Week #24

June 30, 2012

Hi Family!! 

Wow, this past week of my mission went by SO fast!! I seriously can hardly believe it. Thanks so much for the wonderful letters last week! I'm sorry I didn't send you an email... our p-day was SO crazy. We had an Investigator lesson with the elders and a girl named Larisa last Saturday. They changed the time to 12:45, and instead of deciding to just give it to someone else, we decided to keep it. (Guest Services would have had to find other sisters, and we had already prepared for it). I think I was definitely blessed for it though! You'll see why in the letter. :) 

We had a miracle this week! We were on chat (which we hardly ever get to do anymore) and a man named Jack came on. He seemed really nice, and actually genuinely sincere! But because we get soooo many chats that are NOT sincere, we sometimes tend to doubt them... but the best way to check and see if these people are for real or not is to ask them if we can call them right then, after we give them our number. :) Many times we have called back and it has either been the wrong number or they never answered. But Jack answered!!! And he referred as well! He had really, really good unique questions for us. We started talking about families, the importance of them and why we are put in families on earth. He agreed with everything, but then brought up his concern that his wife was unable to get pregnant.. :( They can't have any children, even though they really want them. They can't really afford to adopt either. He asked us if the church "allows" that to happen.! So sad! We told him it is not a big deal at all, that his family is him and his wife for now, and as long as he makes that the best he possibly can, the Lord will bless him for it! Heavenly Father knows our situations and our hearts, and that is all he'll judge us for. :) 

One of my friends from BYU who was part of my dinner group, Kathryn Grebe, has come to the square multiple times... once during Conference. She was the one that was sweet enough to trust me with 5 of her friends to call and invite to have missionaries and everything else we do as missionaries! :) There was one name that she hadn't given me, named Nathaly actually! (obviously a different spelling. . . ha).  I called her and used the fact that we both have the same first name as a way to "break the ice" on the phone. :) It was quite nice to have that actually! Plus the fact that I know Kathryn so well and Nathaly was best friends with her in high school!  Nathaly and I talked some about what her and Kathryn would talk about concerning their religions.. they used to go to lunch and would talk about it sometimes. I talked with her quite a bit about the Book of Mormon and what it means to us, and how much it brings us closer to Christ. I guess she liked the idea and agreed to meet with missionaries which was fun! 

Now the greatest miracle of all--- the best for last of course! :) Tuesday GS asked us to take a motorcoach (we had only taken one or two before that this transfer.. hardly any!) We talked with a few other sisters before that do the hospitality Bus Tours. On those tours, the sisters literally have to be "tour guides" and share just the information and not really go into spiritual things, or share testimony. Those sisters said that they have actually seen the most miracles on those tours! They said that people ask THEM questions about the Gospel and the church. When they ask them questions, they can answer, even if they're doctrinal.  Sister Richardson and I talked about it for a while, and we decided just to try it out and see what happens. So we did. We shared more information, history, and shared several pioneer stories (thanks to my ancestors :)) because people really like hearing those stories. And it started happening-- not even halfway through the tour, we had people asking us a bunch of questions about our beliefs and the gospel! It was amazing! And then at the end, we decided to end in the Assembly Hall and talk a little bit about our church service and what it is like and invite them again to learn more by meeting with missionaries in their local areas. We did just that, and it was seriously like the people on the motorcoach just trusted us more... We had 4 souls fill out the card by the end and even "check the box" for representatives from the church to visit them and teach them more about our beliefs! One of them was a family of 3 from THAILAND!! How amazing is that?!! It was honestly one of the greatest miracles I have seen on my mission. We didn't shove the gospel down their throats; we shared the gospel with them by sharing about the early pioneers, the sacrifices they made when they came here, and WHY they sacrificed so much. 

One thing that I often forget here on Temple Square is the spirit that is here. It's so strong. One of the men that referred said on the card that there is such PEACE here. We are in the middle of busy Salt Lake City, and yet people feel peace and happiness when they come here! Sometimes as missionaries we forget to let the Spirit talk to these people. Let's face it, a couple 22 year olds cannot out-do the Spirit of God... and because of that, we need to let Him speak more. That's what His calling is as the Holy Ghost-- we need to let him fulfill his purpose, just like he needs to help us accomplish ours by speaking through us! 

Sometimes I can't even believe how much I feel the Spirit here on my mission. It really is so incredible. Even now as I look back on this week and the missionary work Sister Richardson and I have done together, I can feel the Spirit reaffirming to me that what I'm doing here is important, and worthwhile. Satan can be very good at weighing me down and making me feel less than I am, like I'm not a "good missionary." But really, being a "good missionary" is not the same for everyone. I'm not going to be the same kind of missionary as Sister Richardson, and she won't be like me! And that's the beauty of it! The Lord uses us in such different ways, because he needs all sorts of different tools helping him in His work. I love when Moroni talks about the spiritual gifts in the last chapter of the Book of Mormon. I often think of the sons of Mosiah too, being "an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth..." (Alma 17:9) I'm sure all of them had different spiritual gifts from God so they could better serve Him. He seriously uses those gifts. I've seen them with each of my companions. It's SO cool to see how the Lord works! I just love it. 

One verse I LOVE that I've recently thought of on Temple Square is in Alma 13:24. This chapter is talking about how men are called as high priests because of what they DO. In verse 24 it talks about the angels that declare the words of the Lord: "For behold, angels are declaring it (meaning the gospel) unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory." 

I honestly can sometimes feel these angels declaring the word to these souls on Temple Square. When we meet those prepared people, you KNOW that those on the other side... probably their ancestors.. are helping them to prepare to receive the gospel. They are sent here to Temple Square, and find out why they came, without even realizing that they needed to come. It is SO amazing to me. Heavenly Father's plan truly is SO intricate and detailed. 

I love you all. Please take time to read Alma 13:28-29. Seek for that Love of God ALWAYS in your hearts. Pray to know what HIS will is, not yours. He knows better than you-- I testify of that. Until next week!! :) 

Love, 

Sister Savage

PS... Sis Richardson have been doing the canyon run (a total of 3 miles) every morning, cutting of a half-hour of sleep every morning too! Ha! Its been SO good. I feel like my mission work is different now because of it. I LOVE it! I'm going to continue it when I get home too! :)