Adventures in the CLAM: I Got Blocked?! ft. Conferences (March 30, 2020-April 5, 2020)

 

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
We have been exploring many new ways of finding online. We experienced the miracle of finding a Facebook group just for people that live in our area! There were over a thousand people in the group so it seemed like a great opportunity to find people who were interested in learning about the gospel in our area by sharing uplifting messages. I wrote a post for the group, and we were very careful to not say anything about God or religion in the post, so people could see that we just wanted to share a hopeful message in this crazy time. We submitted the post to be approved by the group admin. Upon checking Facebook the next day, we couldn't see that my post had been approved. I couldn't see the group on Facebook anywhere at all, actually. I GOT BLOCKED?! Just for trying to share an uplifting message about finding the blessings during this gloomy time. Hahaha! The adversary will truly stop at nothing to wreck the Lord's work, but we won't stop either. I'm not saying a lot, I'm just saying that the Lord will remember this in the last day.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
I spent the night with Sister Torres and Sister Wall on p-day, so we went on a Target shopping trip together! Ulta was closed so I had to buy makeup there, and it was actually kind of fun to have to look around for different makeup that I had never tried before. I also may or may not have splurged on a lipstick that I won't wear for five more months and a t-shirt dress.
I had another midcycle! Sister John and I are back together and we are double covering Palos Verdes and Redondo 1st. It has been so fun to be with her again. I think we are both very happy that the dust is starting to settle now and things should be pretty normal for awhile.
We had zone conference! All of the non-Spanish areas met together over Zoom call and talked about our transfer objectives under these new circumstances. I really loved this zone conference! I think I have a better understanding of how to accomplish the transfer objectives now and a really good idea of what direction to take in my missionary work.
We had district council as a zone this week because our numbers have decreased so much. I got to give a training on how to find and teach, which was really fun because I have loved getting to use my social media talent in my missionary work. I have learned a lot about how to move the work forward on the internet and I've really enjoyed it! Hopefully some of my hot tips helped my friends.
I hit thirteen months! Let me tell you, this mission is flying by. I am so glad I have gotten to be a missionary for so long. I am in one of the happiest times of my mission right now. I will say there were a few months where I was really struggling, but I seem to have come out conqueror, as we always do when we work hard and follow the Lord. I really feel so privileged to be a missionary right now and I have never been so eager to share the gospel with as many people as I can!
General conference this weekend was incredible! Where to even begin in describing the wonder of this conference? So much was spoken of about the past of our Church, how the Restoration began and how it goes on today. So much was spoken of about the future of our Church, discussing prophecies that have been fulfilled and are yet to be fulfilled, and the incredible work that is moving forward and will continue to move forward! So many messages of hope during troubling times were shared. So much was said about who the Savior truly is, someone who does things for us that we simply CAN'T do ourselves no matter how hard we try--but that's okay, because He has redeemed us. There were messages about love, unity, and hard work. The priesthood power of God was emphasized in many talks at the conference, including some given by two beautiful youth, who never cease to amaze and thrill me. Another worldwide fast was announced on the tenth of April, Good Friday, and any and all people are welcome to join. A new symbol marking the Church of Jesus Christ was shared and can now be found on churchofjesuschrist.org and the Gospel Library app. We participated in a solemn assembly and a sacred ceremony called the hosanna shout! How I felt the Spirit as I stood with my companion by our couch in front of her cell phone screen, waving our hand and shouting praises to the Lord, watching our prophets and apostles in a nearly empty room do the same! The emotion I felt as I listened to hymns dear to my heart, as I heard for the first time the "Hosanna Anthem", and as I heard the closing hymn sung by Saints all over the world on every continent! This conference truly was memorable and unforgettable, just as President Nelson promised. What a great last general conference for my mission. I testify that the messages in this conference were true--Jesus Christ's Church is on the earth here to stay, and it is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is no doubt in my mind about it. The day of miracles has not ceased. Heavenly Father has called a prophet to speak for Him just like He always has--today that prophet is President Russell M. Nelson. I implore you to listen to him speak with a pure heart--watch the video of the new proclamation or check out general conference at churchofjesuschrist.org. As you do, you will know you are listening to a servant of the Lord, and you will know you have found the right place, the place that can fill ANY void in your life. I invite EVERYONE reading these words to really consider this, really consider if these words are true and if you are feeling the Holy Spirit of the Lord right now. If you think I'm excluding you from this invitation, that I'm not talking to you, I am. Don't shy away from this--it will change your life for the immensely better.
FRIENDS:
Robert and Katherine are incredible! They have been reading the Book of Mormon on their own without even being prompted by us. We taught them about living prophets and they said it was amazing! We invited them to be baptized and they are praying about it. They loved general conference!
Craig is amazing! We reviewed the Restoration with him and connected it to how we have a prophet today! Craig has listened to a past talk by President Nelson AND he watched conference and he LOVES President Nelson--but don't we all. He's been reading the Book of Mormon a lot, and he read the story of Enos about twenty times! He knows it so well and is pretty much obsessed with it, because Enos reminded him of himself! We taught Craig about baptism and invited him to be baptized. He accepted! He is preparing to be baptized on the sixteenth of May. He sees the change of heart he has had and he is amazing. What a faithful guy.
We got to talk to Arista about what she's been reading in the Book of Mormon! She is a very awesome, studious, spiritual lady.
We got to talk to John and Nataly about the importance of the sacrament and general conference! John got to watch the conference and he loved it!
Letty really opened up this week. She has been going through a lot over the past year, but she has a lot of faith in God. What a sweet woman!
We shared a message with Dexter and Belinda and their kids! We talked about repentance and how Jesus Christ can cleanse us.
Mary is going through a hard time right now. We shared a message about how the grave has no victory because she lost a friend recently.
Monica is so sweet! We talked to her about the Book of Mormon. As we shared our favorite verses with her over the phone, she read right along with us! We taught her about the apostasy and Restoration as well.
We met up with Cathryn and did a scripture study with her and the Kakazus! We talked about how we have all been preparing for conference. It was a very spiritual meeting. Wow, I love them so much.
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

Adventures in the CLAM: Blessings During Challenges (March 23, 2020-March 29 2020)

Hey everyone!
First of all, I would just like to say that the miracle friends written about in this post, Robert and Katherine, were not real people. We were being catfished. So there's that.
Wow. This was a hard one for me to review. I had forgotten how hard this week was. One of the most painful experiences I've gone through. I say a lot of what happened this week. What I don't talk about is crying and writhing on the floor while my companion is in the shower because I am so sad to see my friends go home. The stress and trauma that I watched my friends go through. The emotionally draining anxiety that I felt every day trying to teach so many lessons over the phone and adjust to this new way of missionary work. Trying to cry quietly while having breakdowns over a follow up call. The peace I was brought to just spend the night with my STLs because my heart hurt so much and I just needed a break from it all and I needed really good friends to be there for me. Reading peaceful scriptures and praying because it was literally all I had.
So it was painful. But beautiful too. Because I also remember so clearly feeling the fear of the world falling down around me, but I somehow knew that I could not get hurt. It felt like everything was breaking into pieces, but I wasn't, and I felt like I should be afraid, but I wasn't. I couldn't be. I just knew I was safe. It was a feeling that had happened on my mission before, where I felt so unbelievably strong. That's what God can do for His servants. That's what God can do for any of you.
Enjoy!

