09.22.2014 -- Great Ward

Oh man, such a busy week!!!  But so good :)

I just feel so blessed to be where I am!  Our ward is amazing! They are so willing to do ANYTHING for our investigators!  Cottage evenings are really big right now in our ward, we got a new ward mission leader about the same time I came into the ward and he is really good at getting things done! We have a cottage meeting every Monday with all the missionaries, our investigators! Sunday it was amazing, we had so many families come up to us and ask if we could come by this week with either E. and . or Y.  The ward really really loves these 3 investigators!  And I do too!!  There was one family that just invited E. over for family home evening tonight, we heard about it through E.! haha

Y., wow what a champ!  You know my testimony this week has been strengthened by seeing how hard the adversary is fighting against him! Bless him, it is crazy- he is being attacked at every single angle! But he went to the temple on Tuesday! With the YSA!  They gave him a quad while he was there!!!  T., a member from Leeds, stayed out on the grounds with him.  He had a really good experience!!  :)  We brought him to another baptism this week!  It was such a sweet baptism!  He is now praying about getting baptized on the 11th of October!!

One of our lessons with him was probably one of the highlights of my mission!  He was testifying about how he KNOWS this is right, and what he needs to do!  Then he was telling us how is family is about to kick him out and telling us how hard it is for him.  Wow the Spirit was so strong in that lesson!  It is amazing to see what some people sacrifice for the truth!

E. and L.! Oh, they are AMAZING!  E. is the sweetest thing ever! I love her to death!!!!  We made her tacos, it was her first time having Mexican food!  It was the first time I had had them in a really long time!  We were reading the Book of Mormon with her yesterday, and she was getting so excited! She was hooked, really into the story of Nephi getting the plates.  It was so nice to see, the excitement and love she has for the Book of Mormon!  I think we all should be that excited and love the scriptures as much as she does!!

T., he is amazing and giving us Chinese referrals left and right!  The other day when he called I said ''Ah! T. you're the BEST!!'' and he answered ''Nah, I'm just your average Chinese guy walking the streets.''  Bless him, he is so funny!  He is just so willing to have all of his friends meet us! Too bad he isn't so willing to come to church ;) we're working on that though :) 

We were going to an appointment with one of our Chinese investigators and it was on a Saturday night, at the University. Probably not the best idea--  But we get there he pulls out his BoM in Chinese and English and he tells us that he has been praying and reading and that he is loving it!  We were so excited!  Then his roommate comes in, with Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey and a lot of shot glasses.  . . Ya in that moment we didn't feel so great, so we got out of there.  We were so bummed because the lesson was going to be so good!  But when we were walking the pitch black cold streets, there was this lady who had been crying. We went over to see if we could help her, she had been going through a lot and at the end we gave her our number.  She was on her way to commit suicide that night, and we were so blessed to be in her path and calm her down! 

Love you!

~Sister Monroe  

09.15.2014 -- Red Lipstick (Best Week Ever!!!)

Hey family!!!

Oh my goodness, BEST WEEK EVER!!!!

So I was able to make the rounds and say goodbye to some of the people I love in Keighley, A. was really sad I was leaving- but we had an amazing lesson with her!  <3

Transfer meeting was THE BEST, because almost every sister was getting transferred, so I got to see so many of my mission friends!  Which is good because it was kind of my last chance!  But Sister Neilson and Morris were there, my two beautiful daughters :) as well as Sister Monroy, who is Sister Neilson's daughter :) happy to see the family all together ;)

I am LOVING Huddersfield! I am just so sad I only get 6 weeks here, but it's ok because I am making the most of every minute!!  Sister Robison served her for like a year, she was here ages! And I guess she has posted all over facebook that I was coming and to take good care of her mission daughter :) So I felt like a movie star walking into the chapel on Sunday ;) haha

But really it is amazing! I have been here like 4 days, I have already had hotpot with a group of Chinese people, placed 3 copies of the Chinese Books of Mormon!  Neither one of us speak Chinese but having served for 7 1/2 months in 2 Chinese areas, plus my time in Leeds, I have been really blessed with experience with these amazing people!  Huddersfield is beautiful and it is a great mix between city and country :) It's perfect!!

