Dear Family,
I am amazed at how much the Lord is aware of us, he knows what we need before we need it and knows exactly how to help us.
This last week was a super crazy one, most weeks are but this was crazier than most. Sister Luker and i had two exchanges planned for this week. The first was with sister Johnson and Sister Crandall in Parkway. They're white washing the area and doing an amazing job. I find so much joy in doing these exchanges, and am blessed with being able to recognize the spirit of the lord more and more in the work. I had an opportunity to go tracting with sister Johnson (she's been out as long as Elder Salmon and swears she saw him in the MTC) and we were blessed in being able to find a couple of potentials. At one of the houses we tracted into we found this young teenage girl sitting in her car as her phone charged. We had no parting of the seas experience but, she said she'd be interested in meeting the sisters again. That was how the rest of our day went.
And then on Thursday and Friday we were in St. Charles. as we were driving it felt like i was going home. We worked hard, and spent a lot of time outside knocking doors. Sister Fallentine and sister Dutson are also whitewashing and are having a difficult time finding people to teach as well. But we all made the best of it and recognizing that this is god's work. Thursday night sister Dutson lucked out and was able to contact a referral from their bishop. Becca is marrying a member of the ward in two weeks and the bishop had been asked to marry them at the church. Becca is so prepared for the gospel. She's grown up around members and even has some family who are currently members as well. We shared with her the book of Mormon and why it is so central to our message. We then invited her to be baptized if she found these things to be true and she said yes. This was a reminder that people are being prepared, and sometimes all we need to do is ask and invite. Friday morning for exercise we all rocked out to a Richards Simmons workout video. It really gets your heart rate up! :) One last experience. As sister Fallentine and i served together Friday we met this one man named Scott. It broke my heart as we talked with him because he shared about a time in his life when he longed for religion, but because he couldn't find truth has turned atheist. Although he didn't accept our invitation to be taught, I knew there would be a day when he would be able to recognize truth and feel the joy the gospel brings to one's life.
Love to all
Sister Salmon
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Wednesday October 10, 2012
Dear Family,
Sorry this is really late, with it being a holiday on monday the library was closed, and then I had exchanges on Tuesday which is why it has taken me so long...I'm still alive and kicken against the pricks.....Mom could you make me a corn bag thing that i warm up in the microwave? and maybe some wool socks. I'm staying warm. its only started to get cool, the leaves are turning their vibrant fall colors. Its so beautiful.
General Conferance was amazing. We were invited over to our mission presidents home to have breakfast and watch both sessions of conferance. The speakers were amazing! When President Monson made the annoucement about lowering the age for missionaries everyone in the room gave a shout for joy. What an inspired announcement. These are the last days and we need more missionaries. I think that this decision shows the need and the great confidence the Lord has for the rising generation. And especially the great need for sisters to come out and serve. Though i can't see them say it, but as sisters, we are being asked to serve missions. God truly is pulling out all the stops. The stone the prophet Joseph smith prophecied would roll forth is picking up momentum. And with the possibility of having a Mormon president, more and more people are become intereested in the church. Infact, just this last week sister Luker and i were out knocking doors prior to our dinner appointment and a women (whom we're hopefully seeing tonight) let us in because she was interested in what the "mormons" believe because of Mitt Romney. More and more people have become curious. They see that we are different and they want to know where the source of happiness flows from.
For the sunday morning session sister Luker and I were at the church. I think it was during that session that Elder Holland spoke about missionary work. It was an amazing talk and was very similar to a talk he gave in the MTC, but with a little less flame. :) Elder Eyring's talk titled Where is the Pavilion was also another favorite of mine. "The pavilion that seems to intercept divine aid does not cover God but occasionally covers us. God is never hidden, yet sometimes we are."...It was also during this session that I nearly froze. To say it was freezing in the chapel would be a huge understatement. I even pulled my mittens out of my bag and put them on, and i had a blanket. Between sessions sister Luker and i went out working and although we felt sure about the street we started working, no one was home and by this time it was close to the start of the second session. We stopped by our apartment to grab something before going to Sister Burton and Sister Cox's home to watch the second session. While walking from our car to our apartment i see this women coming out. I call out a friendly hello and soon fall into a friendly conversation. She was on her way to work and asked us to come by her apartment later this week. Sister Luker and i were super excited about that.
