Leaving Temple Square - Outbound: San Diego 5-24-2015

So, this is my last email from Temple Square for a while! 

  I am so excited to be in San Diego, California, for the next 3 months. It's actually pretty funny that I'm going to the Mormon Battalion Visitors' Center for my "Outbound" because they wear the pioneer dresses there. 

  I've been praying for humility and Heavenly Father has a great sense of humor. 

  There was actually an article in the Ensign this month about it so you can see a sneak peek of my new wardrobe!  Sister Kemple laughed so hard when we found out I had to wear this "costume" everyday. She knows how much I love clothes and now I get to wear the exact same dress or skirt/shirt combo for the next 3 months.

   I'm so excited, though. Sister Vasi (the other missionary I'm going to San Diego with) and I had our fitting yesterday with the ladies who sew all the dresses for the Battalion and they told us a lot about the visitors' center. You have a shift everyday for 6 hours and then for the rest of the day, it's regular proselyting.

  I cannot wait to be in a ward and get to work with members! A lot of sisters on Temple Square served their Outbound in San Diego, but none of them in the actual Visitor's Center. But they know the sisters there and said it's a great mission. 

Here is the mission address: 

7404 Armstrong Place

San Diego, California 92111-4912

Here's the number for the mission office:

858-277-0910

My new mission president's name is President Jonathan S. Schmitt

Not really sure if you'll need that mom, but I thought I'd give it to you just in case.

President and Sister Schmitt

  Anyways, this week has been amazing. Sunday we had a miracle! 

  Thursday we took a man and his friend on a tour. He had just joined the church last September and was dealing with some similar health issues as Sister Kemple.

  It was an awesome tour and at the end we asked them if they had anyone they would like to share the gospel with. They couldn't think of anyone at the moment, and we said 'no worries' and the tour was over. 

  So back to Sunday. Sister Kemple and I were walking to the South Visitors' Center and I saw this guy who looked strangely familiar. IT WAS THE SAME MAN WE TOOK ON THE TOUR. We stopped and said 'Hi' and he was like, "Sisters! I've been looking all over for you!" He said as soon as they walked out of the Visitors' Center after our tour on Thursday, he felt really strongly that he needed to give us his cousin's number. So, when we ran into him on Sunday, he did! His cousin is from Washington oddly enough. Pretty cool considering how many people are on Temple Square on Sunday mornings. 

This week has been so great though. Have you heard that when people have had 7 different interactions with the church, they are more open to learning more about it? I'm not actually sure if that's a real statistic but for the purposes of this email, let's pretend that it is.     Anyways, on Monday night we were at Map Desk in the North Visitors' Center and a man walked in who was carrying a Book of Mormon. 

  I stopped him and asked if he'd been here before. He said 'no' and then I just said, "You have your Book of Mormon with you, that's awesome!" 

  He said the missionaries in the South VC had given it to him. I asked if they had given him any specific chapter to read and he said 'no' so we started talking about what we struggle with when it comes to God. 

  We talked about receiving answers to prayer and how to discern what is from God and what isn't. I gave him Moroni 7 to read and then asked if he had given his phone number to any of the missionaries on Temple Square. 

  He said no and I was like, "Can I have your number?"

  He said sure and wrote it down and we set up an appointment this weekend. It's just so cool because he had been on Temple Square all day, taken a tour, talked to lots of missionaries, but wasn't ready to refer yet. Timing is everything. Don't get discouraged with the missionary work that you are doing or are trying to do. Not everyone is ready yet, but you are a huge part of them being prepared! 

Yesterday, Elder Mervyn B. Arnold of the 70 came and spoke to us from 7:30am-3pm. It's called a "mission tour." He talked a lot about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and about prayer. 

  The two things he said that really stood out to me is that as missionaries, we sometimes use the excuse that "we haven't been here very long, we don't know enough." He talked about how before we came to the earth, we lived with God and he prepared us for the challenges and opportunities that we would have in this life. We have been prepared. Every single one of us has been taught previously how succeed gloriously in this life in whatever position we have been placed in. 

