Calloused

SAN DIEGO — It’s weird when fall hits, and the sun is still shining here as bright as ever. It messes me up sometimes!

This week, it has really hit me how urgent this work is. God really is hastening His work. We are gearing up for about 50-75 new missionaries come January. What an amazing work this is! I feel the urgency inside of me, my spirit is trying to sprint to the finish, it is all I can do to keep up the best I can. There is just so much work to be done. 

I can see how hard both forces are working in this world. It has been so evident this week how hard Satan is working to confuse, distract, and lead away the children of God. Many of our investigators have testified of the truth, yet they refuse to live the gospel. It has broken my heart. There comes a point when they have to choose — choose to follow God, or choose to turn away, to step back into the world they came from. A world of chaos, distraction, and loneliness. The hardest moments on my mission have been the times when I look at one of my investigators, someone I have come to love with all my heart, and they look me back in the eye and tell me they do not want the gospel in their lives.  

It is devastating. But the work will move on.

I have noticed on the streets, the world is getting harder, tougher, and more calloused. People we talk to on the street laugh and make fun of us. Some are kind, but refuse to believe that they have to live the gospel of Jesus Christ to return to live with God. They think that they can do it on their own. We are getting to the point where I feel like we are trudging through mud, trying hard as we might to find those that are prepared. Despite the difficulty, the work will move on.

I have had many experiences this week, but I would like to share with you an experience from the Mormon Battalion Historic Site I had while I was on shift.

November 3, 2012

I was finishing up a tour in gold panning, and a middle-aged gentleman walked up, looking around like he had just walked up to the historic site. I excused myself from the family I was helping and welcomed him to the Battalion and to Old Town. 

We talked for a minute and I asked if I could show him how to pan for gold. He agreed and we started panning. Over the past few weeks, I have had a few experiences talking with people at the Battalion or at the temple where a peace comes over my heart, and I am certain that they are a child of God that specifically has been guided at that time and at that moment to be healed by the message of the Restored Gospel. 

As I talked to him, I had that peace come over my heart. 

I looked at him and could feel the burden on his heart. I could see it in the sadness and darkness of his eyes. I hear it in the tone of his voice. I just told him that I could tell he had a burden on his heart, and wondered if he wanted to talk about it. 

He told me that he just didn’t like where he was at this point in his life. 

"I just go out on the weekends and drink, and party, and I don’t even know why I do it. I suppose because I am bored and I don’t know what else to do. I just want to change" 

I testified of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the power it has to lift his burdens, to comfort his heart, and that through the gift of the Atonement, he had the power to change. We walked into the resource room and looked at the display of the Book of Mormon and of the Bible. How amazing it was to me to be able to testify of the Old and New Testament, and Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The books that contain the Gospel, the way to find peace and joy in this life. 

He looked at them for a while and then looked up at me with his sad eyes and told met that ' I just feel like I have calluses on my heart. I just can’t feel anymore." 

I asked him if he had ever felt the Spirit before. He said, "Once. When I was a young boy, I felt that I should go back to church. I knew God was speaking to me and I didn’t do it." 

We slowly walked to the lobby and sat on the couch. I testified that the missionaries could teach him how to get rid of the calluses on his heart and help him start over, completely change. I felt the Holy Ghost remind me of my missionary purpose — To invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the Restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. How great is my calling!

I turned to him and asked him if he found that what I was teaching is true, would someone holding the priesthood authority of God baptize him. He looked at me and said, yes. He hadn’t prayed since he was little, so we went to the theater and knelt down in prayer. I prayed first and then he followed. His prayer was the most sincere prayer I have heard. I felt honored to be kneeling in a room where God's son — His little boy —was returning back to Him.

That moment will be one I never forget.

The lesson I learned through this is that, yes, things are hard, the world is bad, and Satan is loosing his chains over the whole earth. But GOD'S WORK WILL MOVE FORWARD. And we have the responsibility to be part of it. 

Are you joining the fight, or are you sitting on the sidelines? With or without you, His work will continue.

The Iron Rod

SAN DIEGO — These computers are so super slow! But hey at least we have them. So first let me just individually answer some questions/write you something. -->

I know it’s a bummer about when I come home. I only had 2 choices. December 29 or Jan 1. Since they are barely any different, I just thought I would make it easier on President. I love you so much! And time will go by so fast, can you believe its already September? I’m sprinting to the end, and also so excited to see you all. It’s a weird feeling, being on the downhill slope of a mission.

As for this week, what a week it has been! Sister Miller and I received a referral from the missionaries this week. Daniel has a friend that is a Mormon and introduced him to institute. He sat in on some of the classes and then begged the missionaries to teach him more.

That’s where we came in.

He lives in our area, so we met him at the temple for our first visit. It was amazing! He is such a nice guy, with the purest heart you can imagine. We taught him the Restoration and he felt the Spirit so strong. He used to go to another Christian church, but he felt that something was missing. As I was telling him that God has established His church and His teachings throughout history by giving a man that he trusts the priesthood authority to act in God's name for the salvation of His children, Daniel lit up. He kept saying, "I know its true. I know its true."

Overnight, he received an answer to the truth of the Book of Mormon. Our next lesson, we wanted to make sure that he understood why the priesthood even mattered. His eyes brightened up and he said, "Well, all I can relate it to was at my old church where they had a barbeque and then just dunked us in the pool. I know that didn’t have God's approval. I want to have my baptism have God's stamp of approval. "

We met him on Sunday for his first sacrament meeting. It was so neat. One of the hymns was "The Iron Rod". Sister Miller told him that soon he would reach the part in the Book of Mormon that talks about The Iron Rod. Yesterday we met him, and he was so excited because he started reading about Lehi's vision.

Just this morning, I decided to reread Lehi's Vision, and this time as I read, It wasn’t Lehi and his family I saw, but it was me. 

I was the one that followed "the man in the white robe" through the dark and dreary waste. (1 Nephi 8:5-7) The waste that I saw was the city of San Diego, the place I have been living in for over a year, but this time I really saw it. People running from place to place without direction, putting everything on the things of the world, the people were there, yet they weren’t. It was as though they were "past feeling". Kind of what you would imagine in a zombie town in a scary movie.   

