Dear family,

Bikes are the way to go! Where have those been all my mission?? We more than doubled our lessons and contacts! It is just so much easier to meet and to talk to people on a bike. Plus I think people feel bad that we have to bike in skirts and are just more willing to be friendly :) 

We had exchanges this week. Sister Glauser came and worked with me in Charleston. It was exactly what I needed. I felt immediately comfortable with her and could just be myself. I feel like I have been love starved these last few weeks, and it felt so good to have someone value me for just me! Plus her first name is Lexi and she reminded me so much of you Lou! It felt like I had my real sista with me :) Thanks so much for all your advice! I think I just need to be more selfless and less prideful. So much easier said than done!

Things here on James' Island are going good. We are doing a lot of finding right now, since we had to drop a lot of our investigators. So our teaching pool is a bit slim. Missionary work is a whole lot like a roller coaster, highs and lows. I think we are in a bit of a slump right now, but they never last long so hopefully we can pull ourselves out of it soon. We taught a girl named Jenna this week. She is a devout Catholic, but loves talking about Christ and is willing to learn more. She is really sweet. I couldn't believe how willing she was to take a Book of Mormon, considering her background! She acts like a Christian ought to act. She invited us in immediately and was just so open and loving, even though she had finals for pharmacy school that week and could have used that as an excuse. Her actions spoke volumes. I serve in the Bible belt, and it is so sad that the people who are the rudest are the Christians. Atheists are usually the kindest! If I learned anything on my mission, it is the importance of kindness. We are all brothers and sisters. We have personal challenges and concerns.  I would hate to be an additional stumbling block in another's life because of my attitude, language, actions, etc.

I love you all! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the letters!

Sister Daniels

Dear Mom and Pops,

 

Michael and Mona took us to Middleton Plantations last Monday. Oh my goodness, those Southern marquis know how to landscape! UNBELIEVABLE! I understand Gone with the Wind on a completely different level now. It helped having Michael, a true dyed-in-the-wool Southern boy, talking about the great evil known as Yankees the whole time too. So funny! Also, Jane Austen did not describe the gardens she would always have her characters wander around, be proposed to, etc. with any kind of accuracy. Shame on her! I guess she never imagined a time when her gardens would not be something universally known to her audience. That's a real shame too. It was a very cool experience, because there was a special spirit about the place. It made me feel nostalgic for a time and a lifestyle that I had never been a part of! The magic was tarnished a bit after we visited the slave quarters. There was a long list of slaves and their price. I was saddened to see the value of a human life diminished to such paltry sums, especially knowing that each had been paid for with an infinite and atoning price.

 

We also had a Specialized Training Meeting. It was awesome. My favorite part was the video clip that President Holm showed us. It was a football clip, so not usually my favorite :) but it left an impression. In it, a football team was practicing to go against the best team in the area, and one member in particular had a foul attitude about it and was derogatory about their ability to win. So the coach called him out and told him that he was going to have to do the "death crawl". The death crawl: a person has to crawl across the field without letting his knees touch the ground, while carrying another player on his back. It looked painful. But anyway, the Coach asked him how far he thought he could go and the player said 20 yds maybe 30. The coach just told him to give his best, his very best and then proceeded to blindfold him. So he starts to death crawl and the coach is yelling encouragement. He starts out fast and gets slower and slower. His arms are shaky, and every step looks agonizing. But it was cool to see him continue on, long after his body told him to stop. He eventually collapsed, right at the end zone (distance 100 yds, I think). Even though he was sweaty and the coach's yelling was anything but peaceful, it was still beautiful. I don't know if that makes sense. But it was beautiful to watch someone realize that their potential as so much more than they thought it was. I think that is true of all of us. I know that I am guilty of limiting myself, but I also believe that the Lord hasn't given up on me and that He is kindly yelling encouragement. He knows what we are capable. He knows the person we can become and the great things that each of us are capbale of accomplishing. We can do hard things. And that is a beautiful thing! 

