half of Sister Crofts

Sister Crofts and Sister Olsen possibly debating which way to go (just kidding)

Sister Crofts

Sister Crofts

Sister Crofts with one of their investigators Margaret Kelly and Sister Olsen

Sister Crofts and Sister Olsen wearing some CUTE hats!!!

Sister Olsen and Sister Crofts

Sister Crofts and Sister Olsen

Ashley aka sister crofts at the beach

Sister Crofts and Sister Olsen at the beach on p day

P day at the beach with Sister Crofts Zone

Sister Johnson, Sister Crofts, and Aliesja MacDonald at her baptism.

Ashley and her new companion Sister Johnson

Summer days in Nova Scotia

Dear Family,

Thank you so much for everything you do for me! I love you all so much!!!!!!!! I was so happy to finally get letters today and see what was new! That is crazy that Sammi is married, Kallie has a boyfriend, Ashley Walker is pregnant again, Grandpa is married, and the list goes on and on! Its fun to hear everything that is going on. Tell me more about what is going on with you! I want to know dad are you having a hard time giving up alcohol? How is work? How is Rico and the rest of the zoo? Oh I almost forgot Shawn will be home on the 14th of this month! I told him to come see you, just so you have a heads up. Family I love you all so much and I want to thank you again for everything you do.
Alright, so the mission....Sister Johnson and I are getting along GREAT! She is so much fun and I love being a trainer. We have a pretty good teaching pool right now and so we have been super busy! last week we taught 14 lessons which was such a blessing seeing that usually we teach 7. I must say that being a missionary sometime I feel like a social worker. Everyone tells us there problems and they expect us to know how to fix them. Its crazy! For instance the other night we get off the bus and start to walk to one of our appointments, well you know me and my bladder I had to pee, so we decided, hey why don't we stop a Alicia's house, its on the way. So we go to her house and your roommate opens the door and yells to her telling her we were there and telling her that he pretty much hates it when we come over. So she finally gets to the door and she doesn't look good at all. We went into her room to talk and she spilled her guts on everything that was going wrong and that she was having suicidal thoughts. By this time I was like man I did not sign up for this. But thank heavens there was F.H.E. that night so we made her go to that and she ended up talking to one of the branch presidency members and they sent her to the hospital. Yeah crazy stuff. And then we find out a couple days later that one of our recent converts has an alcohol problem. Man sometimes things are so crazy. But hey this is a really good learning experience and I am grateful to be here. The other day we ran into this guy named Steve he is an atheist and it was so great. We talked to him for a long time and the spirit was really strong when we were talking to him. He agreed to read the Book of Mormon and We are going to call him at the end of the month to share more! It was a really cool experience that happened. When we are promised that it shall be given us in the very hour what we should say, it is so true. I am so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost. We are teaching a guy named Virkci Harri he is Hindu and he really wants to know Jesus Christ and everything about Him. He is a very honest person with a kind heart. And I am so excited to share more with him. Also there is this guy named Quinn who i met on the bus he has been to church twice and he loves it! He is really busy with work so we haven't seen able to meet with him yet, but it will come. Something I am learning very quickly is that I need to be patient with people. I sometimes see myself putting expectations for others on my time line when really it is all about the person and what they need so matter how long or short it takes. I am learning so very good things out here and I know that the Lord will continue to help stretch and mold me into what He know I can be.

Love,

Sister Crofts


p.s. mom you asked me to send stuff I would need/want for Christmas well I would like crest white strips, and money that's all. :D But you can get me what ever you want. I don't mind.

No email this week

This is the first week we have not received an email. Wish I knew what was up. Even an email that said sorry to busy to send an email would be good.
Mom

BEST FISH AND CHIPS EVER!!!

Dear Family,

HI! How are you? Okay first of all mom I totally tried the zesty chicken that you make in a crock-pot and man was it Delicious! Thank you so much for those recipes! I am so grateful and it was super easy. Second today we ate at this place called "Your Fathers Mustache" and I had seriously the best fish and chips ever!!! I think that all of you should come here someday cause I know you would love it! So I want to give you an update on how I am doing . :D I am doing super! This past Monday we had a zone conference and Elder Pieper of the seventy came and talked to us. It was really, really good and I walked away with a better understanding of missionary work. so yeah zone conference was really good and I was spiritually fed. But the funny part was some sister's spent the night at our house because it was a combined zone conference. And to be honest I wasn't very impressed with the way they acted, but hey who am I to judge. Anyways sorry....so the funny story is that while we were getting ready for bed one of the sister had put a pop-tart in the toaster and she forgot about it (our toaster is broken) and the next thing you know the pop-tart is on fire and smoke has filled the whole house! It still smells pretty bad in out apartment. But even worse than that the next morning our alarm didn't go off and we slept in until 7! First time in my mission and I was so not happy. But yeah those were some funny stories that happened this past week.
We are teaching some really cool people and I am excited to tell you more about them, but right now I don't really have much to tell you. Sometimes it is crazy being a trainer and senior companion, but I love it!! Sister Johnson is the bomb.com and I am so grateful for her. Canada is a really fun place, they all seem to have something against America, but really it just makes me laugh. Today we went to the Citadel and walked around and took a bunch of awesome pictures I will totally send some! So a random item of business mom could you possibly call our bank and tell them I am out of the country? Sometimes my card doesn't work and its because they think that someone has stolen it. Weird I know. Anyways I didn't even ask how are things at home? Is grandpa married? How is work going dad? Tell me everything! Also Dad I am so sorry I forgot to wish you a HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!!!! Dad I love you and I am so grateful that you are my father I wouldn't have any other :) I love all of you so much! Thank you for the family that you are! Please be safe and remember that I love you!

