Something funny I saw on a wipe board that I wanted to share.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

 

Transfer 3, Week 1:... it's only been about 24 hours but... Hi!!!

Dear family and friends,

 Surprise!!!! My P-days got changed this transfer to Wednesdays!

 SO my new home is in guest services which is where a few sisters get to serve. This was my 'on job' training, but my trainer is really nice and patient so it's been really great and the time just FLIES there. We answer the most bizarre phone calls and transfer them to the correct place they need to go....  :) haha. Another cool thing is we book all the tours and scheduling and get to see the V.I.P. tours of ambassadors and special groups of people who come and go through the Square, so it's neat to see all the many many important people who come here from all over the world.

 I was very lucky because conference was so crazy and they didn't want us to get sick, they allowed Monday and Tuesday this week to be "sleep in" days, where we could sleep or do whatever we wanted until when we had to be on the Square, and the next day. What's weird is now that I'm super rested (well... except that I woke up at 4:30am to take Sister L to the airport....) all I want to do is go work! I honestly don't know what to do with myself today on P-day number 2. I think I'll take advantage of the extra time and study (our personal study seems to always get over scheduled my Square duties). 

 Hmm.... what else? Each transfer just keeps going faster and faster and I think that's how it'll be until I "die" and go home. Some sisters leaving for home in China had to be released as a missionary yesterday (cuz they were finished) and it was the SADDEST thing. They were so traumatized by it. Our entire purpose, meaning and identity is gone, just like that. I'm still pretty numb because both of my comps just left to go home, at the same time (cuz they were finished with their 18 month mission). Luckily I still have Sister M who I love so dearly (from the MTC) here with me otherwise I think I'd really feel lost.

Hmm....maybe I'll include some fun facts about Temple Square we share with people:

 Tabernacle:

Built in 12 years and finished in 1875. The dome-shaped Tabernacle is one of the most acoustically perfect buildings in the entire world. It is a miraculous building because the study of acoustics wasn't even started until the 1900's, 25 years after this building was built. The building was built by Henry Grow, and Truman O. Angel. Brigham Young received revelation from God, that he needed to build a building that could hold 13,000 pioneers, who could all hear his voice speak---in a time of no electricity or microphones. How was he to achieve this task? 

Well, much like the Brother of Jared and Nephi building a boat, Brigham Young took to heart the scripture that says "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." And Brigham Young knew that. He knew that if he did the best he could the Lord would provide a way, much like Moses parting the Red Sea.  So he started thinking of ways he could build this building, and as he was greeting some of the new saints coming west from Europe, he met Henry Grow--- a famous bridge builder. 

President Young asked him what was the largest bridge he'd built that was unsupported, and he said 150 feet. President Young said "That's perfect." And so with the expertise of someone who developed their God-given talents, mingled with the inspiration of God, the Tabernacle in the Salt Lake City was created (one of the building marvels of the world), with the ceiling made up of 9 unsupported bridges. The acoustics were so good, that the reverb was too much, and carpet was added along with another wooden balcony. Great artists like Andrea Boccelli, and of course the Mormon Tablernacle Choir, perfect to record albums inside the Tabernacle. Today we demonstrate the acoustics of the building with a microphone so that people can believe this remarkable miraculous feat. We actually drop pins, and a small nail, and rip paper and every single person in the whole building can hear us. It's unreal. It's also a huge testimony to me that all things really are possible with the Lord. 

The Organ:

It has 11,623 pipes and is the 12th largest (by number of pipes) in the world. BUT---for example, the largest organ is in Boston and is unplayable because it has not been maintained well. The Tabernacle organ is one of the best maintained organs in the world, and paired up with the incredible acoustic space of the Tabernacle which it resides in, many organ players consider it to be the finest organ in the world. All of the big pipes in front are made out of wood (just like the pillars which are painted to look like marble) and then gold leafed on the outside. The five lucky organists who are on staff for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and who give daily organ concerts in the hall, are some of the best organ players in the world (all have PhD's from notable universities and have toured around the world). The main organ player of the choir has an amazing story he shared with us at a devotional for the sister missionaries... 

He told us that one day he was practicing as usual, and his right arm started to hurt and then he was in pain because one of his tendons snapped as he practiced. The doctor gave him two options: 1. Go on having a normal life, somewhat able to use his right hand, but never able again to play the organ like he used to, and avoid surgery, and 2. Have surgery which has a 50/50 chance of healing correctly and maintaining complete dexterity, or healing and being stiffer than it already was for the rest of his life. 

What a decision to make. After praying and fasting, he found peace in his decision to have surgery trusting that God's will be done. He knew that God had lead him to the organ and that serving him with his talent was his only intention, so if the Lord decided to close that one door, he would open another and he would be able to find just as much joy doing the Lord's will, without the organ, as doing the Lord's will with it. So his entire profession and career and passion on the line, he did the surgery. After surgery he had to wait a few months for his arm to fully heal. In the meantime, he exercised his faith, and still practiced the organ, but only his footwork- FOR MONTHS. By a miracle, his right arm healed completely and in a few months he was back to his original level in left/right hands, but because he could only practice his footwork on the organ, he was a much better organ player than he ever was before!!! 