As I continued to read in the scriptures, it was me that began to pray (1 Nephi 8:8) because I didn’t know how to help these people. I wanted them to be happy, and the darkness, the eeriness of the city to be gone. As I imagined myself praying, I saw the tree of life, and I knew that the fruit on the tree would change the souls of San Diego and would bring happiness to everyone around me. I wanted that fruit, and I wanted to grab a bucket, start picking it off the tree and handing it out to everyone I saw.  As I "cast my eyes round about" (1 Nephi 8:13) I discovered my family — not my family that I have left back home in Utah, but the brothers and sisters that I have helped find the Gospel. I saw HR and Todd, Oliver, Cameron, Casey, Ryan, Robert, and Daniel.... I begged them to follow me to the path that would get us to the tree. (1 Nephi 8:20-21). Some of them came with me, others walked away wandering through San Diego and were lost.

The story is still being told. We all have this life to prepare to meet God and to help others along the way. If we want to help others that are lost, we have to continually hold onto the iron rod. (Verse 30) Just clinging (verse 24) or briefly catching hold of the rod WILL NOT DO. The world is getting darker. 

Just take an inventory of your life. Are you one of the "Clingers"? Do you occasionally catch hold? Or do you continually hold onto the iron rod?

We are tools in God's hands. Just like a surgeon who uses precise tools to perform surgery, if His tool is acting up or being difficult, he may try for a while to use it, but eventually he will lay it aside and use a different one.

We are all instruments in God's hands. If we do not give our will to Him, he will lay us aside and use someone else.

Love you all! Let's run the Lord's errands!

Pray for Daniel! And Robert! And Ryan! And Jereon! They are so close!!!!

Progression, transfers, and never going back

SAN DIEGO — W-O-W! We just waved goodbye to two sisters going home today. Sister Kennington is going home in six weeks. WHERE IS TIME GOING? Transfers are tomorrow and we are almost positive I will be transferred. Change is always good, but I will miss the branch, and of course Sister Kennington. I guess I will let you know what happens next week.

Here is an update on Cameron: He received the priesthood the same Sunday he was confirmed, he went to the temple that same Wednesday, and he passed the sacrament on Sunday! Can you say PREPARED? He is and always will be the miracle of my mission.

Camilla however, was not baptized on Saturday, because her dad would not allow it. She will be though, one day, she will be.

We had our last district meeting this week. Our district leader and one of our zone leaders (they were on exchanges) made us homemade stir-fry and this banana dessert thing. Then they had us go on a scavenger hunt, which ended in the chapel, and we had a testimony meeting. Elder Smith, our district leader is so funny, and is the best. Seriously, the most humble person I know. It was great.

Since Cameron has been baptized, we have not had a lot of investigators to teach, but we sure have had a lot of members we have been seeing. We have been committing them to make a mormon.org profile and share 5 mormon.org cards. Then we follow up with them and practice talking to people about the Gospel. Just a few days ago, we had a follow-up with a member and practiced how to talk about doing baptisms for the dead at work, because he sometimes goes straight from the temple to work and people ask him why he is so dressed up. It has been amazing to see the fire and excitement of the branch. For testimony meeting, that’s all people bore their testimonies on: experiences they had with missionary work. IT is the BEST EVER!!!!

We also had zone leader council yesterday, which was great. I want to share a thought that president shared with us from a talk Elder Holland gave in the MTC. This thought comes from John chapter 21. This is just after Jesus Christ has been crucified. Peter and the apostles didn’t know what to do, so they decided to go back to fishing:

verse 3 "Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, we also go with thee. They went forth and entered into a ship immediately, and that night they caught nothing."

So these men had been fishing night and day, and nothing came from their labors.

verse 4, 6 "But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. And he said unto them, cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes."

As they listened to the Lord, they prospered....

Immediately, John knew who it was- "It is the Lord" Peter, so excited to see Jesus, jumped off the boat and swam to shore. Jesus had made them breakfast, being sensitive to the fact that they were tired and hungry from a long night. While they were eating, Jesus asked Peter three times "Lovest thou me more than these?"

Peter answered, Yes! I love you! (You can imagine the great love Peter had for Jesus.) Jesus answered FEED MY SHEEP. He replied to Peter, when I asked you to be my apostle it was forever! When he asks us to be his teachers, his leaders, his mothers, his fathers, his disciples, IT IS FOREVER!

WE CANNOT GO BACK!

That hit me hard. I can never and will never go back to who I was. I, like Peter, will forever be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

After telling that story, Elder Holland said that it was that moment Peter became the great apostle. That’s when Peter strode into eternity.

It is when we learn the great lesson that Peter learned, it is only then we will be ready for eternity and become the great children he wants us to become.

Don’t forget that this is forever! You have His name as yours forever. You are called to lift, inspire, motivate. FOREVER. If any of us go back, we will break Heavenly Father's heart.

So go open your mouths! Don't go back to being fishermen!

Revelation, Sacrifice, and Miracles

SAN DIEGO — It was so great to talk to you on Sunday! First things first:

Grandpa Morgan: Just in case I don't get a letter written, THANK YOU for painting that picture for me. I cried a whole bunch when you told me. It means the world to me. I can’t wait to see it!

Everyone else, thank you for the birthday wishes, the cards. It was a great day!

I feel like I should start off with a good laugh first. Do you remember me telling you about TIWI? It’s the company that monitors our driving: how fast we are going, how hard we stop and whatnot. We have a little box in our car that warns us when we do something wrong. For instance, "Speeding violation" or "Aggressive driving".

Sister Kennington was leaving a message with the counselor to our mission president and I was changing lanes, and missed in my blind spot a car that was coming, so I slammed on my brakes, but was in the middle of both lanes so I had to get over and the car in back of me was not going to let me. While Sister Kennington is leaving the message, she yells, "the car is still coming!" and then I yell back, "Well, that car is an idiot (yes, I should have kept my temper, I know) and then all of a sudden, the TIWI box talks in its computer voice, "Aggressive driving!" Sister Kennington then realizes that all of this was on the message to President Hunt. We look at each other, down at the phone and bust up laughing as she finishes the message, knowing full well that President Hunt heard the whole thing. OOOPS!

