Brother Christensen's Steps 11-24-2014

Almost. done. with. my. second. transfer. SO CRAZY. I don't understand how missionary time works. It's like the days are really long but the weeks go by so fast! 

 Anyway, this week has been so great. On Wednesday we got to go to the showing of "Savior of the World." It's a musical that depicts Christ's  birth, ministry and resurrection that is shown at the Conference Center. We got to go to an early showing and it was amazing. The 1st Presidency and Quorum of the 12 approve the performance and edit the script before the production starts,  so it really is incredible. If any of you are in SLC from now until Jan. 3rd, you'll definitely have to see it! Shows are Tuesday-Saturday.

 Then on Thursday we had such a treat in Relief Society, Clayton M. Christensen and his wife spoke to us. (I don't know if I've explained our Relief Society to you, but it's all 160 sisters together in one the theaters on the Square. We have it on Thursday mornings instead of having it on Sunday.) I was SO nervous, too, because I was conducting Relief Society that day...and I was so scared I would pronounce his name wrong or mess up on the announcements, but everything ended up fine. 
 His talk was so amazing. He literally helped us know how to help each one of our investigators. He told us a story about one of his friends who had questions about the church and so Brother Christensen asked him to write down any question he has ever had regarding religion, life or just any question he has felt like religion today has never fully answered. 
 He then had the friend over to his house to meet with missionaries. At the end of the lesson, they had only addressed like 2 of his questions, and so Brother Christensen asked him to read his next 2 questions aloud. They were, "Why is God so obsessed with Baptism?" and "Does your church perform infant baptism?" 
 Brother Christensen said he truly believes that what he said next was inspiration given to him by our Father in Heaven. He asked his friend to read Mosiah 18 (about baptism) and Moroni 8 (infant baptism). Then he asked his friend to follow this 7-step process as he reads the chapters:

1. First, kneel down and pray aloud. Tell God your question/problem and ask him for help and guidance.

2. Sit in a chair and read the chapter assigned.

3. Do not write your opinion on the matter. Based on the doctrine you just read, in your own words, write 1-2 paragraphs summarizing what you read and the conclusion you have drawn.

4. Kneel down and tell God the answers you have recevied and ask him whether or not it is true.

5. Re-read the chapter

6. Revise the 2 paragraphs you wrote and finalize the conclusion you've reached.

7. Kneel down and pray and ask God again whether or not the doctrine is true.

 Brother Christensen said the door to getting into the Book of Mormon is through questions. 

 I just have been thinking about this process so much and how if I would do this just once a week in my personal study, how much greater my testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon would be. I'm 100% convinced that if I would take the time to do this, the Book of Mormon would become a part of me. 
 I really do know that when we show God we are willing to take the time to study his words, he will enlighten our minds. Things that have not been clear in the past will become clear. I'm committing myself to you to do this so you can follow up with me. haha.

  I love this week. I love being on a mission. I love my companion. I love all of you! Here are some pics of Temple Square being fun. The first one is when we announced after Music and the Spoken Word, and the other...is of us being "pretty little liars." We look so stupid but still, I thought you might enjoy it:) I don't know why people always think I look like Hannah! Anyways love you all!

-Sister Helton

Tender Mercy of the Lord 11-17-2014

It's weird. I feel like I literally emailed home 2 days ago...this week has flown! 

  So, I was thinking about what I wanted to email about this week and I decided on 3 things: 1 miracle, 1 hilarious phone call, 1 new favorite scripture and a thought to go with it. 

  I'll start with the miracle.

  Friday of last week I went on exchanges with our District leader Sister Nakamatsu. She's from Japan and literally the sweetest! Anyways, we were in the South Visitor Center and Sister Nakamatsu was like, "Let's go up and talk to people at the Christus." Normally, I don't really talk to people at the Christus just because people are always praying and meditating and stuff up there and I feel bad interrupting them if they are having a really spiritual experience, BUT I learned that I definitely should not think like that. 

  So Sister N and I walked up to the Christus and started talking to these 3 girls for like 10 minutes. They were super sweet, we gave them Book of Mormon cards, and started walking away when Sister N turned around super fast and was like, "let's talk to that guy."     He was sitting by himself and was looking at his Ipad and so I was a little hesitant. But Sister N went up and asked him what he was reading and he said, "I'm finishing the Book of Mormon for the first time, I'm on Moroni chapter 4." 

  I instantly got so excited because I had just read that exact chapter that morning! 

  For some reason, though, I said, "Oh my gosh, didn't you love Ether chapter 12?!" Now that I think back on it, that was so random of me to say...but when I said it, his face completely changed. 

