NEW YEARS!!!!!! Honestly, New Years as a missionary is nothing special. We went over at night to our Zone Leaders apartment and had Martinelli's and then we woke up when we heard the fireworks and peeked out our window shades to see and then went back to sleep. And boom, just like that, a new year. It is cool though because I feel like a lot of people on Temple Square were setting goals (as one does at this time of year) and it was cool to be able to invite them to make spiritual goals to come closer to their Savior. I feel like a lot of times when we think of new years resolutions it is easy to say "this year I am going to lose weight" or "I am going to be more organized" but at least for me, I have never thought much about spiritual goals until now. So, New Years was a great opportunity to invite people to make goals to come closer to their Savior and make Him a priority in this upcoming year because when we come closer to Him, every other aspect of our life improves. The goal that I set (because I am not the exception) is to learn more about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I feel like my knowledge and testimony of His Atonement have already grown a lot while I have been here but I would like them to grow more. I am going to read Conference talks and scriptures about it and pray more to apply it in my life. Now I would invite you to do the same! Think about something spiritual to implement and stick to it! I can follow up too once a week so email me back and let me know what your goal is. Also, pick something challenging and not something that isn't too hard for you. I'm excited to see what you say!
Sister Safuan caught what I had this past week so we had to stay in one day. It was okay because we were actually pretty productive! Well at least I was, she slept haha. I read my scriptures and caught up on my journal and then when Sister Safuan woke up, we watched these missionary training videos called "The District". I think it prepared me more mentally for outbound and it also got me a little more excited even though I am still scared. That was our only day in because the next day was the last day for the lights being on and she really didn't want to miss it! I have honestly LOVED this time serving at Temple Square during Christmas. It is ridiculously beautiful and I even have grown to love the members. One cool experience I had on that last night of lights was up at the Christus. There is always a crazy long line there so it can be a little crazy with people and noise and everything but this night it was from 9-10 that we had our shift and it was pretty calm. I had just talked to a nonmember couple and told them about Christ but I think they were intoxicated (it was NYE after all) and I had met this lady from Canada too. She didn't necessarily believe in Jesus Christ or God but she knew that there was "something, some power" but she was staring at the Christus with wide eyes and I knew that she could feel something special. I just told her that I had come to know for myself that God was there and that He cared and His Son cared and that They or whatever it was up there, loved her. I gave her a copy of the Living Christ and invited her to read it and then she left before anything else could happen. I don't know what she will do but I personally think that she will get baptized one of these days! I also met this sweet member lady who was there on New Years' Eve all alone and she asked me to take a picture of her with the Christus. As I was taking her picture I could hear the Spirit clearly tell me to tell her that God loved her and that Christ loved her. And I thought "oh that sounds awkward" but then I was like hey this is the Spirit so just say it so I did and I said "I don't know if this will sound weird and I usually don't say this to people but I can just really feel right now how much God loves you and how much Jesus Christ loves you and I just thought I would let you know" and then she started to CRY. I was SHOOK and then I almost cried because the mission has turned me into a big softie. I know, lame. But it was a really sweet moment. Anyways, long story short, these moments and countless others like it have made Temple Square just the most special place to be during the Holiday season. Especially being with Sister Safuan. My oh my how I love that woman.
The next morning we did studies at home and then came to Square and lo and behold saw Maddy and Carson at the East Gate going in and we yelled to them and then found out that he had JUST PROPOSED FIVE MINUTES EARLIER and I had MISSED IT by that much. I think it is good though that they could have that time to just be them and be excited before anyone else found out. Then, of course, those nerds didn't take a picture so I had to take it for them and they are exceedingly cute. We then took them to our assignment with us but we had people to talk to so we couldn't exactly chat.
I had some cool contacts though after they left! The first was this Chinese family that lived in California. They had a lot of questions about the Book of Mormon. So I used the pictures at the front of the book (a great teaching resource btw) and explained it and then gave the parents a copy in Chinese and the kids a copy in English and they said that they would like to read it! I got their email to follow up. I also told them about the priesthood and about how we could be with our families forever because of the Temple and they seemed to like that so I invited them to go and see God's Plan for His Families in the North Visitor's Center (you know the same one as in DC that makes everyone cry) and I hope that they did! I also talked to the couple that was Catholic and from Lousiana. They were super cool! I explained the history of the Assembly Hall (that was the building that we were assigned to btw) and then just straight preached about prayer and stuff. The wife asked me what to do when you are praying and you don't seem to get an answer so I gave an analogy about how we think sometimes God answers prayers in a box and we think that maybe He isn't answering us because we are just looking in the box when in reality He is answering us outside of the box all the time and we just aren't aware! It was kind of funny because this older (50s probably) Catholic lady was asking me, 20-year-old me, about getting answers to prayers. It made me think about in Preach My Gospel as it talks about how as we share spiritual experiences and help people feel the spirit in our first interactions it helps them recognize us as servants of the Lord. And trust me I have taught a lot of old ladies and just people in general online on my mission about prayer and the Restoration and everything but that is always over the phone. It was different this time because I could see her in person and that was weird to me because now it wasn't just a voice of someone over the phone asking me the same thing. It was a neat experience for sure. I also got her email and I am sending her a video that talks about the same thing so I hope that she responds because she seems cool. Her name is Lisa and her husband is Gary.
