"SAVE HE SHALL FIND A WAY"

Family and Friends, Aloha =)

Hmm. I don't even know what to say about this past week, and I know that my words will be insufficient in describing our miracles. We saw so many beautiful and miraculous things that every time I even think about it I tear up. I feel bad because my letter last week was super long, so I'll only emphasize stories that really had an impact on us, and hope that as you all read them, will feel the love and influence of the Lord in the work. 

Some quickies:

* The 16- year-old boy from our chat who is now meeting with the missionaries, we called him and he wasn't able to go to church on Sunday BUT, he said that the missionaries invited his whole family to go to church next Sunday, and they all agreed!! We are so happy! All because one boy wanted to find truth, and now His whole family's lives will be changed forever = )

* The ward mission leaders in the YSA  1st stake got together and decided to have a free car wash to allow the missionaries opportunities to give out copies of the Book of Mormon, lesson pamphlets, and Finding Happiness DVD's, etc. It was such a success. Not only did I get some sweet tan-lines, hah, but we received 2 member referrals, and then my awesome companion was able to get one self-referral = ) Definitely a success.

Other Miracles of the week:

Miracle #1:

It has been so crazy hearing all about the huge storm back east! We always pray for those who have been affected by it, and pray that they will feel comfort and peace through the gospel of Jesus Christ. But then we had a Tsunami here in Hawaii on Saturday night. Let me just say, it was a moment that I will never forget in my whole life. Our pads where we stay are up on the hill of the temple. At about 8 pm when Sister Gamba and I headed home from doing online work, we hear the Sirens going off. As we get closer to home, probably every car in Laie was driving up to the Temple Parking lot. Once the lot filled everyone was parking in the field in between the temple and our pads. I cannot even express how overwhelmed I felt at this time as we looked out seeing everyone gather to the temple during a time such as this. It was so beautiful seeing everyone together where we have been promised we will be safe; and I knew that we were. It was as if nothing was wrong. Everyone was with their families and singing hymns. I love this gospel. I know it is true, and I know that no matter what happens in this earthly life, if we always rely upon the Lord for help and strength, we will gain our reward in Heaven.

Miracle #2:

Sister's Conference

A spur of the moment event occurred yesterday! Sister Dalton found out that Sister Barbara Barrington Jones was in Hawaii, and asked if she would come talk to all the Sister Missionaries on the island here at the VC. She gladly said yes, and I am forever grateful. She has written six books about the worth of women, has trained many Miss America winners, goes all over the world as a motivational speaker, and she was AMAZING. It was exactly what every one of us Sisters needed to hear. She really helped us see how much potential we have as daughters of a perfect God. There was SO much more that she taught us, but will have to fill in the gaps in the future.

Miracle #3

We talked with a 19-year-old guy from NY on chat, prayed with him, and he said that he has never felt this kind of happiness in his whole entire life! He said he wanted to go to church and meet with the missionaries on Sunday....then the chat disconnected!! BAHHH, we were so sad, and didn't know what to do. It happens all the time, but just felt so good about this chat with him. The next day we get online to chat, and in our inbox we have a message forwarded from Salt Lake from HIM!...Saying that he was on mormon.org chat the night before with Sister Moyes and Sister Gamba, but he accidentally exited out of the chat, and was trying to find some way to get reconnected with us. We just started crying! Because we now had his e-mail address. We went to e-mail him back, but as we were doing that we got a chat. Out of the 20 other missionaries online that could have received this chat, it was sent to us...Lo and behold, it was him. We could not believe how perfect this was. We were all in amazement, and he told us he knew this was the path that he needed to be on; that this was all too perfect. Well, we had another amazing lesson with him, and then set up an appointment for the following day. When we get on, we were worried because he wasn't on. It was an hour and a half later that we get a notification for his chat!! He apologized a million times because he had fallen asleep right after work. We told him not to worry, and asked him what he did for work. He then. . . hesitant. . . explained that he wasn't sure if his job (a model for Abercrombie & Fitch) was against what the church stood for or not . Well, after teaching him about the standards of the church, we asked him what he felt like he should do. He then types, "well, I love my job! and, I love the people that I get to work with every day." We held our breaths. He then said, "but as for being a model...no. way." BAH, we could not believe our eyes!!! Just like that. Just like that, he said that he was done. He understood the worth of our bodies, and how the Lord wants us to portray the beauty that this divine gift is for us. He understood, and knew what he needed to do. He is truly amazing, and is such an example of what it means to be an example of the believers. He went to church on Sunday to meet with the missionaries; we're still waiting to hear how it went, but cannot wait to see the blessings that are in store for him!

