I think I forgot something last week :)

I may have just completely forgotten to mention something last week. OOPS

GABRIEL and SAQUARIA SUBIA'S Baptism:) 

It has been quite the week, We had so much to do with preparation for the Subia's baptsim. We have been teaching them for about a month and they made it to their scheduled date! Their father who has now been a convert for 2 years was able to baptize his children. It was BEAUTIFUL. I loved having the opportunity to walk back there to help Saquaria into the font and watch her father baptize her. As tears filled his eyes he was able to perform this sacred ordinance for his children. It was so special to see him and his children all in white, the only way that I can describe it would be breath taking. Literally:) 

I was able to learn a really neat principal this past week. We cannot expect to be "spoon fed" everything thing in this life. That was not Heavenly Fathers plan at all. He has granted us with agency and expects us to us it righteously. To be "spoon fed" was the adversarys idea.. let us not go down that path. We are to make correct decisions.. because they truly do determine our destiny:) Let us rely on our daily and personal study of the scriptures and personal prayer to give us the strength in which we need:)  

BEST SUNDAY EVER:) 

I have no idea why or how but these past 8 weeks have been the best weeks:) We have been busy which always makes missionaries happy, we have a wonderful ward and great people that we are teaching and we have continued to find more and more people who are eager to learn. As we are as obedient as we can be the Lord has blessed us in so many ways. When you truly love the work, your area and our companion, things work out. That doesn't mean that it is easy by any means, we still have challenges and trials that arise, but we are able to face them with courage and faith. LOTS of faith. A while back i think i mentioned that the gospel was not weight but that it was wings... TRUE statement... but we have to move and do SOMETHING with our "wings" in order to fly. It takes work and determination and DILIGENCE.. and patience;) oh how i love being able to stretch and give everything that i possibly can. 

on to the best Sunday ever! he subias confirmation, we got to speak in church and while we were up on the stand our investigators kept walking in!!! ahhhh MIRACLES:) they truly do happen. IT was amazing! 

The Mudliars came to church.. we have been trying to get these ids to church for weeks and it FINALLY HAPPENED!:) 

I love love love the gospel and how we have the potential to always become and how we can change. That is what the gospel is all about. CHANGE:) 

"we are all accountable to Him for our lives, our choices, our actions, and even our thoughts. because he redeemed us from the fall our lives are in reality HIS" This reminds me of when Elder Bednar came to our mission.. oh yeah i had only been a missionary for a couple days, but i remember him saying this... "you gave up your agency a long time ago when you made that promise at baptism" HE is the one who we want to become like an he is the one we want to make proud. Let us all try a little harder to be a little kinder, just as the Savior. 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU ALL!

thank you for all the countless prayers and encouraging words:) 

Love, 

Sister Norton:) 

faith, faith, faith...and SEAHAWKS...again!

FUN FACT: we went to BOEING on Monday. Did you know they have a building there that  Disneyland can fit inside of. It is crazy BIG there and it was a blast.. oh the airplanes. "I love JET noise" It's a Washington thing. Also over 41,000 people work there. 

As for the Seahawks. Can you believe it. They made it to the SUPERBOWL again. The state of Washington just may blow up if they win AGAIN. Everyone is crazy here about the Seahawks...what a memory.:)

 This week was AMAZING! We have been so so so so blessed. We really put our faith and trust in the Lord and we were blessed beyond belief i couldn't believe everything that began to happen to us.

Example: We were out biking one day and we stopped to talk to this man.. turned out he was a member but hadn't been to church in a very long time, he told us he would pay for our lunch so we went and had one of the most wonderful experiences talking about the power of gods love for each and everyone of us. ITS TRUE. We are children of God and he loves us so so so MUCH. 

another one is we had another powerful lesson with a family that we are teaching! i wish i could explain more, you just have to be there to feel the spirit that is in that home. Its powerful. 

another: we were able to get 5 of our investigators to a baptism this week and it got a little stressful then Sister Johnson and I had to go on splits for a while.. I walked into the baptism with a couple of our investigators and "my replacement of a companion for the meantime", then other missionaries weren't so sure what to do with me because i told them i left Sister Johnson at home.. OOOOPS. You just had to see their faces. Priceless. I LOVE BEING a missionary!:) 

MY testimony is this. FAITH! FAITH FAITH!! Not only do we need to Believe in and have Faith in Jesus Christ but we need to BELIEVE HIM. " Ask and ye shall receive". That has seemed to be the common theme for us this past week. We have put our faith and trust in the Lord and have been able to see miracle after miracle. I believe Jesus Christ is the way.. and i believe that we will one day meet our maker and stand before Him. I love love love the Book of Mormon and I know that it is true. It testifies of Christ and it will strengthen our testimony of Him if we read it. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is real and we must have Faith that it can carry us. The gospel is true. Missionary work is fulfilling. I love Everett.

Then in a moment to my view

The stranger started from disguise.

The tokens in his hands I knew;

The Savior stood before mine eyes.

He spake, and my poor name he named,

"Of me thou hast not been ashamed.

