New Smart Phones

29 Jan. 2018

New Smart Phones to progress better with the work! Zone Conference

Hey everyone!

Sorry for no email last week. Things that have happened!

1.) We had exchanges, so I went to Barrie with Sister Barrow and we decided to walk in a blizzard to our dinner appointment... ( I don't know what I was thinking...) but along the way we stopped and talked to the only person that was out walking. John (Giovanni) and he wasn't interested, until I had a very brief conversation with him in Italian... I am super rusty, but that was enough. He is from Trevigno, Potenza, Italy where all my ancestors are from, and he thought that was cool. So he took a Book of Mormon, and told us we could come meet him and his wife! Made my day!

Im in the back with the Elders and new Smart Phones

2.) We had zone conference in Brampton, and we got smartphones! It is a really great change that is happening in a lot of missions. Goodbye T9!  It has been a really great experience to be able to send videos and pictures to those having a rough day and getting in touch with people easier! 

Stopped by a Lake and took this selfie of Sis. Grover and me

3.) We met a man tracting the other night, and he wanted us to come back, so we set an appointment for Thursday. We were a bit slow on finding someone to come with us. So we called everyone in our ward Thursday morning, and everyone was busy. so we called Sister Przybysweski. She isn't a member, but her husband is. she was like yeah I'll come I know how important this is. She called her friend and told her she couldn't come over so she could come teaching with us! The guy we were supposed to have a lesson with ended up not being home. But the Lord works in mysterious way! and we got to know her better and it was really fun!

eating after District mtg. in Sudbury

All the Elders here in this photo from our district in Sudbury. eating of course!

4.) Oh yeah I almost forgot. We went to church in Parry Sound and we were driven up by the Archers, so we didn't have to use our kilometers. They are a tiny branch of 8 people! Their faith is so strong! They almost closed it last week, but everyone worked hard to keep it open. Anyways on the way home, Bro Archer got pulled over for going 116 in an 80 km. zone! It was so funny! The cop was like; "Did you realize you were going 36 over"? and Bro. Archer was like; "Not really I was in a deep conversation with the missionaries back here." The cop just laughed, and when he came back he gave him the ticket, but he reduced it from 300 dollars to 40, so that was nice of him haha.

Sis. Grover with lots of Wasashi tape!

It has been a pretty great two weeks! It's crazy that this transfer is almost over... Miracles happen and I know that Jesus loves you! 

Love Leilani

Satellite view of Bracebridge

22 Jan 2018

Satellite view of Bracebridge, Ontario

     Hey this week has been pretty great we went to Sudbury for district meeting, and that was really fun to see other Elders. We are the only sisters in our zone! So that's a bit weird but it was good. We have a really great district and I'm with 2 of the Elders I came out with, so that's fun. Elder Twigg from Calgary, and Elder Rigby!. (I'm sure he is related! Mom insert) He was in  my MTC district!
     I love Sister Grover, we have been having a lot of fun, and working hard. We have just been working with less actives and trying to set appointments with our investigators, we don't really have any solid ones yet... so we have been doing drop bys and tracting! (Mom insert, She is once again in a resort town, and not many people there in the winter, many people from the cities have cabins up here)
     We have Zone conference this week, and we get our smart phones, unless mine isn't here yet. Because they have to put software onto it.
     The members here are pretty great! Once we can hook up our smartphones, we are allowed to teach people from home, if they are more comfortable with that.  So I am really excited!!! All is going well here, and I am loving it.
     This transfer is going to fast and I hope I have another transfer with sister Grover, but I feel like one of us is going to leave.... which will be super sad. She is excited to meet you! We are gonna hang out after our missions. She goes home in December right before Christmas!
      I am excited for Pres. Nelson and to see what things happen while he is Prophet.  It has been really cool this week to see how the things I have been studying, have been brought up in conversation this week, without me bringing them up! I have been learning a lot, and it's been really cool to see answers to prayers! That's about all for this week though!

Bracebridge generating station at dusk

Update on me (This is because I asked her for my update in church I have to do on her, what to say to the youth)

Hey everyone! I am doing really well and I am loving the work!  They have banished me up to the north country, and we are the only sisters in our zone, so we have dubbed ourselves the official Subury Sister training leaders! Because I don't know what the Elders would do without us!  

     I have been learning a lot, and been setting a lot of goals for the person I want to become, and trying to make my prayers more meaningful, because each one is like making goals with God, asking for things with the thought in mind, that you will do your best to help achieve those things. I was really bad for just mumbling off things, and trying to think of different ways to say things, but the spirit guides us, as he knows what our hearts yearn for!

      For those of you going to seminary, it would be best to pay attention, because there is so much that I half remember and I have been asked about, while serving a mission. Now I am so excited to study the manuals when I get home, there is so much to learn!  

