Consecrate ALL the things!

Okay, let me just tell you about these 9 days that I am in the middle of. Oh boy has this week been exciting! We have had SO many opportunities for growth. We have definitely felt the Lord's trust and confidence in us. This is what we are doing/have done in these 9 days.

- Lead an EDPEP for district meeting (which is a method for training missionaries)

-Speak in Sacrament meeting

-Lead and EDPEP in front of the whole ward (everyone but primary) for combined 5th Sunday 3rd hour

-Plan Carl's baptism and speak at it

-Give a talk in district meeting, the district leader asked us to inspire the missionaries because some of them are struggling

Then, last night the assistants called me and said that we are going to have a language training conference this Friday, the first he's known of since being in his mission. And President Castro has asked that I give a 45 minute training by myself on how to create a language study plan. The people doing the conference will be President and Sister Castro, the assistants, and me. Yep, not intimidating at all. Right. Really though, I am excited for the opportunity. It feels good to know the Lord trusts us with so much.

I'm really glad the Lord has taught me to rely on him, because there is no way I could do any of this on my own. I definitely have seen how the Lord is always preparing us for something greater. He is always enlarging our vision and stretching us beyond our own capacities. As I learn to trust Him, I feel His trust in me. That enables me to accomplish wonders through him.

Quick update on Andy, he was able to quit smoking for 24 hours. Thank you so much for your prayers. This was a really humbling experience for him. He didn't realize it would be so hard. He always thought smoking was just a bad habit of his, but this brought him to admit that he is addicted. He is learning to trust in the Lord to an even greater degree. I know that in the Lord's way and time, he will enable Andy to quit smoking. He is making Andy to an instrument right now, and I know his experiences now will bless so many people.

I love you!

Hna. Cannon

What can we give to Him?

Merry Christmas!!!! I hope you all have a wonderful day and season to celebrate the Savior. I always thought it was nice when people said to remember the true meaning of Christmas. It is not until now that I have come to fully understand what that means. I think before I tried to do both - enjoy the material side as well as celebrate Christ. Now, the material aspects just doesn't matter at all. We give gifts to one another to express our love. The best thing we can do to celebrate Christmas is to do what Christ would do. Serve one another, do something to lift someone else. There's a lot of people who are sad and lonely this time of year. What a wonderful opportunity to help them remember that they have a Savior.

I love the incredible members of the church who exemplify Christ's love. I get a little teary because I am just so amazed at all the people here do for our investigators! It is amazing. They know what it means to represent Christ for others. Last week we helped our investigator Carl move into his new house, but because of his arms and back disability he couldn't unpack. So we brought a bunch of sisters from the Relief Society and went to town! They are SO good at organizing. When we showed up it was a disaster, and by the end it looked amazing! I loved their example of consecrating their talents to the Lord. Sometimes we don't even realize what talents we have to give, but these sisters were able to use theirs to fulfill a great need - for which Carl was so grateful. As sisters in Zion, we all worked together! It was so much fun to help Carl have some peace this Christmas and remove some stress. They brought him a tree too :) I know we can all use our talents to lift up the hands that hang down. That is what Christmas is about.

I've seen the power of God manifest this week as He continues to answer my prayers. I continue to see the blessings that come from obedience. This week He has taught me to be submissive, grateful, and full of love. I love the patience He has with us. I am grateful for the power of the atonement that enables us to improve each day.

Yesterday we started the LDS Stop Smoking Program with Andy! It's a great program. We're all really excited about it. He hasn't had a cigarette since 9:00 am yesterday! We've got a family fellowshipping him and each person is praying for him each day. Could you pray for him too? I know he can do this, and I know through faith and the atonement he can quit. He is so close. He is AMAZING. He is going to be such a great member of the church and inspire so many people with his example.

I love you so much!

Hna. Cannon

P.S. from Vida: We had a great visit with Amanda on the phone on Christmas day. She sounds great! She said a prayer for us and we really felt the spirit bless our lives. Tears of joy :) She's so awesome!!

The Spirit of Christ(mas)!

Such a fun time to be a missionary! I love how there's no hustle and bustle and it's all just 100% about Christ. This is one of the most meaningful Christmas's I've had. I love this time of year. I love the special opportunity I have to teach and testify of the Savior as we celebrate him. Speaking of which, I get to call you! When should I call? It can be any time between like 3:00 and 9:00 your time. Let me know!

This week I've re-learned the lesson of forgetting myself and going to work. I've really seen how the greatest happiness comes when you just lose yourself in the Lord's service. I love helping others, especially when I'm having a hard time. (Like spending 7 hours in the dentist chair getting root canals :)

I love the example the members here give of Christlike service. They give so freely of themselves. It's amazing. There are so many true followers of Jesus Christ in our church. They've helped Carl out so much. We moved him into his new house this week! It's a miracle that he found one so soon and in his price range. After that he had no more money - so the members have been so generous in providing him with food and other household essentials to get by for the month. I'm sure they'll get him and Woody some Christmas gifts as well. They are amazing. It has touched Carl's heart so much and helped him to feel part of the church.

Especially during Christmas time, I think about how much the Lord gives us. He really gives us everything - right down to the words to speak. He did that many times for me this past week. Yesterday the other hermanas' awesome investigator Eric came to church! He is amazing, and speaks only Spanish. And I got to translate sacrament meeting for him! I've never translated in real time before, so that was a really neat experience. Then after the opening prayer in gospel principles we found out we were teaching the lesson. (The ward mission leader and ward missionaries usually rotate). We jumped up and were excited for the opportunity. The Lord filled our mouths with the words to speak. The spirit was so powerful. The prospect of doing something like that used to terrify me. It's really fun to see how much I've grown and changed. When we rely on the Lord, we can do anything!

Have a great week!

Hna. Cannon

p.s. from Vida: Amanda had to get a 2nd root canal this week! Pray for her speedy recovery :)

Be like Nephi!

Hello family! I love you!

I have learned so much this week. I know God answers prayers. I cannot begin to tell you all of the experiences I have had this week of Him doing so. One day, He changed my heart in an instant. Another day I was seeking revelation for one of our investigators, and He answered me immediately through the scriptures. My testimony of that truth has grown so much this week.

I want to be like Nephi. He has been such an example to me in my mission. I read Mosiah 10:13 this week. I learned that when we are faithful, the Lord answers our prayers, and calls upon us to be leaders. It struck me a lot this week that the Lord needs me to be a leader. I have been in the mission longer than anyone in my district, and it really struck me this week that they are looking to me as an example. They are watching, and noticing what I do. It is my responsibility to make sure what they see will inspire them to be better. We are all representatives of Jesus Christ. Not only for our areas, but for each other. There were so many solid missionaries I looked up to at the beginning of my mission, that really influenced who I am as a missionary now. I realized it is time for me to be that for other missionaries. It's definitely another opportunity for growth.

