Marissa Week 15 - Sister Trainer

Marissa is training!!!!

Hello everyone!

Be prepared for a very long email because this week was very eventful!

So to start things off...tomorrow is transfer day! On Sunday evening the AP's called and I answered the phone. They asked, "Are you worthy to accept a call from the Lord?" I began to panic and said, "ummm... I think I know where this is going, but yes I am worthy to accept a call." They then said, "Will you accept the call of being a trainer?” I about flipped out... I replied and said, " OH MY GOSH…REALLY? Um...well...yes I will accept this call but this is so crazy, I am just finishing my training."  They told me this call was from the Lord and I can do all things through Christ our Lord and Savior. They then asked for Sister Brunt. I handed her the phone and they asked her to be a trainer too! Like WHAT! We are both training which means we won’t be together anymore:( I am so sad like literally I'm going to miss Sister Brunt so much!

So after getting this news I kind of freaked out. I don't feel at all ready to train. A trainer influences the new missionaries first experience with being on a mission. It is a lot of pressure and responsibility on my part and I have to be an example to my new companion. Please pray for me because I will need all the help I can get. I feel like I just got here and now I'm training, it blows my mind! Out of all the sisters in the mission President Allred had to chose me to train... I read the scripture 1 Nephi 3:7 for comfort and I changed it to fit my circumstance, it says, "And it came to pass that I, [Sister Lowe], said unto my [Mission President]: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”

I love this scripture so much and I know that if I trust the Lord with all my heart he will provide a way for me to accomplish the calling he gave me. It will definitely be a humbling experience and I know I will learn so much from the sister that I train. I will meet her on Tuesday and find out who she is!

Okay now to the great stuff that happened this week:

1. ANDY WAS BAPTIZED!!! So I met Andy on my fourth day here when we had a fireside that we asked members to bring their friends to. Hannah (a member) brought Andy her boyfriend to it. From there we have been teaching him and now Hannah and Andy are married! His baptism was so special and I got to speak at his baptism on the topic of baptism. I was nervous but a lot of people told me it was a great talk so that made me feel better! I told the story about how when my dad was on a mission in Thailand and how he baptized two people. At a general conference President Monson announced the Bangkok, Thailand temple being built and mentioned the Stake President who helped get it started. That Stake President was one of the two converts my dad baptized! I told Andy that even if he was my only baptism I would be happy and feel that my mission was a success. I also told him that the Lord has great things in store for him whether that be a Stake President or a Nursery Leader. He said he loved that story. Then on Sunday the high counsel men of the 3rd stake shared my dads story in the correlation meeting and in the married stake correlation meeting elder Sampson told me that their high counsel men shared my dads story also. So shout out to my DAD! Because everyone loves that story and I'm glad you shared it with me:)

2. JEAN WAS BAPTIZED!!! We met Jean 3 weeks ago and now she is baptized! She texted us that she had been reading the Book of Mormon and thought it was time to meet with missionaries. We met with her and she already had a testimony of the Book of Mormon, Joseph smith being a prophet, and in Jesus Christ. Her baptism was so spiritual and her testimony brought everyone to tears. There were over 50 people there and we shared the restoration with all of them. She is incredible and has so much faith (her parents wouldn't dare to come:( so sad) and the Lord has great things in store for her in the future!! I love Jean:)

3. So for the Logan, Utah mission they are making The District videos directly designed for our mission...Of course they call us and want us to be interviewed for it and videoed. One thing about me is that I hate speaking in public and I hate being on video. And this week I did both. So we were interviewed and we had to re-enact what a weekly planning session would look like and how we work with the senior couples in the area. We went to the Senior couple, the Sampson's house to do the video. I was so nervous for the interview because they are going to use these videos for the Logan mission for many years to come which is a bit daunting if you think about it, haha. But all went well and they even asked me "have you done this before?" Haha I was like "nope, but I'm glad it looks like I have!" We had a good time doing it! I love our senior couples and especially the Sampson's. They are like my mom and dad away from home.

4. We went on exchanges again this week. I went CHINESE for a day! It was so fun. Sister Zheng taught me more Chinese phrases and I could ask people for there name, how long they lived in Logan, and what they are studying at USU! It was a fun day because we just chased Asians down all day, haha.

5. We celebrated Sister Brunt's 6 MONTH!! Whoo! I made her breakfast and made a sign for her. I made her some brownies and gave her a present of her favorite snacks and lollies! I love my companion so much and she truly has become my best friend here! I've already told her I'm going to New Zealand for her wedding and she tole me she’ll come back to America for mine, haha. We are going to be friends for life. We are both so sad that we won't be companions anymore, but we know that this is a part of missions and this is what the Lord wants. I’m sorry this email is soooooo long! It was just a really exciting week! We ended our transfer with a bang with two baptism and two confirmations!! I am so grateful to be a missionary and so thankful for my wonderful companion who I will miss! I love you all and please keep me in your prayers because I really did not think I was going to train right after I finished being trained! I will need all the help I can get! Love you all:)

Sister Lowe