These deeds shall thy memorial be;

Fear not, thou didst them unto me."

I wanted to end with this. For some reason this verse in this song always gets to me. He knows us by name, he is not ashamed of us. Let us all try to be a little better this week by serving our fellowmen and becoming more and more like the Savior. 

" Choose to be a disciple, Choose to be a SAINT"

love love love you ALL! 

Love, 
Sister Norton

Oh the cultures in Washington...:)

wowowowowowowow WHAT A WEEEEK! 

time is just flying by and I can't believe that it is already Monday again. HAPPY first day of the week:)

 I first wanted to start out with a scripture found in the Book of Mormon. Heavenly Father is so good to me. There is a God and he does love us so much. His love is always there for us and I truly felt it this week. So many questions that I had were answered simply by my study in the scriptures. As i was reading this week I came across one of my favorite.. parts in the Book of Mormon. It is found in Alma and Ammon is rejoicing in the many people that he has been blessed to help bring into the light of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

ALMA 26
15 Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.

 16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.

There are a couple of things that I LOVE about this scripture.

1. HE recognizes that it is HIS work meaning the Lords and that it has only been because of HIM that he is able to have so much JOY.

2. He knows that he is simply just an instrument in the work of the Lord and that the work he did was so GREAT

3. He then goes on to glory, but he glories not in himself but in the Lord, and he promises to praise him forever. 

Ammon is a great missionary. One that i think we can all strive to become like. He knows who he trust and he is a great example of willing doing exactly what the Lord wants him to do with an obedient and cheerful heart. He is HUMBLE. I love the last part. He tells us that he cannot begin to say the smallest part of which he feels. He is right. 

I truly cannot begin to tell you all how grateful and happy i truly am in this work! I love love love it. I feel just as Ammon does. I can't begin to tell you the smallest part of which i feel because if i did i would just begin to run out of time:) 

Quick week in review: 

Found a family that is from the Marshall Islands:) They are so awesome and so willing to hear the gospel. They have a 16 year old daughter. The funny story was this.. One time my companion told me she hated fish... and hated sushi. Then one time we were fed raw fish:) We both looked at each other and i began to wonder.. hmmmmmmmmmm how is this going to work... i quickly finished  mine and my companion and without even looking a eachoher switched bowls. It really pays off when you and your companion work together in UNITY:) 

I just want you all to know. God lives. His plan is wonderful and perfect. He has given us EVERYTHING that we need to return to live with him again. Let us be obedient to his commandments that allow us to be free. He will bless us. His blessings are always there. It is up to us if we want them or not. I love love love you:) 

thank you for the countless..... EVERYTHING! 

oh yeah...

p.s. TRANSFERS. Sister Johnson and I are both staying!:) 

love, 

Sister Norton:) 

2015!

Where oh where has the time gone. It seems to me like I was just in my first area with my trainer in Lake Stevens. So many wonderful memories there. It was so crazy this week to look back on the past year and to think about 2014 of me being in Washington on a mission. I still have those moments where I have to really stop and think to myself... "wow is this real?! am i really a missionary" oh i just love every moment out here. The lord has blessed me in so many ways and I have been able to see the power of the gospel in action. The statement is true... The Gospel Truly Blesses Families. There is a family that we have been able to teach and every time we go over it is a wonderful experience. This week another one of their daughters joined us which was a tender mercy from the Lord. I have been thinking a lot about the whys to missionary work and why missionaries really go on missions. They go on missions to help their brothers and sisters have a better understanding of who Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ truly are, to help them understand that there is a way to receive peace and happiness and that is only through the gospel. Then after all of that and after you do those things in the end you become changed and you become truly converted to the gospel. You begin to understand why you love the gospel so much, you begin to feel the saviors love not only for yourself but for so many others. When you dedicate yourself to the work of salvation and you give everything that you possibly can you in return gain so much more. I love this work. I love it and i know that it is true. Just as we learn in the scriptures.. without charity we are nothing. Developing Charity is a LIFE long pursuit and it is something we should always be doing. I love when people grasp on to the idea that there really is a God and that he really is their father and he really loves them. Last night Sister Johnson and I randomly in one of our lessons felt like we should read a story in the Book of Mormon to a family. IN Alma 18 we read of a story about a missionary named Ammon and how he teaches King Lamoni about the gospel.. get this... we acted it out. OH it was so fun but after it we were all able to have a better understanding of who God was. 

With all that being said..:) I just sort of rambled on... Life is great! Washington is beautiful and we are so blessed here in Everett. We got to ride the Ferry on New Years day because we got he rest of our Pday. It was a picture perfect day. WE live in such a beautiful state. I feel SO LUCKY! The ride to the island was so beautiful and so peaceful. 

I love you all. I love the gospel and i know it is the way for us to gain Salvation. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! this is such a wonderful time to reevaluate ourselves and see where we are really at and see how we can improve because we each can. Set some goals and make some plans o achieve them and i will do the same, with the lords help we can do hard things! \

Love, 

Sister Norton:)