How has God Blessed you? Well, He has blessed us with a living prophet on the Earth today!

Sunday = Funday

Best fast and testimony meeting ever. There are just some great perks to being in a Young Single Adult Ward.

Example #1: Guy stands up and is talking about how he was so grateful for his friend who helped him become more active in the ward, she would try to get him to come to Marriage Prep and he just looked at himself and said, "What are you talking about? I'm ready." The best part is he is 18, going on a mission, and real dorky.

Example #2: "I'm just visiting. I'm in high school. I just figured I would come to the single's ward because I heard there's so many beautiful women in Texas. I'm single, ready to mingle." Oh dear. You definitely ARE still in high school.

Example #3: Brother Schultz, the second counselor. Convert, very spiritual gets up after testimonies are over and says, "So I don't know how to say this but as a bishopric it needs to be said. So I'm going to do it in my best napolean dynamite impersonation."

*Looks to the left* "Napolean, When do you come to sacrament meeting on Sunday?"

*Looks to the right* (In Napolean accent) "Whenever I want! Gosh!"

He then procedes to ask for our sustaining vote if we can strive to get to church on time more. "Any opposed? GOSH!" And then sits down.

I could hardly contain myself. And then after church Bishop comes up to me and gives me a fist bump. Yes I think we have a pretty legit bishopric. They are the best!

Prophets are KEY

General Conference is coming up and I could not be any more excited! We have been talking to everyone about how God has blessed us with a living prophet on the earth today, Thomas S. Monson, and it has been amazing! So many miracles with people being open to learning more about our prophet which is then a good segway to talk about the priesthood, Joseph Smith, the First Vision, and the Book of Mormon.

Saturday we were tracting one bedroom apartments to see if we could find any YSA's. We were able to meet a girl named Miriam and asked if she would like to hear a message about our prophet. Immediately she responded "Yes!" So we stood there on her apartment doorstep as she is holding her 5 month old child (that was a bit of a bummer for us but oh well) and gave her the Restoration lesson. 

After reciting the First Vision to her- "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" 

I asked her what she thought about it. She replied, "Oh ya, I totally believe that. I've always wondered why we don't have a prophet today. Actually I have been meaning to look into the Mormon religion. My mom is a methodist minister and she looks into all religions. She takes bits and peices from Latter-Day Saints, Judaism, etc. so I've grown up knowing some of your principles. Where's your church at?" She is planning on coming to the White Oak Ward next sunday! We were sad that she wasn't a YSA but we felt that we were meant to be there and talk to her. Actually the apartment complex was really successful and so many people opened their doors to talk to us. We have a couple of potential YSA's that we are hoping to go back and talk to this week. 

General Conference

I cannot wait to watch general conference and listen to our prophet speak! What an exciting time! Last conference it was amazing to be in the MTC and the spirit that was present while watching conference. I think it was the first time that I really paid attention to the talks and the spirit there. It was also the first time that I came prepared with questions I wanted answered... and of course, they were answered!

I am looking forward to this weekend to once again prepare more questions. It could not have come in a better time because I really do feel like I need direction and guidance and help from heavenly father in some areas of my testimony that I want to improve upon.

Scriptures are TRUE

If you want some good reading, Dive into Moroni 7 and let me know what you have gotten out of it! :) Sister Walker and I have been studying this chapter for the past couple of weeks and our minds have been blown! 

The Church is true.

Love,

Sister Loo

Victoria...one of our favoirte and most hilarious members!!!

Walk in the park...

Say that again?!...

SAY THAT AGAIN?! (From Sister King's Blog)

Exchange dos- I was in magnolia again the sisters were telling me about this cute little young family in their apartment complex that invites them over all the time and feeds them. SUPER nice family. The Dad is studying to be a minister and he is just genuinely curious about the gospel. We were walking to the apartment office and we ran into him. I introduced myself and he asked me where I was serving and I told him the "Young Single Adult Congregation".. This was our conversation...

"oh! Do you ever go to Lonestar college in Montgomery?"

-"Yeah we go to The Mission, that christian group there every Wednesday!"

