Our Zone

Dear Mom,

This week was actually a pretty good week. 

Our tags

We met with L and our lesson was about the word of wisdom. She pretty much agreed to it except the tea part since lots of Chinese people drink tea because it's a tradition of their culture. So we are still working on that. Yesterday we met with her again at church and talked about the Book of Mormon. The spirit was so strong in the room when we told her that God Loves us and He never left us alone. He loves us so much that he gave us a book, the Book of Mormon. We testified to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and how it changed our life and it will change her's. She took the book and said she will read it. I am so excited for her! 

Here is a funny story about Y. Last week we taught her and she asked hard questions. This week was very interesting. We met with her again and we started teaching her. Y is studying the Jehovah Witnesses and wouldn't listen to a word we say. Everything we said, she searched up to see what the Jehovah Witnesses believe in on her phone and gave us the phone to read it. So we try teaching her and she searches the Internet up and shows us. Honestly we don't think she knows anything about the Jehovah Witnesses. She just bible bashed us through the Internet on her phone. Sister Johnson and I couldn't feel the spirit so we decided to withdraw from it. We said "Y...." She yelled at us, "Bye! You can go!" Um, we were at the church haha. So we said the closing prayer and we left. It was so frustrating! Oh Y complained about how we shouldn't have birthdays, Christmas, and Halloween. She is so upset with Halloween because her daughter was going to be born on that day. She also thought our church was so evil! We asked her if she read the BOM and she said no. We said, "Then how can you know it's not true and is evil?" Then we had English class and we printed off a story from LDS.org for students to read and practice pronunciation. Y was in class. She kept snatching the papers out of our hand and diligently reading it. She loves the stories and asked where we get the stories from. We showed  her lds.org and mormon.org. The next time she came to English class we had another story and she liked that one too. On Friday, Y waited for us with a Book of Mormon in her hands after class. She had some really good questions for us and she actually listened to us. Her heart was softened and it was crazy to see that. She gave us a big hug which was weird. The elders are the ones that gave the BOM to her and said, "Want to know about our religion, then read it!" It was good teamwork. Please pray for her.

F is a super awesome investigator. We have been playing tennis with her. We asked if she has been praying and she said, "Everyday since we last met." Which has been since last week. She said she hasn't received an answer to her prayers. We asked her how she felt when praying, she said," Peace and lots of blessings." It's funny how people don't think those are answers to their prayers. So we are going to help her recognize God's love for her more. We will be playing tennis twice with her this week! 

LM is L's sister. We decided to FaceTime with her and oh boy she talks a lot! She really loves us and  she asked us to teach her again the next night. She has been struggling feeling God's love for her. We asked her if she has been praying. She said no. We asked her if she has prayed before, she said yes. We asked her how she felt. She said, "Peaceful." Again, she doesn't recognize it as an answer to her prayers. We told her that those were her answers. We told her that if she prays everyday for two weeks, she will notice the change in her life. We made plans with her to help her keep her commitment daily by texting her daily to remind her to pray. She is noticing the changes in her life. So I'm excited to see where the next week will take her.

J is a less active youth who loves the gospel so much. She is really shy but talks with us. She really wants to go on a mission. She is the only member of the church in her family. She is really close with her mom but her mom is out of state working. Her older brother is lazy and plays video games and her dad just works. She is in charge of cleaning and feeding. Her dad dislikes the church and has work off on Sundays which means she can't come to church. We are praying for her to find inspiration in how we can help her. She is 20 and we hope she can move out soon and come to church. She is so amazing!

YB is a less active we have been working with. We talked with her about the importance of prayer and scripture reading. She pulled out the BOM that was owned by her 6 year old son which was cute. She feels like God hasn't answer her prayers. Like the two people above, we asked if she feels peace. She said yes. We explained that it's a gift from God that he loves and care for you. We invited her to pray and read daily and she said she will try. We will be meeting with her this week and we are excited to help her come back to church.

We are going to be helping Wendy  go to the temple for her first time. It's kind of hard because the mission changed the rules about the temple. We can't take the people to the temple unless they have a family name. It's hard because Chinese people burned their records in China, so wish us  luck. There is another lady, Qiu Yun.... we are taking her for her endowment but again, she has to be more than two years past her baptism for us to go with her. If she has been baptized a year ago we can't go with her. So we are going to find out when she was baptized. So pray for us!

Sister Johnson and I wanted to find new people but didn't know how to talk with them on the street. I rarely have success talking with people. Secret: I am really bad at finding people but really good at teaching people that have already been found. Sister Johnson and I felt strongly to talk to people on street. Yesterday was our first day trying. 

