Why I'm a Mormon 2-18-2015

Clothing at the LDS Humanitarian Center - distributed around the world!

This week has been so busy! With President's Day here and the weather being crazy nice, the Square has been so alive. We have been praying so much that we will be able to find people to teach, and this week we had some amazing tours. 

  Sister Bellais took her second tour in French ever and she did amazing! Her first companion spoke Mandarin and even though you wouldn't think there would be tons of Mandarin-speaking tourists on the Square year 'round, there are. So, she hadn't ever really gotten to practice giving tours in French! I decided I need to learn a language when I get home...I think knowing multiple languages makes you more intelligent. 

  Anyway, the temple is finally open again! It has been closed for cleaning the past 2 months. We were so blessed to be able to go this morning. I've just have had a lot on my mind lately and it's so amazing to be able to just feel peace. 

  People always ask us during tours, "Why are you a Mormon?" I've thought a lot about it. I think what it comes down to for me is just a clarity in my life that I can't find anywhere else and peace. There is so much going on around us alllll the time but by living Christ's gospel, you truly can have peace.

 So we did something new this week! Sister Bellais was chatting with some people in the Tabernacle and I was talking to some different people and she came up to me and was like, "Let's go sing." I was like, "Sorry, what??" She was like, "these people want to hear us sing!" So we went up to the front of the Tabernacle (like where the choir sings) and just sang "I Am a Child of God" with all our hearts haha. The high notes were a tad pitchy, but Sister Bellais sang in French and I just tried to sing as quietly as possible in English. It was a memory I will never forget! But probably will never do again...the choir sings much better so I'll leave it to them ;) 

  I love being a missionary on Temple Square, but I was dreading Valentine's Day. Mainly because Temple Square, I swear, is a magnet for people who are in love/want to be publicly affectionate BUT, we actually had a really great night. The sweetest man named Brother Mason gave us each a box of chocolates and shared his testimony with us which made our night. 

  I just love people. Every person has such a beautiful story and different reasons for their faith. Something I really admire about Sister Bellais is that she really listens to people. She truly listens. It is a gift. 

I miss you all! Love you with all my heart.

Sister Helton

PS. Pics from Humanitarian Center:) and the last one is of Sister Clark from Ukraine on her birthday

Sister Clark (Ukraine) with a birthday sundae

Understanding repentance & Christ 2-11-2015

Aloha fam! 

Picturing you on the island in your swimmies right now makes me a tad jealous, but it's PDay so that's kind of like a vacation...haha 

  Anyways, this week has been so great. After I emailed last Pday, we went to Costco to get some goodies and we ran into Mario and Suzette, my favorite people! They took us to Cheesecake Factory for dinner so that was the best way to end our Pday.  

  Thursday was awesome too because I got to meet with President Poulsen. He's meeting with all the sisters in the mission this week and is such an inspired man. I learned so much in just 15 minutes!

  Friday was Humanitarian Center and we took the sweetest 2 ladies on a tour. Sister Bellais gets really bad headaches and has been wanting to go buy some essential oil and the lady we took on the tour smelled like lavendar DoTerra oil so Sister Bellais asked her where she got her oil and she actually ended up being someone who sells it! She gave some to us for FREE. People are way too nice to missionaries in Utah. That oil is pricey... She gave us a book/her card in case we want any more so that was actually an answer to a prayer. I always feel so bad when she gets headaches and there's really nothing I can do to help her. 

  Saturday I had probably the most spiritual experience of my whole mission. In my interview with President last Thursday, he advised me to spend 20 min in Preach my Gospel (PMG) each day, 20 min in the Book of Mormon, and 20 min in the Bible. I was super determined to finish the New Testament by Easter so I was a little disappointed, but I decided to do what he advised. MIRACLES literally arise when you follow inspired leaders. 

  So, I opened PMG Saturday morning and where I had left off in my last study sesh was in Lesson 4 about the commandments. 

  I wasn't really feeling like studying the commandments because I felt like I already knew them, but I decided to do it.

  So I was reading along and one of the scriptures it asks us to read is Enos 1:1-12. I have also read these verses multiple times on my mission so I didn't really feel like reading them again, but for some reason, I did. 

