Nov 28 -- These Are The Days

This past week was absolutely fantastic with finalizing transfers,
and Thanksgiving, and the start of Christmas schedule and then
announcing transfers! Woo!

Thanksgiving was absolutely amazing! We were able to go to our mission
president's wife's sister's home for Thanksgiving with our Mission
President and his wife of course. It was so much fun and such a
spiritual moment to be surrounded by spiritual Giants and given the
opportunity to share a message with them. And of course bring back all
the sweet potatoes and apple pie I could carry.

Then Christmas schedule has begun. This means we wake up at 7 and
leave the square at 10 pm. Unless it a day like yesterday, just before
transfer calls, then we have to stay a bit longer -- but don't worry
security is always really nice about it ;)

I just want to briefly mention how I have been able to see the hand of
the Lord in my life this week. There has been much that Sister
S and I have been expected to do and sometimes it can feel
like the weight of the world on your shoulders, like your swimming and
fighting for air. Then I have started to make the decision to choose
to trust God. Trust in his timing, in his will for me as his
missionary and realize at every single thing I do He is aware of and
will work towards my good. I serve a loving and merciful God. He has
numbered all of His children and I have been able to see Him lead us
to them or lead them to us. I am so grateful that He is allowing me to
find the prepared, allowing me to teach all in my path and simply
allowing me to be an instrument in His hands.

With all that the Lord has prepared for us to do it is important to be
worthy of the call. This Christmas is a time to become more like our
Savior Jesus Christ, acting as He would act and living the most
fundamental principle of the gospel, to love others as Jesus loves
you. With the coming forth of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus
Christ through a living prophet we live in the fullness of times where
we can access every bit of Christ's atonement. What better way to come
unto Christ than share this message with those around you. Reach out,
pray with all your hearts for ways to serve and then act.

Also take a look at the 25 ways in 25 days to serve around you on mormon.org and scroll down to the bottom to find it.

Oh sorry, by the way, my new companion will be Sister B from North
Carolina. She will be killing me... Yay....

I love you all lots! Have a happy happy Christmas and holiday season!

Love,
Sister Eging
Companions for only one more day! Going to miss her!

Nov 21, 2016 - Breakkkk

The week of breaking. It is the week before transfers which means transfer planning but on top of that there were also Savior of the World performances, an office remodel, designing and planning a surprise, helping with Thanksgiving dinners, missionary department meetings and much much more. So it is no shock to say that I am tired. Down right tired

It was a hard week for Sister S and I as we both are struggling feeling like we are doing enough so we try to run a little faster and that doesn't help. So we broke a little bit, got ice cream and shared the gospel along the way.

This week I came to learn about the reality of the adversary. That is Lucifer, Satan, the devil, and whatever else you may refer to him as. When we as imperfect people start changing ourselves to become like Christ, to help others become like Christ, when we reach for a new level of righteousness there is always push back. Feelings of inadequacy, exhaustion, despair, Satan will use anything he can to get at us but that is precisely why our Savior was sent. I know who I can turn to. He has sunk beneath the lowest points of despair and felt the most intense pain imaginable. For me, for you, for literally every single person who has lived and who will ever live.

So reach out He's there to help. Don't try to be perfect and then ask for help. Ask and do your best.

Lots of love sending your way!

Enjoy our pictures because it snowed! And share a smile with someone today :)

Love Sister Eging

Nov 14 - Companionship Unity -- A Double Testimony

This week was a CRAZY week! We had Zone Conference all week meaning little time on the square which tends to make us sadder and more irritable sister missionaries. But they were wonderful meetings (my companion will talk more about them) (Also Sister Risenmay hates it when people use the words 'double testify' so I had to throw that in there....don't worry we never actually say it to people).

From my companion, SISTER S:
This week we had Zone Conference (Sister Eging and I plan and make the agendas all the meetings when the whole mission is involved)

It was quite the Zone Conference the Spirit was strong! President Risenmay went and taught the doctrine behind the Plan of Salvation, I learned so much. More then I have ever in any plan of Salvation lesson when circles are drawn on a board. I was able to receive a lot of inspiration!

We gave two training's 2 days and three on 1 day. It was a lot but together we were able to teach and testify to help the mission improve skills. We gave a training on how to use the area book better and on inviting and promising blessings, the one day we did a role play at the Temple Model teaching the plan of Salvation and the restoration while testifying of it to each other.

