God Loves You

So this weekend has been an adventure. Our car has been in for repair (don't worry, it's nothing we did) so we've been relying a lot on members for rides and we've done some walking. We've been heavily relying on one member in particular, and she's actually sitting in this room with us because she gave us a ride to the church to do emails, and in a little bit she'll take us to go get groceries -- Sister Cameron is an angel. She has a daughter on a mission, so she's pretty sympathetic. Her daughter Katie comes home in 84 days :)

I've learned a lot this week about the Atonement. I think that one of the advantages of being a missionary and one of the reasons we're transferred during our missions is because we arrive in a ward without a first-hand knowledge of anyone's history. We have no reason to think, "Well, I know the Atonement means repentance is available to everyone, but that person won't ever really change." I don't mean to say that I, as a missionary, am any less judgmental than any other imperfect person on this earth. I'm very sure I'm not. But it's such a blessing that in a new ward, we don't have the same tools to be judgmental as we would in a ward we'd been in for years. It makes me want to determine now to always remember the consistency of the Atonement. I have seen people change. I know it happens. I watched it happen this week. The Spirit can change the desire of our hearts, it's an incredible miracle. And it ALWAYS comes back to how much Heavenly Father loves us.

I don't really know what else to say. I'm going to end it there. The Atonement is real and it's for everyone, and absolutely everything I know right now is built on the foundation of God's love for his children.

I love you all, have a great week,
Souvenez-vous qui vous etes,

Sister Lonas

P.S. Oh and my hair is growing back in after dying it and I'm trying to decide if I should redye it blonde to fix up the roots, dye it brown (like, a little darker than my real hair) or just let it look bad for a while as it grows back naturally. Suggestions and insights are welcome!

Misquoting Prophets

So last Monday was Family Day in Ontario (Oh, Canada), which we thought was adorable right up until we went to go buy groceries and realized that every store was closed for the holiday. It wasn't a holiday in Quebec and since that's where most of the mission is, no one told us. It's been a funny week of really clearing out the cupboards. But it's been great, we've done some good inventory and we're going to be able to actually buy food today! Yay normal Mondays!

And then Tuesday beat the all-time record of snowfall in one day in Ottawa. 51.5 centimeters. It was amazing. We weren't allowed to drive so we spent the day having phone lessons and shoveling for our neighbors. We made friends :)

This week I've been thinking about this quote and I don't know who says it (probably an apostle or prophet) but Mom says it a lot and I think she might have it posted above her desk back home
"Never let a job to do become more important than a person to be loved." I'm not even sure if that's the exact quote. It might be "task" instead of "job"? Not sure. En tout cas, same general meaning. I could probably look it up on lds.org right now but I've been enjoying not knowing the exact wording, it's made it easier to adapt the quote to whatever situation I'm in.
I've been trying to be more loving in the work this week. There are always jobs to be done and things to be checked off lists (I make a lot of lists) but I get caught up really easily in checking those things off as fast as possible and I want to go quick quick quick and that's often not the most charitable attitude. It was pointed out to me in an email today how fortunate I am to have this opportunity to devote my time and energy to telling people about how great God is. I love telling someone for the first time that they have a Father in heaven who knows and loves them. "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior." Seeing this foundational doctrine change people has been one of my greatest joys. Everything that we teach goes back to the love of God.

I'm really happy. Being a full-time missionary is good. I'm tired all the time. But it's so worth it.
I love you all,
Souvenez-vous qui vous etes,
--

Sister Lonas

p.s. We got a text saying there was a technical error with myldsmail.net last week and some missionary emails weren't sent out but that there isn't any way of knowing if an email really did go out or not. Sooo if you didn't get an email from me last week and you were expecting one, that was probably why.

It was in the negative thirties Celsius all weekend.

Okay, I'm apologizing now, this will be short.

But it was a great (freezing) week! I have a stronger testimony of the combined efforts of fasting and prayer. We fasted specifically for a young man in our ward who recently decided to quit the military and go on a mission, and is trying to figure out with the military how to make that work out in a way that he can still be busy until he leaves for his mission, and have enough financial support to serve. During our fast, we saw miracles, both related and unrelated to those things for which we were fasting.

We got a new investigator! We had a lesson with an investigator of ours who was recently passed off to us by the Elders because she wasn't progressing and they thought she might do better with Sisters (the way that lesson was set up was a miracle in itself but I don't have time to explain all that). Right at the beginning, she yelled for her daughter to come join us and it ended up being an AMAZING lesson where any question the mom had, she daughter would answer before we could and they both ended up saying they would read and pray and when they receive an answer from Heavenly Father that this is truly the church of Jesus Christ (which they will), they'll be baptized.

