Elkins, West Virginia: Challenges of a Burned Face, Elder Kopischke, and Goodbyes

Dear family and friends,

This has been quite the odd week in the mission field. We had the opportunity to listen to one of the members of the Seventy. Elder Kopischke (https://www.lds.org/church/leader/erich-w-kopischke?lang=eng&role=05) was absolutely amazing. At the beginning of the conference we had with him he told us to write down a question we had. He told us that he did not have an agenda for the conference, and he did not know what he was going to talk about, but he promised that every single one of our questions would be answered. One thing that really stuck out to me was that as he was making this promise he told us, "The Spirit will only reveal what we are ready to receive." Elder Kopischke's promise held true for every missionary I talked to afterwards. It was an absolutely amazing experience.

After the conference my companion and I had the opportunity to talk to his wife while I waited to have an interview with our mission president. She was such an amazing spirit, and I had the chance to brush up on my German speaking skills since she's German. We were truly blessed to have the opportunity to listen to these amazing people.

In other news, this will likely be the last week on my mission. This may come as shocking news to some of you, but I have been struggling severely with my depression and anxiety recently. I have prayed and fasted about this decision, and the mission therapist and doctor both agree with me that I need to go home on medical release. BUT I do not want any of you to think that I regret a single second of the past 5 months. It has been a blessing to be able to help those in Elkins, West Virginia for the time that I have been here. I have grown so much individually, and my testimony in the gospel of Jesus Christ has never been stronger. I know that even though I'm going to have to take the missionary tag off that I will still be wearing a missionary tag. As Elder Neil L. Andersen said, "If you're not a full-time missionary with a missionary badge pinned on your coat, now is the time to paint one on your heart-- painted, as Paul said, 'not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God." I know that I will continue to be a missionary for the rest of my life. Serving our Heavenly Father never ends. I also know that this decision has been guided by our Heavenly Father, and while I do not know why right now, I do know that following the Lord's will is the most important thing we can do on this earth.

On a lighter note, at the beginning of this week my wonderful companion, Sister Roberts, convinced me to buy a standard face wash because it would "make my skin softer". I decided to give it a shot, and it ended up burning my face. I ended up bringing a small container of aloe vera everywhere we went so that my peeling face didn't freak too many people out. It is all healed now though. And no... it did not burn Sister Roberts face. We both laughed for quite some time about that.

I hope that you all have an amazing week. If you were planning on sending anything to me this week I wouldn't recommend it, but I do appreciate the thought. :) Thank you all for the love and support that you have shown me on my mission.

The church is true.
The book is blue.
Heavenly Father loves you.

Love,

Sister Thyme Nash

Elkins, West Virginia: Testify of Christ, Missionary Work, and the Atonement is Real

Hello all!

This week has been a pretty standard one in the way of missionary work. My companion and I have been teaching our friends and slowly helping their faith grow. It is great to see the little moments that show how Christ is influencing their lives. The smallest feelings of peace and understanding become huge moments in a person's eternal progression.

Christ and the Atonement have been a major element of my thoughts and studies this past week. While I can not fully comprehend how Christ felt everything that we have ever felt and ever will feel, I do know that he did. We can not understand everything that God does, but we can trust in Him. Knowing that Christ knows exactly what I feel and what others feel has brought peace in my mind when I don't know how to help someone else. I know that He will help me understand and give me the words necessary to help these people.

My "ponderizing" scripture this past week was 2 Nephi 25:26 (again). After thinking about it for two weeks, I have summarized it to: "...we talk...rejoice...preach...prophesy... and write of Christ..." As Christians, this is what we need to be doing. Taking upon ourselves the name of Christ means that we are going to be as Christlike as we can be, and we're going to involve Christ in every aspect of our life.

This next week I'll be "ponderizing" is Mormon 5:23. "Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he hath all power, and at his great command the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll?"

I hope that you all have an amazing week. I love you and hope that you all continue to do well.

Love,

Sister Thyme Nash

Elkins, West Virginia: Halloween, Peeling Pears, and Transfer Week

Hello family and friends!

This past week has been quite the week here in Elkins! Last Monday was rather busy after I sent out my emails. We had a district p-day where we carved pumpkins and did tie-dye. It was extremely fun! Sister Roberts and I then had to rush to a ward family home evening we were having. We didn't have a large turn out of people, but it was still lots of fun. We helped them carve pumpkins and we related it to the light of Christ and Matthew 5:14-16.

