A week in pictures

Sister Asay wasn't able to write a letter this past week but here are some pictures.  She is doing great and loving her mission!! 

Sister Lopez passed off four tours!! Woo! :) So we got a free meal at the Lion House....soo full. Haha.

 

 

Zone activity last P-day!

My dinosaur friend is back in the mission office!

Visitors to the Square!

Caroline from our home ward in Texas!

Our beloved Katie Graham!!  We love her and her family so much!!

Blind-folded

Howdy y'all!!

It's been another great week of calling investigators, taking tours on the Square, taking tours in the Beehive House, testifying and inviting others to come closer to Christ, and solidifying my testimony of the truthfulness of this Gospel!!

This week's weather has also been super crazy!  Yesterday, the wind was blowing so hard that it would push me as I walked or move my foot as I was taking a step.  I was ready to grab Sister Lopez, the little pixie that she is, in case she flew away ;)

One afternoon, Sister Lopez and I were walking to the Teaching Center and when we walked into the North Visitor's Center.  The sisters at the desk asked if we could play the Christus narration for the gentleman next to them.  We were happy to do so and walked with the man up the ramp.  Turns out he was a bishop from Cedar City and had a huge group of youth from his stake upstairs waiting to hear the Christus.  He then asked if we could play it and afterwards share our testimonies.  I said "of course! Sound great!"  We got to the top and there were over 50 youth in the room plus other families or individuals that were visiting Temple Square.  My companions eyes became HUGE!  We started the Christus, and as it was playing, I explained to her that we will go to the center of the room, share our testimonies, and for her to talk loud.  She is so sweet because she nodded and said "okay" in a determined way.  I comforted her that she would do great and that it's fun!  Once the narration finished, we walked into the center and I shared my testimony.  I had said a little prayer in my heart before walking out that we could both meet the needs of those who were listening, and as we spoke the Spirit was definitely guiding both of us!  I felt our testimonies went so well together and that the youth were truly listening.  It is always a bit daunting to testify to such a large group of people, but I had done it before, at Christmastime, so it wasn't that nerve-wracking for me, but I was so proud of Sister Lopez for doing it!!  She didn't hesitate at all!  It's wonderful to watch someone grow so much!

My compy and I!

Our awesome District!!

Why is the title of this email "blind-folded"??  Well! Sister Bailey, my District Leader, had us do an activity for the last 15 minutes of our District Meeting.  We had to bring 2 scarves per companionship and one was for the senior companion, to cover their eyes, and the other was to tie the companionship's ankles together.  Earlier in DM, we had a lesson/conversation about companions, being united, and trusting each other and this was a way to learn how to do that!   I was blind-folded and Sister Lopez had to lead me.  We were all in a long line with Sister Diaz (guiding Sister Bailey) leading the way.  We walked in between rows of chairs, down the hallway, into the kitchen, and back.  It was so interesting because I really had to learn to rely on my companion.  There was a point half-way where I was kind of nervous because I didn't know where I was anymore and I didn't want to run into a wall. I started reaching my hand out to try and feel, but didn't feel anything.  I then realized that Sister Lopez had led me this far without me hitting or running into anything and that I needed to trust her.  We continued the rest of the way and guess what?  I never smacked my face once!   After it was over, we all sat down and discussed what we learned.  I shared that I realized I needed to trust my companion and know that she was watching out for me.  This was something that, as a trainer, was important for me to learn because it can be hard to trust someone who hasn't had as much experience.  I have always known Sister Lopez was capable, but my trust in her is growing daily as I keep giving her more opportunities to grow.  Also, something else I thought about was how this activity reminded me of our Heavenly Father and His love for us.  He is there to lead and guide us, but we have to trust Him!  There might be obstacles (chairs, closed doors, people), but that as we remain faithful and stay true to our Heavenly Father (holding on to my companion) we will be blessed.  There are many times where we may be walking blindly in life feeling like there is no one there to help us, but as we strive to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ we will know our path and feel the surety of our decisions from the comfort and peace of the Holy Ghost. :)

The kitchen - My scarf kept falling down, haha so I was trying to fix it.

