I honestly couldn't be happier

This is so not what I expected but I love it!!!

Hola!!! Coma Estas?! (No, I don't know Spanish but there are HISPANICS EVERYWHERE!) You guys know how much I love spanish and so this is perfect right?!?! Hahaha, seriously life is hard but so great right now:) I am currently serving in Terrace Height, and Moxee right now (mainly Moxee)! Go type in these area's to goolge images and then you can see what my life is like right now:) Haha.Let me describe to you what my area is like, in my eyes...It's COUNTRY, and there is farming EVERYWHERE! There are a million and 6 "hop fields" (beer), but many other beautiful orchards! Like I mentioned pretty poor area. We tract a lot in the trailer parks and yes i LOVE IT! I reminds me of Great Grandma June:) There are catholics galore, and they all are satisfied with where they are ,FOR NOW- We'll get them some time;)) Now I'll tell you more about my experiences!

 

So this week we had a couple of lessons and one specifically went SO GOOD- like, i have never felt the spirit so strongly! We were in a lesson with a lady named Mary, she has been investigating for a year and a half but is pretty much a member. She goes to church every Sunday, pays her tithing, has a calling, and has visiting teachers....but just doesn't want to get baptized... We talked with her for a little and I got to know her/where she is at, and after teaching a little, I invited her to be baptized! She thought for a while (silence is where the spirit can work the most!) and then we knelt with her to pray to know if this is what God wanted her to do! Long story short she KNOWS GOD WANTS HER TO BE BAPTIZED, and she KNOWS it is the only way back to God, but she wont commit! I think there is another concern (ex. maybe she promised her mom she would never join the LDS church) she just hasn't told us about...I have no idea but something is definitely going on becuase she KNOWS it's true- she even told us that! Well she commited to a baptisimal interview on April 21 (hunter and rocky's birthday) so PRAY SO HARD FOR HER PLEASE! God has his timing, and maybe it's just not her time but I hope and pray she has more faith to get baptized/endure to the end becuase she is such a valliant saint, she just needs to take a few more steps!

 

Sooooo... on Saturday we had 2 baptisms!!! Seriuosly, what better way to start my mission, right?!? Rose (mother) and Eliza(daughter) were baptized and confirmed members of our church, and it was soooo neat! I taught them about 3 times before their baptism, but we got really close! My companion and I helped them with everything at the baptism and being able to see them come out of the water, following Jesus Christ's example, they were just glowing! They said that no words could describe what they were feeling! After we had dinner with them at the Stake presidents house and they still were just so happy/ full of the light of Christ. They will make such amazing members and will contribute so much to the church. Rose is the mother of 3 ADORABLE kids and i know that becuase of this step (baptism) her family will be blessed so much, i am so proud of her! I know that God

wants all of his children to come back to him, and BAPTISM is the way (well the FIRST step) ;)

 

Being able to be around kids has helped me so much. It was killing me not seeing any at the MTC, but their light and smiles have lifted me so much, especially when times get a little tougher. I love children and I know that by following their example we can be more like the savior...loving, caring, humble, and happy are some of my favorite attributes, little children have! I have SUCH A STRONG DESIRE to help FAMILIES! i know that families can be together for eternity, and that is one of my favorite things to tell people about.

 

GOD SPEAKS TO ME!!! I have felt the influence of the spirit so strongly, and it has led me to some of the sweetest people ever. Our second day, the spirit was so noticable, told me to stop and talk to an older mexican lady in her yard....my compaion finally turned around and we went towards her house. As we pulled up to the long dirt driveway, another lady was there...we talked to her, and she expressed that she was not intrested, and so on we went...As we drove away I turned to my compaion and said, "Sister Cox, our work is not done there, we have to go back"...We went back the next day and met the sweetest Lady ,different than the one that met us at the edge of the driveway, named Otilia. She is an 80 year old woman with incredible faith, and such a strong love and desire to serve God! We talked for like 20 minutes and I shared the restoration with her, as well as a little bit of the Plan of Salvation. My compaion was talking to her two sons (right next to us) and that was another miracle in itself- becuase of our timing, her two sons had come to visit and were able to learn/share their experiences they've had with God...God's timing is perfect...but While my companion was talking to her sons, I was talking with Otilia. We cried together, and both shared special experiences. She has been through a lot, but is a humble and loving servant of God that I was able to learn so much from! She want's to learn more, and so she is meeting with the spanish sisters (since Otilia speaks better spanish than english). It was a miracle finding her, ...she is amazing and i've already grown to love her so much!

