Week 25: Transfer 5 in Centreville

6, going on 7 months in Centreville! Sweet goodness! This place has my heart in it! President left Sister Kay and I here till she left because we would find it out on the pavement. But now it sure is time for a refresher! My new companion, Sister Wood is the perfect person to refresh this area! She is so proactive and looking to help! She has such enthusiasm with a perfect touch of care and love. We are going to make this ward ever better and make many small improvements! 

Sister Wood is from Gilbert, Arizona! She loves graphic design, and art! She just got finished being trained in Vienna and did some amazing work there. She has style! We are the same size and height so I can wear her clothes! ;) 
(One of the pros to a stylish companion, is that you can be stylish too!) She has such a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and of Jesus Christ! We had no problems in getting along and teaching together. I can take over a little just because I know the area so well... but that is being fixed! :)

One of the miracles this week that has been waiting to happen since I've been here, is Rosa Bertoldo to listen or sit in on anything that we discuss about in lessons we teach the Bertoldo's. 

STORY: We went over to the Bertoldo home for dinner. We started out with an object lesson with cups and knives where you try to put them together to be able to balance a Book of Mormon on it! Then we talked about how this represents the firm foundation Christ is for us and the cups represent the old new and another testament of Jesus Christ and they also represent the godhead... then we went straight in into the restoration how God is our Loving Heavenly Father! 

     

Then we ended it with an invitation that popped into my head--of them praying as a family each night!! And, they all said that they were willing to do that. Baby Alex and William weren't there obviously.. they were playing, but Sofia, my companion, and Brother Bertoldo were there and they kept testifying and bearing truths and doctrine to Sister Bertoldo and then I could just see her think alot about things when Sofia was talking about things that made her happy! It was amazing!! I have never testified so powerfully of Prophets! We are hoping to keep going over there for dinner and teaching her!! 

Sarah has this guy that comes from Maryland for 5 days of the week and helps her Dad. His name is Moez! He was in the picture with Sarah at her baptism! We were talking about how we need to be baptized to go inside the temple and Sarah said " have you ever asked Moez if he wants to be baptized?" and We said , "no!.... Moez would you like to be Baptized?!" and he got so Excited!! He said "Yes, of course! I would love to be!"

Wow the Work is going forth --STILL in Centreville 2nd ward! I love this area! Still Itching to get out but giving it my big last all these next 5 weeks!! :) <3

God is Our Loving Heavenly Father! We are His offspring and we have the ability to be as He is! He created us and He desires the best for us! Even though things tend to get hard and annoying and frustrating, we must always remember that this is the process of which we agreed to go through at the beginning of time! This is our mission, just as Jesus Christ, we must stay focused on our mission here on earth and strive every day to fulfill it and at continue to learn so that we are all able to be as he is!  

May Jesus Christ's Grace and Mercy forever be on our side as we strive to live his commandments with exactness! <3

Always Love,

-Sister Chaffin

Sister Kay before going home

Sister Wood

Week 24: 2 Baptism in 24 Hours

I Hope everyone's week was great!

"Our happiness depends on how we react to what happens around us." -Unknown

This week was CHAOS. The only word to explain it, CHAOS.

Last Sunday we didn't have church because of the snow, but we had dinner with a Brother in the Chinese Branch Presidency and he blessed the sacrament for us. This was such a blessing because this week we really needed it! We had to make the decision whether we were going to baptize Sister Khailtash Harley this week before Sister Kay goes home! And on Tuesday we made this decision!! ON Monday and Tuesday our Cars were not allowed to be driven because of the snow so we walked everywhere, even to the grocery store. It was crazy.. walking like 5 miles in 3 hours! Sister Khailtash Harley has decided to be baptized on Tuesday right before we walked out of her house, after we had meditated and she saw and smelled pink roses, we found, at the bottom of the stairs, a celestial pink rose! one single rose in the freezing cold of a winter night, laying there. I stared at it for a few seconds and didn't believe it was a real flower! We then had no doubt she was getting baptized that weekend! Planning 2 baptisms in one week was insane! We needed interviews and paperwork and people to do certain things all in line for Friday and Saturday! I have never prayed harder for these baptism to go through! but they turned out! Sister Khailtash Harley's Testimony was absolutely beautiful, we almost cried! I definitely almost cried when she was standing in the font to be baptized by out Stake President! She was crying before she went in the font, and I have never her such a profound "Thank you for everything" when she hugged me, in my entire life! There was many doubts with in this process, but Gods wills come through as it always does, and miracles happen whether we think it is or not. 

