~Thanksgiving~

Hello everyone!!! I am so happy today!! Christmas season has started here on Temple Square and it is beautiful!! I will be sending pictures soon. We haven't had a chance to take pictures with the lights yet because there are so many people on the Square every night. The Friday after Thanksgiving was the first day the lights came on and I think around 20,000 people were here! We met a couple who flew from L.A. just to see the lights! How amazing is that?! Well, as always there are some amazing miracles that have been happening here on the Square.

The one that I want to share this week is about a wonderful family from Mexico. The son, his wife, their little girl and the son's mom all live in UT. The great grandma- Juana- comes straight from Mexico. She was here to visit. So they all came to Temple Square to show Juana. We found them up by the Christus. So, we played the narration for them and then took them to see God's Plan for His Families. They loved it and by the end Juana was crying. She said that she knows that we can be with our families forever and that is why we have temples (she has never heard this before or known about the church before). The spirit was so strong.

She then said she would meet with missionaries. She then asked if she could go in the temple and we told her that everyone is invited to prepare to enter but that we have a model of temple that she can see. So, we started walking over to the other visitor's center. While we were walking we found out that the son was meeting with missionaries now and that his wife is already a member she is just not active. But they said that they are wanting to go to the temple so that is so exciting. Then we walked into the visitor center and there is this big painting on the wall that depicts the Plan of Salvation and Juana looked at for a long time and then bore her testimony telling us that she believed it. She even told us that she prays and that her prayers are answered by the spirit through her mind and heart (she has never heard of the Book of Mormon before).

Then we were finally walking to the temple model and there is a big picture of President Monson on the wall and she walks right over and touches it. My companion asked her if she knew who that was and she of course did not. We told her that was the Prophet. She then bore her testimony again saying that she knows he is the prophet. At that moment her daughter-the grandma- started to cry. We then walked over to the temple model and said our goodbyes and as we did my companion told the grandma that the invitation was extended to her to go to church and to learn more and she just started to cry and cry and then gave us her number so that we could call and send missionaries over to her. It was an amazing experience.

I love them so much and cannot wait to teach them tonight. They will all be baptized and the wife will go back to church I just know it. If they do get baptized there is a possibility since they live in UT that we can go (if it isn't too far from SLC). I know that this church is true. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a true and living prophet. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that because of Him I will have the opportunity to make it back to live with Him and my Father in Heaven one day. I know that we can all know of these things for ourselves as we pray and listen for the Holy Spirit to touch our hearts. Thank you so much for your support and I can't wait to hear from you all.

Love- Sister Armstrong

~November 21, 2011~

Well, this week has been incredible! So, many amazing miracles!! I feel so blessed to be here serving at Temple Square! It is definitely the best mission in the world!! :) So this weeks miracle story is quite incredible. So, we were walking around on Thursday and we could not find anyone to talk to that wasn't already talking to sisters. So, I was praying that we would find someone and Sister Astorga was as well. Then she tells me I think that are some people over by the Priesthood Statues (which are representing the restoration of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph Smith). So, we walk over there and in front of the Melchizedek Statue we found a couple. They are from California and are traveling across the world to make it somewhere for the Holidays.

 

So anyway we were asking them if they had heard of this before and they were telling us that they had never been here and that the funny thing was is that their last name is Melchizedek! How crazy is that? Then they proceed to tell us that they have never met any Mormon's until they met us! So, we chatted with them and invited them right away to meet with missionaries and they accepted! Then we spent the next 45 min talking and taking them around. They tell us that the reason they had to come here was because some time ago the husband had opened his laptop and instantly, before he did anything, a picture of the Salt Lake Temple popped up on his screen! So, he had come here to find it and then he said he felt like my companion and I had been sent to them to help them understand.

 

We taught them a lot of things but there is so much to learn that we told them we can't teach it all in one day. They ended up going to the Joseph Smith movie and then to lunch. I'm sure they stayed and looked around some more because they even moved their car so that they could stay longer. They said that they didn't want to rush this experience. I love this story because it shows that the Lord prepares His children. He knows them and what they need and will always provide. This couple was so prepared that they couldn't even contain themselves! O and one more thing they both grew up Catholic and went to private Catholic schools! I was able to relate and tell them why this gospel means so much to me! It was the greatest moment thus far! But, don't get me wrong I have loved everyday and have had amazing experiences with so many people!!

