Miracles Happen – February 16, 2016

I know I may have said this before but, miracles. do. indeed. happen.

So this past Thursday was ZONE CONFERENCE!!!!

Which was amazing for soo many reasons but one thing that I really liked was the video that President Risenmany had us watch.

It's called the Blue Vase and it follows the story of a young army veteran named Billy Peck who decided long ago to always be an optimist and to do all that he could.

Well he got a job, etc. and worked harder than anyone else. Long story short the boss gives him an "impossible task" to see if he is ready for a big promotion. Well the bad guys try and stop him and the deadline approaches and Billy doesn't make the deadline.....But, he doesn't give up. He keeps going and eventually delivers the Blue Vase.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Always have a friend who knows how to fly a plane.

But actually, it was a great motivation to realize that this is the work to which we have been called and it is our responsibility to work every second of the day and make every moment of the mission count. This is not an endurance race but a sprint. And I hope to be able to give my very best to the Lord.

In other news Sister G and I have been calling a lot of former investigators and found out that two of them are preparing themselves for baptism!!!!! There is Gr who I met with Sister S (who is about to be finishing her mission :( ) And D who had called in over the phone just two days after he got out of prison!!!

The gospel is so true and it really is a testimony builder to see other's lives changed by the gospel. Each person we speak with on the square, over the phone, on chat, has their own story and own journey to take. But, the gospel really is that path to happiness and peace. I know it with all my heart.

The work keeps going forward and will continue to with or without us.

So I think I will always choose with :)

Love you all

~Sister Eging~

PS -- There has been a lot of noise at night when we and our roommates have been trying to study so we went to our neighbor (who we are pretty sure now is not a member) and kindly asked him to turn down the tv. Afterwards we felt bad and left chocolate covered gummie bears and a small note. This morning we got a note back thanking us and saying if we ever needed him to turn it down again we could text him.... Does that count as a potential investigator? We got his number, I think so hahaha

Also, my companion and I can not communicate with each other if our lives depended on it because she speaks very limited english and my english is also not the simplest. So long story short we now use google translate for a lot of our misunderstandings.

T-Ransfer 6: February 9, 2016

Well hello everybody!

Bet you all thought you had gotten rid of me but jokes on you because I'm still alive and kickin!!!

SO this past week was TRANSFERS!

No need to hold your breath any longer because.... BUH BUH BUH BUUUUHHHHHUBUBHUBHJBJYIGIHGSGIAUGMANZBKAJS
SAJKGKBJX

BUUUUUHHHHHHHH

B
U
H

BUHM

B
U
H
M


BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMM
Sister G and I are staying together!!!
Yep I'm training this new 'lil Brasiliero (but really she's training me because she is awesome!)

Such a fire for the work. (as in she is taking chats at this very moment)

I've already learned so much from her and have started adapting to the bold Brazilian wayyys

Two days ago we had this amazing experience of committing someone to a baptismal date on the square! (granted his email turned out to be wrong) but he has met with missionaries and said he was going to go to church, meet with them, and tell them he wanted to be baptized on March 5th!

Sometimes we don't get to see all the fruits of our labors but I am determined to do as much as I can to help those fruits grow and turn out good :)

This also being transfer week on Temple Square and having missed a p-day Sister G and I have been running low on food but the Lord did provide.

Here is a list of the winning combinations we created out of our cupboard

-spaghetti and a bouillon cube

-oatmeal and protein powder

-bologna and bbq sauce

-peanut butter, jelly, and oatmeal

-basically any type of spaghetti and peanut butter

Mission life is the best life hahaha

On a more spiritual note our investigator P entered the waters of baptism this past weekend. He was a miracle who came on chat because he found a Book of Mormon and wanted to learn more. Though we didn't stay in contact with him throughout the entire process we were able to see just how far he came in just a short couple of weeks.

The gospel truly is simple and when applied sincerely it can change hearts and lives. I'm so grateful for every second I have to serve my mission and for everyone who is supporting me.

This truly is the greatest blessing to be able to increase my testimony while sharing it with others. I encourage you all to share your testimony with someone this week.

Also Happy Birthday to Uncle Chip! Love you!

Love you all so much!
(And wish me luck because......Valentine's Day is coming to Temple Square)
Sister Eging!

PS I got to drop off the R's to the airport! They are twins from
Pakistan. One served here on Temple Square and the other served in Arizona. On their last day here they got to contact people on Temple Square together.

