Goodbye to The Pilkington's

Hello everyone! This week has been a good one as usual :) I am loving my mission more and more everyday. 

This week we had district meeting with President and Sister Pilkington because it is there last week! It was so sad to say goodbye to them, they have impacted my life so much in this short amount of time I have spent with them. They are such great examples. But I am excited to meet the new pres and his wife on Friday! I have heard amazing things about them as well. 

Haha so this week me and Sister T. were going to visit a member who lives pretty far away and we got on the bus and I started talking to this lady and then I look out the window and saw a sign that said Dewsbury and hurry and took out my ipad and when I looked at the map I realized we were out of our zone and going the completely wrong direction! haha so we got off at the next stop and took the next bus back. But it was meant to be because we met this guy from Ecuador and he wanted to meet again! So we met him later that week and taught him the first lesson and he loved it and loved that we had a book of mormon in Spanish. And he agreed on a baptismal date! It is so cool to see how Heavenly Father is preparing people to meet us! 

I have been struggling lately feeling like I am so inadequate and feeling like I have no idea what I am doing, but I was able to go on an exchange with another sister and she really helped me realize my strengths and the things I am doing well. It was a miracle and she really helped me a lot.

I am loving the people I am teaching more and more and doing my best to help them. Something I am working on this week is studying and applying the book of mormon to my life. I have noticed my testimony grow so much from that. 

Love you all!

Sister Stevens

Church!

oops, we got lost and ended up in Dewsbury, Cayden's old area

Sister T. cooked some AMAZE Thai fried rice!

I tried Ghanaian food this week!!!

Michelle, my fave person

exchanges with Sister Pugsley, my fellow American

Pretty Leeds

We had our last district meeting with President :( so sad!  I can't believe they leave this week.  We cheered ourselves up with some yummy lunch!

lisel.stevens@myldsmail.net

A Week of Faith

Hi everyone :)

This week has been interesting. We have dropped most of our investigators because none of them are making an effort to keep commitments. It kinda feels like a break up haha. It is so sad because you have been working so hard with these people and helping them and you have seen them grow closer to the Lord but they aren't doing anything about it. It can be pretty frustrating but we have put our faith in the Lord and felt like this is the best thing we can do. So we have spent a lot of this week talking to people on the streets and knocking on doors trying to find the selected few that are ready to hear the restored gospel. Yesterday we spent most of the day knocking on doors and it was pouring pretty much all day haha it was so fun. I love being out in the rain and getting soaked. Plus people are always a little nicer when they see 2 girls standing on their porch soaking wet with huge smiling faces :) 

One of our investigators who we haven't seen for a while showed up to church yesterday! When I saw him walk in it was a miracle! He really enjoyed it and even texted us later thanking us for letting him come. And we are going to be able to see him again this week which is so good! 

Another investigator is soooo close to baptism. He has been investigating since he came out of prison 8 months ago. It is difficult to teach him because we never know what we are going to get when we see him. Sometimes he is the nicest person and loves us, and the other times he can be kinda scary.. So we have been really trying to follow the spirit with what to do with him. We had a great lesson with him this week and we were able to bring out a member, which is rare with him because he hates when there are more than 2 missionaries at a lesson haha. We talked about building our relationship with Heavenly Father through prayer. (something that I have also been working on this week) And then after when were talking to him he said he wanted

the member to baptize him! It was so inspired to bring him out and he definitely helped bring the spirit. He also said 'how did you guys know that was exactly what I needed to hear?!' It made me feel so thankful to Heavenly Father for guiding us. It reminded me when we always seek the Lord's help to do what He wants us to do, everything will always work out for good! He will hopefully have his interview with President this weekend and be baptized on July 1st!! (este's bday!!!!) Keep him in your prayers!!

This week I have been working on praying more. With the situation I just talked about there have been many tears and trials with figuring out what to do with his whole situation. And during the day there have been moments where I feel like I can't handle this or its too much pressure and stress. (there is a lot more to the situation but i wont go into detail...) But I have been asking and pleading with help from Heavenly Father and then watched as some how things work out. I am so grateful to always have someone there with me, to help me when I am struggling. And I know He is always there for each of you too! Life isn't easy, and its not supposed to be easy that is why we have prayer and the book of mormon to guide us and help us. I am so thankful for challenges and hard times because they are making me stronger! My relationship with my Heavenly Father is growing and I could not be more grateful.

Hope everyone is enjoying summer! haha defs doesn't seem like summer over here...

Love you all!

Sister Stevens

Lisel and Sister T.

In honor of Father's Day :)

For Keller Atwood :)

a cute cafe that we ate at

The MANY faces of Lisel...selfie time!

(I MISS HER FACE!!!...and everything else about her.
Her hugs, her voice, her smile and her sweetness in our home)

Zone Conference

It poured rain this week!
Sister T, Me, Sister Pugsley, Sister Chiu

So this week was zone conference and president lets us write to him and our families about what we got out of it and what we are going to do about what we have learned. I was an ALL day event and so fun because half the mission was there so we got to see a lot of missionaries! Also I gave the opening prayer so that was a big scary haha. Anyway, I'll just copy and paste what I wrote to him :) 

President, 

Well, this was my first zone conference as a missionary and it was amazing! It was great to see all the other missionaries and to think they are sharing the gospel everyday just like I am is so inspiring. 

