Catey's weekly email 11/10/09 - Spider bite Story

FAMILY!!!!

Thank you so much for your emails! They always make me tear up.  Have I ever told you all that I LOVE YOU?!  Because I do... so much.  I always enjoy reading your testimonies.  They definitely strengthen mine.

It is so good to hear that everyone is doing well.  Please give everyone a hug and kiss for me.  PLEASE know that I am praying for you all.  Dad, good luck with those bids.  Just know that Heavenly Father is in this.  His will will be done.  Just have faith and keep praying.  Mom, good luck with those 3rd graders.  I admire you for your patience.  That is the biggest thing that I have had to work on in my mission.  It definitely isn't easy.  I bet Preston is the best dad.  I always knew he would make a great father.  After all, he is an AMAZING brother.  Keep working on the "Auntie Catey" with Codie. :) Haha.  I'm so glad that James and Deann are doing so well.  I hope they know that they are in my prayers. I am so grateful for their amazing examples.  I am so glad that Grandpa and Grandma are doing well.  Give them a hug and a kiss for me.  Also, tell Auntie Kay Kay and my cutie pie cousins that I love them. :) I miss you ALL tons, and am so grateful for such an AMAZING family.

So... This week has been crazy! We taught 35 lessons last week and are EXHAUSTED!!! Which is a good thing. :) We currently have about 20 investigators, and are prayerfully trying to get them to progress (to come to church).  It has been crazy, but I can definitely see the Lord's hand in His work here. When we first got here, we only had like 6 investigators, so the work is coming along. :)  We had interviews with President Sonne this week and he told me that I looked exhausted, which is true. :) And which is GOOD.  I would be worried if I weren't exhausted! :) So... I had to go to the doctor's AGAIN this week.  Here is the story: 

Spider Bite Story

The other day I had this little red dot right above my lip, on the right side where my top lip meets my bottom lip.  I didn't really think anything about it, but the next morning, I woke up and my lip was SO swollen, hard, red and sore, inside and outside.  I couldn't smile, eat, talk or anything.  I was pretty miserable.  Well that morning was the morning of interviews.  So when Sister Sonne saw me, she was pretty worried.  She called Mission Medical and they told her that I needed to see the doctor.  So, being the obedient missionary that I am :), my companion and I headed on over to the doctor.  The doctor told me that it was a spider bite that got infected.  Apparently my body didn't handle it like it should of.  So, he prescribed me some steroid medicine to make the swelling go down and the pain to go away.  The steroid medicine makes me REALLY nauseous, which makes it hard to sleep at night.  And it makes me really emotional. But, my zone leaders came over the night I went to the doctor and gave me a blessing, which helped tremendously.  So now, I just have a red, hard bump on by lip, but it doesn't hurt anymore, and I can SMILE!!! :)  My companion and I now have an inside joke that I got kissed by the spider, since the bite is right above my lip.  We find it pretty humorous...Haha.  The things that entertain us missionaries.

Anyways, the work is amazing, and sick or not, I LOVE being a missionary and serving the Lord.  I have a very strong testimony of this Church.  I am so grateful for the Lord, and His mercy.  I am not by any means a perfect missionary or person (in fact, I am so far from being perfect), but I know that because of

Christ's suffering, I can repent and be cleansed and purified, and feel of the joy that comes from doing so.  I am so grateful to be His servant and to give a MINISCULE of what He did for me back to Him.  I LOVE Him so much. I pray that we will all do everyting we can to bring JOY to this Christmas season.  Here's my thought this week:  The word "JOY" is an acronym for... READY???

   J - Jesus

      O - Others

Y - You

I know that as we make Christ the center of our lives and serve others, we will have so much joy in our lives.  I have seen that first-hand as I serve a mission.

I LOVE you all so much.  Thank you for ALL of your amazing support.

Love,

Sister Stroud

P.S. Last transfer, my companion and I taught this family.  After many years of meeting with missionaries, the father (Tyson) and the son (Tyler) were baptized.  They are now preparing to be sealed in the temple in a year.  The following is an email that I received from Destanie (the mom) today.  I loved this family...

