September 10th and 17th 2012

September 10, 2012

Hello everyone,

I hope every thing is going well in Utah, or where ever you are reading this from. I cannot tell you how much the Lord blesses you when you are having a hared time, if you only ask.  I know that is what has happened to me. This last transfer hasn't been the easiest on my mission so far, or the one that I have felt like I have been helping people much. What this transfer has been is the greatest chance I have ever been given to lean about love, hope, and relying on my Savior. It hasn't been the easiest but I have grown the most, so that makes it the best.

       The biggest lesson I have learned that I want to share with you this week is that the Lord is waiting and willing to help if only we ask!  There are so many good examples of this in 1 Nephi. Here is one of them: After Lehi has the dream about the tree of life he tells his sons. Nephi wanting to know more about what this meant went to the Lord and ask and he was shown. Not only that but he was told what it meant, because he asked he was showed so much more. After Nephi was shown the vision he found his brothers thinking about what their fathers dream might have meant. Nephi ask them if they had asked the Lord? Their response showed their faith. They told him No, for the Lord dose not show such things unto us. Now Nephi knew better then his brothers, Heavenly Father loves them all the same. The only reason why they were not shown the vision was because they did not ask!

    How many times in our lives do we miss out on blessings or our load being lightened because we want ask? "Did you think to pray?" We need to ask in faith knowing that the Lord will answer our prayers. I know that with every bit of my testimony that the Lord hears and answers your prayers. The Lord will not remove our trials from us but strengthen us to bare them.

        I'm losing my companion this week. I have grown to love her so very much. Se is so full of spunk and energy. I know the Lord put us together for a reason and I'm very sad to see her leave.

  

         I want you to know that we are getting a lot of work done here in Livermore and that we are working our tails off and I will keep working this hard until the very end. There is so much joy in this work. Look around for an opportunity where you to be a missionary I promise they are there. I love you all stay strong or I will kick you booties when I get home.

 Love Sister Cannaday

September 17, 2012

Hello everyone! This has been one of the best weeks ever! I got a new companion that is from Orem Utah; she is super nice, kind, and talkative. It’s been a nice change up and we are getting a lot of work done. The Lord is also putting so many people in our path that are ready, it’s crazy. I have found more people that want to learn in this last week then in my whole time here in Livermore.  It has been great! If you can't tell I’m a little happy right now! : )  If I was there telling you this in person I would be jumping up and down. I know that there is so much to be done here I really hope that I will have the time now to do it.

    We started teaching a family this week with a great 12-year-old boy that wants to serve a mission more than anything and get baptized as soon as possible. He has been watching all the missionary movies that he can get his hands on and just can't wait to be an Elder. He is helping his whole family understand how great this gospel is. 

     One other miracle that has happened recently is with a man that we met last night wile talking with people on the street. He was walking by while I was talking to someone else and I just felt like I needed to talk him. At first he told me that he goes to another church. I kept talking to him and after a little while he told us that his dad was a member and that he would like to learn more! We set up an appointment to teach him and then kept talking to people. Not to far down the street he walked up to us again and without saying anything just handed me a cell phone. I didn't know what to do so a just said  " Hello this is Sister Cannaday" It was his dad I was so excited that we met him that he called his dad to tell him. His dad didn't believe him so he found us to talk to him. His dad was so excited that he was in tears when we said goodbye.  Not too long after we had left we got a phone call from him asking if we could move our time to meet to the next day he just couldn't wait. 

     I so happy to do the Lords work and find the people that are ready! I love being a missionary! : )

         I love you all, be good, and keep looking for the missionary opportunities where you are they are there don't be scared the Lord is on your side.

-Sister Cannaday 

September 4th 2012

September 4^th 2012

Hi everyone, sorry that I didn't email last week. Our mission president took my zone and the zone next to ours to the beach to play all day and there was no computer there so that means no e-mail. I would have warned you, but we didn't know until that Saturday night. It was a lot of fun we drove an hour south and spent the night in the mission home and then all drove to the beach in the morning. It was a lot of fun to see our mission president in his PJs eating ice cream right before he went to bed. There are only six sisters in the two zones so we all got to drive down with Sister Watkins and send a lot of time talking it was really fun. Last Monday was awesome mostly because we just laid around and did nothing. It was really nice not to have a thousand things to be doing or running around crunched for time. It was really just a good day.