I shared this experience with a few of you, but since Dad, Sara and any others reading this did not hear, I thought I would share it with you again. Sister Kennington and I were having a pretty rough day the other day, and were pretty low when we went to the temple for our temple shift.

I noticed a member standing out front (he was dressed in a shirt and tie) and went up to talk to him. He kept asking me questions like, "How many sisters serve per shift, what are zones like, how do zone conferences work" etc. I asked how he knew so much about missionaries and he explained that he was just released as a mission president in Ohio. We were so excited to talk to him, and asked what advice he had for us.

It was so cool to see how much that question meant to him. He pondered for a minute and looked at us, and said, "Sisters, that is a great question. Let me ask you something: If you could pick one lesson that you have learned from your mission, what would it be?"

Sister Kennington explained that she has learned the "Why" of the Gospel —why we do what we do. I honestly have learned so many things so fast, it is hard to grasp everything. But one of the biggest lessons I have learned is the eternal perspective of missionary work. After we explained, he looked at us, pointed each hand at Sister Kennington and I and said, "Sisters, my advice to you is when this part of your mission is over, is to teach these lessons you have learned to your husband and your children."

It hit me that what I am learning is not for myself. It is for those around me. I know that each of you have lessons you are learning from Heavenly Father as well. Are you sharing those lessons with your children? Your friends? Your family?

I feel that before I leave, I need to share 2 more things that I have learned this week with you.

I want to talk to you about what I learned from Elder Zwick about what he calls the "cycle of spirituality"

In D&C 132:50 it says,

"Behold I have seen your sacrifices and will forgive all your sins... Thus sacrifice brings forth a remission of sins."

In Moroni 8:26,  Moroni explains, 

"And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart. And because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the spirit."

In summary, if you want the Spirit, it requires a sacrifice on our part. King Lamoni's father was willing to give all he had to know God. What are you willing to give?

We had Zone Leader Council this week, and each of us went around and shared miracles in our areas. The scripture came to mind, "has the day of miracles ceased"? I add my testimony to Moroni that indeed they have not. Here is a testimony that miracles still happen every day.

One set of Elders walked up to the church and there was a note on the door that this woman wanted to learn more about the Church and to give please call her and teach her more.

Another set of Elders were teaching a man from Peru. As they were in one of the first lessons, he told the Elders to hold on, he called his family in Peru, and asked if they wanted to hear more. They enthusiastically said yes, and the Elders arranged for other missionaries in Peru to teach them.

Other missionaries were outside church talking to a woman and saw a man walk by. They felt the urge to talk to him. He explained that he always wanted to go in, but every time he knocked on the door, no one was there.

A friend gave a man at the marine base a Book of Mormon a long time ago. When he got to base, the only church he knew was "Mormons" he went to church, started reading and wanted to be baptized. That same friend is serving a mission just above us and was given permission to baptize him.

Have miracles ceased? I think NOT! Look for them where you are, if ye seek, ye shall find.

Imperfection, Action, and the Great and Spacious Building

SAN DIEGO – Heavenly Father has really decided to push and pull me around a little bit —and it is definitely working. I want to share with you some things today, some lessons I have learned: some experiences that have humbled me, and some moments that have strengthened my faith. It's a lot, so please bear with me.

Before I start, I want to tell you what I used to think of when I heard the word "missionary". I thought of a guy dressed in black pants, a white shirt, name tag on shirt, scriptures in hand ready to conquer the world. I thought they could do no wrong, they knew every answer, they never had a hard time, they never messed up. You can see that my understanding of what it means to be a missionary was very skewed.

I want to open up my life as a missionary and let you see that though I do have a black name tag on my shirt, I am imperfect: I mess up, and life is HARD for me many times. I cried myself to sleep last night; this week has been so hard. I am not telling you this to get your pity or sympathy. I am sharing this because I want you to know that I am just like you. And just like you, there are lessons that I need to learn to be a better daughter of God.

I hope that as I write by the Spirit and you read by the Spirit, that my experiences this week can help you learn something that God needs you to learn to reach your full potential as well.

First, let me share with you some lessons I learned:

Elder Zwick, if you remember, toured our mission a few months ago. This past month, he was touring Samoa, Tahiti, and other islands in the South Pacific. On his way back, he stopped once again in San Diego and wanted to take his family through the tour with some other close friends. He asked if he could have a fireside with the sisters at the Battalion. I want to share with you a story. I only have time for one, but maybe next week.

This story actually comes from Sister Zwick. She told us a story about her son Scotty, who is in his thirties and has some mental disabilities and thus lives in a group home in Orem while they travel around the world.

The temple President in Portland are the Zwick's good family friends. The president shared an email with Sister Zwick that his son had emailed to him. His son had been having a really hard time with his family and other things. He was really feeling low. But he was really excited for General Conference that was coming up, and he was praying and praying and praying that something one of the General Authorities would say would answer the questions of his soul.

Session after session ended and by the time the closing prayer was ended, he felt dejected and that God had not heard his pleas. Just at that moment his cell phone rang and the caller ID said, "Scott Zwick". Brandon wasn’t going to answer it, because phone calls with Scotty are often full of questions and last a really long time, and quite frankly, Brandon felt that he wasn’t in the mood, but something made him answer the phone. He heard Scotty's voice on the phone and he said, "Brandon, I just wanted to call you and tell you that Jesus loves you and I love you too." Brandon explained, that at that moment, he knew that God had heard him and did know who he was.

And all that he needed to know was that he was loved, by a Father in Heaven and by His Son, Jesus Christ.

Do you see what I mean when I tell you that what you do makes a difference! Listen to the Spirit when he urges you to do something. If you don’t act, God will use someone else to do his will, and what a shame it would be to not be trusted by God enough to follow out His will.

Second, Let me share with you an experience that humbled me. I think I will write this out of my journal because I really don’t want to retell it- I hate messing up!

