pics!!!

Sisters Harris, Swapp, and Gregerson

Zone Photo Scavenger Hunt - glam on the farm!

Stylin' at the cemetery - these three are having too much fun!

Love and Miracles Abound! August 25, 2014

Hello! 

This week has been sooooo full of miracles!! One after the other! Every day! 

So I've decided to go to BYU and the first miracle is that I got in! Then there have been countless miracles with all of the people we've been teaching and even that I get to stay in Livermore with Sister Gregerson. 

The theme of this week is that God is so good to us! He loves us! Sooo much!

Things have been going well. The work is really busy and still picking up! 

I've been studying a lot about charity this week and it has been such a wonderful thing to use and apply the insights I've received. Charity is such a wonderful thing! Charity is love, God is love, so God is charity! As we strive to develop Christlike charity, we're developing pure love for ourselves and all those around us! Charity is an attribute of our Heavenly Father Himself! Pretty cool!

I love the gospel and I love sharing it with those I love. This transfer has only been a week long so far, but I have learned this transfer that when you love the person you are and the person you're with, others will feel Christ's love through you. I can't even tell you how many people have pointed out how much my companion and I love each other! They feel it and through that love, they feel our testimonies and our love for the Savior. Cool how that works!

One miracle that happened this week:

We got a text from the zone leaders saying that they had just received a call from a man named Michael. He told them he had met with missionaries a long time ago and that he wanted to meet with them again. Since his address is in our area, they gave him to us! We went over and we talked with him a little bit. He told us that his wife had died 8 months ago and that he was angry at God. But he told us that he was going to give God one more chance and that's why he wanted us to come over! It was a miracle. We bore our testimonies to him and hopefully helped him to feel the Spirit. He didn't come to church, but we'll keep trying. 

Funny story, Elder Cormier is in my District! He's a really cool elder and he told me that he's already heard a lot about me (Thanks Mom and Dad!). Our zone has changed so much for the better this transfer and I'm excited for the miracles that will be happening here soon!

Things are happening and it's SO GOOD to be a part of it.

I love you!

Sister Julie Catherine Harris    

not even trunky! August 18, 2014

Hello everyone!

This week was wonderful! We had so much success and saw soo many miracles!

I'm sad because Sister Swapp is going home this week. ): But she's been great and a wonderful example to me. She's not even a little bit trunky! She's the best and she'll be greatly missed.

So Sister Gregerson and I are staying together, but tomorrow we'll find out if we get another companion or not. Either way, it'll be a blast because Sister Gregerson is amazing!

Things are going really well! Last night was the outgoing fireside and it was sooo spiritual! Sister Swapp did a great job and the whole meeting was just phenomenal. Even though it lasted 3 hours.

We taught one of our progressing investigators, Kevin, on Friday and he's sooo awesome! He really wants to get baptized and he's so sincere! We're super excited about him. Sister Swapp promised him that she would come back for his baptism whenever it is. We haven't been able to set up a date yet because of some things, but it'll be soon, so stay tuned!

On Thursday, we taught a ward missionary training in the 4th ward and it went soo well! Now they're all really fired up and they've all had missionary experiences since then! Miracles!
Sorry I'm a little scattered today. Things have been crazy this week and we have an awesome new transfer ahead of us here in Livermore. I have so much faith for this transfer because our wards are sooo awesome and they have so much potential. There are going to be even more miracles coming up! But we'll see.

I learned a lot about repentance this week. It's definitely one of my favorite subjects to study and teach. Read D&C 19:15-20 I think. It's so good because Christ really really wants us to repent when we do something wrong. People think repentance is scary but it's a wonderful opportunity to come closer to our Savior. I love that I get to call people to repentance every day as a missionary. Pretty much the best!

Anyways, I love you all and I'll try to send pictures as soon as possible.

Love, Sister Julie Catherine Harris  

Music and Miracles... August 11, 2014

Happy Monday! This week was great!! It started off with our trip to the Redwoods and they were beautiful! It was great to see green again!
We had lots of miracles this week! It's awesome when you act on a small prompting and then it turns into a huge miracle! We had a few appointments fall through on Thursday, so we were trying to figure out where we should go for a few extra minutes. A subtle thought came into my mind to visit a former investigator named Laura and her mother who's less active. The reason we had to drop Laura in the first place is because she was soo hard to get ahold of. So when we went over, she answered the door! We had a great chat and she told us that we were inspired to come over. That day was exactly a year since her brother had passed away and she needed some comfort and peace. We sang "Where Can I Turn for Peace?" and she was really touched by it. We set up a time to meet with her and now she's an investigator again! It was an amazing miracle!