      This week has been a long hard one full of ups and some really low down. One thing I have come to learn is that this is the hardest thing I have ever done and that I’m still really full of the love of God. When things get hard that doesn’t mean that that joy is gone but that it is when you need it the most!

 "The feeling of love from our Heavenly Father is like a gravitational pull from heaven. As we remove the distractions that pull us toward the world and exercise our agency to seek Him, we open our hearts to a celestial force which draws us toward Him. Nephi described its impact as “even unto the consuming of [his] flesh” (2 Nephi 4:21). This same power of love caused Alma to sing a “song of redeeming love” (Alma 5:26; see also verse 9). It touched Mormon in such a way that he counseled us to “pray … with all the energy of [our] heart” that we might be filled with His love (Moroni 7:48)" 

There have been so many moments here on my mission where I feel like my heart is so big that it is just going to leap out of my chest! I know that for the first time in my life my focus is helping others and my self come closer to God.

I want you all to know that I love you and miss you. Sorry I cant write you back right away but your letters do mean the world to me thank you for your support and your and prayers.

Sister Cannaday

Al and Brooke- I lost your address will you give it to me I want to tell you thank you for the photos.

Love you Jenni!

August 20th 2012

Hi everyone,

     To tell you the truth this week has been really hared. Jon and Rall, I really miss you. There has been a less active family that we have been teaching a lot and they have a 14 year old and a 16 year old and we have come really close to them! I have truly stared to love them like little brothers. I know that we helped them, but I truly feel like they helped me more. These last few transfers I have been a little family sick, and trying my hardest to be lost in the work, but when there’s not much work, there isn't much to get lost in.

     Well this Saturday we helped the family with the boys pack up and move! It just broke my heart to see them leave. Their family is moving somewhere that will truly be better for them but it's hared to see people you love leave and it just made me miss Jon and Ralleigh even more. I love you two stinkers! I hope everything is going well and you need to write me back! Both of you!

         There is so much I feel like I learn every week when I'm trying to teach others that I will never be able to thank God enough for the chance to server a mission, even if it dose mean missing my family. I love you all.

    

        I want you all to know that you have a Heavenly Father that loves you and cares about you, he is your Father not just someone that cares but a father you loves you no matter what, just the way you are. He loves you so much that he wont leave. He is going to put stumbling blocks, bumps, and people that you need in your life to help you grow. He doesn’t just know you but knows what you can become.

       You have a Savior that has provided a way for us to come back to our Father in Heaven that loves us very much. I know that when you need him the most and you are humble enough to turn to him he will be there, right by your side helping you on your way, doing anything that you can't. 

      The Lord has a plan for you it is one that we knew before this life! If we just keep going and not give up we will make it back to Him and eternal life. I know that His plan and the chance we are given to come here and do hared things is all out of the love that Father has for each and every one of us. KEEP GOING!

 I bear this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ!  Amen!

I love you all and know and feel you prayers! Thank you! 

Sister Cannaday

Aug 6th and 13th 2012

Aug 6, 2012

Hello Everyone,

I can't believe that the summer is almost over it feels like it just started. Time is flying!

This week has been a lot of fun and a lot of work. One of the Spanish sisters that we live with got transferred and the new one is a trainee. When trainees come in they are about tow days out so we got the other Spanish sister with us for those two days, which was way fun!

We had two huge brake throughs with two investigators that really thought me that loving people is truly the way to help people convert. The one has always been skeptical about what have been teaching him, so we have been focusing on just teaching him things that will help him with what he is going through and he now ask as questions and takes it as truth. The other one is a brother of two less active converts. Funny story… One time we walked up to their house and their door was open so I yelled, "Knock! Knock! " and I'm so glad I did! We heard a big thud and someone running so we thought someone didn't want to talk with us. We looked in the door and there was the dad sitting in a chair we asked him who ran, and he told us it was our investigator, we asked him why he ran and he told us "I’m not sure ...... oh yeah he was in his underwear!" I laughed so hared!  It wasn't that he didn't want to see us but that he didn't want us to see him.  The whole family is planning on coming to church on Sunday and he is starting recognizing the spirit now when we talk to him. Helping people come closer to there Father in Heaven is the greatest thing as a missionary. 

