Hey Fam!!!

It was so great to see you and talk to you on Christmas!!!!  I loved it sososososo much!  You all look so great and so happy!  I miss hugs from you!  But it's all good.  I got a lot of work to do in the limited amount of time left! So this week was a little slow because of Christmas.  But it was good.  It's kinda hard to think about this week, because I just talked to you last week!  Still can't believe that!  But we have transfers next week.  I hope I don't go!  I wanna finish teaching Melissa up till she gets baptized!  We'll see what happens.  You never really know with transfers!  AH!  But we have appointments this week and planning out Melissa's baptism for the end of the month!  Not sure if we are doing anything for New Years as a zone.  Or if we even have to be in earlier.  They haven't told us yet.  But some cute families have invited us over for that night.  I'm sorry this is so short.  But I love you!  I am so grateful for families!  I love seeing families come to church together and I love teaching families.  And that is what the gospel of Jesus Christ helps and blesses us as families!  I am so grateful that we have the priesthood power upon the earth today.  That we have beautiful and glorious temples built throughout the world.  And that we have those temples so that families can be sealed, bound, connected together.  Not just for our life on earth.  But together after we die!  I love that!  I am so grateful for that!  I love my Savior.  I know He lives!

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=910930409001

I love this video!  Good one for Starting off a new year!  Something we did in the South mission was VGP.  Vision, Goal, Plan.  This helps me to plan out what I visualize and what I want to happen.  Goals to make that vision possible.  And then plans to reach that goal and how to measure my progress.  It's really hard to get into the swing of it.  But it's really good!  Try it!  Love you!

Love,

Sister Marlow 

MERRY CHRISTMAS FAMILY!!!!

IF YOU'RE EXCITED TO TALK TO ME ON WEDNESDAY, CLAP YOUR HANDS!  (clap, clap)!!!  I can't wait to talk on Christmas!!!!  I miss you guys so much!!!!  

So this week, lots and lots of snow and ice.  We have steps that go down to our basement apartment and it's covered in ice.  I scrapped the snow off, but all the icicles drip down and it melts--ice!!!!  So gotta be careful.  And I'm getting used to the car saying "LOW TRACTION" and not freaking out about it!  Well, at least we have a car!  Blessings!  this week we have been delivering cookies and goodies to people.  The wards have been giving us things to bring to less actives.  And we got an invite for Christmas breakfast with a less active member!  Woo!!!  And thank you to everyone that has sent me Christmas cards and presents!  I'm really bad at remembering and getting thank you cards out soon!  But in the mean time, I just want to thank you all for sending me love through the mail!  The zone leaders get the mail, and they just hand over pretty much everything they have over to me!  So thanks for all the love!!!!!  You are the best!  

So, the awesome thing about this week!  We had our lesson with Melissa yesterday.  She told us that last Sunday, when we taught her about the Word of Wisdom, that she didn't have coffee anymore!  She said that she was grumpy the first couple of days, but then on Friday, she felt good.  And she was praying that the Lord would help her give up coffee and replace it with peace and comfort to get through the day!  I thought that was so awesome!  She is so amazing!  She has so much faith and she's just building upon the faith that she has!  We are teaching her again tonight.  And she's so excited to get baptized!  I'm so happy for her.  Thank you all for praying for her!  She needs all the prayers!  It's hard changing your lifestyle and learning to trust the Lord.  She doesn't have to change much.  But it's understanding the why of having to do it.  And we all experience that with the gospel.  But we just try it out and pray and ask God if it's right.  We can teach people all these things and tell them how it blesses our lives, but they have to get that experience for themselves!  It's so great!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!  I love this time of the year.  Because we get to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  How he was born.  He lived.  He died.  He was resurrected.  HE LIVES!!!!  Heavenly Father showed the most love to us by giving us His Son.  I am so grateful for Jesus Christ.  And for the sacrifice that He made for me and for all of us.  It is such a blessing to know that we can repent and start over.  But we have to do our part to fix those things and to change.  The Lord wants us to be better.  He is shaping and molding us into the people that He knows we can become.  It's just putting forth that effort.  I know that this church is Jesus Christ's church upon the Earth today.  And that it is led by a prophet of God, Thomas S. Monson.  I love this gospel!  I love talking to people about it!  It's so amazing!  Hope you all have a safe and a blessed Christmas!

I know you'll read Luke 2, but read Helaman 14 for the prophecy of Christ's birth told in the Book of Mormon!  Another witness and testimony that Jesus is the Christ!

Love,

Sister Marlow

Hey my fam!

