LIVING the Gospel {10.27.14}

My love for the Gospel and for all of you continues to grow each and every day! Yes, I have the privilege of being cheesy for a couple more months :)

As usual, SO MUCH has happened since my last email. These weeks have just been jam packed with spiritual experiences and I'm not complaining!

My testimony of the Gospel has been strengthened so much this week and it all started on Monday when we went to the Creation Museum (a Christian museum about the book of Genesis--the Creation of the world). One of our investigators works there and offered to get us free passes. We had heard a lot about it and were really excited! When we got there, he and his wife met us up front and told us one of the directors wanted to meet us and show us around. Wow, awesome! We met up with him and he was really nice and told us he wanted to explain what the museum was all about before we started. So, he starts in on his spiel and oh boy we had no idea what we were in for. He basically attacked us and everything we believe in. He kept saying things like, "some people believe this and that is just nonsense," "you don't believe everything Mormons believe do you?" "This teaching clearly goes against the Bible and would be ridiculous to believe."

We tried to remain cordial and non-confrontational. I was silently praying the whole time that I would know what to do and what to say and that I would be able to be kind and confident about my beliefs. He kept trying to trick us into saying certain things or trap us with our words, but with the help of Heavenly Father we were given exactly the right words to say. Finally, after an hour of this he ended by basically telling us we would be damned because we don't believe in the "right" Jesus. It was terrible. I kept thinking about Elder Holland and his talks about being backed up to the wall of your faith and how when you are being attacked you are standing shoulder to shoulder with the best life this world has ever seen, Jesus Christ. I know that although this hour was one of the most difficult I've yet experienced, I was no doubt standing shoulder to shoulder with my Savior. I felt his name on my badge in a very real way and knew that I was representing Him. I was able to share my testimony in a bold yet loving way and felt very good about how Sister Bowers and I were able to handle the situation because it definitely was not us, it was Heavenly Father. If we had been left alone in that moment we probably would have been in tears and left without the right words, but God will not and did not desert us.

As we left the museum and said a prayer, we let the tears flow. When we looked back at the building it reminded us of the great and spacious building from Lehi's vision where the people were "mocking and pointing their fingers" towards those who were holding fast to the rod. I know that I did not feel the Spirit when I was there, but that as I turned to Heavenly Father afterward, I was filled with the peace and calm assurance that the things I shared were indeed true. 

I know that the Gospel has in fact been restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that there has been a prophet on the Earth since that time, leading and guiding us through constant and continued revelation. I am eternally grateful for the peace and hope this knowledge has brought into my life. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and will not falter in my faith. I have tasted of the "fruit" and I know the joy it brings and that is why, like Lehi, I am eager to share it with my brothers and sisters. I would encourage each of you to take time this week to read the Joseph Smith history, evaluate your own testimony of the Restoration, and pray about it once again. I know that you will receive the same peaceful assurance that I did and that your testimony will be even further strengthened. 

On Wednesday, we had the wonderful blessing of attending the temple! My experience there was even sweeter because of the stark contrast to what I experienced at the beginning of the week. I found even more comfort and solace in my experiences there and seriously never wanted to leave. To make the experience even more special, President and Sister Porter came with us (they only come with one zone!) and the assistants. When it came time for the prayer circle, usually missionaries can't join for obvious reasons but there weren't enough couples so President chose Sister Bowers and I to join! It was such a sacred experience that I will never forget. It continued to get better as I entered the celestial room and was greeted by President and Sister Porter (who I love like my own parents) and then as we were led to a sealing room where the temple president and his wife spoke to our zone. 

WOW.

All I can say is this:

NEVER STOP YOUR STEPS TO THE TEMPLE.

No matter what happens in your life, no matter how crazy things get, you will always find peace and joy there.

I love you all more than you know. Seriously.

xoxoxo

Sister Rolfe

Transfer Update!

We just got the call and...............

We're being doubled out! That means Sister Bowers and I are BOTH LEAVING. This hardly ever happens and we DID NOT see it coming! My mission never ceases to surprise me. Tomorrow I will be in some other part of Kentucky, Indiana, or Ohio-- hopefully still with my best friend Sister Bowers! Keep us in your prayers!

