Dec 17th

DEC 17^th

Hello everyone!

         It was so good to call home last night It's so good to know that everyone is doing so well and that everyone is happy. I miss you all so much and I don't think there is anything else, but serving the Lord that I could be away from you all and still be sane. I love you all. 

   So this week has been so much fun! I was able to go to a baptism for someone that I taught in Livermore. It was so amazing to see the people you teach come up out of the water and see that glow on their face. WOW! This work is so amazing it truly is the work of the Lord. There is so much happiness that comes from doing this work. The happiness is a miracle in it’s self.

         We have been working nonstop with less active this week and it has really made me think about how we really need the teach children and help them gain that testimony of the truth and help them build that foundation so that when they are on theirown they can stand on their own. 

   This was prefect timing because I also have been reading the story of the stripling warriors. They had such a solid foundation that even when their life's were at stake they had a perfect knowledge that the Lord would be by their side.  I hope that I can do that for my children and that we can all make that our goal. 

 I love you all and hope that you have a great Christmas.

Love, Sister Cannaday   

  

Dec 10th

DEC 10^th

Hi everyone,

Here is the new address

315 East San Fernando Street 

apt # 22

San Jose, CA 95112

   I'm now serving in the Washington Square young single adult branch. It's a small branch, but there is a lot of work that can be done here. I have two companions I'm training Sister Craig, and Sister Yunack who is from "Vanuatu, which is a little island near Fiji." That’s what she tells everyone! They are really cute and both killer missionaries. I feel very blessed to be here with them. Being a missionary for a singles ward is just a little wired to tell you the truth! They are all people our age and well we get to have too much fun! I wish I could explain it, but it is true.  This area is going to have it's challenges just like my last area but I already love the people so much it's crazy. There wasn't much that happened this week but getting lost a lot! I'm sure that doesn’t surprise you much.  I love you all and hope everything is going well talk to you soon!  Oh shot out the all those it Livermore!  I love you and can't stop talking about you. Vegan, energy flow, cats, and, German is all I have been talking about. I miss you all already.

-Sister Cannaday

POEMS

Here are two poems that people have written about Jillian while she has been on her mission!

If there is one thing I can say,

It's that I know a missionary true,

whom is as beautiful and sweet and the morning due.

When she wakes up to a brand new day,

her smile and kick in her step,

gives even the lowest of men a little pep.

She preaches that "the Son is the way."

When the people hear the great words that she spouts,

it makes their whole hearts erupt with joyful shouts.

The woman I speak of, if I may,

and whom for, in our hearts, we continually pray,

is the fair Sister Cannaday of Mission San Jose.

-Alan Cannaday (Jill's Older Brother)

This one is written by someone on her mission

I Asked The Lord for an Angel

Lord, you brought me an Angel

She was the brightest of them all

For her light was guided unto me

Even before I made the call

I can still see her on that first day

As if she had descended from Heaven

She was gracefully placed into the lives of my loved ones

"Oh Lord, why can I not ask her to stay?"

This Angel we call friend

This Angel we call family

This Angel who's smile and laugh brightens a room

This Angel who's eyes shine your Light, my Lord

This Angel who speaks your Truth

This Angel who spreads your Joy

This Angel who radiates your Love upon Thy world

As if that weren't enough....

She brought the Angels' Song down to Earth

So that everyone may hear it....

And know Thy Presence

This Angel....

They named Jillian

She is incredible! My mom talked to her mission president last week and he said that she is the best missionary he has ever had and that she would be perfect if only she could spell! HAHAHA! For those of your that know Jill she is a terrible speller! : ) 

Love this girl!

Dec 3rd

Dec 3rd

I have heart-breaking news! I’m being moved out of Livermore into a new area I don't know where, but I just know that leaving this place has not been easy at all. I have loved my time here with Sister Billings it has been unforgettable! This last week we got a new baptismal date and rock the socks off of all the people we thought. I will miss this place a lot and all the people here so much! Livermore is always going to have a really big piece of my missionary heart. To tell you the truth all I can think about is having to pack still and saying good-bye to a big list of people. I love you all and I'm excited to write you all about my new area hope you all had a great week. -Sister Cannaday.

Nov 26th

November 26^th

Hi everyone! This week I really did have a lot to be thankful for.

   My Thanksgiving was wonderful I ate so much that I was in pain. There was this sweet big family of 8 that signed up to feed us months ago and three other families that wouldn't take no for an answer so we had 4 dinners. It was crazy, but so much fun and they all tasted so different but they were all very yummy. The people are so nice here they really love the missionaries.

