Glastonbury, CT

Hello everyone! 

I can't believe another week has come and gone! It has been a very busy week! On Monday and Tuesday I was working on getting everything together and packed to come to Glastonbury. On Tuesday Sister O'keeffe and I said goodbye to Kristen- who was one of our physical investigators when we were in Framingham. This woman is absolutely incredible. I love her so much! She taught me a lot! She is going to be baptized in a couple months! She is so faithful and loves the gospel so much. It was so great to see her love for learning more about the Book of Mormon and other principles of the gospel. 

On Wednesday Sister Holt and I managed to pack all our stuff in our little car to go down to Norwich to transfer. Without transfer meetings, it has been interesting figuring out how we are to get to our new areas. We finally figured everything out, and long story short- Sister Holt and I ended up road tripping to Connecticut. We had way too much fun in the car. We discussed everything we learned that transfer. Wow. We both learned so much. I think I have grown as a person in the last 6 weeks. And I am really grateful for the trials and the hard times that have made me stronger. We made it to CT and then Sister Ross and I made the trip back to Glastonbury. I love it here! It is awesome! The people are great! On Wednesday night we went to the weekly Book of Mormon class that we do. It was really fun!

On Thursday we did a lot of planning and organizing. But that evening we had dinner with an awesome family and then went to a lesson with our Recent Convert. Gene was baptized 2 weeks ago. He is awesome! On Friday we went to our District Meeting. We have an awesome district. Everyone thinks it's so funny that I'm back in the same zone. Honestly, it's good to be back! I love Hartford! After District Meeting, we had a couple member lessons. I honestly feel so blessed to be here. We had a lesson with our other Recent Covert that also got baptized a couple weeks ago. Rayshun is super cool! We talked about the new Easter Initiative that the church has put out. 

On Saturday we had an 8 year old baptism so we filled up the font for that. The baptism was really good! After we went tracting for a bit before our dinner appointment. I learned that it is best to follow the spirit when you do this. I was getting a little nervous for some reason. And then I went to give this person a pass along card and said, "Here is a video with a link to a Christmas Video..." Obviously I meant to say, "Here is a card with a link to an Easter Video..." It was hilarious. He took the card, probably because he felt bad for me and my loss of words. But you never know! So note to self: always rely on the spirit. Don't get nervous, and just go with it. Most importantly- embrace the awkward. On Saturday and Sunday we were able to go to Stake Conference. Elder Dunnigan from the Seventy was there. It was a really neat experience! And it was fun to see all my friends from Avon. I missed them! They were all confused to see me there! I think I am the only missionary that went to the Fall session and Spring session of Stake Conference in the Hartford Stake. I love Hartford!

Thank you all for the love and support. I feel so blessed! I hope you all have a wonderful week! 

Love, Sister Egan

 Our stuff outside the car

 Is it going to fit?.... dont' worry, it all fit!

Road Trip!

New Companion - Sister Ross!

                                                                                 Sistah Lunch

                                                                         View from our Apartment

 Happy Pi Day! 

MA to CT

What a week! This week went by so fast and a lot of crazy things happened! 

So I will start with the title of this email... I am getting transferred! I am going to Glastonbury, CT, which is right outside of Hartford. I am really excited to go back to the Hartford Zone! Hartford is the best! My new companion is awesome! Her name is Sister Ross- and I was lucky enough to go on exchanges with her when I was in Avon. I am excited and a little nervous for this next adventure.

So on Monday we went to Boston with Sister Holt and Sister Vollmer. Wow, I love this city. We had so much fun! We weren't able to stay that long, but we had fun looking around and taking pictures together. 

On Tuesday we had our weekly Webex. The training was really good- they talked about referrals and how we need to be really proactive with them, especially since the new Easter initiative for the church is coming out soon. I was able to watch the video this week and it is so good! It is similar to the Christmas "A Savior is Born". It is about Finding a new life through Christ. It will be available to the public on March 13th! After Webex, President Miller pulled Sister O'keeffe and I aside to have a meeting with him and the AP's. The meeting didn't last very long, but he informed us that the digital mission would be shut down at the end of this transfer. It has officially been passed off to Salt Lake, so Sister O'keeffe and I were the last digital missionaries here in the MBM. Initially we thought that we would stay here and serve in the Framingham ward with the elders, but President then said that we should expect to get moved... in other words he told us we were leaving. So on Tuesday we found out that we would both be leaving, so that was a little odd throughout the week to know that this would be the end, but not know where we were going. We got direction to pass off all our digital investigators to the local missionaries and the clear out our computers so they can be used for other purposes.

