MASS Weekly

Hey Everyone! I hope all is well back home! 

This week was awesome! On Tuesday I went on exchanges with our STL's. Sister Holt and I had a great time together! We spent the day visiting Less Actives... after we stopped by a few houses we decided to walk up this hill to see if there was anyone for us to talk to. And sure enough, we ran into this awesome guy. We had a really good conversation with him. After about 35 minutes of talking with him, we gave him a Book of Mormon. He wouldn't give us his address or number, but the seed has been planted. We had a wonderful time talking with him about our beliefs and how the gospel has brought us happiness. Right after we got done talking with Hans, it started pouring rain. Sister Holt and I got soaked! 

On Thursday night we were able to stop by some less active members of our ward. We met some really great people. One of the women we met hasn't been to church since she was 12. She has had a really interesting life, she even has a Master's in Medieval Studies. Her family history has very strong ties to the church, and she is very proud of those roots. We are going to start working with her on her family history. It is going to be awesome! We have been instructed to teach more family history. Family History brings the spirit and helps people feel connected to their ancestry. 

On Saturday I went with Sister Brooks and took some of the Portable Visitor's Center Displays to a couple baptisms. In between the two events we had quite the experience. Sister Brooks accidentally dropped our keys down the elevator shaft... Wow. Long story short, our prayers were answered and we were able to get our keys... with the help of Paul. Both of the baptisms were really great. It was neat to be apart of them and to share my testimony with the individuals that were baptized. 

Sunday was great! I just love church. I felt like church was just what I needed. The spirit was really strong and the messages that were shared in Sacrament Meeting were exactly what I needed to hear. One of the speakers talked about God's plan for us. Heavenly Father knows us and is aware of us, and He has a plan for us. And all we need to do is follow him. And there are 3 basic steps to Follow God. First, we must pray with humility. Second, we need to accept that it will be hard. This life was never meant to be easy. And third, we must access the enabling power of the Atonement. Christ felt even the little things and is preoccupied with our happiness. How great that is to know, that He wants us to be happy!

I have testimony of this work. Heavenly Father is preparing the way. There are so many people that are ready to hear the good news. It is our job to find them and to teach them, and of course, the finding isn't just limited to the missionaries. We are all missionaries! I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us. He loves us and wants us to be happy!

I love you all! Thank you for all the love and support! 

Love, Sister Egan

1) The fire alarm went off at our apartment complex while we were home for dinner

2) We stopped by Where Grandpa Egan lived when he served in Framingham! 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone was able to have a good week! 

This week was awesome out here in Framingham, MA! The beginning of the week started out as usual. But then on Thursday we had Zone Conference in Cambridge. Driving through Boston was one of the most stressful experiences of my life! But we made it to conference! It was so great. The spirit was so strong! We had a few break out sessions. One of the best things I learned was this Faith equation.

F (A+T+P)= M

F= Faith

A=Action

T=Trust

P=Patience

M=Miracles

When we multiply our faith with Action, Trust and Patience, miracles will surely come to pass. Sometimes it is easy to just show faith and action, but that is only part of the equation. And we need all parts to get the answer- MIRACLES.

For another Part of Zone Conference they separated the Sisters and Elders. The Sisters went with Sister Miller. We discussed our divine nature and potential as daughters of God. One of the Sisters said that the world only looks at appearance and achievement, which ultimately lead to pride or low self esteem. It is so true. We need to always remember our divine roll as women and keep and eternal perspective in mind. Also at Zone Conference I was able to play the piano for a musical number. Sister Holt, Sister Black and Elder Corpus sang "Come Unto Christ" as I played. 

On Friday we had our Zone Meeting. It was so great! We discussed discipleship. And how it is a journey. We are all on this road to discipleship and becoming like the Savior. It is a journey, and not a destination. We will always have something to work on and to improve so we can become the people that our Heavenly Father wants and needs us to become.

