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