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
While we are unable to be together in person, us missionaries have been trying to find ways to stay together and stay united. There is nothing better than spending time with your fellow missionaries; our friendship is really valuable. In order to spend time together and help us overcome stress, we have started meditating over video call together every morning! My companion and I run it and it is a blast! It's a great way to start the day and has gotten me thinking about writing my own meditations to help people relax and come unto Christ.
Due to less people being out and some rain we have been getting recently, the air is so clear here right now! It is the best thing ever. I step outside and the air feels the way it did when I was a teenager visiting California. It brings me so much joy.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
On p-day Sister Powers and I spent the day with Sister Torres and Sister Wall. We got breakfast, went on a walk while our laundry was washing, and got boba!
District council this week was great. I am back in another obsessive baking and cooking phase, but this time I have no one to give my treats to, so I brought them to district council and they helped a lot with the overwhelming amount of cookies I had made. We had a meeting before with President over call too so a lot of that day was talking about good ways to use our time with this new way of doing missionary work.
This week we got some shocking news. Due to the virus, missions are having to decrease numbers, so many missionaries are being sent home. President said he would be calling people about it this week. Many of the missionaries being sent home are my dear friends, including Sister Hopkins and Sister Powers. We were told they would be leaving on Monday.
Last night we had to prepare them for their flights. We took the luggage to the mission office, where President was trying everything he could to help us practice social distancing and avoid large gatherings. They picked up their travel plans and things they needed. I got to say goodbye to some of my best pals who were also departing. Let's just say it was an emo night. I found out earlier that day that my new companion would be Sister John--back at it again! And we will be double covering Palos Verdes and Redondo. We said goodbye to Sister Powers as she was staying in the patron apartments that night. Sister John and Sister Hopkins got to spend one more night together which was great because they are best buds. And I spent the night in a trio with Sister Torres and Sister Wall, which was also great because as you can imagine it had been a roller coaster of a week so I was grateful to just be with two of my really good friends while the dust settled.
FRIENDS:
We taught Craig about repentance and he is obsessed with the concept. He sees how it really makes us better people. WE tied the whole gospel of Christ together and he loved it. We told him that we know about all of this because of the Restoration of Christ's gospel, which made a lot of sense to him.
We got to share a spiritual message with Elizabeth! She is so sweet and knows Jesus Christ is her Savior. He is the reason we're able to get through anything. She is trusting in Him during these difficult times.
We had a great time studying Come, Follow Me with John this week.
Karla is amazing! She is so kind to us and loves connecting with God more and more each day. We taught her the Restoration and she understood it in a way that she has never understood it before! We are so glad about the progress she has made.
Robert and Katherine are an absolute miracle. Robert had been in contact with missionaries before, just invited to a ward party so not much had really come of it. We called him this week and he was overjoyed to hear from us. He is so nice. He said a spiritual message would be great right now. He said he really felt an urgent need to learn more about this gospel. Amazing! We thought it was just him turning to Jesus Christ during difficult times. We were wrong--it was so much more. During our first meeting, we talked to Robert and his wife Katherine. Apparently one of Katherine's coworkers had showed the Book of Mormon to them and read some of it to them, and it was the most beautiful thing they had ever heard. They couldn't stop thinking about it and desperately wanted to learn more. We taught them about the Book of Mormon and they just love the restored gospel even more every time they learn something new. We taught them about the Restoration, and they said it made them feel calm and peaceful. We told them that was the Spirit testifying to them that they were hearing the truth, and we invited them to read Moroni 10 and pray to know the truth for themselves. I can't wait to see what happens!
We met with Eugenia! She is awesome. She met missionaries in a restaurant a few months ago and knew they were good people. She has always taken a great interest in God and has such a beautiful understanding of who He is--that He understands taht we are not perfect, but He loves us still because He is our Father. She says she and her husband pray together frequently, and we are going to do a Bible study together so we can get better at reading and understanding the scriptures!
Our dear Sophia is a strong one. She has been studying the scriptures every day on her own. Her testimony is as solid as a rock. She said she can't wait to be a missionary because she feels that she'll be able to relate to people because the gospel helped her feel better and it can help other people feel better too! Wow we love her.
As you can see, there is no shortage of miracles in the Lord's work. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a missionary. President Cordon has been stressing to us how privileged we are to be missionaries right now and it's really true. I could not be happier about my calling. And I'm so grateful for the technology we are able to use to accomplish our work! As is stated in our missionary handbook Safeguards for Using Technology, we have the grand privilege of getting "to use these tools according to the purpose for which they were created--to further the work  of salvation." These advances in technology were literally created for the purpose of sharing the restored gospel! I know this is true. And I feel so fortunate to be a part of it. I am so excited about this work! I am overjoyed that I get to use my blogging talent as a huge part of my missionary work. It's a talent I've been developing for years and is a huge part of my life, and now I get to use it to further the work of salvation. Teaching using technology has also allowed my family and other friends to participate in my missionary work, and it means the world to me that my family gets to see me teach, the ultimate joy of my heart. I am so happy to be a missionary right now.
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

Adventures in the CLAM: "Step Out, Step Out of the Sun" (March16, 2020-March 22, 2020)

I feel like a fake if I don't start the Adventures in the CLAM posts with this, and I forgot to in this letter. So you're getting it here.
Hello one and all!
Also, the last paragraph of this post is so interesting to me. It definitely caught my attention. It's a seemingly random call to repentance. But I think it is important, because times of crisis like the one described in the post can bring us closer to God. They can be great opportunities. Sometimes we need to be reminded that wherever we are right now is exactly the right place to repent and try to come unto our Savior. So there's a friendly reminder. I invite you all to ponder that, because I definitely will.
Enjoy!

 LA LOVE:
We had the tragic privilege of witnessing a bunch of our senior missionaries leave the CLAM. It's just not safe with the virus for them to be here right now. They are hoping to come back soon though.
While we were at the mission office Sister Powers and I were having a discussion about signs of the Second Coming of Christ. We've spent a lot of time at the mission office this week so we even got to talk to President and Hermana about it. Hermana said that for people without the gift of the Holy Ghost need signs of the Second Coming that they can understand, so that's why things like the earthquake in Salt Lake City happen. President also told us that the year of the Second Coming there will be no harvest and no rainbow. We talked about  scriptures that state the signs of the Second Coming--such as Doctrine and Covenants 45:34, which describes an illness that will cover all the land, better known as the corona virus. We also discussed Amos 3:14, which describes Angel Moroni's trumpet falling from the Salt Lake City temple. We spent time trying to figure out what Amos 3:15 means too. I have my ideas.
I want you guys to understand how obsessed I am with Saints, the new history of The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Creative nonfiction has become an increasingly popular genre, and the new written history of the Church is written in that beautiful style. It has turned me into a reader again; I can't put it down. I love narratives and I love learning about the Church!
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
On p-day we deep cleaned our apartment to save us from the virus and had lunch with the Redondo sisters.
We had the start of a new transfer. The start of a new transfer always feels great, even though I was in the same area and the same companion. We're ready for a new transfer!
On Tuesday we went on our first shopping trip since the corona virus really exploded. It honestly wasn't as bad as we thought it would be, but it was still pretty wild.
We had the first district council of the transfer! We talked about how to give our friends a Sabbath worship experience because they aren't able to go to church anymore.
One night while we were visiting with John and Nataly, John gave us a news update about how the county of Los Angeles was going to be on lockdown. In panic, realizing we may be trapped in our apartment for a few weeks, we went on a late night shopping trip. We still weren't sure whether or not this was actually real. When we got home, we saw a text in our zone chat telling us that there would be a mission-wide meeting over video call with President Cordon. Uh-oh. Well the meeting finally came and President said we've probably been hearing a lot of news, but he was going to tell us everything we needed to know. The Los Angeles county was in fact not on lockdown or quarantine, but we are given a Safer at Home order, with very specific guidelines for public and private gatherings. This means we still can go outside. However, the following day the mission was going to stay in their apartments so we could see how the public reacted. All appointments would be over the phone.
The next day was our first day staying in the apartment. In the later part of the day, we got word from President that the mission would be staying in until further notice. It seems LA is taking the order pretty seriously. Missionaries will be teaching online until we are told otherwise. Because that is true, you might be seeing a lot of missionaries posting on social media. If you do, feel free to interact with our posts! We would love to share cool gospel insights together, and especially get the gospel to those that are looking for it.
Due to a midcycle that is coming up, I ended up going on an exchange last-minute with Sister Powers from Redondo! She is being midcycled out of the Palos Verdes zone. We thought that would be happening this upcoming week. However, yesterday we were told that President was still trying to figure out the transfer, so Sister Powers and I will be together for a full week. We spent the night in the Redondo area, but will be spending the rest of the week in Palos Verdes.
FRIENDS:
Craig has been reading the Book of Mormon and taking notes! We talked a lot about faith and Jesus Christ's divine mission. Jesus is of course the reason any of what we've been teaching Craig about is possible. We introduced the gospel of Christ to Craig. ANd get this, Craig has been sharing his testimony of the Plan of Salvation with others!
We met with Gerardo, someone we met in a grocery store. What we didn't know about Gerardo is he is the pastor at his church, at least as far as I understand, that or he's just really involved in it. Anyway, Gerardo definitely thought that he was the one teaching us. It was pretty spicy and I learned a lot about his belief. We got to share our hot take on things as well and I think we got him pondering. Honestly it was a pretty shocking lesson haha but he is willing to meet with us again. We're going to refer him to missionaries who speak his native language so he can understand better.
We met with the K. family! They are so awesome and sweet. We love them. We taught them about the nature of the Godhead and each individual Being's role in that unit.
We got to have lunch with Lucy and her friend Nadene, Tatiana's mom! It was great to see them. We talked about the ways we can get in tune with God and hear Him.
We finally got to meet with Arista! We talked about the priesthood and how that relates to general conference coming up.
We taught John and Nataly about repentance and decided to make goals together, because repentance is all about getting better every day! (See "We Can do Better and Be Better" by President Russell M. Nelson)
We talked to a guy named Fred. He was happy to hear from us! He has met with missionaries in the past and is very involved in his religion, a strong believer in Jesus Christ. It was cool to get to hear Sister Hopkins talking with him about the history of our Church!
I want you all to know there is nothing to be afraid of. As a favorite song of mine, "Let Us All Press On", says:
"If we do what's right we have no need to fear,
For the Lord, our helper, will ever be near."
I am not worried about the work I have to do. This is just one of the devil's devices to try to stop the work of the Lord, but it's not going to work. Our Father in Heaven has prepared a way for us to get out of it. I'm a servant of the Lord, and that makes me stronger than the devil. We all are. Never forget that.
And remember, "this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God." (Alma 34:32. Give that chapter a read.)
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