 

So i live in an apartment with 2 other sisters (one of the sisters was in my distric at the MTC so we're really close) and we have so much fun/ work really hard together. Sister Atkinson, the one I was in the MTC with, often make our compaions pull over after we pass people so we can go talk to those in their yard / in front of their house (who we feel prompted to go talk to) and we have had some really powerful expericnes doing that too!

 

 

 

 I KNOW God is working thorugh us and that he loves us! I love being a missionary and LOVE TRACTING! LIFE IS GREAT AND I HONESTLY COULDNT BE HAPPIER!

much loveeee! Sorry i have to go!

love

Sister Diondra Ensign

Serving in Washington while I wait for my visa - YEA!!

I'M REALLY GOING TO WASHINGTON , Kennewick mission.  (I swear on my life on this one!!!) I am sooooooo excited! like seriously freaking out right now... literally jumping up and down wanting to cry!!!! My first MTC companion is there right now and she is LOVING IT!!! Ahhhh I just can't believe this is real life right now! Only problem is I have absolutely no winter clothes...like not even a jacket haha...oh well I'll figure something out! So i will leave Tuesday, unless my visa comes before then (chances are slim to none though). But i'm just so excited becuase I actually have plans now...this whole time we have just been waiting in the dark. Washington is so beautiful, and ever since I went there for my senior choir trip i've loved it! ahhhhh I am so excited! Have I told you that yet?

 

 

K now i'm pulling myself together, and really gonna tell you about my week;) First off, I can't believe Hunter got that on his ACT, good job Bubba!!! I always knew you were the smartest in the fam ;) Also, you need to talk to mom and dad more (I know your rolling your eyes right now haha) but seriously, you're gonna wish you had talked more to them when your on your mission and can only EMAIL once a week! Haha, talk to them! I promise, their cooler than you think ;) Sammy- you are so cute! I love the pictures mom sent me from conference, and love what you said about how awesome it is to see so many good girls who are trying to do whats right, cause you are totally right, sometimes it really does feel like your standing alone! But keep it up Sammy, your amazing! Mother I can't believe your are already planning for Quest in 2014! Quest was such a great testimony builder for me, but that is TOTALLY crazy to think that Hunts probably wont be there since he'll be on his own mission!! Your Pictures in Cali look awesome, it looks like it's beauftiul over there, thanks for sending them to me, i love seeing your cute faces! Sorry I still haven't figured out how to send pictures...hopeuflly next week, when i'm in Washington I'll be able to figure it out!!!

 

So you asked how I like my companion...well I'm not sure any words can do her justice...she is just amazing! We are always building each other up and have really strengthened our teaching skills this week! Yes it has been a hard week since we thought we were leaving Monday, but we have learned SOOOOO much and I would not have traded this week for anything! People always ask where we are going, and then when we are leaving, and then when we explain that we were supposed to leave over a week ago, they all say, "ohhhh i'm so sorry" (and honestly were not sad about it at all) and when they realize that they all say, "How are you still so happy?!" And...it's cause we are still doing the Lord's work...like lets be honest, how could you not be happy when your doing his work!?! I love it here:)

 

Spending Easter here at the MTC was such a blessing, it really was so special and just nice to relax a little more than normal. Before I tell you about my thoughts from Easter, I'll answer your question by telling you what we do each day...we wake up...go to class, sutdy, eat, go to class, study some more, eat some more, go back and study, go to class, study some more, go to bed...it's really exciting!!! Jk it really is more fun here but we do sit like the whole time, which is why i Love gym so much.. I run a couple miles each day and then go ball it up in some elimination...haha it really is so fun and my district has gotten really close so we just laugh so hard every time we are playing basketball or volleyball, I love them! So Easter morning I got to open your (mom) sweet easter gift...the Picture of Christ...AMAZING! I looked at it and was just totally overwhlemed with Christ and everything he has done for me! As I looked at the picture of him sitting on the hill, the Lord told me that he knows EXACTLY what we are going through in life, he thinks about us all the time, and he struggles with us when we struggle! His life was absoluetely perfect, and "BECAUSE HE WALKED THE LONLIEST ROAD ALONE, NONE OF US WILL EVER HAVE TO" (I love that quote). This week in zone teaching I have truly learned how I really feel about Jesus Christ and how he feels about us! Jesus Christ loves us soooo much, and he wants so badly for us to turn to him when we mess up, so we can apply the atonement, becuase if we didn't we would be completely MOCKING it, which kills me, I am trying to really try to use it each day, many times!

