Transfers!

Hola everyone!  I can't believe it's the end of another transfer.  Transfer calls came on Saturday night, so the big news is out... Sister Jensen is being transferred to Utah. :( Sad day.  I will be staying in San Mateo for transfer #6, and my companion will be.... SISTER CAMARILLO!  Yes, my trainee is coming to join me in beautiful San Mateo.  I'm really excited.  :D

This week was a good week.  It's been a little crazy with transfers and 3 exchanges, but it's been really good.  I think I've said this before, but I'll say it again.  Being on a mission is great for the Spirit, but not super good for the body.  But it's the best and I wouldn't trade it.

We started teaching a brother from a part-member family on Monday.  We're so excited! He's always been friendly to the missionaries, but very avoidant, so we were really excited when he decided to join our family home evening lesson last Monday.  We're seeing him again tonight.  This is such a great family and I can feel that Heavenly Father has so many good things in store for them.  The brother is the owner of a restaurant, so the time commitment and being able to come to church is going to be really tough, but we have faith that things will work out.  His wife has an amazing testimony of the gospel, and we can already see how her example is shaping her family.

The other highlight of the week for me was the lesson we had with David last night.  I've written about David, a recent convert, several times because the experiences we have with him are always so spiritual and powerful.  We've only been able to meet with him one other time this transfer, so we were relieved to be able to have a lesson with him finally.  We met at the bishop's house again for a lesson on the Holy Ghost.  I was so happy to hear David talk about how his perspective is changing and how Heavenly Father is giving him experiences to help him draw closer to the Savior.  I see a lot of parallels between David's situation and the lessons I need to learn for myself.  I feel blessed to be able to know him and see the process of his conversion as I go through my own conversion.

This morning I took some time to set some personal goals for the next couple of transfers.  I feel blessed to have at least 5 more weeks, hopefully 11, here in San Mateo.  I feel like this area really has my heart.  I've learned so much here and grown in so many ways.  It's been an experience that has been unexpected, but exactly what I need.  I've at times felt discouraged here because the work is so different and the challenges are so unlike the challenges of other areas.  I'm really excited for what is to come, because I know it will be exactly what the Lord wants it to be.

!!!!

Wowwwww!!!  I've been trying to remain calm as I've read your emails this week, since I'm in a public library, but I'm having a hard time containing my emotions.  I'm so excited for Sister Croft! That was a completely unexpected call, but I can also see how it is absolutely perfect for her.  My guess was an Asian mission, but not Thailand Bangkok.  And while I would have been able to accept the Lord's decision to send Sister Croft away before I got home from my mission, I am so happy that I'll have a month to spend with my hermanita before she goes off to serve the Lord.  Get ready for some intense companionship study, sister!

 

Happy Chinese New Year!  I had forgotten it was Chinese New Year until I went on exchanges with the Chinese Sisters.  We had plain white rice on Saturday night to celebrate, if that counts.

 

The reason we had plain white rice on Saturday night is because I came down with the Norovirus (Google it if you dare) over the weekend and couldn't eat real food.  I was on exchanges on Friday and started to feel really sick, then was sick all of Saturday.  It hit me really hard and really fast.  It's frustrating to be sick, because I wanted to go out and work, but I was advised by the nurse to be considerate and not spread germs around while I was still contagious.  This transfer Heavenly Father has definitely been teaching me the very hard lesson that I need to take care of myself before I take care of others.  I got a blessing on Saturday afternoon and by Sunday my fever was gone and I got the green light to go back to normal work.  Thank goodness!  The power of the priesthood is real. 

 

We had zone conference this week and it was so good.  I love zone conference because it's always so powerful to be in a group of missionaries.  It's so powerful to feel the spirit of the work and the spirit of the missionaries who are striving so hard to do the Lord's will.  We had a great training on finding that really opened up my perspective.  I need to focus more on the principles and promises that the Lord has given us to be able to search out those who are prepared for the gospel.  I realized that even if someone we find doesn't get baptized or doesn't turn into a long-term investigator, that doesn't mean they weren't a "prepared" person.  I was getting frustrated because I felt like we weren't finidng people who are "prepared."  In reality, many of the people we talk with every day really are prepared to accept the gospel, and the interactions and lessons we have with them are experiences that are also preparing them to receive the gospel, even if they don't choose to accept it right away.  It was a good faith-building reminder.

 

I had a good experience on an exchange this weekend.  Even though I was as sick as a dog, we taught a really great lesson to a less-active sister in a different area.  We started off talking about what she'd read in the Book of Mormon from Alma 32 about faith, and then started talking about the sacrament.  The sister I was with shared her testimony of the importance of attending church, and then the sister we were teaching asked me about how I feel about the sacrament.  I was able to share some experiences that are pretty personal for me, but that I felt would help her.  At the end she sort of taught herself that she needs to go to church, not just to attend, but to strengthen her relationship with the Savior.  As Derek has said in the past, missionary work is about being real with everyone we teach.  When we're real and sincere, the Spirit can testify.  The same thing goes for situations in "real life" off the mission.  When we're open and honest, the Spirit can be there to help us and to help others, whether they're less-active members, active members we home or visit teach, or someone who isn't a member of the church. Try it out!

 

Yesterday Sister Jensen and I saw a lady driving in front of us get a flat tire.  We followed her to the gas station and my awesome companion and I changed her tire for her.  She was shocked that we knew how.  She asked us where we learned how to change a flat and I sad, "my youth group at church" and Sister Jensen said, "Family Home Evening."  Awesome!  The gospel is true, and the programs of the church are inspired. :)

 

Well, I'm not sure what else to share from this week.  My companion is going home in just 9 days. :(  I'm super sad, but also excited for what is to come.  Our area is growing in so many ways, and I can feel the attitude of the ward continuing to change.  I think Sister Jensen has helped MY attitude toward the ward to change as well, definitely for the better.  There are good things ahead.

 

This week was really good.  It was pretty challenging because I felt like there were a lot of things on my plate and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to handle it.  Heavenly Father has of course given me a lot of opportunities to repent for my lack of faith and to once again remember that He is in charge and He will of course take care of everything as long as I'm trying.  President and Sister Meredith told me about a conversation they had one day.  Sister Meredith was feeling a little overwhelmed and she asked President, "Do I get points for trying?" He took her by the shoulders and said, "That's the ONLY thing you get points for!"  It's totally true--we'll never be perfect or be able to meet everyone's expectations, but we can meet the Lord's only expectation for us--that we do all that we can.  That's how He blesses us.

We're still teaching the Roblero family (Edgar and his daughters).  We had a great lesson this week on the Book of Mormon, and Edgar definitely has real intent and wants to know it's true.  They attended stake conference this week and it went well.  Evelyn and Stephanie's only complaint was that they wanted to go to Primary.  That's a great sign!

Several of you asked about the Super Bowl.  Man, the Super Bowl... it was astounding to see how many people were watching it last night.  We had a lot of people reject us at the door because they were busy watching the Super Bowl.  It was frustrating, for sure, but I kept trying to think about how their attitude will change once they get another chance to hear about the gospel.  I imagine some of them will be a little bashful down the road for having closed the door on us (especially because the Niners lost, haha).

So... I took a leaf out of Derek's book and injured myself again this week.  I feel really silly.  I dropped a curling iron on my calf (I know, it seems impossible... but it happened).  It got a huge blister and was super gross, but it'll heal just fine.  It's in the shape of a heart if you turn your head sideways!  Cool.

