The Journey Home Part 2

Hi everyone!

It's much easier to write weekly emails when you only have one day to write because now I feel like I can do it at any point so it never happens =)

When I left off, I had just gotten home. That Sunday I gave my "welcome home" talk in church which was a special treat because I had my grandparents and great grandpa with me. I had planned to talk about my mission and what I had learned, but what I felt prompted to do instead was the message of the Restoration. It was a powerful moment for me because even though it wasn't the same, I could still feel the truthfulness of that message. I was particularly grateful because my great grandpa isn't a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and he was able to hear my testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith. My prayer and hope is that one day he'll accept what the Spirit tells him, but that talk was another stepping stone for him.

After church we went as a family to a national park that is famous for its alligators. We had a great time walking together and spotting alligators! When we were tired we went home, all the way singing songs together and enjoying one another's company. We had a great afternoon together and then finished the evening with amazing BBQ that my dad smoked himself. Utah has many beautiful and awesome things, but its BBQ is not up to par =)

That Monday my great grandpa, grandparents, mom, and I went to Galveston island to sight see the older homes there, in particular the Bishop's Palace. The thought I had while there was how resilient this little island has been. It had its dark times, such as the Great Storm (a hurricane that killed many thousands of people and nearly destroyed the entire island) but today it's a thriving city with a rich history. How resilient am I against the adversary's attacks? In Helaman 5:12 we learn that he will fight, it's not a possibility but rather a surety, so we need to fortify ourselves. We need to build upon the rock, the great cornerstone, even Christ.

The rest of the trip was really good and my family went home Tuesday; I had really missed them so I'm glad that I had that time with them. It wasn't how I imagined coming home but it surpassed my expectations and it was amazing. The following couple of weeks have been spent readjusting to "normal" life.

I have applied to volunteer at a hospital downtown, been called and set apart as a temple worker, prepared to enter school, and other needy things. I have played board games with my siblings, gone outside and played catch, and met up with some old friends. 

The first time driving by myself was nerve racking; I think I spent a couple of minutes praying before I left the driveway asking for help and calm nerves. I then laughed at myself as I realized that only RMs would understand this feeling as most people drive by themselves everyday.

I cried for a good 10 minutes one day, letting myself feel homesickness for my mission.

I received a father's blessing from my dad for the first time in a year and a half a week after I was released.

I'm working out every day for nearly an hour, some days more, trying to loose the weight I gained (who likes feeling fat in their jeans?).

Goodwill became my BFF as I needed new clothes (see point above haha).

I've been able to keep up my personal study albeit it's shorter now (I'm spending about 15 minutes each day rather than an hour) and my prayers every morning and night.

I have watched about 10 movies and still have more to see.

I went and saw Moana and cried my heart out at nearly every crucial point.

Dr. Strange was the first movie I watched with my family and I nearly passed out in the first 5 minutes from how intense it was.

I have laughed until my sides hurt with my family while we sat around a fire to roast s'mores.

I'm applying for the nursing school at BYU Provo and trying to "sell" myself to people now. "Why should we have you with us?" "Because.....I'm awesome?" =D

I have gone to institute.

There is so much good in my life! Returning is hard, I'm not going to lie, but I take the hard moments as they come and then I remember how much good there is. The Lord has truly blessed me in my life and I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to serve. I'm excited to see how He'll lead me in my life and I'm excited to see what life has in store. All of us have the potential to be like Him, that's why we are here so trust that He'll help you. He'll weep with you, comfort you when you need it, and help you stand up again. What He asks of us in our baptismal covenant He already does with us.

I love you all. You helped make a difference in my mission and I hope that you stay with me for the rest of the ride. Know that I'm always here for you whenever you need someone.

Be good and remember who you are!

Love,

Rachel

The Journey Home Part 1

Hi! I'm alive!! :)

Since I've been home, I've had the feeling/prompting to keep up the weekly emails. I didn't send one out last week because I had family in town and we went on some adventures. My hope in writing these emails is to show my missionary friends what RM (or returned missionary for those who don't know) life is like, to keep a "journal" of my life going, and to share spiritual experiences with my friends and family.

So, to play catch up, my parents came to Utah to pick me up from my mission on Feb. 5th. They met up with me at my ward, the Ellison Park ward, which was so amazing. I was able to introduce them to my family there, the members I have come to love, and they were able to see what a Spanish ward is like. My mom speaks pretty good Spanish but my dad doesn't speak it at all, so it was fun translating for them and for the members we saw. Church went really well and I was super happy; what's better than having your parents with you after a year and a half without them? To make it even better, I had some of my close friends with me, so I was slightly overwhelmed by the feeling of love and joy I felt.

