I Love the Temple

Getting Artsy!

 We got to take Rene and Alexis (Recent Converts) to the temple to do baptisms! It was an awesome experience! I love the temple! 

District Selfie... with the STL's after we got Transfer Texts! 

 I went on exchanges back in Avon this week. It was SO great to see everyone! I got to take a picture with Laurie! She is working hard at getting ready to go to the Hartford Temple! 

We can't forget about the cottage! 

Pretty Good Week

Hello Everyone! 

This week will be pretty short! We had a pretty good week this week. It went by way too fast! 

Some highlights! We met with some of our Recent Converts. They never cease to amaze me with their testimonies. We met with Alexis and we talked about Agency. She seemed to really enjoy it! Later that same day we met with Rene. I love this woman! Her testimony and faith blow me away. she is going through so much in her life, and she continues to remain positive! With her we shared Alma 46 and Alma 48 and talked about Captain Moroni. She just soaked it up! 

We had a lesson with our Investigator, Juli. She is great! She has a true desire to learn and gain her own testimony. It has been awesome to her progress so far. We really look forward to continue to teach her! 

On Sunday Sister Ross and I spoke in Sacrament meeting. Both of us were asked to speak on the Restoration. Sister Ross focused on the story and I focused on the application. I talked about how we can pray to know for ourselves. I know that Heavenly Father does hear and answer our prayers. Without this knowledge, I would not be on a mission. I am grateful that Joseph Smith prayed to know. Without his question and his willingness to pray- I would not be where I am today. We also went to a fireside about the Hartford Temple. I am so excited for the open house in September! 

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Love you all! 

Love, Sister Egan

 

Before

After

Hello!

Hello Everyone! 

This week was really good! We stayed super busy and were exhausted each night we came home. On Tuesday we had a really good lesson with our Recent Convert, Rene. She is so inspiring. I met her when I came to Glastonbury on exchanges while I was serving in Avon, and it has been so much fun being able to meet with her each week and see her progression and how much her testimony has grown. Later that evening we had a lesson with our investigator, Juli. Juli is great! She is truly searching and wants to find the truth. She is pretty familiar with the church, but right now we are working with her on living the Word of Wisdom. We also committed her to pray to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet. She gave the closing prayer to our lesson, and it was super powerful! 

On Wednesday night we taught a mission prep activity for the Young Men in our ward. I think it went really well! The YM President asked us to share about what we felt like we wish we would have known before we came out on missions. So we focused on Preach My Gospel. Before my mission, I didn't really use it, or really know what it is used for. But now I use it everyday! 

On Friday we had zone meeting which was really good! One of the members from the High Council here in the stake came and talked to us on how we can build trust and relationships with the ward. We learned a lot! That night we went to our ward talent show. This ward is awesome! I was laughing so hard! I also realized that I am completely out of the loop as a missionary! There were a lot of songs that I had never heard before! Everyone thought it was crazy that I hadn't heard "Hello" by Adele. It was a pretty good song though haha. 

On Saturday we helped out at the Stake Activity Days activity. It was really fun! They had a session where the girls could ask us questions about missionary life. We got some pretty funny questions.... like if I have a fiance waiting for me back at home.... nope! That night we got a call from one of our ward members. Their family was going out of town and the person that was supposed to feed their dogs cancelled and couldn't do it that night and Sunday morning. So they asked if we could do it. Since we just got trained on building trust with our members we thought that this would be a good place to start.... Well we got there and it took us a little bit to figure everything out. And then the note that they left said that we needed to take them on a little walk. So we did. Then the dogs pooped.... and we had to pick it up in those little baggies... well Sister Ross picked it up. For anyone that knows me, I couldn't do it. It was the grossest thing to me. Luckily Sister Ross is awesome and she did it! But I definitely learned that I will never own a dog. 

On Sunday 2 of our Recent Converts got the Priesthood. That was awesome! I am so happy for them! They did some family history and are all ready to go for our Temple Trip on the 23rd! I am so excited for them to go to the temple and to witness the spirit that is felt in the house of the Lord! Life is good here in Glastonbury! Thank you for all the love and support! I really appreciate it! 

