She Needed Something More

From Cambree King

Serving in Honduras

Sometimes the miracles in the mission are hard to find, but there are truly miracles each day if we search for the hand of the Lord in our lives.

This week we taught a sister. Because we can’t knock on doors for safety, we found her through contacting with the elders. They knocked all of the doors for us and we did all of the talking. She is the sweetest lady and was very receptive. Her husband can’t walk, so he is confined to his bed most of the time. We went to teach her an actual lesson yesterday and it was incredible.

When we walked in her house, she just broke down in tears. She said that she had plans to go to a birthday party and wasn’t actually going to be there for our appointment. She explained how she has been really depressed lately and just needs something more in her life. She said she knew that in this moment she needed the peace and comfort that would come from our visit. It was incredible and the spirit was so strong. We invited her to be baptized and she has a date for baptism. At the end of the lesson, she asked if we could pray in the bedroom with her husband as a family. The spirit was incredible and these are the moments to live for in the mission.

 The Lord works miracles according to our faith. We truly prayed on where to contact with the elders and what doors to knock and our prayers were answered. It’s not easy to find people who are willing to open their door here in Juticalpa, and it was truly a miracle. 

A Life Saved, a Purpose Found

From Cariann Weiler

Serving in Idaho, USA

A woman we have been working with who hasn't been to church in quite some time recently had a near death experience. We will call her Camrie.

Camrie grew up in the church but hasn't been in years. I met her because she used to live with her active grandparents before she moved down the street. 

Camrie accidentally overdosed this last week. She had to take two different medications because of health concerns. By mistake, she took the one that she had already taken two hours before. A family member had found her and she was lying on her bed completely blue! They were able to save her life and she should be dead right now.

This woman, through her experience, has truly felt that God saved her life, and that she obviously has a purpose in still being here. Seeing a new found light in her eyes, the spirit prompted me to invite her to take the missionary lessons. She exclaimed, "Yes!" where two weeks before it would have been a absolute no. 

The work presses forward!

365 Days, Countless Miracles

From Emri Haynie

Teaching in South Korea

I hit my one year mark on my mission. My mission hasn't only blessed other people's lives, but it's blessed mine. 

Because of the choice I made to serve, it's also been 1 year since I've slept in. One year since I've eaten Mom's tacos. One year since I've driven my car, slept in my bed, watched a movie on the projector, listened to my music, updated my Facebook status, or swam in the Snake River. It has been one year since I have slept over at a friend’s house, gone to Taco Bandido, taken a road trip, eaten an Idaho potato, smelt ethanol in the air, or taken a Sunday nap. One year since I've gone to school and studied math, danced, or laid on the couch and watched TV. One year since I've been on a date. One year since I've been to my Aunt Keri's house and watched The Amazing Race. 

It's also been one whole year of not seeing my beautiful family, hugging my mom and hearing her say, “I love you.” One year since wrestling dad and calling me a wimp. One year without calling sisters and telling them stories and giving advice to each other. One year since we've all been together. 

But....

It has been 365 days of waking up at 6:30. 365 days of not missing a morning prayer, or scripture study session. One year of perfect church attendance. 365 days of walking, riding buses, subways, knocking on doors sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. One year of studying eternal truths to help others live eternally. The kinds of dates I've been on and planned for are of more importance than the onesI haven't had for a year. Sunday nights are spent on the street finding those families who are prepared and ready to start an amazing race of their own. A whole year of being tired but somehow having the energy and happiness to continue to work hard. 365 days, and who knows how many miracles!

This year I've grown closer to my Heavenly Father than I have in any of the previous 19 years of my life.

This one year has confirmed all of the things I had been taught and the beliefs I had growing up. All those times at church, seminary classes, activities, mutuals, family home evenings, all those dreaded mornings waking up before school to read the scriptures.  I now have a testimony of how important those things really are and I am so grateful for the parents and leaders who knew that before me. 

 I can't believe how fast time has flown and how much I've learned. It definitely hasn't been the easiest of rides but, just as Carlos A. Godoy said in conference, "Sometimes the best roads aren't the easiest."

 I know that this is the road that I need to be on and I am so grateful that the Lord put me on this path. I know that this Church is true. I know Jesus Christ is my Savior. I am so honored to take His place and serve others as He would. 