  He said that he had read that chapter the day before and it was the most powerful chapter to him personally in the Book of Mormon. He ended up telling us his whole life story and how he joined the church one year ago and decided to come to Temple Square for his year anniversary as a member. 

  He said things have not been easy lately and he said it was a tender mercy from the Lord that of all the chapters in the Book of Mormon, we asked him about Ether 12. That was the first time I cried in front of someone on the Square. It just never ceases to amaze me at how incredibly aware God is of each one of us. He knows exactly what we need, and he sends us people to meet those needs.

  Now, the hilarious phone call. Hahahaha. I really hope this is as funny to you as it was to Sister Isaksen and I. So, we have this investigator named Larry that we usually call every week but we hadn't called him for like 2 weeks because he's been busy and is meeting with local missionaries anyways. But anyway, Sister Isaksen called him on Tuesday (when she was on exchanges so I wasn't with her) and then told me that Larry had set a baptism date!!! Except he couldn't remember what day it was..haha. Saturday we decided to call him and just make sure he was planning on going to church the next day and he answers the phone and before we can say anything he goes, "I'm sorry Sisters, it didn't happen today. We are just running a little bit behind schedule, but don't worry, don't worry, it will happen." We were like, "uhh...wait what didn't happen today?" And Larry was like, "I guess I was getting baptized today!" He had no idea. hahahaha. Ok now that I type it out, it's not as funny, but it like made our week.

  OK, now my new favorite scripture, it's 2 Nephi 22:2-3. 

  It says, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he has also become my salvation. Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." 

  I love this scripture soooo much. Christ refers to himself as the living water and so I love that analogy of with joy, drawing water out of the wells of salvation. It is only through our Savior that we receive salvation. When we feel empty and like we don't have any more strength to move foward, that is OK. He will fill us up when we are empty if we will turn to him. He will be the living water that we will joyfully draw from when we need strength.

I love you all so much! I hope you have such a great week!

Love,

Sister Helton

Henrik & "Be Where Your Feet Are" 11-10-2014

Hi!

Ok, this week FLEW by. 
Everything is so great here. We have been busy, busy, busy. It's weird because this is supposed to be the slow season, but literally we have not had time to eat lunch these past 4 days. 
I don't have very much time to write. (We have a Zone Activity in like 30 min and we searched all over Fred Meyer to find balloons for it because we said we'd bring some so that wasted like all our email time today BUT we found some!) 

Anyway, highlight of the week would definitely be meeting with Henrik for the last time (since he is leaving). He's driven up to Salt Lake 4 times over the past 3 weeks and its been  so awesome to actually teach someone more than once face-to-face. 
He's been praying a lot the last week but still didn't know whether or not God was there. He said he was reading in Jacob in the Book of Mormon in chapter 5 about the parable of the Olive Tree and got so frustrated and confused and closed his Book of Mormon and said in his head, "This is so stupid, I'll just meet with Sister Isaksen and Helton tomorrow for the last time and go home and forget everything we've talked about." 
So right in the moment he shut his Book of Mormon, we sent him our daily text (we send it out to all our investigators) and that day I had been reading in 3 Nephi, in the Isaiah chapters, and Sister Isaksen and I were discussing them and we loved verse 7-8 in Chapter 22.
It says:

7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

So I sent that one! He said literally when he closed his Book of Mormon he got that text. He said in that moment (he 100% does not believe that things are signs from God, he is insistent things are just coincidence) he knew that was God speaking to him. 
It just never ceases to amaze me how aware God is of each individual person. 
We asked Henrik to say the prayer at the end of our lesson and to just ask God if He was there and if He loved him. The spirit was so strong. It was the sweetest thing. 
In his prayer, he just said "God, do you love me? (pause for like 20 seconds) ...I'm pretty confident you do" and then he just said everything he is grateful for. 

I truly know that God puts people in our paths for a reason. 
I just love it here so much. I know I say that every email, but I really do. 

My quote of the transfer is "Be where your feet are." It has helped me a lot on days that I miss home a little bit. I am so grateful to be where I am. 
Also Everyone: you must come see the lights on Temple Square! They all turn on Nov. 28th but there's already a few that go on every night. 

Love you all so much! Thank you for your love and support.


-Sister Helton

Happiest Day of My Mission (so far) 11-3-2014

I got a new P-day since I'm now in my 2nd transfer. 
So crazy I've been on a mission for over 2 months!! 

My P-day is now Monday for the next 6 weeks.

I have SO much to tell you! 