It was a pretty slow week this week.  Until we got to the weekend.  We have some pretty awesome stake leadership here in this stake!  We told them that we've been struggling to have lessons this week because people have been cancelling on us like crazy!  So they got us some more lessons and some of the ward mission leaders pulled through for this week and got us lessons!  It's still super cold!  And this week we went to a couple of ward Christmas parties, so that was a lot of fun.  And so the best part of this week was yesterday!  Melissa came to church!  It was so great!  And then after church we met with another investigator and he wants to be baptized, but won't set a specific date.  He said probably February!  That's awesome!  He just doesn't want to be pushed.  People have been pushing him for a while to get baptized.  But now, he decided!  But he doesn't want anyone to know.  So I'm not gonna tell you his name!  But it's exciting!  And then we had our lesson with Melissa!  She is so amazing.  She told us at church that she's gotten down to only drinking one cup of coffee a day and that she still feels good.  And she feels like that's a sign that she's on the right path!  She is so humble and has so much faith!  I know I am so blessed to have this opportunity to teach her!  She is an amazing woman.  She has her PhD in finances/accounting!  She is so intelligent!  So focusing more on our feelings and faith is a big thing for her.  She said that even 5 years ago she would have told missionaries, no.  But she's ready!  She's the elect!!!!!  So please, please pray for her!!!!  Pray for her by name!  Melissa Lewis, and that she'll be able to give up coffee!  She is so excited to be baptized!!!!!!  I love it!  The Lord is so amazing!  He knows who is ready!  MIRALCES!!!!

AH!  The song, "I'll be Home for Christmas" sung by the Carpenters just came on!!!!  I miss you all so so much!!!!  I'll be home for christmas, if only in my dreams!!!!

Oh, and I ate dinner with the Andersons!!!  And the Williams!!!  It was so much fun!  I love being in a mission close to family!  And we had a Christmas party as a mission and everyone got to come!!!  I got to see all my fam that's serving in Park City and Wyoming!!!!  I miss them so much!  I walked in, and there were the Jermans!  So happy to see them!  And all my beautiful companions that I've had!  Miss you sisters!  Well, family.  The church is true!  Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.  He was born, and lives today!  Love you all!  Have a great week!!!

Love,

Sister Marlow

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=911161814001

watch this cute video about the spirit of christmas!  

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-05-01-they-gave-up-their-christmas?category=topics/christmas&cid=HPWE121113218

This link above has a lot of christmas media and things to watch!

Hey Family,

It's been snowing like crazy!  And it's been super cold!  Single digits!  burrrrrr!!!!  Makes me think of little Ella when she says burrrr!!! :)  And because we are at the base of the mountain and in between Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon, we get more snow than the valley does!  The first day was really bad.  Couldn't get our car back home (we live at the top of a hill), so we left it at the grocery store and a member drove us home in her 4 wheel drive.  Blessings!!!  So I have found new loves in this weather.  Snow plow man.  The best ever!  When he does his job.  He was slacking on Tuesday and that's when we couldn't get home!  I miss driving the Jeep in Park City!  With it's lovely snow tires and 4 wheel drive!!!!!  Oh, and I really can't drive in the snow!  I'm so bad!  We slip and slide all the time!  And it freaks me out, so it also stresses me out too!  But just learning to drive slowly.  We taught a lot of lessons this week.  We taught Chuck.  We invited him to be baptized.  He didn't say no, but he didn't say yes.  But he still wants to learn more!  We had the mission president's wife come with us to a lesson with an active member family.  I was really nervous at first.  But then it wasn't so bad.  We knocked on this guy's door.  He said he was agnostic.  And said that he would only believe in Jesus Christ, if He was to walk up his driveway and come to the door.  Well, I told him that we are representatives of Jesus Christ.  I don't know if that means anything to him, but we knocked on his door.  And then we were trying to find a house for a lesson, and I had to turn around and got stuck in the ice/snow!  A guy saw that we were struggling and went and got a shovel and dug it out for us to get out!  Blessings!!!!  Things with Sister Stout are getting better.  We are learning to teach better together.  And the mission has advised us to use the pamphlets to teach!  And it's been going great!  Something funny.  I asked Sister Stout to call a member to see if she was coming to an appointment.  She called the number and had it on speaker.  The member answered and Sister Stout didn't say anything.  I just sat there, like, okay....  And then the member hung up.  I asked Sister Stout why she didn't talk.  She said she gets scared of calling people.  I was like, okay.  Just let me know, and I'll do it.  It was funny.  

I read 2 Nephi 26 this morning.  I really liked these verses:

2 Nephi 26:24-27, 33

     

 24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw call men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

 25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

 26 Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.

 27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.

 33 For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.

Right now I'm listening to MoTab sing Sleigh Bells.  Makes me think of home and watching Mr. Kruger's Christmas with good ol' Jimmy Stewart!  I love it!  :)  Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Marlow

Oh, and watch this Christmas Mormon message!

