Querido familia
Como le van? Ah! How I love the weather lately. I was walking to the temple this morning when I saw all the beautiful snow on the mountain. Oh how I love the snow but despise not being able to go snowboarding in it for the winter....lol. Hermanitas don't forget to live it up this winter without me and do enough for me as well. Snowboarding will be dearly missed this season :).
So funny story dad/family....
Entonces, so when I arrived at the MTC we were missing an Elder. He just never showed up to our district. So his supposed companion, Elder Patchett ( who is serving in my mission/best mission ever) was put in a trio with two of the other Elders. We never heard from the elder that was supposedly supposed to be in our mission. Yet throughout the weeks we kept getting mail for this elder and we got letters from his mom.... so we were wondering what had happened to this dear elder....muy triste. However about 2 weeks ago we finally found out he had been switched to an alternate district for some weird reason and they had just never switched his mailing information over or switched his old records for the district over to his new district. So we quit worrying about it. Part II as a missionary we practice contacting messages around the grounds and meet lots of random missionaries in the process. One morning I was thinking to myself. "I know that Trent Hunt told me to look for his step son that is going to NY south mission and I haven't bumped into him once." Right after that I went contacting and low and behold guess who I bumped into? Elder Roberts who just happened to be going to NY-NYS mission Spanish speaking. I asked him where he was from and then asked him if his step dad happened to be Trent Hunt. He said of course and then we made the connection that we were the missionaries our crazy parents had been telling us to keep an eye out for. So weird. Don't worry it has a full circle ending.. Part III- So excitedly I find the rest of my district with my companion and we tell Elder Patchett and Elder Lewis ( who are also serving in NY- South) that we had just met another missionary flying out the same time as us. I tell them his name is Elder Roberts and that he will be flying out with us on the 8th and Elder Patchett says " Oh, that's the Elder that was 'supposed' to be my companion!" I thought it was so ironic how everything just came around. Haven't seen Elder Roberts since, but....he'll be on our same flight out to the mission in 2 weeks! Wow, I can't believe I've already been out for 2 months. Weird.... but good. :)
This last week, the apostle Elder Nelson came to speak at the MTC. It is so amazing to know that we have apostles and prophets on the earth today. As Elder Nelson walked into the room you could feel the spirit he brought into the room. He spoke with power and made some really neat promises and just reconfirmed all the things that were hesitations on the mission. Some of the things I had been thinking about before the mission and the pro's and cons were my career-after just graduation with no experience, safety, and my relationships. Some prettty basic elements of life I know but Elder Nelson spoke and made some specific promises to us missionaries in the room. He told us that the service in the mission now will bring rich divident in your careers later in life. He said those of you who are worried about your safety or your relatives that are worried for your safety- be of good comfort. I promise you that you will be much safer as a missionary than those at home. I promise you that as you obey the mission rules and the laws of the land that no harm will come upon you. The mission is the best thing we could be doing with our lives at this point and that it would only improve our lives for the future. It was really great. "We follow Jesus Christ" It is that simple. Always be ready to share your purpose of why you have come. With celestial sight and hearing your pathway will be blessed and guided by the hand of the Lord. D&C 138. He also talked about how we go to teach people not lessons. The people we teach are our sheep/ our fold. We are to care for our flock and keep up on their progress through the years.
Mom~you rock for writing me everyday even though you are half way across the world. Sounds like you are having the trip of a life time right now. My heart is happy for you to hear of the wonderful people you are finding and the cool Elders you met going to Thailand. Ah Thailand is so awesome. Did you find anything about Duang's family and Wisans family/ the Typhoon? Everyone doing swell? I'm glad your Thai seems to be well. Spanish is going swell as well. I can't wait till it's not a struggle anymore and I have an expanded vocabulary lol.
Jenna~Will you please tell the Y/W and Trina thank you for the packages that you guys sent? I loved those thoughtful packages so much. Our ward rocks. Im touched by the thoughtfulness. I use my shoe shiner all the time! I love it! Love you!
Krisina!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Esta Semana
Hola familia!