On Thursdays, we contact near a Farmers Market downtown and there are always a lot of people there. Because there are so many people, we had to park a few blocks away. So after we had contacted there, we were walking back to the car and when we got there, we saw two women sitting on the porch of the house that our car was parked in front of. They seemed pretty friendly, so we went over and started talking to them. One of the women, Dorothy, told us that she was baptized a member of the church in San Jose years ago when she was 13. We talked to her for a couple more minutes and pretty soon she said, "Can you guys share a message with me right now?" So we opened the scriptures and shared a message about the Savior. Then she took us by surprise when she said, "You know, I've been breaking all the rules. I really need to get my act together. Will you girls pick me up for church this Sunday?" We were so surprised and excited! We sang for her and said a prayer and it was a really sweet experience. She hugged us and thanked us as we left. It was such a miracle.

It's amazing how the Lord organizes every little detail for our prayers to be answered or for our faith to be strengthened. If we had parked somewhere else, we wouldn't have met her. If we had left any earlier or later, she may not have been there. He really does have the whole world in His hands!

Another prayer answered: Sister Gregerson is trying to get a Christus made of Redwood as a souvenir from her mission. So far no one knows how to obtain one. Well, I spoke in church yesterday in the 1st ward and we were on splits. So my companions were in the 4th ward for a little while. The man I was speaking with had volunteered to speak on that Sunday because he likes to give talks. There was a brother in the ward that came up and talked to me about the pens that he makes out of wood that comes from Jerusalem. The man I was speaking with chimed in and said, "If you need any redwood, I've got huge beams of it at home!" Then he proceeded to tell us that the redwood he had was over 2,000 years old and that it was here on this continent when Christ came. I got so excited and had to ask him if we could have some! So he's going to give us some ancient redwood for Sister Gregerson! It was definitely an answer to prayers for her! Now we just need to find someone who carves wood...

To make a long story short, this week was awesome. And it ended with a bang. We had our musical fireside last night. Remember the one that we invited the whole city of Livermore to? It was wonderful. I had been praying so hard all week that it would work out and that all of the performers would be able to perform to the best of their abilities. Well, it was a wonderful evening filled with the Spirit! It was truly a miracle because us missionaries weren't able to practice our song with the pianist until 30 minutes before the performance. But as we performed, I'm convinced that we had a choir of angels singing with us. Everyone did so well and those who attended loved it! We had two investigators and a less active show up. It was the perfect ending to a perfect week. And of course, I can't go a whole letter without talking about my wonderful companions. I have learned and grown sooo much with them; in a good way! They are amazing sisters and I'm honored to be their third wheel.

Anyways, I love you all!

By the words of three... August 4, 2014

Hello everyone!!

This week has been FULL. Full of joy, full of unexpected/spontaneous adventures, full of cancelled appointments, full of miracles!

I cannot begin to express the way I feel. I feel like Ammon in Alma 26. God is great!!

We have had a lot of great opportunities this week to teach and find and we have met a lot of wonderful people! We have been spreading love and singing to everyone! There is probably no one in Livermore that hasn't heard us sing. I probably lose my voice every day!

I have been pondering a lot this week. I've been praying a lot and have been feeling the peace that the Spirit brings. I've also received a lot of answers to prayers! The Lord does love us! And He does answer prayers! It's kind of weird how my mission has been a huge long roller coaster of emotions, spiritual progress, repentance, improvement, and trusting in the Lord. He really is great to us. Sometimes we need a roller coaster; otherwise, how would we enjoy the ride? (:

This transfer has been one of love, development, and lots of learning. I love it! But most of all, I loooove my companions! They are so wonderful and talented! How did I get so blessed? I found a scripture on Saturday that explains it perfectly: "Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word." (2 Nephi 11:3)

It's true. Happiness comes when you surround yourself with people who desperately want to love and serve the Lord and His children. Then is His word established. I love it. So much.

Anyways, you've probably guessed that I'm doing really well. Today we are going to see the Redwoods with our ward mission leader and his family! It'll be fun. I'm excited!

I love you all!

Sister Julie Catherine Harris