2017 11-22 "See you next week!"

Hey Fam 🤘

WHAT'S UP

WHAT'S UP

So first things first, I love you all so much. And I am so grateful for you. We'll talk Thanksgiving in a couple of minutes, but I am so grateful for each of you FOR EVER AND EVER. ❤❤❤

I've been reading Helaman in the Book of Mormon and I LOVE Helaman 5:35-41. It's the story of Aminadab. Aminadab was raised in the church and was taught the gospel but later in his life fell away. He was reminded by the spirit the steps of repentance which he in turn taught to the people around him. Aminadab remembers the gifts of the spirit!! I have read this story before but this time the spirit taught me that IT IS POSSIBLE TO COME BACK. It's possible for everyone. It also makes me think of the prodigal son and how his father welcomed him home with open arms. I know that the Savior is like that for each one of us. It's so easy for us to forget but the Lord has asked that we always remember- and always remember Him 💕 

With Thanksgiving coming up TOMORROW I've taken time each night this week to write down 1 miracle the Lord blessed me with that day. I've seen that I often write more than one miracle because my Heavenly Father has given me so much #blessed I read a talk by President Uchtdorf called "Grateful in Any Circumstance" (I would highly recommend this talk by the way) 👍but something he said that really made me happy was, "My dear brothers and sisters, THE CHOICE IS OURS. We can choose to limit our gratitude, based on the blessings we feel we lack. Or we can choose to be like Nephi, whose grateful heart NEVER FALTERED." Happiness and gratitude are a choice- it's up to us. Some things that I'm grateful for this Thanksgiving are:

Trains

Buses

The Book of Mormon 

The spirit

Hymns

Nice people

The priesthood 

My companions 

The Maurer Family (they invited us over for Thanksgiving)

The sunshine

Fall leaves

Hot chocolate

MY FAMILY

The Restoration 

President and Sister Smith 

Safeguards 

The white handbook 

My Savior and His Atonement

Companions that make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (that's happening right now and I am so so happy.)

But most of all, I'm grateful for this opportunity to serve as a missionary here in the New York New York North Mission. Connecticut and New York are so special ❤ and I have been so blessed with so much. THINK TO THANK this Thanksgiving season and live with an attitude of gratitude all year long. We have so much to be grateful for because of the love from our Heavenly Father! 

Well, this is it kids. I LOVE THIS MISSION. I LOVE NEW YORK. I LOVE HAVING A COMPANION(S). I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON. I LOVE MY SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. I LOVE SHARING MY TESTIMONY WITH RANDOM PEOPLE ON THE TRAIN AND ON THE BUS. This has been such a special and sacred time in my life. I have seen so many miracles come from having the authority to promise people blessings. I've been blessed with strength FAR beyond my own and love that I know doesn't come from me alone. As I think about the beginning of my mission I just have to smile because I can see how much I've learned since I was in Darien, Connecticut. My Heavenly Father has given me members, investigators, and companions that have taught me so much. I've seen my testimony become so much more than it could have been had I stayed home. I've had some of the best and some of the worst times of my life here in NYC. It's been hard, but you don't really remember the hard times. I know that Heavenly Father has given me the ability to remember all the happy times of my mission to keep me going. HE HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO ME. IT'S UNREAL. I'm still a piece of work, I still have faults, I still make a ton of mistakes. But I know who I can turn to to become better. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He is my Savior and that He waiting for each of us, like Aminadab, to come back and keep doing all that we can to follow Him. He KNOWS that I will mess up, but He loves me still. What a blessing- to know that we will always be loved and cared for. 

I know that this is His work.

I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true. 

I LOVE YOU ❤❤❤❤

#ThankfulandGrateful 

See you next week!

Love always,

Sister Bain 🍍

"Miracles are the fruits of faith" -Joseph Smith 

2017 11-15 Too Busy for a long one...

OKAY hi ❤
HOW IS IT GOING?
Kevin emailed me so I was stoked about that. Keith better email me before next week or he's dead meat. (Still love him though hahaha) 💕

This week was wonderful in so many ways. But, my brain is fried and I can't remember anything hahaha what else is new? 😂

OKAY I literally have nothing to write about today. We did so much but I honestly can't remember anything haha

I did read that talk dad told me to read by Elder Bednar. I would recommend that to EVERYONE EVERYWHERE.