  I was reading verses 4-8 and something stood out to me in those verses I had never realized before. So, Enos is pouring out his heart to the Lord for forgiveness. He says "his soul hungered" and he prays all day and all night. 

  In verse 5, in the midst of Enos's prayers, a voice says to him, "Enos, thy sins are forgiven."  Right there I realized that when we pour out our hearts to God and want to repent, he instantly forgives us. 

  Verse 6-8, I recognized myself. Enos doubts God. I picturing him thinking, "Can it really be that simple?" Verse 6 Enos says, "I knew God could not lie, therefore, my guilt was swept away." 

  The moment Enos believes in Christ's promises, that he can be healed and cleansed from his sins, the repentance process is complete. 

  The hardest part about repentance is forgiving ourselves. The minute we have the desire to change, God forgives. But, we of course have to do our part and stop sinning. We also, have to believe that Christ's Atonement can heal us. In that moment, our guilt can be swept away. 

  In verse 7, Enos asks God, "How is it done?" God tells him, "According to thy faith." When I first read all these verses, I interpreted it as, God forgives Enos because he has enough faith. No, no! Enos is healed according to his faith because he believes in Jesus's power to cleanse him and to wipe away his guilt. 

  Anyways, the cool part about allll this is that later in the day on Saturday, a less-active member we teach just randomly came to the Square. So, we of course sat and chatted with her for a bit. In the middle of talking to her, I just really felt like I needed to share my personal study with her. So I explained to her what I just explained above.

  It was crazy. She said that the night before she had been reading those exact verses in Enos and had had a friend interpret them for her. She said it was an amazing experience for her, but she struggled with the faith aspect of it because she feels like she never has enough faith to receive Christ's Atonement. 

  Her friend interpreted these verses like I always had - that it is by our faith that Christ forgives us, when really it is according to our belief in Him that we actually allow his free and infinite Atonement to work in us and change us. Anyways it was so cool. It was just such an affirming experience that this is God's work. He directs everything. He is in everything. Those new thoughts about Enos chapter 1 were in no way my own. God wanted to tell this woman whom we teach that she IS forgiven. She just needs to believe in Christ's atoning power and in his ability to cleanse her. 

  I love being a missionary! Temple Square is such a special place. 

  Yesterday, Sister Bellais and I went to get some Chinese food at the food court in City Creek and these 2 ladies in line in front of us bought our food. They left super fast before we even knew they bought our food and so we didn't get to say thank you. 

So, if either of them ever stumble across my blog: Thank You so much from Sister Helton and Sister Bellais! You made our day!

All my love,

Sister Helton

This is a pic of my zone this transfer!

                            Sister Andrea Andrus visited me Monday and brought me a Valentine                            

                                       A couple of old pictures that Sister Jones just gave me

                 
                            Tawnee Tidd's recent visit

PS. My days are really fun. Too fun. Sister Bellais and I are really starting to understand how one another works and so our tours are getting better and better. She's doing so well on her English. She is seriously the sweetest. She told me last week "Sister Helton, every time you talk during a tour, I pray and pray and pray for you in my head that you will say what God wants you to say. Every time, I feel the spirit so strongly." She is literally AN ANGEL. She's helping me be better and be less focused on myself and use my prayers not only for me, but for my companion since we are together in everything and need to be united. It has worked wonders! I love her. 

Another week down! 2-4-2015

I love being a missionary. 

  This week I have learned a ton. I had one of the most powerful personal studies of my life on Monday. I was reading in Mark chapter 9 about Christ and this man who had a son who was sick. The man took his son to Christ's disciples and asked them to heal him. Christ's disciples tried but could not and so the man went directly to Christ himself and said:

  "If thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us." 

  Christ then says: 

  "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." 

  Verse 24 is what just really hit home to me. It reads:

  "Straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." 

  When I read that I just realized how Jesus Christ can literally make up for everything about us that isn't complete. Even our lack of faith. 

  So many times I feel like I believe. I really, really believe, but I know I don't have a perfect belief. The thing that had never occurred to me until now is that, even if our faith in God isn't perfect, Christ makes up for the rest. He makes it possible for our little amount of faith to bring about miracles. He has done it all. 