I'll talk to you all soon. sorry its so short. I love you all.
Sister Salmon
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Monday October 1, 2012
Work in the field is going amazingly. I don't know if i told you, but earlier on
in the year we made a mission goal to find and baptized 365. It isn't that we
are doing this for numbers sake, but to help us be motivated in the work and to
get out there to find, teach and bring people into the gospel so they can
partake of the blessings their Heavenly Father has for them. Currently to date
the day number is 275 and we have had 282 baptisms. The Lord has really been
blessing us in being able to find those elect who are searching for the truth
but don't know where to find it.
MOM- Yes sister Luker and I are companions again. We served together back in Champaign. She doesn't like to run, but she'll watch me from the window as I run back and forth up the street. Its starting to be dark in the mornings so getting up is getting hard. Morning comes too early, but that's to be expected. But by the time 10am comes around I'm ready to get to work. Days and nights are too short....We saw Lauren again this week. this time she brought the person she helps who is a member. Lauren also came to church on Sunday because the member she lives with was speaking. She enjoys coming and will come if it doesn't conflict with mass. We told her about conference and she's really excited. She's another one whom we are trying to teach but don't want to be pushy on. She'll come around, the lord will help her.
We had some amazing miracles this last week. We haven't been successful in finding people to teach, but we have had many opportunities to visit with people and to plant seeds.
We are still teaching Sarah. LOVE HER! She is awesome. Last week she told us she will never leave her church and be baptized somewhere else. Her faith is such a part of her. What sister Luker and I hope to help her see that It is Jesus Christ she loves. I hope that with the guidance of the spirit she can know that The Church of Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ restored church. She may not see it with me, but I feel blessed to be able to be a part of her quest. We also had an oppertunity to go on exchanges this last week with the Fredrick town sisters (i was called as the exchange sister again), sister Lowe and sister Randall. They are doing so well, they're area is on fire. I had a blast being able to work along side them again and see the changes that they have experienced since the last time i went on exchanges with them. They are amazing missionaries with great desire to share their testimonies. I was privileged to be paired up with sister Lowe Saturday morning; one of the visits that we had planned was to visit Melissa, an investigator that i had helped find last time i was up there. She wasn't there when we stopped by but, as we were out walking she drove by and stopped to talk with us. She seems to be progressing very well and last i heard was planning on attending that R.S broadcast later that night. Miracles are happening everywhere i Love it! We made it home in time for the R.S broadcast and were spiritually fed.
This morning as i was getting caught up in my journal writing i was reflecting on that last couple of days, thinking about my missionary efforts and what i could do differently to help my area progress. Compared to the areas that i visit we're not doing too good. But then i had a thought come to mind that the Lord truly is aware of me and my companion. He knows our desires to find, teach and invite people to be baptized...Earlier i was a little down because we seem to be good at finding people for other missionaries to teach and never for ourselves. But then that thought came to mind. And i was reassured that we are doing all that the Lord is asking of us. We know who to find, and how to teach. It doesn't matter where people are being found, just as long as they are being taught the true gospel. And i know that this is true. That as missionaries we can only do what the Lord asks of us. Maybe the people in my area need more time preparing. Who know's?
With us being out of town for the last 48 hours sister Luker and I went to right to work. Sunday we spend a good amount of time out contacting and tracting the streets in what i am told is the lower class section of my area. I told this to Sister Luker and she just laughed me. I don't think this place really knows what lower class is. :) But the people here awesome. They're super busy so its hard to catch them at home. Before we went home Sunday night we stopped by Jane Kinnaman's home who has been LA for 30+ years. We shared with her the messages that were shared at the R.S broadcast. She loved them and was a little shocked by them. She was shocked because the things we shared where things that she had been pondering that last couple of days. Sister Luker and i both shared our testimonies of the restored gospel with her, of the atonement and how much the Lord loves her. The Spirit then touched her heart and i know she knew what we shared was true.
