Okay so dont look at the title of this email and assume that I had a hard week because it was actually one of the best so far. I have felt so connected to Father and that has been a HUGE blessing. 

We had the opportunity to have a member of the 70 come and talk to the MLC (Mission Leadership Counsel) this week and it was INSPIRING! They work hard for the spirit and therefore have it in abundance! It is so neat to see as a missionary because I can have that too... and so can you. But he asked us to send 2 talks and they were about the Enabling powers of the atonement and the importance of Loads in our lives. Hence the "its okay to struggle". 

This week we made some amazing head way with a few of our friends here! Betty Jo... you know the "Praise the Lord" woman we teach came to the womens broadcast! she loved it and there were TONS of people who reached out and talked to her! #WIN we were so grateful for that!

Linda is still reading the BOM and has already said that she will come to Conference this weekend! We had 2 lessons with here last week and were able to have a member and her LA sis there too. Power house. She is reading the BOM and praying to know that it is true... next step and baptismal date! So if anyone wants to pray... 

Dale is being a stinker right now. But we have a lesson with him in a few days and we have a great member coming who we really feel he will connect to easily!! He told us that he wants us to meet his member brother and talk to him. So as part of our lesson he will be skyping so that his brother in Utah can be a part of his conversion!!! I love technology so much!!

So I have decided that the thing I miss most is BABIES and KIDS. Sorry mom and all other family... but they win. It is so hard not to be able to hold and let these cuties sit on your lap. why do I say this today? because yesterday we helped in primary so that more adults could go to a special training the 3rd hour! THEY ARE SO CUTE!!!! I got to sit with the little sunbeams.... KILLED ME. but I think that that has been one of my favorite 3 hour lessons I have had in a long time! Simple is the way to do things!

Funny story this week that totally connects to scriptures. We had to take our car in for a recall repair. Sis Woods LOVES Challengers and the man at the front desk had this cool calender with one on it. She said, "is that a Challenger?"... "Ask and ye shall receive." was the answer she got as he pulled out the same calender for her... so there you go folks. modern day application! 

There is a quote from a talk I read this week (shout out to Sis Arndt for sending it to sis woods who then shared it with me!). It is talking about the need of trials in our lives. We cannot become who we need to be without them.

"THEREFORE HOW CAN YOU AND I REALLY EXPECT TO GLIDE NAIVELY THROUGH LIFE, AS IF TO SAY... "LORD, GIVE ME EXPERIENCE, BUT NOT GRIEF, NOT SORROW, NOT PAIN, NOT OPPOSITION, NOT BETRAYAL, AND CERTAINLY NOT TO BE FORSAKEN. KEEP FROM ME, LORD, ALL THOSE EXPERIENCES WHICH MADE THEE WHAT THOU ART. THEN LET ME COME AND DWELL WITH THEE AND FULLY SHARE THY JOY." 

Our goal in life is to be like Christ. Yet so many of us fear burdens and hard times, which are the very things that were ever present in His. He had to suffer more then we can ever imagine. He was stretched and pulled and torn for us. We to must be stretched and pulled. Its okay to struggle. Its okay to have hard times. They help us to become. 

Trails can be things that build us or destroy us. Use the enabling powers of the Atonement and Christ will share your burdens with you. Matt 11:28-30. 

I know that God lives and love us. Christ is RISEN and our advocate with the Father. Find Him #BecauseHeLives. 

Love your 1st Sister Draney

P.S. You can love the second more when Im gone ;)

LUCK IS A MATTER OF BELIEVEING."

I am a servant of Jesus Christ and I love it more then anything else. This week we had so many adventures! here is a little great one to start.

We get a voice mail on Tues from a lady named Betty Joe. She is old and hilarious. She said that here neighbors who are members said that we would be willing to help her with some stuff. We did the little excited dance that we do with cool things happen then gave her a call! "PRAISE THE LORD" is how she answered the phone and not the "praise the lord" that you are thinking of but that is literally how she answers the phone every time. So she says it in the same voice that a person answering a phone would say it in!

She was so funny and made us crazy sandwiches in thanks for helping her, and luckily she made them for the road because we didn't end up eating them... it was safer that way!

Miracle:

Okay this one has a really long back story that I dont have time to tell you all about but just know that we have been trying to get a hold of the guy for like 8 weeks now. We left him a message last transfer and then one day out of the blue he calls a leave a message saying that he want to meet and talk to the missionaries. 