Hey Sister Stroud,

I know that I should of emailed you a few weeks ago, but we have been so busy with surgery's and what not.  You know how our life goes!  I really miss you coming over and giving Tyson and I a hard time.  Tyler and Wendy sure miss you coming over too... The other sisters have stopped by a couple of times since you left, but it just isn't the same without you.. I do hope that you are liking where you got transferred to.  I hope you and your new companion are doing well and liking each other.  I know that sometimes it can be hard.  Tyson is still doing good on his non-smoking life.  It has been about 6 weeks or so since he had one.  He says its hard somedays but he likes being smoke free.

I don't ever want to loose contact with you.  You changed our lives so much in just the short time we got to have you here.  I feel a close bond with you and the teachings you taught my husband and son.  We went through several missionaries to finally get Tyson and Tyler to commit to getting baptized.   I know that Tyson said it was you that made him really want to finally stop smoking and finally commit.  I just want you to understand the kind of person you are to of helped my family get closer to God and the temple.  Thank you!  Your family should be so proud of you and what you are doing, and how many peoples' lives you have helped change for the better.

I miss you tons, but I know that God had a purpose for you to ge elsewhere.  Someone else needs your teachings like we did.  And I know that you are doing what one day maybe Tyson and I will be able to do when it is time.

Love you tons,

Destanie

Catey's weekly email 11-3-09 - Gratitude

FAMILY!!!

Since it is the first P-Day in November, and I have SOOOO much to be grateful for, this email will be dedicated solely to thanking you all.

Well first, I just want to let you know that I am... WELL. I am still trying to get over a little cough, and my back is sore from coughing so much, but I am soooo much better. Thank you for your prayers. I wrote letters today, and got pictures printed, so I will send them out in the mail tomorrow. Did that $100.00 from Uncle Jim and Uncle Gary go into my account? I just want to make sure that I got that right. I wrote them a letter thanking them today. Also, will you let me know in your next email to me how much is in there? Thank you!!!

Ok... so I have had so many AMAZING spiritual experiences these last few weeks that I have carefully recorded in my journal so you will get to read them in about 14 1/2 months. :) The work is going great! We have seen so many miracles in our area. The Lord is truly guiding His work here. We are staying soooo busy, and are just LOVING it!

But now, for what I really wanted to talk about. I got your package on Monday (oh... by the way, mail days are on Monday now), and I just started crying. Apparently, the emotional-ness wasn't just from being sick. ;) I was just so filled with gratitude. I got down on my knees that night and just thanked Heavenly Father for soooo much support and love. I pleaded with Him that He would bless each and everyone of you. It's not just the package, it's the love that I feel from all of you. Sometimes, that is what keeps me going. It's like you guys know EXACTLY what I need. The zucchini bread was delicious. It is almost gone. I can't stop eating it. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF IT, the cute little bear, the medicine, the zucchini bread, the lotion, the facial care (which by the way, I LOVE - it makes my face feel so good and it works REALLY well), the soap, and all the rest of it!!! I wrote grandma and grandpa a letter, but will you give them a HUGE hug and kiss for me??? Let them know that I smell DELICIOUS! :) I am so grateful for all of the letters, packages and prayers. I am so grateful to my Father in Heaven for the most amazing family ever, and for such amazing friends. I know that I haven't always been the most amazing daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, sister-in-law or friend, but I hope you all know how much I love you. I am so sorry if I have ever done anything that has hurt you in any way. That certainly wasn't my intention. Please forgive me, and please know that I love you. Thank you so much for everything you ALL have done for me, even if it was just a simple smile. Sometimes, those simple smiles were what kept me going in life. You have all taken a part in making me who I am today. I wouldn't be on a mission if it weren't for all of your love and support. I don't think that I can adequately describe the gratitude that I feel. Even as I write this email, I get tears in my eyes, because I feel the love that our Father in Heaven has for each and every one of you, and it is an overwhelming feeling. He loves us more than we can ever comprehend. I have felt a small portion of the love that He has for His children as I teach them the restored gospel of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Ghost. I am SOOOO grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ, who made it possible for us to live with Him again, as families. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon, and the great peace that I feel as I read and ponder the message that it contains. I testify that it truly is the Word of God. I am so grateful for temples, and for the opportunity that we have to go there and feel of God's love and peace, and to be sealed as families for time and all eternity. This is one of God's greatest gifts to us, His children. I pray that we will NEVER take this gift for granted.

