I love being a missionary, there is not ANYTHING better

Dear Family,

    1st off...I have some pretty sad news. I was on the computer last Tuesday writing up a thing for president and I saw an email from sister Harwood. That email said that Duane passed away last Sunday. I do not know the whole story, but just that he did not come to church and they were worried, and so Brother Mathson our ward mission leader checked on him and he had passed always. I loved Duane so much. He is one of my favorite people. I ask you to all remember his family in your prayers. I know Duane has more to learn in the spirit world and I feel like it is right. I had a hard time at first. But really to think about everything, it is a miracle that I met him. I was transferred to Bozeman right when he started letting missionaries come, and we were able to teach him and help him return to the gospel. He became like a grandpa to me. If I did not go to Bozeman when I did..I would have never known him. Heavenly Father's hand is in every minute of our lives. We always would ask Duane to pray, and for a long time he would not, but then towards the end, he started praying with us, but not on his own. Then I got an email from Sister Harwood saying he prayed in church. :) That is awesome! I have been thinking a lot about him, and he always said he would pray, and thinks about it , but he just wanted it to be a good and sincere prayer. I wonder if he got that prayer in. I feel like he probably did :) I feel like Duane finally was able to talk to our Heavenly Father openly and sincerely, and that he felt loved. I really feel like he was able to do that before he passed. I am so grateful that I knew Duane. It is hard to know I won't be able to see him in this life again, but at least I can talk to him, I am excited to one day get to the spirit world and see Duane. I know he is learning and growing so much. It will be great to see even more change in him. :)

               Well besides that my week has been great :) We had Christmas Zone Conference, and that was awesome. I was able to see Sister Barkdull for a minute, and Then I spent lunch with Sister Austin. Oh my goodness she is just awesome! I love her. We just had so much fun catching up and then the Bakers were also there so we all got  a picture together. All of us once again together :) I cried a lot during Zone conference...it was hard because it was so amazing. I NEVER want it to end. I got your letter mom :) thanks. At the end I shook president hand and all he said was "I will be interviewing you on Saturday, though I really don't want to" Yep then I lost it and started bawling. haha Then I looked over at sister Mecham and she burst into tears and just gave me the biggest hug and said "You have come so far" that one sentence....18 months of learning ,more like a life time. I love the Mechams so much. They have blessed and helped change my life forever. After shaking their hands I went over to Elder Bishop, one of the assistants and he just starts telling me about the dessert table and how I need some dessert because it will make me happy. So I walk past it on my way out but I did not grab anything cause I didn't want it, and he saw  that and just started yelling, "IT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY!" bahahahaha. So that helped for like 2 seconds, until I saw Sister Austin. WE just gave each other huge hugs and stood there. Oh I love her. We went through a lot being doubled into Riverton together and so we are so close. 

               The car ride home was good. When we got home we only had like 2 hours left of proselyting time so we went to work of course! Which was great!

               Ron is doing so well. We taught him the plan of salvation and loved it. He was not able to come to the Christmas part of stake conference cause he was in so much pain, poor guy. We brought him cake from the party and he loved it...he better have because I spilled apple pie all over my skirt...twice! to get him that,  bahahahaha. Yesterday though toward the end of the day he was feeling a little better, not  the best, but he is awesome and so he came to the Christmas devotional, he loved it! He is doing so well. I just love Ron! I will get a picture with him this week. 

               I had my departing interview on Saturday, because there are so many missionaries going home, he had to spread them out last week instead of just when we get to the mission home. I asked for a blessing while in my departing interview and I am so grateful I got that. It was a very powerful blessing. That is all I am going to say cause I don't want to focus on  that bahaha. However I will say I am so grateful President Mecham was and is my mission president. He has helped me so much throughout my mission, and taught me so much! When we had Mission tour earlier this year. Elder Godoy who came, told us that we should pray to have the right mission president for our children and our selves, not the right area, because the mission president is just that vital. And I know it is. I could not have had a different mission president. President Mecham needed to be mine.

            I am so grateful for my mission. I will always be remembering it, and eventually I will be serving another with my husband :) That will be wonderful. I am so happy I served here in Montana, I know it will help me be a better missionary when I am home. The Montana Billings Mission is the best mission in the World. I love it with all my heart. I love the people with my whole soul. Like I have been saying, Heavenly Father is in every second of our lives and has a plan for each of us, and that is one of the most important things I have learned!

    Oh guess what!!!! Remember in Bozeman when I was teaching Zack, but he actually lived in Billings :) Well he got baptized on Saturday! I am so happy for him! He wrote me on Facebook and told me how excited he was to be baptized and told me he will send pictures :) I am so happy for him and his wife, and then in  year they will be sealed for time and eternity :)

              Well I love all of you so much! You all have blessed me so much and I just love you :) Have a great week :)...see ya soon...

