i heart Canada.

What a great week! Honestly I've seen miracles the past week and its been the best!

I just wanted to make sure I saw all the people that I love and that we just worked super hard and it was worth it. And again I left my planner at home and can't really remember anything in chronological order so hopefully I get it close enough!

On Monday we went into Lethbridge so we could get some things that Sister Armstrong needed and then we just kind of spoiled ourselves.

Tuesday morning we drove out to Glenwood for Zone Training Meeting, before we had a meeting for just the sisters in our zone and that went really well. For this month our mission is focusing on Revelation through prayer so me and Sister Armstrong helped with that training. I've learned a lot about prayer lately and its made me so grateful that we have this simple tool to communicate with our Heavenly Father. After we went on exchanges with the Raymond sisters and Sister Connor stayed in Cardston with me. MY LAST EXCHANGE! That felt nice, there have been a lot of exchanges that have just made my mission so great and I was super grateful that my last exchange got to be with Sister Connor, she has blessed my mission so much. We went and saw a less-active member and had a nice visit and then we went to an older lady's house who is inactive and it was hilarious! Me and Sister Connor always have a problem of just laughing at the wrong time and so the lady was talking about her dead cat and how she really misses the cat and then told us that she got it cremated and wanted us to hold the urn that it was in. People are so weird sometimes! I was just laughing and it was super awkward. Then we're leaving and she told us we can't leave until we sing. Of course that had to happen. One more moment of awkward singing for Sister Martin. Sister Connor started singing and I just started laughing again so she was just singing this awkward solo until I could control myself and join her. So funny. Then we went to one more lesson but he just wasn't in the mood to learn so I told him that we had to leave and to let us know when a better time would be to come back. People have to have a desire for this kind of stuff and when they're not having a desire to open their heart there's no reason to stay and waste time. We went and visited a member in the YSA after and that was super fun.

On Wednesday we worked at the visitors center and it was way cool. I love being there, we had some way cool people come in. 2 people came in from Saskatchewan and they were super interested in the gospel. He's been studying the church for a long time and was super educated. They had no idea that there was a temple in Saskatchewan or any other place in the world besides Cardston for that matter so it was way fun talking to them about the temples throughout the world. That night we went to the 6th wards cornbust....... Southern Alberta LOVES their corn. After we went and had a lesson with Craig and Lish and honestly we always leave their house feeling the spirit SO strongly and laughing all at the same time. We have so much fun with them and I'm going to miss them so much!

We got a lot of planning and organizing done on Thursday which was good and we saw more people. This little town of Cardston has blessed me so much. My whole mission has just blessed my life in more ways than I could ever expect. Thursday morning we got to go do some weeding at the temple for some service and that was way fun and then we went and did some more service for some members in our ward. It was beautiful outside. We later went and saw our investigator and guess what she told us??! She wants to be baptized!! I was SO SO SO happy to hear that. I've been praying for her everyday this whole summer and the gospel has just brought so much happiness into her life. I'm so grateful for the power of the Holy Ghost and what it can do for people. It was just the biggest blessing to have been able to still be here in Cardston and hear that.

I honestly don't really remember what we did on Friday. Just kidding I just remembered something hilarious happened! So I've been trying to teach Sister Armstrong how to play a hymn on the piano so while we were waiting for the Elders to show up to Chinook (the old folks place) she was practicing the piano and some old lady stands up and says "I'm not staying if I have to hear this horrible music on the piano." Then she got up and left and we had to go convince her that Sister Armstrong would not being playing the piano. Then the Elders got there and we all started singing and things were going fine until we started singing "Abide with me tis' eventide" and the old lady yells at us again and says "I'm not dead yet! Stop singing funeral songs!" We quickly changed to "There is sunshine in my soul today" hahahah so funny. We went and ate at the Klains who are the best of the best here in Cardston. Love them! Then we had a lesson after and things were just really great.

Saturday we were seeing more people. I ran into my favorite members from Taber by the temple so that was way fun. We ate lunch with the West Sisters and Sister Murphy allowed me to straighten her hair... now that's probably the biggest miracle I've seen on my mission! hahaha really though, I'll have to tell you more about that later. That night we drove out to Magrath for a YSA activity and they made us all steaks... so yummy! Again only in Southern Alberta would we be eating steaks and corn at a ysa activity. Then we went and saw our investigator after and had a way good visit with her and her husband.

Sunday was way good. it was a super spiritual day and it was nice to be able to see a lot of people one last time. I bore my testimony and told everyone thanks for all the help they've given us as missionaries. Seriously I couldn't have done it without the members. I ate dinner with some incredible people and said some goodbyes. Luckily Canada is not that far away and I know I'll be back up here soon. I've loved my mission. I've been so incredibly blessed and I will be forever grateful to my Heavenly Father for all the blessings I've seen and received.

I'll see you soon family! Love you all!!

Love

Sister Martin

Sister Martin and Sister Clabaux 

 "The Kennard family! They are the best :)"

There is snow on the ground!!

harvest time.

HEYYY FAMILY.