I love the month of November. I pray that we will ALWAYS remember the amazing blessing that our Father in Heaven has given us. I humbly and strongly encourage all of you to take at least 15 minutes sometime this month to think of all the blessings that He has given you, and then to pray and sincerely thank Him for these most abundant blessings. I know that as you sincerely do this, you will see a change in your life. You will come closer to the Savior, and you will feel His love for you and for His children. I know that this change can come, because I have seen it happen in my own life these last few weeks. I know that I have SO much to be grateful for. I am so grateful for each one of you. Words cannot even describe it. I love you all so much. I pray for you all the time. I say these things as a humble servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ, in His sacred name, Amen.

With all of my love,

Sister Stroud

Catey's weekly email 10-20-09 - Testimony tried

Daddy/Family!!! 

(Mother's note: What is up with Daddy? Seriously? What about Mommy - she must want something)

Wow, you made me cry! :) I am very emotional right now... I have a sinus infection, but am doing great other than the sniffles, and crying at EVERYTHING.  It will go away soon... hopefully. :) I really enjoyed reading your testimony. It always strengthens mine.  I had an interesting, and really amazing experience last week.  I won't go into all the details.  It's a really long story.  You will be able to read all about it in my journal when I come home in 15 months.  Anyways, this is the jist of it...

Catey's Experience

We ran into an anti-mormon and stopped to talk to him.  I felt the adversary VERY strongly trying to get me to doubt my testimony, and, to a certain extent, it worked.  Our zone leaders came over that night and gave me an amazing blessing, and talked to me about some stuff and helped me to realize how strong my testimony really is.  And then, one of my companions and I were talking and we had an amazing experience.  I finally realized some things, including how much the adversary is working on me.  But, then I realized how much stronger the Atonement of our Savior is, because I know that no matter what happens, no matter how much Satan tries to get me to doubt, I don't ever have to fear, because I KNOW of the truthfulness and power of the Atoning sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for me.  I fell to my knees right then and there and thanked my Father in Heaven for the experiences that have helped me strengthen my testimony and for the Spirit that testifies to me of the truthfulness of His gospel.  This experience, with so many others that I have experienced on my mission, have seriously changed my life and my view of the world.  It is amazing to see how much I grow daily as I work hard to invite others to come unto Christ.

Anyways, so let's see. I did get transferred.  My companion and I are "white washing" in this area (they took both missonaries out and put two new ones, my companion and I in).  I did this in my last area as well.  So, now I am in Tooele, Utah.  My companion and I cover the Tooele East Stake, and right now the Spanish branch (the Elders will be taking the branch, seeing as I can't quite teach the lessons in Spanish...) My companion is Sister Yamashita.  She is from Japan, and she also doesn't drive.  But at least this transfer we got a Toyota Corolla. :)  She is WAY awesome, and I am really excited for this transfer, although I REALLY miss my old area.

We did have a baptism last week.  It was really awesome.  I was asked me to speak on baptism, so I did.  Also, a lady in my last area that I taught was baptized on Saturday, and I played the piano at her baptism.  Then, we spoke in church on Sunday.  I think I'm finally starting to get over my fear of speaking/playing the piano in public, since I do it ALL the time. Several people came up to me after we gave our talks and told me that I had a deep knowledge off the gospel, and that my talk was really powerful.  I don't even remember what I said. :) All I remember is that is was on "Coming unto Christ."

I hope everything is going well with you.  I have been praying that you will find a job soon... I have been praying for everyone else, including my grandparents.  I miss you all so much.