I'm serving with Sister Decker, she is from Lehi and I love her to death! We are having so much fun and working hard!! 

So we have amazing investigators!!  There is this guy we are teaching called Y., we clicked right away!  We have had 2 lessons with him since I have been here, and they have both been two of the most powerful lessons I have ever experienced!!!   He really wants to get baptized, but there are some fears he has, mostly with his family, that are stopping him at the moment.  We had the most incredible lesson on faith and over coming fear through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  Right after there was a baptism for the Huddersfield 1 ward so he got to witness that.  Powerful.  He really wants to get baptized sooner now!!  He taught our gospel principles class on Sunday! hahaha it was AMAZING! He is going to the temple with the YSA tomorrow, and we are praying that as he is outside the temple, the Lord will answer his prayers about when he should be baptized :)  He says the most sincere prayers, and it really has made me think, Y. knows that he is conversing with God when he prays, he takes his time and truly pours out his soul to God.  I wonder if our prayers are like that or if we just rush through.  Do we realize we are talking to the most powerful Being- our Heavenly Father?  So I have really focused on prayer this week :) and I have NEVER been happier!!!

We are teaching a couple called E. and L., E. is from Greece and L. is from Albania. I love them!  E. is the best! She is so fun and she has such a strong testimony in God, it is unbelievable.  She loves the Book of Mormon so much!!!  They are my great! and when we come to England they really really want to meet you guys :)  E. loves coming to church! She finds such great peace as she comes, which is amazing because she has had some really tough challenges over the past few months.

Then there is this less active called T., actually Sister Robison was his missionary!! Well he wanted us to come by on Saturday because he had some friends who wanted to learn about ''the God''. We go and he had 5 friends for us to teach!  It was incredible!  It was also amazing because the Spirit really guided me, I was able to remember ALOT of Chinese!!!  and I was saying quite a few words and phrases, they were all amazed! So we had a lesson on prayer, and then all of us knelt in prayer- and it was the best experience I have ever had in my life.  The faith and humility that each one of them had, all coming together hearing their first ever prayer, the Spirit was SO strong.  Each one of them said that they felt it! 

We went back last night, and had hotpot with them :) and we all know how much I love Chinese food! so I was happy! Then we taught about the Book of Mormon, they are so excited to read it!  It is amazing!!!

We were contacting and we met this lady, she has a very strong belief in God and she has come across a lot of LDS missionaries.  We talked to her forever, she told us that she had prayed that morning for something, anything, but she just needed to be reminded that God loved her.  She kept telling us that we were angels and that she could see the Saviour in our faces.  It was amazing, the Spirit was strong and it was incredible to be the Saviour's hands and reach out and talk to her and be the answer to her prayers!  I know that God hears and answers EVERY single prayer that we say. Because He heard my prayers, this is EXACTLY where I need to be. I have never felt so strongly, that I am needed in an area than I do here in Huddersfield!  It is incredible!

So happy :)  and Sister Decker is changing me, I now wear bright red lip stick and run every morning ;) hahaha

I love you guys so much!

have a good week!!!

09.09.2014 -- Crazy Good Week!!!

Hey family!! 

Oh man so this has been a crazy good week!!!

So I was studying this talk by president Monson called Consider the Blessings.  It is really good and you should all read it!

In it he says ''Our Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will help us as we call upon Him for assistance.  I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant. The Lord is in the details of our lives!''  

I have really seen how true that is this week! I have seen the Lord's hand SO many times! It has been SUCH a good week!!

He then said ''I have found rather than dwelling on the negative, if we will take a step back and consider the blessings in our lives, including the seemingly small sometimes overlooked blessings, we can find greater happiness. I would recommend this exercise to you-that you take an inventory of your life and look specifically for the blessings, large and small you have received.''

So some of those blessings/highlights this week!

Well first of all- it is the last pday of the transfer and we have really fun plans!  Our district has matching shirts and we are going to the chapel to say goodbye to everyone, but when we got to the library to email with the elders, the computers weren't working!  We tried and tried but nothing was working. So Elder Hays was like ok guys we need to say a prayer! So we said a prayer aloud and yes the computers started to work!!! So miracle that I could talk to you guys this week!!