I WILL write a good email next week

I love you ❤
Love always,
Sister Bain 🍍

Here's some pictures because I'm lame haha 

Also, it's FREEZING here so yay I love that

2017 11/08 "My heart is filled to the top with gratitude and all the good feelings"

Hey fam ☀️
This was a good week. My heart is filled to the top with gratitude and all the good feelings 💕

We had zone conference on Thursday which was really special. We learned about how obedience fuels our faith and as we are obedient we will have the spirit with us. As I was sitting at zone conference I reflected a lot on the many spiritual experiences I've been blessed with on my mission. I'm grateful for all that the spirit has taught me ❤

At zone conference, President Smith reminded us that in order to go to the temple with a recent convert, we have to help them do family history so they can do their own family name, they have to have a member with them, and only 2 missionaries can go. We planned to take Anne to the temple next weekend to be baptized for her grandma, but on Friday, our Bishop told us that Anne was going to the temple on SATURDAY- the next day. I was soooooooo sad. Bishop sensed my disappointment and asked if we had other plans with the temple and I told him we were hoping to go with her so we wanted to go next weekend. He pulled out his phone, called President Smith and said "Hey, President. I have Sister Bain here with me and she's my favorite sister missionary. I messed up and scheduled a time for Anne to go to the temple and didn't ask first, but Sister Bain is going to go to the temple with Anne tomorrow. Just so you know." 😂 They talked for a little while, but long story short- I had the privilege of going to the temple with Anne for the first time. What a blessing. 💛 Bishop is a true friend- so grateful for him.

Speaking of Anne (because I can't stop talking about her), she bore her testimony in sacrament meeting on Sunday!!!!! ❤ AND SHE QUOTED A SCRIPTURE FROM THE BOOK OF MORMON. She quoted 2 Nephi 31:20 and talked about the need to "press forward" 💕 I AM STILL CRYING ABOUT IT. She talked a lot about how God loves each of us and that He loves us more than we realize. As she spoke, I felt so much love for the Harlem 1st Ward, my 2 companions, the sisters we live with and the people we teach. It was an interesting experience to feel so much love for so many different people.

We crossed the NYC Marathon 2 times just to get to church. It was a nightmare. Hahaha
We just got done with the temple and it was WONDERFUL. I love the temple so so much.
I hope you all have a good week! I probs forget to tell you a TON of stuff.
But, I'll see ya soon and tell you in person 😉

I love you!!!!
Love always,
Sister Bain 🍍

2017 11/01 "Miracle of the week..."

Yay Halloween has come and gone. On to THANKSGIVING- my FAVORITE. (Besides Christmas, Easter, the 4th of July, and my bday obviously🤘) 

We had to be inside by 6:30pm and then we started our weekly planning. We didn't get very far because President Smith called and said that Sis. Holmes and I are becoming a trio tonight. 

THANKS FOR THE AUTUMN PACKAGE! First of all, zebra popcorn has changed my life. Second, it made me SO happy. Happy fall, y'all! Also, 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Aunt Pam on Nov. 6th! Have the best day everrrrrrrr ❤❤❤

Miracle of the week- WE TAUGHT ANNE'S HUSBAND!!!! McArthur Etisi. Woot woot. We taught the Restoration and it was the best Restoration I've taught my whole mission. It was SOLID. Sis. Holmes shared the first vision and the spirit filled the whole room. Anne was BEAMING the whole time and helped us teach!! She shared her testimony and told stories AND the cherry on top was President Smith skyped in and both Anne and McArthur were SO happy to talk to him. We prayed with McArthur to ask Heavenly Father if what we taught was true and we literally knelt down for 15 minutes. He looked at Anne and said "I feel that this is true." ❤☀️ Bap date coming soon 😌

Well folks, this is it. I gotta run. We have to pick up our 3rd person.

Have a wonderful week!

I love you! 

Love always, 

Sister Bain 🍍

  

I was Sis. Holmes for Halloween haha funny, I know. 

2017 10/25 "WE FOUND ANOTHER FAMILY OF 7"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUNT KIM (on Tuesday)!!! ❤ I love you so much and hope you have the best day EVER. Harlem is a good place to spend your birthday.....just sayin. 😁

This week was wonderful. It started with me getting access to Frances Bain's patriarchal blessing! SHE WAS IN THE NEW YORK NEW YORK STAKE WHEN SHE GOT HER PATRIARCHAL BLESSING. GUESS WHAT. I AM IN THE NEW YORK NEW YORK STAKE. What the WHAT. How cool is that?! And it's cool because she's called "Sister Bain" in her blessing ❤ There were also a lot of similarities between her blessing and mine! 😊 I'm excited to start being more diligent with family history and learning more about her!

