are there strawberries on that???

A new friend came to church!! He was super interested in my conversion story & thought I had RECENTLY converted!?!

When I asked why he got super embarrassed... THE MAN THOUGHT MY LIGHT PINK HOOP EARRINGS WERE MY EARLOBES THAT HAD BEEN STRETCHED FROM GAGES.

HORRIFYINGLY ENOUGH!!!!!! he is not the only person who said that that day. 

Will be running over those earrings immediately. 

Currently I sound like an 85 year old man who has smoked their entire life!!! 

The shock on people's faces when I start talking NEEDS to be documented. 

My throat is SHREDDED & in the MIDDLE of a lesson my body decided to have a coughing ATTACK!!!!! 

I ran to their bathroom where I proceeded to gag and then DRY HEAVE over & over again!! 

Walked back out looking GREEN & then red once I realized how thin their walls are!!! 

A full on Christmas lights show! You're welcome Stortenbeckers!! 

Weekly planning turned into monthly planning after president asked us to go on MULTIPLE exchanges with all the sisters in the zone. AN EXCHANGE OR 2 EVERY WEEK next month? YES PLEASE. 

February is boutta go crazy. & so am I.. 

Amanda & Tiffany are really trying to FATTEN ME UP over here!!!!!!

Opened my front door to find grocery bags FILLED with my favorite snacks. 

The Bennion family literally holds my heart in their hands. 

It only took my entire mission, but my dream since the MTC came true. I got to be companions with SISTER GARDNER for an entire day. 

I've never met a more angelic person. 

If you guys need a good cry, do it around Sister Gardner & she will tickle your back the ENTIRE time. What more could you ask for?????????? 

"you're the good stuff gardy" 

This week I hit a level of gratitude I've never hit before. I've been OVERCOME with gratitude for the LITERAL shining angels that are in my life. 

I HOPE they all know how overwhelmingly I love them. 

Been thinking a LOT about this little story from my friends weekly! (thx scott) 

"a small boy was trying to lift a heavy stone, but couldn’t budge it. 

His father, watching very interestedly, said, “Are you sure you’re using ALL of YOUR strength?” 

“Yes, I am!” the boy cried. 

“No, you’re not,” said the father. “You haven’t asked me to help you.”" -Paul H. Dunn 

The father's strength IS the little boy's strength. So it is with us & God. 

Genesis 18:14 "is anything too hard for the Lord?" 

NOPE & THAT'S PRETTY COOL BECAUSE HIS STRENGTH IS OUR STRENGTH. 

SOOO is anything too hard for you?? 

-SISTER SPANGLER

A happy 4 mph

A thought I've had MULTIPLE times this week: I'm so thankful I'm not allergic to peanuts. 

Watched a SIX MONTH OLD purple nurple his dad. 

Leesville is a place where only the most kind & wonderful people are allowed to live. 

EVERYONE here is angelic & very very southern. 

My dream! My home! I love Louisiana. 

Got my year long pass onto the Fort Polk army base!! Flashbacks to Maryland every time I go. 

Had to leave the Jackson zone with something to remember me by!! Got a lil creative with 5 packs of hot dogs, string, & some tape.... 

Just some thoughts that have been SWIRLING around in my brain lately. 

Thoughts I've been desperately trying to apply. 

Luke 6:32-33

"For if ye love them which love you, WHAT THANK HAVE YE? for sinners also love those that love them. 

And if ye do good to them which do good to you, WHAT THANK HAVE YE? for sinners also do even the same." 

It is so so easy to love the people who love you! 

It is so easy to be kind to the people who are kind to you! 

That brings God joy, but if you want to IMPRESS God... 

LOVE THOSE WHO DON'T LOVE YOU. 

Be filled with CHARITY & PATIENCE for people who refuse to give you the same. 

Picture God personally thanking you for being the one who was willing to love His son or His daughter when no one else would. 

What thank have ye in that situation???? A LOT. 

ANOTHA! 

"faith forged in the furnace of trials and tears is marked by trust and testimony." 

FAITH that is FORGED IN THE FURNACE of trials & tears. 

Doesn't that sound like POWERFUL faith?? I want that kind of faith. A HIGHER level of faith. Brother of Jared typa faith! 

That also sounds like the most painful thing ever. Furnace of trials?? And tears??? 

No thank you. 

The question is... what do I REALLY want? 

Am I willing to be tossed in a painful furnace to gain that faith? Or would I rather be plucked out as soon as the flames make me sweat a lil? 

