Sister Saryn Moline's Mission Adventures: January 2017

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Sweet home Alabama!!

January 23, 2017

AHHH this week has been crazy fast!! I feel like I was just here writing yall.

Today will be a kinda short email but the biggest news this week is that our investigator, Damaris came to church!!! She is 16 years old and is from Honduras. She speaks zero english because she has only been here for 2 months. A few members of her family are members, so she knows a bit about the church. She has been taught by missionaries for a month. And she and her cousin came to church! It was glorious. She told us she absolutely loved it and is coming with us to a members home tonight for Noche de hogar! This week we hope to set a baptismal date with her! WOOHOO

This week, since we have been finding alot, Sister Magness and I found ALOT of people with random connections with the gospel. It was such a miracle. We met a lady named Doris from Mexico who was taught by missionaries forever ago and even had a baptismal date but we couldnt find her records in the area book because it was literally 6 years ago. She was so awesome.

About 4 or 5 times this week we were meeting with some investigators, prepared to teach them a super spiritual lesson but instead they invite us to eat delish mexican food with them and thier ENTIRE extended family. This happened so many times this week, Sister Magness and I just went with it. hahaha this culture is the best!

Also this week we had Zone training! We learned about having trust and hope in the Savior. We also listened to Elder Stevenson's talk on the Book of Mormon. One thing he said that I love is "Within the book’s pages, you will discover the infinite love and incomprehensible grace of God. As you strive to follow the teachings you find there, your joy will expand, your understanding will increase, and the answers you seek to the many challenges mortality presents will be opened to you. As you look to the book, you look to the Lord." The scriptures are there to help us learn and grow and come closer to the Savior.

Also At LEAST 5 times a day Sister Magness gets told she looks like shes 12 years old. Or that she is my baby sister. HAHA

This week we also had some amazing teaching opportunities. We have met some wonderful people who are willing and ready to change their lives to know the Savior better. I am changing right along side of them. I love the Atonement and our ability to change who we are to become someone Christ wants us to become. Its all about becoming.

LOVE ALL OF YOU!

Steadfast in Christ

Hermana Moline

Sunday, January 22, 2017

The Lower Pools

Brother Patterson taking us to the prettiest spot in Demop

our apartment

dead chicken on the side of the road :(

Hermana Magness!

just a tad ghetto down here

our apartment!

Part member family, The Benisons. Sister Benison (left) cried when I left :'(

Recent Convert Tina!

Sister Borden

The Morgans. The best members EVER.

tracting a mini house

those who are from Demopolis stay in Demopolis

Hermana Magness!

HELLO BIRMINGHAM y el cambio final

1-17-17

Well, well, well, I made it to Birmingham! Here in the Altadena Spanish Branch!!! It was sad to say goodbye to Demopolis and all the wonderful people I have met there but I LOVE what I have seen of Altadena so far. I am back in the big city and ready to rock and roll. Also having the opportunity to finish my mission in a Spanish Branch WOOHOO I love it. My new companion is Hermana Magness! From Orem, UT. She graduated this last year (2016) and is the cutest little button you have ever seen!!! We get along great and laugh all the time. I really love her and am so excited for our transfer together!!! She was really homesick at first and I was really worried about how I was going help her. My mind went to Gordon B. Hinckley's quote in preach my gospel about how to fix homesickness or anything is to just work. Work work work. And so that’s what we did.

We got to Altadena and saw we had 1 investigator so we have A LOT of work to do here. We have already found a few promising people. One whose name is A*****. A***** is in his 30s, works as a painter and lives in down town Bham. He has met with missionaries for a long time ( 1 1/2 years?) he has been to church 4 or 5 times in the past and loves everything he has seen from the Gospel. We had a great lesson with him this last week with some members and he told us he understands the importance of baptism and does not feel he is ready to set a date. This week he committed to read 2nd Nephi 31 and pray about baptism. He has such a genuine and sincere heart and just wants to follow Jesus Christ. He is a great man.

There are 6 missionaries here in the Altadena Spanish Branch. 2 sets of Hermanas and 1 set of Elders. We share a car with the Hermanas but live in different apartment complexes. We make it work. Every Friday night members and investigators and anyone comes to the church to play soccer. This last Friday night we had a great turn out. Our investigator, A***** came, along with some less actives and random people the other missionaries had invited. Its probably the best way to find investigators in a Spanish branch. And its super fun hahaha

Emmaus Experience!

Sister Magness and I were following up with a former investigator and decided to find around the area. We met an awesome guy, K*****. who is hilarious and interested in the Gospel. We had another awesome lesson with him with the Elders that are serving in the English ward and he is SO SOLID told us he felt the spirit while reading the The Restoration pamphlet and that he has a big desire to change his life for the better and be baptized. We love K*****.

LOS MIEMBROS! The members here in the Altadena Spanish branch are amazing. Seriously. Most of them are converts and are SO solid in the gospel. Wonderful families.

I love doing spanish work 24/7. I can already see my Spanish improving since I got here only a few days ago.

