Week of May 1st

This week was great and lots of cool things happened (other that all the humidity lol) idk how to even sum it up.

Basically we were just able to find lots and see little miracles. Like we were finally able to go into the home of this less active member we found months ago. Her name is Tamera and I've just always felt so strongly about teaching her and her family and things haven't ever worked. Well we were able to teach her and it was definitely a lesson to remember, I just felt the Spirit work through me and basically felt the Lord pleading with her to come back to Him. I just felt His genuine love for her. 

We had our zone conference and the musical number actually went super well, not that I remember because I'm sure I like passed out, jk but I was so stinking nervous. And I thought we would do it in the middle of the meeting like normal right? NO. We did it at the very beginning and I was so blind sided. 

Also we got a call from this random number at like midnight and we were so confused, but this lady had got our number and wanted us to come help her serve a meal to the community. We had like no idea what was going on but do we ever actually? It ended up being so fun! We meet the sweetest human ever, her name is Sharon, she's this cute little black lady and also my best friend. Like literally it was so easy to talk with her and all those who were serving did the cupid shuffle and it was so great. Like I barley paid attention to the fact that we had been outside for hours..the humidity is real you guys. But yah we are going to see her this week, she is of the Islam faith but it was cool to find our common ground and I just respect her so much. I hope we will have the opportunity to bring her the truth. I'm so so thankful that we were able to meet her, and it just strengthened my testimony that the Lords hand is in it all :) 

I JUST LOVE EVERYONE OK.

Like the Lord has blessed me with some amazing people, I love serving here. 

And as always, I love fort Jackson. I was able to teach this new soldier last week, Pvt Crosby, and he was baptized yesterday. What. It happened in just a week, except also not. He had been attending church with his girlfriend for the last year and a half and is just super Prepared. He was so happy and I'm sure his girlfriend is just so pumped that he has the gospel and this added help. I'm so grateful, simply because the Lord has let me be His hand in others lives. And I'm not talking just about on my mission, the Lord continues to need us to help uplift and bless others no matter what our current calling may be. DON'T FORGET IT OKAY. ️ 

Week if April 24th

Sorry I'm rotten and don't really write a weekly this week..
But I got to go on exchanges with a missionary that just came out and
she's way cute
Also Fort Jackson will always be my favorite
We have conference this week and the musical number, wish me luck :)

Week of April 17th

Where does the time even go? This week went by super fast, we were really busy though. We had our MLC and ZTM meetings, we had to get everything figured out for Sister Burt to get on Fort Jackson, and then we have been practicing for a musical number.. yah wut. I'm so nervous. 

I feel like I've just been on one giant roller coaster. We started seriously teaching Letha, she is one of Sister Johnson's (older lady in the ward we have bible study with every Friday night) best friends. And we were teaching her the restoration, then sister Johnson starts bearing her testimony and invited her to be baptized this past Saturday! We were like wait we actually will need more time because we have things we need to teach her and she'll need to be interviewed! So we set a date for this weekend the 22nd because the 23rd is Sis Johnsons birthday! It was so great, she's 84 and is the sweetest. At first we just thought she was just being nice but then she told us that she's thankful for us teaching her things she didn't know before, she prayed and believes she got her answer that the Book of Mormon is true and the Jospeh smith is a prophet. And I asked her why she wanted to be baptized, she said "I had been praying that the Lord would show me everything I need to do to be with Him, there's only 2 of us in my family that aren't in the grave yet and I need to know what I need to do to be right." And it was just so cool that she recognized that God was showing her the truth. Sister Burt and I had been praying a ton for a spiritual confirmation that she is ready to be baptized and we had received it several times. The Spirit was so strong in our lessons, and she was just so excited. She then came to a baptism of the this sweet Nigerian family, the Pogosons, and told us she doesn't want to be baptized anymore. It was so sad, we are kind of heart broken but also trying to not be discouraged. And I've just realized there are so many things that happen that are out of my control. And I'm kind of a control freak, like I enjoy knowing what's going on and being in control haha. So it sucks, but I know we grow the most when we are uncomfortable so I'm grateful to have these experiences. 