I Should Be Glad 2020

 Hi everyone!
Since this is a normal non-serial post today, I guess I should take the normal route and start by way of a life update, but I don't really know if there is much to say. I think you all know I'm currently attending Southern Utah University. I'm majoring in English education with a double minor in theatre and film. I recently got a job at the school as an audio-visual tech for school events. I love learning and working at my school. It is truly the perfect thing for me to be studying and the perfect job for me to be working. I have loved it all. Cedar City and I have developed a much better relationship and I am really enjoying living there. I have really good friends, especially my roommates. I love them all. It's Thanksgiving break for me, which marks the end of in-person school for the rest of the semester and online classes only for the final month we have in school. It has been so amazing that our school has been able to stay open the entire time we were planning. It has been an awesome opportunity for me. Here's your friendly reminder to take the corona virus pandemic seriously and that if we all follow the safety precautions set in front of us, our future is bright!

The title for this post is inspired by the poem "I should be glad of loneliness" by Sara Teasdale. The idea is that we can have gratitude in any circumstance. I've wanted to do this post for quite awhile. I know this has been an interesting year for everybody. There have been some pretty unique struggles. But there has also been so much good, and there always will be. I think most of you know that the prophet and president of my church recently released a video about the healing power of gratitude. It's amazing and absolutely what we all need right now. I wanted to write a post just about that--about all the good that has happened this year. But I don't want it to be a special 2020 thing, because it's not. 2020 is not special in that way. Every year has so many good things about it. I wanted to make this a Thanksgiving tradition. There is so much we can highlight about every year!
I was a missionary for so much of this year, so I will admit that I don't know much about what happened in the normal world. But I am still going to try my best to highlight all the great things that happened this year.

1. I've seen people open their hearts more this year. While there have been a ton of challenges, it has helped people come closer together, be kinder, and make friends and support others. People have grown to appreciate the people in their lives more. I've seen people get closer to God at this time. The change in lifestyle has also changed our perspectives, it seems.
2. High-waisted pants have remained a trend this year.
3. Dresses in pockets are becoming normalized.
4. People have been given opportunities to be creative. Since we're in a pandemic and not able to do everything the way we would normally do things, just about everyone I know has been given an opportunity to be creative or develop a new talent. For example, my little brother started making TikTok videos, and my older brother started streaming Pokemon. I know that schools all over the world have had to adjust the way students learn and it's been a great success. The entertainment industries have changed the way they do things. I know the missionaries have entirely changed the way they do their work and it has been entirely better for them. A lot of people have discovered new things that they love and are good at.
5. The children of the world are so strong and resilient. They are a great example to us adults in how to face challenges.
6. The Jonas Brothers are still making music. To make this even better, there WILL be a seventh album.
7. A COVID-19 vaccine, within just about a year of the pandemic, is already being prepared to be distributed to first responders and those most vulnerable. Famous music composer Andrew Lloyd Webber was one of the people who tested the vaccine earlier in the year.
8. Dolly Parton helped fund the COVID-19 vaccine, and not only that, but she's releasing a Christmas album this year.
9. For those of you that have missionaries out, they've been able to call home once a week for nearly two years! I sure know that was a blessing for me and my family when I was a missionary, and that was true for many others as well.
10. I don't think I've ever seen a year where people are this aware of racism and trying to put a stop to it. us as a world are getting better at loving each other.
11. To celebrate two centuries of Jesus Christ's full gospel on the earth, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released "The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World". It's an awesome document about God's truth and His love for us.
12. Food delivery is THRIVING and readily available.
13. Can we talk about technology?! Due to the internet and easy access to inexpensive phone calls, even while it's not as easy to see people in person, we are still able to connect with the people that are close to us. Special shoutout to websites and social media platforms that are providing COVID-19 updates at the click of a button.
14. The new Animal Crossing game has been a great destresser for people this year.
15. I have seen so much literature representation of women of different races this year. I'm all about diversity in girl power!
16. Among Us.
17. TikTok produced a plethora of gems this year, such as "Red's Kinda Sus" and the Ratatouille musical.
18. Colourpop has more Disney collabs going on than I think any of us ever thought would happen.
19. We received a new Phineas and Ferb movie this year.
20. In fact, word on the street is (although I obviously haven't been able to partake in it much) television is the best it's been in a long time.
21. The US election memes were next level.
22. People have been forced to slow down. I know I of myself am really guilty of zooming my way through life and letting things that are actually important slip away. This year just about everything in life has slowed to a stop, and I think it's taught us to calm down and let ourselves feel peace and spend time with our families and what we have.
23. The Chosen, the first multi-series television program about Jesus Christ, is being made and it is FANTASTIC.
24. The arts are still being celebrated! The Actors Fund is helping performers now more than ever, and awards shows like the Grammys and the Tonys are still happening.
25. Companies are showing so much compassion. Fees are being waived. Things like grocery pickups are free, and stores are doing senior hours for those most vulnerable so they can shop without crowds. Time limits on Zoom were cut on Thanksgiving Day so people could still be with their families over long distance. Some jobs are giving paid COVID leave.
Thank you all for being a part of my amazing year. I know it has been hard on everyone, but I have to say that it has still been a great year. I'm looking forward to what the rest of 2020 holds, and I'm glad to say it's not all bad.
Thanks and much love!

Adventures in the CLAM: The Great Corolla Virus of 2020 (or, "No Unhallowed Hand Can Stop the Work from Progressing") (March 9, 2020-March 15, 2020)

Hey everyone!
This post is making me super emotional. This was the time in my mission history when the missionaries of the CLAM, who had previously not viewed the virus as a big deal, finally got hit with the reality of the situation. I am trying to find the right word to describe it. The closest I can get is surreal. Hopefully the post--and all the posts following, to be sure--speaks for itself and paints the picture of what we were really going through.
In the post I mention how on the day the world fell apart, I prayed and asked God to help me get through it. And now that it's all over (the mission part, that is), I just want to say--He did.
In the months following, my faith grew like I have never seen. As a result, so many incredible miracles happened before my eyes. I got to know and love Jesus so much better, and got so much closer to him. I got to teach the most amazing people and have absolutely wonderful experiences with them. As we felt the chaos of the world crash down on us, me and my fellow missionaries got so close to each other and now they are my best friends.
I am so grateful for the experience I had. I know there was a lot of sorrow and disaster and heartache, but I wouldn't change it for the world. So much of it shaped the experience I had, and it ended up being a huge tender mercy for me. Thanks be to God for always consecrating my afflictions for my gain. (2 Nephi 2:2)
Enjoy!