Love, Sister Egan

Sister Ross and I

 I wore my goodwill dress and my rain boots- I totally looked like a grandma going out to work in her garden... we had to run into the dollar store and I thought this hat went nicely with my outfit. #thefieldiswhitealreadytoharvest 

Volunteering at the Blood Drive

I Love Conference

Hello Everyone! 

This week was really good! It flew by! So many great things happened and Sister Ross and I were able to witness many miracles this week. It was awesome! 

On of the highlights of the week was doing a PVC tour in Hartford. This was one of my favorite things while I was serving in Avon, and it was so fun to be able to do it again now that I am back in the Hartford Zone. Sister Ross and I were able to talk with a lot of people and pass out many copies of the Book of Mormon! I love being apart of something so unique and different here in this mission! 

And then of course General Conference. Wow. It was truly amazing! It is really inspired! I learned so much! 

I loved Elder Renlund's talk. One of my favorite parts was when he said, "Drawing near to the Savior causes us to change". As we continue to Act in Faith and Remember Him, we will be able to become more like Him. I also really liked that he said, "He is always nearby". I have a testimony of that. I can feel it everyday as I am teaching and talking to people. His love for each and every one of us is infinite and eternal. He really wants us to be happy! And He is there for us when life is good and when life is hard.

Elder Holland concluded conference very well. I loved his talk! "The Lord blesses those who want to improve and strive to do so". As Elder Holland discussed, we always have tomorrow. As we continue on the path of discipleship we will be able to be the people Heavenly Father want us to be. Heaven is cheering us on! And as we strive to live the gospel everyday of our lives, each day will be magnificent! What an amazing promise that is! 

President Monson's talk was brief but powerful. I loved it! Let us always choose the harder right rather than the easier wrong. The harder right will always bring greater blessings. I have a testimony of this principle. Missions are hard. I can honestly say that my mission has been the most difficult experience of my life, but I am so grateful for this experience. I can't imagine living my life without serving a mission. I love being a missionary! 

I am so happy that we were able to listen to the words of our dear prophet and his apostles this weekend. It was a marvelous experience! Thank you for all your love and support! I hope you all have a Wicked Awesome week! 

Love, Sister Egan 

It's So Windy!

It Snowed!

8 months

 The April Fools Joke we played on the Elders in our district! It was so funny! They weren’t too thrilled to find an empty box! 

Happy Easter

What a week! This week was long, but so good. It was full of many miracles! 

On Wednesday we were on exchanges with the STL's. The Avon Sisters both came to Glastonbury to Blitz our Area. It went really well. I was with Sister Allen in the morning. It was fun to be back with my previous companion! And then we swapped at lunch and I was with Sister Lybbert. She is from Moses Lake and it turns out we actually know some of the same people! Small world! We were able to contact and visit a lot of Less Actives. It was really fun! I learned a lot from Sister Lybbert. She is a great missionary! You can tell how much she loves being a missionary by how she treats others around her. She is so Christlike! 

On Thursday we left at 9:30 to go do service for a couple here in Glastonbury. We got out to the car and Sister Ross called out to me, "Sister! Did you put all this stuff here?" I was so confused, so I walked up to the car and all our stuff from the console and glove compartment was all over our seats! Someone broke into our car! They only took our gas card, which was good. My GPS was still there- it is a blessing that they left that because we have no idea how to get anywhere! So we got everything sorted out with the mission and the gas card and such. Then we went to service. We were helping out with yard work and then we told Bill and Joyce what happened and they called the police for us. Then the police came and we had to talk to them. It turns out that we were one of 20 cars that got broken into that night. So after that fiasco we went to the Stake Center to have interviews with President Miller. During the time we were there we had training by the Zone Leaders and STL's. Interviews went really long and then we got stuck in Hartford traffic on the way home. We witnessed a pretty bad car crash. Wow, what a day! 

On Friday we had our District Meeting. I gave the training on recognizing the spirit. It went really well. I have been reflecting a lot on how close I feel to the spirit. As a missionary, I am able to be in this environment that allows me to feel the spirit. It is awesome! After District Meeting we helped Sister Steiner in our ward decorate for her annual Easter Party. 

