Week Nine - Hi!

ALOHA!

So the other day I wore a flower in my hair, a shell necklace thing that I borrowed from another sister missionary, and my tag that has an America flag (because I'm Filipino and can only speak English...) So I pretty much looked like I was from Hawaii and so whenever I greeted guest I said "Aloha!' But I would end up laughing and thoroughly embarrassing myself that Sister Fisher pretty much said "Sister... I think you are freaking out the guest." So I had to stop...mah bad.

Another funny story....

So yesterday was transfer conference. We had to be at the Tabernacle at 6:50am to get our new companions, zones, assignments, and whether we are moving or not. I'm staying with Sister Fisher again this transfer and we are still in the Beehive House but our p-days changed to Tuesdays to Wednesdays. So guess what... I'm emailing you tomorrow too! :) So since we had to be on the square so early in the morning we didn't have time to eat breakfast so after transfer Conference Sister Fisher and I were going to get something to eat at City Creek (the mall next to the Square). So as we were waiting to cross the street, I saw a gentlemen with his wife, and another man that could be their 20+ year old son. When I saw the family walking I turned to Sister Fisher and said "Hahah Sister Fisher look! Doesn't that guy look like Mitt Romney?" And she glances over and said " Uhmm Sister Opeda, that is Mitt Romney" Then I said " WHATTT!?! asufuiebhjasduiwebh OH MAH GOODNESS YOU'RE RIGHT, THAT IS MITT ROMNEY!" Ha we both couldn't believe that saw him. He was going to the Deseret Book Company. I bet he is writing a book. We also both acknowledged that his son is pretty attractive. I'm actually not sure if he is, but from far away we could tell that he dresses really nice. HA

So later that day we went to Kneaders for lunch. We actually ran out of food, but no worries--we are going shopping today. Nanay and Tatay, I have a Filipino sister who doesn't know how to make adobo...guess who is going to teach her... I AM! I know, you're so proud. So anyways while we are waiting for our food to be done a black man walks into Kneaders, he looks to be about 24, and he looks so familiar! I couldn't remember where I recognized him from. I knew that it wasn't from school and it wasn't from Las Vegas either. Then finally I remembered watching a "I'm a Mormon" video the other day of a black kid who was homeless, and met missionaries then got baptized. So then I turned to Sister Fisher and said "Hahah Hey look Sister Fisher, that kid looks like Paris from the I'm a Mormon videos." then she said "Uhmmm Sister Opeda, that is Paris from I'm a Mormon." So I was obviously staring and looking like a complete idiot and I really wanted to know if it was him. So I went up to him and I asked. Turns out homeboy is Paris from I'm a Mormon! We ended up chatting and asking him how he got on to I'm a Mormon and how he does firesides for the youth in some peoples ward. It was cool. Two celebrities in one day!
Here is his I'm a Mormon video if you haven't seen it yet: http://mormon.org/paris/

So this week has been insane. We are trying to prepare for General Conference so we are constantly calling our member referrals and updating our online areabook so no one gets lost when Conference comes. Since transfer conference was yesterday there are a lot of sisters that are going outbound so they have to transfer all of their investigators to all the sisters that are going to be staying. So that added to the pile of people that we need to call and teach. Its the best when you are so tired and you keep on working as hard as you can and people ask a question about the gospel and all of a sudden something comes out of your mouth and you had no idea what was just said. That is when you know that the spirit is with you helping you teaching to your investigators.

So Sister Fisher and I have this investigator named Stephen and he is from Tennessee. Sister Fisher met him the week before we became companions. Stephen is so great! He was in SLC to audition for a grad program at the U and decided to stop at Temple Square for a tour. So anyways this whole transfer we have been calling him twice a week and teaching him the lessons over the phone. He met with the missionaries in his local area, was reading the Book of Mormon, even bought himself a quad with his name engraved on it. And he was on date to get baptized on Saturday. Stephen is so golden! He would tell us "I don't know why it says the Book of Mormon is ANOTHER testament of Christ. It should say IT IS the testament of Christ, because it teaches more about Jesus than the Bible does!" He got into the grad program at the U and he was getting ready to be baptized. A couple of days before his baptism he got a call from his parents saying that they wouldn't come to his baptism and that he is a grown man and he can make his own choices. His parents aren't at all supportive to his decision and when we talked to him, you could tell that he was heart broken, because he really wanted to have his family support him on this. When we talked to him we tried to encourage him that he was making the right decision and we told him that he should pray for comfort and strength. Anyways its been almost a week since the last time we talked to him...and we think that he backed out. Sister Fisher and I were in the slumps these last couple of days because we are so worried about him. We don't know what happened and he won't return our calls. It is just heart breaking because we know that he is making the right decision and he is a great guy, but Satan is just ridiculous and doesn't want him to be happy. We just hope and pray that he is still continuing reading and praying everyday.