 

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
Throughout my mission, something I've contemplated a lot is how I can use my talents in my missionary service. I know that this is a major purpose Heavenly Father gave me my talents, to gather scattered Israel and lift up hands that hang down. A talent I realized in the beginning of my mission, in Reseda, is that I can use my talent for writing notes for people. In Wilshire I realized how I can use my talent for singing. But here in Palos Verdes, I think I realized how I can use one of my favorite talents of all: social media. Blogging has been a big part of my life for many years, and I've always wanted to know what I could do to use my writing gift on my mission--there is no talent I am more grateful for. This transfer I have been thinking of a lot of uplifting messages I can post on social media that will help others come unto Christ, and that fills me with so much joy. I know God has given me and all of us our talents for a very special reason in building the kingdom of God.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
On p-day we went to get sushi, to the mall, and to Redondo Pier! Definitely a fun and adventurous day.
We had a great last district council of the transfer. We have loved our district council of the transfer. We have loved our district this transfer and our zone as well. What a good bunch.
Okay; so my title is not a mistake. Saying anything about Corollas while on a mission is super funny and the love of my life, and a missionary did by mistake call it the Corolla virus a few weeks ago. Plus it's better than saying the actual word haha. But we really DID have a Corolla crisis the other day. Sister Hopkins's TIWI driver ID (the machine that allows us to drive as missionaries) stopped working out of nowhere, so we had to go all the way to the mission office in the pouring rain to get her a new one. On that same day, the news about the corona virus finally got to the missionaries. We are very much in the world but not of the world, so we really don't know much of what's going on ever. But that day the world was cracking down hard, and it was hitting the missionaries too: our teenage friends were asking about how temple trips would be affected because their schools were closing, ward members were asking how our work would be affected, and it seemed like the whole world was in chaos. I had had a really anxious night the night before, and I still wasn't feeling super great, so when that is taken into account and you add in the news about the virus, I felt absolutely awful. I felt like the world was falling into ruin, like everything was breaking apart. Luckily though we got to see President Cordon which we really wanted because he always makes us feel better, but he didn't shake our hands needless to say. So us missionaries were really starting to realize how serious this situation actually was. Because of all the craziness, when we got back to the peninsula honestly we were so worn out and in shock from everything, and we were certain no one would want to talk to us on that day. We had to bring something to the Redondo sisters at their ward's Relief Society birthday party, so we just ended up staying there. It was actually a much-needed night. Not many people came and they had worked really hard on the setup, so it was good for them that we were there and made the ward really happy. Plus we hadn't had dinner and were really hungry and we got some super good food hahaha. Sister John and Sister Hopkins told about how the Relief Society got started using their skills from Nauvoo, and I got to say a few words to members of the Korean branch! (Miss you, Olympic.) One of the best parts was we learned how to dance. I have missed dancing so much and it was super fun! Well, we headed home for the night and I knelt down to say a prayer a few minutes after arriving home. I told Heavenly Father how much stress and fear had been in my heart that day, and that I knew everything would be okay, that He had a wise purpose for all of this, and asked Him to help me through it. My heart was flooded with peace. I had no fear anymore. I was ready to move forward with faith, and I knew we had nothing to really be scared of! I fell asleep with peace in my heart and hope for the future.
The next morning the whole mission had a meeting with President over video call regarding the virus. It was awesome. For those of you wondering what the changes to missionary work are, we will be doing pretty much the same thing, just following basic health practices, keeping social distance, teaching over phone if our friends prefer, and staying home if we are sick. As President said, "The Second Coming isn't going to be postponed by the corona virus." So missionaries will not slow down! Since church is cancelled, we are now having sacrament meeting in small groups as missionaries. Getting to have sacrament with some of my missionary pals was a really sacred moment. As the prophet Joseph Smith said, "The truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent."
Sophia got to go to the temple! It was a great day. The Redondo sisters got to go with us, as did some of Sophia's friends from the ward, Will, Rikki, and Bree. She had a great time! I got to be a witness for her first temple baptisms. When she got out of the water and looked at me and told me not to cry or she would cry. Hahaha! That girl knows me too well. It was a really scared experience.
We had our transfer calls. It was super anticlimactic. Sister Hopkins and I will be staying in Palos Verdes together. Elder Kitchen didn't even wait for us to react, he just told us and hung up hahaha! I really felt I needed to stay in PV so I am very happy about this, and happy to be staying with Sister Hopkins! We are not exactly sure what lies in store next transfer, but I'm excited for it. I only have four transfers left! Can you believe that?
FRIENDS:
We visited with Craig. This time his wife Susie sat in with us! We taught them the Plan of Salvation in full and drew it out for them. Craig is an artist so he loved it! He and Susie were amazed that we lived in heaven before we were on earth. We later taught Craig about the Book of Mormon, and he said it was really amazing. We are excited to see where he goes from here.
When we visited MacKinon this week, we told her we had lemon bars for her, but we would only give them to her if she played a game with us. We played 20 Questions and she loved it! We gave her the lemon bars as promised. We asked her if she really thought we would give her lemon bars. She said yes. Why? She said because she didn't think we would play her like that. We told her that is how faith works. God gives us a commandment, and He promises us a blessing if we obey. We can't see the blessing beforehand. But when we obey Him, the blessings come!
With Nataly and John we had the privilege of talking with them about how temples are crucial in our lives. We set a temple baptismal date for the twenty-fifth of March, but we may have to postpone it due to the virus. Only time will tell. We did, however, get to study Come, Follow Me with John and talk about ways he can share the gospel in simple ways!
While we were out and about, we met a girl named Mercedes. We asked how she saw God answer her prayers. That question usually throws people off. Mercedes didn't hesitate at all. She said that God strengthens her faith. Let me tell ya Mercedes is a faithful woman! We asked if we could see her again and she agreed. We talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how repentance fits in there! It was amazing. She is so cool.
We met with Fay. She has great love for the Lord. We told her what the Sabbath day is and how we can keep it sacred.
I want you all to know that hope is in fact never lost. We know this because we know Jesus Christ lives, and He lives for US. This is reason to rejoice.
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."--2 Timothy 1:7
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

Adventures in the CLAM: I'm Officially Old! (March 2, 2020-March 8, 2020)

Hey everyone!
Today's post is about my one year mark on the mission. I am getting super emo typing this out right now because it truly was the best time. I am so grateful and lucky that my companion, Sister Hopkins, was as excited about this as me and willing to celebrate it with me. I'm glad I got to be in a great area and a great zone with great friends. From this point on the mission was the best it had ever been. There are so many good memories ahead.
I am unendingly grateful for the beautiful opportunity I had to serve. I think about every single detail of my mission frequently, and to me it is simply astounding how every little piece was tailored to my exact need. I don't know what I expected out of my mission--missions are a hard thing to plan for, because you don't really know what's going to happen. But whatever I imagined, what I got was way better.
Enjoy!

 

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
So, for those of you that love Starbucks but also love the Word of Wisdom, you might be wondering, what is the solution to this? Well this week I learned. If you want a Frappuccino. All you have to do. IS JUST ASK FOR IT WITHOUT COFFEE. And then you get the joy of having a Frappuccino and the joy of obeying the commandments of God. You're welcome, world.
I hope you're all happy for me knowing that I bought enough makeup wipes to last me the rest of my mission and a little bit after too. (There was a huge deal, I'm not just crazy.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
We had the privilege of going to the temple as a zone! It was a great day to be there with great friends.
I hit my one year! Wow let me tell you that was a joyous day. I got to see so many of my missionary friends due to zone interviews (more on that in a bit), I opened gifts from my family (who celebrated in Vegas on their own), and Sister Hopkins and I got an ice cream cake to celebrate. I honestly feel so grateful to be at this point in my mission, to have the opportunity to celebrate this special day at all. My mission has been such an awesome experience thus far. I value all of the wonderful opportunities I've had as a servant of the Lord and here in the CLAM. I'm just so glad I get to call myself a missionary and be a part of this great work, and so glad I have spent so much time here!
We had our zone interview! Wow, I just love getting to talk to President Cordon. He is such a great man and it never stops being amazing how much he cares about us. We also got a super great training about how to teach our friends about observing the Sabbath day in small pieces which was really helpful.
FRIENDS:
Arista and her parents do not feel good about her getting baptized so soon, which is totally understandable. They all want her to give it more time. So we read the Book of Mormon with her, 3 Nephi 9! A very underrated chapter. Arista is so awesome. She just loves the scriptures and the stories of Jesus.
We met with Fay! We talked about how God loves us and compared it to how she loves her son. We also taught her about the divine mission of Jesus Christ, and how our special relationships with the Father and the Son are why Jesus Christ came to earth.
Did some sweet Come, Follow Me studies with John this week.
We met with Helen! Helen does not know a lot about religion but was interested in learning, so we started teaching her about the message of the Restoration. Well since Helen doesn't know abuot religion, the next time we met we decided to teach her about who God is. It was at this time that Helen told us she did not believe in God. No matter what we said, she would not be swayed. So I guess there's that.
We did Come, Follow Me with Greg and Lucy! They are seriously the coolest people ever. I love them so much. We read 2 Nephi 31 and talked about the importance of the principles taught there.
We met with Craig and he is amazing. We told him about eternal families. He loves his family a ton and has a great relationship with them. I told him that my family supports me and thinks of me even though we are separated right now, and that is exactly how Heavenly Father feels about each of us. When we read a verse from 2 Nephi 2 to answer a questoin of his about why bad things happen to good people, he said, "Why does that make so much sense?" As we taught, he said, "You guys are 100% sure this is true." We said, "We are 1000% sure this is true." We told him to pray to know our message is true, and he said he wanted to know it as much as we did.
We met with MacKinon, Ian, and Kenny. We taught them about who God is and pretty much how much He loves them. We committed them to read from the Bible together as a family.
We met with Jack and Marsha. We tried figuring out why Marsha hadn't been baptized yet, and it pretty much came down to her not believing there is one true church. They both believe everything will work out when Jesus comes back to the earth, so that was pretty sad, but the work moves on.
Our poor Sophia is going through a really hard time. We pretty much just talked to her about it and read some words of ancient and modern prophets about her concerns. She felt a lot better knowing that Jesus Christ understood her situation. She is the strongest lady we know and we simply adore her. She got a priesthood blessing from Bishop the next day and she said it really helped her. I am so proud of how she has integrated herself into the ward so quickly and so well.
To conclude, I'd like to tell you guys about something I've added to my study to learn more about the Restoration of the gospel! In preparation for this iconic conference, I have decided to read Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith! I am excited to learn more about Joseph's teachings and I invite you all to consider how you can expand your study of the Restoration as well!
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