Jael Happy birthday tomorrow! Just so you know I'm sending a card to you in the mail yet you don't have a SUU address so just look for it next time you go home. I love you and am so proud of all the good you are doing with SUU. You are awesome. How is ballroom? Your biology with Jake and Hillary? Say hello to all my friends for me. ;)
Today is going awesome. I got to go to the temple and it was awesome. First off, there was a Thai lady at the temple today that didn't speak English and and needed the session translated. Naturally I was so excited to see a Thai person that I immediately went up and started talking to her. Mom you won't believe this but everytime I tried to say what I wanted to in Thai, Spanish came out instead and she kept looking at me like I was crazy and then I would repeat myself in Thai and all of the sudden she would know what I was saying haha. But then when she realized I spoke some Thai she started speaking way fast and I couldn't understand her anymore lol. So, basically then I just said I had been in Thailand for the summer and it was nice to meet her. But it was cool to talk to someone from Thailand and kinda have a conversation. I bet A.J. is having the time of his life in Thailand right now and I can't believe he has already surpassed me in my language skills. lol
Then after I did a session with the Thai lady, my companion and I went to help with laundry in the basement of the temple. The lady that showed us how to do things spoke spanish so she helped us out by speaking spanish with us and giving us some more practice. It is way awesome. This whole Spanish deal is legit. I think about being here for 5 weeks and I am amazed at how fast the language progresses. My companion and I, Sister Casiano, had an awesome experience on Saturday. As many of you probably know we practice giving lessons to investigators. It's really helpful because many native speakers will come in and voluteer to be taught. Almost all of them are already members but the language is so different when a native is speaking it. Its so helpful. Entonces, my companion and I gave a lesson in the TRC on Saturday as usual. This week however was the first week we were expected to do the full teaching session in Spanish. Not just the contacting part. So we gave a 35 minute lesson on the restoration in SPANISH. I couldn't have done that 5 weeks ago if my life depended on it. Our investigator was Brother Meza. In real life he is from mexico and his mother has a mayan history from guatemala. He is very kind and was really good at being a legit investigator. He listened intensely and asked us many questions so it made it easier to direct the lesson according to the needs of the investigator. I could really feel the spirit. It was interesting to me to know that even though everyone in the room knew it was just practice for us the things we were teaching we could still were true. Our investigator asked the common question of " how do you know we have a prophet of God on the earth today?" My companion shared a powerful testimony of prophets and her witness that she knew Thomas S. Monson was a called prophet of God through the Holy Ghost. Brother Meza's eyes filled up with tears as he heard her words, and then us being girls we all started crying too. It was a very tender experience for all three of us. We talk about prophets every day in the MTC and we study the restoration as part of the lessons on a regular basis; however, as we study as missionaries the lord will fill our mouths with the words we need to say to touch the children of men. The spirit will always testify of truth no matter the situation if you look for it in your life and listen. He later thanked us for our time and service in going out to serve after the lesson. He didn't speak very good English at all so we just continued talking in Spanish. IT's So COOL!! My companion is a lot better at picking up what they are saying but I'm definitely getting better and she helps me out all the time :) I'm learning lots about spanish, myself, and how to unify a successful companionship. It will only continue to be better.
Dad, I don't have my travel plans yet. I head out on that same day... that would be so weird if I bumped into you on at the airport.... I don't know if I could handle it. lol. But what are the chances right? lol. I guess we shall see. If it does then it would be fate. Entonces, congrats on your trip to Japan and your wonderful achievements. I think the Cherry Blossoms will be awesome!
Thanks for the letters, emails, packages. It is so wonderful. I told my district at the beginning my fam didn't believe in packages till Christmas. You sure made a liar out of me. :) I like it. The granola, apples, cherries, etc are DELICIOUS! I love healthy food!
