November 25, 2013

We Came Back During the Day…

Dear Family,

Alright this week we have been able to put everything together. We are getting better and better! I started to be more grateful for the challenges of this area because it has really helped me to grow and to be a better missionary! 

So the fun story of the week. Remember in my last letter when I told you about the man who told us to come back during the day? Well we did, and you know what?! My mind was blown! He is so open and has unanswered questions about life, and of course we have the answers. We taught him the restoration and he cried! I love when the Spirit is so strong they cry! We have a return appointment for him and I can't wait to go and teach him again. He is searching for God and knows he needs to go back to church. 

This week we were able to see a bunch of less active members. I love working with less actives. It is so touching to see these people who (sometimes) want to come back, just don't know how. It is so amazing to be their "cheerleader," helping and guiding them to apply the atonement. I love being a missionary! I get to cheer people to there salVAtion! It's pretty sweet. 

This week I got the real "welcome" to Maine. It has officially started to get bitter cold with high winds. Our apartment doesn't have a full length mirror, and for that I am grateful because I don't have to see how 3 layers of leggings, boots, cardigan, sweater, snow jacket, skirt, scarf, and gloves looks on me. It really is a tender mercy. 

I love you all! Happy Thanksgiving! 

Sista Lassen

November 18, 2013

[I realized that I didn't post the three pictures that Bethany sent recently, and that we received on her 21st birthday!  She timed it well--  So here they are!  These are all from her previous area, the Saco Ward.]

Yes, she's 21!!

Now she knows the secret of amazing refried beans… lard!  Sister Escobar taught her everything!

The famous Buffels, age 104, and her daughter Sally.  She joined the church at age 98 and went to the temple at 99!

Not Quite Winter Yet…

Dear family,

IT IS 65 degrees outside! IT IS SO WARM! It's a great way start the week! 

It was a wonderful week to be companions with Sister Wray because she loves tracting and we did a lot of that this week. It was surprisingly rewarding to me. It was really fun to talk to a lot of people and some were really nice! We got to talk to a minister and share our favorite bible verse, we got to encourage a stay at home mom who felt that people were looking down on her for not having a job, we got to talk to some funny old lady! Oh, and this is a good story- 

So we knocked on this one door and a man in his 50/60s answered the door. It looked like he had just gotten out of bed with his hair sticking straight up. He looked so confused when he answered the door. His wife had just gotten home and told him to tell us it was a bad time because she just got back from work, so we asked when we could come back latter. The man says asked his wife. The wife says "I'm really not interested" then as the man is shutting the door he whispers "come back in the day" because his wife wouldn't be home. hahahaha oh some people. That reminds me! We were also talking to this old man who was raking his leaves and we told him that he could be with his wife for eternity. He just looked at us and says "I don't know about that, that's a really long time. I mean, I love my daughter." 

This week we had some some service opportunities like socializing cats at the pound and helping at the food bank. Augusta is really growing on me the harder I work at it! I just love it for different reasons, just like they told me would happen! 

So I think I am totally going to get into wrestling when I get home. Do you want to know why? Because we stopped by a member's house this week and she is obsessed with it. She is so hard core, I want to be just like her :)

Well, life is good, the gospel is true and we shouldn't have anything to really cry about! We know what we can do to be happy and be with Heavenly Father again! Don't mess with His plan! It's all a test! Love you!

Sista Lassen   

November 12, 2013

Exclamation Point!

Dear Family,

I tell you what WOW!!! That is how I would explain the last week. This week we were able to teach some of the members the missionary lessons and it was really awesome. The spirit was so strong as we were able to testify. Hopefully it helped the members see and understand that we mean Missionary Business!  

Thank you so much for all of the Birthday Wishes! My 21st birthday was awesome! None of the members knew it was my birthday. It was SWEET! We had a dinner appointment and she made an amazing meal and we had Reese's Cake for dessert. And y'all know that Reese's are my drug, and she didn't know it was my b-day! All I could think was Wow, Heavenly Father must love me or something! That weekend my companion and I had fried sea food to celebrate. I was doing 21 the Maine way! Lobsta and clams! 