So maybe you saw, maybe you didn't, but Elder Rasband was in Harlem again this Sunday! The Harlem branch was formed 20 years ago last weekend. 20 years ago while Elder Rasband was here as a mission president, he had a vision for what Harlem could become and created a branch. Elder Rasband is our Bishops mission president so he called Elder Rasband and told him about the celebration we were having. Turns out, a year ago, Elder Rasband was asked to preside at a stake conference in Jersey THE SAME WEEKEND AS THE HARLEM ANNIVERSARY. Divine design, or what?! 💕 I was lucky enough to be in Harlem the last time Elder Rasband came so it was so fun to see him again. (We're super good friends obviously because he remembered me 😭😁😊 "Wow, Sister Bain. You're still here in Harlem?" 😂 Yes. Yes I am. It's fine.) I loved being taught by the spirit ❤

Another miracle. WE FOUND ANOTHER FAMILY OF 7 WHAT WHAT WHAT. The Lord is blessing us and being SO good to us! Aissatou is from West Africa and is a single mother of 6! We were able to teach her about the Book of Mormon and why it's so important 😍 We're meeting with her and her family tonight at 6:30 so pray for her and for us, okay? 😊 THANKS!

We did a service project this week for a Methodist church down the street. We decorated the medians for fall/Halloween and it was such a good time. I walked around Harlem in jeans so I hated that 😂 our members kept telling us it was weird to see us in "civilian clothes" 😂

I love this work and I know it's the Lord's.
Exact obedience brings miracles- like families of 7 ❤
I love my Savior and I know that He LIVES!!


Love always,
Sister Bain 🍍

2017 10/18 "...we are to find the one and minister to them."

Sister Holmes makes a treat every night after we come home (I'll probs be 15 pounds heavier by the end of this transfer. It's fine.) Treat of the week: Apple pie. Fall has arrived in NYC 💛  I LITERALLY HAVE TO WEAR TIGHTS NOW AND IT'S REALLY TICKING ME OFF. Ugh. Love/don't love fall. (Fall also means Halloween so you defs know I'm not excited about that............) Transfers happend and Sister Horton is on a plane right now going back to San Diego. Lame. I miss her. But! I'll be spending my last 6 weeks with Sister Holmes in Harlem. #HarlemForDayz YAY! 

In church on Sunday we talked about Visiting Teaching and all the sisters were like "well I never had super great examples of diligent visiting teachers because of reason xyz" and I was sitting there thinking "well my mom is a rockstar and does her visiting teaching and always makes cookies and writes cards so come to my house and my mom will teach you."  To me- visiting teaching is SUPER important. SISTER HOLMES AND I WOULDN'T HAVE TO CLEAN UP THE WARD LIST IF EVERYONE DID THEIR VISITING AND HOME TEACHING. I'm just sayin. But it got me thinking about the purpose of visiting/home teaching- we are called to find the one- the one that's lost, the one that's broken, the one that needs extra love, the one that needs a friend, the one that needs a hug....Christ ministers individually to us so if we are to FOLLOW HIM and do as He did, we are to find the one and minister to them. WHAT AN AWESOME OPPORTUNITY! Because my brain is fried from a head cold/sneezing literally every 10 minutes, here's a quote by President Kimball that explains what I'm feeling.

"I have always been impressed that the Lord deals with us personally, individually. We do many things in groups in the Church, and we need organizations of some size to allow us to administer the Church well, but so many of the important things—the most important things—are done individually. We bless babies one at a time, even if they are twins or triplets. We baptize and confirm children one at a time. We take the sacrament, are ordained to the priesthood, or move through the ordinances of the temple as individuals—as one person developing a relationship with our Father in Heaven. There may be others nearby us in these experiences, just as there are others in your classroom, but heaven’s emphasis is on each individual, on every single person. When Christ appeared to the Nephites, he said:

“Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet. …

“And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record” (3 Nephi 11:14–15).

That experience took time, but it was important that each individual have the experience, that each set of eyes and each pair of hands have that reaffirming, personal witness. Later Christ treated the Nephite children exactly the same way. “He took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them” (3 Nephi 17:21).

