HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!
Thank you for the pictures!!!! I love pictures :) It was so great to hear from all of you! I will read your letters today and respond through the mail! I was sooooooooooo happy to get mail today! I love hearing the updates and from what I skimmed of the emails I'm excited to read them :)
Today will be a really fun P-day. Sister King and were in charge of planning an activity with our zone (22 sisters) so we got permission to go the haunted village at Heritage Park! I'm SO excited and the other sisters are very excited as well. We have a lot of international sisters in our zone who have never experienced any kind of Halloween before so it will be very fun! I think tomorrow we will get together as a mission and watch a movie. I've heard some rumors it will be Monsters Inc so I'm looking forward to that. The square usually closes at 5pm on Halloween.
Monica got married this week! She is one step closer to baptism! Keep her in your prayers, she is doing so great! I love her so much. She sent me pictures of her little ceremony and she was just beaming! It was her and Mike (her husband) the bishop and the missionaries and that's it. I can't wait to see baptism pictures. Enoch is doing great! He will be getting baptized in Dec. I love teaching the gospel, nothing has ever brought me such great happiness! I love all the people I teach so much.
As I mentioned they started putting up the Christmas lights in Aug and last night they were testing some of them. Oh my goodness it is going to be so beautiful! Even just the few lights they had on were so pretty! I can't even imagine what it will be like when they turn them ALL on!
This week has been very busy, as usual, but also wonderful - as usual :) I love being a missionary. Every day there are miracles around us that I feel so blessed to be a part of! For instance finding a Naniamo bar at the cafeteria :) haha just kidding but no really they had them there and it was so good! I even took a picture but I forgot my camera cord so I will have to show you another day :) No really though there are so many amazing experiences that I think sometimes in the moment I take for granted because they happen all the time. When I take the time to think about it we are so blessed to be able to see the Lords hand in our lives every day! I will tell you a fun story about the other day and it will give you an idea of the wonderful life as a missionary!
This all happened on Saturday - so I was on the phones calling people and I got a hold of a really nice less-active lady and helped her find a church building near her. She was so happy and we had a great conversation ( I followed up with her a couple days later and she loved church and plans of reading the Book of Mormon again and attending church next Sunday). Then after I got off the phone Sister King told me we got a call letting us know that someone we took around Temple Square a couple weeks ago was getting baptized and we were invited. It was very last minute but we got approval and even found an available car (which is very hard to do on Saturdays). The baptism was wonderful, we made it just on time. The Elders asked us to share our testimony at the end and the Spirit was so strong. I love baptisms and I love having the opportunity to share my testimony with others (there were quite a few people there who were not members of the church and they talked to the Elders afterwards). When we got home we went up to our apartment to grab a couple things for the square and realized we have lost the phone somewhere! So we ran back down to the van, hoping that no one had taken it yet because there was another baptism right after we got back. We were able to get to it before they drove away and we found not only the phone in the van but also another sisters wallet she had lost a little while ago. She was so happy we found it. When we were walking back to the square a really nice member stopped us and asked us to call his sister who is interested in reading the Book of Mormon!
So many miracles in just a few hours and I didn't even really realize it until now! Heavenly Father's hand is truly in our lives and when we take the time to look for the miracles we see how much we loves us! We all have trials but even in our trials we can find joy because the Atonement is real and for each one of us.
I love the work that I am doing!
Well my time is up!
As always I continue to love you all soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo MUCH! I love you and you will be in my prayers, as always.
Love
Sister Turner
HIIIIII!!!!
Oh how I love you all :)
GUESS WHAT!!!! I got to do service in the Salt Lake Temple and we got to go to the Assembly Room. I know you probably don't know what that it but it's very special that I got to go because it's a room that only gets used once a year! I will have to take a picture of the Temple Model so you can see it. It's the very top floor of the Temple and it is the largest room in the Temple, lots of people that see the model think it's a ballroom. It is so, so beautiful! Because it's only used once a year for all the Temple workers we were preparing it by cleaning and moving the chairs! It was so amazing! I wish I could explain it better but it was the best service experience ever!
This has been another very busy week! I love the work! It's been so great to hear how wonderful Monica and Enoch are both doing! Being able to hear all the amazing changes for the better is so great to hear. It is not about finding more members to join the church it is about helping others receive lasting happiness. Please keep praying for both of them, they each have their individual trials. Although I know they have enough faith to overcome anything, as we trust in God miracles happen each day. Did I tell you I've started teaching someone else from B.C, Victoria actually :) It's been great to call her, she is so sweet! Also Mario is doing well, he just needs to act! He knows everything is true he just has a hard time acting on faith. It is going well though. I love everyone we are teaching so much I wish I could just take my whole email time to tell you about them all!