Also! We had a special assignment from the mission last week to pick up this sister from the airport, have her stay the night with us, take her to a meeting at the Embassy of Bulgaria the next day, and then take her back to the airport for her flight in the evening. We didn't really know what that was all

With Sister Johnston on the right and Sister Quinton in the back.

about until we picked her up, but it was super cool. Her name is Sister Quinton, she was called to serve in Bulgaria but has had some trouble figuring out visa information so they asked her to come for an interview at the Embassy of Bulgaria in Ottawa. Having her with us for the day was so fun! And going to the Embassy of Bulgaria was pretty sick. We totally got a return appointment to teach the Ambassador of Bulgaria (that's what I'm calling him in my head, I don't actually know if that's what he is, but he's the head honcho at the Embassy) but then we realized he isn't in our area. Sad day. But, we left him with the Testimony of Joseph Smith pamphlet and passed him off to the Riverside Sisters, so he's in good hands. Very nice man.

There's this family who have been waiting for five years for their paperwork to come in from Haiti so the parents could be legally married so they can be baptized and their paperwork FINALLY came in! I got here at a good time. They are getting married this Saturday and their baptismal date is March 4th.

So it was a great week! This email is actually turning out longer than I expected. Good for me.

There are many, MANY things I love about Sister Johnston. One of the biggest ones is that anytime we hesitate on what to do or we have a question on something, she is so quick to say "Well, let's ask Heavenly Father" and we kneel in prayer together. I still have a lot to learn from her. And she is still amazing.

I am getting settled in here and things are going well :) We have a great week planned out, I'm getting to know more people, this is a really awesome ward.

Souvenez-vous qui vous etes,

Sister Lonas

Ottawa, part one (and a few pics!)

I was alone on the greyhound bus to come to Ottawa, and I've never felt so much like I was in the Great White North. Two and a half hours of white wilderness whipped by the window. It was incredible.

So, serving in English is different. There are still French speakers in the ward and I feel like I cling to them, I'm so much more comfortable speaking French with members than English. I've gotten way good at speaking my mission language at all times with my companion (sorry, Sister Johnston :) ) because I'm so afraid that I'll lose my French if I don't. I rendered my testimony in Sacrament Meeting yesterday and discovered that apparently a fun new stress-response of mine is to slip into French. Oops.

But I've also felt very grateful realizing how much my French really did improve while I was in Terrebonne. A lot. Like...just...a lot.

The Chapel Hill ward is amazing! They're really nice to the missionaries, and not just because we're the orphaned young adults who need to be fed, but because they want to be involved in the work and they're excited about it. It's really cool. And this ward is HUGE. More than twice the size of Terrebonne. It's pretty overwhelming, but it's cool seeing how many people there are to work with. I am so excited to be here with these people.

Oh, and Ottawa is very, very Canadian. The accent is so real and people eat donuts all the time and every stereotype I've ever had plays out before my eyes daily.

Sister Johnston is amazing :) She has a very strong relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and you can feel it when you talk to her. I feel so blessed for the opportunity to serve with her, and I have a lot to learn from her.

I really miss Terrebonne. I got comfortable there. I knew everyone's schedule, I was settled in, I knew Sister Schmuhl better than almost anyone I've known ever, I knew and loved the ward, I knew who to call to teach with us, I knew what all the keys went to, I could rattle off our phone number in my sleep, I finally spoke the language. I don't know how many times I've said to myself in the last few days "There's no growth in the comfort zone, and there's no comfort in the growth zone." This is really hard for me, being in a new area. But I know it is what I need and it is what the people need.

It had been too long since I had to really rely on my Savior. I'm remembering how. I love Jesus Christ. I love the gospel. And I do already love Chapel Hill.


I love you all!
Souvenez-vous qui vous etes, and passez une bonne semaine :)
Sister Lonas

Saying goodbye in Terreboone

With her new companion, Sister Johnston!

"Au revoir" to "How ya doin', eh?"

It's a great day and it's going to be a great transfer (the next six weeks). If I sound under enthused, it's due to lack of sleep, not lack of enthusiasm. Be not deceived.

They're taking the sisters out of Terrebonne and we're passing off all of our people to the Elders. Sister Schmuhl and I came in together, and we're leaving together. #poetic. I'm really excited about being transferred. I know that transfers are ALWAYS inspired and that this will be a good change for this area. I'm just really tired and Sister Schmuhl and I are kind of frazzled. We had everything so under control, she was almost packed, and then we were VERY surprised to find out that I had to pack too, and we had to completely clean out the car and have pass off lessons with everyone we visit.

