Merry Christmas

This week was such a great week, especially on the mission. 

On Christmas Eve, the apartment watched 'Legacy,' a movie produced by the church. It was a great movie; it explained more about what the pioneers had to go through as they had to move locations because of how the towns did not want them to settle because they were Mormon. That was my first time watching that movie.   

This Christmas was one of the greatest Christmases I have ever had. What made it special was instead of the focus on Santa, Presents, and shopping, the main focus was on Jesus Christ, His birth, and His Atonement. I definitely felt the Savior's love, and I have come to recognize and understand how much greater a gift He is to the world. Because of Jesus Christ, we are able to become better, and improve. Because of Jesus Christ, there is more to come after death. We are also redeemed from our sins, and wrong doings because He died for them on the cross. We can feel peace in our lives, because of Jesus Christ. We can become so much more, because of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for my Savior, and my redeemer. 

I also realized how much my family and my future family mean to me as well. My love for them has grown so much since I have been away from them. During the Skype call, I got to hear Joseph's Family, Joseph, and my family. That was truly a great experience and I miss and love each of them very much. 

Anyways, this is all I can say for now.

I love you all!

-Sister Marshall 

Heart Attacks, Great Lessons, Christmas Conference, and Packages

This week was another great week in Williamsburg. 

I mailed off packages to family and I made some fudge to go into the packages. 

After dark, we can only see people that we know, and we cannot go tracting. We can also do heart attacks, which is when we put on hearts/Christmas trees with scriptures on peoples' doors, and run. One of the houses we went to, we almost got caught! They opened their door right after we left!

We have a new investigator this week, and her name is Hwasund. She is Korean, and she mostly speaks Korean. We have a Korean Book of Mormon for her and we will give it to her by the next lesson. She is also taking lessons from the Jehovah's witnesses every Saturday. I guess she will be taking lessons from us as well; she is very interested in knowing which of the churches is the true church. 

One of our investigators, Pete, has been given to the Elders. It is hard to see him and have a third female come with us every time. He has also cancelled some appointments by not showing up and my companion and I have been confused. He told us he was going to come to church yesterday, and we had a member go and pick him up. When the member got to Pete's place, he told the member that he would be coming back to church on January 21st, a month from Sunday. What is odd to me is that the date is very specific, and is a Wednesday. We don't hold the Church service on Wednesday. Hopefully things will work out and we may know how to best help Pete. 

We had a great lesson with Beth this week. She wasn't able to come to church because she hasn't been feeling well. Jacob came to church, by himself! That is real commitment right there, when someone goes to church alone. Sister Smart and I were so happy to see him there!

Also, on Sunday, my companion and I sang in the church choir. I haven't sang in the choir before, and I was grateful that I was able to. 

We had a great Christmas conference on Friday, with our mission President. We watched The Polar Express. There are so many things in that movie that relate to missionary work! I also felt guilty watching a long movie and I thought about the scripture that told us to not be idle (Doctrine and Covenants 88:124), and how I felt like I wasn't fulfilling my purpose as a missionary because I wasn't able to bring people closer to Christ for an hour or so. One of the Jamestown sisters felt the same way, and she said she felt anxious during the movie. There are so many analogies that can be made in missionary work, and I bet any returned missionary may also feel that way as they watch the movie. When I saw the boy and the girl talk to the younger boy on the train, when they were trying to convince him to get off the train, I felt like that was a Missionary moment. When the boy asked the girl, "Are you sure?" It reminded me of the missionary companionship and how we are not supposed to correct our companions in their conduct, or to point out their flaws. Her reaction was exactly how it is on the mission, in many cases. I felt like the Santa was like the Missionary President.  I have no idea how I'm going to be when I get home when it comes to watching a movie. I might feel exactly how I felt when I watched the Polar Express. 

There were a lot of musical numbers in the conference. 

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There have been many times where I have been prompted by the Holy Ghost to do things this week. One of them was when Sister Smart and I were turning around in a dead end, and I had a feeling to go and talk to the man who was raking. We gave him a 'He is the Gift' card and he wants to have lessons with the Spanish missionaries. 

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I received the package from the Sammamish Valley YSA ward and I was thrilled to receive it. Thanks to everyone who sent me something! 

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I wish y'all a very Merry Christmas! 

The Best Week Yet on My Mission

Hi, everyone! This week has been the best week I have had since I've been out on my mission.  There has been so many miracles that have happened this past week, and I believe that striving to be exactly obedient to the mission rules has definitely played a huge part in that. 

The best highlights for Accounting:

- 2 Progressing Investigators

- 2 investigators at Sacrament Meeting (The first in my last 3 transfers!) 