On the other side of the bus station was a Spanish couple. So there is trash everywhere  on the ground in NY and there was  trash by a Spanish lady's feet that I thought she had dropped. I felt the spirit just try to push me to pick up that trash. It was like a scratch-off number jackpot thingy....can't remember what that is called. I told the lady," I think you dropped this." She yelled at me, "It's trash." I was like okay.... For some reason I put it in my pocket and had a mindset of throwing it away in the trash can. Then the husband said something to the wife and the wife came to me and yelled, "Where is that trash!?!" I pulled it out of my pocket. She said, "Throw it down!" I told her calmly that I will put it in the trash can. She furiously grabbed it out of my hands and threw it down on the ground. "There is trash men that come and sweep up the street!" She yelled. I told her that I was new here in Brooklyn. She looked at me and said, "Oh I'm sorry." She asked where I was from. Utah I answered. Her husband saw our name tags and said, "They're Mormons from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Days Saints." He explained to his wife about the church. The wife and I had a nice short conversation before the bus pulled up. She kissed her husband and waved bye to us with a smile on her face. We got onto the same bus with her husband. The husband and us had a great conversation. He was pretty much yelling his words and people watched our conversation about the gospel. There were like 30 people on the bus and they were smiling and agreeing to what we were teaching. We passed 6 stops to go with him to work and walked him to work. Then we gave the man our number and hopefully he will call us. We rode the bus back to where we were suppose to be and headed for a lesson. We talked to like 6 people that day. That has never happened with me since I am kind of scared to talk to random people on the street.

So here is a funny story!!!  So yesterday, one of the members invited us missionaries to go to this less active's beauty salon for free food. So we were going with the elders and with this member, our branch president and his family, the YW president, and another member! We arrived and there was more Chinese people and it turns out to be a commercial for her beauty salon. Whoops. The elders and I left so if you ever find us on YouTube well.......'sorry about that haha!  It was so weird and it was on a Sunday and it is against the missionary rules to be on tv. It was funny and we snuck out of the beauty salon without anyone noticing. 

Yesterday Sister Johnson and I had to give a five minute testimony. Sister Johnson did so amazing and then I went up there with no paper and just introduced myself and testified about the Atonement. Afterward members came up to me and complimented me on my Chinese so I am guessing the language is not so bad... thanks to the spirit. I am ready to come home and share my testimony of the Atonement. I want to write it down but it's not the same. I can't wait to share it with you.

This afternoon,  we went to get pizza.   On the way back to the church, Sister Johnson was walking fast but I felt prompted to walk slow and then there was this lady with a big baby stroller. She had to walk up steep stairs to get to her home. I told Sister Johnson that this lady needs help. We walked toward her and she asked us if we could help her and we carried the baby stroller up the stairs. We had the opportunity to talk with her and gave her our phone number and she is super excited to meet with us. 

This week Sister Johnson and I have decided to use a scripture that will help us with this transfer. We chose John 14:18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear." Looking at all the miracles was from us going forth and preaching the gospel. We allowed that love Heavenly Father has for His children to burn within us. I have never talked to this many people on the streets before on my entire mission. I have gotten to learn how to become a more bold but loving missionary. The love for the gospel cast out our  embarrassment and fear of sharing the gospel! It's incredible.

I have a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon! I just finished reading it and it's such a powerful book. That book truly testifies of Jesus Christ's Atonement and that book got me through everything! I just want to share the truthfulness of the gospel to everyone! Everyone who reads that book cannot deny the love God has for them and that's why we are all here, to help them recognize God's love for each and everyone of His children! I am so grateful for the gospel. I cannot begin to tell you how much I have changed. My testimony has increased so much. I am so grateful for everything!

A letter I wrote to Mackenzie

I'm really excited to come home. I love my missionary work but my body is exhausted and is just ready to relax.  My brothers look amazing!!! I am proud of those two boys! I am the luckiest person in the world to have them in my life.

By the way I have five weddings to go to when I go home.

January- Justin and Emily

February- Sister Robertson (I served with her for about 5 transfers) she and her beau wanted me at their sealing. She talks to her beau about me all the time haha. 

March- I think my step sister's step-sister, Sister Peterson is getting married this month. She and I have gotten close on our mission

April- Danny and your sealing in the temple

May- Sister Lee wants me at her Wedding 

About the time change, I don't like it getting dark at 5pm either but hey, a missionary's dream is coming true.....an extra hour of sleep!!! Yay!  Also, I do not have a car. We are back in a walking mission. We are not allowed to leave our area anymore.  

Wow the Children's program sounds amazing especially with the Chinese! We are having the children's program in three weeks. They are doing ASL in some of the songs so I'm excited!

So we live next to the freeway and the subway so our apartment is really loud all day and all night so it's true that New York never sleeps!

I am excited to sit down with you and talk with you when I get home! I am super stoked!  Yes the weeks are flying by quickly and now I have two hands up to count them down. Don't worry, I am enjoying my mission and working hard.

I love you mom!  I love you sooooo much!

Love,

Sister Moore

A member gave us some soda but couldn't find any cups.  So we are drinking out of salt and pepper shakers.  Sister Johnson said they look like shot glasses!  Cheers!

Hey mama!

How are you doing this week? 

This is a view of the Statue of Liberty from our apartment at 6:30 this morning.

