December 14, 2015 - John's Creek

Soo.....y'all will never guess what happened this past week...drum roll please......Elder Holland came.....and spoke to not only the Sisters of Georgia, but the Georgia Atlanta and Georgia Atlanta North Missions.....and I shook his hand......it was AWESOME!! This past weekend was just a spiritual high! We had Elder Holland twice and then Stake Conference.....so much goodness! Also, Dad, I have to say that I love how you sent me that quote from Elder Holland because he totally said that at the fireside for women! Talk about following the Spirit! One of my favorite things that Elder Holland said at the Mission wide devotional was, "Your mission is the MTC for life." - soooo true!!! He talked about being converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, speaking with power and authority that comes from the Spirit, and about how the greatest convert you can have from your mission is yourself. Though I have to say that one of the most memorable experiences was at the women's fireside when Elder Holland gave every women within the sound of his voice a blessing as if he were laying his hands upon our heads. The Spirit was ridiculously strong and I will never forget that moment. 
Besides an epic spiritual high this past weekend we did a lot of service! At one point we were shoveling wood chips and spreading them around a less-active family's yard. It was great being able to work hard in the yard and I'm not gonna lie it totally reminded me of working outside back at home. It was a great feeling being able to work hard! (Besides working hard as a missionary of course haha) Another highlight of the week was putting V on a specific date to be baptized! It will be on either January 30th or sometime in February!! We're super excited!! Then she made us this special dessert/sweet bread from A which was super good! Oh! I forgot to mention that I saw a ton of members from my previous Ward at Stake Conference and it was so nice to see them again! One of the members said that we (yes, that means all of y'all ;) haha) have to come back to their home and spend some time with them in their cabin! Haha 
I've heard quite often on my mission how Elder Holland's mission has meant more to him than anyone. ever. and this past weekend I finally understood what Elder Holland meant by this. He explained that every good thing that has happened in his life since his mission has been shaped by his mission. It reminded me of something very similar my Stake President told me right before I left for my mission and I know by the Spirit that it will be the same for me and everyone who chooses to serve a mission. So my message this week is simple; It will all work out. I love y'all soooooo much-ooooooooo!!!!!! Remember that y'all are always in my prayers.
Lots of Love (from your favorite Sister Missionary),
Sister Megan Rice

Bread from A!

December 7, 2015 - John's Creek

Dearest family:
I love all of the miracles that y'all sent! Speaking of miracles we had a ton this week! So do y'all remember V? She is the investigator we taught in Webb Bridge and then she moved to John's Creek and then I came to John's Creek...well this past week we invited her to be baptized again and she said yes! Now she's praying about a day to be baptized!! Woot woot!! Please keep her in your prayers! When Saturday rolled around it became a crazy day! In the morning we had the Ward Breakfast and to our surprise one of the less-active part-member families we work with came and they brought a friend! After they left the breakfast we taught an investigator at the Church and it was an awesome lesson! 
As we finished and were about to go to our next appointment we noticed that we had three calls from Bishop. A little surprised we listened to the voicemail only to find that a different investigator had brought his friend to the Ward Breakfast!! So we literally ran back to the Church from our car and then took them both on a quick Church tour and by the end our investigator's friend expressed a great desire to come to Church! It was awesome! After the quick Church tour we rushed to our next appointment. It was an awesome lesson that really set the tone of our visits. After that awesome lesson we rushed home changed in service clothes and then off we went to Felice's to help her along with a member. 
As our time with F was coming to an end we had a really touching moment together and a ward member was able to give her a blessing. It was such a blessing to have the member there, for so many reasons! After F we rushed to our dinner appointment and because we were so rushed we didn't get the chance to change into our regular proselytingclothes so it was kind of funny when we showed up to dinner in our service clothes haha. Dinner turned out to be really good and by the end we were rushing to the home of the same less-active part member family that came to the Christmas Breakfast that morning. When we got there it turned out to be an awesome awesome awesome lesson! The returning less-active member got out his old scriptures and was so excited to read them again! Haha it was like watching a kid at Christmas!  And that was our Saturday! A day chalk-full of miracles and tender-mercies! 
On Sunday we learned of a child of record that just recently showed up in our Ward Directory and were given specific direction to visit with him as soon as possible. What was interesting is that since Sister H and I have been together we have been led to a particular street multiple times. We found out that this particular child of record will be living on the same street! It will be interesting to see how things play out in the next two months. 
I just want to mention one more miracle before I finish. During the middle of the week we, last minute, felt that we should visit a less-active part-member family that had just gotten back from vacation. When we knocked on their door we surprised to find that the less-active sister let us right in. In a matter of moments we found out that her mother had just passed away. It was heart-breaking. We shared Because of Him and testified of the healing power of the Savior, His miraculous conquer over death, and of Heavenly Father's wonderful plan of happiness. Our message was quick and the Spirit was strong. By the end she gave us both a big hug. As we left that night I felt so blessed to be given the opportunity to be guided by the Spirit to those who needed the Savior's love and light. 
One of my favorite things about being a missionary are the moments when you literally feel like an angel on the Lord's errand. It's one of the best feelings in the world. I have learned that there are angels both in Heaven and around us. Each one of us can be an angel when we are in the service of our Heavenly Father, to lift the hands that hang down and to mend the broken hearted. I'm so grateful to live in these times because I know that among such great darkness there is great light and we have been given the opportunity to share it; His light. President Monson said, 
" My brothers and sisters, our opportunities to shine surround us each day, in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. As we follow the example of the Savior, ours will be the opportunity to be a light in the lives of others....To each of you, I say that you are a son or daughter of our Heavenly Father. You have come from His presence to live on this earth for a season, to reflect the Savior’s love and teachings, and to bravely let your light shine for all to see. When that season on earth has ended, if you have done your part, yours will be the glorious blessing of returning to live with Him forever. How reassuring are the Savior’s words: 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.' Of Him I testify. He is our Savior and Redeemer, our Advocate with the Father. He is our Exemplar and our strength. He is 'the light which shineth in darkness.' That each of us within the sound of my voice may pledge to follow Him, thus becoming a shining light to the world, is my prayer in His holy name, even Jesus Christ the Lord, amen." (October 2015 General Conference, "Be an Example and a Light"). 
Remember that y'all are always in my prayers. I love y'all soooooo much-ooooooo!!!!! 

