Good-bye to More of our Best Missionaries!

From the Mississippi Jackson mission blog:

Good-bye to More of our Best Missionaries!

Each transfer goes faster and faster and again it's time for hard-working, exceptional, excellent missionaries to return to their wonderful families.

We have loved them and admired them for their patience and kindness,

cheerfulness, diligence and perseverance.

They have grown in testimony and experience.  They are ready for whatever the world has for them, strong in their whole armor of righteousness!

"Go forth!  Be Awesome!"

I'm Home!!

Lethbridge Airport

Mom and Dad, my biggest supporters

Grandpa and Grandma Hartley

Natalie Bevans and Ashley Msyvery

The crowd who met me at the Airport

Eric Hill and Matlin

Back in Canada

My shoes are well worn

First things first, A & W visit

Stake President Lybert

Mom had my scrape book all done and displayed

Looking at the missionary wall at home

My Bedroom door, Mission Accomplished

Time to brake it down and get to my bedroom

Made it.

Mom had some fun gifts for me to open when I got home including Lady Antabellum tickets

Unpacking

Alligator head all the way from Mississippi

I miss my mission but good to be home

Snowed two days after I got home. Back with the twin!!

Mom had the house decorated when I got home. My mission book all done.

Another visit to see Miss Lizetta! She is wonderful! I will miss her!

"Ask her about the Book of Mormon."

Happy Birthday to Jett!!!!! I hope yall are doing good. The Lord continues to guide His work here along the coast. We stayed really busy this week, and saw many miracles. On Saturday I was on an exchange and we were out tracting. A lot of doors were shut before we could even say anything. They just gave us one look and closed the door! I could tell the sister I was with was getting pretty frustrated, I was to but I was trying to not let it show. I just kept pointing to houses and saying, "Maybe this one, ohh and then that one." We finally knock on this one door and the most elegant lady answers the door and she is so nice to us! She explains that she is Methodist, and I could tell she was being really nice to us, but that she wasn't all interested in the message. Well the thought came to me, "Ask her about the Book of Mormon." Well I did, and she asked for one! It was incredible. The spirit was on the doorstep. It was a complete turn around from the other doors we had previously knocked on. I about did a hop, skip, and a jump off her driveway I was so excited! The Lord has people prepared. We just have to always be willing to keep going. 

We have two exchanges this week so we'll be busy. I get to go on an exchange with Sister Brown, my MTC companion. I am so excited for that!!! I sure love it down here! It has rained all week! The rain boots have sure come in handy. Someone asked me if they were shrimp boots the other day. 

Remember last week I told yall about the family we tracted into that wants to come back to church. Well we're teaching them this week and we offered service. We are going to help them paint their boat. We are very excited to be with them! They are great!

Love y'all!

I know that the Lord hears prayers of faith

I know that the Lord hears prayers of faith. Since I have been along the coast I have been praying for teaching opportunities and to find investigators who will progress in the Gospel. Sister Kelly and I have also been praying about it as a companionship. This week has been a week of miracles. We weren't able to work a lot in our area the week prior due to MLC and general conference, we made a goal to make up for it this week. Miracle after miracle was manifest.
 On Tuesday we received a referral, it wasn't in the area we were currently in so we made plans to contact them the next day. Turns out their a young couple who has family in the church. They are elect and amazing! We are so excited to start teaching them. We feel so good about them. 

A few weeks ago are WML gave us a name of a less active to go and contact. She lived in an area we hadn't worked before, it turns out she didn't live at that address. On Thursday Sister Kelly and I felt impressed to tract the area. While knocking on one door, I noticed a lady sitting out on the porch of the neighbor house. She saw us, and went inside her house. I was worried that she wouldn't answer her door. Well she did, she looked at our name tags and said, "I am a member, and I have felt impressed for the last while that I need to come back to church." She had her young daughter with her and she invited us in and told us her story. I showed her a picture of the First Vision and she just cried and said, "It feels so good to see that picture again, it has been so long." She hasn't been to church in a long time. It was a miracle. We are giving her a church tour this week and she committed to coming to church. And her daughter turns 9 this week so we are going to start teaching her the lessons. The daughter is so cute, she said the closing prayer and she goes, "God thank-you for these Mormon womans who have come to us. Please bless these woman missionaries." It was priceless. The spirit was very strong. 

The Lord is blessing the people of this area, I know many in this area are prepared, we just have to have the faith to find them and trust in the spirits guiding hand.

Sunday was a wonderful opportunity, we had Elder Blooth, our area authority, the stake president, and President and Sister McDonough all at sacrament meeting. What a special day! I am so grateful to the Lord, for His goodness, grace, mercy, and love. 

Sister Hartley 

I am so grateful for conference.

Matching Shirts @ MLC

Life on the Coast

Happy Easter Everyone!

The weather has turned nice here along the Mississippi coast. It was a beautiful Easter Sunday. Sister Kelly and I headed out first thing to share #becausehelived with as many as we could before conference began. I loved conference. I came with a paper of questions, all of which were answered. I was sad not to see or hear from Elder Scott. I hope he is doing okay. I

Sister Kelly and I have had a busy week. We had MLC Thursday-Friday and then general conference Saturday-Sunday. It didn't leave a ton of working time, but we were diligent with the time we did have. MLC was very inspirational and brought me to make a lot of changes to my missionary service. As the wise Sister Jones taught me, "Every call is a call to repentance." 

This week I have an increased testimony of forgiveness and the love the Savior has for each one of us. 

I love y'all. 

Sister Hartley 

TEXAR reunion at MLC! 

Visiting Lizetta Higgins 

Some fun memories

Sisters at the Woman's Meeting

 pingpong

Pday Bowling

 crawfish