Writing to San Diego!

My Dearest Battalion Family!

Sorry it took me so long to write but you have no idea how much I enjoyed getting each one of your letters and how much I loved reading them!!! Here is a quick update on my life... Here are some funny, sad, and tender mercies that happened on the airplane ride home. Because I had my boot on they let me go first class through security so I got to skip the really long line. Haha! Then I had plenty of free time before boarding the airplane and one of the Lord’s tender mercies came in the form of a single mom and her nine year old son. They kept me distracted for a good hour and I got to teach her a little bit about the gospel! I did not take any of my medication that day because I wanted to be as functioning as possible but that equaled a pounding headache. They really were a tender mercy because they kept me from thinking about leaving all of you. When we got on the airplane, I got a window seat and was sitting right next to a single Marine. Another tender mercy if you ask me. Something not as cool is that you can perfectly see the Mormon Battalion Historic Site as you take off! I may or may not have shed a few tears but had to seem tough for the Marine so I kept them hidden… I got to talk to him the whole way home about the gospel and his best friend was even a member! It was a really good experience. I even put a Book of Mormon in the airplane seat “just in case” as Elder Brenchley would say… The best part is that my cop brother Jake was waiting for me at the Salt Lake Airport when I landed!!! Naturally, I had a lot of questions asked since I was a missionary with a boot on, that was going home, standing with a cop, but I got good at short answers. I was really glad that my brother could make it but I had to hurry off to catch my next flight to Cedar City. Everyone on that flight was members so when the plane landed they ALL said that I could get off the plane first because they wanted to see a Sister return home. If only they knew it would not be that exciting! But it was easier to just get off the airplane then to explain so I hurried off. I am sure they were surprised when all they saw were my parents with no signs or balloons! The biggest shock of all was that President Clayton and my Stake President, President Whittier, decided that it would be best for all of us if I was released that night. The Lord once again took me in a blanket of comfort to let me know that this was the right thing to do and that night I was released. I am now known as Lisa. I would be lying if I did not say that the first week home was ridiculously hard for me. Each one of the letters that I received from you was a strength and comfort that I desperately needed. At first, the headaches did not get much better and I was pretty down on myself. But then something clicked after loving counsel from my parents and a lot of strength from the Lord. My headaches have started to go away. For the first time in a long time (and maybe before when I said this I was not completely honest but I truthfully am now), I feel like myself and have not had a level eight migraine in about five days. That is truly a miracle. It is slow going but the medication is finally working and the side effects are going away. My days are not as glamorous as I had hoped that they would be. Honestly, they are pretty boring. Mostly I spend time with my family, sleep, listen to Fire of the Covenant on book, and take it easy so I can feel better. And it is working! I tried to push it too hard when I got home so I am still taking it easy but I can do more and more every single day. The best part is that I am happy. That was not as easy for me at first. But now I can recognize the comforting hand of the Lord in my life and I am realizing how truly blessed my life is. Thank heavens for that. When my attitude changed, it made the situation a whole lot easier. It may not be as quick as I would like but things are going exactly as the Lord intended them to. Some bonuses: I have got so see my nephews and go swimming with them. I have spent TONS of time with my family! I am taking a Church History institute class with the former Elder McCormick named Brent to keep up on my church history. The teacher wants me to help with Mormon Battalion day! I have watched Tangled about 5 or 6 times but have not watched many other new movies. Not really worth it. Tangled on the other hand is worth watching a thousand times! I have also watch 17 Miracles a few times and Emma’s Story! Now to the question on everyone’s mind… When or will I be coming back to San Diego? Honestly, I think YES! My heart is still in San Diego and it feels like I have unfinished business. But I have no timeline. It is hard to have a timeline when you are sick. I tried to ask my migraine when it was going to go away and it would not tell me. Haha So when I will be back I have no clue but I am hoping soon! It feels pretty good right now but I have to write an Apostle a letter before I can come back! I am afraid that I will miss the Talent Show so please oh please take good pictures for me. Well I miss you all too much and love you like crazy!!! I hope you enjoy the package. Truthfully, it is also from my mom because she paid for it so you will have to thank her!

Much love,

Lisa aka Sister Haggerty

Saying Goodbye

Week 28 October 4, 2011

Hey Family!