Lots of Love (From Your Favorite Sister Missionary), Sister Megan Rice
P.S. I love y'all oobledee gobbs!!! :) (P's newly created word)

Painting!

November 30, 2015 - John's Creek

Happy Belated-Thanksgiving Y'all!!!  I'm so excited for W and her mission!! The pictures of Grandma's birthday that y'all sent were great!! It was so good to see everyone's smiling faces! :)
Thanksgiving was great and oh so filling! First we went to the K's, a less-active part member family's, home for dinner and all of the food looked and smelled so good that we ate more than we should've, forgetting that we would be going to another member's home for second dinner! Hah! After the K's we had dinner with the R's, which was great because Brother R is in the YSA Bishopric and Sister R is the Stake Relief Society President which means we never get to see them in our Ward. Both dinners were soooo good!! For third dessert we went to another member's home, the C and that's where you received a picture of me. :) It was so fun to be at the C's home because so much of their family was there and you could just feel the love that they had for one another. It reminded me of how nice it is to be with family, especially during the holidays and it also reminded me of how wonderful it will be in the eternities when all of us can be together as one big family. :)
The day after Thanksgiving we had interviews with President and then attended a Temple session....and let me just say....it was soooooooo wonderful!!! This was probably one of my favorite interviews with President because I felt so much love from him and I could tell as we were discussing plans for the future that he had my best interest at heart and that everything was going to work out. Being in the Temple again was sooo amazing!! I felt like my spiritual armor was recharged and ready for defense against the attacks of the Adversary. I literally felt like the adversary couldn't get to me because of the strength from the Temple - such a cool feeling! One of the neat tender mercies is that while we were in the Temple we were able to see Brother M for a brief moment and it was the best!! Brother M used to be in charge of the Institutes and Seminaries in northern Georgia and in the High Council while I was serving in Big Shanty. His office was in our church building and he taught our Institute class, so we often turned to him with questions, advice, and support. I have only received three blessings of comfort on my mission and two were given to me by Brother M. To kind of give y'all a glimpse of how awesome he, is many people say that he is one of the three Nephites haha and after reading President Boyd K. Packer's eulogy it reminded me of Brother M hands down. Now he's working in the Temple as the Recorder, so it was a huge tender mercy to be able to see him again and to top it all off to see him in the Temple.
This week as were were leaving a member's home, the Re's, after delivering a Thanksgiving message Brother Re said with a smile, "Remember, when people are mean to you it only means satan is getting frustrated." I wish that someone had told me that when I first came out on my mission because after hearing that, this past week I feel like everything was put so clearly into perspective. 
To the future missionaries: a mission isn't easy, but it is so worth it. Once your name tag is placed on you in the MTC you begin training for your place on the front lines of battle in the War against good and evil. Remember that you are on the Lord's side and that you have been endowed with gifts, power, and protection from on high. Together with our brothers and sisters you stand side by side with the Savior of the World and because He never gave up, you too cannot give up. He will be your support and strength. Trust Him. This is not about you or me. It is about Heavenly Father, His work, and the love He has for His children. What it all comes down to is charity, the pure love of Christ. My prayer has been that our faith and hope may be renewed every day. If you and I can be filled with faith, hope, and His love then I promise that when the Savior comes again in His glory, "we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen." (Moroni 7:48).
I love y'all soooooo much-ooooooooo!!!!!!!! Remember that y'all are always in my prayers!!
Lots of Love (from your favorite Sister Missionary),
Sister Megan Rice

P.S. We had dinner with President Ernst (Stake President) and his family yesterday and we were finally able to talk about Esperanza and our home town Yorba Linda! It was awesome!! Also a new Christmas video came out yesterday! Y'all should check it out! Here's the link: Christmas.mormon.org and the name of the video is A Savior is Born :) love y’all!!

Christmas Tree! 

Temple day!

