August 27, 2012

THIS IS SISTER DURR'S LAST EMAIL! CRAZY!!!!!!

HELLO!!!! EVERYONE!!!

 I am doing great!  I feel good. I am happy to say that I have NOT stopped working! This past week has been one of emtions. As you can understand. But the past week have been full of sweet miracles!!

Sister Satley and I have worked so hard! We have excerised so much faith in preparing people for our friends to get baptized and to help them understand the Atonement and repentance. We can report that we have set SMART goals and have accomplished them! It has been such a blessing to see how setting goals can bless us and the area! We are doing great with our relationship. It is alittle hard for her to see me preparing to go home but she is super excited to train. I feel I am helping her see that she has the confidence and she is ready for this new task. She is so strong I love her lots! She is wonderful and has showed be true obedience.

 Bee and Jojo both got baptized on Saturday! It was a wonderful baptism service for them both on Saturday morning, and their confirmations were just as awesome!

I have seen the spirit be the real teacher. He changes people and prepares them.

Three really cool things that happened this weekend. We wanted to get our friend Tabaius to a baptism. He couldn't come to the one we had but that night Olympia had one. We couldn't find a member to take him, so we made a couple phone calls. With faith a prayer there was someone that was able to help us to him to the baptism! Miracle! He loved it and now understands what he is working towards.

We meet a guy named Chris. We were getting into an apt. complexe and he was the security guy. Sister Staley asked him the BEST heavenly question "Do you like your job?" He hesitated and repsonded "When I have a good book to read" LIGHT BULB! We respond back "Well we have a good book you can read" I get it out of my bag and hand him the most wonderful book, The Book of Mormon. He takes it and begins to ask us questions. There was a pile of cars building up so we park the car and answer the questions that we could with the time that we had. We set up an appt. with him for this upcoming Friday. I am excited for the sisters to teach him! Miracle!

At church yesterday Elder Hansen and I spoke in Sacrament Meeting. I think I did a good job with the time that was left for us. After Bishop comes up to us and introduces us to this kid, Jason. He told us that we needed to go and talk to Jason right now. So we did. Came to learn that he is not a member, he came to church on his own, he has been learning by himself for the past year about the church. Has his own triple and even has his own subscription to the ensign. What the! Wonderful! Perfect! He is GOLDEN! Love it. We will be seeing him hopefully this week before I leave. Crossing my fingers!

I want you all to know that I have the BIGGEST, STRONGEST testimony of this TRUE gospel! I know that this is the Lords work! I have felt Him work in my life! I know that He lives! He loves us ALL of us.

I love you all so much!

I am Sister Durr, the daughter of David and Sharon Durr and I close mine epistle!

 Sister Shannon Durr

August 20, 2012

HELLO!!!

My emotions are all over the place right now, they kinda have been. . but you better believe I am not slowing down or letting up on this work. I am excited to tell you about this past week and all the miracles that have taken place. We are currently teaching  11 people. Craziness that is what that is.

There is (starting with most progressing towards baptism):

Bee, Jojo, Josh, Hector, DJ, Vincent,Tabaius, Caitlin, Richard, Jose, Mckenley. We have seen them all this past week. But we know that they ones that are progressing right now are those that were referred to us by members of the ward. Fancy that. We taught SOOO much this week. It was awesome.

Bee and Jojo are both getting baptized this upcoming weekend. They are both so very excited!! and let everyone know they were yesterday at church. It is going to be great. One cool story of how reading the B.O.M and how prayer really works. One of the girl had a hard time accepting the word of wisdom, but like any other commandment we invted her to pray about it. That night she went home and prayed. We found out that the following morning she "woke up SO HAPPY!" She knew that this was from the spirit, this is what changed her from being semi excited to SUPER EXCITED! She is so ready for baptism on Saturday. She even texted us one day telling us that she gave her work shift away for saturday. This was showing us that the spirit was working on her! I love the HOLY GHOST , I know that He is the true teacher!

Hector has a learning disability and so we have been teaching him like an 8 year old. Music and all! He is starting to retain what we are teaching him. Very slowly is he remembering. iT IS INCREDIBLE, we know that he is remembering cus he is reading from the BO.M. it is an amazing Book everyone. I hope you know this.