On Friday we had our Zone meeting. We talked about being Bold when it comes to teaching Repentance. Repentance is so important and we will always have to repent, so it's important to be bold and loving when teaching about it.We also talked about becoming a Preach My Gospel Missionary, and how important it is to follow the guidelines in that book and rely on the spirit. It was a great Zone Meeting! After Zone Meeting finished we got Transfer Texts. But Sister O'keeffe and my names never showed up... they forgot about us. After a few moments of panick, the text with our names came through. So like I said, I'm going to Glastonbury. And Sister O'keeffe is going to Worcester for her last transfer.

Saturday we had the special opportunity to go serve at the temple. We got to help with the Laundry for a few hours. Wow, these washing machines were incredible. They were huge! It was great to be in the temple and feel the spirit that is there. We ate lunch in the Cafeteria and I was able to see a lot of missionaries that were bringing their recent converts to to baptisms for the dead. It was a really neat experience. 

It was sad to say goodbye to everyone at church yesterday. This was is amazing and really supportive. Who knows, I might end up back here in Framingham! 

I am excited for this new experience and change. Everything happens for a reason! I am excited to go back "home" to Hartford!

I love you all! Have a wonderful week!

Love, Sister Egan

Sister Holt and I bought the same shirt... our where's Waldo shirt

FORTIFY

Hello Everyone! 

This week was really good! We stayed busy pretty busy which was nice! 

Wednesday was kind of a big day. We had a mission regarding the digital mission with President and Sister Miller, and the Cambridge Stake President and Bro. Orgill who is the master mind behind the digital mission and Brother Hemingway who is the Director of Proselyting for the Church, and Brother Donaldson- who is also from Salt Lake (He is on the District). The meeting was really good! We discussed the digital mission and what has been successful, and maybe what we can change. President Miller ultimately has the authority over the digital mission, and what will happen with it. So we will see- we will find out this week with transfers! Right before the meeting we were going to correlate to discuss what we were going to share in the meeting. The elders told us we were going to meet in Belmont.... so we drove up to Belmont in the pouring rain, just to find out we were going to meet in Weston. And then we hit the wonderful Boston traffic on the way to the meeting and were almost late. It was stressful, but we made it! Thanks to the break down lane! For those of you that aren't familiar with this... in Boston, it is allowed to drive in the shoulder during certain hours of the day. This was a new and interesting thing to me! But the bright side about our little trip up to Belmont- we got to see the beautiful Boston Temple!

On Thursday we had our district meeting and it was really good. After our District Meeting we scooted off to our dinner appointment. It was so much fun! We had dinner with the Trolio's. They have 2 little girls that are just adorable. They are 6 and 4. They remind me a lot of Kolby and Kory! We had a delicious dinner and then we had a fun little message with them. We call it "FORTIFY". We read the first 4 verses of Alma 50. With each verse it talks about different ways the Nephites built up their cities to protect against the Lamanites. First comes the mounds of dirt, then the timbers, then the pickets, then the towers. I have different cut outs that the kids lay down. At the end we talk about the different ways to FORTIFY our homes and protect our homes from the adversary, whether it is FHE, scripture study, going to church, tithing, praying etc. I have a testimony of family scripture study. I am so grateful for parents that really took this seriously. I will always remember sitting in our family room, taking turns reading and then discussing what we learned. It really did strengthen our home. Thanks Mom and Dad!!

I hope you have a wonderful week! Keep working hard! This week we will hear about transfers! I love you all!

Love, Sister Egan

Teaching at the Trolio's

Our Office/Closet

My Desk

Eating Lunch.  Sister Zickella's Coconut Rice and Broccoli

T25 Station

Zion

Living Room

Kitchen

Our Bedroom.  My Bed is the top right.

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