1.) Pete, the person who called us to schedule an appointment to meet with us, is sincerely interested in learning more about the gospel. We met at the church for the lesson. Just the lesson, though, many of the members from the Jamestown ward, and some of the Williamsburg ward stopped him in the hall and were greeting him, and getting to know him better. I have never seen such an effort in all my years as a member of the church and as a missionary. I was thrilled.  When we had the lesson, we taught Pete the restoration (Just the day before, we scheduled a baptism date and the planned date is January 17th! He is very excited about baptism) and the spirit was  very strong during the lesson. He told us about his past life, and how he wants to be a [missionary] for God. Out of all of the people I have taught who have been sincerely interested in hearing about the restored message, he has picked up on the principles quick. I loved watching him learn and seeing him understand a doctrine principle. he believes that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. One of the things that is new to him is that God, His son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy spirit are separate beings, which act with one purpose (John 17:11, Genesis 1:26-27, ACTS 7:55-56 KJV),The spirit was very strong, especially in the prayer he said. 

He enjoyed the church service, and he stayed for all 3 hours. He asked so many good questions in Gospel Principles class. 

He shook hands with everyone he met and he was very polite and curteous. I was very impressed. 

2.) Beth, an investigator, came to church with  Jacob! Jacob is returning to church and my heart exploded when I saw them both.  Many members (included the bishop) introduced themselves and welcomed them into the ward. One of the sisters sat next to Beth in Relief Society and she helped her through the class. Beth and Jacob are going to have my companion and I over for dinner later; 

Every time I see Beth, her countenance has changed; there is more light about her and she is beaming more and more each time.  

I love their family. They are so wonderful and I am so glad I have the opportunity to teach them! :D 

3.) Brother Hanly is preparing to receive his Patriarchal Blessing :D 

4.) We came in contact with June, who has not been able to come to church because she has been taking care of her husband, who has Parkinson's disease. We taught her the importance of Prayer and Scripture Study.

5.) The work has definitely been progressing since I got to this area.

6.) There have been no conflicts since I have been in Williamsburg, at all. My companion and I work super well with one another, and we also work well with the Jamestown sisters. There is so much love and charity and I can easily say this has been the best transfer I've ever been in, in my whole mission. I feel sincerely blessed and I love being with Sister Smart. She is awesome <3 

7.) I am recognizing more each day that anything is possible with God's help. Anything, whatsoever. Especially more so, with the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

During this Preparation day, I have almost 20 Christmas cards to write out to the people I miss and love, and I hope I can finish them all before 6 pm, when our preparation day ends. 

Thanks for all of your support!

-Sister Marshall 

Many More Miracles to Come

My second official week in Williamsburg was great! My companion told me that the work has picked up here since I got here. Miracles have happened one day after another, and I am so grateful to be in this area. 

One of the blessings that came was that an investigator set their own date for baptism (it is still not in stone yet, but it was still a great date to be ready by). Usually that does not happen.

Another blessing was we contacted a member referral and we are now teaching her about the gospel. She is married to a less-active and he has a desire to come back to church after he had a good time coming to church one time with his family. This investigator has a great desire to learn more about the gospel. She said that when she read the 1st chapter of Nephi, she wanted to keep reading to learn more. 

We met with a less-active who lives above a storage unit office (she is the manager) and we saw some missionary work happen right before our eyes before we started talking with her. She knew this customer and his mother, and she invited him to church. We also gave out a few "He is the Gift" cards (which is what us missionaries are giving out now for the season) in her office. 

The next blessing is still happening, and I am so thankful for this one. Sister Smart and I get along so well that it seems too good to be true. We teach in unity, and there has been no contention. We continue to build onto one another's ideas and we continue to be focused on our Missionary Purpose and work. Sister Smart and I have so much in common. She and I both play the clarinet, and we know how to make the work fun. 

The greatest thing to top off this week was when someone called our phone and left us a message. The young man told us how after he read about 17 chapters of the Book of Mormon, he "...came to the conclusion that [he was] interested". Another thing he said was that he has read the Bible and he hadn't felt such power when he read the Book of Mormon. We told him that what he felt when he read the Book of Mormon was the Spirit. One of the greatest things he told us was that he said the LDS religion is "a great religion and I want to be apart of it". Sister Smart and I must have given out at least 30 'He is the Gift' cards, and one called back, at least, we thought. It turned out that he called our number from a Mormon.org card which he was given sometime ago from another set of sisters with the same Sister Missionary Phone number. This does not happen often at all! It is very exciting when there is someone interested in learning! When people are interested in learning something, they usually apply themselves more than those who are interested just for the sake of learning, or who are 'curious'. This is truly a miracle. 

