THE WORK OF SALVATION

Family and friends, ALOHAAA!

How about that broadcast on Sunday!? If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend it!!!
http://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/special-broadcast?lang=eng#media= 

Not only was Hauula Ward skyped in, representing the Laie Hawaii Stake, but it is impossible not to feel the enthusiasm and significance of doing missionary work during these times; the latter-days!! We are so blessed to have so many resources of technology and revelations to bring about God's glorious work of salvation. I pray that all who watch it, member, non-member, less-active, whom ever you may be, will be able to feel the power of God spreading the earth. Last week the thought of going home in 3 1/2 months really scared me, but now, I cannot wait to continue this work and be a disciple wherever my life takes me! It's so exciting, is it not? The best part is...Na'ili watched it! She is going to be the best missionary ever through her shining example!

Miracle #1 

Na'ili was baptized!!!!!!!! Oh what a beautiful baptism. Everything was perfect, SO many of our ward members came to support her, and even some of her co-workers came! I had the privilege of speaking and with the companionship of Sister Spencer, played my uke as we sang "When I am baptized." Sister Bradley and I just love Na'ili so much! With some of her family still not as supportive as she would have liked, she pushed forward with faith. As she came up out the water walking up the stairs, tears start falling down our faces. She just looks at Sister Bradley and me and says,"I feel so warm right now!"

Which was crazy because the water was FREEZING! Immediately after she asked, "Wait! Is this normal?" Haha, we couldn't help but laugh and tell her that if she wasn't feeling that, THEN we would be worried. She continued to express how she felt so warm and peaceful, but that it was not like anything she had ever felt in her life. Before she got changed we said a little prayer with her and went back to the primary room to start our missionary presentation. The baptismal program continued when she came back into the room, and it was absolutely perfect. The next day on Sunday, she was confirmed as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was blessed to receive the Holy Ghost. We had called her Monday night asking how everything was going, when she expressed to us how this feeling of peace has not left her since her confirmation. We reassured her that it was the Holy Ghost.  You could just hear the gratitude she had to Heavenly Father in her voice. She is such an example to me. Her unwavering faith has given me the desire to be steadfast and have complete confidence in God. I have not felt happier on my mission since I met her. SHE is going to be a GREAT member missionary!

Na'ili's daughter, Nadiya

Miracle #2 

So this is pretty cool---- Bah, I love my Father in Heaven SO much! Even when missionary work is about others, He still grants us those tender mercies to remind us how much He loves us, too.  At the Visitor Center we meet people from all over the world!  It has been my (in mission terms) "dying wish" to actually teach a family from Quebec,Canada where my parents served their missions. Sunday night a couple walks in... lo and behold, they were from Quebec!! I mentioned Jesus Christ probably twice at this point when they just turn around and leave. Hmm. I went back to the Christus Room to talk with Sister McDonough (Sister Bradley was on another tour).  I explained to her my dying wish of teaching a family from Quebec, and how I was so bummed that the one who just came in didn't want to talk to me.

The Arbuckle Family from Quebec

About 15 minutes later Sister Bradley and I were reunited. Sitting there waiting for someone to come in; we see a guy poke his head in and ask, "Are you showing any movies right now?" I told him that we were and asked him where he was from. He responds by saying, "Eh, well, we are from Quebec. We're members, but my sister-in-laws brought two non-members with them." Next thing we know he's out the door, haha. We sat there not sure what was going on. About 30 seconds later the whole family comes in with their non-member friends....ALL from Quebec, Canada. SO, naturally, we took the whole family and their friends on a tour!! It was AMAZING. The spirit was so strong, and I couldn't have been happier with how it went....the sad news is, they did not self-refer, BUT the happy news is, after the movie the family and friends continued to walk around. I could not stop smiling as I saw the girls' eyes fixed on The Book of Mormon that their friend was teaching them about. I may never know whether they will accept the gospel in years to come, but I know that they felt the spirit. I know that as their member friends continue to be that example, they will gain the desire to have the same joys that they have.

Being a missionary is so great, but knowing that we are all loved children of God is even better. May we decide now to be better missionaries than we were yesterday! Order some pass-along cards to leave on a table at the restaurant with a tip. Bring The Book of Mormon in your purse or bag. Wear a CTR ring for others to ask about. When someone asks what you did this weekend, share with them the inspirational lessons you learned at Church. Write your testimony or share Mormon messages on your facebook page. Make cookies for someone going through a hard time.

