thanks

This week was thanksgiving. So I have been thinking a lot about gratitude and being thankful. I honestly believe that being thankful is and grateful for what you DO have can change your life. Here are a few things that I was thankful for this week.

NUMERO 1

On tuesday we had a lesson with a less active man and these members came with us and gave us cookies afterward. THESE COOKIES. They were so good. I didn't know how good they would be but I took a bite and just got so happy. They tasted just like Mel's homemade chocolate chip cookies. I bet she used the exact. same. recipe. 

#2 

God just loves me so much and even though I wasn't home for thanksgiving and didn't have the usual food that mom makes he still blessed me with some super delicious food. Sister Madsen got a package and it was super random but her mom sent her sausage and cheese. This may have even been better than the cookies. And we ate it on thanksgiving and I literally cried. It was weird. But God is showing you his love in the smallest simplest ways everyday and I just felt his love for me. We just need to slow down and be thankful.

#3

On a little bit of a more spiritual note I am thankful for the Book of Mormon. There is so much power in this book. It changes lives because it brings the spirit so strongly and will tell you exactly what your next step should be. I love the book of mormon so much. On Saturday we went and read the book of mormon with our investigators Steve and Megan (yes they got back together...). But as we were reading 2Nephi 31 Megan just started to cry. We asked her what was up and she just said it was very touching. It was the coolest thing because she didn't even understand what was being said or what she was reading but she could feel the spirit. Read the book of mormon. just do it. I promise the time you spend reading will make such a huge difference in your attitude and your outlook on life. 

#4

I am grateful to be in such a good ward. Megan and Steve and their autistic daughter came to church yesterday. EVERYONE was so welcoming. This ward truly is a ward FAMILY. Everyone is SO different and a little bit crazy in their own way but they are united through the gospel and welcome anyone into this crazy family that wants to come. It's a small ward and probably half the active members are over 60. But I love them. They should seriously make a movie about the Freeport ward. Everyone is hilarious. (ex:next week we eat with the Jefferey's but not on Sunday because they eat jell-o and popcorn every Sundaybecause they're 80 and they gotta live their life while their young)

#5

I am greatful for the stars. We got out of the car and spent like 5 min just staring and the sky. there is SO MUCH sky here. you can see the horizon everywhere you turn. It was so beautiful though and there were so many stars and shooting stars and the sky was so black. God loves us and we just gotta take time to look around and see all the beautiful things he made for us. Illinois is so beautiful.

So this letter was really long but its to make up for last week. God loves us though. so much. and when you take time to be thankful you feel how much he loves you. So take the time. stop for 5 minutes to think and be thankful. read the book of mormon. Its going to be awesome. i promise. 

-Sister Hannah Corbett

(no subject)

So Megan and Steve didn't come to church again so they both fell off date. We also had to drop Steve because he and Megan broke up and we had absolutely no way in getting in contact with him. Megan is doing good though. She had a crazy week and when we would talk to her she would just say how since she started meeting with us her life has just gotten so much better. And I just think about how her life could get even more amazing and it just makes me super excited. 

I am grateful for Sister Madsen who listens to me and helps me. I love her. 

I am so grateful for the gospel. It truly changes lives! I am grateful for the atonement and repentance and the sacrament because that is how it changes our lives. 

I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving! sorry it was so short this week. But I am also grateful for all of you. I love you all!

-Sister Corbett

Charity Never Faileth

Well this past week was our Do or Die week. We had a lot of investigators but none of them were progressing. We ended up dropping Tarrone and Duane. We were never able to set up appointments and they kept on telling us they would do things but then never followed through. It was sad but hopefully one day they will be ready to make and keep commitments!

We did a lot of work this week with Megan and Steve. We brought one of the members from the primary presidency to both of our lessons with them and she has just been so amazing. She has gone completely out of her way to do everything she can to make sure they all have a good experience despite baby Megan's disabilities. She bought toys and games and books she would like, Made a good lesson for her, and she littlerally went so above and beyond.They were so set on coming to church and all of the members were so excited to meet them! We found someone to even pick them up and drive them to church. After all this they accidently slept in and missed church. It was really disappointing but we are just going to have to be patient.

So it was a little bit of a frustrating week where we worked hard but no one was following through. Thankfully we got to stop by and see Sister Alberts. This woman is the happiest person I've ever met. She is so beautiful and made us smile and laugh when we were feeling a little down. We took pictures with her. She is so full of charity. 

I am really learning how beautiful and important charity is. Christ loves us even when we don't keep the commitments we make with him, so we need to be patient with others too and just keep on loving them. Ultimately that's all we can do as missionaries. No matter how hard we tried we couldn't force Megan and Steve to come to church but we can always love them and charity never faileth!