One thing that stuck out to me was when you and Sister Pilkington gave your talks on Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ. I learned so many new things about everything they went though for this gospel. It inspired me so much how they were able to be so selfless and obedient to our Father in Heaven. It makes me feel so grateful to be able to live in a place where we can practice our religion and share it with others. It makes me want to share it more because they went through so much so we can have it today! I felt the spirit so strongly when you and Sister Pilkington bore testimony that you know Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ and that he truly was a prophet of God. 

I loved how you related missionary work to war and how we leave our comforts and our homes to go fight this battle against the adversary. It is going to be tough but we have been blessed with this knowledge and blessed with these resources to share it with the people in England. I'm packing up my troubles in my old kit bag and smiling because there is no use in worrying. 

The thing that I felt impressed to focus on is giving. You talked a lot about giving and it is something that I really need to work on. I have been given so much, to grow up in a home where the gospel has always been top priority and to have a testimony of Jesus Christ. My parents have taught me and there is no way I can repay them personally. But with the knowledge that I have I can give it to someone else and help them find answers to their prayers and comfort. We won't ever be able to enjoy life if we do not give what we have received! So I will give my heart more to the people I am working with, the members, the missionaries, and the investigators and help them feel love from me and my Savior Jesus Christ. The same love my parents have always shown me. I will treat everyone I talk to with First Class service and help them feel confident with themselves. I am not here because of myself, I am here to serve the Lord and by loving those I am dealing with I will be serving the Lord. 

This last week we have dealt with a very difficult situation with one of our investigators. He accused me of not caring about him and not liking him. He told me the other sisters would have known how to help him. It was really hard for me because he made me feel like I was an awful missionary and that I wasn't good enough. Which is exactly how satan wants me to feel. But your advice of not going to Carmel really truly helped me and gave me some revelation. I need to forget about myself, who cares if he says those things about me. I will do what Christ would do and be the bigger person. I will handle him with love and care and do my best to serve him. I'm not here to be liked, I am here to help others come closer to Christ and our Heavenly Father. I could forget about him and just let him be, but I am choosing to reach out to him and help him. I forgave him and I will not go to Carmel. So, thank you President, for saving me from going to Carmel. We all make mistakes and do things we aren't proud of but there is always redemption thanks to our Savior who paid the price for all of us. 

Thank you for all the work you and Sister Pilkington put into this conference. It was inspired and so uplifting. You both are such amazing examples of working hard and doing your absolute best. I look up to you and Sister Pilkington with so much respect. Thank you again!

Love, Sister Stevens

this week has been good but slow haha. i'm back in the flat because sister t. is now very sick. we went to the emergency room the other night to see what was wrong. I guess she has like a mix of hayfever and some virus (man, england and their viruses...) but its getting worse so we might have to go back to the doctor.. we will see. so lots of time trying to call former investigators and reading the book of mormon and other books. lots of studing time :):) and a couple naps here and there ha can't complain. but i am excited to get back out there. not sure when though. but things are great in leeds! i love the sisters i am living with now. we are becoming a family again and sister puglsey and i get a long really really well. we are like the same person and i feel like we had the same childhood too. she comes from a family just like ours! and i just love sister chiu so much. we laugh so hard all the time she is hilarious and im learning some chinese words :):)

well, love you so much! I'll email again on monday cant wait to hear from you! :)

love sister stevens
lisel.stevens@myldsmail.net

Outside our flat

Cayden and Sister Pro met!

My new zone leader was Cayden's Trainer

Sa Wad De Kaw!

My subject is how you say Hi in Thai! (defs not how you spell it but...)

Anyway, this week has been great! My new comp is from Thailand! Sadly she can't cook thai food but, she is still amazing! We have been working hard and have been quite busy but it feels so good to be busy. It is the best feeling coming home each night feeling like you did everything you could for the Lord that day. I am happy and too busy to even feel homesick! hah its been great.

 Heavenly Father is blessing us so much and we have been able to see so many miracles. We visited by a less active this week who hasn’t been to church for a while and she came on Sunday! And 2 recent converts got up in Sacrament Meeting to bear their testimonies! One of them brought a friend to church and we had actually met her on the bus a couple weeks ago, but she said she is ready to learn more now! So we will be teaching her this week :) Because it was fast Sunday we fasted with one of our investigators who we were finally able to set a date for his baptism. He has been investigating for over 6 months so this is a miracle! He said when he fasted he felt so much closer to Heavenly Father and he knows he is making the right choice. We will continue to work with him so he will be ready! 

ALSO... I SAW ELDER NORTON!!!!!!!! He was coming to our chapel to get his new companion so we got to shake hands (lol) and get a pic (we couldn’t touch) but its okay :) It was good to see him and chat for like 2 minutes. He got moved further away from me but he is needed elsewhere!

