Dec 9 - Ofa Lahi Atu

Aloha my lovelies!!!

Ofa Lahi Atu= I love you very much, in Tongan. Thank you for your emails, I love being connected with you even though we're so far away. :) 

Well this week has just been spectacular. My first week with my new companion Sister Latu and in these wards! Sister Latu is so sweet. She's from Salt Lake City, but she's Tongan and speaks the language, because her parents are from Tonga. And since there are so many Tongans it's really fun being around her! Plus, she's related to everyone. Literally all four Polynesians serving at the VC are related haha. 

It's kind of weird being back in a family ward after being in YSA and Married Student.... it's funny how different they are. (everyone here seems so old, even though I think it's just a normal ward haha). I definitely miss being on campus, but it's been really fun getting to know Laie 2nd and 3rd wards! So far, we've had some really great miracles. We have this one investigator named Ernest Golden. He graduated from BYUH and has lived here in Laie ever since...... and he's 93 years old.  So, as you can imagine, he's already heard a bit about the church. His wife was actually a member, but went super less active for the last part of her life. After she passed away last year, he became very interested in what happens to us after we die. So he's been meeting with the missionaries for about a year now, and to be honest I don't think he's ever been really progressing. But he is so passionate about this spiritual journey that he's on, and I really think he's getting closer.  I think the Lord sends non-members to Laie who He knows will soften their hearts after a lot of persistence. Because we don't have a boatload of non-members to teach, so any non-member who ends up here is very well acquainted with missionaries :) If anyone has the ability to be persistent, the Laie VC sisters do. Even though he's not technically "progressing" (YET!) according to our numbers, I know the Spirit is working on him. He's been slowly softening ever since the 70s, but especially in this past year.  So I'm really excited to continue to work with him! 

So this week was Mission Tour!!!!!!! It was AWESOME. Elder Daniel L. Johnson came to speak to us. All the missionaries on Oahu came together in Milliilani (an hour outside of Laie) for the training, and all the stake presidents and bishops and ward mission leaders were invited too (so I got to see some of my full-field humans!!!!!). In the middle of the training he had us do an activity. He told us to go with any leadership from our ward who had come, and we were to teach them one principle from PMG, and then ask them for referrals. So we went into a room with our two bishops, and we taught about how God is our loving Heavenly Father. We had absolutely no time to prepare, but it was amazing how much the Spirit helped and guided us. When we asked for referrals, and they were actually able to give us a good list of people! One of our Bishops gave us a name of a less-active man that he said he would never have thought to have us visit. It was really an indicator that it was the Spirit who gave him that name, that it wasn't from himself. We really don't know who needs the gospel, and we don't know who is prepared. Only Heavenly Father knows. That's why it's so important to always listen to and follow the Spirit, because He will always guide us to those who are prepared. 

Okay sorry this email is so massive. One more thing! So during the mission tour, Elder Johnson asked who knows more than 50 non-members... everyone raised their hand. More than 100 non-members... everyone kept their hands raised. Then he asked how many of us have introduced them to the missionaries...and almost every hand went down. So I didn't really realize HOW many people I know from home who aren't members, and I can't believe I never even tried to share the gospel with them. So, to my folks at home..... start introducing!! You won't lose friends, you'll just give them opportunities to be HAPPY and FREE. Heavenly Father is preparing people to receive the gospel, and YOU could be the one to help them to it. But you never know if you don't ask. THEY'LL never know if you don't ask. So start making your lists of people and start inviting! :) 

Oh, and mom to answer your question... nothing really different happened because of Pearl Harbor Day. At least in Laie... probably they did something big in Pearl Harbor/my old area. I know TONS of high school bands have been coming to the PCC because they're hear to play at the memorial. I actually kind of forgot about it until in Sacrament meeting when a cute old man bore his testimony and said how he was here when it happened. 

Well, anyway! I love you all sooooo much!!! 

Pictures:

1- Me and Elder Abquina (my zone leader for four transfers) (He's the Filipino one) and Elder Ewing from Waipahu Zone at MISSION TOUR! 

2- I think I already sent this picture... but it's the only one I have of me and Sister Latu! She's the beautiful Tongan below me in the purple. :)

3- This place is paradise. 

Dec. 4- Merry Christmas from the Visitor Center

Dec 1 - AloHa

My dearest family!!

Sorry I don't have a ton of time today, but here are my highlights of the week:

-Thanksgiving!!! So since we cover ten wards, we were invited to TEN Thanksgivings, plus some extra random ones. But we didn't go to all of them, even though we tried haha. We first went to Thanksgiving with the Malaysian Chapter, because we've been working with a couple from Malaysia in one of our Married Student wards. There was no turkey, it was all just Malaysian food! And holy cow.... I've never experienced anything more spicy in my entire life. They made some chile, which is normally something you would eat by the spoonful... But I put about four drops of it onto a big scoop of rice... and I was still crying when I ate it. And so was Sister Na who is Korean and loves super spicy foods. It was madness. But super fun!!! Then our other wards had rice (always), turkey, and the usual Thanksgiving foods.