The rest of the week consisted of running around, serving, and teaching. We had the opportunity to serve a variety of people this week. We helped someone paint their trailer which resulted in "Elegant Charcoal" paint being all over my hands. We also helped someone else peel pears... which resulted in pear juice all over my hands and smelling like pears for a few hours.

Halloween was rather odd this year. Instead of the normal Halloween festivities, we were helping out at a funeral. The services went well, but it did not connect in my mind that it was Halloween until we got home later that evening.

So, this week is transfer week... and surprise! Sister Roberts and I are staying in Elkins because we're still doing training. None of the Elkins missionaries are going anywhere for another transfer.

This past week has been hectic, so I haven't done the best job with "ponderizing". Thus, I am "ponderizing the same scripture again this week.
2 Nephi 25:26
"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."

I hope that you all have an amazing week! Never forget that Heavenly Father loves each of you.

Love,

Sister Thyme Nash

Elkins, West Virginia: Week of Tuesdays and Fridays, Teach Me To Sing, and Hope as an Anchor

Hello family and friends!

This week has been a rather long week, but it was a good week as always. Every day either felt like a Tuesday or Friday because those always seem to be the longest days of the week. People either canceled lessons last minute or just weren't home, but we were still able to see quite a few inidividuals to serve and teach.

Last week our Relief Society president asked the elders if we all could sing on Sunday. The elders didn't end up telling us until halfway through the week. We struggled for a little while to figure out what song would help all of our voices not sound too horrendous together. We ended up choosing "Teach Me to Walk in the Light". It ended up going a lot better than I thought it would be, though I'm pretty sure that my face was beet red the entire time.

Last week I chose to "ponderize" Ether 12:4. The end result of my "ponderizing" is: "...whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope...maketh an anchor to the souls of men..." I never really thought of hope being something other than a wish for something, but hope involves more than wishing. Hope involves action (just like faith does). When we hope for something we choose to do what we can to make it a better world and live on the right hand of God.

This week's "ponderizing" scripture is 2 Nephi 25:26. "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."

I hope that you all have a wonderful week! You are absolutely wonderful, and I am so grateful for the influence you have played in my life. Keep it classy.

Love,

Sister Thyme Nash

Elkins, West Virginia: Believe in God, First Frost, and Why Sister Nash has Obsessively Been Reading the Book of Mormon

Hello family and friends!

This week was a pretty standard week. We did not have anything too out of the ordinary occur, except for the weather. We had the first frost of the season on Saturday, and I discovered that humid cold is a lot different from dry cold. Luckily, I was prepared with my winter coat when we were out and about and a blanket to bundle up in for when we were home.

A large portion of my study time this week has been focused on reading The Book of Mormon. I have never been this dedicated to reading scripture throughout my life, but I have seen the influence that it has played throughout this week. At times when I normally would be fumbling in my mind for an answer to a question, I was given the answer through scriptures that I had read previously that morning or week. We are promised that "...it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say" (D&C 100:6), but part of that promise is that we need to do everything in our power to have the resources for the answers to come from. Reading scriptures daily is essential to live in the world today. With so much around us, the scriptures bring solid direction and instruction where everything else brings chaos and confusion.

As I "ponderized" last week the only lasting statement I came with was: "Believe in God". It's a simple statement, but it is "...by small and simple things [that] great things [are] brought to pass" (Alma 37:6).

"Ponderize" Scripture of the Week: Ether 12:4

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

I hope that you all have an amazing week! Never forget that through belief and faith comes hope which is an anchor to our souls. I love you all and am always thinking about and praying for you.

Love,

Sister Thyme Nash

Elkins, West Virginia: Trusting in the Lord, Who Among Us, and Cat in a Ditch

Hello Family and Friends!

This week has been quite the week in Elkins. It seemed that with every day my faith and patience were tested further and further. It showed to me that the scripture I had chosen to "ponderize" was especially needed for the week. The end result of my "ponderizing" turned into: "...the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord. And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage." This scripture was especially important at helping me press forward throughout the week. With each day a new challenge was placed upon those we are teaching and upon ourselves. We visited the hospital more times than I'd like to think about, and we visited one of our friends who had broken her femur in three places in a car accident.

The trials of these individuals really pressed on both my and Sister Roberts' hearts. As appointments fell through and people were hurting, I did become rather frustrated. For a moment "our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back... [but] the Lord comforted  us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren... and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success" (Alma 26:27). Instead of crying out in anger I decided to say a prayer and ask our Heavenly Father what we needed to do in order to stay effective in hastening the work. After a moment of silence I decided we needed to go tracting. I'm not sure how many fruits will come from our labors that day, but I do know that by continuing on in patience and faith we were able to forget the stress we had been experiencing and go on with a new brightness of hope.