ME (Sister Eging)
After Zone Conference this Saturday we also were able to go and see N baptized which was such a sweet and lovely experience.

So around this time last year my companion at the time, Sister C went on exchanges with another sister, Sister D. While they were on exchanges they found N and her boyfriend, and took them through God's Plan for His families, a little presentation that shows here at the visitor centers. And it touched her heart a lot. Now because of different circumstances and hard things it took N, a little while to get to the point where she was ready but, it was amazing to see the light in her face as she stepped out of the waters of baptism. The spirit filled the room and she made a covenant with her Heavenly Father.

What a great way to end the week.

I know that God is aware of each one of us and truly is noticing all of the details of our lives. He knows exactly when we are ready to hear the gospel and will continue teaching us throughout our lives regardless of whether we are receptive or not. I'm so grateful for such a loving God and I'm grateful to know the fullness of His plan for me.

I've also come to stand face to face with many of my weaknesses and am truly grateful that there is a way for me to overcome them. I'm not perfect, and will never be in this life, but I'm grateful for the plan that has been given to us that allows us to always progress and become better.

Hope you all are working on your missionary commitments.... I'm looking at you family!

But seriously if you sincerely ask God who is ready to receive the gospel around you and are quiet, and listen for that answer, you will receive it. Just act.
Love,
Sister Eging

Nov 8 - Happy Halloween!

Well I will just say that I am exhausted! It has been quite a week. Last, last Friday I got to go to a sealing in the Provo Temple and it was such a special experience. This is what the gospel is all about, families.

It strengthened my testimony of the eternal and loving nature of God. As God has given us our families and those that make us happy, He also gives us the gospel through His son Jesus Christ, restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, so that our families can be sealed together forever. I had to step back a moment and consider just how blessed I truly have been to be a part of this great work.

Then after the sealing, for Halloween our mission had a surprise! Usually we all go to the Temple on Halloween but because it was Monday the Temple was closed and so we had to do something else. Our amazing mission president decided we would all watch a movie as a mission and so we watched The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. What a powerful movie. I loved watching it with what I call my new 'missionary eyes.' The symbolism was strewn throughout that movie and it put the Atonement of Jesus Christ into a little bit more of perspective for me. (However the movie in general freaked my companion out... hahaha her transition home's going to be a little rough but... so will mine.)

The rest of the week we have been working a lot on helping our investigators progress towards baptism. We have a couple that are working towards baptism at the moment, but there is this family that I'm very excited for. They are living in Texas but originally from Burundi in Africa. The man is on fire for the gospel and his first Sunday to church he brought 5 friends. Now to help all those that don't live around him he is using us. We have two separate households we are teaching and getting in touch with missionaries in Burundi and he is slowly giving us more and more of his family and friends. I'm so excited for them to receive the gospel and become converted.

Conversion truly is a choice, it is not something that just happens to us. But, as we make the conscious effort to read the scriptures, to pray, to open our mouths and share the gospel, the Lord will make up the difference and our conversion will be sure. It doesn't mean there won't be hard times or tests of your faith but it means that God is watching over you and there are angels round about you. At the moment where you face giving up or enduring and your heart holds on, in that moment God endows us with power. Keep holding on to the faith and don't allow the winds or waves of the world to shake you.

I love you all. I know that this is the true church. Please share it.

Love you!
Sister Eging

D&C 6:34
34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock,they cannot prevail.

Better Late Than Never - Oct 24, 2016

So sorry my weekly email is getting out a little late today. Just as
Sister S and I were leaving for p-day we received a tour
request from Guest Services for Bishop Gerald Causse, his wife, and
niece, from the presiding bishopric. It was such a powerful experience
as we were able to teach them the restoration and hear their
testimonies. His niece is planning on serving a mission so we were able
to help her begin her missionary work.

This week has been a blessing. It was transfer week so we were able to
make sure all the new sisters arrived safe and sound and that they
were all situated the first day. Then the rest of the week went by
fast as we took every opportunity we could to get out on the square.

At the end of the week we had a wonderful little lesson over the phone
with a small family that we found. The daughter is 8 years old and at
the end of the lesson she was so excited to go to church. We then had
a kneeling prayer over the phone and it was the sweetest thing in the
entire world. I know that we have been given this gospel so that we
and our families can be happy. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the way.
There is no other. We have to be willing to share this message. I love
the gospel.
Sister Eging