It is so easy to be a disciple, we just need to decide NOW that we want to be a part of The Work of Salvation. I know this gospel is true, and I know that without the help of members I would not have been able to find 90% of those I have taught on my mission. This is an exciting time to be living, and I can promise you that as you pray for opportunities to share the gospel, they will be put in your path. I love you all SO much! My heart is full of gratitude as I feel your prayers every day. 

"Shall we not go forth in such great a cause!" 

                                               ---Joseph Smith

Much Love,

Sister Moyes

JUST DO IT

Aloha my wonderful Family and Friends! 

Every day of my mission I wake up feeling so blessed. There are mornings I wake up looking out the window to the bright blue sky as the wind brushes through the palm tree leaves and feeling overwhelmed with how blessed I am to be here. I then have to redirect my thoughts in remembering that I am not here for me, but to be a servant of the Lord...but I sure am grateful that I can be His servant in Hawaii. I know that no matter where we are, as we take time to look around us at the good that we have, our days will be so much brighter!

I've realized there have been many times throughout my mission where I think, "It can't get better than this," but then it always does. Sister Bradley and I have seen time and time again the Lord's hand leading us along; and we are so grateful. I know that wonderful miracles that we witness are not a product of what we do ourselves, but through diligence and a willing heart the Lord is working through us. 

Miracle #1 

Na'ili with Pres and Sister Dalton

Na'ili is definitely getting baptized this Saturday, June 22nd!! I cannot express what a miracle this is. Na'ili has made a complete 180 change in her life and is a living example of what it means to be converted unto Christ. We love her SO much; she has truly become our best friend. At one our appointments we asked her how she is feeling about her baptism on the 22nd. She admitted she was nervous, because she knows that she doesn't know everything, but simply said,"But you know what, I know it's right, so I need to just do it!"

We LOVED that she said that. "Just do it," is our transfer theme this month for the Hawaii Honolulu Mission. Sister Bradley and I just looked at each other with huge smiles on our faces and gave her a big hug! Na'ili has changed so much in her life and we have seen her change as she has accepted to do the will of God. I know that if we choose now to ALWAYS do what He commands us to do, we will see the blessings come. Na'ili is so special, and we're so grateful to be a small part of her life. We're so excited for this Saturday, and could not do it without the support of the ward as well. We're moving the point!!

Miracle #2 

When we are at the PCC giving tours on the tram bus we might have one tram, MAYBE two on a really bad day, that leave empty with no one interested in riding. Yesterday, Sister Bradley and I did not have a single tour (yet). We were really bummed, but we said to each other and prayed in our hearts that we would have at least one tour, and it was going to be the best tram with lots of people willing to be taught the gospel =) That tour was one of the most spiritual tours I have ever given. When the guests get off the tram bus at the temple grounds, we invite them to come into the VC to watch a 3 minute film about the blessings of the temple, or they are welcome to walk around the grounds as well as the VC. There were only 5 people out of the 35 or so who were interested in watching the film. I went into the theatre, pre-set the film, and let it play.

Past Companions

When it ended I went again to the front of the theatre to post-set. Usually I will talk about how the temple blessed the people of Laie, but I felt very strongly to bare my testimony. I testified that the temple truly is the house of the Lord, and that I have been blessed and drawn closer to God through the promises that we make in the temple. I invited those guests to learn more about the temple and this gospel, and see how it will bless their lives! Whew! That never happens! We still have to be careful in how we teach some of the guests, but I knew that this was what I needed to say.

Sister Jones and her Trainee, Sister Kim

The guests walked out the theatre to walk around until the bus came including an older woman and her daughter. I KNEW that I needed to speak with them. We started talking a little bit, but then the daughter says to me, "You know, I love the Mormons. Every one of my Mormon friends are so happy and so kind, I just love them. Everything about them seems good; and I've especially felt that here at this temple!" She told me that she had one concern that had stopped her from learning more. She expressed to me what it was, and with the help of the Spirit we cleared it right up! She then responds, "Oh, yeah it wasn't explained to me like that before!" I asked if she would now be interested in meeting with missionaries to learn more about the same happiness she saw in her friends. She just looked at me and said, "Yeah, okay!" I love being at the Visitor Center! What a blessing to teach people who come in just on vacation, and they leave with an increased faith in God and Jesus Christ having accepted an invitation to meet with missionaries! I LOVE it!