 

Our investigator Karin (24 years old) is doing well but she is addicted to drinking! We have helped her set goals, and are trying soooo hard to help her but she is just not feeling worthy to pray to God on her own! We are really trying to rely on the Lord as to what we can help her with, but she has her own agency, and has to do her own part. It's hard as a 19 year old, to give an addict advice, but I know that as I continue to rely on the Lord, and with practice, I will become better! Fred, our other progressing investigator (71 years old) is doing really well too! He is so excited that our message has hope, and that there is a way for him to live with his wife again . She passed away several years ago. Teaching these investigators has been such a great blessing, and I have learned so much! Even better than that though, it has been amazing to see these people draw close to God and have faith in him as they prepare for baptism, just the first step in the eternal frame!

 

Yesterday our teach Brother Dickey, lifted us misisonaries so much! So this whole "waiting for our visa's" has been a great challenge of our faith, as we've really had to work at staying focused this last little bit, and there are several missionaries in my district who get very discrouaged and down on themselves. Well Brother Dickey told us that eariler this week when one of us prayed to God to ask to  "help prepare the people of Australia to be ready to hear our message", he prayed for "the people of Australia to find us missionaries". He went on to tell us that we are missionaries that he would want to teach his best friends/family! It meant so much to hear that becuase that is exactly the kind of missionary I want to be. I felt like all my hard work from this week was paying off. I seriously cannot explain how beneficial my stay here at the MTC has been. I know that this is exactly what Heavnely Father wanted me to do, and I know it has made me a much better missionary. It's crazy how much your can learn and grow in just one week!

 

Mom and dad I want you to know that I am so grateful for you! I honestly would not be here right now if it werern't your your faithfulness in staying true to the gospel while growing up. I am so grateful that you chose to stay close to God and becuase you did, he has become my best friend! I hope to serve my mission giving each day my all, so I can be prepared to be the kind of mother I want to be.

This week i've decided that i not only want to endure to the end of my life with full purpose of heart, but also the end of my mission, and end of my MTC stay. If I can endure all these things, it will help me show God how much I love and appreciate him and how I truly want to give 100% of myself to him!

Christ asked Peter, "Thou lovest me" three times...(Picture Christ standing in front of you asking you this same thing)...After Peter explain, "of course!!!" Christ said "Then feed my sheep"...DO THE SAME! He would say the exact same thing to you and so do it! I promise you that If you pray tonight, to find someone who you could share your testimony with/ refer them to the missionaries, then you will find them WITHIN DAYS! You are a member of the church, now bring others in- you will want no regrets in the next life!

 

MOther, your thought on "be not afraid....AMAING! it was just what i needeed to hear:)

 

Sister Wyatt's mom is going to be calling you as well as a senior missionary couple we met here! They will be calling your on Thursday, so be sure to answer:)

 

On Easter, Bishop Causse (presiding bishop) came and spoke and then Sherry Dew came later that night...awesome! And then on Tuesay, Elder Ringwood came and spoke...His daugther in law is brooke (my second cousin) who is the nurse on my unit that I work with! It was awesome:)

Unfortunately my time is out, but I love you all so much and can't wait to talk to you on Tuesday!

Quote on Enduring To The End:

"If you have already entered and do not endure to the end, it would have been better for you to have never entered!"

 

Love,

Sister Ensign

 

 

Yep, still at the MTC

HELLO FROM THE MTC!!! Yep i'm still here...haha.  It's cool though, cause let's be honest...who wants to be in Australia...?! (not me)...KIDDING:) haha so here is the update with our visa's...brace yourselves...i've been  reassigned to the Las Vegas West, Nevada mission.  Yes this was definitely a surprise, but it's ok.  Now on a serious note, Just kidding, haha.  But really we have been praying so hard for our visa's to come, please keep us in your prayers. ....who knows what lies ahead?

Sister Wyatt (yes how cool is it, that we're companions...she is AMAZING to say the least, and we have become SUPER close!) brought up a really cool thought this week.  We promised people in the pre-existance that we would teach them here on earth, and I totally believe that to be true.  I fact, I know I did! And I don't care where those people are, Las Vegas or Australia, I want to find them and help them remember what they once knew about God and the gospel!