Well, I'll end with my testimony. I know this gospel is the truth of God restored upon the earth today. I know that if we truly have the desire to find the truth, and to do what is right, then just as with the 19-year-old, God will provide a way. We have agency to choose and to act, and I know that if we choose to follow God and do His will, He will provide the way (1 Nephi 3:7 :  ". . . 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."). I love this gospel, and I love seeing our prayers answered every single day. This gospel has only brought me happiness and strength. "I know it, I love it, and I live it." Love you all so much, and I am praying every day for my friends and family back east. Don't forget that God is always there.

Love Always,

Sister Moyes

ALL IN THE LORD'S TIMING

Kumusta Po Kayo, or Hello Everyone!! 

(In my new language of Tagalog, learned from my lovely companion)

This has been an AMAZING week full of miracles!!! Both online and in the Visitors' Center.

How easy we are to forget sometimes how perfect the Lord's timing is =) That is something I have definitely been able to learn this week. Things started a little slow, and that can sometimes be discouraging, but as Sister Gamba and I truly put all of our heart, might, mind, and strength into the work and our studies, Heavenly Father provided people for us to teach in the end....and just some cool experiences in general! So, we have a lot of miracles this week. Here they go:

Miracle#1 

We had some AMAZING chats this week! THREE of those we chatted with this week accepted our invitation to meet with missionaries in their area :) This is a miracle because Sister Gamba said that last transfer, there was only a total of three who accepted that invitation through out the whole transfer! We now so far have sent the missionaries to 5 people in the past three weeks! It is definitely all in the Lord's timing.They each have incredible stories. It is truly amazing to experience being online. We get to talk to people from all over the world, many who are just trying to "prove us wrong," or argue, or tell us that we have not received a witness for ourselves that these things are true. It is heartbreaking every time, because we know how much this gospel can bless their lives, and how much happier they can be by simply keeping the commandments of God. But then, Heavenly Father makes it so worth it when you have those who are the elect, coming on to find truth; to find peace and happiness in this life that only through the gospel can bring us. This gospel is true; and nothing can change that. "The Standard of Truth has been erected, no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, til the purpose of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done," I absolutely love this quote. I know it is true, and I know that this gospel can and will change us if we do everything we can to live by its precepts.

P.S. The one 16-year-old is still being taught by the missionaries, so that is awesome as well! 

Miracle#2

For whatever reason, we have been getting a lot of people on chat asking us to show them "proof" that what we teach is in the Bible as well. What is incredible is, when I was determining what I wanted to focus my Personal Study on this week, I felt very inspired to study Preach My Gospel more heavily. So I decided that I would start with the second chapter, where it teaches about having an effective study. There are different "activities" that it provides. One of them was to go through the book of The Acts, read every chapter summary, pick out main points or doctrine that it talks about. As I did this, I saw so many doctrines that are very simple and clear in their! Some of them I understand may be hard to follow, but if they want biblical proof there it was! We then get on chat, and we were just in awe, as every single person who came online asked about those doctrines that I had just studied in my Personal Study, that of course I shared with my companion previously. We were able to give them references, as well as our testimonies of how living by these principles will bless our lives. I know that the Lord leads and guides even our studies so that we will not feel like we are going to war without sword and shield, but He truly does provide the whole Armor of God, so that we can accomplish the work He has set out for us to do.