  He also talked about the scripture that says, 

"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your life, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

  He talked about how every single person, whether they're a member, less-active, or not a member, have people on the earth and off the earth who are praying for them and rooting for them to succeed and return to live with God again. He said that we are never alone when we are testifying to them about the gospel. Those angels round about us are those people who are praying for their friend or family member to find Christ.

I have so much more I want to tell you, but this email is already too long. 

Love you so much! Have so much fun at the cabin this weekend, eat some toll house cookie dough for me while you're there. Love ya, love ya! I'll send you pictures next week. Not sure when my P-day will be, but know I'm thinking about you.

Sister Helton

My cousins, Vickie and Emily, are both home from missions!
They and my grandparents, Charles & Jean Nelson, took me to lunch May 23

We choose who we are 5-15-2015

Hi!

  May is flyinggg by. On May 27th, I will have been Sister Helton for officially 9 months. CRAZY. 

  I've just been reflecting so much this week on how before my mission I always thought in my head, "I will be so much better at (blank) when I come home from my mission" or "I will be so much more caring and loving after my mission," etc.

  I had all these ideas of who I wanted to become through serving Heavenly Father and it just hit me that missions don't last forever. Of course, me being a missionary will never stop, but I won't always have a name tag. It's made me really start to think about how change isn't something that just happens. 

  One of the talks I LOVED from April Conference was "Choose to Believe" by Elder Clayton when he said,

"Belief and testimony and faith are not just passive principles. They do not just happen to us. Belief is something we choose. We will not accidentally come to believe in the Savior and His gospel any more than we will accidentally pray or pay tithing." 

 It just really struck me that if I want to change, to really, really change, I have to have that desire and tell Heavenly Father who I want to become and He will help me get there. I can't just say, "Hopefully by the end of my mission I will be better at (blank)." It has to be Heavenly Father and me working together. Anyways, enough of my little rant on how self-improvement is a choice. 

This week has been amazing! I sent a few pics so I'll just tell you a little bit about them! The one with 6 of us at dinner was at this Brazilian grill (they give free food to missionaries) and we went with our zone leaders and the sisters in my district.

 The next pic of me going out to eat (I promise we do cook) was at this Italian place that one of the security guards on Temple Square, Giovani, told us about!

 They import all their cheese and flour and everything from Italy so of course, Sister Kemple had to try it. I ate cheese. It was TOTALLY worth it. Literally, the best pizza crust I have ever tasted in my life. The other pic is a nutella/strawberry pizza we ate.:) 

The next picture is of Me, Leah, Sis K, and Sister Isaksen. Leah taught me what grace is. I love her to pieces! She came up for Music and the Spoken Word. 

   

This week we have been finding, finding, finding! This past transfer we have found awesome people, but nothing has really come of it. We figured out our problem and people are starting to progress so much faster now! 

  We are teaching the sweetest girl. She's 18 and she's had a really difficult growing up family life. She lived with some members when she was little and she said she wants the life they had. She said their family just seemed so functional and that was something she never was able to experience. 

  

Two Sundays ago, President Harmon (one of the counselors in our mission) shared his testimony in sacrament meeting. He promised us that if we would read "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" when we have our own families and strive to raise our families with the principles outlined in the document, every single one of us would have a successful family. 

I decided I should probably re-read that document after he said that...

Screen shot of Mother's Day Skyping

I love Temple Square in the summer! They planted tons of new flowers this week. I promised myself when I move to Utah, I will volunteer and plant flowers on the square. They have over 800 volunteers coming this Saturday to get all of the grounds ready for the summer season. So it will be a party on the Square! 

Hope you have an amazing week. Loved seeing your faces on Sunday! 

Sister Helton

P.S. I want to hear about Apple Blossom!! I totally forgot to ask about the most important event of the year. How did the whole "professional clown" thing turn out, Dad? Hahaha! 