Tabaius. We received him from the Elders in the area. We taught him about prayer one day, cus he would not pray with us. After reading a little bit of the Book of Mormon with him to get him started we invited him to pray yet again. . . nope. But looking at the Book of Mormon he asked . "Is there a scripture in the Book of Mormon that will give me the motivation to pray?" hummmm. . IS THERE? YES! Here is the cool thing. The last lesson we had with him before this one. .this scripture came to my head but we didn't get to share it. You better believe with this question we read it. 2 Nephi 32:8, BAM! PERFECT. After reading this he closed the Book, and began to pray, out loud for the FIRST TIME! awesome!!!! He even prayed with the Elders when they went over there to meet his mom. He volunteered

Zone conference on Wednesday was awesome. I was able to see lots of people probably for the last time. I didn't cry through my departing testimony but I cried before and after when I was listening to everyone else. I can't believe that I was really able to do it without crying but I prayed that I wouldn't. Hardest thing ever!!! Another hard thing was receiving the "trunky papers" in the mail. With all the 411 of what will be taking place on Aug. 30 and 31. Is it really that close? It is surreal.

Let's see?? WHat else? I am not sure. But this last FULL week that I have is not going down without sweat and running. We have a baptism to get ready for to make sure that Bee and Jojo are ready. and Other's to invite!

I love this work soooo much! I am so very happy! I love you all and hope that this week will be blessed by the Lord!

 Zone Conference after lunch. Sister's Staley, Wilks and me.  Elders Schmutz, Lasitani, Hibbard

Me and Shannon Road

Yup true story. . two different shoes!

 Sister Shannon Durr

August 13, 2012

HELLO!!!!!

 Did you all know that I love emailing home? If not you should! This week produced so many miracles! We dont have any baptisms this weekend. We had to push both baptisms that were set back due to one- Hector not retaining very much and Josh, still waiting for charges to be dropped againest him. Are you all praying for them. . If not. . Will you!? Thanks. We are still working with Bee and Jojo. They are super solid. The more that we meet with them the more that they are excited. Please pray for them both as well.

 As for the week. Tuesday was the worse day ever. . all our lesson's fell through. . back ups were a joke! but we survived and saw miracles. It was great to have a bad day cus then the rest of the week were the best days ever! We are teaching this one kid. . . he called us up one night, right after dinner, he was having a bad day. . we rush over to his house and try to help him. . He said he was being overcome by the devil. .. but yet we didn't feel one evil thing. . .we prayed with him and in the middle of the prayer he throws himself on the floor and starts saying that he is on fire! What the. . . I look at sister staley and we both shrug our sholders. . . We had enough. . So I get down on his level. . look him in the eye. . and tell him FIRMLY to STOP! He stopped and looked me in the eye. . come to find out while we got down on his level that he was completely drunk. . yeah. . we left not too long after that.

 We started to teach a seventh day kid- Richard. We contacted him and taught him and returned on saturday after he was done with church. We saw his heart soften right in front of us as we answered his questions about the Book of Mormon. It was awesome. . not sure if he will convert but he is reading the Book of Mormon and we all know how a sincer heart will come to know the truth of all things!

 Here is one last story for this email. Saturday night We check the mailbox like we do everyday. . there was one in there for me. From the mission. . . my heart sank. . opened it at the top "DEPARTING MISSIONARIES". . . Tears started. . wouldn't stop. . is this FOR REAL! Yup it was. I am thankful for Sister Staley. I know that she is supposed to be my companion so she can keep me grounded. It still doesn't feel real that I am coming home in three weeks. The last part of the transfer always goes so fast. . . Well buckle up, this is going to be a fast roller coaster! HERE WE GO!

p.s. right now we are emailing in the family history center. .the elders have a ukelele and I am dying of laughter. . they are making up words as they play! HILARIOUS. . I wish you could all be here to listen. . it is great!!

 A cool sign we saw. Here is the Story. We were walking cus we had a few extra min before night sacrament started. . we wanted a picture of it. While we were walking a car pulls up next to us. . the gentleman inside asked us if we needed a ride somewhere. . we kindly told him no, but before he road off I yelled "Hey you want to come to church with us?" He got a big smile on his face and said "Yeah I'll come." Other cars were starting to pull up behind him so I talked fast. . "IT STARTS AT 8 AT THAT CHURCH RIGHT OVER THERE *pointing* Really you will come?" Him "Yeah I will come!" hahahaha this nice man didn't come. But it was a great story right! and the picture is really awesome. 

 I LOVE YOU ALL! Still write me. . I still need support!!