I'm going to Chapel Hill in Ottawa! I'll be speaking English. Fingers crossed I still know how. My new companion's name is Sister Johnston. I don't really know her but we talked just a bit at the temple open house and she seems pretty quiet and super nice. Good combination.

I have absolutely loved serving in Terrebonne and serving with Sister Schmuhl. I'll plan on making a compilation of some sorts of things I learned and talking about that next week but i'm a little unprepared for this email. I'm really tired.

I'm stressed about the next couple of days and really sad about the goodbyes, but I am also really excited about going to Ottawa! I'm due for a big change.

I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I feel like it's been in Terrebonne that I really came to know Him as my brother and friend. I am so excited to continue in this work and share His love with a whole new group of people.

I love you all! Sorry this is so short.
Souvenez-vous qui vous etes,
Sister Lonas

P.S. This morning we dyed Sister Schmuhl's hair and now we match :)

The Important Things

I'm feeling very unmotivated to write anything down, so we'll see how this goes.

I would expect to feel that way if our week had gone poorly and I wasn't wanting to report bad news. But this was an amazing week. The Lord wasn't even trying to hide his influence. And good weeks always leave me with the dilemma of how to express these experiences and feelings in a way that is both coherent and...enough. I don't want not to share things out of fear that I won't share them well enough, and yet I also do worry that I won't be capable of fully expressing the love I have for the people here and the changes I feel in myself.

We had texted Melinda during the day on Tuesday to ask when we could meet with her during the week. That night, we were heading out after dinner to go to ward council when we got a call saying it was cancelled because Bishop was sick. Our backup plan had been to go visiting teaching with a sister who had asked if we could go with her that night. We called her back to say we could go after all and she said they had ended up rescheduling for another day. So, Sister Schmuhl and I took a minute to try and figure out the best way to be effective that evening, when Melinda texted us to ask if we could come to her home right then.

 We did, and it was an incredible visit. She had (and still has) so many questions. She told us that she had never really had a testimony, and even when she was still going to church with her parents, it had always just been a matter of going through the motions. Over the last few months, she has felt herself becoming more open to the church and she says that even though she isn't planning on coming back to church right now, "On ne sait jamais, on verra." :). She wants us to teach her all the missionary lessons as if she were a new investigator. She started smoking when she was 11 and now she wants to quit with the church's Addiction Recovery Program.
We started with the first principle of the first lesson, God is our Heavenly Father and He loves us. This alone sparked many -- many -- questions for her and we are so grateful that she finally feels comfortable asking someone her questions about the gospel. She agreed to pray every day this week just to feel the Spirit and know Heavenly Father is there, and she wants us to come again this week. And when we asked if there was anything we could do for her, she asked if we could help her make baby food sometime :)

I really love Terrebonne. I am impressed more and more everyday with how much I love the members and the people we visit and the people we see and talk to when we are on our way to appointments. When I am concentrating on the needs of people around me, this city is prettier and the winter is easier to survive and I am more capable of being patient with the agency of others.

So, Annie. I stopped talking about her a really long time ago, I don't remember if I ever explained why. She was an investigator whom we taught, she received an answer to her prayers that the church is true and that she should be baptized, and then called it all off due to some conflict in her family. It was really hard and really sad, and we've missed her. Her friend who introduced her to the church is named Raven. The other day, Raven called us kind of randomly to ask if we could come to dinner and, of course, we said yes. When we pulled up to her house, we recognized Annie's car outside. Dinner ended up being with just Raven and Annie, we ate pizza and were able to smooth out the leftover awkwardness of the way things were left (When an investigator drops you, it's kind of like being broken up with. It's actually way worse, but that's the closest analogy with which we've been able to equate it.). Annie says she still isn't ready and doesn't want to stir things up with her mom again, but we are immensely grateful that the friendship is still there so that when things do change -- because they will -- she'll know where to turn, and that there are no hard feelings so we haven't given her any reason to back away, and even that we were just able to see her again. Especially, I'm grateful we got to see Annie again before Sister Schmuhl goes home.

We helped a less active move on Saturday and we're doing it again next Saturday (WHY these people are choosing to move in January, I will never understand. I just move boxes and don't ask questions.) and that has gone as smoothly as could be expected. Surrounding both of those moves, there has been some serious drama and some absolutely angelic members of the ward have made amazing progress trying to fix it.

I mentioned this a little bit before, but we have been trying ever since we got here to be a part of visiting teaching and no one would let us go with them or didn't understand why we would want to and we FINALLY were able to go visiting teaching and we have two more appointments to go this week.