I know that it is so important as members of the church "to be a living modern witness," that Jesus is the Christ, and that it is through Him we can find peace and joy. Na'ili and this woman from the tram, both have been introduced to the gospel through member friends! As missionaries, we are only a small piece of the puzzle...we need everyone to be that witness, to be that shining example, because whether we notice or not, people do watch us. May we strive to be better every day. I know that when we trust that Heavenly Father only wants our happiness, we can have happiness in our lives, despite our circumstances! Be a missionary, open your mouths and share the gospel. I know it can be scary, but I know that if you JUST DO IT, you will NEVER regret it. I love this gospel so much! I am reminded daily of the small amount of time I have left on my mission...but I know that my mission will never end, because I will always be a missionary. I know you can be, too. I love you all, and wish you the best! Until next week...

Alofa, 

Sister Moyes

I BELIEVE IN CHRIST

Cool sunset!

"I believe in Christ-- 
My Lord, my God!
My feet he plants on gospel sod. 
I'll worship him with all my might; 
He is the source of truth and light.
I believe in Christ; he ransoms me. 
From Satan's grasp he sets me free. 
And I shall live with joy and love, 
In his eternal courts above." 

Family and Friends, Aloha!

These beautiful words come from the third verse of hymn #134, "I Believe in Christ." They have echoed throughout this week as Sister Bradley and I have focused everything we teach on Jesus Christ. How many times when explaining our doctrine or beliefs with another is it focused ALL on Jesus Christ? Sure we might teach "The Restoration," or "The Plan of Salvation,"...perhaps even the "Word of Wisdom,"....but are we teaching it with Christ as the topic? The hymn says that "HE is the source of truth and light." It is only through Christ that we can find truth and light. 

In a talk I read this week by Elder Holland, he shares experiences from his travels to missionary zone conferences.  He will ask the missionaries a simple question: "What is it you want investigators to do as a result of their discussions with you?" Many shout, "Be baptized," while he then responds, ' “Yes... we do want them to be baptized, but what has to precede that?” ' He teaches these missionaries that the most important thing we can teach those who are learning about the church is first, faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement. Let me say that again, FIRST is faith in Jesus Christ.

Last pic with President Dalton before he heaves on the 31st

He doesn't say the restoration, or the commandments, or anything like that, but to have faith in Jesus Christ. So Sister Bradley and I asked ourselves why this is the case? We discovered that if we have faith in Jesus Christ  then we have truly been converted unto Him. With true conversion in the Savior Jesus Christ comes a willingness to do His will. If we are truly converted unto Him, then everything falls into place. We don't need to worry about knowing everything to be a missionary and sharing this gospel! We first teach them about faith in Jesus Christ, and they too will have the desire to do His will = be baptized by someone holding the Priesthood authority of God :) . 

SO that being said, when we focused our lessons on Jesus Christ, we saw miracles:

Miracle #1 
Well, Sister Bradley and I have decided that our theme for the transfer is to "Move the Point." Our area is called the Laie Point. There are all of these rumors of how it's the area that never gets baptisms, and the members don't do missionary work, and never feed the missionaries...blah blah blah. We took those rumors and threw them in the trash. Christ said that if we have faith even as small as a mustard seed we can move mountains. Well, we're going to move the point. Together we are putting all our focus on baptizing in this area, and we know that with faith, we will. Well, not by any of our own efforts, a week before we were transferred into the area, the Sisters who were serving there told us that they were walking down the street on the point and this couple called them over. The girl friend, Na'ili,  then said that she was interested in learning about the Mormon church!

Apparently the Sisters (Sister K and Sister Spencer) just stood there in awe, haha....and then realized she was serious. So, they set up an appointment with her. Well, the night of the appointment we get a phone call that Sister Spencer is sick and they were wondering if I wanted to go to the appointment with Sister K while Sister Toleafoa took care of Sister Spencer. At this point we already knew that I would be serving in that area, so it was perfect. I was able to get really close to Na'ili really fast because Sister K was already on comfortable grounds with her. I don't know how else Sister Bradley and I would have been able to get close with her so fast if I had not been able to meet her when I did. Well, it gets better. Sister Bradley and I prayerfully decided that we should simply focus our first lesson with her on Christ....because it is first faith in Jesus Christ that converts us, right?  I truly gained a testimony of focusing on Christ at this lesson with Na'ili. Not only did she say she knew that this was right, but we were able to set the date of June 22nd for her to be baptized =) She is AMAZING! 

