Letter #1
April 23, 2013

Lots and LOTS has happened this past week and I don't even know where to begin. I'm just going to start from the beginning!

So first of all, I got to the MTC super late as you already know because of the dumb airplane. But it was kind of worth it because I got to talk to the guy sitting next to me and we had a great discussion about religion for about 2 hours. He's Pentecostal and thought Mormonism was really interesting. I wish I had talked to him after my MTC experience because in retrospect I was SUCH a rookie. Once Grandma and Grandpa dropped me off at the MTC, Bill was waiting for me right there! He said he was about to leave but he's glad he waited for me. I got to talk to him for a little bit and he gave me a nice huge money gift...so Mom, ONE more thank you note to write haha. I got to my room and met my companion and my roommates and they are all AWESOME! My companion's name is Sister Parmer, and she's from Highland, UT. We are like best buds. The other two sisters in my district are Sister Divis (from Spokane, WA) and Sister Whiteley (Saratoga Springs, UT). They are all AWESOME. We all bonded so well together. And our district is the powerhouse district. I love them all so much! They are all such awesome elders. There's Elder Welsh (Mountain Green, UT), Elder Smith (Provo), Elder Bergan (Manchester England....so cool! And he has a kick-butt accent), Elder Johnson (Spokane), and Elder Forsyth (Canada). We are like all brothers and sisters now. Love it.

Thursday through Saturday the days just all blended together. The days were so slow yet so good! It's just basically class, eat, class, study, eat, class, study, eat haha. But I love it! Our teachers are seriously awesome. We have Brother Pickett and Brother Rasmussen. They are seriously so funny and such great teachers.

First of all, the MTC is freaking hard. Holy cow. It's awesome but SO HARD. I had a little breakdown on Saturday night and felt so down. We had had a lesson with an "investigator" earlier, and I felt like we kind of bombed it.The whole day I had just been stressing because while we were doing role plays I was just so spiritually drained. Then that evening Brother Pickett had us teach another sister in a different district. She had written on a piece of paper her main concerns in the MTC and what she was struggling with. Sister Parmer and I had like 10 minutes to prepare a lesson and ponder on what she really needed to hear. I said a long prayer beforehand asking Heavenly Father to PLEASE let the spirit guide me and help me to focus on her and what she needed to hear. Long story short, some of the things we said in the lesson she said were in her Patriarchal blessing!! So that was way neat. That definitely turned my attitude around and made me re-think my purpose as a missionary.

Today is P-Day, so we went to the Provo temple this morning and it was incredible as usual. It was especially special because it was with our district and the other district in our zone also going to Jacksonville. It's pretty crazy. I think there's a total of 20 missionaries going to Jacksonville next Tuesday along with me! It's going to be such a blast.

I honestly love it here. Even though it can be stressful sometimes, it's so worth the work. This is honestly the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life. I wish people would have told me "Be prepared to work your butt off in the MTC" rather than "Oh it's so fun!" haha. There's so much studying and relying on the spirit, it's just a lot to take in. I have already grown SO much in just under a week! I miss you all so much. I'm not sure when I'll be able to email you next, but mom keep your phone on you on tuesday so I can hopefully call you as we fly out to Atlanta!!! I love you all! Wish I could write more but we only get 30 minutes!! :( In Florida I assume it'll be an hour so I'll have a little more time to gather my thoughts.

Oh P.S. tell Grandma that I have seen Sister Dodd and Elder Bodily!! They're both in the other district in our zone :) They are such nice people!

And also I've seen John Brady and Ian Forsyth (from BYUI) It was awesome to see some familiar faces, especially since basically all Sister Parmer's high school is here haha.

Love you all! I'll write letters today while I'm doing my laundry :) The church is true!

P.S. I can't seem to attach pictures at the MTC...maybe I'm stupid or something. Just expect lots of pictures next week! <3

Love, Sister Fife

Goodbye!

I can't believe the time has finally come. Back when I got my call in December, this day seemed way too far away. Now it's just a day away. In just under 24 hours I will be set apart as a full-time missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and will devote 100% of my time and efforts into strengthening His kingdom and bringing others to Christ.