So each Sunday we all have to have a talk prepared, and then after the actual sacrament, like 15 seconds before the first speaker, they announce who will be speaking...You'll never guess who got picked on...ME...haha.  The topic was repentance and forgiveness, which is something that we are always working on teaching so it was  perfect! It was just funny because my companion and roommate (Sister Hadlock) and I were singing the musical number, 'Be still my soul', as sister Wyatt played the piano, it turned out really nice, and the spirit was really strong:)

Our cute Elders gave Sister Wyatt and I a blessing before they all left, and it was pretty much a "departure blessing"/"blessing of comfort" and oh.my.gosh...It was amazing! The priesthood has always been something so special to me, but watching missionaries use it is just the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.  When they gave me my blessing, I can hardly describe the feeling,  but my whole body was entirely filled with the spirit.  The Priesthood is real, and it is POWERFUL! The elders in my district are amazing! We are different in so many ways, but so similar, and it's because we all have the same purpose right now! I grew to love them so much and they will be incredible missionaries!

As these past couple of days have been a little more difficult, with our district (family) all leaving us/not getting our visa's, I have really had to rely on the Lord and he has definitely not left me comfortless.  He has given LITERALLY ENDLESS tender mercies, and the majority of them are felt through his love, and seen in the words of his scriptures.  I KNOW that the scriptures are here for us, and I have grown to love them more than I ever could have imagined.  I have also started to see many things in my patriarchal blessing come forth, and has given me more hope and excitement for the future! I am so grateful for my patriarchal blessing, and am still amazed that President Hicken, hardly knowing me before hard, could give me such beautiful words of advice, and promises that have helped me/will help me more than he will ever know!

This Sunday is Easter! I am sooo excited! That means I will be fortunate enough to spend it here at the MTC which also means we will be privileged to hear from someone...AWESOME! I can't wait! This week I have been thinking about all the Jesus Christ has done for us, and what he was experiencing this time of year, years ago...he knew what was coming, yet he still chose to fulfill his purpose.  If you guys want to read the little book i made last year, of my testimony and things i learned while studying the last week of Jesus Christ's life, it is at the top of my closet, in the blue box and it just says "easter" on the front.

This week I have decided to dedicate my WHOLE SELF to God. The experience I had while doing so was such a special one, and one that I will never forget. This is the Lord's time, and it's short, and so i want to use it so carefully! I want to be able to come home with no regrets.  Since i have dedicated myself, i have felt his hand EVEN MORE in my life, which is exactly what I need.  I am so grateful for him!

This week Sister Wyatt and I taught a REAL inactive older lady! The lesson went well and she is actually progressing well too! I love teaching, but can't wait to get out into the field and do more of it! Being a missionary, and being apart of this church is what makes me truly happy!

So quick side not...this week we were practicing teaching the gospel in a minute or less and I'm (role playing) talking with this guy who is sitting in the park, and talking to him about how he likes just sitting outside and thinking, and I started realizing that I'm totally the same way, so I went to tell him that and this is what I said.. "Sometimes I like sitting in the wilderness too!" (GOOD JOB DEE, GOOD JOB) hahhahaha...ya...I was like..."Time out, pretend I didn't just say that" haha. I think I'm turning into Nicolle.

 Something I've been trying to work on is when extending an invitation/commitment, is to say, "will you commit to GOD to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God, on _______" or whatever commitment, but really just get them to realize that they are committing to God not US missionaries! I've also been working on being really bold in my testimony! When i first got here i was soft and quiet with my testimony, but i realized that they need to know how important our message is.  So i will say, when bearing testimony of the BOM (for example) "I want you to know that this is THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK YOU WILL EVER READ, and I do not want you to pass up this life changing experience.  You WILL be happier than you've ever been in your life! I would not have left my family, school, and work if I didn't believe this to be the true word of God, with all my heart.  I KNOW IT IS, and I can PROMISE you that you can do the same if you read it, and then pray to ask God if it is true!"  Each time i bare testimony I seriously do not feel like it's me that's talking...in fact i know it isn't...it is the spirit putting the words in my mouth.  It is the best feeling as i testify in lessons, I'm not even quite sure how to explain it, but i honestly feel like my body is just tingling from my ears to my toes, because I KNOW IT'S TRUE! This gospel is the greatest, and there is absolutely NO OTHER PLACE I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW! Being a missionary is the greatest, and I really wish I could convince everyone to go on missions!!!

Last thing..US MISSIONARIES ARE NOT FINDERS, WE ARE TEACHERS! You, as members of the church need to do the FINDING! Stop praying for the missionaries "to help find those who are ready to hear about the gospel" and starting looking for those who you can send the missionaries to!  If you want the work to progress, you've got to do your part! 

So before I go, I just want to tell you how much I Iove and appreciate you and your support. I cant remember if i told you, but mother... that  package you sent me was the best! 

