Hi Mom and Dad, 
 
The Spaghetti Dinner volunteering is going good. We have only done it twice... this last time we did it we found out one of the ladies was moving to Texas and we really like her and thought we would let her know that the missionaries in Texas would be more than happy to help her and even teach her if she ever had any questions about what we believed. Come to find out she was a Southern Baptist and she was actually quite rude, saying that the Bible said that we can't add or subtract from the Bible. And that they don't need anymore Bible (I thought of 2 Nephi when she said that!!). I just laugh when I hear that because people think that that excuse or comment will shut us down. Yet we know that the Bible isn't written chronologically and that it says the same thing in Deuteronomy.. and also the fact that there are books mentioned in the Bible that we don't have record of because they were lost.... so if those books were discovered, would they believe in those? Or say that they are adding to the Bible? It just makes me laugh. But we tried staying loving and bore our testimonies. But it was quite an interesting experience. We still love her though, even after she was so rude! Haha
 
We don't really have any new people we are teaching. We are actually trying to meet with this one girl who had a friend that lived here and she went to church with her like every week. Her friend moved away and is now currently serving a mission! We hope that we can be able to teach her because she is around our age and it would be so much fun to be able to share this happiness with her! She has a 3 year old daughter who is just adorable as well! 
 
Well, not much has really happened lately. We've kind of had a slow month... not very much has gone on. We taught some lessons with members present which has been awesome. We had a really good lesson with Norma this past week. The Spirit was there and we were able to have a member there which really helped! We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and focused on Church and keeping the Sabbath day holy. Her job has her working Sundays now and we talked about how important it is to come to church because that is one of the ways we can know if this church is true. She said that she knew that she needed to go to church and that she would try and get it off. The member who was there also shared an experience where she prayed to have guidance so she could know how to get Sundays off and then another job opportunity arose and she was able to get a job that didn't have her working Sundays. So we have kept her in our prayers about that!
 
It has been really cold and snowy lately. We have been running in the morning and its just soooo cold! But we still continue to run! Or try to at least! But it got down to 11 degrees while we were out tracting. Not fun at all. Plus I think it hit 0 degrees! Ew... I don't like the cold!
 
Well.. this week should be better, we are having thanksgiving at a members and she is going to teach us how to make moccasins! I am so excited!!!! We also might go see some lights in Rapid City, if our Mission President okays that. We are excited to meet their family because we have heard so much about their kids! Most of them are less active and so we are excited to be able to get to know them and hopefully be able to help them.
 
Well... sorry I don't have much to talk about... like I said, this month has been pretty slow. Not a whole lot has been going on. But I really miss you all. I don't like thinking about the holidays because it makes me super homesick. But I know that it is going to be the only time in my life where I will be able to fully serve others during this time of the year. That is a blessing.
 
I hope you all have a good week... happy thanksgiving to you all! I hope that you all eat a ton and enjoy spending time together! Know that you are all in my prayers and that I am always thinking about you all. I love you to pieces and hope you know that there is nothing better than knowing that our family will be together forever.
 
I came across a quote from President Thomas S. Monson which I loved... it said, "Dare to be a Mormon, dare to make it known, dare to have a purpose firm, dare to make it known."
 
Love you all,
Sister Allen

Hi! 
 
Cathy, our inactive sister, is doing alright. She isn't progressing though... we're working with her! This past week has been pretty slow. We taught only about 4 lessons... an all time low. We started our new member lessons with Mervin and we were excited because this was when the members were going to teach and we were going to help but it didn't work quite that way. We were a little frustrated because we ended up teaching it. It was a little hard but understandable when we put ourselves in their position. It is quite terrifying! It is just so vital that the members start to teach more because those lessons are for helping the recent converts in transitioning from us to the branch. But we'll get there! We had a lesson with Norma, another one of our investigators. She has been reading and praying and we are hoping to have a member at the lesson with her this week to help her in fellow shipping. She has a hard time committing to things because she doesn't want to be put in the situation of not being able to keep it. We're working with her, she definitely has shown a huge desire in learning and we just love her. We truly can see how much it can bless her life, we just need to help her recognize that!
 