You are probably getting a phone call from President right now but this last week sure has been the curve balls of all curve balls from the Lord. I debated emailing you all this week but I think this is all better coming from me now and preparing you all for what is about to happen. Mostly I am still trying to prepare myself for what is about to happen. Last week I had called President Clayton because every time I tried to get out into the area or push through the pain, I got sicker. In the last week, I have had really bad cold and horrible stomach flu. President mentioned that maybe going home for a couple weeks was the best option to get me back on my feet and I didn't want to hear it. It was the last thing that I wanted to do. Then I decided to pray with an open heart to see what the Lord really wanted for me last Tuesday and I could start to feel that I needed to go home. I asked Him Tuesday morning if I needed to go home and I felt overwhelming peace. Then that night Sister Pelfrey got horrible stomach flu as well and in between throwing up she got called that she was getting transferred. Not only that but that she was completely getting taken out of the Mormon Battalion Historic Site for the transfer as well. We both went into shock and then I realized that I would be the only one that would know the area. The next morning, I was a little loopy from the migraine medication and I got my new companion Sister Tardiff who had just spent a transfer out of the Battalion as well and was coming back. I was so confused. I thought that the Lord had told me that I needed to go home but then He gave me a new companion to train into my area. So even though I felt awful that day, I pushed through it and we spent the whole day catching her up to speed and went out into the area. She is simply amazing and is from Massachusetts. She is so strong and despite everything she got thrown into with me, she is exactly what needed to happen for the area. I already love her so much and I am sad that I will only get to spend a short time with her! The next day my body crashed and I realized that pushing through it was not the answer but that the Lord wanted her to completely take over the area. That was a really hard pill for me to swallow. So we continued on my usual routine where I rested as much as I could and Sister Tardiff would go out into the area with one of the Battalion Sisters. It was really hard for me to watch again. The Battalion Sisters and Grandparents continue to spoil and serve me. Miracles continue to happen. I prayed to Heavenly Father to receive a confirmation during conference of what I needed to do to get better. I decided to give my all for the weekend and that we would go to the Institute to watch conference with the ward. Conference was the most amazing thing and was so comforting. I know that even though they were speaking to thousands of people throughout the world that God was specifically speaking to me during that time. He answered every single one of my questions. During Sunday morning session while President Monson was speaking about the time he was conducting at the Temple, I had an overwhelming feeling from the Spirit that I needed to come home. Sister Tardiff shortly after grabbed my knee, looked into my eyes, and nodded her head in confirmation that she felt the same thing. It was undeniable that this is what I needed to do. It is exactly the opposite of what I want to do but I feel complete peace that it will be quick and that I will be back in San Diego again! I know that the Spirit has time to personally answer each one of us and to comfort us in times of need. I don't exactly know what God's plan is for me right now but I know that He is very aware of me and is guiding me. Monday morning I finally met with the doctor and they diagnosed me with Hemiplegic Migraines. President Clayton may have already called you parents to get you on the same page but if not he will be shortly calling you sometime today! It will be really hard to explain all that the doctor said over email but patience once again and I will be talking to you on the phone soon or in person to explain more. The treatment shouldn't be too bad but it is not exactly something that can be done while serving as a full time missionary. I will not be released though when I come home either tomorrow or as soon as they can get me on an airplane. I will still be considered a full time missionary in Cedar City. Both President Clayton and I feel that this is the right thing. I feel peace but I am really sad to be leaving. My heart is in San Diego. Please keep me in your prayers and I will be with you all shortly. I love you all so much and I will see you soon. :)

Love you,

Sister Haggerty

Week 27 September 27, 2011

Hey Family!

You have no idea how much I wish that I could say that they were getting better. This last Thursday it started getting really bad again so I had called the doctor’s office to see what I should do. The PA Bryna decided to call in a new prescription called sumatriptin that I picked up Friday morning and I was only supposed to take it if my migraine got to an eight on the pain scale. The problem is that is that it is usually at an eight so I popped in the meds and I am not sure what Sister Pelfrey and I expected. I think we thought it would be like taking an Advil and that it was a miracle drug that we weren't sure why she didn't give it to me before. It made me super loopy and I wasn't able to function so Sister Pelfrey once again had to go out to the area without me but she went with Sister Johnson while Sister Adams stayed back at the apartment with me. It was awful. I just don't seem to be having any of the right reactions to the drugs but they don't seem too concerned and said that I am naive to the drugs and the second time that I take them that I won't have as strong of a reaction. The sad thing is that my immune system is down and I woke up with a nasty cold. I have been in all weekend and haven't been able to work. Now I can't tell if I have a head cold or a migraine! Family this seems to be a marathon and not a sprint so please keep praying for me. My spirits have been a little low recently but the Lord continues to strengthen me. Grandpa keep fighting as well and Grandma I am so grateful to get your amazing letters. It was such a blessing last week to get a letter from the WHOLE family! I just sat and cried and thanked Heavenly Father that you sent me that entire letter. I really needed it! I have kept you all in my prayers so much. Please forgive me for not getting letters out to all of you. I wish that I could send my love to each one of you personally but I am still pretty sick. I will try to next week! But I was able to get out this morning to do laundry and we are going to watch 17 Miracles as Battalions Sisters today so I am pretty excited about that. We were able to sit up at the temple last Thursday and we talked to so many amazing members. There was this boy named Marius who is around 12 years old from Romania. He was in a tragic fire that burned down his house and killed his parents. (You can read more about his story on teammarius.org) This family had a daughter that was in Romania as an exchange student that fell in love with him and persuaded them to adopt him. Anyways, they were all at the temple that day to do the work for his parents and it was such a sweet story. He had such this poor burned body but the most beautiful smile and eyes. He was so happy despite everything that happened and he was so excited to be giving his parents the gospel that day. The cool thing is that as I was talking to Marius and his adopted mom, my companion was talking to a couple that wasn't members from Romania about the temple. They were struggling with why they couldn't go into the temple and were being a little hard with Sister Pelfrey. When Marius heard they were from Romania they quickly started talking to each other. Marius's story touched the couple's hearts and they left wanting to know more about the church. Seeing this strengthened me. God lives and He is watching over me even if I also have a cold now. :) I love you all so much and I miss you like crazy. We are taking it really slow this week and I am going to be staying in a lot while Sister Pelfrey goes out into the area so that means lots of exchanges. Tomorrow is transfers so things could change but I don't think President will rock the boat too much for me. I love you all so much and I Ioved hearing from you!

