THE BEAUTIFUL MISSION LIFE

Talofa : )

Hello amazing family and friends!!! I cannot even believe this will be my last letter before yet another transfer =/. It is definitely a bitter sweet time; especially with my amazing companion and friend, Sister Sekona, going home. We have definitely been doing everything we can to make sure she finishes her mission with a BANG! It has not been easy, but it has been so worth it :)

To update on my being sick the past couple of weeks, I was finally able to get to the doctor and was diagnosed with a lovely sinus infection, ear infection, and bacterial infection in my throat!! YAYYY! Hah, I feel like a real missionary now ;)

As for the work, thank you everyone who has kept our investigators in your prayers!!! I know that everything would not have fallen so perfectly in place without them! You all are amazing. All three, Alika, Lua, and Mai are getting baptized this Saturday!! It's been insane getting everything set up and ready to go, but I know we couldn't have done it without the Lord's help. It is such a testimony to me to see how much Heavenly Father loves His children! Mai is progressing like a rocket and has such a strong testimony of this gospel! Her family back home in Vietnam, although not members of the church, have been SO supportive! Sometimes I feel like Lua is teaching us. Whenever we ask her questions like: "What does it mean to you to know there is a living Prophet on the earth today?" She can just go on and on of different ways it has already blessed her life! She's amazing. Alika is just awesome. He simply knows that this gospel is true, and because he knows that, he is willing to do all that the Lord has asked of him. They are being so blessed...I can't wait to send pictures next week so you all can put faces to the names : )

The Visitor's Center and the tram tours at the PCC have been so good. Even though there are not as many people at the PCC, our self-referrals somehow manage to go up. We feel like it is because we are able to talk to the guests on a more personal level when there are less people; so it's still going good! I had the most amazing experience on Monday with one of my tram tours. There was a man and his wife and kid, and the man had so many awesome questions! So I took him to the temple corner in the VC, where it shows the restoration of the gospel. I began teaching him the restoration....so rewind...After we show the guests the 5 minute History Video of Laie, they only have about 7-10 minutes to look around and take pictures. BUT,as I was teaching him, I could not deny the feeling as if time had stopped! I was able to teach him so much, and when I looked down at my watch only about 6 minutes had passed by. It was the coolest experience ever. Anyway, after teaching about Joseph Smith, he then, so sincerely, asked if there was a still a Prophet today? I told him absolutely! He was amazed and continued to thank me for sharing this with him. I then testified to him that I know that God's church has been restored upon the earth again, and that Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to return to Him. I then testified that I know Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that he did translate The Book of Mormon, and that The Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He, speechless, just looked up and said thank you for everything, this has been amazing! We, with the wife and child walked to the bus together, and then He asked, so where can I buy a Book of Mormon? My heart totally skipped a beat!! I told him that on the guest card we will pass out, he can check that he would like a copy of it, and that we would have missionaries come by and bring him one for free! He was so happy, thanked me again and hopped on the bus. I had never had an experience like that before. It is so amazing how the spirit can teach and testify simply through our testimonies!! I love being a missionary : )

I wish I had more to report for this week, but it has just been super busy running around and teaching the gospel! Hah, the beautiful mission life : ) Sister Sekona and I are speaking in our Samoan Ward on Sunday for 25 minutes each, so that should be interesting. Please wish me luck and pray for me, haha.  I love you all SO much, and feel so blessed every day to be here doing the Lord's work. In the words of Mai, "Wow, we are so lucky to know the truth!" She is so right. Every day I feel so blessed that I know the truth of God's plan for us; a plan of happiness. I know that as we follow the Prophet, especially with conference coming up this next weekend, holding steadfast to the Iron Rod (1 Nephi chapter 8), we will gain eternal life. I love this gospel, and I love you all.

Mahalo nia loa!

Sister Moyes

P.S. Sister Fish, Sister Looney, Sister Sekona, and I are playing/singing an arrangement we created on the Ukelele's of "Love at Home" for our musical fireside we're hosting this Sunday : ) So excited!

P.S.S  AND, when we were at Kahuku Grill a couple of nights ago, we walked by a family and one of them said, "Sister Moyes!?" I turned and was confused, but said hello! They're last name was Moyes, too!! They're members, just dropping off their daughter at BYU-H from Arizona! So that's the family I have a picture with : )

YO-LOHA

Talofa family and friends!!