The end!

It has been a great week and I love you all!!

Sister Asay :)

Another Great Week

Hello!!

This had been another great week!!  So many little miracles and it's difficult to know where to start! To start off I have a sad story, there was a member woman who came on chat in September who was searching for different ways to do missionary work.  She had muscular dystrophy and was the sweetest person in the world.  We have sent emails back and forth for months about different options, ideas, her resulting missionary experiences, etc.  Almost every response from her, she would say sweet, uplifting, and supportive words to me about my own missionary work.  I found out last week that she passed away a month ago.  I had wondered why she had never replied to my email and then a thought came to my mind a few weeks ago, that I needed to email her again.  Tears came to my eyes when I found out, but I know she is in heaven with her sisters and probably beaming because of all the missionary work she can do in heaven.  She was a tender mercy throughout the beginning of my mission and we were emailing so I could help her, but really, she had been helping me without me even knowing it and became someone dear to my heart.

We have had a lot of meetings for the 1st transfer sisters in the past few weeks, so Sister Jones and I have been able to go on exchanges!! Love that girl! Yay for previous companions :)

So...miracle this week! Sister Lopez and I had a 2-hour block on the Square one afternoon and it had been about 1 1/2 hrs of that block when I felt we should go to the Assembly Hall.  We walked inside and I wanted to talk to someone near the entrance, but then I felt, "No, keeping going".  I was just like "Well, okay" and kept walking down the aisle.  There was a bunch of people in there, but then I saw one guy sitting on a bench and felt we should talk to him.  Turns out he is trying to come back to church and is really needing a lot of support in his life.  It was interesting because at first he seemed totally fine, and I wondered what the reason was that I felt prompted to speak to him.  But then he told me how he had a rough time recently in his life and I asked him a few questions about it (which I never usually do....I kind of let people keep their personal stories to themselves), but he opened up to us and that's when I figured out that he was trying to improve his life.  I asked if we could call him and be a support to him, and he eagerly gave us his information!  We are going to call him each week to see how he is doing and if he is staying on track!  It is always amazing to have those experiences where we are totally guided by the Spirit!!

In December, I took a family on a tour and the daughter and I have been staying in touch via letter and then, recently, through text and phone.  We were talking last week and she wanted to go to church, and it turns out the closest church to her was MY home ward!!  I asked if she wanted to go with my parents and she said she would love to!! I was then able to email my mom that day (it was Preparation Day) and asked if they could call her and set it up! I was so excited for my parents to meet someone I had given a tour to while I was on my mission!! 

 

That leads to my next thought....I LOVE my parents.  I have really realized on my mission how important parenting is in a child's life and that their examples have an impact.  Situations at Temple Square have brought to my mind small memories....for one, how my dad served others constantly and always fulfilled his calling. Then, my mother, how she always showed kindness and love to complete strangers and how she was always available for her children.  I had a "twinkle of trouble" (as my mom would say, haha) when I was a little kid, but my parents were able to help me learn what I wanted to be through them teaching me with love, patience, and kindness.  It was amazing to trust my parents with my friend and that I had no doubt it would go well!  My parents are examples to me of being firm in the faith, trusting the Lord, and living the standards that God has set up for us through our living prophet.  I hope to be as amazing of a parent as each of them one day :)  I truly know that God gave us families to help us grow together and, that as we center our families around the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that we could truly have happiness on earth!  It does take work, but it's worth it! 

Sister Lopez, Sister Bailey (my District Leader), and I!

So, a few funnies:

- I taught Sister Lopez the meaning of "No way, Jose". 

- I had my own Spanish chat! Not really, we are always on the chats together. BUT she was busy with the other one so I had to take the reins and speak Spanish with the person.  Granted, it only lasted about 5 sentences and I used Google Translate, hah, but hey! Muy divertido!!

Love you all!! :)

Sister Asay

Armour of God

Hello everyone!!

