It's Beginning to Looks a lot like Christmas

Hello Family!

This week was transfers!! They took my Sister Newbold away! I was actually quite shocked!  But it seems the Lord has plans greater than we can see so I'm trusting him every single day. It's the best!

My new companion is Sister Harris, and crazy enough she has served in North Platte before! (she was trained here by Sister Stiles... small world!)  So she knows the area better than I do so that's useful!  The ward was super surprised to see her back but it's cool to work with her.  

Our week was kind of crazy!  We were just going going going which is great, but also a bit tiring.  We helped a family move in and are  excited to be helping them adjust to the ward.  We also had some really powerful lessons one with my favorite people the Redhouses... We invited them to read the Book of Mormon every day and if they did we'd act out the tree of life for them.... I never thought that would make an 8 year old so excited, so this week we have plans to act out the tree of life... should be pretty epic.

So weird study experience this morning I wanted to share.  So I have a very distinct memory of watching General Conference with Grandma McMaster October 2003. I don't really know why but it was one of the years you all went to St. George with out me and I stayed with Grandma, but I remember really loving the talk by President Monson about bridges.  This was just a vague memory but this morning I was reading Sister Harris' ensign which happened to be from Oct. 2003 and found the talk by President Monson.  It's a sweet talk and I wanted to share with you the poem from his talk:

An old man, going a lone highway,

Came at the evening, cold and gray,

To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,

Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;

The sullen stream had no fears for him;

But he turned when safe on the other side

And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,

“You are wasting strength with building here;

Your journey will end with the ending day;

You never again must pass this way;

You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide—

Why build you the bridge at the eventide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head:

“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,

“There followeth after me today

A youth whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm that has been naught to me

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;

Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.” ¹

So for some reason when I was eleven this poem impacted my life.... and upon reading it again the Spirit was so strong in helping me see that as a missionary we are sometimes bridge builders, we are doing all we can to bridge people's relationship with the Savior and help the find the greatest Joy.  In his talk Pres. Monson talks about how Jesus Christ builds bridges for us and helps us to return to our Father in Heaven.  So it makes sense that in order to become like the Savior we too must be bridge builders.  So when times are difficult it's important to pause when you cross your difficulty, and look back and see how you can bridge that trial and help someone else over a similar struggle.  

Oh I wanted to throw out a thank you to the Japanese McMasters!  I received a big ol diaper box full of Japanese goodies!  Sister Newbold was surprised to try seaweed stuff... haha That was very sweet of you to send!  Thank you thank you thank you!  Sister Harris will love it I'm sure!  We have Zone Conference this week and have to leave at 5:45 tomorrow morning! Woot woot! Pray for us to drive safely!  I get to See Sister Wrubell who got transferred back to York... I'm super excited about that.  Life is really going well as a missionary.  I'm loving every day and I am excited for the Christmas Miracles that await! I hope you all have a beautiful week!  Love you forever!

Sister McMaster

He is the Gift

Hello family!

Hope you are all having a beautiful Monday!  It's crazy here... 70 degrees... so much for winter!  But I'm not complaining.  

So short update from North Platte.  Things are going well, seeing miracles as always.   We got to go on an exchange to Kearney!  My first one in a while... it was a good little adventure :)  We got to see Sister Smith and Sister Lutz!  They're fantastic sisters that  I love a lot!  Sister Lutz and I shared the "he is the gift" video with lots of people and invited them to Loan a book of Mormon to someone by Christmas.  It really is the best way that we can share the gift.  Have you all seen that video?  If not look it up here ya go <christmas.mormon.org> it's a real treat.  It is so powerful, I think I've watched it at least 50 times in the last couple weeks.  

So this is why I love it, it reminds us of this incredible principle (3 Nephi 27:13)

13 Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.

So ya see?  The gospel is the gift from our Heavenly Father, and that gift is the atonement.  Today in my studies in Moroni 7 (where you should be if you are caught up with finishing by tomorrow)  I learned that Hope=The Atonement.  So the gift that we were given upon coming to this earth was HOPE.  That is beautiful to me, I hope it is to you as well.  I know that our Father in Heaven wants us to share that gift the best we can with whoever he places in our paths.

