Monday, June 16, 2014

Sunshine Packages!

So Johanna write home and suggested that our family send a "sunshine package" to the Elders that work in the Mission home cause they have been working really hard trying to get the Mission in tip top shape for the new mission  president who will be arriving in July.

Since Johanna's ideas are always awesome, we took her up on it and sent a package full of yellow items to those Elders to try and spread a little cheer.  We got an awesome e-mail from them with some pictures.  Thought it might be fun to add the pictures to her blog so she can always remember the Elders who worked so hard to keep her mission running!!

Enjoy!

Here are the mission home Elders: Elders Steele, Watkins and Ford


A picture of the letter we sent with the package....sure hope they get my sense of humor..or lack of..Bahahaha!!!

Letter to Mom!

Hey there!

Thank you so so much for the sunshine package! It totally brightened my week! You are the best!!!!
And I loved seeing the pictures of the office elders. Thanks for helping brighten their day. You are truly amazing! Seriously, you bring light and love into the lives of all you come into contact with, even people that you don't even know that live hundreds of miles away! :)

Crazy about Dad and Chey. Also heard about John. So happy that the famdamily is living life. I'll be praying for the Chey while she is at camp and in Deuchtland (sp?) The whole dad-going-to-girls-camp thing makes me a little nervous so I'll be praying for him too :)

So last pday was pretty magical - we went to Oak Alley, the coolest plantation ever. It was freaking gorgeous, and we got to go with Ruth and her fun family AND we got to get out of Metairie for a while AND we got to do something that was uplifting but not necessarily related to the gospel haha. So basically the whole thing was a win win win win situation. If/when we all come down here, I want to take you guys to this place because it is stunning. The home and the 28 oak trees that line the front drive (they are 300 years old!) and the restored slave houses are so cool/interesting. I'm sending a postcard so you can see the house with the trees. 

I just want you to know that I've been feeling a lot of love this week. It's interesting because I feel like the mission strips you of all the normal resources that you turn to in times of struggle or stress (movies, music, swimming, going to the gym for hours, even your family and friends) and instead you have to rely soley upon your Heavenly Father. And that's what I felt this last week. I felt closer to my Father in Heaven than ever before. As I tried will all my might to keep the rules and study the scriptures and really pray sincerely, I felt Heavenly Father's love for me. It was in personalized promptings, it was in the beauty of the rain, in the opportunities He sent me to share the gospel, and just a deep feeling of peace and acceptance. It's been really really awesome, and I'm so thankful and humbled that God would take time out of His busy schedule to personally instruct me on how I can be even better while at the same time telling me that He loves me know matter what. 

Please pray for D - she just moved here with her daughter and they have nothing. The bishop in Kentucky helped them escape from an abusive situation and paid for her ticket to come to Mississippi and then her cousins drove her from there to New Orleans. She was studying with sister missionaries in Kentucky and I think she would've been baptized already but she was working on Sundays. But now she is here, has no job, and the ward has kind of embraced her. The stake employment specialist is helping her to find work, the Relief Society is going to try to get some clothes and toys for her and her little girl, and we are teaching her the lessons and inviting her to various activities. It's really cool. She wants to be baptized because she knows it's important, but she doesn't understand yet that she needs to be baptized into God's church, not just any church. But she loves the Book of Mormon and she is a super spiritual person, so it will come. 
Also, please pray for A. He is being baptized on Thursday night and The week before and the week after baptism is prime Satan time so please pray that he'll be protected and/or that he can make it through whatever Satan throws at him. I am really coming to love this man - he is autistic and has made some mistakes, but I just have this Christ-like love for him that is hard to explain. I am so excited for him to make covenants and receive a remission of sins and start fresh. 

I love you with all my heart! Thank you for always being there for me!

-Sister Chausow


Monday, June 9, 2014

Monday Mailbox!!

Hello! Happy Monday!

Just wanted to send out a quick update on life down in the Jefferson Ward-

-A passed his baptismal interview! He has so much childlike faith, and even though he didn't understand it all, he quit drinking tea and coffee and is so excited to be baptized. It's been a challenge to teach him because he is autistic, but we really love him and he really wants to do what's right. The baptismal date for now is the 19th of June and he will be confirmed on 22nd. Please pray for him that all will go well!

-We had a Family Home Evening this last Monday at the church. We invited 2 active member couples and then a recent convert couple that is getting ready to be endowed/sealed, "A" came, "P "(a long time investigator) and his less active wife, our friend Allie brought her nonmember friend that just moved here, and "S", a long time investigator who we never thought would come inside the church building. That was a huge miracle! It was awesome - Br. Blair, our ward mission leader shared the spiritual thought and then we played Bible jeopardy and had treats. It was so awesome. We were going to do it once a month but every kept asking if we could do it more often so it looks like we are going to shoot for every other week. So awesome!

-We had interviews with President Wall this last week. Every 3 months you get a one on one interview with the mission president and this was our last one with him since he is going home at the end of the month and we are getting a new president. It was awesome - I've been kind of depressed/discouraged recently and President Wall set me straight - he taught me that all those negative thoughts are NOT from God and he helped me to refocus and gave me hope that I am loved and I'm doing okay. It felt like a huge burden had been lifted form my shoulders, and since then we've been laughing more and I've been counting my blessings more. Because Heavenly Father was trying to tell me that He loved me all along but I was fighting him, convinced that I was good enough. But President sternly told me to start thanking Him for the blessings and love that He sends to me every day. It was awesome, and I have so much peace now.

-Ruth, the lady that we helped get baptized, is taking us to the plantation homes in Destrehan today. We are super excited! It will be fun to get out of Metairie for a bit and just relax. Also, her two kids, "D"and "


S" are in town and we are helping them prepare to be baptized. They are so awesome and I just love this whole family

So yeah, life goes on, and we continue to thrust in our sickles as deep as we can, and a little deeper every day. Thank you for all the prayers and love and support! I can feel that I'm being lifted up and carried by my Savior. I'm so thankful for Him. I know He lives.

-Sister Chausow


PS: Attached is a picture of a service project we did in the rain last weekend! It was cooler to do it that way than to do it in the sun and humidity haha.