Transfer week!!!

Well this won't be my typical letter as its been a crazy week & I don't have a lot of time, sorry folks!  Let me start out with, "Yes, I am doing better, it will just take some time & im hoping now to stay out of the hospital & Dr. Office...lol!!!"   Sorry if I worried anyone but I'll be ok.  We had a great Thanksgiving and I hope y'all did too!  We had a ton of miracles & blessings this last week and we have lots of investigators at the moment!!! (It's so exciting)
Mom told me about the "Just Serve" you are doing there and well that's pretty much all we do here everyday & I've learned to love it & love service !!!  Im sorry this is so short but also, FYI  I'll be here another 6 weeks cause we don't transfer tomorrow!!!  So glad I'll be staying here in San Marcos,  I love these guys here & there's lots of work to do!  More in my next letter...love n miss everyone like crazy!!! Only 25 more days!!!!!!!

Love Sister Prather

Faith vs. Hope

In the scriptures its says it talks alot about Faith and Hope and if you have this enormous amount of Faith then great things will happen. Now I dont know about the rest of you but I always had trouble figuring out what the heck the Difference is between them.... In Primary we learn the song "faith is like a little seed if planted it will grow. faith is a swelling within your heart when I do right I know!" that's great and all but it still doesn't help me! so I decided to ask in one of my Zone training meetings thinking I was the only Missionary that needed help with this distinction and I got answers like "Faith is an Action word" and "Well they are pretty much the same." and just answers you would hear in Seminary (so all of those of you who think that Missionaries have this bank of knowledge sorry to burst that perseption for ya) But they werent really helpful because I could hope that I would walk on water I think that would be the coolest thing ever .. but do I have the faith that I will thats what I wanted to know How do I know that I have the faith enough for miracles?? So I decided I was just going to studdy harder than I had before in my life because Our investigator wanted to know the difference as well. I remember when I had this question with my trainor and she chuckled and said it will be a good study I think she studied it for like a week if not longer. So I grabbed my scriptures and my PMG and I just tore into it I prayed like crazy before hand and all through out studding. I came to the scripture Alma 32:21. And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. And this didnt really help me because it says its the same thing.... so in PMG in Christ Like attributes under Hope it says "Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you." so Hope is Trusting the Lord!!!! Okay now we are getting somewhere. When we have Hope in something We are Trusting in the Lord to give us those promises and then we are lead to act... Through those actions we are showing Faith because we are more then just trusting we know... But wait what about that scripture about the perfect Knowledge thing? Alma 32:34" And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea,your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand." BOOM! Faith is Knowledge in the things that we hoped for! and we show our Faith by acting or doing that which the Lord would have us do. lets take a for instance with me and the Atonement. I Hoped that the Atonement would work for me so then trusting the Lord that I would be forgiven I act in faith and I ask for Forgiveness then When I receive that Forgiveness I have a Perfect Knowledge that the Atonement always works! I know its just a little thing but it shows the principle! I love you all so much and I cant wait until next week! Happy Thanksgiving! 

--
Sincerely Sister Prather

Pics in San Marcos & Conference

Me & Sis. Larson Hanging out!

Me & Sis. Larson in our Apartment

Me & my buddies from Carslbad area being goofy~

Me & Sis. Cartenza at Elder Grow (from the 70) Conference

Bundled up trying to keep warm...I am FREEZING
 in CALIFORNIA of all places...lol

Taking a pic at Elder Grow's conference with some awesome Elders!!!

A beautiful ranch with horses in my new area in San Marcos!

Sending Kisses to my Momma!!!  Miss her tons~

More kisses from your Angel~

Simply Beautiful in her Apartment!
(Look at her GLOWING)

Winter What???!!!?!?!?!??