This week we found some new people to teach which is fantastic.  A lady approached us asking how we knew that God was real, we told her that the Book of Mormon was evidence of God's love and that she could pray to know that God loves her.  She took the book and gave us her address.  So we went and met with her.. and she actually got baptized like 20 years ago... so kind of a pre-baptized investigator situation... but still a cool experience.  She said she hadn't prayed in years because she felt like god wasn't real.  But because we invited her to she did.  And she said... "Sisters... I just know that God is real, he really answered my prayer"  Such  a sweet lady.  I hope we can somehow help her progress in the gospel.  

We also will be working with the youth and we have 3 potential investigators that are quite promising.   We talked to a lady that had visited with Elders years ago and she was interested in us coming back... so lots is happening!  We still have faith that people will have a desire to be baptized in the coming weeks.  

Oh exciting family!  There is a less active family named the Redhouses, and they have come to church the last 2 weeks.  They have a son that turned 8 in July and isn't baptized yet, we finally got the Ward Council on board and it's amazing how that is what get things going!  He loved primary when he went and the family is beginning to progress towards the temple, that is the most fulfilling thing ever!

We'll find our about transfers this week!  I hope Sister Newbold and I get to stay together for Christmas!  I'll let you know next week :)  OH we also moved back into the Marshall's house yay! It's good to be with members again :)  

Be happy and healthy! Don't get ear infections! or colds or any of that stuff.  And keep reading the book of Mormon.  That's all I got for ya.  Love you to the moon and space!

Sister McMaster

Christmas Countdown begins! :)

Christmas Village at the Redhouse's :)

Stand at the Door and Knock.

Dear Family,

Hello today!  Did you eat lots and lots of turkey this week?  I sure hope so!

We had quite a fulfilling week... (spiritually and physically)  So many great experiences, I wish I could just throw them all up at you... but that's disgusting and I don't know how to do it.  

Really though. It was a sweet week.  Faith building for sure.  We actually got to go to a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving and serve Thanksgiving Dinner there.  That was cool. We're going to start doing service there regularly, but it was so cool to forget ourselves and how we weren't with the people we're most grateful for (you guys!)  and just serve people.  That's the best thing about missionary work.  You just get to love serving people everyday.  It's the best thing ever.

Miracle of the week... so I'm sure you're wondering about how our 25 Book of Mormon loans did... well I'm sad to report we only got 15.  So i'm assuming you all did your job and our combined efforts equal 25! right?!  Haha regardless, our faith grew like a weed. (That's what Sister Newbold says grows fastest)  ready for the story??

There we were.  (pause for dramatic effect) 

Praying.  What's new right?  We decided in our companion study that we needed to pray in every prayer to find a family to teach. Combined faith is super powerful. We went to district meeting and were inspired by a training that was recapping instruction from a General Authority,  it was incredibly motivating and gave clear instruction on how we can work with the Members better in helping this work become a team effort.   Then we received a phone call from a recent convert from Kearney (random... unexpected...) She asked us to come visit her because she was in North Platte for Thanksgiving.  So we did.  We drove to an obscure part of our area hoping to help this girl.  While parking we saw a girl sitting on the corner of the street... "Go talk to her!" was the thought in my head... but the girl we were visiting ran out of her house and we didn't get to go see that girl... ( I mentally named her Charlotte..)  Our lesson with her went well but it was time to go home after the lesson.  No family yet.

Two days later:   The girl from Kearney calls us again.... and wants us to come over again... (strange... we doubted our need to go)  We called the Kearney Sisters to see if it would be helpful to visit her multiple times and they strongly encouraged us to go.... so we did.  And again had a decent lesson with her in an obscure part of our area.  This time it wasn't too late, so we went to go find Charlotte.  We stood at the door and knocked.   Miracle of miracles Randy opened the door.  He and his family want to be taught, and they know 2 members of the ward.  They were very open and we invited them to come closer to Jesus Christ.  Doesn't mean they'll get baptized... but they could!  My faith was strengthened.  I know the Lord is aware of every single person in this world.  He cares enough to teach us.   So keep praying, and press forward when opposition seems to arise.  He'll provide a way.  He always does.

