Transferred to Utah 🛫🏠💜💟

Well, some of you already know. But to those of you who don't.... I'm coming home💗 My health has been really rough over the course of my mission, and the Lord told me this Sunday that I needed to go home; that my mission is over, and I'm ready To begin the next chapter of my life. I need to go home and take care of myself. Something I havent told anyone yet is that as I was sitting in Sacrament meeting yesterday, I started losing feeling in my face and body and I got really scared that I was going to end up in the hospital from passing out on the floor or worse, I had woken up that morning with another migraine and I felt awful, I took medication and it barely touched it and I kept feeling worse as the day went on. I had to wear sunglasses to church, which did help but I felt so weak I could barely walk. As I started feeling things I hadn't before I was afraid and I got this overwhleming feeling that something was wrong. So I stepped into the foyer. I sat down on the sofa and prayed, that's when he told me I need to go home. I know that I've only been gone for three and a half months, and I know that some people are going to see it as I did not complete my mission or that "She couldn't handle it" but I want you all to know that that couldn't be farther from the truth. I want to make it very clear that I could handle it, and that I gave my mission everything I had every single day and more through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I have absolutely zero regrets, and am returning with honor. I felt so much peace as it was told to me by the spirit that I was done serving here in the KWM, and the Lord told me that this chapter of my life is over and it's time to move onto the next. Some people may think I'm running away, but I promise you that what I'm doing takes a lot more courage and strength. I know that the peace I am feeling is from the Lord, because Satan cannot bring us peace. I could have chosen to stay, but that would be going against the Lord's will and that is selfish. I do my very best to be obedient and if the Lord wants me to go home who am I to say no to him, when has literally given me EVERYTHING? I am so scared but so ready for the next chapter of my life, to see what's in store, and am so grateful and humbled to have been able to devote my life to the lord for the past almost 4 months of my life. I have grown so much over the course of my mission! In my short almost four months of service I believe I learned everything the Lord needed me to in order to be ready for marriage and to be a wife and mother. To be the woman that he knows I will become. I cannot even begin to tell you how much Joy my service has given me. I have definitely been changed for the better and prepared for my future. I know and understand with all of my heart that my mission was to prepare me for marriage and to show and grow my faith in the Lord. The things I learned will be things I will carry with me for the rest of my life and implement into my future family, which may not be very distant. I'll be home this week and able to talk to you all then about my mission. But here's some pictures from my last week in the KWM (before I even knew it.) We saw so many miracles this week and I will forever be grateful to being able to wear a name tag. I may send one more email with more pics of our new car and lunch with my sistas. But this is what's happening:) Wish me luck ya'll, HEEEERRREEE WEEE GOOOOOO!!!! contact my mom for flight info if you need it. I love you all!

{{Its a great day to save lives}}
Xoxo, Sister Greenwood🌻

Lions and Tigers and ER's..OH MY!(4/24/17)

This week was a little out of the ordinary! Or A Lot! Haha. Last Saturday I got a migraine and it wouldn't go away. So on Tuesday morning I woke up early and was just dying, I called the medical coordinator and she told me to call the STLS and have them take me to the ER. Which sounds simple, right? Well actually no, they wouldn't answer their phone because they were at the gym boxing!😣 So then it turned into a scavenger hunt through the phone book. I was so grateful I knew how to use a phone book in that moment! The problem is that the number was practically impossible to find, after almost an hour though I finally achieved success! Thank the Lord! All I could think about was relief from the pressure and pain in my head! So I called the gym, me: "Hi I think the person I'm looking for is boxing there and it's an emergency. " Sister Thompson got on the phone and I told her what was wrong and her and sister curran came to the rescue! She was so cute! I was so grateful to have her by my side the whole time. She is such a sweetheart, and way good with my anxiety and keeping me "calm". In the ER they gave me some shots and some medicine and an IV. It helped a lot, but once it wore off I was miserable again. So that's annoying, I went to the doctor the next day all the way in Haysville where they gave me beta blockers and that seems to help a lot. I take them once a day.Then my companion had to go to the dentist, So I was sitting in the dentist office for like 3 hours with a migraine. It was the worst! That was Wednesday so we had correlation meeting and weekly planning also so we didn't get to do much missionary work that day, it was hard! We did surprise some sisters which was nice and honestly the highlight of my day. So that was nice, I love doing nice things for others! I am so happy to report that my head is finally feeling better. On Thursday I got a prescription for migraine medicine and bought some POWERade and have been feeling better since then. I think I might have been dehydrated. The rest of the week was much better! We have seen many miracles this week as well, which is my favorite thing about being a missionary! That no matter how hard satan works to discourage me I am stronger than him and I am proving that each day! I have established that satan is afraid of me and the good I will do out here in the KWM. It is always such a testimony that this is where I'm meant to be when we knock a door that I feel prompted to and gain a new investigator or when my companion tells me the influence I'm having in her life. I am so filled with gratitude each morning as I wake up and get to put on a name tag and go out and bring people the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Fun facts:

☆Went to the ER

☆My best friend Morgan emailed me this week and I cried

☆We saw a catcoon this week!(were not sure if it was a cat or a raccooon😉)

☆My comp and I are making a music video to the primary song dare to do right. Yes, I am THAT missionary😂

Pics:

♡Party in the ER

♡we saw this sign as we were walking ( I fixed it!) "Nails did not keep Christ on the cross, love did."

♡my cute easter dress

♡Marissa with a rat on her head.

{{Its a great day to save lives}}
Xoxo, Sister Greenwood🌻

More refined each week (4/17/17)

Every single week I can see so many more things the Lord is changing in me and I can see a lot of growth.I don't know if others can see it or not, but I can! I am definitely not the same person that came out here on my mission.and it's only been nine and a half weeks! Something one of our STLS told me this week is that we are all in our own refiners fire and that it is going to hurt because the Lord is molding us into who He needs us to be. That is something I have been living by. My depression has gotten a lot better since I switched medications but I'm still adjusting. One cool thing I can officially say is that I can cry. And it feels so good. Haha. It happens kind of a lot. (Well, for me)This week was amazing! We went on exchanges this week and I stayed in our area and went out with sister curran. We saw a lot of rejection, and a lot of miracles! She is so cute! I loved serving with her. Me and sister Nail are seriously the best of friends, we are constantly laughing. So good! I hope everyone had the best easter! Mine was so good! I love that everyone is focused on Christ and people just act better on easter. As missionaries we're obviously centered around Christ and focused on him always but it was so powerful knowing that everyone was focused on him and his resurrection. I am so grateful for the blessing I have to be a missionary each day. Thank you so much for all of the support I have been given thus far on my mission and for all of the sweet messages about my great grandma's passing. It means so much to me. For Easter we went to church and we saw people, and we had dinner with some members.and then ended our night by reading Moroni 10. I strongly urge each of you to go watch the Easter video that the church put out this year, it makes me tear up and fills me with gratitude every time I watch it. Its called the prince of peace and its just all about jesus christ. I am so happy out here! It's super funny because people always think somethings wrong because I'm quiet, but that's not the case. I love what I'm doing and am so humbled that my Heavenly Father trusts me with the salvation of his children. I have big dreams and aspirations for myself out here in kansas!🤗 today for p day I went to Walmart and got some things on clearance and a cute easter dress. Thanks mom💗 I am seeing so many miracles each day. Some of my favorite this week were: 1.) While we were on exchanges I invited people for baptism for my first time and they accepted, and we have a church tour with them on Saturday!

2.) We went and saw our investigator Susie who had told us not to stop by anymore a couple of weeks ago because her kids are against her meeting with us and don't understand, so we finally felt like it was a good time to see her again on easter. The Spirit was so strong! We showed her the Easter video and she was crying and she told us we can come over but just to make sure hers is the only car home.

3.) We met with keeley and shared the first Vision with her which was so powerful! After she read it sister Nail asked what she thought and she was like: honestly that's really powerful and really cool. She told us that when she first read it she thought it was cool that God was acknowledging Joseph and telling Jesus to hear him and then when she read it the second time it was him telling Joseph to hear the words of Jesus. I loved her perspective, because it solidifies that each one of us is known and loved by God individually.

Fun facts:

☆I have lost like ten pounds this tranfer!

☆easter is so good!

☆every time I saw a bunny yesterday I turned to my comp and told her happy Easter

☆We made the sisters in our zone little easter bags!