I'm so grateful to be on a mission.  This week has been a little exhausting.  I'm not sure why.  Last night as I was interrupting Super Bowl parties, I was hit by the importance of what we're sharing.  Even if people don't recognize it at first, the gospel is for them.  It's for me too.  I need to exercise my faith and repent every day.  I can't wait for Sunday so I can take the sacrament and feel the peace of the Holy Ghost as I think about the Atonement.  I'm so blessed to know that the gospel has been restored.  I'm blessed to have a wonderful companion that's working hard even though the end of her mission is near.  I'll be sad to see Hermana Jensen go home in 2 weeks, but I'm grateful for the wonderful example she's set for me.  Heavenly Father has blessed me so much!

bruises and miracles

This week has been full of AMAZING things.

I think the highlights definitely came over the weekend.  On Saturday after ending an exchange we met with our new investigators at the visitor's center.  It's a dad, Edgar, and his two girls, Estefani and Evelyn.  The bishop and his family came as well, which was perfect.  I don't know if they were paying attention the whole time, but Edgar and his two girls seemed to really feel happy.  They've had a lot of struggles in their lives.  The girls' mom passed away about three years ago and they have a little brother that still lives in Guatemala who hasn't been able to come to the U.S. yet.  I realized at the visitor's center that it's really the feelings of the Spirit that make the difference for people, not that they immediately have a perfect understanding of all the doctrines that make eternal families or repentance possible.  The Spirit was definitely there at the VC and we're so excited to keep teaching Edgar and his family.  The girls are 11 and 7.  They remind me of Chastity and Alaska Aviles when we first started teaching them!

Another miracle this week was that we had 5 people at church yesterday.  We had Laura and Jonathan, from Argentina, come to church.  They're so amazing.  We met them this week and they both accepted the invitation to be baptized at the end of the first lesson.  They're so faithful and so eager to have more happiness in their lives, and they really have the intention of finding what God wants for them.  We also had Edgar and his girls at church, which was great.  They loved Primary. :)

We were amazingly blessed to find a lot of new investigators this week--more than I've ever found in one week in this area.  Sister Jensen said it best--the Lord seems to just be dropping people into our laps.  We're so grateful for all of the many miracles we've seen this week, and we want to keep working hard for those miracles to continue.

The lowlight of the week... I sprained my ankle on Wednesday.  We went out in the morning to go for a run and I stepped off the curb wrong and sprained my ankle.  The pictures look more gruesome than it really is.  The bruising was really bad and it was swollen for a couple days.  I was on crutches for one day, but then my armpits were hurting more than my ankle, so I gimped around for a couple days.  The pain is totally gone now, and just the bruising is left. :)  I can jump around and walk all day on it, so I've experienced a miracle of healing. :D  Sister Jensen is a CNA so she took great care of me.  She takes great care of me every day, whether I'm injured or not, so I'm in good hands.

great week!

So, the first miracle of the week--we're teaching Liborio again!  And he has a baptismal date!  His work has calmed down a lot and he has a little more control over his schedule, so he'll be able to keep meeting with us.  We read from Alma 7 with him and I asked him what his thoughts were regarding the Savior and what He wanted him to do.  Liborio said, "Baptism is a promise we make when we're grateful for Christ and want to change our hearts and be like Him."  A great answer!  He's very sensitive to the Spirit and I know the Lord will help him to be able to prepare himself to keep his baptismal covenant.  It was a great experience to teach him again. I was on exchanges with a sister who doesn't speak Spanish, but when I had her teach a certain point, she came up with a scripture that was exactly what Liborio needed to resolve some of his doubts and accept a baptismal date.  It was a miracle and yet another example of how the language of the Spirit is really the only language that really matters.

We also had a powerful experience with Flor, the mother of Raul, a kid in our ward who was baptized just over a year ago.  She came to church 2 weeks ago with Raul and had a great experience.  Last week I felt impressed to take her a copy of the DVD "To This End Was I Born" (the long version of THe Lamb of God).  Last night we watched the DVD with her and asked her how she felt.  She said she couldn't explain it, but that she knew there was a lot she needed to learn.  In her prayer at the end of the lesson she told Heavenly Father she was going to put as much as she could on her part so He could help her.  She is a great person and has amazing faith, and is the key to helping her family accept the gospel.  We're so excited to be able to be teaching her!

We also had a cool experience in giving service this week.  We were driving and saw a stalled truck in the middle of the road underneath a busy bridge.  Sister Jensen noticed that there was a Hispanic lady sitting alone in the car with a little boy.  We parked our car at the mall nearby and ran over to go see if we could help.  They'd run out of gas and the battery was dead, and her husband had left to go find a gas station.  People were all staring at her from their cars but nobody was helping her!  Sister Jensen and I told her to put the truck in neutral and we started pushing from the back.  We were totally moving forward but then she put on the brake and told us she didn't think we'd make it.  We lost our momentum and realized we needed help.  A cop came to flash his lights behind her but couldn't push the truck or give it a jump.  Hna Jensen was a champ and called some elders in the area to come help out.  Between the Tongan Elders and us, we pushed the truck around the block and to a parking lot like it was a Matchbox car. :)  The lady was so happy and gave us a huge hug at the end.  Haha, it was funny, she said, "I was praying to God that someone would help, and then you showed up!  Now I can give the money I was going to use for the towtruck to my church!"  It was a moment where once again, it was just right to simply serve her, and not force our message on her.  We invited her to look up mormon.org and find a chapel in her area, and she said she was on her way to her church that night, but would tell people there how nice we were and what good Christians we are. :) Not a bad result!

I love you all so much and I'm so grateful for all of your support.  I love thinking about all of the wonderful things you're doing.  So much has changed in all of your lives since I've been on my mission, and it's all so good!  I'm so proud of all of you. :)  I know that this gospel is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  The blessings of the gospel I see in each of you are a testimony to me that the plan of God is a plan of happiness.  I love this gospel and I feel so blessed to share it with so many people each day.  I love you!  Have a good week!

The power of the Spirit!

Hi everyone!  I've been excited to write to you all week because there were so many great things that happened this week.  We saw so many miracles and I learned so much about following the Holy Ghost.

 

Last week after zone leader council Hermana Jensen and I were invited to give the training for our monthly zone meeting, which is usually given by the zone leaders.  We were given the topic of the power of the Holy Ghost in conversion.  It was an amazing opportunity, and I feel like I learned so much about the importance of the Holy Ghost as we prepared for and gave the training.  As we were preparing we felt like we kept hitting walls as we tried to organize the way we'd teach the doctrine and set up the role-plays.  Eventually, as we sat in our apartment a little frustrated because nothing was coming together, we decided to just role play the whole thing as if we were giving the training.  It was amazing to see that once we opened our mouths and started teaching each other, we knew exactly what to say and the Spirit guided us in preparing the training.  We decided that we should apply that to the actual role play and focus more on having a spiritual and faith-building experience with the missionaries rather than focusing just on practicing teaching skills.  We gave the training at zone meeting on Tuesday and we both felt like it went well.  Having to prepare the practice also taught us a lot of things that we needed to learn personally to be able to have some of the amazing experiences we had this week.

 

On Wednesday night we taught Nancy again.  It was such a powerful lesson!  We felt prepared to teach by the Spirit and to help her understand the role of the Spirit.  At the end of the lesson, she prayed sincerely to know if what we're teaching her is true.  In her prayer, she said, "I know what they're teaching is true, but I want to feel it."  Wow!  At the end of the prayer we all were so excited, including her, because we could feel the Spirit starting to give her answers.  She's so great!  She has a sincere heart and real intent.