 -One of our Married Student wards did a leftovers lunch and for the activity a color fight!! We couldn't participate, but we got to watch and photograph from afar. 

-So we got transfer news last night!! I was expecting to stay in this area with Sister Na.... but Heavenly Father has different plans for me. So I'm leaving BYUH campus and going to serve in Laie 2nd and 3rd wards. At least I'll still get to go to two wards on Sunday though instead of the usual five. Any less than that would just feel weird at this point haha. But I'm actually going back to my old pad again. It's funny because my whole mission I've gone between the two beach pads, back and forth. There are about 5 pads up by the temple and 2 by the beach... Heavenly Father just knows me so well and that I need that beautiful view every day :) And remember Sister Jenkins my MTC comp? Well we're just switching places and companions and areas! Haha. It will be nice though. I won't be a sister trainer anymore, but I think that's normal since usually we get released after three transfers. I've learned so much though and I'm so grateful for all the experiences I've had!! 

<3<3<3<3<3 you all!!!!!

sister sabey

Pictures- 

1. Malaysian Chapter!

2. Color Fight

3. ILOVETURKEY

(haha sorry my pictures and email was mostly about food... I'll tell you something real next week when I have more time!)

Nov 24 - Happy Aso Fa'afetai

Aso Fa'afetai= Thanksgiving in Samoan :) 

Well this week was simply smashing!! 

-Our zone had our temple trip last week. I am so THANKFUL that we are so close to a temple in our mission and that we're allowed to go every month. It's such a blessing! We have experiences in the temple that we can't have anywhere else on this earth. 

-We got a new investigator this week!!! Remember Nick, the Chinese man who's door we accidentally knocked on who happened to be a non-member who had never met missionaries before who wanted to learn more? Well we couldn't really teach him since he was living alone and we're sisters.... But his wife came from China and is living with him now! We stopped by and got to talk to her and she wants to learn more too!! Her name is Mango. Well her real name is Liu Ching Ching, but Nick named her Mango since it's easier for everyone to say and because she loves mangos haha. So yeah we're super excited to start teaching them together! 

-This week we met famous people! David Archuleta (<3) and Stuart Edge (Mom and Dad you probably don't know who he is but look him up on YouTube.. he does all the funny BYU pranks:) They came here to judge a video project for BYUH students, but they also did a fireside that we got to go to. We got to meet David afterwards, and we took Stuart on a tour of the VC. It was awesome!! 

-The church is putting out a Christmas video this week called "He is the Gift." It's going to be awesome!!! Since last time they put out a huge video for Easter (Because of Him) they had a HUGE increase of people coming to chat on mormon.org. SO! This week all the VC sisters here get to be "online sisters" and take chats!! So that's coming out in a couple of days, go to christmas.mormon.org to watch it! And share it with everyone! 

-Fun fact: I LOVE being a missionary. Seriously, I want to be like this my whole life! I feel like this is the perfect time in my mission... I'm not so new that I'm confused all the time, but I'm still new enough that I don't feel like it's coming to a close any time soon. We were asked spontaneously to bear our testimony three times this Sunday in three different wards... and the weird thing is that I love it! That can only be because this gospel is TRUE. We are happy when we are sharing it with others, because we're giving them the opportunity to experience lasting happiness. 

Well, thank you for all being wonderful and kind and inspirational. I love reading your emails and I'm so grateful to have such loving family and friends. 

Have a happy thanksgiving!!

<3, Sister Sabey

Pictures: 

1. "If the Savior Stood Beside Me"

2. Self-explanitory

3. Sis Na & I matching (and the beginning of Christmas decorating!)

Nov 17 - Aloha :)

Hi my lovely family!!!

Well this week was just splendid!! 

HIGHLIGHTS:

-So remember Daniela? :) Well we've been teaching her after baptismal lessons which has been a delight. Actually I should say she has been teaching us the lessons haha because she's AMAZING. She already knows everything and she has such a strong testimony. She has so much love for this gospel. This Sunday she gave her first talk in church! It was sooo good. It was so powerful and touching.The topic was on conversion, and she did a spectacular job. She told her conversion story and bore such a strong testimony.  I really can feel that she's truly converted to this gospel! Also, she's super jealous of all the girls who grew up in the church... She wants to do Personal Progress, but she's not in YWs, so and Sister Na and I are going to do it with her! :)

-Zone conference this week! It was so good! We learned about how to become a "Preach My Gospel Missionary." It doesn't sound that exciting now that I'm writing it, but it was super exciting! I love hearing the inspired training, I feel like it's always exactly what I needed. 

