6/26/13

Hello Hello!!!

     So this week has been really good!  We had a big zone conference at "This is the Place Park".  It is all about Brigham Young.  It was really good; all the zone leaders gave a little lesson and then we had 2 hours to just roam the parks and do whatever we wanted!!  It was really good and super entertaining and fun! Also, thanks so much for the package!! it was the best!  I love getting mail and packages and the sheets are way better!!! 

     To answer some questions, Sis. Briggs is with a sister from Hong Kong.  All she does is take huge Mandarin tours of like 40 people multiple times a day! ahahha!!!  Also, Sis. Lotoa, (my companion) served in Seattle.  She was in a Samoan ward and she loved it!!  She misses it a lot!  

     So, most of my day is spent at the Beehive House.  That  is my "assignment" this transfer, but all the sisters have “square time”,  where we spend time outside just talking to people.  But we also have TC time during the day where we go to the computers and phones and take mormon.org <http://mormon.org>  chats and phone calls, and talk to investigators, and people that have gone home home, but that we met at Temple Square!  It's pretty cool!  

     This week we emailed Ron and Sherri twice, but hadn't gotten a response.  I was starting to get worried because I love them so much and I wished I had been able to teach them in person.  I decided to just e-mail them and tell them I loved them and was thinking about them; they e-mailed back finally, and said that they have been so busy but that they are planning to be baptized!  So I called Ron right then.  He had just flown to Alaska and was on a trip with all his brothers, but said they will be interviewed when he gets back and then they will be baptized as soon as they can!!! I started to get all emotional; it was the best thing for me to hear!   Then I called Sherri and she was so happy to finally talk to me.  She said, “you changed my life and I told you if I ever joined, I would be a very devoted member and get sealed to my husband in the temple!” So they are already working towards the temple!!!!  (I am praying that I can pass off with the driving test stuff so that I can attend their baptism because they live in Utah!  Pray that that can happen; it would be my dream!!)

     So this Sunday my companion and I are attending a ward in Taylorsville and are speaking and doing the musical number for Sacrament meeting; ha! 

     I am anxious to see how it goes!  We had a couple of really good lessons and chats that resulted in new investigators and we have appointments on the phone with all of them this Friday!  So this is interesting;  we teach them over the phone exactly like we would in person, like saying prayers with them over the phone and everything......... it is kind of awkward at first, but it’s really cool actually!!

     We were not able to see the broadcast, but we are watching it this week for study.  But I will tell you something really cool;  our mission is often called the "pioneer mission",  meaning that we “guinea pig” a lot of stuff that the leaders may end up using for missions later on.  So, I’ve read a lot about the meeting, and EVERYTHING they talked about is stuff that our mission already does!!  It is very special to me that I am in this mission.  It is an honor and it is very exciting to me that a lot of missions are going to become like how this mission works already!!  I can't wait!!  

     Oh, and a new couple came to our mission after Elder and Sister Palmer (from Mesa) left.  Now we have Elder and Sister Frost!  I found out that his first name is Taggart;  so I was like, “is that a family name?”  We figured out that George Washington Taggart (my 2nd great grandfather) is his great grandfather as well!  He had three wives and Elder Frost came from Fanny and we came from Clarissa!  That's pretty cool right? Ahha!  Thanks grandma for helping me out on that genealogy!! 

     Brad and Emily, I want you to come visit me and go to lunch with my companion and I.  Ask my mom to help you.  You just need to call the President and tell him you’re coming and he should let you!  He is the nicest and I want to see you guys!!  I will tell you everything about Temple Square!!  Its pretty amazing how much history and pioneer things there are to talk about!  They give us big packets and books that we read and learn from, and then we learn from each other!  I have learned so much.   It’s crazy how much stuff there is to see and learn here in one city block!  

     And all the sisters are pros at relating everything to the gospel and the pioneers; so that we can be more that just a tour guides, but missionaries as we teach the history!  Its cool!!!  Well, I hope everything is going well!! I love you all!!  Have fun at Lake Powell without me!! 

Sister Marsh

My favorite Aussie Sis. Olden.  Reminds me of Marissa McDaniel-straight hilarious

Sis. Ichamaru from Japan.  So funny I love her and she teaches me Japanese.  I can now count to 10 in Japanese and say my name!

I am posing with all the goats at the park!!

This animal FREAKED me out! I think it was an emu??

Me and Sis. Lotoa with a pretty floral handcart!

Me and the AP's!  The one on the left is from Mesa and then the other is from Australia!