 

On Friday we had the chance to go to a meeting for new leaders that's held every transfer.  Even though the meeting is usually for district leaders, we got to go as well.  It was interesting because most of the meeting focused on preparing the new district leaders to be prepared to give baptismal interviews.  We got to role play with the elders on helping investigators through issues with one of the baptismal interview questions. At first I felt a little weird role-playing something that's not directly part of my responsibilities as a missionary, but it ended up being a great experience.  As Elder Croft expressed several times, a baptismal interview is a wonderful teaching experience.  I felt that being able to do that practice helped me understand the role of repentance and the importance of showing love in helping people prepare to be members of the Lord's Church.

 

Sunday was a great day!  We were a little discouraged during our morning meetings because all of our investigators had told us they wouldn't be making it to church.  However, as I looked down from my spot at the piano after the opening prayer in sacrament meeting, I saw that literally 75% of the less-active members in our area were in the chapel!  It was astounding.  Some of these people have never been to church the entire time I've been in the area, and they came this week.  A miracle!

 

Yet ANOTHER miracle Sunday night was our lesson with David, the recent convert that I've written about several times.  We had a lesson with him in the bishop's home with the YSA representatives of the ward.  We taught about the baptismal covenant and it was an amazing lesson.  Sometimes when we teach it feels like there's a lot of separation of roles--that we're the missionaries, the members are the members, and the person being taught is kind of sitting there in the middle.  This lesson went totally differently, and the difference was made by the Spirit.  In this lesson, it felt so much better, and rather than feeling that separation of roles, I felt that we're all brothers and sisters trying to learn and apply the same truths to our lives as we're taught by the Spirit of the Lord.  Everyone was sincerely invested in feeling the Spirit and learning something, and it was so powerful that Sister Jensen and I were both fighting back tears.  At the end of the lesson everyone was in agreement that the lesson was just for them, including David.  We left the house with David sitting at the bishop's dining room table eating cookies and hot chocolate with everyone like he'd never been away from the church a day in his life.  It was such a happy sight. :)

 

I feel so blessed to be here and to be able to learn so much about our Heavenly Father's plan for us.  This plan is real, and I see His hand helping His children through that plan every day.  The Spirit of the Lord is working miracles daily.

This week was great.  I think the highlights came from two new investigators we were able to find.  Both of them let us in after we started talking to them at the door.  The first sister's name is Nancy.  She let us in and seemed really skeptical at first.  She'd met with missionaries before and had somehow gotten the picture that we worship prophets instead of Jesus Christ.  It was cool to see the Spirit teach her as we testified of the Savior and of the restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith.  I'm amazed at the faith that people show as they feel the Spirit and we invite them to seek and receive their own answers.  We went back for a second appointment with Nancy and read from the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi 11 with her.  She had invited a friend to come over as well, and as we read, I could feel the Spirit bearing testimony of the Savior and of the importance of baptism.  I could tell that the Spirit had opened Nancy's heart and produced a change in her desires.  She told us she would ask God if the things we shared are true.  She had such an attitude of willingness by the end of the lesson, and her friend also accepted her own copy of the Book of Mormon!

 

A second investigator we found is named Judith.  She literally has no knowledge of the gospel.  She believes in God but doesn't really know how to worship him.  As we taught her the message of the restoration she started opening up to us about a lot of difficult things in her life.  I was blown away by the faith that this sister has, even with no background of knowing anything about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  She has such trust in God and in His will, and that faith has carried her through experiences I can't even imagine having.  Her heart is truly "prepared ground" ready to receive the gospel.  We're going back to teach her tonight--we're so excited!

 

This week has been full of really spiritual lessons and also a few lessons that were just really frustrating.  A couple times we walked out of lessons feeling really discouraged because we couldn't feel the Spirit.  It's never good to feel that way, but it's also an opportunity to find out what we need to change.  Even in a lesson where someone decides to not accept the gospel, if we're teaching by the Spirit, we can walk out feeling fulfilled and satisfied.  I feel like I have a lot of growing to do and a lot of charity and faith to develop.  I want to be able to walk out of every lesson knowing that I fulfilled my purpose, and not feeling like I was trying to just convince someone to accept.

 

We also had zone leader council this week, and as a council we set the baptismal goal for the mission for 2013.  Just like last month, it was a powerful experience to realize the importance of each missionary in bringing to pass the work of the Lord.  I feel so blessed to be in a place where I'm able to experience the power of the Lord's hand in bringing about the salvation of His children in such a direct way.

 

Other news to report--transfer calls!  Sister Jensen and I will be staying together in San Mateo for her last transfer.  I'm sending yet another companion home!  It will be a great transfer and I'm grateful to have 6 more weeks to be with Hermana Jensen.  She's great and I learn a lot from her every day.

Joy in the work

This week has been fantastic.  On Wednesday we had the green light to go out and proselyte again, and it was amazing.  It felt so good to hit the pavement again, especially after a week of being in what kind of felt like the MTC again--lots of sitting and studying until my eyes were tired.  Sister Jensen is a trooper.  She's still not at 100% but she's doing a lot better and fought through the lack of energy to work hard all this week.  I love her and I'm so grateful for her.  I'm learning a lot from the way she thinks outside of herself and seeks to meet others' needs.  She is a Christlike missionary and I'm blessed to be her companion.

I met Sister Osborn's family this week!  They came to sacrament meeting and dinner with her in our ward.  It was great to finally give handshakes and hugs to her family, and of course to see Hna Osborn again.  I've been so blessed with great companions on my mission!

We were super blessed to find 5 new investigators this week.  It was amazing to see how the teaching pool all of a sudden filled up this weekend.  We were extremely blessed.

One of our new investigators, Maria Eugenia, is awesome, and incredibly prepared to receive the gospel.  We got her name from a cousin of hers that lives in Sacramento and who has been talking with her about the gospel for a long time.  As we were talking to Maria, Hna Jensen asked her what question she would ask God if she could talk to Him personally.  She said, "I'd ask Him which is the church that I should join."  She's definitely a searcher!  She's been through a lot--a daughter of hers has cancer and her son is atheist.  She's looking for the gospel and is really sincere in looking for answers.  We're super excited to teach her.

I've just been extremely happy this week.  It's been so great to go out and work hard every day, to go on exchanges, to knock doors in the freezing cold, to talk to people about what they're looking for and what they need in this life.  Hna Jensen and I have been trying really hard to focus on helping people find what they need through the gospel, and the Lord has blessed us with so many opportunities to make heart to heart connections with a lot of people.  The work has become so much more fulfilling as we've rededicated ourselves to working with all our hearts.

Merry Christmas!

This week has definitely been memorable.  It started off pretty normal, with work in our area and two exchanges.  We had a wonderful miracle with a part-member family we're teaching, the familia Lopez.  The dad is working on coming back to activity and his three daughters recently moved in with him.  We started teaching the two younger daughters.  On Wednesday we had an awesome appointment with the 20-year-old daughter.  We taught about the Book of Mormon.  It was amazing to see the Spirit teach her about the connection between the Book of Mormon, revelation, and knowing that the Church has been restored.  It all seemed to click for her.  I was on exchanges with a brand-new missionary that doesn't speak much Spanish, but the lesson went just about as perfectly as I could have hoped for.  The Spirit was strong and she accepted the invitation to be baptized on January 20th!  We feel like the Lord has been prompting us to work more with the part-member families in the ward, and in this lesson we saw what I'm sure is part of the reason for those promptings.