We found another place to help out in the community! We are volunteering at the Spaghetti Diner they have here every Thursday at the United Churches building. We did it this past week and we have really come to recognize how it could be a great way to get to know more people in the community. We have already started to develop friendships with the people in charge and that volunteer with us which could possibly lead to us sharing the gospel with them. Fingers crossed! We are excited about that though!
 
Well... my straightener is broken. Haha... that definitely makes for a difficult morning. But it has forced me to either make time to curl my hair or I just throw it up in a pony tail. A lot of times its the latter, which doesn't really help me in the beauty department. But the good thing is nobody here even cares. Isn't that glorious? haha. The past two days I have been really sick! I have a lame cold. Saturday night I didn't get much sleep, was tossing and turning all night and kept getting up to blow my nose or use the restroom. It was a long night. Then last night we had quite the experience. At 2 in the morning, all of a sudden I hear Sister Johnson screaming, I turn and she jumped from her bed and is jumping up and down screaming and brushing her shirt. I was so terrified and was saying "Sister Johnson, Sister Johnson!" Trying to wake her up in case she was still sleeping... she then ran out of the room and I followed her out there and she was shaking and said that something was on her. It was terrifying because I had no idea what it was and we both just sat in the living room crying. I was shaking so bad! We felt so lonely and didn't know what to do. We just wanted to call home. But we called Sister Birkholz, our ward mission leader's wife, but she didn't answer. We called Sister Anderson and she didn't answer. We called President Anderson and he didn't answer. We were so scared and didn't know what to do! President Anderson called us back and we were able to get calmed down from him which was so nice. I just had an icky feeling... and I felt as if our apartment needed to be blessed. Sleeping after that was very difficult as well. So the past 2 nights I haven't slept much and that hasn't helped with my cold. But we are so grateful for President Anderson and how understanding he was. It must have been so terrifying getting a call at 2 in the morning from 2 sisters that are just crying hysterically. Oh boy, what a night!
 
Yesterday, I was very grateful for two priesthood holders in the branch who were able to give me a blessing. I am truly grateful for the priesthood and that we have worthy men who hold it that are so willing to give blessings for healing. This gospel is so true and that little experience is just yet another testimony builder for me.
 
It is getting colder... it averages about 30 degrees. It snowed a little on Saturday night. I am not ready for snow! My clothes are great! I wear the gloves a lot and the scarves. I haven't worn the coat or boots yet, thank goodness it hasn't been cold enough for those!
 
I miss you all so much and can't wait to hear from you next week! Thanks for the letter, I love hearing from you always. I hope you have a great week! You are always in my prayers! Love you!!!
 
xoxo,
Sister Allen
 

Well hello there my wonderful family,
 
We had transfer calls this past Saturday and Sister Johnson and I didn't get a call and so we are staying here in Hot Springs! This next transfer will be shorter though, only 5 weeks because of how it falls around Christmas. I'm excited that we both get to be here still! My address for the next 5 weeks is 604 SW River St Apt A-7, Hot Springs, SD 57747. And you don't have to send me anything for Christmas! You have already given me the best gift I could have ever asked for and it's the opportunity to serve a mission for the Lord. I would like to know who my family is to provide Christmas for this year! I'm excited to be able to send that! 
 
Thanksgiving sounds like its going to be so much fun for the whole family! I can't wait to hear all about it and to see pictures! For Thanksgiving, Sister Johnson and I are going over to our Branch Mission Leader's house, the Birkholz. They are just the sweetest! We love them so much. I will have to take pictures and send them! Their kids and their little families will be there so we are pretty excited to be a part of that!

Who is the kid there who is getting baptized? That is so awesome he has been so active and truly has the desire to be baptized. That will be the best decision he would have ever made in his life! Send pictures! And yes, I know Philip Barnes! That's so exciting that his fiance is getting baptized! What a great thing. Weird he is getting married though.... I feel like I am going to go home and everyone my age will be married! I'll feel like an outsider! Haha... but I am completely fine with that! 