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Something fun we did this week was go caroling with the church ward in some nursing homes. We had a couple of elderly people in the nursing homes follow us with their wheel chairs. One of the elders pushed an elderly man and he sang along. Children from our ward sang too. If there is one thing that our religion has a good foundation with other Christians, it would be Christmas.

I heard that Christmas on the mission will be one of the best Christmases I will ever have. There is 17 days away until Christmas. Since I've been on my mission, I have been able to focus more on the Savior and His love for us and how great of a gift He is to the world. I have been able to study even more on how Jesus Christ was perfect, even in his development in his childhood. He was able to develop faster than any other human being because he was perfect; In Luke chapter 2, it talked about how he was 12 years old, and the doctors where fascinated with him and the wisdom he had. He was at a level where a lot of 12-year-olds were not. I pondered on the thought on what a perfect person would be like, especially in their childhood years. I cannot fathom it, to be honest. 

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In my studies, sometime ago this week, I rethought about how everything in this universe is under the Law of God. The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the world, life itself, and all other laws pertaining to everything else on Earth are under His direction. No matter what we believe, do, or say, cannot change the nature, or the law of God. The world's standards, fads, politics and their debates on what is right and wrong, also cannot alter God's laws.  

"For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith" (2 Nephi 27:23, & Hebrews 13:8 - 'yesterday, today and forever' ).

I know that this church is true and I have seen so many miracles that have come from living the restored gospel. I have seen many miracles happen to others as they have applied the 5 basic teachings of Jesus Christ, and have read the Book of Mormon. I invite everyone to pick up the Book of Mormon and to read it, either separately or with their families.  

This is all I can say for now, and I wish y'all Happy Holidays! 

-Sister Marshall 

 

 

Transfers, Week 1 in Williamsburg, VA

What a week! I am now serving in Williamsburg, VA with Sister Smart. She is wonderful! 

Transfers went pretty fast. The night before, Sister Putnam and I slept over with the Washington sisters Tuesday night. By 5:45 AM the next morning, we were driven by the Lillywhite couple and they took us in their moble home to Portsmouth in Virginia, which was about a 3 hour drive. Sister Putnam and I fell asleep on the way there! by 9:00 am we had our transfer meeting, where our mission President Spoke. 25 missionaries went home last transfer, and now 20 new missionaries came into the field from the MTC. 

I saw 3 of the 4 elders from my MTC district; that definitely made my day. I also saw some of my previous companions there as well. 

I now live in an apartment above a storage office with another set of sisters, who serve in Jamestown. They are absolutely wonderful. I couldn't ask for a better group to stay with during this holiday season. 

Missionary Work: 

I met sister Copeland, who is such a nice lady. We taught about the Book of Mormon and the Power of it and how it can bring us closer to Jesus Christ. 

Sister Smart and I work well being unified, and that is such a blessing to me. We came up with a salad dressing, that night and it turned out pretty well: 

1 tbsp of oil oil

1 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar 

3-5 shakes of Black Pepper

Freshly-squeezed tangerine 

(triangle pieces, finely chopped, of a tangerine, for the salad)

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We had thanksgiving at a member's home; I couldn't eat much there, but luckily I brought a snack. They had a bunch of desserts and they all looked so good. 

The rest of the day, I wrote letters and I will be sending them when I purchase more stamps. 

We stopped by Brother Hanly's place and we mentioned how we help build up our spiritual armor when we read from the scriptures. 

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

EPHESIANS 6:11

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." John 5:39

 "38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

 39 For behold, and lo, the Lord is God, and the Spirit beareth record, and the record is true, and the truth abideth forever and ever. Amen." - Doctrine and Covenants 1:38-39

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I enjoyed Sunday in the Williamsburg Ward; the ward is so friendly and nice. 

After Church, I went to choir practice with Sister Smart, and we had a great time singing.

I am so excited to serve her in Virginia; I feel more at home here and the southern accents have dissipated.

Oh! Also! Today is a great day - I have been engaged for 2 years now to Joseph. On the 4th of December, he will be out for a year now on his mission. 

I received Joseph's package on Wednesday from Brazil. It it contained a toy piano, a Portuguese copy of the Book of Mormon, 2 Brazilian sport shirts, a surf board Key chain, Cuzcus, Brazilian coins, and a Christmas Card. It was such a great surprise! 

Anyways, that is all I can say for now! 

Also - For Christmas, I would LOVE to receive handwritten letters, and pictures. I only have 2 large suitcases and one small suitcase to pack anything I obtain here on the mission. If anyone did want to send me anything, I love sweet potatoes, dairy-free & gluten-free things, and I also love LDS music. 

I love you, and miss you all!!

-Sister Marshall