 

The rest of the week was very different from any other week on my mission.  Sister Jensen came back from our second exchange and was basically dead on her feet.  She has been really, really sick.  I don't think I've ever seen anyone as sick as her.  She received doctor's orders to not leave the house until Christmas.  That was on Thursday so we've been inside the house since then.  That's the other reason why this email will be short--we're not supposed to be out for long today.  We haven't been able to do any prostelyting work this week, and we had to skip out on the ward Christmas party and even on church yesterday, but it's still been a good week.  I've had lots of time to think about my purpose, to study the Book of Mormon and to think about the Savior, especially as we're approaching Christmas.  I've had many spiritual experiences this week, for which I am grateful.  I've also been blessed to remain healthy!  Despite spending 24 hours a day in the same room as Sister Jensen, I've come away without illness.  I felt a little sick one morning and started to get a cough, but took a short nap and I feel fine.  Sister Jensen is improving as well, which is an answer to many prayers.

 

Yesterday we had the sacrament brought to our apartment.  It was probably the most spiritual experience I've had taking the sacrament.  Because it was just us two taking it, it immediately became more personal for me.  The Atonement is so infinite and reaches all of us, but I really felt in that moment as I took the bread and water that the Savior would have still done what He did even if it were only just for me.  It was humbling and a very personal experience with the sacrament that I won't forget. 

 

Anyway, while it's been hard for both of us to not be able to go out and work in our area or go on exchanges, I think it's renewed our love for the work and the blessing it is to be able to preach the gospel.  This has certainly been a very memorable Christmas as a missionary--not in the way I'd planned it or envisioned it, but in many good ways. :)

zone conference, Elder Packer, and trials of faith

This week was really good, and full of spiritual experiences.  We had our Christmas zone conference, which was absolutely amazing.  I always learn so much from zone conference, but this one was especially significant for me.  We watched a talk given by Elder Holland, probably when Derek was in the MTC.  He talks about the same story of Paul and the apostles that he shared at this past conference, but applied it more forcefully and directly to missionary work.  I'm so inspired by the way he speaks.  I think the source of his ability to be bold and loving at the same time is that the "loving" part comes from his love for the Savior.  I want to be better at that--to say what needs to be said, in the way that the Savior would have me say it.  We also got to have a little fun with a gift exchange at zone conference, just like last year.  The missionaries who are going home this transfer and next gave their testimonies.  I remember that a year ago at the December zone conference I was shocked that they could say that they didn't want to leave their missions, or that time had gone by quickly for them.  This year, I felt I could relate.  Time has gone by way too quickly, and right now my goal is to wear myself to the bone until the end.  I love this work and I love being with missionaries.

 

So remember how in Derek's last letter, he talked about a mission tour with Elder Packer of the Seventy?  The same Elder Packer spoke in our sacrament meeting this week!  He has great Spanish, so it was perfect.  He talked about the Book of Mormon.  He told the ward that if we want to fill the chapel every week on Sunday, the way to do it is by reading, studying, and pondering the Book of Mormon at home.  There is so much power in the Book of Mormon.  When we really seek to understand the scriptures, they help us to change more than anything else.

 

This week has been one that's required a lot of faith and endurance in our area...  We also had a couple exchanges that were a little taxing.  On our last exchange this week I felt like I didn't fully fulfil my purpose.  I've had to do a lot of reflecting and repenting this week to find out what I need to do to be better as I work with investigators and as I work in my assignment as sister trainer.  It's been a trial of my faith in the power of revelation.  Sometimes I feel like I have no clue what to do.  While it's not very comfortable to feel that way, I'm grateful to my Heavenly Father for giving me those moments where I have no choice but to turn to Him for revelation and help.  So many times this week I've been put in places where I HAVE TO believe and know that the Lord will intervene and show me what to do.  I've come to understand the doctrine of Christ so much better on my mission, especially lately.  Nothing happens without faith and repentance.  Nothing is satisfying without making and keeping covenants with God.  And the blessings of the Spirit are so essential if we are to make it through to the end.  I'm so grateful for the experiences that are helping me to understand the gospel and help others to understand it and live it as well.

This week has been pretty intense.  We had three exchanges this week, and it was kind of a wild ride.  This transfer has been so different than other transfers with exchanges.  We have quite a variety of sisters in the mission, with different situations and problems that require different types of attention.  I've sometimes felt like I have no idea what to do or say to help them, but I've really felt the support of the Lord this week.  In some situations I've felt like I've been teaching investigators as I've talked with the sisters.  I've really felt the need to follow the Spirit and understand what the Lord wants these sisters to hear to be able to overcome their problems and answer their questions.  It's been very humbling and has opened my eyes to the importance of doing the Lord's work in the Lord's way, even among His missionaries.

 

We had a great zone leader council this week.  Since it's the end of the year, we got the opportunity to review the mission's efforts over the past year and think about our baptismal goal for the coming year.  We were discussing our numerical goal together as a council and eventually the time came to decide on what the goal would be.  As we were talking about our mission baptismal goal, I felt very strongly the sacredness of the work that we're doing.  This is the work of salvation, and the goal we set for baptisms represents our vision and efforts to bring souls unto Christ.  As we were about to set the goal, my wonderful companion raised her hand and asked if we could kneel to pray as a group before we set the goal.  She offered the prayer, and I think all of us could feel the strength of the Spirit encouraging us and helping us to see and feel that the Lord is ready for His work to move forward, and that we are to be a part of that work.  It was an incredible experience in seeking revelation and understanding the Lord's will. 

 

We also got to help a lot with a Relief Society activity this week.  The sisters took bread and a Christmas message around to all the less-active sisters, and then had a posada (basically a Christmas party) on Saturday.  It was great to see the ward get together and be more unified.  And it was also great to see that Latinos know how to party!  :)  I love them and their energy and spirit.  Someday I'll be able to really party with them, but for now I'm content to just watch.

 

Our area has been struggling a little and our teaching pool is low.  We've been blessed to be able to find more new investigators than usual, but none of them have turned out to be solid.  I feel more motivated than frustrated, which is good.  The Lord is preparing people to receive the gospel.  Like we talked about in zone leader council this week, the Lord is ready to hasten His work, and all we have to do is show Him that we're ready too.  I feel like there's a lot of growing I need to do right now.  I've been working hard, but I need to progress more in my ability to do His work in His way, not just in the way in which I'm used to doing it.  I'm glad to have a great companion who is willing to have that as her goal as well.  Poor Hna. Jensen has been very, very sick this week, but she is a trooper and has continued to put her shoulder to the wheel, even with three exchanges this week.  I'm really grateful for her. Please keep praying for her and her health.  (P.S. I'm doing a lot better and feel almost at 100% again, thankfully!)

 

I feel immensely blessed to be a part of this work, and all I want to do is to give everything I have to Heavenly Father and the work of salvation.  I think back to the beginning of my mission, a little over a year ago, and how doubtful I was that I should even be on a mission.  At that point, the thought of 17 more months of feeling inadequate and overwhelmed was almost too much for me.   Now I feel like time has passed too quickly.  The Lord has been merciful in helping me change my heart and learn how to submit to His will, and in helping me grow.  I have honestly never felt more satisfied or happy in my entire life.  I feel that like the Savior said, in losing my life for the sake of His gospel, I have saved it (Mark 8:35).  Better said, He has saved it.

 

Wow, this week was so full of amazing things, all of which were full
of the sweet and the bitter.

First of all, saying goodbye to Hermana Osborn.  WOW.  It was almost
as hard as saying goodbye to all of you when I left home.  She really
has become like a sister to me.  It was so surreal to give her a hug
and see her get on the van to go to Oakland.  I'm glad I'll get to see
her soon.

My new companion is Hermana Jensen!  She's really great, and we get
along just fine as well. :)  She's just an impressive missionary all
along and I feel blessed to be her companion.  I know I'm going to
learn a lot from this experience with her.  I've been so blessed with
my companions on my mission.  I've never had a companion who was
difficult to get along with, which makes things so much easier!

