You Never Know

(Sent Sept 22)

So I hear I'm the star of the Newtown Ward now back home b/c of my amazing Frozen lyrics. I actually parody-ized the rest of the song, but I'll type it out later. It's funny because the only reason I changed those lyrics was so that I could get worldly songs/movies out of my head. So I thought that the best way to do so was by making it (somewhat) related to our missionary purpose. #consecration

Some members that we had dinner with last week showed us this Mormon Message called "You Never Know". It's a quick 10-minute video about a mother who is being the charitable, hardworking person that all moms are, but has no idea what a great impact she's made on other people's lives. Watch it here. Everyone can use a message like this.

Even though this is a message about mothers and the influence they have, this can easily be applied to missionaries of all kinds (full-time and member missionaries) and the impact they have. We invite people throughout the world to accept the message of Jesus Christ. They say it takes an average of 7 encounters for someone to accept anything they are approached with. So even though we may not be teaching too many people right now, we are planting seeds as long as we go out and invite people to come unto Christ.

Way waaaaaaaaay back when G was on a football team, they took a trip to Spain. Apparently, when he was there, he met with the missionaries for a week and they'd taught him. Now, that was at least 40+ years ago, but those missionaries probably have no idea where G is now. They probably have no idea that he was baptized and that, even though he fell away, he's finding his way back! Those missionaries planted a seed and made an impact on G that he never forgot.

The work is difficult here in Parker. There are many things here that make it difficult BUT I will never say that there is no work here, because there is ALWAYS work to be done in every area we're called to serve in. Even when you're not a full-time missionary, there's always someone out there whose life we need to touch and influence. Hey, you never know!

#cheesyending

Love ya!

Sister Wen

P.S. New problems with a new computer. No idea how to upload pictures....

Wen Moving and Co.

(Sent Sept 8 | Photos on Facebook)

We're moving again!

"Wen" did we move in the first place you ask? (See what I did there?) Well, lemme explain:

So, the members that we live with were planning on housing missionaries until their oldest son returned from his mission. Well, because of medical reasons, he returned home a little early, and because of the mission rules of not living in the same house as any boy/man over the age of 12, we were kicked out. Luckily, a family in the ward opened up their house to us. Unfortunately, their oldest boy is almost 12 years-old; therefore, we were told we'd just live there for a week.

SO, this week we are moving to...*drum roll* an apartment! Wahoo! This'll be my first time living in an apartment on my mission #statesidemissions

Buuuuut, since our ward boundaries are ever so small, there are no apartments in our ward boundaries; only houses. (We even have to leave our proselyting area to get gas and to eat out!) SO, we are moving to apartments in another ward! By now, I've become an expert packer and mover.

Because we are moving this Wednesday, we decided to not buy any food until then. In other words, I've been thriving off of toast and jam every morning and a ham and cheese burrito every afternoon. I am just living the life.

I also caught a cold this past week. Considering how we visit so many families with so many children, it was bound to happen. I still wanted to work while I was all sickly and stuff but my companion told me I needed to sleep. Unfortunately, b/c of that, we had to have one of the other sisters go on a temporary mini exchange with Sister L to go teach J. I was so excited for them! He knows A-Z about the Latter-day Saint Church. They said the lesson was amazing and that they could feel the Spirit so strongly in that lesson.

MISSIONS: A constant push for success

(Sent Sept 1)

Transfers! And I'm staying! Unfortunately, Sister Billings left this morning to go to Thornton. She just up and left me. But, for reasons only the Lord knows. And I met my new companion today, Sister L!

Sister Billings and I have been together for 3 transfers (4 1/2 months). Sometimes I think we got along too well and had too much fun. But I'll definitely miss her. Yet, at the same time, I'm looking forward to a new transfer!

So this is my 4th transfer here in Parker meaning I'll be coming up on 6 months here by the end of the transfer. Everyone says that when you're transferred to Parker, it's because you need to learn something about yourself. I have to admit, I'm a little rusty on the investigator lessons because it's rough trying to find people to teach in a 3x3 mile area. And it's so easy to get discouraged, but it's always when I immerse myself back into Preach My Gospel that I receive a renewed sense of my purpose as a missionary.

But, a successful missionary is "measured primarily by [their] commitment" (Preach My Gospel, ch. 1).

Instead, we've been implementing the stake presidency's "Parker Plan" where we teach all the active members in our wards about being a member-missionary. If it's one thing I've learned this past transfer, it's that I want to be a great member-missionary when I return home. It'll be the next best thing to serving a full-time mission!

And G. There was a reason why Sister Billings and I had to stay together another transfer. He wouldn't have been able to deal with the change of missionaries had one of us left. We are best friends with G now! He's come a long way!

Now it's time to move onto a new transfer with a new companion. And, before you know it, I'll be half-way through my mission by the end of this transfer! Time really does fly when you're serving the Lord :D

Love,
Sister Wen

P.S. Trouble with the pics again....Hopefully I'll get them to you next week!

The Spirit, A Missionary's Best Pal

(Sent August 25 | Pics on Facebook)

I got my hair cut today! Unfortunately, my mission president didn't allow me to fly out to New York to get my hair cut by my favorite hairdresser. Let down, I know, but it really took all my might to allow the hair school student to touch my hair. It's free for missionaries, though, so that was nice of them.

Anyway, on a more missionary-related note, we taught J this week and it was amazing, as usual. He shared a personal experience he had the week before when he was on his trip to New Orleans with his buddies. He realized how easy it was to neglect his routine of studying the scriptures, and he expressed how guilty he felt for not doing so. He noticed how neglecting that simple routine negatively affected him for that weekend.

And so we shared with him a scripture:

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19, emphases added).

We explained to him that it is in our nature to not read our scriptures and pray every day because obeying the commandments of God really does take effort. Anytime we do something that brings us closer to God is, essentially, us acting upon our faith by doing works. Just like James said, faith without works is dead.

Here, J was given an experience last weekend to teach him about what kind of situations he wants to put himself in. It taught him the importance of scripture study. It taught him of the protection that studying the scriptures provides for him. It's these kinds of experiences that help him progress more than anything anyone could ever say. He needed a chance to notice lacking the Spirit in his life for a time in order to realize his need for Him.

We, as missionaries, are instruments in the Lord's Hands. We are placed to teach people about the gospel of Jesus Christ and create an environment where they can feel the Spirit. Then the Spirit takes it from there.

I love missionary work. I really do! What a fantastic blessing it is!

Love,
Sister Wen