This week was full of miracles! The Lord has been so merciful to us. We tripled the lessons last week. The Lord is like, "Here is somebody, teach her my gospel." We have taught about 6 new investigators this week plus more lessons! Life is good.

The elders were frustrated with us at first but as soon as they saw how we are working hard, they started to trust us. They have been giving us people to teach and said, "You sisters can work better with this person." They can be funny sometimes. We have gotten so close. Hard work can change things.

We met F for the first time. She was so comfortable with us and was telling us everything about her life. She asked if we could play tennis with her. We played tennis with her and it was so much fun. She is pretty cool and one day she will accept the gospel. We just need to help her keep her commitment of praying. 

L is super awesome. Last week she was quiet but this week, she talked with us a lot and has gotten comfortable with us. She said, "When I am not with you two, I miss you." It shows the the spirit is testifying the love Heavenly Father has for us. We asked her if she prayed, she said sort of. We testified of prayer. We told her that the day we came to Brooklyn, we prayed to find someone new to teach the gospel with. The phone also hasn't been used for 3 months and we got a random phone call and it was her. She smiled and I sure hope that she knows how much she is loved especially by her Father in Heaven. I hope she will recognize the truth. She came to church yesterday with her son and her son's classmate was at church and it got her and the other mother involved in talking with each other. Fellowshipper!! She really liked church. We will be meeting with her again on Wednesday and help her progress.

AP came to church yesterday and we got to meet her for the first time. She had been taught by the elders previously. She wanted to get baptized. We told her that we can help her prepare for her baptism by teaching her all the lessons. We taught her and she is so pure in heart. She is ready to receive the ordinance. I am so excited to work with her along with Sister Johnson.

One day, we had to visit one of the members who I thought lived way out (30 minute walk) turns out she lives like 5 minutes away from the church.... Oops....We also hung out with the Jewish people. They were every where on that side of town. But that was okay.  On the way back to the church after a long walk, we saw LC, one of our English class students. We got a chance to talk with her. She asked where we were going. We told her that we were going to the church to teach someone. "English?" she asked. Perfect opportunity to tell her about our religion. So I told her about our religion and she said, "I am studying Jehovah Witness but can you teach me more about your religion tomorrow at 4?" I said yes. So we met with her. She had a lot of hard questions! We testified often! She was so tough in the lesson but I was calm because it was something new she was learning. So we will see what happens with her. Pray for her please.

We met with the members to introduce ourselves. We met C. We felt prompted to tell her about us and our story. She started to cry. She told us that she has so many weaknesses and she didn't know how to overcome it. We sat and listened to her. We told her about Jesus Christ and His Atonement. We shared Ether 12:27. We tried to help her with the process of relying on the Savior through All things. She looked at us and said, "I'm so grateful that you two were sent here. To help me. I can feel a lot of peace." We hugged her and kneeled down to pray. The spirit was there. Then we had church yesterday. She spoke in relief society, she talked about us and how we are new missionaries. She shared about how much we really helped her. She extended the relief society to never be afraid to reach out to us. It was cool to see that.

Yesterday, Some people knew I was deaf so Nancy pulled me out of relief society class and brought me to the primary room. They had a song to perform. They signed in ASL, "I Know My Savior Loves Me." It was awesome! It was the cutest thing ever.

Sister Johnson is great.   I love her to death.  She has changed so much and is  progressing a lot from last week in being confident. I feel like Heavenly Father has blessed her with the gift of understanding Chinese over the phone. She has been setting up lessons over the phone and it's been great! When she doesn't understand, I understand it most of the time. She is now confident enough to pass out flyers. Last week she didn't want to and now she passes out a lot. She has a strong testimony! She is a happy person.

                                               These are some of the members from Terryville

                 

Hey! Can you send me some exercise ideas from the website? Since it's  getting colder here and we need to work out inside.  Thank you! We don't have  a lot of fruits and vegetables here. The grocery store has moldy fruit :/  We will check for some canned fruit and vegetables when we go shopping next week. 

Here are some pictures of our apartment:  

 

 

So we teach English class and it's the highest level. These students  are so smart and they complain things are too easy for them. Do you  have any ideas on how we can make it difficult but fun for them? We  are both struggling teaching them.

Hey, we might not write you next week. The rules just recently changed. When we have a temple trip, that is our preparation day. So we might be taking someone to the temple next Saturday and you will hear from us next Saturday. So just a heads up.  Love you!

I can't wait to see you!!! 80 days ;) Wow time flies!  But who's counting?!?!

Love,

Sister Moore 

My trainee, Sister Johnson

Hey Mom,

Sister Johnson arrived safely to New York on Monday. She is such a happy positive upbeat person. She told me all her stories all at once. She is a tough girl! She has such a sweet heart. Dyker Heights LOVES her so I think we will be fine here :)

Our apartment is about 20 minutes away from the church. It's nice and sort of old. I like it. We live next to the highway and subway so we hear loud sounds all day and all night. New York never sleeps! We have a nice view of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty :)

As soon as we arrived in Dyker, a member, Ting Ting Wu was getting married. She knows me. We have met a few times before when I was in the Chinese program. She had asked us to help arrange and set up for her wedding at the church. So all of the missionaries and two others came together and helped. We were like Ting Ting Wu's assistants. She tells us what to do and then she leaves and then we do what she wants done. We did that everyday all day long.  It turned out so beautiful!

