Temple Open House

This week has been mostly about the temple and I have loved every second of it.

The Raleigh North Carolina temple open house has started!

Tuesday all the sisters from the mission got together for a conference before the temple open house began. When we got there they told us they were going to let us go through the temple and see it. We all started freaking out. We felt like we had all won the lottery haha. They took us to the temple and oh my goodness gracious...right when we walked through the doors it went silent and the spirit was so strong. We walked and saw each room. When we got to the sealing room, we all sat down. When I was sitting there I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude knowing that families can be together forever when they are sealed in the temple. I'm so grateful that families can be together forever. It was an experience I will never forget especially getting to walk through the temple before the open house with all the sisters in the mission.

Saturday Sister Sharp and I worked at the temple open house. It was insane there was 1,000 people in the first hour, way more than they expected. I think they figured out there was a little more than 8,000 in attendance that day. The line to get inside the temple wrapped all the way around the stake center. It was like a ride at Disneyland. Sister Sharp and I were in the reception room so we got to talk to everyone after they went through the temple. It was so much fun to see others reaction to the temple and see where everyone was traveling from. I was shocked to find out there were people from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, and other states. It was so amazing to see that they traveled such a long way to come see the temple open house. Two of the people Sister Sharp and I are teaching came to the temple open house and they both were in aw about how beautiful and how much they felt the spirit. Seeing how much they loved it made me so happy. The spirit was so strong. My gratitude for the temple has grown so much. I just love the temple so much.

We started teaching someone new! Sister Sharp and I planned on teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ but when we got there she told us that she had just lost a loved one and she was going to cancel the lesson but now felt like she shouldn't. Sister Sharp looked at me and said plan of salvation. So we taught her about the plan of salvation. My heart was exploding when we were teaching the lesson and telling her that she can see her loved ones again.

Love and miss you all!
Sister Ogden

Raleigh NC Temple

CAR WEEK!!

"Yes" to Baptism 

Crazy story last Monday night. Sister Sharp and I were eating at Chipotle when all of a sudden we hear a big crash sound. When I turned around to see what happened a truck ran into a pole. The driver tried to back out but then he realized that it wasn't going to work. Luckily he was okay but it was crazy.

Went on exchanges and we went tracting. The sister I was on exchanges with had me pick a house to knock. I picked a house when we got to the door and knocked like 5 dogs started barking. This lady came to the door and was like this is not a good time. I didn't know what to think because it was only the 3rd time I had been tracting. I think I need to just listen to the spirit a little more next time haha. 

The temple open house starts this week. I'm so excited. Sister Sharp and I had a lesson with someone were teaching and we talked about temples. We talked about the importance of temples and how we can be sealed to our families forever. When we showed the person we were teaching pictures of the temple he kept saying he wanted to go there. We invited him to the temple open house and later that night we got a call from him saying he told his friend about us and the temple open house and his friend wants to come too. We ran to his house and gave him some more temple flyers. He said that he loves his church and didn't think he was open to changing churches but he just feels like he should keep meeting with us. It was so awesome to see his desire to want to go to the temple. I'm so grateful for temples; the peace that comes from going to the temple and that families can be sealed for eternity.

Thursday I had my very first zone conference. We talked about the temple open house and what we should focus on after the open house. Watched a little bit of the 95th birthday celebration of President Russell M. Nelson. While watching the celebration, I had a feeling of confirmation that President Russell M. Nelson is a prophet of God. President Holland said that we should not fear because the Lord is on our side. To talk to everyone we meet and not to be afraid.

On Friday night we had a lesson and earlier in the week someone we are teaching challenged me to pray about the Godhead. I challenged him to do the same thing. When we had our lesson I told him I got an answer and asked if he had gotten his answer. He said he is still trying to figure it out, but he got clarity on Prophet Jospeh Smith. We asked him to be baptized. There was a little break of silence. Then he said yes! Sister Sharp and I were seriously freaking out. You could feel the spirit so strong when we asked him. I was almost is tears.

So many amazing things happened this week and I'm so grateful for everything.

Love y'all Sister Ogden

Made cookies for a Baptism

Our ward members are the best...outdoor cookout and sending us Pizza!

Watching Face to Face!

Survived Hurricane Dorian

This week has been crazy. Hurricane Dorian changed its path thankfully it was a category 5 and heading towards us but it dropped to a category 1 and didn't really hit us. There wasn't really any damage where I'm serving but it's been heart breaking hearing about everyone who has been affected by the hurricane.

I hit my one month mark. So crazy that I've been out for a whole month. I feel like I've been here forever haha. So much has happened in the last month. I have learned so much and it's been amazing to see the Lords hand in my life daily. I also finished my first bike week and got the car this week. I have never been so grateful for cars.

I forgot to mention that they have been renovating the Raleigh North Carolina temple and they are having an open house in a couple of weeks. I'm thankful that the hurricane didn't hit too bad because of the temple. So on Thursday we had a sisters conference for the temple open house. All of the sisters in the mission get to help with the open house, I'm super excited. Sister Nichols from the District videos came and talked to us. She told us her mission president said that "you're not here to share information, you are here to invite others to come unto Christ." She said our lessons need to be simple and powerful instead of long and complicated. I love that because sometimes for me I want to teach all the lessons and make sure those I'm teaching know everything but the most important thing is to help them come unto Christ. Stephanie Nielson a famous blogger also came and spoke to us. She shared her story about how her and her husband were in a plane crash and were badly burned. She shared her recovery story and how she came to find out that missionary work was in her blood. She has used her blog to share the gospel and has sent out a ton of Book of Mormons. She is such an inspiration. She said "missionary work is in the blood of the Church." Everyone is a missionary. 
Hurricane Dorian was passing North Carolina Thursday night and Friday morning so we had to stay in a members house after the sisters conference. It was so much fun.

Sister Sharp and I stopped by a referral from the Elders. When we got there he said he had been waiting for us to come. We had a lesson with him and taught about the plan of salvation it was so good.

I have seen so many prayers answered this week and so many tender mercies from Heavenly Father. I could not be more grateful.

Sister Ogden

Krispy Kreme's and face masks for accomplishing bike week

Sister Missionary Conference at the NC temple

Sunsets in North Carolina are gorgeous

NCRM

This week has been crazy. I flew to North Carolina on Monday and then Tuesday I met my companion and headed to our area. I'm in Fayetteville and super excited to be serving here. My companion is Sister Sharp she's from Midvale, Utah. So it's been so fun to see if we know the same people.

It was so sad to leave the MTC and my amazing district but I'm so excited to be out in the field. So grateful for the MTC and everything I learned there.

My area is half bike and half car. This week we're on bikes. I thought riding a bike would be no big deal but riding a bike in the hot humid weather is something different. I feel bad when we go to people's house because I'm sweating like a pig haha. I have to explain that I'm still getting use to the humid weather.

Hurricane season just started so I came at the perfect time haha. There's one coming later this week so we've been preparing. Kind of scary because it's my first hurricane but I know that we're fine and that we just need to listen to Spirit.

Love y'all

Sister Ogden

New Missionaries arriving to Raleigh, NC

My new companion - Sister Sharp                         Sister & President Holland