Tee hee :)

November 23, 2015 - John's Creek

This week we felt impressed that we should contact the members of our Ward and ask if we could share a Thanksgiving message and the response was so good! We taught so many people; members, both active and less-active, non-member family members, and now have a potential investigator! It's been so awesome! Besides that we did a lot of service this week and in one day we saw 11 cats! Which would've been pretty cool except for the fact that my companion is allergic to cats....dun dun dunn! It was crazy every home we went to had at least 3 cats and then at the end of the day we dusted a home with both cat fur and dog fur...my poor companion....bless her heart. Haha Toward the end of this week we were able to help F again and it was so good to be with her! She is such an example to me of strength and love for the Lord and His children. We also helped this awesome 90 year old member, Sister Hk, clean out her bird baths and that was great - she is a hoot! Haha 
At the beginning of this past week we were a little surprised to see that only one family had signed up to feed us and that no one had signed up for this upcoming week. It was strange because usually we are fed every night in this area and last year families had signed up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Thanksgiving a couple weeks in advance. Well we decided that because we didn't have any dinners we would eat dinner after we came home for the day (after 9pm) so that we could have an extra hour to serve the Lord. As our week progressed however we noticed that a lot of members, both active and less- active, would randomly ask us if we had any dinners and then proceed to feed us. It was incredible to see how the Lord provided for our needs.
It reminds me of Matthew 6:28-32, "...Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:...Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you...Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?...for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." and Luke 12:31-32,34, "...seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom...For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." I'm so thankful for His awareness of our needs. I'm thankful for eternal families and service. I'm thankful that we live in a day and age where we can enjoy the full blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for His love which guides us each day and I'm thankful for y'all. :) 
I love y'all sooooooo much-oooooooo!!!!!!!!! Remember that y'all are always in my prayers.
Lots of Love (from your favorite Sister Missionary),
Sister Megan Rice

This is the biggest district I have been in!

November 16, 2015 - John's Creek

Saturday evening was an incredible night! We were trying to find people to teach because we didn't have any appointments planned and to be honest we weren't having much luck as we were trying less-actives, potential investigators, and former investigators and then something crazy happened...we left the car to try someone and when we came back and turned on the GPS there was an address that I had never seen before plugged into my GPS. When we looked up the address on our Area Book we found that the address was of a former investigator (one I had never seen/heard of), so we decided to try it. Now picture this...it's dark, we're talking non-stop (because that's what we do :) haha) as we're driving around the neighborhood, and we can't really see the numbers on the houses. After driving around in a circle we finally pin-point the house, but for some reason kept passing the house. After FOUR times of passing it haha we came back to the same stop sign. At this point we were about to give up and try someplace new, but felt we should try just one more time. As we drove back around for the fifth time we made it and as moments of silence passed by after knocking on the door we heard a voice say, "Who is it?" and we answered, "Missionaries!". Silence. Twice more they asked, "Who is it?" before finally opening the door. Two YSA aged young women opened the door surprised and then expressed that they were just talking about how they wanted to know more about God and strengthen their relationships with Him when we knocked on their door. It was seriously perfect timing. We taught them right then and there and invited them to ask God their questions before reading the Book of Mormon and then call us when they had tried it.
This morning as we were out and about we got a call from one of the young women. She was really excited to tell us that she had just tried what we had asked her to do and had received an answer. She said that she was shocked and happy all at the same time and stated that she was going to continue doing what she had done with all of her questions from now on. We were so happy for her! By the time she called us she had her schedule in and we were able to set up a return appointment and invited her to use not only the Book of Mormon to answer her questions, but both the Book of Mormon and the Bible. We are super excited to hear what happens next and look forward to teaching her this week! Besides that AWESOME miracle I just wanted to let y'all know that I love Sister H so much! We served around each other for five and a half months back in Kennesaw and she goes home a transfer after me. We are having a BLAST and I feel so blessed to be with her at this time. :) If there's anything that you remember from this email remember this: "...has the day of miracles ceased?...Behold I say unto, Nay..." (Moroni 7:36-37). God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Miracles do happen, every day and I feel so blessed to be able to witness them first-hand as I serve Him each day. I love y'all sooooooo much-oooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remember that y'all are always in my prayers.
Lots of Love (from your favorite Sister Missionary),
Sister Megan Rice

November 9, 2015 - John's Creek

I love the quote from Elder Wirthlin, it's so comforting to know that everything will be made up for in the end. :) I'm so grateful for our Savior and His restored gospel that bind families together forever, even beyond the bands of death. Families are the building blocks of eternity. It makes me so happy to know that the family was able to gather together in comfort and unity. My prayers are with y'all.
Happy Fall Y'all! This week it's been raining 'pitchforks and hammer handles' and they say that it'll continue to rain through next week. Everyone says that this winter is going to be a bad one and I have to admit that I believe them, because it never rained this much last Fall, but I'm excited for Winter time to come - the Christmas season is the BEST...especially when you're a missionary because you really get into "the reason for the season" and it's so much fun to share with others. I'm so grateful for our Savior!
So this week we've had a lot of opportunities to sift through those who are ready and those who are not....aka we lost all of the new investigators we found, but that's ok! because we had some awesome miracles! It's funny...I've found that the miracles almost always happen at the end of the week - after being tried and tested. It's interesting how usually miracles happen after the trial of our faith (Ether 2-3). Anywhooo..... 
The first miracle I'd love to share is a continuation from last week. Previously I shared a miracle about a less-active part member family who of the two years that they've lived in Georgia have only had three visits from members of the Church and the third visit was us. Well we had set up a return appointment for this past Saturday to help them with service, but when we arrived we noticed that their dinning room table was set up very nicely for dinner and that the things they needed help with were already finished. They said, "We usually eat dinner at this time." And of course a little surprised we said, "Oh no! We hope we didn't come at a bad time?" To which they replied with a smile, "No, you didn't come at a bad time, we actually made extra. We would love if y'all would join us for dinner." It was so awesome! By the end we hadn't mentioned anything about coming to Church the member just automatically brought it up and we wound up having a really good conversation about it. Before we left he expressed desire to come back to Church - which was AWESOME!! 
As Sunday rolled around and Sacrament meeting ended we saw the less-active member had stayed for the whole Sacrament Meeting and he had this great smile on his face! Afterwards we were texting him and he said that going to church was like being "awakened" - which was really cool since one of the speakers that he said really spoke to him was talking on choosing to keep the Sabbath Day holy. The speakers did outstanding jobs by the way!
The second miracle we had that I wanted to share was with a new investigator named M. We taught her during the second hour of Church and instead of teaching her the whole first lesson we taught the first two bullet points: 1. God is Our Loving Heavenly Father and 2. The Gospel Blesses Families. By the end of our lesson as we were saying the closing prayer she started crying. When we finished she said, "You have no idea how much this means to me. The short time you've known me and you can already say you love me. There's people who have known me the whole 18 years of my life that can't even say that. Thank you." 
Everyone is a child of God. Relationships in this life are not perfect, but through the Savior and His teachings relationships can be built upon a sure foundation that will never break even though the World will. I love y'all soooooooooo much-oooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! Remember that y'all are always in my prayers.
Lots of Love (From your Favorite Sister Missionary),
Sister Megan Rice