These are my Zone Leaders  Sis. Albanes from Australia and Sis. Davis from Cali!

First Day on Temple Square

Family!!

     Hey so today has been busy already!  I went to bed at 12 because we were packing all night and then I woke up to say goodbye to the sisters in our district who were in our same room....it was the most depressing thing in the whole world!  I felt like I was in a soap opera...me and Sister Briggs watched the elevator door close and we just cried and fell to the ground like a big drama and it was so sad...we cried a lot!!  Then we woke up at again so that we could get ready finish packing and get to the bus on time!! I was so tired but it was good! We dropped off missionaries at the airport that were going to San Antonio and then we headed to the apartments we live in!  Then we went straight to the square!  We did some orientation just like with debit cards and health insurance cards and our access cards for all the buildings and then had breakfast!  Then President and Sister Gillette came in and talked to us for a little bit and then we started to have interviews 6 at a time.  I was starting to get nervous but all the interview was was talking about our families and about us and what we liked to do!  Then while we waited for all the interviews to be done and we just talked with all the potential trainers I started to worry because I am going to be with my trainer for 3 months!!  We ate lunch with everyone and just hung out and talked until President came back in...then they had each of the new sisters come up and say their name and where they are from and what they want in a trainer and then they described my trainer and then announced her name!  My trainer is Sister Lotoa she is from American Samoa!!!  She is outbound and she comes home in like an hour so I haven't actually met her yet but I am so excited everyone was so happy when they announced it!!  We are going to Walmart at and so I will buy all my food and everything then and then I get to go home and just unpack and relax for the rest of the night!  P-days here start at 3:45 and then they are for the rest of the day, so every Wednesday I will have email time from 1-3!   2 hours!  I am so excited!!  I got a letter from Ron and Sherri who I taught in the MTC and they are taking the discussions so they can get baptized soon, and they went to an LDS church last week! It was so good to hear from them!  Also, I got another card from Dave and Suzie and they are way too nice! I love them!  Hahah so get this, my companion Sister Briggs is being trained by a sister from Taiwan so she has a Mandarin tour already today! She is like "well here comes some mad translating!!" I got a blessing from my Branch President last night and it was such a comfort and peaceful thing, it was sad to leave the MTC I really enjoyed it but I am excited to be here!!

     Last night Elder Arnold from the 70 spoke to us!  It was the first time in history that the missionaries met in the Marriott Center for a devotional because of how many missionaries there are now! So that was cool....we made history there were cameras EVERYWHERE!!  

     How was AZ mom?  Does Clara like it?   I love you Mom and Dad and my siblings!!! Thank you for all you do and for the sacrifice to give me the chance to be here!  I love this gospel and I am so happy to be here!  

     Something that stuck out to me at the devotional last night was that God, our Savior is an Almighty GOD, he can do anything, and though we will have difficulties on our missions and will think we can't do it, we can because we were created by a God.  We can do all things through him.  I know that that's true if we can just go to him he can help us do anything! I love you all!!!

Sister Marsh!

President and Sister Gillette 

6/11/13-Deseret News Article

Mindy was in a picture in the Deseret News. Here is the article and picture. 

MTC overflows with LDS missionaries, moves devotionals to Marriott Center

No marathon was scheduled for that day, but on June 11 the march of thousands of missionaries from the Provo Missionary Training Center to the Marriott Center resembled a race.

The trek to another location for the usual Tuesday night devotional is seen as a symbol of the increased numbers of missionaries following the age change announcement in the October 2012 general conference.

“It’s (especially powerful) since this is the first time we’ve needed to come to the Marriott Center,” said Nicholle Peng, a missionary from Bountiful, Utah, who will serve in Taiwan.

The stream of missionaries curled around the Marriott Center parking lot, the path marked with orange construction cones. A few well-prepared missionaries even brought water bottles. A smiling senior couple wearing orange vests brought up the rear, hand-in-hand.

However, the end of this race was marked not by cheering fans but by the hymn “Behold a Royal Army,” played by a senior missionary on the organ. Also lacking was a spirit of competition. A historic 2,788 missionaries, 140 coming from an overflow campus at Wyview Park, filed into the Marriott Center with one purpose and spirit.

“It’s really amazing to have so many people in one place with all the same intent,” said Levi Neely, a missionary from St. George bound for Budapest, Hungary.

The missionaries recognized the historic nature of the trek to the Marriott Center. “You’re walking down the hall (of the MTC) and everyone’s so excited to be here,” said Joe Giacalone, Neely’s companion from Syracuse, Utah. “We can feel that we are part of a historic thing, and it’s really cool.”