I have had such a great spiritual week! I can't put it into words.

I was reading an Ensign this week and stumbled on to a great talk

 " Making Choices for Eternity" by Ucktdor, that really strengthened me.  

“As Church members, most of us have the ultimate goal of achieving immortality and eternal life. The Savior has already made provision for part of this goal to be achieved: immortality has been brought to pass for all of God’s children here on earth. Now we are working on achieving the second part of that goal: eternal life, God’s greatest gift to us (see D&C 14:7).

We read in the Book of Mormon the necessary preconditions to reach this lofty goal: “Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; … and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ. … Then are ye sanctified in Christ” (Moro. 10:32–33).

Each precondition for this transition to perfection and sanctification is no small task. The things we are required to do are challenging. But they are worth the effort. The process is based on the law of the harvest: “For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

That law, however, will be divinely influenced to our advantage by our loving and caring Heavenly Father. We are promised uplifting sunshine and nourishing rain in times of slower growth or serious setbacks, if only we stretch out our hand, mind, and heart to receive renewing energy and strength through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Repentance is the handle and forgiveness is the window that will open up the heavens so we may receive nourishing rain and uplifting sunshine.

Always remember to walk tall, for you are sons and daughters of God. Your lives will be fruitful and you can overcome any fear or doubt if you only have the right motives, which will give you the power to stay on the road to true achievement. You can do it!”

The Lord is truly on our side and always will be! YOU CAN DO IT!

Thank you so much for all your prays and the love that you all give me It really does build me up to know that I have a loving family that is always on my side!

Keep up the good missionary work and what you know you should be doing every day.

-Sister Cannaday

Aug 13, 2012

Hi everyone,

Things here in Livermore are picking up we got three new investigators these last two weeks and PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HOME! Everyone was out of town there for a long time making it very hard to teach people that are out of the country!

There was a miracle that happened this last week! A woman that we had just started teaching has been praying that she would be able to go to church but hadn't been able to because of work. Well her boss just asked one day if she would like to have Sunday mornings off. The neat part is that it was just in time for a surprise visit by one of the seventy to our ward this Sunday. In class she bare testimony about how God lines everything up so He can put you on the right path. I was so neat and the spirit was so strong. Also at church a man we met at the library and invited to church came. He stayed for all three hours and loved it. I'm so excited because the lord really does help those that are looking for the truth.

I found a really amazing quote this week about the Book of Mormon.

“I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.”3

These promises—increased love and harmony in the home, greater respect between parent and child, increased spirituality and righteousness—are not idle promises, but exactly what the Prophet Joseph Smith meant when he said the Book of Mormon will help us draw nearer to God"

 Who would not want a home like this? A home filled with love where only the best children would come out of it? Well the blessings are there waiting for each of you! All you have to do is put forth the work, which will yield so much more than you sew. Think of it this way all we put into the ground is a seed and water and the Lord will give us a tree. We put in so little and get so much. I love you all and hope everything is going well hold to the rod! It's the only way to real everlasting happiness.

-Sister Cannaday

July 30, 2012

Hello everyone,

         This week has been great and one of the fastest I have ever had on my mission and they only seem to be just getting faster and faster.

         The 2nd of August will be my half way mark and I can't believe that it's already knocking at the door. Serving the Lord is so much fun! It really is the best thing I have ever done in my life and I’m so grateful that I have been given this chance. I really would be a missionary for life if we could take a nap every day. : )  Truly  this experience is such a great gift. I was told that a mission was a way to give back a little bit to God, once. This isn’t true at all! You get so much more out of your mission than you could ever give back and the harder you try to give the more you get. It's like tithing and fast offerings, when you give little God gives you a lot!

         We truly do have a heavenly Father that love us and knows us and who is just waiting to bless us if we will do our part and sometimes even if we don't. He will never leave you alone or without what you really need. He loves you and I feel the love that he has for you and for all the people that I have met on my mission. 