Adventures in the CLAM: Very Few Missionaries Get This Great Opportunity (February 24, 2020-March 1, 2020)

 

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
The other day we were walking out of the grocery store and a cashier yelled over to us, "Hey! I know who you are. Millionaires in heaven." Hahaha he was so kind@ I love it when people recognize us as servants of the Lord.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
On p-day I had the privilege of practicing with the octet! It was so good to sing with them again, and super fun because I did some arranging with the piece we're singing and got to direct them with it! I love them so much; we had a blast. Got some In-N-Out with my comps on the way home.
The day of the midcycle came. I cried pretty much every day leading up to it haha. So was I sad to leave Sister Tonga and Sister Birch? Of course. But Sister Hopkins is awesome! I love her. She is a super diligent missionary and a great example to me.
District council this week interesting; we talked about how to make commitments with our friends and did one of the most active roleplays I have ever been apart for How to Begin Teaching, including a stuffed cow wearing a white shirt on a broomstick, so there's that.
So my title is not about being a two-transfer missionary, although that is a great opportunity that few missionaries get. The title is about how IT WAS LEAP DAY. I was so excited for this for weeks. Think about it. Leap Day only comes every four years. So it's already rare on its own. But how many missionaries get to be missionaries ON LEAP DAY??? Not very many. That is pretty amazing.
FRIENDS:
We went to visit Karl and Vi! Wow they are just the sweetest.
With John and Nataly this week we read an awesome chapter from Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, "Beware of Pride". We read it together as a mission so we wanted to share it with them! We taught Nataly about the Plan of Salvation. She has a great love for her Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ; it is incredible.
Arista has read SO much of the Book of Mormon. She has read to 3 Nephi! We asked if she believed the Book of Mormon was true. She said yes. We asked if she would follow the example of Jesus Christ and prepare herself to be baptized. She said yes! We extended a date for the fourteenth of March, which she was unsure about. We told her to pray about it and that Heavenly Father would make the day she needed to be baptized clear to her. So stay tuned, folks.
We visited Nadine! She is in a part-member family and they are going through a lot right now. She has loved meeting with missionaries in the past and is willing to meet with us more in a few weeks.
We met with MacKinon and Kennon! MacKinon told us she believes in God but she sometimes feels that that belief opposes other beliefs that she has. She said she is interested in learning more about God though!
On Leap Day we had a little party with Sophia! We had ice cream and watched The Christ Child. She also wanted me to do her makeup for a photo shoot that she and Khiara were having after so that was super fun for me! She and Khiara came to church the next day and we went to Sunday School with them. Sophia was answering every question haha!
A joy that I am finding to be true just like I have in the past is that every time I read the Book of Mormon, I understand it better. Chapters I have struggled with in the past are starting to give me more insights. It is incredible! So if you are struggling with some gospel practice such as studying your scriptures, don't give up! It gets better the more you try.
With that said, we are preparing for general conference in a few weeks to celebrate the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I would like to invite you all to read"Are You Sleeping Through the Restoration?" by Elder Deiter F. Uchtdorf. The truth of the matter is this is an ongoing restoration! God is continuously revealing truth to us. It is important that we all get to be a part of it! When you read this talk, I invite you all to contemplate what you can do to participate in the Restoration of Christ's gospel. I know Heavenly Father will reveal something to you by the power of the Holy Ghost.
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

Adventures in the CLAM: "For a Very Short Time" (February 17, 2020-February 23, 2020)

 

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
A fun personality trait of Palos Verdes (which all the inhabitants refer to as "the hill") is that it can be completely sunny in one area, and then upon driving a few feet it will be entirely foggy and gray. It used to alarm Sister John and I because it was so intense and thick that we thought it was smoke or something, but to everyone here it's just normal life.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
On p-day we had a super fun breakfast with the Cabrillo and Peninsula sisters. They are great friends and we had a super fun time together.
We had one of the wildest district councils of my mission and also one of the best. Elder Kitchen typed out a mission for us in three parts that involved some street contacting and adjusting teaching to meet needs and it was incredible. I had the pleasure in participating in the roleplays and it was great.
We had exchanges! I went to Cabrillo 1 with Sister Torres and we had a great day together! I didn't understand much of what was going on because most of it was in Spanish, but it was still a wonderful exchange.
Our ward had a Come and See event with the children and youth Face to Face with President Oaks and Sister Oaks! I love seeing the love they have for the children and youth. It is the face of true servants of the Lord. We love the children just as Jesus Christ did.
To preface this last bit of spicy news, I will tell a story from zone conference. As we were saying goodbye to Hermana Cordon, she asked Sister Birch how it was being in a trio. Sister Birch of course reported that it was great; we have had a wonderful time being together. Hermana Cordon was surely happy to hear that, and then said, "For a very short time." Uhh, that had us a little uneasy. You mean like for one transfer a very short time, right Hermana? Well, sure enough, it is halfway through the transfer, and during the Face to Face event the assistants called us. The missionaries in Hong Kong are being evacuated out, and our mission is receiving two of them. I will be staying in Palos Verdes, and my new companion will be Sister Hopkins, a friend from the Nauvoo mission. Sister Tonga and Sister Birch will both be opening new areas. Sister Tonga is going to Santa Monica, and Sister Birch is going to Mission Hills. I was heartbroken to hear this news. I adore Sister Tonga and Sister Birch. They have been the best friends to me during these three weeks. But I know that great things are in store for all of us, and miracles will occur in all the new areas. "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)
FRIENDS:
Before we visited Arista this week, she told us that she had read the Book of Mormon chapter we invited her to read. When we asked what she thought of it, she said she had a lot to say and would wait for the lesson. When we got to the lesson, she told us that she really liked it and got a little too into it. She said she had read more than just the chapter. When she showed us how much she had actually read, it added up to be EIGHTEEN CHAPTERS. She loves the Book of Mormon. She said she feels so peaceful when she reads it, and she loves thinking about the teachings and how they apply to her. She sees that it is a book that teaches us the way to live and the teachings of Christ. We taught her about the Restoration of Christ's gospel and invited her to read more of the Book of Mormon, and this time to pray to know the Book of Mormon and the things we teach are true. I wasn't there for the following lesson, but here's what happened: Arista's house is usually pretty loud, but when she prayed to know the truth, she said everything went quiet, and she was flooded with peace. She said she didn't know what it meant, but we do: it means she is doing the right thing!
We did Come, Follow Me with John this week and talked with him and Nataly about keeping the Sabbath day holy and the many ways we can do that.
We met with Tatiana this week! She is incredible as always and she and her daughter Nadine are so sweet. Tatiana even came to church this week! We were so happy to see her there.
We had a lesson with Karla and our friend Sister LeVitre! It was amazing; they totally hit it off. Karla is awesome and I am constantly amazed by how much she loves God.
We did Come, Follow Me with the Streeter family. I love them so much. They are super sweet and very faithful to the Lord.
We visited Fay! I just love her. It was her first time meeting the new sisters and so we had a good time getting to know each other, eating together, and playing music together. And of course Fay showed the new sisters some more of her art skills.
We met with Gisele! A few months ago her dad told her to meet with the missionaries and her life got crazy for awhile so she took a short break but she has liked it! We taught her about the beginning of the Plan of Salvation.
In the Cabrillo 1 area we met with the Martinez family! They are a part-memver family that hasn't gone to church in awhile, but they love the gospel and are excited to come back and be sealed as a family!
We met with Sophia. You already know how much I love that girl. We talked about doing family history for when she goes to the temple in a few weeks. She is so excited.
We met with Anthony and Jason! Their dad sat in and listened this time too. We taught them about the Restoration of the gospel of Christ and they now have two copies of the Book of Mormon to read!
Since we taught a lot about the Restoration of the gospel this week, it's very fitting that I want to invite you all to read my favorite of Jesus's parables this week, Luke 20:9-16! I read this chapter this week and loved it because I gained insights that I had never learned before. I would love to hear what you all learn from reading it and your other scriptures this week.
God is good! Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