About a month ago I challenged myself to read the entire Book of Mormon before I entered the MTC. It started out as a challenge, but then I found myself not wanting to stop at just 16 pages a day. I felt a deep love for that book for the first time in my life. I'd read it several times before, but never has it meant so much to me as it does now. As I read it, I tried to read it from an investigator's point of view and it made a world of a difference. And once again without fail, as I read Moroni 10, the Spirit made it clear in my mind and in my heart that this book is true. In just a couple days I will be challenging others to read it for themselves to find out if it's true. I testify that if you ask God with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost (Moroni 10:4-5). This church is true, people! If you have not already read the Book of Mormon cover to cover, I STRONGLY encourage you to do so! It has changed my life completely.

It's so hard to believe I'm going to leave behind my family and all personal affairs to serve the Lord in just a day, but I cannot wait! I know the Lord is just waiting to bless me and the investigators I will come in contact with! I will probably be quite homesick sometimes so letters/emails would be MUCH appreciated :) My contact info is under the "Contact Info" tab, but I'll post it on here as well :)

I am so privileged to be able to send weekly emails to family AND friends! My email is jessica.fife@myldsmail.net.

And if you feel so inclined, you may send letters/packages to this address until April 30th:
Sister Jessica Ann Fife
MTC Mailbox #191
FL-JAK 0430
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793
I suggest using dearelder.com to send letters to the MTC because a) it's fast and b) it's free :)

And after April 30th, you can send all letters and packages to this address:
Sister Jessica Ann Fife
Florida Jacksonville Mission
8663 Baypine Rd Ste 102
Jacksonville, FL 32256
United States

In closing, I thought I'd share this AWESOME youtube video. It made me bawl like a baby (which is very rare:) so therefore, you must watch it. You're welcome.

Here's some recent pictures 

My mom, Thomas, and me at conference. 'Twas a wonderful experience. 

One of the many pictures from my open house. Love these two <3

My last Sunday = bittersweet. But I had to get a picture with Sister Housley!

Besties. I'm gonna miss these two :(

Goodbye everyone! See you in 18 months!

Why Did I Decide To Serve?

So since I'm new to this whole blogging thing, I thought I would post one thing just to see if I knew what I was doing! So either my mom or my sister, Miranda will be updating this blog weekly (or monthly...or daily. Or maybe yearly! Who knows...) to keep y'all updated on me and my southern adventures teaching others about the joy the gospel of Jesus Christ brings me.
So here's a little back story that about 98% of you know already. I was incredibly lucky to attend the Saturday morning session of General Conference (Oct. 2012) when the AMAZING announcement was made by our dear prophet, Thomas S. Monson, that the mission ages for girls had been lowered from 21 to 19. I had just turned 19 four days prior. It's safe to say that I almost vomited with excitement. It hit me like a full-speeding train that I needed to serve a mission. I wasn't quite sure why yet, but it just felt right. Upon my return to BYU-Idaho, I started immediately on my papers. It took a little longer to get all my papers submitted than I had hoped, but I was continually reassured by friends and family that my report date would not change regardless if my papers were submitted a couple weeks earlier than planned. After weeks of ridiculous emotional roller coasters (it was ridiculous--I'm not blessed with patience), I finally opened my call on December the 5th, 2012. It was such a fun little get-together. I had lots of friends in my apartment, as well as my whole family on Skype. When I read the call, my first thought was, "YES SOMEWHERE WARM!" I hate cold weather, and had some awful fear creeping around in my mind that I would serve in Russia or Canada or something. I knew that Florida was the place I needed to be, for more reason than one.
Of course, since my parents' recent divorce, I had wondered how this would work out or how I could leave my family behind in such a difficult time, especially when finances were not so abundant. I prayed and prayed to my Heavenly Father, pleading that I would receive confirmation that my family would be taken care of. Within the next couple weeks, I received incredibly generous tips from customers at work, and encouraging words from my Bishop and ward members. I knew that my family would be taken care of and that finances will not be a burden on my family.
I want to serve because I want others to feel the same joy and purpose I feel in my life this gospel brings me. I know it to be true, and I cannot wait to serve my Heavenly Father by bringing His children unto Him. I know it will be hard, but more importantly, I know it will be worth it. My testimony and my love for this gospel are what keep me moving forward with a bright hope.
I leave in two weeks from today and could not be more excited! Florida (and Georgia and South Carolina), here I come!