Moral of the story: "Ponderizing" works and patience is actually pretty important.

Another great outlet I found was returning to writing. For any who do not know, I absolutely love writing. It was one of my favorite hobbies before I came out on the mission, but I haven't felt inclined to write for the past few months until earlier this week. I wrote a poem entitled "Who Among Us" and related it to Christ's atonement and the redeeming power we can find through it. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the notebook I wrote it in, so I might share it next week instead.

One fun little story this week involves one of the wonderful older ladies we've been teaching out here. She's eccentric and sometimes says the oddest things. The quote from her for the week is: "When I die I want them to put me in a cat costume and bury me in a ditch. They bury the cats for free."

I hope you all have an absolutely amazing week! Lift up your head, and have faith through your trials. You will be strengthened and carried through them, even if you don't realize it until 50 years down the road.

"Ponderize" Scripture for the Week: Mosiah 4:9

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."

Have a great week everyone! I love you all and continue to keep you in my prayers. Believe in God!

Love,

Sister Thyme Nash

Elkins, West Virginia: Forest Festival, General Conference, and Enjoying the Rain

Hello family and friends!

This was definitely a rather eventful week here in Elkins, West Virginia. The Forest Festival was in full blast this past week, so traffic was extremely bad throughout the week. We avoided the festivities due to our booked schedules; thus, street contacting was not a large part of our week. However, we still had an absolutely amazing week.

On Tuesday we had the opportunity to help someone move. The work went well because she already had all of her stuff packed up in boxes, but the only problem was that it was pouring outside. We decided to do our best with tarps for the boxes and hoodies for ourselves to keep everything dry. The boxes did end up getting a little wet, but it was probably the easiest moving experience I've had thus far on the mission. We got entirely drenched through, but the rain wasn't cold and we still enjoyed ourselves with serving.

The highlight of the week would have to be General Conference. It was an absolutely amazing conference with countless inspired insights. A large theme that I noticed throughout was the emphasis of aligning our will with God's will. I know that life becomes a lot easier when we decided to let our Creator take care of things. Obedience to His commandments is key to this principle.

Another thought that stood out to me was the idea of "ponderizing" a scripture each week. For any who were unable to view conference, 1. You ought to because it was absolutely amazing! and 2. "Ponderizing" was defined as a combination of pondering and memorizing a passage of scripture each week. I have decided to take this challenge and would love to hear insight on any scriptures you have decided to "ponderize". This week I will be focusing on Mosiah 24:15-16:

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.
16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

As I previously stated, I would really love to challenge all of you to "ponderize" a scripture a week and share your insights with others. I know that by filling our mind with uplifting thoughts and messages we will be able to fight against temptation and be strengthened through our trials.

I love you all, and I hope that you have an absolutely fantastic week!

Love,

Sister Thyme Nash

Elkins, West Virginia: Sister Roberts, Women's Conference, and "Saturday is a special day. It's the day you help everyone move!"

Hello my dearest family and friends!

I hope that you all have had an absolutely fantastic week. I have had an amazing week; though, it has also been a rather crazy week. This past Thursday was transfer day, and I bade my goodbyes to Sister Moea'i and Elder Anderson. I also had the opportunity to greet Sister Roberts and Elder Hansen, our newest missionaries to the Elkins area. Elder Hansen has been out for a year already; however, Sister Roberts is fresh out of the MTC. She is from Alberta, Canada and has such an amazing and sweet spirit. These past few days have been great working with her. I sincerely look forward to the remainder of our companionship together.

The majority of the week has been spent with me trying to really get used to this new responsibility. It can be odd at times to realize that Sister Roberts hasn't met the people that we teach and doesn't know her way around Elkins yet. I am very grateful though that she seems to be adapting to the mission well. She already has a love for those I've introduced her to. I can tell she's going to be an absolutely amazing missionary.

Saturday was definitely a busy day for us. We ended up spending the majority of the day doing service. We helped three different people move. It was a good experience, but I was definitely ready for some rest at the end of the night. It was nice to have some relaxing time at the end of the meeting to watch the General Women's Broadcast to General Conference. It was an absolutely amazing session, and the speakers were divinely inspired. If any of you have not watched i, I would strongly encourage that you do so.

I hope this next week is grand for each of you. You are all amazing, and I pray for you all the time! Thank you for the wonderful influence you've played on my life. Keep it up!