We saw incredible miracles this week.  One miracle happened while I
was on exchanges in my area with Sister Boac.  Our appointment with
our recent convert fell through on Friday, so we went to our back-up
plan.  I was surprised at the back-up I had planned, because
logistically it didn't make a ton of sense, but we decided to go with
the plan we'd set.  We ended up knocking doors in the rain.  We
knocked on the door of Jessenia, a 21-year-old girl.  We started
talking to her and I asked her what was important to her in her life.
She said, "Is that a trick question?" I said no, and she eventually
started opening up and we began to talk about the restored gospel.
After a few minutes, she invited us to come in and talk with her.  We
got to know her a little and started teaching about the restored
gospel.  She told us that she felt something different from us, and
that she was sure that God had sent us to tell her it was time to go
back to Him. We told her about the Book of Mormon and she requested a
copy before we could even offer one to her.  She said that she
couldn't explain what she felt but she knew it was from God. We
invited her to be baptized, and she accepted a baptismal date!  It was
incredible.  The Spirit was so strong and it was all I could do to not
cry.  Within 30 minutes of us knocking on her door, Jessenia showed
incredible faith and accepted the invitation to be baptized.  It was
an experience I will never forget, and it taught me that it truly is
the Spirit that does the work, and that there are people who are ready
to receive the gospel. I think it was a blessing for the sister who
was with me on exchanges as well.  She's had a difficult mission, and
it was a tender mercy to be able to have such an amazing miracle to
build our faith in the Lord and His work.  There will definitely be
opposition in working with Jessenia.  We knocked on her door last
night and her mom answered and told us to get lost because her
daughter wasn't interested, then slammed the door in our face.  We're
praying that Heavenly Father will soften her mom's heart, or at least
strengthen Jessenia's, so she can make the choices she wants to make.

Another miracle is that Liborio (apparently I've been spelling his
name incorrectly all this time) came to church again!  We were
disappointed because he hadn't showed up yet, but he walked in about 5
minutes before sacrament meeting started.  Just like last time, he was
greeted by lots of members and had a great experience.  We'd been
praying all week that he'd be able to come to church, and he did!
He's progressing more and more each time we meet with him.

It's been a little crazy to try and work in our area this week.  It's
been raining like crazy--literally pouring night and day--which makes
it a little difficult to contact people at times.  It's also pretty
fun though. :)  We had Hna. Rodriguez, an elderly sister, come out
with us to visit people a couple nights ago, and she was a trooper,
running through the rain and giggling like a little girl.  It was
memorable!  Unfortunately the rain and cold are not helping me get
over whatever illness I have.  When I wrote last Monday I felt like I
was getting over it, but unfortunately I got the second wave of it the
next day shortly after sending Sister Osborn off.  Sister Jensen is
sick too, poor thing.  But DON'T WORRY--we're being well taken care
of!

It's been a challenge being the senior sister trainer and getting
exchanges all arranged for the transfer.  I've truly felt the help of
the Lord as I've tried to do things that I've felt are way over my
head.  This is pushing me a lot, and making me rely more on Heavenly
Father.  It's definitely humbling, and also wonderful to see how much
help He is giving me to help me overcome my weaknesses.  I feel
blessed to be here, and I know that this work is a sacred work.  I've
felt that reality many times this week.  I don't ever want this to
end!

New transfer

 

This has been kind of a crazy week. We got to be together in our area the entire week, which is something that rarely happens.  We were really blessed to find new investigators through a lot of different sources, and it felt good to be totally focused on the area together.  We're making another big push with the members to help them be more involved in missionary work, and it's awesome to see them get excited to share the gospel.  It's been such a good week!  I did get a little bit sick on Saturday and had a temperature all yesterday, but I feel a lot better today and this week is going to be great as well.

 

We were blessed to be able to go to the temple on Tuesday.  Every time I go to the temple, I'm amazed at how close I feel to my Heavenly Father as I'm there.  The connection seems so much closer because of the beautiful environment of the temple.  There are no distractions from the outside world.  I was thinking this week that being on a mission is kind of like being in the temple for 18 to 24 months.  It's a very sacred experience, and we're so blessed to be able to eliminate many of the distractions that sometimes keep us from feeling the Spirit.

 

We had a good Thanksgiving.  Originally we were a little bit worried because our schedule was almost totally empty.  We were not allowed to tract on Thanksgiving, and many of the members, active and less-active, were out of town (most of them in Utah) for the holiday.  Some wards have a lot of members that can be visited, but we have a very small ward and very few members that live in our area, so we were nervous about not having a very productive day.  We'd been looking for service projects but hadn't had any luck.  We finally decided to just put on our jeans and work gloves and seek out some service.  We ended up at the house of a sister who hasn't been coming to church lately.  We'd been trying to contact her for weeks with no success.  We went and started pulling weeds in her flower beds.  After being there for about 20 minutes, she noticed us and came outside.  She wasn't very warm toward us, but didn't tell us to go away, so we kept working in her yard alone.  We were there for about 2 hours, until we had to leave to go to another appointment.  She came back out as we were leaving and again was not very nice to us, but told us a little about what's going on in her life.  It ended up being a very valuable opportunity to at least have contact with her and help the bishop and relief society president know a little more about how they could help this sister.  It was kind of an odd experience, but taught me that we should serve as the Savior did whether or not that service is appreciated.  I walked away feeling that I had been an instrument in the Lord's hands in a small way, and that is all that I want to feel.

 

We were finally able to meet with Livorio last night after a whole week of canceled appointments.  The poor man is going crazy with work and some pretty serious issues with his ex-wife and custody over his 10-year-old son.  We talked to him about his baptism and I was touched at the thoughts he shared.  He said that baptism is a serious commitment to God, and that he wants to be ready to keep it for the rest of his life.  He said it was a promise to always keep the commandments, including going to church every single week.  He talked about how he felt at church last week when he came and how he wants to keep going back.  Livorio probably won't be baptized when originally planned, but I know that he understands the covenant and wants to make it.  We'll keep working with him to be able to rely on the Lord to help him through the issues in his personal life and to keep moving towards baptism.  He's so sensitive to the Spirit and it's great to see that he's gaining a personal conviction of the gospel.

 

Today is my last full day with Sister Osborn. :(  She gets on the transfer van tomorrow morning, and then it will be "hasta luego."  I'm really sad to see her go.  She's been an incredible example to me my whole mission.  She's the only senior companion I've ever had, and I feel so grateful for everything she's taught me.  We've become so close and have been so blessed to be companions for so long.  She's my hermana for life, for sure.  The only bad thing about being so close is that it's really hard to say goodbye.  We've been crying off and on for a couple days now, haha.  I hope you can make it to her homecoming talk!  We've decided our families should be friends. :)

 

Transfer news came on Saturday night.  I'll be staying in San Mateo as sister trainer, and my new companion will be Hermana Jensen, from Cottonwood Heights!  She went to Brighton and the University of Utah, but I'm sure we'll still be great friends. :)  I've had the chance to go on exchanges once with her, and she's an outstanding missionary, and definitely prepared to be a sister trainer.  I'm excited to be her companion.  We have an exciting transfer ahead of us with lots of new sisters we'll be going on exchanges with.  Arriba y adelante!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This week was really good.  We were blessed to find Livorio, our investigator we lost track of last week.  Sister Osborn and I went to his house once again because we saw his van was there.  We went up to the gate and his 3 dogs started barking at us, as they always do.  He usually is there to put them away and save our ankles from being chewed, but this time he wasn't.  Liviorio knows we're terrified of his dogs and thinks it's hilarious.  We debated the pros and cons of putting our feet through the dog version of a paper shredder, and decided finally that we just had to cowboy up and go knock on his door.  We prayed for the beasts' mouths to be shut, I opened the gate, marched past our snarling furry friends, and knocked on the door.  Livorio opened it, looked at me, and said, "Que valiente!" ("How brave!") Since then we've been able to have consistent contact with him.  He came to church this Sunday for the first time!  It was cool to see him recognize that church really is a place where he can receive answers for his personal questions.  He had a revelatory experience and told our ward mission leader that he'll be coming every week to receive more good teachings. :)  He's still looking great for his baptismal date, and we feel like he's felt the support of the ward and wants to keep moving forward.  It's wonderful to see the Spirit keep working on Livorio.  I was reading his teaching record from when he was an investigator in 2009, and it's astounding to see all of the changes in his life that have prepared him to be at this point and to accept the gospel.  I wish those missionaries who first started teaching him 3 years ago could see the progress he's made in his understanding of the gospel and his willingness to show his faith and live it.  One way or another, all the work that every missionary does is part of God's greater plan for His children.