Love,

Sister Haggerty

Oh funny story, last Tuesday I finally got my haircut for the first time since I got in San Diego from a member that gives us free haircuts. I think that she could hear Grandma and Mom whispering in her ear I really want to see her eyes because when I told her to trim my bangs she CHOPPED them off. They are sooo short and straight across for the first time in a really long time. They are like a half inch above my eyebrows. It kind of reminds me of the time when Brooke was little and cut off her own bangs so she wouldn't have bangs... ;) Okay so they aren't too bad but they are pretty short for me! Love you all!

Shout out to SHUSHI!

I'm in love. I can't get enough of it. Sushi. It is my most favorite and it is sooo cheap. I could celebrate every holiday and every event by eating it. It is that delicious. Thank you sushi for being so good. :)

Week 26 September 20, 2011

I AM ALIVE!!!

Family,

Good news bears. I woke up this morning and I totally did not have a headache!!!! That is the biggest miracle. Sure it came back about an hour later but we are improving from before. So here is the rundown of what happened... If I leave details out it is simply because I really don't know the answers or I would tell you I promise! Step back about two weeks ago... The headache finally got so bad that I could not function at all. We were sitting in personal study and I fell off the chair on the ground. Sister Pelfrey thought that I was finally taking the rest that I needed and put a pillow under my head and a blanket on me even though I had passed out. When I came around my arms started doing weird spasms and it made me nervous. We decided we should go over to the Battalion and talk to Elder and Sister Evans. Sister Evans took care of me by putting me in a really dark room and putting cold rags on my forehead. She thought it was a migraine from day one. She is very smart and I should have listened to her! I had an appointment with the chiropractor that day as well and so we called President Jespersen to see if I should still come because at this point we couldn't get a hold of President Clayton. President Jespersen got me feeling at least a little bit better but since my arms were still spazing he said that it was out of his hands. President Clayton called and said that they wanted me to go to the ER AGAIN. I didn't want to but President said it would get me back on my feet. Elder and Sister Stallings went with us and Sister Stallings held my hand the whole time. Except when they did the spinal tap because they kicked everyone out expect the stinkin new intern and the guy who taught him how to do it as he was doing it. He had to do it twice. I told him that I was probably not going to have children because of him... I am over it now. :) They did that test and a bunch of blood tests. Normal. Basically what we got out of the ER was a doctor’s orders that staying off my feet for a while would get me back on my feet. We all agreed. So basically my last week and a half was spent on Percocet and phenegran. That equals staying inside for a while. I got to sleep A LOT and I am pretty sure that I watched every single church movie that exists at least three times. I am a wizz at church history now because of it though. Sister Pelfrey went on exchanges a lot so she could get out into our area and I had great care takers with the Sisters and Senior Couples. I also have about a thousand thank you notes to write for all of the people that took care of me while all of this happened. The next step was what do we do with Sister Haggerty now!? The most unheard of thing happened next. Missionary Medical approved me going to see a neurologist. That NEVER happens. I am so grateful to have President Clayton also known as Doctor Clayton on my side. He fought for me like crazy. He also not only got me into a neurologist but the best one in San Diego and a headache specialist Dr. Ian Purcell. I actually haven't met the doctor yet but the PA Bryna has been a champ! She put around 15 shots in my neck and back that had stuff like what dentists use. At first I thought I was going to hate her for it but it really helped A LOT. They also couldn't do much else until I had gotten the MRI and MRA showing that as she put it "that you don't have the big, bad, and nasty." I PASSED!!! My tests came back normal once again and that meant that they could step forward in treating it as a weird case of a migraine. I am taking a medicine called Topamax every night and when the headaches get intense I am supposed to take a powder drink mix called Cambia. Sadly, I am out of the Cambia but my head is feeling sooo much better. I won't know the full solution until I meet with the PA and Dr. Purcell on October 3 to do what they call the case presentation. The best part of this all is that I am back in action as a missionary!!! We still have to take it slow but there is now question now that I will be able to stay until the end. Best news EVER. The crazy thing is that despite all of this we have seen amazing miracles in our area. Hugh our recent convert spoke on 9/11 at the Mission Presidents Fireside so despite my loopiness we knew we had to be there. Once again I saw the amazing love of the people around me and Sister Barnes held my hand through the whole thing and we made it through. Miracle. Hugh was sooo glad we were there and I knew we couldn't miss it. We also have amazing investigators that I just love to death!!! Lacey, Deanna, and we picked up two new investigators from Denmark YESTERDAY. Miracle. The Lord has kept me going despite everything and the work has rolled forth. We actually had better numbers then some weeks previously when I was on the top of my health game. I apologize that I have not written any one back and because this email took so long for me to write I won't have time for any personalized emails. Especially you Grandma and Grandpa. You two have sooo been in my thoughts and prayers. I put your names in the San Diego temple every single time I am there. I was so worried when I first heard that grandpa wasn't doing so well but I am trying so hard to trust God and put it all in His hands. It has really comforted me. Jake and Tiff I LOVED the package and I will get something sent your way real soon I promise!!! It was such a tender mercy. Dad, I really loved the stories. That was crazy! I am so glad that Brett is doing okay as well! Man this is just how our family goes isn't it!? We just need to keep trusting in God! Mom, you letter was exactly what I needed to hear and I printed it our so I can read it over and over again. If I didn't answer all of your questions let me know! I LOVE YOU ALL SOOO MUCH AND MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY!!!

