Comedy+Tragedy + Time

Well, I am reminded of what President Pehrson used to always tell me,

"All good things come to an end, Sister Cannon."

That never makes me feel good in any way.... Ha. But the awesome thing to know, is that although something good is ending, something good is going to be starting.

We had transfer texts, and Sister Takanoi is getting transferred and I am staying here in Oxford. I am sad she is leaving, because she is hilarous, and a hard worker. Nothing better. We have had a blast together, and I have learned so much from her. I have been extremely blessed to have her in my life. People in the ward say that she has to keep moving around to bless as many people as possible. So true. I am grateful for her in so many ways. What a fun, incredible transfer.

I will also be training, and the new training program lasts for 12 weeks. So for my last 12 weeks, I will be with my new companion here in Oxford. I am excited and a bit nervous. Here comes another adventure.

To say we have been extremely blessed in the past week and a half is a huge understatement. The blessings that have been poured upon us are incredible. But they have all come through some trials beforehand. Last week, Angela came to us and said that her brother wasn't talking to her because we were meeting with her. Then he told her all of these things about the church that weren't true and she came to our lesson so confused. It was interesting to talk to her about having that firm foundation and that if we have that, nothing can get in our way. When she left our lesson, she felt so confident in the things she felt and knew that nothing would stop her from doing what is right. We helped her realize the answers she has received from the Holy Ghost and the blessings she has received. Satan is trying hard with her to not be baptized. This related to everyone's lives in general so much. We have to have that firm foundation so that when satan does tempt us, we won't be moved by it. We know the testimony we have, and we know what is true. We must have that foundation, or we can't stand.

For the past couple months, we have stopped by a former investigator's home every so often and every time she was busy. About a month ago, we stopped by, and she made it clear it was a bad time and didn't want us to come back. The other day we received a call from the Bishop's wife saying that they had received a call from a lady named Jennifer saying she wanted the missionaries to come back and see her. I knew exactly who it was. We called, set up an appointment, and headed over. She went on to tell us that she had been putting God on the backburner for too long, and had realized that is why she was so unhappy in her life. She wants happiness and God told her to call us and bring the gospel in her life. We set a date for her to be baptized on January 1. I cannot even tell you the happiness and light I saw in her eyes after we left from when I had seen her before. That is what the gospel does. It is incredible.

We have been working with Karen who has been less active for years. She has slowly been coming back to church and on Sunday, she was asked to say the prayer in Relief Society. The prayer she said was so wonderful. She talked about how grateful she was to be coming back to church and that the missionaries came back into her life. It is moments like that that I am so grateful for.

We had our ward Christmas party and it was called "PIcture a Christmas". Part of the night each family was able to get their family picture done, and they asked me and another lady in the ward to take the pictures. It was a blast! They turned out really cute and I had so much fun taking pictures. The picture attached is Sister Takanoi and my family picture... ha ha.

We give service at a food pantry, and we were featured in the newspaper. Fun! Check it out.

http://www.thedailynorthbridge.com/neighbors/share-meal-peace-bread-northbridge

http://www.thedailynorthbridge.com/gallery/wednesday-supper-peace-bread

I love you all!
Love, Sister Cannon
TAWANDA!!

My companion has this thing where she asks these random questions that
make me laugh. I would like to share them with you.

If she hears someone in our ward that has the same last name as
someone famous, she asks if they are related... For example...

"Are the Trueman's related to President Trueman?"

me: "Who is that?"

"The man who was President of the United States."

me: "Oh... right... how do you know who he is? No, he is from England,
they aren't related."

How is it that she, who grew up on an island in the middle of nowhere,
knows who he is?

This one is what was hilarious.... We were listening to Natalie Cole
with MOTAB and she said,

Sister Takanoi: "Are Nat King and Natalie Cole related to the Coles in
our ward?"

The Coles in our ward are white. I told her that he was the Cole's
uncle. Then I decided to tell her the truth after I was laughing so
hard.

ANYWAY...
This past week was great. I cannot believe it is December. For our
Christmas present, all of the missionaries got to go to the temple.
Our day was Wednesday. I loved it. It was the second time I have
been since I have been out here and it is incredible how much more it
means to me. I love it and am so grateful I was able to go.

Angela is doing so well. We taught her the commandments and every
single one she accepted right away even though they require
sacrifices. She gets it. She understands how important it is to keep
the commandments. She also realizes that she will be blessed for her
sacrifices.

Ron's nephew passed away this past week and that has been hard on him.
It is interesting that we were planning on teaching him about the
Plan of Salvation. The Lord's timing is perfect. He knows what Ron
needs when he needs it. We are meeting with him this week.

We went to Sister Lewis' this morning and she was doing a woman's hair
in her studio. I of course ask where she is from... This is our
conversation...

me: Are you from Mass originally?

her: No, I am actually from Sandy, UT.

me: No way, me too!

her: What stake were you in?

me: Willowcreek Stake. You?

her: Me too!

me: What? What ward were you in?

her: Sixth ward.

me: Oh I was in first ward.