May 3, 2012

"Today was really hard. We had our weekly training meeting where we train the sisters at the Battalion. Sister Kennington and I did the training and then separated to practice with the sisters. When we came back, my group was a little late, so they were already talking. I asked if my group could hear what was said. We went on with training, but I could tell something was hurting my companion. I looked at her and my heart sank. 

I knew that I had acted out of harmony with Jesus Christ, for I had caused her hurt. We talked and I came to the realization that I had made her feel that I didn’t trust her to wait for all of us to get back into the room and I didn’t work with her in unity. I have been trying so hard to be better at allowing others to lead, but I think the harder and harder I try, the more and more I seem to mess up. 

It is really hard for me to allow others to lead. It's a weakness I know I need to get over to become a true disciple of Christ. It may seem like a little thing that happened today, but I realize that if my companion felt badly about it, then it matters a lot. She is so gracious and so patient with me, something I admire in her a lot. I think this experience opened my eyes to how much Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ care. This little things that we do matter. The little ways we mess up, and then become better are a big deal. We don’t live life by the year; we live it by the hour, by the minute, by the second. It is day by day that we become who we are meant to become....."

Finally, I have one more experience I want to share, a moment that has strengthened my faith. Cinco de Mayo in Old Town is CRAZY. I mean ridiculous. Sister Kennington and I were at the temple in the morning and then on shift at the Battalion at night. A drive from the temple that usually takes about 10-15 minutes took us just over an hour.

We were driving bumper to bumper trying to get to our apartment, which gave us plenty of time to watch what was going on around us. It hurt my heart to watch how past feeling all of these people were. Alcohol, tobacco, loud, offensive music, inappropriate dancing and actions, immodesty (bad, I mean real bad). It was like a movie, driving through a sea of people who weren’t real, they were literally like zombies.

Later, Elder Seegmiller shared with us his experience with being down in the middle of it at the booth. He told the sisters there to watch him. He walked into the middle of the swarm of people making their way to who knows where and he would wave right in front of their face. None of them acknowledged him. None of them knew he was there. He related it to the great and spacious building. My heart started pounding as I heard that. The Spirit was teaching me that this experience was exactly that. My faith was strengthened by seeing how real Satan is, and how real the Savior and His Atonement are.

I am out of time, but I hope these lessons I learned have strengthened and helped you. In summary, help others, be humble, and go forward with faith.

The power of a prompting (and a henna tattoo)

SAN DIEGO — Hope you are doing well. It was so good to hear from all of you!

Hannah: Thank you for the letter. I am so sorry to hear the hard things with your family, but so happy about school. Those pictures were adorable!

Juli: Thank you for your letters, pictures and journals- I can't believe how much those two are growing up! I miss them soooooooo much!

Aunt Kathy: (please tell her this if she doesn't get to read the email) I got your letter and it made my day. Thank you for thinking of me! Love you so much!

Mom: Hope you are enjoying being off track:) Thanks for the updates on everyone. And THANK YOU FOR THE PACKAGE!

I was thinking back when I used to be on the other end of these missionary emails and I'm not sure if I answer all the questions you have. I think I am just so used to being a missionary, I forget what you may want to know about. Will you let me know any of those things? I'll answer, promise. I just don't know what is interesting for you to know.

As for today, I think we all should start out with a good laugh don't you? Well, I actually have two for you:

Yesterday, we stopped by an Indian couple's home that we had helped move in a few months prior. They got so excited to show us about their culture, they gave us Indian candy, showed us their Indian shrine, their wedding pictures, and then they sat us down on the floor and started painting on sister Kennington's hand with this gooey brown stuff. As she started on my hand, her husband pulled up online what it was she was painting with... We got a Henna tattoo! Ooops! We tried to get it off since we had a sisters meeting at President's home the next day. Even soaking it in bleach for an hour didn't help! Windex and fingernail polish remover didn't work, either.

Another funny was a few nights ago, we were talking to a Russian visitor for a few minutes. We continued on talking with another family, and when we turned around to walk inside the temple, there was a dead BIG FAT RAT in the middle of the walkway. (A crow had dropped its dinner- yuck!) We had to guard it until security came to take it away. They took a while and Sister Kennington got bored, so she started singing a Broadway musical about this rat who could end up in the Celestial Kingdom- it was pretty hilarious.

My next story is the soap opera and miracle all rolled into one.

Last Tuesday after I emailed you, Brother Bryant called us and told us he had a referral for us. His name is Cameron and he is the ex-boyfriend of Brother Bryant's daughter, Chrissy. We set up a time and met with him a few days later. We had dinner at the Bryant's home and taught him about God, Prayer and the Holy Ghost. The next day, Brother Bryant's daughter called us and asked if she could be taught the lessons, as she has been inactive for 10 years. We set up a time to meet with her the next day.

When we walked up to Brother Bryant's home, we met his other inactive son, Josh, who is super friendly. As we taught her, the first thing that she said, with tears rolling down her eyes, was, "I want the Spirit back in my life". We were able to teach her and committed her to read from the Book of Mormon. The next day we were back at the Bryant's, this time for Cameron. Things got a little sticky when Chrissy got home earlier than thought and we had dinner with both Cameron and his ex girlfriend, Chrissy, at Chrissy's house. Heavenly Father helped everything work out.

After dinner, we had one of the most life-changing lessons I have had on my mission. We sat down (Josh, Brother Bryant's less active son was with us also) and taught Cameron about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Everything we have been learning from the General Authorities that have trained us came together, the Spirit was there, and as the scriptures say, when we teach by the Spirit, "both are uplifted and edified together."

We committed him to be baptized, which he agreed, with the biggest grin on his face. His grin got even wider as Sister Kennington promised him blessings of greater happiness than he could imagine. He responded to her comment, saying "I can already tell." As we were leaving the house Sister Bryant got a text from Chrissy, she gasped and with tears filling her eyes told us that Chrissy just put in her two weeks notice at the bar. What you could call the cherry on top, was when on Sunday, Chrissy who has not been to Church in ten years and Cameron who has only been one time prior in his whole life, walked into sacrament meeting.

God is real. His power is real. There is nothing in the world that could have done this for Chrissy and Cameron, save it came from God.

