Sister Bailey Anne Harrison: It's beginning to look like Halloween with all of these Spiders 🕷

Well it's the week before Halloween and Roseburg is beginning to look spookier and spookier by the day. Too bad my purpose as a missionary does not include going to pumpkin patches and haunted houses, because I would seriously love to do that! But the missionary work is moving forward here in Melrose. And it has honestly been a great couple of days!

Can I just tell you something that I am really grateful for? The temple. We were able to go to the temple on Thursday and man, was it needed! Both Sister Rhoton and I had been struggling the last couple weeks with different things going on, so the time we were able to spend in the temple was very special. I like to call it the home away from home where I am able to feel peace and feel close to my Heavenly Father. It is pretty cool to be in the temple in a session with 19 other missionaries. It was a really full session, there were no seats open. Also, this was the smallest temple I have ever been in. It was really cool. This temple is literally in the middle of no where between a bunch of fields where people are farming. I kind of love it actually! They only have the one room to do the session in, there isn't even a chapel! It is amazing to think there are temples like this across the world that people are able feel their love of their Heavenly Father and be able to make promises with him to help us return to him. I love the temple. I invite anyone reading this email to go to the temple, and if you aren't worthy to go there now, work to strive to reach that point. There is no other place on earth to feel closer to your Heavenly Father then the temple.

Sister Coalwell from the Ward took us to the temple, because it was too far for us to drive ourselves. It was so nice of her to drive us, I haven't really ever spent time with her so it was nice to get to know her better. We kinda felt bad because on the way down we really didn't talk at all. But she was a happy camper. We were able to go to a place near the Medford temple called Lillie Belle Farms Homemade Chocolate, oh my goodness it was amazing. They are known for their lavender sea salt Carmel chocolates, really that one was a little too strong for me. Sister Rhoton got one called Poppy flower Butter Cream chocolate, then Sister Coalwell asked isn't that what they made opium from? Lol, then I got Pumpkin Spice Carmel chocolate, sooooo yummy. The chocolate was expensive but it was delicious.

Sister Coalwell was then very generous and took us out to lunch, we drove home part way stopped in Grants Pass at this little place called Blondies Bistro, it was so good. I had a Greek Chicken sandwich and I devoured it, I was starving after the temple. It is really cool being on a mission because we meet so many people that are converts to the church, that were taught by missionaries just like me! Sister Coalwell told us about how she is a convert, and her dad converted first and the first time he ever heard about the church was in a bar! It was a pretty funny story. I'm so grateful for all the people I have met in Oregon and the service that they have given me.

On the way home from the temple I had planned to finish all my emails, but I got super sick and fell asleep instead so I am so sorry to anyone that didn't get a great email last week. This week should be a lot better!

We were able to have a lesson with Katie and Candy who are less active members in our Ward here in Melrose. We were able to talk about the Sacrament and how it blesses our lives. And it really made me stop and think about the blesses I have received through the Sacrament. We were able to watch the video Always Remember Him by Elder Holland, go watch it right now. I'm serious. It is very powerful.

This week for district meeting the Zone Leaders were gone so all the district leaders had a chill day, which I am not sure is really allowed, but they brought donuts and we watched the district videos and talked about it afterwards. It was nice to have that because when Sister Rhoton and I woke up this morning we were exhausted and I seriously think it is because I didn't get a nap after the temple. But I am feeling a lot better now!

After a fun day of weekly planning on Friday, Sister Rhoton and I were able to have a lesson with Sarah Goodfellow. She has been through a lot in the past couple of months, but to see the light in her eyes now is amazing. She was showing us pictures of her family, her parents and her son Tristian, and you could just tell she loved them. We were able to show the video True Identity by President Uchtdorf, and it was great. She talked about how Heavenly Father is really looking out for her in her life and how he loves her so much. She then ran out of the room and brought in a bunch of paper scraps, receipts and napkins. We found out that for conference she had gone to McDonalds in order to get wifi and had taken notes on whatever she could, and she had been cherishing these papers. I love her so much. She knows the gospel. And she is truly striving to come closer to her Heavenly Father, as I gave her a hug goodbye she told me that she loved me and that I was a big contributing factor to her staying strong, and she thanked me. This was something I wasn't expecting but I am so grateful I was able to help her so much.

This week they had a stake relief society activity that Sister Rhoton and I went to with some less actives. It was really fun because it was all on service! And the place that we serve at weekly, UCAN, came because our stake did a canned food drive. And while they were there they talked about all the missionaries that serve there on a weekly basis and talked about how grateful they are for us, it was so awesome!

Sister Rhoton and I have been working on Plan of Salvation cut outs this week during our 8 o'clock hour. It is getting dark so early and it is so hard to do work at that time. So we have been being creative. But our papers turned out so great and I am so excited to be able to use them in an actual lesson.

So we were at the church on Sunday before Sacrament meeting and Sister Harker walked in and was so excited about something. So we asked her what was up and she then responded by saying guess who I talked to this week, well turns out she talked to her missionary son who is in Texas. And she was so excited! But apparently it wasn't for a good reason, he got a speeding ticket. So it turns out if I get a speeding ticket I can call home. Is it worth it? I'll let you decide.

One thing that I wanted to ask for in my weekly email this week was for testimonies to put in Books of Mormon here in Oregon. So to anyone reading this email I would love to have a short testimony from you (:

Also we had an amazing sacrament talk on Sunday from a young man in our Ward. He first started out by quoting president Monson from the October 2012 general conference when he announced the age change. He then talked about how we can prepare for missions as we are in our youth. I wish someone would have given me this talk before I left on my mission. No one prepared me for how hard mission life would be, but no one also prepared me for how rewarding it would be. He talked about how we need to prepare emotionally, physically, mentally and of course spiritually. For anyone who is thinking about a mission, talk to someone who has experienced it. Seriously missions are the greatest.

Also in Relief Society we read a great talk called This Day by President Eyring, I invite you all to look it up and read it. Seriously.

So this Pday we were supposed to go on a 14 mile hike. I know what all of you are thinking, Sister Harrison you are not in shape to go on a 14 mile hike. Don't worry. I am very aware. Luckily it got cancelled. So now Sister Rhoton and I have been sitting on the couches in the church emailing, you know relaxing via missionary status. Anyway last night we got a call from the zone leaders to tell us the hike was cancelled. Well they started out the call saying we have good news and bad news, which would you like to hear first. So they decided to give us the bad news first and jokingly told us Sister Rhoton was being Emergency Transferred to Klamath Falls. Well Sister Rhoton and I did not think this was a joke and immediately started crying and hung up the phone. We were so so so angry. They then called us back a few minutes later because they hadn't realized we hung up and told us they were kidding. Well that wasn't funny. They then told us that they were going to play games for Pday instead. Well Sister Rhoton and I decided we didn't want to do that so we have been avoiding the Zone all day. We are pretty good at it. We went to bed angry last night, we are better now but there were lot of emotions, let me tell ya.

I don't really have much more to talk about this week because I had Pday last Thursday, but I hope everyone has a great week! Until next time Fan Club!

Love, Your Favorite Sister Missionary,

Sister Harrison

Sister Rhoton and I think week made Plan of Salvation cut outs, so here is the finished product! We are going to get them laminated during our lunch this week probably!

The death one was my favorite to draw... lol. Also that's me and my future husband in the resurrection one! Aren't we so cute? Don't worry my hair is just behind my back,

in actuality it is very very long.