This past week was pretty busy! We went to Mount Rushmore this past Monday which was awesome! I'll add pictures!
 
We had a church tour with our investigator Cathy. We were able to have a member come to the church tour! It is great to have some member involvement, it plays a huge role in the investigators conversion! We also were able to meet with a couple less actives as well. One less active in particular who I have mentioned before has been less active because she was offended by many different members in the branch. We had a very intense lesson about forgiveness. It was a lesson that we were terrified to have but it was necessary. But we prayed to have the Spirit guide us to know how we could teach this lesson in a loving manner. She took it really well and she actually came to church the next day which was a huge step for her! We are really excited that she is starting to take those little baby steps in coming back to church and forgiving the members in the branch. At church we had a few less actives come to church which was awesome! We have been blessed to see a lot of miracles and success this past week!
 
We feel that since Mervin just got baptized, we are having to start at ground zero again. He has been our main focus and now that he is baptized and we are starting that transition from missionaries to the branch we are having to find new investigators! It is difficult sometimes because we have had a hard time finding people in the past but we know that the Lord is preparing the people here and we jsut need to find them!
 
Funny thing... so, this will tell you how lazy some people are. We see this car every once in a while and there is a dog that runs by it... come to find out, the dog is on a leash and the people driving are "walking" their dog but are too lazy to actually walk so they drive! HAHAHA... we died laughing. People are funny!
 
Not a whole lot to share this week I feel like... but life is great. Missionary work is awesome and I am so grateful for the knowledge I have. I am grateful I am able to serve a mission and would never regret the decision of serving. I have developed such a stronger relationship with my Heavenly Father and I have learned so much about this gospel. There is so much to learn and when I learn more, I realize how much I don't know! It is incredible. I just love learning mroe. Sister Johnson and I like to have in depth conversations and they're pretty intense sometimes and we are really learning a lot. It's awesome!
 
Well, I love you all! And I hope that you all have a great week! You are all in my prayers!
 
Love,
Sister Allen
 

Hello my favorite family!
 
Time sure does seem to pass by really fast as a missionary. Sometimes it feels so slow but yet, it always is Monday again. Crazy! 

So Mervin got baptized this past Friday and then confirmed yesterday! Such an amazing experience! Yesterday he bore his testimony and it was incredible. He knows so much about the gospel! He said that one thing that really got him to really recognize the truth was when we had our lessons at a members house. He was able to not only be fellowshipped by the members but he was able to recognize that there were so many people in the branch that wanted to help him learn and understand the gospel and be able to feel of the love that comes from it. It was incredible. I am very honored and blessed to have been able to be a part of this commitment that he has made to our Heavenly Father. 
 
As for Cathy, we aren't sure how things will go. We had dinner at her house and she said she wasn't going to be converted. It is a bit funny to me because we are there to invite the Spirit and help her to come closer to Christ, so we aren't converting her... the Spirit does and she does herself. But we are hoping that as we meet with her and get to know her she will recognize that this is Christ's church again established on the earth and we have the priesthood authority restored back onto the earth that he gave his apostles. And by having that knowledge, hopefully, she will recognize and realize that this church is His church. And then she'll have that desire to be baptized because she knows that we have His power and authority.
 
It is so cool that you emailed Volk! I was very touched at his response. I will have to send him an email! Crazy how the Spirit works in miraculous ways. I know that it was a prompting from the Spirit that he and his family have been in my mind the past couple of weeks. I hope his wife's surgery goes well.

Oh my goodness, you are going to have such a fun Thanksgiving!! Please, oh please take pictures!! I love that we are (and by we I mean you guys) are having the chance to spend more time with family! I just wish I could be there with you all! It is too bad Griffin won't be able to come.  He will have a good Thanksgiving regardless. I'm sad because I remember the past 2 years spending Thanksgiving with Griffin, Kate, Mckay and myself. Those were some really fun times! Good memories!

Paige and I have been able to chat back and forth through email the past couple weeks which has been so fun!