So another one of my investigators Nathan is just a whole other story. Nathan is a less active member and he has so many issues!  He knows that there is a God, but he doesn't believe that he cares at all for him. Last time that we talked on the phone it was a really hard time emotionally to talk to him because he was so pessimistic. His heart is so hard and I have no idea how to help him. He needs to build his faith in Jesus Christ and know that the Atonement covers all of his sins. Not even that--but the Atonement can replace all the guilt and shame that he is holding on to, with joy and peace. He can find comfort in his Savior but he doesn't want to do anything about it. Sister Fisher says that I should drop him in the next week if he is not progressing because his heart is so hard. But I don't know if I can, because he is so lost right now and I know this can help him. Sister Fisher always says "We might drop him, but the Lord won't" Which is true, I guess I need the faith to drop. Ahh the hardest part of missionary work.

Family, I love you. I hope and pray that you are all doing okay. I saw Ryan the other day. That is a whole other story, but he told me that everyone is doing great! That was a tender mercy from the Lord And Krista you're going to New Jersey?! Say What?! Send me a shirt? haha jk. I hope you are all trying your best to keep the commandments
  
Mosiah 7:33 But if ye will ^aturn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all ^bdiligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.
All the love,

Sister Opeda

P.S. Ill send pictures tomorrow!
P.S.S. Send me pictures please!

Week Eight - Herro Famalia

Dear Family,

So before I forget, the First Presidency sent a letter to all the mission presidents saying that missionaries are now allowed to email family, friends and new converts! So if you guys could send my email to Rachel and Tamara and really whoever wants to send me a letter, you can give them my email and I can email them back. Also President Gillette gave us 2 hours on the computer to email family and  friends! WOOT WOOT!

This transfer has been going so fast! We have transfer conference on monday! This transfer is only 5 weeks long because we had to be on the same schedule as the MTC. So next week I might be getting a new companion. Normally Sister Fisher and I would stay together for 2 transfers because she is training me, but she is at the point in her mission where she might get sent outbound. So I might get a new trainer on monday, we will see! Everyday though goes by so fast. I can't believe that my 1st transfer is almost done!

So last night I was thinking about what I wanted to share with you all. I was looking in my journal to see what miracles happened this last week that I can tell you all about. As I was looking in my journal almost everyday this week I wrote "I never want to go back to the person that I was before my mission." Yesterday I went to a meeting with President and his APs. Its called the "Endure it Well" meeting where we talk about what we have learned during this transfer. After we all talked we watched a MTC devotional of Jeffery R Holland talking about how we as missionaries need to be converted to the gospel first before we are to convert others. It was a really powerful talk and in his last few moments he gave the same sermon that he did in this last General Conference about Peter and his sheep. I just remember feeling that I never want to be like the person I was before me mission. I never want to turn my back on Christ. I read in Alma 5 where Alma is talking to his people about Christ. That is a really powerful chapter. I recommend that you all read it.

19 I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the ^aimage of God engraven upon your countenances?

 26 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a ^achange of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the ^bsong of redeeming love, I would ask, ^ccan ye feel so now?

I love these two scriptures because I have felt the change of heart. I am striving to have my image of God engraven into my countenance. I feel it everyday.

Something that was said in sacrament meeting was about Jesus Christ Atonement. The atonement is something that we can apply in our lives daily. We can feel that change of heart if we repent of our sins and we look to Jesus Christ for strength.

We are not meant to live in sorrow and guilt. We are meant to be happy and find joy in our life. Jesus Christ is the only way we can have that joy. He wants us to be happy. So be happy and follow Jesus Christ everyday! Make that commitment that you will find happiness. I want you all to be happy like I am, and I know that God and his son Jesus Christ wants you to be happy too.