This unprecedented wave has pushed the number of full-time missionaries serving from 58,000 to roughly 69,000 currently, and the number is expected to reach 85,000 during fall 2013. The MTC held roughly 2,000 missionaries this time last summer, but on July 10, 2013, the number should be 3,611.

“There’s a little more energy at the MTC right now,” said Alicia Eliason, a sister from Bountiful, Utah, who will serve in Taiwan. “I just feel lucky to be a part of it.”

Peng watched the stream of her fellow missionaries continue to file into the Marriott Center. “They just keeping coming,” she said.

Missionaries are expected to keep coming to the MTC, Marriott Center and around the world for the rest of the summer as they run “with patience” the race.

Lucy Schouten is an Arizona native studying journalism and Middle Eastern studies at Brigham Young University.

Missionaries walk to a devotional as the anticipated 2013 "summer surge" settles over the LDS Church's two MTC campuses in Provo. Officials are finding creative ways to accommodate more than 4,000 missionaries at a time — including walking them all to BYU's Marriott Center for MTC-wide devotionals Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Provo.

MTC Pictures

6/7/12

The first day we got here. These are the girls in my district!! I love the girl on the far left Sis. Samuels! 

We like to try and match and so this is stripe day!

Me and sister Briggs on polka dot day!!

Sis. Samuels dad sent us all shirts from his business in Florida, so because its p-day we all wore them!

Sis. Gudiel is from Honduras--GORGEOUS!!!!!

Where we are from (L to R)...El Salvador, Phillipines, Honduras, ME, Brazil, and Brazil!! 

6/19/13-Week 1 in SLC

Hello Family!!

     First things first... Happy Father's day!!! I wish I could have been with you Dad, not gonna lie it was sad. We had church in the Joseph Smith Memorial and we sang our special version of "Called to Serve" for the mission presidency!  

     WOW this work is crazy!!  I got assigned to the Beehive House so I am there multiple times a day giving tours to everyone  that stops by!  It is incredible the amounts of people that stop by Temple Square every single day to visit.  It truly is an amazing sight.  I wish everyone could see for like one day what its like. So every single day we prepare and plan for the next day and we plan it pretty much to a tee.  Then it NEVER works out at all!  The only thing that ever stays on schedule is our Beehive House shift, everything else is always jumbled because there are tours that come up everyday that we get called to take.  Our phone is glued to our hip because we are in constant contact with all the sisters!

     So this week was really good! Literally like 10 minutes ago we met a couple and their friend on the Square they were from Honduras and were there for the soccer game that happened last night anyway we took them on a tour and all three of them referred and all wanted a copy of the BOM....the miracles on temple square that happen in such short amounts of time are amazing!  The couple Ron and Sherri from the MTC have the missionaries over regularly and are reading from the BOM as well and are preparing for baptism!  We chat with people all the time on the internet and call them as well.  A guy named Michael the other day came on chat and started talking how dumb it was that we don't drink coffee and so on and I was like ok well lets just tell him what we believe and then end the chat well we ended up talking to him for a long time and his heart was softened and he asked for a BOM and asked us to stay in contact with him.  I have the biggest testimony right now that the Lord is preparing people.  People that come to Temple Square who have no idea why they are even there, are prepared without even knowing it.  The Lord is working miracles within peoples hearts that we can help.  It is truly amazing!

     My companion is AMAZING!!! Lets just say I hang out with all the poly's!! She is from American Samoa and is the best!  We are very similar and very hard working and teaches me a lot every day!  We laugh constantly and if you know anything about the Polynesian culture you know they joke, laugh, and are so loud all the time and are kind of part of their own clan....well I am telling you that I joined the clan!  I am with the poly's the most! I love them so much and I love the culture they have and the fun, loving personalities they all have!  Mom....I already know I want you to make her a blanket!!  

     My district is awesome! We have already grown so close together and we have so much fun as we sit in the Beehive House together...even though we hardly sit! We give tours every 6 minutes its insane!! I pretty much can tell you everything about Brigham Young!  Also I am THE ONLY AMERICAN in my district!  3 are from Australia, 1 Brazil, 1 Germany, 1 Fiji, 1 Samoan and ME! Pretty funny, but seriously awesome!! 

     We had explore days to see and tour everything for ourselves and I went to Gateway and right away I saw Shayna Norberg, Megan Skousen, and Rachel Tingey!!! I was sooooo happy! It totally made my day! While we toured we went to all the underground tunnels, we went to the 26th floor of the Church Office Building and ate lunch there, toured the Conference Center, the Relief Society Building and much more....Temple Square is amazing and I love everything about it!! 