My companion and I at Music & The Spoken Word.

Tour Guides

Sister Eging's Birthday Is February 28! ! ! !

Note from Sister Eging's Mom -- Just wanted to throw out there that Sister Eging's birthday is around the corner (Feb 28) and I am sure she would love to get a card or email from all her friends and family if you are able. Her address is on the left side of the blog. Thanks! Also, this was transfer week for Sister Eging so no new email from her. With each transfer she gets a new P-Day and if it is the day of the week before transfers than she skips it until the following week. We are assuming her P-day must now be in the beginning of the week and look forward to posting a new email then.

Tudo Bem! – Jan 28, 2016

Wow it is times like these I wish I could serve in Brazil for a little bit....(shout out to my girl Sister Chamberlain)

Our third companion Sister G is here all the way from Brazil and with her she brought her planners with former investigators from her mission. What is so cool is she can call them from here and see if they are still meeting with missionaries and then if they aren't we can teach them and help them reconnect with the missionaries. Can I just say....Brazil. Is. So. Prepared.

I love it. I wish I could speak a little bit more than bom dia and oi tudo bem but my Spanish is okay-ish enough that with the similarities between the two I can tell which gospel topic we are on (or where they are from )

It is so cool to be able to teach all around the world.

Not much else has happened this week. We are gearing up for transfers next week.... I will have a new companion, new assignment, apartment, everything so stay tuned.

This week I also learned a lot about finding those that will receive you, not waste time with those attempting to minister to you. For some reason or other this week I have met and spoken to Baptist preachers, Jehovah's Witnesses, and a religious transitional therapist (atheist) all trying to persuade me that they are correct.

And despite our best efforts and the spirit felt by all, many hearts are still very hard. The good thing is I feel as if I have been made stronger for it. As a missionary we are out to share this message with all, explain our beliefs, and invite people to act for themselves. When they are willing to act that is when we progress. However, I have learned a valuable lesson that if they aren't willing to change...but still want to talk... they are usually there to argue (or sometimes just really want to talk) hahahaha But with both it is important to not waste the Lord's time and to focus on finding those who are ready for the gospel. Those whose hearts are open and receptive.

Teach repentance, baptize converts. Let the spirit carry the message into the hearts of those we teach and be patient enough to allow them to act or not. We may not see all the fruits of our labors on our missions or even after but there are fruits enough to see in the next life.

I also want to invite all of you (dad you can be in charge) to start studying not just the Book of Mormon but preach my gospel as well. These are the basics of the church that all members should know and be preparing to share at all times. As our understanding and testimonies grow so will our desire to share.

Love you all :)
Sky is Blue
Church is still 100% true
Sister Eging

PS - Also funny story..... I made slutty brownies for our district meeting yesterday...... half the district doesn't speak english as their first language so they kept going around telling other sisters about the "slutty brownies" hahaha (note from Sis Eging’s mom – these are brownies that incorporate all kinds of bad for you stuff (like cookies, chocolate chips, etc) that she found on some recipe site a year or two to go . . . anyway, they came with the name and Melissa obviously shared their real name . . . so far we haven’t gotten a call to come pick her up : )

Trio Power – Jan 21, 2016

You heard it first here folks I have one new companion.....

I am officially in a trio. Meet Sister G (I don't have an official picture as she just got here Monday...oops) From Brazil!

This week we had three new sisters come to the mission early from the MTC. And they were all put into trios and duhn duhn duhn DUHN
(Yeah Sister J and I couldn't believe it either)

She is so amazing and has the greatest desire to work I have ever seen! Every person we talk to she bears her testimony to and though we have only been together for three whole days I have been able to see just how much work she is putting into learning English.

I have such respect for all of the missionaries who leave their homes and go to serve AND then have to learn and teach in another language. I remember how scared I was when I first started and I spoke the language!

The only thing I can think of right now is the Power Puff girls... (insert clip/theme song) (because #powerpuff girls are awesome)

It's been a little rough this week because the Square is dying. Every day there are less and less people and you end up talking to the same three people every time you pass them....(if they weren't interested the first time....they usually aren't the 800th but you never know!)

