Rapids a Rollin

First full week in Cedar Rapids = PURE AWESOMENESS! :) ...yes, it is a word.  I already love it here, and so many miracles are happening!  We spent a lot of time in meetings, but were so very blessed with the work in our area.  It's amazing how Heavenly Father continues to bless us each and every day.  Something I have been trying to focus on more this week is recognizing all those little tender mercies each day...and there are so many!  His hand is in absolutely everything we do!  Even though sometimes the plans we make don't turn out...he has other things in mind and other people for us to meet and see along the way.  This was very clear in several instances this week which I will explain in a bit.  :)  Okay fine, I'll go through those first since I know you are just on the edge of your chair now... haha.  

Exhibit A - RONNIE:  We were checking up on a potential that we had found last week, but as we were walking up the sidewalk we noticed a man fixing the siding on his house and went up and talked to him for a minute.  He notices us and tells us how he is actually a member of the church, but hasn't been since he was 13 or 14.  He told us his story of growing up in the church, the falling away and just not having the desire to come back anymore...but how the missionaries always seem to find him.  We had to laugh at that because it wasn't "someone" who sent the missionaries to find him this time, but Heavenly Father did!  He has lived all around California, Arizona, and now Iowa...and no matter where he goes, the nametags find him.  It was so neat to see how we weren't there to find that potential, but to find Ronnie...the potential we originally planned on seeing wasn't even home.  

Exhibit B - JAMES:  Trying to come in contact with Fazili and Maulidi (two investigators who are extremely hard to get a hold of...)  we go to their apartment and find them outside just about to leave.  They talk to us for a minute and introduce us to their friend, James and tell us to come back in a couple hours when they would be home.  So we come back a couple hours later, and find that Fazili and Maulidi were still not home, but James was!  He sees the nametages again and proceeds to tell us that that is his church, and he was baptized in Rockford, IL last year...moved here a month ago and stopped going to church.  He said he knows he wants to come back, just didn't know where one was.  So James is another lost less-active that Heavenly Father lead us to!  He came to church yesterday, and everyone welcomed him in, got all his information, and now he's very well taken care of!...it was funny because we didn't even get a chance to talk to him because everyone else was!  Way to go 3rd ward!  :)  

Those are just two examples of how Heavenly Father had other plans for us, but I know there were MANY, and will continue to be many experiences like those.  Other highlights of the week!...

Tuesday and Thursday:  Had MLC and ZTM... I love these meetings because they help me know what I need to work on and how we cal also improve our areas.  It is always so fun to be with so many amazing missionaries...IDMM is the best! :)  These trainings were focused on were being truly converted, not just having a testimony, and virtue.  Sister Jensen talked about how we as missionaries come to the field with a testimony of the gospel, and when we go home, we are converted to the gospel.  I have definitely seen this for myself.  Before my mission, I believed the church was true, believed the Book of Mormon was true, believed that Heavenly Father had a plan for me...but now I KNOW!  I am so grateful that I have had this time to come to know, and become more and more converted each day.  It is a constant process, and something we all have to work on each and every day, but I am eternally grateful for the knowledge and understanding that I have been given while here on my mission.  I think it was Elder Anderson in this past conference talking about how we have to come to know for ourselves, and be able to defend and stand up for what we believe, because things are only going to get harder in the world.  We must be in the world, but not of the world.  

Wednesday:  We had an amazing church tour with our investigator, Michelle.  She loves art, and so we were able to talk about all the art around the building.  It was so fun to talk about all the bible and book of mormon stories displayed, and hear what she thought of them as well.  Art is amazing!  :)  We were also able to have a church tour with Jacob and Adrianna Hill (father and daughter we met last week) and Adrianna stayed for Young Womens!  She wants to go to camp and everything!  She also came to church yesterday, and during Sacrament meeting she leaned over and asked how and when she could be baptized... MIRACLES!  Her dad is super cool and wants her to be involved with good things, and he will come around too one day...his whole extended family is LDS, his uncle is even a bishop in Provo! haha.... small world.  