I still know the message we share is true and will bring the greatest happiness and peace anyone could feel in this life, because it is our purpose in this life. I know God prepared this plan and Christ is the way to return to live with Him and our families, we just need to following Him and let Him help us. 

Exactly 3 years ago today, I met with the missionaries and they taught me about how Christ had restored His church. And I remember everything they said just making sense because I had always been so confused as to why there were so many different churches. And I remember how I felt when they told me about Joseph Smith and his experience seeing God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. It felt too good to be true, but also I couldn't deny that it is true. I felt the Spirit so strongly that day and continue to as I share this message with others. I genuinely don't know where the time has gone. And I am absolutely nowhere near what I ever expected to be doing at this point in my life, like how did I even get to South Carolina idk. But I know that this is exactly what God wants me to be doing, and I wouldn't trade a single experience for the world. 

This Gospel, this knowledge and My Savior Jesus Christ has brought me absolute joy and I couldn't say it enough. Life is still way hard and I don't always love EVERYTHING we do, but it's all worth it, and I'm thankful to have the help of my Savior.

Week of April 10th

It's been a swell week, pretty crazy because my bff went home but it's fine. My last couple days with Sis V were great and I just adore her guts. The area just loves and misses her so much, but also I know they will love Sister Burt. She's really sweet, and we are just excited to keep working hard and sharing the gospel :) 

But her first day here we got back to Columbia and were on lockdown from 2-9 (so the rest of the night) because of a tornado. We were stuck at the church for the first 4 hours but then we went home! So that was weird.

But it was really cool because Thursday all of our appts fell through so we were out finding and we just had terrible luck. People were super rejecting us I was was kinda overwhelmed and over it. So we prayed and just asked Heavenly Father what we needed to do. The name Jason kept coming into my mind, so we went to see this guy we met a couple of months ago but hasn't been home since, and we've tried lots of times before. But we went, and he was home! And he's like super genuinely interested and wants to come to Book of Mormon class and church! Which is great because he will have these opportunities to feel the Spirit and receive answers from God so we are pumped. And it just helped me to remember this is Gods work :) 

Also the AP's asked me last minute Saturday morning to give the training at our meeting that day and I was so confused because I just gave one. But I know the Lord was trying to teach me, and the best way he does it is through making me do trainings ha. But I had NO IDEA what to give my training on and not much time to do it. I decided I wanted to train on charity and like gods love for us but wasn't sure how or where to even start. So I prayed. And I kept getting the impression to read where I was at in the Book of Mormon. Which was in MOSIAH 11. Which is basically about how the people were super wicked and a way from God and a prophet named Abinadi was telling how He was going to smite and deliver the people into bondage if they didn't repent. So I finished the chapter super confused because I was like wow this does not show Gods love or relate to my training at all. But I felt impression to read it again. And it hit me. 

God loved the people enough to call a prophet and to declare "except the repent" then all these bad things would happen. But he was giving the the opportunity to come unto him and to repent. HIS HANDS IS ALWAYS EXTENDED. and I was just overwhelmed by the Spirit, and he taught me that we have to LOOK for God's love. And the training just went super well because of nothing I did but because the Spirit is just so great.

I feel like we will forever be oh this spiritual roller coaster and with our relationship with God. But I'm thankful he is patient and wants to help us. And that He can communicate with us, we just need to listen and look for Him. And it's okay if we feel like we don't even know how to start to strengthen our relationship with him, because he just wants us exactly how we are. And to just try. To do the small and simple things to feel His Spirit, like praying and reading the scriptures. And church was also so great because it was exactly what I needed. And I'm just so grateful for my God. 