ALSO SOMEONE FROM THE HEALTH CLINIC WILL BE SENDING YOU A PIC OF SISTER WYATT AND I FROM TODAY SO LOOK IN YOUR JUNK! Sorry I haven't sent any pictures yet ;/

Well I love you guys so much and want you to know how much I love this gospel.  I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and Heavenly Father so much and want so badly to give them my best self.  So with that said, my time is up- "exact obedience brings miracles" so I'm out! Love you and can't wait to hear from you!

"Don't set yourself up to be a judge and jury of your sins.  That would be very displeasing to Heavenly Father"

Love,
Sister Diondra Ensign

I have never been happier in my life

FAMILY!!!

First off, tell Hunter congrats on his goals in LAX!!! I"M SO PROUD OF HIM:)

 

So I have never been happier in my life. I feel like there is so much to tell you and I only have 20 minutes left, so what I can't fit in here I will try to write you!

 

So my companion is amazing. seriously the biggest blessing in my life, she is our sister coordinator of our zone and is such a great example to all of us. She is so soft hearted and we have shared some very sacred experiences together. yesterday was one of them, and i don't want to go in to too much detail because of how special it was, but I have maybe cried once (and even then i was just teary eyed) but yesterday we both had tears just streaming down our face because of the strength of the spirit.  I KNOW that God is REAL! and he loves us sooo much! I can't even put it into words, and I know i can only comprehend a fraction of his love, but i do know it is significant.

 

I hope you guys are doing ok with sister ensign and I being away because truly, we are soo happy! Like i never stop grinning from ear to ear. ya its hard. in fact its really hard, but it's only gonna get better. we have been able to teach a lot of lessons, and were finally getting the hang of it. I was able to teach Elder porter Brown's girlfriend and her mom (who were pretending to be inactive) and the spirit was so strong during that meeting. we were all crying, and i know heavenly father was helping sister beckstrand and i explain the things necessary so that heavenly father could teach them. we have one progressing investigator, christine who COMMITTED TO BAPTISM ON LESSON TWO!!!! She wasn't sure about getting baptized on April 6, but yesterday committed to April 30! christine is our teacher, so obviously is a real member but is acting for someone she taught on her own mission. at first i thought it was weird because they are not real investigators, but it is totally real when it comes downt o heavnely father providing us with revelation on what she needs to hear so the spirit can teach. She has a deep love for God and now has expanded her testimony so much that she believes in the Book of Mormon and the restoration. She has hit some bumps in the road and at first didn't think the Book oF mormon was necessary, but now does. I have grown to love her so much, and truly see her through god's eyes. Along with her and our other investigators i have reliazed how badly god wants each of his children back...so BADLY! and i am willing to do anything to help them remeber what they once knew and reestablish that relationship with god. ''

 

So this week has been full of a lot of laughs. I always see the koreans, some of which know nicolle, and i alwasy say "an-young-hah-say-o" (that means hello) and they love it! so the other day im sitting with my district at lunch and i say to them, "you guys, watch how good my korean is" and say to the 'koreans' "an-young-hah-say-o"...ya guess what...they weren't korean they are Japanese. hahaha . They were so confused and it was super funny.  I guess my arrogance bit me in the butt haha.

 Another funny story, I told my teacher (sister de boer,  she is pretty serious) "cute bun" (like hair bun), and everyone thought i said 'cute buM' so that was a little awkward too,  haha but it's ok. Oh and hunts, don't worry i'm still keepin the talent of tripping lots, all the sweet elders and my compaion are so concerned everytime i 'trip'.

 

Well unfortunately my time is up but I will write you more later today! We get to go to the temple and i am so excited, the temple is amazing! Keep going lots, I promise you god will answer any questions who have there. I also know the importance of church attendance. It is so important for everyone, and especially for our testimonies.  I wish I could share everything with you guys but I have to go. Thanks so much for all you support and love, I love you guys so much!'

 

Oh i forgot to tell you guys to tell you something!!!

Funny fact, in australia the H and D words are not swearwords...like they say them over the pulpet.  Hopefully I don't come home swearing:/ hahahaha.

 

Also mother will you please send me some lipstick I want from target?!

 

I will call from the airport on Monday night in between 9:05pm-11:30pm california time.

love you!!!

love,
sister ensign

Headin' Out!

MTC Address

At times I feel like 12 days is not long enough to stay the the MTC, but getting thrown right into the work is where you learn most, right?!

...LOVE...

...YOU...

...ALL...

Sister Diondra Ensign
Australia Perth Mission
MTC Box #65
AST-PER 0327
2005 North 900 East
Provo, UT 84604- 1793
United States