I want to tell you about this incredible elder. If any of you have doubts about the capacities of 18-year-old missionaries, let the example of Elder Lee change your mind. He began his mission when I got here to Solvang. He was trained for 6 weeks, then began training a new missionary immediately after. His 3rd transfer he and that new missionary trained each other for the 2nd half of the 12 week program. On top of that, for the last half of the transfer they had a 3rd missionary join their companionship. Now, Elder Lee's 4th transfer in the mission, he is our district leader! This elder is incredible. He has had so much expected of him at so early in his mission, and he has excelled. He is so humble, relies on the Lord, loves those he serves. He is a true representative of Jesus Christ. That just strengthens my testimony so much of this being the Lord's work. He chooses the weak and simple, but when we rely on him, we can make miracles happen.

I LOVE seeing this work roll forth! It is my favorite thing. My very favorite thing. Ever.

Hna. Cannon

 

Last P-day with Hermanas Wright and Bartschi.

My district

 

Happy December!

Hello sweet family and friends!

This week I've learned a lot about grace. It is something you cannot fully understand until experiencing it for yourself. It is by grace that we are saved after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23). If we want to experience Christ's grace, the atonement, miracles, we have to push ourselves beyond our own capacity. That is the only way. That is when those miracles come. This week there were a few days where my strength was completely depleted, and I knew it would be impossible for me to press forward on my own. I plead for grace, and was carried to be able to do things I did not have the strength to do. I know that it is in the realm of grace that we can make a difference, because it is not us making the difference. The way to do that is to push beyond our own capacities.

Super happy thing I love: seeing Dane bless the sacrament every week. He is growing so much! His prayers and comments have become so much more sincere and focused. He's doing well in his calling and continues to come to church activities and all 3 hours of the block. He came up to me after church yesterday and said, "Today I felt the spirit twice!" Haha. So sweet.

Thanksgiving was great! I loved having a whole day to focus purely on thanking God for everything He has given us. Such a good holiday. We have so much to be grateful for! I love gratitude. It helps me so much to conquer things. That day we anticipated that nobody would really want to talk to us, and most investigators wouldn't want to meet. So we prepared brief Thanksgiving messages that could lead into the Restoration. We were so excited. People weren't as receptive as we would have hoped, but we feel like we did our part. And the Lord blessed us with miracles for it. We were able to meet with Carl that day and it was a miracle that we were able to get a member last minute to come teach him at the church with us. Another miracle was when we had Thanksgiving dinner with some members. Their less active son and non-member daughter in law came from Louisiana. They were smart and seated us right next to them. It was way natural and the perfect situation and we got to talk to her about her religious background and our message for most of the dinner conversation. We were able to give her 2 pamphlets and she said she's thinking about contacting the missionaries back in Louisiana! Then the dinner message went so well. It was perfect. The family was super grateful.

Time just ran out! I love you!

Hna. Cannon

I like to look for rainbows :)

Hello!

Thank you so much for your love and prayers. I can feel them. We need them out here! Things are going well. Lots of ups and downs but that is the nature of this work.

We had a rainy week here in Solvang, and at the end Connie was baptized and confirmed! It went so well. SO many people came. She is the sweetest lady ever. I hope you all get to meet her someday. She said she will visit me in Utah one day so I hope so!

Georgi's husband, Dennis agreed to take the lessons this week! We are so excited for them. During Connie's confirmation he was tearing up. When the spirit touches hearts, hearts are changed. So excited to see that happen for him!

We had Zone Conference this week and it was amazing as usual. Sis. Castro gave this wonderful talk about the first miracle Christ performed, turning water into wine (John 2). When He did that, he turned it into the best wine. Wine that would have taken 30 years for a man to make, he made in an instant. In the same way, Christ can work miracles in us. We can take years to overcome weaknesses and accomplish feats on our own, or we can come unto Christ and be perfected in Him, and He can change us to the best of wine in an instant. I have definitely seen this on my mission. Alone we can do so little, but I am amazed at what I can accomplish through Christ, who strengthens me.

I love this work. I know it's the work of the Lord because there's no way we could do all we do and be all we are if it wasn't. We almost lost one investigator and one returning member this week due to the influence of the adversary. He is cunning. I really got to see firsthand this week how he works. But we just have to recognize it, and not pay him heed. In these critical moments with these two different situations, the Lord filled our mouths with the right words to speak at the right moment, and that made all the difference. We have to be prepared at every instant. You never know when the Lord will need to use you. Always be ready!

Hna. Cannon

Connie's baptism

Please keep the prayers coming :)

Hello dear sweet family and all of you wonderful people who read these letters,

Well, I am learning a lot this week. The Lord has blessed me with many trials that are teaching me to be more hopeful, optimistic, patient, selfless, and compassionate.

A happy thing: Connie is getting baptized this weekend! That is a huge miracle, and if you bring just one soul, how great is your joy. That is a huge thing to be happy about. Connie is amazing. I am so proud of her.

Trials are important experiences. It is very hard to grow when we're not tested. It is only through those experiences that we see the atonement at work. I testify that the atonement is real. The things we do out here would be impossible without it. I know Christ is my Savior. I know He is directing this work. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's kingdom.
Yesterday I felt the cleansing, redeeming, enabling power of the atonement as I partook of the sacrament, and was renewed through the church services in the Lord's house. The spirit and the power there is undeniable. When all of this is true - what else matters? It is worth every sacrifice. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the one light that never goes dim. It is the one thing I can always rely on. I have experienced it's power. I will never stop fighting to make sure everyone I come into contact with has the chance to know that for themselves. No matter how much Satan tries to deter me, I will not step down.

It is an honor to have the opportunity to make my small contribution to building the Lord's kingdom. It is all worth it.

Hna. Cannon


p.s. by Vida: we just heard the other day from Amanda's mission president that Amanda will be having to get a root canal soon. Please pray for her that it will go smoothly!!

Miracle Family!

Hello!

How are you all doing? Shout out to Cassie who's birthday is this week! Happy Birthday!