Are you surprised to know that this week was yet again another amazing week? It started out kind of rough because I got pretty sick =/ But all is well. I decdied that the only thing that helped take my mind off of things was just working. I'm doing like 90% better, so that's good! But nonetheless, we were still able to see the coolest miracles ever. I wish I could convey how perfect everything worked out. 

But before I tell you our miracles, I would like to note that I have officially been accepted into the Samoan community! Sister Sekona and I were at dinner with a family, and they served us fish and lamb, and corn beef. Welp, the fish was literally taken out of the water, onto the grill, and then on to my plate. Haha, I looked at my companion, and she told me to eat up!! Without any utensils to use, the Sister is sitting there waiting for our approval of the taste of the fish, so I just pick it up and eat awayyy. All I have to say is, it is a very very good thing I like fish!! She was so impressed that a Palangi (white person) would eat everything she served us :) I was happy. It is so worth it, though. Most of these families don't have much, and what they do have, they seriously prepare it all for the missionaries when we come over for dinner. I love Polynesians!!

Updates: Alika, Mai, and Lua are all getting baptized on the 29th! So it is going to be one busy dayyyyyy! There were just a few logistics that had to be worked out, but they're all ready to go now! They are all doing great, and progressing so well. Every time we teach them we are just amazed by how prepared they have been to learn about the gospel. But keep them in your prayers :)

Miracle#1: Alika had to cancel his appointment in need to work on a group project, but Sister Sekona and I felt very impressed to still go over to his house because his uncle mentioned that he had some nonmember boys living with him. So we stopped by, and what do you know, there was a nonmember there!! We asked if we could teach him a lesson, he said yes, we got a return appointment, NEW INVESTIGATOR!!! So amazing.

Miracle#2: On our tram, Sister Sekona and I were kind of bummed because we only had a couple of people on our tram tours that night, but our last tram we were completely full, and there was a lady I was able to talk to for a while, and after talking and helping her understand more about the gospel she said that she would definitely be interested in learning more about the religion! So awesome. Then, as I'm walking back to the tram I caught up with these two girls visiting from Russia, and they were so excited and amazed by the temple!! She asked what it was all about. I told her it is a place where man and woman can be sealed or married for more than just this life, but for all eternity. She asked if I was kidding! Haha, I told her I was definitely not, and told her that if she made certain preparations she could be married in there some day!! She said that she definitely wanted to be married for all eternity. Both friends self-reffered one on eternal families and the other asking for a copy of The Book of Mormon! It was such a blessing. Especially seeing someone as excited as they should be!! The temple is amazing!!!

Miracle#3: Because of being sick, I've had to take naps this week. Well, I forgot to set the alarm, so we woke up about 10 minutes late for our dinner appointment, so we go to park the car a block away from the house. We get out of the car, and a family, who we had been trying to get a hold of for about a week now, was right about to get into their car!! We called their names, and their faces just lit up!! They were so excited to see us because they got a new phone number and were unable to contact us. We set an appointment, and met with them yesterday, teaching the whole family about Lehi's dream! Oh, btw, this is the same family that got married, and came to church after not having come in forever!! I seriously love them. They are doing so much right now to make things right in their lives, and the Lord is truly blessing them.

Heavenly Father has taught me so much this week. Every day we are seeing people change, and witnessing the gospel of Jesus Christ transforming lives! It is the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. Heavenly Father loves His children so much!!!! I feel so grateful to be here, and can't wait to see what miracles lie ahead in this next week and half with Sister Sekona before she goes home!! Then, yet again, another transfer = / Time is too fast. 

I love you all, and appreciate everything everyone has done and is doing for me. I love feeling your prayers. Have a great weekend, and don't ever forget that you are a child of God!!

A MIRACULOUS WEEK

Aloha and Talofa Lava!!!!