I hope to report more miracles.  Mostly though I want you all to know how grateful I am for each and every one of you.  I hope you have seen your testimonies grow in the last few weeks, I hope you thank our Father in Heaven for the testimony that you have.  Keep the Faith!  Love you all!

Love Always,

Sister McMaster

 Sister Newbold and her baby spoon... and a pizza

cows.. in the cornfield... in the snow....

Meeting the world war II veteren in our ward! He's 91!  Cool man :)

Because I have been given much, I too must GIVE.

Happy Thanksgiving week family of mine!

How are you all doing?  Staying warm and happy and healthy?  I hope so! 

Well you'll never guess, I learned new things this week, felt the spirit, worked hard, prayed hard, struggled some days, laughed others, and it was a really good week.  Sounds like a week as a missionary right?   Hope you're not bored to death of adventures in Nebraska, it's the greatest place on the earth right now.  North Platte.  Such a cool place to learn.  I have no doubt that I am supposed to be here right now.  It's been a week of struggling to know that, struggling to know how I can give my all in this area without throwing other peoples efforts out the window.  It's a place where I'm learning more than ever to be humble, to serve better, to love more, to work the best way I know how and to TRUST that that's what the Lord needs.  TRUST that the Lord will provide.  

So here I am a missionary serving in Nebraska.  Being a missionary is such a time warp that you sometimes need to stop and realized how incredible it is.  It really is incredible. And it's incredible that all of you are where you are doing what you are doing right now!  The Lord has a plan for you and he's guiding you and helping you become a little bit better than you were yesterday.  For all of this we have so much to be grateful for.  I decided the thing I am most grateful for is the Book of Mormon.  That is the one thing in this world that I cannot imagine living my life without.  It's changed my life.  I hold it in my hands and it's like an old friend waiting to share more light and knowledge.  The power in it is more than I'll ever be able to put into words.  This week I found a new scripture that I love.  I flipped to it on a day that was hard... and it was exactly what I needed to hear.  

Helaman 3:27-30-

 27 Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call 

upon his holy name.

 28 Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the 

name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God.

 29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and 

powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and 

lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf  the wicked—

 30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of 

heaven, to sit down with Abraham,and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

verse 29 is my favorite because it paints this picture in my head.... there we are like a little person tied to a Balloon that just began letting out air... zooming around loop-de-looping up and down through the wiles of the devil and the cunning snares.... and BAM.  We land there. Our IMMORTAL souls Land at the right hand of God.  And why did they land there?  Welp. it was because they read the Book of Mormon.  They held on to the Word of God which is quick and powerful.  So that is why I am most grateful for the Book of Mormon.  It has the power to literally tie us back to our Heavenly Father.  That is incredible.  So we have decided everyone in the whole world needs to understand know and feel this power.  So this week we are going to be giving 25 people a Book of Mormon.  Because it's what we're most grateful for.  So here's your challenge.  Join the cause.  Share a book of Mormon with someone because it's what your grateful for.  If you don't feel grateful for it today... read it,, and keep reading it until you feel the power in it that is tying you back to the very being that created you, I can absolutely promise you that you will feel more gratitude for that little book than you have felt for anything in this whole world.

I learned this week that miracles keep happening when you do your best on the Lord's errand.  We saw miracles at 8:48... the last person we felt prompted to see... She cried on her doorstep as all we could tell her was that the Lord was aware of her at that very moment.  How grateful I felt to be able to love her at that moment.  I needed it probably more than she did.  

This work is incredible. So much bigger than we are.  Do not doubt your own influence in the Lord's work.  He needs you.     So go be the best you that you know how to be.  

I love you all so very much!  Have a beautiful Thanksgiving and know that I truly am grateful for you.  I'm grateful that the gospel has made our family strong.  I know that Our Savior's love is real and that he has blessed us so very much. Press forward!  

Love Always,

Sister McMaster

Pray in Faith

Dear McFamily,

How goes it out there in the Rocky Mountains?  

