Never Ending Upward Spiral

Much Aloooooha!! Gee whiz it's been way too long, I'm sorry about that! I promise I'm totally alive and well out here in beautiful Laie. How are you all?? Enjoying your summer break so far? There's no way it's summer over there already! How did that happen? The school year just started! Don't have too much fun swimming, getting tan, sleeping in, going to EFY, and eating ice cream all day everyday :D 

I'm doing outstanding over here! Another transfer has gone and we're already in week two of my sixth transfer. My dear Sister Knudsen and I are staying together one more transfer! Cheehoo! We're keeping our same wards, same pad, and same VC shifts pretty much so we're excited. We are so blessed to stay in our same wards because normally sisters here don't stay longer than a transfer in a ward!

 
All last transfer, we tried to get a hold of this girl named Amy, but we could never get a lesson with her. She was either busy, sick, or out of town. After trying and trying, we finally had a lesson with her yesterday! It went so well and we already love her so much. She is Korean actually which is awesome! I kept thinking about Elder Annen as we talked with her. She has been through a rough life and wants help. She told us that she doesn't think she can do it anymore; but she said she believes Sister Knudsen and I have power to help her. It was so sweet. All three of us were crying as the lesson was being taught. She is already gaining a testimony that through Christ's Atonement, she can be healed and given an enabling power to overcome her trials. The gospel is for EVERYONE.

I have one cool VC experience to share before I go! So Sundays at the VC are awesome. They're packed with people all day long. Members, non-members, you name it! Most of them are members enjoying their sabbath with the family and it's so fun. We love taking them on tours to give them a converting experience even as members. It gives them the opportunity to be more converted themselves and to give them missionary opportunities. One of our favorite things to show them is the video "God's Plan for His Family". Have you seen it before?? Ah heavens, it's my favorite movie in the whole world. Even though I've seen it hundreds of times, I bawl every time I watch it! It is truly inspired. Just last Sunday, Sister Knudsen and I took many wonderful members on tours and also showed them the video. The spirit was felt so strongly and I could feel my testimony building as we gave the tours. Now before each tour, we invite them to pray to know of someone who is ready and prepared to receive the gospel as they are here. We promise them that as they go on the tour and feel the spirit here, Heavenly Father will bring someone to their mind. And wow, Heavenly Father kept His promise. By the end of our shift (3 hrs), we had received 32 member referrals! Thirty-two! It was incredible and such an eye-opener to me on what Heavenly Father can really really do if we only have faith.

Think about how your faith in Jesus Christ has blessed you in your life. And think about what you can do this week to have an even greater increased faith in Him. I know that as you do, Heavenly Father will show you what your faith is capable of. He'll show you what He can and will do if we only have a little faith in Him. That evidence will increase your faith little by little as you act on those small evidences. It's a never-ending upward spiral. I love Heavenly Father so much! I love Him because I know Him. 

I know that He loves you. Let Him help you.

Know that I love you 75 miles per hour and miss you so much!

Aloha,

Sister Annen

"Words of Mother"

Sister Annen has had such a busy transfer that it's been hard for her to write much for the blog.....

AND now, I, Sister Annen's mother, speak somewhat concerning that which Sister Annen has written; for after I had searched among the records, I found these quotations which contained this small account of the dealings of the Lord with Sister Annen ..... I have made an abridgment from her last letter down to her next letter which will hopefully come soon.....

"How was your Memorial Day? What did you guys do?  Here in Laie it's been super busy and crowded with people since everyone has today off.  This winter is the PCC's 50th anniversary and we invited the first presidency to it! Ah! I'm so excited!  That week is going to be fantastic!  It's going to be HUGE! Another opportunity to bring people into the kingdom of God you know what I'm saying?"