Thursday:  GOT TO GO TO KEOKUK!!!!!!  Halie Cain got baptized, and it was so so so amazing!!!!  Sherstin drove us to Ainsworth, where Rachael, Malissa and Halie met us and took us the rest of the way.  Man, it was such a wonderful service.  The whole family was there, and Halie was so cute!  I was asked to give a talk on baptism and used the Bleach/water/food coloring talk that my mom made me do for my cousin's baptism when I was like 7...haha.... and I was happy it worked!  anyways... the spirit was so strong, and it has been so amazing to see the spirit work within that family.  They are amazing!  After the baptism, Rachael (who was also leaving Keokuk to go back home) drove us with her sister and brother in the car back to Cedar Rapids.  Funnest car ride ever!  ...I love singing with them!  Yes I know, I am super random and scatter-brained and I'm sorry!  There's just so much I have to say!  AAAH!!!  ...and not enough time!  haha.

Friday:  We met with Melissa (the one that called us last Sunday telling us she wanted to be baptized).  It was so cool to hear her testimony and how she has come to know it is true and what she needs in her life.  We asked her the baptismal interview questions and she said she would like to be baptized as soon as possible and set her own date for May 31st!  (Fun fact: she's sitting at the computer right across from me right now...awkward? haha)  Anyways, she is awesome.  Her husband is currently in prison, but wants to be baptized when he gets out.  It's amazing how the spirit works with people!!!  Friday night we ate with the Drueggar family, who's son and grandma got baptized in April and we are still working with the daughter and parents.  They are so amazing and I love them so much already!  We also had a lesson around the bonfire with them about prayer and coming to be converted for themselves.  Missionary work is awesome!  

Okay....so that basically sums up the week.  Yesterday, I was asked to interpret for Relief Society then told that I will be interpreting the next twoSunday... oh heavens... better practice!  Heavenly Father is helping me stretch and grow that's for sure!  I love life!  :)  

I love you all, and hope you have a wonderful week!  Thanks for all you do for me!!!!

Love Always,

Sister Natalia Alston

Mission leadership council fun! #Florals 

Halie's baptism! 

Pretty tree on our walk to church

                                             

Now Riding the Cedar Rapids

BREAKING NEWS: I'M BACK WITH SISTER HILL!!!!!!!!  Exactly a year later, we get to serve together again!  What a wonderful surprise!  I am now in Cedar Rapids, IA...which is a HUGE change from Keokuk, but exactly like Iowa City (Africans and all) so I'm excited to be here!!!  It will just take a little time to get used to big buildings and lots of people again...and there's even a Target, and a Chick-Fil-A!!! hahahaha!!!  It was so hard to leave Keokuk, but there's no where else I'd rather be and no one I'd rather serve with than with Sister hill here in CR!  Funny thing is... Last Sunday in Keokuk, there was a 24 year old girl, Sherstin Anderson, who came to Keokuk from Cedar Rapids to see if she could find somewhere to live because she was going to work at the Keokuk Walmart pharmacy...and now I'm living at her house in CR!  So we kinda switched places...haha.  Brother and Sister Anderson have already taken me in as their own and I am so grateful for the love they have shared with me already..they are wonderful!!!  He's a rocket scientist and she's a professor... I LOVE THEM!  Sister Hill and I were pretty much in shock for the first couple days; well, we still are...but SO HAPPY!  It's been so amazing to see how she has changed so much in the past year.  My baby is all grown up!!!...she's going to be sick of me saying that this transfer that's for sure!  

Anways... Highlights of the week:

PAINTING THE WALL:  haha....so Shari Pena trusted me to paint a design on her bedroom wall with black paint!...and it turned out so good!  ...It was fun to "leave my mark" in Keokuk! hahaha.... and quite therapeutic! 

FRESH, RAW ASPARAGUS and HUNTED MUSHROOMS:  My new favorite things to eat. :)  So...mushroom hunting is a big deal here in Iowa, and sadly it is not possible out west...but I was finally able to eat some fresh mushrooms!  Wednesday evening we went to the Cains to say goodbye and Malissa had just picked a bunch of fresh asparagus and the kids had gone mushroom hunting...so we just sat there and ate probably a whole (bush?) of asparagus raw.  Rachael had me try it mom...I loved asparagus anyway, but it's so good RAW!!!  Ditch weed, as my mother calls it.  haha... she hates the stuff.  We had a fun 10 commandments lesson with them, took some pictures, got stuck in Mason's little tent...and said goodbye.  :(  