"Yup, I knew it! *looks at my name tag* Sister King! I have heard about you and Sister.... ummm... L--"

"LOO!?"

"Yeah! I work with some students that run that group. They asked me to come check it out sometime. Maybe I will come this next week!"

WHAT.... OKAY. So the students at THE MISSION are TALKING ABOUT US!!! WHO cares what they are saying, like obviously they have talked about us enough that he knows my name!

WHY I BELIEVE

So at the beginning of Sister King and I's first transfer together and after a long brainstorming session we decided that we wanted to have a Why I Believe Fireside in the Sam Houston 1st Ward. The fireside would be a combination of musical numbers and speakers who are converts and would share their conversion stories. Why they believe in Mormonism and why they became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. BUT, we didn't think that we were ready for that just yet. Finally, In the last couple of weeks in the ward we started to make preparations for it and decided that our ward was in deed ready! 

So the fireside was yesterday, Sunday March 23rd.  Sister King told me that it turned out to be a HUGE success! I was so happy that it worked out!... And guess who came? A couple of the leaders from The Mission! And this is where I will insert parts of Sister King's blog this week. 

"We are sitting there and all of the sudden STEWART walks in with 2 or 3 other people from the mission!  Remember Stewart? The PRESIDENT of THE MISSION at the Lonestar Campus? Johnny (a member of our ward that goes to the mission) told us that they decided that since we always support them, they can support us! They were really impressed. Stewart especially liked President Pingrees talk. He wanted to go up and meet him! So of course we introduced him. He was very subdued! Normally he is very defensive, but we think that the spirit softened his heart. It was cool to see him taking everything in and trying to figure it all out in his head.  He didn't want to leave the chapel. And, when he saw the temples booth, he was very impressed was really curious about that. I looked over at one point and saw him talking to President Pingree and they had a pretty long conversation! Sister Shell and I talked to a bunch of other people and there were quite a few people that were interested in learning more! So we set a few appointments for this week :) 

Because of the fireside we have at least 4 new investigators. At the end, right before we left, President came up to me and said, "I just thought that I would let you know that Stewart just walked up to me and said, 'Sir, would it be alright if I go play the piano in the chapel?' There is something special about that kid!" My jaw almost hit the floor. Of course President said, "Yes, stay as long as you would like!" STEWART?! WHAT? Man... THIS FIRESIDE WAS UNREAL."

Oh I was so happy that this fireside was such a huge success! And now we are working with the Sam Houston 2nd Ward to be ready for something like this!

FOOD WARS

Tuesday we had dinner with our first counselor in the bishopric and his wife, Brother and Sister Norlund. Sister Norlund lived in Hawaii for a while and so they decided to spoil us and take us to a Japanese Seafood Buffet. I was in Heaven! All you can eat clams, crab, and sushi! Oh it was sooooo good! 

Sister Norlund shared this quote that I really liked, "Work like it depends only upon you, Pray like it depends only on God."

Thursday a member of the ward, Michelle Williams, took us to whole foods for dinner and I had this AMAZING grilled cheese sandwich. It reminded me of home and grilled cheese grill food cart in Portland. But, I will have to say that it possible was even better and more unique. It was on wheat bread with brie, fig spread, and almonds. It was savory but then had a sweet bite to it. It almost tasted like I was eating cheese and a mild honey (not too sweet) sandwich... Okay enough of the food. But it definitely had Portland's stamp of approval.

Prayer

In ward conference yesterday our stake president gave a really good talk. In it he talked about prayer and how we need to be careful for what we are asking for. Are we asking for the right thing?

 Now president Lauck is probably in his early 50's and still young, but there is something wrong with his legs and so he can't walk without two hiking sticks to help him. He said that he doesn't pray to be healed but he prays for strength to be able to fulfill all the duties he has as a priesthood holder, father, and husband. I thought that was really inspiring. 

I know that many times I pray for what I want and not necessarily for things that are realistic that they Lord is able to bless us with. Now I'm not saying that miracles aren't possible. I see miracles all the time. But I thought he had great insight into prayer and how we can be better at our communication with Heavenly Father.

