Transfer 5 in full swing: Sister Horning

Hello hello! its been too long.. the last week i didnt have time to write an update email.. the week before i wrote a long beautiful email- and i got kicked off the website, then the time on the computer ran out. ugh- so i wasnt able to send that.. ha. SOO illl hurry this week.. Well. this is the 5th of 13 transfers.. and im STILLL here in Winnipeg YSA ward! IM serving another transfer with SIster Price- I LOVE her. and I LOVE it all. by the end of this transfer i will be here for 7 months! YIKES. so- i gave a talk in church 2 sundays ago.. I told the 'journey' of my first triathlon. i was compairing it to life and trials.. so lets just picture this for a minute.. here are a few of the details to this race. 1. i had never swam more than 4 total laps in my entire life. 2. i hadnt ran but 1or 2 5ks before this race. 3. i didnt prepare- not even an ounce! and 4. this was my first time using a road bike (the gears are different than a mountain bike). SO here i am ready for the race! I was ssoo pumped! I had the goal to NOT stop running, biking or swimming the entire race. i just wanted to finish. so there i was in the water- with hundreds of other ladies.. the whistle blows and we take off.. women are literally swimming over me and others to get to the front- they dont intentially drown me- but they do. This is a trial caused by someone elses actions. Good thing i have a wetsuit on- i am able to stay above the water a lot better than if i didnt have it on (blessing from Heaven). so i learned to stay back a bit and get out of their way.. the water was chilly and the wind was blowing pretty hard! it was held in a lake and its half mile swim. im not gonig to lie- im a terrible swimmer! so i started with the breaststroke then couldnt do it so i just did the back float the rest of the way! haha. so i finish the 'swim' ahha float, and then get on the bike and take off.. of course everyone else has been gone for a WHILE so im on the road myself- which i like.. i start and all of the sudden the chain falls off the bike! oohh no.. a trial that happens just because its life.. i couldnt prevent it nor could i 'blame' someone else for this happeneing... so i put the chain on and continue onwards.. the chain ends up falling off another 2 or 3 times.. so- i learn the gears and the chain stops falling off.. IM set! actually-theres a HUGE hill. i kept seeing people get off their bikes and walk them up the hill. i remembered my goal (swim, bike and run the WHOLE way).. so i just sit my keester down and pedal my lil legs for all their worth. it was hard- but i had to pedal slowly, be steady and be focused on my goal.. i was LAUGHING and smiling the WHOLE time just thinking of how fun yet hard this was.. i just kept thinking about the goal.. i make it through the 18 mile bike ride and start on the course for the 5 k run.. i figured it would be pretty easy- running was my best sport out of the three so i thought it would be a breeze.. not. it was a rough and unkempt trail that had bushes, rocks, mounds and everything else on it! so i start running and there are people all over.. there wasnt any sign or anything at least that i saw, that would show you if you were gonig the right way- so i just ran by faith and followed those whom seemed like veterans and like they knew the course.. along the way they had people with water and these energy gel things.. so they were helping give me the energy i need to continue on.. i could see ambulances picking people up that had not been able to complete the race. i saw cars picking up others that had taken them selves out of the race.. never once was there anyone that told anyone to stop- that they were doing a terrible joba dn they couldnt compete anymore.. people had to WANT to quit.. then as i was running to the finish line- there were people lined up cheering me on.. i didnt know a soul there! they all were still cheering me- telling me to push and keep going.. the last part of the run was at an incline and it would have been easy to walk it- but i remembered my goal. i pushed my hardest and gave it my all. when i hit the finish line it was the BEST feeling of my life! noone knew what i felt.. noone i knew saw me cross the line.. i knew though. i knew what trials i went through. i knew how hard it was. i knew there were things i could have trained adn prepared for- done better.. i knew there were people and obsticles in my way that tried to slow me down. i knew how it felt to overcome them.. well.. i compared this to life.. we ALL have trials and obsticles.. ones that we cause, others that others cause and some that just come from us being mortal and living life! i know that we can overcome them! we all came to this earth to suceed! we all came with a goal and purpose in mind.. when times get hard we can easily forget that goal, but we NEED to rememebr it! remember that Heavenly Father will neever tell us we are disqualified' or tell us to give up! WE take ourselves out of 'the race'.. sssooo we just need to hold on, stay strong and remember to turn to the lord for help in those hard times.. be positive! we are cared for and loved!@ we need to remember who we are, where we came from, why were here and how to get back!@ we are here for such a short time.. but when we get to the end- we will find so much joy when we know we did what was right and we gave it our all! i do have to go! but i love you ALL and truly keep you all in my prayers. please keep our investigators and the people here in yours. the Gospel is TRUE and we need to find those that are ready- have their hearts softened and minds open to received the gifts from God. kNOw that you are loved and that you have a father in Heaven who wants to help you! TURN TO HIM! be humble and ask for strenght. dont ask your trials to be taken away or minimized.. ask for the strength! thats when you learn and grow! i love you! thank you for all you do!!!
Love SIster Horning