Love,

Sister Thyme Nash

Elkins, West Virginia: Transfers, Trainer-in-Training, and Leaving with a Song

Hello family and friends,

This week has been a good week, though we are coming upon some changes here in Elkins. Sister Moea'i will be transferred tomorrow to Lexington, Virginia. I will be training a brand new sister missionary... so that should be exciting! In all honesty, I am nervous to be training; however, I look forward to the experience and calling that Heavenly Father has granted me. Out of the current Elders in Elkins, Elder Buttars and Elder Anderson, Elder Anderson will be going home (his 2 years are up), and Elder Buttars will be sticking around.

I have come to realize throughout this transfer that nothing has blessed me more than keeping my hymnbook on hand. There is nothing more uplifting in times of trial than a song from the heart. We have visited those in nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and those just going through rough times, and we always ask if we can leave them with a song. They are always really sweet and talk about how we sound like angels. 2 Nephi 32:2-3 talks about speaking with the tongue of angels:

"2 Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?
3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."

The power of song is often something that is overlooked. I have never felt Heavenly Father's Spirit more strongly than when I am listening to music. There is something special about it that brings the Spirit when it is uplifting and testifies the words of Christ.

I hope that you have an absolutely amazing week! Never forget that God loves you and that you are his spirit child. Keep your head held high and shine as a light on the hill. I love you all!

Love,

Sister Thyme Nash

Elkins, West Virginia: A Wave from Jesus, Sister Missionaries Sang as they Walked and Walked and Walked and Walked, and a Certified Driver without a Vehicle

Hello family and friends!

I apologize if ya'll were bewildered on not receiving my weekly update on Monday. We were planning on coming to email on that day; however, our vehicle was in the shop so we were unable to email until today.

About a month or so ago Sister Moea'i accidentally decided to hug a mailbox with the front of our truck, and because of this incident we needed to take our truck into the shop last week. The only thing they needed to do was paint over a couple of small scratches; however, it ended up taking them five days to get our truck back to us. So... we walked.

I was rather apprehensive to walk everywhere for a few days, especially since we had a few meetings about 35 minutes away and an hour (driving-wise) and we needed our truck on the 15th for vehicle inspections and specialized training in Charleston. Although I was apprehensive, it ended up being a marvelous experience.

We were able to receive rides to our meetings in Buckhannon and Clarksburg by wonderful members throughout the week. After our first meeting in Buckhannon we were dropped off at one end of Elkins and were walking to meet someone else who was going to have a lesson with us and then drive us home. As we were walking along the road we waved at every vehicle that passed us. Quite a few waved back, but one car turned around and called us over. A woman sat in the driver's seat and asked why we had waved at her. Before we could come up with a good reason she asked if Jesus had told us to wave at her. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, we both quickly said yes. It turned out that her sister had been a member before she had died of cancer, and since then this woman has wanted to connect with the church again since they were so supportive of her family after her sister's passing. It was definitely a testament to me that people are watching what we do, and we need to forever be lights on the hill as Christ invites us to be.

It also rained quite a bit this week, so we enjoyed the wonders of walking through the rain. Luckily, the rain was never too cold or coming down too hard until we were inside somewhere. On one of our rainy day travels we ran into a man named Richard (though Sister Moea'i calls him Safari man Richard due to the clothes he was wearing). He showed us the best route to walk along the road in order to avoid poison ivy and dangerous turns where drivers wouldn't be able to see us. We also discovered that he worked at an alpaca farm that we pass quite a bit. He told us we could come over any time and he'd introduce us to the 53 alpacas on the farm. Lots of fun comes from walking in the rain and meeting Safari men.

In other news, I have been certified as a mission driver, so I can now drive mission vehicles. I became certified while we were still walking, so I was still unable to drive. We received our truck back late on Monday night, so my first stretch of driving was driving to specialized training in Charleston at 4 a.m. While in Charleston, they installed a monitor into our truck (this is being done throughout the mission). It monitors our speed, whether the driver is wearing a seat belt or not, and aggressive driving. It is meant to decrease the amount of accidents in the mission and increase safety. Sister Moea'i and I are looking forward to continuing our amazing driving practices with "Tiwi" in the car with us.

I hope that you all are having amazing weeks! Don't expect another email from me until Wednesday of next week because it will be transfer week. I love you all! Keep it classy.

Love,

Sister Thyme Nash :)

Elkins, West Virginia: The Week of Meals, a Brighter Hope, and the Brush of Danger

7 Sep 2015

Hello my wonderful family and friends! 

This past week has been quite a bit better than what it has been lately. Both my depression and my anxiety have tamed down, and I am doing miles better than what I was just a week ago. I definitely have been blessed with where I have been placed and with the people that I have been interacting with for the past 2 1/2 months. I am looking forward to the rest of my mission with a brighter vision of hope and excitement. 