I have two more miracles in my head that would take a whole lot of explaining and they don't actually have anything to do with us. But we're thrilled for the people involved.

We dyed my hair blonde last week. I have funny ways of expressing stress when I can't just take a nap or have some alone time or go to the beach or talk to my mom.

We'll get transfer calls on Saturday and then I'll know who my companion will be for the REST of my mission. Just kidding, chances are slim to none that we'll be together that long but considering my track record, I figure I could very well end my mission with two companions.

I'm not looking forward to Sister Schmuhl leaving. Second to last Pday, we're getting a tub of pistachio ice cream after we finish emails and, let's be honest, we're probably going to eat the whole thing.

It's been a really good week and we have some good things to look forward to this week, as well. Someday, have me tell y'all about the Saga of Empanadas. Spoiler alert, it ends with me finally getting the recipe and now I just have to perfect them before I get home so I can let my family partake in the wonder of the most delicious thing I ate on my mission.

I love you all, and I love Terrebonne! I'm trying to be better about sharing things in emails that actually matter, alongside the stuff that doesn't. I too often skip over the most important events of my week because I don't know how to summarize it and still have you know how much it means to me. This week, Melinda, Annie, visiting teaching, Féline, Z, and Erin meant a lot to me. Sorry I only expounded on half of those. I still have a long way to go.

I am grateful for the opportunities I have every single day to witness the Atonement changing people. It is only as I sit and write about it changing other people that I realize how much it is also changing me. I am grateful for the love of our Heavenly Father and that I am learning on some minuscule scale how to begin loving the way He does.

I hope you have all also had a great week,

Souvenez-vous qui vous etes,

Soeur Lonas

I am my mother's daughter

Funny thing, so I direct the music in Relief Society sometimes and the other day I wasn't expecting to, and then at the last second the other woman who does it sometimes stepped out and I was called up to the plate. It was some French cantique that doesn't exist in English. It went fine partly because it wasn't a complicated song and partly because no one watches anyway. But then afterward one of the sisters told me that I am apparently very expressive with my face, and I realized that during the whole song I had been making this "what a weird hymn" facial expression. I asked her if that was a good or bad thing and she said that when I'm directing the music, it's a good thing. Mostly this experience just made me feel very much like my mother.

Second funny thing, we had dinner with this Latino family the other day which is always fun because we communicate in French but it's no one's first language. After dinner when we shared a message and all that good stuff I asked "Who are your friends with whom we can help you share the gospel?" and the husband closed his eyes and said really dramatically "Yes...It's true." Only then did we realize exactly how wide this gulf of a language barrier was. Either that or he was avoiding giving us a referral. Both are viable options.

Investigator-wise, we're struggling a little bit. We'll have a really awesome lesson with someone where they tell us they want to be baptized and set a date and they feel the spirit and we're all on the same page, and then they won't answer our calls after that and their date has to be dropped and when we finally get a hold of them, they're totally willing to meet with us (most of the time) but they've forgotten the progress they made. It's really hard. I don't know how many times we've shared Alma 5:26. It's so sad watching people change and become happier and then forgetting and falling back into old habits. But, we're keeping on keeping on and we're still feeling very hopeful with the potential some of our investigators DO have, even if they don't always recognize it. And we're always looking to make new friends!

Despite difficulties in that area, really good things happened this week. I have a testimony that you can bring about miracles by making cookies for less active members. Thanks to this discovery, I have learned how to make pretty decent cookies out of just about anything. And there have been miracles. Sister P has a daughter named Melinda and the first time we ever talked to her it was to invite her to the temple open house and she basically just laughed at us and said no. Since then, we've been able to do some service projects for her and recently heard from Sister P that Melinda had said she wasn't ready to talk to us about it yet, but was thinking about retaking the lessons. So, like any good sister missionaries, we made her some cookies and left them on the porch with a note saying to text us if there was anything we could do for her. She texted us the next day (Friday) to say she has been really touched by our kindness the last few months and feels like we are the right sisters to be here for her right now. She asked if we could start meeting with her at her parents' house to teach her, and we have an appointment set up for this week. Miracle.

It's getting closer to the time when Sister Schmuhl will leave, which is pretty weird. We've been serving together for a long time. I love Sister Schmuhl so much. I'm really not looking forward to that goodbye. I've been working on exercising faith in not dreading transfer calls. Succeeding to a degree.

BUT it was a great week and this next week is looking like another good one :) I love you all very much and I hope you have a good week as well,
Souvenez-vous qui vous etes,

Sister Lonas