Miracle #3

So the Sisters who were online in February, one of them remembered that there was an investigator that they dropped because she felt like she was being pressured in being baptism. SO, she, Sister Bowser, transferred her to our contacts, we e-mailed her, asked if she was interested in learning more about the gospel again, and she said YES! She said that she has realized how much happier and better her life is when she is living by the teachings of Jesus Christ. She said that she wants to get back into taking the lessons from us! (She can't meet the missionaries because of family). So we are so excited to be teaching her again!

Miracle #4 

Sister Gamba and I had the most amazing tours during our shift yesterday! It was slow all morning, as it usually is on Mondays, but somehow we managed to find THREE self-referrals! I guess it's the lucky number this week, haha. But I think our favorite tour was this husband and wife, he being from Germany, and she from Chile (I have no idea how they met), but they came in, here on vacation, and wondered what the big white building outside was! We explained to them that it was a temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Hah, the husband, in his awesome German accent, "AHHH I think I have heard of before!" We told them that the temple is a blessing to have and we would love to share more about why that is! While in temple corner, we come to find that they really don't practice a religion. At first it seemed as if the husband wasn't interested, and was ready to go, but then we showed the the Sealing room. We explained that everything we do in the temple is to draw ourselves closer to God. As we make promises to Him, we are able to have wonderful blessings in return. Then explaining that one of those blessings is that we can be bound, or sealed to our families forever! The wife hit her husband in the stomach, and said, "Hey, are you listening?" Haha. The husband then asked how we felt about divorce. Then without hesitation we replied that if both husband and wife are willing to do everything it takes to accept the teachings of Jesus Christ into our lives, that He will strengthen our family relationships and that nothing is unfixable. The wife hit her husband again saying, "Did you hear that?!" We then asked if they wanted to learn more about how Jesus Christ can bless their lives. They immediately answered yes and filled out the card with their information! They were so sweet. They insisted we take pictures with them, and then we said our goodbyes! Everything happens in the Lord's timing; even on a slow Monday!

Miracle #5

I promise this is the last one! But it is super cool!! So the BYU acapella singing group, "Vocal Point," was here at BYU-H for a concert, and we were all super bummed that we wouldn't be able to go see them. Well, Sunday morning, during my shift, they walked right into the VC! It was so fun getting to talk to them, finding out that one of them is married to a good friend of mine from the EL ED program at BYU. Soon after I asked them how much convincing it would take for them to sing a couple songs for us =) They said they would love to, especially with the Christus in the room. It was SO incredible. I cannot describe the spirit that was there that morning! It was so beautiful to hear them sing "Come Thou Fount," and "I Need Thee Every Hour." Then, they offered if the 6 sisters that were on shift, if we wanted to sing a song with them! So of course we did, and sang "I am a child of God." One of the coolest experiences of my life.

Alright, I think I've said way too much. I'm sorry it's so long, but this week has just been so full of miracles and blessings! I know that none of it would be possible without all of your prayers, the help of the Lord, and the knowledge I have of this true and everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ. This message is true, and I love waking up every morning know that I get to share a message of happiness, peace, comfort, guidance, and purpose! Keep sharing the gospel with everyone you know. You will never regret it! I love you all so much, and am so grateful to be here at this very time to be a missionary for my Lord and Savior, to say and do what He himself would say and do. Don't ever be afraid to be bold. Remember who you are =)

Love Always,

Sister Annie Moyes

YOU KNOW YOU'RE AN ONLINE SISTER WHEN. . .

You know you're an online Sister when.....

* You know the name of every person who has a "I'm a Mormon" video on mormon.org
* You freak out after pressing Enter for another paragraph, thinking it is going to send your  e-mail when you weren't ready to send it yet!
* Because of being in Visitors Center all day, you go home and are trying to wash your hands wondering why the sink isn't automatically turning on.
* You get on the computer to call referrals and you find your fingers already signing you into chat.
* The Joseph Smith movie is playing over and over in your mind because guests are always watching it in the room next door.

