Blessings of Exact Obedience

Aloha!!

Another week with plenty of miracles.  I will share a few.

Two nonmembers showed up to church on Sunday! Whoa!  This is very rare in Laie. They both just moved here, but don't know each other.  One is named Brent and the other is named Julie.  They are both very kind.  Brent is not interested at the moment, but came to the fireside at the Visitors' Center that same night.  Julie we didn't get to talk to much.  She works at a little store in the middle of our neighborhood and we are hoping to see her again.  We hope she enjoyed church!

Also in the Visitors' Center we met a man named Jeff who was traveling on his own looking for a greater purpose in life. Wow!  Didn't want to leave his contact information, but i am confident the missionaries will find him when the time us right. 

There was another day that we prayed so hard to find people in our area and we promised we would be right on time. We were and Heavenly Father kept His promise!  We found people we had been looking for even though we did not plan to find those specific people!  God truly knows everyone and the details of there lives.  My mom can attest to that as she has had similar spiritual experiences this week. God works in mysterious ways. There are so many blessings for exact obedience.

Something I like this week in church was said in Relief Society.  They were speaking about marriage and the teacher said, "Marriage is enduring."  I loved that.  Of course I am not married, but aren't all relationships that are filled with charity truly enduring and meant to last?  I have felt that, in a good way, with my current missionary companion, Sister Walker.  We have been together for a long time.  We have learned a lot about each other and had to work to overcome differences. It has been challenging, but great!   In any relationship, it is a matter of both people being the right person - who God wants you to be.

Hope everyone is doing well!  Stay strong this week and read your scriptures!!

Sister Lindsay Evans

Photo 1 - Transfer Day Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors' Center photo.

Photo 2 - "Aloha! Welcome to the Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors' Center!"

Photo 3 - Sister Allen and I.  Our companions didn't get the memo.

 

 

Do You Want to be Happy?

Aloha!!

I realized that last week I didn't tell you what was happening for transfers.  I am staying with Sister Walker for the 4th transfer.  If we split next transfer we still will have spent 7 months of our mission together including the MTC! I must need her wonderful example.  I learn a lot from her about how to be exactly obedient, to please God first.  We are both STLs again in the Laie Zone and will be going on another 10 exchanges with the Sisters this transfer.

The one change that did come with transfers is that I am now in a family ward again - Laie 4th Ward.  To be honest it is a little funny for me because for the past 10 months I have served in YSA and Married Student Stakes.  I really like it though because there are so many different kinds of people.  As I sat in sacrament meeting last week I was able to see them through God's eyes - so different and unique, but all loved by a perfect Father in Heaven.  We are so blessed to be different and the same all at the same time.

Fun Fact - We had a Red Cross training this last week with our whole mission (It was a conference call).  They wanted to prepare us to be able to volunteer at shelters in the case of an emergency relating to the two hurricanes that passed us.  It was neat. They passed us though luckily and we hardly got any rain in Laie.  Good to be prepared.

Funny Moment - In church everyone always starts with "Aloha Brothers and Sisters..."  This last week this 5 year old got up to bear his testimony. He confidently stood (on a stool) at the pulpit and said, "Aloha boys and girls!" He continued, "We know that God made us special . . . We love God and we know that that God loves us too."  So precious!

My favorite insight of the week came through a quote by President Hinckley in Preach My Gospel.  It says,

“Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause. Lend your efforts to helping people. … Stand higher, lift those with feeble knees, hold up the arms of those that hang down. Live the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Living the gospel of Jesus Christ is faith, hope, and charity in action.  It is the pure love of Christ for others and selfless service.  If anyone thinks missionary work is only for missionaries, think again!  We can all do a little better to invite members and nonmembers alike to come closer to their Savior and to get to know Him personally.  I am so grateful for the Savior in my life and for all the times He has strengthened me.  I know that He loves us and is proud of us. We don't have to be anything more than we are now to be worthy of His love, but we are guaranteed to feel it in greater abundance as we continuously repent and hearken to His teachings.