There is a story that he has an incredible virtuoso arrangement of a certain hymn which showcases his incredible footwork (the name escapes me...sorry) and one day a man approached him and asked him if he had copyrighted the sheet music to the hymn. The organ player just looked at him puzzled. The man continued "So no one else will take it as their own!". The organ player just smiled and said "No need. No one else can play it!"

 The Temple:

The Salt Lake City Temple is the largest LDS Temple in the world, and also took the longest to build as well---40 years. If you started work on the Temple and you were 20 years old, it would finally be completed when you were 60!!!! Both Brigham Young and the head architect Truman O. Angel, died before it was completed-- they never saw it finished in their life time, yet they still worked persistently.  Something that amazes me, is that in the first 20 years they only built up to 10 feet of the whole temple---only up to the first window! And the rest of the 200+ feet was built in the remaining 20 years. Each block of granite took 4 days to move on an ox-driven cart from the canyon to the temple site. Then they had to hand chisel each block until it was perfectly smoothed. One stone carver Henry Moyle, worked on the Temple tirelessly. He would wake up at 3am in the morning on Monday, and walk from Alpine to Salt Lake to begin work on the Temple. He'd finish on Friday night at 6pm, just to walk back home so he could start his farm chores on the weekend. He did this for years. One weekend when he was milking a cow, she kicked him in the leg and shattered his knee cap. There was no other way to save the leg besides amputating it at the knee. They took a door and tied him down to it, and took a saw and sawed it off. As he was healing, he began to carve himself a new leg out of wood. When he was well enough, he started practicing around on it in the yard.  One morning he woke up and started buttoning up his coat. His wife asked "Where are you going John?" he replied "to the Temple". She just looked at him and said "you don't have a leg anymore, surely the Lord will call someone else!", but optimistic and faithful, he said "The Lord called me to be a stone worker on the Temple, and He hasn't released me yet!" so he walked on his wooden leg 30 miles to the Temple, and he was the one who completed the Temple to the end, (by walking there) on his wooden leg so he could carve the stone plaque  on the side of the Temple that declares "Holiness to the Lord, the House of the Lord." Many more stories of immense sacrifice and miracles tell of pioneers who helped contribute to building a Temple to their God. One woman, who didn't have any money or men to help build the temple, she found some dead buffalo along the trail, and pulled off the hair off of them. With the buffalo hair, she knitted gloves for the stone cutters to wear in the cold of winter. Everyone helped and kept working on the building because of the significance it had for them, the hope it provided, the blessings they desired and the covenants they wanted to make with God. If only each one of us as we enter into the Temple can feel that way!!!

Welp, that's just a little of the cool stuff we share with people here! It's real life faith/miracles-built buildings here! (and you would never know just how remarkable they are unless you'd heard the stories!)

Love you always,

Sister Fisher

 

 

Tuesday, Oct 9, 2012

 

Friends and Familia,

 Sorry in advance---Veeeeeeeeerrrrrrry short time today!

Here's an experience we had at General Conference.

We went and talked to some 16 and 17 year old boys about Conference in the North Visitor's Center.

We talked about the new age limit for boys to serve (missions)and if they are getting ready and preparing. As we were talking about it and getting them ready and pumped up about it, a man dressed in a suit came and started talking with us. At first, he seemed really nice and had some good comments, but it slowly started to turn into an argument and his criticism of the Book of Mormon and strange views on doctrine, which Sister L and I had to refute. Normally, when we talk to someone who's only objective is to argue with us about our beliefs and to change our minds and enter doubts of tiny unimportant misinterpretations, we just leave, but both Sister L and I felt strongly that we could NOT leave these boys (who were standing there with us). We could not have this man who's only objective was to destroy their faith. So we continued to talk with him and I eventually felt inspired to ask him straight up, "Why are we having this conversation?" Which he said he didn't know why. We all politely said that we were done discussing with him, and so he left after he finished by saying that our beliefs were wrong and that we were wrong, and he straightway left the Visitor's Center and went out of the Square. It was interesting because during the discussion, I didn't really recognize that he was an Anti and his purpose, but I knew how I felt. I knew that as I talked with him I wanted to argue with him, to prove him wrong, to throw scriptures at him, and to refute his biased statements. At one point , I was so fired up inside (of course I was calm and cool on the outside) that I  had to get a drink of water. Once I left the situation, I realized that it wasn't going anywhere and that both parties couldn't feel love or the Spirit any longer in the conversation. It was not a presentation of beliefs and mutual respect, but instead there were rebuttles etc. I noticed that the teenage boys with us totally avoided the conversation, except for one brave boy who tried to stand up to him and share his testimony, but was cut off many times by the man.

After the man left, we talked with the boys and asked them how they felt. They told us that they did not feel love, that they were angry and frusterated and contentious. I then testified to them that that was because the Spirit had left and that we were all left to our own minds. I told them that I knew that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that we might not know everything right now and that there might be a few things we don't know, but that we know enough and that God speaks to us through revelation and that the Spirit of God or the Holy Ghost testifies to us of truth and cannot be present when there is contention.

