World Wide Mission devotional

January 20, 2016
Well, I am officially a auntie! This is crazy, and although I have not seen my niece yet in person, and I will not be able to see her until she is just over 1 years old  I love her so much! Her pictures look so darling! Luckily Mekaiah and Mom have been sending me some pictures/ videos so that I can see her. She is so cute, and I am very grateful to finally be a auntie. Today has been pretty good so far, there was a world wide mission devotional and my zone lucked out as so we got to see it in person! Not only that, but we got pretty much the best seats in the house, it was just a little intimidating though because President Nelson,, Elder Bednar, Elder Oaks,  Elder Renlund, and Elder Stevenson were all seated on the stand, and their line of sight went right where my companions and I were sitting. It is amazing though to think that only in the Salt Lake City missions we get the privilege of hearing the general authorities speak to us live and pretty much staring right into our souls. They said that this has been the first mission Broadcast that has gone world wide for an nearly a decade, it is amazing to see how the Lord truly is hastening his work.  Elder Anderson talked about our purpose as missionaries. We are here to Testify of the Savior and invite people to come unto him. He said, "Commit to the Lord to always have his name on our lips, and represent him." He said that in any situation if we are unsure of what to say, or how to start a conversation we should speak of the Savior. It is because of the restoration of the gospel that we have the fullness of the gospel, most people in the world do not have this or do not take it as seriously as they should and they need to. In the scriptures the Savior says "Whosoever will confess me before men, him will I confess to my Father in Heaven."

can you spot me in the crowd?

But we need to teach simply, and have faith and our own testimony for ourselves. Many people have heard of the Savior, and many of those individuals have also heard of the term repentance. Repentance is a vital part of the plan of salvation, it is how we us the atonement, and come unto Christ. Without repentance through the atonement, we cannot be saved.  Elder Anderson further explained how having real intent as we pray and study the scriptures, allows us to receive the revelations that we need in our lives. He said we need to be willing and ready to act on the answers that we are given by the Holy Ghost.  Elder Bednar then spoke on the topic of being worthy vessels for the Holy Ghost to dwell in. The Holy Ghost is not an instrument for us, but we are a instrument for him. We must continually strive to be in tune with the spirit so that we can know what to say, just as an instrument needs to be in tune for the musician to play it. We need to be worthy to receive his help and to let him speak and work through us. When we do this God will help us and bless our lives. When we teach people we are not really the teacher, but the Spirit is what teaches them through our words, and deeds. He said that the Holy Ghost is the great motivator to do good and that we should help people to recognize the answers that they receive from God through the spirit for themselves. All in all the whole conference was really helpful in remembering that our purpose as missionaries and members alike is to help others to come unto Christ, repent, be baptized and endure to the end.  Now earlier I mentioned companions as a plural term, and the reason why, is because I am now in a trio! Sister V and I have been given the wonderful opportunity to train Sister H (from Taiwan) for the first two weeks of her mission on Temple Square until Transfers! The reason why she has come so late in this transfer is because her visa was delayed, and the change of time in the MTC. So she actually arrived in Temple Square on Monday, after being in the MTC for nine Weeks and Serving four weeks in Taiwan. She is really sweat, and her English is improving each day. Although she is timid with her language skills at the moment, I know that she really is a powerful missionary, because the Spirit is there as she Testifies of the truth.   This last week has been a wonderful learning experience, our mission President is officially changed now, from President Poulsen to President Risenmay He and his wife are really sweet, and we are happy to have them in our mission.   This will be the end of my letter, but I love you all and appreciate everything that you do for me! XOXO