 

Bishop Schlegal invited us over to his home for Easter. He had an Easter basket all ready for us and even had his kids hide eggs for us! It was a lot of fun, even though the Elders trounced us on the Easter egg hunt :) I also got the package. THANK YOU! I love that shirt and wore it twice this week. Don't tell anyone ;) But you really can't send it to my apartment. It is going to get me in trouble! It has got to go to the mission home. I loved the limmerick, Dad! Even though it did make me cry :) 

 

I know that Christ lives. I know that because of Him, we will all live again. I love you all and am so grateful that we willalways be a family. 

Sister Daniels       

Rick sent Morgan's letter in limerick form in honor of his traditional Easter hunt!

Dear Morgan

Just for the sake of old time

Aloud it Might sound like a chime

I hope you will smile

And chuckle a while

My message for you is a rhyme

Remember the earlier days

When Easter would herald a race

Running stocking feet

Quick as a track meet

To find each egg’s hiding place

It started when you were quite little

Lexi would play second fiddle

Round the house you flew

Reading each clue

Figuring out every riddle

Perusing some old pics this week

To count all our blessings we seek

Our kids big to small,

We looked at them all

It almost made tears start to leak

On Saturday the boys did the hunt

Some of the clues were quite blunt

But some were tricky

Maybe even sticky

With Caden, then Blake out in front

The clues made them run here and there

For the most part they didn’t care

Buried in dirt you see

Or up in a tree

Under porta-potty, “Hey, that’s not fair”

It was almost automatic

When at last up in the attic

They found paintball guns

At the end of the runs

You might say that they were ecstatic

Georgetown has a new paintball place

We packed up our new stuff in its case

Picked up each boys friend

Gearing up to defend

It looked like we started an arms race

Paintballing was quite a blast

The day just flew by, it was fast

We battled each course

Against every force

Exhausted we came to the last

Before one match, something funny

To have it on film I’d pay money

“Get ready to run”

“Safety off your gun”

We were ready to go, it was sunny

Then a bang rang out like a bell

Followed quick by a scream or a yell

To see Caden’s eyes

The size of moon pies

Kid next to him, shot foot – oh well

So Morgan, we miss you a ton

We hope you are having some fun

This time of year

We pray you will hear

“Come on in” from every one

We've really been blessed by The Lord

I tell you He does keep His word

If you do what's right

He'll lend you his might

And help you each challenge to ford

Love Daddio

Dear Mom and Pops,

 

Things are going great here on James Island! The highlight for the week: MONA WAS BAPTIZED! It was so stressed out that I could barely enjoy it! I haven't had to plan a baptism before all by myself, but I had to this time because my companion is new and didn't know any of the members. The morning of the baptism we had gone over to a member's home to paint their house. We thought we were only going to be there for an hour. Two and a half hours later, we finally get out of there and have to rush our sweaty, gross, and paint-splattered selves over to the church. The ward missionary leader had made the programs, but he had spelled her last name wrong, so we were forced to get creative and to somehow make an e look like an a, which is easier said than done! But as soon as the baptismal program started, the Spirit came. It was so amazing to see a person that I have come to love make this special promise to God. Gosh, it sure is great to be a missionary!

 

We also had Sisters Conference this week. All the sisters in the SCCM attend the conference, so I got to see my past companions! I love those girls like crazy! I haven't seen Sister Brown for months, and all I wanted to do was talk to her. Companions are just special. They see your worst and your best. They help you on the hard days and rejoice in your accomplishments. I hadn't had many friends before I went to college, and I think it is because I simply didn't want them. I put no effort into developing relationships with anyone in high school, and it wasn't until I went to college that I realized just how much I was missing. I don't know why, but the Lord has blessed me--the cold fish!--with so many true friends, but I am so grateful for it. I've learned that love is a renewable resource. There will never be a time when I will have no more capacity to love. Isn't that cool?? I think one of the most important purposes in this life is to develop relationships and I have been blessed beyond measure to develop strong relationships with so many people on my mission. And I love my dear companions not for what they have accomplished or how pretty or successful they are but just for who they are! I think it is a glimmer, if ever so slight, of the love that God has for everyone. 