On Saturday, I had the biggest surprise of my life! We went to the Dowling's for dinner. I had been here once before... when I went with Sister Zickella before her transfer meeting. The Dowling's love Sister Zickella... almost as much as I do. But anyway, we were sitting at the table and Brother Dowling pulls out his ipad and skypes Sister Zickella (Lina)! Oh my goodness! It was so great to talk with her for a couple of minutes. She is amazing! She changed my life. She was a great missionary! I miss her so much!

Today we went to the temple. The Boston Temple is beautiful! I love it! It was so great to be able to feel the spirit and feel so close to my Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for the blessings of the temple. I am grateful to be a missionary and to be serving in the Massachusetts Boston Mission. I love it here!

I love you all! I hope you have a great week! 

A shout out to my Aunt Kristi and Uncle Kyle and their new little baby! You are in my prayers! I love you!

Love Sister Kellie Egan

Uphill Battle

What a week! I can't believe another week has come and gone! 

This turned out to be a lot of fun! On tuesday we set a baptismal date with our investigator from Ghana. His name is Dominic! He came in contact with the church a few years ago, but it wasn't until Sister O'Keeffe contacted him online that he was really interested. We taught him the Restoration my first week here, and then this last week we were able to have a really solid lesson with him. Throughout the whole thing both of us felt like we needed to set a baptismal date with him. We Set March 26th as his date. He went to church and absolutely loved it. There are definitely miracles that happen in the digital mission. It is very fun to be able to teach people from around the world. Who knew that when I got called to Boston that I would be able to teach Dominic who lives in Ghana?

On Friday we had a crazy day! Our Zone Meeting was planned and we had a skype appointment beforehand so we got to the church building pretty early. There was a lot of snow on the roads because of a huge snow storm that was coming in. So we drove really carefully on the way there. We had a good lesson, and then right when we ended the electricity went out at the chapel. We didn't know what to do! There was another set of sisters and 2 sets of elders who had come already for Zone Meeting. But the snow got a lot worse, so they ended up cancelling Zone Meeting because the driving conditions had gotten worse. But we were stuck at the chapel! To get to this building we have to drive down a pretty big hill, and with all the snow getting out was a different story. Our cars don't have all wheel drive and they weren't able to make it up the hill! So we decided to PUSH! It was a team effort and we finally got all the cars up the hill! It was SO much FUN!!! So that was our adventure for the day! 

We were able to teach primary on Sunday and that was so much fun. The lesson was on the importance of Christ's birth. As we were preparing for the lesson, I was really pondering and thinking about how important the birth of Christ is in my life. Jesus Christ is my everything. Where would I be without him? HE knows my struggles and trials. He has been there and wants to help me through my uphill battles. Of course, we cannot coast uphill. It will be a battle no doubt. But this journey uphill is the path we must take to Become like our Savior. I am so grateful for my Savior. I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know that it is true. I know that what we read in that book can apply directly to our lives. It was written for us. 

I love you all! I hope you have a wonderful week! Thank you for all the love and support!

Love, Sister Egan

What a Week!

Hello Everyone!

What a week! Full of changes and adjustments. Last week was a lot of saying goodbyes and getting everything ready to leave Avon. It was hard leaving, but change is always good. Looking back, I met some pretty amazing people there. A piece of my heart will always be in Avon. I know that area is prepared and that awesome things will happen. I am so excited for the temple to open this year as well. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to serve where a house of the Lord is being built.

On Wednesday Sister Allen and I drove to Weston and we got everything situated. I went with Sister Markert and my new companion Sister O'Keeffe. We had a couple skype appointments that day and then we went to a dinner appointment. After dinner we went and dropped Sister Markert off at the mission home because she was going home. I was able to say goodbye to Sister Barrett. I am going to miss her! She is awesome!

On Thursday we did a lot of digital work and planning. We are on the computer all day and we get to skype a lot of different people from around the world. We had some really awesome lessons!

On Saturday we went with the PVC sisters to the different events. I went to a baptism with Sister Brooks. It was really good. I have such a testimony of the PVC.

