Hi family & friends,

This week went by SOOOOOOOOO fast I feel like I was just writing to you and here I am again already. I love the mission!

9 day's till general conference!!!!!! YAY! Can I give you all a challenge! Will you think of someone you know and want to share the gospel with during this general conference? As missionaries on Temple Square we have the unique opportunity to call people all over the world and invite them to learn more about God and how living his teachings will bless their lives as individuals and families. I love General Conference on Temple Square. Our main goal is to uplift and strengthen the members and help them with their missionary efforts. We had over 7,000 member referrals last Conference and I don't know how many baptisms came from that but there has been about 100 baptisms every 6 weeks in the mission. Elder Holland was right, this really was the BEST summer on Temple Sqaure!
 
Come to think of it I don't know if I've ever explained how member referrals work on Temple Square. It all starts with the member, we love, serve and teach. I love talking to members and it makes me want to become a better member missionary when I go home. I love hearing their experiences how sharing the gospel has blessed their life and the lives of those they love. I learn so much from those I talk to. Being a representative of Jesus Christ is a wonderful blessing which I will continue to do throughout the rest of my life and not just as a missionary with a name tag on. I'm so grateful that I came on my mission so that I could learn this important lesson. After discussing the gospel we always ask the member who they know whom we can call and teach on their behalf. It is amazing the miracles that come through asking that simple question. Let me share with you an experience that happened a couple weeks ago.
 
I was talking to a recent convert, Ashley and asking about her conversion experience. She shared with me how much the gospel has blessed her life and how much at peace she felt know who God was and what her purpose was in life. I also like to take the time to think about all the ways the gospel has blessed my life, I think about how truly happy I am, I can't imagine where I would be without the gospel. Anyway as I was talking to her I asked her about how her family reacted to her joining the church. She said that they were nice about it but not really interested. I asked her who she knew whom I could call. She gave me her mom's phone number. When I called her mom, Alice, I explained that her daughter was so happy and wanted to share this happiness with her. She was very grateful I called. As I began to teach her and explain why Ashley was so happy her mom's heart was softened and she agreed to meet with the local missionaries and get a Book of Mormon. She wants to know for herself how she can find this happiness.
 
I love that story because we see miracles like that every day on the Square. It all begins with asking - who do you know who we could call for you and help you with your missionary efforts. Oh I forgot to say how happy Ashley was when we told her that her mom had a desire to learn more. She was very surprised but also very happy. What a blessing it is to be able to help so many people from all over the world come closer to Christ.
 
One of the greatest blessings is that I know it's not me teaching them but that it is the Holy Ghost testifying to the hearts of those I talk to that this message it true. I wouldn't be able to teach without the guidance of the Spirit and I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who loves his children so much that he guides us to know what to say. Alma 26:12
 
People don't always accept missionaries or to get a copy of the Book of Mormon but by us calling we are, (as Alma says in Alma 32) planting a seed in their heart so that they may one day come to a knowledge of a loving Heavenly Father and the priesthood authority has once again be established to the earth! We are so blessed to live in the fullness of times!
 
After hearing these things who do you know that we can call for you? Please pray about these things and take the time during conference to think about who is so dear to you that you want to share this with them.
 
Now you know a little bit more about what I do as a missionary!
 
Oh I almost forgot to tell you! I got to watch the Brigham City Temple dedication! It was so lovely. It was too far for us to go so they set a projector up underneath the tabernacle (it's so cool there is a whole other world down there that connects to the tunnels and where the choir practices). Anyway they set up a projector in one of the rooms there and we got to go and participate in the Temple dedication. President Packer gave a wonderful talk about the blessings that come through trials. He told a story about how when his little son was born they didn't think he would live. He accounted how hard that was for him and how he felt like he wished that he could die instead of his son. He said that was the time when he really truly had to learn to rely on Heavenly Father and that is when he learned the value of trials. He said that brought him so much closer to his loving Heavenly Father and his family. His son ended up being fine and all was well and President Packer said he was so grateful for that experience he had that brought his little family closer together as they all relied on God together. He is so grateful fo the Temple and how it unites the family so that they know they can be together forever through the priesthood power that has been restored. I liked his message about how important our trials are. I wish you could have watched it. It was beautiful. It was also really neat because he spoke in a very personal way, at conference they are often very formal but I really liked the way President Packer spoke.
 
