August 12, 2013 letter - last letter from the field!! Sad day.

What a wonderful day it is to be here in the service of God. Thing are
going really well here in Aldergrove. A lot of our appointments fell
through this week. We were able to see a few people, but not many. The
work is moving along though, and despite our results, we have been
blessed with many miracles from the Lord.

We were blessed to find a new investigator this week. She is so sweet.
We tracted into her on Wednesday, taught a principle on her doorstep,
said a prayer, and set a return appointment with her. We went back on
Friday with a member and taught her about the Restoration. She has
been studying with the Jehovah's Witnesses for the past 5 years. It is
interesting because she hasn't been baptized yet. She says she still
wants to learn. I personally feel like there are some things that she
doesn't agree with. She was telling us one thing in particular that we
testified of. She said that her "teacher", or whoever it was, said
that God didn't have a physical body. She said that it didn't make
sense. We testified that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus
Christ. We also used scriptures from the Bible. It was a wonderful
topic and she loved the answer we had for her. We set up another
appointment with her and we are going to try and set a baptismal date
with her. She is so open to learning and she said she was excited to
read from the Book of Mormon. That is really good. I am excited to
help her continue to grow closer to God. She needs this message so
much. She has so much faith, but I can't imagine her not knowing the
truth. I can't imagine anyone not knowing the truth.

I want to share a cool experience I had. The past few days I have been
feeling so sick. I honestly think most of it was stress from the idea
of going home. It was really bad. I was getting even more frustrated
that I was getting so sick right before going home. I just want to
finish my mission strong and have no regrets. The sister that lives
upstairs suggested I get a blessing. Yesterday at church I received a
blessing from two of the brethren in our ward. It was such a powerful
blessing. The Spirit was there and testified to me so strongly. It was
something I couldn't deny. Heavenly Father told me how proud He was of
me. It is something that I have tried to accept, but there were always
doubts in the back of my mind. One doubt that I have been having a lot
lately comes from a scripture in Jacob 5:49 "What could I have done
more for my vineyard?" I have been thinking a lot about all of the
things I should have accomplished, instead of all the things I have
accomplished. During the blessing yesterday the Lord told me how much
He loves me and how thankful He is all for all I have accomplished. It
brought tears to my eyes to think over the past 18 months of my life.
I have this thing where I just want to be perfect now. I know however,
that is not how it works. After the blessing I felt so much relief and
so much comfort in my time of need. It was amazing to know that the
Lord cares about me so much. I am thankful for that knowledge.

I am so very grateful for this chance that I have to be a missionary.
I know that we are involved in a wonderful work. I am so thankful that
I have had this past 18 months to learn and grow.

I love this work. I love the Savior!

Love, Sister Saal
P.s. See you in just over a week.

August 5, 2013 letter

Didn't get an official letter from Sister Saal this week, but she is doing GREAT!!

July 29, 2013 letter

Okay, so life is really going by TOO fast. Does anyone have a freeze
ray so I can just freeze time? Maybe even a time machine? Anyone want
to help a Sister out?

Now that I go that out. :) Life is so good family! I love being a
missionary and I love serving the Lord. I never want it to end.

This week has been a really good week. A few really good highlights I
will point out.

We had a Zone Conference with President and Sister Tilleman on
Tuesday. I loved it so much! It was my last one, which was sad, but I
loved every minute of it. My companion and I sat with a senior couple
at lunch and I found out they are from Fruit Heights. Small world hey?
They told me that Utah was still there, something I was worried about
since I seem to have no idea what is going on in the world. It was
really fun to get to know them. Sister Tilleman sat with us and told
us that her daughter, who was my companion for a night when I first
arrived in the mission field, was about due. Found out today that she
had a beautiful baby girl on Thursday. Tall baby. Another basketball
player in the family. :)

I had the opportunity to go to Maple Ridge on an exchange. The Sisters
there are doing so well. I am so very thankful for their dedicated
service to the Lord. I was able to see a few wonderful people that I
have had the joy of working with. There are many wonderful people that
Sister MacMillan and I are working with. Sadly, our baptismal date
will need to be pushed back. She wants to be baptized, but she hasn't
been able to attend church yet.

That is about it. Sorry I am getting so boring.

Sister Saal

July 22, 2013 letter

Hey family (and friends),  

We have been seeing a lot of miracles and the Lord is blessing us so much.
We are working with a wonderful woman. She is progressing very nicely.
She loves having us in her home. When we were talking about the
Apostasy, we asked her what she thinks Heavenly Father would do next.
She said "Well, I hope He would call a prophet. Has He?" We shared the
experience of Joseph Smith and testified with all of our hearts the
truthfulness of the message that we have to share. She was amazed and
the Spirit was so strong in her home. We invited her to baptism and
she said she would pray about it. We invited her to the 17th of
August, so hopefully she will recognize her answer and have that
desire to be baptized.

We received a phone call from our bishop Saturday night with a
referral from a bishop in Calgary. He was helping a family of four and
they loved coming to church. Well, they live in Aldergrove. We gave
them a call to invite them to church. No answer, but we felt really
good about this family. We will be calling them again and hopefully we
will be meeting them this week. I am so excited for this family.