The wedding was a success. I was able to see three people from Flushing! It was so good to see them! We spoke full on Chinese and I understood what they mostly said. It's crazy to know that I haven't spoke or heard Chinese for a long time and then this happens and I could mostly understand. I feel like the spirit is definitely helping us so much. I am grateful for the opportunity to be back in the Chinese program and learn the language. Yes it's hard, but through Christ.... All things are possible!

Through the craziness of the wedding. Sister Johnson and I enjoyed our time teaching English Class and had a few lessons. Not bad for our first week. We have found 3 new investigators together and we are so excited to see where things go with them. One miracle happened.... Since there hasn't been any Chinese speaking sister missionaries in the area for awhile the phone number was shut off. We got the phone and one random lady called us and wanted to learn English. She showed up. As we were speaking English, we came to find out that she is struggling with finding her direction and her purpose. We merged in the gospel topic and taught her. She loved what we were teaching her. We taught her again a few days ago and taught her prayer. We know that she is ready to receive the gospel. We know that she will be able to find her identity and be able to feel God's love for her. She is pure in heart.

We also had 2 ladies who showed up to church yesterday for their first time. We taught 姐妹 with her friend who is a member of the church. She wanted to learn how to pray and was so open and willing. We taught her and she is willing to keep meeting with us. It was awesome!

I don't know if I told you about Lynne. She is a Member here but I met her before and she was learning sign language so I would teach her over Skype with Sister Lee. We are now teaching her sister about the gospel. She is warming up to us so it's going along pretty good.

Training in a new area is really hard. I am grateful the Lord has blessed me with the knowledge of the language and the guidance in the new area. I feel like I'm not scared and it's easy for me to get out of my comfort zone. So things will be hard but worth it in the end. It is kind of hard to train but it's fun too. I am praying to allow the spirit to help me teach and lead my trainee. She is in good hands and I am excited to serve with her for the next 12 weeks. It's gonna go by so fast!

I love you mom! You are so incredible!! Keep praying for us to find joy and miracles in the mission. 

Love, 

Sister Moore 

Hey mama,

So first off, I want to let you know that I was released from my calling as a trainer for Sister Hu who isn't coming. But then I was called to train a different missionary, Sister Johnson. Like Trainer like trainee. I am leaving today at 3 (1 your time) to pick her up. Sister Johnson is a Chinese speaking missionary. We will be staying at President's house tonight and Tuesday is our new start of a new journey in Dyker Height, Brooklyn.

On Monday we taught official lessons to  Chinese people  about prayer. It was so awesome and they said they will try praying. They live with one of the investigators the elders are working with, P J. P J came in the end of the lesson and we asked him if he could pray with us. He said a prayer and said he will help others say their prayers so I am excite to hear if they have been doing it or not.

General Conference was amazing! We chilled out at the Cutting's house for 3 sessions and Karisa's house for the last session. General Conference was a success because ALL of our investigators and recent converts had the opportunity to watch it! How cool is that? They all loved it! I don't have my notebook with me, I packed it up so the thing I got most out of it was Trust in the Lord and the Atonement. Sometimes I lose faith in things I don't understand or the uncertainty of my future and sometime I forget who I am. But I must trust in the Lord through all things because He knows me and He knows where I should be. Sometimes along the pathway with forgetting who I am or being confused.... I have come to find out for myself that I have so many personal weaknesses that I need to overcome. General Conference said that once we understand the Atonement, that is where the healing begins. That is when we learn how to make our weaknesses become strengths. Now looking back on my mission, I have learned so much. I have come to rely on my Savior for His strength. He has molded me and shaped me. He is still molding and shaping me. I am grateful for General conference and how they truly guide us in these latter days.

Well it's sad to leave everyone behind. It's hard giving them a hug and walking away without looking back. Many people cried and they just made me cry! I am gonna miss them and they are ready to have me back in May with my mom!

Sister Larsen and my companionship has been awesome! People, like investigators and members, kept on commenting on our companionship and how we are such powerful missionaries together and how we changed lives and had many miracles and success together. Sister Larsen  and I talked about our companionship. We both have had some hard times with our lives and we explained how much we helped each other rely on the Lord and healed each other. Sister Larsen and I have had so many great times and we worked hard. I am forever grateful for her and her example! I love her. We talked about hanging out lots in the future haha. She goes home in 7 weeks.

I love you mama! Pray for me this week! I'm gonna need it!

Love,

Sister Moore

Hey Mama!

I was trying to organize and eliminate sections of this letter because a lot has happened today. I want to write down the miracles we have received! Hope you will enjoy it!