    He only gives us trials for our own good and who are we to think we know more than the God that created us? We shouldn’t question our Heavenly Father and the trials he gives us. The bishop in one of my wards taught third hour yesterday. He told us that the only way to make iron out of basic elements is to put them into a super nova or a sun. That means that the iron in us now at one time was in a sun. When we truly think of the greatness of the body that you have been given how could there not be a creator? And if he took all that time why would he leave us here on our own? Well he didn't he is with you and love's you just open up your eyes and see.

         I love you all and hope everything is going well please pray to that Father that would love to hear from you so badly and then open up your heart to hear the answer. "Man are that they might have joy " and most of the time we are the only ones in the way. SO .... MOVE!

Sister Cannaday

July 16th and 23rd

JULY 16TH

Hello Everyone!,

Ok so this week really started out bad! It was one of those “No Good Really Bad” weeks and there didn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel. My companion was giving me the silent treatment for some reason! I had no idea what I did and that meant the work was going nowhere even though I was doing everything I possibly could.

Then we had zone conference and everything changed, my mission President gave a talk on leaning to love those around you, including your companion, and looking for the good in what they are trying to do. He used this scripture reference:

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt ^alove the Lord thy God with all thy ^bheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy ^cmind.

 38 This is the first and great ^acommandment.

 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt ^alove thy neighbour as thyself.

This is how people will know if they are a Disciples of Christ, if they have loved one another. It was like the talk was meant for us. My companion started to talk to me right away. The next day we had a great companionship inventory and she opened up to me for the first time and now everything is going great, missionary work and our companionship.

 I have learned 3 big things from this:        

1. HAVE COMPANIONSHIP INVETORY (If you are married you picked your companion talk with them on a weekly biases. Fix things early before the problem gets too big!)

2. Do everything in love. Love everyone around you. Love is a gift from God that grows bigger when you share it. Love is the greatest commandment of all.

3. I also learned that I needed to have more faith and most of all patience. I was reading preach my gospel and 1 thing all of us could learn more about is patience.

"Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious. It is the ability to do God’s will and accept His timing. When you are patient, you hold up under pressure and are able to face adversity calmly and hopefully. Patience is related to hope and faith—you must wait for the Lord’s promised blessings to be fulfilled. You need patience in your everyday experiences and relationships, especially with your companion. You must be patient with al people, yourself included, as you work to overcome faults and weaknesses."

We can all trust more whether it is in missionary work or with our children. Just don't forget why we are here, to grow and become closer to the person God wants us to be.

I love you all! - Sister Cannaday

JULY 23RD

Hello Everyone,

It’s no surprise this week has been full of ups and downs, but both are blessing from God meant to make us stronger, and bring us joy. On the up side we had 3 investigators at church and on the down the youth speaker said some stuff that well.... we really don't believe. The lesson from this one is to always read your kids talks PLEASE! To tell the truth it was really funny, and made for a great lesson afterwards about how we are all still learning. 

This week Dads have really been stepping up to the plate. We have had two lessons this week were the fathers stepped up and told their children that he knew that they could do better, and it was done in so much love. It really made me think of my Father in Heaven and how he has to do this to us every now and then. We get content and lazy and he has to put something in our way to wake us up and help us grow. Heavenly Father never gives us more than we can handle he only gives us enough to grow. The humbling experiences make our hearts fertile so that we can grow just like a gardener gives plants sun and water.

Elder Scott talk about this in his talk for conference, “How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life.”

"For spirituality to grow stronger and more How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life available, it must be planted in a righteous environment. Haughtiness, pride, and conceit are like stony ground that will never produce spiritual fruit.

Humility is a fertile soil where spirituality grows and produces the fruit of inspiration to know what to do. It gives access to divine power to accomplish what must be done. An individual motivated by a desire for praise or recognition will not qualify to be taught by the Spirit. An individual who is arrogant or who lets his or her emotions influence decisions will not be powerfully led by the Spirit."

We all must keep going and not only “Endure To The End” by “Enjoy To The End.”

The Lord has really been answering our prayers as we act in faith. We have found two new investigators and they really seem open to learning. We also have been teaching better as a team and having fun. Other then that there really isn't much that has happened this week, just teaching, teaching, and more teaching every day. The days and weeks and mouths are all going way to fast now. I can believe that I'm almost half way! I really don't want to ever be done! I love this work so much.