  I can just picture this man crying before Christ and recognizing his lack of faith and dependency on Christ, and pleading with his whole heart to have more faith but not knowing how he can possibly increase it. At that moment, Christ makes up the difference. He heals this man's son. 

  I love Jesus. The more I read about Him, the more I realize that everything I am and will become is because of the hope and light He brings to my life. He has made change possible. 

  On Sunday we had a meeting as a Zone. It was our first meeting together since the new transfer began and it was seriously the best. At the end, our zone leaders had us all walk around in a little circle quietly and then when they told us to stop, we had to look at the sister closest to us. We had to look into their eyes and tell them what we saw in their eyes. 

  It was beautiful. I think sometimes being an all-sisters mission, it's really easy to create these false ideas of who people are based on what we see on the outside. This activity really taught me to look at the person's heart and truly try to see them, like God sees them. Maybe an idea for Young Women's?

 Literally, all of us were crying at the end because every single person is a son or daughter of God. Everyone has a light and everyone has something unique and divine about them. I wish I took the time to truly look into people's eyes and try to see them like God sees them. It is powerful. 

 I love you so, so much! 

-Sister Helton

P.S. The first pic is from "MTC contacting." Sisters come to Temple Square from the MTC for a few hours each Saturday night and get to experience what it's like to serve at a visitors center before they actually go. This sweet Sista is going to the visitor's center in Omaha, Nebraska! 

 This next one is Sister Bellais and me at the Humanitarian Center waiting for tours...

it was a slow day haha
We can do service there in between tours. Last Friday we were there and we only took 2 tours from 10am-4pm. In the meantime, we can call our investigators or take chats so we just did that this time. If we want, we can go up to the second floor and quilt. The HC puts out 25 quilts per week! 

This last one is my cousin Vickie Blake (Corvallis, OR) 

who just got home from her mission to Pennsylvania.

Remember Him and the experiences He gives us 1-28-2015

This week has been really great! Things are definitely a lot quieter here than they have been in the past, but I am loving every day! 

Sister Bellais makes our days fun. This week we've been learning so much! I feel like my English will be improving, too, because Sister Bellais asks me so many questions every day about English. It's forcing me to evaluate how I structure my sentences and whether or not they are actually grammatically correct. 

We are focusing on finding people this transfer. We have 2 amazing people who have a date to be baptized and we are SO excited!!! One of them actually lives in Layton. (I think that's how you spell it...) It's about 25 minutes away from Temple Square. His name is Caleb. One of his friends gave us his number and we ended up calling him last week and then he came to Temple Square. It is seriously the best because it is so rare that we actually get to teach someone past the first lesson on the Square. He is so open and is so excited about the gospel. It makes me excited.

A goal that I've had since I got to Temple Square is to read the New Testament. I have obviously read parts of it, but I've never taken the opportunity to read it cover to cover. I met with my mission president and he advised me to first read the Book of Mormon and then the New Testament and then the Old Testament. 

I've been able to finish the Book of Mormon. This week I've been reading the New Testament. I have no idea why I have waited so long to read it. I love it so much. 

One of the less-active members that we teach, really struggles with feeling God. It's so interesting how God works. Yesterday, in my personal study I was reading Matthew chapter 27 about Christ's crucifixion and when he goes before Pilate to be judged. 

Verse 46 is when Christ has been suffering on the cross for 9 hours and he says "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 

I instantly thought of her and how Jesus Christ, who was perfect in all things, questioned where God was at one point. She actually ended up texting us last night saying she felt so alone and like she had no purpose. We were able to share that verse with her and I truly believe that God had inspired us to read that verse that morning so we could help her.

So much of the time I think we stress about whether or not God really does love us and whether or not He is there. I know with all of my heart He is there, but I think it is normal to feel like we are sometimes alone. That is why it is so vital that we remember the experiences God gives us in our lives when we know, without a doubt, that He is there. 

I am the worst at writing in my journal. But it is one of the most important things we can do! To always remember Him and the experiences He gives us. 