Oh and one last thought....

The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is NOW! 

Pictures:

At the Creation Museum

With Karuva at the temple (the member who took us)

Our zone at the Louisville temple

Hebron Ward Trunk or Treat!

You Never Know {10.20.14}

Wow! Another jam packed spiritual week. Where to start? What to say?

The week started off a little crazy because Monday was sisters conference and Tuesday was preparation day so we basically had two full days taken away from proselyting. Of course, that only means the rest of the week was FULL of grace :)

Friday I got to spend the day in downtown Cincy on an exchange. We stopped by a members house in the morning to leave a note on her door because she wasn't feeling well. Her husband happened to be outside when we pulled up and he invited us in. She's been on bedrest but decided to come out and visit for a minute. I asked about her conversion story and she got very emotional as she talked about it. Then she said... and the missionary who found and baptized me was Travis Johnson.

WHAT?!?! Travis Johnson is the 1st counselor to the bishop in the Hebron ward!!!!!! I told her I know him and she just started bawling uncontrollably. She was literally jumping up and down and hugging me so hard I could breath. (please remember this woman was just on bed rest). She was crying, hugging, and praising the Lord for a good ten minutes. Finally she calmed a little and held onto me and looked me in the eyes and said....

"Travis Johnson was the first Mormon I ever met. He told me to read the Book of Mormon every day. He told me to pray every day. He taught me that I am a daughter of God. He baptized me and he CHANGED MY LIFE."

Then she said something I will never forget,

"You NEVER KNOW the good you're doing or the lives you're changing."

By this point I was crying to and everything was just crazy. 

Travis Johnson is just living his life in Northern Kentucky, raising 4 kids, doing the best he can, and has no idea this woman is just a half hour away in Cincinnati still thinking about him and still being impacted by the things he taught her.

What a blessing to be a tool in the Lord's hands. My love for my mission increased ten fold from this experience-- if that is even possible. Keep doing those little acts of kindness and planting seeds of Gospel truth as I know each and every one of you do every day... you never know the good you're really doing!

Later on that exchange we cleaned out a hoarder's bed bug ridden garage..... I now know why they call it the "nasty nati". Don't worry, I took MANY precautions and have had no signs of bugs in my apartment ;)

Now onto Saturday.... Grace day!

We started off the day teaching Katrina in the Lighthall's home. We talked about the Atonement and Sister Lighthall shared a very personal experience about the atonement and the Spirit was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. Then we told Katrina she can fully access the atonement through becoming baptized and she said.... "Of course I want to be baptized! I was just waiting for you guys to tell me I was ready!" She's ready :)

Next, we headed to Dave's to sit on camp chairs outside his house in the rain and read the Book of Mormon together :) He is SO excited for his baptism this Saturday! Keep him in your prayers!! Dave is one of a kind. Although his family is VERY against his baptism, he's not letting anything get in his way because "he feels it in his heart." 

We had a few other powerful member present lessons and ended the night at the Ginn's where brother Ginn showed us his HUGE train set. The boys would have died. I took pictures :)

Sunday was also wonderful. It was ward conference! Our stake president talked about "walking uprightly before God." Although sometimes our path isn't clear, if we have a goal we're working toward with God, we will be able to find the way.

Brother Le Wall (who's british!!) talked in Sunday School about taking risks. Why risk it, even if it seems like a small thing, if it's going to have eternal consequences?

Last night I told Sister Bowers that my heart was just SO FULL of love for the Gospel. It is my life. It is EVERYTHING.

Oh and.........

I'M GOING TO THE TEMPLE WEDNESDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not be happier for anything in my life. 

I love you all SO much!

xoxoxox

Sister Rolfe 

Pictures:

Best water tower I've ever seen

Exchanges! :)

Us and our zone leaders!

20 Seconds of Insane Courage {10.14.14}

Happy Tuesday! :) I don't get to say that to you very often. I missed you all yesterday, but I literally had a life changing day. I will get to that in a minute, though. First, I want to tell you about an experience I had earlier in the week on an exchange. 

