Birthdays/11 Months/Crystal

September 26, 2016

Hello Fam and Friends!!!

Wow. It was a full week here in Nebraska!! Words cannot even explain how much I love this mission, the missionaries I serve with, and the Lord's work.

I will start with talking about my Birthday!! It was such a fun day :) I feel so spoiled by everyone both at home and here on the mission. Everyone went out of their way to make me feel so loved. I received lots of cute gifts from the sisters I serve with, cards from the senior couples, a birthday rap from the Assistants, and love from members! Thank you to everyone at home who sent me such wonderful gifts and cards. On my birthday I was on shift at the Trail Center that morning/afternoon. The senior couple on shift bought everyone pizza, and so we had a little party. :) Courtney even came to visit me at the Trail Center too!! Then, I went to do some service at the health clinic where we volunteer! Usually, after the clinic, we go and have a nice dinner! But... The clinic went way long, so we didn't get out of there till about 8:15! Wanna know what we did? We went and got double cheeseburgers from Mcdonalds. Best Bday dinner ever!! It was honestly such a great day. I am tempted to stay in Nebraska until after my next Birthday! It's home to me :) It is super crazy to think I am 20! So old!!

We had a cool service opportunity last week! We were able to help clean all of the crystal inside the temple. They had special cleaner and wipes we had to use. It was neat having to clean the crystal one by one on all of the chandeliers.

Sister Orton and I had a weird experience this week! We received a media referral, and so we called her to confirm that she wanted us to stop by! She said she couldn't wait for our message and that SHE had a message for US. That was kind of sketchy, but we just went with it.. Yeah... Turns out she thinks her "body is a machine" and the "Christ is living inside of her, controlling her body". There are some crazy people in Nebraska, but that is why I love it.

Sister Orton and I have been seeing some miracles in our area lately! We have been receiving a lot of referrals and finding some solid potential investigators! We know that Heavenly Father truly loves us, and hears our prayers. We are in the process of trying to specifically find a family who is prepared for the restored gospel. If everyone could start praying for Sister Orton and I to find one, that would be amazing. We know families are out there, we just need to find them and teach them :)

We hit our 11 months last week!! Isn't that insane?? I cannot believe that I have almost been out 1 year. I still feel like a brand new missionary at times! I remember how I looked at the "older missionaries" when I first came out. It is weird to think that I am "one of the old ones" now. My mind cannot even handle how fast this is all going!!

I love you all! Again, thank you for all you do, and for all of the support I receive!! I am so happy here. Serving the Lord is true happiness. There is no other replacement. :)

" 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"-Psalms 27:1

Love,
Sister Hutchison

When Courtney came to visit me!! So fun! 

a member fed us "grilled cheese french toast". My arteries clogged, but it was worth it. So good. 

the Haydens <3 a cute family that made our Birthdays special! 

thanks for the Birthday swag, mom. 

LOVE these Sisters

Sister Orton wanted to take a portrait of my face. Haha.  

Next month I'll get to use my hands.. 11 Months! 

I love NEBRASKA

September 19, 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello!!I had another good week here in Nebraska :)I feel like everything has been super crazy this week,and that this week went by very quickly!

I was able to take Sister Firth on exchanges this week! It was fun being able to spend the day with her, and see how much we have both grown since we have been companions a few transfers ago. I was able to in her area,which is in Council Bluffs, Iowa.It is a lot different than Omaha, but so much fun. :)

Something else fun that happened this week was Zone Conference! Elder Falebella, of the 70, came to train us. It was soooo good! I just love Zone Conferences. You are always on such a spiritual high afterwards, and so pumped to get out and work.

Sister Orton's birthday was this week, too! We celebrated a lot, and had a big combined birthday dinner with us and Sister Cope. Orton's was the 17th, mine is the 22nd, and Sister Cope's is the 29th!  So, it all worked out.:)

Sister Orton and I found a potential family to teach yesterday! We were praying to find one,and then as we got out of the car,there was a family having a big party right outside. We felt super awkward because we didn't want to interrupt their party.. But.. We quickly realized that we prayed specifically for a family, and there they were!So, we went and talked to them. We talked to the mom, Maria, the most! They ended up turning off the booming music just as we were teaching the Restoration. After the first vision, Maria looked at us and said "That's so beautiful". She said we can come back and teach her and her family, so we are excited to start working with them.