Love,

Sister Haggerty

P.S. The pictures with the sisters and food are from the blackout, so I was wearing Mom's bracelet, flashlight, and whistle in case it got too serious. :) The pictures in the sunset with the four of us are at Coronado Island. SOOO PRETTY! The last pictures are how I spent my time for a while. One of them is how Sister Pelfrey made me a dragon cave since it was way more comfortable for me to sleep in the chair then on my bed and we have to sleep in the same room. That only lasted for one night.

One More Thing!

One more way cool story before I go...

So I was sitting at the Battalion reading James’s journal (great great great grandfathers) and one of the Battalion Sisters Sister Adams sat next to me to ask me what I was doing. So I explained and she asked me which company he was in. I responded with Company E and she goes MY great great great grandpa was in company E! I was like I wonder if they were friends! So I start frantically looking through the journal to see if we could find his name and he was totally in there!!! Not only that but it was a sweet story about how he was about to die and he prayed to the Lord to see if the Lord had more work for him to do and he got up completely cured. Yes family I have tried this same method for myself and the Lord has another plan for me... :) Anyways, they were friends and now we are serving at the Mormon Battalion Historic Site together. The Church is true. That is all I have to say! So we were really excited and had to tell everyone we met that day. Pretty neat. Also, Elder and Sister Brenchley, the other couple that watches me like their own surprised me with making a copy of the journal that I could carry around so that I wouldn't destroy the original. The senior couples really do love me. I love talking with them and hearing all of their stories. God just knows me too well on where He sent me! They do random acts of service for me every single day. I will be forever indebted to all of them and I am not sure how to repay them. I can only write so many thank you notes! But I got to get back to work!

Much Love

Sister Haggerty

Week 24 September 6, 2011

FAMILY!