Life is charming here in Nebraska.  We had a spiritual feast this week, I wish I could send you each your own personal to-go box of the feast... because well it was delicious to the soul. 

If you're smiling then I've accomplished my purpose, you don't need to read on.  :) Really though, Elder Brent H Nielson gave some incredibly powerful trainings, as did his wife!   My favorite thing that I learned was from Sister Nielson.  She is a really powerful teacher!  She taught us about how miraculous the Lord's work is and how we each truly are his instruments.  She invited us to study Holiness, and to invite others to do so as well, so now you're smiling and have an assignment to study Holiness. (if you want to! but will you do it?)  We can find holiness in everyday life. That was her message.  Don't ever think that the trivial things you do are unimportant, Father in Heaven knows what you do, and needs you to be his instrument.  Be an instrument of the Lord, not just a person doing everyday people things... cool thought right?  So that's was what I decided to change this week, I want to really be an instrument in the Lord's hand, not just a missionary sitting in someone's home.  There's a difference, but we cannot doubt our ability to be an instrument.  We simply have to practice being holy everyday, and we can do all that we are needed to do.  Simple yes, easy? Not as much... but most definitely possible :)

So we went on a road trip to Lincoln... which means Sister Newbold and I got to know each other really well... she's fantastic... we are like best friends.  I'm so grateful to be serving with her now.  We also are temporarily moved out of our housing... because the Marshalls have family coming in for Thanksgiving... So we live in a vacant house... that was formally owned by a lady in the ward.  It's a tragic story about how she passed away in childbirth, long story short a man in the stake is taking care of the house and we get to live in it for 2 weeks.  It's mildly creepy but kinda a neat experience.   

North Platte is oozzzing with potential.  I'm so grateful to be here right now!   We will be meeting with Anne this week! I hope it goes well and that she has a desire to progress!  We're really focusing on strengthening the Ward right now, really helping them all have solid testimonies that they are confident in sharing with their friends.  There will be fruits to Harvest soon I am sure.

I hope you all have a terrific week!  I love you all very very much! Remember that you are loved! Pray on! Miracles will Follow! :)

Love Always,

Sister McMaster

SNOW

Sister Weston! and Sister Newbold :)

we are the mcsisters... yup there's three of us McCauley, McFadgen and McMaster...

A Mighty Change of Heart

Dear Mom, Dad, Sarah, Thomas, Natalie, Tanner, Jace and anyone else who possibly reads this,

Hi! How are you all doing this week?  Did you see miracles somewhere? (this is a real question requesting an answer!?)  

There were miracles here in North Platte of that there is no doubt.  I love it here.  I love the people so much.  How is it possible to sit in a Sacrament meeting and recognize the strength and variety of each of these spirits.  They each have a special relationship with Heavenly Father, as a missionary you feel that, it's real.  The Lord is so good to us.  Having charity for people you've known for a week is a weird thing but man it's cool.  We should all be missionaries for forever because it is the happiest we could ever be, hands down.  

So one miracle was meeting Anne.  So there is an incredible man in the ward named Charles.  Charles goes by "Sarge" and is thrilled by anyone who will listen to his stories of when he was a Sargent in the military.  He loves missionaries and the gospel but his dear wife is not a member.  She's a tough cookie to crack but has a very sweet heart.  Anyway, Sarge takes us to McDonalds once a week to get lemonades and to have a lesson with him and his wife.  It's pretty great.  This week we were able to talk to some of the other veterans that meet there.  One of them is named Don.  Don has seen the Sisters come week after week and was very aware that we love to do service!  So he asked us this week, will you stop by and help me clear out some sunflower stallks?  So we agreed!  And the next day we were put to work clearing out his yard,  after which we met his wife Anne.  She's a sweetheart that loves to talk to us and share some of her faith.  She hates calling us Sister so she calls me Molly... that's a little weird but I think she'll get over it soon.  But the best part of meeting with her is that we were able to testify of Eternal Families!  ( I just read Kasandra's e-mail and was super inspired... how cool that universally this is the best thing ever to teach people)  The family is of God. There is no doubt about that and what a miracle that that simple principle ties us all together and back to Him, our wonderful Father in Heaven.  

