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

HOW GREAT THOU ART!!! September 30, 2013

Mom!! I saw you on tv!! And then I cried the rest of the broadcast because I knew that both of us were singing at the same time!! It sounds pathetic, but it happened.

So anyways, this week was the best week of my mission so far! I have seen so many miracles around me and within me!! Marcella got baptized on Saturday and she asked me to play her violin at the baptism!! It was so wonderful to be able to play again.  It didn't sound as good as it used to, but it touched some hearts.  We played How Great Thou Art and Sister Palmer's investigator started sobbing during the musical number.  Afterwards, she asked Sister Palmer what the song was and she told her that it changed her life.  The baptismal service was so beautiful!! 

Marcella is so happy! We got to stand right next to the font as she got baptized, and we were both crying!! I'm so proud of her!! We went with her back into the changing room and she was speechless for a whole minute because she was so happy.  We were all just crying and laughing and hugging each other! It was a really sweet experience.

Everyone was so good to her at church yesterday, too. She was afraid that she wouldn't have any friends in the ward, but yesterday, the whole ward just fellowshipped her and became friends. There is so much love in the Monta Vista ward!!

On Friday, we went to De Anza College to go contacting and luckily, Sister Livingston had sidewalk chalk.  So we decided to draw the Plan of Salvation in the middle of campus!! It was really successful! Everyone who walked by stopped and asked questions.  We met a Burmese man named Tun and we talked with him for awhile before we had to leave.  We got his email address and set up a time to meet with him.  He met us at the church on Saturday and we gave him a church tour while teaching him about the Restoration.  He saw the name of the church and he asked what it meant.  I explained to him what "Latter-day Saints" meant and he understood.  He asked about the church logo a few other times too, and once he said, in broken English, "This is right. The name of your church." So we went on, and he kept asking really good questions about things he saw around the building.  We went in the primary room where the font is, and we asked him to pray with us.  We knelt down, taught him how to pray, and then he did it.  In his prayer, he asked God to show him the way and where he needed to be. After he prayed, we asked him how he felt.  He thought for a moment, and then said "peace. I feel peace." With an adorable smile on his face. Later he said, "God answered my prayer. This is it." We were so happy! He is so prepared to hear the gospel!! He came to church on Sunday and loved it.  

So things are going well here in California.  I am soo outrageously happy.  It's outrageous. 

I love all these people and I'm growing a lot closer to the ward members.  I love all of the precious people in this area!! 

I'm so excited for General Conference this week! On Wednesday we get to go to the temple!!! And it's Sister Livingston's birthday!  

I'll send pictures of the baptism when I can! 

Read 1 Thesalonians 5:16

Love all of you!

Sister Julie Catherine Harris

Life is like a box of chocolates... September 23, 2013

Hello everyone!!

How are y'all doing? This week has been absolutely crazy.  Like crazy.  

It's all been good, though.  I got a new companion! Her name is Sister Livingston! She's great! We've been having a lot of fun, and yes, I am still in the Monta Vista ward.  It's going well.

I'm so excited for this week because guess what's happening? Marcella's getting baptized on Saturday!!! I'm so excited.  She may or may not let me play her violin for her baptismal service.  So that would be exciting.  So that's a good tidbit.  

Also, we're having a sisters retreat with Sister Watkins this Thursday!! That'll be a good break.  

I realized this week just how much we need to be guided by the spirit as missionaries.  At times when you don't have the spirit with you, it's just 'whatever' and it's simply not fulfilling.  But having the spirit with you and remaining worthy of his companionship makes all the difference! We were contacting the other night and we gave this woman named Deborah a mormon.org card and walked away.  We ran into her later and both felt prompted to ask her if she wants to learn more.  So we talked to her and she seemed really promising.  Then we both felt prompted to give her a Book of Mormon.  It was awesome because we both just felt so guided by the spirit and we got close to 100 contacts that night!! It was great.

There have been a lot of changes this past week.  I got a new companion on Tuesday, and then Sister Palmer got her trainee on Thursday, so there have been a lot of trips to the mission office! It's been good though, there are a lot of fun people in the apartment!! It's VERY different, but still good. 

We're doing a lot of good work in the ward, and things are starting to look up.  I have developed a deep love for the singles in this ward, and if it wasn't weird, I would move back here after my mission and be in the ward.  But that would indeed be weird.  