Turns out she lives on Treasure Mountain Drive. I could walk there.
Her name is Amy Easton and her parents are Mike and Nancy. What a
small world. I thought that was so cool!

Have a wonderful week!

Love, Elizabeth
TAWANDA!!

FLICKER-TAN

About a month ago, we were talking with our ward mission leader about our area. We were in a slump, and not much was going on. We were asking him what we could do to pick up the work and our area. He suggested we do a "FLICKER-TAN". A what? He went on to explain that in his mission, there were two elders, Elder Flickerson and Elder Tanner. There was an area they were in that had no success and they didn't know what to do. So they decided that they would show the Lord their dedication to Him and they would fast for a day and pray for an hour straight about their area, the people in it, what was going on; pretty much everything. After that, they saw success and it became a mission-wide activity and the Mission President named it "Flicker-Tan". We decided we had nothing to lose, and we would try this out. So on November 13, we had a "Flicker-Tan" where we got on our knees and prayed to Heavenly Father for an hour straight and talked to Him about so many different things. It brought on a whole new perspective on prayer and to go deep in discussion with the Lord and what is going on in our lives. Sister Takanoi and I were both spiritually fed on that beautiful Sunday.

As I look back on the blessings that have been poured out upon us since that day, I can testify it was because of what we did. The Lord is mindful of us and blesses us when we show Him our diligence. We taught Angela this past week, and she said to us, "The whole week I am so sad, but when I get to come to lessons with you guys, I become so happy! This all makes me so happy!" She told us she knows what we taught her is true and she is so excited about the gospel. She came to church yesterday and she loved it. She is progressing so well, and it has been such a blessing to see. She is still on for December 18th to be baptized.

Our next blessing was Ron. Ron works with a member in our ward, and his story is so neat. Brother Berthiaume in our ward worked for a contracting company and was working with Ron. One day Ron came up to him and asked him some questions about the Book of Mormon and his religion. Brother Berthiaume answered his questions and invited him to church that following Sunday. Shortly after this day, Brother Berthiaume was laid off his job. His response to this was, "I know I was supposed to stay in this job until Ron came and talked to me. If I would have been laid off any earlier, I would have never invited him to church. The interesting thing is, is I was expecting to be laid off much earlier than I was. The Lord kept me there until I fulfilled what I needed to do." Ron came to church that following Sunday and has gone 3 times since. We were able to start teaching him, and we asked him to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. His response, "Oh, I already have read the whole thing. And I have prayed about it too. I just have some reservations about it. Where are the gold plates? I want to see them to know it is true." Brother Berthiaume then said, "Where is your faith?" Haha that was funny. He is blunt. It is good that way though. We had a discussion about this, and he is going to pray again and expect to act on his answer.

Thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful. I LOVE THIS WARD!!!!! We went to the Graff's home where the Lewis', Campbell's, and Gibson's went as well. It was a party and absolutely hilarous. SO MUCH FUN!!!! The food was of course delicious, and there were so many desserts; I think there was a 3 to 1 ratio of pies. Dad would have been in heaven. I have been so blessed with the wards I have served in on my mission. Seriously they have all been so great and loving. I have been blessed.

There was a reception for a guy in the ward, and Sister Lewis shot the candids at the reception. She let me take the camera to shoot the cake shots while they fed each other, and it was so much fun. I have missed it and can't wait to shoot weddings again.

I love you all! Have a great week!!

Love, Sister Cannon
TAWANDA!!

p.s. I made a chicken/turkey out of a dish towel. Those towel folding classes did me good!

Reputation

A lady sent this to Elizabeth because she said that this reminded her of Elizabeth.

I am grateful for...

I figured this was a fitting time to tell ya'll what I am grateful for...

This past week, we had someone invite us in to their home and sit down in their warm family room. We then had a great discussion about life and what the gospel means to us. Very strange, I don't remember the last time that happened... I am grateful when people don't slam doors in our face and don't act like we are aliens.

We also met with Angela this past week, and she wants to be baptized on December 18th. I seriously cannot wait. I am grateful that I can be led by the Spirit and she was able to feel the Spirit. What an amazing experience.

Right after her brother walked in and he is Jehovah's Witness. I am grateful that we have the truth, and that I didn't have to Bible bash with him.

We had a Harry Potter district meeting this past week, and I looked just like Hermione. Yes, I know you all agree. I am grateful for J.K. Rowling for writing Harry Potter. I am also grateful to be a real Wizard. No big deal.

I had a discussion with Sister Takanoi this past week about Skyping with the family on Christmas. I told her she would sit right next to me while I Skyped home so she could have a family to talk to. I warned her of the complete chaos, but told her the grandkids would love her. Tears filled her eyes, and she said, "Thank you. That makes me cry. That means a lot to me." I am grateful for all ya'll and how you support me out here and continuously show your love to me.

Sister Takanoi has taught me so much about being grateful for what I have without even saying anything. She is so grateful for all that she has and appreciates so much all that anyone does for her. I am grateful for her and the lessons she is teaching me.