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=2874125972001

Hey Fam!

Sorry this is so late!  The internet wasn't working at the normal building that we do email at.  And this is the time that we finally got to do it at another building.  How was everyone's Thanksgiving????  This week was really hard for missionary work.  Most of our investigators were out of town.  And most of the members.  So it was kinda slow.  But we taught an investigator last night and we are going to Temple Square with them on Friday!!!  Yeah!  Oh, and transfers happened.  My new comp is Sister Stout.  She is from Virginia.  She's been out 3 months.  This is her third area and I'm her third companion since she's been in the field.  She has what's called sensory processing disorder.  So, she doesn't always understand things that are said.  She follows me around a lot.  And she'll repeat a lot of what I say when we are talking with people.  She does good taking care of herself.  But it's really been hard teaching with her and communicating.  And she she doesn't always get social ques.  She doesn't always understand, or get somethings.  And it's been really hard for me to have to take over the area.  I still don't know everyone or familiar with the area.  I'm really stressed out.  I'm not sure what to always do.  But I know that the Lord is always there for me, no matter what is going on in my life.  

Hope you all had a great holiday.  I'm excited for Christmas!  What an awesome time of the year that we especially remember our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Alma 11:40

And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.

Love,

Sister Marlow

Hey Family!

So this week had its ups and downs.  But it was an amazing spiritual week!!!!  The beginning was a struggle this week.  We were going to have to go on exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders and I really didn't want to and I wasn't feeling confident enough to do the area and teach people without Sister Kiser.  She's pretty awesome, by the way.  And so I was really having a hard time feeling like I was okay to do it.  But we ended up getting a dinner appointment with a member family and they invited a potential investigator over for dinner and a lesson!!!!  And so we asked if we could do exchanges on another day.  And they said yes.  But I was still really struggling.  I just felt like, I not a good teacher.  And I didn't feel like I could teach this investigator by the Spirit.  Sister Kiser is Ah-mazing!  She said, we were going to pray and ask and beg the Lord for His Spirit to be with us as we taught her.  I prayed and man, I realized that I needed to humble myself. And I could feel the difference when I just got on my knees and asked the Lord for help.  That is something that I've always struggled with.  Trying to do something, feeling that I'm so inadequate, and so I give up.  Instead of humbling myself and asking Heavenly Father to help me.  The dinner was great and we got to know Melissa and her family better.  She is a professor at the University of Utah.  Her boyfriend is LDS and has been reading the Book of Mormon with her.  He was there at dinner and the lesson as well.  Well, we taught her the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I could feel the Spirit so strong as I told her about Joseph Smith's vision when Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him.  She just soaks everything in!  She is so awesome.  Well, then I really felt like I needed to invite her to be baptized.  And then the discussion when in so many different directions.  But the Spirit guided me to know what to say and then invited her to be baptized!  The Spirit was so strong.  And she accepted!  She was so excited when she said yes!  And yesterday we had another lesson with her and she is preparing to be baptized January 25th 2014!!!!!  The Lord has shown us a MIRACLE!!!!!  I know I'm not always the best missionary that I can be.  And that you truly do have to be humble, diligent, obedient and faithful and the Lord will show you miracles.  I am so grateful to be able to be apart of this!!!  I love being a missionary!  It's the most amazing feeling ever to get to share the gospel with others!  

Sister Kiser and I had such a great week!  And we've had such a great transfer together.  She will be leaving tomorrow to go to her new area and I'll be staying here in Cottonwood and be getting a new companion.  I don't know who it will be either.  I'm so sad because we get along so well and she's helped me out so much!  But I guess I would be selfish if I kept her here only for me.  She's gotta go and find more people that need her.  It's been such a blessing to have her as my companion.  

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=2081541444001

Go check out this Mormon Message about living up to your privileges!

I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father that loves us so much!  He wants us to pray to Him each and every day!  Even more than once a day!  He wants us to talk with Him!  I know that I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father that loves me so much!  He knows me and knows what I can become.  He knows what I need to make me into the woman that I need to be.  I love Him so much!  He gives us everything that we need and more!  He is always so merciful and loving.  He always wants to hear from us!

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1906000741001

What this one about being a daughter of God

Love,

Sister Marlow

oH, and last Monday we were playing volleyball and one of the Elder spiked it and I went to return it and hit it with my left wrist.  My team didn't recover it so it wasn't worth the hit, but I busted a vein and my wrist was so swollen, and purple, like instantly after I hit it.  My whole wrist was bruised!!!  But it was way fun playing!  I get bruised from volleyball all the time!!!  Love you all!!!  Happy Thanksgiving!