A snippet from one of Sister Worthington's emails today...

 "This week was incredible!!!! We have 17 referrals given by members that we are working on. We met this lady at the library who we are teaching now. I also asked an investigator if she would get baptized she said she think about it but I was so excited to finally have asked someone. Then I went on exchanges to Rio Rancho (next to Albuquerque) and it was spanish speaking!!! it was sooooo cool. I couldnt understand the people but it was a really cool experience. And it was loads of fun. And while i was out this lady called my companion and told her that she is ready for the gospel and she wants to know more about it!!! so she came to church yesterday and we also had 2 less actives come to church it was incredible. The work here is growing like crazy!!!"

Things are really looking up!  Yay!! So proud of Sister Worthington for pushing through a trial of her faith.  She is doing so great!

Janice Kapp Perry's New Verse for "As Sisters in Zion."

THE SISTERS OF ZION

The sisters of Zion are called to God's labor,
We willingly serve Him with spirit and might.
We go to the nations with truth everlasting,
We teach of the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

We thank thee, O God, for a prophet to guide us,
We trust in his words and our purpose is clear.
The angels of heaven are walking beside us,
We'll share our glad message with all who will hear.

We go forth enlisted with Helaman's Army
In numbers much greater than ever before.
With power and spirit we'll faithfully witness
The heavens have spoken and truth is restored!

THE MOTHER'S DAY CALL! Hooray!!!

We got to speak to Sister Worthington on the phone yesterday! Her friend, Kalicia, joined us as well.  Sister Worthington cried when she heard our voices, and it was clear she's homesick, but she is doing well.  She said she loves her mission, and as hard as it is, she knows she is where she's supposed to be. She said she's in a VERY hard area.  Apparently, most of the people where she's at are scientists and mostly atheists. It's pretty hard to establish a common bond with people who aren't interested in religion at all.  This month has been especially hard because it's the end of the school year and people are so busy.  Sister Worthington did say that they have an appointment on Thursday with a part-member family.  She said they are going to spend most of this week getting to know the ward members. (Just today, she told me the ward is going to be split, and she's a little worried about how that will affect things.) I was grateful to hear that she is getting fed a lot by the members in her area.  She said she's almost getting too much food! Her area is split between two towns with a combined population of about 18,000.  The elevation there is somewhere around 6000 feet above sea level!  She said it took her about a week to get used to the high elevation, and that she feels like she's in a foreign country! Luckily, her health has returned, and it seems like her spirits have lifted as well.  She said that the priesthood blessings she's received have really helped a lot. It was wonderful to get to talk to her, but the call went by way too fast.  It's hard to believe we will have to wait until Christmas to talk to her again.  That feels so far away!  At least we have emails and letters to get us by until then.  We love that girl!  We're so proud of how hard she is working, how determined she is to stay positive and press forward and the faith she is showing. We know the Lord has a plan for her, and that she's making a difference even if she can't see it yet.  What an amazing example she is to our other kids and to us as her parents.

New letter from Maddy! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WRITING HER LETTERS!!! KEEP IT UP!

Hey Family,

Things are going. I was starting to struggle in my area so I got a blessing from the elders and it was an incredible blessing. I was told that Heavenly Father is watching over me, that my family (you guys) will be blessed, that I'm blessing the lives of others and more. After that blessing I felt very good and I have never been so energized to do the work. My companion and I get along a lot better now. We read the scriptures together every day, and we're trying to write down a miracle a day. So the work and my faith is growing. And you guys are doing great. My district was in shock by how much letters I'm getting and my poor companion doesn't get mail at all even from her fiancé so you guys are doing good. Well I loooooove you sooooo much.  Hope all is well.

Sister Worthington

May 8, 2012

So Maddy didn't get a chance to send out an email to everyone on Monday, and my correspondence with her was more like a choppy conversation....so I'm going to type up a letter we received from her yesterday instead.  It sounds like she's a little homesick, and she's in such a hard area right now, but her faith is strong.  Please keep her in your prayers and send her words of encouragement!  We are planning on doing a special fast for Maddy on Fast Sunday in June and would love for anyone to join us!

Dear Family,

So I have survived two months and 1 transfer of my mission. :) I'm really happy. Only 16 months left to serve the Lord so I'm trying to make the time count and go fast.  lol. It's tough going to families houses and wishing I was spending time with you guys but I know the work I'm doing is very worth it. So Tuesday was a very very long day. We spent all day looking for former investigators and members and trying to get referrals. We tried 14 houses and only 2 let us in.  But even though it was really hot, tiring and frustrating it was worth it. I have gotten 2 priesthood blessings on my mission (I'm trying to get at least one every transfer) and both of them Heavenly Father has said he loves me, he's proud of me, and he trusts me so I know what I'm doing is hard but it's all worth it to me. I miss and love you guys so much but I know I will see you guys again very soon.

Love you guys,

Sister Worthington