Ahhh I always run out of time.

Okay now I really need to go. Thank you for all the letters this week :) I love hearing from you and how you are doing!


LOTS OF HUGS!!!
Sister Turner
 
Hello lovely Family and Friends
!
How are you all? Thanks for the pictures :) Morgan is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo CUTE! Amanda you look amazing :) so peaceful and happy. Adelaide gets cuter every day, which I didn't think was possible she is always so adorable! Sarah and Nathan you both look great! Thanks so much I love seeing pictures of everyone.


I can't believe I'm half way through my mission today! Time is going by so fast. I wonder when I'll go outbound. I have mixed feelings about that, sometimes I'm excited and sometimes I'm apprehensive because I really have no idea where I would go, how long I would be gone and most of all WHEN I would go. It could be this next transfer! I'll be going into my 7th. It's okay though because I know that whereever I am called to serve it will be where the Lord wants me.


I invited you all to try to do personal study the way the mission has asked us and also asked us to do for the rest of our lives. How did it go? I want to hear your stories and experiences and miracles!
This week flew by! It really doesn't feel like a week ago I was emailing you. I'M SO EXCITED FOR CONFERENCE!!! It is going to be soooooooo GOOD!


We talked to Enoch again today. He is so awesome! He is praying about a baptism date and will probably set one for next weekend! YAY! Seriously he is so great and is so willing to learn all he can. He's going to be a good missionary one day. I really like that it works that way - the gospel continues to spread throughout the world.


The Beehive house is going well. We've been practicing more ways to bridge to the gospel as we share the history about Brigham Young. It is a beautiful house and I love being there. Sometimes I like to imagine what it would be like in 1853 when Brigham Young lived there - I bet it was fun :) There is a huge music room upstairs. It's so pretty :) I still remember going through the home the first time we came to Utah (I think I was 10) I remember the fairy window story and I love sharing that with the people that come.


We got to go to the Tabernacle for a meeting today! It was fun because we got to sit in the seats where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sits! Well that wasn't the only fun part, one of the organists (there are 5 that play for the choir) came and told us all about the organ, how it works, how it came to be what it looks like today, etc. Did I ever tell you that there are 11,623 pipes in the organ - 130 of them are original to the pioneer organ. We got to sing "Called to Serve" all 3 verses of course (did I ever tell you about the 3rd verse the Temple Square mission has?) anyway it was neat to sit so close to the organ! The acoustics are amazing in the Tabernacle - Brigham Young was very inspired! It was a fun experience.


We have a new challenge as a mission! To read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year all together. We have a chart and we read 6 pages a day. At the back of chapter 5 ( Book of Mormon) in Preach my Gospel there is an outline of what we are doing, I think it's page 114. I had just started again about a month ago but it's okay I don't mind starting from the beginning again and marking it as I read. I love the Book of Mormon :)  I went to the bookstore and got a little tiny one so that I don't mind marking it a lot. The scriptures I brought with me I also mark but they are more personal markings. This one will have lots of colors! We have been asked to highlight each in a different color:
- Each reference to Jesus Christ (any of His names or pronouns referring to Him)
- His words (spoken by Him or by prophets when they say "Thus saith the Lord")
- His attributes
- The doctrines and principles contained in the Book of Mormon
I'm excited! I know that will really strengthen my testimony that the Book of Mormon truly is another testament of Jesus Christ and that, as stated by Joesph Smith, men will get nearer to God by reading it then any other book. Anyone at home can join me if they like :) If so let me know how it goes and what you are able to learn as you go!


P-day is going to be a good day! We are going to Harmons (the grocery store) and then home to write letters, do laundry and clean the house. I really like it when we have time to write letters and relax a little bit.


I love you alllll soooooooooooooo MUCH


Love Sister Turner



 
oohhhh hellllllllllllloooooo My LOVELY family and friends !!!!! :)
How are you all?
I am doing fantastic! I am so incredibly tired but incredibly tired in the Lord so it feels awesome! We work hard and we see the miracles that come through our diligence and faith. Obedience=Faith=Blessings! I love the work!