Food for thought with misisonary work: " Give a man a fish, feed him for a day or teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime. As missionaries we are not in the fish selling business but teaching. In order to teach you need to know how to catch the fish yourself and have success in reaping your own gospel knowledge. I know this is Gods work and his glory :)
Love you :)
Hermana Lewis
Jael Happy birthday tomorrow! Just so you know I'm sending a card to you in the mail yet you don't have a SUU address so just look for it next time you go home. I love you and am so proud of all the good you are doing with SUU. You are awesome. How is ballroom? Your biology with Jake and Hillary? Say hello to all my friends for me. ;)
Today is going awesome. I got to go to the temple and it was awesome. First off, there was a Thai lady at the temple today that didn't speak English and and needed the session translated. Naturally I was so excited to see a Thai person that I immediately went up and started talking to her. Mom you won't believe this but everytime I tried to say what I wanted to in Thai, Spanish came out instead and she kept looking at me like I was crazy and then I would repeat myself in Thai and all of the sudden she would know what I was saying haha. But then when she realized I spoke some Thai she started speaking way fast and I couldn't understand her anymore lol. So, basically then I just said I had been in Thailand for the summer and it was nice to meet her. But it was cool to talk to someone from Thailand and kinda have a conversation. I bet A.J. is having the time of his life in Thailand right now and I can't believe he has already surpassed me in my language skills. lol
Then after I did a session with the Thai lady, my companion and I went to help with laundry in the basement of the temple. The lady that showed us how to do things spoke spanish so she helped us out by speaking spanish with us and giving us some more practice. It is way awesome. This whole Spanish deal is legit. I think about being here for 5 weeks and I am amazed at how fast the language progresses. My companion and I, Sister Casiano, had an awesome experience on Saturday. As many of you probably know we practice giving lessons to investigators. It's really helpful because many native speakers will come in and voluteer to be taught. Almost all of them are already members but the language is so different when a native is speaking it. Its so helpful. Entonces, my companion and I gave a lesson in the TRC on Saturday as usual. This week however was the first week we were expected to do the full teaching session in Spanish. Not just the contacting part. So we gave a 35 minute lesson on the restoration in SPANISH. I couldn't have done that 5 weeks ago if my life depended on it. Our investigator was Brother Meza. In real life he is from mexico and his mother has a mayan history from guatemala. He is very kind and was really good at being a legit investigator. He listened intensely and asked us many questions so it made it easier to direct the lesson according to the needs of the investigator. I could really feel the spirit. It was interesting to me to know that even though everyone in the room knew it was just practice for us the things we were teaching we could still were true. Our investigator asked the common question of " how do you know we have a prophet of God on the earth today?" My companion shared a powerful testimony of prophets and her witness that she knew Thomas S. Monson was a called prophet of God through the Holy Ghost. Brother Meza's eyes filled up with tears as he heard her words, and then us being girls we all started crying too. It was a very tender experience for all three of us. We talk about prophets every day in the MTC and we study the restoration as part of the lessons on a regular basis; however, as we study as missionaries the lord will fill our mouths with the words we need to say to touch the children of men. The spirit will always testify of truth no matter the situation if you look for it in your life and listen. He later thanked us for our time and service in going out to serve after the lesson. He didn't speak very good English at all so we just continued talking in Spanish. IT's So COOL!! My companion is a lot better at picking up what they are saying but I'm definitely getting better and she helps me out all the time :) I'm learning lots about spanish, myself, and how to unify a successful companionship. It will only continue to be better.
Dad, I don't have my travel plans yet. I head out on that same day... that would be so weird if I bumped into you on at the airport.... I don't know if I could handle it. lol. But what are the chances right? lol. I guess we shall see. If it does then it would be fate. Entonces, congrats on your trip to Japan and your wonderful achievements. I think the Cherry Blossoms will be awesome!
Thanks for the letters, emails, packages. It is so wonderful. I told my district at the beginning my fam didn't believe in packages till Christmas. You sure made a liar out of me. :) I like it. The granola, apples, cherries, etc are DELICIOUS! I love healthy food!
Food for thought with misisonary work: " Give a man a fish, feed him for a day or teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime. As missionaries we are not in the fish selling business but teaching. In order to teach you need to know how to catch the fish yourself and have success in reaping your own gospel knowledge. I know this is Gods work and his glory :)
Love you :)
Hermana Lewis
I love the MTC
SYMBRIA & Auntie Cheryl HaPpY BiRtHdAy! You are so awesome! Know that I am thinking of you and I'm so glad you belong to a part of my life/family. I am a lucky soul :)
Madre!
I can't believe you are going to CHINA this week! That is so insane it has come so fast. Is dad going? I can't believe it! You are going to have so much fun! Remember how I thought about extending my papers for like 5 seconds in hopes that I might come with you? lol Tell Allen hello for me. I'm sure he'll be lovin on Grams just like always. lol. And don't worry about getting me anything in china or whatever you find is fine. I was thinking... do you think that the beds will aready have comforters int he mission home? Will I want to carry that from transfer to transfer? I will need a comferter I just don't know if I need to bring one to the mission feild or not. They just told me to bring sheets. If you find an awesome sweet twin one for my mission buy it and send it for Christmas, if not just one for the queen bed at home is fine. I hear there is a big bed bug epidemic going on in New York right now. No se. I'm not too worried. :) Postcard would be SWEET from China!
Thank you for the music. Its awesome. I 've played a couple of times. Would you be willing to send me that Yiruma song. I am dying to figure it out it's been playing in my head and it's reverent.... lol. I got your other package!!!!!!!!!! Jenna, Mom, YW.... you rock! I can't tell you how happy it made me to get the sweet notes, candy, bread, jam, etc. Our ward rocks!! P.S. mom, Elder Mills stopped me in the cafeteria the other day to make sure I told you thank you for the bread. He devoured the whole thing in one sitting he said. He loved it muchas mas. Gracias Senora, from Elder Mills. :) YOu make some happy missionaries around here.