Brother Bryant listened to a simple prompting to call Cameron. Through that act of faith, and that seemingly small action, there have been many lives changed.

I often ask myself how many of those opportunities I have decided to not listen to. How many promptings have I let slip by? God has a work to do. We can be a part of it, or we can be a bystander. It is up to us to listen and to take action.

Personally, I want a chance to participate in any part of the work of God He will trust me to do. I promise from personal experience that when we listen to those promptings, we earn the trust of a loving Heavenly Father, who will continue to call on us to run His errands.

I invite you to join in the work. To be there for Heavenly Father. Become a dependable and trustworthy servant of the Lord.

There is true joy and satisfaction, one that I didn't even realize by being trusted by God.

Rock climbing and Q & A

SAN DIEGO — I love the questions I was sent this week, so let's get on with them!

What is the most important/most valuable thing you have learned on your mission?

Funny thing you ask. I was sitting in an interview with a General Authority a few weeks ago, and he sat Sister Kennington and I down and asked us that very thing. Except for he asked, "What is the most important thing that you have learned on your mission that you could not have learned anywhere else?"

I really had to ponder that. Could I have learned the scriptures? Yes. Could i have learned Preach My Gospel? Yes. Could I have learned how to teach? Yes. Without my mission though, I would not have learned the eternal nature of missionary work.

I don't know if that makes sense, but without a mission, I am not sure I would have the eternal perspective of how important it is to talk to some who is less active, or do the life-changing action of sitting by someone on the bus, and just talking with them so that they can get a glimpse of the Spirit. I guess what I am trying to say is without my mission, I think I would be lagging behind in truly starting to understand my purpose here in life and how God expects me to live up to that purpose.


What temple do you want to get married in?
Oquirrh Mountain, most definitely.


Favorite Dessert?
Depends. I am definitely a chocolate fan. Summer time: Chocolate ice cream cake. Celebration time: Sam's Club chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream or hot brownies and ice cream. Holiday time: German chocolate pie. Pretty much, you want a happy Sister Newman? Chocolate anything sounds good to me!


What is one of your biggest fears?
I think this is one that many missionaries have. I don't want to return to be the same person I was. I want to still be me, but be the more refined person that God has helped me work an intense year and a half to become. I don't want to waste the work, the tears, the sleepless nights, the frustration, the joy, the happiness, that I have worked so hard for. I want to live up to my potential.


What is one of your greatest accomplishments thus far in life?
Definitely being here on a mission. I thought nursing school was tough, but there are some days – for instance, last night —when I went to bed with tears streaming down my face. I felt like the Sons of
Mosiah when they said,

"Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us..." 

There have been far too many moments when I have felt my heart depressed and wanting to turn back, but Heavenly Father wont let me of which I am so grateful for.


This week has been a pretty slow week, not much new to report on, so I want to leave you with a memory I have that has brought me great strength on my mission, and something I feel I should share.

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Do you remember how much fun Sara, Chris and I would have going rock climbing up Provo Canyon?

I remember when I first started going with them, I was terrified. I love rock climbing, but surprisingly am really afraid of heights. That wasn't going to stop me from doing something I wanted to do. I remember one of my first climbs with them, I got halfway up the cliff, and was getting really tired, so I stopped for a minute holding myself up on the side of the cliff.

I made the mistake while admiring the view of the horizon, and looked down to see Sara and Chris way farther down than I expected. It's a scary thing when your 5'9' sister looks like she's two inches tall! My arms started to shake, my hands started to sweat, and I was for sure I was going to fall off that cliff to my death. Sara saw me crying and started to cheer me on. Despite my begging, they wouldn't let me down.

All I knew left to do was to pray and ask for help. As I said a quick prayer, the thought came to my mind: "Silly Brittany, take a breather, and notice how this relates to your life." As that voice pierced my soul, I did what I was told.

All of a sudden, I saw the rock wall as my life here on earth. I saw spots that were easier and spots that were tougher to climb. Moments I could take a rest, and times when the only option was to keep climbing. And then I looked down at my harness, wrapped tightly around me, and realized that the Book of Mormon was my support helping me through life. The harness was hooked to the rope, my lifeline between me and my brother. I had just used that lifeline, praying to my Heavenly Father for help.

Then my sister, standing right next to him, pleading for me to keep going, cheering me on, and helping me know where to lift my feet, what rocks would be the best to hold onto, because she had just climbed the same thing I was climbing. I no longer had any fear, I looked up, and climbed to the most breathtaking view of Utah Valley.

I share that story with you because of what Sara asked about my accomplishments in life. I feel like the biggest accomplishment we can all make is learning to become who we are meant to become and learning to put our lives in Heavenly Father's hands. I know if you will do that, your life will change.


I love you all. I'm sorry for the lack of stories. Todd went to the temple this week, it was amazing to see his beaming face walk out of the temple! Oliver received the Aaronic Priesthood and will be going to the temple soon as well. HR is still doing great. Cory got deployed to Japan, so keep him in your prayers. And we have a new recent convert named Mark that moved from North Carolina. He is amazing and blessed the sacrament on Sunday!

The work is moving forward! God lives!

Let your light shine and never give up

SAN DIEGO —Holy Moly, I had so many things to write to president, and I needed to send an email off to my amazing sis, so sorry if this is a little short this week. I want to tell you about the lessons I learned this week.

Lesson 1: Let your Light So Shine

I had an amazing experience this week. There was a message for me at the Battalion that a Rudy and Sylvia Vega wanted Sister Newman to attend their baptism on Saturday. I racked my mind trying to think of who in the world were Rudy and Sylvia? I soon found out that in November, they felt a pull to ride their motorcycles through "the big castle" so they could look at it. Rudy and Sylvia talked with me (though, it is hard for me to remember the details as I talk to hundreds of people at the temple) and though Rudy never gives out his name or number, he decided to this time though.

As I walked into the church that Saturday morning, the first few words he said to me hit me hard. He looked at me, and pointed to me face: "She's the one, I'll never forget that smile!"

I'm not saying this to say anything about myself. There are 20 other sisters here that would have done the same thing. What hit me so hard was that a mere smile truly did bring two of God's children into His fold.