"Yesterday, we walked in to sacrament meeting when bishop came up to us and asked if we could speak for 15 minutes IN 15 minutes since the stake presidency couldn't make it ... haha oh the life of a missionary. I was super nervous ... but it all worked out and the spirit just told me what to say.  I love him too :)"

"Just last week our zone got to go to Pearl Harbor for a service project!  We cleaned the Missouri and it was awesome! We washed the windows because they're filming another movie on it.  Afterward, they took us on a tour and fed us ice cream for cleaning for them!  It was so nice!  While we were cleaning, regular tourists were looking around the ship on tours and would ask us if this cleaning thing was a project for troubled teens -- little do they know :D.  Haha we told them who we were and hopefully because of that, a few seeds were planted!  It was so cool! They thought they were coming to see the Missouri ... heh heh little did they know they would be hit with the spirit! Oh yeah...."

"Sister Knudsen and I committed our investigator Josh to baptism yesterday! Whoo! We're just on cloud 100 at the moment.  Not that that's any different from how we usually feel, but we feel pretty awesome and grateful.  The last few weeks had been frustrating because no one had been home, and our last investigator Daniel didn't see a need to be baptized!  We had such a great lesson with the spirit totally teaching!  But nothing... We were really disappointed because we didn't know what to do.  So we fasted!  It was the only thing we knew that we could do and then ... batta bing batta boom, Josh is going to be baptized! Whoo! Heavenly Father is so good."

He's in Charge

What's happening everybody?? Happy May! Guess what day it is in six days! MOMMY'S Day! Aahhh! I can hardly stand it! Good thing I'm sitting ;D heh heh WOW Sister Annen has no sense of humor at all :D 

This transfer has been terrific and so fun as tough as it's been! Whitewashing an area is a little less than a walk in the park if you know what I mean. But it has been so incredible and I love our wards! Two of our wards are Young Single Adult wards and our other ward is a married student ward. They are the best. Sometimes, I'll be sitting in Sacrament meeting totally thinking I'm just back in my singles ward from back home and then when I go say hi to my friends, I'll remember I'm serving in the ward as a missionary when the first thing my friends do when they see me is throw out their right hand :D haha so funny. Btw! Whitewashing is when you and your companion serve in an area where neither of you have served in before. So it's close to starting over and getting to know everyone and contacting investigators and teaching them in preparation for baptism all before six weeks are over since that's when one or both of you could be transferred to another area. I'm making this sound really hard...and it is! But thing is, it works and is possible because the Lord is in charge of this work. If He wasn't in charge, this wouldn't be possible, it just wouldn't. I'm so grateful that He is! I've really come to learn this transfer that He's in charge and He WILL provide a way to move it along no matter how hard it may look ahead. He knows what He's doing I tell ya :) I love Him.

This is super short I apologize, but hey, I'll make it up next Sunday by calling you!! Cheehoo!  Less than a week. We got this. I love you all and hope you know how proud I am of you and how proud Heavenly Father is of you. 

Aloha Ohana!

xoxo 

Sister Annen

Due Tomorrow!

Helloha Ohana!

Happy Tuesday! How the heavens are you all? Did you have a super week? I sure hope so! Boy, do I have a week to tell you about :D

So today is the last day of transfers, which means, tomorrow is the first day of another transfer, which means, I'm not an online missionary anymore, which means, I'll be out in an actual area, which means, I'll have a new companion starting tomorrow, which means,.... I'm training a new missionary! Ahhhhh! I'm having a baby! (that's totally mish slang btw! I'm not literally pregnant for those of you unfamiliar with missionary language. There totally is one) I received the training packet in the mail Friday, and on Sunday night I had the training conference call with all the trainers and President. Her name is Sister Knudsen :) She is from Arizona, and she is 19! She'll be one of the first 19-year-olds in our mission! I can't wait to meet her tomorrow. I'll have to let you know all about my first week next Monday. I already love her.

Heavenly Father and Pres trusts me to do this huh? They trust me to train a new missionary huh? Since the call, I'll be praying and ask Heavenly Father, "You trust me huh?" And immediately the feeling of "Yes, I trust you" comes to me. So I'll ask, "So...you'll help me right?" :D ha and I know He's probably just chuckling and thinking, "Of course I'll help you! Who do you think I am?" :) I know He will help me. It's the only way that I can do it is through Him! So even though I'm nervous and I feel inadequate, I know Heavenly Father will help me.