As I've been thinking about the concept of "remembering" it has come to my attention that in the Book of Mormon, the word "remember" is pretty much on every single page. I think God is trying to tell us something! I want to be better at writing down those moments when I know God is with me, those moments when I know the words I am saying are not my own. 

If you have had any experiences where you've known God was there and He loved you, write them down. That way, when you feel weak or alone or doubtful, you can reflect on the moments when you have known He is there. So many of the people we talk to have had incredible experiences with God but have simply forgotten about them. God is so real. He loves us so much. I know He does. One of my favorite scriptures is Alma 30 verse 44 and it says, 

"The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

Remember it! 

Love you all so much. Hope it's a beautiful week and I hope the Seahawks win. ;)

xoxoxo,

Sister Helton

BEST WEEK! Sister Belais 1-19-2015

Sister Belais from Tahiti (French speaking)

Ok, SO much has happened this week. I guess I'll start with the big news, I found out who my new companion will be today!! She was actually in my district this transfer. Her name is Sister Belais from Tahiti! She speaks French and is going into her 3rd transfer. She is so sweet, I can't even wait! 
Sister Campelo used to be roommates with her and loves her to death. We will officially be companions on Wednesday. 
I also found out what my new assignment will be for this transfer, I'll be serving at the Humanitarian Center 1 day a week!!! It has been my dream to serve there since I first got here so I am beyond excited!

I will just tell you the highlights of this week (it has by far been the best week of my mission) So on Tuesday, Sister Campelo and I took a tour and it ended up being one of the Sisters who is coming here in April. Her name is Sister Rodriguez and she just wanted to take a tour to see what it's like being a missionary here. I can't wait for her to serve here.

On Thursday, Sister Campelo and I got to take the directors of the visitor center in Wyoming on a tour... (it is called the Mormon Handcart Visitor's Center at Martin Cove, Wyo.)... but they are President and Sister Bushman. We got to show them how we teach in the teaching center and show them how to incorporate teaching the gospel with resources! They were the best. We were so nervous, but it ended up being so fun.

On Friday, we met with one of Sister Campelo's recent converts from Brazil and he brought us Brazilian treats!! I'm obsessed with this thing they have called Brigadeiro. It kind of tastes like nutella rolled in a ball covered in sprinkles...that description sounds gross, but it is so good:). It was so funny. One of the less active members we call, he struggles with the Word of Wisdom and so we have been working with him a lot and we committed him this week to only smoke 8 cigarettes a day. So we asked him how it went and we totally forgot the last time we talked to him, we told him we were going to stop eating treats because we were  "addicted" too. Pretty sure he thinks we're obese now haha. So he did really well at only smoking 8-12 a day and then he asked us how not eating treats had been going!!! This is like 2 hours after we had eaten a ton of Brigadeiro and felt so fat. So embarassing because he was doing so well at keeping his commitment and we didn't keep ours.

On Saturday, another one of our favorite people that we teach, came to the Square. Her name is Leah. She is the person who has really helped me understand grace. She drove all the way from Provo to see us. After we talked to Leah, we did MTC contacting. It's where the Sisters who are going to serve at an LDS Visitor's Center come to Temple Square for like 3 hours and they get to be our companions! I got to be with Sister Funk from Cali. I'm so sad, she's going to the Omaha Visitor's Center but she was the sweetest. (I'll send you a pic next week, she said she'd send it to me) I feel like we were so meant to be put together because a lot of the things she was unsure about, or areas she felt inadequate in, I had felt exactly the same in my first few weeks.

On Sunday (yesterday), I figured out what I will be learning this coming transfer! I will be learning more about who God is and about the love He has for each one of us. Literally, in the past 3 days, God has blessed us with incredible people to teach. Some less active members and some just learning about the church. All of them, literally all, struggle with feeling God. Feeling his love. It's something that I've struggled with feeling, and sometimes still do. Just understanding him and his love. I really do know that a belief in God and Jesus Christ can change your heart. I am so excited to see how God will change these beautiful individuals hearts and lives. I love the gospel. Also, I can't forget to mention this, Sunday was the best because I got to see Tawnee and Grant!!! I love them both so much. It literally made my week.