 

This week we were also blessed to be able to attend a fireside on member missionary work given by Elder Packer of the Seventy.  He talked about how members can apply the principles of Preach My Gospel.  Preach My Gospel truly is an inspired work.  President Meredith shared a quote from a General Authority (don't remember who) that says, "Preach My Gospel was designed beyond the veil and put together here on earth."  That's very true!  I've seen so many miracles and found so many solutions by reading and applying Preach My Gospel.

 

I also had a cool experience with teaching a new couple we found.  We taught them the message of the Restoration.  Their kids were making a mess and breaking things, their food was burning on the stove, and everything was super distracted when we started the lesson. The husband was defensive and skeptical at first, but as we started to help them see that the confusion they've felt and the questions they've had about religion could be answered through the Restored gospel, we saw huge changes in them.  The distractions were still there, but the Spirit was cutting through them like a knife. The husband was a different person by the time the lesson ended, and I know there's nothing that could have made that change but the Spirit of God.  It was touching to hear him pray out loud for his family and to see the excitement they had to learn more.  Heavenly Father knows His children and His Spirit is touching their hearts and leading them to the truth in ways that no missionary can understand.  This is His work and I feel so blessed to be a part of it.

 

I can't think of a subject for this email because this week was full of many varied and unusual experiences.  Sister Osborn asked me this morning what good things I would write about in my email home this week, and I couldn't really label anything from this week as "good" or "bad."  So I guess I'll just tell you what happened!

 

This week exchanges were a little bit crazy.  I was here in our area with a brand new missionary, and her enthusiasm for being part of the work just blew me, and everyone else, away.  She's a great example of being truly excited to serve the Lord.  My personality might not be as "excitable" as hers, but I definitely learned that I need to always keep in remembrance that there is nothing better than being able to serve the Lord and God's children.  From Wednesday to Thursday I was in the San Francisco Chinese program.  We did a street display in Chinatown for two hours in the wind and rain.  We were trying to spread interest for the English class that the Chinese district uses to find new investigators.  I think I said "Free English class!" in Cantonese about 7,000 times.  I wished I had the ability to actually talk to people instead of just handing them a flyer, but I did what I could when English-speakers passed by.

 

Friday brought one of the most intense exchanges I've had so far.  There was a lot of disobedience going on with one of the missionaries in the companionship, and President Meredith had asked for our help in investigating the extent of the problem a little bit.  I was here in San Mateo with the companion who was struggling because her companion was being disobedient.  It was heartbreaking to see how much the actions of the other companion were hurting this sister, as well as hurting the members and the sister herself.  I don't think we ever understand the extent of the influence our actions have, good or bad.  It was a blessing to be able to help this sister, who has literally been suffering all transfer.  After we ended the exchange we had a chance to talk with President Meredith about the future of the mission and what changes will be made with the sisters who are coming in.  It's so exciting!  It gives me chills to think about how many good experiences and miracles are in store for the sisters who are coming in and the sisters who will be training.

 

Sunday was a little disappointing.  We had talked with Livorio the night before church, as well as Sunday morning before church, and he was very solid and was fully planning on arriving at church.  We waited and waited for him, but he never showed up.  Then we went by for our lesson in the evening after church, and he wasn't there.  It was strange because we had driven by his house just 5 minutes before arriving for the lesson, and we saw that his car was in the driveway.  When we got there for the lesson, his car was gone and so was he.  He didn't answer our calls either.  :(  We're not sure what happened, but we're going to do everything we can and trust that the Lord has great things in store for him.  Livorio is a great person and has felt the difference the gospel can make in his life.  We'll keep praying for him and trying to have contact, and in the meantime keep searching for more people who are ready to accept the gospel.

 

This week has been a week of re-evaluation for me.  Things are still going slow in the area, and I've realized that instead of getting frustrated and just plodding forward, this is an opportunity to re-assess my teaching abilities, my self-discipline, and--most importantly--my personal faith in the Savior and His work.  There's a phrase that a sister in the ward here uses that's going to be my theme for this week: "Arriba y adelante!" ("Upward and onward!")  That's the purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ: to help us not just pass the time here on this earth, but to reach upward toward our potential as sons and daughters of God, and to move onward from the mistakes and weaknesses of the past by utilizing the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  Enduring to the end should be joyful and full of satisfaction, despite trials and disappointments.  As I was reading this morning in Preach My Gospel, I encountered a quote that goes along really well with this:

 

President James E. Faust taught:

“Hope is the anchor of our souls. . . . Hope is trust in God’s promises, faith that if we act now, the desired blessings will be fulfilled in the future. . . . The unfailing source of our hope is that we are sons and daughters of God and that His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, saved us from death” (“Hope, an Anchor of the Soul,”

Ensign, Nov. 1999, 59–60).

Keep the faith, and keep moving upward and onward!

Holaaa!

 

I feel like there's not much to write about this week.  Like Derek's week last week, it's been kind of a struggle.  We too have had a lot of contacts and investigators that have been avoiding us and canceling appointments.  It's alright though--a trial of faith is always preparation for a miracle, and we're working for and expecting great things in our area this week.

 

We are teaching a man named Livorio who has been a joy to teach.  He's a very humble man, by nature and because of his experiences.  He's going through a very nasty divorce, but it seems to be producing the change that he needed to be ready to accept the gospel.  He was actually a former investigator years ago, and has gone through several sets of missionaries, but he is in a different situation now and is very humble in learning about the gospel.  He's showing a lot of faith in reading the Book of Mormon and praying very sincerely.  He has a baptismal date for December 2!  We're hoping we can move it up to a little sooner because he's already living the Word of Wisdom.  We're praying he'll be able to come to church and continue preparing himself.

 

We also had an awesome Zone Leader Council this week.  We got to talk about lots of the things that will be happening as the new missionaries come in.  It's such a blessing to be a part of the process of preparing this mission to receive these powerful missionaries who are ready to come and set the work on fire.  It's astounding to see how so many things came together in this last general conference.  The new systems for youth Sunday School, family history work, and missionary work are all preparation for the big leaps that are about to be made in bringing the gospel to all the world.  There Spirit has been so strong as we've thought about these new missionaries that will come to our mission in the next year or so.  The Lord is preparing His servants to do His work, and they will astonish the world as they carry the gospel throughout the earth.  It gives me chills!  We're going to see an increase of about 70 missionaries in the next short while in this mission.  It's so exciting!

 

It sounds like you all had a pretty quiet Halloween.  Ours was quiet too.  We actually had to stay inside after 6pm, and we were given a deep-cleaning checklist to complete during our time in the apartment.  It was pretty fun, and very refreshing. :)  It was a little scary at times too (especially when we cleaned under the oven), so we got our Halloween frights in.