We had the opportunity to go to Moroni's Quest. Let me explain what
that is. It is something we should do at home. It is like youth
conference in which they re-enact stories from the Book of Mormon.
They did stories such as Lehi and his family leaving Jerusalem, which
is when they travel from the stake center to the camp site. They do
things like; crossing of the boat to the Americas, Abanidi, Waters of
Mormon, Sons of Mosiah, battles, strippling warriors, Samuel the
Lamanite, birth and death of Christ, His visit to the Americas, and
even Joseph Smith. It is a spiritual feast for all that are in
attendance. We should do it in Utah! Sister MacMillan, my companion,
her dad wrote it! I can get the script! It was amazing for the youth.
Well, the camp was held in Aldergrove, our area. I was so excited to
be there. The Spirit was so strong among the youth there. I had an
amazing experience when the Lord testified to me the truthfulness of
the Book of Mormon. We helped deliver our ward's dinner and had the
opportunity to look around for a bit. There I saw a 17year-old
investigator I was working with in Maple Ridge. She was so
happy to see me and to tell me all about what they had experienced.
How amazing! I was so happy I cried. Then I was able to see one of the
boys that were baptized back in May in Maple Ridge. He was
connecting with the youth really well and he said he loved how much he
could feel the Spirit. As I was thinking about that experience later,
I thought about how much his testimony of the Book of Mormon must have
grown. Now, when he reads the Book of Mormon, he will be able to see
what happened at the camp. I was so excited he came, that it also
brought tears to my eyes. It was a tender mercy from the Lord to see
so many wonderful things happening. I am so thankful for the
opportunity I have had, and will continue to have, to be a part of
their lives.

A scripture that I now want to share with you as part of my testimony
is Acts 26:16, 18
"But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for
this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these
things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will
appear unto thee;
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from
the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of
sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is
in me."I really love these two scriptures to show the importance of every
members duty. We are all called to be a minister and a witness of
truth. We had a discussion about this in ward council one week. What
does it mean to be a minister? Some ideas we came up with include; to
serve, to teach, to seek the one, to get to know, to assist, to visit
teach and home teach, to love, and in short, to act. What does it mean
to be a witness? To be an example, to be true, to bear testimony. As
we do so, we help people turn from darkness to Light. to the Savior. I
am so thankful for this time that I have had to be a minister and
witness to bear the truth that I know. I am so thankful for this
sacred calling that I have and for the time I have left to continue to
share the gospel!

Love, Sister Saal

Lehi's Dream for the Maple Ridge youth activity - Moroni's Quest

July 15, 2013 letter

H

ello family and friends! Welcome from Aldergrove, my last area where I will end up dying (mission term for going home). It is a wonderful place where there are many wonderful people. My new companion is.... (drum roll please)... Sister MacMillan! She is a true red, through and through, Canadian citizen. She likes to drink maple syrup for breakfast! :) She is teaching me Canadian and the song, O Canada. Maybe I will be a Mountie when I grow up! :) Really, though... she's the best. She has been out for 9 months. I am just really glad that we are oldies together. She always tells me I am dying so I started responding with "You're going through a mid-life crisis." We get along super well. 

Well, I am really sad I left Maple Ridge for the last 6 weeks, but it feels right to be here. There is so many wonderful things going on. We have 2 baptismal dates and we are working with some wonderful people, though I haven't met any of them yet. 

However, I have to tell you about a song before I forget. Well, a few songs. Mom, will you buy me a cd when I get home. It is called The Work, Nashville Tribute to Missionary work. On there it has a song that brightens our spirits when ever we sing it. It's called "Children Go Where I send Thee." It is a country hick song and I love it so much. 

Well, Sister MacMillan welcomed me into Aldergrove by feeding us 3 week old chicken. Yeah... we may have gotten food poisoning, though I was sicker than she was. It was a great bonding experience. 

Sorry this weeks letter is boring. I love you!

Sister Saal 

July 8, 2013 letter

Hello everyone! Life in the fast lane is pretty.... well... fast. Time seems to be going by at an unreal speed. Tonight I find out where I will be spending my last 6 weeks as a missionary and with who. I am really hoping I stay in Maple Ridge. That would be a pain to move for 6 weeks. However, as the hymn says "I will go where you want me to go."

 

This week has been amazingly epic! We are seeing so many miracles, I can't even take them all in. The Lord has blessed me with a lot of strength, though sometimes I try to run faster than I can. I am just so incredibly happy! I feel like I am right there with Ammon when he sees Alma again. Alma 27:17 "Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.

18 Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness."

 

I love being a messenger of the truth and sharing my testimony with all those who will listen. I want to stand on the wall with Samuel the Lamanite and preach repentance to my brothers and sisters in Maple Ridge and throughout the world.

 

I had the opportunity to talk to Elder Christiansen about going to Africa. He gave me his email and told me when I finish my mission, give him a shout and he will set me up with something. He told me about 2 girls that are going in October for 4 months. I told him I might join them! How cool.