Adventures in the CLAM: Called to Repentance (February 10, 2020-February 16, 2020)

 

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
The other day while driving by some trees on the freeway the sun was driving on/through the leaves in a way that was actually really beautiful, but at first it was terrifying because it looked kind of like the trees were on fire which definitely wasn't an unrealistic fear considering I live in California.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
We spent p-day pretty much just chilling out, which was nice because I was super tired as missionaries usually are.
This week was our zone conference. Zone conference is always a great time and we love hearing from President and Hermana and seeing our fellow missionaries and learning together. A major theme of zone conference was repentance, which was really cool because our previous zone conferences have focused on faith. That means as a mission we are progressing in the gospel of Jesus Christ! It really motivated me to changed. Over the past few months I have been facing many difficulties with my health that have made it very hard for me to do missionary work. I don't have total control over that, but there are still many things I do have control over, and the truth of the matter is, the better I am at being a missionary and following the gospel, the happier I am. So it's time to repent and be urgent in the Lord's work!
It was Valentine's Day! This is a very special day for me as you all know. We had a ton of fun together that day and throughout the week. We wore special Valentine outfits, got some gifts from ward members, and I had the pleasure of making cute cards for my companions at the ward's special Valentine's Day linger-longer after church. The elders also sneakily left a Valentine pass-along card on our car window, so thanks for that Elders!
Our dear friends, the Peninsula sisters, were gone so we got teach their English class! We taught Max and Wendy who are so sweet and even interested in hearing a message about Jesus Christ!
We had companion study with the sister training leaders and talked a lot about how to improve our study, especially of Preach My Gospel, and how to use the improvement cycle (study, roleplay, apply, evaluate) in our missionary work.
I had the privilege of singing a musical number in our ward, "O My Father". I love singing in my wards and had a really good time working on this song!
We went on exchanges with Sister Galorath! She went with us to visit Marcus, a person in our ward, and he is so cool! We are excited to visit him and his family again.
President Cordon did a multi-stake fireside for the youth, so we went with Arista, Sophia, Will, and Bree! I sure love those kids. President talked about five ways that the Brethren are encouraging youth to prepare for the future, and it was very enlightening not just as a person who is still very young but also as a person preparing to be a teacher and mother.
FRIENDS:
Arista is doing great. I love seeing her get happier the longer she meets with us. We learned about the afterlife, as well as the importance of CPR--church, prayer, and reading scriptures. All of those things have played a big part in Arista's life. She is amazing.
With John we did Come, Follow Me this week, then we met separately with Nataly and talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her testimony of those principles is incredible. She is so great at applying the doctrines of the gospel to her life. We love her.
We met with David! We talked about the First Vision with him, how the gospel was restored through the Lord's priesthood power and that through the Book of Mormon and prayer, the Holy Ghost can testify to us the truth of this message.
Sophia is thriving. We read Alma 7 with her. Her testimony of the Savior is beautiful. She understands that baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost did not take away her problems, but she now has a new strength to face those problems with. She committed to go to the temple to do baptisms on the seventh of March and she could not be more excited. We simply love her!
To close, in the spirit of this week of love, I wanted to share a scripture about the ultimate act of love, John 3:16-17:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
I wish I could fully understand it, but I can't. However, I do know that it's true and that the Savior lives, and because that is true, all of us will live forever too!
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

Adventures in the CLAM: Trio Power (February 3, 2020-February 9, 2020)

 

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
We teach one of our friends at Honeyboba which is now my favorite place on the planet and we can never stop thinking about it so catch me with a smoothie in my hand 500% of the time because of Honeyboba.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
On p-day we had lunch together and Sister John and Sister Barnes spent time saying goodbye to people in the area.
I hit my eleven month! When you start your mission, you hear all the older missionaries say they feel like they just got here, and you're like there's no way that's true. And when you're a younger missionary you pretty much feel the age that you are. Let me tell you, I can now confirm that the older missionaries really do not feel like they are as old as they are. I can't believe I have done so much time and have so little time left. That is terrifying. Alright, let's go grind.
We started a new transfer! Wow I am obsessed with Sister Tonga and Sister Birch. We have so much fun and so many laughs together. They are amazing missionaries and are doing fabulous in the area already.
We had our first district council of the transfer! Oh man I love our district. They are so great. We did some street contacting and How to Begin Teaching roleplays and it was really good to get to polish those skills. Also I hope you all know that any acting talent I have is from mission roleplays HAHAHA.
We had the pleasure of doing service for our ward member, Sister Gardner!
Our friend Anthony just got his Eagle award in Boy Scouts, so we went to his Court of Honor! It was great to see him and his family.
FRIENDS:
John and Nataly are wonderful. We talked about scripture study and prayer and how those things have helped them in their lives. Nataly was even giving her dad advice based on gospel principles she has learned for herself to be true. They are amazing.
We met with Ray! Ray is a miracle find honestly, the most tangible miracle I've seen on my whole mission. Sister John and I saw a guy in our Area Book named Raymond who we wanted to find, but the phone number was disconnected. We asked all of the ward members who knew him, but no one knew where to find him. That same day, the Redondo sisters get a text from a guy named Ray who used to go to our ward and wants to go back to church. We found him! It was absolutely inspired by the Lord. Ray is great. He is very impressed by our church and it is clear that he believes in Jesus Christ. We talked about the joys of faith and repentance with him and how every sacrifice is well worth it.
We taught Arista! Wow she is the sweetest. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation with her and Bree and all the ways it has helped each of us. Arista talked about how prayer has comforted her during hard times. She also said her first personal prayer! It was so amazing and sweet. She said she's always wanted to try it.
We visited Karl! We haven't seen him since the Light the World home evening at the beginning of my first transfer here. His life is super crazy right now but he was really happy to see us!
We did Children and Youth with the Tabatabaiei family! D. is going to be doing the program and we are going to do it with her. We are so excited!
We visited Frank and did a Bible study with him. We read the beginning of Matthew 5 and Frank started crying. When we asked him what he was thinking about he said that life is full of a lot of trials, but we told him we can be strengthened by Jesus Christ to get through them all.
We visited Sophia! Wow I have missed that girl. She said that her baptism was the best feeling ever. We talked about going to the temple and how to prepare for that and she can't wait! What a ray of sunshine. We love her.
Thank you for all the prayers and support. It means the world! Incredible things are happening in the California Los Angeles Mission and all over the world, and I can't wait to be a part of it.
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

Adventures in the CLAM: "Healing Water" (January 27, 2020-February 2, 2020)

 

