Reject the Prefect (it rhymes and it's HP, therefore it's applicable)....October 24, 2016

Hello everyone! This has been one looooooooooong week that's just
seemed to fly by now that I look back at it haha

I have a new companion! Sister Hall from Kaysville, UT- can't escape
those Utahans for very long... lol :)  we get along well, and though
it's been a huge adjustment for her coming from Secaucus to the middle
of nowhere Sparta, it's been great! She has a form of narcolepsy
(never been diagnosed or anything) so it's been interesting seeing the
many ways and places a person can fall asleep in haha. She's cool, and
it's been a fun week! Seriously, I love how much I've been able to
serve and help my companions on my mission! I've had some with the
most random of trials, but it's been a huge blessing to me to be able
to have the ability and chance to help them, but to also receive
advice and help from them too. I love this mission ☺️
#ShoutOutToPastComps

One trunky comment: I hope I die in this area.
Ok moving on!

This week we've really seen the members come out of the woodworks,
probably because there's a new person they can pick on, but it's been
super awesome and we've seen some miracles from it! We had a few
dinner appointments this last week that were such a blessing to go to-
seriously guys, if you can do anything at all for the missionaries:
FEED THEM! Doesn't matter what or where or how or when, but feed them
and you will literally make their day haha! There's nothing like a
home cooked meal, or fast food, or anything for that matter. Anyways,
this week we've really been able to get to know the members better and
I feel like I'm definitely building up my relationships with the
people here. There's a couple YSA age people that I know I'm gonna
stay in touch with forever!

Ok, I'm going to share a bummer experience with you, and then I'll end
on an awesome one.
Saturday we went knocking in a neighborhood for 2 hours, we were
determined to knock on every single door and we were not going to
leave until we did. We ended up staying over our dinner time because
we were so sure that the Lord would bless us with people to teach if
we knocked every door. Well, half the neighborhood wasn't home, and
the other half? Let's just say, they weren't very nice. One man got
really mad and told us to get off his property right now, he stood
there with a shovel in his hands till we got all the way down his long
driveway- then he kept yelling at us for a few houses as we continued
to knock. People are so grumpy haha! Then of course, after about an
hour and 30 minutes of this I started to cry. It just really hit me
that all we're trying to do is help these people, we're literally
bringing joy and hope and happiness straight to their doorstep, and
they won't receive it. S.Hall and I were more bold than I have been my
whole mission, we were straight forward and simple, and they just said
nope. I was crying because I realized this was just a sliver of what
the Savior felt during His ministry. He was "despised and rejected of
men...a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" and yet all He
wanted was the joy of His brothers and sisters- He gave His whole
life, every moment of it, in the hopes that the people would receive
it. And then the last lady we talk to, I'm sitting there tears
streaming down my face and she says "what are you doing out right now,
it's too cold!" To which I reply, "we're trying to bring happiness to
people's lives through Jesus Christ but no ones listened to us so far.
Will you?"....slam. Lol! I love my mission. Not even being sarcastic
right now, I sincerely love it. I'm so grateful for all the
experiences I get. For the chance I have to better understand my
Savior and all that He did for me. I love Him so much.

Ew, so enough mopey. Now to the miracles through the Spirit! We
decided to knock the neighborhood by the church, which ok, it's been
knocked a bajillion times before, but why not once more? Haha! So
we're going and lots of stuff happens yada yada...ok! We knock on one
house and a young man comes to the door named Paul. We start talking
and then share the "because of Him" video with him, then his mom comes
down and starts watching it to. We talk a little more with Theresa,
and she's pretty hardcore into her religion, but Paul seemed to be
open. But Theresa starts walking us down her driveway so that was that
we thought. We go down the street more, knocking doors blah blah
blah...and then! It's time to walk back to our car so we can go to an
appt. We started back and we saw 2 girls, heavy makeup and tats and
jewelry everywhere, smoking by their car. We cross to the other side
of the road (the whole time I'm thinking, man, I should talk to
them...) and we call out that we like the shirts, etc etc, and we keep
walking. We get about 20 paces away when we both turn to each other
and say "we have to show them the video" so off we trot back towards
their car. At first they're super standoffish, but then one of them
says "you should show that to my parents, they would love
that!"....her mom is Theresa. Her brother Paul. What?! So she opened
up a little more as we talked about them, and then her friend Kim
wasn't really interested, but Michelle said we could show her the
video. We pulled it out, and NO joke Kim put out her cigarette and
watched the video too! Intently! Aw man. They both started chatting
with us and opening up to us, it was a complete 180 change from when
we first started talking with them! We've added them on FB, and hope
to continue it all. It just goes to show that the Spirit is awesome
and you should always listen to it even when you're lazy or scared.
Scriptures from my studies this morning:
D&C 64:33 "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying
the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth
that which is great."
D&C 68:4-6 "And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the
Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be
the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the
voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.Behold, this is
the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants. Wherefore, be of
good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will
stand by you.."