Uhmm, okay. This gospel is true! I just had to make sure that everyone knows that I know that. This has been the best week of my entire life, and I know that it was all because Heavenly Father has helped us find those who are so prepared to receive the "good news," --the gospel. I have such a strong testimony that as we continue to fast, pray, and work our hardest, God can trust us to teach His children. Well, let's begin:

Miracle #1: Even though the Visitor Center has been slowing down a little bit because summer is pretty much over, we are still getting a ton of non-members. We usually set a goal to get at least 1 self referral during our shift. There was a day that Sister Sekona and I prayed throughout the day that we would still get three self-referrals from non-members who walked in. Usually in the mornings it is full of just members, but we still had faith that we would be able to accomplish our goal. Well, it happened. One of our tours was with a member family who had two aunties who were not members. After our tour, focusing on Eternal Families, they said that they knew they needed to know more, because family is way too important to not be with them for all eternity!! TWO self-referrals. Then, while I was giving a tour, Sister Sekona was on another tour, and her tour lasted about five minutes. I was bummed when I saw them walk towards the door, because I thought that the lady had said 'no' to her. Well, after I gave my tour she tells me that after teaching her that the gospel of Jesus Christ has once more been restored upon the earth so that God's children can know the way to return to God again, (as simple as that) she said she had to learn more! SOOO cool. BAM... Three Self-Referrals. 

Miracle #2: I'm pretty sure I mentioned how an inactive couple we are working with came to church for the first time in about 20 years on Sunday, yeah? Well, it gets better. They got married this past week, too!!! They have three kids, and we are soooooo happy for them. They are doing everything they can to follow Christ, and it has been such a blessing to see how much happier they are, as well as how much they are being blessed. THIS WORK IS AWESOME!!

Miracle#3.....so, speaking of three. Alright, get ready for the best news of your life!!!!! Alika is definitely getting baptized, but because of family items we had to move it to the 22nd, but it is set!! THEN, the 12-year-old Samoan girl, Lua, well, we got permission from her parents to teach her!!!!!!!!!! We met with her on Tuesday, taught her about the gospel of Jesus Christ, committed her to baptism for the 29th of September, and she said absolutely!! She has such a strong testimony of God's love for her in her life. She is so amazing, and her faith could seriously move mountains. SO that is baptism number 2 for the month. 

THEN last week I mentioned that a girl in our YSA (BYUH) Ward has a non-member roommate, well, we met her on Sunday! She is the sweetest girl ever, and I have already learned so much from her. She is from Vietnam, is here at BYUH because a member of the church told her mom about the school, and they both felt it would be the best school for her to go to. Well, she agreed to meet with us for this Wednesday (yesterday), and we taught her the Doctrine of Christ... or in simple terms, the steps that we need to do in order to receive Eternal Happiness...being: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End!! She LOVED it. She has practiced Buddhism back home, but she said she knows there is a God. When we asked how she came to know this, she said that she has just always felt like there has to be a reason we are all here or it just wouldn't make sense!! We told her she was right, and that God does have a plan for us, and he has provided a way that will allow us to return to Him. We asked what that meant to her and she explained that she would just feel hopeless and so lost if these things we taught weren't true!!! YEAH, that just happened!!!! So, we popped the question, and asked her that if we continued to meet with her, and teach her more about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and she came to know that all of these things are true, if she would be baptized by the proper authority of God. She immediately nodded her head. Sister Sekona and I look at each other, and knew we needed to go further. Sister Sekona asked her if it would be okay to set a goal, or a date, to be baptized by. She said yes, again! I told her we had prayed about a date, and felt like, as she prays, and reads the scriptures, and learns of these things, that she would feel prepared for that date. We told her that date is at the end of the month, on September 29th! She of course said, yes definitely. Baptism #3. Words cannot even describe how happy we are for these three. They are such special children of God, and I know that Baptism is the gateway that puts us on the path of happiness towards our Heavenly Father, and know that they will be forever blessed for this decision they are making!

Miracle #4: On our tram tour Sister Sekona and I had set a goal to get five self-referrals from our guests (about one per tour), and man, did we see the missionary work go forward! As we brought them into the Visitors' Center, had them watch the 5-minute presentation about the history of Laie, BYUH, and the Temple, they came out from the theater, and all of the VC sisters came and talked one on one with them all. We got four self-referrals just from one tour!!! Then, from our other tours we received one each. Getting us 7 self-referrals; or 7 people/families who agreed to let the missionaries come over and teach them more. I love this so much. It's not about the numbers, but it's about the people who represent that number. And those are 7 people/families who's lives will never be the same as they come to know of the truth for themselves!! 