I'm so glad that you are meeting with the missionaries.  It is such an amazing experience. It's crazy how we're the ones teaching the gospel and yet I learn more from the people I teach and from my companions than they learn from me. :) 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. Please always remember that.  Please know that this IS the true church of Jesus Christ on the earth today.  Our Heavenly Father loves us more than we will ever know.  I want to add my testimony to the one that Elder Holland bore this last general conference... I want it to be VERY clear when I stand before the judgement seat that I declared to the world, with everything I have, that the Book of Mormon is true.  I KNOW, without any doubt in my heart, that the Book of Mormon is true.  I have read it and prayed about it, and through the Holy Ghost, our Father in Heaven has made it know to me.  I find so much peace when I read it, and I promise you that if you want to strengthen your relationship with the Savior, and if you want to find peace in your life, you can do so by "feasting upon the words of Christ."  I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have that we can be together as a family after this life.  I pray that each one of us will live our lives so that we will be worthy to return to live with our Heavenly Father and our Savior...TOGETHER FOREVER.  This is my prayer.  I LOVE you.  Heavenly Father loves you.  We are truly His children.  In the name of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Once again, thank you for all of your support.  I am filled with an undescribable amount of gratitude.  I couldn't do this without you... I promise you that Heavenly Father will bless all of you for your support and prayers of His servants.  Please remember that you are ALL in my prayers.  And please pray for me and my companion, that we will be able to find those who are prepared to hear the gospel.  Thank you again.

With all of my love,

Sister Stroud :)

Catey's weekly email 10-14-09 - Talks at Baptism

FAMILY!!!!! 
So this week has been great!  We have transfers a week from today... I REALLY don't like transfers... at all! :)  Haha.  I just absolutely love my area right now, and don't want to leave.

We have a baptism tomorrow. He asked me to give a talk on baptism. Then, on Saturday, in my last area, this really amazing lady is getting baptized that I 
taught, so I get to go to that baptism as well. She asked me to play the piano. Then, next Saturday, we have another baptism. On Sunday, we are giving talks in sacrament. Did I mention that missionary work is BUSY (and that's an 
understatement)?! It has been amazing to see the Lord's hand in the work. We 
have truly seen miracles as we work diligently doing the Lord's work. It's 
amazing... We barely have time to eat lunch and dinner (we teach A LOT of 
lessons - yesterday we taught 7) and I am completely exhausted, physically and 
mentally... but the amazing part is that I don't even realize that I'm exhausted 
until I get home at night and we start to plan. After planning, I change, brush 
my teeth, wash my face, pray (personal and companion) and literally fall into my 
bed and I'm out.  
 
Ok, so to answer your questions... Yes, I have my medicine. About that, I hate 
to ask this but can you put $50 in my account by next Thursday, and in your next 
email let me know how much is in there? I'm going to have Sister Sonne fill this 
prescription for this month and then I should be set for the next 3 months 
(Usually, one bottle lasts me 2 months). I did get my flu shot. It hurt... :) 
It's getting cold, but I have enough winter clothes to keep warm. I do usually 
print off your letters so that I can read them later. The name of my 
dermatologist is Dr. Brown, but I usually see Angela when I go there. She is 
AMAZING! I hope everything works out for you. Tell Grandma good luck and that 
she is in my prayers. I put all of your names in the prayer roll when I went 
this morning. And please know that you are all in my prayers. I LOVE you all and 
appreciate everything you do for me, and especially for the prayers. I 
definitely need them. Missionary work is hard sometimes, but it is worth every 
moment. Thank you for your testimonies. They are what keep me going sometimes... 
Please don't ever forget that I love you and more importantly our Father in 
Heaven loves you. Have an amazing week! Keep up the great missionary work. 
Member involvement is soooo key! I am proud of all of you. 
 
Well, since it's our last P-Day, our zone is going to watch "Forever Strong" so 
I better go. ;) 
 
Love always, 
Sister Stroud 
 
P.S. It's not completely like the sister missionary movie. It IS sort of like 
the Best Two Years, but then again it has been a LONG time since I've seen that 
movie. 

Catey's weekly email 10-7-09 - Sis. Stroud attends General Conference

Dear Family,

Thank you so much for your testimonies.  They always uplift me.