Pics:

♡The moon was orange the other night so I tried to take a picture!😂

♡♡My easter basket is a MINION!!😍

{{Its a great day to save lives}}
Xoxo, Sister Greenwood🌻

REST IN PEACE GREAT GRANDMA. ON TO THE CK!(4/10/17)

This week has been one of the best on my mission thus far. Kind of strange seeing how my great grandma passed away, but my heart has so much peace in my decision to serve a mission and to continue serving even through the hard times. I will miss my great grandma dearly and the world truly will not be the same without her, I will miss going to Overton to visit. She loved to tell EVERYBODY at church that I was going on a mission. I know she was so proud of me and I'll forever treasure the moments I spent with her. But while I should be in heartache, I am completely at peace and I feel closer to her than ever! I got a call from my mom saying my great grandma had passed away, it was hard and I cried a lot! I really am learning crying is okay.. I got a blessing that night though and was told that she is with me and I will be able to feel her presence and oh how true that is! It's so weird to think she won't be there when I get married or have kids, but then I stop and remind myself that she is going to be in the temple with me and that she is with my future children getting to know them before I do,and that she wont need to hear my mission stories because she is right by my side experiencing it first hand.and that is why I'm at peace, it is so special to me that think about. Every time I see a butterfly I think of her, and I have been seeing them ALL THE TIME since she passed! It was so good to be able to talk to my family this week even though it was for such a sad reason. know that I am where the Lord wants me, there was a very brief moment while i was talkkng to my mom on the phone where I considered going home because of her passing but I know that I made the right decision in staying out here in Kansas! We have been seeing so many miracles and I am so grateful to be a missionary! One of the best miracles we saw was with a lady named Amanda! She kind of just fell out of the sky and is super open and really wants to get baptized! The Lord is so good! I love being a missionary! I love you all so much!
Pics:
♡bunnies!
♡sunset over Arkansas river
♡The rain was insane! I felt like I was driving a boat!
♡my comp-Sister nail

{{Its a great day to save lives}}
Xoxo, Sister Greenwood

HEY FAM(4/3/17)

I apologize, this email will be shorter than normal, my comp and I spent our entire p day at the car shop so I'm out of email time! Also I feel like im having a panic attack right now so focusing isnt the best right now.This week turned out to be better. I still am feeling kind of awful and I feel alone other than Jesus Christ obviously.. but I'm doing my very best to stay positive. And like I said last week, I'm a fighter, I know where I need to be right now and that is the Kansas Wichita Mission. Two awesome things that happened this week were zone conference and general conference! Both were so great! I took away many things from each. Go watch general conference if you haven't! That was the first time I watched all of the sessions! It was so good! My comp and I laugh all the tieme. It reminds me of Alex and Dilly combined. SO GREAT! I still suck at feelings as an update😉😂 one day... haha. Maybe. I'm trying really hard though! I promise😁

Love you all!

Pics:

♡my cute mom sister goff

♡Zone conference

♡my favorites sister Nielson and sister Jensen

♡a members cute little girl Linea

♡Sister Nail and I with Linea

♡Greenwood street

{{Its a great day to save lives}}
Xoxo, Sister Greenwood🌻

I'M A FIGHTER(3/27/17)

This has been my catch phrase this week! Wow, this week has been insane! My new trainer is good. Very different from sister goff which is both good and bad. Depending on how you look at it I guess. Shes been sick since we became companions though. Poor girl.And this weather is affecting my depression sooo bad! I really need the sun to come out again, I think that would really help. Remember how I would always say it was like a switch flipped and then the depression would be there again? Yeah so that's basically what happened this week, I think I'm going to talk to the doctor about trying a new medication when I go in on Wed. The depression is hitting me way hard core right now. And I'm not really sure why.  So that has been a serious struggle my friends. It kind of seems like people are expecting me to quit, but like I said in the subject line I'm a fighter!! I was very specific when I came out that there are only a few reasons I would come home early, and they pretty much all had to do with death. So don't expect me home Any time soon!!😉 I have had a lot of hard things happen this week but I also was able to see miracles. So don't worry too much about me! I still love what I'm doing and wouldn't want to be anywhere else! I just have some things I'm figuring out is all and I'm working on coping skills. My STL's have become a lifeline for me which I am so grateful for. The first day I actually reached out, I got to meet the cutest girl! Her name is Sister Greenwood and we talked a lot and I am so grateful for the things she told me. She is going home this week which is super sad for me. But good for her! The STLS are amazing and I am so lucky to have them. They are definitely called of god. I've also been talking to the mission president and his wife a lot. Every time I talk to her she tells me that she just feels like I'm here for a reason and that through my life experiences I'm going to help someone here and we all know that's exactly why I came out here, so to have her say that is so special! The biggest miracle we saw this week was when we went to visit a former investigator and this lady answered the door and she was just super interested in the gospel and had always been drawn to the LDS church. Her name is Susan and we are so excited to work with her! I didn't write down fun facts like I normally do during the week, sorry. Love you all.