Remember on the movie We Bought a Zoo how the dad talks about having 20 seconds of insane courage? That saying has come back to me over and over on my mission. I can do anything for 20 seconds! On Saturday I had the wonderful privilege of being on an exchange with a sister in her area. She expressed her concerns to me of just being afraid. I asked her what she wants to change/accomplish while serving in this area and she said, "I want to be brave." This sister has such a powerful testimony, just has a hard time opening her mouth--as we all do sometimes! Once again, the 20 seconds of courage popped into my mind so I shared the thought with her and that is what we decided to do that day. 

We found ourselves mid afternoon in a trailer park in the middle of nowhere, Indiana and all of the people we had come to visit had fallen through. So, we walked around and it was seeming a little deserted. Then we spotted a woman about to get into her car. I knew this was our chance so I pulled Sis. A ahead with me and we may or may not have speed-walked/jogged up to this lady. We started to talk and found out........ She just moved and had met with sister missionaries in her last town!!! And she was more than happy to meet with us again :) WOO! Definitely a tender mercy of opening our mouths. We kept walking and didn't see anyone else, so we knocked on a door and had a pretty awkward experience I won't go into details about. Almost back to the car, I had a feeling we hadn't yet fulfilled our purpose of being in this area so I told Sis. A we would knock on one more door (20 more seconds). A certain trailer was standing out to us so we headed in that direction and when we got closer it had a giant 17 on the side of it-- I KNEW it was the one (mom and dads birthdays, of course this was it). The door was wide open so we started talking to the woman inside. One thing led to another and we found out her dream vacation was Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm pretty sure that was the first time I have ever and will ever hear anyone say that. As we continued to talk we found out she LOVES genealogy and has used the church site for years and was always curious to learn more about the church! At the end of our visit she told us she would buy a Book of Mormon before we came back so she could start reading. We assured her we could get her a copy at no cost :) WOW! What a miracle of exercising a little faith, just 20 seconds of courage to say hello to a woman and in turn change her eternity. 

Exercise your faith for 20 seconds this week and you will see miracles!!

Now onto the sisters conference. It was wonderful! All 94 sisters in our mission were there and it was just one big happy reunion/spiritual feast. We started the day with two life changing talks by president and sister porter, then the sister training leaders sang a song one of the STLs had written. Then everyone changed and we kickboxed together :) Next was a delicious lunch followed by break out sessions with the STLs (Sis Bowers and I talked about seeing ourselves as God sees us). Then we played some games and had a clothing swap and ended the day singing the new version of Sisters In Zion. POWERFUL. I was just overcome with such a love for my sisters and an overwhelming sense of the love God has for his daughters. President Porter talked about the divine role of women-- how we were God's crowning creation. His talk also helped me understand the priesthood in a new light. He explained that Priesthood holders are to preside which means to bless, teach, and set in order. They are also to provide and protect us women. Women don't hold the priesthood because we are not meant to protect ourselves and we are His crowning creation, of course he wants us protected! He then went on the explain our divine role in bearing and nurturing children. He said every time a child is born he is saved from the grasps of satan because he or she now has a physical body. So, we as women are co-creators with Jesus Christ. We have the best position of anyone on Earth to bring someone eternal life. Pro-creative power= power to defeat satan! Just to be a mom= Just defeated Satan forever. WOW. 

I agree with President Porter in saying, "The formative years of my life were formed by my angel mother." 

If you can't tell, I am feeling pretty empowered as a woman, which I already have gained over my mission and it just increased yesterday. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I am God's DAUGHTER. I have a DIVINE purposed here! And so do each and every one of you. All of you mothers reading this, please stop being so hard on yourself, stop comparing yourself with all of the women of the world, and rejoice in fulfilling your divine role and calling!

I love you all more than words can express,

xoxoxox

Sister Rolfe 

For more womanhood awesomeness, read this :)

http://www.daringyoungmom.com/2012/12/19/drops-of-awesome/

Pictures:

Exchanges!