After church we went to a member's home for a lunch/dessert thing; other missionaries who were going home with me came over too, so it was a mini party. My parents got to see one of my favorite parts of Hispanic culture, the food! We had a great time chatting and eating before we needed to head back to Hna. Felix's and my apartment to finish packing up. Just to say, Hna. Felix was so patient with us the entire day and I love her for it. I finished packing so that we could head up to the mission office where Hna. Felix would meet up with her temporary companion and all the departing missionaries did some final touches to be ready to leave. 

We left for the mission home, President and Sis. Jaggi's home, where we had dinner with them, other departing missionaries, and the mission presidency. After dinner, we had a testimony meeting where all of us who were leaving bore our testimonies; the Spirit was extremely powerful. Each of us testified of the love of our Savior and the reality of His Atonement. Our missions changed us, and it was possible because of the grace afford by Christ and His sacrifice. It was a very tender moment for each of us, and for those who were with us, and it ended with a humble prayer. I wouldn't have wanted to end my mission in any other way. 

We all said our goodbyes, then my parents and I left to stay with the Mowers, members of the mission presidency whom I consider close friends. Monday was spent visiting people who I had met and served (or served with) and introducing my parents. I was very proud to show off my parents to all my friends :) Tuesday morning we did an early session in the temple because I had really wanted my parents to see my, now, favorite temple. I had missed going to the temple with them; in the temple, you feel such a closeness with heaven and it is made even better when you have family there. When I had gone with my mission, I had felt some of that love for I love my mission, but it was nice to feel it again with my mom and dad. 

After seeing one or two more people, we started for Lehi, UT to see an old family friend. We stayed there for a while before heading down to Provo to have dinner with a RM who had served in our home ward. We had a great time with her then went to see my trainer, Hna. Lewis. We chatted for a bit before she needed to leave, which was really nice (I have missed her), then we checked into our hotel for the night. We were right next to a Dairy Queen so we ended the night with some soft served ice cream.

Wednesday morning I had an interview with the school of nursing because I'll be trying to go there in the fall and needed some information. We visited the different buildings on campus, to get a feel for the layout and to see where my classes are going to be. We spoke with different departments and learned more about what BYU is going to be like. It wasn't my first choice of college, I actually resented BYU and didn't want to go originally, but I felt the Spirit tell me that that's where I need to go. As we were on campus, I felt that same feeling again; I'm going to BYU for the Lord because I know that He loves me and wants the best for me.

That's all I'm going to share this week, the more "factual" things, sorry about that. A lot has happened since that Sunday, so I'll write about it in parts. I love you all and I'm so grateful for all that you've done. I hope you continue to enjoy these letters. :) 

Have a great week and remember who you are! 

Love,

Rachel 

Week 74, January 2, 2017

Hey! What's up? :D

This week has been awesome! 

So, if you haven't seen my Facebook page, I have been transferred. I am now serving down on the west side of Layton with a ward called Ellison Park. 

On Wednesday, Hna. Felix and I had wanted to work right up until 9pm and it was 8:58pm when we felt we should go see someone who lives close to our home. We knocked the door, knowing it was late, not sure if we were going to get an answer, and gen it opened! The woman we were there to see let us in and we were able to share a message with her and her family. It went really well; we focused on how a new year brings us opportunities to change and they all said they wanted to get closer to God. We promised them we would help with that, and any other goals they have, and invited them to read a pamphlet before we came back. We then left and got home just before 9:30pm. I later learned that the first time the sisters had spoken with this family, they hadn't been receptive at all. Goes to show that miracles happen, even in the 11th hour, as we dedicate our all to God and trust that He'll provide.

Then, on Thursday, we had 2 or 3 set lessons and even had a member come out with us, but then the lessons fell through. It was a bit disappointing but we decided to try a part member/less active family nearby to see if they were home. A woman answered the door and we started talking with her. She really opened up as we spoke about families and then we tied it into the plan of salvation. The Spirit was very strong and she looked really happy, so we invited her to be baptized. She said yes! We then invited her for the 21st of January but she said no because she has a set appointment for that day and the following. We left her with the promise that this message will truly bless her and her family and we left with a return appointment. 