Tender mercies and trials of faith. And GO GIANTS! :)

Hi everyone. :)

 

This week has seemed like an eternity, not because it dragged, but because so many things happened.  I feel like I'm a different person from who I was when I wrote last Monday's letter.  Hermana Osborn and I have been through heaven and hell this week, but at the end of it all, I'm almost overwhelmed by how merciful Heavenly Father is, and how aware He is of the finite details of each of our lives.

 

Nancy was supposed to be baptized yesterday.  Like I wrote last week, she came to church last Sunday and had a great experience.  The next day, however, we saw a decline in her confidence about her decision to be baptized.  After meeting with her she admitted that she had some doubts about some of the commandments.  We helped her talk through her concerns and then talked about the doctrines of the commandments and the importance of the Savior.  All through the week we met with her daily to help her feel prepared to be baptized.  We rescheduled her baptismal interview and moved her baptismal date because we wanted to make sure she felt comfortable about taking the step of being baptized.  Hermana Osborn and I fasted for her on Wednesday.  By the time Wednesday night rolled around, she'd stopped reading the Book of Mormon and wasn't receptive in the lessons.  She got defensive and started to close off.  On Friday, we went by her house for a lesson.  We were waiting outside because we didn't see her car there.  We called her twice and she didn't pick up.  We texted her to let her know we were waiting for her, and she texted us back telling us that she couldn't make it and there was something she'd left for us.  I ran up to the door and saw a bag hanging there.  In it there was her Book of Mormon, all of the pamphlets and cards we'd given her, her gospel principles manual, a letter, and a manila folder full of paper.  We drove away, pulled over, and read her letter.  She said lots of things that didn't even sound like her and told us she couldn't continue meeting with us.  She asked us to never communicate with her again.  I opened the manila folder she'd left and within reading one sentence off of the first page it was apparent that the folder contained about 25 pages of anti-Mormon literature that she'd printed off the internet.  The Spirit immediately left and we locked the folder in the trunk. We didn't read any of it because it was so apparent that it was absolute poison.

 

We're really disappointed, of course, that all of this happened, but there's really nothing we can do.  She made the choice to distance herself from the Spirit by stopping her study of the scriptures and looking elsewhere for other sources.  It was a struggle at first, just thinking about how quickly her testimony got shaken and how sad it is that she made the choice to walk away from something that she knew was good. It's very startling to think about the difference between the happiness we felt just a couple weeks ago at the Oakland Temple when we went with her and the sadness we felt as we read the letter and realized that she had decided not to go with what she had found out for herself was true.  Regardless of her choices, I know that Nancy is a beloved daughter of God and that He will of course continue to take care of her.  It's just sad to see her distance herself from the gospel with the choices that she's made.

 

Even though Nancy was not baptized as planned this week, we've seen an amazing outpouring of tender mercies.  Before all this happened, we had canceled the exchange we would have originally gone on just a couple hours after finding the letter.  It was a blessing to be together and have the support from each other.  This week as I've prayed for understanding and for the faith to move forward, I've felt closer to my Heavenly Father than I ever have before.  I've received confirmation of the things that I felt as I was preparing to go on my mission--that this is the most important thing I can be doing right now and that the Savior is aware of my mission, and that the gospel is absolutely true.  I've realized that no matter what choices others make, I will never be able to deny the many blessings I have received from the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and from being in His church.  This experience has strengthened my testimony that this gospel is absolutely true, and that this church is the church of Jesus Christ.  That knowledge is something I have gained for myself, and it can't be taken away.  I feel a stronger desire to share these blessings with my brothers and sisters.  I can't deny the changes I've seen in myself and in others through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  The gospel of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation are real!

 

We had another fun tender mercy of being able to go do a service project in Half Moon Bay on Saturday, right after all this happened with Nancy.  We got permission to go with the Daly City ward and our ward to do a beach clean-up.  There was a SHIPWRECK on a beach and we got to help the other volunteers who were there. Apparently the captain, a tuna fisherman from New Zealand, had fallen asleep at the helm and crashed into some rocks on the coast.  He was there at the cleanup and we got to meet him!  We made a giant human chain and carried the pieces of the broken boat across the beach and up a big hill.  It was really strenuous work, but exactly what I needed, physically and spiritually, to recuperate from the other events of this weekend.  Hermana Osborn and I are both super sore now, but it was totally worth it, and such a unique experience!  As missionaries we're not usually allowed to visit the beach, but this was a fun and memorable exception. :)  I don't have any pictures of it but I'll try and get some from Hna Osborn.

 

Also, last night, in the exact minute we left our last appointment of the night, fireworks started going off all around the city.  Apparently the Giants won the World Series!  Everyone was cheering and setting off firecrackers and pretty big fireworks.  People were driving around honking their horns for a good couple hours after the fact.  How cool!  It was pretty fun to feel so connected to the place where I'm serving my mission.  I think I can call myself a Giants fan now, since I've spent the most important year of my life here in this area.  And I don't even like baseball! :)  Today we're going to the city to buy some San Francisco Giants merchandise. :)  We've got to take home at least some memorabilia.

 

All in all, this was a crazy week.  It was exhausting, but so good and a week I will never forget.  I feel like a different person, and I'm excited to find and teach those that the Lord is preparing to accept the gospel.  Sometimes things don't turn out how we expect them to, but I know that the plan of God is perfect and that in His love for us, He lets us experience the things that will bring us closer to Christ.  I love you all!  Thank you for your love, support, and your faithfulness in the gospel.

 

Can't believe it... another week gone

This week was really great.  It involved a few days that seemed slow and frustrating at times, but overall I can't believe how quickly it's gone by.

 

This week we were really blessed to have Nancy be able to come to church.  She hasn't been able to because of her job, even though she's wanted to be there, but this week she was able to come to all three hours of block time!  She's doing super well and is learning the gospel so quickly.  We've been going over the plan of salvation with her again and it's so wonderful to see her understand and apply all of the doctrines so well.  She's been a little down because her family still doesn't support her investigating the church.  She's very decided on being baptized, but hasn't invited her family to her baptismal service yet because she doesn't think they'll react supportively.  This week at church a sister who served here earlier this year happened to be there visiting.  She has an amazing conversion story.  She was kicked out of her house at age 18 for deciding to be baptized and during her whole mission never had any communication from her family because they didn't support her decision to be a member of the church.  She was able to share some of her story and testimony with Nancy, which was a huge blessing and hopefully will help Nancy have the strength and the faith to move forward.

 

I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to grow up in an environment that has been centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I've never felt alone in my decision to live the gospel and I've never felt alone in my decision to serve a mission.  Of course Heavenly Father supports those things and is literally beside each of His children as they strive to live the gospel, but it's been such an amazing blessing to have my family on earth support me too. There are so many people who don't have that, and I hope I never take that blessing for granted in my own life.

 

This week at church we also had a recent convert who has been slowly slipping into inactivity, David, come to church as well!  He hasn't been to church the whole time I've been here--so over 3 months.  It was a relief for us, especially for Sister Osborn, who found him and taught him from the beginning, to see him come to church and immediately be welcomed by the ward.  The YSA swarmed him right away, which was a great sight to see.