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
We had the privilege of working with our friend Bea this week! Bea is a young woman in the ward who just came home from college and she is a joy to work with! We had many great adventures with her and we look forward to having even more!
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
We enjoyed our p-day at the South Coast Botanic Garden! We saw some beautiful plants and got to try out out photoshoot skills.
It was a great last district council of the transfer. We learned about finding and had a great time working and practicing together. Elder Montgomery bore his final testimony before he goes home from his mission. I love the Palos Verdes zone and have had a great transfer with them.
Sophia was baptized! It was the most wonderful event. So many of her friends from the ward came to support her and participate in the baptismal program. Her friends from school and her family came too. Her family is ready to be taught soon. It was the most wonderful thing. I also had the privilege of singing a song at her baptism called "Healing Water". Every time Sister John and I heard it we thought of her. It perfectly describes how Sophia feels. We are so happy for her.
We had transfer calls! Sister John will be leaving Palos Verdes, but luckily I won't have to miss her because she is going to the Redondo area right next to ours! Her new companion will be Sister Hopkins, another Nauvoo sister. I will be staying in Palos Verdes. I am in a trio, with Sister Tonga and Sister Birch! I am overjoyed to be with Sister Birch again, and can't wait to get to know Sister Tonga better. I am so excited for the upcoming transfer.
FRIENDS:
Another great week of studying with John and Nataly. They will be ready to go to the temple soon!
We had an opportunity to help a woman in our ward named Sister Vanderberg. We studied some of Come, Follow Me (1 Nephi 16:29) with her and she is awesome! She told us of her small and simple experience that brought about great things in her life: one day she was waiting for something and there were various pamphlets laid out. She picked one up, read it, and it changed her life forever: Joseph Smith's First Vision. What an awesome woman of faith!
Sophia is doing great of course. She got all of her lessons and was baptized which was incredible. On Sunday she received the gift of the Holy Ghost and a blessing saying she would be able to recognize the way the Holy Ghost speaks to her and be a great influence on her family. Her parents were able to come and they loved it. Sophia bore her testimony in sacrament meeting about how much she loves the gospel, especially the scriptures, and how it all makes sense to her and how it's changed her life. Everyone in the ward was raving about her testimony. A favorite quote from it was, "The gospel gave me the power to be myself."
We visited Joya in our ward, who is so cool! Before we left her house she showed us her family's Christlike Jar. Every month of the year they choose a Christlike attribute to work on, and write on pieces of paper ways they have showed this attribute during the month or what they need to work on to develop this attribute. It was amazing!
We visited Tatiana and her housekeeper Patty! We love them so much. Tatiana is so full of gratitude for the life God has given her and Patty really appreciates what we do.
We read Mosiah 2 with Karla and her friend Jasmine! They love serving God and serving others as well.
We met with Arista! Arista is the friend of Bree, a young woman in the ward. She came to Sophia's baptism and to church, so we stayed with her after to talk about the sacrament. We told her about how it connects to the doctrine of Christ. When we invited her to continue learning with us, she said yes!
Before I head out, I'd like to share a verse from Sophia's favorite Book of Mormon chapter that describes how I feel, Moroni 10:3:
"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts."
I rejoice in the mercy of my Heavenly Father. I have fallen so many times, but He is always willing to forgive and strengthen me. I love Him and am so happy to know Him.
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

Adventures in the CLAM: Come Unto Christ (January 20, 2020-January 26, 2020)

 

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
Surely many of you saw my Facebook post regarding my four-year-long desire to be a missionary finally being realized. Well, that post was so well-received by so many in (and out of) the CLAM that Sister Malcom asked if she could print it and post it on the mission office bulletin board for a week or two! I felt so honored.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
On p-day we had a super fun waffle party with all of the sisters! I love them and it was wonderful to be with them all.
This week at district council we learned more about how to exercise faith in the mission! It was also our zone interview which is always great. I love my president and am so grateful Heavenly Father put him in my life. We also got to talk with our sister training leaders and Sister Cordon about our area. It was wonderful. The Cordons have done so much for us missionaries that I could go on forever, but I will spare you of that--at least for now.
Daniel, a boy in the ward, was baptized this week, and Sophia and her friend Khiara got to come! It was an amazing experience. I love the way the Spirit of God is so present at a baptism--there is no denying that something special is happening. What a miracle that we have been gifted Heavenly Father's priesthood power. Sophia and Khiara both loved the Spirit felt at the baptism that day. Directly after, Sophia had her baptismal interview. We love her! She of course did great. Elder Montgomery was impressed by how much she knew when there were no other Church members in her family. He said, as we all do, that she is very prepared.
FRIENDS:
We met with the B. fam! We were very honest with Mr. B and told him that we kept feeling like we needed to come see their family even though he has not expressed a desire for organized religion. He believes in God though and is happy to have us, so we are going to keep seeing them to figure out the reason behind this spiritual impression.
We studied Come, Follow Me with John and Nataly again this week! They are wonderful and it is great to hear their spiritual insights.
Sophia is doing wonderful of course. She loved learning about the laws of tithing and fasting this week and the way the money is used in the Church. She did great on her baptismal interview, and we got to take her to the visitors' center with Sister Valenzuela, which she loved so much! She came to stake conference and got to meet President and Hermana. Everyone that meets Sophia loves her. She is a light in the world.
We met with Tatiana and her daughter Janet! We got to tell them our missionary purpose and it was beautiful to see them feel the Spirit and take joy in what we do as missionaries. We looked at a book about Tatiana's life story and she is incredible!
We met with Fay! Fay found our church years ago and felt that it was a peaceful and safe place and has been eager to learn more about it. We talked a lot about the power of the Holy Ghost that Fay always felt when she went to our church. We told her about the Book of Mormon and read Moroni 10 with her. When we asked her to pray to know it was true, she said she absolutely would, but she already knows that everything we say is true. She is incredible!
As you can see, the people of Palos Verdes are coming unto Christ. To close, I'd like to share a favorite beautiful invitation extended by Moroni in Moroni 10:32:
"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."
I beg of you all, come unto Christ. That is the way to the happiness you have been looking for. It never fails no matter what your life is like, because in the California Los Angeles Mission I have seen Him work in the lives of so many different people. I know He will work for you.
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

Adventures in the CLAM: The Strength of Youth (January 13, 2020-January 19, 2020)

 

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
Thus far on my mission, the different nationalities people have thought I am here are Russian and Egyptian. So there's that.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
On p-day we went on a super fun shopping adventure, including a Chick-fil-a run where a return missionary of three months from the Idaho Boise Mission bought all six of us missionaries lunch. Thanks, Jeremiah!
We had a great district council where we learned about faith and how to exercise it in our areas. Featuring some sweet street contacting roleplays which are always the best.
FRIENDS:
We had the greatest time studying Come, Follow Me with John and Nataly this week! We all love the Book of Mormon, and I love seeing them enjoy the blessings and peace of the gospel.
We visited the Darang family! The Darang family was telling us about all the ministering work they did in their home country. That filled Sister John and I with great joy when we invited them to fellowship our friend Lupe who is going through a really difficult time. They jumped right on the task, and we couldn't even thank them because they were so set on getting her information.
Sister John and I have never seen so much opposition trying to get someone baptized as we have for Sophia. We had to reschedule her baptismal date due to stake conference, but then the new date didn't work for her family, and then the third rescheduled date an orchestra holds their practices at our church. There were so many complications, but Sophia is finally, for sure, getting baptized on the thirtieth of January. She is so prepared. This week she learned about the divine laws of the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity, as well as the priesthood and having a living prophet. Sophia is incredible and unstoppable. We love her.
We did service for Brother T. helping him sort and package his books! Let me tell you Brother T. is well-read! It was super fun talking to him about literary things.
We met with David and studied 2 Nephi 31 with him. He is super cool! He'll be going on a trip for a few weeks and appreciated the extra strength of prayers that he got at our lesson.
We met with a super cool young lady in the ward named Esther, who we are glad to say was willing to read the Book of Mormon with Sophia! Having a pal to help you read the Book of Mormon is great for our friends so we were very happy about that.
We read 1 Nephi 2 with Karla. She loved Nephi's example of humility when faced with afflictions. We learned that we should give thanks to the Lord in all things! We love how much Karla is trying to come closer to God.
We talked to Bree, another young woman in the ward, about her friend who is the daughter of someone we have been talking to! She is going to invite her friend Arista to church and to Sophia's baptism so she can meet us!
We met with the Cobabe family! They are awesome and told us a lot about their lives and history.
To conclude, I want to talk about one final family that we had dinner with last night, the Shoff family. Their oldest son has been on a mission for a few months now and their family is full of a bunch of other awesome youth like the kids I've already talked about today. There are seriously so many awesome youth in the Palos Verdes ward, and I feel simply so glad to be the one that gets to work with them right now. As we closed with a prayer upon meeting with the Shoff family, their youngest son prayed for his brother on a mission. It really touched my heart, because my family always tells me they pray for me every time they pray, but I obviously never get to hear that. It really help-ed me feel the prayers from home when I heard that. Thank you all for your love and support. It is absolutely amazing that I have so many people behind me while I"m participating in the greatest work on earth. I consider myself very lucky. Keep on supporting the Lord's servants, and be sure to always be on an errand for the Lord.
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

Adventures in the CLAM: PV Miracles (January 6, 2020-January 12, 2020)

Hey everyone!
Just as a note following reading the title of this post and in light of some things going on in the world, I felt like I should say that miracles are happening all the time. I loved my mission experience because that is something I really got to share with the people I love. It was so impossible not to see it, thanks to following the Lord. Now that I'm back in ordinary civilian life, I know that is true still. I promise you it is. So write about things you are grateful for every day. Say a prayer and thank your God for the cool things you saw happen today. He is always making something happen in our lives. And there will be many miracles that we don't notice every day because we don't yet understand them. But we'll all keep doing our best.
I know, whoever you are reading this, that life is not easy for you right now. But there is still a miracle. I promise.
Enjoy!

