Humbling week 7-21-14

Hello all,

What a humbling week this has been. I feel as if all of my flaws and imperfections have been made very clear. I have never felt so much responsibility or motivation in my entire life. It feels as if a million things are weighing down on me, and yet I feel as if I am flying at times. God literally can and does expand our abilities and talents in order to fulfill His purposes.   I have been able to remember more information and names and appointments and topics and concerns and questions and commitments and on and on than ever before. It is like my mind has become sharper and more able to retain information. I know that it is a temporary thing but it is amazing to experience.

My little Greenie is super cute and awesome. She is actually almost 22 and from West Virginia. Her name is Sister Vincent and I love her. She graduated from BYU in Speech Pathology (I don’t believe in coincidences) and has a brother serving in Ogden Utah. She is super sweet and learning fast. I feel super lucky to train because it is forcing me to be my very best. I am not slacking at anything. But it is also very hard sometimes because you really do have to kinda run the show. I have to facilitate the lessons in such a way that she feels important and useful and the investigators feels important and listened to and the member feels worthwhile. STRESSFUL. I am trying so hard to let go of my ideas and use hers. I am trying so hard to trust that everything will work out ok. I am actually getting decently good at it… but not perfect so I must push ahead. I wanted her to have responsibility and worth from the get-go so I assigned her a lot to do and set her free. She is the one that has to invite people to be baptized and she has to lead in certain situations. I have been so touched to see her fear but also her determination to be her best. We actually had miracles all week as we set two new baptismal dates and had awesome lessons. God is so aware of our efforts and always makes them enough if we give Him everything we have.

Being an STL is also a lot to deal with. I have to pretty much be on top of everything and be able to help everyone. It is like all of the sudden I am supposed to have all of the answers to everything. I want to have all of the answers but I just don’t! Instead I have been praying a ton and trying to find anything I can to help. I have been making notes and handouts and papers for my Sisters. I have been studying for them and their needs. It is making me such a better person/missionary. I have lots of exchanges this week so pray for me to be able to do all I need to do.

Our mission is pretty far behind in baptisms for the quarter right now. And my Zone is the farthest behind of them all. That is putting a ton of pressure on the zone but mostly the leadership, so me and the Zone Leaders. We have to figure out how to flip this around and baptize. They called me last night and said that if the zone was going to be able to make it to the goal it was pretty much up to my area. The weight of the Del Mar zone is literally resting on our shoulders….me and my brand new sister. Oh my. I was feeling quite overwhelmed with everything. Training, STL and area. It is so much to think about. I finally started to realize the power of the Atonement to lift burdens as I took all these very real concerns and needs to the Savior. I thought of all He was called upon to do and how He still had agency to choose to do it. He didn’t have to actually complete His calling in life. He could have called it quits at any time. That knowledge empowers me for some reason. It makes Him so much more real to me. I have a choice before me- I can call it quits because the thing I have been called upon to do just seems too heavy and too big, or I can use my agency and give it my best effort and complete all that I have been sent here to do. All God asks of us is our hearts and our free will to follow Him. I choose to do that. I choose to do that every day even when it seems impossibly hard. I choose to train a new missionary in the way my Savior would. I choose to help my Sisters and guide them in the way my Savior would. I choose to pour my heart and soul into my area just like my Savior would. And I know without a doubt that He will make me enough. I have already seen it happen. Miracles have happened every day this week. Revelation has come every day to me as I have sought for it. Comfort and strength and energy that is not my own has been poured into my body. I really love Sister Vincent; she is one of those lifelong friends I was promised at the beginning of all of this. I really really really love Del Mar. I get to spend 50% of my mission here-what a blessing that is. I really love the sacrament. You should all study it for next week.

I got to study about repentance this week. I was giving a training on how we can help people repent. I studied the Savior’s life and how He helped people repent. So many beautiful accounts are found in the New Testament as Christ so elegantly shows us the better way. That is what repentance is- choosing to take a higher better way from now on out. Christ helped people see what they did was wrong simply by showing them a better way of life and exhorting them to follow it and then taking their hand and going with them. So beautiful. Let us all try and live a better way so that we can take others with us.

Ricki is an investigator that we set a baptismal date with. His dad is a super less active in prison. One day he found a Book of Mormon and began to love the church again. He now teaches gospel principles in prison. Ricki wants to be sealed to him one day.  We taught him the restoration and committed him to baptism on the first lesson. Just like we are supposed too! YAY! Hopefully we can keep teaching him and showing him that better way.