P.S. *Updates* My companion is being transferred to Big Shanty and she will be step training!!!! I'm soooo excited for her!!! I'll be staying in John's Creek and my new companion will be Sister H! I served around her in Big Shanty  - she was in Kennesaw while I was in Big Shanty so we know each other pretty well. :)
Oh! And there's one other experience I want to share with y'all. It's of a family that we've been teaching for a while now. Every time we teach them they have these awesome questions, but their questions/lessons although sincere sometimes border the line of bible bashing haha. If it wasn't for the real firm hope we see in them we might not come back. The last time we visited them however we could tell something had changed. They hadn't really read the Book of Mormon and this time it kind of crossed the fine line of bashing. We set a timer on our phone before hand because we knew that their lessons usually go over time and that day we couldn't be late because we had another appointment right after. 
For the majority of the time we were with them they talked and we listened. When we finally were able to get a word in, we testified of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, and shared our experiences of how we came to know that the Book of Mormon is true. Silence fell and then the timer went off - perfect timing. When they spoke next their countenance changed. We left that day knowing that they could not deny the experiences we had. I will never forget an experience I had in my first area where a YSA girl named Mo, Bible bashed us for almost three hours and all we did was just listen. When she was finished and my companion and I could speak all we did was testify of the Savior, the Book of Mormon, and how we came to know it was true. Silence. She said, "I cannot deny the experiences you've had. I will have to look into his further." I will never forget that moment. When we bear testimony and share our experiences by the power of the Holy Ghost it cannot be denied. 

November 2, 2015 - John's Creek

I swear this Halloween was cursed or something....hahaha.....but really though. The night before Halloween we were really looking forward to a lesson we had the next morning with a new investigator. When Halloween morning rolled around however, it turned out to be a *I'm not interested in really learning or hearing what you have to say I just want to share what I believe and make you change your beliefs, because what you believe is incorrect* lesson. To say the least, we were happy to leave when it was all over. Haha Since we were at the bottom of our area and it was lunch time we decided to treat ourselves to a Halloween lunch out, especially after that lesson. When we started eating our food however my tooth chipped on the fork....ughhhhh........fortunately, although it's a little pointy and rough, it's not really noticeable...thank goodness, and I'm sure with time the pointy edge will wear down. Besides that our day went kind of downhill from there haha...all of our lessons canceled and no one would open their doors, but! when we returned home (we had to be in by 5 unless we had a dinner and then we could return home by 6) we had an awesome weekly planning session and it was great! Besides Halloween we've seen a lot of rain and many miracles this week (it feels like Heavenly Father's blessing are being poured out upon us...literally hahaha)To give you an idea of the miracles we've seen I'll just say that we have about 7 new investigators and new less-active families to visit regularly! 
One of the cool tender mercies of this week has to do with a cat, who absolutely enjoys to eat purses haha. We felt that we needed to visit a returning less active member and with this particular member it's always a shot in the dark on whether or not she will be home. We knocked on her door and immediately the door swung open. She said, "Oh! I'm so glad y'all are here! Heavenly Father always sends you when I'm having a bad day." It was nice to know that we helped her. :) Little did I know that as we were talking and reading one of her favorite talks called, The Atonement Covers All Pain (which is a super great talk by the way!) one of the cats she was cat-sitting was eating/chewing up the leather strap on my bag!! I'll admit I was a little upset on the inside, but then the returning less-active said, "Oh! Hold on, I know just what you need!" and then left to another room. After a little while of waiting she returned with a mint condition antique coach bag for both me and my companion (antique coach bags range anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars...).....say whatttt??!! Haha Needless to say we were both very grateful to her!
Yesterday we were in this golden apartment complex (where we found two new investigators, one right after the other) and while we were out and about we saw this lady bringing in her groceries from her car...in the rain. We went up to her and offered our help and when she kindly declined we explained who we are which in response she said, "I appreciate what y'all do but I'm actually happy in the Church I'm at." Which is one of the typical responses we get, but then she surprised us by opening up to us a little bit more. We testified of gospel truths and shared a message of peace. By the end she gave us both a hug and said, "Thank y'all so much, I really needed to hear that." It was such a great moment. :)
The last tender mercy/miracle I want to share is of a less-active/part-member family. When we knocked on their door last night they opened the door kind of surprised but super friendly and immediately invited us into their home. We had a really good visit/spiritual message and by the end they said something that really hit me. The less-active said, "In the two years we've lived in Georgia y'all are the third visit we've had from anyone in the Church". In that moment my heart hurt. It made me wonder about just how many people there are in the Church, active or not, who don't receive the fellowship that they need and then I was reminded by the Spirit more forcefully this time that many of the less-active members are less-active simply because they don't have a friend and or feel alone. 
Yesterday after Church, unlike what we usually do, we had to linger a little longer in the building in order to use the wifi. While we were fulfilling missionary responsibilities we overheard part of the testimony meeting of the Ward after us. The second testimony borne was from a less-active member who was coming to Church for the first time in years. She said that about a month ago the Sister Missionaries knocked on her door and she remembered telling them that she did not want any of the "spiritual stuff", but that right now all she needed was a friend. As she continued to share her story and testimony she again said that all of those years all she really needed was a friend. After a month of the missionaries coming over and just simply serving her and being her friend she was reminded of the blessings that come from living the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and had a desire to come back to Church. No matter who you are, where you come from, or what testimony you have everyone needs a friend. Sometimes through mortal weakness someone may be forgotten, but Heavenly Father will not and does not forget. I know that we heard her testimony for a reason. Although people are not perfect the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is and although this world will change, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ will not. I am so grateful for a firm foundation in these last days. I know my Savior lives and I know that this is His Church.
I pray y'all have a blessed week. Remember y'all are always in my prayers. I love y'all sooooooo much-ooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!
Lots of love (from your favorite Sister Missionary),
Sister Megan Rice