My companion is amazing! We have lots of fun (in a good hard working kind of way:). It is so nice to work together for such a good cause! I'm so happy that she lives in Washington (although very close to the Oregon border) so that I will be able to see her after the mission!
I want to take some time to send you a couple pictures from Conference so I will end this email now. I love you all sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo MUCH!!! Thank you for all your love and support. I know I say that often but I truly mean it, you are all amazing and help me so much! Thank you!
Love Sister Turner
P.S For Ethan, Matthias, Benjamin, Adelaide, Lyra and Morgan - What are you going to dress up as for Halloween? Will you send me pictures? I love you all very MUCH :)
P.S.S It's supposed to snow on Thursday :o
Hellllloooooooo family and friends!!!
It is so wonderful to finally be able to write to you!!!! It has been so long! Almost two weeks!
As you know I'm still in SLC and loving my time here! Sister King is my new companion and she is AWESOME!!!! She was in the room next to me 3 transfers ago and we saw each other a lot and so it's fun to be companions with someone you kind of already know. She is very chill but also loves to get the work done which I love!
My new assignment this transfer is Zone Leader and so we have been busy all the time but I love it so much! I thought being a district leader I was busy but it is no comparison to being a Zone Leader. It is a wonderful opportunity to serve the Sisters though and I truly love being so busy all the time! It is a great work and I feel so privileged to be a part of it.
We went to a training for Zone Leader's yesterday to discuss the plans for the mission this transfer and I love how the work continues to progress. Heavenly Father knows us so well and he knows that if we feel like we know everything we will not be improving. If you are not moving forward you are moving backward because life is constantly moving. The training was great and I'm looking forward to the meeting tomorrow where we (Sister King, myself and the 5 other companionships who are Zone Leaders) teach what we learned to the mission.
It's funny when I think about how much I've changed, in the past I never would have gotten excited about talking to or teaching a large group of people but now I love it! It is a blessing to be able to serve in what ever capacity the Lord calls you to and He always qualifies you for the work so you never need to fear. I'm so happy I learned the important lesson about fear and faith while on my mission.
Heavenly Father has commanded us to follow the attributes of His son Jesus Christ, one of those attributes being faith. If we are fearing we are separating ourselves from God. It is as easy as changing your mind to have faith, saying a prayer and then trusting that God will help you. I didn't understand the trust that I could have in a loving Heavenly Father before my mission and I'm so grateful that I have been able to learn that.
Oh, have I told you how incredibly happy I am! I just love this work so much! Why does the time go by so fast? Every moment is so precious on a mission. I know that it is important to keep that mind frame no matter what circumstance you are in life however sometimes it hard for me to imagine that anything could be better then a mission! It is alright though because I will just keep trusting in God and he will lead me to what I need to do to have happiness in this life, it all starts with obedience.
I'm very busy these days (even on P-day) so I will try to write letters, if they are short just be comforted knowing I'm very busy doing the Lords work and that I'm happy and well.
Oh my goodness I almost forgot... Wasn't conference AMAZING!!!!!!!! I loved being here and talking to so many amazing people! I wish we could have conference every weekend!
I was soooooooo excited about the new missionary age!!!! YES that means there will be sooooooo many more missionaries going out to the field! Did you also hear the the MTC time was also going to be cut down? I'm so happy about this because I have investigators in Africa and even in the States where the missionaries have to drive over an hour or longer to go see them and they don't progress as well because there are not enough missionaries in their area. I'm excited to see that change! I'm also really excited because I know that there will be many more young women going on missions and it will be something that will bless their futures immensely!
I love that we continue to hear inspired words from the prophet! I was able to attend the Saturday afternoon session and I really enjoyed it. They talked a lot about families which was very helpful to hear as most of the people I am teaching right now I can see the gospel blessing their family!
Monica for instance is so wonderful! Mom I think you would like her a lot, she really likes to talk and she is so sweet! She has seen so much good come into her family as she has started meeting with the missionaries and she is so happy! Her prayers are fantastic, you can really hear how she understands that God really is a loving Heavenly Father!
Enoch is doing really well and he loved conference! We just need to help him to enter the waters of baptism, he has been taught everything and I so badly want him to be able to feel the sweet Spirit of the Holy Ghost as he is baptized a member of the Lords church that we are so blessed to be a part of.
