Alnwick

Mummy and Daddy,

It was so good to hear your little voices on the other end of the line!!!!!! When I talk with you, it feels like I never left. :D You all sound so good! I don't know what else to tell you that I didn't already tell you, but this week was full of food, festivities, games, fun and friendship. We had our England Leeds Mission Christmas Party at the Harrogate Army Base where we bowled, watched "It's a Wonderful Life," and received a beautiful gift of little olive wood box filled with frankincense, gold (aka pyrite) and myrrh to commemorate Christ's birth. We visited so many of the members and had such a blast with them....the pictures say it all. Christmas was wonderful this year and to top it all off, Michael Donohoe blessed the sacrament perfectly on Sunday! BAM! MIRACLE! I love being a missionary at Christmas. Everything is just a little more special and more centered on what it should be. I love you all so much and I'm so grateful to know that you're taken care of while I'm away. I'm so lucky to be doing what I'm doing! I love my Savior Jesus Christ so much! I've learned so much about him and am honored to represent him every single day.

Happy Christmas and a Very Merry New Year!
I love you so much!

Love always and forever,
Your Sister Stephanie White

Alnwick

Mummy and Daddy,

This week, Michael introduced us to some of his family members. We went up to Seahouses to teach his sister. Michael looked smart in his new suit. When we knocked on his sister's door, his brother-in-law's jaw slapped against the welcome mat!
"Michael?! WOW.....I......I hardly recognize you. You're a new man."
Michael was all smiles. His sister was visiting her daughter just around the corner....so off we went, trotting towards this other house....long story short and lots of back and forths later, I witnessed a beautiful moment, Michael's sister, and his two nieces gawked at him.....speechless.
"Michael...we saw you in Alnwick last week and we had to double take. Is that Michael?! He's all smart, and clean cut. Michael...you seem different. ... you seem happy. It's so good to see you!"

Words cannot describe the pride that swelled in my little heart, or the satisfaction slapped on Michael's cheeks. Ahhhh....moments like that....yeah....that makes it all worthwhile. We had a powerful lesson with Michael's sister, where Michael bore striking testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true and living church on the Earth. His sister is now preparing for baptism! MIRACLE!

It's getting pretty bitter at night in this land. We have the warmest socks in tarnation, but they are no match for the bite that attacks our fingers and toes for 9 hours each day. One night this week was particularly bad.....pins and needles that you just can't escape, no matter how many times you skip down the street or do finger exercises. I offered a silent, frantic prayer, "Heavenly Father.....I'm so cold.....It really hurts......please......please.....help me deal with it." The very next door we knocked on, this man opened saying, "Oh...how about you come round back and I'll let you in for some hot chocolate." I couldn't get inside fast enough. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude, I could have bawled myself silly right there on the spot....if I wasn't so afraid that my tears would freeze. We taught this wonderful man about the Restoration and now he too is preparing for baptism. BAM! MIRACLE! Heavenly Father always answers our prayers....even the ones that seem only important to us....even now as I'm writing this, I'm thinking...."Ugh! Stephanie, just suck it up...it's just cold. It's not that bad." In the moment it's always a bit different. Heavenly Father still answered my prayer for me. I'm so grateful.

In other news, It was Michael's birthday this week and the Alnwick Branch Christmas Social which we thoroughly enjoyed! AND My wildest dreams came true on Wednesday when my Zone Leader said to me, "Sister White...I have a lot of zone post for you in my car." He opened the boot of his car, and wrestled with the largest box I've seen in quite a while.
"Here you go!"
"That's for me?!?! Who's it from?"
"The mission."
"What!? Why?"
"It looks like it's a Braille Book of Mormon."
"IT CAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" WOW it's big!"
"You're teaching a blind person?"
"Uh....no....it's for me. :D"
I don't know why, but I feel like I have to learn how to do sign language and learn braille. Maybe I'm going to lose one or more of my senses later in life, but just think....if the lights ever go out....I'll still be able to read the scriptures! Success! :D From the moment I got it home, I whacked it open and began deciphering each little bump....I'm actually not too bad at it, by looking at it.....I can't do it with my eyes closed...yet....but just give me time. I love it! I feel the Spirit so much when I focus on each little word! Ahhhh....I love it. Anyways...The end!

I love being a missionary so much! I cannot thank you enough for letting me come how many thousands of miles to do this every day. I appreciate it all the good, the hard, the beautiful, the ugly :D I love being a missionary!