 

Life is super good family. I am so very blessed to be here. I am thankful for the chance I have to serve. It is a blessing in my life and something I will never forget.

 

Love you all!

 

Sister Saal

July 2, 2013 letter

Dear family (and friends) To start off with, sorry if it is a bit short and all over the place. My mind isn't working fully at the moment. 

 

What a week it has been. Full of miracles and full of blessings. The Lord loves us! I can testify of that. He loves us fully, completely, perfectly, and infinitely. He truly is watching over us and I can testify that He hears and answers our prayers. The past few days I have been blessed with so much strength to accomplish His work here in Maple Ridge. What a wonderful place to be. Blessings are being poured out and there is not enough room for me to receive them all.

 

Next week is transfers. I will find out where I am going for the last 6 weeks. AHHA! So weird. I don't know how I feel about it. However, next week they are doing a Sister's Conference for all the Sister Missionaries in the mission. It will be an amazing time. I have been asked to do a little presentation. They are going to split us into 7 groups. There will be 7 different stations the sisters will rotate through. I have been asked to be at one of the stations to talk about stress management in the mission field. I have been learning so much while preparing, though I feel like I will be talking from a hole in the ground. I am not very good at managing stress, though I have learned a lot about it over the past 17 months. I will let you know what I come up with. :) Well, what the Lord comes up with.

 

Yesterday to celebrate Canada Day, we went to a picnic the ward held at a lake. There were a few non-members there and a few less active members there. It was a good time to bond with these people and get to know them a bit better. We talked to a non-member who was invite by one of the sisters in the ward. Hopefully we will be able to start teaching her. I love Filipinos (I have been spelling that wrong for the longest time)! Not random, I promise. One of the members gave us a ride there. Two of the Filipino sisters had us eat with them. They love making sure we have enough to eat. I have tried to say no, but as I told everyone that tried to refuse food from the yesterday "You can't say no to a Filipino!" How true that is. How much I love them though.

 

Life is good! The church is true! I love you all!

 

Sister Saal

June 24, 2013 letter

Hi family (and friends)  It has been an interesting week here in Maple Ridge.

 

The broadcast yesterday was truly an amazing and an uplifting experience. Many tears were shed as I listened to the servants of the Lord talk about the most important work on earth. It was incredible to see how much the Lord is hastening the work. I am so thankful to be apart of that hastening and to be a missionary for the only true and living church. I love this gospel so much and I love the Savior with all my heart. I am thankful for all that He has done for me and all He continues to do for me. I  just love this work so much.

 

This week the mission office phoned to tell me of my release date. So scary to think about, but that time is coming. I will be coming home on August 21. Less than two months! Baha! I am sure as you can all imagine, it is a very bitter sweet moment for me. 

 

With my time speeding up till I go home, I have been pondering about my service and all that I have rendered and all that I want to accomplish before the time I go home. In my studies this morning I was reading in 1 Peter 1:6-9 

"Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."

 

It hit me hard. The past few weeks have been a trial of my faith. I haven't been able to do as much as I would like to do, I have to sleep when I don't want to, my body won't work when I want it to, and sometimes my mind wanders to distant places. It has been an experience, but I also know that the Lord has been with me every step of the way. He has been there when I have felt like no one else was. Waking up in the middle of the night with an unbearable headache is not fun. I can't exactly wake my companion to talk about the things on my mind. However, I have had many wonderful experiences while on my knees late at night. If anything, this experience has really taught me to rely on my Savior and all He does. That led me to read a scripture in Hebrews 10:36 "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."

 

I love this gospel. I love the truth that I know. I love my Savior. I love the Lord's mission.

 

I am so thankful for each one of you. I love you all.

 

Sister Saal

Pictures from the mission

These are pictures sent to us by a recent convert in Sister Saal's area.  It was his 65th birthday!!  Love the cake.





Sister Duffy and Sister Saal

 



Sisters Brown, Duffy and Saal



June 17, 2013 letter

Hello everyone.

 

Happy Father's Day! Didn't you get the email, you could have called me yesterday on Father's Day. Sorry, too late. :) Just kidding, but I hope it was a wonderful day for you. I hope you got/ get my card soon.

 

Also, thank you so much for the BEAUTIFUL flowers and the package mom! I got them both on my birthday so it was special. I loved the flowers. They brighten our apartment.

 

Well, like the title of the email suggests, I saw a bear the other day. it was a great big black bear, though it was still a baby. It was about 10 yards from us walking down the road. The crazy part is, it was in the middle of town right by the McDonalds. We went to stop by a potential and we were talking to her. She then said "Be careful," and pointed. We turned around to see a black bear trotting down the road. Everyone was talking about watching out for the momma bear, but we didn't see her. She probably saw us though. Creepy. However, it reminded me of my time on the island. It was really cool.