With Savannah, her confirmation was beautiful!! 

I have a new companion tomorrow, her name is Sister Wood and  I am so exited to be her companion!! I will also be adjusting to being a Single Sister Training Leader!

Love you all! 

Look for God's tender mercies every day, they are there!

Always Love,

Sister Callista Chaffin

Dinner at a Western themed place!! I got ribs and coleslaw!!

Sister Kay is going home!!

Sister Kay is going home!!

 "Mullin the 2 missionaries that are going home

sister Khailtash Harley baptism and family and a friend

Celestial Miracle flower! 

huge shoe print

Beautiful Clifton area!!

Mya! Sister of Savannah

Savannah baptism

Week 23: Snow & Miracles

How was everyone's week?!

Mine was kinda awesome, as always!

We had an exchange with another pair of sisters and I got to see the other, more older part, of Centreville. (When will I get out of Centreville? I will never know! ) That was really fun! it was really nice to have a change of scenery, people, and everything for a little while! :)

Honestly, the end of the week is literal chaos! So much always happens and changes, every end of the week! It's Exciting! So we are teaching Sister Khailtash and then a doctor guy came in for her dad to help him do exercises and the dad really didn't want to, so we started to make it fun and he finally started laughing at us then started doing it himself!! :D Then we got everyone in the whole apartment to do it! It was really fun! And Zorah, who was there as well got out a big plastic empty water jug and started hitting it with spoons and we had a little Iranian arm lifts/Dance party.. hahah! I couldn't stop smiling! :0 I love these people so much! They all have such a great desire to be like Jesus Christ they are all so loving, kind, hard working, and giving!

We had a dinner with a person that was taught before. She is from Louisiana and she made us FuFu! She loves cooking! The first time we came over she said God told her to open the door and let these girls in! it was such a blessing that night, first of all... Then while she was cooking she said that God told her that "at this dinner you have something to offer and give them, and they have some thing to give you!" It was so beautiful! She shared with us her vision board and her goals and got us hyped to make one ( then we did the next day) then we were able to give her a Book of Mormon! It was amazing! and she is amazing! Ever one should have a Rakeya in their life! :) We then went and taught this guy named Jay! He is awesome! He is pretty young, graduated High School in 2015 and just looking for something to give him purpose in life! it was amazing to teach him about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and about Joseph Smith! We were able to show him the Fist Vision video and he was in awe!! :)

We were going to have Savannah's Baptism but it snowed and the baptism and church and the schools were Cancelled. This week we might have 2 baptism's Savannah and Sarah! It was so disappointing to see the baptism cancel knowing that we only have 1 week till Sister Kay goes home, we will see if we can baptize these two this week.  We also have been walking for the past 2 days!

Have a great week!

Always Love. :)

Sister Callista Chaffin

Week 22: Iran to Egypt

The Original email Calli wrote was lost before she sent it, thus the short email...

This week was awesome!

Sunday was so cool! We have 2 people from Iran at church then we  went and knocked some door and talked to this Egyptian lady for way too long than we should but while we were there we were able to watch her as she prayed 1 of the 5 prayers that Muslims do!! We gave her a Book of Mormon then she gave us a Holy Quran in English.. hard to find! Can't read it on my mission obviously so it will keep it closed till I get home!!

Love you all!

Have  a great week!

Sister Chaffin