He knows some of our LA's and Bruce is like a mentor to him. So we get out of the car and see him and Bruce (a LA who has been against the chruch for a LOOOOOONG time) walking down to where we are going to meet. He introduced us and then was going to go back home. But we asked if he would join us! #member present! and he agreed (which surprised me). 

We had a great lesson but the coolest part was that Bruce said that he wants to read the BOM with us and his mom every week now. He reads the Bible but would not touch the BOM with a 6 foot pole before that day. We called him just a few days later and he told us that he was already on 1Nephi 5!!!!!!!! I think I almost fainted!!! So Carlos helped us help Bruce who is ready to come back!!!!! The work of God is great! 

"Life is not fair" someone said in a meeting, as he talked about an unfortunate experience. "Your right, life is not fair, if it was I would not be alive." was the response from his friend. He had an experience that should have killed him but because life is not always fair he lived. 

Its incredible to think about how unfair all of our live are. Look at the Atonement. All of us have made mistakes that automatically stop us from living with our Father again. But lucky for us life is not fair. Those mistakes can been take from us at any moment. Because He lives life is not fair. We will all be victorious over death. We have claim on the greatest gift that make life unfair. 

No matter what the topic, situation, or person there is always a positive side. Look for it. Find it. Find Him. Make Him, our risen Lord, the search of your life. He will make things right. He will make things unfair. Be grateful and Find Him!

Each week there are so many blessing given from God to His children, I am so grateful. I have been so blessed this week by so many people. Some that I know and some that I have never met before. I love wearing my Saviors name over my heart as a go and try to help others truly know that they are loved, that they are a child of God, and what that truly means. 

There is a talk by Pres. Tanner in which he states how important it is for each of us to know that we are children of God. He says that, "THIS KNOWLEDGE IS IMPORTANT IN THEIR LIVES. THEY MUST REALIZE THAT GOD IS INTERESTED IN THEM, WANTS THEM TO LIVE THE WAY THEY SHOULD, AND IS READY TO ANSWER THEIR PRAYERS AND HELP THEM WHEREVER POSSIBLE IF THEY WILL BUT LISTEN." I add my testimony to this. 

This week was amazing, incredible, and wonderful. I love being a missionary almost more then I like breathing... and that is necessary for life... get the picture. Part of the reason I love it so much though is because I have a fantastic companion. She is great and we have fun together. we have an ongoing joke that if someone asked her how much time she has she will just say 6 and leave it at that. Its fun. Time goes fast so make each moment count right? and we do we wrestle around at night and talk as I rub her feet. haha I am pretty sure that I have touched more feet on my mission then anyone else! #unique. but I love doing it. 

Week one always seem to be super crazy, and to add on top of it we got to speak yesterday! Welcome to the ward Sister Woods (yes she is plural). But it was awesome! I never thought I would say this and I probably never will again but I love speaking in sacrament meeting... as a missionary. As I was sitting on the stand listening to Sis Woods speak I started to pray that Father would fill my heart with love for my ward family so that I could share with them what they needed to hear. I wanted to speak out of love. And guess what it worked. I felt so confident as I got up and shared with them the things that I felt impressed to share and then was able to sit down with a smile on my face. I LOVE PRAYER! 

This is a short one this week. But not for a lack of great experiences. We have been so richly blessed just as each of you are. I have found that half of the trick is seeing it. Think what would happen if you made it a point each day to look for Gods hand in your life and look for a way to be His hands in someone else's. We can brighten the world. Smile its contagious and addicting. Choose to be happy because it is way better then an other alternative! Love God and show Him that love by what you do. I promise that you will be glad you did.

I love you! God love you. The atonement it real. Make it a daily part of your life! 

#missionary. 

Love sister Draney

Once upon a time... middle of January to be more exact, there was a sister who knew that her first transfer call would be coming soon... She was nervous because she adored her trainer and didn't want to leave her. Another sister in her district named sis woods was just finishing training and joked that she would be this new missionaries follow up trainer... 

Well that didn't happen but has been the on going joke. But now this joke is being coming a reality!!! Sister Woods is my new companion and I will get to be her last!!!! I am so excited to serve with her! 

"WHEN WE ARE HUMBLED WE ARE MADE READY FOR KNOWLEDGE."