Friday was also really good! We taught a family that the sisters had found a little while ago and all of the family was there (so, mom and dad, 2 daughters, and an aunt). We taught them the Restoration, having started with a pretty in depth "get to know you". They were all involved in the lesson and agreeing with the things we shared. Towards the end, the dad wasn't really that excited to change or to commit to anything, but he was honest and sincere, so we feel that he will be able to progress once we find him some fellowshippers. The mom and daughters all love this and really want to come to church, read the Book of Mormon, and pray. They have told us that they can feel a difference between this message and other churches and they like it. I'm really excited to have a family to teach and they are all amazing!

Saturday was a bit rough, due to parties and all, but we will recover.

The best part of the week was the party we had as a mission. The whole mission got together at 7:30-10:30pm to celebrate the new year. We started with a testimony session then started to play. There was one room for crafts (...I didn't go to that one...), one for board games (I went towards the end), and the gym was used for sports. We played speedball and dodgeball, zone against zone so I got a little competitive :) Spanish won all the games we had (because we are AWESOME like that :D ) and it was a lot of fun to see how horrified and shocked people were to see me play hard. As many of you know, I am fairly nice, and I make sure people have their turns and all that good stuff, but I also love to play hard! I love giving my all to a game, to ensure my team wins, and it was kinda fun to see the faces of people who haven't seen that side of me before. Haha, I really enjoyed myself with the sports. Towards the end I went into the game room and played a game called "What Did You Say?" where you put a piece of plastic in your mouth to make it difficult to say anything, then try to say hard phrases. It was very entertaining to watch and guess! :D I love being with my mission family and we ended the night with a devotional.

Sunday was amazing! We met 4 new people, though we didn't have long lessons with them, for various reasons. One of them we feel is a tender mercy for us; his name is Armando. He is recently divorced and works a lot, so it may be difficult to teach him, but he accepted a Book of Mormon and was really interested. He gave us his phone number and said we could come back next Sunday, his only day off. I was really excited to see how many different people are in my area and I can't wait to find more! I know that this week we didn't hit our goals, but we saw miracles and we'll apply what we have learned to make this next week amazing. We have the goal of 5 baptisms this month and we have about 8 investigators as of right now that we feel will progress this month. 

I love you all! Thank you for a great 2016 and I'm so excited to see what 2017 brings. I hope you all have made some good goals and are ready for a great year! Have a great week! Remember who you are!

Love,

Hermana Lindh

Hermana Lindh

Week 73, December 26, 2016

Friends and family, I have gathered you here today to......

Wish you a Merry Christmas! :D And. Happy New Year!

I hope that you all had a great Christmas with your family. It was such a treat to speak with my family yesterday; we managed to have my brother FaceTime in while I Skype in, so I got to see him for a few minutes before he had to get off. I miss him, but he's a great missionary and I'm so happy for him, that he gets to participate in this great work the same way I do.

These past two transfers have been amazing. I love Sis. Soakai so much; I truly feel that she is my sister and that she loves me. I haven't had too many female friends before so I'm very grateful for her. She's an amazing missionary and I know that she's going to keep making miracles happen here. Whoever she gets as a companion is going to be very blessed. I'll miss her, but we'll keep in touch for sure.

I love this area; I'm grateful for everyone here who loves us and we them. There are very special people here who, from what I can see, need a little more time and attention than some investigators, but who are progressing. We have seen miracles, I've even shared a few, and that's amazing. The Lord is working here in this area and I love working with Him. I hope that future missionaries don't give up on the people we have found and are teaching just because they aren't progressing as fast as we'd like. The wards have mentioned multiple times that we have made progress where no one else has, so I trust that the Lord will keep that progress going. 

I'm so happy and grateful that I was sent here. The sacrifice I had originally felt I was making has been dwarfed in comparison with the blessings. I thought that this was going to be hard, and yes I did have some rough patches, but I needed these people, and I think they needed me. My faith has grown, and that in of itself is a great blessing for now I can move mountains. :) That's how sacrifice works; we give something and we are given something even better. When God asks us to give up something (whether it's a job, a house we live in, or even family members sometimes, etc.), He promises to not only compensate for what was lost but also to give us more. Every sacrifice me, or my family, have made has resulted in great blessings.

Many of you know that my family and I moved around a lot, and to some that seems like a hard thing. Well, it is. But, i am grateful we have because I have met so many people that I love, I have learned so many important lessons, and I've grown into who I am today due to our sacrifices. Sacrifice requires faith; you need to trust that the Lord will uphold His promises and that He'll support you in your sacrifice. A new year brings many opportunities to sacrifice and change and grow (in that order :) ); what will you give up this year, keep doing, and start doing?

