It's Been a While

Well I guess I should give an update, it's been awhile.

Things here in Lancaster are good. The work is very different from Palmdale.  The people are kind of standoffish from the start, but once they open up to  you and learn to love you- you become family. We have some very stubborn people who aren't willing to give up their comfort sins for blessings and  eternal life but we are working with them.

Highlights:
-finding out that the Wal-mart that we go to every week is the "busiest  Wal-mart in America" We are so blessed. haha.
-Getting made fun of for being from Texas, "yall gunna do some readin' in the  bible now ya here?" I swear every time "yall" comes out my mouth it is like I am speaking another language...
-My companion has been sick so we have been stuck in the apartment for several days and I swear I have read every church magazine known to man. I especially love the New Era. No matter how many times I've read them, the jokes are STILL funny!

Romans 10:15 "And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" -That means I've got pretty feet!

Count your many blessings today. Love, Sister Starr*

4th of July Week

Highlights from the week:
-Seeing fireworks!

-Eating lunch with a blind lady and dinner with a deaf family. If I needed to tell my companion something I could sign it at lunch, and say it under my breath at dinner. It is so neat to interact with different types of people!

-Tilling a garden for the 1st time

-Walking in a baby pool to clean off after tilling the garden...that doesn't count a swimming, right? (we aren't supposed to swim while serving a mission)

-Going to the L.A. Temple! We went to the ASL session and it was...different. But cool!

-Taking the "scenic route" home from the Temple and seeing the ocean

-"Heavenly Father, Thanks for bringing the Witches back" - Maria's Prayer

Transfers happened this week and I am staying here in good ol' Lancaster and will continue learning ASL with Sister Robb. I am really excited to set some great goals for this transfer.
"Goals reflect the desires of our hearts and our vision of what we can accomplish. Through goals and plans, our hopes are transformed into action. Goal setting and planning are acts of faith." -Preach My Gospel

Last Week of June

Highlights from the week:

*striking up a convo with someone at the laundromat because of his Texas Rangers shirt.
*Giving service for a member by painting faces for her company at a park- soo fun.
*Walking out of my room and seeing that Sister Robb and I were both wearing Black and White dresses... We kept it.
*Being asked if we are allowed to wear paints. "uhhh yeah girl. As soon as I get home I put on my sweatpants!"

I love my new ward and especially learning sign language. We have an interpreter for every meeting at church. I am learning slowly, but It is easier than Spanish in some ways. Yet I still mix up the two, it's weird. I hope everyone is doing great wherever they are.

My mom send me this scripture this week. She is so great.
"That no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way...Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace and things wherewith one may edify another."
Romans 14:13,19

Love, Sister Heidi Jayne Starr*

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Late Father's Day to all you Daddy's and future Daddy's. Yesterday was sad not being with my dad, and I am such a sucker when the Primary kids sing "I'm so glad when Daddy comes home" - Who cries during that song? Sister Starr does...

I love you Daddy. Thank you for always funding my love for shoes, teaching me how to work hard, being a worthy Priesthood Holder, cooking cinnamon toast, teaching me to drive, teaching me how to pump gas (over the phone), teaching me how to pop my hood (over the phone), waking up in the night when I was little to walk me around the house and show me it wasn't on fire, giving me fathers blessings, and most of all being the best dad ever. (just to name a few things).
Also a special shout out to my brothers too. Jordan, you are a great father, Thank you for raising my niece so well and being so wonderful to my sister. I am so glad you are a part of my family. Alan, I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU ARE MARRIED NOW! I am sad I wasn't there for it, but I am sooooooo happy for you I forget that I wasn't there. Michael, I love you tons. You are the most generous person I know. I am so blessed to be your sister and Alan's too.

This week was pretty good. It is so funny when we knock on someone's door- because THEY set an appointment with US... and we can hear them inside. And we ring the doorbell like 5 times and still no answer. Avoiding us?? nahhh.
..... So since everyone cancelled we just bonded as a companionship. Which is a very important aspect of missionary work, since you are together 24-7. Unless you are in the bathroom. So it is nice to go for the same goal and both be pushing instead of having one pulling, because resistance makes the work go slower and not as smooth. So the more unified we are- the more successful we are (:
Another thing I also realized this week is that, Goodness Gracious I have it so easy. So many of my companions and the people we associate with have so many trials. I have had hardly any in my life. I am so blessed. But sometimes I also wonder if I'm a wimp or something and maybe Heavenly Father doesn't feel like I'm not strong enough. It's terrible to say but I wish I have gone through more so I could relate to others and so I could be the person Heavenly Father wants to be. But I know they will come and I will be refined. I just need to be patient and grateful for the blessings I have now.