I love you so much! I hope you have the best Christmas of your lives!
Uh.....miss me terribly :D

Love Always and Forever,
Your Sister Stephanie White

Alnwick

Mummy and Daddy,

Allow me to give you some of the highlights of our week. This Sunday Michael walked into church.....with a suit on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHoo!!!! YE-AH! MIRACLE! He looked so smart! That's not all......he also PASSED THE SACRAMENT!!!! WHOO!!!! BAM! MIRACLE NEXT! WHOO! He plopped down next to me with all smiles saying, "That wasn't so hard. I never made a mistake." We are so proud of that guy!

Did service for a less active's father. He's ancient, has some health problems, and is just generally very hard to understand. The moment went as follows:
"Will you go to the shop for me?"
"Yes. What is it you want?!"
"Bread.....white."
"Anything else?!"
"Bread."
"More bread? No...you just want bread...is that all you want?!"
"A toilet wand.....a paper toilet wand."
"You want a what?!"
"A paper toilet wand."
"You want a paper.....toilet.....wand....this is what you want? What is that? What if they don't have it?"
*puts two pounds in my hand*
Alright....so...we trot to the shop, and picked up the bread no problem.....but there is no "paper toilet wand" to be had.
"Hello, sir (shop keeper) do you happen to have a paper toilet wand?"
"Sorry?"
"Yes....a paper toilet wand. Have you ever heard of this?"
"No"
"Have you ever personally owned a product like this?"
"No"
"Have you ever sold something that fits this description in any shape or form?"
"No."
"No? Alright give me this toilet cleaner then."
We dash back to his house, because we're running a bit late for our next appointment.
"We got your bread, but they didn't have any paper toilet wands. We got you the next best thing."
"I wanted toilet paper."
"What in the hoot?! Why didn't you just say that? Toilet wand......" Hahahahhah Story of my life.

We also met this wonderful lady named Pam. She's confined to her home but does some of the funniest things. As we taught her about the Restoration, she hung on every word. When we described the moment when Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ something peculiar happened.
"In his own words, Joseph said: I saw a pillar of light, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me....."
*Her eyes, wider and wider, were glued to my face.*
"When the light rested upon me..."
*She leaned closer*
"I saw two......"
*her eyelids slammed shut!*
.........uh...........
"PAM!"
"Ahhhh! Oh.......Sorry there....I dozed off a bit." hahahha Same thing happened when we watched "The Testaments with her. There she was, all attentive, up until the most critical part when Jesus Christ shows himself to the Nephites....and off she goes snoring up a storm. "PAM!" hahaha never a dull moment in this land. If it's not funny investigators and walking drunk people home, it's surprise Hot Chocolate nights and festive headwear with the Jorgensen family, and if it's not any of those things, it usually is something to do with our car. Poor Bruce. ( Bruce is our car. He's sturdy, reliable and gadget oriented).

Our car wouldn't start this week , we sat there for ten minutes trying to rev the engine, but it wouldn't do anything.....it wouldn't make a noise....lights just shouted at us......we tried everything we could think of to get it to start......so we said a prayer, "Heavenly Father, our car won't start......we don't know how to fix it and we need to get to Shilbottle for an appointment. Please turn the car on for us and help us sort it out. Thank you. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.................Alright, Sister Hillgaard, try it again."
*Engine roars to life*
"Wow...."
BAM! MIRACLE! NEXT! I love my life! Thank you so much for letting me be here. I see so many answers to prayers every day! I'm so grateful to be a missionary!

I love you so much!
Love always and forever,
Your Sister Stephanie White

Alnwick

Mummy and Daddy,

What to tell you on this frosty December morning? I never know what to write. I always assume my life is a tv program and that you are religiously following it each and every day. I forget that you're.....not....so so you know everything I've experienced. Met a man that said he

We saw Mark and Emma this week and Mark told us,
"I'm just not feeling anything. I feel like I'm just wasting your time."
We talked about things for a bit, then asked, "Have you asked specifically if the Book of Mormon is true?"
"Well......er......no."
"That's why it's so important to ask specifically if the Book of Mormon is true. The more specific we are with our questions, the more specific our answers can be."
In the end, we left on the conclusion that they'd contact us, but we left with a feeling of hope. We knew how hard we prayed for them to get an answer and by the feeling we felt in our hearts, that beautiful warm glow, we know at some point they receive an answer. I love how that Holy Ghost works and how we have to rely on the Lord's timing he always puts us in the right place at the right time.