Time roles on in the land of San Diego and most of the time I forget that time are also rolling on in the rest of the world! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! I am sad that I missed the festivities but I'm glad that Mom got my package to enjoy. The CD still makes me cry about every time we listen to it as well. They are still plugging along to find out what exactly is going on with me but so far we are still plugging along. It is amazing how much I feel your prayers and love every single day. Keep them coming. I still need them. :) I was able to receive a blessing on Sunday from a senior couple that I hold very dear to my heart named Elder and Sister Barnes. I get the best of all worlds seriously. The Barnes is assigned to the Institute for the La Jolla Singles ward and I have worked very closely with them since my mission started. I am not kidding when I say that God is sending me all kinds of people to support and love me while I am away from all of you. A certain line stuck out in the blessing that I would like to share. The darkest times come before the dawn. The dawn is coming and there is a solution!!! God has sent me so many loving people at the Battalion but sadly none of them are from Cedar City. Wait I did see one of Jake's friends that just moved to San Diego not too long ago. I keep secretively hoping that you will all show up one day but so far no such luck. :) There really aren't any huge rules with what you can send to me and who can see me. They are very firm on not seeing parents though until the end of the mission. That about sums it up! As long as it doesn't distract from my every day missionary work, then it is fine. And trust me; my mission is unlike any mission you have ever heard about! We expect the unexpected at this point. Like last week at church! This woman named Deanna showed up to church after investigating for a while and for some reason stopped coming. It is simple things like not feeling comfortable at church or feeling like she didn't have any friends there. Easy stuff that can be easily fixed with the help of the members but sometimes cause people to not come back. That is what we are working on the most right now. Member missionaries. They are the most powerful and when the members are involved in the whole process, we see the most success. Not only by being a number in the crowd but a contributing convert. Deanna came back to church because of a combination of missionary and member missionary work. She had fallen back into old patterns and had started going back to her Catholic church. She was sitting there wondering why she was even there when she walked out of mass and saw that she had received a text from the Elders inviting her back to church. She called up her friend that had just come home from a mission and is now planning on getting baptized in the next coming weeks. It has been such a privilege to teach her. The biggest lesson I have learned this week: If I wasn't here, this work would still continue on without me. The calling is that important. But because I have lived my life worthy enough to be here, then I am blessed to be the one who brings them the message. How great is our calling!? I can't believe that I am a part of this work. The Sisters often discuss that this mission has changed us forever. We will never be content by sitting on the fence ever again but will always want to have an active role in bringing souls unto Jesus Christ. I am such a fan of Preach My Gospel. It takes everything we are saying and makes sure the missionaries actually believe what they are saying! That sounds pretty important to me. :) I thought you might all see some of the latest pictures. Hugh is the first one! He just received the priesthood on SUNDAY! So exciting!!! Hugh is the perfect case scenario. The ward was involved from the very beginning so the transition into the ward has been very smooth. Something we are now obsessed about is SUSHI! It is sooo cheap here and sooo good. So naturally we had to celebrate Hugh getting baptized by getting Sushi. :) The bonnet picture is with Sister Christensen. Sometimes we head down into Old Town to clean the court house that the Battalion helped build. In other words, there are TONS of pictures of me all over the world in this exact outfit with random people that talk to us down in Old Town. I love it! We also totally found a van decked out in Christmas decorations on Preparation day last week so we had to take a picture. The man was dressed up like a pirate and had a parrot. Naturally, I enjoyed every second of talking with him. It was so stinkin funny. Don't I live in the most beautiful place in the world!? Well that pretty much sums up my week! I haven't gotten any mail yet today but that is mostly because I haven't gone to the Battalion to get it yet. Sorry if I didn't answer everything or if this doesn't make sense. I just love you all and miss you all sooo much!

Love,

Sister Haggerty

Week 23 August 30, 2011

SOOOO GOOD!!!

FAMILY!!!

HUGH GOT BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY AND CONFIRMED ON SUNDAY!!!! This week has been such a whirlwind but the best week EVER. Thursday night we were teaching Hugh and asked him if he had decided on a day to be baptized. He said he wanted to give it two weeks and then see if he was still feeling that it was all true. We discussed if he knew that the Church was true and he said yes. So then we discussed why was he denying himself the Atonement in his life by waiting and he said how about Saturday!? I am learning that putting together a baptism is stressful! But it was sooo amazing and Hugh is an official member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Hugh's story: Hugh lived in San Diego until he was eight years old and moved around a lot until he ended up in Arizona for quite a while. He got into some things that he shouldn't have and knew he needed to get out of Phoenix. His really close Jewish friend told him that when he goes back to San Diego, that he should find the Mormons because they would be really good influences on him and would welcome him right in. The two of them searched online to find a church for him to go to and narrowed it down to four different LDS churches. One day he was running around San Diego and he remembered that his best friends from when he was little are Mormon! He ran up to their door, knocked on it, and asked to come to church with them on Sunday. Next thing you know, Hugh is at church in a suit running into us. We thought he was a member already! We haven't stopped teaching him yet and now he has the fullness of the Gospel. He sure put the Gospel through the ringer but he knows without a doubt that it is true. He bore a very powerful testimony on Sunday as well. One of our ward members, Austin Kim, got his mission call to the PROVO UTAH mission and he spoke on Sunday as well. His story is a miracle as well. He went from not believing God exists to grabbing all the Book of Mormons at the institute and knocking on all the doors of the UCSD campus. He is already such a good missionary so I cannot wait to see what miracles he sees in UTAH. Too funny. Well now for what is Sister Haggerty's new ailment... NOTHING. :) My head is slowly improving with the hands of President Jespersen. He showed me the x-rays last week and somehow my neck is completely straight when it is supposed to curve. He said that with how bad it is that I had to have had some sort of injury that could have happened from any time period since I was a child! He said it is fixable but that I would probably have to get it fixed after the mission because it is pretty intensive stuff. BUT that he would keep me good enough to get my missionary work done for another year! More good news eh!? It is just sooo good to know what is going on and to have a cure. Testimony again that fasting works. Theme of my life Helaman 5:12... When we have a firm foundation in Jesus Christ, that when (not if) the storms come, it will have NO power to overthrow us. The storms are not going to end until I die that is clear enough. But when I have patience and remember Jesus Christ, it will have no power of me. Sadly, I still am not patient so I am afraid that means more lessons of learning. I am determined to be patient in the next trial to show God that I do not need another trial to test my patience. :) I think that will work! This gospel is true and I am forever changed by this chance to serve our God for 18 months. Keep the faith. All of this is worth every second of knowing what God's plan is for me. The church is true so keep spreading the word!

