Week #5 - September 29th, 2014

Sister Ye & Sister Sughroue

Hi everyone!

This week was awesome! I can't believe I have been out for a month already. Time flies when you are a missionary! My Chinese is getting better, I can say short phrases and words. We give huge Chinese tours all the time and at the end they ask my companion of they can take a picture with me hahaha. So funny, and wierd. So I'm probably on China's facebook and instagram, lol.

Here on Temple Square you have to pass off giving tours before you can officially lead them in any language. You give your zone leaders a tour and they tell you if you passed or not. The first day I got here my companion gave me one week to learn all the history and do it, I was really nervous and thought I needed more practice. But last Wednesday I passed off and I was the first one to do it in the group of sisters I came out with! So glad she challenged me. Our zone leaders thought it was amazing because we gave history and we testified, the Spirit always needs to be present even during a tour. Tours give us the opportunity to teach 20 plus people all at once! So now we get to eat at the Lion House Resturaunt to celebrate! yayy! haha

We are making progress with our investigators. Three of them have baptismal dates coming up! Yayyy! We met this girl named Becky from England over Chat and we have been teaching her over the phone, she is really progressing. We invited her to be baptized and she said yes! She has a long way to go, but I know she knows that this is true. She grew up Catholic but has always wondered about the Mormons. hahah She is also an all-star cheerleader and her team just made it to worlds.... which is awesome!!!! hahaha We might get to go to our other investigators baptism because she lives by Salt Lake! I will give more info on our investigators next week!

On Saturday I had a little miracle. We went on exchanges and I was with sister Rangell from Brazil. She told me to plan out a person I wanted to meet during the day. I planned, " Old lady, wearing glasses, who will refer and will want to learn more" that night we were in the Assembly Hall and an old lady with glasses started talking to me. I gave her a Book of Mormon and taught her a about the restoration and she referred!!!! We will hopefully be keeping in touch over phone (: So many miracles on Temple Square everyday! 

I ran into Hayley the other day... completely random. We were walking inside the Visitors Center to get out of the rain and she was right at the gate. Hahaha.

Sister Sughroue & Hayley Gharring

General conference is coming up!!! We are all getting ready here... apparently it is super crazy. We only have a 15 min lunch and dinner break and we stay on the square a lot later and start our day earlier. I am so excited to hear from the Prophet and his Apostles. I am so grateful for a living Prophet who receives direct revelation from God to lead and guide us! 

Today we went to lunch at the Church Office Building with my companion's friends from her ward back in China who are here for General Conference. The food there is sooo good. The whole place was just packed with missionaries and important people hahah. I think I am going to eat there more often. Now we are gonna go shopping (:

I hope everyone has a good week! Enjoy conference in your pajamas and take notes! (:

Love,

Sister Sughroue

Week #4 - September 22, 2014

It's official I'm here on Temple Square, in the best/ craziest mission in the world! I love it!!!!

Sister Ye & Sister Sughroue

So on Tuesday at the MTC we just all packed up and said goodbye to all of our friends we made. We got lucky because our last Tuesday devotional was an apostle!!! Richard G. Scott came and it was amazing, I was only in the 12th row back, so I got VIP seats, haha. We all stood and sang "Called To Serve," which always gives me the chills especially when there are 1,000 plus missionaries singing. He spoke on prayer, his talk was simply powerful. One of my favorite talks I heard in the MTC. He told us to have a blast on our missions, if an apostle said it, then clearly I will do it. haha

Sister Sughroue & Sister Ye

Wednesday morning we got on a bus and got to the mission office at 6:30 AM. We met with President and Sister Poulsen personally and in groups! I love them! They are amazing, and really care about the sisters here. He knows us all personally, and the Senior couples are awesome because the Sisters give great hugs hahah! Then we got our companions! My Trainer is Sister Ye from China! She is a convert of 5 years (joined the church while going to college in Australia) and is super funny! She is a great teacher and I am learning so much from her! She

Sister Sughroue at the MTC map pointing to her mission

has taught me how to introduce myself and say different phrases in Chinese. We are always giving tours in Chinese, about three a day, which is kind of hard because I obviously have no clue what is going on. But she will translate for me and I always bear my testimony. Even though I don't speak Chinese I can feel the Spirit so strongly, and can tell that they understand by looking at their faces. I know we are companions for a reason and I will learn so much from her!