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

 each one of these ladies have been each others companions....crazy how that works

 new comp loves Diet Coke just as much as S. McAllister

 Fall in NJ

 new area

 new comp....Sister Hall

 she won't see these ladies again before they die...BOO

Cocoa-Bolo....October 17, 2016

Dearest family and friends, *ahem* IM STAYING IN SPARTA FOR ANOTHER TRANSFER!!!!!! WOOOHOOOOOO!!! Sadly, Sister Burk will be leaving me, but who needs her anyways when I've got Sparta?? Haha jk, I'm gonna miss her, it's been a great 6 weeks! Maybe one day I'll have a companion for longer than that...haha! My new companions name is Sister Hall, she's from Kaysville, UT and has been out for 7 months. She's actually coming from Jersey City where she was companions with my bestest friend Sister Charles for 4.5 months. We're all interconnected in some way haha!

I just have to say how much I LOVE this ward- and how excited I am that I get to stay! I feel like the area is really going to pick up this next transfer, we've started the ball rolling this transfer, and now hopefully we'll see the fruits of that over the next 6 weeks. I'm hoping I get to leave from this area, I don't want to "one and done" for Christmas time and all that jazz lol! Ew....speaking of going home....I got my flight itinerary and thus passed out for awhile in shock and disgust. It was the weirdest, grossest email/feeling I've ever gotten. And that's enough about that, because I'm totally never talking about this again until the week before haha!

So this week we got to go over to our WML and RS president's house to have breakfast with them and make PENS!!!! That's right. I have made my own pen. I can stick that accomplishment on my resume and I bet I'll get millions of jobs! It was super fun, and I loved getting back into woodworking again. Took me back to high school :)

Me and Sister Burk have been having lots of fun this transfer, but I'm ready for change. I think that's one thing I've definitely learned on my mission- the power and awesomeness of change! Before my mission I hated it, sometimes I still do, but I sure appreciate the potatoes out of it. I love having a fresh start, a new beginning. This is gonna be the "best day ever!"

Love you all! Have a great week :)

Stay Jersey Strong.

Love, Sister McAllister

 awesome district

making my own pen

 pumpkin cookies from home

"I'm King of the Rock. And There Ain't Nothing You Girls Can Do About It."....October 10, 2016

Hey Everyone!

This week we had Zone Conference, 'twas great! I got to see a bunch of my friends again, and I got to see Sister Bird before she goes home next week. I love that girl, she's a forever friend for sure! I'm so grateful for the mission- for the chance I have to meet so many awesome people that I never would have otherwise. I have so many lifelong friends that I met out here :)

Super weird, but this Zone Conference was my last one, the next one is after I go in January...so I bore my testimony with the rest of the missionaries going home in the next 3 months. Ah! So creepy. I'm so old lol. I'm not ready for all these "lasts".

I can honestly say I absolutely adore the Taggart's. I mean, I always have, but the time I got to spend around them on Friday at the conference was awesome. They are like my 2nd parents out here, and I'm real excited for the chance that I have to be friends with them throughout my life. They mean so much to me!