 

Yesterday at church I was talking to our Ward Mission Leader. He was telling us about the time he went to Africa with Elder Christiansen to work on one of his orphanages. Through all the stories I have decided that is going to be my calling in life. I am going to talk to Elder Christiansen and work in one of his orphanages in Africa or Haiti. As Brother MaCrae was talking, there was a special spirit about the things he was saying. I really want to go. I know mom wants to go with me too. He was sharing about how more important than building the buildings is the time that you spend with the kids. He shared this story;

 

They brought a bunch of things that people had donated to the kids. They were passing out toys to all the kids when two little girls came up to him. It was the last two girls so there was no one else in the room. One girl told how the other didn't receive a toy. Brother MaCrae handed her a toy and as she turned to leave, she said "Thanks Uncle". Since these kids don't have family, they teach that they have an extended family. It brought tears to my eyes. That is my calling in life.

 

One of the highlights of my mission occured yesterday when I saw Erick Villanueva passing the sacrament in church. He was baptized a few weeks ago and was sustained to the office of deacon. Now he is exercising the priesthood he holds to pass the sacrament. He was so nervous but I saw the smile on his face. I could tell he was so happy. It made my heart soar to see that. He looked at me a few times with a half smile. I gave him a thumbs up and his half smile turned to a full smile. It was truly a tender mercy from the Lord to see.

 

We had the opportunity to go on exchanges this week. I was able to work with Sister Davidson, she is a transfer younger than me and has been one of my good friends and supports here in the field. We were able to go on an exchange once before when we were both on the island. It was an amazing exchange. I am so thankful that I was able to work with Sister Davidson again. She is a powerful missionary and I am thankful for her example. We were talking about the new sisters that have been coming in and how wonderful we think they are. She was trying to plan a district meeting and I threw in some ideas. Together, we planned one of the best district meetings I have ever been to. The Spirit was so strong and we both received so much revelation. It was crazy. We talked about the talk, Forget Me Not. We applied that to missionary service and it has changed my mission. I love the petal that talks about "Forget not the why of the gospel". It was truly powerful. We have to remember why we are doing what we are doing. It is easy to remember what we are doing- sharing the gospel- but sometimes I think we tend to forget WHY we are sharing the gospel. This is the only way for our brothers and sisters to return to live with God. I have heard that many times, but it never really stuck with me until now. How true it is though.

One thing we hit on, that seems to be a common theme among the newer missionaries, was glory of the Lord. We talked about "just because you are not training after 6 weeks, doesn't mean the Lord doesn't love you and what you are doing." I feel that a lot of the new sisters are really focused on "I will be happy when I train... or when I baptize someone... or when..." I know I have done that. Not necessarily with training, but "I will be happy when I have a new companion... or when I have more poeple to teach..." The Lord is blessing us with so many things that it is almost a sin to say that. We have such great reason to rejoice and I will praise the Lord my God forever!

 

A scripture I read this morning hit me and I want to share it with you. It comes from Jacob chapter 5 verse 72
"And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things." I love that! The Lord did labor with them! The Lord is with us always. Then the wonderful promise in verse 75 " And blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard." I wonder what the joy the Lord feels. I can only imagine it is the best joy ever!

 

Love you family!

 

Sister Saal

June 10, 2013 letter

No official letter from Sister Saal this week, but she is doing good, working hard, and staying busy.

June 3, 2013 letter

Hello everyone,

 

Another week has come and gone. Seems like time is flying by now. I can't even think about where the past 16 months have gone. Wow. It seems like just yesterday I was putting in my papers. Life is funny that way. It seems like when you want time to speed up, it goes slower, but when you want it to slow down, it speeds up. Paradox of life?

 

I want to take a moment to share with each one of you how wonderful my companion, Sister Dean is. She is the best! She has helped me out more than I can even express. The past month or so our love has increased. She makes me food all the time and serves it to me when I am laying down. She cleans everything, even when I want to help. She has taken on the role as senior companion without even flinching! She is the best. And no, I am not just saying this because she is sitting next to me. :) She truly is wonderful and I am excited for another 6 weeks with her in Maple Ridge.

 

Yesterday at church the bishop had the Villanueva boys go up to the front next to him. He had everyone sustain them to their respected classes. How amazing is that! I loved it. I almost cried. Well, then later in the meeting we found out that the boys are going with the youth to the temple tomorrow to do baptisms for the dead! YAY!!!!!!! I am so excited for them. It is such a powerful thing. I wish I could go, but I am so thankful that they have this opportunity to go and they have a temple so close. It is only 20 minutes or so away. They were also signed up to go to Moroni's Quest. it is a stake thing they are doing. It is kind of like Trek, but they will be re-inacting scenes from the Book of Mormon. How tight is that? I want to do that when I get home. I vote that I get to be Captain Moroni! Anyone else want to sign up for a role? Speaking of acting out the Book of Mormon, someone told me they are making the Book of Mormon into a movie and Liam Nesson is going to be Captain Moroni. Is that true?

 

We had the opportunity to go out to Richmond on Thursday and attend the transfer meeting, though neither of us were being transferred. We had a wonderful time and something Sister Tilleman talked about really stuck out to me. I would like to share it with you now.