We also set a date with Obed. I will tell you more next week about that one J

LOVE YOU ALL!

Sis Huber

Sister Training Leader 7-14-14

Hello!!!

Well my goodness….where to begin…..

On Wednesday I got to go to the San Diego Temple. I love that place so much. I can’t really even describe the feelings and thoughts I have when I am at the temple. It is such a renewing experience for me to go. It was sunny and beautiful and just a perfect day.

Oh Thursday morning I got a phone call from my mission president. He asked me if I would be willing to train a new sister coming into the mission tomorrow. After I had accepted that assignment he asked me if I would also accept the call to be a Sister Training Leader (STL). STL’s are the sister leadership in the mission. They are equal with the Zone leaders and oversee the entire zone. I will be in charge of going on exchanges with all my sisters and I will be teaching and training at all the zone trainings and zone conferences. I will also sit on the mission leadership council that happens every month with the mission president. Ya…..I was a little overwhelmed to say the least. When someone takes over a stake area like I am they usually get two transfers with the old companion because it is so much information and area to learn quickly. Not only am I losing my companion but I am also getting a brand new sister and going to be very busy with other sister’s needs. I went up to Vista to the mission office to receive training on how to do everything and every other sister getting called as an STL had been out at least a year.  And none of them were also training. I just sat there taking it all in and trying to decide what I could bring to the table. I thought of my area, which was in shambles a few months ago and needs a lot of attention, I thought of how much time and attention a new missionary needs, and I thought of all the emotional support I will need to give to the sisters serving in Del Mar. Then I thought of all the time and days I will need to spend on exchanges. I will not be able to be with my companion a few days out of the week and she will not be able to be in the area. It is a lot to think about so I went to my zone leader and asked for a blessing. It was such a humbling perfect moment for me. He spoke to every concern and desire I had. He spoke of how this would be a stretch for me but that I was more than ready. He blessed me to be able to gain trust with my sisters quickly and immediately.   He said I would be able to quickly discern my companion’s needs and act to fulfill them. And he said that not one person in my area would fall through the cracks. He said God was aware of what I was being asked to do so every person He placed in my path would be there for a reason. He said that people were being prepared and would be put places that I would find them this transfer. I felt such peace. I am thrilled for this opportunity to grow. I am grateful that I choose to make myself ready for whatever God needs me to do. We all have the power to be great. In fact, greatness literally runs through our veins. We are children of a Heavenly Father. We are divine beings who have unlimited potential. As long as we believe that we will always be reaching higher and farther than before. We will always look up because we know that we belong with Him. We can empower ourselves to allow the greatness shine through. We can accept our Savior Jesus Christ into our life so that we can be made whole. We can embrace the second chances that God wants to give us. I have never spoken with my Heavenly Father in such a deep way as I have this week. I truly have laid my fears, my despair, and my burdens at His feet. I have knelt at my bedside for 30 minutes at a time as I have talked it all out. He listens to every word. He answers every prayer. I have taken to going to bed with a pencil and notepad because of all the thoughts and ideas that flow into my mind after I pray. I will jump up and write them down for the morning. I feel the responsibility and weight of my assignments but I also feel the strengthen power of Christ’s atonement that allows me to bear the weight. What a good week it has been.

We had a musical fireside for the whole stake this week. I played the piano for Savior Redeemer of my Soul.  It was awesome! We did the Restoration through music. Each point of the lesson was a song and had a quick testimony in-between. It was so powerful! It was completely missionary run and it turned out very well. These are some talented people I am serving with. I saw Michelle and Margot at the fireside. I about cried when I saw them, you forget how emotional attached to these people you are. To see them at church with smiles and the spirit in their eyes was just so joyous for me. Robert also came and Amy!

I am so glad the world cup is over. Seriously. I met someone that served in your mission Seth! They loved it. Kate and Mom- Happy Birthday!!! Love ya all. I guess I have officially served 1/3 of my missionL I don’t want to think about that. I am going to be a train wreck when I come home. Sister Grover goes home in 5 weeks……I will be sad to lose her in the mission.

I don’t know what to say! I have so much going on now so I probably will just shorten all my emails. I have to study numbers and things with the mission during computer time. I am feeling better mom! So no worries there. Enjoy this summer! It is a good one.