One of the great missionary lessons is one of Humility. I have learned that just like a wave if you don't fight it and just ride it in its so much easier. There is so much more to humility then a painful breaking before the building. And the softer we allow ourselves to be the easeier it is for our master potter to mold us into the masterpiece. 

With humility comes with trust. On Friday we had some emergency service come up. So after planning and service most of our day was gone. So we quickly hit the pavement. Miracles are what proceeded. I swear when we are not able to work in our area the Lord does. That is something I was told but now I have seen it time and time again. As we walked down the street person after person came by and everyone of them was so nice. We had lesson after lesson and were able to get contact info for most who wanted to know more. 

I know that God lives. I know that he love us, everyone of us. He cares so much for us that He "pulls strings" to help us. The most important things in life are the things that lead us to Him. Prayer is more important then air, scriptures then food, the temple then movies. Everyone can see miracles but you have to be willing to do to see!

Sorry this letter is so scattered! But here is a last little bit to end. This week we were walking up a street and saw a man in his drive way working with wood. we started talking to him and found out that he is making skateboards. But not just any... really cool ones! Then he asked? Do you know Zac Efron? haha obviously he didnt realize how old we were. Then he told us that Zac bought 50% of his business and so they get together and what not. Haha it was a cool experience. But more then that he was really open to the gospel so we got to have a lesson with him. 

Keep Loving the Lord and others and see miracles! 

Love sis Draney

Family! Friends! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. 

The Atonement played a HUGE part in my life this week. I can testify that we can always do better and when we are weighed down by guilt, sadness, anger... you name it... the atonement can take those broken pieces and make you stronger then you were before. 

"WHEN IT RAINS LOOK FOR RAINBOWS. WHEN ITS DARK LOOK FOR STARS."

Choices are one of the greatest gifts that we receive from Father. Every morning we can wake up and choose to be happy even if were not. We can choose to love others even if we dont feel like it. We can choose to serve, help, smile, laugh, be happy, sing.... its all up to us.

There was a woman who told us about her grandmother who was never anything but happy. do you know the trick that she used... "when her and her sister were young they decided on day that they were always going to be happy." she told us. That's it. Now im sure that there was more behind it then that one choice. She probably had to make that choice each day, and little choices throughout each day to keep to it. But she was determined and was victorious. 

I have learned that your first thoughts of the day can determine A LOT of your mood that day. So what better to do then to tell Father in your morning prayers that you are deciding to be happy that day. That you are going to work hard and smile at everyone! When you do guess what happens? He helps you! and it is amazing!

So choose today to be happy! Choose to Follow Christ. Choose to become and do better then the day before! Its all between you and Father!

So do you want to hear a cool little story about one of our awesome friends out here! His name is Dale. He is a Harley riding man who has the cleanest house that I have ever seen. We stopped by for our lesson this week and he told us that he was baking a pineapple up-side-down cake... but he is also a germophobe so he wore gloves as he cooked his own cake!! haha as you can now tell he is the best! 

We told him about our rule of needing to have a third female with us when we go into him home. Later in the conversation he said that he would give me a ride on his Harley then was like... "oh wait then I would have to take two other of you girls too..." haha he is so funny and has been so prepared. He told us how he wished that he had been taught when he was younger because then he would not have made some of the painful mistakes that he had. But we know that as he learns those burdens will be lifted.

I know that the Atonement is real. If you didn't do very good yesterday guess what...? you have a new day and the Atonement to use to make the future better! Just do it one step at a time with your eyes facing Heaven! 

Thank you for all the love and support I receive! I will take and share it with everyone that I meet! Have a great week!

Love your favorite Sister! ME!

Hey Y'all

This one has to be really short because I got to go to Hearst's Castle today and that took up a ton of time but was soooooo cool! 

This week we were so blessed and the Lord pretty much gave us a new investigator... Dale. He is a Harley riding guy and is so cool! He was a potential that we have been meaning and trying to see but it just never worked out. Until Sat. We walked up just as he and his brother got home... we talked for 30 min and he pretty much said that once upon a time he was almost baptized!! sweet right! then he said that he would be open to us coming and teaching him!!! 

I know that with patience the Lord will give what you need. But He teaches you first so that you are ready. 

God live and love you! I know it! I know that Jesus is the Christ and that he lives. Follow Him home! 

Love you alll!,

Sis Draney