So, we just had one of the hugest miracles of my mission this past week, no big deal. Alma and Abran were referred to us from the Lompoc Spanish unit. We went over this week to give Abran a blessing, who has been suffering from cancer since February. After the blessing we opened our eyes and both Alma and Abran were sobbing. The spirit was so powerful. The 2 men who gave the blessing felt such a special connection with them and vice versa. Abran was just saying, "gracias...gracias..." between his tears. He said he couldn't express his gratitude fully for what they'd done for him, and what we'd done in bringing them and teaching the gospel. The lesson that followed was one of the most powerful lessons of my mission. I know the Lord was filling my mouth. The words I spoke were not my own. The spirit was so strong. We pointed out the spirit to them and they recognized it, and knew the holy ghost was testifying to them of truth. We talked about authority and what it all means. By the end, they said they believe this really is Jesus Christ's one and only true church, and they need to be baptized into it. We talked about temples and they know they want to be sealed as a family. We gave them a picture of the Salt Lake temple and they said they want to go there and be sealed, and they want us to be there after our missions. I've never seen someone develop such a powerful testimony after only 2 lessons. We also talked a lot about faith, and how they need to nourish their faith by keeping their commitments. We went back a few days later to teach the plan of salvation to the whole family, and the youngest son was really interested and asked good questions. Between Tuesday and Saturday Alma had been reading the Book of Mormon at every spare moment. She was so captivated by it. She holds it in her lap while she drives and reads it at red lights, as well as during her lunch breaks. They are such an incredible miracle family. We are so excited for them!

Also One night this week we had a dinner and they didn't know they were feeding us, so they sent us to the restaurant where the mom works. We were on our way over when we got a call from a member that said, are you coming? I have dinner for you! We thought, oh no, we mixed up the dinners! So we rushed over there, but it turns out both members were mistaken. We were indeed scheduled with the first. But the dinner we went to, the member's non-member daughter ended up being there and we were able to teach her the restoration! She said she believed Joseph Smith was a prophet! That was exciting. The member told us afterwards that it must have been meant to be. Yay!

I love you!!!!

Hna. Cannon

All the cool things!

Hello hello!

Okay so want to hear some miracles?

Our investigator Connie was praying this week to know Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that's what the Sunday school lesson was on! So she took that for her answer. She is so solid and is doing everything she can to know for herself that these things are true. She is so excited for her baptism on Nov. 23 and wants to do everything she can to prepare!

We've had 3 lessons with Alisa. She said she's knows that what we teach her is true. She said she's never had anyone explain things to her like that. She said it makes perfect sense and feels so right. She said in half an hour we answered questions she has had her whole life. She said she could see herself being very happy in our church. We've already seen improvements and changes in her. She said she would be baptized this weekend if she didn't have to give up smoking and coffee. Haha. Do any of you know of ways to help people quit smoking? We are trying to help 3 people quit right now.

I know I always talk about Georgi, but she is seriously the most amazing woman. She was so close to death this past week. She was bit by a brown recluse spider 20 years ago and survived, and is suffering from a compromised immune system ever since. So just about everything is wrong with her body. She almost passed away on Thursday night - that was so scary. But she STILL came to church! She said she is not letting anything keep her away this time. She taught us to use her Epipen in case anything happened at church. So faithful. She bore such a powerful testimony about how it's been a hard journey but she is back to stay. She testified of how we are an army of Christian soldiers, and we need to band together to bring those who have gone astray back home where they belong. She encouraged us all to reach out to them, call them, invite them to things, pray for them - and how that made all the difference for her. Incredible.

Alma - a referral from a member in the Lompoc Spanish branch. (Spanish! Yay!) We had one lesson with her and she was golden. She already believes prophets are essential and understands their role. She is looking for the truth. We asked how she can know who the prophet is and she said she can pray and God will reveal it to her, that the Holy Ghost teaches all truth. (So cool she already knew that!) She had already been reading from the Book of Mormon and had two experiences of it answering her prayers, so from what she has seen she believes it is true, but is going to continue to investigate further. When someone is that in tune with the spirit, I don't doubt they will come to accept the gospel. So cool!

We got an Arabic Book of Mormon for our investigator Louis from Syria. He read the whole thing in two days! Communication is hard, and he works so much so it's hard to meet, but he wants to keep learning. We're hoping to get some translation things going, and have Lds.org and mormon.org pulled up in Arabic while we teach him. Fun!

People are awesome. Everyone is amazing. Holy cow.

Have a good week!

Hna. Cannon

I can't think of what I should call this email. Hi :)

Hi there,

So this has been a big adjusting week. It always is with a new companion. It's good though. I can definitely see how this is going to be another growing transfer. It was hard not having Hna. Millet - a powerhouse missionary. But I know that as Hna. Prestgard and I adjust to each other and strive to be unified, we'll show the Lord we're ready for miracles and that He can trust us with His children.

We taught the 10 commandments with Georgi (returning member) and she walked through her whole house with us and took down all the crosses and saints! Even all the family heirlooms from deceased grandparents that mean a lot to her. It was amazing. Then she came on an appointment with us and was INCREDIBLE. It was her first time and she was so good! She's going to be a ward missionary! So excited for that. She is going to do so much good for the Lord.

Connie! She was praying a lot this week and has decided to be baptized on Nov. 23! She is so solid. I am so excited for her. She is the sweetest little lady. Her tight hugs squeeze all her grandmotherly love into me. I love her so much. She said she's going to come out to Utah when Hna. Millet and I get married and she will have gone through the temple by then - so sweet!

Dane got a calling! Sunday School Secretary. And he got home teachers! And he came to 3 ward activities this week! Yay! Those are going to help him keep going strong in the church. He's looking for a job and we're all praying he can find one that doesn't require that he work on Sunday.

Robert, our super solid ward missionary who comes on like all our appointments and is amazing had his farewell and is leaving this Saturday to enter the MTC the following Wednesday! We're losing a good soldier. It'll be hard without him and Hna. Millet :( They are both the greatest missionaries ever, but they're going to do great things in Argentina and the Philippines!

I am grateful for experiences the Lord gives me to teach me to trust in Him. I know that through the both redemptive and enabling power of the atonement I can endure any trial with patience and with a glad heart. I know that the Lord is so merciful to let us be part of His work. I am grateful to be of service to Him in any way I can, whether it's enjoyable or not. Even so, there are always many things to be happy about. We just have to trust in the Lord, accept His will, be patient, look for the blessings and the miracles.

Grateful to be a missionary,
Hna. Cannon

Staying in Solvang!

Well, I am staying another transfer in Solvang! Hna. Millet got her visa to Argentina so she will be leaving! It was perfect timing with transfers. I am so so sad she's leaving but I'm excited for her. She is the best companion ever. Oh my goodness. I have learned so much from her. It was so fun just tearing it up with her. We were a powerful pair. But she is going to go do so much to build up the wards in Argentina. So excited for her! But will miss her like crazy! I've really had to work on trusting in the Lord. I was a little scared this morning about handling this area without Hna. Millet. But I know if the Lord trusts me to do it, I can trust in Him, and He will help us to do His work in His way.