I'd like to take a moment to express some feelings about finishing your mission. There are so many different emotions that come as you think about this part of your life ending. I have personally felt a bit of regret (I'm haunted by the question "what could I have done better, differently?") but also joy (on thinking of all the people I've met, things I've done, and experiences I've had). I have felt excitement to go home to my family, but sadness to leave my family here. There are some fears about the future that come from uncertainties and naturally I shared them with my parents. I expressed worry about my first 3 months home because I don't start school until May, and my dad bore his testimony on how much I've grown and that I'll just be taking another step forward in God's plan for me. That the mission doesn't define me, but rather refines me so that I can take the tools I've learned to go and serve afterwards. It was a very sweet moment for me and I could feel his love for me and His love for me. My parents are very supportive in my ministry -they want me focusing on serving well and hard right up to the last minute- and they have expressed how they are going to help me when I get home. I'm grateful for them and for having an eternal perspective.

I still have 6 weeks to work and to work hard. I don't mean to share this as a "I'm almost home!" type of feeling but rather to be transparent about what a mission is like. Very few people speak about their experience of going home, because it's hard, but like all hard things God helps us. I love my mission and I'm so happy to have another 6 weeks! I wish it were more, but I know that the Lord will help me to still see miracles in this time frame. Now, I'm off to work! 

I hope you all have a great week! Remember who you are, be good, and take joy in life. I love you all!

Love,

Sister Lindh

I love you President! I hope you have a great week! Please let me know if I can ever do something for you or your family.

Love,

Sister Lindh

Hermana Lindh

Week 72, December 19, 2016

Hi Everyone! 

To be honest, this week has been fairly difficult. When the cold weather hits, colds start spreading and we weren't exempt. Sis. Soakai had a hard time with the temperature change and it caused her asthma to act up, so there were many nights where we came home early because she wasn't feeling well. Despite our physical weakness, the Lord was still able to work miracles. For example, I had a split on Saturday and so I was able to get out and work! The other half of that miracle is that the Coates where able to take care of Sis. Soakai for me; she spent most of the day sleeping. I'm also very grateful for modern medicine because it's what helped Sis. Soakai heal quickly. She now has the medicine and help she needs to work despite the cold. 

So, while the week was slow, we still saw miracles. As a testament to prayer, one day my split and I were walking outside of a member's home and they opened the door to speak with us. We spoke briefly, planning to go see someone else, when they mentioned that their dog had escaped the yard. I asked if they had prayed yet and they said no, so they invited us in to pray. They asked me to offer the prayer so I did, asking the Lord to protect this dog until we could find him and to help us find him. As we closed the prayer, we got up to leave and standing outside of the door was their dog! I quipped "I believe God hears us, I just didn't realize we were on speed dial." =D It's really nice to see such instant answers to prayers, it just confirms what I already know; God loves us! He hears our prayers! 

Another miracle we saw was finding a less active woman whom we've been trying to see multiple weeks. We had felt prompted to go to the apartment complex she lives in even though it was fairly late. To our surprise, we saw lights on in her home! We knocked on the door and she yelled out "who is it?" I responded "the missionaries!" as happily as I could. She opened the door to us and let us in. We got to know her a bit and shared a message with her. She ended up crying after it, saying that she had been praying for a friend to come and she felt we were answering her prayer. It was a great time with her and we were able to find out some of her needs.

Something else that was kinda fun for me this week was that I got to sing in Sacrament meeting. I haven't really done that my whole mission because I don't put myself out as a singer, but we've joined the choirs in our wards so they know. I got to sing "What Child is This?" and it was so powerful for me. I could feel my spirit joining in with the Spirit to testify if Christ, that He truly came to earth as a babe for us. I am so grateful to use my talents to share my testimony and next week I'll get to do it again! I'll be singing with the choir to proclaim Jesus's birth. 

I can't wait for Christmas!!! I'll be going to 3 wards, one a deaf branch, to celebrate Christmas. Then, in the evening we'll be joining with families we love and make lasting memories. I love being a missionary for Christmas!

I hope that you are all doing well! I also hope that you've been participating in the #Lighttheworld campaign the Church has going; it's a great way to give thanks to Christ for all that He did. Have a great week, remember who you are, and be awesome! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Lindh

Hermana Lindh

Week 71, December 12, 2016

Hello Everybody! 