Sillies! 

My pumpkin! 

Models! 

My bed :)

October 26, 2015 - John's Creek

This week we went on exchanges and it was great! My companion stayed in our area with the Sister Training Leader and I went Spanish for a day with the Sister Training Leader's two companions. I always love going Spanish for a day because even though I can't understand what's being said I have more opportunity to listen to the Spirit and it's beautiful. One of the cool things about our exchanges is that we were in Alpharetta (my previous area) the whole day and we were able to teach the awesome/golden Hispanic people Sister C and I had referred over to the Spanish Sisters. 

I have to tell y'all about one of the miracles we witnessed on exchanges. While in Alpharetta we taught this incredibly prepared Hispanic family! The husband said that he wasn't religious anymore because he knew that there was more truth than what he was raised in and that the truth was more important than following a culture. He said it never made sense to him that God reached out to His children in the Middle East, but not in the ancient Americas. He said that he knew God loved all of His children, including his ancestors that lived on the American continents thousands of years ago. When we taught him about the Book of Mormon and bore testimony of it he said that it just made sense. He knew that he had to read it and come to church and he said that because we were so sincere and passionate about what we shared he could tell that he needed to know for himself that this is true. It was an awesome experience and the Spirit was so strong!

On Saturday, two days after exchanges, we taught J (from Brazil) again! We taught her the Plan of Salvation and when we asked her to pray to know if the Plan of Salvation is true she said that she would not...a few moments passed by and inside of my mind I was like..."Whaaaattttt?! But why?!!" and then she explained. She said, "Why would I pray when I already know that it's true?" She then went on to explain how she is a "sensitive person". She said that ever since she was little she has gotten feelings that help her know if things are good/true or if something is bad. She said that every time she meets with us she has only good feelings and she said that she knew it was not a coincidence that we had found her. She knew it was God that led us to her. It was awesome!! 

Dad, I love the thoughts that you shared with me from the fireside; such awesome visuals!! I always love the thoughts you share - on life, the gospel, and you name it - they mean so much to me!! :) 

Thank y'all for making my heart, "soar like an eagle" by being my Mom and Dad. I love y'all sooo much. :) So long ~ until next week. :)

I love y'all soooooooo much-oooooooooo!!!!!! Remember that y'all are always in my prayers.

Lots of Love (from your favorite Sister Missionary), 

Sister Megan Rice

Me & Sister B :)

October 19, 2015 - John's Creek

This week we've had a lot of really cool tender mercies and miracles. One of my favorite experiences occurred with a young girl about 8/9 years old. We were out and about in an apartment complex following up with potentials when this girl on her bike rode up to us. She started asking us all about who we are and etc. We talked about our purpose as missionaries and had a really good discussion about prophets. Then we stared talking about prayer and she stopped us and said, "Can you pray for my mom?" She then continued to express her love and concern for her mom and then proceeded to give us her Mom's phone number! We were both a bit surprised, to say the least. Haha. A couple days later, and I'll admit a little hesitant, we called her mom. To our surprise the call ended up going really well! She opened up to us a lot and said that we could come over and teach her whole family! Talk about a miracle!
This past Saturday was the Ward Halloween Party and while there I got to know one of the elderly men in our Ward pretty well. He really opened up and I'm here to say that his story is incredible. He has been less-active for over 50 years and just recently came back. I asked him, "What brought you back?" He said, "For over 50 years my home teachers and my wife's visiting teachers never stopped coming. When my wife passed away a year and a half ago they were the ones who helped. They were there for me and even provided the chapel for her funeral. I had never stepped into the chapel before then." Just recently he has gone to the Temple for his endowment and was sealed to his wife. When he shared his story with me it reminded me of a time on my mission when a less-active member we had tried for so long finally let us in. I will never forget when she turned to my companion and I, gave us both a big hug and then said, "Thank you for not giving up on me." I am so grateful for a loving and living Heavenly Father and Savior who never give up on me, no matter how close or far away I wander from the safety of His fold and I know that that is not unique to me. I know He lives. He understands. Perfectly. 
I love y'all sooooooooo much-oooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! Remember that y'all are always in my prayers and that I pray y'all have a blessed week!
Lots of love (from your favorite Sister Missionary),
Sister Megan Rice

Southern Country Scene 

Tee Hee :)

Sister B & me!

