Bitter and Sweet... October 28, 2013

Hello family! Well, it's happening. I'm getting transferred! It's really exciting, but really really sad at the same time! I'm really going to miss the Monta Vista ward, but I know that the Lord has bigger things in store for me this transfer. I was told that I'm staying in the zone, so that means that I'm white-washing or going Spanish. yay. 

My District Leader joked with me yesterday about going Spanish. It wasn't a funny joke. If the Lord needs me there, I will go; but it would be so challenging!

We went to Santa Cruz today with the zone for the last time this transfer and it was so much fun! Lilli brought us and hung out with us at the beach. I sure am going to miss her! It was one of the best p-days of my whole mission so far and I am so blessed that I get to stay in the zone!

Things have been going so well this week. I knew I was going to get transferred because Sister Livingston got a training call on Thursday. We were told that half of the sisters coming in this transfer don't speak any English, so it looks as if Sister Livingston and I will both be up for a challenge this transfer! I really am excited for this next transfer because there are so many changes and good things happening in the Saratoga stake in Zion. The one thing I'm most scared about is being in a family ward. /: ahh!

I've been praying a lot lately that I would be made strong and able to handle the changes coming up. The Lord has been doing a fantastic job at helping me through all of this. Sister Palmer is getting transferred and it's possible that I could finish training her greenie. Scary! No matter what happens, I'm going to be stretched. I'm excited!

That's exciting about baby Joseph! He is going to be an awesome little guy! I have been feeling so blessed this last week. It's weird coming from a pessimist, but it's true! I feel so blessed and loved by my Heavenly Father! With all these challenges coming up, I feel like the Lord is letting me know that He trusts me and that I'm enough. 

I love you all so much and I love the beautiful state of California! God bless all of us! I'll give you more details next week.

Much love,

Sister Julie Catherine Harris

The Hills Are Alive!!! October 22, 2013

Hey so autumn here is gorgeous! I've always hated autumn, but here it's so pretty! I hear that winter's even better! (:

Anyways, I'm doing well. This week has been good! We contacted 252 people on the streets this week! Mostly at DeAnza college, but still! The work is going pretty well; it's slowing down a bit, but still going.  

I got to play the violin at church yesterday! It was so good to just be able to play and let all of my emotions out! The stake president was there and he only knows me now for my violin playing. Oh well.

I absolutely love the ward. Since it's fall, there are a ton of new people coming in all the time and they're all so awesome! The ward members have started helping us so much and we have a lot of love and trust for them! Also, every time we go to church, I can just feel the love in the congregation. If there was ever a good singles ward out there, it's this one. Everyone is so strong and lovely and they understand the atonement of Christ. 

Everybody wish me luck. I have a dentist appointment this afternoon for that toothache I've been having for months. Pray for me! Y'all know how much I stress out about the dentist! 

Anyways, I've been doing well. Lilli got her patriarchal blessing yesterday and we got to meet with her afterwards! The experience changed her life and has caused her to have a greater desire to go to the temple!! I love her so much! Marcella is doing well and is also in the process of getting a temple recommend and a patriarchal blessing. Meadow is in the process of reactivation and is turning a new leaf in her life! As far as the investigators go, it's a bit slow, but I absolutely ADORE our less-actives. I get to meet some of the best people on earth and help them feel the spirit again. I love how Heavenly Father gives us opportunities and places certain people in our paths.  Sometimes I feel like I'm not here for them; they're here for me. 

So much love for the babies here in California. 

I may or may not be getting sick, but it's okay because the Lord is watching over me. And He's put me in this beautiful place! This week, we've been teaching a lot about tender mercies and it's been cool to be able to see those tender mercies more in my every day life. This week has been really great and I've learned a lot about God's mercy and love for me. 

Jesus loves you.

The caravan moves forward!

Much Love,

Thanks to Kelly /Christianson for the picture!

Sister Julie Catherine Harris

Prayer and Faith - like PB&J! October 15, 2013

Good day everyone! As you may have noticed, I hit my 4 month mark this past week! It's crazy! 

This week was good, we struggled a little bit with our numbers, but it was a good week nonetheless.  So much has happened!  Daniel is progressing and he loved conference! Direct quote from him about conference, "It was informative, and focused mainly on principles of faith." Yes, Daniel.  We love him so much!  He told us he had already seen all of the anti-mormon material and that he trusts us as a more reliable source.  He's so awesome!

Lilli is doing really well and I am loving her more and more every day! She is working on getting a patriarchal blessing and a temple recommend.  Her divorce is finalized and she's officially a young single adult! Woohoo!