LOVE YOU

Sis Huber

HAPPY LATE 4th!‏ 7-7-14

Hello,

Ah man, I have like no time this week……quickie coming your way.

First off, I am so grateful to be serving a mission in this country. I felt very thankful about that this week. It is a huge honor and blessing in my life. I know God is protecting this land and the rights found here.

Did you know that Ether would have been the king?!! That is big news. He would have been king if the people didn’t war and overthrow and all that jazz so often. Just some insight I received while continuing to diagram Ether with Felix this week.  I am turning into a Book of Mormon genealogy whizJ

Amy is still adorable and great. We taught commandments and had great discussion on why certain commandments are so important. It is so easy to understand them once you understand that God only gives us direction to help us move forward. All he wants to do is bless us. He really does love us so much!

Robert has been taught every single lesson now. So now we take him to lessons with us. He helps us teach our other investigators or less actives. Kind of a brilliant idea huh?! He really knows his stuff and always offers great insight. He loves church and says he feel like every time he steps on the church grounds he enters a bubble where the world doesn’t exists. He doesn’t want it to stop ever. I have come to peace with the knowledge that one day he will be ready to get baptized. Maybe there is someone else that he needs to meet before it can happen. Regardless, I know for a fact I needed to play a part in his conversion and I am happy I have been able to do soJ

We are teaching Lucas, the one from China, and he is awesome! Really! He is so sincere and calm. He really seeks to understand. I love teaching him because it is very intelligent talk. I helped him create a formula to gain his desired result last visit. I just felt like nothing else would work and then the spirit helped me to be able to take secular knowledge and fit it into the gospel. All truth is from God! We talked about desires and how we can come to know if there is a God. I love that even though it is very hard for him he prayed three times last week! He said each time he could get farther in his prayer.

Isabella got baptized! I taught her in Encinitas. She is 8 but her parents aren’t active/members and divorced. It was so good to see her smiling face.

Happy late 4^th!!!! It was a great day! I got to see about 3 minutes of fireworks as I walked in that night. I walked really really slow. So transfers are next week….jeesh that was fast. I also hit my 6 month mark. What is happening!  

Guess what!!!! I ate that nasty raw fish stuff called sushi!!! I can’t even believe I did that. I was kinda forced into it. It was tuna or something like that. I put the entire thing in my mouth and swallowed. It was a successful week. Now I can relate to my investigators having to do scary hard thingsJ

Everyone is so scared of forever. That is a huge problem. I never even thought about it before but now I think about it a lot. Any insights? So many people are so scared of being married forever that they can’t move forward. It terrifies them. I guess what is the biggest blessing to some people is the scariest part of the church to others. How do you deal with forever?

We had some nice conversations about how we are the devil this week. Always good times. Summer is in the air here and so is a lot more drinking and drugs. I love Moroni 7 because it tells us so clearly how we can tell good from evil. All men are given the ability to do so and it is up to us to lay hold upon those good things. God had granted me a very clear understanding of certain things while here on my mission. I am grateful for that and for the chance to try and bring people to the same clarity. I love you all!

Sister Huber

Ether!! 6-30-14

Hola!

It is July! How on earth did that happen? It seems crazy to me.

I am just going to try and get lots of stories and people down today. Bear with me.

C is a recent convert of about two years. He was found and taught by elders. The first lesson he was taught they talked about aliens and how the plan of salvation proves their existence. Yes, that is what they taught him. Needless to say, the ward now has sisters and we have very special lessons with C.  He is very deep thinker and brilliant. He tells us what he wants to learn about. This week it is the book of Luke. Last week it was Zion. He is awesome though and it is always an enjoyable time.

We had a miracle story. We were heading to dinner and had an extra 30 mins or so. We decided to go walking and talk to people along the way. One of my old investigators was us and called out to us. We walked up a path to get to her and talked for a few moments. As we were walking back down I saw a man sitting on a park bench. He had not been there just a few minutes before when we first walked by. I walked over to him and started talking. He told me how he had just got out of the hospital after being beaten up protecting a teenage girl. We talked about God and shared the Book of Mormon with him. He started crying as he read the passage we shared. He felt the spirit so strongly just from reading one verse. He kept saying how we were angles and it was a miracle we found him. We left him with the Book of Mormon and set up a time for the elders to go teach him. It was amazing to see how we were right where we needed to be. It was also touching to see how the spirit affected him so strongly just from holding/reading a portion of the Book of Mormon.