Here's also something that blows my mind. I'm at my six month mark now! How in heavens did that come up so fast?? I remember being a greenie just yesterday! I'm still a greenie! I'll always feel like a greenie up to my last day!

I wanted to share a cute little experience I had at the VC a few days ago! So this big wonderful Hindu family came in the other day with all of their beautiful children. The kids were wandering around, having fun watching the kid kiosks about Jesus and Heavenly Father and where we go after we die, stuff like that. I went up to them and showed them the clip on the kiosk called, "What Happens when we Die?" After we watched it, I was talking to them about Heaven and what happens to us after our life here. One of the older kids said to me, "Oh I know! After this life, we will become either a tree, a leaf, a bug, or something like that!" And then his little baby sister replied, "Ya if you dress up." :D ha it was so cute and so funny and so true! I tried to hold in my laughter because she said it so matter of fact! This experience was so cute and so interesting to me and helped me to learn more about how pure and innocent children are. The older sibling had been taught, while the younger sibling had just recollected. Children are so close to the veil no matter how they are brought up! This helped me to understand more about what Christ meant when He said, "...whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God..." We need to keep our selves unspotted so that we too, can be pure and receptive to the Holy Ghost-a being, who, as a member of the Godhead, can and will open the channels of Heaven if we only let Him. Did you know He is capable of such a thing? I didn't really understand that until now! Allow Him to be capable of doing that to you. I challenge you to do what is necessary for that to happen. It is the ONLY way we can enter into Heavenly Father's presence. I want to find myself there. I want you to find yourself there. You can do it. He knows you can do it.

I better go back and move in to my new pad now (it's the same pad I lived in when I first got here!) and decorate my dear companion's planner. Make this your best week yet! Know that you are a tool in the Lord's hand wherever you go. No need to wear a badge to be an instrument :) I love you all! 

much aloha,

Sister Annen

Our Own Scripture

Happy Tuesday and Aloha family of mine!

How was General Conference for everyone?? Super great ya? How was it being all cozy all day, eating yummy food? Ah I just loved it. It was honestly more exciting than Christmas over here! All of us missionaries got to wake up at bright and early at five-Hawaii being four hours behind Salt Lake, and got to go to the Visitor's Center and watch the apostles on the big screen baby! So awesome! We were cuddled up in our blankies and pros clothes and just enjoyed listening to what Heavenly Father wanted all of us to learn. I had so many favorites it's not even funny. Of course I loved Elder Holland's talk. I really needed to hear what he said. I felt like every word was for me. I also loved Elder Falabella's where he said, "Shake hands with EVERYONE!" haha so funny and so cute. And President Monson's was incredible too! All about obedience! mmm.. so good. It totally pumped me up to be a better missionary and to be more exactly obedient. Not only here on my mission, but also when I'm off my mission. I know that I needed every single one of those talks at General Conference. Before my mission I would have argued with myself because how can EVERY talk be for me? I realized this conference that it is through the words of the apostles and prophets that I can receive my own revelation. No matter what the talk is about, I can know what Heavenly Father wants me to start doing or stop doing in order be a better person and be more of a disciple of Jesus Christ. So many promptings came to me as I watched and listened that I didn't even expect! And it didn't really have to do with the talk necessarily; But because the talks come by revelation, each of us can receive our OWN revelation just by listening and pondering with open hearts. Have you thought of that before? I sure hadn't! I didn't realize just how personal and powerful General Conference could be until this last weekend. It is a powerful blessing from our Heavenly Father. If you didn't feel like Heavenly Father taught you personally as you watched General Conference, I challenge you to watch it again. Watch it with the questions you have had these last six months. If it's important to you, then it's important to Him. You are entitled to receive your own personal revelation. He will tell you exactly what to do because He wants you to return to Him. He'll give you your own scripture. I know that's true. 