I have finally graduated from the 12 week training program! This will be my first transfer in the mission not training or being trained. My new companion is going to be Hna. Prestgard! I know her already. This will be her fourth transfer in the mission. We're going to go get her at transfer meeting tomorrow! It'll be crazy to have an extra hour of proselyting every day!

So, I spent a ton of the time at the dentist this week. Turns out there were a bunch of stuff our old dentist should have caught, and this sweet member fixed it all for free and saved me from a root canal! It was so kind and generous. And we got to share the gospel with his dental hygienists so he was excited about that :)

This is a shout out to my sweet cousin Katie Cannon Wilkie! I loved reading in her letter about everything she is doing to be a member missionary. The field is white and we all can take part in the harvest! Thanks for your awesome example Katie!

Connie is doing so well! She is praying this week about getting baptized on Nov. 23. I think she will because she already asked Bro. Nash to baptize her! So exciting!!!

We had an awesome lessons with these 2 new investigators this week. Alisa (50 yrs.) and her daughter Ashley (24 yrs). We taught the plan of salvation to just Alisa and when we explained the spirit world she was like, "That's what I believe!" She said nobody's ever explained it to her that way but that's what she's always thought. We asked if once she investigates our church and comes to know if it's true if she would like to be baptized, and she said Yes! very matter-of-factly.

This area is doing so well! So many miracles all the time. I love it here so much and am so grateful the Lord is letting me be here to see all of these incredibly prepared people change their lives. Part of why He sent me here was not only to help them, but so that I could see their incredible examples of faith, that strengthens my faith and is going to stay with me for the rest of my life.

The Lord loves us a lot.

I love you!
Hna. Cannon

Went to the dentist 3 days in a row this week. This super nice member is a dentist and gave me fillings for free! So so nice. This was when my face was numb. I promise I am doing all I can to smile. This was the best I could do.

This is what got me through this week. Halls is the greatest ever. They give me messages about pressing forward. So kind of them while I am sick.

We helped make tamales with all these Spanish ladies for a school fundraiser! Super fun. I will make you tamales one day cause I know how now!

Here is our ward mission team! Everyone except the missionaries from left to right: Robert (ward missionary, going to the Philipinnes in 2 weeks!), Lizzie (ward missionary, going to Russia in December!), Bro. Liljenquist (ward mission leader), Chandler (working on his papers). These people are amazing! They do so much for us. We're all laboring in the vineyard together!

Last dinner together with the hermanas at Burrito Loco! It is our favorite place. Hna. Millet and Hna. Tokailangi (closest to you) will be going to Argentina this week! Hna. Wright is staying and is going to be a sister training leader!!!!

Look at this hilarious scarecrow! It's at the firestation as you can see. Haha. We loved it. This town is so cute. They're having a scarecrow contest! All the businesses here have scarecrows that are super fun.

This is Carl and Woody! They are the greatest ever. Our little miracle family. Love them so much!

Best week ever?!

Hello!

Well, this has been an exciting week. Dane got baptized! Circumstances led him to decide to be baptized on the original Oct. 12 date. We are so excited for him. After the ordinance we all wrote down our testimonies for him and we're making it into a book :) He was confirmed in church yesterday and the ward did such a good job of welcoming him. After the 3 hour block he told us that he felt the spirit so strong that it was a little overwhelming. He said it was less at other churches, and here it was too strong. Haha he said he's going to have to start taking it in smaller doses. That was so cool to hear. He has the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide him now! Yay!

We had such a great lesson with Andy this week too. We were talking about prophets and out of nowhere he starts telling us the things holding him back from baptism. He said it's mainly smoking. But he's been drug free for 2 years, and he said he really wants to quit smoking and coffee too. He said he would pray about baptism for the next 2 weeks. All of that was his idea. He came to Dane's baptism and loved it! He keeps letting slip, "When I get baptized.." Haha. Andy is so amazing. He's one of the coolest people I've ever met. His story is incredible. So excited for him to receive the gospel in it's fullness one day! I'm sending you a picture of him!

Toni came to church too! She's a less active member we've been working with. Her life is super hard. But she came and she said it felt like she was coming home. She felt so uplifted and edified. We were so happy for her! It sounds like she's here to stay. Yay!

So, sometimes when you have to plan a baptism in 4 days, it's really stressful, and then you get really sick. Ha, I'm sick as a dog right now. But my companion is amazing. She is so solid. She got here 11 weeks ago? What? I am so grateful for her. There's no way this could have happened without her. She helped me so much and did more than here share of the planning. She is an incredible missionary and is going to continue to do wonderful things.

But guess what? When we are patient and faithful throughout our trials we can submit to them cheerfully and that brings hope and peace. That's what I'm learning right now. And you know what else? When I stop being a sick old grump I realize, hey, there's actually a ton of things to be happy about.

-I have the best companion ever.
-I am in the best area ever.
-This is the best ward ever.
-Dane got baptized.
-Every dinner appointment this week we're like, "I love that family! How come we have such awesome families every night this week? Oh wait, it's because every single family is wonderful and we love them. Yay."
-I got to go to the dentist for free today! Super nice ward member.
-Best weather ever.
-I have the best family ever.
-The Lord helps me with everything if I just trust in Him.
-He takes away all of my burdens if I just let him. He loves me and all of His children here. He is always leading us to the ones who are ready for the gospel. He has done so much incredible work in this area through us. I know I am meant to be in this area, with this companion, right now. The field is white. Fruit is practically falling into our laps.

Thanks for letting me tell you about ALL the things! That was fun.

I love you a lot a lot.
Hna. Cannon

His Burden is Light

Happy General Conference! Can you believe it's already been a year since they announced the age change? Crazy.

A lot of people in our area are heavy laden with the burdens of life right now. It is heart breaking to see some of their struggles. There were 6 people we were focusing on yesterday who are really having a hard time. It hurt my heart to see so many people in so much pain. I realized what it means to bear one another's burdens. I felt their pain. Compassion is a beautiful thing. I felt we were really representing the Savior when we were able to share their burdens for a moment, then turn them towards the One they could cast their burdens to - who invites them to be eternally yolked with Him.

Yesterday someone asked me what my favorite part of missionary work is. I answered that it's those small moments when you know you've helped someone. Those times when you can see that someone is brought closer to Christ because you were there. There is no greater joy than that, at least that I have experienced.