We had Stake Conference this week! It was way good. President and Sister Gardner spoke,along with Elder Falebella and his wife. All of the talks were so inspired and spiritual. My mission has really made me appreciate Stake Conference.:)

Yesterday, Omaha had another "Missionary Musical Fireside" that I was able to participate in. During the program, many converts were asked to bear their testimonies. All of the sudden, I see Courtney, mine and Sister Brower's amazing convert, stand up and walk to the pulpet. She just grabbed me and hugged me in front of everyone and we just cried together because it has been so long since we have seen each other. She bore such a powerful testimony about how the Gospel has blessed her family. If I receive no other baptisms the rest of my mission, hers would still make my mission 100% fulfilled. I love her so much.

Again, it was such a good week!! But, honestly, when you are doing the work of the Lord, it's ALWAYS a good week. Thanks for all of your love and support! I am expecting a lot of Birthday cards this week! Just kidding... Kind of.;) I am enjoying my last few days of being a teenager! HAVE A GOOD WEEK :)

Love,
Sister Missy Hutchison

Sister Firth and I on exchanges!

When Sisters call us at at 9:30pm because they realized they left their phone at the Trail Center after shift, this is how we look when we pick it up for them. 

Sister Orton and I in front of our house. "The Craig House"

from the partay

Birthday girls haha

FINALLY saw Courtney <3

everyone looks super terrible in this pic, but all of the elders look priceless haha.

Transfers Strike Again!!!

September 12, 2016

Hello Family and Friends!!!

From all of your emails, It sounds like you had a fantastic week. I had a great week, as well!! It was super crazy, though. As you can see from my subject line, yes, it was transfers. Yes, I got transferred AGAIN. This is now my 4th area and 6th companion in a little over 10 months haha. President likes to throw me around a little bit, but it is fine! Actually, on Monday night, I received a phone call from President Gardner regarding transfers! He has given me a new assignment! I am now a Sister Training Leader/Trail Center Leader!!!! A Sister Training Leader in our mission is pretty much a female version of a Zone Leader. I am able to work more with President Gardner, and give special trainings to my Zone every transfer. I have a stewardship of sisters that President wants us to work with, and I also get to take sisters on companion exchanges to help them out more with their missionary work! A Trail Center Leader works very closely with the Trail Center Directors. Now, I get to make the schedules for everyone, give trainings about the Trail Center every Saturday morning, and help/serve all of the TC Sisters as best as I can. I am very excited about these new assignments. Life is even more busy now, but I know that the Lord is mindful of me, and will bless my efforts. Also... My new companion is..... SISTER ORTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited about that. We are having a blast together, and are best friends. It is nice having a brand new closet, too. Haha we share clothes like everyday.  It is the perfect combination of working hard and having fun. I am so honored for this opportunity.

My new ward is super fun. The bishop actually called me on Saturday and asked me to speak yesterday! It was a good way to introduce myself to the ward.  I am in the Winter Quarters ward now! The people are so cool and.. different! But, different is good, and a heck of a lot more entertaining. I really do love my new area/ward. Everyone is so nice and loving! Just don't look up the crime rates in Florence Nebraska/North Omaha.. Because that's my area. Haha :)

Like I said, this has been a super crazy and busy week. We haven't had a lot of time to be in our area, or to even breath. We have been working a lot with the brand new Trail Center sisters that came in this week. We had a evening where we all had dinner together, and Sister Orton and I had to show them this big slideshow of Trail Center Rules. Our days have been so booked, but, it is cool how Heavenly Father makes up the difference. We have seen lots of miracles already. We have a handful of investigators and people we are working with. One in specific is our investigator named Taylor. She is 21 and pregnant, but she LOVES the gospel. She has such a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. Her only problem is her ex-boyfriend.. He broke up with her because she wants to get baptized, which definitely threw her through a loop. So, we are hoping to get her back on track and to work toward the waters of baptism again. Please pray for Taylor!

Sister Orton and I took such a cool tour this week. It was this woman who's a member of the church. Through the whole tour the spirit was so strong. We felt prompted to really focus on enduring through trials, and focusing on the simple ways to strengthen a testimony (prayer, church, scriptures). At the end of the tour, this woman started tearing up. In her words, she said "I didn't want to tell you this, but, I have been less-active for a long time. I needed some peace in my life, so I felt like I needed to come here. This is exactly what I needed". It was so cool, and the spirit was so strong. It is amazing how perfectly Heavenly Father knows each and every single one of His children. I feel so blessed that Heavenly Father trusts us enough to send us His troubled children, and try to bring them back home. Missionary work is so incredible. We receive a front row seat to how the Gospel truly changes lives.