 Sister Shannon Durr

August 6, 2012

Okay Family:

 Here I am! So much to report on . . .

 We set four baptism dates this past week. With Hector, Josh, Bee and Jojo. All member referrals. So legit! It was an awesome LONG week of finding, being stood up, getting caught in the rain, wonderful thunder and lighting, setting baptism dates and driving a lot. Monday night brought forth lots of fun and laughter. . a dog. . of a guy that we were talking to pee'd on me. Yup sprayed all over my FOOT!!! It took my all to not LAUGH while still talking to him. Sister Staley and I were dying when we biked off . . haha he was an hispanic guy so we gave his 411 to the spanish elders. We have been working with them alot this past week cus we are teaching someone that they gave us. We have taught alot of people that we contacted on the street. It was awesome!

 One thing that I learned this week from my wonderful companion "It takes the Elect to find the Elect." I love it!

 Here is a cool lesson that took place this week. Travis. We have taught him twice. He was struggling with a lot of things right now in his life but he is wanting to get baptized and make promises with Heavenly Father. The second lesson that we had it was so powerful. We needed to teach him the Law of Chasity, but how we were to do it we weren't sure how. We prayed so hard during the first couple of minutes. He wanted to read from the Book of Mormon with us so we were reading 1 Nephi 4. . I think. . how was it going to come up. . . The door opened, the spirit guided this whole lesson! I wish you all could have been in the room. It was incredible. We acted on the first impression to teach him this Law so he can really start repenting. Sister Staley and I were talking about it after. We learned that she was praying so hard for one of us to speak up. She knew that it was  going to be me. . No messing around! No beating around the bush. It was AMAZING to feel the spirit teach through us on how this young man can change his life and get closer to God!!! INCREDIBLE!!!!

I love being a missionary. I love being lead by the Holy Ghost. Teaching the things as moved on by the spirit. It is out of this world! I wish I had more time to tell you more things but this is all she wrote! I Love you all sooo Much!

P.S. I read Doctrine and Covenants 26 today! EEEKK

Same plates as you! Right on!

Temple Service On Wednesday Aug 1, 2010

-- 

 Sister Shannon Durr

July 30, 2012

Hello Family!!

 I am excited to report to you all today on the wonderful week that Sister Satley and I have had! So many Miracles! So I hope I have enough time. . given how fast I can type. . .To tell you all about them! As far as the Pictures go, that can tell you that I came into this ward with two baptisms already set up. I got to see the end result of the journey these two wonderful people have taken. Greg and Megan! They are incredible. I have grown to love them A LOT! The baptism service was very spiritual. This week we were lead to 4 people. all referred to us by the wonderful members who understand member missionary work. So cool!! This is how missionary work is supposed to be. The members FINDING! MIRACLES! Their names are so you can start praying for them. . Josh F, Josh H, Nisha, Bee and Jojo. . . (one was already a gator) We love these young adults sooo much! The Bishop is already pretty cool. I am happy to be working with someone that is so missionary minded that the ward is on fire! I LOVE IT

Area 411:

 To be honest my whole mission I did not want to serve in this area (mostly cus it is full car and you NEVER BIKE) but being called here as helped me grow in ways (and I will continue to grow) that I thought already took place. Wrong-o you can NEVER stop growing! I am serving in the area that the temple is in. . it is such a great blessing to be here and seeing the temple every day (almost) we also teach many many lessons on temple grounds. It is home! I have felt Heavenly Fathers love for me in so many ways this week. I wish you could all be here to see and feel everything that is running through me. I have felt so close to the Savior this week to the point that I can hear HIM! Do you all understand this. . please understand that you can get closer to our Savior by sharing the gospel with everyone around you. I know you all work with people that aren't members. . INVITE THEM! I dare you :-)

A cool scripture that I read this morning, that I should have read last night. . . Doctrine and Covenants 34:6. So cool! D&C 33 is just as wonderful and incredible!

Sorry not too much detail on the miracles like I thought I had time for. . but our new gators came to us in miraculous ways. . trust me!

I love you all so much and hope that you have a fun filled week especially now that we are getting into AUGUST!!! EKK!!! Where did the time go? haha

This is what I saw during a car ride to the time!

Sister Staley and I

 Sister Shannon Durr

July 23, 2012

HELLO! EVERYONE!