For instance, this week, my lips exploded. So I called Sister Lindley and said, "Sister Lindley....my lips exploded. Can I go to the doctor?" So.... we went to the doctors. Long story short and multiple prescriptions / examinations later I was summoned once again to the doctor's office. There I was, sitting in my favorite vinyl chair, when this doctor whisked back the curtain saying,
"Hello, You are.......Stephanie White....and you have something wrong with you. Oh....I have this medical student here with me....Let me look at you.....ah yes....I'm going to give you this cream *present the cream* apply it three times a day.....oh wait! I'm meant to have the student do this. Well...come here student. What's wrong with her?"
"I'm not good with skin conditions."
"Well neither am I, but you don't tell the patient that. So (speaking to me) I'm going to give this to you. Come see me if it worsens."
Me: So.....what is it?
Doctor: It's the cure.
Me: What biologically will it do to me?
Doctor: It will heal you? But don't use it too long or it will damage your skin.
Me: Well what's wrong with me?
Doctor: You've licked your lips too much.
Me: But It's up in my eye....I haven't licked my eye.
Doctor: Come see me tomorrow. Good by Stephanie White from Sandy, UT. Oh and when you do, I will look forward to sharing with you my Mormon jokes and converting you to the Baptist church.
Me: Oh well in that case, here's a website you can check out in the meantime. We'd love to share with you this Book of Mormon and how it can change your life. See you tomorrow.

I'm sure that's not what he expected by the way he just stared at us and we waved around the corner.

*The Next Day*

"Stephanie White...come into my office."
*trot trot trot*
"Stephanie, unfortunately we won't have- oh...you're lips look much improved- we won't have as much time together as I wish because we have some very sick children here today I must attend to, which is too bad because I was so looking forward to converting you to the Baptist church and telling you all my Mormon jokes, especially about that book."
"Do you know much about this book?"
"I must confess...no."
I proceeded to give him an ultra brief description of Christ's establishment of his church when he was on the Earth, the Great Apostasy, and how the Book of Mormon is the evidence that Christ's church was restored. He left with the Restoration leaflet in hand and said, "If you are ever in the area on Wednesdays at about 6pm and it's quiet, I'd love to have a cup of tea with you two and talk to you about this book."
"Do you have hot chocolate? :D"
BAM! MIRACLE!

I love this gospel so much. I love how Heavenly Father loves us so much he deemed it important enough to restore it to the Earth. I love the Book of Mormon with all my heart and I get right feisty when people belittle it. I love my job :D Thanks so much for letting me be here.

I love you so much I can't breathe.

Have the best day of your lives.

Love Always and Forever,
Your Sister Stephanie White

Alnwick

Mummy and Daddy,

This week was wonderful. We had our long anticipated Sisters Specialized Training where we had a fanciful Sisters Specialized Training!!!!!!! We enjoyed a night full of tea parties, hats, flower crafts, carmal popcorn balls, meals, glorious instruction, tearful testimonies, movies, fuzzy socks, photos, songs, laughter, lanterns, and hugs...many many hugs. When we all get together, I always seem to ask myself, "Is this how the Elders feel all the day long?" Must be. We talked all about the importance of love and how showing love to absolutely everyone will help us be the missionaries God needs us to be. The Spirit was so strong during the whole two days. It was everything a Sister's Training should be.

This week Sister Hillgaard and I prayed about a street we needed to knock, felt the Spirit confirm it and we started knocking. We knocked on one door and this young father looked at us like we had horns or something. "You don't know us...but we' are missionaries."
"Actually.....I do know you."
*WHAT?!?!?*
"Do you remember that one night when there was a torential downpour? You met me as I was headed home from the hospital. My wife just had a baby, but we weren't sure if my wife was going to pull through."
"Ohhhhh....yeah." (.....*flash back*.......He didn't want to meet with us because things were a bit hectic at that time...obviously...so we gave him a Plan of Salvation leaflet, mormon.org, and our contact info, and watched him walk away with his young son. "Heavenly Father....can we keep them? Let us meet them again.")
*flash forward*
"Everytime things got difficult, we looked at the things you gave us, and they brought us a lot of comfort. My wife pulled through. She's just recovering now. My mother-in-law mentioned you came around and that you're meeting with her soon and I wondered if you were the same girls I met that night."
BAM! MIRACLE! NEXT! There's no other way we could have gotten in touch with this man other than Heavenly Father leading us to his door. wow.....amazing! I love my job!!!!

Thank you so much for letting me be here! I love it here so much!

love always and forever,
Your Sister Stephanie White