February 21st and 28th

February 21^st  

Dear Friends and Family,

         This week was so much fun! On Valentine’s Day we put hearts on all our investigators doors and some of our less active members. We also did it for our Relief Society President. I don't think I have ever met anyone in my entire life that lives up to the phrase "charity never faileth" like she does. This woman sets the bar high for Relief Society Presidents everywhere! She is always doing things for others just because she truly loves them! There's no way I could ever say enough about Sister Adir. I just want everyone to know about this woman who has just been put on to "My Heroes List". It was a lot of fun and because we went out of our way to make these families feel special we were able to get into some peoples homes that we couldn't before. 

          Also this week Sister T and I both almost got kissed. Sister T and I were visiting a mental heath home to see one of the members in our ward that is staying there. A man came in the room and the Sister from the ward introduced him to us. Sister T put out here hand for a hand shack and he went down to his one knee and tried to kiss her hand, she pulled a way and he tried to get it back, twice. It was one of those moments that you just want to laugh until you cry. He then told us that we were both very attractive over and over until we left the room. Then at church a little boy and his family sat next to us. I talked to him and shared the treats I keep in my bag. I had made a new friend! Halfway though sacrament he told me that he had something for me and then tried to kiss me! I put my hand between him and I. He was so determined that he pulled him self off the bench and was hanging around my neck. I love being in a family ward it's so much fun! Even if I have to dodge a kiss here and there.

         I hope everyone is having a great week! The missionary work is going great here we are teaching up a storm and loving every moment. We have a baptism on the 3rd and I can't wait. Today someone asked me why I was so happy and when I told them because of my church they where blown out of the water. We have such a leg up on the rest of the world in life. SO LIVE IT UP!!!!!!!

Love you all,

Sister Cannaday

February 28^th

Hello Everyone,

          This week has been a lot of fun! There is a 74 year old Sister we have been teaching that has a little dementia. It was her birthday on the 24^th so we took her cake and ice cream and a silly birthday hat! It was so much fun to go play and teach her and see her just soaking everything up. There is another sister in our ward that had a birthday this week and I had one of the neatest experiences with helping her. She has M.S and has a hared time coming to church so we decided to take notes and teacher what we had learned from church. This week she couldn’t make it and we had one of the best sacrament meetings I have been to in a long time, but the really neat part was that as I took notes I could feel the sprit prompting me and giving me scriptures and ideas that would help her. As we taught the lesson to her the sprit was so strong in the room and the revelation she got was answers to long awaited prayers. I love being a tool in the Lord’s hands. It's so fulfilling. This last week we had a lesson on preparing young man to serve missions. There is nothing like serving a mission! The joy it will bring will last a lifetime and will give you strength and you can draw from forever. Moms stay strong and help your sons, Dads be the priesthood leader that they can follow! "We are a family that serves MISSIONS!" (Hollin)

Just so you all know I miss you all dearly!!! Sorry my letter is so short this week we have to get going to a lesson but I want all of you to know that I love you and HAPPY BRITHDAY LITTLE AL!!!!!!

Love,

Sister Cannaday 

February 14th

Happy Valentines Day Everyone,

         I hope your day is full of love from your family and for the Lord. I have had a fantastic week full of work and joy. On Sunday I had the chance to sing in a missionary fireside it was really fun and the first time that I have sung in front of people in a long time. I forgot how much I love to do it. Sadly it was in a chapel so it couldn’t be record and sent for all of you to hear.

         I have loved my district so far on my mission! Sadly this week we were broken up four of the missionaries either went home or were transferred it was a big bummer! P-day will not be the same with out them.

         This week was a little yucky because Sis. T got sick with a cold and as she got better I came down with it. But we still went out everyday and served the Lord. I know the Lord gives you strength when you really need it. I was told a story by Sister T his week about the Hawaii temple. When she was in the MTC a speaker came and told them a story from his mission in Japan. It went something like this… One day they were knocking doors and we found a man that said, "Oh you are the ones that have that special white protected building in Hawaii" the man was one of the bombers in pearl harbor after he had hit his targets he was flying around the island and saw the temple he thought is look important and had some bombs left. He flew over and hit the switch to release the bombs, but it didn't work he flew over again and it still didn't work he flew over a third time and the same thing it wouldn’t release the bombs. He then flew over the ocean hit the switch and the bombs dropped. He went back determined to get this building and the switch didn't work again. He gave up after that. The man then asked what has the name of the God that we pray to because it would be nice to have him on his side. The Lord blesses us in ways that sometimes we never know. The people in the temple never knew that were in danger and the Lord protected them. There are so many things that we should be thankful for that we don't even know are happening. Be grateful this week for those you love, I know that I am so happy to be a part of our family. Just so everyone knows last night I came home to a box full of flowers from Troy! I love that boy! I know we are doing the right thing by serving the Lord. I'm one lucky girl! I hope you all have a great week and remember that our Heavenly Father loves you.

Love, Sister Cannaday

February 7th

Hello Family and Friends,

         This week has been great for me! I hope has been just as good for all of you as it has been for Sister Taugolo and I! After you have been on you mission for a little while you forget everything that you have written home about and mission life comes to feel normal. It my feel normal but I will never take it for granted, I love the special spirit that we carry with us as missionaries! There are no words that could really express how you feel as a missionary. There are plenty of hard times, but they seam to fade and the really great moments where the sprit is strong stay in your heart and keep your feet moving. I love being a missionary!

