February 12, 2013 letter

Hello family (and friends)!

Greetings from Canada. It seems to be getting colder here, not warmer. It is sad. I just want spring to be here. However, it will come soon enough. I am sure you still have like 8 inches of snow! :) Ha ha.

What a wonderful day it has been thus far. Probably the best morning of my mission so far! We just finished up a session at the temple, which is like a 20 minute drive from our apartment, and I am so thankful for the time that I was able to spend there. What a wonderful place to feel the Lord's love. The whole time I just had an over-whelming, over-powering, over-excited feeling that covered me from head to toe. I sat in the Celestial Room and tears came to my eyes as I thought about this amazing place, the house of the Lord. What a wonderful work that happens with-in the walls of the temple. Thoughts about an eternal family soared through my mind and I know without a doubt that this is the only place where families can be sealed together. I am thankful my parents were sealed in the temple to have their kids with them for eternity. Sorry, you are stuck with us. :) How wonderful it is to have the priesthood back on the earth. I can't imagine my life without it.

This week was pretty good. We had a lot of lessons set up with potential investigators, but they all fell through. It was a bit frustrating, but it is something that we are learning more about. When someone doesn't show up, someone else needs us. That has been my attitude. I have been really trying to stay positive. So far I feel like I am doing really well.

I am so sorry I forgot to talk about my companions. How rude of me. I am in another tri. Sister Duffy has been out about 3 months longer than me. She is from Arizona and graduated from BYU to do history teaching. We get along pretty well. She was companions with Sister Doria, my mom, for 7 and a half months! wow. Crazy! My other companion is Sister Brown. She has been out about 6 months. She is super sweet and really catching hold of missionary work. She is from Rexburg/Brigham City.

Sister Duffy is the district leader of the Sister's district, something new President Tilleman is doing. She went down to work with the sisters in Abbotsford yesterday so I had a chance to work one on one with Sister Brown. She is a fantastic missionary, and I see a lot of myself in her. She is a hard worker and loves to go out and get things done. It was different to be the senior companion. I have never been the head hancho in charge. I learned a lot about myself and my commitment to the Lord.  

We had a miracle last night. We had some time before a dinner appointment and we prayed about where we should go. We felt impressed to go and see a potential investigator who was unable to meet with us Sunday. We knocked on the door and her "other-half" was walking out of the door and said she was upstairs. She told us to come on up. She had read through the pamphlet and we talked about Joseph Smith and the Restoration. She really liked what she had read in the pamphlet and she invited us to come back. It was a miracle. Not only was she interested, her daughter was also interested. We explained the Young Woman's program and she wants to come! It was a miracle and a tender mercy from the Lord.

One thing that I have really noticed is how tired I am! I seem to be tired all the time. It is not a bad tired at all. It is an exhaustion that seems to cover me from head to toe. I know that the harder I work, the more tired I get. I love it. I feel like when I get home I will sleep for 3 weeks straight.

It is official, I have been out for over a year. I know that the time seems to be going faster and faster. Soon enough I will be on a plane home. BOO!

I love you family!

Sister Saal

P.S. Wash your hands and say your prayers, cause Jesus and germs are everywhere!

February 4, 2013 letter

Hello family (and friends)!

Sounds like all is going well. I am jealous you got to be with the grandbabies. I miss them like crazy!

Well, my year mark happens this week. So crazy how time has flown by. Before you know it I will be home and bumming off mom and dad once again. 6 more months! We can do this!

Well, I bet you are all wondering about transfers. Before I tell you, It came as a surprise to me. But at the same time, I wasn't surprised. Can you guess yet? Maybe I will just tell you.

I was transferred! I am in the lower mainland in a place called Maple Ridge. It is a great area already and I have been here for less than a week. Best part is, on February 12th, I get to go to the temple! Sweet. it is an answer to my prayers. I have wanted to go to the temple for a long time now. And come next week, I will be there. President Tilleman was inspired to send me here.

Funny story, I am in the library right now and this little boy keeps saying "mommy, mommy, mommy" and crying. Put me off kids for a while. :)

We had a really neat experience yesterday that I would like to share. Saturday night we were calling potentials at the church, so we could use the cell phone and church phone. We called one and invited him out to church. He said he wanted to come, so we got him a ride. I honestly thought he was going to blow it off. Sunday morning we were in the library meeting only one of lots of new people. Our Ward Mission Leader came in and said Michael was there. We were really surprised, since none of us have actually met him. We went into the chapel and sure enough he was there. We introduced ourselves and he thanked us profusly, saying if we had not have called him, he would not have been there. He loved sacrament meeting. A lot of people came up and talked to him. After sacrament we gave him a church tour. We thought it was going to be rough because members were walking the halls and coming up and talking to us. However, the spirit was so strong there. He wanted to meet basically everyone that walked by. We taught him about the Apostasy using Amos 8. When we got to Joseph Smith, he asked if that was when the "famine" ended. We told him yes! He liked that. We also invited him to be baptized. He said yes! We set a date for the 23 of Feb. That is also Sister B's date in Courtenay. Please pray for them both! I love you family!

