Jan. 25th, 2016 New surroundings!

Hey!

It has been a pretty good week. Leaving Ardmore was WAY harder than I thought it would be, there are so many people that I just love so dearly there. Leaving was quite insane. I have attached a few pics of people that I LOVE LOVE. I got here on Wednesday and just died at how beautiful campus is. It is such a strange thing to be on a campus with SO many people my age.

We did a booth this week on campus and it was FRIGID outside. Super funny though because there was a guy that Sister Liddell asked to take the survey and he said "Oh no sorry, it is too cold" yet he was HOLDING his jacket. Dumbest excuse ever. It was a lot of fun though. It has been pretty cold but we have managed to bundle up real good.

Last night we did a thing called Ward prayer at the Institute. We were able to get together as a ward (like 30 of us :p) and pray for a bunch of things as a group. It was a really neat bonding experience. Everyone here has welcomed me in so well and I am really excited to be here. I hope everything is going well for everyone!

Love,

Sister Engelbrecht

Jan. 18, 2016 There is no growth in the comfort zone

Hello everyone,

Remember how I had said a few months ago that Heavenly Father pushes you as far as you can go and let a little more so that we have to rely on him? I definitely experienced that this week. ​There was some things that happened in our area with investigators that made things very sticky and we had to be very careful how we handled it. Along with that we blew most of our miles for the month between us and the elders, so we are pretty much a bike area with 20 miles a day. It has been very difficult. In other areas can I just say that communication is KEY. It has been pretty emotionally exhausting. I gave a talk this weekend and I think it went okay and we also got transfer calls. SOOO....needless to say I have really been leaning on the Savior to guide me minute by minute. Sometimes that is all we can do. 

On the brighter side I am being transferred this Wednesday to Oklahoma State University in the singles ward. I am so excited to go back to another singles ward and it will be a good place to probably end my mission. Sister Cook is pretty nervous to take over the area and so we are trying to tie a lot of loose ends. I feel like we just moved but looks like I am packing again.......I used to like to pack....USED TO is the key word there. I just have to much stuff! 

Sunday was fantastic! Finally Willie was able to come to church and Michael and Chelsea came as well. It was amazing to look out in the congregation and see three investigators that God has blessed me with. WOw.... I am in awe of His love. 

The pics below are Michael and Chelsea, the SNOW this week, and Sarah and Willie <3

Hope you have a great week :) LOVE YOU all

Sister Engelbrecht

Jan. 4, 2016 I am not in charge~

Family and friends,

Our email time has become limited to an hour now and so it is really hard to tell you everything I want to and respond to all of your emails, I promise I will get around to it, it just might take longer so I am sorry!!! 

This week was a huge miracle for so many reasons. Talk about reigning in the new year! We were able to start teaching 3 new people. 

Meet Anna she is a single woman about age 20-23. She is so prepared and really loves the Savior. As we have taught her she has just been "getting it". She keeps texting us saying she is so excited to see us again. We were able to set a baptism date with her. 

Meet Michael and Chelsea. They are in their early 20's and have a baby boy. We met with them yesterday and it was very clear that the spirit was directing that lesson not us. I love when you get into a lesson and the spirit tells you to teach something different than you planned all together. They also accepted baptism. It is just so neat to see that the gospel really does touch people of all different backgrounds. 

Okay the coolest thing of all!!! Sarah our less active who's fiance is taking the lessons, came to church and bore her testimony!!! She probably hasn't been to church in several years. It was the coolest thing to see her walk in. The spirit from all of the less actives at church yesterday was INCREDIBLE. It just reminds me that we are all a part of Christ's fold.

I am so grateful that this really is the Lords work!!! I am not in charge and as soon as I realize that I feel like the miracles happen. We are so insignificant in our amount that we can give to God but he magnifies every bit. 

We checked on so many referrals this week and had a blast!!! Went out to the far ends of our area which is always so great!! Even got a marriage offer by the guy selling honey on the side of the road. He gave us a not that said:

"Hi, I am Bill Morgan. A good man. (thats the best part) I am 78. I need a wife. 18-38 and 115 lbs to 135 lbs (well I already don't fit the regulations :p) I have lots of pretty stuff, lipstick and clothes, women things.......laaaady adaaaaady da. 

It was the funniest thing!!!! I wasn't looking for that kind of honey. 

Thought y'all would enjoy that. Hope your week goes well <3

Lots of love,

Sister Engelbrecht

Christmas!

HI!