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
We had an amazing miracle on exchanges this week (more on that in a bit). We saw this woman cleaning her car and felt like we should talk to her. We had no idea what we were gonna say, but we just kind of sent it. It turns out April is a member of the Redondo ward who hasn't been to church in awhile! She bought us dinner and talked to us about her life and her family. She is so awesome and we have her contact information now!
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
On p-day we went on an adventure to Daiso and to the tide pools!
In district council this week we had the opportunity to roleplay street contacts and relating anything we observe to our gospel message. We also had a testimony meeting as a district which is always the best.
FRIENDS:
Something we talked about with Nataly and John this week is how we can rely on God and the people around us during our challenges. John has also been sharing the gospel with one of his friends and is doing a great job!
We had the privilege of meeting with the mother of one of our ward member's friends! Tatiana is a super cool lady and loves the Lord. We had a great time talking about faith with her, and her family loves us and wants us to come back!
Sophia is doing great of course. One of my favorite lessons we had with her was about obedience and the commandments. We watched the Book of Mormon video, "Nephi is Led by the Spirit to Obtain the Plates of Brass". After the video, Sophia said she loved how the Lord didn't just tell Nephi what to do, but He told him why it was important. And Nephi had a great attitude in obeying the Lord. Before we could even bring it up, Sophia asked, "Can we actually review the Ten Commandments?" This girl is so with it. We also learned about how if the Book of Mormon is true, then the gospel and The Church of Jesus Christ are true as well. We love her and she is so prepared!
We met with Sister Kakazu and her friend Cathryn! Cathryn is wonderful and has been learning about the gospel for many years. We talked about how when we take the sacrament we can have a personal experience with the Savior and read "Behold the Lamb of God" by Elder Holland. And Cathryn even came to church to hear Sister Kakazu give a talk!
The gospel is true--this I know. It's God's perfect plan for His imperfect children. He is our loving Heavenly Father and He has provided a way for our happiness!
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

Adventures in the CLAM: "Bring on the Monsters!" (December 30, 2019-January 5, 2019)

Hey y'all.
Alright, so this email largly talks about the new year, namely 2020. I spoke about it with excitement--I'm a highly romantic person, so anything for a reason to celebrate, right? A lot of you are probably cringing at me speaking about 2020 as a high point or laughing because you think I'm joking, but I still fully stand by that.
Every single person in the world suffered a lot in 2020. I know this to be true--I did too, guys. And while this year's suffering was for most more than usual, this isn't the first time in our lives that things have been really hard. 2020 isn't special in that regard.
To be honest, 2020 has been a high point in my life. So many amazing things have happened. I experienced firsthand some of the most iconic moments in missionary history. I got closer to Jesus and gained more conviction for His gospel. I saw miracles beyond imagination. I felt the power of the Lord and the power of prayer. I learned a lot. I made the best friends, in California and in Utah. I started my new major with my two minors and have had such a great time learning about my industries. I was thrown for a loop a few times, but every time was an important step in my personal development and growth. I learned a lot more about who and where I need to be in my life. It has never been as easy to be myself as it was in 2020. In 2020, I really came into my own.
My theme for the year was "Bring on the Monsters"  from The Lightning Thief. I think it's safe to say that in 2020 the monsters did in fact come. I don't regret it at all. Isn't the reason we're all here on this lovely blog to have an adventure? Adventures mean trouble. Trouble doesn't mean we're defeated. I am so grateful for every high and low that shaped me this year. There have still been great things going on, and we have grown stronger through the bad things. I will still celebrate 2020, just like I'll celebrate every year. As they say in the song, "If you're looking for trouble, then count me in."
Enjoy!

 

Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
This week we got our Preach My Gospel implementation calendar for 2020 and I love it so much! This time we not only have chapters from Preach My Gospel to study but also talks and chapters taht focus on the Restoration, so we can study and prepare for general conference with a focus on the Restoration of the gospel! I was overjoyed when President showed us this calendar. I was wondering what I as a missionary could do to prepare for the upcoming conference, and now I know.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
District council was yet again a blast one and all. I remember really wanting to tell you all what we discussed, but I don't actually remember what we talked about, so I'll try again next week.
2020 is here! As many of you know, I choose a song to theme every year, and this year I chose "Bring on the Monsters" from The Lightning Thief! I won't be able to listen to it until I get home, but it is a song that has reminded me of being a missionary pretty much since I got my call. "Are we ever gonna once have it easy? Nope... but we have to try." The devil sends monsters at all times to the missionaries of the Lord, trying to deter us, but I swear nothing scares me anymore. There is nothing that can be done to overcome the Lord. Enemies can come on from all sides, but as the scriptures say, "let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock they cannot prevail." (Doctrine and Covenants 6:34) I have also always been particularly struck by the lyric, "Try not to panic 'cause we're usually about to die." Feeling like I'm "Usually about to die" has been an oddly common theme in my life, so I guess I've always liked that lyuric because it felt true to me: yeah, we may or may not be on the verge of death, but we just gotta keep cool and keep going. And of course, "I'll be back next summer." I'm so excited for the coming year!
For p-day we went on a shopping adventure and then had a special birthday lunch for Sister John (whose birthday was the following day! My beautiful comp had a birthday and she is so amazing!) and had cake at the Peninsula sisters' apartment!
Zone conference this transfer was incredible. Something we are trying to do as a mission is increase our faith. I have been working hard to do that for myself and zone conference was really inspiring. I see that the Lord sees my efforts, but there is never a moment that He doesn't desire us to repent. We must always work to improve! We are also focusing on using the Book of Mormon more in the conversion process, because that is what will truly convert us to the Lord! I am so incredibly happy to be serving in this mission at this time and for President Cordon and Sister Cordon, who receive revelation from the Lord on how to guide us.
I hit ten months on the mission! There have been many times over the past few weeks that I have been reflecting on my life, and I just start crying because I realize how much I really went through to be a missionary. It was worth every second. I wish I could fully comprehend just how much joy this calling has brought me--it's like it's so glorious that I can't fully wrap my head around it. One of my favorite parts of being a missionary is smiling. It is a crazy and beautiful feeling to smie as a representative of the Lord's Church. When I smile, I can literally feel the whole room, the whole street, the whole wherever I am light up. I glow with a power that isn't mine. I love being a missionary.
FRIENDS:
Sophia is doing great! This week she learned about the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation. Sophia loves the goodness of God and just how many chances He gives us to be happy and good. She found a lot of comfort in the Plan of Salvation and understanding more about where we were before mortal life and where we're going after. She is an inspiration to me and a great example to everyone around her. The ward is starting to get to know her better and they all love her. I wish you could all meet her so you could understand what a bright and prepared young lady she is.
Lupe was having a hard day when we visited her this week. I had the opportunity of bearing testimony about the power of Jesus's atoning sacrifice because similar to Lupe mourning over the death of a loved one, I have been doing the same this week. I have been contemplating this week on the deaths of many of my friends and family members, particularly one friend of mine who died about three years ago at this time. I love getting to share that these people are not lost, that they are still alive in their spirits and will someday live again in glorified bodies. I love sharing how Jesus feels compassion toward all of us who are left mourning them on earth. I am grateful to know about the Plan of Salvation so taht even though I am still sad when I think about those people I have lost, I know that it is just a temporary loss.
We got to talk a lot about the priesthood and the power behind serving others with John and Nataly this week. They are both so caring, so it was amazing to get to talk to them both about the talents they have and how they can serve others with them.
We met with David, a member of the ward who was baptized a few years ago but hasn't come to church in awhile. He is so great! Right now he said he feels a little lost as far as religion goes so he is excited to keep meeting with us!
I just want to take a hot second to bear testimony of the revelation of the prophets. God truly directs His Church to help His children today. The Come, Follow Me program is truly inspired of God. This week during a lesson with Sophia, she asked a really interesting question. The Spirit called to my mind something I had read in Come, Follow Me ONE YEAR ago. I pulled up a quote from President Nelson that I had read last January that answered her question. Thanks to the new way of learning in the Lord's Church, I was able to fulfill my missionary responsibility. I am so grateful for all the resources the Lord provides.
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day