So I'm still loving it all and hope everyone has a super awesome Easter and goes to church :) k love you

My cutie pie Sis V

Week of April 3rd

This week we did SBP again and did insulation, it was great! We can
literally build a home now. We met this sweet lady named Karen who
lost her 24 yr old daughter to cancer and wants to be baptized so she
can be with her forever. We love her and just want to help her so
much. It's been crazy since this is Sis V's last week, so sad.
Everyone has had us over for dinner so we've eaten a lot haha, we had
a sweet family take us to get sushi and I tried real mochi for the
first time, it was heaven. We are actually spoiled rotten and just so
blessed. I love Columbia so much :)
General conference was so great as well, I LEARNED SO MUCH. like
seriously I just love Jesus Christ and his church so much. I learned
lots about the importance of personal revelation. It was like the
perfect balance of Gods love for me, peace and comfort..combined with
love inspired correction.
And I've learned about being chastened, difference between God and
Satan. Satan points out our sins and leads us to believe there is no
hope. God shows us our weakness and the way to overcome it,
We just keep learning and trying. To apply what we learn and then we
think we are done growing, but the Lord continues to show me. Im
thankful for personal revelation from God that helps me to be better
and happier.
Also my recent convert Stephen from Hopkins came to conference and
brought food and you can just tell he's doing well. It was so sweet
because he just came saying amen during the talks and I LOVED it
because it's cool to see that all thought he was baptist his whole
life, he found the fullness of the gospel. And he didn't have to
change a ton. Like following Christ doesn't mean we stop being
ourselves but just the best versions of ourselves. THE CHURCH OF JESUS
CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS IS FOR EVERYONE BECAUSE IT IS CHRIST'S
CHURCH. AND HAS EVERYTHING WE NEED TO RETURN TO LIVE WITH GOD AND OUR
FAMILIES FOREVER, BUT ALSO TO RECEIVE PEACE AND THE GREATEST HAPPINESS
WE CAN FIND IN THIS LIFE NOW.
So it's just great.

xo sis buckey


Fort Jackson crew

Week of March 27th

Monday we went to myrtle beach and it was so great, we got to see
sister Heaton and I stopped in on Kaniyah. It was so good to see them,
she was so surprised :)
We also did service this week and did mold remediation again, it was
crazy. We did it for like 6 hours and I've never sweated more in my
life haha buuut it was so sweet because the little old ladie's house
who we are trying to fix came and she was so so grateful for us. Also
Colie was baptized, it was kind of a crazy week and he got super sick
and just a lot of things happened that we thought might postpone his
baptism but it all worked out and went quite well. It was perfect for
Colie haha.
We also had a great day at fort Jackson, 4 soldiers were baptized and
it was just so special. I love being able to witness people become
convert d to the gospel.
Oh yah also we have like a prank war with our favorite family in the
ward, and we put streamers up in front of their door will balloons and
put some ding dongs out to ding dong ditch them, it was so great :)
love y'all

Week of March 20th

This week was great, nothing new. We always have great experiences at
Fort Jackson, this Pvt that both sister Vorkink and I were able to be
involved in teaching graduated, Pvt Blackwood. We got to go to
graduation and meet his parents who aren't members and bear our
testimony. I love being able to bear our testimonies. Like we aren't
perfect and don't know everything, but I know the simple truths of
Gods love, his church, and still forever figuring out how to be happy
by following Him.
And I just had some very renewing experiences with prayer. I've
noticed that with the amount of times we pray a day I go through waves
where I become disconnected. But it helps me to restrengthen my
testimony of it. Life is literally like a roller coaster, and that's
where happiness is found, in the ups and downs. We lose real happiness
we we think it's found in the ideal of nothing ever going wrong. So
basically we just need to be patient and persistent and keep loving
God :)
Oh I've been thinking about the plan of salvation a lot because Friday
we had a birthday party for Brother Grice who turned 95 and it was so
neat to hear about his life and the impact he's had on people. Then
the following day we had a funeral service for one of my favorite
members dad who passed away.And  I'm just so grateful for this life
and just God's plan for us.
We were also able to do service this week by putting dirt down in a
members yard and it was so fun haha she thought we were crazy for
loving it but we love to help.
Also Colie is getting baptized this week, he's great. We were a little
concerned about how to help him and what he needed so we fasted. And
oh my goodness were our prayers answered. It made the biggest
difference and the ward is starting to embrace him. Lots of people
reached out and it's all just falling into place.
K just keep trusting God, I love you all

Graduation