Sister Neel 12/13/21

•  Sister Alaycia Neel
• North Carolina Raleigh Mission
• 5060 Six Forks Rd
• Raleigh, NC 27609

Hello everyone!

I don't have much time but here's a few highlights from the week:

**SO many members or people I am teaching spoiled me with thoughtful gifts and goodbye parties this whole past week! It made for some really memorable partings and GREATLY anticipated reunions here soon

We played Taco, cat, goat cheese, pizza with the Jorgensen family after dinner one night...probably one of the most intense card games I have ever played in my life XD. I'm pretty sure I walked away from that experience with a 6 pack from how hard we were laughing.

We had an awesome lesson with Kayla at Joyner Park! She brought her roommate and we taught them the Plan of Salvation. They were amazed at how similar our beliefs were and intrigued to learn more which is always exciting! 

The Arsenaults took us caroling with some ward members and we did some stop by's to less active families or new families that had moved into the ward! They decked out a trailer with Christmas lights and blankets, gave us all hot chocolate, bells and Santa hats and we were singing our little hearts out in the 30 degree weather XD. It was a great experience to sing well loved Christmas songs and return back to the Arsenault's home for cinnamon rolls and apple cider 

We had a lesson with Jase and he brought one of his students, Tea (pronounced like the letter T). They had a lot of questions regarding salvation, grace and Christ's Atonement so we taught them just that on the spot! It totally went against what we had originally planned but I just love watching the Spirit grow between Sister Hansen and I as we rely on him to lead out this lesson. It went really well and we squashed all of their concerns! Tea even came to church yesterday and the members ADORE her!!  

Speaking of church, we had a Christmas themed Relief Society meeting where all the sisters came and the men took over primary. Haha that was hilarious to hear about! I was able to give a talk on Elder Howard W. Hunter's talk, 'Gifts of Christmas' and what traditions back home correlate into making Christ the center of Christmas. I later sang with a small group of women and that was fun! If you know me, you know I can't sing haha! I'll just belt random songs at the top of my lungs for fun but when Sister Steelman promised to take me out to Freddy's if I would join, that was a hard pass up ;)). 

Sister Coombs, our bishop's wife, invited us over to help decorate Christmas and set up their tree. That was my first time learning how to string lights on the tree and boy did that create a good laugh for all of us! She blasted Christmas music and we went to town making her home look like a Hallmark movie.

Michael (a good family friend) brought one of his college friends and took Sister Hansen and I out to go look at Christmas lights! One of my fondest family traditions is going to the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork and they have something really similar here called Piper Lights. The fun part about the show was it started down pouring and he had to have the windshield wipers on full speed just so we could look out the window haha! We later went to downtown Wake Forest and enjoyed the monster 15 foot tree they had set up in the square. He even made us Christmas countdowns and bought our favorite cereal for Christmas morning. It was so fun to participate in Christmas traditions like that!

We had apartment inspections this week and passed with a solid 100%. Brother Anderson kept trying to find something wrong with it and was amazed to see our microwave and oven were spotless (mom be proud of me). We went out to the car and he saw we were dangerously low on windshield wiper fluid. He told us to go get it checked and then proceeded to have me test our headlights. Rather than push the headlight button, I accidentally pushed the windshield wiper button and used up the rest of our fluid. He goes, "Well, there went the rest of your fluid." We were all dying XD. Believe me I know the difference between those buttons now ;))

Our district doll (JC) is still being passed around the district and new items are being added to it as proof the companionship had it and will be passing it off. We literally come home each night in so much caution hoping we aren't stuck with it. Because...at the end of transfers (which is today) whichever companionship rolls up to the church with it in their car gets a pie to the face. The Falls Lake Sisters gave it to us a few nights ago without adding an item to it which meant it technically shouldn't be in our possession yet. The elders were not about this and asked us to meet them at Wendys so we could plan to get them the doll and make sure it stayed in their possession so on Monday, they would get the pies to the face. We came up with a plan to put it in a gift bag, wrote a secret santa letter on it to not open until Sunday evening and drove over to deliver it to the sisters. We thought we had them but a few days later we came home only to see the bag on our doorstep with a note, "nice try" written on the front. We were so surprised!! This morning Sister Hansen and I sped over to Falls Lake to drop it back off so they could put an item on it. They panicked and gave it to the Wake Forest 2 sisters which they in turn gave back to falls lake. So if you're wondering...yes indeed they were the ones that ended up driving to the church and getting a pie to the face XD. What a fun district activity that was! Keeping us all on our toes this whole transfer ;)) Having fun in missionary work is a MUST