I love to see the Temple

We were able to go to the temple and I was so excited because I really felt like I needed direction as to how to help this ward. Sister Walker and I both felt like we needed to pray specifically for help and guidance for this ward as we were going to the session. 

Afterwards I was sitting in the celestial room thinking and praying and listening to the spirit. I felt like I just needed to open the scriptures so I just opened them and I had flipped to the index. I thought "That's weird. How is this supposed to help me." I was about to shut it and open it again, but i realized that I had flipped to reveal in the index. So I started to skim through some of the verses. I was attracted to Alma 26:22 and so I read that verse and continued to read the rest of the chapter. But, verses 26-31 really stood out to me and comforted me, especially when it talks about being patient with our afflictions and eventually the Lord will give us success. That our joy would be made full if we could be the means of saving some. After reading I knew that what I needed to do was to be positive and stay patient. 

Well I'll end with another favorite scripture of the week-

Daniel 12:3 - "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."

Love,

Sister Loo

Searching for the "Gold"en investigators.
Prop credits thanks to Grandma Loo 

At LoneStar campus with the big rubber ducky!

Why I believe fireside...

Temple :)

LDSSA after party...

With Kandice at Bahama Bucks - we had a great lesson with her.

Best Easter package!  I just love my family.

Grace & Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Found It! Well... Kind of.

We found Kristin's birth certificate! After about a month of her telling us that she has been trying to find it, we finally just went over and searched through boxes with her. In the last box, last stack of papers we found it! Now we hope this will motivate her to get a job and get closer to being more independent so she can progress towards baptism. 

We were able to read Family: A Proclamation to the World with her and set goals for her future and the divine qualities she wants to develop and the ones she is looking for in a future spouse. It was great to be able to show her the future and potential she has!

She was also able to attend Jessica Lopez's baptism, an investigator and now member of the Sam Houston 1st YSA- my last area. The spirit was so strong there and afterwards we were able to talk to her about purity and the importance of keeping our bodies clean. 

... And guess what? Afterwards she told us that the birth certificate we found was the wrong one. :( So we will be searching through more boxes this week...

Satanist or Latter-Day Saint?

So after we found Kristin's birth certificate we invited all of her roommates to come to church on Sunday. We even invited her roommate, Phil who we heard was a Satanist. He replies, "Oh ya I'll go. I mean I've beeen to a Mormon church before. My abuela was Mormon. Actually I got baptized... when I was 8? Do they still have those scratchy walls in the church buildings?" 

What???? Phil is a member! Soooo crazy! Unfortunately he didn't come this week but we hope to see him next week with Kristin's boyfriend! 

Baptism of Jessica and My buddy Frank

Saturday Jessica got baptized. She is the girlfriend of a member Limhi. They are the cutest and I love them so much. Her baptism was wonderful and the spirit was so strong. She has such a bright future ahead of her and a lot of her non member friends came to support her. 

Frank was also at the baptism and so I was able to talk to him for a bit! I was so excited to talk to him. He has a baptismal date set for the 3rd of May! He was telling me that he is getting impatient for May 3rd. I told him, "Well you can get baptized sooner if you'd like. Even right now!" He laughed but wants to wait for his friend, Erin, to get back from BYU.

He is getting fellowshipped into the ward so well and everyone loves him. Apparently a couple of testimony meetings ago, everyone bore their testimony about Frank. It will be a wonderful day when Frank get's baptized. He is even bringing his little sister Daisy to church now and she loves it. He is becoming quite the little missionary now to his family! 

Grace

This week I have been studying about Grace If you haven't read Brad Wilcox talk, "His Grace is Sufficient" I suggest that you read it this week. It is AMAZING! I seriously want to laminate it and stick it in the back of my scriptures, that's how much I absolutely love it.

 ... And everyone here in Texas loves grace of course! But as Latter-Day Saints we view grace in a different way. We definitely believe we have been saved by grace. Absolutely. But Brad Wilcox says, "Have you been CHANGED by grace?"

There are too many quotes to write down, so I thought I would just include a few of my favorites:

"As dark as night may come, we can always count on the sun coming up. As dark as our trials, sins and mistakes may appear, we can always have confidence in the grace of Jesus Christ."