It will be hard for you to give all of the personal attention some of your students both want and need, but try the best you can to think of them individually, to let them feel something personal and special in the concern of you, their teacher. Pray to know which student needs what kind of help, and remain sensitive to those promptings when they then come. Remember that the very best teaching is one on one and often takes place out of the classroom. In your search for individually teaching each student, you will most certainly discover that some are not doing as well as others and that some are not making it to class at all. Take personal interest in such students; give extra-mile effort to invite and help the lost sheep back into the fold. “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (D&C 18:10). An incalculable price has been paid by our Savior for every one of us, and it is incumbent on us to do all we can to assist Him in His work. It is incumbent on us to make sure that the gift of the Atonement is extended to every young man or woman we have responsibility for. In your situation, that means keeping them in full activity in your classes. Give special attention to those who may be struggling, and go out as necessary to find the lost sheep. A written postcard, a telephone call, or, if possible, a personal visit to a home in many cases will have a wonderful result. Personal attention to a young person just beginning to stray may save hours and hours—indeed, years and years—of effort later in our attempt to reclaim that person to activity. Do all you can to fortify the strong one and reanchor the wayward ones at this age."

I love that! Sister Cole from the RS shared a story that shows this concept of  finding and ministering to the one. She said that her mother-in-law was asked to visit teach this girl that had been inactive for most of her life. She had gotten into some trouble with the law multiple times, had become addicted to many illegal drugs and was all around in a bad spot in life. Sister Cole's mother-in-law would go every month to drop off a card, a little treat, called, texted, sent Christmas cards...everything....but never got a response back. Then one day, Sister Cole's mother-in-law was doing her daily routine when she got a phone call- from this girl that she was assigned to visit teach. This girl had gotten into some trouble again and was in jail and needed someone to come and get her. She called her visiting teacher and said "I knew you'd come and help me because I know that you care about me." We never know how much good we do as we act on our faith to reach out to the one. I know that Jesus Christ does this for all of us. And I know that we will see miracles as we reach out and minister to those we are called to teach.

I love this work. I know it's the Lord's. I know that our Heavenly Father loves His children and I know that He will always find us when we are lost BECAUSE HE LOVES EACH OF US. 

Love always,

Sister Keauna Bain 🍍

2017 10/11 "WE FOUND A FAMILY OF 7!"

First of all, I'm so mad that "Sushi" was the answer to my password question. HE WASN'T EVEN MY PET and let's not forget the hermit crabs we had. My first pets name was ACTUALLY Sebastian ugh. #ripSebastian ☠What was I even thinking? 😂

Anyway, we visited Anne and I asked her if she liked Halloween and she said "no, it's a devilish thing. It's Satan's holiday." 😂 HAHAHAHA I've taught her well 😉 (KIDDING. I didn't brainwash her okay.) Madeleine is doing great. She's been really sick this week which has been sad, but she's on her way to a quick recovery! 💗

I'm excited about this new stake presidency! Jared Wood is an ALL-STAR 🤙 I super like him and ALSO I'm so happy for his daughter, Meg, serving a mission. She's so awesome. I've learned so much from President Brown and will forever be grateful for him. He's taught me a lot about the importance of the temple and always keeping myself in check so I can always be worthy to attend the temple. #Grateful 👍idk who President Rasmussen is but I'm sure he's cool.

I'm on my way to the Bronx zoo right now so yay (pics coming soon) I SAW THAT KIM WAS AT THE BRONX ZOO A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND I WANTED TO GO WITH HER UGH 😭😭😭 It's fine though 😉 Also, can you keep sending Brandon's emails to me? Thank you! 💗

This week was a week fill of miracles! Because I have .5 seconds to write, I just wanted to share a super awesome one with you! WE FOUND A FAMILY OF 7 PEOPLE. WOOT WOOT. CAN YOU CAN MIRACLES FOR DAYZ OR WHAT!!!! 👍 The dad ordered a bible from mormon.org and so we went to deliver it. We get there, and he's not there, but the mom is there with all 5 of her kids! So. We teach them the Restoration and they accept an invitation to be baptized and they're comin to church!!!! PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED AND FASTING WORKS.
 
Sorry gotta run.
Here's some pics 😂
I love you all so much 💗
Lot of love,
Sister Bain 🍍