So last week just flew by! I'm kind of thinking that time will just never slow down. Last week after P-day we went and had dinner at one of our Bishops house and let me tell you, they are the sweetest people in the world!! I don't know how it happened but we just ended up having a way spiritual lesson on missionary work and it just made me grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost. We saw Lish after and taught ch. 6 from PMG which is on Christlike attributes, its one of my favorite chapters in all of PMG and I encourage everyone to study it. We'll never be able to check off a christlike attritibute and  say that we don't have to work on it anymore, they're all a life long process. I read a quote last week by Aristotle that said "All men by nature desire knowledge" Which is so true in the Bible Dictionary it says that knowledge is an attribute of God, I'm super grateful that I have the rest of forever and ever to learn because it really is the best!

On Tuesday we literally walked around everywhere.... I can't wait for you to see my poor shoes and poor Sister Armstrongs...the entire sole of her shoe came off when we were walking around town..... hahahhahaha so hilarious. We had some lunch with some members and then went to district mtg and talked a lot about the Book of Mormon then we did some street contacting after and then headed over for a lesson with one of the YSA members before she leaves for school. Sister Armstrong is freaking out because 99% of YSA just left for school and then I'm leaving. YSA has been the biggest blessing for me in the last part of my mission....seriously though, when I come home I'm going to be super awkward but if I didn't have YSA I think I would be even more socially awkward so lets just take a second to thank the Cardston YSA. THANK YOU. okay moving on we then had dinner with the sweetest members ever. When I get home I will be teaching you all how to become the best members ever so be prepared for that FHE lesson hahaha and then we went to institute and let me tell ya, we had the coolest lesson all about Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon. Isaiah is something that I've been studying on and off all summer so I really enjoyed the lesson that night.  Then we had correlation with our branch mission leader and that's always a party...kinda not really oh well.

GUESS WHAT HAPPENED ON WEDNESDAY??! I hit my 18 month mark! So now I have these awkward moments when people ask me how long I've been out and I say awhile and they say how long is that and then I say 18 months and then they ask me why I'm not home yet.... I'm glad I have an extra 2 weeks :) We had a lesson that morning that went really well and then we headed up to the temple to work in the visitors center. We had someone come in who was super interested and it was way cool, its the easiest form of missionary work when they just come to you. Also some of my favorite members from Taber came to see me!! The Andersons! I was SO SO SO happy to see them, oh my goodness they are the nicest people on the planet and it just made my day to see them! They didn't know my number and didn't know how to contact me so they just decided to go to the Visitor Center to see if they had the missionaries number but I was there that day so it just worked out perfectly! We then had a lesson later that day on the Law of Chastity, all my companions hate teaching that lesson but I think its one of my favorites :) you just have to be super bold and not beat around the bush. I think we were super clear and he accepted to live it so that's always a good thing:) Then we had dinner in the middle of no where in a log cabin pretty much no joke! haha I just love going out to the farms and enjoying how beautiful Southern Alberta is. That night we got invited to go harvest wheat and let me tell ya that the field is white already to harvest literally! We got to see the giant combines and hang out with Craig and Lish for a little bit which is always our favorite thing to do.

On Thursday they forced everyone that is going home to go to an employment seminar.... I think it just made me more stressed for life. Anyways it was in Lethbridge so we got to go eat at some yummy places and get Sister Armstrong some new shoes because the last ones needed to be done with. At the employment thing they gave me a book called "Moving on with life" or something like that....not cool. I'm thinking that mom and dad can just help me figure out my life when I get home because I just didn't and don't have time to figure that out right now.

We had a lesson with Jody when we got back and taught the gospel of Jesus Christ it was a way good lesson!

On Friday we woke up super early and headed up to Calgary! I love that place so much, its so busy with so many people! We had a way good Mission leadership Council and talked a lot about our Walk n Talk August we talked to TONS of people this past month and saw so many miracles. It was good to see everyone up there and to have training by President Nicholas, he really is so inspired and was meant to be in this mission and be my mission president. After MLC I had my departing interview with President Nicholas and let me tell you that it was just the most emotional thing of my life. Oh my goodness but so good at the same time. He's taught me a lot and I will be forever grateful for him.

Saturday we went by and saw our investigator in the morning and we haven't seen her forever!! Oh my goodness I have missed her, we've been out of Cardston or she's had family over so its been hard to find a time but I was just happy to see her. She told me that she's going to teach me how to quilt when I come back up :) she's an amazing quilter. We then went out to Hillspring so I could show Sister Armstrong around, its a pretty far drive out of town but its such a cute little village......literally a little village. We saw more people throughout the day and then did some service for a place in town. Then we had dinner with some awesome members again and it was so much fun! I seriously love the people here in Cardston so much. I've been blessed.

Lets see on Sunday the biggest highlight was Lish gave the opening prayer in church. She was super nervous but she did such a good job!! I was so proud of her, seriously she is so awesome and I just can't wait for you to meet her and Craig. I love them so much!! Well I really have nothing else to say except for the fact that I love you all so much! My family is one of my greatest blessings. I hope you have a great week!! Thanks for all you do! Love you!

Love

Sister M.

Carriage ride in Cardston! 

Sister Martin, Lish and Sister Armstrong 

Harvest time!!