"There should never be just two options: perfection or giving up. Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives. We do not discover that Christ requires nothing of us. Rather we discover the reason He requires so much and the strength to do all He asks."

"The great Mediator asks for our repentance not because we must 'repay' him in exchange for his paying our debt to justice, but because repentance initiates a developmental process, that with the Savior's help, leads us along the path to a saintly character."

I am so thankful to my Savior and the mercy and grace that he has provided me through his Atonement. I know that I wouldn't be able to be out here on a mission without his strength, comfort, and help. I love my Heavenly Father so much and know that I can talk to him through prayer. He is waiting for me to talk to him and waiting to help me, to bless me. I am thankful to have the gift of the Holy Ghost so that I can receive answers and guidance. 

Love y'all so much! 

Sister Loo

Tracting and came across this lovely door...
... we didnt knock on the door of course

With Phil's really ugly dog

The fake birth certificate 

Sister Walker and I trying to eat healthy...

...but then a member gave us cake and we couldn't resist.

I am actually missing golf!... So I had to take a picture at the CC. 

Jessica's baptism

Gettin' Bruises on My Knees :)

LDSSA & the beast 

So this week there were some definite changes that needed to happen with LDSSA. We had a coordination meeting with our Ward Mission Leader and we realized that he adapts to the different missionaries that serve in this ward. With one he would have more fun, with another he would have to provide positive feedback each week. He would adapt to whatever the needs were of the missionaries to help the missionary work be fun! So he told me this last week that when he first saw me he thought, "Wow! This is a whole new beast." Hmm... Not quite sure if that's a good or a bad thing... but ok!

Samoan Power Exchange

This week I went on exchanges with Sister Tofa in my first family ward! It was the best! I have never talked to more older people since being on my mission! Most of the people they are teaching are over 60 which is a big difference then what I'm used to. I have to say I was a little nervous.

First, we had an amazing dinner, Korean hot pot with rice! I was in heaven, they even had kim chi. :)

And then earlier in the day we visited an older lady and her friend at a rehab and recovery center. This lady (Cindie) has MS and shares a room with a member (Tina). Tina talks to Cindie all the time about the gospel and the elders had come to visit her a couple days earlier to give them a blessing.

Cindie is amazing. She used to be a teacher and she really listens to understand what we were saying. I was talking to her about the difference between apostasy and dispensations and she stops me and says, "wait go back... I need you to say that again." So I explained and she says, "Ok. that makes sense. That's beautiful." She is so smart and so receptive to the spirit.

It was amazing because when we were talking about the priesthood power (the authority to act in God's name) we related it to the priesthood blessing she received from the Elder's. She absolutely loved it and understood more of the blessing of the priesthood. We talked to her about Joseph Smith and the first vision and asked her what she thought about it. "Well why not? Tell me why Joseph Smith wouldn't have saw God and Jesus Christ. I definitely believe that could happen." We introduced the Book of Mormon and read Moroni 10:4-5 and she thought it was beautiful. Since she can't read the small print in the Book of Mormon sister Tofa is going to get her the Book of Mormon on CD so she can listen to it.

At the end of the lesson she gave us the biggest compliment. She told us that she felt the same peacefulness that she felt when the Elder's were giving her the blessing. And then she said, "Wow! I can see how much you love what you are talking about. Your face just brightens up and you love what you have been talking to me about. I can feel that. I will definitely pray and ask Heavenly Father if what you have been talking to me about is true." Sister Tofa and I were in tears. The spirit was so strong. I can't wait for her to continue to learn about the gospel.

Quote of the Week

"Sow a thought reap a habit, sow a habit, reap action, sow an action reap character, sow a character reap eternal destiny."

Which correlates with Mosiah 4:30

"But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not."

I love this gospel. Keep up the faith.

Love,

Sister Loo

We got a waffle maker!!!  Thank you Sister Walker's mom!

More Texans... God Bless Texas! 

With Sister Tofa... The sun needs to come back because I am
looking way too white! 