Joy was baptized on Saturday! Have I mentioned Joy before? She is amazing, she has a very tragic past and it was so neat to hear, even in her voice and the words she uses, how much the gospel and the healing power of the Atonement has and is really blessing her life!
Oh I'm also now teaching someone else from B.C!! I love how that works out. Her name is Candice and she had come for a tour of the Beehive house. I love her a lot! I wish I could tell you more about these people and the others whom my companion and I are so blessed to teach!
Oh I found a really cute saying on a mormon.org profile I wanted to share with you I think you'll really like it.
THE CELLPHONE VS THE SCRIPTURES
I wonder what would happen if we treated our scriptures like we treat our cell phones?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we spent an hour or more using it every day?
What if we used it to receive messages?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to other kids as gifts?
What if we used it as we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?
This is something to make you go...."Hmmm..Dude.. where is my scriptures?" Unlike our cell phones: One Plan does fit all. Unlimited usage. No roaming charges. You always have reception. You can use it in the mountains and in a tunnel. It's free with no hidden costs, AND you don't ever have to worry your scriptures being disconnected because CHRIST has already paid the bill!
I thought it was fun and a good reminder of the importance of scripture reading. I've recently invited one of my investigators to start reading the Book of Mormon with her soon-to-be husband (they will get married in two weeks!) and as I have not been married I"m curious to hear what the blessings are. I've also invited them to say an evening prayer together, it will be a bit of a stretch for them as prayer is a very new concept for them(especially Mike). I really feel like it will not only strengthen their relationship with God but also strengthen their relationship together. It's like the triangle with the husband and wife at the bottom two corners and God at the top. As they work towards coming closer to God they get closer to each other. I love the gospel!
Oh I almost forget HAPPY (late) BIRTHDAY to Adelaide!!! Give her a big kiss for me and tell her I love her! I have a little thing for her that will be in the package I send to Sarah's house full of things from my mission that I will pick up in June :) I also will send a memory card with all my mission pictures and videos. Well my time is up! I love you all so much. You are in my thoughts and prayers!
Love Sister Turner
HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Conference is in only a couple days!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH I"m SO EXCITED! I'm planning a meeting with another district leader in my zone to help the sisters get excited and comfortable with conference. It's going to be so fun!
The Book of Mormon challenge is going really well. I love reading it and marking all the references to the Savior. It really is amazing how the Book of Mormon really addresses all concerns and questions that we have. I've been memorizing a scripture a week and this week I found a scripture that I've never really noticed before. I really liked it, it's 2 Nephi 4:5 - Lehi is talking to his son's and I love that he knows that if he teaches them how to live the doctrine and not just listen to the doctrine they will not depart from it. It is so true that we need to do more then just listen to or talk about the doctrine of Christ. We need to ACT and do the things that he has showed to us. 3 Nephi 27:21 says to DO not to talk about doing. Ah so good!
Mom and dad I'm so so happy to hear that you have also started reading the Book of Mormon with me! What was your favorite verse this past week? Today we should be on page 84 and next week page 126! :)
I'm happy that you two get to go home for Christmas. You will have such a nice time. I don't know where I'll be or what I will be doing but I am excited to have this experience while on my mission of really focusing on what Christmas truly represents. Not that we didn't do that at home but I don't think I ever really personally let myself think of it that way. So I am excited to do that this year. Christmas is still very far away though.
I loved the General relief Society Meeting. The whole mission got to go! It was amazing! I took so many notes. It's neat that whatever you are doing in your life the words of our church leaders always address to our individual circumstances. I heard so many things about how to become a better missionary and how to help those that I am teaching. But maybe someone else in a different place in their lives heard more about motherhood or how to deal with challenges, the speaker is saying the same thing but the Holy Ghost teaches us individually.
I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
xoxoxo Until next time :)
Sister Turner
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 ;)
Well another P-day to write to you all!
It seems strange to have two p-days in a row but also a great opportunity to relax :) I was excited to be able to hear more about how each of you are doing!
This week has been great! We have seen so many miracles. I think I told you about the fellow that we talked to on chat a little while ago from B.C, since we met him we've taught him twice, he met with the missionaries twice, went to church and will be meeting the missionaries again today! MIRACLES :)
We also talked to Monica from Florida, She is so sweet. Her boyfriend is a less active member and when he proposed to her she said that she didn't want to marry him until she was baptized. She is so prepared and everything we talk about she says just makes sense. She loves that there are modern day prophets and she was so grateful to hear that God was more then some miraculous being but that he really is a loving Heavenly Father, we had a great lesson with her and she said she would go to church on Sunday. I wish I could tell you about all the amazing people we are teaching in detail, we see so many miracles everyday.