I love you all and please, wake up every day, pray, and tell your Father in Heaven that you are willing to do anything he wants of you and then do it! This truly is the way to happiness. Sister Cannaday

July 1st and 9th 2012

July 1, 2012

Hello Everyone,

I feel like I haven't heard from any of you but Sam in a really long time. Thank you Sam! I know that part of it is my fault because I haven't been the best at writing everyone back!  I’m sorry for that! BUT I would really love to hear from all of you more! I really miss knowing what is going on with you!

Things here in Livermore are great! I really love the two wards that I'm working with. It’s weird because it feels a lot like Utah other than the fact that there are more people here that really don't like missionaries then there in Utah.

So this week was soso!  I could have gotten a lot more done, but everyone canceled on us multiple days even for dinner! It was really weird we only taught one or two people those days and those lessons were rock star lessons! The spirit being the star of course. The Lord cleared our day so that we could be where he needed us. He truly knows what we need to do; sometimes it's just hard to figure it out. We need to humble ourselves and realize that we really have to turn it over to the Lord. Everything to the Lord!

Ok everyone,  I have homework for you. Look up the talk "Be Ware Of Pride" It is such a good talk and will really help you feel the love the Lord has for you.

Funny story time! We were visiting some less actives that lived out in the country, we were walking back to the car, and it was dark!  You all know how much I love the dark! Well Sister Satini came up behind me and with her nails graded the back of my calf! I almost kick her in the head and did my little freak out thing, where I wave my hands and scream and the top of my lungs. Sister Satini was almost on the ground she was laughing so hard! The Dad and the family came running out with a gun which is even funnier because the only thing in “the wild” out there is squirrels.  I thought you might enjoy that story. : )

"For spirituality to grow stronger and more available, it must be planted in a righteous environment. Haughtiness, pride, and conceit are like stony ground that will never produce spiritual fruit.

“Humility is a fertile soil where spirituality grows and produces the fruit of inspiration to know what to do. It gives access to divine power to accomplish what must be done. An individual motivated by a desire for praise or recognition will not qualify to be taught by the Spirit. An individual who is arrogant or who lets his or her emotions influence decisions will not be powerfully led by the Spirit."

Don't just let the Lord have a hand in your life give it to him! I love you all! 

Stay strong, Sister Cannaday

July 9, 2012

Happy 4th of July,

This week has really been full of ups and downs. The 4th of July was a really great day we did a lot of serves and ended up having hamburgers for lunch and dinner with members! Over all it really was a great day full of fun! But... I really missed the people I love the most!  I MISS YOU MY DEAR FAMILY!  I'm super excited to get to come home and have a giant water fight!

Because everyone has been out of town missionary work has been really slow which is no good when you miss you family. I also eat something Thursday night that didn't not like my stomach at all so Friday I spent most of my day asleep on the bathroom floor! Not a fun day! It was a blessing that we didn't have to cancel on many people, but the best part was that I had all day to read my scriptures, ( well try to read, when I wasn't super nauseous)!  I have been reading in the New Testament, if you haven't read the New Testament in a while than you should! It just blows my mind how wonderful Christ is and how much we can learn from him. HE really is the greatest example that there is.

            We met a old couple recently and one of the things they told me was "I have never met a Mormon I didn't think was just the nicest person"  I almost jumped for joy. But that means that we need to keep that up we need to live what we learn and what we teach those around us because what if you were that "But one" that closed someones heart to the message of the truth Jesus said, 

7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their ^amouth, and ^bhonoureth me with their lips; but their ^cheart is far from me.

 9 But in vain they do ^aworship me, teaching for ^bdoctrines the ^ccommandments of men.

 10 ¶And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth ^adefileth a man; but that which cometh out of the ^bmouth, this defileth a man.

Don't let what you do be in vain truly be the example of a believer and those around you will see the happiness that it brings and wont that for themselves, but don't only do it so others can see but find the desired to do it because you love God.

I love you all and thank you for your pays I really need them! 

-Sister Cannaday