 

So, over the past 3 weeks or so, two of President and Sister Tilleman's sons return from serving missions. They were both there at the meeting and Sister Tilleman shared an experience. I am not going to go into too much detail without her permission. Moral of the story was how much the Book of Mormon can heal you. Sister Tilleman challeneged each one of us to deepen our studies in the Book of Mormon and read at least 30 minutes every day. I have taken that challenge to heart. I know that as I read from the Book of Mormon, the Lord can help me heal quicker. I have seen it a tiny bit already and I have only been doing this for a few days.

 

I am so thankful for my Savior and all He has done for me. I am thankful for a loving Father in Heaven that answers prayers. If you don't believe that, test it out. I know that He is there and waiting to bless each one of His children. I have felt it too many times to doubt it.

 

I love you all. 

Sister Saal

May 27, 2013 letter

Good afternoon family (and friends),

 

What a wonderful and a miraculous week it has been here in Maple Ridge. Truly, the Lord is blessing us more than we deserve. It has been a great week in the service of the Lord and He is merciful unto me. He has blessed me with so much strength. I am not fully recovered and I am not fully back to working all day without a nap, but I am getting better day by day and the Lord is helping me through it. I want to testify of the power of God. I received three priesthood blessings over the past few weeks. The power of the priesthood is limitless, because God's power is limitless. I know that. I have experienced that! What a wonderful blessing to have worthy priesthood holders here on the earth.

 

Well, this week is transfers. We find out tonight what will happen. It is a scary but exciting time. What will happen next? Ha ha. Maybe they will ship me off to Vanderhoof. That would be cool. Sister Dean has a feeling that we are going to stay together for the next 12 weeks. I can't believe that is all I have left. However, it is an exciting time and I feel like the clock is just speeding up.

 

This week was good. I had to do some resting, but on Friday President Tilleman came out with us to an appointment with a recent convert. His son also came. He just got home from his mission. And by just got home, I mean he had been home for only like 72 hours. We had a wonderful conversation and President Tilleman took some time to give me a blessing and talk to me. He is so great.

 

Then on Saturday we had the opportunity of witnessing 3 teenagers enter into the waters of baptism to make sacred covenants. It was a wonderful experience. I was able to take some pictures so I will send them off as soon as I can. It was wonderful to see. Soon, the father will join and then... to the temple. I cannot even begin to explain how wonderful this feeling is. I know some of you have felt that. It is just... happiness. Pure happiness.

 

I am so thankful for everything the Lord has blessed me with. I love you family. See you soon(ish.)

love,

Sister Saal

Pictures from our favorite missionary!!



Sister Saal and her companion Sister Dean, Sister Chen and Sister Wang




The Bruise



Sister Saal and the pole

May 20, 3013 letter

Hello family (and friends)!

It is a beautiful day here in Maple Ridge. I have not hit any more poles so we are good! What a week it has been though. Let's review what happened. 

 

(Just a review - Sister Saal and her companion go for walks every morning at 6:30.  During her walk one day, Sister Saal was studying her scriptures, trying to memorize one.  She wasn't paying attention and ran into a pole and gave herself a concussion!!  We can almost laugh about it now.)

 

I was sent to the ER again this week. Things from the concussion weren't getting any better, but were actually getting worse. Because of that, the mission nurse told Sister Dean to either take me to the ER or to call 911. Let's not freak out, but seriously? I could have ridden in an ambulance  Sweet. Instead, we decided to drive there. We were there for about 8 hours. Long time to be in the ER. However, they did some blood work (I didn't even cry when they stuck me with a needle) and they did a CT scan. It was awkward. The technician doing it was male and Sister Dean had to wait outside. For the first time in over a year and 4 months, I was alone with a male. AWKWARD! I have turned into a weirdo. I can't even hold a normal conversation with someone of the opposite sex. Wow. Someone is going to be weird when they get home. Proud of it too! 

Anyway, after the hospital the next day we drove to Vancouver, a hour or so drive, to see the mission doctor. She basically told me the same thing everyone has been saying. It will take time to heal. She said it could take a few months! What? I don't have a few months to heal, I come home in 3 months! I was talking to a member last night and I told her my plan. I am going to work my butt off for the next 3 months, and then when I get home I will give myself time to heal. I think it is a wonderful plan! I know papa will like it! :)

However, other than that, not much happened this week. I have been resting and sleeping a lot, but my strength is coming back to me. Yay. 

So, big news.........

 

3 wonderful teenagers are being baptized this Saturday in Maple Ridge! The Lord is blessing them so much. They have a strong desire to be baptized, and hopefully soon we will be able to help the dad enter into the waters of baptism too! I will send pictures when I can. So many wonderful things are happening for this family and I feel so blessed to be apart of their story. They have adopted me as their child and I feel so blessed. I call the boys 'ading' which mean "little brothers" in Tagalog. Sweet! 

Sorry this is a short letter. I haven't much time left or much more to say. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will leave you this picture of my bruise from the pole. The second one is me with the pole that did that to my head. 

Love you family! 