 

I miss you all. I like developing friendships with others, but it reminds me so much of the family I have left behind. And that is hard sometimes. Y'all are just too special to be away from for prolonged periods! It is a good thing I love being a missionary so much, because otherwise it would simply be unbearable! But I love you and I love getting your emails. I print each of them out and read it throughout the week so it is like you talk to me all the time!   

 

One of the members in our ward, Brother Miller, is a pharmacy student, but more importantly a returned missionary from Brazil! We went over to their home last Monday and taught the Restoration in Portuguese! Well, I spoke in Portuguese and Brother Miller spoke in Portuguese. Sister Stanley and Sister Miller spoke in English, so it was a little bit of a English/Portuguese remix of the Restoration :) It was so fun! He told me all about his mission and gave me some advice. He said I did well and that he was suprised at how much I knew, since it had been so long since I have spoken with anyone. I have a strong suspicion that he was just being nice and didn't want to completely destroy my confidence, but I'll take it!

 

Love,

Sis D

Dear family,

 

Mona is getting baptized this Saturday! She had her baptismal interview yesterday, and she is all good to go! I just love knowning that I have made a difference in their lives and in their eternities. I have helped to save their souls!! I just feel as if this has given my life a purpose that is great and noble. I love being an instrument in the hands of the Lord. I hope that the Lord will put me in the path of those--like Michael and Mona--that I am perfetly suited to help. I feel like the Lord detoured me to South Carolina for them and that all my other areas helped to prepare me to be their missionary. I just feel like I clicked with them, especially Brother Pierce. Maybe he was one of my friends I promised to help in the pre-existence, Pops!

 

My new companion is Sister Stanley. She is from Las Vegas, Nevada and is a great missionary. She is very on purpose, which I love and she will take the lead in lessons which I also love. I have had to take the lead every time for so long, that this is such a relief!  Even though I am the senior companion, I feel like we are equally yoked and that the responsibility is on both of us. It is going to be an amazing transfer!

 

I loved general conference! Sister Stanley called it the "Super Bowl for Missionaries," and it is! We look forward to it for weeks. I really loved Elder Zwick's talk about communication. The importance of positive, uplifting conversations has really been highlighted on my mission. What we say has such a big impact on our Spirits and those of the people around us, especially our companions! Britain’s Ben Jonson said: “Language most shows a man. Speak, that I may see thee." Isn't that so powerful? I hope what I say will relect only what is good and what is virtuous. I have made it a personal goal to be more positive. I love what President Uchtdorf said: Set aside the bottle of bitterness and pick up the goblet of gratitude. I think I have been pretty good about this, but there is always room for improvement! Sister Stanley says that she loves how positive I am and that I am a great example to her, so hopefully I am on the right track!

 

I have really thought a lot about stories this week and how each of us have a story. How cool is it that I get to be a part of so many people's stories?? In the stories of some, I am only a minor character, like when they say they aren't interested or when they shut the door immediately, but in others I have been blessed to be a major character. In the eternal story of Michael and Mona I got to be their guide! What a cool role is that!! I just love the idea that God has a glorious story planned for each of us. Best-seller status! I am just so excited to see the Author of our lives and thank Him for the adventure story He has given me.

 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. I hope you enjoyed the package! I am so happy that I have been born of such goodly parents. No wicked step-mother for me! ;) I got lucky with you two!

Sister Daniels

Sharing a message with the ward mission leader's family about the armor of God.

Dear family,

 

 We had transfer calls on Saturday and  I dodged the bullet! I get to stay in Charleston! I am so grateful. My dear Sister Davis is leaving me though. This means that I will be getting a new companion on Wednesday. I am a little nervous. This will be my eighth companion in eight months! Crazy, right?? That's more than many people get there whole mission! I love it though, because it is teaching me how to work with all different personality types and how to love all different types of people.

