The Washington Tacoma Mission- American Lake

My third area was located in Lakewood, Washington, more specifically, on Joint-Base Lewis McChord, home to an Army and Air Force base. I served in the American Lake ward from December 2013-August 2014 (4 transfers and the longest I've spent in one area on my mission). I can honestly say that this was my hardest area, as the work was slow and many of the people hardened and anti-Mormon. But I learned SO much on and surrounding American Lake and the military base (random fact: each of the areas on my mission had a lake in it. Cool, huh?)! American Lake was my refiner's fire, and there were lessons that I learned there and people that I met that I would never trade. 

If you would like to learn more about what full-time missionaries do, please visit this link to learn all about LDS missionaries.

If you are a young woman reading this and are wondering if you should serve a full-time mission, visit this link and PLEASE contact me (see About/Contact Me). I would love to talk with you!

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 “My life has flavor and color and meaning because of the Atonement” -Brother Nash

My four transfers in American Lake were a time of refining. My seventh transfer can be described as nothing less than SACRED. People that were desirous to change were coming out of the woodwork, and there has never been a busier time in my mission. My second week of the transfer, Sister Esplin and I knocked into David and Tina, who at first, seemed like flaky potentials, but turned out to be two of the most elect people that I have ever met. The first night that we met with David and Tina, the Spirit was the strongest that I have ever felt. It seemed to be guiding our every word, and by the end of our visit, both were on-date. Tina handed us her cigarettes and other drugs, and they began reading and praying together as a family. They bought wedding rings before we even taught them the law of chastity. Sister Esplin and gave our all, teaching them daily and involving members in every appointment. Despite all odds, they really were going to be baptized. Every lesson with them was a miracle. And then, David made the decision to turn away from the Spirit that he had felt. The last time that I saw David and Tina, he slammed the door in my face. We were crushed. And I was backed up against my wall of faith, where I needed to take my stand. I had to make a decision of eternal consequence: whether to lose faith in the work or to turn heavenward. Because of the decision that I made, I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is a real power that we can access in our daily lives. I am so grateful for the investment that Christ made in me, and that His help is constantly available. He wants me to follow Him, to emulate Him, and to pattern my life after Him so that I will be comfortable living with Him again one day. Christ makes all the difference. We are not working to repay that difference, we are simply working to become as much like Him as we can be. I pray that David and Tina will one day reach out and accept that precious grace that is waiting for them.