 BOY O BOY! There is so much to report on! First of all. . . so many crazy miracles! The miracle of Bobby Boyd! We were at church and waiting for a member that helped us get sister walborns flat tire fixed. We went walking and he was the first one that we saw. We taught him, and set a baptism date! He is so ready for this truth! It was incredible! It was AMAZING!! The sad thing is, he is inbetween living places and doesn't have a phone. . therefore it is hard to see him. . he didn't come to church so we spent some time last night looking for him. No luck! We need to FIND BOBBY BOYD! Another thing that happened THIS morning. We got a phone call from Sister Harris. We have been teaching her husband Shane. She has been crying and proceeded to tell us why. He went to the baptism that the Elders had Saturday and felt the spirit so strongly that he got up and bore his testimony. . COOL!!!! Well last night he stayed up all night reading the Book of Mormon and the gospel principles book. He prayed and he wants to get BAPTIZED!!!! We could not contain our happiness. it was awesome!!!!

It was an awesome week. I was able to go to College Park on exchanges and see people that I hadn't seen for a really long time. It was a tender mercy to be able to go there. . I was there a year ago right! It was fun.

Okay so what you have all been waiting for. . Where is Sister Durr serving her LAST 6 WEEKS . . . . I will be with my "granddaughter" Sister Staley in Buena Vista. . YSA! crazy huh!

I am so excited! It will be great!!! All right. I love you all. Sorry this is short I am out of time. You all are the greatest and I hope to hear from you soon.

My new quote "Smile when it is hard; laugh when you get stressed".

Distrcit P-day at the light house! So much fun!

 Sister Shannon Durr

July 16, 2012

Hello Family!

This week was crazy! We didn't get to work in our area alot this week. There were SOO many meetings. Leaving our area Tuesday evening and not returning until Thursday night. . BIG chunk of time gone. . and then a meetin Friday morning. . lots of drive time! We also went on a temple tour Friday night. . so ALOT of time was taken this week.We did see ALOT of miracles on Sunday though! That was the day we saw alot of our investigators and taught lots of lessons.

 My heart broke this week. We had to "drop" Robert! I cried LOTS!!! Cus he loves this so  much. He loves coming to church and reading and he wants to be baptized soo badly. But with discussion and prayers we came to the conclusion that we can't be spending any more time over there until his divorce really happens. . that was Saturday night. . and the hardest part, he was in church the next day with us. Just talking about it makes my heart hurt. I probably wont ever see him again. We saw Gerald, he accepted a soft baptism invite but no date we learn that his health is going down hill. He wont go to the doctors. . irritating. We are still teaching Shane he is on his way to recovery! Positive response to our lesson last night! We are still teaching patrick and sarah. Patrick can't get baptized until he is done serving all his time in jail. So we have no one with a baptism date. Stephen King accepted a soft baptism invite and received his answer that he does need to get baptized! We gave him a date but he nows needs to pray about that.

 We thought we weren't going to have enough time to email lots. . or even write letters for that matter. A guy that is in the ward, I think I mentioned him. . died this past week and his funeral is today. . this morning. but it was too far away for us to drive ourselves. So we ended up not going. I was sad! Big time. He died from turberculos (sp?) TB. really rare. Lets see. . 7-11 was this past week (we got free slurpees from 7-11. . I didn't drink mine cus I was too sick!). I was super sick, I actually went to the doctors on Wednesday. . Sinusits. . my head was about to explode! I should have gone to bed and slept all day. But being on exchanges with Sister Kerns, a new missionary there was no way that I would have done that to her. So instead we WORKED hard all day. The miracle. I prayed the whole day. Every time we were in the car I was MISERABLE! but every time we got out of the car to teach or go talk to someone. . I no longer thought of how I was feeling. Power of using and leaning on the Atonement. That is the only way I was able to get through the day! I love how that works! Alma 7:11. I love it!! We saw tons of miracles in Eustis! I was so happy to get back to my area though at the end of the two days!

Here is the news: My companion and I are pretty sure I am being transfered. So dont send anymore mail to Daytona Beach. She will be training a new missionary. I love this area though but I do feel in my heart that this was going to happen.

Sorry this is short. Like I said there was lots of meetings and driving. . so not much happened.  but this week will be one of FINDING people and seeing MIRACLES!!!

I love you all so much and hope that you will have a safe and productive week! May you find someone to share your testimony with about the restored gospel!!!

 Day two of the Eustis exchange. Stronger than yesterday. Sister Kerns and I.

 Sister Shannon Durr