PLEASE send me pics. Love you! 

 

Giovani, the Temple Square
security guard who recommended the Italian place

What Sis Kemple has taught me ... 5-8-2015

I loved this week!

  I know I say that like every week, but seriously this week was amazing. 

  On Monday, we took a garden tour of Temple Square (we had 1 hour of Explore Day left and so we used it!). Our favorite Suzette was our garden guide. She took us all around the Church Office Building and back behind the Beehive House and told us about all the flowers and why they have been specifically chosen to be planted where they are at. 

  They are re-doing all the flowers on Temple Square tomorrow, so no more tulips. I highly recommend garden tours if ever you are on Temple Square. 

  I felt so motivated to have a garden when I get off my mission and I've always hated gardening so it was kind of ground breaking for me. (haha) Gardening is in my genes though, so I think it was a prompting that it's something I should do in my later years.

  The reason this week was amazing was because of the people we met and talked to. On Sunday we talked to the sweetest dad. He had 3 little kids with him and we just asked him what he feels is the most important thing to teach his children. 

  He said service. He went on about how when we serve others, we are serving and loving God and thus keeping the first and second greatest commandments. 

  He talked about how people are so unhappy in this world and it's because people are so focused on themselves. He said if he can just teach his children to forget themselves and serve others, everything else will work itself out. 

  He made parenting seem simple when he put it like that, but I definitely think there was so much truth to all that he said. 

  We also found 2 new investigators this week!! Sis Kemple and I were helping some sisters in our district practice what we call "passing off." When you are a new missionary, you and your companion have to take your zone leaders, who pretend to be guests, on a tour of Temple Square and figure out their needs and help them have a spiritual and uplifting experience here. 

  So anyways, we were helping the sisters practice and these 3 people just came up to all 4 of us and asked us why there are cows in the temple. We explained about baptisms and then kept talking to them. 

  One of them was a new member of the church and he was there with his 2 friends. We started talking to them more and they told us that they were up in SLC for treatment because they all are recovering from substance abuse. They were amazing. They each told us little pieces of their stories and ended up giving us all of their numbers. 

  We called one of the girls yesterday and she's going to meet with local missionaries this week! 

  We also found a new investigator from mormon.org. She is so sweet! She gave us her number right away and we called and talked to her for just like 10 minutes but she told us she has a friend who's a member and has tried so many different churches and just really feels like God is trying to help her find the right path. She literally invited herself to go to church this Sunday! Also Dad, I am now starting to realize how much I say the word "literally" and I've made a promise to myself to stop and so when I get home you literally won't hear me say it ever again.

The other little miracle we had was a tour we took on Wednesday. It was just one lady and she was from Washington! So we all bonded right away. Her husband actually is a member of the church but he hasn't been to church in ages and so she said she didn't really know much about how the church was restored. She had just kind of heard random facts throughout the years. 

  The tour was just so special because it's not very often that tours are just 1 on 1 and there was just a lot of things that she really needed to talk about. She needed to feel the peace that exists on Temple Square and feel renewed hope. 

  This week I have just felt so blessed to be a missionary here. God truly does send each individual here for a reason. Even if they're not ready to meet with local missionaries or accept everything right at this moment, they can feel the peace that exists on this 32 acre square. You just can't NOT feel it when you are here! 

Last little miracle is just being Sister Kemple's companion. She's amazing. I have learned so much from her. 

   She met the coolest girl on Tuesday. We were assigned to stand at the desk in the North Visitor's Center for an hour and I was busy off doing something and she went up and started talking to a girl and her dad. 

  The girl and her dad (both who hadn't been to church in years) had been sitting up by the Christus statue talking about trials and discussing how it's possible that God could care about us and give us so many challenges. 

  When they came downstairs, Sis K started talking to them about exactly that and had no idea that's what they had previously been discussing. She shared about having cancer (which she literally never talks about) and the girl just completely opened up to her and ended up coming back to the Square this morning. 