 

This gospel is true and this work is of the Lord. We have been called by a Prophet of God to represent Jesus Christ and share the greatest message that anyone could ever hear! Please share with as many as you can about this gospel because they need to know. They need to know that their Heavenly Father loves them and because of that He has a plan for them he has a plan for you. Thank you for all you do and keep up the missionary work! The members are the best missionaries because you already know people!!! !:) Love you all and would love to hear from you!! Take care and know that God loves you!

 

Love,

Sister Armstrong

~Made it to Temple Square!~

Hello Everyone!!!!!

I have made it to Temple Square!!!!!!! What an amazing place!!! I have been apart of so many miracles here and they keep coming!!! Yesterday (Sunday) we had miracle after miracle!!! My companion and I called it Miracle Sunday!!! :) My companion is Sister Astorga from Guatemala!! She is my trainer of course and I love her!!!! She is a very hard worker and I love that!!!

So, I wanted to share some miracles with you all! So, my first real miracle on the square happened on day two. So on Wed (my first day here we were doing our dailing planning for Thur) Sister Astorga asked me where we should go and I was not sure so I asked her where we could go...when she said the Tabernacle I was very impressed that we should go there. So the next day we walk into the Tab. and there are two Germans standing there. We started talking and ended up taking them all around and teaching them about the gospel!! Well, come to find out two other sisters had tried talking with them but they wouldn't talk with them. I know that we were supposed to find them and share the gospel with them!! So neat! Ok one more and then I will have to go because we are going to Walmart to go shopping :)

So, yesterday- on our Miracle Sunday- We were walking through the North Visitor's Center and they needed a spanish sister to take four spanish people from Mexico on a tour. Well, just because we were their we got to take them!! (my companion speaks spanish :) I of course had no idea what they were saying :) ) So the information we got was that they had left the Catholic church and someone told them that this was the true Church and so that is why they were there! How crazy is that?! My jaw dropped! I couldn't believe it!! So they didn't even want a tour they just wanted one question answered. My companion told them that Jesus Christ visited the America's after His resurection. After sharing that and some things about the Book of Mormon the Spirit was so strong- event though I didn't know what was being said I could feel it- so Sister Astorga invited them to meet with missionaries and they accepted!!!! It was a very special experience!

So those are just some of the amazing things that I have been apart of since being here on the Square!! I want you all to know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he did restore the fulness of the gospel. I could not be happier then to be here now sharing this special message with people from all over the world!!!! I love you all and will hopefully hear from you soon :)

~November 1, 2011~

Ok, so this week has been so busy but so absolutely amazing!!! My companion and I had some great teaching experiences! Something that I have been dying to tell you all is that this last Sunday we had Sister Elaine Dalton General Young Women's President here in Relief Society to speak to us!!!! So one of the sisters in my district was asked to share her conversion story in RS. SO, she had to sit on the stand with Sister Dalton. Since her companion sprained her ankle in gym earlier this week I got to go up and sit with her and so we both got to meet her!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is the sweetest lady ever!!! When we told her that we are going to Temple Square she said, "You know that is a compliment from heaven right?" How great is that?! Anyway that was a way cool experience!!

This was our last week as a district! Our elders left for Zimbabwe yesterday and it was so sad! I think about now they are in London and they will be in Africa tomorrow! They are going to be amazing missionaries!! I have tons of pictures but I will email them when I get to the field because I can't upload them on MTC computers. So yesterday since out elders were gone it was just the four of us sisters  in class and it was so weird. But, we had some really cool experiences!! We had the best discussion about inviting others to be baptized when we first meet them or during the first discussion.

I finally realized the true meaning of missionary work! I felt like I was on spiritual fire! I could not contain myself! I wanted to share my message with everyone at that moment! And still do!! I just really understood that baptism is the way that God's children are going to make it back to live with their Heavenly Father and if I don't invite them then I don't get to have my brother's and sister's with me in the Celestial Kingdom! Our Savior Jesus Christ taught the people in Alma that we are to preach repentance and baptism so why would I, as a representative of Him, not do the same thing?! I cannot wait until I cant get to Temple Square and share the message that the Lord has for His children! He is the one asking them to be baptized but he has asked us, His missionaries, to invite them. If we don't invite them then how will they ever have the chance to accept? Well I love you all and have to go my computer time is almost up and there are Elders waiting to use it :) But I hope you are all doing well and can't wait to hear from you all!!! dearelder.com is a great way to write me :) Love you and will talk to you soon :)