January 27, 2016
I love being able to here more about all of you, and I am so happy that baby Lila is doing well, every picture I get of her is just so amazing and cute! I really cannot wait to see her in 2017! I can't believe that I have almost been out for five months already, because in a way it seems like I have been here forever, but that I just left home at the same time... I know that is kinda strange and I have probably said that before, and this wont be the last time you here it most likely haha.  This past week has been alright, although it has been a little bit hard to get a hold of a few people, but everything happens in God's timing. I am so thankful for that because I know we all  struggle with different situations, but when we trust in the Lord everything will work out okay in the end. Remember to turn to the Savior all of the time, not just when we are struggling.  I am so thankful for the Savior and it has been amazing to me to be able to read and hear about him every single day. When I read the scriptures and pray about them it is incredible to see how everything all falls into place and makes so much sense in the end. Something that I know is that we are all going through our own stories, and it is so exciting because we have so many opportunities to trust in the Lord and show our faith. Every trial that we face is there for a reason, it kinda reminds me of a song that my companions and I always sing together it is called mountains to climb, and it talks about relying on the Savior.    I am still working in the Beehive house, I have to admit that before I had that assignment I really did not understand hardly anything about Brigham Young, and now I know more about him than any other modern day prophet with besides maybe Joseph Smith. Something that I love about them is that they are all human just like we are human. It is interesting that as I have read the scriptures that I never really thought about it until I really began to study the Bible and the Book of Mormon this year in complete depth. There are many mistakes that the apostles and the prophets make in the Bible, Doctrine and Covenants and the Book of Mormon, because they are human, and we all mess up sometimes, none of us are perfect, but we all can strive for perfection through Jesus Christ. Something that is very comforting is that the gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect,  it is perfect and it becomes clearer and clearer to me every time I give my time to God and study the scriptures prayerfully. I think I have shared this saying before but I will share it again because I think it is really nice, " If we give just 30 minutes to God a day, we will spend eternity with him." I like this because it really shows how important it is to have a relationship with God. Reading scriptures and really feasting on the words of Christ is more important than eating or drinking in a way, because it is what will shape our entire life. When we continually do the things that bring us closer to God, we will have strength to stand when we feel that we cannot anymore, and we will get that strength through the Savior.    A few of my favorite scriptures of the day are... Hebrews 13:8  "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." Omni 1:26  " And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved" ??And last but not least... Moroni 7:12-13 " 12 Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.       13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God" (My favorite one is verse 13 of that one)..  This truly is a remarkable time in the church of Jesus Christ, because we have just like the people in the past have had all throughout history, the priesthood keys restored directly through the resurrected apostles and prophets of God. Knowing that we can still have  guidance by those with authority is a blessing that I cannot thank God enough for. I cannot imagine a world without it. At times this mission has been difficult, but I have found so much strength in the words of the living and past prophets. When we just turn on the news, and look at the world it is not hard to imagine why God would send his servants in these last days to help us all to come closer to Christ. I am grateful for this time that I can spend at Temple Square, I am learning so much and it is really fun!  I love you all so much, and I miss you! XOXO

Three week update

December 23, 2015

Merry Christmas everyone! This perhaps the best time of the year, because even those that do not normally celebrate the life of Christ are celebrating alongside the Christians, and hopefully they will be able to feel that it is not just about presents and stuff.

This last week has gone by so quickly! I feel like I just got on my mission, and technically I am still at the beginning, but it is already going by so quickly.  For Christmas we are allowed to have most of the day off and hang out with the sisters/ skype our families. We are all really excited about the last part :)  At 1:00 we are all going to have a Christmas devotional together, and then at 4:00 we are back to work on square! 

Yesterday I was able to watch a short Christmas video from Joseph's perspective, if you have not seen it yet it is well worth the 7 minutes. I never really thought about Joseph's love for the baby Jesus, because we always focus so much on Mary's. It is incredible to me to think about Joseph's thoughts and feelings throughout Christ's life. 

This last past week Elder Rasband came and spoke to us in sacrament meeting. It was exciting to hear the new general authority speak. He talked a lot about his own experiences on temple square, and said that he would come here to talk to people about the gospel and tell them the history when he was a young man that just got off of his mission. He said that he actually just got back from Lethbridge a little while ago. What was really sweet was that before the meeting he was there and welcoming all of the sisters in. He tried to spend a little bit of time with each, and then at the end of his talk he said he would stay so that those sisters who did not get to speak with him personally yet would have a chance. 