Since President Evans asked me to make the Christmas video again this year, and told me to do it on a member's computer, we have spent many hours at the Lewis home trying to finish this video. All of the missionaries sent me about 1,400 pictures and videos for this video and it has been quite the project! I am so grateful for Sister Lewis in sacrificing her time and computer to let me finish the video. She is amazing and has helped us so much through all of this.

We were having a hard time finding someone to copy the dvd's and companies were wanting $3000 to do it. It was all so expensive and we weren't sure of what to do. Brother Carpenter in our ward heard we needed to find a company to do it for cheeper, and he offered to do it FOR FREE. He told his kids they could help him for service hours and is making 200 copies of the DVD for free. I am grateful for the desire he has to serve others.

I am grateful for ward members out here. They literally will do anything for us, and it means so much. They are perfect examples of what it means to serve. It helps me be a better missionary as they show how willing they are to serve us.

Last night at the Lewis home, Brother Lewis told me about the Utes and their win. I am grateful for the Utah fans that live out here and update me on how they are doing.

Last of all, I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It has brought me more happiness than I ever could have gotten anywhere else. I love sharing it with others, because I am able to see the happiness it brings in their lives as well. I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ and for what He did for me. I am grateful for the knowledge I have of the Restored Gospel.

I love you all, have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Love, Sister Cannon

TAWANDA!!

11.11.11.11.11.11.11

Familia...

11.11.11 was such a cool day. I hope everyone did something epic, because it was so legit. That day will never happen ever again! Craziness. Well, my day was epic. We had a zone conference down in Hartford, and once again it felt like going home. Its always crazy going to old areas. Too bad I couldn't see any of the members down there, but it was still exciting.

One of our investigators, Ann, had a birthday on 11.11.11 so we of course took her cupcakes and had a birthday bash. We felt prompted to ask her to be baptized again, but I felt nervous about it. We had asked her a while ago, and she said she wouldn't ever be baptized because she doesn't believe in prophets and has already been baptized. Since then she came to church and loved it. So we decided to try again. Sister Takanoi asked her and she avoided the question. So I asked her,

Me: Ann, do you believe the Book of Mormon is true?

Ann: Yes I do.

Me: I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that in order to translate them, Joseph Smith had to have the power from God. Do you believe he was called of God to translate the Book of Mormon?

Ann: Well... yes.

Me: I know that he did.

I went on to share my testimony with her and she agreed with me. Sister Takanoi asked again, and she said she wasn't ready YET. But that when she was, she wanted to be baptized. She said she told her daughter she found the church she wanted to be a part of and it was ours.

It is so interesting how excited I got over this. I guess because we have been working with her for so long and I have been able to see her heart change. Also because we have been so slow lately, so any progress is so exciting. I was so grateful because I know I was led by the spirit to know what to say. It was wonderful and I am so grateful for it.

One night our appointment cancelled, and I felt prompted to go see a referral that we haven't been able to get a hold of for about a month now. So we went to her house, and she was there. I couldn't believe it! She was even amazed that we found her home because she has been so busy. We gave her the Bible and Book of Mormon she requested and she said, "Well, so... How do I learn more?" Needless to say we taught her right then and she is so eager to learn about Jesus Christ. She wants Him in her life and wants to know what her purpose is. We have been so blessed this past week.

Cramer and Virginia came from Boston and took us to lunch and it was a blast! It was so great to see them. I think they know more about the family than I do. They kept telling me things that I had no idea about. That was funny. It is interesting how I haven't seen them in so long, but there was so much to talk about. It was so great.

I hope you are all doing so well and I love you!

Love, Sister Cannon

TAWANDA!!

p.s. I have taught missionaries "The Grumbles". That is the sad face picture.

Racoons?

Well, let me just tell you a little bit about my new companion, Sister Takanoi...

She is from a little island in the South Pacific called Kiribati. There are two seasons: rain and HOT. So, this weather is quite a shocker for her. She is doing very well on her english, but it took me a little bit to understand what she was saying. She is hilarious and a hard worker. She loves this work and is excited to get out and teach people! It has been exciting and fun. Last night, we were driving and we saw a raccoon. This was her reaction...

"OH MY THAT WAS A RACOON! I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES, AND YOU SAW IT WITH YOURS SO YOU ARE MY WITNESS. I JUST SAW A RACOON! STOP! I WANT TO LOOK AT IT! OH MY IT IS A RACOON!"

Hahaha I busted out laughing. I never knew racoons were so fascinating. It just shows how foreign this place is for her.

Right before she got her mission call, her father passed away. WHile she has been on her mission, her grandma and nephew have both passed away. She only hears from her uncle about once a month on email. SHe probably won't be able to talk to her family on Christmas because of the island she is from.

Imagine that. Having her as my companion has really helped me to appreciate what I do have and the blessings I have. She is so grateful for everything and is always happy. She tells me stories of her country and it amazes me. I have been very blessed.

Sister Halverson called me about a half hour after she got on the plane and told me she missed it here. I was laughing, I am sure her family was wondering what she was doing calling her mission already. It just showed how much she loved this area. It is like leaving home all over again.

I love you all, have a great week!

Love, Sister Cannon

TAWANDA!!