"Like a Child"

Hello everyone!

We had two really fun experiences this week!! Last Thursday, a portion of the mission was able to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert!  Deborah Voight and John Rhys-Davis (from Lord of the Rings) were the main guests.  It was so good and it was super funny because one song was "We need a little Christmas, right this very minute" and I totally remembered singing that in Sunshine Generation growing up! It is a singing and dancing group that I was in from 2 to 12 yrs old.  I could just picture Brooke all focused as she danced the chorus!  It's funny the memories that pop back into the front of our minds.  The second cool experience was we got to go on an Organ Tour very early in the morning yesterday! We had the chance to go behind the organ in both the Tabernacle and the Conference Center. SO COOL. We took lots of pictures!! 

This is from the Christmas concert! I sat next to the sweetest lady who was also from Dallas and she took our picture to send it home to my mom! :)

A few funnies:

My District Leader from India lovesss ice cream from Coldstone and always says "Stonecold" instead of "Coldstone".  "Let's go get some Stonecold today!" She's the best.

So, Sister Palmer's jokes are never appreciated.  I can't tell if it's because we are surrounded by international sisters and no one gets her jokes or if they're just not good, but I personally always die laughing.  Like the other night, Sister Klemm (Germany) was super thirsty and once we got home she just started chugging water.  Sister Palmer was like "Yeah, you need that. You look like the poinsettia when I forget to water it"…. and no one laughed, so she came into our room and was like "Dang it! No one thinks my jokes are funny!" I told her to tell it to me, but she walked into the living room so she could repeat it to everyone.  Sister Klemm said nothing and Sister Lin (Taiwan) said "Wait, was that funny?"  Sister Palmer said, "Dang it!" And walked away. Hahah. She's such a good sport.

Oh ya know....just playing the organ in the Conference Center.  What?

This week has been pretty crazy!  So last P-Day, a group of 6 sisters went to a hair school called Paul Mitchell to get free scalp treatments.  It's where they put cream in your hair, massage your head, then wash and style your hair. The lady that I had was pretty cool.  We talked pretty easily and we were just asking each other questions about life and she saw my tag so we talked about what is was like to be a missionary.  Turned out that she is a member of the church but hadn't been in about 9 years.  I asked her a few questions about the church and learned her story.  I kept searching in my mind and heart for what I should share with her...."my testimony? Ask if she has read the Book of Mormon and, if not, invite her to read it?  What?"  I had no idea, but I felt that I needed to do something.  When she walked away for a minute to get some hair product, I just said a little prayer in my heart to have the guidance from Heavenly Father to know what to do.  It was then that I realized that I just needed to be her friend.  So, when she came back I continued to ask her questions, joke with her, and, I know it was only 45 minutes to an hour, but we really did become friends!  After she finished blow drying all of my hair (it took a while, haha), she told me how happy she was that I was her customer and that she wished me the best.  She walked me over to the front desk and asked the lady for a card and wrote her student number on the back so that I could request her as my hair lady again if I ever needed a haircut.  So, this experience was pretty simple and I honestly didn't do much, but I learned, once again, God knows what everyone needs.  I think what's important is that we are willing to share the Gospel and the guidance will come- whatever it may be.  I prayed to know what to do and the answer was to just be myself and be her friend, and sometimes that is all people are ready for.

Okay, best thing happened Monday night!!  Our District was assigned a member family to eat with for dinner! This never happens and we were all so pumped!  We were assigned the Holt's and they are seriously some of the nicest people!!  We all sat in their living room and got to know each other and then we ate dinner! We had roast sandwiches on rolls, potatoes, vegetables, jello, and desert!  I don't think I have eaten as much on my mission as I did that night!  They made so much food for us! Afterwards, we went back into their living room and they had a play we could read.  We each were given a different character and we sat in a big circle and read off our parts.  It was called "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and the main family was a bunch of hooligan children.  I got to be Gladys, the oldest who was apparently "the meanest of them all".  It was pretty fun to play her!  Once we finished the script, we shared what we love about Christmas and one sister sang a song about Jesus Christ in Russian.  It definitely brought the Spirit into the room and made me so grateful for Christ and his important role here on this earth. 

This is Sister Ferguson- she is in my district and she is one of my favorites! We got to be companions for about 15 minutes on the way to the Holt's home and back since only Sister Palmer and I can drive in our district and we needed to take 2 cars!

I just remembered this, but on the subject of Christ, the other night at the Christus there were 2 little boys that chose not to sit in the seats, but instead wanted to sit at the feet of the statue of Christ.  They were so reverent and it really touched my heart that these two little boys could feel the Spirit that was there.  It reminded me of the scriptures where it invites us to become as a child and to follow Christ.  Children are innocent, believing, and forgiving and it makes perfect sense that becoming "like a child" is what we need to do to follow in the footsteps of Christ.  Children have so much faith and they never doubt.  One thing I have learned being on this Temple Square Mission, where there are so many wonderful and open people, but just outside the Square there are people who are against the church and people will get online chat just to argue and tell us what we believe is false, and phone calls that are similar.  Faith is so important.  It must be nourished and strengthened.  We need to build our foundation on Christ and study the scriptures, pray to our Heavenly Father, and always attend church.  I have always believed that everyone in the church, whether born in it or not, is a convert.  We are invited to study the scriptures and to pray to God to know for ourselves if this church is true.  I have done this multiple times in my life and I always receive the same answer- that this is indeed the church that has the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I want to invite everyone to increase their faith this season by becoming like a child and following Christ!  Read, pray, and attend church.  So many blessings will come from it :)

I love you all so much! And Merry Christmas!!

Sister Asay