I talk to hundreds of people each week. So do you.

I have no idea the impact I make on them. Neither do you.

But I promise you, whether in this life or in the next, there will be many people who throw their arms around you and thank you for the difference you made in their lives by letting your light so shine.

Lesson 2: Never Give up.

I have written about Cory Woodson before, but not for a long time. He is another marine and Sister Nelson and I taught him. He had a baptism date, but a few days before he backed out and stopped talking to us. Since November, Sister Kennington and I have continued to text and invite him without any luck. Last week, he showed up randomly to FHE, and this Sunday to church.

I felt the strongest feeling that we needed to meet with him, so we did last-minute splits, so Sister Kennington could take our lesson we had planned and I could meet with Cory. After talking with him about his concerns and his thoughts, I asked him if he believed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be Jesus Christ's true, restored church. He paused, and said something very profound. He said, "All the other churches I "think are right", but the Mormon church is the only one that "feels" right.

We invited him to be baptized and he accepted and asked to be baptized three days from our meeting. I know that God never forgets about His children. He has never forgotten me, He never forgot Cory, and I know He will never forget you. Now if Heavenly Father never gives up on us, who are we to give up on anyone?

I'll write next week about Cory and Oliver's baptisms! Please pray for them!

'Not a single moment can be wasted'

SAN DIEGO — This week has been a crazy one! I feel like I start these letters the same way every week, but it is so true. Missionary work is so full of ups and downs. HR (the one baptized in October) finally went to the temple this week! What a sweet experience to have been able to see him be baptized, receive the priesthood and bless the sacrament, and now go to the temple to help others receive those same blessings! It is so neat! All I can keep thinking of is no wonder Heaven will be amazing! We all get to help each other get back to Heavenly Father!

Todd (the marine that just got baptized) received the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday. W-O-W. Future Stake President right there. They are both so solid. I am so grateful Heavenly Father has blessed me with the opportunity to teach them both.

Saturday was Mormon Battalion day. They had a huge celebration in town square celebrating the Battalion making it to San Diego. We marched in the parade and then headed up to the Battalion and gave tours every 15 minutes from 10 am-to about 5 pm. It was crazy! There was a special spirit about the day, having an extra reminder about what these amazing men did.

Brittany with a local member of the Church on Battalion
Day. Photo courtesy of @GreggPrettyman.

Saturday was both a happy and a sad day. Sister Pelfrey's father passed away at 1 pm. He has been really sick for quite some time, but that doesn't take away the sting and hurt of losing a loved one. She is such a strong woman, so kind, so thoughtful, so loving. I was so blessed to be able to sit with her for a few minutes and listen to her tell me about her dad. We sat together and we cried together. There is
no doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father sent special angels to be with His sweet daughter that night.

This experience reminded me of how precious life truly is. We fought to have a place here on earth and we fought mightily, valiantly, courageously. Not a single moment can be wasted.

As a missionary, every six weeks we have transfers. And every six weeks I have the opportunity to look back at what I've done — how hard I worked, how patient or impatient I was, how I treated my companion and the other sisters — I have this great opportunity to look back and report to my Heavenly Father, my mission President, Elder Seegmiller, and myself of how I used the precious six weeks I had. It is a little scary when I have to look within myself and see if I truly reached the potential Heavenly Father has for me.

As I was sitting with Sister Pelfrey talking about how her dad is finally home, I thought about how my welcome will be when I return home to Father in Heaven. Did I love? Did I teach? Did I lift? Did I serve? Everything we do makes a difference. Everything we do we will be accountable for. It matters what we do here! It matters more than we realize.

I just want you all to know I love you. God is real. More real than we know.

Closer to Heaven

SAN DIEGO — I haven't read any of your emails or anything because I only have a few minutes to write today. The place we usually go had the internet down, so we are sharing the computer at the Battalion.

Part of my email time was taken up by a MIRACLE! A perfect thing to be taken up by, don't you think?

Elder Woodbury came and got Sister Kennington and myself from the back and told us there was a lady up front who wanted to know more about the Church. She hadn't even been on the tour yet! She was at the temple and she asked how she could go inside, and the temple workers told her that if she came to the Mormon Battalion Historic Site, there would be missionaries there to help prepare her to enter the temple in a year's time. She told us that she has struggles right now and knows that this can make her happy. We scheduled an appointment for her to come back tomorrow at 10. AMAZING! I love the miracles that happen every single day. They really do happen!

An update on our investigators: 

Charmaine is doing better. She still is struggling with the commandments, but is working through it and really wants to get baptized.

Todd also will be baptized at the end of the month.

Some sad news that happened this week. Ali broke his arm and can't afford insurance, so he has to go back to Iran to get it fixed. I think my heart may have literally broken a tiny bit. I know we talked in heaven. He is so close!

We need your prayers, though. I know there are people — just like this lady that came to the Battalion — that are in desperate need of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Missionary work is so amazing. You have moments when you are down on your knees in tears not knowing what to do next, times what you feel like you are on cloud nine when one of God's children accepts the Gospel, times when crushing disappointment takes your breath away as one you've learned to love rejects their opportunity of a lifetime.

Of course, there are moments when the only thing you can do is laugh.

I had one of those moments this week, as I was taking one of the Spanish sisters on exchanges a few days ago. I have heard horror stories at the Battalion of some very interesting food that has been served the sisters. We were having a lesson with a lady, and she decided she liked us, so naturally she wanted to feed us a taco. We agreed and she went to the kitchen to prepare it. As she started walking back to us from the kitchen, my heart sank as I saw on the plate weird squiggly white stuff. The only thing running through my mind was that did NOT look like any taco I had ever seen. Flashbacks of being with Dad in Finland and eating nasty stuff ran through my mind. I held my breath, telling myself it was all mind over matter. Then she gave us the plates: it was Chicken Alfredo!!! Yeah, MAJOR FALSE ALARM.

All the Spanish sisters had a hoot and a half hearing that one, though:) They taught me a new phrase last night when I was on exhcanges again, so sister kennington wasnt with me. "Yo tengo mucho respeto por usted, mujer." Anyway, I was supposed to say it to Sis. Kennington. It means, "I have much respect you, woman"

I'll leave you with part of my journal from last night.

