All is well

It has been another great week in Toronto. I have some fun moments to share. I'll start with two funny ones. We were tracting in an apartment building and two young girls from Africa were jump roping. They just had one rope so they were jumping together.. it was pretty impressive. They asked us a lot of questions about God and followed us down the hall and we could hear them saying lets do our routine for them and so they did some tricks. It made me miss being little and playing. We were on the 2nd to last door and one of the girls said, "wow no one really wants to listen to you, that's pretty rude, I mean Jesus saved them." I wish we just taught kids sometimes.. they understand so much more than adults. They made it a point to make sure we knew that they liked talking to us. They made tracting really fun. Another story we were teaching a family and they can get pretty load. we were doing a lesson about how everyone needs the gospel where ever they are from and I was trying to get things on track and I loudly said everyone needs the garbage instead of everyone need the gospel... well so much for trying to calm everyone down. I still can't figure out where the word garbage came from. My brain is struggling a little. Like the other day I had written that we had an appointment with someone named Tintu but I could not find his information ANYWHERE! We never figured it out and I was distraught that I had dropped the ball on that one. Well after a teaching appointment we were waiting for the elevator and out walks a man and he was like hey how are you and neither of us recognized him but guess what it was Tintu!! We were so happy and got his information again and it was awesome. I love all the little miracles we experience everyday! The people we are teaching right now are so prepared it's amazing. The members are involved and they love church it's so great. We have investigators paying tithing and wanting to be missionary's and they aren't even baptized yet.. this area is really blessed right now. We had 5 investigators at church and it wasn't even that stressful because every time I looked someone was talking to them making them feel welcome. It's getting close to the east and west combination of the mission which is really weird. Although at first I was a little unsure if I could make it another six weeks I'm really grateful to have another transfer. It's weird that I would be coming home in just a couple weeks. I really do love being a missionary. I have learned so much. I wanted to share a quote I read by Elder Holland, " If there is anyone in the room who thinks this experience is not easy, welcome to the Church. Welcome to the gospel. Welcome to the life of the Apostles and Prophets. Welcome to the life of the Savior, who knows quite a bit about cups from which one does not want to drink, and paths that one does not particularly want to walk....I have come to this conclusion: salvation is not an easy experience. IT was never meant to be easy, and it never has been easy. It was not easy or painless for the Son of God himself, of whom you are to testify. And if i am going to be His missionary, if I'm going to declare His truth and His church, I cannot ask to avoid completely the pain that He felt or the tears that He shed, or the sorrow that He saw.... I'm asking you, as I ask myself, not to ask to get by without paying at least some little piece of that price." This quote brought a lot of perspective to me and a lot of peace. It's OK for things to be hard because that's part of the plan. We just have to knuckle down and do it and not ask to not have to. I'm so grateful to all the wonderful examples I have of others who have payed a little of that price and not complained about it. I'm so thankful for my Savior for showing me that all things can be overcome... not always avoided but always overcome through Him. I love you all. Have a great day! love me

I'm not sure what to write cause I have so many feelings!

My heart is in a lot of places today. I got the picture of mom's headstone and it's just.... well i can't describe it. A big mixture of gratitude and grief. We had a wonderful Sunday.. a family we are teaching came to church and they had such a great time and are really feeling the spirit. We were elated on Sunday. Yesterday we taught a man who has had such a broken life...so much bad and drugs and violence... he is so paranoid and he wants so much to change and be better. He bawled... We sang Be Still my Soul with him... I was the only one singing most of the time. I was feeling so much for him but I just couldn't cry and as I sang I have so much confidence in those words and that his soul really can have peace through the Atonement. He has a long way to go but I know it's possible. We had some other pretty heavy appointments yesterday so it was a heavy day. Thus is missionary work and life. It's like the weather sunny one minute and down pouring the next. That's how the weather was yesterday. I'm grateful for the consistency of the gospel no matter what circumstances may be. I am elated to hear Mel and Mike's little one made it safely and I am just thrilled at the idea of having such a little one to hold when I come home. I was amazed by a see through fish I saw yesterday. There are just so many cool things that have been created. I read a great talk by Elder Holland and he said that no one can promise heroic results for our efforts but we can all pledge to give a heroic effort. I liked that. He said that no one in the church or in heaven will ever expect more than your best from you.. so don't worry about being like others.. just be the best you. I read another quote that said, " Don't try to be different. Be good. Being good is different enough." that is true. I've met people on my mission who barely now what good is and it's amazing to see what effect coming to church and meeting so many good people has on them. I am so blessed to have had soooooooooooo much good. I still wonder why I've been so blessed sometimes but I have faith everything will be made right and that those who have had less will have everything made up for them. We had a really great week last week.. the members are getting a lot more involved and it's wonderful. It makes such a difference. Hey this is a weird random side note. The other night I woke up with this horrible charley horse in my calf... i almost woke my companion up but I made it through... anyway the next morning I saw a bruise there... I have never had one of those give me a bruise. I thought that was really weird. Anyway. I see and hear and feel and touch and smell so many things everyday. Being a missionary can sometimes be a sensory overload but I really love it and all the experiences we have. It's the best. I love you all so much and thank you again for all that you do and have done for me! This is a really all over the place email!