I have had a few opportunities to contact people in German this past week!! Those three years in Junior High definitely came in handy!! I love all the Germans we meet (even though they all speak fluent English).  It's fun to be able to speak a tiny bit of their language.  

Anyways, I love all of you and hope you are doing well.

I'll write more next week when there's more to write about, but in the meantime, Adios!

Love, Sister Julie Catherine Harris

Kirche Jesus Christi

Der Heilege

Der Letzen Tage

Jammin' at the park - September 16, 2013

 

Hey!

Sorry I'm emailing so late! We spent the morning and afternoon in Santa Cruz, living the dream! It was a lot of fun! There are some places I need to take you guys when we come back to visit! 

So here's the update: Sister Ferrin is getting transferred and I get a new companion tomorrow! The transfer text came during our nightly prayer, and we heard the other sisters read it from the other room.  But I kept on praying, and then we started bawling when it was over.  I'm gonna miss her. And also, I don't know how I'm going to hold down the fort in Monta Vista without her.  But it's alright, I've got the Lord on my side! 

So how's everything at home? Maddie is engaged???? What the? Tell her congrats for me! Weird! 

This week has been good but crazy.  We've been using the Ukulele for contacting and it's been a surprising success! We went to a park and pulled out the ukulele while we just sat on the grass.  Neither of us knew how it would work, but we both felt prompted to go contacting with the ukulele in Sunnyvale of all places.  So we went to the park, sat down, and started playing.  And then, these high school boys with a guitar shouted to us and asked if we wanted to jam! We said yes and went over to talk with them.  We played them a song and they started talking to us and asking questions.  It turned into a mini version on the restoration and we gave away 2 Book of Mormons!! It was a success! Everyone loves the uke here! So thanks for sending it! 

We've had a lot of good experiences this past week! It was really slow because our whole ward was in Lake Tahoe and the people who weren't in Tahoe flaked out.  So We were working really hard to focus on our purpose and be productive.  It was a challenge to fill our days when everyone we planned on fell through, but it worked out.  I feel like we did a lot of good anyway.  It's amazing how the Lord guides us and teaches us in His own time and His own way.  We were guided by Him so much this week! It's been wonderful! 

One of our Zone Leaders, elder Lambdin, is going home this week and we're really going to miss him! He was a wonderful elder and he'll do great things after his mission.

Tonight, we are teaching the FHE lesson for the ward, and we're pretty much calling everyone to repentance.  It's about missionary work and we're trying to get them motivated to do it! So pray for us and wish us luck! This has been the last full day with sister Ferrin, so it's a little bittersweet.  And we'll find out tomorrow where she's headed.  

Things are happening in this mission and I'm so excited to see the Lord's plan for the California San Jose mission!! 

I love all of you so much and I'm grateful for you! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers and keep them coming! 

God Speed! Hurrah for Israel!

Love, Sister Julie Catherine Harris

 

P.S. To answer your questions about my last letter...

1. So everyone in California is ALWAYS late. Like all the time.  And since I was always taught to be punctual, it bugs me sometimes. haha.

2. People are SUPER flaky here. You give them an appointment or something to remember, and they'll forget if you don't remind them 5 minutes beforehand. It's a little crazy.

3. Homeless people ask us for money all the time. It's kinda sad.

4. It's definitely not a good idea to walk around after 8 anywhere in our area. People are already drunk and they look at you differently.  We've DEFINITELY been protected by divine power.

5. Everyone here, despite their flakiness and lack of punctuality, is so cool! I just love them! And I don't think I can even tell you about all of the cool experiences I've had with the wonderful people here!

6. Sacrament meeting in any YSA ward is an adventure.  Ours almost never lasts an hour.  We usually end up not having sunday school because people just keep talking.  It's a little bit outrageous. And most of the time they get really off-topic too. haha

7. Since we're in a YSA ward, dinner appointments aren't always sitting down to enjoy a nice meal.  We've had pizza delivered to our apartment, we've had to walk with a member to get pizza, we've had dinner/lunch in a classroom in the church, we've had first discussions for dinner messages, and all sorts of stuff.  We seriously never know what's going to happen at dinner appointments.  It's fun though!

So I haven't sent pictures because the cord that I received is the wrong one! So I'll try my best to send you pictures! I sent you a few forwarded from Victoria. 

Love you so much!

Love, Sister Harris

 

 

             Sister Ferrin, me, and Victoria