Also, I love the Stevenson's in my ward. He's the ward mission leader and she's the relief society president and they are both AMAZING! He's sarcastic and random, and she's eclectic and wonderful and together they are the couple I want to be when I grow up haha! I have a lot of respect for the both of them, and I really look up to them. They have had a huge impact on me in this area :)

In other news, I just got back from hiking a mountain! Well, a mountain for NJ...but a hill anywhere else haha! It's the highest I've been in 15 months #1800.  One thing that stinks is that my asthma kicked in for the first time in a yearish, but it was so beautiful to feel the wind, the chill, and hear the wind through the trees. That's my favorite sound in the world, I could listen to it for hours! It was a spectacular view too, and there were even some trees changing colors, so that was cool. The colors are super vibrant out here, I love it. I'd take my burning lungs for that any day ☺️

And funny story: I have found out there IS such a thing as toooooooo obsessed. I think myself a very proud geek, but man, i am MILD compared to some people. We met this lady last night and just started talking to her. We brought it to the gospel and started talking of Jesus Christ and showed her a video and everything, but she literally would NOT stop talking about LotR. Now, I love Middle Earth just like the next guy, and I would even label myself "obsessed"- but yikes...it was almost scary haha. We added her on FB so we could send her more videos and awesome links, but ALL I have gotten from her is endless links and pics and LotR quotes for 24 hours. I never thought I'd say this, but I had to block someone because they fangirl too hard! I know, I know, I'm one to talk, but I seriously am astounded by the fact that she's able to send me 25 pics in 2 secs, with the movie quotes...in English AND in Elvish. Hahahaha help!

The work's been slow this week, we were able to pick up a new investigator: the husband of a less active that we're meeting with tomorrow for dinner (yay Hispanic food!) but that's about all. We've just been finding awkward people that only want to talk about LotR and not Christ haha

I have faith that this week will be awesome though! The last week of the transfer usually is :)

I love you all!
Stay Jersey Strong.

Love, Sister McAllister

 comps

High Point

Zone

 Saying goodbye to Sis. Bird

PA, NY, NJ, etc etc....October 3, 2016

Sorry my emails having trouble sending stuff right now, hopefully it will all go through soon....it keeps rejecting my emails lol!

This week we went to Pennsylvania, New York, and Ellis Island all in 3 days. I guess you could say we're going places haha

This week was pretty slow overall, still no investigators but I refuse to be down about it. I went 6 months in Emerson without anyone either, but I know we can get this area rolling! Super excited for this week!

So on Thursday we went on the prettiest drive ever! We drove through High Point State Park (the highest point in NJ, a whopping 1000+ feet.....lol). It was super pretty with the leaves changing, not totally yet, but lots of cool colors. We were going to a member's house that lives in Pennsylvania, and we drove through New York to get there- basically I'm touring the east coast haha! I love it! I think I'd like to live in Pennsylvania one day, but well see if I can give up the mountains in Colorado :)

We also got to go to Ellis Island on Saturday to volunteer again! We missed Conference, but it was a blast. Felt the Spirit super strong and I loved it. Met lots of people from everywhere around the world: Scotland, England, France, Italy, Australia, Russia, and Norway are the ones I remember and asked about anyways haha. By yes, it was awesome and I love going there every chance I get! 

AND THEN CONFERENCE WAS BETTER THAN SLICED BREAD, A BAG OF APPLES, AND A BAG OF CHIPS!!!! WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW. AWESOME. Just awesome. I'm so glad we get the chance to hear from our Prophet and Apostles every 6 months. They always say exactly what I need to hear! It was a spiritual uplift and kick into "compound gear";)  Here are some of my favorite things from each talk: 