         This week we got to teach a girl named Tori I'm not sure if I have told you about her yet but she is seventeen and is looking for the truth. It is so neat to see the light bulbs go off as we teach. Something I’m still learning is to make sure that we are asking the right questions. We have been teaching Tori for three weeks and she has felt the spirit and know she has, but she doesn’t know if she is getting answers to her prayers. We had taught her how to pray and what the spirit feels like, but we forgot to tell her that if she asks God if something is true and then she feels that spirit that it is testifying of the truth to her. After we told her that it made sense and she knew that her answers were been answered. Ok. Example number two we are teaching a 50 something year old woman named Nina that is progressing great but had some questions about baptism. She asked, "Where do you get baptized" I answered her " Oh there is a big bathtub like font in the meeting house where you came to church."

Her eyes got really big Nina, " Do we do it in private?"  Me, "NO you invite whomever you want to come" Her eyes got bigger. Then the light bulb went off in my head, she thought she got baptized naked!!!  When I realized the misunderstanding I yelped "Oh No! You wear clothes! You wear close!" her face went back to normal and Sister T and I apologized that we didn't explain it every well. Once we got the car we busted up with laughter.        

          I also got peed on this week… because a puppy was so happy to see us. It has been a week to remember. I love you all and I hope everything is going well.

Love, Sister Cannaday.

Jan 24th and 31st

Jan 24th 

Hello everyone,

          This week was great we have been super busy teaching lessons and helping people out. We just taught and taught and taught and taught and taught and taught. (You get the idea!) This P-day was ‘Polly day” (Polynesian day) once every 6 mouths all the “Pollys” and the companions get together, play volleyball, and eat their hearts out. We had KFC and it was really good! (Mom I thought of you). I only played volleyball for one game they were all really good and it was really intense. I honestly just didn't want to break my nose. Part way through all the Sisters were going to play mini golf, but one “Polly Sister” wanted to stay so they all did! It ended up being only being “The White Sisters” that went and played mini golf. I thought this would be safer, but there was one Sister that hit the ball so hard that she could have knocked us out. It was a really long game that involved some cheating in order for all the balls to get in the holes. It was a lot of fun. All the sisters that played mini golf talked about how much they loved serving with a “Polly”, we are all have so much fun.

         I love being on a mission. My life now seams like how my life should have always been! I just love it! I'm so glad that I’m here serving the lord.

         My president told me he was going to leave me here for a while, but he asked me some weird question yesterday and Sister T said that that’s what he dose before he moves you or your companion. I will let everyone know what’s going on as soon as I do. I love all of you so much and miss you! Oh and my mission is going way to fast! : )

Sister Cannaday

Jan 31st

Dear Family and Friends,

         So this week was great! We taught 28 lessons total. Before we got in this area the sisters were only getting 6-10 lessons a week. It's amazing what hared work and smiling face's can do.  We are teaching a girl named Tori she is 16 and has been doing great! She is coming to church and reading everyday. The last lesson we taught she had lots of questions about prophets and prayer! We planned on teaching about prophets but were not planning on prayer. I had this over whelming feeling that we needed to watch with her the prophet’s last conference talk. I didn't remember what it was about, but getting some help form a prophet is never a bad idea. The talk was titled “Stand in holy places" it was the talk where the prophet bore his testimony about prayer. The sprit was so strong that everyone in the room was starting to tear up. I love moments like these where we get to share the truth and blessing of the gospel with someone who really wants to know. I know that by following the teaching of the gospel and doing what the prophets have asked us to do we will find great joy in our lives things still might be hard but we have the Savior there to help lift us up. I read a talk in my personal study by Elder Hollin and in it he told a story of a dream.

 "As a young missionary, Elder Orson F. Whitney (1855–1931), who later served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, had a dream so powerful that it changed his life forever. He later wrote:

“One night I dreamed … that I was in the Garden of Gethsemane, a witness of the Savior’s agony. … I stood behind a tree in the foreground. … Jesus, with Peter, James, and John, came through a little wicket gate at my right. Leaving the three Apostles there, after telling them to kneel and pray, He passed over to the other side, where He also knelt and prayed … : ‘Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will but as Thou wilt.’

“As He prayed the tears streamed down His face, which was [turned] toward me. I was so moved at the sight that I wept also, out of pure sympathy with His great sorrow. My whole heart went out to Him. I loved Him with all my soul and longed to be with Him as I longed for nothing else.

“Presently He arose and walked to where those Apostles were kneeling—fast asleep! He shook them gently, awoke them, and in a tone of tender reproach, untinctured by the least show of anger or scolding, asked them if they could not watch with Him one hour. …

“Returning to His place, He prayed again and then went back and found them again sleeping. Again He awoke them, admonished them, and returned and prayed as before. Three times this happened, until I was perfectly familiar with His appearance—face, form, and movements. He was of noble stature and of majestic mien … the very God that He was and is, yet as meek and lowly as a little child.

“All at once the circumstance seemed to change. … Instead of before, it was after the Crucifixion, and the Savior, with those three Apostles, now stood together in a group at my left. They were about to depart and ascend into heaven. I could endure it no longer. I ran from behind the tree, fell at His feet, clasped Him around the knees, and begged Him to take me with Him.

“I shall never forget the kind and gentle manner in which He stooped and raised me up and embraced me. It was so vivid, so real that I felt the very warmth of His bosom against which I rested. Then He said: ‘No, my son; these have finished their work, and they may go with me; but you must stay and finish yours.’ Still I clung to Him. Gazing up into His face—for He was taller than I—I besought Him most earnestly: ‘Well, promise me that I will come to You at the last.’ He smiled sweetly and tenderly and replied: ‘That will depend entirely upon yourself.’ I awoke with a sob in my throat, and it was morning.”' ¹

     

The details of this story made me feel as if was the one rapping my arms around the Savior and pleading with him. He loves us and wants us to be happy and wants us to be with him again we just have to do everything that we can first. I love you all and hope that everything is going well. Please remember that through the Savior we can all make it back to our Heavenly Father. 

Love you all,

Sister Cannaday