Through all the ups and downs in the beginning, we have received so many blessings in the end. This past week we have received a lot of changes to the mission rules. Sister Larsen and I had decided to obey it with a willing heart. We have seen so many miracles  that come from it. Yesterday was one of the most powerful days I have ever experienced and I know it was because of our obedience to the Lord and our expression of love for others and for our Savior.

Here is a story about my 3rd great grandfather, David H. Cannon. He was a man of great faith. He was called by Prophet Brigham Young to be the St. George temple president. David was hesitant because of his word of wisdom issue which is smoking. His brother George asked David this question, "You have been called by the Lord to do something that you are not ready or not prepared to do. So what should you do about it?" David pondered and then answered the question. "I should prepare myself to do it and I will!" David prayed and asked God to help him stop smoking his pipe. Here was the answer to his prayer, David was gored by a bull, causing both of his collarbones to be broken, which means he had to bound both of his arms to his chest. That answer to his prayer allowed him to stop smoking. His wife, my 3rd great grandmother felt bad he couldn't smoke his pipe and offered to help him smoke his pipe. He said no and to leave it on the mantle and he never touched it again for the rest of his life. He used that pipe as a reminder that he had accomplished something great with the Lord's help he overcame his weaknesses.  I love how George asked his brother that question, "You have been called by the Lord to do something that you are not ready or not prepared to do. So what should you  do about it?" How can I help this person? How can I lead my family? How can I overcome this certain trial? And so forth. My answer to this question is: We have to work for it, prepare ourselves for it, and allow the spirit to teach us and help us become more Christlike.

We visited with our RC Melissa and Jessica and our investigator, A. A wanted to wear my missionary tag. She wore my tag and Jessica wore Sister Larsen's tag. We pretended to be investigators and A and Jessica were missionaries. They taught us about the tree of life and the symbols! It was super bomb. I felt A's testimony and happiness that comes from living the gospel. She knows it is true even though she is 11. It was so powerful!

Then we visited sweet blind L and listened to President Ucthdorf's talk from the recent general women broadcast. It was emotional for her. Whenever she cries, it always pierces Sister Larsen and mine hearts. The spirit was in the room. I love what President Ucthdorf said, "We didn't come to earth to be sad. We came to earth to receive joy!" I love it!

Afterward we visited with AM. We were finally able to actually teach her after 2 weeks trying to teach her. She was at a point that she wanted to give up. We shared a talk by President Ucthdorf's talk from the recent ensign magazine about keeping our torch lit and never giving up. If you haven't read it, you should sometime! It's so good! AM's baptism date fell through twice. She felt like a disappointment to us and to the church. We explained to her that we love her and that we want to help her keep going and keep fighting. Sister Larsen and I feel that the reason why her date fell through was because God wanted her to be making the covenant as a family. Her daughter turns 8 in November, and her husband will one day soften his heart. We all know he will. The spirit was so strong, I can't even describe the feeling. AM texted us saying that she felt the spirit so strong and that this was the right path for her. It was amazing!

We visited S after. This lesson with her was so powerful! S doesn't talk much. She doesn't open up about her life. Sister Larsen and I felt inspired to listen and ask inspired questions. S opened up soooo much which gave us more understanding about her. We went by the spirit and testified often. I felt prompted to tell her how much her Heavenly Father loves her and wants her to be happy. He wants her to feel the fullness of joy by taking the next step. S immediately answered, "Baptism?" Yes baptism. She said, "I have been thinking about it." You should pray about it with a date. She is excited. She knows it will bless her life! The spirit was so amazing. Again, can't describe it! 

Obedience is a powerful tool. When we obey, we show our love for our Savior. When we obey, we will easily receive inspirations, have clearer revelations, easily recognize the spirit, and receive that fullness of joy that Heavenly Father has to bestow upon us. We have been in tune with the spirit and it helped us discern the needs of our people in the pool! Obedience is truly the first law of heaven and it brings blessings into our lives. 

I love you! I am so grateful for you! The mission is the hardest but it is the greatest!

Sister Moore

Elder Bennett and his wife

Hey mama!

This week was a good week. First off, let's talk about President Bennett from the quorum of seventy. That man can talk. He talked to us for 3 hours straight and we had lunch and then he talked for 2 more hours. It was a really good meeting. He had a huge desire to help us become a better missionary and person. He mainly talked about obedience and that is the first law of heaven. His wife told us a really cute story. This happened when she was about 17 years old. She had a father that never expressed love. He never kissed his wife or said I love you to her or to the children. He just sat in his living room and read the newspapers. One day Sister Bennett knocked into (I think it was a prophet). Back then they didn't have tv so she didn't know what the prophet looked like. She fell and the prophet picked her up and grabbed her arms and looked into her eyes and said, "I want you to kiss your dad on the cheek and say I love you every night." At first she didn't want to. She didn't understand why. That man didn't know anything about her life nor about her father. Later she found out that that man was a prophet. The commitment that he extended to her was stuck in her mind. She decided to try it. She goes into the living room, kissed her dad on the cheek, said I love you and ran away to her room crying. 2nd time, same thing, 3rd time same thing. It was like kissing a statue and he had no emotion on his face. He didn't say anything. Few days later, same thing. Few weeks later, her father said I love you back to her and she was shocked for she had never heard him say that. Few days later, her father kissed her on the cheek and their relationship developed. Few weeks later, her father passed away. She was grateful that she was obedient to something she couldn't understand why. Heavenly Father knew. He had told that prophet to tell her to do a certain thing that she didn't want to do especially when the prophet didn't know her. But she went forth with faith and it gave her a tremendous blessing. It's important to be obedient and when we obey, we receive blessings, joy, happiness, and protection.