     This morning all the new sisters that are in my "class" (all came the same day as me) were to study "The Living Christ" and come prepared for a meeting.  We all bore our testimonies of Christ and how he is a part of each of our lives.  It was the most incredible spirit and you can imagine the emotional Mindy came out!!  

     So for house keeping!! I would like you to send me a package cause I love mail, I don't need the shoes though but if you already sent them that is ok!  Also Clara's camera I think I might want that!  Mine acts funny sometimes and it gets annoying!  Also I met a girl on the Square just today that knows Shaun Baxter..... he is serving in her ward right now.  She got baptized a year ago after meeting the Latvian sister here!  Anyway I think that is pretty much all that happened this week!  I love this work and I love being here!!  Thanks for everything you do.  I love you Mom and Dad.  I pray for you and the family.  I love you all.  

The church is true!!

Sister Marsh

   

Temple Square

Me and Sis. Lotoa at the Relief Society Building

Sis. Tukuvatu (Fiji), Me, Sis. Bwaraka (Kiribati), Sis. Lotoa 

                                         

6/12/13-Last Day in MTC

     Well my friends the MTC is over!! its pretty crazy!! It has been so fun I am sad to have to leave it cause I have really enjoyed it, but I am excited to go to Temple Square!!  Tonight we are having a general authority come and so all of the missionaries are going to the Marriot Center so I will let you know how that goes! We have been packing and just getting ready to leave!  I have no idea when my p-day is next week when I get to the field and because i don't get to go on a plane i cant call you so I am writing you a quick email to tell you I'm off!  I will let you know ASAP when i will have p-day and when I can write next! I hope everyone is doing good!  I am sure I will have a lot more to say next week but just didn't know when I would get the chance!  I hope you have been getting my letters in the mail!!  Love you all and I miss you!  The church is true and I love it!! 

Sister Marsh 

Me and the favorite missionary cousin Jordan!

Me and Sister Briggs right before we left

Sister Genster (Germany), Sister Siegle (Brazil), and ME!

Sister McQueen and I--she is from New Zealand

This is me and Sister Deleu from France who was my companion  when we did the field trip to Temple Square. She is from France but her mom is from Peru and she made me wear her Peru flag and everyone thought I was from there and it was hilarious!!

The whole group that came today with President and Sister Gillette!

My new BOM that I have to use which makes me a little bit sad because I don't have any markings now and I can't mark it

6/4/13

FAMILY HELLO!!!!!!!

     Ok this week has been insane! Our elders in our district didn't get their visas so we are all still together till Wednesday before the sisters do the visitor center training...which I am so excited for I hear it is sooo fun! We are going to temple square for a little training so I am leaving the MTC!! WOOHOO!!  but Hannah and Rob, Bailee Brinkerhoff is our teacher for the visitor center training so I am so happy and excited she told me to tell you guys hello! We went to the temple this morning and that was always a fun/ good experience!  We said bye to our class teachers and it was really sad actually they have taught us so much, but its time for us to move on and get out to the field!!  So we finished teaching our progressing investigator May.  She was never baptized and she is still not baptized in real life so we didn't feel to bad but bear with me, while I write the most incredible experience ever!

     So we have this thing called TRC...not sure what it even stands for but this specific one was a "referral" so we had no expectations or anything to base anything of what we should teach.  5 minutes before we were supposed to go in the teacher told us we were teaching Ron and Sherri Clark.  We were like alright lets do this.  So Sister Briggs and I said a prayer and just asked for the spirit to  be with us so that we would know what to even talk about for the visit.  We knocked on the door and they let us in and we sat down introduced ourselves and they said we are the Clarks.  They were extremely nice and super just classy and nice people. There is something you need to know as a side note...every one that you teach in the MTC is a member.  Every one is LDS but sometimes the stories they tell you are real from their past but they are usually all Mormon.  Well anyway we walk in and right away Sheri says, well we are not members, I will tell you that straight up, I am a christian and my husband Ron is a catholic.  I'm thinking oh no... we need to be on our game.  So we were like ok so what made you come into the MTC.  Ron told us that they live in a community of all LDS people for the most part and they are very impressed and love being with the members in the neighborhood.  They said specifically that their next door neighbor is always the first person to bring over cookies or bread or dinners when we get sick and she has just loved the service she has given her and she wanted to give back a little bit.  The neighbors daughter went into the MTC the same day as I did and Sheri asked if she could do anything to help her out or if she needed anything.  The lady responded there is actually one thing that you could do, would you go to the MTC and volunteer for  the 2 weeks my daughter is in there so that you can get a feel of what she is doing and what it is like?  Sheri was like um ya we can do that.  So she said that's why we are here.  We were super excited but had no idea at this point what we were going to teach them.   Then Ron said well funny thing happened last night my wife Sheri doesn't know about this because i was scared to tell her but last night i had a dream and in my dream i saw a guy and he said Ron, its true.  and his wife Sheri was like oh no Ron I'm getting nervous and afraid.  Then Sheri said Ron should we tell them our dark secret? we were like ya tell us!! so Sheri says our youngest son is a bishop.  He is baptized in your church he went on a mission he is the bishop now and he has 11 kids and his boys have served missions, we were so happy and like ahh that's awesome.  Then they asked us the question, "Why are you even here?"  "We don't want to hear your lesson, we want to know why you are here".