We had 12 L/w (where a member is with us when we teach) lessons!!! I think that's the most I've ever had in one week my whole mission! We have continued to work with members to go on splits and this week was particularly successful. A returned missionary in the 4th ward went out with Sis. Soakai and they went and visited all of her friends. She is amazing! You can feel that she loves the Lord and still wants to serve Him. I'm very pleased with how our wards are growing and our Stake President feels the same way. 

We continue to work with Darren Draney and his family; he told us that he's okay with baptism but he doesn't feel he has the faith to be baptized yet. We are sharing multiple scriptures with him about faith (we have used Alma 32) and he is reading the Book of Mormon, he just isn't sure. We try to explain that faith isn't a sure knowledge, but he likes to question everything so it's slow progress for him. I love that man and I really do feel that he is close, he just needs to accept his answer. We are also teaching his daughter, Amber. She has a lot of questions and she really likes us so she asks her questions. I feel that she has a true desire to learn more about God and spiritual things, it's just a bit hard when we are around her dad who demands attention. I'm excited to see how they progress this week.

We found a new investigator named Seth; we were tracting and he happened to be home that night! He hasn't had too much interaction with the church but he has had significant people in his life who were members. He had a few questions for us and we answered them and then tied into the Restoration. We invited him to come to church and he said he might, but he didn't come, so we are aiming for next week! He said he would read the Book of Mormon and we have a lesson with him tonight, so we'll be able to follow up then. I'm really excited that we found him! Now, to help him prepare for baptism.

We are seeing miracles everyday and I love it! The Lord has truly been blessing us with tender mercies and I enjoy recording them. The growth this area has been seeing is astonishing and I am so grateful for all of the people I've met. Sis. Soakai and I are super close and I love working with her. Life is good, we are working hard, and faith our fears. I know that obedience brings happiness, repentance is real, and miracles still happen. 

I'm sorry my email wasn't super detailed this week (though I'm sure a few of you are grateful for that!) but those are the major events. I love you all and I hope you have a great week! Remember who you are!

Love,

Sister Lindh

Hermana Lindh

Week 70, December 5, 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been a great week!

We have been doing as many splits (when one of us goes with one member and the other goes with another member; it allows us to do twice the work) as we can do and it's bringing forth miracles. The number of lessons we are having is increasing and the people we have been seeing with our splits are progressing. We also saw a miracle in who we asked to go out with us; Joy Gardner is a member in one of our wards and other missionaries have said that she's great to take out. We called her and asked her to go with us and the day that she went with us, she explained how she had just lost her job that week. She felt that we had called her at the right time because now that she doesn't have other obligations so she can help us more, also she doesn't feel as bad because she gets to serve others. 

Darren Draney came to church!!! He's the man we have been working a lot with! He has told us this past week that he knows the Book of Mormon is true, but right after he gets a confirmation, he doubts it because he likes to question everything. He has also told us that 1) baptism is a sacred promise so he doesn't want to break it after his baptism by sinning and 2) he doesn't feel baptism is necessary. We have been trying to simply explain repentance to him for the first point and the need of baptism for the second point. We used 3 Nephi 11 (the chapter where Christ explains His doctrine to the Nephites) but he said that what he feels is being said is that anyone who wants to be baptized may join. ....I'm a bit frustrated with him, but he is making steps forward in faith so I feel that he can be baptized the 24th. 

The other person progressing is Sara Fletcher; she reads the assignments we leave and thinks of questions. She truly wants to improve her faith in Christ and is striving for understanding. Her husband, Br. Fletcher, is staying in the lessons and offering support to Sarah, but they both struggle to say prayer. They don't accept our invitations to pray, even after we explain how, have given countless examples, and explained the importance of prayer. I think that is one thing that will impede them from progressing, the other being afraid to change, but we'll be teaching them the Plan of Salvation next to help them understand the importance of everything. 

Sunshine, our deaf investigator, enjoys reading the Book of Mormon, using the footnotes and comparing it to the Bible. She has good questions and we were able to teach her the Restoration this Sunday with the help of a member. The members love her and she's amazing, so it's just helping her receive her answer and then she'll be solid. Her daughter, Brianna, knows a lot about religion and asks good questions too (she asked why Jesus is so important :) ). She's young, but we know that by her age, 8, she's accountable for her actions so we are excited to teach her. 

As a side note, I'm really grateful to have the opportunity to learn ASL. It's such a beautiful language and I have yearned to learn it before, so God granted me a tender mercy in this way.