Connie has been praying about whether this is the path the Lord wants her to go, and this week she received her answer! She has been reading the Book of Mormon everyday. She always starts with a question then opens the book randomly. She did so this past week, and opened up to a chapter all about baptism. She said she knows it's God's will that she be baptized, and that is her answer! Now she is praying for the strength to accept God's will :)

On Saturday we got to go with Dane to the baptism of a 21 year old guy named Justin. Wow. That was such a beautiful baptism. When he came out of the water he said, "That was amazing." He said a few words to us, you can really tell he is such a sincere and worthy convert. A girl named Chloe spoke and said they'd been close friends for years. She said she never knew when she gave him a Book of Mormon a few years ago that it would lead to this. Miracles happen! We just have to have faith and take action. I loved what Elder Ballard said on Saturday that this is the time for members and missionaries to be yolked together. Look at what can happen when we do so!

Les quiero mucho,
Hna. Cannon

Who's excited for Conference?!

Hello there!

Oh man. So many fun things this week. We had interviews with President Castro and an awesome sisters' training. That was wonderful. The Relief Society Broadcast - how great was that? We had a couple investigators come and they loved it. I loved how it was all about covenants - that's exactly what they are trying to decide on right now! We had the primary program and it was so good! They make it such a huge deal here. Everyone invited their friends and the program is so well put together and just spectacular. My favorite part was the beginning when each child said, "My name is ________ and I am a _______" (dancer, pianist, skateboarder, etc.) Then the last child said, "But most importantly..." and then they all sang "I am a Child of God" It was so powerful. I, along with half the congregation, teared up at that. I was so glad because we had 9 investigators at church that day! They all loved it. It was fantastic. Then for fifth Sunday third hour Bishop gave this awesome presentation about missionary work. It was all about faith preceding miracles. Then he had us four sister missionaries do a portion for 15 minutes. We talked about how we, just like God did in creating the world (Moses 3:5), need to create things spiritually before physically by practicing. So we demonstrated how to share the gospel with their friends by inviting, then they practiced, and we discussed after. From their comments it looks like they learned a lot! It seems a lot of them want to share the gospel but don't know how. So it was perfect. It was such a fun week! I loved it.

Dane! Great lessons with him this week. He's still on track for getting baptized on Oct. 12! That's in like 2 weeks! Ah! He's really logical, but this week he's finally starting to recognize the spirit. He called it a "tingle" and then he said, "Oh that feels good, Thank you, God." Haha. It was so funny. But we were happy he's learning to recognize the spirit! We watched the Restoration and he loved it. He's really starting to believe Joseph Smith was a prophet, and he's excited for conference this week to hear the living prophets.

Who else is?? ME! I'm so excited. I can't even wait. General Conference! Yay!

Connie is also really looking forward to it. She is 78, we've been teaching her for a little over a month, but she's been coming to church with her sister for a year. She's never read the Book of Mormon before, and this week she read it every day! She's been asking the Lord to give her knowledge, to guide her to know if this is the path He wants her to go. I feel she's very close to receiving that answer. Conference is going to be huge for her. She came to the RS Broadcast and loved it.

No! I ran out of time! Okay fine.

I love you! Have an amazing week and enjoy conference!
Hna. Cannon

Have a great Danish Day!

Hello!

What a wonderful week it's been! So many adventures!

In the way of excitement: It was Danish Days this weekend! A wonderful festival they have every year where people come from near and far to enjoy parades, aebelskievers, and all that is Danish! Everybody went around saying, "Have a great Danish Day!" Super fun.
And for Danish Days, the Leysters came to our ward! (Neighbor from South Jordan)! That was super exciting.
On P-day we went to Neverland! Aka up to see Michael Jackson's ranch. That was cool.
Guess who gave the Relief Society yesterday? Sister Eckhart. That's right. Aaron Eckhart's mom, Two Face from Batman. She is so funny. She did a skit for part of the lesson. It was awesome.

In other news, the work is hastening as always! Our investigators are doing great. Dane and Andy continue to come to church every week and read from the Book of Mormon. Dane is planning on being baptized Oct. 12. Carl is going through a lot of hard things right now but he knows he needs God right now. He's planning on baptism for the first Saturday in November. Connie still comes to church every week and is doing great. Jaime is one of the most converted investigators ever. He is so ready. He just needs to take the leap of faith.

We met this super funny guy from Syria named Louis. He didn't speak English too well but we met him and he was like, "Where is church? I go to your church." We explained where it was and he said, "I see you there. I go to your church!" Haha. He was so funny. We met all kinds of people this week.

There is this less active man named Shane who we just love. He has some sort of mental disability but he's way high functioning. He just speaks really simply, kind of like a child. Last week we taught him the plan of salvation and invited him to share the gospel with his family so they could be an eternal family. In the closing prayer he said, "Thank you for the missionaries. Today I learned a lot about the atonement. I want to teach my parents about the atonement." That just about melted our little hearts. Then he came to church on Sunday for the first time in years! And the ward did such a good job of welcoming him back and befriending him. Yay!

I love Solvang!
Hna. Cannon

Off to Neverland! We went on a trip with Bro. Millet and saw Michael Jackson's ranch.

We also got to go hiking in the mountains. Great fun!

A beautiful day in the Santa Ynez Valley!

This is how people were dressed for the whole weekend - even for church! So fun.

Surprise! It's the Leister's! (From our home ward in South Jordan) Happy Danish Days :)

Every day is the best day ever

Hna. Cannon here. Okay, we had so many miracles I just don't even know what to say. It's incredible. And I just spent forever writing President about it, so I only have like 10 min. to write about this. Yikes! Okay. I'll do my best.

ANDY! He is the most amazing person ever. On Oct. 1 he will complete 2 years of being clean from drugs. We encouraged him this week to quit smoking and coffee as well. He said he would pray about it. In Sunday school the lesson happened to be on the Word of Wisdom and he said right there in the manual were the answers to everything he'd been struggling with. He said he thought it was amazing that we teach health as part of our religion. He went and got a patch yesterday! He's going to do it! We are so proud of him. It's going to be hard, but we are going to do everything we can to help him quit. He's been to church like 7 times, he's currently in Alma 45 and wants to finish the whole Book of Mormon, he listens to talks by President Monson on his phone all the time. He's doing so well. Ah! We love him. Plus he's the best person ever.

We got Carl back! Turns out he's been struggling a ton. He's been fighting for custody of his son, Woody, who's having a really hard time adjusting. But Carl says he knows he needs God now more than ever. He wants to be baptized so bad, but he know he needs help. He should be able to get custody on Sep. 25, then he said the divorce should be pretty easy after that, then he wants bishop to marry he and his girlfriend Dawn, and he wants to be baptized on Oct. 26! Super exciting.