2010 New Year Message!

Hello Hello 2010 here you are! Well this update from the North has to be short.. but hopefully just as sweet.. We had a week of helping opportunities! i love it. We were driving to an appointment and wed gone the wrong way, so we had to turn around- we saw a van in the middle of the lane stopped- teh man, Yosif, couldnt get his car to start- so S. Price and i park and RUN (in our buddled clothes and skirts), to his van and help him push it to the side lane out of traffic... he was so greatful! he said hed been there over 10 minutes and didnt know what to do! bless his heart! the Lord allows us to help others when we are open to find those opportunities! NEXT we were able to volunteer at the nursing home here.. I LOVE the residents! they are hilarious- ive met some of my new best friends there.. There is a lady Dorthy- shes a HOOT.. she strolls around and just CRACKS jokes and hilarious comments.. were pals for sure.. we are going there weekly for a few hours to chat it up with the residents- i think we enjoy it more than they do! haha.. THEN we were contacting for a minute and ran into Chris.. we noticed he was moving or something, so we asked to help- he said "yeah if you can help clean the place".. so we told him of course thats what we were wanting to do! he and his sister and their friend had to be out of their home by 12 on new years eve and were frantically cleaning and moving their stuff out.. we came in and helped clean- hopefullly it was of SOME help.. they said they noticed missionaries like us before and hadnt talked to them.. but knew who they were.. so it was really good to be able to be of service to a few opeople.. i LOVE knowing that im just out here to serve.. just here to help others- no matter what they need thats what we do! what a blessing and opportunity! i love it.. THere are a few things ive really learned and that have hit me so hard this last week.. ONE.. there was a testimony by someone in our ward and they talked about people putting up walls- thinking that they are protecting themselves from others when in actuallity they are just isolating themselves and making yourself lonely and singled out.. we should be OPEN and let everyone in- this is when we find true love and friendship and TRUE happiness in others! i love that..
Something i was also thinking about was obeying the commandments. It says so many times in the scriptures- "if you love me keep my commandments".. I was thinking this morning what that meant.. of course we love Christ and our Heavenly Father.. why would they ask/say that!? but then i got to thinking.. who do i TRULY love.. my parents.. a few select friends.. and why do i love them.. what doesw it mean to love them.. what makes them different than other people i care about? well here are a few reasons and attributes about the people i love.. i have a HIGH respect for them. i want to be like them. i TRUST them and what they say. I want to be around them and know more about them.. This is how we should view Heavenly Father and Christ. If we truly love them- we will trust them and what they say. we will listen to them- OBEY them. i think of a young brother/sister and a sibling that is just a few years older than them. the older one can ask the younger to do anything- get me a drink, give me your candy, go in the wishing well and get out money (sorry Breaann for being bad!).. and they will do it. they dont ask- they just do it because they look up to the sibling.. they love them and KNOW (if the older sib is not naughty) that the older sibling has their best interest. We need to "be submissive as a child" and listen. Heavenly Father loves us all so much and he always wants whats best for us..He KNOWs whats best for us- we just need to trust in Him. bah.. anyways.. i better go. BISHOP and WARD- how are you donig as to brining people to church and ativities? i hope you are all inviting others to come closer to Christ! k. i love you all and thank you all so much for all your love and support!
Take care! love you!
Sister HorningN