When all else fails...go to Bahama Bucks...
Shave ice and smoothies makes everything better...
Plus its free! (thanks to Bro. & Sis. Meier) 

First time at the Laundromat

6 Months!

Proud of Noa

My little sister Noa got baptized on Saturday and I could not be more proud of her! She is such a great example and has taken such a big step in her life! I know that Heavenly Father is so proud of her and the decision she has made! :)

Noa and sisters on baptism day...

It was a good reminder of a lesson that Sister Walker and I gave to a less active. Probably one of my top 5 favorite lessons so far out on the mission. 

We talked about the armor of God and how it can protect us from the fiery darts of the wicked on our journey. (Ephesians 6:13-17). We then led that in to how each week at church we are able to partake of the sacrament and clean our armor. We are able to make it shiny and new. That during the week it may get dirty or have a few dents and scratches but we have the wonderful opportunity each week to get shiny and new. And as a result we are able to have the Holy Ghost with us. 

The spirit was truly guiding what we needed to say to the less active member. She was scared and nervous to come back because it had been a long time since she has come to church. I felt the spirit so strongly and fighting back tears I said to her, "It can be scary. I remember feeling that way and being nervous to walk into the chapel. But when you make that first step into the building you are able to feel Heavenly Father's love for you in making the decision to come and you will feel much better. He wants you to be there, Satan doesn't which is why he is making you feel that way."

I love the sacrament and that we are able to be cleansed and renew our covenants that we have made at baptism. It is something that Noa will be able to do each week from now on. :) So proud of her!

Back to little mexico

We got to go back to "little mexico" this week and taught Laura. Unfortunately she has 3 kids and a boyfriend who doesn't speak English. So she is taking the lessons from the Spanish missionaries (she wants her boyfriend to come to our church with her and receive the lessons in spanish).

We were able to teach her the Restoration. She has had a really hard past and made some really big mistakes. She has felt the strong influence of the Holy Ghost in her life these past couple weeks and is wanting to change. At the end of the lesson she said, "So you really mean I can be forgiven of all the things that I've done?" Yes. Yes you can! Isn't it wonderful? She loved the book of Mormon and is interested in learning more. She says that she will be baptized when she receives the answer that it is the right thing for her to do and knows that its true. 

This is why I love being a missionary so much! To be able to share my testimony and the knowledge of forgiveness and the power of the Atonement. Laura is able to be forgiven of her sins and know that Heavenly Father loves her. He is proud that she is coming back to him and wanting to change. Proud that she is reaching out to him again and that he can talk to her again. 

Other Fun Facts

• Apparently there are no beans in Texas chili. Our second counselor made that clear in church yesterday over the pulpit.

• LDSSA is up and running. Last week we had about 7 people there and Sister Walker and I made cupcakes for it. It was a success! We hope to have more people there this week!

• Visited with a member and his father about the different house pets they had. It was a pretty funny conversation- a seal (which they kept in their swimming pool), skunk, raccoon, and toucan were among the list.

How do you get your rest?

At zone conference a sister bore her testimony on the scripture in Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest." She had received a letter from her sister who has a 2 year old son and a newborn. Her sister just wanted to lay down on the couch and rest but was unable to. So she ended her letter with, How do you get your rest?

This sister thought about the above scripture. So I want to pose to you the same question, How do you get your rest? When life gets hard or when you are feeling down and all you want to do is give up and not move forward, lean toward Heavenly Father and get your "rest" through him. When we look towards him in time of need, when we are reading our scriptures, praying, and doing those things that we know that are right we will be able to find our "rest" in him.

Love you all so much! 

Sister Loo

"The quantity of darkness surrounding us in the world simply doesn't matter. Light is eternal and is vastly more powerful than darkness. If we remain worthy of the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit, our souls can reflect sufficient light to displace any amount of darkness, and others will be drawn to that light within us."

Nothing says celebrating 6 months out
on the mission like WAFFLES!

When you pray and ask God where you are supposed to go...
And you are inspired to go to Hobby Lobby...
We get there and see this... WOW!
So many options of people to teach :)! Truly inspired.

Back to "little Mexico"