Oh my gosh. So many other people. I can't believe how many progressing investigator we have. I wish there was enough time to tell you!!!!

I love you so much and am so grateful for you. I hope you have a wonderful week!
Hna. Cannon

Staying in Solvang another transfer!

Family!

Oh my. This week. I can't even tell you. Bestweekever! Hna. Millet and I are tearing up this area. We are trusting in the Lord, relying on miracles from obedience, and being super ambitious and goal oriented and we are seeing so much success!

I can't even put this past week into words. I will try. Our goals were so high, and we met or exceeded all of them. I've never achieved this high of goals in my whole mission. It was incredible. There was a price to pay to receive these kinds of miracles. We were tested and tried. We were placed in situations where we chose to pay the price of obedience - we knew we needed to be worthy of these miracles. Because we were obedient, the Lord was obligated to bless us, and He did. So much! We've learned a ton this week. It was especially important for Hna. Millet as a new missionary. This level of dedication and diligence is going to bless her throughout her mission, as well as mine. We were wiped out every day, but there was an incredible peace that came from that. We could sleep easy each night knowing we had given every ounce of our heart, might, mind, and strength.

We have 4 investigators right now who could totally be baptized in September or October. Each of their stories and struggles are unique, but I know with faith they can overcome them. We are doing all we can to help them have faith and overcome their trials. Andy, Connie, Dane, and Jaime. They are all doing so well and are making such great progress. I am so proud of each of them for all they're doing to keep their commitments and progress in the gospel.

The other night we were planning where to go the next day and I saw a street called "Lucky Lane." I was like, we need some luck (aka miracles), let’s go there! The next day on Lucky Lane we knocked this woman's door (Alisa) and started sharing the gospel with her. She interrupted and said, "I'm sorry, I'm just a little freaked out right now. I was just praying for God to let me know He's there, and here you are on my doorstep." We testified to her that we are messengers from God sent to bring her the truth. It was so powerful. She could feel it. We were freaking out after because we were like: no way, these are those crazy stories you always here missionaries write home about. It was crazy to experience one of those classic stories! I'm excited to see what happens with her.

We know that we are meant to be in this area at this time. The Lord has been preparing this area for a long time. He is hastening His work and we can see it. Satan is also hastening his work. We can see it. People attack us with Satan's lies. He has carefully lead their hearts away from the truth. He tries to use them to prevent us from touching people's hearts that they may discover the truth they so desperately need. But we know which side we are fighting for. This is a time of decision. Who are you fighting for?

Hna. Cannon

We Found the Hidden Valley!

We went on a super fun adventure last week with this sweet old man. 

This man is wonderful. Nicest person in Solvang? Most likely. Every P-day he makes us the best lunch we've ever had, then he lets us wash our cars so we don't have to buy one every week. He has the best stories. This picture was taken mid-adventure telling, while he was taking us on an adventure of our own.

So excited for our adventure! Road trip!

We got to see the valley where Hidden Valley Ranch comes from! It was beautiful.

This is the hidden valley! (yeah, like Hidden Valley Ranch) We found it!

Cool bridge in the Santa Ynez Valley!

So! This week has been amazing. I've never taught so many lessons with members present in my whole mission. Wowza. This ward is incredible. Everyone is so willing to help us. No one makes us feel bad, they just want to do everything they can to help the work. It's amazing. And our bishopric and ward mission leader are on fire! We are all working so hard here.

Hna. Millet and I are both super goal oriented - so we make quite a team! I can't believe how much success we're having here in Solvang. We are seeing so many miracles. You know how Christ did miracles to help people have faith? That is what He is doing for me right now in my mission. The miracles He is blessing us with right now are helping us grow so much in faith. Now, we know our insane goals are achievable, and it will help us set our sights high for the rest of our missions.

We're working with a ton of member referrals right now - everyone is super excited to share their friends with us. It's amazing. Then when we meet them, they realize how not weird it is to introduce your friends to missionaries, and they want to do it again! It's great. They're realizing we don't bite, and we help their friends want to learn more and then they're even happier.

Yesterday I saw the biggest dog of my life. Actually it might have been a bear - shaped like a dog. I wish I would have had my camera! We got to talk to the owner just walking on the street. He was this super cool music guy who said he liked the "vibes" at church haha. He said he might come this Sunday!

We're teaching a deaf guy right now - he is wonderful! He is our neighbor. He came to church on Sunday and stayed all 3 hours! Communication is kind of hard though - anyone want to teach me sign language?

 I love youuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!
Hna. Cannon

You want to see miracles? You just have to look!

[From Amanda's message Aug 26, 2013]


Hello!

This has been a wonderful week in Solvang. The Lord is blessing us with so much success. It's crazy. We are seeing miracles every day.

Okay here's a MILAGRO. There is this elderly woman from Mexico we've been teaching named Domitila. She has tuberculosis and is super sick and practically dying. She is so sweet but she's been really sad and lonely because she can't have visitors or leave the house because she's super contagious and has to wear a mask. We teach her outside her door while she's inside. Last week we brought some brothers from the ward to give her a blessing. We went by this week to see how she's doing and she didn't have her mask on. We were like, Domitila, where's your mask? She told us she was TUBERCULOSIS FREE. The doctor did a test and told her so. She was COMPLETELY HEALED. Can you believe it? We were freaking out. The sad part is, she didn't even realize the significance of the priesthood blessing. She was just like, yeah lots of people have been praying for me and God decided to heal me. She is so set in Catholicism. We ended up asking her what she would do if God told her there was a different church that was His church, if she had to choose between Jesus Christ and the Catholic church what she would do. She said she would stick with what her parents taught her. -_-  It made me think of when Jesus healed people. I wonder if they would have said it's because a lot of other people had been praying for them and they were going to be healed anyway. There's a verse in the Book of Mormon that says there were many miracles for those who were willing to look. Miracles have not ceased. Are we choosing to see the miracles in our everyday lives? If we do, we will find them.

Anyway. Things are going great here. The Bishop is awesome and getting all fired up about missionary work. He said in ward council to the auxiliary leaders that they have to get moving to keep up with the sisters. Haha. It's so funny because we know it's not us. The Lord is giving us success to help the members in this area have faith and make change. We've already gotten 3 awesome member referrals this past week. The Lord has really been preparing this area for all these changes. I love it.