While we were on splits one evening, Sis. Soakai went to one of our wards and visited a less active man who's wife is a non-member. We had been trying to find him and couldn't until we were walking in a different area and he drove up to us. We asked if we could come back and teach him and his wife and he said yes. Sis. Soakai and her split taught the Restoration after having used family history. Jackie Robins, the non-member, loved the focus on families and then listened to the entire message. Sis. Soakai invited her to be baptized on the 24th and she said that she has a lot of family obligations so she isn't sure but we feel if we help her receive her answer she'll be solid. We are super excited for her!

Last miracle for the day: we have taught and visited a family who are less active and who didn't really have interest in learning more. Their family who are active had asked us to visit them and we have built a relationship with these people so now they trust us. One of them, Vincey, recently lost her best friend, her cat Jojo. She's been very upset and sad because of that and has asked us to come over to answer some questions. We were able to answer her questions and have a bit of a therapy session, which was helpful for her and Josh, her boyfriend. We love this family and we are so excited that they are open to our message now. We get to go back tomorrow, help decorate their home for Christmas, and answer more of their questions.

I love my area! I am so excited to see how it is growing and I'm tired/exhausted each day because of how much I'm giving it. I LOVE Sis. Soakai! Everyday we become closer together and I just love her! I think that love is rubbing off unto our area. We have been seeing a lot more miracles but these are the core ones so I hope you enjoy. 

I love you all! Have a great week, remember who you are, and be good!

Love,

Sister Lindh

Hermana Lindh

Week 69, November 28, 2016

Hello, my dear family and friends!

May I start with a miracle please? Then I'll report the rest.

A couple of weeks back a set of Elders in the J1 area (a different part of my zone) asked the mission if there were any deaf branches. Well, our stake does and our particular building does and we have interacted with them a bit so we commented that we could help. They explained how they had found a deaf woman who really wanted to learn more, but neither of the Elders sign ASL; they used the help of an interpreter. They have taught her quite a bit, and have even invited her to be baptized on Dec. 17th, they just need help with church. They got ahold of us asking for help in getting this woman to church, but then she didn't come and we didn't hear from them for a while.

Sunday, they got ahold of us again to confirm the time and location the branch meets and then asked us to help her when she came. And she came!! She brought her daughter and they sat in the front with a few members and we got to speak (sign) with her after sacrament meeting. We introduced her to one of our friends and that member took this woman to class. After church we meet up with them again and this woman, who's name is Sunshine, is so happy! She loved church and so did her daughter! Our friend who signs told us that Sunshine had many questions and was really excited to learn more.

This is a miracle for me though because the members of the branch have been telling us how much they want to have missionaries and do missionary work, but that it's been rough lately. The excitement they had when we told them an investigator was coming to the branch was amazing to see. Also, when we informed the Stake about Sunshine, they seemed surprised but super happy. I think this area is growing and it's showing in different forms than expected, but it's all just as amazing.

We are continuing to try and find new investigators and contact those we have already met, and we aren't seeing dramatic differences, but we are starting to make progress with some people. The wards are starting to step up and offer help with the people we are teaching and even give us referrals. This week we hope to have a referral for 2 less-active women who will be joining us for dinner. We will be going back to families we taught this past week to follow up on prayers and see who they feel need the gospel right now. Leaders are excited to work with us and encourage others to work with us. We have a split chart for each ward and people are signing up to go out with us each week. I'm really excited to see member trust building up and to see their excitement levels go up!

Oh! And how could I forget Thanksgiving? :) 

We started the day out with service; a local hospital was hosting a race to raise money for a charity. Our job was to hold a sign directing the racers to the correct street. Naturally, I volunteered to wear a turkey hat when they offered them so that we could be more easily seen. We had a great time playing in the snow as we waited for the racers, and then when they were there, cheering them on to the next part! To reach the point where we were at, the runners had to go up a hill, and so we made sure that everyone was cheered on and congratulated for completing that hard segment. 

After the service we gathered as a mission to play Turkey Bowl! We had a great time playing football in the snow; my companion LOVED it, seeing as it was her first time playing football. I loved playing and then, as we passed the 2 hour mark, watching. We were then invited to join another companionship in visiting a recent convert family in their area to watch movies and eat food. We decided to go and so we headed out to Clinton area to be with this family.