Guided to Go Exactly Where They Needed to Be

From Ethan Harris
Teaching in Alaska, USA

(More of the miraculous blessings he saw as he taught in Alaska last week...)

Because of the amount of woods and that being the main source of heat for Alaskans, we do a great deal of chopping wood (which is both strengthening me and wearing me out). We have been doing service for a man who has not had anything to do with church for over 30 years and he just loves us. Me and my companion felt that we should continue to help out and provide service, even though he wasn’t ready or interested in us teaching him anything. We are amazed at how, by first building a relationship, his heart was softened. He said that it’s been a while since he’s been around the Church and that he would like to come to Church and have the doctrines and principles retaught and refreshed in his mind. We also had the Elders Quorum involved in the service and this man didn’t know what to do because he was overcome with gratitude!

 We cover a island called Hoonah but, due to anti things going around, we will not be there for a while. Matt is an investigator that we teach over text and phone because we can’t see him in person due to the fact that he’s on a island. He came to Juneau for a day,  so we gave him a chapel tour of our brand new stake center. Another miracle… he brought his Ukrainian friend who, ten years previous, was an exchange student in Utah! He also has a desire to be taught and come to church!!!

 We also had a lesson cancel which always is not fun to deal with, but then we were inspired to see a inactive member. We arrived and the man was sick and needed a blessing of healing and also of comfort due to his marriage situation and other trials that he’s going through. Despite the let-down of a cancellation, we were guided to see him and that’s exactly where we needed to go.

 There has been many other blessings! I know that the Lord is mindful of each of us despite our own thoughts or doubts. He is there, He lives, and He loves us! And I know that the Lord is preparing hearts to receive this message as it reads in Alma 16…

The Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming— That they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their God.

Inspired to Make a Call

From Ethan Harris

Teaching in Alaska, USA

This last week was wonderful to see the hand of the Lord in everything, and how we simply did what we knew we should.

During our weekly planning session, we had the opportunity to pray and seek inspiration for those that we would contact. This inspiration inspired us to focus on Lina, someone we had taught in the past but have not been in contact with for a while. For some odd reason, we didn’t have her phone number, but we had her daughter’s number.

We felt inspired to call her daughter’s number right away. [Lina’s daughter] gave us her mother’s phone number. Then she told us that she had talked about us with her friend Angie, and that Angie would like to meet with us.

Moments later she texted us and asked if we could be there in 20 minutes!  We agreed. We stopped by and met Angie, who is awesome and has a such a sincere and powerful testimony of Jesus Christ. She talks to people everywhere about him and invites them to come closer to Him. She is so interested in the powerful message that we have and she accepted the invitation to come to church.  She also told us that she would bring her granddaughter and the friend who referred us to her. MIRACLE!!!!

We also met with a part-member family. The husband is returning to church activity, he hasn’t been for ten years but is coming faithfully. The wife, who is not a member of the Church, is also coming! We felt like we should not rush the idea of us teaching her the lessons, so we began teaching from the foundation. We taught them about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and it was wonderful. Following our discussion, she asked if we could continue to teach her the "Mormon Lessons “. Her heart was softened and prepared  by our loving Heavenly Father who is mindful of everything we do!

I Pray When...

A Warm Smile and a Hand to Help

From Dominic Shaw, 
Teaching in Korea

Doctrine and Covenants section 45 verse 28 is the Lord's promise that, "when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fullness of my gospel."  The promise is that the Gospel itself, as restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, will be the light that leads God's children back to his presence, but I submit that we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are to be the points from which this light shines forth. It isn't hard to radiate this light.  All we have to do is continue in God by showing an interest in our fellow man (D&C 50:24).

I learned the validity of this principle here in Korea, when I met Brother Seo.  We were waiting in the bus terminal in Sacheon ( a small town in the area where we are teaching) for a bus to take us back to Samcheonpo, where we live.  As we were waiting, an 18 year old kid walked by and greeted us with a "hello" in English. This is quite common in Korea.  I decided to have some fun and see how much English he actually knew and  responded with a cheery "Hello! How are you?" a phrase most students are equipped with.  This lead to a nice little conversation in which we explained we were missionaries, exchanged numbers with Brother Seo and went our separate ways.