Sister Saal

May 13, 2013 letter

Hello again family! Twice with-in a 24 hour period? You must be so lucky. I must really love you! :) I am really glad that I was able to talk to you yesterday. Megan, you are forgiven. However, I will be coming down to your place for a week or so when I get home. Hope you are ready. Also, mom... on the way home from the airport we are stopping at Cafe Rio!

 

I have another riddle for you. I am going to give you a few clues and see if you can guess it.

What is...

-cylinder in shape

-metal

-tall

-unmoveable

- and hurts when you walk into it?

Have you guessed it yet?

 

It is a pole! And that is what I did last week. Early Tuesday morning we went for a walk. I have a bunch of scriptures I wanted to memorize and my mind tends to wander that early in the morning. Well, I thought it would be a good idea to try and memorize a scripture while we were out walking. Mosiah 5:2 is the scripture that is engrained into my head. Well, we were out walking and next thing I know, I walked into a pole! I laughed to keep from crying, though I just wanted to cry. Well, long story short we went to the ER and I was told I gave myself a minor concussion! Ha ha! Just my luck, hey? So, all week I have been on brain rest while those around me have taken care of me! Sister Dean is so great. She made me food and took really good care of me. Needless to say, I am doing much better and we are able to go out and work again! I will send a picture of the bruise shortly.

 

We are working with a few wonderful people. We have the wonderful opportunity of helping 3 of them come into the waters of baptism on the 25th! We are still working with the father and I just know that he will be baptized too. I told the wonderful sister that I would be there when they are sealed in the temple! What a glorious work to be engaged in!

 

I want to share something I learned in my personal study this morning. I was reading in Jacob chapter 2 and it says "to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds" It made me really think of the way that I talk to people. Everyone is going through their own battle on the inside, and it made me think "Am I helping them become whole? Or I am tearing them down with my words?" It just really made me realize that we need to speak kindly to others and preach the gospel. After all, in verse 8 it says "they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul." The message that we share is what helps them become whole again! Then, I was reading in chapter 7 in Preach My Gospel. I love on page 127 where it says "Listed below are ways you can strengthen your faith that the Lord will help you teach and testify in your mission language:
-Recognize that you have been called of God by a prophet.
-Live worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
-Be obedient to the commandments and to missionary standards.
-Pray sincerely for divine assistance.
-Study, practice, and use the mission language each day."

That applies to everyone. We are all learning a new language. We are giving up slang and we are showing the Lord that we will rise above the world! I love it! One goal that I have for the rest of my mission, and the rest of my life really, is to avoid loud laughter, light-mindedness, harsh speaking, sarcasm, and anything else that pulls away from the appearance of the Savior that I so desperetly want to keep with me. It made me really realize how important our language is and how words can hurt.

 

I love being a missionary. Thank you for all your support and love. I am excited to hear from you all. Love you lots.

 

Sister Saal.

May 6, 2013 letter

So everyone here really likes hockey (no surprise since they have hockey on the 5 dollar bill) and I am learning so much more about it than I ever wanted to! It is a good way to relate to people. Everytime people mention hockey, I simply say "Go Canucks!" and they think I am a fan! Rarely do they try to engage the conversation deeper, proving that I really know nothing about the game. I feel like I am a true Canadian. Oh, and real maple syrup is not that great. :)

 

Things here are going so well. I love being a missionary. I love serving the Lord. We have seen so many miracles that I can't even comprehend it all. I feel like my spirit may burst with joy! Please pray for our family that will be getting baptized on the 25th of this month! It will be such an amazing step for them. They will be one step closer to going to the temple to be sealed for time and all eternity. Sweet! Maybe I should rent an apartment here with how many times I will be coming back to see people go to the temple! Best part about being a missionary!

 

This week has been truly the best of the mission. First, I was able to go to the temple. I talked about that last time, so I won't go into more detail. Let's just say, when I get home I want to work there! Wednesday I had the sacred opportunity to go to Richmond to attend the Mission Counsel. It consisted of President and Sister Tilleman, President Noftle (2nd councilor in the mission presidency), the assistants, the zone leaders from each zone, and 4 other sisters! How special that was to be apart of it. It was an amazing experience and I felt very humbled to be among the leaders of the mission. President Tilleman smiled and said, "Sister Saal doesn't know why she is here, but she will find out soon." Ha ha. Really? He always does that to me! I was able to bare my testimony twice in that meeting, and then the next day. So within a 24 hour period, I bore my testimony 3 times in front of President Tillman. Do you think he is trying to tell me I need to bare my testimony more? Possibly! Thursday we had a conference with all of the lower main-land. There were 4 zones there, so close to 60 missionaries(ish). We talked about many things and the spirit was so strong. All who attended were lifted and edified!

 

"I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.

For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?"

 

One thing that we talked a lot about is knowing the Savior. At the meeting on Wednesday President Tilleman looked right at me and asked, "Sister Saal, are your thoughts always on the Savior?" A lump came to my throat and tears filled my eyes. Do I truly know the voice by which he calls me? Sadly, the answer is no. However, it makes me want to be that much better.

 

I hope that these letters have been inspiring. I love writing you. Thank you for sending me letters and keeping me updated. I am so thankful for all you do for me!