We didn't get back to our area until later that evening so we joined 2 families in their celebrations. It was so much fun with both because we became their family members for that time. I love my wards and the members that live here; they are so kind and warm to others. It was also Sis. Soakai's first thanksgiving and she had a blast! We ended the night at a member's home playing Hand and Foot, a card game.

It's been a good week overall, I'm hoping that this coming week we'll see more people opening their doors to us and finding more new people. I want to see miracles and we will do everything in our power to make them happen. Now, to help those we've found to progress and to find more!

I love you all! Have a great week, be good, and remember who you are!

Love,

Sister Lindh

Hermana Lindh

Week 68, November 21, 2016

Hello, Fan Club! =D 

This week has been fairly slow, so there's not too much to share, but I have a bit so enjoy!

I am pleased with our area; all of our leaders keep telling us that they feel the level of excitement going up and that missionary work is starting to thrive here. Our bishops are really pleased with us and we have a good relationship with each of them. Our stake representatives think that we and the Vickroys are doing a good job and that this is the most the stake has seen in missionary work for almost a year. I personally feel that we still have a ways to go before it will be at the level I want, but I'm grateful for the progress we have seen so far. 

Sis. Soakai is literally heaven sent for me and this area; she is so easy going in that she trusts that things will work out okay and she doesn't stress about small things. She's super bright and happy but also realistic and hard working. I love her so much and her ability to see the positive in everyone. 

We have been making progress with one family, the Fletchers. We had a lesson with them about faith and you could feel the Spirit so strong! They haven't really paid attention in previous lessons but this time both were engaged and asking good questions. I love them greatly and I could clearly feel the Lord's love for them as we taught and I feel that they are close to progressing. The wife is a non-member and he's less active, so we are hoping to see her baptized in December and him coming back to church.

We are also continuing to work with a part member family who has a recent convert who is 11 now. He is setting a great example to his family and now his mom is starting to come back and his dad is trying to truly listen to the Spirit. This man is a good man who is seeking out God, he just has a very peculiar way of going about it. We hope to help him move past his fears/concerns and be baptized but he could use a few extra prayers if possible please. I love this man and can see myself and other friends in him, so I think he's part of the reason I'm here. 

We continue to work hard to find new people, we are training our wards on the 3 week conversion cycle, and working on getting splits. We do a lot of our own finding, but we working on gaining member trust and building faith in the members. I love this area, it is growing, and I'm excited to see a miracles here! Sorry, I don't have any funny stories for this week that I haven't posted on Facebook, so if you want to see some of our adventures there, just check out my page! 

I love you all! I hope you have a great week, one spent with family and filled with good food. Happy Thanksgiving!!! Remember who you are, be good, and love you much!

Love,

Sister Lindh

Hermana Lindh

Week 67, November 14, 2016

I need to start off with a funny story, because it will make my companion so happy! Usually I use very dry/dad humor (one of my favorites is: why do people say "be there or be square?" Because you won't be around!) because I try very hard not to make anyone feel that I am putting them down with my jokes. This sense of humor is not greatly appreciated by everyone, and my companion loves me enough to laughs at my jokes, but they're not her favorites. Well, one evening we were walking by the church and saw two young men outside. They were goofing off and one of them yelled fairly loudly, to which the other boy met with a night pitched squeal! I turn to my companion and saw, without thinking too much, "I was going to challenge them but then I realized I couldn't scream that high." I was being honest and then she started busting up laughing!!! She thought it was hilarious! It was then that I got it and started laughing with her which made her laugh harder! I don't think I have seen my companion laugh that hard before! :D In that moment, a dream was born to be a stand up comedian, but it quickly died when I realized that it had come after a few weeks of dry humor and no audience has that much patience for a punch line.

Well, now that you are also chuckling, I have some pretty cool experiences from this week. As you might have seen, on Tuesday we went to the temple. I love going there because it is the Lord's house and you can feel His presence so strongly. I love the peace that comes from it and the feeling of love and warmth; it's almost like a hug for me. Also, the selfies afterwards are pretty cool :) Really though, it is such a blessing to have temples on the earth again, and that I'm in a mission with a temple. Although there are currently a little more than 150 temples in the world today, not everyone has such easy access to them. Our goal, as saints and members of this church, is to help build a temple in every part of the world so that all may partake of the blessings found within.

We have found someone again and we are helping her to read the Book of Mormon so that she'll want to come back to church. Her name is Eve and she has been inactive for many years now. Her husband is a non-member so we are hoping to meet him and teach him soon, preferably this week. The RS President for that ward was really surprised to hear that we are teaching this woman because the ward hasn't had any luck with her so far. I'm grateful that we are getting into homes that previously no one could enter, it's miraculous to me.

