Happy Holidays!

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great Christmas! It was so great to talk to all of you on Christmas. I'm sad I wasn't there but I'm sure you all thought of me while you were eating my turtles!!!! Thanks for those by the way mom....my comp thinks I'm crazy because I was so excited and I ate two in a row. The Quinns- the family we live with- gave us each a box of chocolates and my comp thought I was again crazy as I took a bite of each one so I could find the caramel one. Can you believe that there was not one caramel one? So I just ate another turtle. I think I like caramel. Thanks all of you for the great packages. It really did make it easier to handle being away. I can't believe the difference it makes when I get something in the mail. It really does keep me going another day because believe me...it's not always easy. Because my companion had kidney stones, the days after Christmas were not as structured as usual and it got us off schedule a bit. [Lori and her companion spent most of Christmas Eve in the emergency room because of the kidney stones] We have finally gotten into the swing of things again. Our Native American investigator came to church which was a huge miracle. He was sent by his tribe to find a church and told he couldn't be baptized. He is perhaps the most in-tune man I have ever met. He looks into your eyes to see if you are telling the truth and there is so much power there when we teach him. The other day we had a really spiritual lesson with him. Sadly he is moving in the middle of January. Yesterday when planning I got the impression that we need to ask him to be baptized tomorrow. It was such a strong feeling. He is up against huge odds. His tribe, family, and entire lifestyle could be in jeopardy. I know he knows the church is true. He will accept. He has to. One thing about missionary work is that we as missionaries have to have faith strong enough to support our investigators. If we believe it can happen, it will. Ryan is also progressing well. He is a very interesting man. I'll try and send a picture soon so you can know who I'm talking about. The story of how he came to be an investigator is pretty neat. At a zone conference the mission president gave all a challenge (before I got here) to take a Book of Mormon and go in 2 hours and find a new investigator. The two sisters went to Ryan's neighbors house to check on an old prospect. They turned to leave and felt an impression to knock on Ryan's door instead because the other man wasn't home. Ryan answered- a huge man with a giant scar across his head. The sisters were a bit taken aback but continued talking and told him about the Book of Mormon. Ryan told them that it was a miracle because he was studying religion and there was only one book out of 20-30 that he didn't have and was looking for- the Book of Mormon. He let them in and they continued teaching him. He dropped the missionaries twice and when I came back he'd called and asked us to come again. One week later he decided to be baptized. He still is learning and growing but there is no doubt he is where he needs to be. Oh, it's so cool!!!! Believe me these things don't happen everyday. Tracting and contacting yield little but it is all worth it when something like this happens. If Ryan and John are the only people I teach on my mission it will be more than worth it. Thanks for all of your love and support. It is what keeps me going on. I hope you all have a great holiday break and that New Years is tons of fun. I love you all lots and lots!
Love,
Sister London

1st Week in the Field

It is weird not to have snow. We went caroling last night and it was so odd not to be freezing while doing it- I didn't even need a jacket. Well, I'm here in California. I am serving in the Skripps Ranch 1st ward area which is in San Diego(it is the very beginning of the mission from the southern end) My companion is Sister Fesolai from New Zealand/Samoa. She is pretty fun and according to everyone I talk to, the best sister missionary in the area. We have a military base(Miramar) in our area and also many rich neighborhoods and other average income housing. The ward members are amazing. I can't believe how much they do. If we need a ride for one of our investigators we just call and they are on the job. It is pretty amazing because I've never ever in my life seem members who are so dedicated to missionary work which is exactly how it should be. There should be no need for full-time missionaries because the members should be doing it. It is a huge blessing. I am very blessed because we have about 10 investigators right now- 3 with baptism dates and one family being sealed next week! I was thrown right into it! We live with the Quinns- ward members, who have a mother-in-law apartment where we stay. I'm told that I am being spoiled because never again will I have such a large room and shower. It has been really nice. They are a very nice family, I believe he is a doctor of some sort. The most exciting news of the day is that Ryan- a 40ish year old man is getting baptized on January 17th. This is so awesome because finding him was a miracle for the sisters before me and it continues to be. He comes from a family of Jehovah Witnesses and was worried about what they would think. He also has some addiction problems. He is such a smart man. He really studies the doctrine and asks amazing questions. He is so funny and you can't help but love him. We weren't expecting him to agree to baptism for awhile and the other night we got a call from the ward mission leader telling us that he set his own date!!!! Julie is also getting baptized in January but is struggling right now from some things that have happened recently. She is our greatest challenge right now because we spent so much time trying to help her. She has a son who is already a member. John is special. He is a Native American who was sent by his tribe to find a church. He has been searching for about a year and doesn't let anyone come into his home very often but he always lets us in and is so kind to us. He is a very humble man and I know he has a testimony. He can look into your eyes and you know he is looking at your soul. He has found the truth but knows his tribe will not be accepting of it so he is caught in the middle- keeping the traditions of his people and sacrificing most of that to be baptized and attend church. I know he will be baptized one day. He is so wise and humble and much like I would imagine the Savior to be like. We are also teaching Najiba and her son Ahmed from Afghanistan. They are so nice but not very willing to keep their commitments and read from the Book of Mormon which is the only way they will gain a testimony. I pray they will change their ways soon so that we don't have to drop them. The work is definitely here. I am absolutely exhausted but it is good. All I want for Christmas is a nap but no such luck. We don't really get much of a Christmas- we have weekly planning for 4 hours in the morning and then are expected to go out tracting. Hopefully we will find someone who is alone for Christmas and searching for something more in their lives. Pray that we will find such a person- what better gift than the gift of the gospel? I hope you all have a great Christmas! I love and miss you all! Remember how lucky you all are to have the gospel in your life- to know that God loves you and that Jesus Christ is his son. There are so many who don't know these things. We are very blessed.
Lots of love, Sister London

MTC is still awesome!

Hey everyone! The MTC is still awesome. I am learning more than I ever thought possible and making great friends. Elder Holland came for Thanksgiving which was incredible. I love holidays in the mission field. I miss traditions and all of you but there is a spirit here that isn't anywhere else. My companion and I continue to get along. We have some pretty fun times together and we tease each other a lot. She eats kelp bars and seaweed- how could I not tease her? There are 10 in my district- 4 sisters and 6 elders and we are becoming good friends. I have done a lot more teaching this week and am amazed by the spirit of the Lord and how you know what to say at the exact moment you don't know what to say. This is the Lord's work, there is no doubt. Nothing would ever come from missionary work if it weren't for the Lord's hand in it. Already I have seen people's eyes light up when they gain a new found testimony of something whether it be a fellow missionary or an investigator. I've been memorizing scriptures which I do by drawing pictures so I can see it in my head. It works so well but I tried to share it with another district and I don't know if they agreed. I think it was cool but they didn't share my enthusiasm. I'll work on them. It's been amazing to me how much the scriptures have opened up to me. Everything I read seems to pertain to my role as a missionary and I am so happy to be here now. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I love you all! Remember as this Christmas season comes closer John 3:16- God so love the world that He gave His only begotten son!!!!! How blessed we are!
Sister London