The work here is moving forward at a fast pace. I love it!

This truly is the Lord's work. I so testify!

Love,

Sister Saal

January 28, 2013 letter

Hello family (and friends),

Sounds like things are going very well for you down there. Papa, you called this the Great White North? You have more snow than the Island, so that is a little unfortunate. The weather here has been pretty nice lately. It is gray and sad looking, but not too cold. It is nice, but I am ready for a change. Bring on the sun!

Well, there are many wonderful things going on here in Courtenay. This could very well be my last time emailing you from this wonderful place. Transfer calls are tonight. I have been here 7 months or so. It may be time for a change. However, I am prepared to go where the Lord needs me. It is really crazy how much the time has flown by. My mom, Sister Doria, goes home in like 2 days! How sad. I was able to talk to her last night and it was so sweet. Sister Nuttall goes home in 6 weeks. It is so crazy. It seems like just yesterday we were paired as companions. It has been like 4 months. I am almost at my year mark, and yet it feels like just yesterday I got here! Wow! I am pretty sure time is speeding up.

I have had a really neat experience helping Sister B prepare for baptism. Her date is set for the 23rd of February. It is coming up so quick, but she is so excited. She is telling everyone about her date. You should see her light up. It is really neat because her husband is starting to warm up to us as well. They had us over for dinner the other night and he was very friendly. I guess he has been asking Sister B more and more questions. It is amazing to see how things are unfolding.

I want to share my testimony of this work that we are all engaged in. It makes me think of a story in the Book of Mormon in the book of Ether. When the Brother of Jared has the Lord light stones to shine in darkness as they are crossing the great waters. In verse 3 it says "And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness." Then jump to the end of verse 10 "and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water." In our life we have many times that we seem to be passing through the great waters of darkness, whether we are above the water or below the water. Times may be good and we are above the water, but times get tough and we seems to sink below the water. However, We have been given many lights (scriptures, prophet, prayer, parents, church, etc) that we have to travel through life. I pray that we may be able to use those lights we have not only to bless our own life, but also the lives of others. I know that my Savior lives.

I love you all so much family and friends! I hope you have a wonderful week. Until next time.

Sister Saal

January 21, 2013 letter

Hello family (and friends)!

Greetings from the Island. I am still here in Courtenay, but transfers are next week so we will see what happens. Who knows where they will send me next. I will be ready for a new adventure though.

Things here are going well. It is relatively warm, but really foggy. Everyone says they are having strange weather. Maybe I brought it. :) We haven't had snow in a while, so that is good. Driving a Chevy Cruize in the snow is no fun. By the way, that is the kind of car I want when I get home.

We have had a wonderful week in the service of the Lord. We had a Zone Conference down in Nanaimo with President Tilleman. It was so great to see him again. I was able to have an interview with him and receive a blessing. What an incredible man. Check out this link. A few facts are wrong though. http://www.lds.org/church/news/karl-tilleman-an-example-of-determination-and-endurance?lang=eng&country=ca

The conference was and amazing time and the spirit was there so strongly. What a way to spend a day. We learned about applying the Doctrine of Christ to everything we do, not just missionary service. Sweet!

I also did an exchange with the Sisters in Campbell River, about 45 minutes north of here. I got to work with two amazing Sisters (they are in a tri) and I learned so much about myself from them. We had an amazing lesson with two wonderful daughters of God. We taught them about the Restoration and I did most of the talking. Sorry Sister Vallejo and Sister Arbon. We invited her to follow the example of Jesus Christ and she said yes. We set a date with her.

We have an investigator who is doing well and preparing for her baptism on the 23rd of February! So sweet. She is really loving the gospel and embracing it. I can see it change her life. It is such a great and wonderful to be a part of. 

That is really funny that you brought up that story from the Book of Mormon is Alma chapter 22! I love that story so much, and read it at least once a week. It is amazing to see how much we can liken the scriptures unto ourselves, though I am still working on liken Isaiah to myself. It is amazing to see how the spirit of the Lord works on peoples hearts, including our own.

Love you family,

Stay warm.

Sister Saal.

January 14, 2013 letter

Hello family (and friends)!

Sounds like you are having fun in the snow. The past few days it has been sunny, but very cold. Okay, so not as cold as Utah, but a lot more humid here. It is -1 C with like 100% humidity.

That virus that Ry and Connor have, it seems to be going around up here too. I was sick the past few days with a nasty flu-like bug. Thankfully, I am feeling a lot better. It is no fun being sick, but tis the season I guess. Lots of fun.

The work is going well here. Sister Nuttall is super awesome and I love her so much. She is the best. Sadly, she goes home soon. I hope I am not the one that kills her. We have been getting along super well and she is so patient with my crazy behavior. Our one investigator is great - she is doing well. She still preparing for baptism but we had to push her date back a little. She is amazing. She is one of my favorite people in the world. We are trying to work it out where she can get baptized and the next week go with the ward to the temple. She most likely won't be able to do a bunch of baptisms, but maybe one or two. She is just so enthusiastic!