  I think what I've learned most from Sister Kemple is to follow the Spirit and to live life in a way that the Spirit can always be present. She is such a great missionary. I can't believe we only have 2.5 more weeks together. 

Also, I know I've said this before, buttttt, I'm pretty sure I'm going outbound next transfer. I'll be done training and more than half the missionaries I came to Temple Square with are currently outbound. Part of me really doesn't want to go yet because we've found all these amazing people to teach and summer on Temple Square is madness but so fun. I'll know if I'm going on May 18th so I'll keep you posted. I would get to call home for 5 minutes and tell you if I am going! So keep an eye on your phone a week from Monday.:)

Love you so much! See you (Skyping for Mother's Day) on Sunday!

Sister Helton

I'll never get tired of the Book of Mormon 5-1-15

This week has flown by! Last Saturday, Sister Kemple's family from Italy came and we had lunch/took them on a tour. It was really fun for both of us! She made some Italian food and we had a little picnic. 

 Sunday we went to Music and the Spoken Word. Then Monday and Tuesday I went on exchanges with 2 of the sisters in our district. I love exchanges because you get to see how other sisters teach in a completely different way using the same resources on Temple Square. 

 Sister Kemple and I came up with a new way to bridge conversations to the Book of Mormon with everyone we meet. We promised our zone leaders that we wouldn't talk to anyone without inviting them to read the Book of Mormon and we have found so many new people to teach! 

 Seriously, whenever a tour is just going terrible, we bring up the Book of Mormon and the Spirit is instantly there. There is so much power in that Book. I will never get tired of it. 

 The highlight of this week was yesterday morning. In last week's email, I talked about the less-active who we had met at conference. Remember his sister found us last week on Temple Square and asked us to give her brother a call and see how he has been?

 So, we called and invited him to come to the Square for a lesson and Thursday morning, he came. 

 It's interesting that no matter how many times we teach the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I learn something new. We decided to center this lesson of the Restoration on prayer and God's love. 

 I LOVED an insight that Sister Kemple shared. She told how when Joseph Smith first prayed at the age of 14 and saw God and Jesus Christ, he received an answer to his prayer. He was given light and understanding. 

 However, he wasn't given the full answer he was searching for. The little amount of light that God gave him was what kept him moving forward even in the 3 years of darkness that followed until once again he was given more light, knowledge and understanding. 

  Even though it can sometimes feel really hard to only receive little bits of light from time to time, it's so important that God speaks to us in this way.

  If we always had light and understanding in our lives, we wouldn't need God. We wouldn't recognize that it is always Him who illuminates our path. 

 The lesson with Nathan was just so awesome because I was able to share with him how I really had a difficult time a few years ago and how even though we sometimes feel like God wouldn't want us to come back to Him because we've made too many mistakes, he has made the way back to him so possible through Christ. 

 Something that I had never noticed in Preach my Gospel chapter 1 that I absolutely love says, 

"As your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ grows, your desire to share the gospel will increase." 

 Sometimes it can be difficult to share the Gospel but I drew so much strength from that sentence. 

 If ever you feel hesitant or nervous to share the Gospel, it is OK. Just take 5 and study about the Atonement and you will feel so motivated after! 

 I think it's normal to feel hesitant to talk about the Restoration because the idea of the modern day Moses is so foreign to people. If we can always bring our message back to Christ, it will touch people's hearts. It just will. 

  Being a missionary is seriously the best. This morning we were able to go to the temple with one of our friends who hadn't had a temple recommend for 4 years. It was so special. The thing I love about sharing the gospel is that it's all about helping others remember what they once knew was true.

Love you sooo much! We need to set up a time to skype next Sunday.:) I downloaded my skype app so let me know asap what time I can call. 

Also mom, watch this vid: 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-00-1440-it-was-mom-a-mothers-day-tribute-to-moms?lang=eng

Love you, love you!

Sista Helton