Sister McAllister: 2015 is Almost Over! :O....December 28, 2015

I'm glad your Christmas was awesome, and that everyone had so much fun this week!

It was one amazing week for me too!

Monday we went to see the Sandy Hook Lighthouse. Lol, that was something else. We thought it was gonna be crazy cool like the Barnegat lighthouse further south, but it was slightly....small. Lol! And we got there at 3:30pm cuz the Elders who did the research didn't do it very well- the last tour of the thing happened at 3:15pm. Sooo we took some pictures of the outside and all that, and then we went and poked around the deserted Fort Hancock army base that it was in. It was pretty cool, they had a walled off section titled "mortar battery" and there was a barracks in there too; we couldn't go too far in, but it was awesome. It reminded me of AFA where they have the missiles and planes on display as you drive in- there was artillery shells and missiles everywhere! Then that night we had a powerful couple of lessons. We had dinner with a lady and her son for the first time, and then we took them as a team-up for the first time! It was amazing how well they clicked with the family we took them too. The kids were setting up play dates and the moms carpool by the time we were leaving haha. It was truly astounding to see the Spirit at work with the 2 families.

Tuesday we had district meeting in which I gave a training on Promised Blessings. And then I went on EXCHANGE WITH MY MOMMA SISTER BROWN!!!!!!! Gjgkdksjwnemdkedxvkd. It was SO beautiful. Oh my goodness, flippin best day of the past 11 weeks! We went caroling with the Elders for a few hours, and then we went to a dinner appointment and tried a referral and a few others. And we slipped right back into our teaching rhythm, and our jokes, and our silent communication skills, and our "looks", and and and and. AH! It was so amazingly wonderful and exactly what I needed to break me outta the box I put myself into the past 11 weeks! I'm slowly becoming myself again, and she helped tremendously! We stayed up that night pillow talking til about midnight lol, and then we spent the next day talking and like every spare moment talking. It's kinda amazing how effortless it is with us. I compare it to me and Marah, I've never had friends like the 2 of them where we can literally talk for 6hrs and not fish for conversation starters or get bored. S. Brown is so stinkin amazing! Random thought I had: if I served my mission only to meet her, it was all worth it. Pretty sappy, but true nonetheless- she's too much and too cool and too awesome and too much of a boss. I want to be like her one day #OneDay

Thursday was our miracle day (and Christmas Eve!). We had weekly planned and we had put in a couple potentials or less actives that we could try afterwards. Well, we tried them all and were at a loss of what to do after we talked with them. So we were walking back to the car the first one we tried, and S. Kafu got the impression to knock a door. We walked up and knocked and a man opened the door. We said we'd like to share a Christmas message with him and he invited us right in! That never happens in Jersey!!! No one ever invites you right in! So he and his family had just gotten back from their church's mass, and they were out getting Chinese food, so we shared the "A Savior is Born" video with him and he loved it! He invited us back this week to share a message with his whole family! Find #1. Then we went and tried a less active, not home. So we knocked the neighbors door and a man opened the door. We did basically the above, except taught him on his doorstep. He was super open and loved us, he wants us to come back so we can teach him and his fiancé! Find #2. Then we went to a less active's mom's house because we need to get his new address for the bishop since he moved away. Well he wasn't home, but she talked with us a lot on the doorstep and says that she really wants to read the Book of Mormon but due to a cataract in her eye she can't, so she asked if we could get a recording for her. She's not a member, and she invited us to meet with her this week! Find #3. And then for her, we were worried about being able to find a recording of the Book of Mormon for her to listen to. But never fear, the Lord always provides! We were going through the CDs in the car that night for some random reason, and we found a CD with Sister Allen's handwriting on it. We popped it in, and no joke it's a recording of the first half of the Book of Mormon. So now we can give that to her so she can listen to the scriptures!!! #MiraclesAllDayEveryDay

Friday. Not much to say, moving on.... Hahaha jk! Christmas was amazing!! So to start, about 8 of us missionaries went down to the Seaside Heights Boardwalk to take pictures at the shore. It was a beautiful morning, probably 60 degrees and foggy. I loved it! Then we went to the Toms River chapel and played sports and card games with our zone for a few hours. Then we headed back home and changed, and went to our first dinner apt at 2:30pm. It was with the ARP representatives in our ward, they're so nice! And the food was soooooo good! So we rolled outta there to go straight to our next apt. This one had invited the 3 sets of missionaries in the ward over, so all 6 of us were there. It was fun! And then I skyped y'all, which was fantastic! Thanks for being so awesome! I'm so blessed to have a family as amazing as y'all are. Sorry if I was a little out of it, I was about ready to chop my head off my migraine was so bad. I wish I had been able to be normal haha, but oh well, there's always next time! :)

Saturday I went to the chiropractor with Sisters Brown and Jenkins. I'm pretty sure it was my neck causing my headaches for the past week, because now I feel fine haha! So that was a much needed trip. My neck literally cracks about 20 times each sides because of his magic hands, it feels so heavenly! :)

Sunday we had an awesome sacrament meeting. All of the new missionaries in the ward bore their testimonies and all that, so now I've not only conducted the Christmas program and sacrament meeting, I've also spoken in it too. Lol! What am I gonna do next week?? After church we went and saw our man on date who is moving to Manchester area this week :( I'm sad to see him go, he's so close to getting in the water and changing his life for the better! He's literally gonna move and then get baptized into that ward, I'm so excited for him!!!

Something I read in my studies this morning:
"A third principle is this: we must counter the natural man’s tendency to procrastinate, to put off, or to give up.
As we progress along the covenant path, we will make mistakes, some multiple times. Some of us struggle with behaviors or addictions we feel powerless to overcome. But faith in Heavenly Father and in Jesus Christ is a principle of action and power. If we are willing to act, we will be blessed with the strength to repent and with the strength to change.
We fail only if we fail to take another faithful step forward. We will not, we cannot, fail if we are faithfully yoked to the Savior--He who has never failed and will never fail us!
I promise that each faith-filled step will be met with help from heaven. Guidance will come as we pray to our Heavenly Father, rely on our Savior and follow Him, and listen to the Holy Spirit. Strength will come because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Healing and forgiveness will come because of God’s grace. Wisdom and patience will come by trusting in the Lord’s timing for us. Protection will come by following God’s living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson.
You were created “that [you] might have joy,” joy you will feel when you worthily return to your Heavenly Father and your Savior and step into Their warm embrace." ~~Elder Randall K. Bennett
I think it really speaks for itself. We shouldn't expect perfection from ourselves right now- God sure doesn't! All He wants is progression, not perfection. All we gotta do is keep trying! "Never give up! Never surrender!" :) that just brought me a lot of peace this morning, and I hope it does for whoever reads this as well.

Love you all!!
Stay Jersey Strong.
Love, Sister McAllister