Last night Sister V and I also went to a lovely members home for Christmas dinner, we had pizza, but it was really fun! So that was my second members home, we usually only get fed by people other than ourselves on holidays, it is so nice to be able to connect with members. 

As far as teaching has been, it has gotten really hard to get a hold of some of our investigators, but Stanley is still progressing and we also are teaching Er (but he speaks Spanish so Sister V pretty much teaching him on her own). We are really hoping and praying that we will be able to find more people who are willing to progress and follow the example of Jesus Christ. 

I am sorry that this letter is really short, but we will be able to skype in a few days and I need some things to talk about haha :) Happy Birthday Lysa! 

You all are so awesome, and thank you so much for the packages and letters. 

XOXOX 

Sister Lybbert 

January 6, 2016

There have been so many miracles that have occurred in this past week.

# 1 S was Baptized and Confirmed! 

It was amazing to be able to be a part of teaching S, and we will still continue to work with him as he strives to learn more about the gospel. He has been such an amazing blessing in my life and the lives of the Sister Missionaries who had the opportunity to teach him. I am very impressed by his faith, desire, and willingness to follow the example of Jesus Christ. To be able to observe his testimony grow, has strengthened my own. Although everyone that we meet as missionaries will not be entirely willing and ready to receive the gospel, there are those who have been prepared. It is marvelous when we are ale to find those that want to truly come closer to Christ. It was funny because after his baptism when I was on the phone with him, he said that he was intimidated by us the first time we met. We are just missionaries, I guess we do look scary to some people, but Stanley is really tall and big so it is just funny that he though we were the intimidating ones. haha He is doing well though, although he is feeling a little bit overwhelmed by everything because it is a lot of information to process.   

# 2 E has a Baptismal Date!

E is 22 and is Sister V's investigator, He was having a very hard time getting support from his family about getting baptized,because they are Catholics and his dad even kicked him out of the house because E would not stop reading the Book of Mormon. However miraculously his grandparents said that they would like to attend his baptism even though they are devout Catholics! His Father still is not in agreement with his decision ( he is a pastor which explains why this would be a sensitive topic for him), but E is determined to go forward, and the date is set for the 9th of January.

# 3 The R Family's New Years resolution is to be members of the church! 

Sister V and I were able to take a English/Spanish Family on a tour around Temple Square. In the tour the Spirit really helped us to testify of eternal families. We took them to God's plan for His families, which is a room to room video presentation centered on the proclamation to the Family. When we were there both of the parents started to cry and told us that they really want to have a better Christ centered home, and that they are so thankful for their own families. They really loved the idea of the Family Proclamation. We took them to the Christus also and the Temple Model. It is so great to be able to help people to realize that families are suppose to be forever, and that through the Temple they really can be.Although last time we called them the parents had not been able to start the Book of Mormon (from lack of time they run a restaurant by themselves) The children have been reading and explaining things to them. They said that the children ask almost every day if they can go to church this upcoming Sunday. They plan on going with their LDS friend. :) 

# 4 I have had an investigator (D C) for a while now. Sister Lmet him on the square before she went outbound (we go to another mission in the USA for 3 months of our mission), and although I had tried calling him, and sending him emails he only replied back once and it was in an email...This week I decided that I would drop him because it had been about over a month since I had been able to get a hold of him. Before I dropped him I prayed that if he would be interested and progress that he would pick up the phone and we could talk about the gospel. It was the last time that I planned on calling him before he would be dropped. He answered! When I explained that I was a missionary from Temple square he got really excited. He told me that he works during the week, but he is home on the weekends and that is why he had not been able to answer before. "The Elders came last night!" He said, "And they gave me a Book of Mormon!" D C had many questions about the restoration and the apostasy. After our talk he told us that he really wanted to restart the Bible and continue to read the Book of Mormon. He felt a desire to learn more and we have another appointment with him this upcoming Sunday! 