So this week has been good. It's fun because right before email we always talk to Enoch and it's exciting to see him doing so well so I love writing about it. He went to sacrament meeting in Langley on Sunday and he said that it felt so good to be on the Temple grounds! The YSA in Vancouver are amazing! He tells us how nice and welcoming they all are. It makes me happy to see them fellowship him so great! Sister Creal said she's never heard of such an amazing YSA group! YAY Canada! He is waiting for his parents to come home vacation so that he can be baptized. 

 I LOVE GETTING LETTERS!!!!!  Thank you for your nice letters and support, I love you all soooooooooooooo MUCH!  

Conference is coming up soon! Less then a month!!! YAY!!!! I love conference!! 

We have a super fun Zone Activity planned today! It's like all day so I may not be able to write letters or clean very much but it's okay, I'll make up for it next week and clean when I get home at night. We are going to President Harmons house! He is in the mission presidency and he is super nice and super funny! We are going to his home in Park City and are going on a hike and eating good BBQ food! I'm so excited! This is seriously the BEST mission in the world! 

So the Beehive house is going well! We took the cutest family through the other night they had a 4 children ages 1, 4, 7 and 10 and they were all sooooooooooo CUTE! I love being able to teach the gospel to not only those who know nothing about the church but also to less active members and members. It is a wonderful opportunity to see REAL growth in the church! It's something that the mission is really wanting to focus on, not just baptizing but helping all to come to really know the truthfulness and then sticking to the commandments.

I think I mentioned last week about how I was studying the natural man. So during my journal writing the other night I thought of something else I wanted to share. I was thinking about how our agency (2Nephi 2) really reflects the long term outcome we have. When we make even the teeniest tiniest choices they effect us all the way through out not only our lives here on earth but for eternity. I have always known that but it really stuck as I was thinking about it this week. We need to first and foremost choose to be happy and have a positive outlook on life. We need to evaluate past experiences and, instead of dwelling on what we wish we had done differently and getting caught up in frustration, we look at the good we have done and then figure our how we can improve tomorrow. As we take it one step at a time we will be able to see so much improvement in our lives and in the lives of others. It is easy to say I'm not good enough, I can't do anything right, it is harder to see the divine potential our Heavenly Father sees but it is so much more worth it in the eternal perspective. Do the hard thing and the great thing will come because of it. I hope this makes sense. I was never really able to grasp it until I really started to ponder, study and pray about it. If you are confused I suggest you try the same! I love the gospel!

So this week in District meeting I was able to teaching about effective ways to study and I was able to share a pattern that they can take with them throughout their entire lives. I love morning study! It is amazing the Spirit it brings as we put the Lord first! The mission presidency is worried that when we return home we will stop the good habits we have learned on our missions because we simply won't have anyone to study for anymore so they came up with a plan we can implement into our own lives. I want to share it with you so that you can also come to enjoy the same Spirit that comes through diligenice and putting the Lord first. 

The night before take the time to think and ponder about those around you (in my case it is those I am teaching, however when I go home maybe it will be a friend that is going through a difficult time or a family member who has a question). As we study for others our own testimony will grow and increase. For example maybe I know someone who is struggling to decide what school they should go to and don't know where to go to study. In that case I would study about faith to receive answers to prays and be able to maybe share a scripture they needed to hear when I spoke with them the next day and be able to encourage them to pray about it. Do you think my own faith would be strengthened as I took the time to study about how God answers our prayers? That was a rhetorical question, of course it would! 
Then after you have a person in mind you might wonder, well where to we begin! Preach My Gospel of course! Preach my gospel is the guide to sooo many scriptures and wonderful resources. If we for example study the apostasy we will be lead to also study The Book of Mormon, The Bible, Jesus The Christ, True to the Faith, etc. For the mission this is where we start. When I go home I will also start with Preach my Gospel but also go on to find other resources online or other resources I have. Always starting with Preach My Gospel. 
So you can see that wonderful plan has given us the Who, What, Where
Who - friend (you will also be strengthened)
What - think of a concern they have and then plan to study you think could help them
Where - Preach my Gospel which will lead you to other study guides.
Isn't it excellent! Please don't think this replaces daily scripture reading. Reading the Book of Mormon and other scriptures is an important way we invite the Spirit into our lives.
As with my district I would like to commit you to try this way of studying. I know that as you do so your own testimony will be strengthened and you will bless the lives of those around you. You don't need to sit your friend down and teach them a lesson, but you know that you are well prepared if they come to you with a concern. The Lord puts prepared people in the way of His prepared servants. Will you take the time to try to study this way this week?
My time is up I love you all and you are all amazing!
xoxoxo
Love Sister Turner 

 
 
Hello!