• President Uchtdorf: the more adept you become, the more you take it for granted. Don't do that!
• Elder Hales: live a consecrated life!
• Sister McConkie: God needs brace daughters
• Elder Christensen: look at the fruits of Joseph's labors! *insert looong list here*
• Elder Cornish: He believes in us, even when we don't believe in ourselves
• Elder Andersen: find the puzzle pieces!!!
• Elder Cook: do NOT elevate anything over Christ
• Elder Stevenson: look to the Book, look to the Lord
• Elder Christofferson: it's not what we've DONE, but what we BECOME
• Elder Bassett: don't pry at the plates
• Elder Yamashita: be ambitious for Christ!
• Elder Oaks: sharing the gospel is not a burden, but a JOY
• President Monson: this is the ONE perfect plan for peace
• President Nelson: in order to endure the Atonement, Christ focused on JOY
• Elder Meurs: sacrament, Mosiah 3:19
• Sister Reeves: the sting of repentance is swallowed up in FORGIVENESS
• Elder Ballard: never doubt Joseph Smith 
• Brother Davies: JOY comes from worship
• Elder Robbins: heart-changing requires heart-rending sacrifice
• President Eyring: count your many blessings and every doubt will fly (also he grew up in Princeton, I served in one of the 2 wards that exist there now :)
• Elder Cook: JUST SERVE
• Elder Rasband: remember remember
• Elder Schmutz: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (aka. My FAVE scripture)
• Elder Nattress: He loves one by one.
• Elder Renlund: repentance is the good news of the Gospel

Gosh I love Conference so much! Can't believe it's the last one in my mission...but hey, I got SO much out of it, I can't complain- only count my blessings. ☺️

Love y'all!

Also, shoutout to my family! Sorry I didn't send a separate email this week! Our pday was packed! But I loved your letter mom and I love all of you! Have a great 1st week of October!!!!!

Stay Jersey Strong.

Love, Sister McAllister

 she loves fall!

 She got the cinnamon rolls....hurray

 Just hanging with lady liberty and the seagull

 NYC

Nursing Homes and Deer Sightings...September 19, 2016

MOM NOTE....Sorry this is out of order. I totally forgot to post this before the last email.  BLAH!


Heyo everyone! ITS ALMOST FALL AND IM SOOOOOOOO EXCITED YOU HAVE NO
IDEA!!!!!!!  Wow, sorry for the outburst right at the beginning, but
as you can tell, I can't contain all this excitement for pumpkins and
leaves and crisp air and scarecrows and pumpkins and leaves and
pumpkins and sweater weather and pumpkins and NO 90+ DEGREE DAYS. Boy
oh boy, this is gonna be "RIGHTEOUS! RIGHTEOUS!"

I felt super successful this week. It was an amazing week. Sis Burk
and I have really gotten to know one another and we're really good
friends, even though she does things that super bug me: like jumping
on me while I sit and then shaking me around and hugging me for 10
minute intervals while I shrivel into the chair in a weak attempt to
escape, cutting down my soda addiction, trying (key word) to make me
health conscious, etc etc ;)  so basically, all good things.

This week we helped one of our investigators with
a....stinky....situation. She's about 84 and has lost both her legs to
diabetes. She's having a real struggle right now in her life, and it's
really cool how God uses us to help her on Saturday. We originally
planned to see her at 6:30pm, but for some reason she called us and
asked us to come earlier. Well, we went at 4:30pm, and about 15 min
into our visit she had to use the bathroom. And let's just say, I'll
tell you the details later, but we had to stay an extra 40min and help
her. Pretty interesting, I definitely felt like a nurse lol- maybe
it's trying to tell me something!
But the cool thing was, I felt the Spirit so strong the whole time.
And we're promised as missionaries that when we feel the Spirit, they
do too. I truly know that when we're in the service of our fellow
being, were also in the service of our God. :)

Not much else has happened this week, we've had to drop literally
everyone in our area book because they haven't been seen in 150+ days,
or aren't progressing. But we have the faith we'll find some prepared
people! Woohoo!

I also do think I've ever been in so many nursing homes in my life. Lol

We just spent 3 hours playing dodgeball and slapdisk and it was
suuuuuuper fun! I got a couple floor burns from it, but it was worth
it. I love sports.

"Fourth Floor. Last Door."....September 26, 2016

Hola hola hola everybody!