This has been a marvelous week full of many different miracles! I am really happy that I can be here on Temple Square :) 

I love you all! Thank you for everything that you do for me. Keep reading the scriptures and praying, because that is how we can gain a testimony of the Gospel. I come in contact with people every day who have gotten into anti things or have not searched in the right sources when they have had questions, I cannot stress enough how important it is to go first to the Lord, Scriptures, Church approved articles and the Church leaders. As I have been able to help others who have been confused about different events in history, it has strengthened my testimony that Joseph Smith is a Prophet and that The gospel is restored in its fullness through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints. I love you all!

XOXOX 

January 13, 2016
Wow! I can't believe that it has already been a week, time is going by really fast! 

The Good news for this week is that E was baptized! Even though his father was completely against him associating with the LDS church, E invited his entire family to his Baptism, and most of them showed up! Even his grandparents came! He was really happy about his decision and is already helping other people to find the gospel, he is a great example of faith. Everyone else has been doing alright, S is now out of the country, but he sent us some pictures of the Washington DC temple he took before he left, and we can call him through Skype, so it is nice that we can stay in contact with him. We are still waiting on pictures from his baptism, the Elders in his area still have not given him any, but he hopes that he will have some soon. 

Two days ago I took a chat on mormon.org and the person on the other side at first was not making any sense, and so I thought that they were probably another troll that thought it would be fun to mess around with missionaries. I ended up asking them if they were familiar with the church and they suddenly sent all of their phone number and address, this confused me, but I called the number. It turns out that the people who I was talking with do not speak English and are from Egypt, but their little 11 year old grandson spoke English well, and so I had a conversation with him and he was translating for his grandparents. It was so cute, because his voice was the exact voice of Charlie Brown, and I am not kidding. At the end of the conversation he said (not exact words but close), "If you have any religious books send them over, if you have missionaries bring them, because God is good, God Bless You." I just had to tell you about this one because he was so adorable.

Thursday is the last day that President Poulsen will be my mission President. We are all very sad to see the Poulsen's leave us. They have been wonderful examples to all of the sisters in the mission, and are always happy, and welcoming whenever we see them. I wonder what our new mission President will be like, his name is President Resenmae (I will figure out how to spell that when he comes). We do not know to much about him other than he has been a mission President before and has also been a 70, and so no one knows what to expect. I think he will be good for the mission though, otherwise he would not have been called here. He comes on Friday. 

 My district currently is...  Sister V(Guatemala), Sister M (Taiwan/Indiana USA), Sister S (Sweden), Sister F (Tonga, New Zealand, Australia) and Sister B (Maryland, USA). Today is our P-Day and so we are all going to the zoo, because a member said they can get us in for free! Afterwards we are going to Sister B and F apartment building (Brigham which is Celestial) and eat, Pizza, Peach cobbler and ice cream so it should be a lot of fun. Hopefully I can get some good pictures to send you all.

In companionship study sister Vasquez and I have been reading the Bible. I love the Bible so much, because it is like a novel! It is amazing to be able to see how the patterns of God really are the same throughout all of the ages of time, and how we can find things that point directly to the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I guess that should not be too surprising though, because it is the same gospel that they had in Christ's time, but the old testament is so great!

I also had the chance to watch a little bit of the Young adults broadcast online, if you have not watched it I recommend it, even if you are not a Young adult.         

I am still in the Beehive house, and I love it, because I learn more and more about Brigham Young each time. Now I have huge respect for the man, he was amazing! This week I had some unexpected visitors at the house, the Boyes'  came by, it was a lovely reunion, and it was great to see them again.   

I am SUPER DUPER excited for the arrival of my new niece, when she comes send me tons of pictures. I love you all so much, and I am sorry for kinda rambling, but I do that often anyways!

XOXO

Sister Lybbert