The Lord Prepares Those We Teach  

August 20, 2013

Hello Everyone!!

     I would like to start this letter off with a picture and a story, so here you go :)

   

Front row kneeling left to right: Vargas (Mexico/Texas), Thalussidass (India), Muli (American Samoa/Tonga), Fonoifua (Cali/Tonga), Bardin (Arkansas).

Back row: Sister Creer, me, Pres. Gillette, Bardin (D.C./Northern Virginia), Ben, Elder Frost. 

Sister frost is on the far right and in front of her is Sister Ogata (Japan), behind Ogata is Hvistendahl (Denmark/Greenland), To the left of ogata from our view is Sister Luki (New Zealand) then kinda hidden behind Luki is Sister Osorio (Texas/Columbia), Finally kinda hunched down in Sister de Castro (Brazil)

The black guy in the the middle is Ben. He is from the Dominican Republic. Sister Bahr and Sister de Castro (The sister on the right of him and on the left leaning down) ran into him at the food court in City Creek Mall. He notice Sister de Castro's Brazilian flag and started speaking Portuguese to her. The conversation soon led to him telling them that he wanted to be baptized before he left SLC so they asked him when he left, he said Sunday (they met him on Thursday)! So they said they would see what they could do and set up a time to meet with him the next day. They talked to Pres. Gillette and well they taught Ben all four lessons on Friday, he was interviewed by Elder Frost (husband in one of the senior couples here) and was then baptized on Saturday!! He is the first baptism straight from our mission that no other mission can count that the Temple Square mission has seen in 11 years!! How cool is that! Miracles do happen and the Lord really does prepare those we need to teach, we just need to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost to be able to find those people. It is so amazing!

     So some other miracles that I have seen this past week came from chat. So we are some of the missionaries that talk to people who go onto the chat feature through mormon.org. It is really neat. Sometimes we get get antis, and pranksters, but we also do get people who are really interested in learning more about the gospel. So one day we had this guy come on, his name is James. He is living in Thailand, but is from London. He talked to me a little about how he knew someone name Boyd K. Packer and asked if I knew who that was. So I told him, Yeah!! He is one of the 12 apostles! How he kinda knew him was that his dad was the car mechanic for the missionaries and the church leaders who came through that area in London!  So great! He likes to talk to the Elders in his area, but doesn't see them very often on the Island that he lives on, and he said that we tend to give better answers than the Elders. Haha. So I got his contact information and will be emailing him and maybe calling him to teach him more. Its so incredible the people we meet and how they have heard about the gospel.

     So actually at the same time that chat was going on, I met Shannon. She is from Portland Oregon! She came on asking what a YSA ward was. She has been going to church for a couple of months and hasn't met with the missionaries. She know that it is true and just didn't know what to do next. So I told her what a YSA ward was and we continued on talking. Toward the last part of the conversation we were really feeling the spirit! (yes it happens over chat!) The way the conversation was going was great and I gave her the baptismal commitment and she accepted!! All we need to do now is stay in touch and keep teaching her and get her meeting with the local missionaries! It is so amazing! She really is so so prepared!! I am so excited for her and know she is destined for great things! 

     So we had something really cool happen this morning. We had a guest speaker come to talk to us really early in the morning. It was okay that it was early because it was someone super cool and you should all be jealous. lol jk, but really. It was none other that the apostle Jeffery R. Holland!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!! He didn't have time to shake all of our hands today because he had to leave for a meeting with the 12! But he said he will be coming back so that he will be able to shake all of our hands!!! He is so great! He is such a powerful loving speaker and you feel the love radiating from him as soon as he walks in the room. He talked mostly about how we are always missionaries. We are called and when we go home, we aren't really going home. We are to be FOREVER changed and never go back to what we were before our missions!! It was so inspiring. I really love what he said about us. He said, "Don't you ever, ever, ever, underestimate the gift you have to give!  He is so amazing and I love all the apostles we have.Our prophet is the one we need for our days right now. All of those men are called of God and speak God's words. They are so incredible and we should aspire to be like them, but more importantly, we should aspire to be like the Savior. He came to earth to atone for our sins, he died and was resurrected so that we may obtain eternal life. This is the true church restored again on the Earth never to leave. I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father and I know they love me. And they love and care for each and every one of you! You are all great! Write to you next week! Love you!!

Love,

     Sister Sara Snow