On Saturday we were so busy! So many great things happened! We had a member lesson in the morning and then we went to Sister Steiner's Easter party. That was a lot of fun! There were a lot of nonmembers so we were able to talk with them. Then we went to stop by our Media Referral, April. She ordered a Book of Mormon! So we went and delivered that. She invited us in and we were able to teach her more about it. April is from Ghana. She is SO excited to learn more! It was amazing to feel the spirit in her home as we testified of the truthfulness of our message. She is searching for the truth and wants our help to find it. So April is one of our new investigators! That night we went to the General Women's Broadcast. That was awesome! I loved the focus on service. Sister Ross and I were just talking about how we need to work on being more service oriented. So it was perfect! 

Sunday was great! We had a wonderful Easter! Earlier this week we tried getting in contact with some former investigators. Juli lost contact with the church and when we called her, she invited herself to church! Miracle! So she brought her and her daughter to church! Church went really well and we think that Juli really liked it. Sister Ross and I taught Gospel Principles. The lesson was on obedience. It went really well! I just love church! We have a great ward here! 

It was a wonderful Easter. I am so grateful for this holiday! That we get to celebrate and remember the resurrection of our Savior. The Atonement and Resurrection of our Savior is an amazing thing. We could not do anything without it. I am grateful that He knows what I am going through. He has felt it all. It is an amazing thing. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! 

I am looking forward to General Conference this week! It feels like I was just watching conference! So exciting! 

Thank you for all the love and support! 

Love, Sister Egan

A lot of car pics

Happy Easter

Hartford Traffic

Transfers with Sister Lybbert (from Moses Lake, WA)

Yard Work

Fortress at Bill and Joyce's 

Where to Start

Hello Everyone! 

Trying to explain this week is like trying to explain Jacob chapter 5. 

So many things happened and I don't really know where to start. We had a lot of appointments set up this week that were awesome! It has been so fun getting to know people in the ward. On Tuesday- we had a great lesson with our Recent Convert Alexis. She is amazing! She is 19 and loves the church. We taught about love and forgiveness because that is something she has been struggling with lately. We had some other good lessons with some Less Actives later that day. For dinner we had Corned Beef and Cabbage to get into the St. Paddy's day mood! It was delicious! One of my favorite meals haha. 

On Wednesday we were so busy! We had an appointment with a Less Active woman (Sister Paine). Sister Ross and I were both nervous for it. She had banned missionaries from her house 9 months ago because of an experience she had. But we were somehow able to set up the appointment... she tried to cancel but she said I sounded too nice on the phone. We went over and it actually went better than we expected. She fed us lunch and we were able to share a message with her. Then she "adopted" us as her daughters. And she gave us nicknames... I am Sister Giggles and Sister Ross is Sister Dingbattess. And we are going over for dinner this week. Later that day we had a couple really good lessons. And we were able to go street contacting in East Hartford. Wow. We meet the craziest people there. We met this man named, Rossi. Man, he has very colorful language. But we were able to give him a Book of Mormon, and a card with our number on it. He called us 20 minutes later and said he would be at church on Sunday. Then he called again, and told us once more that he would be there. During that conversation I told him that if he was going to come to church, he had to watch his language. He said he would. 

We had a great St. Patrick's day! We were able to do service in the morning for a couple that lives here in Glastonbury. They are awesome! They aren't members, but they love missionaries and provide a lot of service for us to do. That night we had more corned beef and cabbage. Yumm! 

The rest of the week was a little crazy. We had a lot of appointments and stayed really busy. Right now we are working really hard at finding people to teach. It has been a lot of fun here in Glastonbury and I am excited to be here! 

One scripture that we have been using a lot is 3 Nephi 11: 11. 

And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

This is the time of year that we are able to celebrate and reflect on everything that our Savior has done for us. He has taken upon him our sins and our sadness, that we might be able to be more like Him. The Atonement is such a personal and enabling thing. He suffered for us individually. It's incredible. 

In verse 15 it says, "And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come."

Jesus allowed each of them to feel His the nail prints in His hands and feet. This just shows how personal His sacrifice was. I love my savior. I am grateful for this time of year to celebrate His Resurrection. 

Thank you all for the love and support! I love this gospel and I love being a missionary! I hope you all have a good week! Love ya!

Love, Sister Egan

Got 2 inches of Snow today!

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!