I am so excited for general conference this weekend. OH baby oh baby! We haven't been invited over to a members house yet so if that doesn't happen we'll most likely watch it at the church. We invited Sarah to come and watch it. Hopefully things will work out.
Love you all
sister salmon
MOM- Yes sister Luker and I are companions again. We served together back in Champaign. She doesn't like to run, but she'll watch me from the window as I run back and forth up the street. Its starting to be dark in the mornings so getting up is getting hard. Morning comes too early, but that's to be expected. But by the time 10am comes around I'm ready to get to work. Days and nights are too short....We saw Lauren again this week. this time she brought the person she helps who is a member. Lauren also came to church on Sunday because the member she lives with was speaking. She enjoys coming and will come if it doesn't conflict with mass. We told her about conference and she's really excited. She's another one whom we are trying to teach but don't want to be pushy on. She'll come around, the lord will help her.
We had some amazing miracles this last week. We haven't been successful in finding people to teach, but we have had many opportunities to visit with people and to plant seeds.
We are still teaching Sarah. LOVE HER! She is awesome. Last week she told us she will never leave her church and be baptized somewhere else. Her faith is such a part of her. What sister Luker and I hope to help her see that It is Jesus Christ she loves. I hope that with the guidance of the spirit she can know that The Church of Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ restored church. She may not see it with me, but I feel blessed to be able to be a part of her quest. We also had an oppertunity to go on exchanges this last week with the Fredrick town sisters (i was called as the exchange sister again), sister Lowe and sister Randall. They are doing so well, they're area is on fire. I had a blast being able to work along side them again and see the changes that they have experienced since the last time i went on exchanges with them. They are amazing missionaries with great desire to share their testimonies. I was privileged to be paired up with sister Lowe Saturday morning; one of the visits that we had planned was to visit Melissa, an investigator that i had helped find last time i was up there. She wasn't there when we stopped by but, as we were out walking she drove by and stopped to talk with us. She seems to be progressing very well and last i heard was planning on attending that R.S broadcast later that night. Miracles are happening everywhere i Love it! We made it home in time for the R.S broadcast and were spiritually fed.
This morning as i was getting caught up in my journal writing i was reflecting on that last couple of days, thinking about my missionary efforts and what i could do differently to help my area progress. Compared to the areas that i visit we're not doing too good. But then i had a thought come to mind that the Lord truly is aware of me and my companion. He knows our desires to find, teach and invite people to be baptized...Earlier i was a little down because we seem to be good at finding people for other missionaries to teach and never for ourselves. But then that thought came to mind. And i was reassured that we are doing all that the Lord is asking of us. We know who to find, and how to teach. It doesn't matter where people are being found, just as long as they are being taught the true gospel. And i know that this is true. That as missionaries we can only do what the Lord asks of us. Maybe the people in my area need more time preparing. Who know's?
With us being out of town for the last 48 hours sister Luker and I went to right to work. Sunday we spend a good amount of time out contacting and tracting the streets in what i am told is the lower class section of my area. I told this to Sister Luker and she just laughed me. I don't think this place really knows what lower class is. :) But the people here awesome. They're super busy so its hard to catch them at home. Before we went home Sunday night we stopped by Jane Kinnaman's home who has been LA for 30+ years. We shared with her the messages that were shared at the R.S broadcast. She loved them and was a little shocked by them. She was shocked because the things we shared where things that she had been pondering that last couple of days. Sister Luker and i both shared our testimonies of the restored gospel with her, of the atonement and how much the Lord loves her. The Spirit then touched her heart and i know she knew what we shared was true.
I am so excited for general conference this weekend. OH baby oh baby! We haven't been invited over to a members house yet so if that doesn't happen we'll most likely watch it at the church. We invited Sarah to come and watch it. Hopefully things will work out.
Love you all
sister salmon
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