On Monday I got a surprise phone call from Sister Morris!! She heard that I had been ill so she got permission to phone me!  We were talking and I was just so touched, she said that if it wasn't for me she wouldn't have come back on her mission.  Now I don't know if I really did anything, but I love that girl so much- and I love the mission so much so the whole time we were together I just shared good times and good things about missions. She has been back for a transfer now! and she is doing really really good! and it just really really touched my heart that she would say that!!!  

There is this less active called A., she is AMAZING! she is an angel to me!  On Wednesday I had said a really specific prayer, it was after I studied that talk from President Monson, this whole week actually I have been studying about prayer- and really trying to improve the quality of my prayers.  Well when we visited A. this week, she said the exact thing I needed to hear. It was completely inspired of the Lord and in that moment I knew that God loved me so much, that I was His daughter and that He wanted to give me answers to my prayers!  It was a really simple thing that meant the entire world to me!!!  Then on Sunday A. bore her testimony, it was the most amazing testimony I had ever heard!  The love that she has for the Saviour and the sincerity of her beliefs touched everyone in the room, there was a light that was shining from her!  I am going to miss her SO much!!!

We were in Haworth, a little village outside of Keighley contacting, and as we were waiting for the bus to come back home this lady walks up.  We started to talk to her and we were having a wonderful conversation.  She plays the fiddle, and busks around different cities!  Her family is very very religious but when she was 18 she stopped going to that church, she has been on a search for truth ever since.  As we were on the bus I invited her to the baptism that Skipton was having that week, and she was excited and said she would come! She did end up coming!! We gave her a chapel tour and she really loved it!! It was a miracle!!

We were teaching our investigator D., we showed him the restoration dvd- we had a member Brother ONeill with us, it was so powerful!  At the end he was so excited to hear that we have a prophet on the earth today! He was so excited about the Book of Mormon and his closing prayer was wonderful, so very sincere!!

So remember when I was telling Bert that I don't move a lot. . .  . Well for the 5th time in 4 transfers I am packing again.   .   .  . I'm getting transferred to Huddersfield!!! I am so excited! I have never been to the south of the mission before, but this is where Sis Robison served for like 11 months and she LOVED it!!! I'm serving with Sister Decker and I AM SO SO SO EXCITED! She is amazing!!! I have met her a few times at meetings and she is just the cutest thing! I have NEVER been so excited for a new transfer!!

Well I love you! 

have a good week :)

<3 Sister Monroe  

09.01.2014 - Happy Are We, Happy Are We

Hey family!!!  

Ya I am doing so much better than before!!  Thanks so much for your prayers and fasting because I have felt it for sure!!  :)

Hey it has been a great week! We have been able to go out for a pretty good chunk of everyday :) so that is happy!!!  I have actually learned so much this week! 

I was reading a talk from President Uchtdorf  and he said ''external circumstances don't really matter or determine our happiness.  We determine our happiness, we are ultimately in charge of our own happiness. . . No matter our circumstances, challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish!''  and I have really come to see how true that is!  It is crazy but I honestly have NEVER been happier!  I have the gospel and a MILLION other blessings! Now I really appreciate this sacred time as a missionary!  When I am out, you better believe I am trying to make the very most of every second!!

I am actually very grateful for this trial! And I am so glad it came when it did, not any earlier in my mission, but towards the end to remind me how exciting it is going out to talk to people, how wonderful it is to follow the daily schedule and how blessed I am to be a missionary!!

There are simply too many blessings in my life for me not to be happy! And I am just too full of joy, I cannot keep this happiness all to myself!

In a very real sense I have come to value my time SO much more!! Happy are we happy are we!!

Sunday, the ward went CRAZY when they saw me hahaha and we have a tea appointment every single day this week :) the elders are very jealous! hahaha 

We have been able to go out and mostly visit the less actives we are working with.  It has been great :)

I'm glad to hear Spencer is doing really well!!  

Today we are having a pancake party and transfer calls come in this saturday, weird! It will be the last transfer call that matters. .  . that is the weirdest thought in the world!

I love you so much!!

<3 Sister Monroe