Week #32

August 25, 2012

Hi fam! 

Transfer conference is this Monday... SO crazy!! I'm anxious to see what will happen. I feel super peaceful about it. I don't know why I feel so peaceful about it because I've never felt this peaceful about any other transfer. Maybe something new is going to happen...? Or, maybe I'll stay in the office another transfer?  We shall see! 

We had a great week this week. I love the office. We have been able to master getting things done quickly in the office so we can get on the square ASAP! :) It's been really good for me. Sister Albanes and I were talking the other day about how much our missions help us in our everyday life back at home. Especially being in the office! Who knew I would learn how to use a spreadsheet on my mission??!!  Super cool how the Lord works. I'm excited to see how much that knowledge will bless me after my mission especially. Again, we shall see! :) 

Well, last week was our all-day long P-day which was SOOOO nice. I felt like a new person afterward! We went to a baptism on Sunday for an investigator lesson we took  in Spanish (it was soooo good!), and the baptism was really neat. They had 3 baptisms at the same time!! It was so cool to see how all of us missionaries are working together to bring others closer to their Savior. I think the Elders are just phenomenal here in the Salt Lake mission. I think the Elders that serve here are exceptional missionaries. I've been very impressed with their hard work, and how much they listen to the Spirit! 

Sister Albanes and I have been doing really well at contacting, too. On Monday we took a lady around on a tour who literally told us her concerns right there and then... it was amazing!! Straight out of Preach my Gospel! She talked about her husband passing away, not knowing for sure if she can see him again, and how she's not sure about her purpose here in this life. We were able to address all of her concerns right there on Temple Square. It was SO cool, and so fun!!! I love how the Lord sends us people that truly are specifically for US, for ME. Jeanette was her name. She gave us a huge hug afterward and almost didn't want to leave us!! We all fell in love with each other. It was really fun, and very sweet. It did make me a little bit sad though that I couldn't follow her home and meet with her in person... that's one thing here that is very hard, but I know that Satan is the one making me think about these negative things. I just have to remember that I was called here to Temple Square for a reason, and I really do love it!! I promise! Just sometimes I wish it was a normal mission. :) But I guess I will be on one someday soon! Speaking of normal missions, I'm not going outbound this transfer. I just found out for sure. :) They gave us the list of sisters that are going. I think I'll either go in November or January (that's when the transfers are happening).

Guess what???!! Thabiso is OFFICIALLY progressing!! :) He met with the missionaries on Sunday, and met with them again today!! SOOO awesome. He's going to church tomorrow with the Elders so we're excited to hear about that. We are so proud of our little African. And another African FINALLY came back into our life!! Mark from Rwanda!! :) We got a hold of him this week after not being able to for a looooong time. He is just so great. And get this...when we got talking, he said he received a message from "Natalie's mother"!!!! Ha ha! I could hardly believe what I was hearing! He talked to Sister Wilkes I guess, and she talked to him about mom asking him if he's being baptized yet.... ha ha. Not exactly what I was going for, but it actually turned out to be perfect because he told us ALL of his concerns about it, which we didn't know before!! So now we know and we can teach him accordingly. Mark is just so wonderful. I seriously nearly cried when he answered the phone. It was SO much fun to hear from him again! We taught him yesterday and it went SOO well. I'll have to tell you about the new program Sister Albanes and I are using (no one else is except our roommates just to try it out... the AP's trust us a lot). This new program is seriously the coolest thing EVER!! We can actually share a screen with our investigators when we're talking with them so they can see what we see. HOW COOL IS THAT?!!! Mark in Rwanda could see the pamphlet we were looking at on lds.org as we were talking to him. Super cool. 

We also took a motor coach on tour this week that went SOOO well. Sometimes the older people in the buses can be hard to take around, because all they want to know is the history and not the beliefs.. but we teach it to them anyway. :) ha...in a good balanced way though. Don't worry, we don't get too preachy. This week was really, really good! They asked us a BUNCH of questions about it, like who the prophet is, how he gets to be the prophet, why the pioneers came so far and what they even came for (to put it simply: the temple, the gospel, the Lord.) It was so good. We loved it!  And we thought about how we planted 46 seeds into these people's hearts. One person even came up to Sister Albanes afterward and asked where the church was in Georgia where they were from!!! So sweet! I love missionary work so much. It really is the best thing in the entire world, besides the gospel. Ha, just kidding. :)  It is like the same thing. 

I'm excited to see what will happen with me this next week!! I am absolutely LOVING my mission. Honestly, it is the best place in the whole world. I get emotional sometimes thinking of how great a place I get to do my mission work in. I never want to leave. I'm really trying to become the best missionary I can be, but I fall short constantly. Thank you so much for all of your prayers! I feel them, I really do. Please keep them coming. I need to get better at using my time wisely and talking with EVERYONE. If you could pray specifically for that, that would be wonderful. Thank you so much. 

I love you all, each of you. My wonderful familia. You are truly a light in my life, and I thank my Heavenly Father for you daily. We took an amazing investigator lesson last night and I kind of had an epiphany about the woman we were taking around. She didn't know who she was as a daughter of God, and she didn't realize that she had a loving, kind, personable Father in Heaven. We were able to address this concern of hers (she didn't understand that she could pray specifically to know if this gospel is true or not), and I think it actually clicked in her head last night. You could see her facial expression change as she actually took a minute to think about it. It was really, really cool! I thought it would be a good reminder to all of you as well, family. Don't forget who you are as children of God, and the potential you have. Dad and mom, I know this time is really hard right now, but please don't get discouraged! It sounds like you are doing a great job of that, but just remember how special and precious you are as his children. He truly always has a bigger and better plan for us. I love that so much about Him. http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng#moments-that-matter-most Remember the moments that matter most!! :) 

Love you all SOOOO much. Have a wonderful week! I'll let you know what happens to me! Not sure when I will email you... but hopefully it will be soon!  

Love, 

Sister Savage