First of all, I just want to let you know that it was not against the rules for me to call James and DeAnn.  I'm just not allowed to talk to them, and we were trying to decide if we wanted to do an endowment session or  initatories.  So, I asked my companion if she would talk to James if I called him.  She agreed, but I don't want to you think that I'm breaking any rules, because I'm not.  I'm a perfect missionary. :) Haha. Just kidding.  But I'm working hard to becoming one.:) (Mother's Note: Catey is a very obedient person in general - if she thought she was doing something that was breaking a rule she would not do it).  I'm so excited to see you all in April.  Do you think Cindy would let you bring Ccodie so I could meet her... and give her tons of kissess???  That would be so awesome!  I'm so excited to see you all!  Did DeAnn say how the temple was?  How's the job search coming, dad?  I'm glad mom is liking 3rd grade. 

Second of all,  I just wanted to say THANK YOU!!! I screamed when I got my package last night! You know you're a missionary when... your favorite day of the week is Tuesday, because that's the day you get mail.:)  I got a letter from Grandma and Grandpa Hilton and from Aunt Kay.  Man, I miss everyone.  And I NEEDED everything in that package.  Seriously, I bought some cheap razors because I couldn't find the razor blades for my good razor, and was just thinking a couple of days ago... I need some shaving cream.  And food is ALWAYS good.  And of course I am freezing, so I was extremely excited to see warm clothes. It's like you could read my mind of what I needed.:)  My companions say thank you too.  They loved it!  They think it's so sweet that you would get them something too. :)

Conference was amazing!  We got Plaza 1 section tickets for the Sunday p.m. session.  We went to all of the sessions in the conference center, except for the Saturday PM session.  We watched that one in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  It was so amazing watching it in the conference center... and as a missionary.  I felt the Spirit so strong, and my testimony was strengthened so much.  I wish I would have know that James and DeAnn were there.  I would have looked for them!  I saw and took pictures with) a lot of people I know.  I saw Danielle Lussier there (she is in Catey's home ward).  She is so adorable.  I also saw my roommates, and some other friends from college.

I am so grateful that I have such a loving family.  In the conference center, the prophet and his counselors walk in a few minutes before confernce starts.  The thousands of people that are there get really quiet and everyone stands up all at once.  I got chills, and a sense of peace, as the prophet of God walked in the room.  I am so grateful for a living prophet on the earth.  I know, without any doubt, that President Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet of God on the earth.  He DOES receive revelation for the people of this earth.  It is through heeding his counsel and the words of the Book of Mormon that we will be able to return to live with our Father in Heaven.  I wish I had my notes with me from conference, but there was one talk (I don't remember who gave it)... but in my notes I wrote, "SO TRUE! Tell mom and dad thank you.  They are the reason I am who I am."  It was talking about how there isn't one family home evening or family prayer that changes your life, but all of them.. Like the strokes in a painting.  All of them come together to make the painting beautiful.  I believe that with all of my heart and soul.  I know that sometimes you don't feel like you are good parents, but I am here to tell you that that is Satan trying to get to you.  You ARE good parents, and I don't know what I did to deserve you as my parents, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.  If my husband and I could be half of the parents that you both are, then I know my kids will have good parents.  I wouldn't be the person, the missionary, I am if it weren't for you all.  There is a quote that I like that says:

"A missionary is someone who leaves there family for a sort time so others can be with theirs for eternity."

It dawned on me during conference that you are a part of every baptism I have even though you don't know the people who are baptized just because I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.  I LOVE you ALL so much and am so grateful for ALL of the amazing support that I receive.  I know that this is the true church, and I CANNOT deny it.  In the name of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Love,

Sister Stroud

Catey's weekly email 10-1-09 - 2 baptisms

FAMILY!!!

Ok, so I know, but this is going to be somewhat short... AGAIN.  No tengo usar el banao pero esta computadora es muy despacio. (translation: I don't have to use the bathroom but this computer is SLOW! So... thank you so much for handling my medical issues. I got to talk to dad yesterday.  That was the highlight of my day, week and mission. :)  It was so good to hear his voice.  I can't wait unitl Christmas! Could you send me my winter clothes???   Also, will you send me another thing of foundation?  I'm really sorry to ask, but when I have to wear make-up every day, it goes a lot faster.  If you would send my NAU sweatpants with my winter clothes, that would be FANTASTIC.  It is soooo cold.  It is already snowing on the mountains, and it's only a matter of time before it snows here!