We have a new investigator and she is tough but sweet. She was going for a successful life, she had everything planned out, she was planning on being an actress and then one night changed all and she was pregnant. She is 23 years old with a 1 year old daughter. She struggles to take care of her. The family is fighting for the custody of her daughter and it's been hard for her. She doesn't feel like she can change. She is carrying the burden on her back. We promised her that as she continues to meet with us, she will find greater joy, peace, and happiness as she learns about the gospel. We are meeting with her on Wednesday so we are super excited.

Members at the funeral

On Friday, We went to a funeral. It was one of the member's mother who passed away. We have never met the mom but felt prompted that we should attend. We went to the Wake. This member's name is Debbie. Debbie was the only member at the wake and she was so happy to see two sister missionaries walk in. She kept introducing us to her family and friends and what we received back was death glares. We kept smiling and we are truly happy. Sister Larsen and I talked about how grateful we were to be raised in the church and in a family that taught us to love everyone no matter what religion they are in or no matter how much they hate us or wrong us and etc. we love everyone. They are children of our Heavenly Father. They are our brothers and sisters. We went back to the funeral that night. Five of us members were there but two of us were wearing the tag. Of course we got more death glares but that's okay, we met some awesome people. One thing I was amazed at was that Debbie didn't care. She loves the gospel and she wasn't ashamed to share it with other people and introduce them to us. There was a pastor that preached to the congregation at the service. It was interesting because the members and I couldn't feel the spirit. He was reciting things but there were no testifying or no passions. It was weird and different. Afterward we wanted a picture with a member so Sister Larsen went and asked a lady to take a picture for us and she looked at Sister Larsen's tag and said no.  Well it's kinda of sad to see people act this way. We love her even though we didn't know her. 

Thursday night, we received a random call and it was an elder who has returned from his mission a month ago in Taiwan. He said there was a lady  and she is from China and she was coming to Long Island for school. We contacted her and she is excited to meet us. She has finals for school so we won't be able to meet her till next week. Yay another Chinese person to teach! 

Temple Bound!

We went to the temple yesterday for Melissa and Jessica's first time. It was so interesting to see how anxious they were to go to the temple. It was such a powerful experience as I sat watching them get confirmed and baptized for those on the other side of the veil. We sat on the bench waiting for other people to get dried  and ready to go, Melissa and Jessica were telling me how excited they were to do baptisms for the dead for their family. They explained how each family members who have passed away and how much each one of them means something to them. They are going to the temple on Wednesday. 

Baby shower gifts

After two weeks, we finally saw AM again!!!!  She had a fancy baby shower yesterday and she was given a lot of gifts. She asked us to help her bring up the gifts to her house. Yay for services because we got to see her again!

Another cool thing happened yesterday! Our ward mission leader, Brother Carlson, gave a talk yesterday. He talked about missionary work. It was such a great talk and because of his talk, we have so many people inviting us over for dinner this week, and texting us on how they could help our investigators and less actives we are working with. They asked how they can help us and bring others to come unto Christ! They also wanted to start scripture studies in their home and invite our investigators and less actives and help them. The Lord's work is truly hastening. I know miracles are about to happen!

Since Bill lives right by Melissa and Jessica's home, he comes over a lot and he just listens to us talk about the gospel. Bill is a 60 year old less active and hasn't been to church in a very very long time. The Elders had a hard time talking with him. But he is so sweet to us. On Tuesday, we taught the gospel to Melissa and Jessica and Bill randomly walked right in. I had the impression to ask him a question, "Bill, how have you seen Heavenly Father show his love for you?" His answer was simple and sweet. He whispered, "Because Heavenly Father fixed me. He fixed my leg, he fixed my feet, he fixed my heart." He was smiling so big. After he answered, he got up and walked out. Yesterday, Bill came and had such a big smile on his face. People were welcoming him back and expressing their love for him. When Brother Carlson spoke, he was touched. He went and talked to the leaders of the church and he wanted to help people. He wants to invite people to his home and do scripture study. Sister Larsen and I were just so amazed. He is such a sweet man and I am so excited for him and that he getting back on track.