So today, has been the most amazing day. I'll be really brief because this is the longest email on the planet, but this guy Sister Campelo met on the square who served his mission in Brazil, gave us the name of his friend who he thought might be interested in learning more about the church a few weeks ago. So we called his friend a few times and set up an appointment for him to come to the square this morning and have a tour with us! So Caleb came and Nathan came with 2 other members too. We were a little nervous that he might feel overwhelmed with so many Mormons sharing their beliefs but it was the most powerful lesson I've ever had the opportunity to take part in. 
 Sister Campelo and I cried (after they all left of course) because it is so rare to actually be able to teach someone in person and see how understanding what Jesus has done for them, change their eyes and their heart. It was the best. Then, we had an hour in the teaching center to call a few people and take incoming calls. I ended up receiving a call from a woman who had had so many trials and still was searching for God. It was the most inspiring thing to me.

Mario and Suzette - our adopted parents

Anyways, I love you all so much!! Here are some pics :) One is of our bff Jerrica, and the other is of our adopted parents, Mario and Suzette. I will send a pic of my new companion on Wednesday because that's my new PDay! 

Love you all,

Sister Helton

Sister Campelo, bff Jerrica, and me

Grace and Works 1-12-2015

Hi!

So, first things first. I have THE best family in the world! Thank you Briggs and Becca for the lil' package you dropped off for me. I love you both so much! I attached a pic of Sister Campelo and me with all our goodies. :) 

  I can't believe next Tuesday is the last day of this transfer. Sister Campelo is going out bound which makes me a little sad but I'm so excited for her! She's going to the Georgia Macon mission.  

  It's kind of crazy because Sister Campelo is in her 5th transfer so her whole class (all the sisters she came to the mission with) are leaving and almost all the sisters in their 4th transfer are going, too. That means next transfer (March 4th) I will most likely go!! Either March 4th or the transfer after that. 

 

  This week I have learned so much. It's been pretty slow on the Square since the lights turned off, but I love it. The few people who come to the Square are so ready for the gospel! 

  The biggest thing I have learned this week is about grace and works. There are soooo many anti's that come onto Temple Square or come on chat debating this issue.

  I should probably have studied this earlier, but this week I felt desperate to understand the Church's stance on it. 

  We meet with an amazing lady who has been less-active for the last 8 years and her issues with the church are really, really deep. Her main struggle is that she feels that unless she does all of these things (works), she cannot receive Jesus Christ's atonement and be saved. She doesn't have any problem with works it's just that she says the Jesus she believes in, gives his grace freely to all men. 

  When she said that I decided I really needed to understand this for myself, the ongoing issue of grace and works. So, I've been thinking/reading about it a lot and I think I finally understand. 

  

 Jesus Christ came into the world to atone for the sins of ALL mankind. Not just those who accept him as their Savior. He suffered for every single person who has ever lived. His atonement is there, in full, for us. 

  So why do we need works if Jesus Christ has taken care of everything? 

  Why did God even give us commandments? 

  These are the questions I kept asking myself. What I have learned is that Jesus Christ has done everything for us to be able to live with God again. Everything. 

  The reason he had to suffer is so we can change. Through our works, we choose to change ourselves and can become more like our Savior, more like the person we want to be. 

  The reason we need works, is not so we can receive the blessings of Christ's atonement, it is because through our works, our nature is changed. Our purpose in life is to return to live with our Father in Heaven again. We fulfill that purpose by continually striving to become like our Savior (works). 

  Jesus Christ is full of mercy and grace. He did not sacrifice himself for us because He had to, He did it so we could grow and change and become perfect through Him. No unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God and so Christ has given us a way to be cleansed of our sins every single day. It is the most amazing thing.  

  I've read Brad Wilcox's talk, "His Grace is Sufficient," once before this but we read it again this morning in our companionship study. If any of you have not read it yet, read it today!! 

http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1966

  I think one of the reasons it is sometimes difficult to explain Christ's atonement is because it is an individual thing. Yes, Christ suffered for the sins of the world, but that means he suffered for my sins and your sins as an individual. I think the application of Christ's atonement varies from person to person because obviously, not all people commit the same sins. What I think is so beautiful is that no matter who you are, no matter what you have done, the result of Christ's atonement for each one of us is the same. Jesus Christ's atonement provides every single one of us with lasting peace, happiness, cleanliness, hope and strength. It's perfectly individual and perfectly equal. I love it so much.