This week will be fun! We have Zone Conference, and Elder Falabella of the 70 is going to come and train us. I am so excited. Also, afterwards, Elder Falabella is giving a special training to the leadership of the mission. President Gardner has asked me to do a musical number at that training, so I feel honored and am super excited. I am so ready to learn this week!!! I love Zone Conferences.

I ponder about how I was before my mission and think about how I have changed so far. Obviously I still am the same, but I am also so different. I have such a greater understanding of the Gospel. I have such a strong relationship with my Savior. I truly know what is important in life now. I kind of cringe thinking about how my life would be if I never decided to come on a mission. I am so grateful for this wonderful opportunity to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. This is the best thing I have ever done. I am so grateful that I have even more to learn with these next 8 months, and the progression will honestly never stop, even afterwards. For that, I am grateful.   The Lord is so mindful of every single one of us.

I love you all! I hope you have a fantastic week :)

"13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.
14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." -Mosiah 24:13-14

Love,
Sister Missy Hutchison

The new team. Me and Sis. Orton, getting down to business. 

There was a cool sunset, so of course we took artsy (awkward) pics!

Another picture of us... There will be a lot of those. 

The Lord's Timing

September 5, 2016

Hola Familia and Amigos! ( I asked President Gardner to send me full-proselyting/spanish speaking. He just laughed in my face and walked away. I think I am prepared, though.)

This week went by very quickly!! It was a super great week, though!!

I want to start with sharing a cool miracle! There is a man in my ward that has been investigating the church for 40 years that us and the Elders have been working with. His wife is a faithful member, and he attends with her each week. The bishop even said he is the most faithful tithe payer in the ward! No one really understood why he wouldn't get baptized because he truly felt like a member of the ward.This week, something clicked with him. No one knows what it was, but he decided to get baptized last week!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so cool!! He is shy and very private, so the only people he invited was us, the elders, and a couple other missionaries who worked with him. It was a beautiful service. He asked me to give the talk on The Holy Ghost, and I also was able to do a musical number for him. It truly does show that we CANNOT give up on people. It may take them 40 years, but God has his own timing. Such an amazing experience.

I took a cool tour this week! It was a non-member couple. They were fairly interested in everything about the gospel. They asked so many great questions. It was so cool because I didn't answer their questions; the spirit did! It was a powerful tour. They asked me why I decided to go on a mission, and I was able to share my experience with them. They started to cry and told me that I reminded them of their granddaughter, whom they haven't seen in a long time. After the tour, I shared with them my testimony and offered them a copy of The Book of Mormon. They accepted quickly, and already committed to read it. I asked them if they would be interested in learning more, and they said yes! When I mentioned having missionaries in their area visit them, they wife looked so sad!! She said "But, what if I want to learn from YOU?" and asked if I could teach them. I told them that I only cover a certain area, and can only cover that specific one. Then, she told me that she is in the process of moving, and doesn't have a current residence. She told me that the friends she lives with wouldn't appreciate the missionaries coming over. We decided that we would keep in touch and that I would teach her online until she has a current residence, so we can send the missionaries in her area. It was such a cool tour. It is amazing how the Lord sends prepared individuals to the Trail Center. I love being a Visitor Center missionary. This is the perfect mission for me.

We met an African refugee family yesterday! It was so neat. The dad didn't even hesitate to let us in. At first, his heart was pretty hardened. He kept telling us that he was happy being catholic. But, as we shared the message of the restoration, we saw his heart soften. He told us we could come back, and we set a specific time to teach him and his wife. Then, as I was going to say the closing prayer, the dad asked me to pray for some specific things happening with their family. The spirit was so strong afterwards, and we knew that everything would be well with them.

Words cannot even explain how much I love my mission. My heart has never felt so happy and at peace. This week about 5 sisters are going home from the Trail Center. This is the last group going home from the Trail Center until I go home, which means my group will be the oldest! So weird!! I am glad that I still have a while until I go home. There is so much work I need to do here in Omaha. :) I love you all! Have a good week!!!!!

" 16 And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescensionof God?
 17 And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." -1 Nephi 11:16-17

Love,
Sister Missy Hutchison

On the first Saturday of the month at TC Training, they like to embarrass and sing to everyone who has birthday's that month. #BIRTHDAYMONTH

since transfers are this week, it was the last district meeting with this specific district!

Everyone who helped with Brother Griffin's baptism!! (at least within this year)

Just the sisters :)

It was Sister Svensson's bday last week, so we went out to lunch!