I LOVE YOU!
I just had to get that out! I couldn't hold it in one more second. What's up my honey bunches?? How was your first week of March? Wow it's MARCH. Wow! This month has already been choice for me and for all of us actually. I can't wait to tell you about it!
SO, we just had a revolution at the Visitor's Center! Yep. Something that has never happened before. You ready for this? Are you on the edge of your chair? On March 1, 2013, our tours began counting as LESSONS! Chihu! Oh my lanta I wish I could describe to you what a BIG deal this is. If a tour comes in and self refers, WE become their missionaries! WE do! In the past, they would self refer, we did a little dance, and then we'd never really hear from them again (except on lucky occasions) But now, we get to be with them every step of the way to baptism! :D We will teach them by phone or email until they are successfully transferred to the local missionaries, and then after that, we become sort of their fellowshipper I guess you could say! We get to check up on them and share little messages and just be there for them. Can you see how inspired this is?? Wow, the Lord is just hastening His work. I see it everyday.
Which speaking of! We have our first 19-year-old Sister here! Ah! So cool. We were all so excited to see what a 19-yr-old sister looks like! When she first walked in, we all just stood there frozen and stared :) Welcome to Hawaii right? :) ha let me tell you, they look great! Just fantastic really :D I can just tell that the Lord has been preparing them because they are just as prepared as the older missionaries if not, MORE! We're all excited for next transfer (which is in less than a week already by the way!) because this is the transfer where they all start coming in!
We had a fireside on Sunday, where our Mission President spoke to all of us and our investigators and all of Laie practically. It was so so good! Guess who was also asked to speak at the fireside a couple hours before the fireside? This one. Yep :) And I wish I had more time to go in to detail! But know that I survived, and I totally learned that Heavenly Father totally has your back and will never let us down. It's just how He is; I love Him.
I went on exchange with Sister Christiansen the other day got to serve with her in her area! The whole day was awesome. The last family we visited was the Mapuhi family. They are a less active family. Sister Mapuhi answered the door and poor thing, she looked exhausted. She has been going through every trial you can think of, and I honestly can't imagine going through these kind of things. We talked with her for a very long time and didn't even know what to say. To not go into detail, let me put it this way. The commandments God has given us, Is. For. A. Reason. He wasn't just grumpy one day and decided to give His children a list of things they couldn't do. He gives us commandments because He knows who we are and who we can become. If we don't understand that yet, we need to see ourselves through His eyes to see what he is trying to make of us. The gospel of Jesus Christ will help us no matter what were going through. So even though we didn't know the little logistical things that would help her, we knew that the gospel would help her perfectly. This experience really helped me to realize what a reality the gospel is. And what a reality it SHOULD be in our lives.
Well, have a happy week my dearsies! I love you loads! Don't ever ever forget that okay? Keep smiling and know you have a number one fan here in Hawaii, and up in Heaven :)
Aloha!
Sister Annen
ps Look up the 2012 youth theme song/video! It's filmed right here in Laie where I'm serving! You can actually see my pad in one of the shots!
pps do any of you have some super yummy recipes you could send me? Being online, we make dinner each and every night, and I kind of need some ideas. (Mom: I know what you're going through :D You're a champ for doing this EVERY night!)
SO, we just had a revolution at the Visitor's Center! Yep. Something that has never happened before. You ready for this? Are you on the edge of your chair? On March 1, 2013, our tours began counting as LESSONS! Chihu! Oh my lanta I wish I could describe to you what a BIG deal this is. If a tour comes in and self refers, WE become their missionaries! WE do! In the past, they would self refer, we did a little dance, and then we'd never really hear from them again (except on lucky occasions) But now, we get to be with them every step of the way to baptism! :D We will teach them by phone or email until they are successfully transferred to the local missionaries, and then after that, we become sort of their fellowshipper I guess you could say! We get to check up on them and share little messages and just be there for them. Can you see how inspired this is?? Wow, the Lord is just hastening His work. I see it everyday.
Which speaking of! We have our first 19-year-old Sister here! Ah! So cool. We were all so excited to see what a 19-yr-old sister looks like! When she first walked in, we all just stood there frozen and stared :) Welcome to Hawaii right? :) ha let me tell you, they look great! Just fantastic really :D I can just tell that the Lord has been preparing them because they are just as prepared as the older missionaries if not, MORE! We're all excited for next transfer (which is in less than a week already by the way!) because this is the transfer where they all start coming in!
We had a fireside on Sunday, where our Mission President spoke to all of us and our investigators and all of Laie practically. It was so so good! Guess who was also asked to speak at the fireside a couple hours before the fireside? This one. Yep :) And I wish I had more time to go in to detail! But know that I survived, and I totally learned that Heavenly Father totally has your back and will never let us down. It's just how He is; I love Him.
I went on exchange with Sister Christiansen the other day got to serve with her in her area! The whole day was awesome. The last family we visited was the Mapuhi family. They are a less active family. Sister Mapuhi answered the door and poor thing, she looked exhausted. She has been going through every trial you can think of, and I honestly can't imagine going through these kind of things. We talked with her for a very long time and didn't even know what to say. To not go into detail, let me put it this way. The commandments God has given us, Is. For. A. Reason. He wasn't just grumpy one day and decided to give His children a list of things they couldn't do. He gives us commandments because He knows who we are and who we can become. If we don't understand that yet, we need to see ourselves through His eyes to see what he is trying to make of us. The gospel of Jesus Christ will help us no matter what were going through. So even though we didn't know the little logistical things that would help her, we knew that the gospel would help her perfectly. This experience really helped me to realize what a reality the gospel is. And what a reality it SHOULD be in our lives.
Well, have a happy week my dearsies! I love you loads! Don't ever ever forget that okay? Keep smiling and know you have a number one fan here in Hawaii, and up in Heaven :)
Aloha!
Sister Annen
ps Look up the 2012 youth theme song/video! It's filmed right here in Laie where I'm serving! You can actually see my pad in one of the shots!
pps do any of you have some super yummy recipes you could send me? Being online, we make dinner each and every night, and I kind of need some ideas. (Mom: I know what you're going through :D You're a champ for doing this EVERY night!)
Thanks Sister Annen for posting these letters. It always makes my day to see how well Ashley is doing!
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