October 13, 2015 - John's Creek

This week has felt like it has gone by in a blur! We did a lot of service this week and one of my favorite experiences was helping an incredible family who's been through a lot. They are not members of our Church. They heard about the missionaries from an LDS friend. About 2 years ago their new house flooded and destroyed everything and I mean everything. Right now their house is pretty much an empty shell. We've been able to help them clean and we just barely started painting! I have to admit that it reminds me a lot about the good ol' days when we would work on our home. :) This experience has been a testament to me that our experiences prepare us for the future and if we choose they can bless the lives of others. Besides that we've been staying busy visiting less-actives, former investigators, and etc. This morning we got back in with V again! (She was a former investigator). We had a member with us and it went super well. I was surprised to find that V remembered a lot of what we had taught her back in Webb Bridge which was comforting to know, because of the language barrier. 
Recently I've found a lot of comfort and peace in Mosiah 23:21-24, Mosiah 24, and Alma 34:41. We've been asked by our Mission President to study an attribute of Christ everyday for 30 minutes (15 minutes personal study, 15 minutes companion study). I always love studying the attributes of Christ in Preach My Gospel, but recently the attribute of patience stuck out to me a lot. Recently (in the past 5 months) I've had a lot of missionaries express that they don't feel successful because they work so hard and nothing happens and as I've been studying it really hit me; sometimes “the heavenly virtue of patience is required.” (President Monson). In Alma 26: 28-31 we learn that these ancient missionaries did a lot of the things that we do today. They, " traveled from house to house...and...entered into their houses and taught them...and...taught them in their streets...and...upon their hills." They were cast out, mocked, and so much more and yet they never gave up because they loved God, His children, and trusted in the promises He had made. 
"Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and [the promise] bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." (Alma 26:27) A scripture that has great significance to me states this, "And now my beloved brethren, I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye bear with all manner of afflictions; that ye do not revile against those who do cast you out...lest ye become sinners like unto them; But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions." (Alma 34:40-41). 
This is another one of His many promises to us. I know He lives. This is His work and I thank Him everyday for giving me this opportunity to be apart of it in such a personal way. I know that life is full of many challenges and difficulties, but if we patiently hold to the promises and covenants that have been made by actively following Him (taking the sacrament, having scripture study, prayer, temple attendance, loving, and serving each step of the way), trusting Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we can look towards the future with optimism and a brightness of hope. With faith in Christ, hope in His promises, and love towards God and His children nothing can stop us from reaching the full potential that our Father in Heaven sees in each of us.
I love y'all sooooooooo much-oooooooooooooo!!!!!!! Remember that y'all are always in my prayers, everyday. I pray y'all have a blessed week.
Lots of love (from your favorite Sister Missionary),
Sister Megan Rice

October 5, 2015 - John's Creek

This transfer is going to be great! My companion is awesome and a delight to be around. :) John's Creek will probably be my last area, and I'll most likely have one more companion, but then again you never know what can happen. Webb Bridge and John's Creek are right next door to each other so I literally "hopped the fence" this transfer and it's great! This area has a really good feeling and I know that everything is going to work out and be ok. :) I just pray my next companion will be just as awesome! Do y'all remember the less-active family that I was kind of bold with and because of that they came to Church? Well... I moved to John's Creek on Wednesday morning and they followed me on Thursday! Hah! I don't know their new address...yet....but we plan on visiting them when we do have their new address. Another cool thing about this area is that the Stake President, President Ernst, (who is in our Ward here) grew up in Yorba Linda, worked at Disneyland, and graduated from Esperanza High School! His Sister is also a "semi" less active that I worked with from my first area, Lilburn, and is now currently living here!! So it feels like I have a piece of my first area and that is a tender mercy indeed....so many tender mercies from Heavenly Father!
Every 6 months General Conference feels like Christmas! I love it so much and am so grateful for the words that were shared on those days. We had a couple of cool miracles leading up to General Conference. So the first full day I was here we were tracting because the majority of our lessons fell through, which is totally fine, and the third door we knocked on this nice lady opened her door and let us in! Just.Like.That. :) After chatting a little we started teaching her the Restoration and towards the end her cousin walks in and sits in on our lesson. The Spirit was so strong! When it was over we learned that when these two cousins were younger that missionaries would often stop by their house and pray with them. S, the first lady we met said that she had always been searching for truth and her cousin, Shauna, said that she was so glad that she came when she did because she needed to have that "good feeling" in her life. It was awesome!
The other miracle has to do with a lady I taught in Webb Bridge. She speaks Russian and we almost had her on a specific date to be baptized in Webb Bridge when she moved to John's Creek...well....now I'm in John's Creek. :) haha so Sunday morning we stopped by V's apartment because the Sisters had been having a hard time getting back in with her. When we knocked on the door V opened up and with a big smile let us in! We communicated a little bit and then we remembered that music and the spoken word would be starting soon so we put LDS.org on her computer and watched music and the spoken word with her in Russian. Several times she expressed how much she loved it! Right before General Conference started we invited her to continue to watch General Conference and then we left praying in our hearts that she would take up our invitation. Later that evening, during the Sunday evening session V texted us asking what the name of the website was again because her daughter had accidentally closed out LDS.org. She said that she wanted to watch the second session! The awesome part is that not only did she contact us because she wanted to watch it, but we hadn't told her about the different sessions in General Conference because we were rushed....which means that she watched the full morning session on Sunday and must have heard them talk about he next session! It was awesome!!
I loved what Elder Renlund said in General Conference, "It's not about you. It's about the Lord, His work, and the love He has for His children." This is His work. I'm just an instrument in His hands and I pray that I may continue to be for as long as I live. I know He lives and I know He loves everyone.
I pray that y'all have a blessed week!! Y'all are always in my prayers and remember that I love y'all soooooooooo much-oooooooooooo!!!!!!!!
Lots of love (from your favorite Sister Missionary),
Sister Megan Rice