 

I love you!

I will talk to you Sunday and then see you in a few months.

Also, Sorry for all the peoples birthdays I missed! Happy Birthday mom and Abby.

Love,

Sister Saal

April 30, 2013 letter

Hello family (and friends)!

 

I hope all is well. Sorry I didn't email yesterday. I hope you weren't too worried. We went to the temple this morning so we have P-day today this week. Don't worry, I will talk about the temple shortly. Sounds like you had a lot of fun with the kiddies down in Monument Valley. I am a little jealous. When I get home I am going to go down there and spend a week straight with the kids! It's sad that us missionaries can't hold or play with little kids.

 

Mission life is great. I couldn't ask for a better life. I am loving every minute of it. The bad times seem to be done away with and I am just really seeing the miracles that the Lord has blessed me with. I don't even feel worthy to have received so many blessing and miracles from the Lord. Where to even begin?

 

Well, we are teaching a wonderful family from the Philippines. I love them so much. The mom keeps us well fed when we go over there and her husband makes really REALLY good food. I am craving some right now. We are teaching her husband and their three sons! The three boys are so legit. I am so thankful that I know them. The whole family just puts a smile on my face. The three boys have a baptismal date set for mid-May and we are working hard, and they are working hard, to prepare! How much faith they have. The mom bore her testimony Sunday in church, stake conference is next week, and then her 18 year old son bore his testimony too. It put a huge smile on my face. I am so thankful for this family and the blessing that they are in my life. We made a question jar that they can leave in their home and put in whatever questions they want about the gospel. It is an easy way to know their concerns without one of them feeling dumb by asking it. Sister Dean's idea. So good!

 

We visited a sister from Costa Rica yesterday. I love her so much! I know I shouldn't pick favorites, but she is my favorite. I am her little Costa Rican friend. I love being in her home. The spirit is always so strong. Well, she was expressing a desire to go to the temple but is having a issue with coffee. She wants to talk to the bishop, but she gets scared at times. The impression came to my mind to watch the mormon message about Esther. If you haven't seen it, watch it! It is so good. It talks about courage and it was really good for her. Well, at the end of the lesson I asked if we could take her coffee maker. She said yes! Sweet! I am so excited. We are going to destroy it. :)

 http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=2221439363001

 

The temple: What a wonderful day, even the preparation to go there. This morning we sang I Know that my Redeemer Lives. How powerful it was. It brought me to tears and I had to stop singing at a few points. It is one of my favorite hymns. We cleaned our car on the way to the temple so the spirit was even stronger in the car. When we changed and went into the chapel, you will never guess what song was being played. You got it. I know that my Redeemer Lives! Wow. I cried again. Throughout the whole session I was deep in thought about how wonderful Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are! My companion had to nudge me to raise my hand. Whoops. :) I was so lost in thought. Just wonderful things happened while I was there. I don't want to go into too much detail because I hold them sacred! The temple in an amazing place! I just love it so much. I will need a temple buddy to go to the temple with me each week. I even want to work in the temple when I get back.

 

One more exciting thing before I leave. The other day, Saturday, we got a phone call from the assistants. They left a voicemail "Sister Saal, we need you to call us as soon as you can." That was basically it. Well, I freaked out a little and called them back. Long story short, they were calling on behalf of President Tilleman to invite me to Mission Council, formally known as Zone Leaders Council. With so many sisters coming out, we now have districts and even a zone of all sister missionaries. Well, those sister districts, they need district supervisors (equivalent of district leaders only cooler, because it is a sister) to lead. Those sisters are invited to Mission Council. Pressures on!

 

I know that Jesus is the Christ. I know that God lives. I know that He has blessed, not only me with so many things, but blessed everyone. I am so thankful for that. I am thankful to be here serving a full time mission for Him. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I love that book. It is the best. it has changed my life more than any other book. I am so thankful for that.

 

I love you family!

Sister Saal

April 22, 2013 letter

(Mark wrote his last letter to her on his iphone)

Hello my tech-freindly family (and friends)!

An iPhone dad? Wow, that is pretty impressive. When I get home you will have to show me all the latest technology. Sometimes I find myself saying "Kids these days" when I see teens pull out their phones to use their scriptures. It is strange. I hope you are prepared for a super weird daughter to return home.

Besides me being super weird and awkward around human life forms, things are going really well here in Maple Ridge. I got the news and I will be staying for another 6 weeks with Sister Dean. Sister Petersen went back to Brookswood with two other companions. It has been a stressful few weeks, but the most wonderful few weeks. I am excited to continue on with the work and see where the Lord leads me. Speaking of such, I talked to President Tilleman. I will be coming home some time in August. Not sure how I feel about it yet, but at least it is not next week. I am just thankful I know when it is so I can prepare myself.  Can you believe you haven't seen me in nearly 15 months? My how time flies.

We have seen so many miracles the past few days that I don't even know where to begin. We have to postpone our baptism that was set for this weekend. She is just not ready. It breaks my heart because she is only 10 and really wants to be baptized, but she needs to come to church more. We are continuing to teach her and help her draw closer. Hopefully she will have a desire to come to church more so she can help make her dream become a reality.