It has been quite the adjustment this last week. I am excited for everything in store for this transfer. I love you all!

Have a great week!

Good-bye to Sister Allen

Good-bye to Sister Barrett

Leaving Avon

I am leaving Avon! I have really grown to love this area over the last 6 months, and I am really sad to say goodbye. But I am also ready for this new adventure. I am going to Framingham, Mass! I will be a full time digital missionary. I am really excited that I have this chance to teach people from around the world via skype. 

This last week was pretty normal. But on Wednesday we had a Worldwide Mission Broadcast. It was really good. Two things really stuck out to me. Elder Anderson quoted Elder Richard G. Scott when he said, "Always have His name on my lips". I love this. I thought it went along nicely with what Elder Oaks had to say. He said to always have the Doctrine of Christ engraved in hearts. Both of these statements can go hand in hand. It is so important to always talk of Christ and bear testimony of Him through our words. But as we engrave the Doctrine of Christ in our hearts, we will begin to act and become more like the Savior. So as we do both these things, we will become a walking testimony of Jesus Christ. 

On Thursday this week we had a mission-wide "Car Fast". All the missionaries gave up their cars for the day. In December, Elder Packer of the Seventy came to our mission. He said that missions without cars see more baptisms. And then he promised us that if we made that sacrifice that we would see the blessings. We were able to get the members more involved and excited about missionary work. They took us to different appointments and we did a little bit of visiting teaching with the women in our ward. It was also a great opportunity to serve. We helped out with one of the families in our ward and just did a couple things around the house, just to help her out a bit. It turned out to be a really good day! 

On Friday we found out that I am being transferred! As I said before, I am really excited for this new adventure. It will be different for sure! But change is always good!

On Saturday we went to a baptism of a little boy in the ward. It was a really good program. I love the spirit that is felt at baptisms! After the baptism. everyone was freaking out about this snow storm we were supposed to get. It's sometimes hard being a missionary because we are out of the loop almost 100% of the time. We had no idea we were supposed to get this big storm. It didn't turn out that bad. Avon got only about 4 in of snow. 

Sunday was great. I could just see God's hand in everything that day. We got to church and two of our investigators showed up. Sacrament meeting could not have been better. I think it was geared directly at our investigators. Then Sunday School was perfect for them. It was exactly what they needed. And Relief Society/Priesthood was the cherry on top. Everything was what Dana and Paul needed. I was so happy! I knew that the spirit was there and that the people that participated in the various meetings were divinely inspired. It was great. After church we went and said goodbye to different members of the ward. We were able to drop by Gloria's house one last time. She kind of let us in, and I just bore my testimony to her. It breaks my heart that she no longer comes to church, but I wanted her to know how much Heavenly Father loves her and is aware of her. It was a good experience, something I will never forget.

I am really excited for this week and all the craziness this next adventure will bring! Thank you all for all your love and support! I love you!

Love,

Sister Egan

Sister Bennett is one of my most favorite human beings

The Pulley Family

Simsbury, CT

My District

Snow Storm

Camron and Thomas helping us clear our car

A Busy Week!

Wow, what a week. I feel like this week I was drinking out of a fire hose. I got some water, but it mostly just hurt. I don't even know where to begin. On Wednesday we headed up to Boston for MLC. This was a great meeting. The spirit was really strong and we were able to discuss the mission and how we can become more consecrated missionaries. There is always something more to be done and always something we can work on. But I kept thinking of something my Dad told me last week. You cannot coast uphill. The journey will be difficult. Missions are difficult and the ride is mostly uphill. There is no way that we can coast uphill, instead we will have to stretch ourselves and push ourselves along the way. And through that process we will become more like our Savior. 

On Thursday we had interviews with President Miller. He is an amazing Mission President. I am so thankful that I have the chance to work with him and learn from him. We spent most of the day at interviews, and then that night we finished planning our Zone Meeting.