I love this Gospel. I LOVE being a missionary and sharing my testimony to people every day. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know the Atonement of Christ is for EVERYONE. We need it. I am grateful for my knowledge that the Book of Mormon is true, because so many other things are true in addition to its validity.

LES QUIERO TANTOOOOOOOOO

con amor,

Hermana Moline

Our Recent Convert, Kim and her family. I LOVE THIS FAMILY WITH MY WHOLE HEART. THey will have my heart for 4ever

Recent convert family, I am obsessed with La'darius' hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Recent Convert, Kim and her family. I LOVE THIS FAMILY WITH MY WHOLE HEART. THey will have my heart for 4ever

all Joe's goats almost tackling me for food

from last week at the UofAL stadium!!

Joe teaching me how to milk cows.

Our Branch President, President and Sister James!

The Besteders!

cambios, frio, y DIOS

1-9-17

FAMILY. hello loved ones. I hope you are doing well. Still here in the ABM! And yes, mother nature found out that it was winter so you could say that its quite chilly here now. No more 75 degree days with 95% chance of Tornado. Mostly just 20 degrees with a 110% chance of 24985% humidity. Alabama is FREEZING COLD. we got this weird snow/slush/ice stuff this past weekend and it just kept on raining and raining and it was SO COLD. No matter how many layers I had on I could feel the coldness to my skin and bones. But all is well. We are still alive.

Now that we have the weather out of the way...This week was very humbling. I swear I just have to keep learning lessons over and over again. Heavenly Father knows I have alot alot alot of continual growing to do!!! And I am sooooo grateful for that.

We got transfer calls Saturday night! DRUM ROLL. I am being transferred! I am going to the Altadena Spanish branch in Birmingham!! I will be whitewashing (meaning both of the sisters that were there are being transferred) and get this...I will be training a brand new missionary!!! AGAIN. Baby #5. I was FLOORED when I found out.....Absolutley shocked. I did not expect that at all. There are only 2 Spanish sisters coming out this next transfer and since it is my last transfer I was almost sure I would not be training. But I do not know the Lord's plan. BUT I trust it. I know that this transfer is inspired. I am SO excited to go to this new area with a new companion. Mostly because missionary work is the bomb and I love being a missionary. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. So LETS GO!!!!!

We had interviews with President Sainsbury this past week. He is a wonderful man. I know he really loves the ABM and the Lord. He has a vision for this mission. He pushes us and makes us better missionaries. We talked about alot of things. Mostly that I have such a short time in the ABM left. I felt uncomfortable about how much he was talking about it with me hahaha But it was wonderful. We made some goals and I AM SO PUMPED.

Other than the exciting/dramatic feelings about transfers, nothing much went on this week. Church on Sunday was FABULOUS. It was fast and testimony meeting. I don’t know if you remember Cheyenne and Shauna, they are recent converts of a year from Georgia that moved here with their family. THey are 18 and 15 years old. We have been visiting them and their nonmember family for awhile. They live in the straight up GHETTO. But we love them so much. AND THEY CAME TO CHURCH. It was a new years miracle. We have been trying to get them to come for forever. They have a little sister who is 9 and has told us she wants to be baptized but it never worked out to meet with the whole family because they were visiting their dad and what not. BUT Cheyenne and Shauna came. It was so great to see them! They were so solid in Georgia and then moved to Bama and never went back to church till we found them ( which was a miracle holy hannah) It was a beautiful sight to see the branch welcome them with open arms. HOLLAAAAA

Also during Sacrament I bore my testimony of how much I love being a missionary especially in DEMOP! Demopolis really is unlike ANY other place I have ever been. in.my.life. It is very VERY unique and I love it. Teeny tiny baby town and all the goodness that comes with it. I kept looking at Sister B****. My favorite. AH so much love for that woman. She was smiling and crying and got up after me and YELLED over the pulpit and said "MO MO YOU CANT LEAVE ME!" HAHAHA she said "All our missionaries. they just leave. And I love it because you bring Jesus to everyone but I am sad about it..." hahahah It was so funny. You will just have to meet her. I cannot explain Sister B*****, the LOVE OF MY LIFE.

God is in control!!! I freaked out for a bit after finding out I am leaving this area. What will happen to all the people I have been working with and finding. Why do I freak out when I know that God is in control? HE IS THE KNOW ALL BE ALL. We have no need to wonder or fear, because we trust Him. And He is God. I know He will take care of me and my companion and my investigators and less actives. I know that is aware of our greatest concerns as well as the smallest ones. We say all the time that Jesus Christ is there reason for the season. We are also the reason for the season. WE are the reason He came. He came because He loves us completely. The quote on my planner for next transfer is by President Uchdorf: "Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly." I stand all amazed at His perfect love for us.

Just know that I know He lives. I have felt His power and His enabling and redeeming power DAILY. How I lived before knowing Him like I do...I dont know. He lives and I love Him.

And for that reason ladies and gents, I LOVE ALABAMA. SO flipping much. It is a wonderful place.

I love you all!! Be safe and have a wonderful week!!!

con amor,

Hermana HOLY MOLY

ROLL TIDE (championship game tomorrow GO ALABAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)