 

I had a cool experience on exchanges with Sister Bram, my old companion, in Daly City.  That day all of their appointments had canceled before I got there, so we had what was going to be a very long and disappointing day ahead of us.  But Hermana Bram is such a positive person, and the Lord is so merciful to us, that we somehow got put in the right place at the right time all night long and all day the next day.  We thought we'd have zero lessons during our 24 hours together, but we ended up having 5 lessons, which is a lot for such a short amount of time, especially in that area.  It was a lesson in having faith that the Lord will let us fulfill our purpose as long as we're patient and diligent in working as hard as we can and following the Spirit. :)

 

Anyway, that's about it.  I hope you all have a fantastic week with lots of good experiences.  I love you all!  Stay safe and healthy.  I can't believe it's almost been a year!  My mission birthday is coming up....  Wear mourning clothes in my honor.  :/

 

Wow. I am going to kill Sister Osborn.

This week was full of surprises.  Like Derek, we had transfers this week.  Sister Osborn and I were anxious all week long because we didn't know if she would be released as sister trainer and transferred or not.  We thought it would be impossible that she'd stay another transfer, since she's already been here for 6 transfers as sister trainer and we'd had a total of 4 transfers together.  But apparently she's supposed to be with me in San Mateo as sister trainer, because she's staying for one more transfer!  That's where the title of this email comes from--I will be her last companion before she goes home on Nov 28th.  I get to kill my trainer... in my 9th transfer!  That's pretty much unheard of.  We're both very happy and excited for this transfer.  I love Sister Osborn and I'm so grateful that I've had her as my example literally from day one.

 

I have to tell you more about Nancy.  We had an amazing week with her.  We went to the Visitor's Center this weekend and it was an awesome experience.  I'm just blown away at how faithful she is at recognizing and following the Spirit.  She recognizes the difference that the Spirit makes in her life, and she's doing everything she needs to be doing to prepare for baptism.  It's so amazing!  This week we had a lesson with her and she shared some interesting things with us about how the Lord has prepared her to accept the gospel.  She said that for a long time, before she even met missionaries, her family would always tease her for dressing modestly and not drinking alcohol.  They would tell her, "You might as well be a Mormon--you live like one!"  She also said that she had a couple of good friends that she loved being around, and eventually found out that they were Mormon as well.  When she first met Sister Osborn in the street, she loved the way she felt when she was talking to her, and didn't even realize she had talked to Mormon missionaries until she got home and read the pamphlet about the Restoration.  It's so amazing to see how many small things have helped her to be open to and prepared to receive the gospel.  AND, get this.... last year, she randomly bought her nephews BYU SHIRTS.  I know, right???  We couldn't believe it!  Haha, it was actually really funny.  Sister Osborn and I were elated.  Her family was like, "Why did you buy them BYU shirts?  Well, at least they have a good basketball team."  Hahahaha,  :D  She showed us a picture of her nephew in his Cougars garb.  We were so proud. :)  Anyway, I've been amazed at how prepared Nancy is, in so many ways.  We went over the baptismal interview questions with her and found her to be so faithful and so ready for taking the step of baptism.  Her heart and desires are in the right place, and she's gained a testimony through the witness of the Spirit as she's read the Book of Mormon.  It's absolutely amazing, and teaching her has been an experience that has strengthened my faith that the Lord is preparing people everywhere to receive the gospel. Thank goodness her Mormon friends were good examples and had the Spirit with them so she could see and feel the difference!

 

This week we also had interviews with President Meredith.  I love talking with him.  His leadership style is very much based on receiving revelation WITH people, not just for people, in his stewardship.  It was a great experience to talk with him about the needs of the mission and the needs of the sisters in the mission.  I'll be forever grateful to have been called to this mission at this time so I could be with President Meredith, and also with President Wade.  I've learned so much and I've been so amazed to see how the Spirit really is the one guiding this work, because it is the work of the Lord.  And just like it says in Jacob 5, which I read this morning, as we labor diligently in His work, we shall have "joy with [Him] because of the fruit of [His] vineyard."  I feel so blessed to be here and to see the many miracles and gifts of the Spirit daily.

What a week!

HIIIIIII!  Wow, so much craziness this week, right?  I was blown away by the announcement on missionaries being able to leave at a younger age.  Like Elder Holland said in the press conference, the work is hastening, and I'm so excited for so many more missionaries to be able to serve in this great work!  It's the Lord's work, and He obviously has great plans for it to move forward with greater speed and an even larger army.  It was cool to be in a chapel full of missionaries when that was announced.  The only two places I can think of that would have been more exciting to be in are the MTC and the basement at 1692 E. 6765 S. :)  The first person I thought of when the announcement was out was of course Rachel.  I'm excited to see what the future will bring. :)

 

We had a week truly full of miracles this week.  A lot of them happened last night and are thus fresh on my mind.

 

We have a recent convert here, David, who has been slipping away little by little.  He had to start working on Sundays right before I got to the area, and things have gone downhill from there.  I can't imagine how difficult or testing it must be to be a brand-new member of the church, especially at age 21.  He's struggled somewhat, and we've been trying desperately to meet with him and also to have him more connected with the ward.  We've been very scared that he's going to slip further and further into old habits.  After two canceled appointments this week, we were finally able to have a lesson with him in our bishop's house.  It was a miraculous 30 minute lesson where we shared some of the things we'd learned as we thought about him during General Conference.  The spirit was so strong and we could feel Heavenly Father's love for David so potently as we talked about the Doctrine of Christ and the Plan of Salvation.  It was a huge blessing to be able to see Bishop Jacobson working under the mantle of his calling as he talked with David.  We're feeling so much relief after this lesson that we've been trying for weeks to have.  Heavenly Father is aware of each of us in our individual struggles and He works things out perfectly for us to be in the right places at the right time.

 

Another miracle happened with Nancy, our investigator who was preparing to be baptized on the 21st, this week.  On Friday night, we got a very long text from her saying that she couldn't be baptized and she wasn't ready to make the change, and basically that she didn't want us to waste our time meeting with her anymore.  It came completely out of nowhere, and after a series of nearly "perfect" lessons with her.  We were quite shocked and asked if we could meet with her to talk more.  She agreed, and last night we met with her.  This whole experience made me realize that I need to pay more attention to peoples' needs.  Nancy was probably harboring all of those fears for a long time, despite her being very faithful and very prepared to accept the gospel, and I wasn't paying enough attention to recognize that she needed to talk more openly with us!  Leading up to the lesson, we weren't sure what we would do or say, but we spent all of General Conference prayerfully looking for things that could help us understand how to help her and how to approach this lesson.  When we went into the lesson, we felt we just needed to ask questions that would help her express herself, and then listen.  She expressed a lot of doubts and fears and confusion, but also a sincere desire to know for herself that this is what God wants for her.  The Spirit was so strong in this lesson with her, especially when a member of the ward shared about how she had come to know that this is Christ's restored church.  Nancy told us, "I just need to pray and ask Him!"  It was awesome to see her make the connection between her faith, her desire to know, and the need to seek revelation through prayer.  The Spirit was the teacher, and it felt so good to be an instrument in the Lord's hands.  I'm also so grateful for Sister Osborn and her sensitivity to the Spirit.

 

Overall, the thing that has been the biggest miracle this week is the power of revelation.  Sister Osborn and I decided that we would focus on David and Nancy during general conference and seek out the answers and inspiration that they need to be able to progress.  We also both went with our own personal questions and needs.  As I am every conference, I was amazed to see how the Spirit teaches us through the words of the Lord's servants.  This conference was especially powerful as I tried to focus on the needs of others within my stewardship, and on receiving the direction I need to magnify my calling.  Every day I realize more and more that this calling is so much bigger than I am, and that I'm so inadequate in so many ways--therefore it is impossible to do it without the guidance of the Spirit.  This weekend was an amazing blessing and I really feel that the heavens were opened in many ways for me personally, and for the people we're teaching.  I know that our Heavenly Father is aware of our individual needs and hears our individual prayers, on our own behalf and on behalf of others.