So that's why we do anything in the gospel, that's why we serve missions, that's why we go to church, that's why we read the Book of Mormon everyday.  We do it because we love our families and want them to last longer than this life.  We don't want to ever be separated!  Isn't that incredible! (personal epiphany moment)  

So Sister Newbold and I had a great great week.  We are both ready to see miracles and see this area progress like it never has.  We felt so inspired this morning.  The people here are 4 hours a way from a temple, which is really far for living in the US... We're in a place where a temple will be one day!  How cool that we can lay down the foundation for more families to be sealed.  We were super motivated.  This work is most definitely  not our own and the Lord knows what needs to happen.  We are both determined to be the instruments that the Lord needs us to be and to serve with all our Heart Might Mind and Strength.  

Keep pressing forward! I'm grateful to have you as my Eternal Family.  Let's do this together!  Love you forever!

Love,

Sister McMaster 

North Platte.

Hello!

So I got a phone call this last week from my favorite person, President Weston.  He said, "Sister McMaster, are you ready for your life to change?"  What can one say to this other than, "Well, yes I'm ready for whatever you've got."   So then my life changed and here I am sitting with Sister Newbold in North Platte.  

So North Platte is the Furthest West possible for Sisters in the mission... So I'm 4 hours away from Omaha and the mission office and the like.  It's flatter here than any part of Nebraska I have seen ever.  The people are classic Nebraskans so that's the same, and I still love being a missionary so that's the same!  I completed a year as a Sister Training Leader so they finally put me in a "normal area" So only one exchange for me this transfer!  Woot woot!  That will be a weird adjustment but I'm really looking forward to being focused on North Platte 1st ward.  :)

Sister Newbold is a fantastic missionary! She just finished being trained, and is one of the sweetest missionaries I have met.  We get a long really well.  She reminds me like crazy of Sarah! (yes you my sister Sarah)  It's cool.  She is also younger than Sarah, so Sarah should go on a mission too :) It's going to be a fantastic transfer. I'm really excited for this change.

So it was a week of miracles.  It was crazy to say goodbye to York.  I knew my time there was probably going to be short but it was still hard to say goodbye.  That area has changed my life and will forever hold a very special place in my heart.  I'll be forever praying for Rene and Hilda's family!  We set Sherman for baptism last week too! So I hope that that also goes well! He is seriously one of the most prepared people.  We came back and he had watched the Restoration DVD and had all kinds of questions, he told us "I feel like I'm just like Joseph Smith, serching for truth"  So cool.  I'm sad I wont' get to teach him more, but I know he'll still progress.  The Lord takes care of his children.  

North Platte is so different! There are 2 wards here and it's kind of like a mini ish Lincoln or Grand Island (not sure if that means anything to you!)  They had a baptism right before I got here so we have a fantastic Convert to help get to the temple (Troy)  and a teaching pool to fill!  I am excited to see the work explode here because that's the goal.  One thing that really stood out to me my first day here was that the Spirit was so strong everywhere we went.  Heavenly Father is ready for us to help strengthen this Area.  Be perpared to hear about miracles next week!

Spiritual thought: I was studying in Alma 56 about the armies of Helaman (that's technically where you should be if y;ou're on track for finishing in December)  They were powerful because they didn't doubt.  How cool is that? I was pondering what it means to not doubt.  That entails a lot!  I started writing down all the things that I can say that I do not have any doubts about, I know that I am a daughter of God, I know that our Savior Jesus Christ truly knows our pains and afflictions but also our Joys, he just knows us perfectly.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true, I know it is God's words for us today.  I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and truly restored the gospel to the earth.  I know that our Family is forever.  

It was cool to think of this list, to see that the things I don't doubt encompass my testimony.  But most importatnly I can thank you Mom and Dad and family for helping that testimony to take root.  I never doubted that you knew it.  What an incredible thing.  I love you all and I hope you have a terrific week.

Love always,

Sister McMaster

North Platte Sunset... :)

Sister NEWBOLD

Crazy Sunday Lunch breakfast sandwich creation!