White Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! This week was really good, a little crazy at
times but good. It started off with a temple trip to Payson on Tuesday
which was awesome and then we had a mission Christmas party Wednesday
which was super fun even if we did get lost on the way up haha. The
highlight of that was when one of the AP's did a monkey impression in
the talent show I'll attach the video cause it's hilarious. Christmas
Eve was nice we didn't really know what to do because we only had one
appointment before we were done proselyting for the day so we ended up
playing Christmas songs at a nursing home in town and it was really
nice they seemed to like it a lot. That night we went to one of our
ward mission leaders homes and spent Christmas Eve with them it was so
fun they are awesome. Christmas was awesome!!! An investigator that's
been taught for 4 months now finally made it to church for the first
time yesterday it was the best!! Then a family made us this huge
breakfast before we skyped our families it was so good and it was way
awesome to see my family. Not gunna lie I was most excited to see Beau
but that's just because he's adorable haha. I am so grateful for the
opportunity I've had this month to be a missionary as we celebrate the
birth of our savior and turn our focus to Him. I absolutely love being
a missionary and I'm so glad I have a whole year to continue to do the
Lords work here in Utah :)

Love from Nephi,
Sister Dunkley

Nephi: Gods Country

Hi everyone! 

This week has been crazy but so good! I LOVE my new area and companion we have been having a blast these last couple days I just know this transfer will be great! She has been in this area as long as I've been on my mission so she knows it pretty well which is nice! She has trained and been a sister training leader for a while so I'm excited to learn from her and have a good time. Her name is sister Reynolds from Salem Virginia and she's awesome. Nephi is pretty small but Vernal got me used to small places so I'm really comfortable here. I like being out on the Wasatch Front because it's beautiful and I'm so close to the mission home compared to before it's a blessing for sure! I've already had my first encounter with the black ice here and needless to say I lost the fight. Thank goodness we have a car and I don't have to walk a whole lot but I'm going to be more careful because my back can't take another bad fall like that... it's a good thing I'm closer to the ground than most people at least that's what my companion says haha. The people I've met here are awesome and our little apartment is adorable we love it here. It's tiny but it's home I like it. Here in Nephi we cover 2 stakes all the way from Levan up to Rocky Ridge a polygamist community and yes we have an investigator there.. we can't proselyte there so we meet at the closest church building. His family is the TV show "My 5 wives" if anyone's seen it so no big deal I'm just teaching a tv star haha jk. We are teaching one of the 18 year old kids in the family who is moving out and wants to join the church he's really awesome! Lots of questions but he's really great. It's cool having a bigger area and a lot more wards to cover because you meet tons of people and they are all so nice it's great! It has its challenges but I feel really blessed to be serving here. The Lord has wonderful things in store for me and my companion in the next couple weeks I just know it. I hope every one has a merry Christmas and keep Christ at the center of your celebrations! He is what brings us true and lasting joy :)  "The peace of Christmas is “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” It is the peace that the Apostle Paul promised would “keep [our] hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” And Paul was right. That peace we seek is only through and because of Jesus Christ." President Eyring 2016 Christmas Devotional. 

Love from Nephi

Sister Dunkley 

Baptism number 6!!

Well first things first we heard about transfers this morning! I am leaving and going to Nephi to be companions with sister Reynolds so that should be cool! I've never been there before but I'm hoping it's warmer than Vernal haha. Holy cow I can't believe this stake has had 6 baptisms in the last 4 months that I've been here it's amazing! There are so many prepared people here for us to teach and meet it is such a blessing. We have been really tried hard to find new investigators recently which has been hard but we will keep trying and see what happens! This past week flew by like crazy because of all the things we were busy doing. At Kathys interview we played a prank on the elders because they were 30 minutes late and she told the elder interviewing her that she no longer wanted to be baptized because he was so late but couldn't keep up the joke too long because I blew it by not controlling my laughing haha. At her baptism she apologized for the prank and he looked at her and said "well, don't worry about it it's washed away in your baptism!" And we all laughed it was pretty funny she thought it was hilarious. We attended Christmas parties this week and it was so fun my companion got to meet Santa Clause for the first time and she thought it was the coolest thing ever it was great. More about Kathys baptism though because it was so special! In the font right after she was baptized she had the biggest smile and was just filled with joy it was so cool to see. A lot of people there were teary eyed and the spirit was so strong I will never forget that experience. I am so grateful to be serving here in this mission and I'm Vernal it is such a blessing and I am having so many experiences that will bless my life forever. I will probably always have to deal with people commenting on my height multiple times a day but you know it's the life of a midget missionary. Maybe that'll be my trademark, sister Dunkley the midget missionary lol. Anyways spiritual thought for the week comes from the Sunday school class we went to today with an investigator. It was on real intent, faith and hope. I liked how the teacher talked about our motives or desires why we really do things. We are good people doing good things but we can be even better when we evaluate our intentions and if what we are doing brings us closer to Christ. I really appreciated that and it was perfect for our investigator that went I hope she got something out of it cause me and my companion knew it was what she needed to hear as she prepared for her baptism next month. I hope you all have a great week! Kaya Anuma! Si se puede! Love from Vernal, (for the last time)  

Sister Dunkley 

Baptism 4 and 5!

This week has been the fastest week of my mission holy cow! It went by crazy fast and it was full of miracles and fun times. Taylor and Deagan were baptized Friday night and it was so good! A ton of family and friends came it was great! We all felt the spirit so strong and the boys were beaming it was awesome. Saturday we got to go to Payson and listen to Elder Cook it was awesome and I was so happy to be there! We all rode in the van on the way down it was fun we all had a good time talking and getting to know each other better. It was a looooong drive but so worth it. Elder Bjorling was driving which was interesting because he's from New York... I don't think I need to say anything else. If anyone knows Brother Cicon just think of him driving hahaha. We will have another baptism this weekend right before transfers which will be really good I'm so excited for her! Cathy is the best she's so humble and has the strongest testimony of Christ and the Book of Mormon it's amazing to see and to be able to have taught her. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be serving here and to see so many blessings it's amazing! 

This week I wanted to share something from a conference talk by elder Holland 

"I do not know who in this vast audience today may need to hear the message of forgiveness inherent in this parable, but however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines. I testify of the renewing power of God’s love and the miracle of His grace. His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there."

Elder Holland 'The Laborers in the Vineyard' April 2012 General Conference 

I hope you all have a great week and serve someone! 

Love From Vernal, 

Sister Dunkley