     This week was great because we saw miracles happen. We have this one young man that has been coming to church for a while and has just started taking the lessons he reminds me of Joseph Smith. He is only 16, but he wants the light in his life so badly. He wasn't sure that his prayers were being answered, so this week we were going to fast with him on Sunday. Saturday he told us that he had had a answer to his prayers and that he wants to be baptized.

        We were also teaching this great woman who has a smoking problem. We have been praying that she would have a desire to quit. We thought a lesson from 1 Nephi 3:7 about how the Lord will help us keep commandments then we explained the word of wisdom and asked her to follow it. She told us she had already decided that day that she was going to quit smoking. I love this work with pray it always moves forward.

   I really want to tell my family how much I love them! Thank you for all the wonderful Thanksgivings that we had and thank you for all the traditions that we have together it really means the world to me now that I'm so far away. I really have found a lot of strength in that.  Mom and Dad thank you for giving us all those great traditions like of stuffing the turkey and making the pie I know that those are all thing that I'm going to carry over in to my family that I have.  

    Everyone there really is so much joy found in living to gospel and please don't take it for granted! Never just be ok with where you are spiritually. You should always be moving, make that movement closer to Christ. Spending time with family is part of the gospel that’s why this season lifts so many people’s spirits. Take advantage of this great gift. I love you all and hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

-Sister Cannaday

Nov 19th

November 19^th

Ok every one this week went by SO FAST!!!! Really I have never felt like time just went so fast ever in my life. It’s because we were working so hard and teaching so many people that! There were many days that we had to cancel dinner so we could teach everyone.  So Thanksgiving is this week so I wanted to tell you all what I'm thankful for.

1. The Gospel and it just being in my life.

2. Knowing that my Father in Heaven loves me

3. My family the one I have now and that family I will have in the future

4. Knowing that that family doesn’t end here that it will go on after this life

5. My Heavenly Father’s love for all those I meet

6. The yummy brussel sprouts I ate for lunch. It is such a blessing to have food to eat.

7. Being able to share this message with those that need it the most.

8. Being a missionary.

9. The spirit and how it testifies to all of us the truth and fills us with light

10. This wonderful body that I have been given so I can become more like my Father in Heaven.

11. Letters (hint hint)

12 .Our Savior and his atonement. Knowing if I will turn my heart to him all thing will be made right.

13. That those who don't have the chance to except the gospel in this life can in the next.

14. The scriptures so that we can learn the will of the father.

15. Knowing that no one else can take away my chance to return to my father. That I have my agency

16. The power of God being on the earth today.

   I could go on and on about the many many things I’m grateful for, but all of it is because I have a loving Heavenly Father that wants all of us to be happy here as long as we will keep his commandments we will be.

 Wow how blessed are we all that our Father lets us come down to this earth and gave us the opportunity to grow and make mistakes. I have been sent to a wonderful family here on earth and what a great blessing they have been to me here. I hope all of us take  the time to think about the things that we are thankful for and are truly eternal.  I hope you all have fun getting fat without me. Dad I miss the chocolate pie already. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! -Sister Cannaday

Nov 13th

November 13th

Hello everyone.

This week so so so neat! We started teaching three new people. Which is really great for Livermore.  One of them is this great lady that has really reached the lowest of low. The cool part is that she sees how God may have put her in this place so that her heart could be softened enough to except the gospel and listen to us. We have been over there every night since we met her and by the second day she could tell that “there is just so much light” that has come in to her life and that there is so much power in the Book of Mormon.  It is so cool to me that the Lord is preparing people in so many ways. Some he gives so much light they can’t deny it and others it takes going to the drakes place to be able to recognize the light.

So right now I’m in Alam in my personal study and I wish it was longer. I love all the stories in Alma! There are so many people in this book that show such great faith and bear such great testimony that it is such a wonderful part of The Book of Mormon.  I just want everyone to know that I love The Book of Mormon. What a wonderful gift we have been given.   I hope all of us are reading from it every day because it really will change your life. It has changed this lady we are teaching in just four short days.

 There is a talk that has real struck a chord with me this last week about gratitude in it there is a great Quote by ElderJeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles ““No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse.” ¹⁰ Identify and list your complaining and ungrateful thoughts, and replace them with grateful thoughts and problem-solving strategies. We are prone to be more grateful when we recall how others have contributed to our success and happiness and when we focus on positive action rather than passive complaining.”

It also talks about how we find more joy in life when we are more grateful and I think this really comes down to having Hope in life and the world around you. We all need to look on the bright side and show our gratitude to all those around us. It will bring so much more happiness into our lives.

I love you all and know that we can all have more light in our lives as we fill it with the best so righteous things  we can. And then we can share that light with all those around us. SHINE FORTH! I love you all and will talk to you next week. –Sister Cannaday