November 13, 2012 letter

Preface:  Mark emails Sister Saal every Sunday night so that she will have a letter from us on her Monday p-day.  Just as he sat down to write her, we received a phone call from Sister Tilleman, the wife of Caitlin's mission president.  We talked to her for about 15 minutes and she had nothing but good to say about our daughter.  We were so grateful to hear those words from Sister Tilleman and have a peak into Sister Saal's missionary life. 

Hello family (and friends),

I am staying in Courtenay.
Thank you for your letter. I am glad you were able to talk to Sister Tilleman. They are amazing people and I am thankful for all their love and support.

An interesting thing happened on Sunday. In Relief Society the teacher asked us to take a moment to think about something. She asked us to think about our Father in Heaven. She asked us to think about what He would say to us if we were with Him right now. She asked us to think about the things He would do. At first it made me a little nervous. What would He say to me? I thought about the mistakes that I have made. I thought about all of my sins. I thought about my faults and weaknesses. At first, I thought about all the things I would have pointed out. And then I remembered His character. I remembered His nature. I remember His love. He wouldn't point out the flaws I have. He wouldn't make me feel small. He would love me with a perfect love. He would love me with a love I can't even begin to comprehend. At that moment, I saw all my weaknesses. But even more than that, I saw how God really feels about me. It was an overwhelming feeling that passes through me.

I have such a short time left and it is just speeding up. I am over half way done. It feels like just yesterday I was eating at Cafe Rio right before heading into the MTC. This feeling is crazy. By the end of this transfer, I will have spent 6 months in Courtenay. Seems like yesterday I got here.

One really big highlight comes from an act of service. There is a less active brother here that we have been trying to work with. His wife is not a member and so amazing! I have really grown to love this family. Sister Nuttall asked her if we could come visit them and get to know them. She said she would feed us dinner! We set up a time and asked if there was anything we could do. They have a few giant maple trees in their backyard with HUGE maple leaves. She said she would call us to help her rake. The next day we decided just to do it. It took about an hour to rake all the leaves into a pile. I will have to send pictures, it was a huge pile. The next day we came back to start putting the leaves in bags. After an hour, and 26 giant black plastic bags later someone told us the city wouldn't take them. We were going to have to use giant paper bags. They are really ecologically friendly up here. Well, we had an appointment to get to and had to leave. The next morning during companionship study we received a phone call from the wife. She was amazed at what we had done. We told her about the bags and said we wanted to come finish. She invited us over for lunch and we were able to work with this family to rake leaves. It took a long time, but it was so fun to get to know them. I know that we were not just raking leaves and doing service, but we are building a relationship.

I am thankful for your prayers. Keep them coming. I love you all so much. Thank you!

Love, Sister Saal

November 5, 2012 letter

Hey family (and friends)!

Things are going pretty good here. I am still in Courtenay, though another transfer is upon us. We find out tonight if we stay together or if one of us leaves. Who knows, I could be in Vanderhoof by the next email you receive. That would be fun for the winter! Not.

The weather here is pretty nice, too. We have been getting a bit of rain, but the sun is out today. It is funny. I almost forgot what the sun looks and feels like. :)

We have been visiting a lot of cool people. Our friend with a baptismal date is doing well. We just really need to get her married. Hopefully that will come soon. Our bishop said he would be more than happy to do it for them. Now, we just have to get the fiance on board. He wants to wait so he can give her a big party.

We have a few new friends that we have been teaching. They are so great and doing really well. We have also had the chance to work with a lot of less active members. One has been coming faithfully for the past 3 weeks. It is great to see the Lord truly working with people.

Sorry I don't have much to say this week. Hopefully next week I will have a little more of an update.

The church is true! I hope you all know that. It is so true. I have seen too many miracles to deny the truth.

Work hard. Pray. Read. Love you.

Read 2 Timothy 1:7

Love, Sister Saal

October 29, 2012 letter

Happy Halloween! Though we don't celebrate Halloween as missionaries. We actually have to come in at 6. I guess there is a lot of interesting things that can happen on Halloween. Hopefully kids don't come trick-or-treating to our place. We have no candy for them!

Didn't feel the earthquake. We didn't even know about it till the next day at church. Crazy. We have missionaries serving there. They are all doing fine. There were no deaths of injuries. The Lord is protecting His missionaries since it was the 3rd largest earthquake recorded in Canada's history. 

We had our primary program yesterday and I loved it. There is a less active that we have been working with a lot. She came to church and her two girls were in the program. It brought tears to her eyes as well as mine. The primary program is probably my favorite program they do. I love those kids that sing loud and proud.

