Sister M & Sister S doing what they do!

This was an email we received from a couple Sister Maynard had given the tour of Kirtland to and they were nice enough to send pictures.  Many thanks to them for being so thoughtful!!!

Dear Sister Maynard,

Thank you very much for helping us on our wonderful & unforgettable visit to Kirtland & thank you very much for your friendship

Best regards.

Your friends,

Ricardo & Lana R

The land of Kirt

Heyo.

Not too much is going on here. Well, missionary work is always going on. But yeah. We had stake conference yesterday and it was amazing. First a guy from our ward spoke. He's leaving for his mission TOMORROW! So crazy. He's going to Germany. Then the stake Relief Society President. Then Sister Sorensen spoke. Then President Sorensen. Oh, they had a missionary choir sing so we got to sing the Ohio Cleveland Mission song (We did it in honor of Pres and Sister Sorensen because it was their last stake conference :[ ) And another song. It was just really good. Then members of the Stake Presidency spoke. One of them spoke about fairy tales and it was so cool! He talked about how we can have a happily ever after because we have the opportunity to return to our Father in Heaven. And how we're all princesses and princes.. Oh my gosh it was amazing. Now will people listen to me when I say I'm a princess?? :D

Yesterday and this morning we had Bro Lusvardy here from Headquarters. I guess he's over a lot. They said he was over everywhere where people can gather? Idk. But he's over the VC. So he spoke to us. He's an amazing speaker and really inspiring. I have a lot to work on.. But today I sang a duet with another sister as the musical number and it was pretty good. People keep saying it was a lot better than it was. I just can't sing by myself and people pretend like I can. But Sister D is amazing. I pretty much just sang a C and B the whole time. We sang Oh My Father to Come Thou Fount. It was a solo piece so I had to write in an alto. I didn't get creative (Cs and Bs throughout!) But it was fun. I love singing and I want to be in choir again!

Oh, our stake president here spoke about grace at stake conference. It was really interesting because he gave the parable of the piano lessons which I had never heard of but he was talking about how we take the lessons and our parents pay for lessons but don't get anything back. They don't get money back or anything. The only thing they get is the joy of seeing the progress. I can't tell it as well as him and there's a lot more to it. But it was  compared to Christ and how He pays for everything so that we can learn and grow in this life and it was a really great parable but I was thinking more about the actually piano part and I'm just sorry I'm so lame and won't play for you. I feel like I've wasted however many years of lessons you've had  me do and don't see any results from it. I'm sorry :/ I do play. I'm still not very good but I'm playing as much as I can.

We're working on getting 2 new investigators. But we for some reason can't get in touch with them! They're referrals from members in our ward and we're really looking forward to meeting with them but all of our appointments keep falling through. It's been kind of a hard week with that. These past few months have actually been really hard. Even though we were seeing success I honestly was just ready to be done. I wanted my 18 months to be over but now I'm glad to be here. I have always loved it but now I'm starting to have the desire to be here and to be doing this work. Missionary work is harder than I ever expected it to be. Thank you for your support. It means a lot to me and keeps me going. Kirtland is amazing. The grounds here are sacred. So much has happened. Joseph Smith and all of those wonderful saints walked these streets. And I'm pretty positive they still walk these streets and help guide the work. I can't wait for everybody to come and experience Kirtland.

I love youuuu!

Sister Maynard.

Week 21

Hey.

 

Things are well here. Not a lot is going on. We're just still trying to find people. We got a couple of referrals so we're trying to get in contact with them. We actually were tracting last week and saw a girl trying to move a couch out her front door and looked like she was having a hard time so we helped her out, gave her a Book of Mormon, exchanged numbers and went on our way. We called her a few days later but it went to voicemail (Pretty typical.. nobody really likes talking to us) but she called us that night after bedtime though and left us a voicemail. Before we could check it the next day she texted us and asked if we wanted to come over for dinner sometime!! Our dinner coordinater is amazing so we don't really have any open days so we decided on lunch. We weren't able to do it last week but we're going on Wed and I'm excited to meet with her :] She's baptist or something and really loves her church but I'm just excited to tell her there's even more than the happiness she's receiving from her church! And I did get F's pin :] I LOVEIT! and it's on my backpack. I thought I wrote her back but I guess not? I can't keep track of anything anymore and I'm so sorry!!!

 

Oh another really cool thing, Sister Shas an aunt and uncle who apparently live in Michigan! So they came and surprised her and we took them on tour :] It was so cool! I love being at sites so much!! Every month we have a fireside at the VC and ours was yesterday. After, one of the sisters and 2 elders were going to practice a musical number for zone development meeting and the elder on the piano asked if I could play it and I tried and it just wasn't going to happen so we got Sis S (A senior sister) to come play for them and I was listening and it sounded really good. They had a singer, piano, and violin so it was cool. But then they realized it was a 4 part song so I just started singing alto with the other sister as soprano. Elder D loved it so much that he decided we're doing it at mission conference instead of zdm.. Sooooo we get to do that in front of half the mission instead of just our zone. I'm pretty stoked. It does sound awesome. I'll see if I can get a video of it when I can get my part down :]

 

Something I'm learning about right now is the keys that were restored in the Kirtland Temple. Moses, Elias, and Elijah appeared there and all restored keys to the kingdom and I'm still confused but I guess the Priesthood--Both Aaronic and Melchezidek were restored in Penn. near the Sesquehanna river-- but Moses restored the keys to missionary work, Elias restored the Abrahamic covenant, errr and Elijah restored the keys to do geneology work?? (Like the hearts of the children to their fathers thing) I'm still learning.. And that's probably wrong soooo. Yeah. Let's not repeat that please? I'm just trying to learn a million things and it's so hard! But I'll get it by the time I have to go home. 