P.S. Transfers came and Sister Madsen and I are BOTH staying in freeport!!!!!!!! #HALLELUJAH

Go Cubs Go

This week has been great. Every week I get more and more glad I am here and more and more glad to be in Illinois and more and more glad to be in Freeport. 

Some of my Favorite things that happened this week:

1. Went to Zone Conference. President Griffin is so inspired and I was so strengthed and just learned so much at this. It was so great!

2. Had some real good companion studies.

3. Gave a Book of Mormon to this man named Robert. His daughter Jayla was outside too and she said she wanted a book too so we gave her a pamphlet and she looked at us and said. "I LOVE this." with the most straight and serious face. It was so adorable. 

4. Ran into our investigator Tarrone at the store today. We didn't get to meet with him this week so it was real good to see him. 

5. Talking with the members after Stake Conference yesterday. They are hilarious. 

6. Finally getting in contact with this less active man named George. We went to go see him and we didn't even really say anything he just started talking and eventually came to the conclusion himself that he needed to come to church. He then committed himself to come to church either this week or next week. (he didn't come yesterday,so hopefully next Sunday) But I guess 5 people in the last week had told him he needed to start coming back to church. He hadn't been to the LDS church since he was a kid and lived in Utah. But Sister Madsen and I were just praying to find those who were prepared and then we see George and he basically tells us himself that he thinks he is being prepared. I hope and pray he follows through and starts coming. He is so cool. 

7. Sister Madsen! the Coolest trainer ever. I am learning a lot from her. she is so great. 

I love and pray for you all! 

-Sister Corbett

Happy Halloween!!!!!!

I love halloween.

and in the spirit of Halloween........... Freeport is actually haunted. I guess there was a big accident with a passenger train that crashed here and now everyone tells us how their house is haunted. Its supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the country. We ate dinner yesterday with the Reids and I guess our ward mission leaders grandma haunts their house. But Sister Reid goes around and tells local ghost stories. She writes too! I guess she is pretty well known and so If you ever see a ghost story by Terri Reid its probably Amazing. I love the Reids. Our ward building is haunted too though. Some sisters that used to serve her told some pretty freaky stories. 

We had a pretty good week! We had a lot of meetings this week. New Missionary Training and District Meeting in addition to Exchanges on Thursday so it was a little different, but good. I went On Exchanges with sister Diaz who is from Kearns. She is so cool. I learned so much from her!! She serves in Elgin though so it was a little strange to be back in the city.

The highlight of my week was our lesson with Megan and Steve. They are the couple with the autistic girl who I met tracting my first week here. We taught them the plan of Salvation and then Committed them to baptism. They Committed to work to be baptized on December 3rd!! I am super excited and I know they have been prepared and that this gospel will bless their lives. They have a lot of progress to make before December but All things are possible through Christ!!!

Another cool thing that happened this week actually just happened today!! We stopped at this super cute farmers market to buy some produce and we started talking to this man named Joe who runs the place. We talked about how we were from Utah and we were here because we are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and such and he said how there were a lot of Mormons in Utah and asked if we ever ran into any and we told him we actually were Mormons and that shocked him a little I think. It was a good conversation but we just walked away and left. Before we got in the car I was like "we should have at least left him a card" so we were going to turn back and give him one but then we are the worst so we still didn't......... we got in the car and started to drive away but then he came and stopped us and asked us if we had any reading material for him. I felt so dumb. Whenever you have a chance to share the gospel JUST DO IT. You won't regret it. It may be a little awkward but that is not what you should be worried about. There is someone that we almost didn't get to contact because we were too afraid it would be weird and it really wouldn't of even been weird at all. Don't let ANYTHING make you think you can't do it. 

But anyway Joe is awesome and we gave him a Book Of Mormon and the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation Pamphlets and he was said "this is great! I will read this tonight! I love reading about Jesus!" It was awesome. He will be out of town for a couple weeks but we will start teaching him soon! Listen to the spirit and never be afraid to open your mouth. This church is true and will bring these people more happiness than you know! They need to hear about it!!

I love this church and i love being a missionary a lot more than I thought I would actually. It's not always easy. Actually most the time it's not easy at all. But it is also so worth it. 

Also Alma 5 is amazing and possibly my favorite chapter in the entire Book of Mormon. If you want something good to study that would be it. I cant even begin to write about all the big amazing things in that chapter.

I love you all and I miss you. I challenge you all to share the gospel with someone who needs it! MEMBERS ARE ESSENTIAL IN MISSIONARY WORK. We can't do it with out you guys.

Love,

Sister Corbett