     It has been a great experience to learn from the people around me, and be better at discerning their needs, and how much Heavenly Father loves his children. Also getting to feel a little bit of what I can comprehend!  

     Serving is one of the best decisions I have made, and also one of the hardest. Satan is at work and some days it's hard to fight back constantly, but we are on the winning team! The work is hastening and the Lord is speedily preparing those who are ready to hear the Gospel!

      I love you all and I hope you are doing well, and helping out the missionaries in Claresholm!

      I want to leave you with my testimony, that I know that President Russell M. Nelson has been called of God, to be our prophet at this time, and that he will guide us through the craziness of the world today. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and who knew how much good stuff is in there until we read it. I am very excited for all the other books that we will one day have to study as well! I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that he knows exactly what we are going through, and how to help us. His arms are outstretched, all we have to do, is let him in.  That is one thing I have been studying recently, is how I can sacrifice more of myself, to serve the Lord and give up the little things. It has been amazing to see simple prayers answered, while I have been studying the scriptures, and the comfort that comes from them. I know that we are all children of our Heavenly Father, and He loves us!

 I love you all to and I'll see you in a year and a little bit! 

Love Sister Leilani St. Onge!

Our Prophet Pres. Monson

Our Prophet Pres. Monson

15 Jan. 2018

Chillin Up Here!!!

This week was pretty chilly but we found a few new people to teach so hopefully we can start meeting with them regularly! Another side note:, I've had to give talks in Church 4 weeks in a row, what am I having to learn from this? 😊

1.) We met this old farmer who wanted to be a pastor, but he was divorced, so they wouldn't let him, so he dropped religion. But he wants to get back into it, so that was pretty cool! 

2.) We tracted into a guy, whom we still don't remember his name, and we had a whole lesson with him. He is a musician, and his brother in law was apparently pretty famous. So that's fun. We just call him the music man! ...

3.) We had volleyball with a bunch of old people again, which was pretty fun! haha 

4.) Then we had a really great lesson with a long time investigator from the middle east. She's scared that if she gets baptized and has to go home, it wouldn't be good. So we are just reading with her and studying things together which is great!

5.)Sister Grover is the "BEST" Companion ever!

 This week has been pretty great! It was hard to watch president Monson's funeral, he will be missed! We can only move forward right! I know that he is once again with Francis his dear wife! God's plan for us is so real! 

Love you all so much have an amazing week! 

Love Leilani and stay warm for me!

This is what the cold does to your hair and mascara...

8 Jan 2018

This is what the cold does to your hair and mascara...

Hey Everyone!

This week has been crazy cold, but pretty awesome! We can't go out for more than 20 min at a time when it gets crazy cold. It was -35C most of the week. So we dropped by a lot of former investigators, inactives, and members, and made a lot of calls. Which went well and we are starting to see some progress in this area! It's been cool to get to know them better. We cover a huge area up here, so we do a lot of driving. The members are so spread out and live in the country. This is cottage country, so it is very populated in the summer, winter not so much.

On of the members driveway

1.) We are putting together a Plan of Salvation Hot chocolate stand, so we can give out free hot chocolate and Plan pamphlets, and just get to know the people in the area. 

2.) We have a volleyball night every week, where a bunch of people come play, but this week it was just a bunch of old men, so that was kind of funny. Sister Grover and I almost lost though. haha. They were pretty good. 

3.) I met a couple that used to live in an area Morgan served in, and they were like "Hey I know that name, did you have a brother that served here?" So that was pretty sweet! They lived in the Walkerton branch.

Taco Stop???

Other than that, not much else has happened. Just a lot of tracting and drop by's, but it's been a pretty great week! 

Love you all stay warm! 

Love Leilani

I'm in the Sudbury zone now.

Skyping with Elders in District meeting, Elders in Sudbury, North Bay, & Sioux St. Marie, Ont.

Welcome to the great, white, north of Bracebridge, Ontario!

3 Jan 2018

 Welcome to the great, white, north of Bracebridge, Ontario! 

Hey Everyone!

My new Companion, Sis Grover and I

Capital of Idaho

 Some Pictures of Boise, Idaho where Sis Grover is from

Basque Dancers of Boise

Old Boise depot

Boise, Idaho LDS temple

     So this week I got transferred up north to the farthest north sisters can serve,  Bracebridge. :)
It is flipping cold! But it is so Beautiful. I am in the Sudbury Zone and we are the only sisters up here. With great strength comes great responsibility! My new companion is Sister Grover she is from Idaho. She is super awesome! This week has been so great!