Up to this point in my mission we have not been fed a whole ton by members. We have a couple of homes where we usually can just drop in and they'll either make something for us, or we're welcome to the leftovers they have. However, this week we've had a meal appointment with someone almost every day. It has definitely kept us stuffed! If any of you were ever wondering, pepperoni rolls are a popular West Virginian dish. Look them up. 

This week has been quite amazing. We have been able to pick up quite a few people we may potentially teach through following up on referrals and following a dog to make sure it returned home safely. It wasn't the most common way of finding, but it certainly worked. We have also seen quite a bit of improvement as far as a rekindled interest and desire from a few of our friends (our new term for investigators we are using in the mission) who we've been teaching for a while. 

Scary and exciting story time! Yesterday, Sister Moea'i and I were on our way to a fireside at the church. As we were driving, the car in front of us got into the left-turn lane. Once we were parallel with their vehicle they suddenly swerved back into our lane. Sister Moea'i managed to avoid them (though that seems impossible due to how close they were), and almost flipped us in the process; however, she was able to correct it, and we managed to get out of there without a scratch on ourselves or our truck. We truly are being watched out for here in the field. I am so grateful that our Heavenly Father is there for us and is guiding us every step of the way. 

I hope that you all are having a wonderful Labor day! Have fun! Stay safe! Keep it classy! I love you all. 

Love, 

Sister Thyme Nash :)

Elkins, West Virginia: Family Dramas, Missionary Sunday, and the Turn of the Season

31 Aug 2015

Hello all, 

This week has been quite the week. Shaniya ended up passing away on Monday evening. Since then that family has had quite a bit of drama which ended in us having to leave a lesson early due to the sister calling the cops on her brother. Another family in our ward has also been going through sudden drama with an unexpected separation and request for divorce. We have done our best to not be involved, but goodness, life is crazy. 

Though it has been a hectic week, we were able to find some peace yesterday at Church. We had the opportunity to speak in sacrament meeting yesterday. We met up with the Elders earlier in the week to discuss possible topics which would be beneficial for the ward. We decided on going with an overall theme of families. I discussed service in the home which was a really great topic that had lined up really well with past Ensign articles I had been reading earlier in the week. 

Another positive side of the week is the noticeable turning of the season. The leaves have started turning brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. I'm looking forward to when all of the trees are covered in an array of these colors. Autumn is a wonderful time of year. 

Well, I hope that everything is going well in wherever you are in the world. I love you all and hope that everything continues working out. Keep it classy. 

-Sister Thyme Nash

Elkins, West Virginia: Zone Conference, Prayer over the Seafood, and a Girl Named Shaniya

24 Aug 2015

Hello friends and family, 

Today has been a very odd week overall. For those who have heard any rumors or who are not aware, I have been struggling with my depression and anxiety for the past couple of weeks. However, this has been the absolute strongest that my faith and hope in Christ and for the future has ever been in my entire life. I appreciate all of the prayers and kind words that have been sent my way. I love you all and I pray for you each and every day. 

While this week was a little rough emotionally and mentally, it was extremely strong spiritually. We had the opportunity this week to have Zone Conference and there hear from our mission president and other leaders. It's always great to be reminded that these individuals are called from God and are being inspired on how to best help us. After Zone Conference my companion and I went on exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders. I stayed in Elkins with Sister Erickson. We weren't able to get a lot of lessons in, but it was nice to hear her input on some of the individuals we are teaching. 

On a slightly light-hearted note, my companion and I were eating at a restaurant that the Bishop owns (we eat there for free once a week). After we had gotten our food I said a prayer over it as we normally do. Neither one of us thought much of it until a gentleman at a nearby table came over and told us that he was impressed to see such young people praying in public over their food. He said he appreciated the example we were setting for our generation. We were able to share that we were missionaries and exchange contact information. We are hoping that we will be able to see him again at some point in the future. 

 

On a more somber tone, there is a little girl out here named Shaniya. She has a rare allergy, and through a medical mistake a few years back she became paralyzed from her chest down. It also caused her brain to swell and she has been restricted to a hospital bed for a while now. On Saturday we received a call from her older sister saying that she was in the hospital and was not expected to make it through the night. Her mother prayed that she would make it through Sunday because it was Shaniya's 12th birthday; she has made it that far. Though there is no more brain activity, her heart is still beating slowly. Any prayers out to her and especially her family would be much appreciated. I know that she is going to return to her Heavenly Father and she will be free from this illness that has held her down for so long, but it is still a difficult time for her loved ones. 