Later we began meeting with Brother Seo and he began attending our church because of the deep conviction he's always held that church will bless his life.  He is still in the process of investigating our church, but the point of this story however comes with what Brother Seo told me that first Sunday he attended our branch.  In explaining his reason for coming to church he said, "You were different.  I say 'hello' to foreigners all the time, but I've never received any more than a 'hello' in response.  When you asked 'how are you?' I sensed that you were different and I wanted to know more."

It's that easy.  It's a warm smile, a hand to help.  It's being a true brother or sister to everyone around us.  I promise that as we strive to treat all of God's children the way we would treat our own immediate family that the light of the Gospel which radiates from us will indeed grow "brighter and brighter until the perfect day."

A 180-Degree Change

From Carl LeCheminant,

 Teaching in Texas, USA

I would love to share an experience about finding an investigator who is particularly close to us at this time. Joe is an Active Duty Medic in the army, and at very pivotal points in his life he served with some amazing members [of the LDS Church] in his Battalion. One of which was his commanding officer who saw a lot of potential in him that even he didn't see in himself. Because of the influence of these wonderful members of the Church, and recognizing the peace they had as something he wanted, he was moved upon to come to church with his less-active wife. They approached us about teaching him the lessons so he could learn more. 

Since meeting with us he has changed his life 180 degrees and is making major decisions that will bless his life in amazing ways. He has yet to reach the waters of baptism and he is deploying within the next few months, but he is persistent on learning more and I know that as he continues to search the Book of Mormon, his life will eventually reach the point that he is hoping for.

Help from the Other Side

Brae Beck

Teaching in New Mexico, USA

I have a cool family history story to share this week.  So on Tuesday, Elder Nicholson and I went to the family history center for our weekly hour of working on our family history.  And I was reading a story about my Great-grandma Ila's grandfather John Crossley.  Let me share a portion of the story with you:

John Crossley was born in Crags, Yorkshire, England, 9 March 1814, the son of Sarah Standhaven and Anthony Crossley. John Crossley married Hannah Elizabeth Crabtree (maybe Crandall) about 1836. They had 7 children, although records for only 6 have been found. The family lived in Bradford, and Halifax. He and his family heard the Gospel from Joseph F. Smith while he labored as a missionary there. He made the Crossley home his headquarters. The Saints used a large room there for a meeting place. His wife, Hannah Elizabeth died in Bradford, 23 November 1855, of asthma. A daughter, Elizabeth, died as a child and one son died as a young man. John Crossley had a beautiful home and owned a shoe store. He was also a carpenter by trade. He later learned the trade of cobbler. When John decided to come to America, an older daughter, Sarah Ann was married and chose to remain in England. He came with two daughters, Mary and Hannah Maria, and a son, Levi. They sailed on the ship “Antarctica”, on 25 September 1863. They spent 9 weeks on the water. It seems that John Crossley left his three children in the East while he came ahead, we suppose, to make a home for them in “Zion”. It took him 12 weeks crossing the plains in the company of Captain Peter Nebeker. The three children came later, in another company and joined their father in what is now known as Bountiful, Utah.

So, the part of the story that stuck out to me was that his older daughter Sarah stayed in England.  I looked on my family tree and realized, that none of her family was on there.  So that means that they didn't join the church with her father's family.  So I started searching on ancestry.com for England census records showing Sarah Ann and her husband.  Lo and behold, I found one that  listed her and her husband Lawson Widdop, and their seven kids.  I was able to plug them into Familytree, and now I've requested their ordinances so that after my mission I can go to the temple and do their work!  Throughout this whole experience, I felt the spirit with me a lot.  It's like my "clicks" were guided to find the right information, and I know without a doubt that those cousins of mine were on the other side helping me out.  Family history is so amazing.  I'm thoroughly addicted.

Finding Joy in Thailand

Karsten Hinckley

Teaching in Thailand

I can tell you from EFFORT on our part and the members, bringing people and members into the church is more likely to happen. I have found a great joy in my work here in Thailand. Being a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ has never felt more rewarding. I love that I get to ask everyone, literally, if they want to be baptized. That work is hard but it must go on!