In our apartment there are 4 girls, the other sisters are so chill! They are both 5'10 so we tease my companion because she is 5'3 hahaha! We all get along really well and love to joke around. Sue and Jim Pulsipher live right above me!

So I know you all want to know my daily schedule.... hahah maybe not but here it is.

Vistior Center Class at MTC

We wake up at 6:30 AM We run in the parking garage for 30 min. We do personal and companion study for 2 hours and then are on the Square by 10:00 AM. We have "Square Time" which is where we proselyte and contact for about 7 hours a day and then we gave different assignments thrown into the middle of that as well. During Square Time we give tours, or do investigator lessons, where the local missionaries bring their investigators to Temple Square and we get to teach them while giving a tour,... these are my favorite!!!! We also have 3 hours of online teaching during the day.  We have 30 minutes to eat lunch and then 1 hr to eat dinner. We bring our food most of the time but we are allowed to go to City Creek to eat..... and yes I've already been to the food court a few times (: haha

MTC Buddies/Elders going to TONGA

 On P-day we work till 1:00 PM, then email, then go shopping then hangout and do what ever! We have Relief Society Thursday Mornings and then Sacrament in the JS building, which is GORGEOUS! 

Sister Sughroue & Sister Tiritilli

I'll be honest, I wasn't sure about how often I would get to actually teach while being at a visitor center, but we are teaching ALL THE TIME.  The Lord prepares these people for us when the come to Temple Square! We  give a Book Of Mormon to those who are interested and get referrals! Everyone we talk too we extend an invitation, and bear our testimonies. On tours I make sure that they feel the Spirit and learn more about the gospel and not just the history. I can't even tell you how many times a day I get to share this gospel, there is always someone to talk too. I have seen people from all over the world, and some very interesting people as well. haha. I have an Investigator!!! 

Named Kyle who got onto chat the other day, he is a college student and is super interested in the gospel and wants to continue learning more from us! We also had a baptism technically my companion only taught her but she got baptized after I came so she said it counts for the both of us, I don't think so, but she gets mad when I say that lol. We have lessons this week so I will let you know how they go! 

Sister Vasi & Sister Sughroue working Mormon Chat!

Serving on Temple Sqaure is like having 200 new best friends. I always see Sister Skaggs, Sister Tiritilli and my MTC buddies. It's great. I get to witness little miracles everyday, which motivates me to keep going. This week we taught a less active couple who came in, we showed them around and ended at the Christus. Where they felt the Spirit so strongly and shared their testimony of the atonement and how they love the Savior. They now have the goal to get sealed in the Temple!!!! So many amazing stories I wish I could share them all. 

It's amazing that as a missionary I have learned to look at those I come into contact with as Christ does, I see that they need this gospel, and that they have the Light of Christ within them. I meet new people everyday, and even if I talk to them for only 5 min, I love them.  I hope all is well at home! 

LOVE YOU ALL,

Sister Sughroue XOXO

P.S. Ran into Brother Woll (Natalies husband), Sue Pulsipher (so sweeet! love that she is here and I get to hug her!) and I saw Aunt Norma too!

SOME RANDOM PICTURES FROM MTC OF SOEUR CARPENTER AND I

Our MTC Name Tags!

Saying Good-bye for 18 months!