Love,

Sister Haggerty

Week 22 August 23, 2011

FAMILY!!!

I have seen SO MANY miracles in this last week! Sadly though I will not have enough time to email about all of them so I will try to summarize the main ones! A woman that Sister Pelfrey taught when to the Temple for the first time today so we spent the whole day in the San Diego Temple which was really hard on me... NOT! I am still debating if I will make you all come out to San Diego for when I get married in the most beautiful Temple in the world... Don't worry that won't be for another year. :) I really could feel each one of your prayers and love on Friday as we fasted together. It was such a blessing to feel like I was with you all for even a day and then to have Sister Newman's parents call Mom while I was serving at the Temple made it even better! The result was Monday a day of miracles. The first counselor in the Mission Presidency named President Jespersen is a chiropractor in San Diego. He did a check over on my neck and found that I had a pinched nerve on the right side. After using some sort of electrical stimulant on my neck, he started to realign my spine and neck. I wish I knew all the technical terms for what he did but I call it a miracle. My head feels a THOUSAND times better. I could not stop smiling because for the first time in SIX weeks, I had my head back again. What a relief! He also refuses to charge me any money and will continue to realign my neck until I am all fixed. So with the combination of eating SUPER healthy and having my head back, I am at a 100% once again. After the chiropractor, we went and taught Hugh a lesson. HE WANTS TO BE BAPTIZED!!! We had just gotten all together and he looked at us and said, "Why did you never tell me that if I believe what you are saying that I should get baptized!? I want to get baptized and soon!" Sister Pelfrey and I just looked at each other and laughed. "Hugh, we have been telling you that the whole time!" We are going to finish getting him taught and he will step forward with a firmer foundation then he has ever had in his life. I CANNOT WAIT! The ward is picking up even more and every single day we are seeing the Lord's hands in this work. Miracles do happen and I am a witness of so many of them. Sometimes it just takes patience and I am horrible at being patient but I am slowly learning. It is going to take a lifetime until I master patience but I am going to keep puttering along. An interesting blessing in my life recently has been Great Great Great Grandpa William's journal. It has strengthened my faith in ways that I could not have imagined. The stories have should me that with faith, service, and sacrifice we can overcome any trial. It is just sooo cool that it is real stories about our family! In one of the stories, one of James’s cousins persuaded him to put a coal in gun powder and blow on it. Needless to say he lost his eyebrows and had to cover his face with a bandana for a while. I laughed and laughed when I read it because it sounded like something that one of my brothers would do... :) He had such faith and it is an honor to be a part of his legacy while I honor him every day at the Mormon Battalion Historic Site. I love you all so much and am forever grateful for you love and support this last week.

Love,

Sister Haggerty

Week 21 August 16, 2011

FAMILY!!!