(So sorry if this email is all over the place. I'll start with last Saturday because I can't really remember before.)

Briggs and Becca came to Temple Square! I love them so much. We got to go to lunch at Brio, this super delish Italian place Becca's brother works at. I got a burger..but it was a fancy Italian burger so I told myself it was healthy. So,  that was definitely the highlight of my weekend. Seriously, I am way too blessed to be serving here. Temple Square is amazing.

Last Monday was probably the happiest day of my mission. It was 10:30 in the morning. Sister Isaksen and I were heading to the Square when we got a text. It was from this lady named Syndie. 

(A little background on Syndie. She called into mormon.org about a month ago looking simply for financial help. Sister Isaksen answered the phone and ended up talking to her for like a half hour. We got her number and set up a return appointment for the next day. When we called, she just thanked Sister Isaksen so much for answering the phone and talking to her. She said she woke up this morning feeling like 500 lbs. had been lifted off her. So we taught her the first lesson, sent her local missionaries and called her one more time a few days later. We were so excited for her because the gospel was literally exactly what she needed. She was just soaking up everything we were teaching her. But, after the second lesson, we called and called her but she never picked up the phone. Two weeks ago we called her and left a voicemail to tell her we wouldn't be calling her anymore, but if she ever needed anything, to call us. We were so confused because we really thought she wanted to learn more, but we just kind of let it go.) 

So, back to last Monday. Syndie texts us and tells us SHE GOT BAPTIZED!! We literally like scream-cried in the middle of the crosswalk! haha 

The story gets cooler. Apparently at her baptism she got up and told her story about how she came to know about the church and she said it was because she called into mormon.org and talked to "Rebecca and Carly." When she was telling her story, Sister Maladiri (a sister from Temple Square serving outbound) was at the baptism and had talked to Syndie a few times and thought in her head, "that has to be some Temple Square sisters"  because we are who answer the phone for mormon.org. 

So when Syndie texted us on Monday she said, "Sister Maladiri, a sister who is serving her mission in Salt Lake City, is going to try to find you two and show you a picture of me at my baptism." Sister Isaksen was like, "I know Sister Maladiri!!!!!" So, it was so amazing. We got to see pictures of Syndie's baptism (I'll get them from "Sister Mala" and send them next week) and we finally got to call her on Saturday and talk about everything. 

Syndie was such a miracle! So nothing else I'm really going to talk about can trump that story but the rest of my week has been really good too!

Henrik (I told you about him last week) came to church with us on Sunday!! He's the best. Our sacrament meeting is at 7:30 am. We had a really awesome discussion about Enos chapter 1 and prayer and how God truly can put our soul at rest. 

I love the Book of Mormon. 

Seriously, I do not know why I didn't read it more before my mission. 

We got to have an organ tour! I got to play a few notes on the organ in the Conference Center (again, I'll send pics next week because I didn't have time to load them) and we got to go behind the organ in the Tabernacle and see all the pipes. Once in a life time opportunity. I feel like I'm getting older because I'm actually starting to be really interested in history and genuinely want to learn more about the buildings here...it's weird.

Thank you Mama Isaksen for the birthday package!

Oh, also it was Sister Isaksen's bday on Wednesday! 

We had brownies for breakfast :) 

Sister Isaksen's BFF from Norway surprised her for her birthday!!!

I had another small epiphany I'll just share really fast. My new zone leader Sister Kennoch said something really interesting that got me thinking at our zone meeting on Saturday. She said God doesn't need us. At first in my head I thought .."well, he kind of needs us a little bit..." but as I kept thinking about it, I realized she is so right. We as missionaries are not who convert people. The Spirit does that. Yes, we help people work through their concerns regarding the gospel and teach them the doctrine, but God could do this work on his own if he wanted to. 

The thing is, he doesn't want to do it all on his own. He sent each one of us here to learn how to become more like him. He has given me this incredible opportunity to serve a mission. He has given me this opportunity to meet so many new people everyday. He has given me this opportunity to serve those around me in ways I never would have been able to had he not told me to come on a mission. God is so good. He does so much for me. Every experience we are given in this life, I am convinced, is so we can come to know our God more fully. I love him so much. I love you all so much! 

Thank you for all your sweet emails, they really do make my day.

Love,

Sister Helton

P.S. Halloween rocked also. (Pics below)

The Square closed at 5pm and we got to go to the Temple as a whole mission.                                     best.halloween.evs.

Me+Sister Sughroue 
(She knows Cassie Campos!! 

She said she's her second mom, CRAZY. We were in the MTC together. 
Love her tons)