 

I know that our Heavenly Father is looking out for every single one of us. He answers our prayers in ways that we do not expect, and He never turns his back on us. The only time when we don't feel His presence is when we turn our back to Him. Never be afraid to turn back to him. Repentance should not be a scary word. All that it means is change. Change to be better. Change to grow. Change to feel His love and show your love in return. I love you. Your Heavenly Father loves you. Never ever forget that. 

Love, 

Sister Thyme Nash

 

Elkins, West Virginia: Baptism, Stringing Beans, and Faith as a Mustard Seed

17 Aug 2015

 

Hello everyone! 

Today marks me being on a mission for 2 months, so that's pretty exciting. It definitely has been one of the most amazing experiences that I have had. Sometimes I'm not sure whether I'm needed out here more for helping others grow closer to Christ or for my own growth toward Christ. I have never found myself relying on Him more or having stronger faith in Him, even if it is "like a grain of mustard seed). 

In other news, I've gotten pretty decent at stringing beans from being here. It seems that everyone and their grandmother's dog does canning over here and grows their own food in some way. A couple of the members in our area have accepted our help in stringing beans and have told us random things about canning. It's always fun to learn new things I suppose!

This past week has been rather busy with preparing for a baptism we had on Saturday. Haileigh Grace Cross was baptized on Saturday, August 15. Saturday, August 15 also marks her 8th birthday, so she was able to be baptized on her birthday just like I was. We have been teaching her and her sisters for a while now. Her two older sisters were baptized a year or so ago, and neither of her parents are members. It was great to see that she wanted to take that step toward baptism and for the amazing faith she has even as a rambunctious little girl. Her and her sisters have been such faith builders for me because they have such a strong desire to go to church and to do their absolute best in everything. I don't think I was ever that motivated at their age to go to church or do the programs that helped me grow closer to Christ, but seeing the faith and love they have has increased my own love and faith in the gospel. 

I would encourage every single one of you to consider your faith in God. I think it's easy in this day and age to forget how much He has done for us. Every single thing that we have is a gift from Him. Everything. Even challenges that we experience are blessings because they build and mold us to be the people that we are today. There is nothing that I am more grateful for right now than the tests of my faith because they have made me so much stronger spiritually than I thought I could ever be. Never lose hope. Never lose faith in that Divine Creator of ours who never makes mistakes. You are meant to be here at this time to serve a specific purpose. No one else could do exactly what you're doing right know, what you have done, and what you're going to do. You are unique and one-of-a-kind. Never forget that He loves you and that I love every single one of you. 

Stay strong! Stay blessed! 

Love, 
Sister Thyme Nash

 

Elkins, West Virginia: Transfer Week, Hospital Visits Galore, and the Adventures of Four Missionaries Going on a Hike

12 Aug 2015

 

Hello all! 

It has been a pretty great, though slightly hectic, week and a half. We have been keeping ourselves super busy with teaching all of the people out here! Just kidding... but we have been keeping ourselves busy with teaching. There's nothing too significant to report on that front. All of the people we are teaching are progressing slowly but surely. 

We did end up going to the hospital quite a bit this past week. Don't worry; my companion and I are perfectly fine. Someone in the ward had a baby so we went to visit that family a few times. We also tried to visit a couple of others who had recently been admitted to the hospital for various reasons. They're all doing well now, but it was odd how many times we ended up going out there. 

The highlight of the week was probably this morning. One of our ward members to both the Elders and Sister here in Elkins to go hiking. It is absolutely gorgeous out here. We went up Bickles Knob and climbed a fire tower. We also trekked through the woods a ways to find a couple of caves. It was extremely fun and absolutely beautiful. It's amazing to look out at nature and think about how God created all of it. There is not a day that passes here where I don't remark how beautiful the sky and trees are. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful place. 

I hope that everyone is doing well! Stay amazing! Stay in school! Always say please and thank you! Wash behind your ears! 

Never forget that you are a beloved child of our Heavenly Father! 

Sincerely, 
Sister Thyme Nash

 

 

 

 

Elkins, West Virginia: Fireside, Cooking, and the Epic Adventure of Two Sick Sister Missionaries

3 Aug 2015

 

Hello everyone! 

This past week has been quite the adventure for my companion and myself. Yesterday, August 2nd, we had a fireside that we were hosting, so the majority of our week was devoted to preparing for the fireside and to teaching the wonderful people here in Elkins. 