Wow, you have no idea what kind of a week this has been. First things first, I'm okay and still staying on my mission!!! The pictures are to show you all that I really am doing pretty well and you don't have to worry! Grandma I am going to be just fine! Despite all of this we were able to teach SIX lessons this week which is a big deal with the Battalion. The work is rolling forth!!! We also picked up an amazing investigator named Hugh and we taught him FOUR lessons in the last week. We have seen so many miracles this last week with missionary work! We also have EIGHT investigators which is a really big deal for our area!! My trainer Sister Seguin went home today though and that was really sad. The one of us jumping is Sister Seguin and the two sisters she trained. The picture of me holding strawberries is with the amazing Sister Brenchley my guardian angel this week. And the picture of gold panning is our golden investigator Hugh. They are still running tests on me though. Just in case I didn't express this before... I've had a headache for the last six weeks straight. I go to bed with it and I wake up to it. I tried to go with mom's method of buck up and get to work but it got so bad that I just couldn't do it anymore. I caved after about four and a half weeks when I decided to get a priesthood blessing. Mostly I broke down after district meeting and said that I couldn't do it anymore with how bad my head hurt. I got a very clear and direct blessing that my life would not be the easiest but that I would have eternal blessings for my decisions. It also clearly said that if it didn't go away in two days that I should seek medical attention. You know how I get stubborn sometimes and I was just sick of going to doctors and being a burden to the mission president but I knew that I needed to listen to the Lord's counsel so I called Sister Clayton. The ball was passed around for a week to see what direction this should go. There are so many different causes of headaches that they had to test me in all aspects. It could be a simple silly thing like my pillow or that I'm stressed out or that I need to eat healthier. They don't think it is anything serious but they are trying all angles just to be safe. I am doing whatever they tell me to. After the doctor last Tuesday they gave me a muscle relaxer to try that. I took the muscle relaxer and the next day my headache got worse. It made me so nauseous that I couldn't stop throwing up. There are multiple doctors working on this right now but the current doctor is Dr Evans. He is a member and a family doctor so they sent me to him first. The mission doctor Dr. Bennett also suggested that I go to him. He was the one that put me on muscle relaxers and told me to call him if it got worse so we called. He said that we needed to go to the ER because they didn't have the resources to test me at his facility not because they thought anything serious was going on. So Tuesday night was spent in the classy Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest San Diego. They were so busy that they made make shift rooms down the hallways. Can I just say culture shock for me!? So different from any hospital rooms that I have been in so far. We got there at 5:30 pm and left at 12:30 am. Sister Pelfrey and President and Sister Clayton stuck with me the entire time. They gave me vikadin to get rid of the pain and took a CT scan along with a chest x-ray. We are pretty sure the chest x-ray was an accident. Haha they were so busy that I was kind of their last priority. Everything was clean and they couldn't see any serious problems. They decided to send me to a neurologist so that is next on the list. I went to Dr Evans again yesterday and he wants to see if neck therapy will help. We are also setting up an appointment with a neurologist but it takes a while to get in. So many people have taken a big step in my life this last week. The senior couples are simply amazing. Sister Brenchley made an eating schedule for me to see if that helps. They have taken me off wheat, dairy (mostly because I'm lactose intolerant...), sugar, etc. I also didn't have a very balanced eating schedule so it is very scheduled out now. I eat a very healthy smoothie with protein, oatmeal with almond milk, or eggs for breakfast. Salad with lots of vegetables, some sort of meat, and fruit for lunch. And pretty much the same thing for dinner. Surprisingly I love it!!! They even took me to Costco to shop and helped me figure out what was best for me. No matter what the food is going to be a good choice anyways! They showed me how to buy all of it for cheap so that I could stay within my budget as well. Let’s just say they were very firm on helping me as well. What I have learned the most from this is how much these people love me. Elder and Sister Brenchley, Elder and Sister Evans, Elder and Sister Stallings, Elder and Sister Woodbury, President and Sister Clayton AND all of my Battalion sisters have bent backwards over forwards to help me. I can't believe even more how clear it is that I was supposed to serve in my exact mission! Not only that but I have felt ALL of your prayers as well!!! The Lord has protected me and has let me see each one of your love for me this week. I am able to keep working and to have fun. I've felt so blessed that Heavenly Father sent me Sister Pelfrey as my companion. You have no idea what a blessing she has been. She is patient, kind, loving, and forceful at the same time to make me slow down and eat food. We constantly laugh and I honestly don't know what I did to deserve her as a companion! She has amazing motherly instincts that she knows exactly what to do exactly when I need it. Don't worry I am in really good hands here. I am sorry if none of this makes sense but I have got to go. Let’s fast on Friday please!? Well I love you all and I miss you and think about you all the time!

Love,

Sister Haggerty for another year... :)

Week 20 August 9, 2011

New week, more doctors. :)

Dearest Family!!!