It was such a great week this week and an amazing Christmas. The ward ended up taking such good care of us afterall! I was super worried it was going to be a lonely Christmas but it was such a blessing to focus on the Savior and serve others. One of the best parts of Christmas is we went to an old folks home and sang Carols to the residents with a family from  our ward. There was one lady who followed us around the whole time and caroled with us. Christmas eve we went to the Christensen's for dinner and they were soo kind. We played minute to win it games and it was so much fun. Their parents had just got done with their mission in Oregon and it was really good to hear about their mission. Christmas morning we woke up and I jumped on Sister Cook to get her up. We played some Christmas music and it was GREAT. We went to the bishop's house and talked to our fam bams, which of course was soooo good. I definitely miss them, but it was good to get remotivated by the people I love.

Sorry it was so short but we are cut on email time. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas. I LOVE YA!!!

I love my Savior and am SOOOO grateful for him!

p.s. I have a lil seahawk pride!
Got to love these pjs THANKS MOM :D

Representing the Savior and loving people

Friends and Family,
Are you excited for this week? I am :)

It has been a pretty good week. Our area is blowing up right now with potential investigators. We went to a lady's house this week and she told us she was super interested in learning about our church because she felt that something was missing. We kind of just sat there with our jaws dropped for a second. We have an appointment with them after Christmas to teach their family.

This week we had Christmas Conference with the mission and it was super nice. It helped me to understand that missionary work is so much more than just teaching an appointment and waiting til the next week to see them again. It is being a representative of the Savior and truly loving people. Our bishop in the ward I am currently serving in is a prime example of that. He has SO much love for the ward even when he does not receive it back. I am so amazed to see that, that is truly all we need. Everything gets done when we are motivated by love. It is not always the easiest way to go but it it the way the Savior would do it and it was never easy for him.

I am so so grateful for the Savior and the patience that He has with me. I hope that we can have an incredible Christmas centered on the Savior. Thank you SO much for all the love you guys have shown me and the packages :)!!! It has been such a lovely Christmas season.

Love,
Sister Engelbrecht
Picture: reunited with my old companion at conference
Picture2: GINGERBREAD MAKING!!!

The Savior

Hey family and friends,

(I apologize for how short this is going to be today (we have a big meeting today)

I was definitely wallowing in my own self pity at the beginning of this Christmas season. I missed my family and the people that I wanted around me. In the midst of this I was beginning to stress about things that really don't matter. A couple days this week I ended up getting sick again ( the same old stuff ) however, it gave me an opportunity to reflect on why I was so upset. I realized that I was not focusing on the true meaning of Christmas : the Savior. Even as a missionary I was getting lost in all the people's hussle and bussle around me. If you have the new Christmas ensign, read some of it because that is what helped me. I realized that even though we may not have family around or the exact situations we hope for we have the ultimate family and gift with us all the time, the

This week we have had an awesome week. Something that I found really helped me was going to a gym our member has everyday this week and holy moly I am sore but it has helped my health issues a TON. I feel sooo good after I am done. Second with this new perspective Sister Cook and I were trying to share more with people. One of our investigators said that he wanted to be baptized on the 2nd lesson and that he wants their baby to be blessed. There were tears people. I cannot describe the joy that was in that room with the whole family. Willie does not have a date yet but we are going to work towards that with him.

I guess I just want to impress upon you my testimony of the Savior. This is the time when we should be turning outward and not just SAY we will. I would encourage you to invite 1 person to church this week and it can even be over text. The worst they will say is no. We should be the ones to bring people "glad tidings of great joy". D&C 8:33

For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.

With all my love,
Sister Engelbrecht

p.s. christmas pillows :D
p.p.s. isnt my mom the best for sending me a peice of home

The basics

​So many times in church we are told to share the gospel and ​we know we should be unless we have been truly touched by the spirit it is REALLY hard to do. I had a moment this week with an investigator and his less active wife where the words on the pamphlets and the peices we were using to show the plan of Salvation became so REAL. This is WHY.

As I sat there and listened to the wife profess her love and longing to be with the investigator forever it became so REAL to me that this is not just a happy idea we have in our head of God's plan but IT TRULY is the only way to pure joy. Families really are the most important thing on this planet. NOTHING else matters. So the why?...its your family. When you are with your family you have a different connection with them unlike any other and we have the real opportunity to have that forever. It really is that simple.

I know that the gospel can seem like this cloud of understanding but as we go back to the basics and grow upon the knowledge we know, it will be made real to us AND attainable through His Atonement.

Love,
Sister Engelbrecht