       President sent us an email saying we can't be outside for longer than 20 min. at a time, so this should be interesting... It's so cold I am going to buy better boots today. The ones you bought are so old I can always feel the cold coming in through the bottom. So my feet are always numb. 

    Our house is an old nunnery, and it's a nice place, but the furnace died a few days ago. So hopefully they fix it today, because all we have is a few space heaters and it is cold! The area is huge and we are in a good small ward of like 50-60 people, so it should be good. 

Located right down town, the Silver Bridge and Bracebridge Falls

1.) We had a super awesome lesson with Murray and he is thinking about baptism. He has been coming to church for the last 4 months, and sees the difference it makes in his life. He is also reading the Book of Mormon everyday, so it's pretty great! When we left he gave us post cards of himself in the festival, when he was a kid, and it had a kinda weird love note on the back, so that was fun! haha...

Clock Tower Centre

Main Street Bracebridge

2.) Leaving Stratford was hard! But on to new Adventures! There was a crazy snow storm yesterday, and I was driving from Brampton, because Sister Hollyman can't drive, so that was fun. We are about 

3 hours north or Brampton and it looks a lot like Castle Mountain area. Everyone drives their snow mobile's around town. While we were driving from Brampton to Barrie, this semi was driving on the other side of the highway next to the median and spraying dirty snow across the whole other side of the highway. It came so fast I couldn't find the windshield wipers fast enough, so we were blind for a few seconds, that was scary, but we made it alive! 

Streets in Bracebridge, Ont.

     It's going to be a great transfer! Pray for me that I don't get sent home in chunks of ice! 

Love you all Have a great week! 

Sister Leilani St. Onge

Pott falls near Bracebridge

Woodchester Villa in Bracebridge

Art sculpture in park downtown

Cowley Fathers plaque at Bracebridge

Merry Christmas Everyone!

 27 Dec. 2017

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Christmas morning with my companion Sis. Hudson

udson!

This week has been full of Miracles! 

1.) Our investigator Sam came back from his hunting trip early, because his Grandma is in the hospital :( ( she is doing good!) But he saw us downtown and surprised us. He finished reading the Book of Mormon and wants to be baptized! It was so amazing! 

2.) After we met with Sam, we were leaving coffee culture and we met this guy J.P and gave him a pass along card on the way out. He texted us Christmas eve and wanted to meet with us so we went for a walk around the river on Christmas, and just got to answer a lot of his questions, and now he is reading the Book of Mormon and is going to come to church on Sunday! 

3.) I got to Skype my family!

Sis. Kiara St. Onge in Edmonton mission, and conf. calls with rest of family

 4.) We had dinner with our branch president and his family, and our investigator Murray was there and it was really fun! 

Michael in his ninja Turtle cape from Mexico!

This time of year really does soften people's heart, and it was amazing to be able to share the true meaning of Christmas with a lot of people. 

Sister Hudson and Sister Grigg

I know that Christ is the Savior of the world! Love you all!

Have an amazing week and a Happy New Year! 2018??? 

Love Sister Leilani St. Onge

All of us Alberta Sis

18 Dec. 2017

All of us Alberta Sis.  Sis. Hudson-Edmonton, me, Sis Jenny Smith-Clareholm, and Sis.

Hello all!

This week has been pretty great!

1.) We found a new investigator! His name is A.J and he is a retired professional snowboarder! He was a bit drunk when we met him on the street, but he told us his whole life story, and set an appointment for the next day. It was kinda funny. So we went to the place where we were going to meet him, and he never showed. We called him and he was like. " You went? I didn't think you would show up because I was really weird yesterday". It was funny, he came really fast, and we had an awesome lesson with him on God is our loving Heavenly Father! He really wants to find God in his life, and  has gone to a few churches growing up, but through his career he stopped going. So he is excited to meet with us!

Sis. Hudson and I

Lights at St. Mary's

2.) We met with two former investigators from my first transfer, who live in Goderich. They are a mother and daughter, and they have investigated many churches for the last 20 years! They were an online referral 4 years ago. They ordered a Book of Mormon, and no one every brought it, so they did it again this spring and they have been reading it ever since.  They took a few months to pray about it and they want to meet again and continue studying! 

3.) We got a headquarter referral to drop off a bible to this guy named Owen, and we finally found their house, and it ended up being this 13 year old boy who didn't order it. But we had met his mom the other day. She wasn't interested, but she invited us in because it was cold. We talked for a while and we shared the "Light the World" video. She started crying and was so touched. It was so amazing! She told us we can come back! She still wasn't interested but she is now welcoming of the missionaries, so we can just do service for her! Maybe one day she will come around! 

It has been a great week! Love you all so much! 

Love, Sister St. Onge

 Merry Christmas!

On exchange with Sis. Stutler STL