Another week has flown by!! Oh my goodness it went by fast, I'm soooooooooooo busy but I LOVE it!


Nathan it was great to see you yesterday! If only for a minute. Literally the only spare time I have these days are seconds or minutes, which is awesome! Also thanks for the picture, not many people get a picture with their any family members during their mission! So it was good.


So as I said we've been really busy which was so great! I held my first District meeting on Monday and it went really well :) I taught about the importance of Christlike attributes and how we need to put off the natural man and become for like Christ for him to be able to bless us. It went really well and we all felt the Spirit. Every week I also meet with each of the sisters in the district (3 companionships) and I learn so much from them as they share their experiences and ask for help. I love being able to support and help them in anyway I can. They are so great. Sister Creal is also great and very supportive. She is a fantastic missionary and works hard. We have also been busy with the sacrament meeting coordinating and that is going really well. We love picking topics and assigning the talks to various sisters. We get to talk with President Seppi (counselor in the mission presidency) and he is so great and very helpful. I loved being able to serve the Sisters in Guest Services and I love being able to also serve them in this way. This mission is the best!


We talked to Enoch from BC again today! He is so great. He wants to be baptized but his parents are a little worried he is going into it so fast. He set up a time to talk to the missionaries and his parents together, the problem is his parents speak Cantonese and the missionaries don't. I guess they found a member to translate though. Keep him in your prayers that he will able to be baptized and that his parents will also have a desire to learn more.


Teaching in the Beehive house is going really well. It is very easy to fall into a routine and Sister Creal and I have been really focusing on being unique and bridging to the gospel. When we go through the same rooms each time with the same artifacts in each room it's easy to fall into being more of a tour guide then a missionary. We have a lot of goals this week to help us focus on being missionaries and sharing the gospel. We have already had a lot of miracles in the Beehive house and I'm sure we will continue to see many as we work hard.


Temple Square is amazing! When Elder Holland came he promised us this would be the best summer ever on Temple Square and it has! Over 90 baptisms every month! 8,000 youth have come for youth 

conferences and over 10,000 people coming on buses and that doesn't count those who come on the language buses (for example Mandarin motorcoaches). And when I was in Guest Services there would be at least 5 motorcoaches coming everyday with at least 50 people on each buss! And just this week Sister Creal and I taught over 100 guests and over 50 members! We are teaching the world!

This transfer I really want to focus on becoming more like Christ. As I was studying for the District meeting it helped me realize just how important it is that we constantly put aside our own wants and align ourselves with what the Savior knows we need to do and what our potentials really are. When we strive to become more like the Savior our will becomes His will, we don't fight or struggle but constantly move forward with peace. Alma 42:11 talks about the natural man and how we are all born that way, it goes on to say that when we try to align ourselves with the nature of God we will also be aligning ourselves with the nature of happiness. Sarah sent me a letter recently about this and I found it really helpful as I was preparing this lesson. Thank you Sarah!


There are so many ways I need to improve but I know that if I take it one step at a time I will be happy. God gives us commandments to bless us. Every blessing is predicated upon the commandment it is associated with. When we live as God has asked we will be happy, when we don't we won't be, it is very simple. That is why every commandment God gives us should be treated as something precious and not to be taken lightly.

So as you can see I've been learning a lot this week!

I'm so happy that everyone is doing well and is happy and resting!  We have a busy day today but I will find time to write back. Mom the pictures you sent of Morgan James are SOOOOOO cute! He is just so perfect! And I know I said this before but he looks so much like Lyra! Also I like the picture of Adelaide looking at herself! She is so cute :)
Well I should go, I'm so happy you are all happy, healthy and well. You will continue to always be in my prayers!


Love Sister Turner


P.S I still love getting mail - just putting that out there ;)