However, the Lord has placed many people in our paths. There is a family we are teaching. They are the best. I just love them so much. They are from the Phillipines. The mom is a member that was baptized when she was 13 or so. She married a non-member and stopped going to church. She never lost her testimony though. She has 3 boys and we have been teaching the boys. We are still working on meeting with the dad. However, the two younger boys, and soon the oldest, have baptismal dates. They came to church on Sunday and they just loved it. Their story is incredible. One of the boys plays basketball for his school team. A member in the ward is on that same team and they have become really close. Well, the two moms started talking and found out that the other was mormon. They started coming to church and then the mom came up to us and said "I have a plan to get my sons and husband baptized!" Soon they will be entering into the waters of baptism. It is amazing and humbling to be working with this family.

Another miracle. We received a referral from missionaries about 4 hours away. One of their investigators wanted us to go visit her sister. We did this morning and she let us in. We found out her son is a member in Alberta. We were talking and getting to know her. Then she asked about the Spirit world. I thought it was going to turn into a bible bashing moment, but we testified and the spirit was really strong. We asked if she would like to learn more. You will never guess what she said "Actually, I think I want to be baptized!" Wait what? I think my jaw hit the floor and she probably saw that. Miracle, that never happens!

With going between here and Brookswood, things have been pretty crazy. Now that things are settled we can really focus on our area and helping the work move forward in Maple Ridge.

One thing that I want to testify of: "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God." I love that! I have noticed that as I have been reading to Book of Mormon and the Bible side by side, I have received so many answers to my questions.
"And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul." I testify that the word of god can heal the wounded soul. I have felt it in my life. I have seen it in others. I am so thankful for this wonderful light and knowledge I have.

I love you all.

Untill next week.

Sister Saal

--

The church is true!

all my love,

Sister Saal

April 15, 2013 letter

Hello everyone. Greetings from Canada. What a beautiful day it is here in Maple Ridge. This past week has been kind of crazy in regards to the weather. Thankfully, no snow this week. Sorry all you Utahan's that got snow. :) And they call this the Frosty White North? HA! I don't think so!

Well, this is the big week. We have transfers this week. I can't believe it has already been a transfer of training. It seems like just yesterday Sister Dean came into my posession.  It is crazy how time flies. We will find out tonight. There are so many possibilities that I am not even going to try to guess what will happen. I guess you will have to wait till next week to find out. :) 

My companions are so great. Sister Dean is really funny. I am so glad I have a chance to be her companion. She is able to teach me a lot. I know that she will be training this transfer! She is just that good. I love her.

Sister Petersen is funny! I love her.She is trying to set me up with her brother. We will see how that goes :) She has a strong testimony of the Savior. All-in-all, I feel very blessed to have two wonderful companions by my side.

This week has been pretty good. It has been a little crazy though. We have been going between Maple Ridge and Brookswood. It has been a wonderful learning opportunity for all of us involved. Best part, the Brookswood building is in the same parking lot as the temple. Sunday when we walked out of church it was like "BAM", right there! I loved it. The church is true.

We had a pretty good week adjusting to this new adventure. We worked out all the details about showering and food and all that fun stuff. Now we are enjoying each others company and working hard to find people to teach. I love being a missionary so much. I am not looking forward to coming home... no offense to anyone.

We have had a few really amazing and spiritually teaching moments this week. One was with an amazing woman with great faith. We gave her a tour of the outside of the temple and then we were able to go in and sit in the waiting room. It was raining outside and she has a 7 month old baby, so thought it would be best for that. It was such a powerful experience. Everytime I am in the temple I just have an over-powering experience with the spirit. It was amazing. Her 7 month old baby totally saw angels. It was so amazing!

One thing that I have been studying a lot about lately is the Lord's timing. I know that all things happen in His timing and in His way. One scripture that I have been pondering about lately is in the Book of Mormon in the book of Mosiah chapter 24. This is the story of Alma and his people. They are being persecuted by Amulon. Amulon commands them not to pray a loud, so instead they "pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts." I think it is just so amazing how the Lord said he would deliver them, but also ease their burdens. And then verse 15 is my favorite!  "And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." How unbelievably true that is! I love it.

I have had so amy experiences here on my mission that have a lot to do with this story. There are things that I thought would be best for me, but the Lord knows the timing of all things! I testify to that. He may not give us what we want, but He always, ALWAYS, gives us what we need. I am thankful for a Father in Heaven who loves me! I know that He loves each one of you! Thank you for your prayers. I know this church is true. I am so thankful for that knowledge. I am thankful for a young boy who went into a grove of trees in earnest prayer. I know without a doubt in my mind that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ on that beautiful spring morning. As a direct result of that, I know the power that was given Christ's Apostals anciently to act in God's name has been restore to the earth. I have seen the priesthood change lives! I testify that He lives!

I love you family. See you shortly.

Love, Sister Saal.

--

The church is true!

all my love,

Sister Saal