Friday was quite the day. We went to Zone Meeting in the Morning and it was so good. The Spirit was really strong. We talked about Unwearyiness and our motivation for serving a mission. We also discussed the different changes that will be taking place in the mission. And then we talked about goals for the Hartford Zone for 2016. We discussed the culture of the Zone and how we can make it "A City Upon A Hill". We have a temple that is being built and we KNOW that there are souls that are prepared to hear the message of the restored gospel. 2016 is going to be a great year. I am so excited that I get to spend the entirety of this year serving the Lord. Anyways after Zone meeting we all went into Hartford for the PVC tour. We met some pretty awesome people. I saw this old man walking on the street with his cane. Sister Allen and I ran across the street and we started talking to him. He was wearing a baseball cap from Alaska... which happened to be the same hat I bought when I was in Alaska 2 years ago. So we talked about Alaska and then I asked him if he goes on daily walks around the neighborhood. He said he was supposed to but didn't. So then we took the initiative and took him for a walk around the chapel and showed him the different displays about the church. He said that he looked into the Mormon church when he was a young man. I think he is ready. He loved what we talked about. I love being a missionary!

On Saturday morning we had an amazing lesson with the Pescatello's. They are great! We mainly just answered their questions because they are practically LDS. They own a house in Orem and their daughter is baptized and goes to BYU. They came to church on Sunday and it was a perfect Sacrament Meeting for them. All the speakers spoke on finding joy and peace in their lives, even when things get difficult. It was a great meeting.

I love you all. Thank you for all the love and support! I hope everyone has a great week!

Love, Sister Kellie Egan

I love my boy Preston!

Happy New Year!

Hello Everyone!

This week absolutely FLEW by! It feels like yesterday that I was emailing! 

On Tuesday we woke up to SNOW! It was only a couple inches, so that was nice. Everyone says we are going to get hit hard this Winter, so we will see what happens! 

This week we did a lot of stop by's and visited with a lot of members. It was pretty fun! We also did a lot of Digital Missionary work. We skyped a couple people and we talked to a lot of new people via google+. It has been a lot of fun doing digital missionary work and being able to skype with people from around the world. 

We had to be inside at 6 on New Year's Eve, so Sister Allen and I had a good time coloring to finish 2015 strong. As this new year has begun I have pondered on what goals and resolutions I want to make for 2016. I will be on my mission for this entire year, and I am so excited. This year is going to be great. 

The YW President in our ward asked if Sister Allen and I could teach on Sunday on goals and all the different choices that we have to make in our youth. And then I had this flashback to 2014.  I remember my Senior year, right as 2014 was starting. Jessica and I were both in YW and we were sitting in the back. My mom was giving a lesson on Goals and New Years Resolutions. It was really good and inspiring. It must have really inspired Jessica because she leaned over to me and in a whisper she asked if I wanted to do a 1/2 marathon with her. I thought she was completely crazy... but sure enough I did that 1/2 marathon. I admit that I could have done a better job training to make it a more positive experience, but I finished it. All 13.1 miles. We can relate this back to our own lives. Right now we can choose if we train or not. If we train by making good decisions and by working our way towards salvation we will be able to cross that finish line someday and stand at the judgment bar in front of Heavenly Father and our Savior proudly. Because we will have worked had and trained, we will be able to say that we did our best and did all we could. Looking back, the 1/2 Marathon I ran was not a positive experience. There are a lot of things I wish I would have done differently. I don't want to look back on this life with that same perspective. I want to be able to reflect and look back saying I did ALL I could to become like my Savior. I did all I could to return to live with my Heavenly Father.

I encourage you all as you are making goals and resolutions, to ask yourself how and what you can do in 2016 to strive to BECOME like the Savior. 

Thank you for all you do for me! I am loving being a missionary! It is the greatest thing! 

I love you all!

Love, Sister Kellie Egan

It Snowed!

Sorry, Mom, I wasn't wearing my coat!

The Lake by our house froze over and we needed a picture

GIANT dog

Eating Dragon Fruit!

Teddy Loves Me!