Have a beautiful week. Stay cool!

Love, Sister Heidi Jayne Starr*

Transferred to Lancaster

Hello Everybody! So transfers are happening this week. After almost 9 months I am leaving Palmdale. I am going a whopping 15 minutes away to Lancaster (even more into the desert. I will be serving in the Juniper Ward. It is a bilingual ward with English and American Sign Language. So I will be learning ASL... We'll see how that goes (:

We had a pretty good week. We had this couple come to church. They were interested and looked up the church online and found out where they were to meet and at what time and just showed up! I hope that they see that this is where the truth is. It just showed me that sometimes God leads the missionaries to his children to teach the truth, but other times he just leads his children to the truth.

We'll I'm sure I will have more to update you on next week, being in a new area and all. I hope everyone has a great week.

Isaiah 41:13- For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. 

     Love, Sister Heidi Jayne Starr*

Here's my new address:    Sister Heidi Jayne Starr

                                       44030 25th St. W Apt #7
                                       Lancaster, CA 93536

Week of Miracles

   *Kay was Baptized! Golly I'm such a cry baby at these things (thanks dad). Her husband was able to do it after being away from the church for 30+ years! They have improved their lives though the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so proud of them for quitting smoking so they could do this together. Now off to the Temple in 1yr to be sealed for eternity!
     *We received a referral from a recent convert who thought her step-dad might be interested. He has read The Book of Mormon twice and loves it, though he was very anti the first time he read it. We stopped by and he invited us in. We talked about some of the things he liked while he was reading. We read over the last two paragraphs in the introduction to the The Book of Mormon and he said "yes girls, I know the book is true!" And we said "so if the The Book of Mormon is true... than Joseph Smith is a" and before we could finish he said "yes he is a prophet!" We then explained the significance of this. That Christ's Church is here on the earth, restored, for him to be apart of! He then told us that he had given up smoking and was working on coffee (: He is so prepared! He did have a concern though about being baptized again and was really firm on that. We told him that we would be teaching him more about that in our next lesson. He did come to church and during sacrament meeting he was writing in a journal. He then showed me what he wrote and he said "Today I went to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with Sister Buchanan and Sister Starr. Eureka Lord! I finally found your house. If there is such a place on earth." I assured him that there is such a place, and he did find it.
     A member of our bishopric talked to him after about baptism and authority and he said "yeah, it makes sense" he was able to resolve his own concern as he came to church. At the end of church he said "I hope you girls are planning on coming over to teach me what I need to know about this church because I know there is still a lot I need to learn" We are definitely planning on doing that (:
     It was really humbling to get this referral because we had been teaching the person that lived above him and next to him... but never HIM. So this showed me that there truly are prepared people right where we already are. Heavenly Father keeps showering us with undeserving blessings, which makes me want to be the best I can be. Even though it will never be enough. But His grace is sufficient for me.
     Have a wonderful week y'all.   
                      Love, Sister Starr*

Sister B, Bob, Kay, and Me

 

Happy Mother's Day

Today we went on a hike to "The Devil's Punchbowl" in Juniper Hills. Like 40ish miles out of my area. It is a pretty cool hike. I've decided I'm not much of a hiker when it is off the trail. There are ants and rivers and slippery dirt slopes. Staying on the trail is much more my style. If we relate this to the Gospel, it should be everyone's style. (:

To all of you wonderful mothers out there (especially my mom, sister and grandma, aunts and cousins) I hope you have a fabulous mothers day. I recently bore my testimony in church and expressed my gratitude for the many "mothers" that I had in the ward where I am serving. So many mom's here in Palmdale treat me just as their own daughter and I appreciate it so much! I have the most wonderful mother a girl could ask for. And especially that a missionary could ask for. She writes me all the time and is so wonderful. My sister is such a wonderful mom too. I cannot wait to learn how to be a parent from her example. And if it weren't for my grandma then none of us would be here, And boy, life sure wouldn't be as fun (: I love all of you!

I love y'all. Have the best week.
Love, Sister Heidi Jayne Starr*