 One of my favorite families from the Webb Bridge Ward; the Perry Family :)

New companion!

Being silly!

September 28, 2015 - Last of Web Bridge

Y'alls email just brightened up this rainy week. Every week I look forward to reading what y'all write me.  I haven't been very good, as of late, about my intake of sugar I will try to do better next transfer. Speaking of transfers...

Today we're running around crazy! I found out that I'm being transferred to John's Creek Wednesday morning and I actually went on exchanges with my new companion, her name is Sister B and she is from Utah. This week we had a lot of miracles one such miracle happened last Monday. We met an Indian man a little while ago and taught him for the first and last time last Monday night. His name is E and he will be returning to India for good next month. We had an incredible lesson with him. He wanted to know the truth so badly. I wish y'all could've seen the look on his face when we told him that there is a living Prophet on the Earth today. He was shocked and super excited all at the same time haha. :) By the end of our lesson he wanted a set of scriptures soo badly. When we told him that he could have a copy of the Book of Mormon for free he was shocked yet again haha. :) He said that he couldn't accept it free, but that he would have to pay for it so after a long discussion we all finally came up with the agreement that he would keep the Book of Mormon we would give him until he could order a full quad and receive it in the mail and then he would return the loaned Book of Mormon to local missionaries wherever he was. Haha talk about a dream come true. Anyway he said that when he finishes reading he Book of Mormon and prays about it then he will let us know. It was such an incredible experience and I feel blessed to be apart of it.

Remember that y'all are always in my prayers. I love y'all soooooo much-oooooooooo!!!!!!
Lots of love (from your favorite Sister Missionary),
Sister Megan Rice

September 21, 2014 - Web Bridge

This morning we went hiking with all of the Sister Missionaries in our Zone and it was absolutely beautiful! It's starting to get cooler...thank goodness!! I'll be sending home packages soon either today (if I have time) or next Monday. Thank you for the love you send - it makes my heart soar (like an eagle). :) This week we were blessed with 1. Absolutely beautiful mornings 2. Opportunities to share testimony and 3. The moments of peace that come with revelation and confirmation from the Spirit. :)

This week we've seen many tender mercies/miracles. Saturday morning our appointments fell through and our back-up plans ended up going by much quicker than we had planned, so we had a huge chunk of time open up. My companion and I decided to be a little creative and instead of tracting we decided to go contacting on the greenway. (The greenways are long cemented trail ways for bikers, runners, and walkers and they are all over Northern Georgia.) Before we left the car we prayed that Heavenly Father would lead us by the Spirit so that we could be His hands and witness miracles. 

As we walked through the greenway we decided that we would talk with everyone that we could and we did. After about 15 minutes we found a recent convert family from our Ward. We noticed that they were on the side of the trail way and that the Wife/Mother wasn't doing so well (and we know that she has some health issues, so we were a little concerned). After talking with them for a little while we were able to pray for and with them and shortly after they were able to get back up and continue biking. As we continued to walk and talk with people we gave a pass along card to a lady and her son. It turns out that the lady and her son are members of the church. They had just moved to Alpharetta and were wanting to know the time and location of the Wards in our area and we were able to help them with that. :) 

Towards the end of our time on the greenway the flow of people began to slow down and in the distance we saw a young woman in the walking towards our direction on he opposite of the path. And we both knew that we absolutely had to talk with her. As we got closer we noticed that she had headphones in and was looking down at her phone. When we were almost next to her she stopped before we could, took out her headphones and looked at us straight in the eyes. Then surprised she said, "Oh! Missionaries! Perfect timing." As we talked we found out that she's one of the young women in our Ward and that she was about to talk to a friend about the Gospel. She asked us for a pass-along card with our information on it and then off she went. We gave her the last pass-along card. Reflecting on that morning I remember how good it felt to be Heavenly Father's hands. 

I want to share one more miracle before I end. This past week we finally got in with a very less-active family...twice! The second time we met with them I was kind of bold with them and invited their family to take the sacrament. After we left I remember feeling kind of sad, because sometimes it's hard to share things that may open up wounds for other people and  I remember thinking, "I hope I didn't push them away from coming to Church", but at the same time I knew that I had a message to deliver and that I had to bear testimony of the blessings that come from living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Well Sunday rolled around and I thought I didn't see anyone that we had invited at sacrament. When sacrament meeting ended, however, I saw them; the less-active family. This particular family hadn't been back to church for years and they ended up staying the whole three hours! I couldn't believe it! I was so happy and what made my joy even better was seeing the smiles on their faces! I know they felt the renewed strength of the Spirit.