This week I have felt the stress of a lot of things, first time leading the area, first time with a new companion, and navigating everywhere. It has been quite the experience, but I am learning so much and really working on how I can help others around me. Life can be stressful at times but we need to remember what the most important thing is and that is our Savior Jesus Christ. 

I am so thankful to know about this truth! And I feel so lucky to be able to share it with people in Leeds! It’s amazing how God puts people in our path that are ready to hear the gospel. We see it everyday, so many little miracles testifying that Heavenly Father is really there and He loves us so much. 

Thank you for all the love and support!

love you all!

sister stevens 

New companion from Thailand, Sister T

with Tracey, a member who is our BFF.  She comes teaching with us

awkward pics with Cayden, no hugging :(

Said Goodbye to my trainer and 1st flatmates

Transfers!!

Hey everyone! 

It's been quite a slow week here in Leeds. I have been

sick most of the week so me and sister pro got some extra sleep. Haha

the doctor said I can't be a missionary and kill this virus at the

same time. But good news I am doing much better now and am excited to

get back out there and do some real missionary work.

We had transfer calls last night and we were all a bit nervous. But I

am staying in Leeds and sister pro is leaving me :(:( we are very sad

but know we are going to be where Heavenly Father wants us. My new

comp was already in my district so we know each other a bit. She is

from Thailand and we call her sister T. She's the best I am so excited

to serve with her! Haha also she had a dream the other night that we

would serve together. So crazy!!

Time is just going by so fast, I literally feel like I just got here

and met sister pro! But it's been 3 months and I can't believe how

much I have grown and learned!

The hightlight of my week was definitely interviews with president which was amaze! He is such an inspired man it's incredible.  He told me to tell you a couple things. 

He said to tell you thank you for

raising me so well and sending me to England to save the mission. And

dad must be a saint to put up with so many girls. He said having 2

girls and a wife was enough. And he said little benny must be the

luckiest boy in the world. And to wish you well from president. He is

the best! He asked if I did seminary

and I said yes and he said I bet you have probably learned more in the

past 3 months than you have in the 4 years of seminary. And he is

right. When you are completely immersed in the gospel you can learn so

much and grow so much closer to Heavenly Father. He only has 4 weeks

left and it's so sad! I didn't know I would have so many hard goodbyes

on my mission too! Anyway, so president has this special very posh pen

that everybody knows about and no one ever gets to use and he let me

use it!! Haha it was a miracle and all the missionaries were pretty

jealous ;)

Anyway, life as a missionary is great. The Book of Mormon is true and

such a blessing. Remember how lucky we are to have it! Never take it

for granted. I want to challenge each of you to immerse yourself more

fully in the gospel, by reaching out to someone who needs it or

studying the Book of Mormon, or whatever it is notice how much happier

you are and notice how much Heavenly Father is really in your life.

I love you all!

Love, sister Stevens

Chopped Sister Pro's hair!  Sorry only pic this week bc we are emailing from iPad.

DONE WITH TRAINING!!!

Well peeps, I am officially not a new missionary anymore (even though I probs will always feel like one) I have completed 12 weeks of training. A lot of blood, sweat and tears, but I did it...lol just kidding. But seriously I cannot believe it has been 3 months since I went into the MTC. What a wild ride, I would not give up a second of it because I have never been so close to my Savior and Heavenly Father.

This past week I went on an exchange with a newer missionary from Taiwan who is amazing! I was a bit nervous because I am the worst at directions and maps (i only got us lost once) and I really had to take the lead because she is still learning English. But it went so much better than either of us thought it would! You don't realize how much you know until you actually need to do things. There is no way I could be a missionary and say the things I say without the power of the Holy Ghost. That's why it is so important to be obedient so we can have the Holy Ghost to guide and lead us. Now, Im not saying I'm perfect and I dont make mistakes, trust me I make plenty and my comp lets me know haha ;) That is what is so great about the Atonement. We can make tons and tons of mistakes, but because of our loving Savior we can be forgiven and we get so many chances. His plan is perfect. 

One of our investigators Allison went to Paris for the week and she went to DISNEYLAND! And if you know me, you know how much I love DL!  She showed me pics and videos and brought me back a t-shirt! It was the best :) I love all the people I am meeting and getting to know. It is such a blessing to be able to share the message of the restoration with so many people. 

We were also able to go to a baptism of some other missionaries in our zone and 2 of our investigators came and after they were both like, I'm ready to get baptized. haha it was a miracle! So we are continuing to work with them and prepare them so they are ready :) 

I have been reading this book called Our Heritage about the pioneers and the saints crossing the planes. It is so inspiring what they went through and everything they did so we can have the truth! They are all amazing examples of being obedient to the Lord and enduring to the end. And even when they were obedient, they still went through plenty of hard times, but they were always blessed. The Lord will always bless us if we are doing what we can. 

Everything is great in Leeds! Love and miss you all!

xoxo, sister stevens

W...a convert from China came with me on a split :) great times

a Missonary Couples' daughter just got off her mission so she came out teaching with us!

Sister Blair"s birthday on Friday!  We ordered pizza and milkshakes :)

Me and Sister Chiu

yummy Ranch packets...thanks! (can't find ranch there)

I decorated my planner