We are also starting to teach more fully a man who is the father of a recent convert. He has gone through many missionaries, but he has said that he's starting to lean towards Mormonism as he puts it. The wife, who has been less active till recently, is starting to come back to church and is helping her husband. He's a bit...thick right now, for lack of a better word. He's at the point where he just needs to accept the Holy Ghost so as to get his answer because he has the hope, he's doing the commitments we leave him, and he's trying to figure things out. He keeps telling us that he hasn't received revelation from God before so our plan is to go I to the home, do something powerful to invite the Spirit, and then keep inviting him to act. We are praying a lot for him because we feel that he is close.

We haven't really taught many other people this week but we are trying to contact more people and those we have already met. Our district leader says that we are doing a lot of good work for this area, that it has grown tremendously already, I just hope to see it keep growing next transfer. I really want to help people return to the church and for others to join; I guess I want a miracle.

Overall, really good week. This week is going to be a good one as we'll have transfers so there are going to be some changes. I'm excited to start the holiday season and work this area hard! I'm also in a super good mood right now because I got my hair cut today and I love it! I'll include some pictures/videos.

I love you all! I hope you have a great week and remember who you are!

Love,

Sister Lindh

Hermana Lindh

Week 66, November 7, 2016

Hey Everyone!

We are making progress in our area! I'm really excited for that because I love watching things grow and both Sis. Soakai and I have this feeling that we are going to see miracles this coming transfer.

Our senior couple, the Vickroys, (who are awesome by the way!) asked us to visit their daughter and granddaughter who are less active. They haven't been very receptive to the Vickroys so we tried and they let us in! We had been walking outside, trying to figure out which house is theirs, when their garage door opened and they were there. They asked if we were looking for them and we said yes, then they invited us into the home. The mom, Kaprice, the granddaughter, Vincey, and Vincey's boyfriend, Josh, all joined us. They introduced us to all their pets (and they have a lot!) and gave us a tour of the house, then we shared a message. They were all receptive and the mom kept saying that she means to go back to church but has been facing some health problems recently. Vincey paid attention the whole time and when we said we'd like to work with them on getting back to church, she seemed excited. We left the house a bit startled because it was different than what we had prepared for, but went really well. We're going back this Wednesday for some service and a lesson.

Another day we were outside walking when we saw a man working on his RV so we offered to help. He said he was good and then we started a conversation with him. He is a less active/in active member who married a non-member; he likes the teachings of the church but he hasn't gone in a long time. We offered to teach them how to have a family home evening and promised that what we teach will help them grow closer together as a family and he said that it'd be okay if we came back. He's not in our church records, but we hope to find them he next time we meet with him and his family. They went away for the weekend so we'll try them again this week.

The other cool thing was that we were able to find a family at home who's not usually there. It's a very mixed family, the mom is less active, the dad non-member, and one son a recent convert. They have also said that they want to come back to church and the mom and the son came today! The dad apparently had some issues this morning that prevented him from coming, but he'll try for next week. We have had 2 lessons so far with him and he's......interesting, but we feel that he has a lot of potential. He grew up in one religion, which shapes some of his views, but he doesn't believe it to be the correct religion. He likes Mormons a lot and said that he's learning towards this church because of the way the members act. We're focusing on how to have faith and how to receive revelation because those are the two major things for him. He's working on reading the Book of Mormon and likes it better than the Bible. A good man, just a different perspective on life.

Today we spent a good 2 hours at Rush with Elder Madera and Justesen because it was Elder Madera's last p-day and this is what he wanted to do. The last p-day is a big deal and I like showing my friends that they are loved and will be missed so we tried to make it a great day for him. We had a blast playing different things like go-carts, laser tag, and bowling. Those 2 are great elders and we all had a fun time! I'm going to miss Elder Madera; he was a great missionary who lead through example. He worked with me back in Layton and then again when he was one of my district leaders in Buenaventura. He is very humble with a desire to help others feel better. He has made a great difference here and he will be missed by many, but now he gets to go home and help with miracles there. He'll do great!

Overall, we are doing well! I'm really excited with how things are going and we are trying hard to speed up the work here. I love my wards and the people I'm meeting; Sis. Soakai continues to be awesome! I'm happy :) 

Remember who you are! Be good and I love you! 

Love,

Sister Lindh