-In other news, it's getting pretty frigged here. Like... 70 degrees and cloudy. I have to wear a sweater or I feel like I"m going to get hypothermia. Okay it's not that bad but WOW I have really acclimated!! I kind of love that it never gets genuinely cold (even though it feels cold to me). {**Sorry Kami and friends in colder places than me...... I'll pray for your warmth.}

THE CHURCH IS TRUE! God lives, and He sent Jesus Christ so that we can live with Him again someday. This is a perfect gospel, and it will always lead us to happiness. Read the Book of Mormon every day. It has a special power that NO other book on earth has!! It is the word of God, that he wrote for us, today, right now. It will teach us how to change and be happy. I know that is true!! Really, read the Book of Mormon every day! And I promise that if you do you will have a desire to change and become more like Christ. 

<3<3<3,

Sister Sabey 

Picture: 

So last Monday we found out that one of the Elders in our mission, Elder Petter (he was my last district leader here in Laie) had to go home because they found out he had Leukemia. :( But they're starting treatments soon enough and hopefully it will get rid of the cancer completely! Anyway, we made him this giant card to send him our love. 

Nov. 10- 기적 = miracles (in Korean)

Aloah my lovely humans!!

Thank you for always sending wonderful emails, I'm so grateful to hear about your lives. :) I hope everyone is doing well and had a happy week!

    Picture- exchanges with Sister Kil (also Korean<3) 

Oh, and the word of the day today is in Korean, because my companion is Korean and I love Koreans. <3 It means "miracles."   기적 = miracles

-MIRACLE: So remember way back to my first transfer, I told you about a girl named Jess?? If not, here;s the story. Sister Kim and I met her my very first transfer, out by the temple. She was just sitting on a bench pondering and writing goals, so Sister Kim and I stopped to talk with her. We realized that she was really struggling and searching for direction in her life, so we shared a scripture with her. We also felt prompted to ask about if she'd thought about serving a mission. She was kind of less-active at the time and had a lot of crazy things going on in her life, so she didn't want to seriously consider it. But she couldn't stop thinking about it, so she asked for a blessing, prayed a LOT, and then we didn't see her until a couple of days later. Then she came back into the VC and said "Sisters, I got an answer! I'm going on a mission!!!" So that night she started working on her papers, it's been a crazy process for her. I've been able to keep in contact with her through the phone and emails, which has been a delight. Anyway, long story short, she's finally leaving for her mission this week!!! She's going to the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission, she reports to the MTC on Wednesday!! I'm sooo happy for her. It's crazy to picture her sitting outside the temple feeling so lost, and to see where she is now. She has so much faith! 

Oh and ps if you want to stalk her blog it's sisterjessicalarson.blogspot.com :) 

Well that's all I have time for today, but I love you all sooo much!!!!

Aloha Nui Loa!!!!!!

<3, sister sabey

Pictures

I LOVE everything you sent me for my Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I've been using it so much this week!!! 

Thank youuuuu again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel so blessed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

                                       

1. I LOVE MY SCARF HAIR BOW THING

2. I LOVE MY SOCK BUN 

3. I LOVE EVERYTHING!!!!!!

Nov. 3, 2014- YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL!

First things first......... THANK YOU so very much for the happy birthdays!!!!! FACT: I have the best family and friends in the entire world. Thanks for always making me feel loved! <3

Today Sister Na and I were in charge of presenting the training in our weekly VC training meeting. Last year on my birthday I taught the lesson in Relief Society, haha. I think Heavenly Father knows that we're happiest when we're sharing our testimonies with others. So there's really nothing else I'd rather be doing. :) On Sunday Sister Na and I bore our testimony in every Sacrament meeting we went to. Okay so we only went to two Sacrament meetings, but it just feels so good to bear your testimony!! I know that sometimes it is scary and seems hard, but I know that as we open our mouth, Heavenly Father puts in the words you need to say. I still get nervous about going up in front of our wards... but it's crazy how as soon as I open my mouth I'm not nervous anymore. I just feel like the Spirit is so unrestrained.. I don't think I feel like that any time other than when bearing testimony. Having that opportunity several times a day is one of the many wonderful blessings of being a missionary. :)

In other news, this week has been super fun! On Saturday BYUH had their annual "Food Fest," where people from all the different cultures set up a tent and sell it around the flag circle in the front of campus. And considering that people come to this school from over 70 different nations, there was a delightful variety of fanciful food to partake of!!! That's one of my favorite parts about serving on campus, there's SO much diversity. 

Sorry I don't have a lot of time today! I'll write more next week. :) Thank you for being so supportive and kind! I hope you have a wonderful week! Aloha nui loa!!!

<3, Sister Sabey

Pictures: 

1: Laie Zone on Halloween (I dressed up as Sister Chang, one of the lovely Chinese sisters here (by wearing her name tag) :)

2: Sister Na and I after our temple trip :)

3: At the Taiwan tent at Food Fest :)