Last week with Hna. Morrow

Hard good-byes

Shannon's new companion Sis. Trebotich

Transfer week....

Good Morning from Pembroke Pines!

Pines is awesome and the ward here is so kind and helpful. Sister Trebotich and I are now companions and it has been a great first week together. We quickly got to work and have been knocking nonstop and meeting the ward. The challenge of Pines is that most communities are gated. Luckily, Sister Trebotich is more dignified than I am because I am getting so close to wearing a bike skirt so I can hop the walls of these places (jokes). 

We had an incredible District Training on "faith, focus, and fire." We are striving constantly to have all three...always. I love it because it will enable us to see miracles. Sister Trebotich is teaching me so much about accounting with the Lord and how to have peace in knowing that you gave your all. We are so happy together... doing the work with her is low stress and satisfying. She has so much to offer, especially having served in the Tampa mission for the majority of her mission, she teaches me new things constantly. We are looking forward to working hard, seeing miracles, and baptizing this transfer. I am determined to do everything in my power to give her the best last transfer of her mission.

This week, we had an exchange with the Lauderhill sisters. I knocked with Sister Bradley and was impressed by her Spanish. She and Sister Lake seem like an awesome duo and are working hard in Lauderhill. I am so grateful that the Lord put that area in their care.

P.S. This week we were on another exchange this time with the Zone leaders and BROTHER PABLO my Ward mission leader from Hollywood was there and it was the best reunion!!! I love him. So fun to see my ward family members.

I love this work. Hard to believe I have almost been out a year. I pray for you all daily! 

Hermana McCormick

Last week in Lauderhill

March 17, 2015

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY AND TRANSFER WEEK AND BAPTISM WEEK AND EVERYTHING GOOD

It definitely is the end of my time here in Lauderhill with Sister Morrow because everything is ending so well.

Maria was baptized on Sunday. Our bishop decided that she should be confirmed right after (as there was a PM family baptism and confirmation as well) and that was powerful. We visited her yesterday and asked how she felt after being baptized and she explained to us she is already feeling the promptings of the Holy Ghost and is choosing the right. I am sad to not be able to see her brother be baptized this coming week, but I know that he must need the sisters coming in.

Sister Morrow is so ready to be greenie broken. She has had passion and excitement and enthusiasm for this work for so many weeks, she is ready to "make a name for herself" and light her next area on fire. We wake up laughing and go to sleep laughing. No clue how I will have as much fun in this work without her!!! As much as I wish we could stay together, she so deserves to be on her own with another companion. I know that she will absolutely take off. 

Sister Morrow... she is selfless, spiritual, obedient, wise, helpful, a great listener... she is "that good companion." I know that you can put her with anyone, in any circumstance and count on her. I am so incredibly grateful for my time with her.

In other (random) news I have forgotten to tell you:

#1 the cost of being on time to personal study... I splattered boiling water from my oatmeal over like 1/2 of my forearm. I freaked. Iced it. But now with all of the knocking in the hot sun it is scarring. Sad day. It's okay I still have some sunscreen so don't worry m and d it will all be okay.

#2 we moved apartments. Did I tell you we lived in mold for 3.5 months? Not cool. Anyway this one is so nice and clean and now I have to leave. chill. Such is life.

#3 Hayden officially wins the best human award because he sent me the most hilarious card (valentine) and update and TWENTY DOLLARS. I actually cried some tears of joy because his 20 is saving me this month. Literally was an answer to a prayer and I just love Hayden so much. Sister Morrow said, "he must be the best brother, he is so selfless, huh?" I chuckled and thought... appears that way...is this gamer boy? He has changed!!! Haha.... Hayden you are the best and you are really growing up and I am stoked to come back and see the person you have become because that card was the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me.

Back to spiritual stuff: The area and ward here are incredible. I will miss this place, but I am excited to meet the people in my next area and get to work. Lauderhill is holy ground for me. It is sacred to me. The things that I learned here, the people I met, the miracles I saw... I could not be more blessed. I cherish the memories I have of seeing our recent converts in this area progress after baptism. The M. family, in particular, has my heart. I feel so blessed to have been able to watch them come to church each week, receive a calling, and bless the sacrament, etc. Br. M. even taught Relief Society's enrichment last week and educated the sisters about Family History. I love them with all my heart. I will never lose contact with them. 

We had an incredible miracle yesterday. Before knocking doors, we took a bathroom break at Publix. As we were walking out, three girls ages 15, 19, and 22 looked at us funny. We smiled and then they came after us saying, "Where is the church located? We have been looking for it for a year and we have not been able to find it." I have to admit, at first I thought three ridiculously elect gators fell into our lap, but after chatting we found out that they are from El Salvador and moved here last year. They have not been able to find the church... no wonder because we were in Oakland Park and the church is all the way in Coral Springs. Anyway, we gave them a chapel card and asked when we could come by and visit. I suggested Wednesday or Thursday, and one of them looked at me and said... "pues... hoy esta bien." They are so converted I love it! Sadly, we had a full schedule so we couldn't, but I know that God placed us in their path so that they could become active again and enjoy the blessings of the gospel!