Miracle #2 

A girl and her mom came on our tram at the PCC. The group they came with on our bus was very large, but I knew that I needed to talk to them. Knowing I would regret it if I did not follow this prompting, I walked up to them. They were standing by the Book of Mormon display we have. They said they were originally from China here on vacation! I asked if they practiced any religion and they both said, "no." I then turned to The Book of Mormon and taught them that if they wanted to know God and Jesus Christ then The Book of Mormon would do just that. They both smiled, and the daughter said that that would actually be really nice. I gave them the guest card and the daughter marked that the missionaries could contact her where she is now living in the U.S.A! Bah, it was the best! 

I love being in the Visitor Center! Sometimes I don't feel like I got called to Hawaii, I got called to serve the world!

Making coco Samoa

I am so grateful for my call as a missionary. It's so easy for me to forget that I am set apart as a missionary, because it has just become a part of who I am. BUT, as I e-mail every week and look at the miracles I have witnessed, I realize just how cool being a missionary is. It's the best, I highly recommend it ; ) I know this gospel is true, because Jesus Christ is the head of it. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can find true and eternal joy. I am so grateful for Him, and the example that He has set, more importantly for the Atonement that he made for each and every one of us. He lives, and I KNOW that. I know that He loves us, and I know that as we look to Him, His arms will always be wide open for us. I love you all, and invite you to remember our Savior Jesus Christ every day in every thing you do. I can promise you that you will be happier and that you will find peace in knowing that you are doing God's will. Have an amazing week, because you are never walking alone!

Love you SO much,

Sister Moyes

TRANSFER NEWS

Family and Friends Talofa,

So this letter has to be super short because all day as been spent cleaning and packing! Another transfer has come, and we received news of it on Monday. My new companion is Sister Bradley from Okinawa, Japan! She lived there because her Dad is in the Military, so don't be too shocked that she isn't Japanese, haha. She came out two transfers after me, and we actually met through a mutual friend before the mission and wrote each other while I was in the MTC, so we're excited. I am being taken out of the Laie 9th Samoan Ward, sadly, but I know that I am to go where the Lord needs me. This time being in the Laie 3rd ward; the same ward I served in during my second transfer here. The area is seeing many MANY miracles, so I know that as Sister Bradley and I put forth our faith we will accomplish all that the Lord needs us to. Well, I only have time to share one miracle from this week, but it is AMAZING!

Our District

Miracle #1 

Sister Toleafoa and I have been praying and fasting for new investigators, and while we are on shift on Sunday, in came walking Sister Toleafoa's cousin (Sheryl) , with a non-member (her Sister-in-law)!!!!! Oh...and she just so happened to be in our ward! They decided that they wanted to watch the Testaments movie. We lead them into the theater and let them watch it. When there was about 15 minutes left, we jumped in and finished the film with the two of them. The spirit was SO strong afterwards as we testified of Jesus Christ and how much He loves us and knows us each individually. We explained that he wants us to follow Him because it will bring us true happiness in this life....then explaining that the best way to follow Jesus Christ is by following His example in being baptized, and that by doing so, she could feel the same peace and happiness that she said she was feeling during our tour. We asked her if she would prepare herself to be baptized by someone holding the Priesthood authority of God. .....she immediately said yes!! We then set a date for June 29th = ) Every single one of us were in tears as we promised her blessings as the spirit directed. We continued to walk around the temple with her and the four of us immediately clicked. It was as if we had all known each other for years. Sister Toleafoa and I taught her the Restoration on Monday, and then taught the Plan of Salvation today! She has the best questions, and has such a desire to know truth and to act upon the truth she is given. She said she loves reading the Book of Mormon because she feels that same peace as she reads it....it was a miracle, and it was only possible through Sheryl doing her duty as a member and sharing this wonderful gospel with those around her!

I know that all things are possible through the Lord. If we have enough faith, and have a willing heart to act upon the answers and tasks we are given by our Heavenly Father, then He will grant them unto us. I know that this is His work, and we are His hands. If we show Him we are worthy to teach His children then He will put opportunities in our way as missionaries to teach them. Keep praying for opportunities to share the gospel with those around you. We have this blessing and knowledge of eternal happiness with our Heavenly Father...I can't help but feel that I am being selfish if I do not open my mouth and share this blessing with others. I love being a missionary, and know that I can never go back to being anything else. Even though I will not have a black name tag with the name of Christ over my heart, I pray that I will always live worthy of taking His name upon myself. Thank you continually for all your prayers, I wish I could explain how much I love them and need them. You all are the best!

Alofa,

                                                                                                    Sister Moyes