Well we just got done at the Mission Home from a Sister's Conference and of course the food was great. They are trying to unite the Battalion sisters and the full proselyting sisters since we don't get a lot of time to see each other. It's hard not to bond with the Battalion sisters when we all see each other every single day. I spent most of yesterday in doctor offices once again. It would seem that my life is meant to be spent in the doctor’s office. I received a blessing from the district leader and his companion (Elders Merrill and Turner). The Lord very clearly said to me that my life wasn't going to take the easiest route but that I would have eternal consequences for the decisions I was making. Shocked right now aren't we!? Yeah, I guess I should have guessed that my life was going to be the easiest with the four surgeries in one year but I guess I have some more lessons to learn. :) It was interesting choice of words with consequences instead of blessings but I still think it is very fitting. The blessing also clearly stated that the Lord is very proud of the decisions I'm making and who I am. This blessing was so much needed and I don't think you can ever hear that enough! No results from the doctors yet but they did some blood tests and I'm having a MRI next week. They want me to try a muscle relaxer at night for a week to see how it helps. So far it helped me to lose the delicious lunch with the sisters but I know everything will work out. Maybe not the easy way but it will work out. Wow, can I say enough times how much the Lord is watching over me!? Despite all of this, Sister Pelfrey and I have seen an outstanding amount of miracles! I can honestly feel the prayers from my family and they are strength to me every single day. The Lord has His tender mercies and He often seems to help me with physical blessings. Yesterday, before we went to the doctor, I took this AMAZING family from Orem on a tour and recommended them a place to go eat down in Old Town. They always ask us which place has the best food and we always joke with them that sadly we don't have enough money or time to eat down in Old Town but that the senior couples have eaten at all of them so to try asking them. :) Well this family came back to the Battalion after they ate at a famous restaurant called Miguel’s. They brought me a gift certificate so that my companion and I can finally try it out as well. What a tender mercy from God on a rough doctor’s day! People seem to love giving me free stuff! I am learning that physical things aren't most important but sometimes God will show His love through physical proof. The Book of Mormon is one of those gifts. He has given us physical proof that we can hold in our hands and read that He exists and loves all of His children. Will all of you read the Book of Mormon tonight with me and pray for me so that I can feel like I am with you all again for just one night? The Book of Mormon can strengthen every person and it has changed my life. I have seen so many people who think they are living in their own personal hell but once they have the foundation of Jesus Christ to hold them up; they look forward with faith instead of fear. It's getting them to listen that is hard. I don't think I realized how sheltered from the world I was until I came here. So many problems that people don't know how to fix. All of their problems can be fixed with the Atonement of Jesus Christ and if they just understood that, they would do anything to have it. We just started teaching a man named Hugh yesterday and he truly thinks that this life is hell on earth. Could you imagine what that would feel like if you thought that every single day? What joy the gospel brings each one of us and it replaces fear with faith and hope. He came to church for the first time on Sunday and he was so happy he couldn't stop grinning the entire time he was there! He's had such a rough life and I can't even imagine all of the things he has gone through. He's gone from being homeless to finally being accepted in his home again. Sister Pelfrey and I both had overwhelming feelings that we were meant to be here, at this time, teaching Hugh. We discussed that because we have the mantel of being a missionary on us all the time that we don't always recognize that it is there. The Spirit is strong when you are obedient and teaching someone like Hugh reminded me of the power that comes when missionaries speak truth. Hugh has hope for the first time in a very long time. This is why I am here! Even though my head wants to explode and I'm falling asleep as I type this, I'm happier than I've ever been because I am a very small part of helping these people to have hope in their lives. Such an amazing feeling that I couldn't have had anywhere else! Sorry this was kind of a deep email but it's my thoughts of the week. P.S. we are totally teaching EIGHT people right now. That is a record high for me and this area. The work is picking up and I can just feel a baptism coming soon. I'll keep you updated. :) I love you all so much!

Love,

Sister Haggerty

Week 19 August 2, 2011

The Weekly Sunshine Update

Family!

Sorry some of these pictures are from the days before Sister Pelfrey but I think they need to be shared still. Also, the picture of the three of us with a girl in the middle is Megan an investigator we have been teaching. She is already on Helaman and prays every single day now! She went from being agnostic so realizing that God exists and that she feels so much better when she reads the Book of Mormon. I've been with her since the beginning but she's moving to Connecticut (home for her) and will possibly be stopping by Cedar on her road trip! I hope you all get to meet her! She has impacted my life and it was a blessing to be a part of her to teach her who she really is. This last week we got to meet ELDER BALLARD! He came to San Diego to see his two daughters (one of them being my mission president's wife Sister Clayton) and he requested to see all the missionaries! He brought together all the Bishops, Ward Mission Leaders, and missionaries together in the same room and just laid it out as it is. It was so cool and the work is going to pick up so much in our area because of us all being on the same page now. He wants us to break down the walls that separate the missionaries and the ward from working together. We should be actively a part of the work that goes on in both and there should be no separation between the two. He told us that all our answers can be solved in our ward council and to call down the powers of Heaven to God's work in our areas. We have seen the miracles come already. We taught a man for the first time yesterday named Mohammad and he has already committed to baptism. We are finding those that the Lord has prepared to be taught. Are teaching pool is picking up and we are lots more successful with the ward. I am in love with this ward and they finally trust us with their friends. One such member brought a friend to church named Melissa and she's going to get baptized soon as well. Pray for them and for the La Jolla Singles. It is such an amazing place to serve. I see the temple and the beach every single day. Yeah, let’s be honest I'm pretty spoiled on my mission as well. GRANDMA AND GRANDPA! Thank you again for the letter this week and the ten dollars. You pay for me to do laundry every week and it's a huge blessing!!! I love you all so much and have been thinking about you all a lot.

Love,

Sister Haggerty