A cool experience I had these past few weeks. I was talking to Brother Todd and he pointed this scripture out. I really love it now and I want to share it with you. This comes from the book of Third Nephi chapter 17. This is when Jesus Christ is among the people in the Americas. I love these verses.

7 Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.

 8 For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you.

 9 And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him.

I love that! Afflicted in any manner. Jesus Christ is capable of healing us, whether it is emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally. He is there waiting to heal us. However, he invited them to come forward. He didn't force anyone, he simply invited them to come forward to be healed. It is only as we go to the Lord that he can heal us.  I love the Book of Mormon. It is so true.

I love you family and friends. Keep reading. Enjoy life.

Remember, it is not about instant perfection. It is about eternal progression.

Cheers.

Sister Saal

January 7, 2013 letter

I figured since dad didn't write me, I would still be kind and write all of you! Happy New Year.

(Actually, her dad wrote her his weekly Sunday night epistle, but didn't send it!!  Oops.  He felt really bad.) 

I hope this year is off to a great start for you. Things are going well here in Courtenay. The neighbors upstairs woke us up at midnight. Sadly, I rang in the new year. I was really excited to go to bed at 10:30 and not wake up till 6:30! They were having a party though, so we vicariously partied through them. Babylon songs were stuck in my head the rest of the night. Thankfully, someone complained so they got really quiet just before 1.

So, about the area:

I am excited for this coming week. I know that we are going to have many mighty miracles come about. We have 3 appointments already set up with potential investigators. I am way excited.

I wanted to share a wonderful experience I had on Saturday. Sister Nuttall and I both woke up in a funny mood, not really having the motivation to do things we needed to do. However, we took President Tilleman's advice and got out of the door in the morning, before 10:15 which was a surprise. We went out to Cumberland and saw a few less-active/part-member families. The first we saw let us come in right away. She has been less-active for many years, and her husband has never really been interested in the church. When we got in there, she said that her husband had asked where we had been since he hadn't seen us in a while. It was really neat. He actually stayed this time to talk to us, usually he leaves. He even gave us 5 lbs of halibut to eat. It was a miracle! He wants us to call him after we eat it to let him know how it was. His heart is softening.

After that family we dropped by another less-active/part-member family. We recently went to see her for the first time, at the request of bishop. At first she was hesitant, telling us her husband didn't like the church. He was upstairs and called down "I don't care, it's your religion, not mine." She invited us back a few weeks later. This was our second sit down visit with her. We left her a Book of Mormon to read. The spirit was so strong there. She has been telling her cousin - the first sister we visited today - that she really appreciates our visits. It was another miracle and tender mercy from the Lord.

Then in the afternoon, we were able to do a little more service for another sister.  She is a less-active member. The past few days we have been helping her clean her home. She has fibromialgia (don't know how to spell it) and hasn't been able to keep up on her house work. We spent 2 hours Thursday, 2 hours Friday, and 2 hours Saturday helping her clean. We still have a long way to go, but it looks really good so far. Thursday we cleaned the kitchen, and they were able to sit down together at the kitchen table for the first time in a long time. It was warming to see. We spent some time with a ward member to clean her home. This time, the non-member's husband was there. He was helping us clean since she broke her ankle. It was just amazing to see his countenance change. We had a really good lesson with them about prayer. She said it was just what she needed to hear. I looked over at her husband and he seemed really deep in thought. I think that helped open their home to us.

By the time it was bedtime, I was so exhausted I was ready for bed. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open as I wrote in my journal. It was so good, and I really enjoyed it.

All-in-all, things are going really well. I am really excited to study about the life of President Snow. Many mighty miracles are occurring. I know that this work is true. I know that we have a Father in Heaven who loves us.

Thank you for your prayers. I love you all.

Love,
Sister Saal

December 31, 2012 letter

Hello family (and friends),

Hope you had a wonderful Prime Rib dinner without me (It's a Saal family tradition to have Prime Rib at Christmas - thanks Uncle Rob!). I am still waiting for my left-overs in the mail. :) I hope you enjoyed the rest of your Christmas. We had a good time as well. However, we ate way too much turkey. I think I am still in a turkey coma a week later.

I think that flu bug is up here in Courtenay too. I have been sick for the past few days with a flu-like bug. oh man, I just can't get healthy! :) I think it is a sign that the island is sick of me. It has been an adventure trying to get healthy again. I am going to be eating plenty of veggies and fruits and drinking lots of water. Anything else I can do? Let me know. Things have been going fairly well here in Courtenay, despite being sick. I have an awesome companion who is taking good care of me.

I was able to read and finish the book Daughters in my Kingdom. It was a really good book. I had never read it before, but it was a very insightful look into the Relief Society program. I was really fascinated by the history of the Relief Society program, how it was established and then disbanded, and then reestablished. It gave great insight into how important the women of the church are. I forgot my notes, but there were many good quotes I will share next time.

I love you all so much.
I am not talking to my cousins ever again! Plus, they are not invited to my wedding. :) (Sister Saal has two cousins that are getting married in February!!)

Sister Saal