We got to go to the temple visitor's center this week with an almost-investigator named Jim.  He's roommates with one of our favorite ward members, Mace.  He loved the visitor's center and was surprised that there was a place that nice in Oakland. haha!

The ward is doing really well and I love them all so much! As sister Livingston would say, "They're all so adorable!" It is true, brothers and sisters.  The Monta Vista YSA ward really is where it's at. I love everything about it! 

Marcella is doing really well.  The ward is fellowshipping her so well and she is fitting in great! Her boyfriend, Michael, just left on his mission, so the ward is supporting her really well!

So that's basically it for the people we're teaching.  As for me, I'm doing better.  I was struggling a bit the first couple of weeks of the transfer, but things have been put in perspective for me and I'm doing really well.  I've gained a testimony of prayer and faith.  They really go together like pb&j.  You can't have one without the other.  Pray to Heavenly Father and then go out and act with faith.  He ALWAYS delivers.  

I've gotten better at teaching, too! The more you work at something and have sincere desire to be good at it, the Lord will bless you.  So this whole mission thing is going well.  I'm loving it.  It sounds cliche, but it really is the best time of my life! I love the gospel and I love the Lord! I love His work and I'm so blessed that He trusts me with this portion of the vineyard.  

Oh and a shout-out to the Harris Chronicles! Hello everyone! I love you all!

God Speed!

Your favorite Sister in Zion,

Sister Julie Catherine Harris 

 

 

   

 

"I do it for the babies" October 7, 2013

Hello everyone!! How about conference this weekend!! So good.

I loved being able to watch all of conference this week with members of our ward.  We really got fed so well this weekend.  This week was very eventful!

We got 3 new investigators! Daniel, Greg, and Andrea.  I'm so excited for each of them and I see their incredible potential! We have been working so hard this week and have been going to bed exhausted every night!

Last night, we had two dinners and they were both huge! The first was a massive meat-and-potatoes meal topped off with apple pie, and the second was authentic Mexican tamales-like 5 of them!! So I almost exploded last night.  Yep, still not hungry.

So, funny story from this last week.  On Saturday night, we got out of our dinner appointment and decided to go contacting in Campbell for about an hour before we went home.  So we walked around and had only talked to about 5 people when I saw someone I recognized.  Let's back up.  I'm not sure if I told y'all this story, but a couple of months ago, Sister Ferrin and I were contacting in Campbell and we met a crazy woman named Carolyn.  She blew smoke in our faces and told us about a music and gospel camp she was starting for children.  Naturally, since we were wearing name tags, she enlisted our help.  Totally off her rocker, though.  So Saturday night.  We were walking, and I saw Carolyn from the back.  I tried to discreetly whisper to Sister Livingston to not contact her, but she didn't hear me and went for it.  When Carolyn turned around, she immediately recognized me and said, putting her arm around me, "Heeeyyy baby!" I was terrified. Like really.  I wasn't comforted in the least when she led us to a table located in a dark corner of an abandoned car dealership.  It was scary. We sat down and she proceeded to tell us about the progress she'd made on the camp.  Then she started blowing smoke in our faces again.  She was talking really fast about the camp and then all of the sudden she was like, "Can we say a prayer? Let's say a prayer." And then she just started praying.  We tried to teach her a short message from the Book of Mormon and she just wanted to keep talking about her camp.  She said it was a lot of work to put it all together, but then she said, "I do it for the babies, you know?" She's crazy. So we were trying to run away, and she started crying when we couldn't give her a ride. It was actually a hilarious experience.  On the bright side, she's totally going to church on Sunday. (: And we're safe, so the Lord was protecting us! 

Sorry for that long story, I just thought some might get a kick out of my utter terror. 

This week we had a mini-missionary! Her name was Sister Soto and she was adorable! She helped us a lot with our Spanish contacts! It was really fun to have her with us for the weekend!

Conference was amazing! It's incredible how the Lord answers prayers through the Prophet and Apostles.  I went into conference with some questions and all of them were answered!! It's really a faith-building experience when you get an answer that you're not expecting.  I love my Heavenly Father and I know that He will always do what's best for us even if we think differently.  I just love General Conference so much and I love hearing from our inspired leaders!! So yes, long story short, it was a great week! The work is picking up and things are going well.  I love you all!

God Speed!

Much Love, 

Sister Julie Catherine Harris

Sister Livingston, me, and Cassidy

Me and my new companion, Sister Livengston