same city. I will still be a sister training leader, but I may be getting more areas, so please continue to pray for me. ha. Just when I think the load can't get anymore...I get more. ha. But I know with the Lord all things are possible!

Sister Fife is staying and she is training two sisters, and Sister Kramer will be going to Abeline and she will be training two sisters as well! I am so proud of them! They have changed and grown so much in the last 3 months I've been able to train and serve with them.

We had 43 baptisms this month in our mission! So that was exciting! Missionary work is growing and booming and its so exciting!!!

Laura sent me an email talking about an experience she had going out with the Sister Missionaries this week.. I will share her experience below...

"This guy overheard us talking and told us how to find out where her room was...and then he started asking the missionaries which church they were from, which Jesus they believed in, etc. Turns out he was a chaplain who only wanted to Bible bash--questioning our belief in Jesus Christ (which Jesus do you believe in?!), if we were saved (he was confident we were being deceived), why we believed in the Book of Mormon, etc. It was intense for about 5 or 10 minutes...and he would just ask questions and quote verses from the Bible and give us no time to respond. It was crazy--and i thought, "Now I know what Kari's mission is like!!" Turns out it was Sister Mims first experience with this too (her senior companion is a Sister Training Leader so she was at a meeting and a sister from another area came with us), but she handled it pretty well and kept her cool. At one point he said, "How can you prove the Book of Mormon is true? There's no proof!!" And I said, "Sir, you're right. There's no way to prove the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. You can only read it with an open mind and ask God if it is true." And we kind of left it at that. We got up to leave and I put out my hand to shake his and wish him well, and he totally rejected it!! Hhahaha. He was pretty intense...so now I guess I can say I have a tiny glimpse into your interactions with people in the Bible belt on a daily basis."

I laughed so hard, because this is my day every single day!! But I love it!! I have learned how to really bring the spirit to a conversation like this believe it or not. ha. Number one thing is to NOT bible bash. You just testify and let them know you know for yourself its true, sometimes their heart softens instantly and its the coolest thing ever. But most of the time they still aren't prepared to receive the gospel and are too hard hearted, I tell everyone I train that within 5 minutes of a conversation you will be able to tell if they will soften or not. There is nothing more powerful than a testimony though. They never can come up with a come back when you simply bare your testimony.

Well I love you! Hope ya'll have a good week!

Sister Turner

Texas Sunset

July 22

Dear Family,

Another busy week in mission life. This week we went to Brownwood on exchanges. Its about a 4 hour drive.... I got pulled over by a cop on the way too. Not fun. It wasn't my fault though.. ha. It was a speed trap, went from 75-45 in a matter of seconds and it was down a hill. I didn't know the area and I had no idea a town was coming up. Luckily I got away with a warning.

Brownwood is extremely different than our area. Its very pretty and green, the people are not as receptive though. I worked and trained with 3 other sisters and learned a lot. It was nice to get back into our area though.

This week will be nice because we will be staying in Midland the whole time! There is so much work to be done here, its crazy! We will find out Saturday night whether we are being transferred or not.

We are working with a women named J. She is golden. So incredible, and is truly being prepared to receive the gospel. We set a baptismal date with her for August 10th. She has devout Baptists in her family and asked us what to say when she goes "public" ha ha ha. She is quite the hoot. Very artsy and eccentric. Last lesson she expressed to us she had a burning feeling in her chest, we explained to her that that was the spirit she was feeling! Such a cool experience to be a part of. She told us she wants to just gain a testimony so that when people ask her she can just stand tall and tell them exactly what she knows to be true. She totally stood up for us too! We were walking on her street and her neighbor called her and warned her about us.. ha ha. She told her neighbor she loved us and she always talks to us. (ha apparently we are pretty scary) Today we did service for her and helped clean her house.

I'm coming up on my 9 month mark. Pretty crazy. Time is flying and I know the downward slope is even faster. It sure is an adventure. Especially here in the bible belt.

I know this gospel is true. I'm so grateful for our savior, and for Joseph Smith in restoring his church. I love the book of Mormon with all my heart.

Love and miss you all!

Sister Turner

Sisters in Brownwood

Drive to Brownwood

Billboard

Family we are working with

July 8

Dear Family,

Another great week in Midland. We are continuing to see so much growth in the area and with the ward. We are beginning to gain trust and making a difference.

There is a part-member family who we have been working with. A few months ago the dad wanted nothing to do with us, but he is softening and has been allowing us over for dinner and to share spiritual thoughts. Yesterday he left a note on our car asking us to please call him for lunch this week. I am a little nervous, but more excited about what it is he wants to talk to us about! 

We met a few more less actives this week, one who wasn't even on our records. I have a big place in my heart for the less actives. I think they are my favorite to work with. They have just forgotten or never gained a testimony for themselves and its so neat being able to remind them the blessings of the gospel and helping them learn the truth for themselves.

