...And pray for strength that we may say, as He, "Thy will O Lord be done."

Well, "The time has come,"President Jensen Said, "to transfer you again."
"You'll be doubled in to whitewash an area, and be prepared to train!"
"What?" I cried! "Doubled in again? But I just got here and I don't want to go! What will happen to those I've grown so much to love!? And surely there are so many more qualified to train a new missionary than I. Nevertheless, If this be the Lord's will, Here I come..."

And here I am. Galion, Ohio in the Columbus North stake with the amazing Sister Kelly Lillywhite from Salt Lake City, Utah. I love it here. Hah, I'm in another mushroom hut like I was in Moundbuilders-- but the tossing and turning I was doing Wednesday night before transfers was all in vain. The amazing Elders Conley and Hepworth cleaned that apartment up really well-- Mad props to them. I think a question I will ask my future spouse will be what shape his missionary apartments were in... But I don't even have to think about that for a really long time! :)

So, Sister Lillywhite is going to be a preschool teacher, was a theatre major, loves music, her birthday is 11 days before mine (Nov 12th) and is a HAPPY person! I am SO excited for this transfer!

Galion is a tiny town and our ward has huge boundaries with only about 80 people that come regularly. Most of the ward is related to each other in one way or another, there are two active laurels to come out with us and they are both the bishop's daughters! There is definitely some good work to do here!

We have been trying to meet the members and all the current and former investigators. Friday we met Brenda and Tyson. Tyson is Brenda's 32 year old blind son. They live together and have been meeting with the missionaries for about a year. They had some huge concerns after family members showed them lots of anti literature... We sat down and explained through the spirit the doctrine behind their concerns. After they felt the spirit, we felt prompted to invite them both to be baptized on the 27th of November. Tyson LOVED the idea of being baptized near Thanksgiving and they both accepted. They still have a long way to go, but we are excited to be their guides!

Thursday night, we met with Jeff. Jeff's wife and two sons are members of the ward and he's got some big things to overcome before he will be baptized, but I think that he needs sisters... We've heard that from a lot of people-- that sisters NEED to be here right now. Well, I'm happy to oblige, and it is a nice change from Springboro where the bishop and the WML were mortified that the Lord would send them sisters. Haha, that turned out to be fine, we won them over-- but It it neat to see the contrast :)

Well, dear family, I feel so blessed to be a missionary. I feel blessed to have a testimony of the gospel. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to be with you for all eternity. Lets keep our covenants so that will happen!! Go out and find someone to lift up today-- You have the power to be an angel in someone's life :)

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

Love,
Sister Chelsea LeSueur

Time flies on wings of lightning; We cannot call it back. It comes and passes forward along its onward track...

Well hello all-- It has been another amazing week here in The Ohio as a servant of the Lord! How blessed I am to be a part of this great work!

Yesterday (the 17th) was the day I designated as my 9 month mark since I left home on the 27th of January and will be leaving my new home on the 7th of next July. Improve the shining moments was the opening hymn in sacrament meeting with the second verse quoted above, I felt that it was an incredibly appropriate hymn for the occasion. Wow... Time sure does fly.

As I sat in the first hour of church yesterday after greeting all the members as they arrived, I was looking around the chapel and I realized that I truly and completely love everyone who was sitting in that chapel and so many who weren't. I love this area. I love this ward. I love the members here. I love the people we're teaching... I am so filled with love. What an amazing '9 month mark' present from the Lord :)

Earlier this week when we were volunteering at the Springboro Food Pantry we met this wonderful 89-year-young woman, Louise Rugland. She has been receiving help from the food pantry and decided she would come help out before picking up her food. When she saw us, she asked us what ward we were in... When we told her, we asked her if she was also a member of the church-- she explained that she wasn't, but she took lessons from the missionaries in California years ago. She was almost baptized 'till someone she worked with who was a bishop of his ward was found to be a polygamist :-/ Hah, so we talked to her for a while and set up a time to come by and learn more about her... When we went to her house, we got to learn more about who she is and I think she will one day be baptized. She needs to work to be more secure temporally first, and we will help her with that, but when she gets more stable, the Lord and the gospel will be there!

Ahh, time is up-- but there was lots of good things that happened this week. Look for a letter coming soon!

I know the gospel is true. I know it with all my heart and mind.

I love you all so so much-- Have a really great week :)

Love, Sister Chelsea LeSueur

Hello!

Hello dear family!!

Como Estas?

Today is the day we're celebrating my 9 month mark... but it's actually on the 27th. but I'm going home on the 7th. so we split the difference and decided it would be yesterday/today for p day! How's AZ/TX? Was Trev's birthday good?

The Lord has said a heartfelt song by righteous ones is prayer

Hello all you wonderful people!!