Week #3- September 12, 2014

Sister Sughroue

So this past week was crazy!!! I don't even know where to start.... I MET PRESIDENT UCHTDORF. On Tuesday my companion and I spent all morning in the  main office of the MTC, we were talking to one of the District Presidents and he told us to look behind us.... and there he was. We casually walked by and he shook our hands, asked where we were

going and where we were from. Ahhhhhhh!!!! So awesome! He looks way different in person but his accent is just as good. hahah. I know we are going to become great friends because I'm sure ill see him all the time on Temple Square. hahah We were convinced that he would be giving the Tuesday night devotional so we got to devo 30 min early to get good seats and it wasn't even him :( We found out later that he only stopped by for 10 min, to do some quick business before going to BYU for something.... so basically we were in the right place at the right time. I also haven't washed my hand since he shook it..... jk. Hoping that this Sunday or Tuesday we get to hear from an apostle!

Sister Vasi, Sister Sughroue, Sister Leavitt, & Sister Rajah

Wednesday we started Visitor Center Training. We are part of a district of 19 girls, 15 are going to Temple Square. There are girls from all over the country, blonde 19 year old white girls is a minority at Temple Square. In the Morning we all took a bus over to Temple Square and went for a tour! As soon as I walked through the gates I felt the spirit so strong. It was my first time there as a missionary, it's crazy but as we walked around I got the strongest comfort that this is exactly where the Lord needs me for the next 18 months and I couldn't be more excited. I can't wait see the gorgeous Temple everyday, and feel the spirit so strongly as I walk around the square. We then had a meeting with the Director of all the Visitor Centers for the Church, he shared some cool stories with us and it got me super pumped up! He told us that only 2% of missionaries get called to VC's and that our mission boundaries are the whole world. Yup, the whole world!!! There are about 190 countries in Temple Square and the Temple Square mission is teaching people in about 182. God will be sending us people from all over the world to teach! 

The Temecula Crew!
Sister Sughroue, Sister Carpenter, Elder Kartchner, & Elder Conley

We started to do Mormon.org online chat here at the MTC.....it's spiritual and can be a really good experience but it is also hilarious when people get on and just troll. I love it because it makes my companion and I just laugh.  We do it for about 2-3 hours a day. Yesterday we were talking to a lady who just wanted us to believe in the Illuminati and basically thought she was a prophet, and some days shes white and other days shes black apparently. Crazy or not we ALWAYS find a way to invite them to come unto Christ (:

Temple Square Training
Sister Leavitt, Sister Rajah, Sister Vasi & Sister Sughroue

Yesterday started off as a challenge we spent the day studying and preparing to teach people we have never met and know nothing about.... when usually you are able to get to know someone before teaching them but at a Visitor Center (VC) you don't have time to when they are just walking through. Our teacher told us to pray and pick three different things to study for the people we would meet tonight. Alot of us sisters were wondering how in the world this was going to work, because we don't know them at all and only have 10 min to teach them. That night we had investigators come in and act like we were at a VC. It

Sister Rajah, Sister Leavitt, Out teacher,Brother Davies (AKA Mitt Romney's Nephew),
Sister Vasi, & Sister Sughroue

was one of the most spiritual experiences I have had here. We taught 3 very different types of people, and the spirit was very present in each of those lessons. We were able to share our testimonies and help them feel that Heavenly Father loves them. The crazy thing is that we prepared to teach about Faith, the Book of Mormon and the Atonement.... and we used all of them for the three different people without even thinking about it. I know that the Spirit prompted us to study those things!!!! 

I have come to have come to Love the Book of Mormon more and more each day. Whether I am studying it for myself or an investigator I can always find insight and answers to my prayers. As I read the Book of Mormon I come to know my Savior better each day. This Book brings me so much joy. I love reading the Book of Mormon in a lesson with our investigators and watching them receive revelation from the verses we read. The spirit can always be present as long as we invite it. There is something different about reading it as a missionary, knowing that every time I read it I am reading it for the people I will soon meet out on Temple Square.  