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January 9, 2012

I just got off my second tour in a row tonight and saw that Sister Nelson was going to start a tour, so I went with her. We took a mother and her two little daughters through. They were so adorable. The whole time we were unsure of whether they were LDS because the daughter kept saying she had been here before. We finished the tour and still, we had no idea whether she was a member of the Church. 

At the end of the tour, she started opening up: her husband is deployed and her and her daughters come here often because of the feelings that they feel.

Of course they do.

The Mormon Battalion is a sacred place, a place where the legacy of these brave men and women is reverenced and retold to the world. The prophecy that the Battalion would be held in reverence to the whole world is fulfilled here every day. I am convinced that the real members of the Battalion are closer than we know at times. This woman felt that. She felt the Spirit. She felt it touch her heart.

She asked if she could go to church with us on Sunday, which we gladly accepted. What is amazing to me is the contrast of another tour I took earlier today. I took two people, cousins, on the tour. The whole time all they wanted to do was leave. They answered their phone multiple times and most of the time weren't even paying attention. Yet, still by the end of the tour their hearts were changed, and they were so excited to bring their family back.

Wow. The Gospel really does change people. No matter who we are, where we come from, we are all children of God. Our spirits still remember Heaven.

Chastity, The Book of Mormon, and a white castle

SAN DIEGO — This week has been so full of miracles, I figure the best way to share with you is to share some clips from my journal.

Brittany was so happy to get letters and packages

But before I do that- HR Dudley, the marine we have been teaching is getting baptized this Saturday and we have 4 other investigators with a baptismal date for the middle of November! There are no words to express what it is like to see a person use the gift of the Atonement to change their lives completly to follow God. I wish I could explain it. I was thinking about the thoughts shared with me from Elder David A. Bednar's talk and there is a quote in Preach my Gospel from President Howard W. Hunter that talks about missionary work and our own conversion:
 

"Surely taking the Gospel to every kindred, tongue, and people is the single greatest responsibility we have in mortality... we have been privileged to be born in these last days as opposed to some earlier dispensation, to help take the Gospel to all the earth. What does the Atonement have to do with missionary work? Any time we experience the blessings of the Atonement in our lives, we cannot help but have a concern for the welfare of others... A great indicator of one's personal conversion is the desire to share the gospel with others."

It's just as Lehi felt when he tasted of the fruit of the tree, he desired his family to taste of it as well. I don't know all of you who are reading this, but many of you have tasted of the fruit, many of you have experienced the cleansing power of the Atonement — don't keep it to yourself, go share it with others. I promise that looking outward and not inward, by thinking of others and not yourself, you will be following the example of Jesus Christ and will become more like him.

October 19, 2011

We were on splits today because we had too many appointments. Yay! What awesome words to hear as a missionary! I taught HR the Law of Chastity with his girlfriend and Relief Society President, Amanda Stubbs. I had the most amazing experience as we finished up the lesson. I asked him if he had any concerns or questions that would be keeping him from living the Law of Chastity. Immediately I felt as Ammon did in the Book of Mormon when he was able to discern the thoughts and intents of King Lamoni's heart. I knew exactly what HR was worried about —that it would be hard for him to keep his thoughts and words clean while he was on base with the other Marines. We were able to talk about his concerns and because of Heavenly Father's tender mercy, I was able to help him with his worries...

October 22, 2011

We had the temple shift this morning. There were lots of people here today, but mostly for weddings. In Winnie the Pooh terms, it was "a blustery day"!

While we were shivering under the umbrella at the temple, a car pulled up and a guy asked us for a Portuguese Book of Mormon, which we were more than happy to give him. He told us that he was Mormon and that his girlfriend told him about a dream she had last night with a white castle and how badly she wanted to go inside during her dream. The boyfriend told her he would take her to that building and we were able to give her a Book of Mormon and send the missionaries to her home because she wants to be baptized. Wow, what a testimony of how Heavenly Father really does know and love us individually and will answer our prayers in many different ways!...

October 24

We were on exchanges today. I was in my area with Sister Kearsley and we were able to teach Michael, Kerry, and Raul. Kerry came to the church and we talked to her about the Plan of Salvation. I asked her if she received her answer about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. She looked me straight in the eye and in a whisper said, "yes, I know that Joseph is a Prophet of God and that this book is true"

I do too! I know that Joseph is a Prophet and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, another testament that Jesus Christ lives, and a loving gift from Heavenly Father to guide us in this day! It is amazing how powerful the Book of Mormon is. It truly has "a more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword or anything else"

As we were teaching Raul, we asked him how his reading was going. He said in his own words, "Well, it's going okay, I'm really bad at names, but I read about these brothers that went to this mansion to go get some books, and the bad dude, was like, "bang bang bang" I want your riches, and so they had to run away and then later the bad brothers were whipping their other brother and the Spirit came and told them to knock it off...." Oh my goodness, Sister Kearsley and I looked at him with our jaws dropped to the ground — I'd say he is reading and understanding the Book of Mormon!

The Book of Mormon is such a powerful source in conversion. There is a talk called, "Flooding the Earth with the Book of Mormon" by Ezra Taft Benson. It is an amazing talk and something I have been thinking a lot about this week. I have been able to talk to a lot of people about Joseph Smith, I have reminded a lot of members about the sacrifice of our ancestors, and every day as I take people on the tour, i am reminded of what people, namely Joseph, went through to bring this Gospel to the earth again.

Joseph would not be tarred and feathered for a mere lie, he would not watch his children, neighbors, family, and people be mobbed and persecuted because of their beliefs, he would not go through trial and tribulation to bring forth the Book of Mormon for a lie. He would not do that!

He has passed on his legacy to us. It is now our turn to flood the earth with the Book of Mormon, to turn outward and not inward just as Jesus Christ would and teach, help, lift, inspire, and love all of those around us. You can do this! You are children of God, you were born with the responsibility to share what you know with the world. I know that there will be many people waiting for you when you return to Heaven, with arms wide open, thanking you for opening your mouth and sharing what you know. You can do this! Go forward with faith, not fear! Share a smile, give a hug, and let your light so shine:) 

 

I love you all so much. Thank you for sharing with me all of your experiences. You are so amazing, and I am so lucky to know you all.