Hey when you send my coat liner to the Mission home could you do me a favor and stick that black wool skirt that I took out of my suitcase last minute in there? I think its so cute and I could really use it this winter. That would be awesome if you could find it in that spare room.
Mom, and family, I can't thank you enough for your thoughts prayers and letters. Mom I feel very privledged for a wonderful mom that never leaves me out of her prayers and writes me daily. It means the world to me. :) Happy Missionary right here. :) I love gettting Jaclyn's letters. I don't have enough time to read them on the computer and its too much hassle to try and find a printer for the computer but that day you forwarded it on DEARELDER works great! I love hearing what Jaclyn is up to. I would also love it if you could forward me Marissa's emails when you get the chance for the next little bit. I know her mom posts them to her blog as well. If you could slip them in Dearelders.com every now and again that works awesome. Hey if you think about it.. I got that dearelder from Boonseon about the grapeseed extract. I'm out of the airborne and vitamins I was taking. Do you think you could find some of that grapeseed extract she was talking about in her email? I looked for some at the bookstore. They didn't have any. If not, its okay. I'll survive just fine. I've just been trying to do everything to keep my immune system up. So far its worked :)
Dad! Wow, I wanted to offer my congrats on the big business recognition!!!!!! How was the dinner in Texas with the big boys? Wahoo! Mom says they gave you a trip to Japan? What does that entail? You go with other business people or mom or family or waht? :) Congratulations. I'm so proud of you. You definitely deserve it. There is no man more phenomenal than my daddy. "my daddy is my favorite pal and I love him all the day. Its plain to see I want to be like you in every way" That's my favorite primary song that we sung at the fathers day primary program each year. Very true. I want to thank you for giving me every good opportunity in this life and being the wonderful man that you are. I look up to you a lot.
So I made a cool connection this week. My companion Sister Casiano get mail from all these random people in her family and I looked at one of the return addresses on one of her letters this week and noticed it said Brandermill Cove Murray UT. I thought to myself. "Self, that address is right next to my house. Those people are in my ward I do believe." Come to find out, Carissa Lords is her cousin. Jenna, isn't Carissa Lords one of your friends? Aren't they in our ward? I thought it was kind of a cool small world connection. It's a small world and an even smaller world in the church lol.
Symbria- I was wondering. Do you remember where we stopped reading in the New Testament. I know we were in Luke but I was hoping you had it marked or knew. Otherwise, we should start over in Luke and then we can start talking about what we are reading about and finish the new testament together.
This experience is wonderful. Its a kind of richness and joy I have never experienced before. I love it. I thank god every day for the opportunity he has given me to serve. This is his church. He restored it through the prophet Joseph Smith. I feel so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel and am so excited to serve. I love you all.
Love
Hermana Lewis
Madre!
I can't believe you are going to CHINA this week! That is so insane it has come so fast. Is dad going? I can't believe it! You are going to have so much fun! Remember how I thought about extending my papers for like 5 seconds in hopes that I might come with you? lol Tell Allen hello for me. I'm sure he'll be lovin on Grams just like always. lol. And don't worry about getting me anything in china or whatever you find is fine. I was thinking... do you think that the beds will aready have comforters int he mission home? Will I want to carry that from transfer to transfer? I will need a comferter I just don't know if I need to bring one to the mission feild or not. They just told me to bring sheets. If you find an awesome sweet twin one for my mission buy it and send it for Christmas, if not just one for the queen bed at home is fine. I hear there is a big bed bug epidemic going on in New York right now. No se. I'm not too worried. :) Postcard would be SWEET from China!
Thank you for the music. Its awesome. I 've played a couple of times. Would you be willing to send me that Yiruma song. I am dying to figure it out it's been playing in my head and it's reverent.... lol. I got your other package!!!!!!!!!! Jenna, Mom, YW.... you rock! I can't tell you how happy it made me to get the sweet notes, candy, bread, jam, etc. Our ward rocks!! P.S. mom, Elder Mills stopped me in the cafeteria the other day to make sure I told you thank you for the bread. He devoured the whole thing in one sitting he said. He loved it muchas mas. Gracias Senora, from Elder Mills. :) YOu make some happy missionaries around here.
Hey when you send my coat liner to the Mission home could you do me a favor and stick that black wool skirt that I took out of my suitcase last minute in there? I think its so cute and I could really use it this winter. That would be awesome if you could find it in that spare room.