Love,
Sister Crofts

Patience is a virtue

Dear Family,

Sorry that I didn't email yesterday. We went on a hike called cape spit and we didn't have enough time. But the hike was totally worth it! Today I can barley move because I am so sore and I pulled my hamstring muscle, but hey it was so much fun. We were lost for most of the hike. And because we were hiking through pretty much a jungle, I graciously received tons of scratches and bruises, But it was so beautiful and don't even worry I totally took pictures! Mom I am glad to hear that you got my letter! I don't even remember was it the beach pictures and stuff like that? Anyways I found out and I am sure you already know that Kallie has a boy friend for REAL! And he is getting baptized July 11th! Things are so crazy! Its happy, but sad at the same time to see your friends and everyone move on with there lives, but I wouldn't have it any other way. That reminds me, I received sammi's wedding invitation and it is so beautiful! I love it! Will you tell her thank you and congrats for me?
So this past week Sister Johnson and I worked really hard. We and we met a lot a really cool people this past week. So I had so some personal revelation last night. So I pray for many things from my Heavenly Father and one of those things was to have patience with myself, and with those that we teach. Well for some reason I just made the assumption that Heavenly Father would just send me these gifts. It didn't occur to me until last night, that when we ask for certain things like patience, or more faith. That is when are faith and our patience is tried. Heavenly Father in His wisdom gives us things to overcome and learn for ourselves. If He just gave me patience then I would never learn the things that I need to in this life. And we know that one of our purposes in life is to become like Him. It truly was personal revelation. This last week I feel that my patience and my faith was tried. For instance: We went to visit a less active who's name is Melita and while we walked into her apartment there was a trail of blood leading to the room. We ran inside to find that she had cut her thumb really really bad and thank heavens I have taken some first aid courses. I had to bandage up her thumb and we found out that her husband had been cheating on her! I was really hard for me to hear that. She is such a sweet lady. Then next story...Terry Evans our recent convert his doubting everything he knows to be true and many other random things. But during this time of "trial" I learned to have more faith and patience, because the Lord truly does bless us, when we are obedient. I wish I could type more, but sadly I have to go! I love you all and I will keep praying for you!

Love,

Sister Crofts

small and simple things

Dear Family,

HI again how is everyone? I am doing really well! I sent a some pictures today, so some day you will get them. How is the weather in Orderville? How is everything else going?

Here in Halifax things are going great. This last week we took our recent convert Aliesja MacDonald with us one day, because she wanted to see how a day in the life of a missionary was. It was really fun having her with us. Her enthusiasm about the gospel was so great. She handed out three Book of Mormon's in 2 hours! She is so fun and I am so grateful that God has allowed me to help her on her journey. I really want you all to see this place! I thing we should come back here sometime. I don't know if I told you this last week, but thank you so much for the scripture case I love it! And it works so well.
We having been outside a lot this last week talking to people and it has been great we have met a lot of people, but none of them are investigators...yet. My companion Sister Johnson I don't think I told you much about her. She is from Oklahoma, but she has moved around a lot her whole life. She is soooo funny! And she really is going to be a police officer when she gets off her mission. She wants to go to Las Vegas and work. Crazy girl! She has a really good head on her shoulder and I love her guts! I am so happy that I have been given this privilege to train her. Not like she even needs it. We both love peanut butter M&M's and we both say "Sweet Chicken." So that's a little bit more about my companion. :D Man so many things happen in a day and a week its hard to remember hardly anything that went on. I started reading Jesus the Christ and it is really good. A lot of people don't understand the great apostasy so I want to be able to explain it the best that I can. And the only way to do that is to know everything inside and out. I am so grateful for this gospel. I know it is what brings true happiness!!! I am so grateful for my Savior and redeemer and I pray that while I am out here serving Him I may do the best I can. I know this gospel is true! And I will never deny it! I am like it says in Helaman 5:9 I am built upon the rock of my redeemer who is Christ. I pray for you all every night. I pray that you may be blessed! Thank you so much for your constant support and love it means so much to me. Cause its not the easiest thing going to a country where you know no one and talking to people about religion. But I am so grateful for this opportunity! Family I love you! Its as simple as that. Thank you again for everything. And remember to do the small and simple things...because by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.

Love,
sister Crofts

Hello from Halifax

Dear Family,
Mom thanks for all the recipes I am super excited to start trying them!! I am going to buy the stuff for one today. So family how are you? I hope that everything is going well. Dad have you found any work? Jordan how is work, school, etc? Mom how are you doing with everything? As for me I am doing well we had a baptism this last Saturday (Shawn's birthday) her name is Aliesja and she is a rock star!!! I will send pictures as soon as I can get some printed. The service was very good and She was just glowing afterward. Also her parents who are totally against the baptism came and they seemed to love it. The other day sister Johnson and I were out street contacting and these two guys stopped us started talking to us about the bible. They totally wanted to bible bash. We ended up being surrounded by four people trying to tell us we don't need anything else besides the bible. lets just say that the spirit was very strong and it felt so good defending the church. We finally left, because we were feeding pearls to swine. But it was a good experience. It has been super rainy the last couple of days and we were so soaked yesterday. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through the day, but hey I am still alive. We left our apartment at 10 and didn't get home until 9 that night almost 12 hours we spend out in the cold rain. It was cold and wet, but it was awesome. I love working hard. Things in Halifax are going well. I love being a trainer! Because Sister Johnson is so willing to work hard and that is why I came out here. I love the people here and I just love Canada. Thank you so much for the love and support I will probably die without it. Tell everyone that I love them!

Love,
sister Crofts

P.S. family get a preach my gospel and start studying chapter 3! It teaches so much and I know it will help all of you gain a better understanding of just how important this gospel is. Also how is family prayer going?