I found a lot of comfort in Alma 26 this morning. This is my favorite chapter in the Book of Mormon, and today I was impressed as I read :1 and :9:

1 And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?

 9 For if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, who have so dearly beloved us, would still have been racked with hatred against us, yea, and they would also have been strangers to God.

My mission, and Lauderhill in particular, is holy ground to me. This time is so very sacred to me. Verse 1 took me back to pre-mission me. I was so selfish, not even desiring to serve the Lord. I am so glad that I did. I never, ever could have imagined I would be so blessed and learn so much. Verse 9 makes me think of each precious soul Heavenly Father has allowed me to teach on my mission. Those who have been baptized are so special because I have been so blessed to have witnessed the atonement change someone firsthand. 

I am feeling that fire again. I learned a lot about discouragement, and how NOT to deal with trials. I am ready to work hard and baptize consistently. The Lord has my heart and I am here to give Him my all.

Another round of applause for those who finished this extra long email. 11 months later and you still support me (m and d). Anyone else read to the end? I am talking to myself?

Enjoy each day, go share your testimony... it comes up in conversation easier than you think. Read D&C 33:8-10. Go be like Nephi as old. Share these amazing things that we know to be true. 

"Peace is when a spirit that promised to never forget is in a body that is striving to always remember." They will remember these things!

All my love,

Hermana McCormick

March is here

Reunion time! Sister Gardner and Shan

Happy reunion with Sister Johnson!

March 9, 2015

Dear Friends and Family,

This week has been incredible. I feel as though this great trial is becoming a thing of the past based on the fondness that I feel for it already. All of those prayers and hard days were not in vain because one of our wonderful investigators is getting baptized this Wednesday!! I feel like I can breathe...Heavenly Father is blessing us and yesterday was a great day.

I will tell you why, but FIRST........THE Sister Johnson (my BFF from Miami who died the when I was half way finished with being trained and basically saved me that transfer and is too fun for words) came knocking on our door on Friday. I geeked out as bad as when KK surprised me in the car when she came home for a 3 day weekend her freshman year at BYU. Her "baby" is Sister Albrecht, who dies next week, and she served where I am serving now so she is in town to see her RCs and visit members. That was a trip!! Hopefully I can get her to send you a video. It would be good blackmail on me haha. I just love her! So nice to see her and have her tell me how different I seem/look. Also she evaded my question of: "so do I look totally tired and trashed like do I have missionary bags?" She laughed it off and wouldn't answer! That's a yes but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love losing sleep over people's salvation. Okay that is a bad way of putting it. I love being emotionally invested in our investigators.

So.... SUNDAY:

We are excited to see how M.'s baptism influences her family. I know that the spirit will touch their hearts, and I know that if I am left in this area another transfer, we will continue teaching them as they are prepared.

We are also working with a family from El Salvador and Guatemala. They have two beautiful children and are so receptive to the spirit. They keep their commitments and are really kind. I am looking forward to seeing how they progress this week.

In the Book of Mormon, I studied Nephi's psalm this week, which was good timing because I needed an attitude adjustment. One of my favorite lines in 2 Nephi 4:

 26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?

This really opened my eyes. My gratitude for my Savior and my mission is immeasurable. I know that things are hard. But why wouldn't they be? They were hard for the Savior, and being His representative, why should my path be easy? I read "Lessons From Liberty Jail" by Elder Holland and realized that a heart wallowing in misery and self-pity is nearly impenetrable for the spirit. That is why last week was so incredibly hard. However, even in hard times, a heart filled with charity and faith is one that the spirit can access.

I am so very grateful for my trials. Some are so hard that they become sacred. Elder Holland explained that our trials can become "prison-temples", just like Liberty Jail. Sections 121-123 in the Doctrine and Covenants are marvelous. However, those revelations came in the darkest moments of the prophet’s life. Elder Holland explains that even the righteous, perhaps especially the righteous, must spend a little time in their Liberty Jail, in their prison-temple. I know that is where I have been for the past couple of weeks. However, my eyes have been opened as I see that those trials would have been even harder without the help of the Savior.

I love this work. I love the joy I feel as I am blessed to see firsthand how the atonement changes people.

I learned in Relief Society yesterday that missionary work is the last and perhaps the greatest miracle that the Savior has given us in the last dispensation. I know that to be true.

Thank you for your support, especially when I get wound way too tight. I am working on it!

Con amor,

Hermana McCormick

Pics from February

A little auto maintenance training

Ft. Lauderdale Temple

Happy companions

More package joy!