Mom, and family, I can't thank you enough for your thoughts prayers and letters. Mom I feel very privledged for a wonderful mom that never leaves me out of her prayers and writes me daily. It means the world to me. :) Happy Missionary right here. :) I love gettting Jaclyn's letters. I don't have enough time to read them on the computer and its too much hassle to try and find a printer for the computer but that day you forwarded it on DEARELDER works great! I love hearing what Jaclyn is up to. I would also love it if you could forward me Marissa's emails when you get the chance for the next little bit. I know her mom posts them to her blog as well. If you could slip them in Dearelders.com every now and again that works awesome. Hey if you think about it.. I got that dearelder from Boonseon about the grapeseed extract. I'm out of the airborne and vitamins I was taking. Do you think you could find some of that grapeseed extract she was talking about in her email? I looked for some at the bookstore. They didn't have any. If not, its okay. I'll survive just fine. I've just been trying to do everything to keep my immune system up. So far its worked :)
Dad! Wow, I wanted to offer my congrats on the big business recognition!!!!!! How was the dinner in Texas with the big boys? Wahoo! Mom says they gave you a trip to Japan? What does that entail? You go with other business people or mom or family or waht? :) Congratulations. I'm so proud of you. You definitely deserve it. There is no man more phenomenal than my daddy. "my daddy is my favorite pal and I love him all the day. Its plain to see I want to be like you in every way" That's my favorite primary song that we sung at the fathers day primary program each year. Very true. I want to thank you for giving me every good opportunity in this life and being the wonderful man that you are. I look up to you a lot.
So I made a cool connection this week. My companion Sister Casiano get mail from all these random people in her family and I looked at one of the return addresses on one of her letters this week and noticed it said Brandermill Cove Murray UT. I thought to myself. "Self, that address is right next to my house. Those people are in my ward I do believe." Come to find out, Carissa Lords is her cousin. Jenna, isn't Carissa Lords one of your friends? Aren't they in our ward? I thought it was kind of a cool small world connection. It's a small world and an even smaller world in the church lol.
Symbria- I was wondering. Do you remember where we stopped reading in the New Testament. I know we were in Luke but I was hoping you had it marked or knew. Otherwise, we should start over in Luke and then we can start talking about what we are reading about and finish the new testament together.
This experience is wonderful. Its a kind of richness and joy I have never experienced before. I love it. I thank god every day for the opportunity he has given me to serve. This is his church. He restored it through the prophet Joseph Smith. I feel so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel and am so excited to serve. I love you all.
Love
Hermana Lewis
Monday, October 4, 2010
General Conferece in the MTC
Madre!
Hey! :) So awesome week. It's so good to be here and just get the confirming feeling that you are where you are supposed to be. I feel it almost everyday and doing the right thing, at the right time, at the right place always feels good! :)
It was SO good to get all your letters familia! Seriously thank you so much! I went and played the piano yesterday and it was so good! Its was like the missing part of my soul got put back in place. Music really has a great way of affecting the soul. Our devotional last night after conference was centered around music. Hymns ect. Speaking of conference, wasn't it AMAZING! I started out in first session putting stars next to all the talks that dealt with missionary work and pertained but then I quite about half way through second session because it was pointless. They all had stars next to the talks. haha. Mom, when elder gong told the story of homeade bread it made me think of my wonderful mother. And madre! AHHHHH! I can't tell you how much the bread and jam was enjoyed along with the music. THHANKKKYOU!!!!!! There is just nothing like home cooking in regards after eating cafeteria food straight for 4 weeks. haha.
Conference was definitely meaningful for me and very enjoyable since I had NO outside distractions and was dedicated to listening. I heard answers to all the questions I had been pondering for myself and other people. I really enjoyed it. They are definitely inspired men of God and very aware of the worlds needs right now.
Mom, I sent grams a letter and asked her to tell you but i don't know if you got the memo... But jeans would be AWESome from china... $20 bucks? that's awesome! I also need a comforter for New York... so that would be a pretty sweet gift from China too.... yet I probably would open it before christmas so i would have something to sleep on for winter lol. You are awesome though and whatever you find I would love. No need to worry about me.
Spanish is coming great! Loving it! Slowly but surely. One of my MTC spanish teachers Hermano Jensen is hearing impaired so he knows sign language as well. So super animated young man with just a heart of gold. Really inpires our district. My companion, sister casiano, also signs quite a bit. They often talk with their hands out of habit instead of just spanish so I think i'm learving sign language at the same time as Spanish.
I love you so much! Thank you for all your love and prayers.
Love
Hermana Lewis
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