The members here are so great and willing to help, there's just one problem. Carl, Dawn and Woody came to church on Sunday (oh P.S. they're doing great now and we're still teaching them) and lots of people said hi to them but nobody invited them to sit with them. In Relief Society we introduced Dawn to several sisters and they just said hi and ran away to go sit somewhere else. She ended up just sitting with us. We need to help the members see that there is plenty of missionary work to do right in front of them. Often times members think they need to go out and bring people in. The most important thing they can do is to take care of the people we already have, that's when the Lord blesses us with more.

We had a great YW/YM missionary activity on Wednesday! We've been planning it for about 3 weeks and it went really well. We gave them mission calls on Sunday and they all came dressed as missionaries and we gave them nametags. They separated to their classes where they were "called" to, and had a mini MTC experience. Then we had a TRC where they went with their companions and got to teach "investigators." It was super fun.

I love you!!!!! Thank you so much for your letters and kind words. Your support really helps and means so much.

Onward ever onward!
Hna. Cannon

The Lord loves us over here!

[From Amanda's message on Aug 19, 2013]


Hello!

Wow! Milagros este semana!

We really wanted to reach our goal this week of having 7 lessons with members present. By Saturday we had had 5, so we needed 2 more on Sunday. We had one scheduled with Carl, and we were praying for one more.

We ended up getting to have a lesson with a lady who's not a member but has been coming to church for a year! We're excited to work with her.

Then Carl cancelled so we went to visit them and see what's wrong.

Okay so Carl needed tons of help at his house cause he is disabled so we put together a service project for him! That was super fun. He loves the church so much and knows this is what he needs. His girlfriend told us yesterday that she's not ready for this right now though :( We hope he'll still want to learn in the meantime, but they said they'd talk about it.

We were a little sad after that but I remember the words of Elder Lynn G. Robbins who visited our mission. He said, "Success is to go from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm." I told my companion, we still have a miracle scheduled for tonight!

So we called a member in our ward to see if she could come out with us, and she didn't answer. We talked about what we could do and we decided to pray for guidance. The second we finished the prayer the phone rang, the member called us back and said she could come out with us!

We didn't have an appointment but we went to visit a new family we've been teaching and ended up getting to have a great lesson with them. She told us after that she'd been feeling like she hadn't been contributing to the work and she'd been praying for an opportunity to help the missionaries. So we were an answer to each others prayers! And we were able to achieve our goal! Then she told us that she'd been praying for Spanish speaking sister missionaries in this area, because she thinks that will be just the thing to touch her husband’s heart. He is Peruvian and was taught by Spanish sisters before he was baptized. He's been less active for 20 years, but she is praying we will be able to touch his heart.

We were so grateful to the Lord for blessing us with these miracles. I wish I had time to tell you about them all. We've had a ton this week! We found 7 new investigators! The amount of teaching we've done this week was quadruple what the elders before us had been doing. They were working really hard and they were great missionaries. The difference is that the Lord wants everyone in the ward to think we're like these incredible all-star missionaries, so he is blessing us with tons of success and miracles and it's making everyone in the ward get super excited about missionary work. They are seeing all the success we are having and are trusting us. That is helping the work roll forth a lot in this area. It's so awesome. We're just being obedient, pleading with the Lord for miracles, and having faith. He is using us to help the ward members do missionary work. It's so exciting.

I love you!

One happy missionary,
Hna. Cannon

Pictures speak louder than words :)

Me and my compa! Her name is Hna. Millet from Taylorsville, UT. She graduated from Utah State and she taught kindergarten this past year.

This is the Ruiz family who I always talk about. I love them so much. This picture was taken my last night in Oxnard/Camarillo. The dad said toell your family hello and we love them even though we haven’t had the privilege of meeting them :)

Last day with the district. Love these elders!

Saying bye to the awesome people of the Oxnard 5th ward!

Amanda with Sister Corniea from American fork

Amanda looking like a cool Californian with a crush :)

Us four new sister missionaries got to speak in church yesterday and it was super fun!

So last week we got to visit this lady in a nursing home named Betty. She wasn’t very coherent, so we just held her hands and sang her a hymn. The whole room fell silent and stopped to listen. The spirit was so strong. Betty passed away 3 days later. We went to her funeral today and there was a beautiful service. One of the brothers of the ward shared a great message. He said, “There’s only 3 reasons to be sad today. 1) Because you didn’t know Betty well and wish you could have. 2) Because you did know her well and are sad to see her go because you’ll miss her. 3) Because you don’t know where she’s going.” Then he shared the plan of salvation and how Betty knew where she came from, why she’s here, and where she’s going. I love getting to share that message with people. It’s beautiful.

Ygnacio is a new investigator who’s awesome!! He is 17 and plays football for the local high school. He has such a sincere desire to follow Jesus Christ. His life has been really hard and he hasn’t made the best choices, but he wants to use the atonement in his life. He is definitely searching for truth. My companion and I love him so much and want to do everything to help him get good friends in the ward who will be good examples for him. It’s kind of hard in a small town cause everyone knows each other already. It can be kind of hard for the youth to suddenly reach out to people they’ve known for 10 years. But we’re working on that and trying to help them see how important it is. We’re planning a huge missionary night for the youth in a couple weeks and we’re super excited!

I love you!
Hna. Cannon

Laboring in the Vineyard!

Hello!
I am in the coolest place ever! I will try to send as many pictures as I can. We are in a city called Solvang, it is a Danish town!!!!! It was colonized by Danes hundreds of years ago. It has windmills and delicious pastries! It is super touristy and tons of people come here on vacation. It is such a fun little place. It's also BEAUTIFUL. We see ostriches and llamas! There are tons of ranches and it seems like every house has

We see all these beautiful places that are all rustic and stuff and then all the sudden we see a palm tree and we're like, we're in California?? This is such a unique place. I love it.
So they had 3 English elders here, and they pulled them out and put in 4 hermanas! So we had to divide the area ourselves. We got here and everyone was white and we were like, uh.. Pres. Castro? Did you mean to do this? But we're starting to find Spanish pockets of people who've never been taught before because there's never been Spanish missionaries. So it looks like we'll mostly be doing English but teach Spanish when we can find them. And I really feel like we're meant to be here. It's helping the work.

Whitewashing is kind of crazy but my companion, Hna. Millet from Taylorsville, is super good at directions and figuring things out. Plus we have the two other hermanas so we're all just figuring it out together. At church yesterday the ward was SO excited about all the sisters. Everyone wanted to meet us and people were shedding tears left and right. I was like whoa, talk about a good reception. Everyone started getting all excited about missionary work and bearing their testimonies on it.

This ward has such an awesome mission plan! They are on top of it. They have all these awesome goals, we just have to help implement them. Things here are way more organized than my last ward. (I love my last area so much too though! They both have strengths and weaknesses).