I had some cool contacts though after they left! The first was this Chinese family that lived in California. They had a lot of questions about the Book of Mormon. So I used the pictures at the front of the book (a great teaching resource btw) and explained it and then gave the parents a copy in Chinese and the kids a copy in English and they said that they would like to read it! I got their email to follow up. I also told them about the priesthood and about how we could be with our families forever because of the Temple and they seemed to like that so I invited them to go and see God's Plan for His Families in the North Visitor's Center (you know the same one as in DC that makes everyone cry) and I hope that they did! I also talked to the couple that was Catholic and from Lousiana. They were super cool! I explained the history of the Assembly Hall (that was the building that we were assigned to btw) and then just straight preached about prayer and stuff. The wife asked me what to do when you are praying and you don't seem to get an answer so I gave an analogy about how we think sometimes God answers prayers in a box and we think that maybe He isn't answering us because we are just looking in the box when in reality He is answering us outside of the box all the time and we just aren't aware! It was kind of funny because this older (50s probably) Catholic lady was asking me, 20-year-old me, about getting answers to prayers. It made me think about in Preach My Gospel as it talks about how as we share spiritual experiences and help people feel the spirit in our first interactions it helps them recognize us as servants of the Lord. And trust me I have taught a lot of old ladies and just people in general online on my mission about prayer and the Restoration and everything but that is always over the phone. It was different this time because I could see her in person and that was weird to me because now it wasn't just a voice of someone over the phone asking me the same thing. It was a neat experience for sure. I also got her email and I am sending her a video that talks about the same thing so I hope that she responds because she seems cool. Her name is Lisa and her husband is Gary.
Also, yesterday marked a historic day in Temple Square history the day we started working at the Conference Center. There are about 20 companionships in the Conference Center at once and they can fall into two categories: fixed and mobile. Fixed means you have to stand in one place and mobile means that you can move around and leave to take peeps on tours. Yesterday we were there for four hours (because you are there for two-hour shifts) so from 5-9pm. It was pretty dead I won't lie to you. BUT we got to take our first tour of this member family and the kids were straight crazy and the parents were a little weird too. But, the dad started crying in the Book of Mormon painting gallery so I think that we had some impact there. It was weird and is still weird because we are all working with the hosts and we essentially have the same role which seems wrong to me because we are full-time missionaries set apart by the priesthood of God to teach the Gospel and now we have the same job as the hosts. Who are set apart yes but it isn't the same. The missionary department has given us a lot of training on this new thing in the Conference Center and they are always retraining us on online teaching and every time they come in to train us and to tell us new things, in the end, I just always feel like I'm not a real missionary. It is like they don't recognize the things we do and how seriously we take our calling and what we are capable of and what we WANT to do and what we SHOULD be doing as full-time missionaries. I know and I am fully aware that I just need to humble myself and maybe that would fix the problem but it is just so frustrating to me. Sister Safuan and I had zero meaningful contacts for the two hours that we were in the conference center this morning for example and it was just frustrating to no end because our assignment was to literally sit and use a clicker to count how many people came in. Even when they came in though we couldn't talk to them because there were other sisters that it was their job. Could we not have a host do that? Or nobody because it isn't really doing anything? It just seems like a waste, especially when literally one person came into the building from our area in two hours. What do you think? Also, the hosts are a little bossy, especially the ones that are floor leaders. And no worries, I am respecting my elders but man oh man this is going to be rough. I hope that by the time I get back from outbound I just fix myself and my attitude and all of the kinks will be worked out. After all, this was only the second day. And, when we were there last night we were able to take these Spanish nonmembers around the Book of Mormon gallery and we even got their contact so there are lots of good resources and lots of potential, it is just so new and things need to be worked out a little bit.
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| Sister Moran and Sister Safuan feeling bored at the Conference Center |
I won't even update you on the people that we are teaching because you already heard that over the phone. I think that is all that I have for this week! Thank you for sending me snowboots so I won't be cold and wet in Ohio (and you are included in that thank you dad;)! Thank you for praying for me and for supporting me while I am here! I love you both and I love being a missionary. I said this in my first email home and I'll say it again. This is easily the most worthwhile thing that I have ever done. Mom will tell you Dad, I cried again today because I only have six months left and that is just not enough months. Someday, I am going to convince someone to let me be a full-time missionary with my whole family and all of my kids would do it too! It would be like the Incredibles but saving souls. Plus, we would all have matching nametags so it would be super dope. I love you both and I'll talk to you whenever my next pday is! Wish me luck in Ohio!!!
Love
Em
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