Week #28

July 28, 2012

Hi family! 

We definitely had a fun and busy week this week!!! Pioneer Day was on Tuesday, so in the morning our Mission President let us go to the big parade off of South Temple. It was so much fun!! There were about 4 people on the square in total, so we really didn't need to be there. I'll send you pics next week when my camera battery is charged again. 

We also had a SUPER fun activity today!! We got to go to the Brighton Girl's Camp up in the canyon near snowbird. It was such a blast!! We did some rope courses and things, did a huge zip line and had Zupa's for lunch. :) I really am part of the best mission in the world!! :)  It was such a nice break, and definitely a needed one... Sister Albanes and I have been super busy in the office lately. We've just had a few more assignments added to our list (including a new key indicator to our mission-- baptism dates-- which for us, means changing ALL of the spreadsheets that we send to the DL's and ZL's for weekly numbers.... kind of a big project.) So, we had a super fun time today. . . kind of reminded me of the fun memories I have of Girl's Camp from so long ago. (Sometimes I still can't believe i'm 22!! So crazy!) 

We had an investigator meet with missionaries this week! Her name is Sheryl. She said she really wants to find truth in her life, but our conversation with her the other day was very long, and didn't seem to go anywhere... I personally think she's just trying to find a church that goes with HER beliefs, not God's. She's not very humble-- willing to learn, but not willing to take it to heart or truly test it out. We gave her Alma 32 to read the other day, which she did read, but then on the phone she COMPLETELY tore it apart... finding little things here and there that she didn't think agreed with the Bible. But I noticed something while we were talking to her... Whenever she would explain her beliefs of certain passages of scripture and things, it wouldn't make sense to me. It wouldn't click in my head. One thing that I've learned about the Holy Ghost is that it speaks to you in your heart AND in your mind. I can tell the Holy Ghost is speaking to me when something just completely makes sense in my head.  There's no complication there at all... it just seems to flow naturally with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What Sheryl believes doesn't do that. What's funny too is that she believes that all truth comes from the Holy Ghost, but she doesn't listen to it!! She keeps asking us for evidence and proof from the scriptures that these things that we're teaching her are true. But when we do pull out a scripture and "prove" it to her, she has a completely different interpretation of the scripture. It has been hard teaching her for this reason. I really just don't think she's ready to hear this gospel-- Sis Albanes agrees. But we're going to keep trying for a short while if she shows some humility and willingness to accept what our Father in Heaven is trying to give her. Some people are just that way though! Sad. 

We also had a baptism this week!!! The very first lady Sis Albanes ever taught on the square (took on a tour) was a lady named Danielle, and she just got baptized on the 17th!! So cool, huh?! I couldn't even believe that when she told me. It is amazing to see everyone's different experiences on Temple Square and during their missions. My experience so far has been completely different than any other sister here! But it just proves that Heavenly Father has a specific, individual goal for each of His children. Our plans show His exceedingly great love for us as individual children. So wonderful! I have really grown to love my Heavenly Father, and have been able to see His love for me so much better and stronger than I ever have before. 

Guess who found me on the square on Tuesday??!! Sister and Brother Madsen! They were the parents of the sister missionary from Palmyra, NY that Dad called!! Sister Madsen brought me a box of cookies and candy. :) It was soooo sweet of her! I just thought that was so kind of her to do that for me. She SO appreciated Dad calling her though and telling her about her daughter and what a great missionary she was in New York.  She felt she owed that to me. :) So sweet! 

I got a hold of one of my old investigators from when I was with Sister Crookston! Its been a while... but I had this super strong desire to get a hold of her and get her to meet with the missionaries if she wasn't. She was one of the very best tours I have ever taken on Temple Square. She's an absolutely WONDERFUL woman. I told you about her, but it has been a long time... Her name is Carol. She had been meeting with the missionaries in Ogden, UT but after that moved to Texas away from her friends and family. Sis Crookston and I got a hold of her once after we gave her the tour, but we hadn't been able to talk to her since then.. So when Sis Albanes and I finally got a hold of her, she did not sound the same at all. She sounded so different, so sad. You could hear it in her voice that she wasn't as happy as she used to be. My heart just felt so sad for her. She hadn't been meeting with the missionaries, going to church or reading the Book of Mormon (when we took her on a tour, she told us she knew the Book of Mormon was true!! What a difference!). We talked to her for a while and helped her realize why she wasn't as happy. We reminded her of the peace and happiness that she felt meeting with the missionaries and learning the truth about God and Jesus Christ. I said to her, "Carol, you know these things are true, don't you?" And, after a brief hesitation she responded, "Yes, I do... in fact, I'm calling the missionaries tomorrow to set up a time to meet with them." It was honestly one of the most INCREDIBLE experiences of my mission!! The spirit literally was speaking for Sis Albanes and I. I could hardly remember what I even said to her afterwards, it was so amazing!! I can't even believe how special of an experience we all had together. The spirit was so strong-- it was so thick. You could feel it, and I know that that is the ONLY reason why she decided to call the missionaries again and meet with them in Texas. Nothing Sis Albanes and I said made her decide--- it was the spirit of God alone. What an incredible woman Carol is!!

 I couldn't help but compare her and Sheryl together after talking with both of them. With Sheryl, all she wanted us to do was prove things to her and "show her a sign". But with Carol, she was so humble, so willing to learn, and so thirsted for the truth that she immediately accepted the Spirit testifying to her that what we were saying was true. I think this is a great example for all of us. Pride is very dangerous-- when we are prideful, we can literally turn away the very thing Heavenly Father wants for us. But when we come unto our Savior Jesus Christ, and admit our mistakes and downfalls, He is able to lift us up. Just like in Ether 12, "I give unto men weakness that they may be humble, and my grace is sufficient for ALL men that HUMBLE themselves before me." 

I've seen several ex-sister missionaries come back to visit Temple Square recently... it has been interesting to see the differences between many of them. Some of them come back, and you can just feel of their goodness and humble spirit. But others come back prideful-- maybe even more prideful than when they left their missions. I think a big reason for that is the subtle way Satan persuades us to think highly of ourselves after serving missions-- especially as sisters. Because it is our choice, he gets us to think that we're better than other women, or more capable than they are of being good mothers... See how subtly cunning that is??? In this mission it can be even worse because the sisters are ZL's and DL's and AP's, etc, which makes them think they are better than other sisters. 

My dear family and friends... no one of us are better than the other. Humility is a HUGE part of this gospel. It is so key in allowing ourselves to feel the influence of the Spirit, as well as others. We not only bring ourselves down, but others with us when we are prideful and think we are better than other people. Be aware of this. Stay away from it! Jesus Christ was the perfect example of humility. I hope we all pray for humility and study Christ's life, so that we can be more humble and more willing to serve our fellowmen. 

I love you all. Mucho amor!! 

Sister Savage