Ok, so good news... I talked to my mission president yesterday, and he said that I can go to DeAnn's endowment (Will you forward this to her PLEASE, or tell her the following).  I would LOVE to go and see her and James (which is totally ok with my presdient - he even said that if you guys come into town I could get permission to see you).  The only thing is that if I go to her endowment it would have to be the 8 a.m. session on a Wednesday morning (my P-day).  Then, I could be there.  Tell her no pressure.  If that doesn't work, it's totally ok.  I won't be offended, but that is the only way that I would be able to seem them.  Just let her know.  I  really want to see them.  I've been a  little homesick lately, so I think it might actually be good, but I totally understand if it doesn't work out. :)

Let's see, what else?  I'm so glad everyone is doing good.  I always pray for you all and I hope you know how much I love you.  It's good to hear how everyone is progressing.  I know I am.

We had two baptisms this past Saturday (my 3rd and 4th baptisms, so far).  It was sooo amazing!  I love this family.  They are planning on being sealed in a year.  They are amazing!  When we come back to my mission in a year and a half, they are 1st on the list of people I want you all to meet.

Anyways, I better go before the email gets deleted.  That seems to be the tradition of late.  I am so excited for conference on Saturday and Sunday (we have CLOSE UP seats)!  Yay for sister missionaries in the Utah Salt Lake mission!!!! :)

Anyways, I LOVE you all so much... more that you will ever know.  I love this gospel.  I know without any doubt in my heart that it is true.  Thank you for everything you ALL do for me.  You (and your amazing testimonies) are truly a blessing in my life!  I'm soooo sorry if I'm such a horrible writer.  We don't get a lot of time, but I do what I can.  Thank you for your support.

Yo testifico que la iglesia de jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dias is la iglesia verdad en el mundo hoy. (translation: I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church on the earth today.) My Spanish is getting pretty good, eh? :)

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Love,
Sister Stroud

Hola familia! 
 
Como esta? So... this week has been soooo busy! I think that we need a P-Day 
from our P-Day. :) We went to the temple this morning and did a session. It was 
so awesome, since I haven't been in like 6 weeks. Then, we went and washed our 
car, cleaned our apartment, did our laundry, wrote some letters. 
 
So let's see. I'm going to try to write you this week. I can't concentrate right 
now. I have a really bad headache (it's almost that time of the month, and I can 
already tell that it's not going to be a fun one... I have been having 
"morning/afternoon/evening pre-period sickness"), so I'm just going to tell you 
the basics, and I'll write more later in a letter. 
 
So... Yes, we get to go to all 4 sessions of General Conference at the 
conference center. :) I live on the streets so I don't have an address. JUST 
KIDDING! My address is... 866 E. Harrison Ave (Unit D). My companion speaks 
English really well, although she only knew a tiny bit before her mission. She 
learned most of it at the MTC, and on her mission. But she is awesome! 
 
Tell DeAnn that I will write her soon. I'll give her some words of advice. :) 
 
So... I'm going to have to go off Adderall. I'm not too happy about it, but I've 
checked some different stores and the cheapest I can find it is like $60, and I 
don't want to pay that much, so I'll just pray extra hard. 
 
Please know that I LOVE you all so much! You don't even know. And I miss you 
tons. I LOVE reading your emails. A mission is definitely not an easy thing 
(even though I absolutely LOVE it), but I always get so much strength out of 
reading your emails and testimonies. 
 
I want you to know that I have a strong, firm testimony of this church. It grows 
amazing amounts everytime I share it. I know that it is because Heavenly Father 
loves us that He restored His church on the earth today through Joseph Smith. I 
know that the Book of Mormon is true. I have developed such an AMAZING LOVE for 
the Book of Mormon in my short time on a mission. I know that as we live by it's 
teachings, we will feel so much peace and happiness in our lives. I know that 
Jesus Christ lives and loves us. He gave His life for us, so that if we follow 
in His footsteps, we can return to live with Him again. I pray that we will all 
follow His example, and that we will strengthen our relationships with him and 
testimony of Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, Amen. 
 
Give Codie LOTS of kisses for me. I'll write you soon. 
 
Love always, 
Sister Stroud