                Love SISTER Draudt

December 1, 2014

Dear Family,

     This week has been one amazing week. I have felt my Heavenly Father so much and seen him work in my life. This week we started off on exchanges and I was in my area with Sister Gardner, this is her second transfer and oh my goodness she is such a sweetheart. She is from Enterprise Utah, and we just had so much in common. It was so funny because we went to bed the first night we were on exchanges and I said goodnight and started to go to sleep after my prayers and then she just came alive and started talking to me for like an hour just about different things we both have in common and it was so fun, however I got so tired haha. On Tuesday we were also together and that is when I called sister Baker about going to the Doctor cause I got pretty sick again and couldn't really breath without coughing and so we called sister Baker...how ever I could not remember dad's exact birthday that is why she has to call....sorry dad. I really love you so much...I just was sick :P so I couldn't remember haha. Well because I couldn't remember a miracle happened also...just so you know, so God planned it that way haha. Since I did not remember I had to wait till Wednesday when I heard the Birth date. So before going to the Doctors I got a blessing from my district leader, saying I would heal fast. It was a wonderful blessing. Then we did some other things and then went to the doctor..well first off they took my temperature and I had a fever of 101 that I had no idea I had..I just thought I was hot haha. BLESSING from Heavenly Father for sure! Then they decided that I have bronchitis. And prescribed me an antibiotic and an inhaler.  Well we left the Doctors and I was so happy to finally get things figured out, cause I am so sick of being sick haha. We decided we would wait till the end of the night to go get my perscription, so we went with the Furrers (ward missionaries) to try a less active, he wasn't home, but they found out that I needed to go to the pharmacy and they told us it closed at 8 so I need to go over right then, because it would also be closed on Thanksgiving, the next day. So we booked it over to Rosars. I am telling you all these details, because they all had to work out like they did so that we would be at Rosars at the right time. Heavenly Father is in every second of out lives and I know this even more so becuase of what happened next. We got in to Rosars and started looking for the pharmacy, and I saw this man from the back and I just felt like I needed to look at his face. So I walked in front of him and it just clicked, I knew him, He fit the description of this referral the temple square sisters gave us the week before. However we had not been able to get a hold of him. So I asked him right there "what is your name" and ok I realize now that is a really creepy question to ask, especially since I like leaned into him and was like a foot away. Cause he seemed a little weirded out, but he answered and said "...Ron?" and of course being who I am I jumped in the air with my hands out and said "we have been looking for you!" I introduced who I was and he was so happy to see us also. We had to be there at that time, which means I had to wait to go and see the Doctor till the next day, so I had to forget dads birthday, and we had to have that less active not be home so the Furrers could tell us to go to the pharmacy. Because we needed to find Ron. 

       Now let me tell you about Ron. We set up an appointment and he was excited for it. By the way the description of him was that he had long hair, an earring and a bandanna. (by the way that sounds funny, but he actually looks pretty put together. He's probably in his 60's I would say. Here is his story. So about a year ago missionaries knocked on his door and gave him a book of Mormon and he was so excited, however the missionaries never came back. Then 2 weeks ago he was in SLC at the University of Utah hospital..cause he has some crazy medical conditions..poor guy..maybe I will tell you all about them later. Anyways the Doctors denied him I think...and so he was down but he went to go get lunch at a little sandwich shop, and 2 temple square missionaries happened to be there and started talking to him. They invited him over to temple square and he loved it. While in SLC he met with them a couple times and then they gave us him as a referral when he came back to Missoula, and this is where we came in. So he has been prepared and Heavenly Father had really been influencing his life. Anyways we had our appointment with him on Friday night and it was amazing we were teaching the plan of salvation but it turned into baptism and we committed him to be baptized on January 3rd and he accepted and is so excited for his baptism. Bishop Calkins and his wife were at the lesson. And we learned about his medical conditions and so Bishop offered to give him a blessing on Sunday.

      So now Sunday comes! 1st off we went to go see if a less active was coming and her friend was over so we invited him and the both came to church! Then we had sweet Edith, this old lady we are teaching, she came. Then about 2 minutes into church Ron showed up all spiffy and in a suit and everything! He is so awesome. I jumped up and sat with him. Towards the end of fast and testimony meeting he was really feeling it and he got up and bore his simple and sweet testimony! It was so powerful and he brought the spirit in so strong. Then after church he asked us when we could meet again, and if we would help prepare him for baptism on the 3rd  :) Wow yes he is that prepared! I am so excited to teach him. Ron is a Miracle!

