Catching Up...MTC to Arrival!

Oh my goodness!

I'm trying to catch up on everything that has happened...

So on my P-Day I went to the Aquarium in Draper with with some of my children, friends and my grand daughter McKenzie.

It was amazing to see all the different kinds of sea life. We had fun walking across the rope bridge;

and I think that my grand daughter McKenzie loved it the most! She was so excited to be there and I was loving being with her.

We stopped by Liberty Park for some mother-daughter time while McKenzie enjoyed playing on the slides and swings.

I sure do wish that I had had  better communication skills when my children were younger and especially when they were teenagers.(sorry kids)But oh how I love to talk with them now. I love you my dearest children!

Farewell talk! I was so nervous! When I walked into the chapel I gave my older brother Bryan a hug and said to him, "What am I doing"? He replied, "I don't know, I've been asking that your whole life".

Well I'm sure he's not alone in that question. But what I do know is that I don't fit a typical mold. I live by the spirit and sometimes not. I haven't mastered hearing His voice in all things but I'm for sure getting better and oh, how I dearly love my Savior with all of my heart.

 















 I want to especially thank my children, Zachary, Houston, Maddison and Taylor for all your love and support and for making the sacrifice to come into town. I cherish the times we spent together. I love each one of you more than my words can express. 

Our Heavenly Father is a God of miracles! Sister Johnson was a young missionary serving in Kiribati with me. She was very ill at one point on her mission. She had developed Septicemia. That's an infection in the bloodstream. We traveled to Fiji for more intensive care where she was admitted to the Suva Private Hospital. By the power of the priesthood blessings, fasting and the great care from her doctor she fully recovered. Most importantly was the faith of this young sister missionary. I love you Sister Johnson!  Her and her mother Robin and sister Sara came too.

Week two was spent downtown with the senior mission medical team. They are awesome!

The Drakes spent so much time teaching us and making sure that all of us were equipped with the tools that we would need to see to the medical needs of the missionaries that would be in our care in our individual missions. Thank you, thank you! Elder and Sister Drake. I loved their enthusiasm and their love of serving gave me a spiritual charge every day that we met.

Well, with my training finished I was blessed to have a couple of more days to spend with some more family and friends.

Farewell dinner with some of my family. Oh how I dearly love you all! Thank  you!!

I'm indebted to my best friend Marci, Thank you for showing me how to be the best I can through the power of true discipleship! Putting God first and for always telling me that I can do hard things. I love her so much! Saying goodbye is so dang hard!

 





















Thank you to my cousin Rebecca and my Aunt Joy for letting me stay in her home. I love you!

Next stop on my way to the airport, lunch with my darling daughter Maddison and one last hug, I didn't want to let go of her!

Well, here I am bags and all, off to care for the wounded warriors of God's Army.

 How humbled I am to be a servant and disciple of our Savior Jesus Christ. I testify that He lives and that ALL things are possible to the one who believes in Him.

He is my Savior, my King, and my Redeemer. I love you Him with everything and all that I am!

May He bless each on of your lives as you turn to Him for your needs. Thank you to everyone who has helped me to fulfill this mission. I know that I have not made this journey alone. 

To all who have or will continue to help support me in this mission I graciously and humbly say thank you and pray that the blessing of Heaven will be poured down upon you and your families for your sacrifice to help me serve this mission.

I love you and I love my Savior!

Love,

Sister Cassita

Samoa Apia Mission
P.O. Box 608
Pago Pago, American Samoa
96799

Week One - MTC

Dear Family and Friends,

Oh what a week it has been. The second time around confirmed to me that the MTC is the greatest schooling on earth. God's house is truly a house of order. Thank you to my best friend Marci for taking me down and seeing me receive my missionary badge

and for your endless hours and days in helping me to prepare, not only for the MTC but for when I get home and in preparing for the Second Coming of Christ! God truly is a God of miracles!!!!

My first day when I walked into the cafeteria I heard someone yell out,
 

"Sister Cassita". I turned to see Elder Kaiatia, from Kiribati.

He was grinning from ear to ear and my heart jumped for joy. He was a student living in the dorms on Moroni Campus where I lived on my last mission and I had treated him for an injury that was completely healed over some time.

Sister Eneri is also from Kiribati and I learned she had broken her foot and will be staying longer at the MTC  while she awaits complete healing of her foot. It made me homesick for my Kiribati friends and family, oh how I love all my brother's and sister's everywhere!

I was thrilled to see President and Sister Burgess also in the cafeteria that first day. The second time around was harder because I know how homesick I get. They both gave me a big hug and welcomed me to the MTC.  

 

They told me that President Dalquist had called them earlier that morning to tell them that I would be arriving. How grateful I am to both President and Sister Dalquist for all there love and support. President Burgess was a counselor to  Pres. Dalquist. in our stake and now serves with his wife as the president at the MTC.  

 

I testify that God knows our needs and is in the details of our lives. I have come to recognize his hand more and more as I get out of the way and allow Him to guide and direct my life. Oh how I love Him with all my heart! 

We were placed into districts, this was my mini family and I came to love these missionaries.

At our Tuesday devotional we were blessed to hear from Elder Zwick and receive profound and great instruction on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. At one point the Spirit was so strong and I was overcome with emotion, as I put my head in my lap I could feel the love of my Savior and I knew that He knew how hard this sacrifice was for me to leave my children again but that I was not alone and that He would ALWAYS, be with me.

 

Thank you to my son Taylor for the ride from the MTC. He surprised me on our way to Sandy, he told me that he needed to pick something up. When we got to the place there was my other son Houston.

Oh my goodness! He had flown in from Missouri. I was so happy to be with two of my four children for the weekend before I started week two of training in Salt Lake City.

 

Love ,

Sister Cassita