TRANSFERS:  Pretty sure this was the hardest transfer meeting to sit through yet... I guess I haven't really been to THAT many.  But I just wanted to know where I was going and who I would be with...and who was going to Keokuk! haha.  The talks were both really good, but I was just super anxious and couldn't sit still.  By the time they got to the Cedar Rapids zone I had a pretty good feeling and when they called Sister Hill and I we both were kind of expecting it, but not at the same time.  Keokuk is always one of the last to be called... so we knew by that time who it would be...and SISTER BARKER (who also went to Brighton) is now in Keokuk and will do so great!  It's amazing because some of the people in Keokuk already to Sister Barker because she came on exchanges with us when she was serving in Quincy!  Heavenly Father is a genius.....just so you know.  :)  After transfer meeting, find out that RACHAEL PASSED NURSING SCHOOL and got to say goodbye to the Salyers one more time over the phone... then we were off to CR!  Stopped for lunch at a place called "Maid-rites", dropped stuff off at home, and we were off to work!  

CHRISTINA AND JOSE: Sister Hill had had a feeling to knock some apartments, and we had about 20 minutes left in the day.  We say a prayer in the car, and knock on the first door and no one answers.  Hear some kids crying in the door across and debate whether or not to knock...so we do...and Christina answers!  She was so nice and told us she wants us to come back this week. Introduced us to her 3 little kids and husband, and seems super solid!  Amazing!!!  

JACOB AND ADRIANNA:  We met Jacob and Adrianna, who were potentials, and found out that Jacobs whole family is Mormon, and one of his uncles had just emailed him 30 minutes prior to us knocking on his door and asked if he was going to church!  ...we are so excited to work with him.  His daughter, Adrianna, is 12 years old, an amazing artist...and we are excited to get her involved with the young women.  

MELISSA:  Last night, we got a phone call, while I was skyping my family, haha.... and it was a former investigator who had met with the sisters a few months back.  She called and said how she had moved, has been talking to her husband (who learned about the church in prison and is getting out soon and wants to be baptized when he can) and how she is ready to be baptized and wants to do it as soon as possible and get more involved with church again.  It was so cool!!!!  MIRACLES!!!  

SIGN LANGUAGE:  The Cedar Rapids 3rd ward has a deaf couple, and one of the interpreters is moving soon.  They were so happy to find out I could sign...and man...they are just going to put me to work!  ...now I just need to study up and refresh my signing!...but it's amazing to see how Heavenly Father has already showed me a big reason why he needs me here at this time!  

KEOKUK SISTERS CALLED: Last night, also...we got a call from the Keokuk sisters telling us that Halie Cain is getting baptized on Thursday!!!!!  Malissa took the phone and told me I better be there... so I called president and got it approved to go!!!  ANOTHER MIRACLE!  Oh! and they also told me that Charley Scudder came to church!  He told us as soon as he got his truck back he would start coming...and he kept his promise! Wow... I am so grateful to know that Keokuk is just going to keep on exploding and seeing miracles.  President told me he knows that there will be several baptisms there, and I need to pick and choose which ones I want to/need to be at...but so grateful he's letting me go on Thursday.

There's so much more I could say, as always.....but it was so so so good to "hang out" with my family last night for Mother's Day on Skype.  It's always so much to see them and hear from them and know that they are doing well.  It's crazy to think that the next time I talk to them will be in person!  I am so grateful Heavenly Father knows me so perfectly.  He knows that my work in Keokuk was done, that I am needed and need to be here in Cedar Rapids with Sister Hill, with the Andersons, and with this ward... I know He hears every one of our prayers.  I know the Atonement is real.  I know that He has a specific plan for each one of us.  The church is true.  The book is blue...and true. ;)  ...and I love you all!!!!

HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK!  

Love Always,

Sister Natalia Alston

The Anderson Clan

Chris didn't want to let go : (

Our little Alice

Having fun at Grandma Alice's 

Phoenix

yours truly : )

so much fun

mushrooms anyone? 

Andrew! 

Shari trusted me to paint with black on her wall!! 

The Robbins clan

JJ

Nellie 

Donnie 

I love the Penas!!! 

Mason wanted me to get in the tent 

The Cain clan 

funnies 

Ry Ry Brumble  : ) 

poor Sister Hill...got stuck with MAMA A AGAIN! 

Keokuk district temple day