Okay so Just a little Fyi I hate the cold I don't know Why I wanted to go to Russia that was dumb! This week was absolutely Amazing! We had Elder Grow from the 70 come and talk to us at our Zone conference Meeting and that blew my mind We talked about so many great things and I wish I could recount them all to you but I am not that skilled. At one point he had asked us if any of us had been inactive in our lives so a lot of us rose our hands and he went around and asked people why and what brought them back to the church and why are they out on a mission! and at first I didn't want to share at all cause I was embarrassed but while I was listening to all of these stories The common factor was Missionaries which got me thinking about the wonderful Sister Missionaries who I drew so close with and I realized that it was a huge pattern all of these current missionaries were here one way or another because of an influence of Missionaries. Now I understand that this is not the case for all people who go inactive and then decide that they want to serve a mission but it was a big factor in the group that I was with! Elder Grow talked about his converts and how he wanted to know that if any of his families went inactive that there would be a missionary that would care enough about them to help them. and how we would want the same. It made me very appreciative of "My missionaries" and ALL Missionaries. This week I was blessed with the opportunity to have one of our Investigators ask us to be baptized. She came to it all on her own and she told us straight up "I want to be baptized!" I don't know what she said after that because I had passed out but it was so amazing to me to feel that genuine desire and love for something she wanted and How much I realized I really dont do anything our lessons were never perfect they were never what we planned but they were what she needed. I am just so thankful that I got the chance to be a part of something like that! Sorry this email is so scatter Brained but if you know me you will be fine its easier then trying to follow a conversation! So Some funny things that happened this week! While I was reading Power of Everyday Missionary I had finally realized that Parable meant made up..... which means the good samaritan and the prodigal son were all fake.... I was pretty messed up over it! I fell of my bike at an intersection. I tried telling someone that I spoke American but I really meant to say English. Oh And me and sister Larsen bought the best invention ever GLOVES!  It really isnt that cold but when its raining and you are on bikes its flippen Freezing! Well thats all for this week I love you guys so much And I love this Gospel more than air I really can not put into words just how much I love being a missionary!

Pics of Temple and new area

Me and Emily having dessert!!! She is the BEST EVER...

Emily giving me some love...

Say Cheese!!!
(Emily is the sweetest Angel that sends me pics
of my Angel when I seem to need it the most!!!)
I can't wait to finally meet her and give her a big hug as well~

Nothing better then going to the House of the Lord!!!

San Diego Temple with My new companion
Sis. Larson next to me!!!!

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!!
AUGUSTA Drive... Missing home...

Taking a well needed load off...LOL

Holy Shift!!!

Hello There,

So as most of you know I am in a new area where I have to ride bikes.... well I probably should have already known this but when you are riding up hills you have to shift to the lower gears so that you don't kill yourself! Well no one told me! so I was out of commission for a day and a half cause I did something seriously wonky to my Knee. as I was thinking about how dumb I felt about not switching gears and doing 6 up a pretty huge hill I thought of how many times we do something like that in our day to day lives! How many moms still try to do the things they did before when they were young when they have kids and get burnt out? How many missionaries Try being and living the same way they did before their missions and end up not being able to handle the requirements and the tasks at hand....? I got put into a new area and I had a terrible time my first week but only because I wanted it to be exactly like my last area.... dumb! Yesterday in Relief Society the lesson was over "WE NEED Woman WHO:" and one of those things were learn how to laugh when things go wrong. What really hit me is when they read the story that Pres. Uchtdorf gave in women's conference and I realized that I was Eva who Absolutely Positively did NOT want to go to great aunt rose house and I really had to reflect on myself Because last Monday my mom and Aunt had told me the same thing Be my self and things will be okay.. I had heard all of that before But I felt pressure to be as goo as my last companion or my new companions last companion I felt like I had to change my whole self to be good in this new area... But it took a pretty cool Elder telling me to get over my self and I am here for a reason. That I have something that ONLY I could bring to this area and there is someone waiting for Me specifically and that if God wanted the same Missionary in each place We wouldn't be moved and God would only call the same people. But he doesn't and we each have a reason as to why we are here! So I decided I would change my attitude and it really did help! I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the House of the Lord and even when I went there my attitude was different I shifted Gears in my ways of thinking feeling and responding! I have never gotten so much out a temple trip as I did this last one! Then a couple days later I got so sick Like unreasonably sick for no reason.. And I woke up at like 5:30 pm and The spirit told me to go out side and Go on a walk... I thought that it was stupid I was still in my PJ's but fine I'll do it so I woke up my companion who was also not feeling well we walked out of our apartment and Lo and Behold the YSA (Young Single Adult) Elders in my new area were standing out side of our apartment complex looking at me Side way And I thought to my self AWESOME! Now I never have to wear Make up in front of them EVER again. They asked me what was wrong and I had told them and They asked if I wanted a blessing I said Of coarse but where are we gonna do it you cant come into our Apt and We don't have a car to drive any where... Then they told us we had a member live in our same neighborhood we could give it there.... I asked them if I had to put real clothes on and if I didn't have to that I would go lol. So we walk to this members house and he invites us in and in my blessing it was said that the reason of me being sick was to bless me and Protect me and My companion because something that we planned was going to put us in Harms way! I instantly knew what it was and I just felt more peace... While I was sick I felt like it was okay which was weird because no one is really happy when they are sick but I felt peace and then I understood why! That night I was able to have Dinner with a member in my PJ's How many Missionaries can say that!? Well sorry this week was so scattered but it was a good one!!! I love you guys very Much and cant wait to hear from Y'all!!!   

Sincerely,  Sister Prather