The fireside ended up turning out quite well. Our theme was "Hold to the Rod" based on the story of the Iron Rod in 1 Nephi 8 in the Book of Mormon. We started with an activity where we took over 1,000 feet of twine and wrapped it all around and through the church. We then blindfolded the people there and had them hold onto the twine, following it. All the while they had people trying to persuade them to let go of the twine and others informing them of possible approaching dangers (tree limbs, curbs, etc.). The whole idea behind the activity was to represent life. Those trying to persuade represented the temptations of the world, while those trying to guide represented the Holy Ghost. The twine was the Iron Rod (a representation of the word of God) and showed the way back home. It was a very powerful experience. We then had a couple of speakers who did an outstanding job discussing what the Iron Rod is and the importance of it. 

The only downside of the week is what I like to call "The Epic Adventure of Two Sick Sister Missionaries". On Tuesday evening, I came down with a pretty bad cold; however, we continued powering through and I managed to keep going by keeping myself stocked on tissues and cold medicine. On Friday, I woke up with little to no symptoms; however, Sister Moeai woke up with a terrible migraine, so half of our day was spent staying home. The next day my cold came back with full force. I'm convinced it left on Friday just so I could help my companion with her migraine. By the time the fireside rolled around on Sunday, my cold symptoms were gone, but Sister Moeai had gotten my cold and was still dealing with mild migraines. She is still not feeling well, but I'm hoping she'll feel better within a day or two. 

All in all it has been a pretty good week. Don't expect another exciting update of my life until Wednesday of next week because next week is a transfer week, so my P-day isn't until Wednesday. I wish you all the best and hope life is treating you well! 

Sincerely, 
Sister Thyme Nash



Elkins, West Virginia: Cabbage, a Picnic, and Rainbows from Rainstorms

27 July 2015

 

Hello anyone and everyone, 

This past week has definitely been a crazy one in my area. It was one of those weeks that were so busy that they flew by. One moment it was Monday; I blinked, and it was Sunday. Even with all the craziness though, it was a wonderful week. 

Monday went pretty well. We had a district-wide P-day, so we all got together as a district and played volleyball. We also celebrated a birthday which involved quite a bit of eating and celebratory singing/blowing out candles. After the celebration, the Elders in our area, my companion, and I helped one of our less-active members move. She lives closer to the church now, so hopefully she'll be able to come more. 

Tuesday was a busy day of teaching and service for one of our investigators. It was great to be able to serve some more and continue to stay busy. 

Wednesday consisted of some community service at Catholic Charities. They give food to those in need, so it is always wonderful to help out with that. They received some food donations that day, so we were helping organize and put all of those away. After we had put some Walmart donations away, a rather large amount of cabbage and cucumbers from the prison was dropped off. The cucumbers were ridiculously long, and every head of cabbage was larger than my head. It got to the point where we were trying to convince everyone who came in to take a bag of cucumbers and cabbage. 

Thursday was spent preparing for a ward activity later on in the day. The ward was having a Pioneer Picnic. We had a pretty good turn out. Some of our investigators were able to come, and it was awesome to see them and the ward members bonding and getting along. The area where we had the picnic was absolutely gorgeous on top of that. 

On Friday we had a district meeting and taught, taught, and taught. 

Saturday was our rainstorm day, though not in a literal sense. While the clouds did not darken and a torrent of rain did not come down from the sky, certain events lead our spirits to be slightly weighed down with our own storm clouds. We were dropped by three investigators who we thought were progressing quite well. Both times they said that they liked having us come over, but they were happy with where they were and what they had. We tried to stay positive, but the experiences really weighed on our hearts. 

Sunday, however, was our rainbow day. While none of our investigators made it to church, we had a large turn out of less-active members. It was absolutely wonderful to see the chapel fill up and to see the smiles on their faces when they entered. After that we were able to pick up three new investigators and receive some referrals from some really amazing less-actives. Not only did we have all those blessings, but we were also able to get one of our investigators on date for baptism. 

Sometimes we have to go through the rainstorms in life in order to see the rainbows. This was definitely true for the ending of our week. Though our "hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us," (Alma 26:27). We were blessed way more than we could have hoped for because we relied on our Heavenly Father and continued on with faith. We wanted to turn back, but we pressed forward and continued teaching. When we are met with challenges, we must be patient and look forward to the blessings in store for us with a firm hope that we will obtain these blessings. 

I love you all! I hope that everything is going well wherever you are, and I hope that you will be able to experience many rainbow days. 

Sincerely, 
Sister Thyme Nash

 

 

 

 

 

Elkins, West Virginia: Dear, Hun, and a whole lot of "Ya'll"

Hello everyone!