     Sister Briggs started to bear her testimony on how her dad is not a member and her mom was diagnosed with cancer last year and went through chemo and was completely healed and that she was at BYU about to graduate, had an internship lined up, had a serious boyfriend for 4 years and nothing seemed right..."nothing was lining up as I knew it should"  She talked about how she was fasting and praying about what she needed to do in her life and very distinctly got the answer to go to Alma 17:9-12 and read that and knew that was her answer to go on a mission.  She said her dad doesn't really support her and it was hard but she knew she needed to do it.  She told them she knew that she needed to show her heavenly father and her savior Jesus Christ that she was grateful for the blessings she has in her life and for giving her her mom  back so she was going to do that through a mission. of course we are girls and all 4 of us were crying including the dad.  anyway she kind of stopped after that and the Clarks were like you are an amazing young lady and how are you going to follow that sister marsh?  I was like, I don't know she is an amazing companion but I will try my best!

     So I started bearing my testimony on the whole reason I was on a mission.  I was going to school knowing that at 21 I would want to serve a mission and I didn't think it was possible until this last October.  I continued on how grateful I was for the savior and how real his atonement is.  I told them I wanted to read 1 Nephi with them one of my favorite scriptures.  It talks about how we are graven on the palms of thy hands, and thy walls are continually before me.   I said I am on a mission because I love my savior.  He died on the cross and has physical imprints and representations of each and every one of us on our hands and feet and the least i could do was serve him for 18 months and show him I loved him.  We were all crying still and Sheri said stop.  It's true and I know it.  Babe it's true and I am not afraid.  She said sister marsh you just answered my prayer.  My son who is the bishop shared that scripture with me a long time ago and i have never been able to find it since.  I said "Sheri I got a new set of scriptures for my mission and since the day I got here I have been looking for this scripture and until an hour ago I still hadn't found it.  I would have never guessed I would have read it to you but I did and I knew I needed to."  she said that's a miracle and she stood up and gave me a hug.  

     Her husband goes "ok just tell me one thing....your saying there are 6.5 billion people in the world that don't know this truth?" And we were like ya exactly and his wife was like "Ron why are you so slow its true."  And I was like "Ron, I would not be here if I didn't know this was true."  They then said what do we do now? we were like um.... and Ron said Sheri we know what we need to do we need to tell our son and our friends and the bishop that we are going to baptized.  we were like ahhhh!!  We were all bawling and they were so happy and couldn't stop saying that they just knew it was true.  I said  Ron, Sheri? can you do me one favor?  they were like we will do anything you have truly changed our lives.  I said i want you to write me about your baptism and keep in contact with me. She said hunny, I will keep in contact with you till the day I die.  I said I am not going far either and so if you are ever in SLC come say hi! She was like "I promise I will keep in contact with you."  She gave me a kiss and hugged me for so long.  Her husband couldn't hug me obviously but he shook my hand and didn't let go and said you have changed my life.  Things are finally lining up in my life.  So in my journal I have their address and email and phone number!! 

     OK, I think it's done, but I just want to say that when you are obedient and you are praying and serving the lord, you will be blessed.  The spirit will be able to be with you and it is the real teacher.  I know that this church is true.  There are people everywhere even in the MTC that are being prepared and if we as missionaries are doing what we are asked and listening to the spirit we will be guided to those people.  I have so much love for the people we have taught in just the MTC.  I love this gospel, and it truly changes lives.  

     Thank you for all the support   and love you all show me!  I can't wait to see what's ahead.  I love you all! Keep writing me!!  JUNE 12th here I come!!

LOVE,

Sister Marsh