Haha!!!   ALOoooooo-HA family and friends : )

I cannot even wait to tell you about this week! First of all, I absolutely love the new sisters who just came in a couple weeks ago!! They are such hard workers and I love the enthusiasm and fire they have in them. We always joke around because it seems like the VC
 is turning into the Blondes and the Asians. We all have a blast together though. AND, Sister Ogawa and Sister Chen think it is the coolest thing that I love Asian food, so they make me sushi and curry on a weekly basis. I love it :) As for the work, the Visitor's Center has been full of girls coming in to share their news with us, the Sisters, that they are almost 19 and getting their mission papers ready! It is so fun. We're always so excited and happy for them! 

Online has been INCREDIBLE! We had three HUGE miracles!

Miracle #1
It was about 7:30 at night (Hawaii time), and we get a chat from a 16-year-old boy who mentions that he feels really lost right now, and really just wants to give his life more purpose. After asking some inspired questions, we come to understand how badly He wants to know God loves him, but says it is hard sometimes. We promised him that God DOES love him, and he has a plan of happiness for each and every one of us! We were able to teach him a part of the plan of Salvation (what we felt were important points for now), and testified that we knew this was true, and how having this knowledge has not only blessed our lives, but will bless his. He said that was something he wanted for himself, "for sure!" We invited him to meet with the missionaries and said that would be really cool. We explained to him that because he is 16 we needed consent from a parent, so he gave us his phone number and his dad's so we could call up his Dad! The next day we call his dad, but he didn't answer, so we were kind of bummed. So we decided to call the boy and see if he had talked to his Dad about it yet? He said he had, and that his dad was actually just right down stairs! He handed the phone off to him, and that's when my heart started pounding, praying that I would know what to say. Well the more we got talking, we actually found out he grew up in the town right next door to where I lived in NJ!! Making that connection I know was a miracle. It helped break the ice in the conversation that allowed us to flow into asking the Dad if it was okay if the missionaries came over to teach his son about the gospel of Jesus Christ. He said he didn't see why not!!!!! WHOOOOOOOO!!!! THENNNN, we asked if he was interested in learning more as well. He told us that if they were over and he was home that he would definitely sit in on the lessons!!!!! BAh, soooo amazing! I love being online :) We'll call them tomorrow and see if the missionaries have stopped by yet!

Miracle #2
We were chatting with another 16-year-old, a girl this time. She said she is investigating the church, and her teacher made a comment against Mormons in class, that she knew just couldn't be true. So, she did the right thing going to the source and asking :) We talked to her, and explained the situation, and was so excited to tell her teacher the truth! We asked her about how long she has been investigating, and we then that really opened the conversation. She had a friend who was LDS who had taught her a lot about the gospel, and she felt like it was the right thing. She prayed about it, she goes to church every Sunday, goes to all the activities, and is even working on her Personal Progress (a program that is for young women to help them develop attributes such as Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and Virtue). We asked if she was going to be getting baptized any time soon, and said unfortunately her parents won't allow her to until she is 18. But it was just a testament to us of the truthfulness of this gospel. This girl knew/knows these things are true! She knows it, loves it, and is definitely living it! The coolest part is, she is from a town just a half an hour away from where mom and dad live!!! So, I will definitely be home before she is 18, and if the parents are still living there, she asked if we could be at her baptism! I told her I would try my best :) 

Miracle#3
This miracle happened last night! Sister Gamba and I were of course chatting, and we got a chat from someone from New Zealand who had been given a pass-along card from the missionaries and thought he would check out the website! He brought up a topic that definitely could have caused the conversation to be argumentative, but it turned out to be such a spiritual lesson. His questions were so sincere, and really was just searching for the truth. After reading to him various church materials as well as other scriptures and talks, we concluded with our testimonies. Then we got this response, "You two are angels." Hah, we weren't really expecting that kind of reaction, based on his views he shared with us at the beginning, but he said that everything we explained made sense, and that he believed it!! It was AMAZING! Sister Gamba and I were literally jumping out of our seats we were so happy! We asked if we wanted to meet with those missionaries that gave him the pass along card. He said yes, and so we will be calling up those missionaries tomorrow and sending them his way! 