Do I want the faith and the pain that comes to gain it? Or do I want comfort?? And no growth??? 

I WANT THE FAITH. 

I don't want the trials and I don't want the tears. 

But I will go through it if it means I come out of it all living a little more like Christ. 

I'm thankful that God puts me in places where I get to deliberately CHOOSE to respond like Christ. 

Where I get to actively USE & STRETCH my faith and trust in Him and His plan. 

I love my Savior and I so badly want him to think of me as a disciple he can always rely on. 

Channeling my inner Melissa Spangler. 

-SISTER SPANGLER

frug

Dear Diary, 

Sorry I've been ignoring you for 3 weeks. 

Knocked on our friend's door and his teenage son peeked through the window at us, 2 seconds later we hear, "DAD, there's some little girl wearing a backpack at the door??" 

Please buy our girl scout cookies!! I'm tryna make my troop proud. 

Asked a witch if she wanted a pamphlet about Jesus! 

She did not. 

Met Ginger at the mall & helped her as she had a panic attack. Two days later she met us at the church with her husband and daughter where they were all taught the restoration. It was POWERFUL. Nobody could deny the spirit that filled that room. 

THE perfect time to gag & do the stanky leg is while you are being mauled to death by the most massive swarm of fire ants. I've seen it first hand. 

The elders made us RACOON gumbo!! 

Turns out they actually CAUGHT the coon in a trap, drowned it, cooked it, & then fed it to our whole zone. 

I'm horrified. 

So was president when the ZL's tattled on them....... 

Ran into a man named Marlon! He was TOO busy to talk to us and RAN past us. 30 mins later this man DRIVES up to us and said he'd been SEARCHING for us ever since he ignored us the first time. 

He LOVED the book of mormon & apologized for failing God's test the first time we walked by. 

LaRyan came to church again!! He LOVED IT. 

Prepared a 10 minute talk & had 20 seconds to share it... #3rdspeakerthings

Sister Frasure and I both wet our pants...and the kitchen floor while waiting to surprise Sister Williams for her shark themed birthday party. 

Like actually. I'm not kidding. We needed a mop. 

Told Sister Andersen I love Abinadi, Alma, & Alma the younger. 

Her response????? "Kiss, marry, kill? Go." 

Absolutely not. 

Best part of institute with the YSA? 

When the teacher said, "open up to Luke 2"

AND ONE KID SAYS "Luke?? whose Luke?? when are we getting our records??" 

I screamed & cried. 

If you get that reference I LOVE you. 

WITNESSED A BAPTISM TO REMEMBER. 

Meg was fully dunked in the water & then lifted up! Unfortunately her weave was not lifted up and Elder Godfrey turned around with a sopping wet weave in his hand looking like a LOST puppy. 

I'M MOVING TO LEESVILLE!

BACK TO LOUISIANA!!!!!!! 

Gonna be comps with Sister Nwobi!!! 

Mosiah 23-26 is filled with GEMS. 

Here's a couple of em...

Pray without ceasing 

Give thanks in ALL things 

Forgive your neighbors trespasses

Repent daily 

Submit cheerfully & with patience to all the will of the Lord. 

Pour out thanks unto God 

Be of good comfort 

Have an eternal perspective 

Have faith that the Lord will strengthen you

I've been PRAYING to become something more than I am currently. 

Basically "more holiness give me" has been on repeat.

If I want to do/ achieve ANY of those things listed above or in that song... I've realized it ALL starts with HUMILITY BABY. 

I have a firm belief that pretty much ALL problems stem from pride. 

Insecurities? PRIDE 

Fear of failure? PRIDE 

Companionship problems? PRIDE

Comparison? PRIDE 

We CANNOT overcome this world without first overcoming PRIDE. 

LISTEN TO MY NEW MOTTOS FROM AMANDA: 

"Challenging moments are GOOD. When they come before you knee-jerk react, evaluate "who do I want to be?" and if that is a disciple of Christ then seek to know how a humble disciple would respond and try to follow with as much exactness to that as possible, repenting when you find yourself lacking." 

AND 

"Do not just react in the way that no one will blame you for. React in the way that will inspire others, call them to higher ground, and God will be proud of."

I'm obsessed with these & her. 

Choose to live higher & holier!!!! Choose to react like the Savior in all things. Choose to become MORE than the natural man. 

lem. 

I mean SISTER SPANGLER.