We have had many, many miracles happen this week. We were doing our companionship study when we got a phone call from a less active/part member family we were going to meet with that morning. She called to tell us she was sick and would be unable to meet with us. We were thinking about changing our points for the day, however, we left without doing so. We dropped by a young girl we tracted into a few nights before. It was dark when we were tracting so I didn't see the NO TRESPASSING signs. That made me a little nervous when I saw them in the daylight. We knocked on the door and an older gentleman opened the door. I don't think he was grumpy, he just wanted us to get to the point. We told him who we were and asked if she was there. He said he would go get her. They let us in. It was a miracle. He told us that he was a baptized member that must have just gotten lost in the shuffle. His records aren't here. We taught her, and with past experiences, she wants to follow Jesus Christ. She became a new investigator and we gave her a Book of Mormon to read. She was handling it so carefully. It was humbling to see.

Then, later that day we went to the hospital to see a referral that was given to us by a member. She let us come into her room to share a message. There was a man there with her, possibly a husband or boyfriend. He told us he is also a baptized member that must have just gotten lost in the mix. It was amazing to see the Lord's hand in this work. We are going back tonight to visit her again. We gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon to read. She was also excited to receive one. We phoned the member who gave us the referral and she seemed really surprised, but grateful, that we called her back. 

There are many more miracles happening here in this part of the Lord's vineyard and I am so grateful to be a part of it.

Have a wonderful week! Thank you for your prayers. I look forward to more letters :)
Love you all.

Sister Saal
Read Romans 8:35 to the end.

October 22, 2012 letter

Hello mi familia (and friends) -

What a week it has been here in the Canada Vancouver Mission. We are seeing miracles here.
On Thursday night we drove down to Nanaimo, about an hour and a half south of Courtenay, to spend the night with some members. Early the next morning we woke up. And by early, I mean early! We got up at 3:30 am to catch the 5:15 am ferry over to the lower mainland. Talk about lack of sleep. There are 3 sets of sisters on the island right now and we found a dimly lit area to get some sleep. We were sprawled everywhere. However, it was totally worth it! We had a conference with Elder Haleck of the Seventy. What a treat that was. You should all re-read his talk in the April 2012 Ensign. It was good. We had a nice time with him and he shared many things with us. I think it was amazing because it seemed to be exactly what I needed. I wish I would have brought my notes with me, but I forgot them. We had a nice lunch full of all the Chinese food you could eat. And the Elders ate a lot! They always do though.

After lunch I was given a wonderful chance, thanks to Sister Tilleman and my temporary companion (we were on exchanges), to sit down with Elder Haleck and talk one-on-one with him. He also gave me a priesthood blessing! How amazing is that. A member of the Seventy talking to little ol' Sister Saal. He told me to call him and he would come to my homecoming. Wow, what a treat.

Other than that, not too much has been going on. Things are great. I am really enjoying Courtenay.  The baptisms have been postponed to the 17th of November. Work hard to find new people to teach. Falling in love with the ward members and one less active member in particular, who came to church yesterday! :) We are planning a trip to China and she says we can stay with her parents. Sweet. China anyone?

Keep up the prayers and the letters. Sorry, I wish I had just a little more time.

Love you family.

Sister Saal

Read Doctrine and Covenants 58:2-4 :)

October 15, 2012 letter

Hey family - (and friends)

Just telling you now, things are getting COLD up here. I am freezing and I have a feeling I am going to be cold from now until April. Sweet right?

Loved the scripture dad! I am excited to read more from the First Book of Dad, since that scripture was in Chapter 2. 

(This is what Mark wrote last week: 

This week’s scripture:

“Yea, verily, and it came to pass that Mother and Father loved Sister Saal with all their hearts, and with all their might, and with all their minds, and with all their strength.”

– First Book of Dad, Chapter 2 (tee-hee))

But things are going really well here. I am loving Courtenay, though I think I am ready for a bit of a change. However, apparently I still have work here to be done. That knowledge is keeping me going.

Sorry this week's letter might be a little boring. We have had the Port McNeil sisters staying with us the past few nights. We had stake conference and President Tilleman spoke. It was amazing to see him again. Starting tonight, we are going on exchanges. I am staying in Courtenay and Sister Vallejo is coming down. Sister Nuttall is going to Port McNeil. That town is small. I spent a few days up there and wow. There are about 2000 people in the small town.

We have three people with a baptismal date for the 28th of October. It is coming up quick. We may have to push it back a bit, but please pray for them.

Other than that, nothing really new. Sorry this letter is boring. I love you all.

Sister Saal.

Scripture: Read 3 Nephi 11. It is one of my favorite chapters.

October 9, 2012 letter (the 8th was Thanksgiving in Canada)

Hello Family! (and friends)

Happy day after Thanksgiving Day everyone. Thanksgiving in October? Yeah, I know it is crazy. It doesn't even feel like Thanksgiving. As one less active member stated (he is from the US as well) "Canada is always trying to beat us. From putting Thanksgiving a month before ours with no significant reason for Thanksgiving, to celebrating an Independence Day 3 days before the Fourth of July when they are still in the Common Wealth." It made me laugh and it is SOOOOOOO true. :) I love Canada, hey? We went to a members home for Thanksgiving and had some turkey. I ate until I was stuffed and they gave us left-overs.