I am one of the luckiest people alive because I get to share the gospel with my brothers and sisters here in The Ohio, do lots of wonderful service, and meet and serve with so many wonderful sisters in the gospel whom I have a lot to learn from. Am I not just incredibly blessed?!

It has been an amazing week which got interesting when we got a phonecall from the assistants on Tuesday night telling us we would be going on EXCHANGES with the Beaver Creek sisters the next day. Well, for some of you returned missionaries who were elders, this might not be anything special-- but for me, this is the first time in nine months I have had the blessing to learn from a temporary companion! I was thrilled! Sister Iottita came to Springboro. She's from Kidibest (spelling? a tiny island by the marshall islands) and she is so humble and gave me a good dose of humility. My goodness-- she's a canvert since 14 and the only member of her family. She has no support from her parents and she went to the MTC with a pair of flip flops and a backpack. The MTC hooked her up with clothes and suitcases... She's only been speaking English since April and she's amazing. We went tracting that night after a few appointments, and she was fearless-- people just LOVED her. It was an amazing experience. Sister Angell learned a lot from Sister Seibel in Beaver Creek, and when we got back together on Thursday, we were both rejuvenated with a lot of great ideas to implement here in Springboro and with our companionship!

On Friday we were blessed to be able to help the Leisz family dig potatoes. This might not sound like much, but we have been trying to teach this very less active family since I got here FOUR months ago. We really have been wanting to get into their home and help reactivate them and teach the dad/grandpa the missionary lessons, but there are always excuses... Finally through the over the top enthusiasm I had at the prospect of helping them dig the potatoes on their farm, Sister Leisz agreed to let us come help... So help we did, and we had some good conversations while doing so. We'll be back to help Wednesday. I have never been so grateful to be out in the dirt in 80* weather in my life! haha, Through small things are great things brought to pass.

Happy birthday this week Trev... and Happy Columbus day today!! Ohio COLUMBUS mission represent!

I love the Lord, I love this gospel, I love the scriptures, I love you guys, and I love being a missionary. Life is good :)

Have a good week and go do some good!

Love,

Sister Chelsea LeSueur

Priests of heaven's royal line bear the keys of truth devine!

Wow Wow Wow... What an amazing weekend we've had. After listening to/reading the conference talks, is there any question that Heavenly Father knows us, loves us, and guides us today? We are so incredibly blessed to be a part of this last dispensation with living prophets and apostles to guide us through these perilous times. I know that Thomas S. Monson is indeed a prophet of the lord, just as Adam, Noah, and Moses are prophets of the Lord. I know we can be happy and eternally blessed when we keep the commandments He has given us for our protection. I know that it is when we have an attitude of gratitude that we can feel more deeply of God's love for us. The gospel is true!! Yes, The gospel is true!

Earlier in the week we had a really wonderful experience volunteering at the Springboro food pantry. With the new Relief Society presidency, this is one of the community organizations they have chosen to become involved with. As we filled bags with food for families to pick up and organized the back room where they keep all the food, it really hit me just how good people are. After we had been there about an hour, a lady came and knocked on the window of the storage room we were working in-- we went to meet her at the door. Her church had spent a Saturday at various grocery stores collecting donations for four different food pantries and she had a CAR FULL of food she needed help unloading. We were happy to assist her in this and as we began to sort the food into the places it needed to go to, I realized that people helping people selflessly really does still happen today. Then my thoughts drifted to the church's welfare program. Isn't it amazing that the Lord has put in place a program to keep members of His church watched over and provided for? Yes, the people in this particular community are lucky because someone took it upon themselves to start this program-- BUT not all communities have things like this, and not all the needs are able to be met in other communities that do have similar programs. I am grateful to know that no matter where I am, the Lord has a system in place through the channels of stewardship that I will always be able to survive temporally.

We received a referral for a house we needed to just tract into about a week ago. By the time we were able to do it, it was Friday and we knocked on all the doors on the street. When we got to 'the' door we were nicely rejected and Sister Angell said, "well, that was a waste of time..." I said "no... you never know what seeds we have planted. Lets keep going." So we did and the next door we knocked on we got a return appointment with. I know the Lord is preparing people to receive the gospel in our lives, though it isn't always who we might expect. Sometimes he just needs us to exercise faith and do the things we know we need to do before we see a result. I don't know if anything will end up happening with Isabella, but I do know the Lord lead us to her for a reason through a referral that someone faithfully passed onto us after they were prompted to do so. We MUST pay attention to our promptings!

I love you all so so much, I know if we heed the council we received in general conference this weekend, we can be a forever family. Nothing brings me greater joy! Go and do some missionary work in your corner of the world this week! You will make your Heavenly Father and this missionary very happy-- plus, you will affect generations :)

Love,

Sister Chelsea Lynn LeSueur