WE FOUND THE MOST AMAZING INVESTIGATORS THIS WEEK. Slash, they found us. Carl called and was like, I know about the church and am ready to commit. We met with him and his son Woody (10 yrs.) and Carl said he wants to get baptized! He said he's living with his girlfriend, but they want to get married! He wants her to be a part of this too. They all 3 came to church on Sunday and loved it! We had an awesome lesson with them in the home of these awesome members who were like perfect. They did such a good job of befriending them. They are so golden!!! We were like - wow. This area is blessed.

Awesome ward, fantastic bishop and mission leader, great district, super fun and exciting area, amazingly prepared and on-top-of-things companion. Couldn't ask for more! I am happy as a clam.

Love you!
Hna. Cannon

New area: Solvang, settled by Danes hundreds of years ago

Laboring in the vineyard :)

Whitewashing sisters: Hna Tokailangi (from Hawaii), Hna Wright (from Hawaii, she was trained by my trainer right before me).  Amanda, and sister Millet (from Taylorsville). Hna. Tokailangi and Hna. Millet are waiting for their visas to Argentina.

I'M WHITEWASH TRAINING IN SANTA BARBARA!!!!!!

Hi family!

Transfers this week! I am going to a new area! It's in the Santa Barbara zone, this city is called Sovang? Or something like that? Not really sure. And I'm whitewash training! Meaning neither of us know the area, and I'll be with a brand new missionary. Another really big growing experience! I'm sure we will learn a lot as we try to figure it out together. It looks like I'm destined to be in the 12 week program my whole mission haha. (For those who don't know, you get an extra hour of companion study your first 12 weeks where you do a structured program. So I've been in it my whole mission so far! Looks like I won't be leaving the apartment before 10:00 any time soon!) My companion is going to be staying in our area and training as well! So exciting!

Gilberto is so great. He is in his 60s and we are helping him prepare for baptism next month. This week his close friend Eva, who's a member, told us that he said after the Hermanas (us) taught him to pray, he knelt down and really prayed for the first time. He said he felt God's love so strongly that he began to cry. Then he went to the store with her and bought a white shirt and tie. He had a Finding Faith in Christ pass along card with him, a picture of Jesus dressed in white, and Gilberto said, "I want to be like him." Wow. That just melted my heart. I love getting to serve these people with such pure desires to follow Jesus Christ.

We had fun teaching a less active family this week. The mom is a less active member, baptized about 2 years ago, and her oldest son is baptized as well. The husband is a non member. The kids love to come to church (different members drive them). This week we went by and the oldest son was saying his mom was busy, and then we heard Adrian say, "Wait I want to say hi to them!" and his brother was like, he's in the shower... Next thing we know 7-year-old Adrian is running out in a bath towel, soaking wet, and is like "hi sisters!" Haha it was so funny and cute. We told him to go get some clothes on and they let us in. The mom came out and we got to teach them about the temple. When we said that if they go there they can be an eternal family they were like, "mom let's go there! Can we live there?" I love that pure desire of a child. The mom said it is something she wants to do, she just hasn't been super obedient in doing what it takes to get there. But we will keep working with them.

Other awesome people we've met this week: A 91-year-old Jewish woman from Germany who walks 2.5 miles everyday! Super cool. A guy named Luis from Argentina who is married to a woman from Italy. They are both tri-lingual. We were on the way to another appointment and I felt like we should go knock their door. They were full of all this love and happiness and excitement! They are kind, funny, warm people. They immediately invited us in and gave us some 7up. We started talking to Luis and he said he loves BYU and almost had the opportunity to go there, and was so disappointed when it didn't end up working out. He says he love all the people that come from there and would love to go some day. (He talked about it like it was Disneyland or something). He's read the entire Book of Mormon and asked us a question about the Resurrection he had read about in Alma. Wha?? Super cool. He said he'd like to have us come back. I won't be here of course, but I'm excited to hear about what happens with him!

I love being a missionary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hna. Cannon

Hey now, you're in Oxnard, get your tag on and go preach!

Well, this week has been splendid. We had Zone Conference! It was incredible. Learned a lot of things! Nothing I could say would be able to do it justice. Wow. This is the Lord's work. It is run by men and women who dedicate themselves to God and through them He builds His kingdom on earth. The conference was so good. They really put the gospel of Jesus Christ into perspective for us. They talked about the journey we make as missionaries. There was a point when we were doing it on our own, we did the best we could, but we have limits. When we hit our limits, we still need to keep giving all we have and being diligent. How is that possible? How can we give more, if we've already given all that we have? I will tell you. It is through the enabling power of the atonement. I have learned that the atonement isn't just for cleansing sin or bring strength in times of trial - it is also for doing more than you can do on your own, going from better to best. Once we go through that process, we can go even further with the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost. That's how this work is possible. And of course, that is when we see the miracles, when we have gone beyond our own limits. It makes sense, right? How could we work miracles with only our own strength? That is why we have to exceed our limits in order to work miracles. That is why obedience and diligence are so important to this work. This is one of the many many many lessons I have learned this week. Wow. There's so much about this life I never understood before.

Here's a cool story. So last week, we met this really scary woman who my companion and I are convinced is under Satan's power. Never have I met someone where that was so clear. She was trying to interfere with God's work by keeping us from visiting one of our investigators. She was trying to convince us that our investigator wasn't interested and only keeps having us over to be nice. In this moment I had this overwhelming feeling that we are truly fighting a battle to save souls. Satan is real and captures people to use them for his purposes. Even though we were scared to go back after that, we knew if Satan thought it was important enough to try to stop us, we really needed to go back. We went last week and ended up talking to our investigator's 20 year old daughter, Eliana. It turns out she used to be really active in her church, but she has gone so far away from God -- It's gotten to the point where she feels like she's too far off to be able to come back. It brought me so much joy to be able to testify to her that the atonement is for everyone, there is nothing you can't repent of. That is a truth that is near and dear to my heart, I was so grateful to be able to testify of that truth. She really opened up. Her heart is so softened and she is so humbled right now. She is ready to come back to God. She said she wants to investigate further, our church along with her own, and find the truth. I believe she will find it, because she is willing to do what it takes with an open heart. When people do so, God promises to manifest the truth to them. She will find it. I am excited to continue working with her. We are truly on the battle field out here. There are opposing forces fighting for each person's soul.

I have learned that true joy doesn't come from our own success, but in helping others reach theirs.

Thanks for reading,
Hna. Cannon

All the sisters in 2 zones! As sister's in Zion!

Hey now, you're in Oxnard, get your tag on and go preach!