Just FYI- Transfers are November 9th. I think Sister Nelson will be transferred since she has been in the area so long, but honestly I have no idea.

Pioneers, preaching and paradise fruit

Hello Family!

Thank you so much for writing me! I got all of your letters from last week late because my zone leaders forgot to give them to me! Thank you all so much for all of your support!

I am going to try and write a personal letter to you all, but I don’t know if I will run out of time this p-day. Just know how much I love you all. You have no idea how much it means to me to get your letters. I didn’t realize it until being on a mission myself, but what a difference a few words on a piece of paper can make. You lift my spirits — THANK YOU!.

Well, I got a lot of questions this time around, so let me try to answer some of them:

Where should we send letters?:
I am not allowed to email anyone but mom and dad. I can read your emails but I can only write you back. I might be slow at getting back to you, but I promise I will try to write. The mission home address is the place you write letters to. We can’t get mail to our apartment.

How many girls are in your apartment? Is it church-owned?
No, our apt isn’t church owned, there are other people living on the same floors as us. We only have two of us in one apartment though.

Where is the mission home from where you live?
The mission home is 20 minutes away. The Mormon Battalion is in Old Town San Diego. Chula Vista is seven minutes away from the Mexican border. We have a car, because our area is the furthest away from where we live.

Do you cook for yourself?
Yes. Except for we usually only have 15 minutes for meals as Battalion sisters, so even cooking is hard to squeeze in (don’t worry mom, I am eating my fruits and vegetables)!

What kind of music can you listen to?
We go by the mission handbook so any music that is uplifting and brings our minds closer to Christ. Nick, that would be wonderful if you could send me a CD. I didn’t bring any and they are awesome when we are driving in the car.

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So a little about what is happening with me in San Diego. I love being a missionary! It is so hard sometimes, but so great! Actually, I think if you could catch a sneak peek of my time here so far, you would get a few good laughs.

Every p-day, Sister Tardiff wants to play sports with the elders at an outside basketball court near our apt. Those of you that know me know that Sister Newman and a basketball = DISASTER!

Another funny is driving. I HATE DRIVING! Mix that with California traffic, and you have one stressed out Sister Newman. Not as stressed out as when I was driving in England with you though dad!;-)

Sara, you would like this, actually I thought of Bobby when we went to a members house and she has a huge garden so we got to pick avocados from her tree. (Don't worry though, Bobby: I used my hands and not a rock, so no black eyes;) She also has a mango tree, a banana tree and a tangelo tree. The fruit here is SO DELICIOUS!

We have been so blessed to be able to teach a lot of people this week. Sister Tardiff is such a great teacher. She teaches by the Spirit and really helps them feel that for themselves. I am trying my hardest as well to tell these people what Heavenly Father needs them to hear. The hard part is when Heavenly Father tells me to tell them something they don't want to hear. It is kind of scary sometimes because I have had a few investigators get really upset at me, but thankfully, they must think I am too sweet to get too mad at. It is amazing though, Heavenly Father really knows what needs to be said and miracles happen when we listen to him.

Well time is almost up, but I want to leave you with a excerpt from my journal from this week. (and mom, this will answer the question about us working at the temple)

Entry 1: Today was another day of miracles. I don't know why it surprises me when a miracle comes my way- there are so many surrounding me! I think Heavenly Father has just given me a tender mercy of opening my eyes to notice all the miracles around me.

We started out at the temple this morning. Once a week, we have our turn being the "walking visitor center" and talking to people on the temple grounds and showing them pictures of the inside of the temple. Our goal was to get 2 referrals each. We were so blessed to have received 11 referrals. The most amazing thing was that most of the referrals came from the little children. One little girl started singing, "I love to see the temple" to us. Another little kid referred 4 of his friends. They have so much love, so much courage and so much honesty and purity. It was a great reminder of why Heavenly Father asks us to be as little children.

Entry 2: It was extra special working at the Mormon Battalion on Pioneer Day. No matter how many times I have taken tours or watched one of the pioneer movies, my heart is touched with the faith they had in Jesus Christ and the sacrifices they made. There is a quote from the tour that Zemira, one of the characters says:

"God gave us what we wanted most where we least expected it."

I don't think the Mormon Battalion realized the extent of what they were doing would bless the Saints for hundreds of years to come. I don't think the pioneers realized that their faith and courage would be an example to the nations, to families all over the world of what true Faith in Jesus Christ really means. I was thinking today that I think we all forget the effect every individual has in life. I am so grateful for Joseph Smith, for the pioneers and for every individual that has touched my life for the better. I hope to live up to their names an follow their example they set to go forward with faith never doubting never fearing in following the example of Jesus Christ.

Shout outs:

Natassja: thank you for the post card! You are the best. I hope you are having a wonderful time in London you lucky lucky girl!

Jessica: Thank you for the letter, I was so excited to hear how you are doing. I love you girl!

Grammy: You are the best, I love you so much and am so glad you and gramps are having a good time this summer with all of your adventures.

Hannah: Thank you for the letter and sharing your experiences with me. You are amazing sis and I know Heavenly Father is watching out for you.

Nick: Thank you for the email. I am keeping you in my prayers about applying for jobs. You are amazing at what you do. Dad showed me a clip of the blog- THANK YOU so much for doing that. It looks AMAZING!

Mom and Pops: As always thank you for your supporting words and guidance. You make me cry every time! I love you both. Thank you so much for the example that you give me! Mom, I know your lesson will be wonderful. I can’t tell you how much prayer means to me especially on this mission. He loves me and he loves you and I know that there is not one prayer that will ever go unanswered.

Sara and Chris: Did you ever get past that overhang we climbed before I left? You know, you can’t let your sis beat you like that! Let me know if you got it:) Hope you are having a wonderful summer.

Sara: How are you feeling about your next semester? You conquered the hardest part. You totally got this girl!

Time's up. Love you all!