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Lastly, this week was really interesting when it came to people bashing us. We met up with a guy we met at Joyner and he hammered us with anti mormon literature and found the smallest of details wrong with our church to back up how false our testimonies were. He practically was yelling in our faces and told us we were wasting our time out here and should go to h*ll for preaching false doctrine. He never let us talk and would twist our words to make us look bad. He wasn't happy and really put us in the feels. Later that afternoon, we met with Jeddy and found out his whole point of meeting with us was to convert us and bring us out of the sin we wallowed in by having the beliefs we did. He said the Book of Mormon reeked of falsehood and was proven as a fact that Satan's work really does work amongst God's people. He said he could never be a member of the Church and hoped to save us from the pitiful route we were taking. What a hard lesson that was...we thought he had come so far but in reality...he was nowhere near ready. Still a great friend, just sad to see him feel that way.

Then finally, later that day, it was my last time attending bible study and they threw a small party for me. Everyone wrote me such sweet notes! But...at the end, two members who led out our discussions completely wrecked us in front of everyone. They too felt strong dislike towards the Book of Mormon and implored us to put it down, walk away and never look back. We stood there and endured 20 minutes of hammering, questioning and astonishment that we would waste 18 months to preach false doctrine to people and deceive them to fall into such corrupt standards that went completely against God's word. They said they had read the BOM, prayed about it and their spirits leapt inside them commanding them to depart from the evil contained inside. They put down our faith regarding prophets, Joseph Smith and how we worship in general. They said our religion doesn't even focus on Jesus Christ and we are eliminating the primary focus that strengthens what they know. They said it amazed them that such fine ladies as ourselves would allow this kind of practice to be displayed so freely and comfortably in our lives. They felt like this conversation was sent to us, from them, by God, to help us get on the right track and show their tender feelings towards our friendship. One of the guys was begging us to take off our tag and join their religion. To forget about our whole plan and become 'made new.' So pretty much, they completely tore us apart but said it was because they cared.

At that moment, I had the opportunity to just walk away and be upset that our bible studies had to end like that. But I felt this overwhelming feeling that I just couldn't walk away without testifying about what I knew to be true. There was no way I could walk away from that and live another day knowing that I couldn't stand up for my Savior and this amazing gospel we are so blessed to have. I felt so much burning energy race through me and stepped forward, Book of Mormon in hand, and told them that my feelings regarding the church were much different than theirs. I had in fact prayed about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and knew through the power of the Holy Ghost that it was true. I testified boldly about Joseph Smith's work as a prophet and how the Lord works through imperfect people as ourselves to bring about His work. I testified on the knowledge I have that I KNOW that these 18 months are not a waste of time and the work we are performing is the greatest work that is moving FORWARD on this earth today. I testified on my knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and how the Book of Mormon and our religion does in fact center on His name. I pointed to my name tag and stated how our Church name represents Him. I then pointed to myself and said that I am called, as a missionary here in the latter days to go forth and proclaim His gospel to the world. And I am acting in His name, His power, His glory. I thanked them for their concern but promised I was on the right path and couldn't deny what I had seen or been a part of my whole life but especially these last 18 months. Once I finished speaking, there was such a power in the room and I felt it. There may have been 10 baptist people physically in the room, but I had a whole army of angels behind me backing up my testimony and I felt them. They were left in silence and rather than debate my views, they kindly thanked us for coming and we all filtered out of the room after saying our goodbyes. Was it hard to watch such close friends treat us this way? Yes. Was I afraid to stand down to them? Absolutely not. This gospel is too great, too grand and too pure to do so. Jesus Christ deserves my entire heart and He will get that for the rest of my life. I still consider each of them amazing people and will forever cherish these moments we had to study and bond together. They are great people, they just have different views than we do.

Clearly this week was eventful. It was chaotic, rewarding, frustrating, sad, degrading, overjoyous, memorable and sacred. The many emotions that make a mission exciting and well worth it. I'm so thankful for this time I've had here in Wake Forest and for the person I've become through it all. My heart breaks to leave but I keep promising myself I'll be back soon. And believe me I will :))

I love you all!!

♡♡♡

Sister Neel