I definitely miss my Samoan Ward like crazy, but I LOVE being online as well. It has taught me so much, and has really helped increase my testimony of this gospel! I invite you all to use those mormon.org pass-along cards that just came in the Ensign, and tell your friends about the online chat! I can promise you that you will never regret sharing the greatest joy you have with someone else! I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has once again been restored upon the earth. I know that as we keep the commandments God has given us, he will pour His blessings out on us! As always, thank you for your constant prayers. We can feel them every day :) Love you all so much!

Mahalo,
Sister Moyes

YOU KNOW WHEN YOU BEEN IN HAWAII TOO LONG WHEN. . .

#You know you've been in Hawaii too long when!!!.....

Every time the Prophet began speaking with "Brothers and Sisters.." you were ready to say Aloha in response to a "Brothers and Sisters, Aloha!" Haha, whoops. Well, on that note, wasn't conference amazing!?! I'm pretty sure I could go on for hours talking about the heart felt and inspired talks we listened to from our leaders! I think as a missionary my favorite talk had to have been Elder Holland on discipleship...or that's what I got out of it anyway. But something that really stood  out to me was that if we are to be true disciples, then we can NEVER put the world or temporal things before serving God and preaching the gospel. That is something that I know I have already been able to apply as a missionary and will definitely will use from now til forever. I know that once we choose to be on the Lord's side we can never go back to our old ways. We can't just go back to being fisherman, but fishers of men! We're so blessed to have the knowledge of the gospel! We know the truth; so go share it :) 

So this has been my first week as an online sister, and I am enjoying every minute of it. Sister Gamba is such an amazing companion and teaches me something new every day. She is so Christlike, and sets that example for me constantly. As an online sister, we spend about 4 hours online a day (when not at the VC) answering chats to people who come onto Mormon.org to learn more about our beliefs. With this, our purpose is not to gain new investigators, but help people understand enough to give them an increased desire to learn more from the local missionaries! Right now we have two investigators who said they were more comfortable chatting with us online for now, but they are both golden investigators. They have truly been prepared and have such humble hearts. 

With one of those investigators we had such a neat experience. We had been chatting for a good half an hour, teaching him the gospel of Jesus Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End). He loved knowing that there was a purpose for Him, and that God has a plan; a plan of happiness. We taught him that it is through the gospel of Jesus Christ that allows us to be closer to God and have a relationship with Him. He loved that. He said that He wanted to know that Heavenly Father loved Him! We then asked if we could pray with Him online, and he said he would really like that. So, while Sister Gamba prayed, I typed it out phrase by phrase for him to read. This is an approach we are encouraged to use as much as we can online, and now I know why! I never knew how strong I could feel the spirit from a computer, haha. That might sound lame, but it was so amazing. After the prayer we asked what his thoughts or feelings were. He told us that he knew that what we were teaching was true. He said that it was weird for him because He can't see us, but for "whatever" reason, he said it just felt right. We explained to him that what he was feeling right now was the spirit testifying to him. We invited him to read Moroni Chapter 10 and then pray about it. He agreed, and we will followup in a week! Our next step, get the missionaries over to continue teaching him :) Keep him in your prayers if you could! 