Saturday was an exciting day of a ton of tracting! The most I have done in one day my whole mission! We went to Windsor which is outside of Augusta to tract. I felt like I was in another country because people were so much nicer there! We knocked at one house and a man answers the door and says,"Oh, my mom would love to meet you, she's upstairs" This was the first time that anyone has ever let me in the door so I really didn't know what to do. Then we walked in and the man's dad says, "she up the stairs and she's a good looking one!"  It was funny. They had old black and white movies playing and pictures of the last supper on the wall. She was a cute old lady and we enjoyed talking with her. Later that day we met a guy who was in his mid 20s and we told him who we were and asked him about his with relationship with God. He told us that he didn't feel he always got answers to his prayers. So I shared 3 Nephi 14:7-11 and bore testimony. It was really cool to answer his "question of the soul" and see the light bulb go off in his head.

[I told Bethany I am glad she is a short little girl so she is on the front row!
I'd hate it if my missionary was one of those foreheads in the back!]  

Sunday was awesome because Elder Gifford Nielsen had a meeting with the leaders of the stake and the missionaries were invited to come. He is awesome and said a lot of what my ward need to hear. And the second best part was guess who was there? The SACO WARD!!!! When I walked in and saw them my face was the grossest, most excited face ever! The first thought I had was, "My family is here!" It was really good to see all of them. I have this thing now that instead of giving my home coming talk in Camarillo I think I am just going to do it in Saco. How about that idea, mom?

[These pictures came from Brother Tim Smith, who is the Ward Mission leader in the Saco Ward.  Awesome!]

Lastly, Monday! Was! Amazing! (I have to do all the ! for Elder Nielsen!) I can't even express how amazing it was and everything that I needed to hear. Maine better watch out because here comes Sister Lassen on spiritual steroids! You guys, Heavenly Father loves me so much! He just knows everything that I need! And he knows everything you need!  He is the most awesome Heavenly Father! 

Sorry this letter is forever long and boring! Love you all!!

Sista Lassen!

November 4, 2013

Getting Used to a New Area

But first, a couple of pictures from her old area!  Hollis, ME with her previous companion, Sister Cowley.

[I asked Bethany about her new area and companion, and this is what she replied today]:

Not in a trio this time. My companion is Sister Wray -- she is from American Fork UT. I don't know how big the ward is, probably the same as my last. About 90 at sacrament meeting but 110 less actives. The buliding is really big! And two wards meet there. It is the same building that my friend Rachel Lafamme from byui goes to! Too bad she is at school!

Do you know what I have been obsessed with?

The Book of John.  How can we be like Christ if we don't know Him! So I have been getting to know Him better :) and it has made all the difference. 

[Now today's letter to all]:

Dear Family,

Thank you so much for the wonderful Birthday Gifts! Don't worry I have only opened one, because I really needed it asap (hymn book :)) It is so crazy to me that I drive 2 hours north to my new area and it is completely different! So something interesting that happened to me this week that only happens on a mission. Is I got to read the Book of Mormon with someone in the Riverview Psycriatic hospital. It was a media referal and missionaries have met with her before. So we went and had to be escorted by security in and out of the building and we had to take the staples out of the pamplet. We really like the guards and they always have cool questions for us.

 

Alright so you know what I am totally pumped for? Live Christmas Cards from the missionaries! Some of the ward members are going to be writing their testimony in a Book of Mormon and we are going to put it in a gift basket and deliever it to their friend and sing a Christmas song! It is going to be sweet! And I am already singing Christmas songs...no judging. This week we got to help a man rake his leaves. It was kind of a miracle that he even let us because we just knocked on his door and asked if we could do service. Most people don't accept service. It was only the second time that I have ever raked leaves! It was really fun and we got to talk to him for awhile.

 

Another thing that I am supper excited for is Elder Nielsen of the 70 is coming a week from today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [This is Gifford Nielsen, who spoke at General Conference about the exclamation point!  I guess Bethany got his "point!"]  That means that I am going to have P-day on Tuesday instead of Monday. FYI. It is going to be amazing! And I talked to one of the office workers and they said that he is packing in information! He is giving the office workers little time to talk so he can talk more (and about more important things) It is going to be a spiritual feast! And I will get to see my old companions in Saco and they can tell me all that is going on with Saco. I am going so excited I AM GOING TO DIE!!!!!!!!

 

I am starting to love this area and the people here! Oh yeah and I love you too!

 

Sister Lassen