I love this work so muchhhhh!! The gospel is so true, and I love knowing that. I love knowing that I have a loving Heavenly Father who wants all of His children to learn and come to find the truth so that we can return to Him again. I know that His plan of Happiness is for us to go through trials and challenges, including trials of our faith, that will help us grow and reach our full potential.  It's amazing. I love the Hawaii Honolulu Mission. I love that I get to be a part of this marvelous work full-time for 18 months.  

And don't worry, we're definitely having fun. With the work, and other times as well. Hah, I'm sure you'll be able to see that from the pictures. But Sister Sekona and I are one of a kind!! We have so much fun, especially when I sneak up on her  pouring water on her, and it becomes a battle, then the pad is so wet I end up slipping and falling right on my back and then getting a whole pitcher of water dumped on me, haha! Good times : ) Anyway, family and friends, you are so amazing, and I can truly feel all of your prayers every day. Thank you for your support, and your letters. May God continue to bless all of you as well!!

 LOVE YOU ALL : )

P.S. I can officially play five Primary songs on the Ukalele, haha.

"LIKE" THE HAWAII VISITORS CENTER on FACEBOOK : )

Talofa friends and family : )  

"LIKE" THE HAWAII VISITORS CENTER on FACEBOOK : )

As Sister Sekona and I have been fasting and praying, we have been able to see so many miracles in our area!! We've been so blessed. There will be times where we try all week to contact people, and they will randomly pop up wherever we might be, then agree to let us come teach them! We are still working on the 12 year-old girl in our Samoan ward, because of legal issues with the parents of letting us teach her, but I know that the Lord will provide a way; He always does. As for Baptisms, so far our zone has 15 with a baptismal date, and are reaching for 15 more before the end of the month!! It's gonna be crazy awesome. We have been trying to find investigators for a second and third baptism. Cool thing was, we got a call the other night from a student at BYU-H who said that her roommate is not a member, and really wants to meet with us. We cannot wait to teach her. Alika still has his date for the 15th of September, but still really need your prayers for him that he will be able to stick with this date!! 

Polynesian Culutural Center

The Visitor's Center has been slowing down a little bit, but still getting some amazing tours! This week has been crazy because of the amazing guests coming in!! My beautiful friend Kelsey Gates, who is leaving for her mission in a month came in to see me, Ashlyn Hewlett was on my tram tour, and some other friends who served in my ward in the Bishopric at BYU!!....oh shoot, I think I forgot to mention that uhm...oh RAVEN SYMONE came in as well!!! I pretty much made a fool out of myself, don't worry! My companion had/has no idea of who she is, so she was talking to her and her two guy friends, and I came and joined them and as soon as I looked at her face, got completely starstruck, and asked if she was Raven Symone??! She said she was, told us that they were in Hawaii because she and her friends just finished doing "Sister Act" on Broadway in NYC, and were just here to celebrate. Then she asked what the big white building outside was, so we took them on a tour teaching them about the temple and then about the Book of Mormon. It kinda seemed like she was ready to leave, so I asked if we could get a picture together. We told her we felt bad because she probably gets that all the time, but she was really sweet about it, so that was cool. 

RAVEN SYMONE in the center

The members of the Samoan ward are still welcoming us with their arms wide open; which has been really nice. It has been kind of hard these past few weeks, though because our ward mission leader has been in the hospital =/ So, they are always in our prayers as well. But, the best thing ever that happened was that the family who had not come to church in 20 years came to Church this Sunday!!!! It was so amazing. I could not even express how neat that was to see. The Lord truly blesses His children when we are ready to change and do His will. 

Sorry, I know this letter is probably lame, but the work is going so well. I've never been so tired in my life, and my English is getting TERRIBLE!! But, hey, all is well. Sister Sekona is probably the hardest worker I've ever met, and I am so grateful for her example. Even today on our P-day, she is still making phone calls, checking up on appointments...etc. She's amazing. This is the hardest most emotionally, spiritually, and physically exhausting thing I have done in my life, but finding the one, makes it so worth it. I know that I wouldn't be able to do this without Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. They are always there when we need help getting back up after we have fallen. This gospel is true. I KNOW it. And I am so blessed to share it with others every single day. May you all feel the love of God in your life as you look for all that He has blessed you with already :) I love you all so much, and hope everyone has an awesome weekend and hope everyone will 'like' the Hawaii Visitors' Center on Facebook!! 

Mahalo!!!