You are all wonderful and I know that God is aware of you wherever or whoever you are. He cares for you and is reaching out to you this very day.

Have a wonderful week! Aloha!

- Sister Lindsay Evans

Photo 1 - Pouring rain a few weeks ago in Laie. 

 Photo 2 - BYUH Taxidermy... or so it seems...

 Photo 3 - What serving a mission in Hawaii is really like.

 We took pictures all around today.

"It's a Miracle!"

Aloha everyone!

Apparently my email did not send last week so I am just going to forward it on again and combine it with this week.

(Last Week) To answer my Mom's questions... Today I got up, went to our Visitors' Center Training Meeting (VCTM) in which we discussed the talk by President Benson entitled "Beware of Pride", we studied, we got banana pancakes at a local joint called Papa Ole's [Oh-lay], we napped, and here we are. 

Also, I was asked how we got 15 baptisms in August.  We are now up to 18, by the way.  Wow!  It all starts with the amazing Sisters we work with.  They meet people here in the VC or they contact them online. Sometimes they even contact us online!  If they are interested in learning more about our message, the message of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel, we are able to send their information to local missionaries.  After they are sent we are the "support teachers".  We check up on them to make sure that the missionaries have visited them and that they are progressing spiritually.  Sometimes we lose contact with them because they never answer the phone/text/etc., which is unfortunate, but sometimes we get to see it all the way through.  In the words of Sister Swinton, "It is a miracle!"

It has been another amazing week, of course.  That includes the hard days.

Interviews with President Bekker went really well.  I really felt as I was talking to him that he is my Mission president and he is called by God.  I can tell he follows the Spirit in everything he does.  I felt so much peace.  I know we are so blessed to have him.  Sister Walker and I also enjoyed grading the missionaries' Area Books and Daily Planners while they were in their interviews.   We were wrapped in blankets the whole time because it was so cold.

We had our last exchange on Thursday.  We are done!  Partially we feel relieved, but mostly we feel so very grateful for the Lord's goodness in our lives.  We can see and feel how much He loves these Sisters. 

We are now going to be preparing for next transfer - an equally busying task, but in a different sort of way.  Lots of scheduling.  Should be good!

Our Mission Leader Council yesterday with all of the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders was so inspired.  It was exactly what the missionaries in the Laie Zone and Visitors' Center need right now.

I know that the Lord is aware of his people. Focus on him.  Don't look down.  He is with you, on your right hand and on your left.  He loves you.  Your Father in Heaven loves you.  I know this is true.

(This Week) Very busy week of scheduling things so that they work smoothly the next transfer.  Making our big VC Schedule is like playing an advanced game of Sodoku.  Sister Swinton joked this week that, "(my) brain is like a little computer".  It has been wonderful to see God use my gift of a keen/alert mind to bless the lives of others.  I didn't know I was blessed with it, but God did and he assigned me to the perfect mission.  I know he knows each one of us perfectly and will place us in the place where we can have the greatest impact for good, if we let Him.

One of the most fun things that we did this week was create a video for the Sisters telling them their transfer news.  It was so much fun!  All of the Sisters reactions make it even better.  Watching them scream for joy about their new assignments just makes you want to laugh.  We have a good group of Sisters who would do well in any assignment. 

The church is true!  We need it!  We are so blessed to have our faith tried again and again that we can receive a further witness of God's simple and happy truths.

Love you all! Aloha!

Sister Lindsay Evans

Photo 1 - Cleaning the brig of the U.S.S. Missouri.

 Photo 2 - Locked up. Should've cleaned more thoroughly I guess . . .

 Photo 3 - Last exchange making kimchi fried rice especially for Sister Kim.  It has become one of my favorites.

Hawaii's Verson of Cold, Good Studies and Banana-Choco Pancakes!

Grading everyone's planners and area books while they are in their interview with the president.  It is SO cold back in the teaching rooms! 

A picture that shows the accumulation of 3 transfers of learning.  This pictures is US to me.  We both really love it. I know you do too haha.

Banana and also choco chip pancakes this morning at Papa Ole's [Oh-lays] just before shopping.