It's beginning to look a lot like FALL-TIME, everywhere you goooooooo- the crisp air, the leaves, the pumpkins, the pumpkin flavored everything, the Halloween decorations, boots and sweaters and hoodies and scarves and flannels and jeans and cardigans etc etc and I know I ranted about this last email but I am just SO. BEYOND. EXCITED. You don't even KNOW! If I could live in eternal fall, I totally would, and I'm completely convinced that's what heaven will be like. 🍂 The leaves are starting to change color here, and seeing as I'm in The Land-Of-Endless-Trees NJ, it's gonna be epic!

This week was a blast and I really love the ward here!

Sister Burk and I went knocking Monday night and found an awesome, sweet as can be lady! We went along a whole street, talked to a couple people, and got rejected by a lot more; when we got to the dead end at the back and so switched to the other side of the street to knock back towards our car. Well, it was pitch black and it was a dead end  road into the woods, so basically I was creeped out of my mind imagining what could be in there staring at us! The first house was dark, so we were about to move on to the next house, when Sister Burk noticed a light in the building right next to the woods (I thought it might just be a garage for the other house). We walked towards it, and sure enough, it's a little cottage house tucked back in a corner in the woods...yippee!...lol, lets just say we were both kinda chickens going up to knock that house. But we did it! And a woman named Lisa came out on her porch and talked with us for 15 minutes! We became friends on FB, and now we chat pretty regularly since she's a super busy mom, with a job, going through school. 

Then on Tuesday I was in Morristown for the day on exchange. Yay for Spanish exchanges! I'm almost fluent ;)   Well, not really, but I'd like to be! I was there when both my STL's were born, so that's a little weird. I still see him as greenies, but they've been out for almost a year now! Yikes, time flies.

Thursday we had dinner with the Walkers. He served here in this mission! And was here at the same time as me! He went home about 2 months into my time here, but now he's married and living I this ward- super weird! We talked all night about the missionaries we both know and everything else. They're an awesome couple that are SO involved in helping the ward and doing missionary work. I want to be like them when I grow up haha

Friday we had a cool experience while walking to a less active's house from our car. We had decided to just stop by, but as we pulled up he was packing his car. We waited a minute, and then decided to just go for it. As we were walking towards his door, we hear a man call to us from faaaarrrr behind us. We turn around and there's a guy running towards us from the park across the street. He makes it to us and says "Sisters! I've been reading that book you gave me and I have soooooooo many questions! I love the book, but I need those questions answered. I got a new phone so I lost your number and couldn't call you." Apparently the sisters had talked to him a month or so ago and gave him a BoM. He was somewhat...high...at the time so they didn't think much of it. But we had a good 20 minute conversation with him about the BoM right there! We gave him our number again and we're going to meet with him soon! Miracles!!!

Saturday was an AMAZING day! We went over to our Ward Mission Leader/Relief Society President's house to watch Women's Conference. They are seriously one of my favorite people here in New Jersey. He does a lot of wood working, so he said we could make a pen next time we come over! I picked out my wood and everything, it's called cocoa-bola :)  also, he made nunchucks, so he taught us how to swing them and break someone's wrist and basically I'll be super prepared if I ever have a random pair of nunchucks in my purse when someone attacks me! Then we ate dinner with them and watched Women's Conference which was SO AMAZING I COULD CRY....OH WAIT. I DID. FANCY THAT. HAHAHhahahahah....ha....ha.... *tears*. My new motto in my mission and in life is "4th Floor. Last Door." Because you never know if a future Apostle's wife is behind it waiting to be brought into the Lord's kingdom! Oh man I was bawling all during Pres Uchtdorf's talk. And then Sister Oscarson's talk was AMAZINGLY BOLD AND POWERFUL! Holy moly, we need to teach our children the doctrines and principles of God or "the world will teach them Satan's lies." Wowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowosls,a,manshcjsksldkfjfhidieekkehdhxuxisosldmfjcjdid. I'm so spiritually fed and SO EXCITED for General Conference this weekend! It's better than Christmas!

Then Sunday was just a beautiful day full of the Spirit, food, and members. I love this ward a lot, I feel like they're finally starting to warm up to me! 

Love you all!

Have a great week :)

Stay Jersey Strong.

Love, Sister McAllister