We also have another new investigator, G.  He is A's grandpa. We always see him and say hi but never really talked with him till last week.  Last Sunday, we parked in front of Melissa and Jessica's house and G was sitting on the trunk of his car. I went out to talk to him and then a few minutes later my companion came and joined. It was such a great conversation. Remember last week, A's mom and grandma wouldn't allow her to go to church. Well she came yesterday. We talked with G yesterday because he was sitting by his car reading. He saw us praying and asked what we were doing. We explained. We talked with him for 30 minutes and it was such an amazing conversation. G is the reason why A could come to church again. G knew that the church makes A happy. He explained to A's mother about the church and said, "Don't judge the church if you haven't been there before. Go and find out for yourself why the church makes her happy." G made a great point. He hasn't been to church for a long time. He asked us about the organization of the church we are in. We explained. He said he is coming to church this Sunday. He is so excited!!

 I have been waiting for the right moment to talk about K. K is a super bomb member. She has a strong testimony and is full of love. She is so in tune with the spirit and receives revelation pretty clearly. I hope to be like her. She is married to a RM but he went apostate. They are still married. They have two little kids and they are so cute. When her husband left the church she heard a voice, "3 years." It's been two years and she feels strongly that her husband will come back to the church next summer. Last week we stopped by while K went to Utah. Her mom was in town taking care of the kids. So we wanted to make sure everything was going well. K's husband saw us and went into the kitchen and started making dinner and invited us to stay and eat with the family. K's mom was so surprised. It was the first time he made a meal for the family the whole time she has been there (2 weeks) it was so good and I can tell he is changing. K texted us a spiritual thought and invited us and AM and her daughter for Family Home Evening tonight. K keeps asking how she can help us and increase the Lord's work!! I love that girl to death. I can't wait for you to meet her! You would love her!!

I love you mama!!
Sister Moore

莫姐妹

P.S.  My cochlear implant appointment went really good! Not major changes or anything like that.

She did make the sounds a little louder and she did explain that my t-mic wasn't working and was broken and that why I couldn't understand anyone. She gave me a spare one to keep and now that is loud.  She ordered two more t-mics to make the sound louder and clearer for both of my cochlear implant.  She also changed the programs of my cochlear implant. Left Side: switch 1- normal sounds Switch 2- louder sounds Switch 3- turns the sound off from the world and Connect the phone (like Bluetooth) and I can hear the phone louder and clearer Right side- same thing except switch 3 is music. It went pretty good. I am understanding a little better. Just have to do listening practices again.

We Love Captain America!

                                                                  
Heyo!

This week has been stressful again but it was easier than last week. Yesterday Bishop Smith asked me to give a talk right before sacrament meeting because one of the speakers didn't show up. I had mainly decided to talk about Alma 36: 3, "I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." This past week I have noticed that Satan is working so hard against the people in the ward and I wanted to remind them to keep fighting and keep serving and keeping loving. 

We went apple picking this morning.  This is how our companionship works and the little girl is feeding me some apple :)

On Monday, we taught a family again.  Well, that night was awesome. The husband had helped out with the kids and sat with the family for the first time in a long time for dinner. The grandpa  also joined in the kitchen and ate with us. Sister Larsen had told me that it was the first time in 6 months that she served here that had ever happened. We then decided to watch the Book of Mormon animated movie about Lehi's vision of the tree of life. The family watched together and had their eyes glued to the tv. Their oldest son was explaining the movie to us afterward. He is a smart dude. They were so happy together and it was cool to see how the gospel can bless their lives and strengthen their family relationship. I love seeing these miracles happen.

Brother Carlson, Sister Carlson, Sister Cutting, Me, Sister Lobo (who use to serve in Terryville), Brother Dyber, Sister Dyber, Elizabeth, Sister Larsen, Sister Lesuma (Sister Lovo's companion), Sister Cheri Peacock (she is home now, she found Elizabeth last year), and her boyfriend, Lance.

We went to the temple with Elizabeth on Tuesday to receive her endowment. It was powerful and it was cool to watch Elizabeth through the whole process. She held tight on my hands and she was crying. I could tell it was some thing new for her but at the same time she was feeling the spirit so strong. It was amazing! Temples are so powerful. When making covenants with God, how can we doubt that His Gospel is true? Afterward we went out to eat. I started getting a really bad headache and stomachache and pretty much slept in the car the whole ride home. Then my companion got so sick and we both wanted to throw up. At one point my companion thought I was dead... I think. We are both better now :)

We are so excited to do the dishes!

We went over to a  home to help a sister pack up her house. Before we started, Sister Larsen and I wanted to help her with the one thing she felt like she was struggling with, feeling the Holy Ghost. We taught her the lesson of the Holy Ghost. We read from Preach My Gospel together, watched a video, shared our experiences. One thing I noticed is that Preach My Gospel said, "Do not be afraid of silence" because it gives them a chance to process their thoughts.  In her mind she was listening, she was pondering, you could tell she had a desire to feel the love Heavenly Father has for her. She was so happy as we continued to pack up her home. She finally finished one room and she was filled with joy that she accomplished something great. Before we left, she gave us a hug. She simply said, "I wanted to tell you something. For the first time in a long time I finally felt the Holy Ghost today. I felt so much peace and happiness. Thank you so much." We smiled knowing that we allowed the spirit to teach her. The next few times we helped her, she was so happy and we are grateful for the Lord letting us know what her needs were and how we could help her.