 

We had lunch with a less-active who is gradually returning into full activity. He is 48 and is desperate to get married. His prospects, however, are not too good. I am so frustrated with him though! The thing that really irks me is that he had a picture of model scantily clad in a bikini as his screen saver and he had the gall to show it to us, like he was trying to prove something! I was mad and disgusted and quite frankly wanted nothing to do with this lustful, supercilious ole codger in front of me! After this meeting, we came home and I angrily picked up the Ensign that I had been reading before and I read these words, " There is not one of us that He has not desired to save, and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant and contemptible in out own eyes and in the eyes of others, but the truth remains that we are the children of God, and that He has actually given His angels--invisible beings of power and might--charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping." It felt like a slap in the face, an immediate reproof from God. He loved this man and He wants me to love him too. I had held this less-active in contempt, and I shouldn't have. He is a child of God, too, and the Lord wants to save him just as much as he wants to save me, or you, or Michael or Mona. It was a powerful lesson to me and one that I am not likely to forget!

 

Best news of all: Mona has finally, FINALLY agreed to a baptismal date! AHH! We had a lesson with her and Michael this week about temples. The Spirit was really strong, especially when we had a mini testimony meeting at the end of the lesson. Michael was struggling to put his thoughts into words, so Mona just jumped on in and bore her testimony for the first time! It was so sweet and pure. She talked about how good she feels when she comes to church, especially when she partakes of the sacrament. She talked about the Plan of Salvation and how she knows that it is true. I am just SO HAPPY! I feel like this email should be in all capital letters! 

 

I love you all so much! It is hard to believe that it has been 8 months already. The half-way point is coming up so fast! I am so grateful to be a missionary. It is the best decision that I have ever made.

 

Love,

Sis Daniels

 

P.S. I did get to watch Women's Conference. It was amazing. It was so cute to see the daughters holding hands with their moms. I loved it. The video they showed reminded me just how fast life goes! It went through all the stages of being a daughter, then a mother, and finally a grandmother. I want to make sure I make every moment count and not waste time worrying about things that really just don't matter!

The most interesting mailbox Morgan has ever seen!

Morgan at Battery Park 

Dear family,

 

I'm glad y'all had such a great Spring break! It sure sounds like fun! One of the less-active members in our ward wants to take us fishing, so we'll have to see if I can pull a Blake on that one :) The Special Olympics sounds like it was a wonderful experience! I've met a couple mentally handicapped people on my mission and they are always so pure and so innocent. The have special spirits. They really do. I LOVE that you followed a spiritual prompting to help that man! What a powerful example you are to me, Mom!

 

I think it is great that you are hanging out with the boys so much, Pops! I get nervous for them, sometimes. So many young men fall away! We have a lot of less actives in our ward and many of them are young men. I have seen too many faithful wives with husbands that don't go to church. It is absolutely heart-breaking. Many are returned missionaries. My mission has really opened my eyes to the battle that we are fighting. Satan is fighting awfully hard and he has a plethora of strategies. Every less active has a unique story and different reasons for leaving, but with each one I have to fight the urge not to shake them into sanity! I think the Lord is teaching me the heavenly virtue of patience and understanding :) I really love being an instrument of God in helping them remember the truths they once knew and cherished. Michael, especially, has made such progress. Yesterday, he got a tithing slip for the first time in about 40 years! I feel like a proud parent!! I did good, too :)

 

We had a sister share an analogy in her talk that I really loved. She said that there are two ways to read the scriptures. We can water ski or we can scuba dive. When we ski, we read through the scriptures quickly. It is fun and exciting and we are able to get the thrill of the stories. We also have the immediate satisfaction in seeing how fast we have progressed. It is, however, a fairly superficial understanding--it barely grazes the surface. Then there is scuba diving. We can take it slow, reveling in the joys of discovery and unearthing new insights and novel ideas. I feel like I have done an awful lot of water skiing in my life! Luckily, my mission has taught me how to scuba dive into the scriptures. I finally am getting a grasp on just what it means to "ponder" the scriptures and I am making connections like never before!

 

I love you guys so much! I love your letters and read them over and over again. Thanks for all the support. As cliche as it sounds, it is nevertheless true:  I couldn't be doing this without you!

Sister Daniels

 

P.S. I hear if I get my visa this Saturday. I think the chances I got it this time are next to nil, so hopefully I get to stay in Charleston this next transfer!!