On the Wednesday morning of transfers the sisters from outbound come back. We got to pick up Sister Jung from the airport! I love her so much :) It was so great to be able to see her again. It's sad to think that this is her last transfer and that in 6 weeks she will be gone back to Korea! I need to visit her one day. Or maybe I'll she will come visit me, she was outbound in Spokane, so close to B.C!
We contacted for a Korean motorcoach the other day! It was sooooooooooo FUN. I love the motorcoaches that come :)
I have new roommates this transfer Sisters Cao (China), Hee (Hawaii), Calderwood (Alaska), Chatterton (Austrialia) and of course my lovely companion Sister Creal from Indiana :). I love this mission the sisters are amazing!
Today we are going to go print off some pictures at rite-aid and then go to Harmons market and get some fruit and vegetables. We don't get money on our cards until next p-day so we aren't going to buy a lot of food but I NEED fruit! :)
I'm so happy that everyone is well, I will of course keep you all in my prayers still, I love you all so much.
Oh I forgot to tell you what I've been studying about! Lately I've been thinking about when we invite others to be baptized we are inviting them to take upon themselves the name of Christ but I didn't really understand what that means so I was studying it in Preach my Gospel. I just realized I don't have my notes with me. It was so good though, I love the gospel and that we are constantly learning. One thing I really do remember is that when we take upon ourselves the name of Christ we will be able to better recognize the Savior and that he will be able to recognize us and welcome us with open arms. There is so much more and I don't know why I can't remember everything I learned right now, maybe it's because I have a lot on my mind.
I'm looking forward to the new transfer. Like I said yesterday I'm really looking forward to serving the sisters and learning more from each of them. I always have so much to learn.
Well, we need to go now, I have to go drop off the transfer schedules for the sisters. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! Until next week, lots of hugs and kisses.
Love Sister Turner
P.S Did you know you can still send me dearelders? It's great when my friends from Canada send them to me because instead of taking like 10 days it takes like 2 days. I still LOVE letters and getting mail and hand written letters but I also wanted to let you know it's another way you can send me mail. I think you may have to have an account and pay like 40 cents per letter but it's cheaper than Canadian postage.
Dear my lovely beautiful family and friends,
Thank you so much from your letters and emails! Morgan James is beautiful! He looks so good and so healthy. I've been praying for all of you all week and on Sunday Sister Creal and I fasted for him. I felt so at peace and knew that all was well. I love how even though I'm not able to communicate with you I'm able to communicate with Heavenly Father and He helps me feel at peace. I'm so excited that Morgan gets to come home today!
Guess what, I have a new P-day so I'm going to email you again tomorrow. Let me know how everything goes today so I can read more about how everyone is tomorrow. And then respond and write you again tomorrow.
Because we had transfers I'll give you a brief update.
Companion: Sister Creal (so happy I get to continue training her, she is awesome and so full of love for everyone around her, I'm excited for the things I will continue to learn from her as we continue this next transfer together)
Zone: Cover (Which means I get to learn all about the beehive house, I'll be in there half of each day. It will be a lot to learn but I'm really looking forward to it)
District Leader: Me (which means I get to serve the sisters in our district by holding weekly meetings, meeting with each of them (3 companionship's) individually each week and helping in any way I can and encouraging them. Making sure that everyone in our district has their questions answered and stay happy and diligent. I'm sure there is more to it and I get to find out tomorrow. I know it will be a lot and a lot to learn but I love the sisters and I'm grateful to be able to serve them in this calling)
Assignment: Sacrament Meeting coordinator. The sisters in the mission all go to a sacrament meeting at 7:30 in the morning however we have the opportunity to go and speak at other wards in the Salt Lake Area (Like I did a couple transfers ago). So now Sister Creal and I are in charge of organizing that. Talking with bishops who would like to have sisters come, assigning topics and what sisters will go. It will be good. Sister Creal loves organizing too so we will have fun with that together.
It will be a very busy transfer with lots to learn but I'm very grateful for that.
Love
Sister Turner
P.S.S I went to the dentist. He told me it was free, isn't that nice - Utah is a great place to serve a mission.
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