  I love you all so much and I miss you everyday. I am so happy I'm here though. It's already going way too fast, I can't believe I've been gone for almost 5 months. Everything is so great. I LOVE TEMPLE SQUARE. Talk to you soon!

xoxox,

Sister Helton

In 2015, go to God for answers 1-5-2015

 Where to start... I guess first of all, New Years Eve! 

  Sister Campelo and I have way too much fun together. So, obviously, we had to be asleep on New Years Eve by 10:30 pm, buttt we didn't let that hold us back from partying;) She had like 1/4 of a jar of Nutella left and we both decided that in 2015, we would eat way healthier. SO, we decided we obviously had to finish the jar of Nutella while it was 2014 or we would just have to throw it away in the morning. We ate it all and did a little New Years Eve dance to the songs on the BYU Men's Choir CD we got for Christmas. hahaha. 

   I've never told you about Mario and Suzette, our favorite people on earth. Sister Campelo took them on a tour like 3 months ago and invited them to set a date to be married in the temple (they've been married since August but not sealed yet).

  She ended up running in to them on the Square like 3 weeks ago and somehow recognized them! They are the funniest couple ever. They were meant to be with each other. Both of them have been married a few times and they met on LDSplanet (apparently that's the best site for single LDS people to meet). We've been talking to them for the past couple weeks and encouraging them to work towards the temple. They set a date for August 6th and they want Sister Campelo and I both to be there! I can't even wait.  

  "Meet the Mormons" is at Temple Square now! It's playing in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, so if anyone comes to the Square, you must go see it! 

  This week we have had a lot of really cool little miracles. We had a TC Pump-Up - which just means we set aside 3 hours to call all of our former investigators. (Just people who stopped answering the phone or we have never been able to get a hold of.) This one guy named Abraham (Sister Campelo taught him in her first transfer) ended up answering the phone. He came to the Square yesterday and met with us. 

   It was a really good testimony builder for me. Lately, I have really been praying that I will be able to have an experience that will strengthen my faith and help me work harder to help people come unto Christ. 

   What I learned from talking with Abraham is that so many times we want evidence that something is true. We want there to be a black and white answer that God exists. What I really know with my whole heart is that evidence can only get us so far. There are scriptures in the Bible that support that this gospel is true. There are scriptures in the Bible that can be interpreted in different ways to contradict certain things we believe. 

   What I know is that we have to go to God for our answers. It is so hard to just accept what other people tell you truth is. When we receive an undeniable answer from God that something is true, no matter what people may say, it will not cause us to doubt, because we will know we received an answer from God. 

   I love 1Corinthians Chapter 2. It is seriously the best. It talks about how man, if he uses his own wisdom, cannot understand things of the Spirit. If we are open to being taught by the spirit, we will be able to receive all the answers God wants to give us. 

   During our little pump-up, we also got a hold of this lady named Jhennifer who was baptized a month ago and her son (Sister Campelo taught for a while) is now getting baptized too! It was a miracle because we set our goal for baptisms this transfer and we weren't sure how we were going to make it, but with Jhennifer's son being baptized, we will! 

   Today I had to fill up President Poulsen's car with gas. It was sooo scary. He has SUCH a nice car. I was so nervous to drive it. But we got it filled and parked back in the garage without a scratch. 

   Today was also really good because we finallyyyy finished all the Thank You cards for Relief Society. People gave us so many things for Christmas and so we want to thank them all. We were asked to get all the Sisters in the mission to sign the cards and to also make the cards! Luckily a Sister from Denmark is super crafty and helped us with the cards. I attached a pic of them :)

I love you all so much!! Pray that the snow will melt in Utah. It's been so cold! I'm ready for Spring.

All my love,

Sister Helton

Crafty thank you cards made by a sister from Denmark

A video emailed to the Helton family by someone visiting Temple Square
(Dave Johnson)