       Oh ok so ps Thanksgiving was awesome we saw I think 7 families and we had dinner with Sami and his non member family, they were wonderful. I loved Thanksgiving. While studiying on Thanksgiving I found 2 Corinthians 9:15 which says "Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift" That just hit me and has stuck with me. It is a simple verse but how powerful it is! We can never fully express how much Heavenly Father has done for us, but we cherish it and love him. So thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gifts :) Well everyone I love you so much and I am so greateful for God. I am sorry about the spelling errors haha...my computer is running out of time and I have to go. I LOVE YOU. Thanks for everything. Have a great week :)

-Love Sister Draudt

November 24, 2014

Dear Family :)

     This week has been really good :) First off before I talk about this week I have a couple things to update you all on. So Hong, the guy I taught in Billings, yes he got baptized :) yea! Then Elder Gordy, who I knew in Billings and he served a mini mission here. Well he was just called to the St. George Utah mission! and he leaves December 4th :) I am so happy for him, he will change many many many peoples lives. It's pretty cool cause the elders from my mtc district are there..besides the ones that came here haha.

     Ok now to this week. In the beginning of the week we taught a lot of people which was awesome. Then we went on exchanges, I was with the Ronan Sisters and sister Martin went with the St. Ignatius sisters. It was so awesome cause I was able to work with the sisters and then also on our way back on the next day we were in St Ignatius and  I was able to say Hi to Sister Krantz, she remembered me :) I was only there for a week, but she remembered me. That was such a powerful experience to be in St Ignatius, even if only for 15 minutes, because that is where my mission really began for me. I know I started up in Bigfork, but as you all know I had a rough start with companionship issues...well so 3 weeks into my mission I was transferred to St Ignatius to be with Sister Romrell who was my sister training leader, and she helped change my mission from that point on. She taught me so much and inspired me. That is where my growth as a missionary started. Where hope came into my mission, and that was only 3 weeks in to my mission and now i only have about that amount of time left and I was able to go there and see Sister Krantz, and remember, and now I am on the other side of it..I am trying to help sisters and love them.  What a tender mercy from God, to be able to reflect on my mission and remember the miracles that have happened and the blessings that have come and the sons and daughters of God that I have met. 

      Anyways after coming home from exchanges we have just been finding and have had some appointments. Remember how for the longest time I always was so scared to tract..well It hit me this week..I am fine with it now.. and I am pretty sure that happened while in Bozeman, and now I do enjoy it. I have learned how to tract so much better. I used to just say "hi we are missionaries....would you be interested" and that did not work a lot, haha but now I am learning to do and apply what Preach my gospel has taught me, to teach right away. It is pretty cool to see how by teaching, anything that related back to the Restoration, so many more hearts are softened and they don't always say yes but they are so much more willing to talk. Testimony is powerful. The spirit comes in and softens hearts. This week has been so good. I love just working hard and being obedient it brings so many blessings and just makes me so happy to please my Father in Heaven.

            Yesterday we spoke in church and we were asked to speak on Christ-like attribute, and so I chose faith and obedience. I prepared a lot but was still pretty scattered, but had a rough outline..cause really we never have a lot of time to prepare because we need to be out proselyting. Anyways I prayed and prayed for the spirit to be with me as a I spoke and I knew I needed to slow down as I spoke also. And the spirit was there and it worked so well. I said things that I did not even think about before, and I was able to speak slower and to rely on the spirit and stay calm....I am so grateful for answers to prayers!

       Oh guess what!!! we have a new thing happened this transfer called mission leadership training which is like Mission leadership council, but with all missionaries so it was like a zone conference in a scene. Those mission meetings are just so inspiring! I love it. I was so pumped up with the spirit and learned so much! I also saw Sister Austin. I found out last Monday that I would see her, but she did not know that, and so I thought I would surprise her. She saw me and we just gave each other such a big hug and we were like connected the rest of the day,  haha. I just love Sister Austin so much! She has become one of my absolute best friends. I also will get to see her in 2 weeks for Christmas zone conference! yea!!!!

          Oh ok so for Thanksgiving we are going to have a wonderful day we have appointments the whole day! So I am positive I am going to be stuffed! I am so excited. We are spending dinner with Sami, who is a older man form Egypt, he converted like 10 years ago and went less active but has been coming back for a couple months and is awesome! He is so funny. He has some crazy questions haha. Then we have several other people we will be meeting with also. :)

 Well I love all of you.  Have a very wonderful and happy and grateful Thanksgiving! I am excited to tell you all about it! Have a great week :) I love you!

                 -Sister Draudt