Love me

Happy to be a missonary

We have had a really great week. So many blessings and gifts in finding and teaching some really cool people. We are blessed. I don't have too much time. I cut myself with a coconut this week.. the shell is really sharp. I have a lot of really great quotes i want to share.




" The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry , I prefer to laugh, crying gives me a headache." Sister Hinckley

"Doubters do no achieve." Pres. Hinckley

"Don't be afraid to go out on a limb, that's where the fruit is."

"The Blessing of bringing others into the gospel far outweighs anything you will ever sacrifice." Sid Going

"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did!" Newt Gingrich

" Consider the postage stamp: It's usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there." Josh Billings



I love quotes I think they are empowering. Well my dear family and friends I love the gospel I love being a missionary I love spring I love the blossoms on the trees I love so much and I'm so grateful for that! I hope you are all well. Today Laurie sent me pictures of her at my mission office and my chapel and they went to the zoo which is in my area... sooooooo crazy! It's weird that this is a real place in the world that people I know actually could come to.. sometimes i feel like I'm on a different planet or something. You want to know what my favorite word people use sometimes when we ask them how they feel about the restoration is.... excited. It is exciting. We live in an exciting time and we have exciting news to share with the world. I love you all! Have great day!

Love me

(Last weeks) I have been blessed (May 9th email)

Throughout this week and the many many feelings I've had it always comes back to how blessed I am. This sweet sister last night at the mothers day fireside said she was born while her mom was in prison and that soon after her mom took her own life. Hearing things like that just puts things in perspective so fast. I was born to a very wonderful mom and had her to love and comfort and teach me as I grew and although I'm heartbroken at the what could have beens if she was still here I'm just so grateful for what I've had with my mom and what is promised in eternity. Mothers mean so much to me and being a mother is my greatest dream. I think of the wonderful women in my life and how they've mothered me and set such great examples and I'm just so thankful. So so so thankful. It was so great to talk to you all yesterday. Hearing your voices was so refreshing. I decided to attach some random pictures one of which is me in a bush trying to pick out the garbage, another is of the way we tried to trap the mouse in the closet thing, there are a bunch of holes for ventilation that we to cover but not block. then the next is the hole the mouse chewed through my towel.. disturbing eh? and then there is one of a plaque at my mission presidents house that I really like. It's so true. The gospel is true. I love all of you!  be safe and be grateful. love me

Hello again

Still no mice in the traps but we haven't seen any for a week. We had a funny experience last night. We live in a basement apartment and we have to walk down these stairs by the side of the house so I started down them and then at the bottom I saw this huge raccoon ( I think it's the same one) Blocking the way we had a stare down... we weren't sure what to do so we went and sat in the car. our district leader called and we gave him our numbers and he just said to scare the raccoon but it's impossible to scare that thing and we hear they are really mean. We had to end up knocking on the door and asking if we could go through the house. Our landlord is pretty funny he was like don't you know all you have to do is politely ask it to move and it will.. we've trained it like that. He's going to talk to the neighbor about not leaving the food bin out. We had a good week. We had a couple days where nothing worked out and a couple days where everything worked out and then some in between days. We are teaching a family from Jamaica a mom and her three kids and they are wonderful but didn't come to church again.. man that hurts. We have also met a family from Haiti and two families from India. It's wonderful to teach families but hard to get them to church! Missionary work is the best. The other day I went to call someone who was baptized last year and his name is Kevin so I just found the contact in the phone and called it. It didn't sound like the Kevin I knew so I asked for Kevin and he was like this is Kevin and I was like no it's not.. I then spent a minute telling this man that he didn't sound like Kevin so he couldn't be Kevin.. I finally realized it was a different Kevin that hasn't been to church in a long time. We had a good laugh about it in the end but I was pretty embarrassed. I am so grateful for all the experiences I've had- the awkward, wonderful, weird, enlightening, tiring, exciting, sad, happy, frustrating, peaceful moments as a missionary. I love it. I'm grateful for all you. I know that this gospel is true!


Love Sister Savage

Oh and happy birthday Barbara ( you're one of the lucky ones I actually remember in time to include in my email:) I'm sorry I don't remember more often for all of those that I forgot to wish A happy birthday I love you all!