{Its a great day to save lives}}

Xoxo, Sister Greenwood🌻

CHANGES(3/20/17)

So to start off I found out today that I am being transferred and getting a new mom (trainer) which is hard to hear. I love the area I'm in now and my comp is great. On the bright side though?! We're still close. I'm just kind of salty because I have to pack all of my things and move and I've only been here for 6 weeks which is kind of dumb. But I know president is directed by the Lord and I will be a good sport. I sort of had a feeling we'd be separated but I tried to talk myself out of it and ignore the feeling. I am excited to go to a new area. I'm just sad about the whole trainer situation. If I got to choose my second mom I would've picked cute sister Lee( sister Jensen gets her now, so lucky!), but instead I'm with her current companion sister Nail, who I don't know like at all, so everything is changing! And we all know how much I like change I AM SOOOOOO NERVOUS!!!!
Anyways let's move on and talk about our week! We saw a lot of little miracles and it was amazing! I knew coming out that I wanted to be a missionary and what that entailed but I did not expect to fall so deeply in love with the work or the people this quickly. I WAS BORN TO BE A MISSIONARY this week went by SUPER FAST so it's a little bit of a blur. But I'll do my best to fill ya in! We found the most elect investigator on Sunday in our apartment complex! It was so good! She said she's been wanting to read the book of Mormon and learn more so we left her with one and got her phone number. She said her daughter was baptized about a year ago so she wanted to learn and see if she should be baptized too! So good!!!! This week I got to see sister Goffs true colors(aka I got yelled at.jk)we did have a crazy experience though! so we went to go see this family that's kind of a ways from us and then when we went to leave we had some technical difficulties... as we got in the car I asked if I needed to back her ( it's required when we reverse) and my comp said no so I got in the car and away we went............. into a ditch. Not just a little ditch either. This thing was at least 2 feet deep, and filled with muddy water. Yup, you guessed it folks, WE GOT STUCK IN THE DITCH. we very quickly learned that we couldn't drive it out forward or backward. So I got out and was trying to figure out what to do. I thought of like when the car dies and you have to push it so we tried to push it out of the ditch, no such luck, we are stuck, chuck we tried everything we could think of and my poor companion was just yelling and didn't know what to do and threw the keys at me and I tried everything she already had and nothing, so we were about to admit defeat and call someone to rescue us ( also I forgot to mention this happened right before our curfew time at 9pm) when the people next door ( who is our members son and his family came over and I was like oh good did you come to help? And they're like yeah we watched you drive into the ditch and get stuck. EMBARRASSING! So the guy tries to push it out ( like we already tried) and he's like yeah it didn't budge I'll be back with the truck. So he went and got the truck, hooked our car up to the chain and pulled us right out. After the stress of the situation was down all I could do was laugh. So crazy! The Lord was definitely watching out for us that night though! Another interesting experience we had was as we were leaving a membsrs home. We went and knocked a door down the street and two teenage girls answered and we were talking to them and my companion was like are you sisters? And the one turns tk the other and says no, this is my brother. But the person was very clearly female. So yeah, i guess (he?) Identifies as a boy. So confusing! we also got to go to chic fil a with our cute STL'S sister Clark and sister hansen ( and it wasn't an intervention this time!) so that was good. I love my mission so much, even if I'm not very good at being a missionary yet!
Fun Facts:
♡my clippy name tag somehow broke in half (so mom I'll probably send it home to you for memories)
♡I am constantly getting poked by those annoying sticker weeds( like kara used to have in her yard, they kind of look like the wild thistles on tinker bell when Vivian has tink rounding them up)
♡The cats here like to live in the sewers drain pipes.
♡Sister Clark sent me a picture of a street sign with both our names, isn't she so cute!? I love her!
♡Kansas sunsets are like nothing else

{{Its a great day to save lives}}
Xoxo, Sister Greenwood