 

Well, Love you!

Sister Maynard.  

 

Ps. SEND ME PICTURES OF THE WEDDING PRONTO!!!!!! L, I am so happy for you :] I can't wait to hear all about it when I get home. Or you could just write me and tell me ;] Either way. Have an amazing wedding. You're the best!!!

Happy Easter

Hey sorry. It's transfers this week and Sister S is leaving today. Sister C is gone too :[ I really liked them so I've been crying all morning. We've been doing stuff with that all morning. It's going to be tight today. Not a lot of time! But things are really well. Ummmmm, We had a baptism on Saturday!!!!!!! It went really well. We were really stressing out about it but it turned out just fine and P is officially a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints.

 

Oh, so it was really cool because we got to have an easter thing in the Kirtland Temple yesterday! It was actually really awesome. Not what I would have expected though because it was with Community of Christ. They're so nice! They fed us breakfast afterwards. We got to sit with one of their lady apostles. We were asking her some questions because we aren't familiar with their beliefs really.

 

For some reason I wrote down to have you read D&C 76:22.. I'm not really sure way. I think it's Joseph and Sidney bearing witness that Christ lives. It's a great scripture and perfect for Easter season :] And I also know that to be true. Christ does live and it's so cool to be in such a sacred place for that.

 

This morning we had a combined district meeting with our zone (So it probably should have just been zone development meeting but it wasn't) and it was so cool. We had the 4 people in our zone going home give workshops about purpose and then they told us we were going somewhere and to bring a hymn book. I thought we were just going to the school of the prophets but we walked past the store. Then I thought we were going to a field behind the sawmill and we walked past that. We walked up to the temple and we got special permission to go inside from their VC Director and we sang some hymns and it was really cool. Wow. I love the temple. SOOOOO much. Just watch.. They'll announce a new Kirtland Temple in Oct ;]

 

Man, I don't know what else is going on.. Just a lot of stress. I'm ready for bed already but we're going to South Euclid tonight with Sister C (Isle of Mann) because her companion left today so we're in a tripple-up for the next few days. So Euclid is ghetto apparently. I've never been there but I'm excited!

 

I love youuuuu and miss you.

Sister Maynard

 

Ps. We get to skype next month already?! WHAT??? ANDDDDD I only have a year left. Weird stuff. Oh and I guess Bear's mom is already planning stuff for his homecoming so I need to be home for that. It will be next July or something :/ Hahaha It's forever away but I guess we can start planning now??

Kirtland

Hey everybody.

 

Kirtland is amazing. The weather is starting to drop a little again but it's perfect! 80 was just too hot :/ The summer is going to be out of control and I want to hold onto cold as long as I can!

 

We're only teaching 2 people right now. P and B. P will be baptized this weekend April 7 at 6pm. Everybody is invited. Please bring refreshments and a friend. :] B is absolutely amazing. I love her and she's making so much progression. She knows the church is true and the more she reads the BoM we can see how it's changing her. They were both at conference with us for a session and it was cool. They loved it and I know that it was speaking to both of them. Bro R (our last convert) loved it too :] It was so cool. I've never loved/appreciated it so much in my life! Slash I KEEP MISSING SINGING AT CONFERENCE BY LIKE WEEKS! I missed it last year when it was byu-i. I missed it now when it was the mtc. AND David Archuleta?! Gahhhhhhh. I'll meet him someday. And I decided that I will sing in conference someday. It will happen. I don't know if I'm good enough for motab but I'll figure it out.

 

All we're doing here is tracting. Our lesson numbers are so low but it's okay. In the last 2 weeks we've given out 32 BoMs. That's all we're doing but it's okay! It's our purpose to share the gospel with everybody and give them that chance. That's what we're doing. Heavenly Father is going to bless us for our efforts and we will see progress in this area. It's been prophesy so it has too.. We've met a few different people who could become investigators. We're just trying to find a time we can meet with them. Being at sites half the week doesn't make it very easy but the Lord is providing a way :]

 

I don't have time to share more about Kirtland but next time. I love you all. Send me some insights (through the mail because I don't have time on here to read!) about conference. What was your favorite talk? I'm not even going to talk about what I got out of conference because Heavenly Father just has a sense of humor sometimes.. It is pretty funny but not what I wanted to get out of it :P

 

I love you!!

Sister Maynard.

 

Ps. I called a girl at sites who came through last year and her dad is the branch president or something for the singles branch H is serving in :] AHHHH I almost cried I miss her so much.