First off, I want to congratulate my little brother for getting into BYU!!!!!  I received the letter from my family yesterday telling me the great news and I couldn't be happier or more proud of Daniel :) So stoked to go to school together, little brother! 

We went as a Zone to the Temple this morning! Such a great way to start our day :)

Something I realized is that I LOVE teaching someone English.  It's the funniest thing ever.  One night, after an exhausting day, my companion and I walked through our apartment door, went to our room, and just collapsed on our beds.  Sister Lopez said, "Ahhh, Hum Sweet Hum!"  I chuckled and said, "Home Sweet Home?"   She said, "Yeah, yeah, Hum Sweet Hum".   Then she realized she was saying a different word and we both started laughing.  It took a few tries for her to finally say "home" and then I had to explain the differences between "home", "ham", and "hum", ... I loved it.  So many similar funny moments like this have happened this week!

Um yeah, we may have gone to East High in High School Musical on our Pday....

Sharpay's locker! Soo fabulous!

Sister Lopez and I got asked out by a guy from Switzerland on the Square.  What?  I just kind of stood there, and then Sister Lopez explained why we couldn't go on dates as missionaries.  I was totally thrown off because we were talking about the Gospel and then he just snuck the question in there.  So yep, I didn't know what to do.  Good thing Sister Lopez hadn't become "awkward" and could answer for us.  Ha, compy to the rescue!

Roommate snack before bed! Guacamole and chips!

Alright, this week has been pretty great!  We had a Zone Training Meeting all about our purpose as missionaries!!  We have a goal from October Conference to April Conference to have 600 children of God accept baptism and, therefore, promise to always follow Christ.  Quite the goal! We have been talking a lot about our purpose as missionaries and about how obedience brings blessings.  It's been so great and uplifting!  Sometimes I think we forget TRULY why we are out here.  We might teach and invite, but we need to always remember that we are not here to have casual conversations about the Gospel- we are missionaries serving, only for a short period of time, to help bring greater happiness to those around us!  I feel that I usually am bold with extending commitments, but it's always awesome to be pumped up again!  I had a really cool experience the other night at the Beehive House when a young member couple came in and asked for a tour.  We talked for a few minutes, got to know them a little bit, and right as we were leaving the room to start the tour, a guy came inside and joined last second.  I originally wasn't sure how the tour would turn out, but we had SUCH a great tour and we talked about so many different Gospel topics!  The members added great insight as well!  Sister Lopez and I testified and invited him throughout the tour.  All in all, he accepted a Book of Mormon, referred, and we have an appointment to call him!!  Little miracles :)

This week I was reading in the New Testament during personal study and I read Ephesians 6:13-17 which says, "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God". 

Fun fact, when I was in high school, I went to a camp that was for the young women in the church and there was a lesson given where one of the girls had to put on a paper helmet, shield, and sword and we discussed the "Armor of God".  Reading this scripture, I realized just how much our church really does take SO much insight from the Bible!  This entire time I thought the lesson at Girl's Camp was just a cool thing someone made up.....NOPE, it's in the Bible!  And I really love how this scripture is for each of us individually, not just for those during ancient times. The Book of Mormon and the Bible are relevant to our day and we can each put on the whole armor of God!  Heavenly Father wants us to be protected from those "fiery darts of the wicked", meaning temptation and distractions that are of the world, and live unburdened lives.  We can have this armor that protects us as we follow the commandments of God and put our hearts in a place where our desire to follow Christ become determination to follow Christ and His example.  As we put forth the effort and faith, stand firm with our armor, we can overcome anything this world throws at us.  I am so grateful for the scriptures, our resources from God, that bring us knowledge and peace!

“Although His presence is unseen by our eyes, His unending love is felt in our hearts" - Greg Olsen

I love you all!!

Sister Asay 

Sister Asay Sighting!  One of Catherine's good friends, Jamie, was married at the Salt Lake Temple and Catherine was able to see her.  Beautiful bride and beautiful missionary!