This week we didn't have the success that some missionaries think is success, but we brought a whole family back to church, were lead by the Spirit to help Heavenly Fathers children, and felt the joy and peace that comes from living the gospel joyfully and to me those are some of the greatest successes in His work. I know that God loves His children. Each child. This is His glorious work and I won't quit till I know that I have done all that the Father would have me do to bless His children here in Georgia. 

Remember that I love y'all sooooooo much-oooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! Y'all are always in my prayers. I pray y'all have a blessed week. :)

Lots of love (from your favorite Sister Missionary),

Sister Megan Rice 

September 14, 2014 - Web Bridge

I wish I could express just how much yalls emails and letters mean to me. They are rays of sunshine that add to the light in every week. :)  I love the quote that were shared from Grandpa and especially your notes from the regional stake conference...wow....THAT WAS AWESOME!! I wish I could've heard what they had to say! 

I'm getting so excited and ready for General Conference. haha :) Also I love the picture of the crochet dress that Aunt B made. It is remarkable and so beautiful! You can really tell that she puts love and effort into her creations of art. She really has a talent! Thank you also for sending pictures of J and I, they are so beautiful! It warms my heart to see them. :) I can't believe how big they are!!

This week we saw many miracles, one such miracle occurred last Thursday. The night before, during planning, my companion and I made an appointment with the Lord to be in specific areas at specific times. As we knelt down in prayer we told Him where we would be and when, we then asked Him to lead us to the people who were ready and vice versa. Well as Thursday afternoon rolled around we got a phone call from one of the members. She said that she couldn't remember if she had signed up for dinner that night and although it was last minute said that we were more than welcome to come. Because we didn't have a dinner that night we happily accepted. As soon as we hung up my companion and I realized that the time we were supposed to go to dinner was the time that we had set an appointment with the Lord. After pondering we both felt that we needed to stay in that area. So we called back the member and asked for a rain check. As we went to the area we were supposed to, at the time that we were supposed to, we ended up teaching someone new and now have a return appointment with not only the person that we taught, but with her whole family (which altogether totals to 6-7 people). Following the Spirit is so incredibly important, even when that means that it might offend someone. In the end everything worked out and that member brought us over some leftover soup this morning. :)

I also wanted to share some thoughts on the importance of the sacrament. This past Sunday I was reminded, yet again, that the sacrament is the only ordinance that is performed for the same individual over and over again. I've learned that when we take the sacrament it not only renews the covenants made at baptism, but also all covenants made with the Lord including the ones made in the House of the Lord. Every week we have the opportunity to have the cleansing effect of baptism and confirmation through Christ's Atonement. As the world is growing darker and darker I am so grateful that Father in Heaven planned and prepared a way for His covenant children to gain renewed strength, protection, and power every week. The sacrament is a holy time. It is a time that requires reflection and preparation throughout the week and I am so grateful for loving parents who showed me the importance of the sacrament. I know that the sacrament is a gift from God.

Remember that I love yall sooooooooooooooooo much-oooooooooooooooo!!!! Yall are always in my prayers.

Your favorite Sister Missionary, Megan Rice

September 8, 2014 - Web Bridge

I can't believe that they've changed the Ward boundaries, our Ward back home must be growing! I remember the last Sunday in my first area on my mission. My last Sunday was the day that they showed the new boundaries for the Ward. It was kind of a crazy feeling to leave the Ward right before such big changes!! Now skipping forward to this area the Wards here, in Alpharetta, are bursting at the seams and will be split as soon as a new building is built. Change can be so crazy, but I'm grateful for change because it shows growth and an opportunity to become better. :) 

Also, I LOVE the quotes you send me every week!! Each week I look forward to the new quotes that you'll choose. It's nice being able to have the quotes on hand so that the Spirit can draw from my "spiritual well" of knowledge when we teach. :)

It's funny but I actually used the phrase, "Improvise, adapt, and overcome." this week. (Another one I like is "Accept, let go, move on. There is peace in moving forward.") It sounds like the Stake has a fun activity planned ahead! You'll have to take pictures for me so I can see all of the talent in our Stake. :) 

This week things have gotten a lot better. A little while back one of my close friends shared some wisdom from her mission. She said that everything that happens on a mission is designed for the individual missionary. Whether it's a difficult companionship, a rough area, overcoming the fear of failure, or whatever it might be every experience is designed to shape us into the individual that Father in Heaven knows we can become. As I have been learning and growing the past few weeks I've been reminded that this idea is true not just for missionary work but for our own individual lives. I have felt that this lesson is something that will help the people in this area. 

I know that God hears our prayers and if we will listen we will come to see that Heavenly Father is eagerly communicating back to us. He loves us. He is in the details of our lives. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He and our Father in Heaven want us all back home again someday. Remember that I love y'all soooooooooo much-oooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Y'all are always in my prayers; every day and every night. :)

PS: I just wanted to express a special thank you for all of the emails that y'all have been sending me almost every day this past week. Your words got me through and motivated me to keep trying. I am so grateful for the support that comes from family. Heavenly Father is so incredible to have created such a beautiful way for His children to feel love and support in such a unique way; the family. I thank Heavenly Father every day that I was sent to you, my most-loved Mom and Dad. Thanks again! I love youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)