Share the Love

Hello everyone!!

This week has been pretty great and I can't believe that transfers are NEXT WEEK.  I am not going outbound yet, so we will see what's in store for me here at Temple Square!!  I will miss Sister Mathias and our good laughs and wonderful teaching experiences, but I am excited for what the new transfer will bring! 

It was Sister Opeda's (middle sister) birthday this past week, so we went to Tucano's! Soo good!

Sister Mathias and I have taken many tours this week and they have all been amazing!!!  We gave one tour to this group of 4 ladies who were absolutely wonderful!  They asked us so many questions and were sincerely interested in learning and knowing more about what we believe.  I think we covered almost all of the principles of the Gospel!  The tour was TWO hours long, when they are normally 30-45 minutes, because of how interested and curious they were!  I seriously love each of them so much!  It was cool, too, because when we were in the Tabernacle, we offered to show them an acoustics demonstration.  One asked if we would sing!  I laughed and gestured to Sister Mathias saying that she was the singer between the two of us, but the ladies convinced us both to do it. We went up to the front of the Tabernacle and sang the first verse of "I am a Child of God".  The Spirit was so strong and when we finished they told us how much they loved it!  Music really does bring in the Spirit and I'm grateful we could take those great ladies around the Square for 2 hours.  Time flew by and when the tour was over we each couldn't believe how quickly the time passed.  They also opened up to us even more at the end and shared that they were a little intimidated coming here for the first time, but that we were both so sweet, friendly, and open that they instantly weren't nervous anymore and that they felt like they could truly ask us anything.  One lady even said that she could see "a glow" about us and that she wanted to "pack us in her suitcase and take us home to Wisconsin", haha.  That light is the light of Christ!  We have this light within every single one of us and we nourish it by learning about and living the Gospel.  It meant so much to me that we could make it a comfortable tour for them and that, as representatives of Jesus Christ, they really could see that light of Christ within us.

Most of our zone at our zone activity on P-day!! We watched Rio!

Another tour with was a couple who was a bit older and they were very strong in their faith.  They were such a sweet, kind couple!  We took them around and we ended at the Christus.  Here, I shared my testimony for a few minutes that Christ is my Savior and Redeemer and His impact on my life.  Once finished, the wife just looked at me and said, "Wow, that was a beautiful testimony".  The husband then looked at both of us and said that he was very impressed by both of us because we have testimonies and that took them years to get.  This really struck a chord with me because I guess I never thought about that....that it could take someone a lifetime to gain that testimony.  Later, I was thinking about this, and a sentence came to my mind that Sister Mathias shared with me from the Bible Dictionary a few days earlier.  "All true faith must be based upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the desired result".   My faith has grown because I have been blessed to base it off correct principles my entire life.  That is why it grew so quickly!  We, as children of God, seek for truth whether we know it or not and when we do find that truth it grows within us every single day.  On my mission, I have been able to look inside my heart and see my faith grow stronger and stronger.  Yes, I had faith before, but as I have nourished it, read scriptures, prayed daily, taught others the Gospel, I have really been able to understand that faith = action.  Faith is something we have to work on, not something that just happens to us if we wish for it.  We have to act!

Temple Square Visitors!!!

The Romneys!!!!  I was so excited that I was able to see my second mom!!  (Editor's Note: I am sure lots of happy tears were shed from Ella and Catherine.) 

Cute story!  I was walking in the North Visitor's Center yesterday and this cute 2 year-old Samoan boy saw me, and ran over to me and wrapped his arms around my legs and gave me the biggest hug! Haha, it just touched my heart and it was the sweetest thing!  I don't even know this boy, but he was just so happy to share the love that he felt.  I guess that could be the theme for this email.  SHARE THE LOVE! Haha. His sweet 2 year-old hug made my day :)

Speaking of love, here is a Valentine’s poem by Sister Mathias, Catherine’s mission companion.

Roses are Red,

Violets are Blue,

“May our hearts be knit together”

Colossians 2 verse 2

I hope everyone has a fantastic week and that you remember who you are and to make good choices (to quote my mom)!

Love y'all, miss y'all. :)

Sister Asay