I wish I had more time to talk about everything! But I had to talk about General Conference! Know that I love you all oodles and oodles. I'll talk more about my week next week! 

xoxoxo

lots and lots and LOTS of love,

Sister Annen

Living in the Shadow of the Temple

Aloha everyone!

How. Are. YOU?? I’m sorry it’s been so long since I last sent an email for everyone! There’s no excuse for it really. My email time was cut a little short last week because we hiked this sweet mountain called “Crouching Lion”. It was as cool as the name sounds :D It’s a hike where you have to use both arms and legs and don’t have arms or legs by the end. So choice! I’m definitely taking you here when we come to visit.

So this email is story time for you all! So sit back, relax, grab a fluffernutter, and listen to what I had the opportunity of listening to/experiencing this week.

There was a man who came through the temple gates the other day and immediately after taking a step in, he stopped. He took a step back, being sure he was outside the temple gates. He paused, and then took a step back in, back onto the temple grounds. He did this over and over again; Taking a step in, and then out. In, out. After a few minutes, we asked this man what he was doing. His response gave me goose bumps. He said, “Whenever I take a step inside these gates, I feel something. When I step outside, I don’t feel anything.” This man knew there was something special about the temple. It was such a wonderful reminder to me.

We got to watch a fireside by Michael Ballum who is serving a mission with his wife and son here in Laie. It was only one of the most amazing firesides I’ve ever seen! He talked about temples and the history of them, and his experiences with them and it was just jaw dropping. I had no idea there was so much temple history and so many incredible stories behind them! And I wish I had all the time in the world to tell you every single story! Once I’m home, I’ll tell you all of them. But for now, I want to tell you a story-true story, about the Laie temple. 

During the world war, a bomber plane was sent to destroy this big white rectangular building in Hawaii. They didn’t know what it was, but they figured it was an equipment storage unit. They couldn’t risk keeping this beautiful building intact and so the day came to bomb it. The pilot flew over the building, ready to drop the first bomb, but the bomb wouldn’t release. He turned his plane around and dropped the bomb again. No luck. He tried one more time, surely he could do it this time…nothing. “Why won’t they drop?” The man wondered. “What am I doing wrong?” He decided to drop one of them into the ocean, just to see if there was something wrong with the plane. The second he flew over the ocean and released the bomb, it fell and dropped perfectly. No problem. This building was more than just a building.

Years later, a missionary was teaching a lesson to a man about the importance of temples and brought up this story. As this elder told the man this story, tears flowed down this man’s face. This man later told the elder that He himself had been the very pilot who had tried to bomb the Laie temple. It was him, whose plane could not drop one single bomb on the Laie Hawaii Temple. Because of this experience, he knew there was something special about this building, he later became baptized, and became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

How incredible is that?? And that’s just ONE of the miracles he told us! Ah, I love temples so much. They are literally the Houses of God. A heaven on Earth. Inside the temple is the only place in the world where the adversary CANNOT dwell. And think about this, there are about 140 of those spots in the earth today! And growing! Tell me THAT’S not evidence that Heavenly Father loves us! =D The Lord’s work is progressing. And WE get to witness it! How lucky we are. 

I’m so grateful to serve in the Visitor’s Center of one of God’s temples. I literally live in the shadow of the temple. I’m so blessed. I hope we can all live our lives in the shadow of the temple. Perhaps not literally. But I hope we do everything we can so that we can go often. It is there where Heavenly Father can bless us! It is there that He can clothe us with power, so that we may and will endure the trials of this life. It’s a promise He has given us. Let Him fulfill that promise. I remember Mom telling me that we don’t go to the temple to get away from real life, but to experience real life. I’ve come to know that’s true. I know we all can come to know that’s true too.

I love you all! Have a wonderful Easter! Oh! I just forgot that I won’t talk to you 'til after Easter! Goodness me, well, have the best Easter ever family! Remember why we celebrate it as you eat eggfulls of yummy candy. Heavenly Father loves you!

Give 'em Heaven!

Love always,

Sister Annen

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words . . .

Welcome to Hawaii bandwagon!
Our car my first day out in the field.