My AMAZING missionary cousin, Sister Ryan :)

My Posterity (from right to left) 

Sister Holtz (granddaughter) Sis Wight (daughter) Me! Sis Parker (mom) Sis Fox (daughter) Sis Fausett (granddaughter) It's so wonderful to see my posterity grow :)

Sister FOXY and I!! REUNITED :)

A Few More Pictures:

Conference Miracles {10.6.14}

This week was a life changing one. I feel like the amount of things that have happened this week (interviews with President Porter, exchanges with Sister Wight, Mission Leadership Council, and of course, General Conference) could have comprised a month of my mission rather than a week! So, I'm going to suffice by telling you one of my favorite parts-- our conference miracles :)

1. We have been working with the Fugate family. They have so much potential and such a sincere desire to learn, but have been having a really hard time getting to church. Many Sundays in a row they have committed and then not shown up and it has been a bit discouraging. This week they committed to come to Conference! We set a time to meet them at the church, but the day before and morning of they wouldn't answer or respond to any of our calls/texts. To our great surprise, when we pulled up to the church, there was the entire Fugate family!!!! We almost died of happiness. Never doubt the Lord! He has humbled my doubtful thoughts many times this week and I have learned, once again to live my favorite scripture, "Doubt Not, Fear Not!"

2. We watched the Saturday afternoon session with Katrina at the Lighthalls! She is as wonderful as ever and we later found out she watched ALL of conference! She watched the other sessions on her own at her house. Wow! Not even all members can say that ;)

3. It's starting to get dark pretty early, before we go home, and no one likes you coming to their house when it's dark so the nights have been a little tricky this week. Saturday evening we only had 30 minutes left and had absolutely no idea what to do or where to go. We eventually decided to stop by a less active's house. We've been trying to visit him for weeks, but haven't been able to get a hold of him since the initial day we met him almost 2 months ago. Well, he answered the door and invited us in right away! We couldn't because there wasn't a woman home, but he was more than happy to stand and talk to us on the porch. We told him about conference and he told us he wouldn't make any promises. Then, we bore our testimonies of a modern day prophet and the experiences we have each had with conference and he said, "Well, I think that is something I better do." He agreed to watch AND take notes so we could talk about it when he invited us over for dinner that week with his girlfriend!!! Holy cow! This is a huge deal for this guy! And it gets better,  I know his mom from the Eastgate ward! It is such a small world in the church.

4. Sunday morning, Bo and Brittany were going to attend with us. We showed up to pick them up (with a member) and Bo had completely forgotten and Brittany wasn't even there. Bo agreed to get ready quickly and we agreed to wait. We started talking to his friend, Austin who we have met a couple times and basically has no interest in anything to do with religion or God whatsoever. He actually just got out of jail the night before (he was just in for a day.. nothing too serious, don't freak out mom). Sister Bowers and I each felt impressed to invite him to attend conference-- he politely declined. As we left with Bo, we invited him one more time just to be sure and... he said yes!!! During conference, they slipped out to sit in the hall and listen. The Elders acted on a prompting to follow them and had a really good heart to heart. As we drove home from conference they each expressed how questions they had had been answered and they asked if they could come with us next week!!

5. After dropping them off, we headed back to the church for a luncheon some of the sweet members had put together. When we walked in, there was Deanna sitting amongst them! This was a bit of a shock because we haven't heard from her since she moved. She was happy to see us and stayed to watch the next session of conference even though her boyfriend didn't want her to. Another of our investigators, Dave, who was there, just happened to be her old next door neighbor! Oh and Dave informed us that he would like to be baptized :)

I could literally go on and on about the miracles we saw this weekend. Heavenly Father just opened the heavens and poured them out. It made conference and even more wonderful and sacred experience than it already is. All in all, we were able to help 10 of our friends hear the words of the living prophet and increase their faith in Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the restored gospel. I'm grateful for inspired leaders called of God who are such a light in this dark world. I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to be a representative of my Lord, Jesus Christ, and help others learn about these wonderful truths. And I am SO inexplicably grateful for my wonderful family who support, uplift, and encourage me. Like Elder Callister, I can never express my gratitude for my prime gospel teachers. 

May we continue to stand strong and strengthen others. For simply knowing the truth will not change our world unless we ACT on it. Let's stay in the Old Ship Zion together! :)

All my love,

xoxoxox

Sister Rolfe 

Pictures:

My daughter (sis Wight) and granddaughter (Sis Holtz)

On the ferry on the way to leadership council!

We decorated for Halloween :)

Sister Parker (my mom) is going home :(