I love you all,

Sister Opeda

Week Seven - Waddup!

Hello Family!

So this week has been full of miracles! We have been able to contact so many people and really help them understand where they can find real happiness. Uhm we were able to meet a guy this is from Germany and is studying in Austria. He is a really nice guy and when I first met him I asked him what he was doing here in Salt Lake. He told Sister Fisher and I that he was just touring the States by himself and that he wanted to see Utah. He also told us that we were the first LDS he has ever met! We started to talk to him about the Book of Mormon and how it can benefit him in his life. And I just remember thinking "Oh my goodness, this kid is from Germany, touring the states and he just so happened to stop in Salt Lake, decided that he wanted to go to Temple Square, walk into the North Visitor Center where Sister Fisher and I were at, and we just so happened to be the first missionaries that he has ever met?! GOD SENT HIM TO US!" That was seriously my though process and I was just floored. He wanted to know so much more! We got his number and his email and we will be calling him this next week when he is back in Austria. Crazy!

So I am finally passed off! So here at Temple Square all the sisters have to give our Zone Leaders a tour of Temple Square and we need to be able to include church history, gospel doctrine, bridge any resource to doctrine. So you need to be passed off in order to take investigator lessons and any tours from West Gate (People that walk in and want a tour). Investigator lessons are when Elders from the Salt Lake City Missions take their investigators. So there have been a lot of investigator lessons coming in and Sister Fisher and I couldn't take them because I wasn't passed off yet. So I finally was able to be passed off this week! We planned on getting passed off the first week but our Zone Leaders schedule and our schedule never matched up. If was perfect timing because right when we got done with the pass off, there was a last minute investigator lesson that wasn't scheduled and Sister Fisher and I took it. 

The people we took on tours were actually from Samoa. Faithful and her Auntie are already baptized but they are inactive. So the commitment was to get them to church. It was such a powerful tour. We helped them understand that church is a commandment of Got and when we got to church is when we can show our love for our Savior by partaking of the sacrament. We also get the blessing of being forgiven of our sins and having his spirit to be with us. We were trying to figure out the reason why they haven't been going, they said that work gets in the way and sometimes it's hard to get it off. We told them that if they committed to go to church that God will provide a way so that they can make it, because it is so important that  we do go to church. Anyways after we showed them painting of Church we took them to God's Plan and at the very end Faithful's  Auntie started crying and she said that she wants her whole family to be embraced in God's arms. She said that her family in Samoa haven't accepted the church and that she not understands that she needs to be an example to them so one day they can be sealed in the Temple. She also told us that reason why they haven't been going to church is that they don't feel welcomed in the ward that they are assigned to. Auntie said that she hears people talk about her and that she doesn't feel like she can be around those people. Faithful agreed too because on one has tried to reach out to her. It broke my heart hearing that because the only reason why she hasn't' been going to church was because no one tried to make her feel welcomed which is something that could be easily fixed. Not going to lie, it also reminded me of our family and I couldn't help but tear up a bit as well. The spirit was so strong and Auntie and Faithful went to church the next day! I told the Elders afterwards that he should find someone in the ward who would be their friend. Miracles happen family!

So after the sisters get passed off the sisters get to ear at the Lion House FOR FREE! Best meal ever! We went with Sister Bahr and Sister Lee. Sister Bahr and I came to Temple Square at the same time. I ate the salmon and it was DA BEST! Not as good as the family's but it was much better than the ramen I have been eating lately. No worries Nay (It means 'mom' in tagalog-Kariza), it's p-day so I'm going to buy real food for real people!

I love and miss you all! God loves us, Christ lives, and they can make us happy if we let them. 

Sister Opeda

P.S. Kuya you should come to the "Music Around the World" March 15th 7:30. The seats are first come first serve. Just saying. If you can't no biggie!

We had a tour of all the Organs in Temple Square. Coolest thing ever!

 We were able to attend Music and the Spoken word. AMAZING!

 Look Nay! God sent me to a place where I am able to use phones and I can chat with people! HA

 After I got passed off we ate at the Lion House for dinner. Dinner was on the mission!