This week certainly was quite busy. It's difficult to remember everything that we did because we did so much. There was definitely a lot of teaching and a lot of rainfall. Where to begin... where to begin?

Since I totally failed to state where I was in the last email, my area is Elkins, West Virginia. We cover an interesting area with a large variety of people and living situations. There are many points in the area where there will be very small trailer homes on one side of the street and large houses just on the other side. The people here are wonderful on all sides.

We have quite a few amazing investigators out here who are progressing readily and steadily. For most of them the only issue that is holding them back from progressing is their addiction to tobacco. It has been really difficult to see how ready and excited they are but how discouraged they become when they aren't able to overcome their addictions. To help support them, Sister Moeai and myself are both going to abstain from our own food "addictions". For anyone who knows me really well you can guess what I'm going to try and abstain from... Goodbye pasta! We'll see how well I do with breaking away from that marvelous dish.

In other news, I have already started picking up the accent around here. I'm not really surprised, but it makes me laugh. We'll be in the middle of a lesson and suddenly the accent will come out of nowhere. The investigators don't seem to notice too much, but it surprises me every time. By the time Christmas comes around I'll probably have a full blown accent.

I hope everything is going well and I wish you all the best!

Sincerely,

Sister Thyme Nash

West Virginia Charleston Mission: Rain, Trees, and a Bunch of Other Stuff

Hello all!

I am officially in the West Virginia Charleston mission and could not be happier. It has been a wonderful experience being out in the mission field, and I am truly blessed each and every day. I have so much to share; however, time is limited, thus this email will not be as detailed as I would like it to be. 

To back track... my last few days at the MTC were crazy. After I sent my last email, the sisters had to move out of our residence into another one because a bat was found in our previous building. That was an adventure in and of itself. The rest of my time mostly consisted of teaching, practicing, studying, and bidding farewells to my district (with the occasional meal time in between). 

Traveling to West Virginia went pretty well. We arose at 3 a.m. and left for the airport. We got there and on our flight to Atlanta safe and sound. When we landed in Atlanta we discovered that our flight had been delayed and they were switching us to a different plane. Once we got on the plane, we were preparing for take off when an elderly gentleman passed out and became unresponsive for a few seconds. We waited for medical personal to arrive while another missionary and another passenger on the plane took care of him in the mean time. He was doing alright when he and his wife left the plane. 

We finally landed in West Virginia after a long day of traveling and had the opportunity to meet our mission president and his wife, President and Sister Salisbury. They are absolutely wonderful; I am very excited to work with them further. After a day and a half of training for the mission, I was sent out to meet my new companion Sister Moeai. 

It has now been a few days and we have been quite busy with lessons and service and all sorts of crazy things. West Virginia is absolutely beautiful with all of its trees and large amounts of rainfall we've received recently. The people here are wonderful, and I love that I am able to interact with them and bring them closer to Christ. 

I hope everything is going well for ya'll!

Sincerely, 

Sister Thyme Nash

Name Tags

WVCM

Temple 8 The District

MTC Zone

Sister Moeai and Sister Nash

MTC Week 1: Love, love, and love

Dear friends and family,

Well, I have officially been in the MTC for over a week. It has been an absolutely amazing, yet sometimes overwhelming experience. Never in my life have I had so many spiritual experiences in such a little amount of time. I am absolutely blessed to be serving the Lord. 

My companion, Sister Johnson, and I have connected quite well, and I am so grateful that we have been placed as companions for this short experience. We have also had the opportunity to work with two other sisters in our district who are also going to West Virginia, Sister Tafea and Sister Ward. They are all such wonderful sisters; I couldn't be more grateful to work with them. The rest of our district consists of eight elders. Four of them are going to Houston, Texas and the other four are going to Richmond, Virginia. We have all bonded very quickly and get along quite well. 

We have been teaching quite a lot recently, mostly about the Plan of Salvation. It has been amazing to see the comfort the Plan brings to members and non-members alike. It truly is such a wonderful experience to invite and help others to draw closer to Christ and feel His love and peace that can be obtained through the atonement. The Plan was also discussed at our devotional on Tuesday. Marcus B. Nash of the Seventy spoke on it, and the point that really hit me was that I have been preparing to go on a mission not since I began filling out my papers back in November, but since the pre-existence. It is such an amazing and wonderful thought to have, that this is the path I am supposed to be going down. 

I am so grateful for all of your love and support. 

Sincerely, 

Sister Nash

Sister Nash reports to the MTC

Sister Thyme Nash at the MTC on 17 June 2015