Some fun facts about Midland:

George W. Bush's childhood home is here. 

The movie Friday Night lights is filmed here( I guess if you watch it its exactly how Midland is, so watch it and let me know what you think!) ha

Its booming in oil

They showed a great video of "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go" at the missionary broadcast a few weeks ago about the power of member missionary work.

http://bcove.me/1ah4fj3u

Love and miss you all!

Sister Turner

July 1

Dear Family,

This week we saw miracles in Midland. Earlier this week we had zone conference! Such a spiritual upliftment! It was so great to see President and his wife and hear them speak as well as Sister Davis, the first sister training leader to ever speak at a zone conference here in the mission, and also hear from the assistants of the president. Their thoughts and insights were very helpful to me and the Spirit is always so strong in their meetings.

We fasted this week because things have been a little slow, and man miracles soon followed!! We set another baptismal date with a woman G. She has taken the discussions a few times before with different sets of Elders, but I think she finally is ready and prepared. She told us she loves how we can answer her questions and everything we say we can back up in the scriptures. Its so amazing the knowledge I am learning. The gospel not only makes sense spiritually but, in many aspects, logically! It's crazy how much my testimony is growing out here. She definitely keeps us on our toes with her questions, but the Spirit always guides our lessons and things always go very well!

So now we have two baptismal dates coming up for this month. The ward FINALLY is stepping up as well. Bishop has complete trust of us now and realizes I take my job as a representative of Jesus Christ very seriously. For this 5th Sunday the third hour block, he had me speak on what keeps me enthused even though missionary work can be difficult at times. So i really tried to get some positivity going for the members, and they are beginning to step up, give us referrals, and willing to work with us. The only way missionary work works is if we and the members are one. 

We had an investigator at church this week A, who was a complete surprise. We met him in a parking lot and talked to him for a bit and gave him a mormon.org card and he showed up! So that was exciting! I mean it was just miracle after miracle after miracle all within a matter of two days. It was incredible. The work is beginning to pick up here, and people are beginning to have alacrity (or excitement) as my mission president would say. We had 41 baptisms this month as a mission! These are exciting times! President always tells us to write in our journals because this will one day be known as the "Monson Era" and we were serving our mission during that time! ha.

On Friday I have to leave my area the whole day and travel to a training conference. I'm probably the busiest I've ever been on my mission yet. I love this work so much. This gospel is so true! I have no doubt.

I cannot believe this week is my 8th month mark. Time is flying. Hope you all have a happy 4th!

Love,
Sister Turner

Me, Sister Davis (our Sister Training Leader), Sister Fife, Sister Kramer

June 25

Dear Family,

First off Congrats Laura on the Wedding!!!!! Hope you are having a fantastic honeymoon in Hawaii. Wish I could have been there, but I had a great lesson with a man named N during the same time as your wedding, and he has a baptismal date for July 13th! N is from Lousiana, and he's hilarious! He calls me Sister Persistent, because I never leave him alone. ha ha. He made the analogy I am like an ant hill full of ants, and when he tries to pour water on me to get rid of me the ants just spread even more. ha ha. But in all seriousness he is really progressing. He loves the Book of Mormon and knows Joseph Smith is a prophet. He believes there is just one true church, and so he is just trying to receive an answer if its the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He says everything we teach him validates. 

We have 36 sisters now in the mission. This last transfer (last week) we had 13 sisters come out and the transfer before we had 9. Those are records for us! So if we continue to get that many sisters every 6 weeks, the mission will be flooding with girls! ha ha. It's exciting though!

The missionary broadcast was awesome last night! If you didn't get a chance to watch it I highly recommend it! I'm sure its on LDS.org, I was tearing up just knowing that I am about half-way done and can't do this forever. Modern technology will soon come into play with missionary work.  We were told this will be phased into each mission when the time is right, so hopefully in no time we will all have ipads ;) ha.

So exciting news! Rick George, the recent convert, is ENGAGED! For now he is getting married civilly but in less that a year I'll get to go to his sealing! So exciting! 

I found out more about my sister training leader position. Every transfer I will travel to different areas and train the sisters there. This transfer I am going to Lubbock which is 2 hours North of here, and Brownwood which is 4 hours south of here. So lots of travel time. My companions will go with me, and I will help train the sisters and make sure all the rules and regulations are being followed ect. We will stay with them for 24 hours and go over all aspects of missionary work. I also will be teaching at Zone conferences, district meetings and Missionary training conferences (which are held the first Friday of each month). So like president said, a lot of responsibility, and a lot of extra time away from our area, which just means we need to be even more on top of things. 

Well that's all the time I have for today. Love you all so much. This church is true. Our Savior lives, there is power in the atonement. Until next week!

Sister Turner