Robert is doing well. He is getting pressure from a lot of people and doesn’t like that. It is kind of a hard situation because he was so close to being baptized and then a conversation he had with someone deterred and frightened him. We are working on helping him get back on track. He is praying about a date again. He got really sick this week when he was supposed to go to his family reunion. He was really worried about this because there was lots of drinking going on there.   Because he was sick he didn’t drink at all, I don’t think he would have either way but this helped him out. He got a priesthood blessing from some people in the ward and that was really cool to see. He really enjoyed the singles ward this week and hopefully will start progressing towards being confident in his decision to join the church.

I went on exchanges and went biking!!!! Yes mom, I biked in a skirt on my mission. I always said I would hate doing that. It wasn’t even that bad just hard to balance all my stuff and bike up the hills. I enjoyed it though.

We picked up the most amazing investigator! He is from China! He was raised atheist in China and moved here a few years ago. He started reading the bible and wants to know if there is a God. He is so respectful and kind. We taught him about God and invited him to pray to find out if He was real. He was happy to do so. I can’t wait to keep teaching him. I believe that the way we will get to China is through people like this. Seth-on your mission I am sure you will run into a lot of Chinese people who want to learn. It is amazing!

I had the funniest lesson of my entire life this week. I can’t even describe how hard I was laughing about this situation. His name is Felix and I actually found him back when I was serving in Encinitas. We taught him the first lesson on the restoration of the gospel and then passed him off to the YSA sisters. Well fancy that, I got transferred to the YSA ward so now I teach him again. We show up and he tells us he has been studying Ether…..apparently he googled short synopsis of each book in the Book of Mormon and decided that Ether looked good to him because it talked about boats. He is a painter and wants to have a greater understanding and appreciation of baroque art. He decided that because many of the painters used the bible to help with their painting, a study of the Book of Mormon would help him gain this. Can you see how this is already super funny? He grew up in Argentina and is not like anyone else you would ever meet. He also thinks we live in a convent and are nuns. So funny. He will text us and say-  to the Mormon sisters, can two of you please be available to meet with me this coming Thursday to discuss the book of Ether. And I would also like more information on the book of Noah which I can’t seem to find in the book.   Hahahahaha. We just about die every time. So we go and meet him and he starts asking about kings and who killed who and what not. The book of Ether is genealogy and overthrowing’s… not really something we would EVER assign to be read. I don’t even know what the heck is happening in that book. Well we got talking and next thing I know we have paper out and are diagraming and creating a family chart for the book of Ether. We chronologically wrote out what king was in power and who killed who. We then would circle the names of the righteous verse the unrighteous. I was trying not to laugh the entire time! He was so serious about it.  I think that Felix has a deeper and more complex knowledge of the book of Ether then any Mormon I know. It was a testimony to me though because at the end he said, “This has already helped me so much. Knowing that kings can be righteous and unrighteous helps me see the emotion and point of view in the art. It is so much more real and alive to me since I have studied the Book of Mormon” People, the spirit is in the Book of Mormon. It literally is in every page and verse……don’t ever doubt that! You can gain something from all of it. I have seen it happen this week.  Since we are missionaries though, we had to tell him that we must start learning the lessons for our meetings to continue. So the plan of salvation next week! That will be a hoot. Stay tuned folks. Also please enjoy the pictures that I took of our charts and findings on the book of Ether.

Ok I saved the best for last!!!! AMY!!!!! We got a call that someone in the stake had a girl that was ready to meet with us and be baptized. Their son has been friends with her for a long time and just got home from his mission. We went over Monday night and started teaching her. We have now taught her the first three lessons and she is getting baptized on July 12^th. It is truly a miracle. Members have so much influence and power in conversion. She is also very prepared and has been living the church standards her whole life. She is very earnest in her searching and gets so much out of her reading. That really makes me want to be better. I am grateful to be serving YSA because the people are now going to be my friends forever. I will always be Amy’s friend. The first time I saw her she looked so familiar to me. I just knew that I knew her from before. The member that we took said it was because I was her missionary. I like to think that is true. I know that I needed to meet and know Amy. I also know that I already knew her, or at least my spirit did.

Well I best be going. Happy 4^th people. Go light something on fire in my name.

Sister Huber