Well, in conclusion, we have four new, Sister Ogawa from Japan, Sister Shin from Korea, Sister Tsai from Taiwan, and Sister Jones from Alaska! They are such an awesome addition to our little family here, and we love them. Zone Conference is tomorrow, and the Sister Trainers told us to get excited because they get a sneak peak, so that'll be good! I still love this work, I love my companion, and I love my mission! Have a great week everyone! And don't forget to share the gospel :)

Love Always,

Sister Moyes

TWO LETTERS IN ONE - NEW COMPANION AND TRANSFER

Aloha family! 

We just got transfer news, and I will be doing my missionary work online for the next two transfers :) I feel so blessed for this exciting time that will allow me speak with people whose interest has peaked with the Presidential election going on these next couple of months. I know that I have been prepared for this assignment for this exact time!

My new companion is Sister Gamba :) She is so amazing. She has been out one transfer more than me, and is the sweetest and happiest girl alive. She is from Manila Philippines, and we're excited to get started on Wednesday. On that note, it's been an emotional roller coaster ride beginning to say goodbye to my beautiful, humble, and loving companion Sister Sekona. I know that the Lord blesses us with friends and family in our lives to build us up and help us become who the Lord has intended us to be. My P-days are now on Tuesdays! So I'll be back on next Tuesday to let you know how the new area is! 

As for the baptisms, I'll have to fill you in with those next Tuesday. Unfortunately, Lua was not able to be baptized =/ But Alika and Mai were, and they were both beautiful baptisms. After Mai got dressed and came back in the room and sat down. I looked at her and asked how she felt. She just looked at me smiling and simply said, "I don't think words could describe how I feel right now."

 I know this gospel is true. Don't be afraid to open your mouth and share it. I used to be afraid that I might offend someone or say something "politically incorrect," but this IS the truth. We know that!! And I know that nothing will ever change that. You never know who will ask you to share more! I give you all that challenge. It is definitely not easy, but Heavenly Father will always bless you for it in the end. I say these things in Jesus Christ's name, Amen.  I love you all, and continue to pray for you every day. Mahalo Nia Loa!!

Mahal Kita (Love you= in Tagalog),

Sister Moyes

PS-  I actually will have a P-day this Friday, then starting next week will be on Tuesdays :))) LOVE YOU

Hey family and friends, again! 

Mom wasn't sure whether to post my last e-mail on the blog or not, so I'm going to use that for this week's post and just send awesome pictures from the baptism and the fireside, and everything else to go with it! Don't worry, I have yet another P-day on Tuesday, so I hope you don't get too sick of hearing from me!  

So, Sister Sekona called me this morning before she got on the plane. That was definitely harder than I thought it would be =/ Probably one of the hardest goodbyes I've had to say in my life, but still feel so blessed to have been her companion for her last transfer. 

Online is going good so far. We haven't really had any chats with people who are actually interested, just trolling. So that's kind of a bummer. There was one guy who chatted with us yesterday and he is super interested in learning more because of Mitt Romney. We were able to chat with him for a while, but the only thing is, he already chatted with sisters before (some other VC) and he said that they sent missionaries to give him a copy of The Book of Mormon. The reason he came on chat was because the missionaries hadn't arrived yet. The only thing is, he doesn't know the name of the Sisters he talked with. So we grabbed his e-mail, said we would e-mail him in a week, and if the missionaries hadn't shown up yet, then we'll resend it! So who knows what could come out of it! If the missionaries never show up then we'll have to contact Salt Lake, see if the referral was ever entered in, and if not, then we'll have a new investigator! He seems super prepared, and all of his questions were just so sincere. It was weird because I didn't know you could feel the spirit so strong simply through chatting with people online, but you really can. It's so cool. 

Sister Gamba has been amazing! She always makes me something for breakfast: eggs, smoothies, fruit, etc. And she is helping me lose all the weight I gained from being in the Samoan ward by running with me every morning, haha. She's awesome. 

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I love you as always, pray for you daily, and miss you all the time....in a good way :) You all are amazing, and I know I wouldn't be here without any of you.  Have a great weekend, and I'll talk to you all on Tuesday :)

Ofa Tu, (Tongan)

Sister Moyes