Today my comp and I played volleyball with all the Tongans for almost 2 hrs... I'm  getting better!!! I'm the only one who doesn't speak Tongan so I'm sure they are making fun of me but O well. hahahahah. Also, the heater in our room is broken so I seriously slept in my snow jacket last night. Lols. 

Sister Leavitt & Sister Sughroue

I went to the Temple this morning! No better way to start out your day! 

We got our Travel plans and leave Wednesday morning at 5:30 am.... to catch our 15 hr flight. hahaha jk. We are taking a bus. 

Sister Sughroue's District at Provo Temple 

I hope everyone has an amazing week! I'll be in the field in less than a week!!!!! I'm keeping Tyler in my prayers and sending all my love back home and to Paris!

Love, 

Sister Sughroue, xoxo

Week #2 - September 5, 2014

HELLO(:

Sister Sughroue & Sister Carpenter

So this week was awesome. So much happens,... all the days are a blurrr... 6pm feels like midnight here, and that's when I start going into a food coma after dinner. Sister Carpenter and I live on the same floor, we see each other everyday and sometimes we run over to each other's rooms to say a quick good night. hahaha.

Sister Sughroue & Sister Vasi 

I tend to embarrass myself on a daily basis... whether its a weird face or noise I make in class, or quoting a movie and no one gets it, or falling asleep while reading my scriptures in the lobby. hahaha. But the other day topped it all. I was trying to squirt some ranch onto my salad, and the bottle was clogged so without thinking I held it sideways towards my plate and squeezed it as hard as I could... the ranch literally shot 5 feet away and got all over the floor. This was in the middle of the cafeteria. I couldn't help but turn bright red and everyone around laughed. But it's all good because we got it cleaned up, but I was too nervous to go back and get dressing. 

Love serving & living with these Sisters

My friend Sister Rajah is from Perth Australia and she is helping me with my accent so we can switch flags at Temple Square for a day. I've tricked a few people so far... but I tend to crack under pressure. Fun Fact: One of our teachers is Mitt Romney's Nephew, and he gave him a sweater vest for Christmas a few years ago. haha.

My companion is great I love her so much! We laugh and cry together. All good tears and we probably should be more serious sometimes but she is so funny it's so hard! I haven't gotten homesick, of course I miss everyone but the work I am doing now is so important!!! I have learned to love teaching in just one short week!

Sister Sughroue & Sister Vasi

We got a new investigator named Kya. She is from Russia but moved to BYU because she has a lot of Mormon friends from when she did foreign exchange in Utah. She is Russian Orthodox. The first lesson was rough because she told us that she really didn't want to meet with us but she had to do it for a class requirement, but she said she would still be nice. We just got to know her and her religious background and she seriously said "idk" to everything we asked. She was sick the second time so we didn't get to teach a lesson. Last night we had a break through!!!! I was tired of her saying "idk" to everything, I finally just asked her if there is a loving God who has organized one true church on this earth and has given us a plan so that we can be happy and return with him again,... would you want to know for yourself??? She said.... "Yeah I guess" hahahaha! This was awesome! She then started to ask us a ton of questions about Jacob Smith... she knows it's Joseph now. And we also taught her about the Restoration... it went pretty well. Right before we were about to say the closing prayer she told us she hates how Mormons say they are gonna live for eternity, because she doesn't want to. She told us that when she dies she wants to say Hi to God and Jesus and then be like peace out I'm dead. Yup she said that. We all just laughed together. So tonight we are going to teach her about the plan of salvation and some other good stuff. I love Kya so much and I know that God has prepared her to hear about this gospel. I'll let you know how it goes next week! hahaha

Working on our handshakes!

This week I learned a lot about teaching. It doesn't matter how much you know but more of what the people feel when they are around you. I am an instrument in the Lord's hands and I know that the Spirit will guide me as to what to say, so that my investigators can come closer to Christ. I have felt the Spirit so strong in the past few lessons we have taught! 

Love you all.Thank you for all the prayers, letters and packages. xoxo

Sister Sughroue