We played a game

              We felt prompted to go see the Chinese people that were in our area book.  My first Chinese investigator on Long Island lives there but the elders decided to take him and teach him and they are doing great. I am happy for them. But there were 8 other Chinese people that live with him. We showed up and their English is okay. I decided to speak English with them at first and then all the sudden I spoke Chinese with them and it was awesome! Thanks to my trainer Sister Johnson for always telling me to keep studying Chinese whether I was in the Chinese program or not. I am really grateful that I have been studying Chinese daily or I would have not been prepared to speak with them. They are all so pure in heart and ready! I also prayed to allow the Lord to use me as a tool to speak Chinese and He has answered my prayers. We will be visiting them often.

庄翔宇  is amazing. The elders were also teaching her and finally we got to teach her, thanks to the Law of Chastity lesson :) She has been coming to church every week and has such  powerful questions and lots of wisdom. She helped so many relief society members yesterday. She feels happy in the church and we talk often. She told us that she wanted her husband to come to church. Her husband came yesterday to church for the first time. It was awesome. She is so happy he came. I am so excited to keep working with her.

We played Apple to Apple with Melissa, Jessica and Adrianna.  Look at my wonderful attributes :(  Totally describes me...haha

Melissa and Jessica received the Holy Ghost yesterday.  I love Mother and Daughter baptisms and confirmations. They can be so emotional sometimes. When Melissa went up to receive the Holy Ghost, Jessica wanted me to hug her as she folded her arms. She was so happy and excited to receive her's. I loved Melissa's blessing because the priesthood leader said, "She will have the strength of recognizing the spirit and acting upon those feelings she receives."Melissa came down to the bench and it was Jessica's turn. While Jessica receive her's, Melissa started crying. One thing I love about the blessing Jessica received was that Heavenly Father is so proud of her and that she will be bringing a lot of success to Heavenly Father's work. When they reunited back to the church bench, they both hugged and they cried. I'm so proud of them. They came a long way. They will bring so much joy as they continue to build the Lord's kingdom. For the first time, Melissa and Jessica had decided to separate and go to the classes they were assigned to go to. It was cool to see that. After church they had surprised us with a temple recommend in their hands. We are going to the temple with them next week! Ahhhh! It was such a happy moment for all of us. 

In this picture, she did my hair!

                                                                     

We brought dinner to Melissa and Jessica yesterday and A was there.  At the end of the lesson, A asked one of the nonmembers to join us for the closing prayer. She explained to him what a prayer was, and said the most beautiful prayer ever. We will continue to work with her and see what happens. She helped Melissa and Jessica. She can change many lives in the church. I believe in her. She has potential! 

We had another lesson with S. Her car broke down yesterday so she couldn't come to the Terryville church yesterday but a friend from a different branch offered her a ride and took her to Riverhead. So we decided to go over and teach her. We taught her and the spirit was so strong. She then started to say that she had a feeling to move to New York from New Jersey, then she became really good friends with a member from Riverhead, and through her, she met us. She said God had a reason. All the reasons led her to the Mormon Church. She said her heart felt whole and she feels right about being on this path. S has received that witness for herself. We are so excited to keep helping her progress. I love her so much.

A is a less active that we been trying to work with and teach. She is doing awesome now. She stopped coming to church because her little boy can be crazy and a little bit wild. She doesn't have a husband so she is on her own. Well, she has been coming back 4 weeks in a row now. She has been attending activities and all. She is so happy that she can fulfill her calling in the YW. She is planning to receive her endowment in March.  I love seeing the changes she has made and seeing her from sadness to full of joy and smile on her face. 

AM, my heart breaks for her. She kept on canceling lessons with us. She is so strong in her faith and keeping all the commitments but the real struggle is coming to church. She is trying so hard to come to church but her husband is not being supportive and she is starting to give up hope. She is so sad because she can't come to a place where she knows it's true and it brings true happiness in her life. We told her to keep going. We are not giving up on her. We invited her to pray and read scriptures and listen to the spirit to help figure out a way. We told her Nephi's story, " I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." We promised her that as she continues to rely The Lord, the Lord will help her overcome this stumbling block. We fasted for her yesterday and I have faith in her. It's all going to be okay.

I want to share my testimony. I know this gospel is the only way we can return to our Father in Heaven. The gospel brings a lot of peace and joy in our lives. The gospel heals and strengthen people especially in family. The gospel changes lives only if we allow the gospel to be planted into our heart. I know Jesus Christ loves us and wants us to take His hands and let Him guide us. Jesus Christ is my Savior, He is my Redeemer, He is my Best Friend. He loves us and care for us and I love Him. Only through him, can we return back to our heavenly home. I love you mom! 

Love

Your Daughter,

Sister Moore