We also had the world-wide missionary devotional broadcast yesterday which was awesome! We heard from Elder Bednar, Elder Cook, Sister Oscarson, etc. and It gave me such a new perspective of missionary work. (You'd think after a while you'd get it down...wrong!) There is always so much more to learn. We are here to bring others back to Heavenly Father, find His lost sheep and bring them home. Sometimes we wade in deep waters, in swamps, rocky ledges, but there is always a sheep to be found. And God is preparing them. It is so important to never be discouraged. No work is wasted. Your testimony, your smile, your invitation to church may be the deciding factor...or, it may be just another stepping stone on the path to eternal life. Either way it is your responsibility to act. Every single person is a child of God and the worth of EVERY soul is great in the sight of God.

I love you all so much and Heavenly Father loves you even more...(He's perfect sooo)

From,
Your favorite power puff girl
Sister Eging

Oh my goodness, there are three of us!

New President – Jan 14, 2016

Hola hola!

Today we are quickly emailing in between the new president transition.

This morning Sister J and I and 15 other companionships were
asked to take the new Visitor Center's directors and their wives on
tours around Temple Square. We just took Elder and Sister Walker who
are in charge of the visitor’s center at the Priesthood Restoration
site.

What was really cool was just before we met who we were taking around
we talked about all of the different places we should take them on a
tour and just before we all of a sudden decide to take them to the
priesthood statues.

They were so sweet and in an hour or so we are going to take them out
to the square and help them contact people while also showing them how
to use the teaching center. We also got to see our new mission
president who will officially be here TOMORROW!

Scary. But exciting. With every change comes an opportunity to grow
and improve.

So this week was extremely slow and Sister J and I had been
getting a little discouraged, brainstorming all of the different
things we could do to start finding more investigators (and finding
those who sincerely want to learn). When we finally met T. She had
been here two years ago and LOVES the spirit on Temple Square. I'm so
excited to call and teach her more just as she is so excited to read
the Book of Mormon :)

We have also been on many exchanges this week as the sisters have not
been feeling well.

God is aware of each and everyone of us and knows exactly what we need
and when we need it. It's important to keep the faith in between and
to know that all things will work towards our good.

Well I love you all so much! Hope your week went well.

LOVE
SISTER EGING

New Year, New Tours, New President – Jan 7, 2016

Wow it has been a crazy good start to the new year.

Sister J and I have found some amazing people who really had a desire to learn.
(not always so common here when most people ask for the basic history.... WELL you're getting more than that!)

We took these four friends around who were all raised in the Bible belt of Mississippi. They knew the scriptures and the life of Christ like the back of their hands. And had soooo many questions. What was cool was I felt like I had been friends with them my whole life. Like Sister J and I had meant to take them around on the tour. It was probably one of my favorite tours ever and seeing their faces change throughout the tour made such a difference. It was to the point where at the end of our (hour and a half long!) tour when I asked if they wanted to read and pray about the Book of Mormon they said "why are you even asking?" Something had clicked and they were able to feel something different.

We also met this couple (from the Bible Belt as well) who were told by the wife's mother that they weren't allowed to go in or near any of our "mormon buildings". So the couple decided to walk around Temple Square. We found them by the Priesthood Statues reading and taking pictures of the plaques. As we explained the Restoration their eyes lit up. They wanted to know what was in the Temple and because they couldn't go in the building to see the Temple Model we stood outside describing each and every room to them. As we got to the Celestial Room the woman began to cry and tears rolled down from behind her sunglasses. They spent the rest of their time peeking in the tabernacle windows and listening to the organ through the doors. They couldn't take the physical copy of the Book of Mormon (as the mother would've died of a heart attack) They took a Book of Mormon download card they promised to read and pray about it saying that they would go home and "teach the mom a thing or two about Jesus Christ"

The message of the Restoration is the most powerful message we have to share. It is the testimony builder and the foundation of our faith.

We also went and did service today at Welfare Square making cheese and whatnot so photos to come (maybe....)

Love you all :))))

Happy New Year!!!

Oh and we are getting a new mission president next week :( So we all threw a surprise Relief Society Program for him and his wife. (We changed the words to the Lion King and I dressed up as President Poulsen) SSSSSOoOOOOOsosooso Funny :)

PS-- Also note that our mission president served in South Africa so in the middle of this presentation of other zones singing and crying and right after a touching slideshow of them... our zone breaks out and flashmobs NAAAANNNNNTTTSSSS INGONYAMA BAGITHI BABA!!!!!!!!!

 Behind the wheel again!  : )

Christmas snowglobe, Temple Square.