Last week we had an opportunity to go to Nanaimo for a Zone Conference with President Tilleman. Spiritual high! It was an amazing Zone Conference and I had an opportunity to represent the Sisters in bearing my testimony. The Spirit filled me with words to say and I couldn't look at President Tilleman because he was in tears. The Spirit is so strong with missionaries and I love it. That is so neat about the announcement in Conference about the age of missionaries. I have a feeling the number of missionaries is going to dramatically increase. And yes, I could have been home by now, but at 19, I am not sure if I would have even gone. :)

Wasn't Conference just amazing!? I love watching Conference as a missionary, especially when you are sitting next to friends who have a desire to partake of the waters of baptism. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is so true! There is no denying it! All speakers were so inspired and taught nothing but true doctrine. Honestly, it was truly uplifting and inspiring. I loved Elder Holland's talk about being a Disciple of Christ! I love that story he shared from the Bible about Peter and the fishes. I went back to read it again. His talk made me really think about the type of missionary I am and the type of missionary I want to be. It is amazing to have the knowledge of the Atonement and how it can help me become a better person.

Things in Courtenay are turning out so well. I love this area so much. Sister Nuttall and I are seeing miracles and I am so blessed to have her as a companion. I am thankful for everything she does for me and for this area. What a fabulous missionary she is. We are getting along super well and we are seeing miracles!

This week went so well. We found some new investigators and set a baptismal date. Susan is who we have a baptismal date with and she is preparing herself to be baptized on the 27th of October. She is a sweet Sister and she loves the gospel. She has barely read any of the Book of Mormon, and she is already telling people "she has already joined the Mormon church". It is amazing to see her faith. Every time we meet with her, she is telling us about a new friend she wants to bring. A miracle happened this past week. She called to ask if we could postpone the appointment for an hour and meet at McDonald's. We brought a member with us who was so amazing. Well, Susan's friends Jake and Sally joined in for the last part. They both wanted a Book of Mormon and set up a time, for tonight, to meet with them all. So in a hour lesson, at McDonalds, we had a member present, 2 new investigators, and set a baptismal date. Heavenly Father is pouring out His blessings upon us.

That same day we had another Member Present and an Other Lesson. Wow! Things are so crazy here! It is only 3 right now and we have had two Less Active Lessons, and we have an Other Lesson (with a new investigator) and a Member Present with 3 of our investigators scheduled for later today! I don't even have time to breathe!

We are having amazing things happen and I am forming friendships for life. One less active member wants to take me to China when she goes back to visit her family. Sweet!

I love you all so much. I am so thankful for your love and support. I am so thankful to be a missionary for the only true church on the face of the earth. Please write me!

As always, names have been changed.

Love you,
Sister Saal

Scripture of the week. Psalms 27:1 "The Lord is my light, and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Also read the last scripture of that chapter. 

October 1, 2012 letter

Hello my dearest family ! (and friends)

A warm(ish) welcome from the Island on the first day in October. I am still here in Courtenay and I am loving every minute of it. This place truly is the promised land. I may move back. :) Sister Nuttall is my new companion and she is fantastic. She trained Sister Thayer (Caitlin's last companion), so she is like my step-grandma. She is from Delta, Utah and spent some time at BYU. She is getting close to the end of her mission. I hope I am not the one to kill her. 

I have been spiritually fed this week and and the feeding just keeps on coming. Zone Conference tomorrow, followed by General Conference, and Stake Conference. My mind may just explode! 

We had the chance to go to Richmond for the Sister's Conference. Thursday night Sister Thayer, Sister Nuttall, Sister Thompson (Sister Nuttall's old companion and Sister Thayer's new companion), and I went out to eat in downtown Vancouver at an amazing Thai restaurant. We were stuffed and shared a little message with our waitress. We headed for the night and had a chance to sleep at President and Sister Tilleman's home. They are so kind to us.

Friday we went to the Sister's Conference and the Spirit was there. Oh man. I was able to see Sister Doria and Sister Post again (both former companions). They gave us Taco Del Mar for lunch. I miss Cafe Rio! We were truly inspired and I love how much love President and Sister Tilleman have for the sisters in the mission. I was able to have a little chat with President Tilleman and he gave me some great advise. He said he had "big things for me soon." With President Tilleman, you never know what that means. After spending the night at the Tilleman's again, Saturday morning all the sisters on the island, 3 sets, took the ferry over to the island and departed separate ways.   

Sunday at church was amazing. We had an investigator bear his testimony, which made me bawl like a baby. It is amazing and strange to see the love that I have for these people. I have only been here 12 weeks and yet I feel like it has been years. He told me he was sorry he hadn't opened up more to me but that he, and his less active girlfriend, love me. It is amazing what the spirit does!

In closing I just want you to know of my love for you. I am thankful for the many prayers and I love getting letters people!

Love you all so much. Have a wonderful week.

Love, Sister Saal.