It was a powerful contrasting experience, because as I bore witness and testified, I felt the Spirit so strong, I felt burning inside of me and tingles up and down my body. I knew that each of those boys felt the Spirit so strong, BECAUSE of the contrast of how they felt minutes before. I told them to remember how they felt, and that that Spirit is what would guide them through life and on their missions and would testify that the messages shared in the Priesthood Session that night were true.

It was a neat experience.

I also spoke to thousands of people outside of the Conference Center during "announcing"... when (sister missionaries speaking each of the 20 of the languages on Temple Square all speak in a microphone and share basic beliefs and an invitation for people to learn more. I was really anxious at first but I felt comfort and peace and no matter how many times I messed up in the practice, I said it nearly perfect the 6 times for real.

P.S. My new comp is Sister D from AUSTRALIA ( I can't get rid of the Aussies!!! haah) and we have a special assignment half of the time in the office in guest services, scheduling and planning tours etc. I'm excited! It'll be a new adventure.

 

This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that the messages shared at Conference are true.

I believe in miracles, for I have seen them.

EXCITING TIME TO BE ALIVE and to be a MEMBER OF THE CHURCH!

Love always,

Sister Fisher

(FYI...Sister Fisher mentions General Conference in her blog.  It is the semi-annual Conference of our Church, where we can listen to our leaders' wonderful talks, and hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir also!  Feel free to watch, too.  The Sessions are held Oct 6th & 7th at 10am and 2pm Mountain Time. The Choir also performs on Music & The Spoken Word on Sunday at 9:30am. The live General Conference broadcast will be available from the following sources:

• Conference.lds.org: Video and audio in 16 languages.
• Mormonchannel.org and Mormon Channel mobile apps
• BYU.tv )

 

 Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Transfer 2 week 5: wow... time really flies flies flies-- GENERAL CONFERENCE WEEK!!! AHHH!!! :)

 

Family and Friends!

Wow do I love y'all!!!! Thank you for all the support and letters and prayers.

So time is short (as usual it seems...) But I wanted to tell you about some experiences I've had this week. I love being a missionary and I am so excited!

 One is a story Sister C from China told in her talk on Sunday at Church .It was neat too because I was able to direct a sister missionary choir and it was really beautiful, and it was really nice to use my skills and the thing I have studied all year, and help out with some sisters make their musical number even better.... little did they know that it was actually my major when they asked! Cool experience.

She told of (the then) Elder Monson visiting a mission. He spoke to a missionary from Georgia and asked how his family was. Through the conversation it turns out that he had been out for 8 months and neither of his parents had ever written to him. The tearful missionary then asked "Elder Monson- What should I do?" He thought for a second and really prayed and asked the Lord, what should I tell this brokenhearted missionary who wrote each week to his family like he was taught to. He said "Express your love and gratitude for them, and share some of your inspiring experiences as a missionary with them, and I promise you that before the end of your mission they will write you." So the Elder said he would. Elder Monson came back months later and the missionary approached him and told him this miracle "I did what you told me to do," and then he pulled out a recent letter he had received from home. "Dear Son, Your father will be ordained a Priest soon, and then he will baptize me, and we are excited because in a year we will fly out to your mission and we will all be sealed as a family in the closest temple before you come home." Wow.

Sister C had a similar experience on her mission. No one supported her coming on a mission. Her mom was less active and her dad a non member... in CHINA. She told us she read this story and took the counsel to heart. She said that the miracle was, that as soon as she started doing this, her mother started writing and just a while ago, she found out that her mom regained activity, and that her Dad was baptized months ago, and that she would be flying straight into Hong Kong, where they would meet her in a few weeks as she finishes her mission, and they would be sealed as a family there... forever. Wow.

I just bawlled when I heard this. This is the Gospel in action. This is what it is all about, Heavenly Father blessing all of His children with all that He has in store for them.

 Another experience happened this week that I will never forget. We had a motorcoach of about 47 English from all over the States. We were paired up with a sister from Australia and 1 from Hawaii, and as they were explaining the blessings of the Temple and why the pioneers built the SLC Temple, I happened to look to my left and see none other than Elder Oaks and Sister Oaks walking right behind us. I could do nothing but smile, and Sister Oaks waved at us with a knowingly look. Not one of those people in the motorcoach knew that an Apostle of the Lord, someone who would be speaking for the Lord in a week, just walked in front of them. It was so neat to be testifying and to then see Elder Oaks walk behind us as we taught about the Gospel.

 Another cool thing that happened was we taught the 1st Vision on CHAT this week. So neat! A guy  asked us, "So what did Joseph Smith see?" After we told him about the First Vision, (we can see what they type before they submit it),  we saw the words: "So"......(delete)  "Wow"...... (pause delete) "Umm"... (delete) "So what you're saying is"....   It was cool actually seeing the effect that miraculous Vision had in his mind... actually seeing the processing of the message. Pretty neat.

 AND even though I'm just in my second transfer, I had the opportunity to take some MTC sisters contacting on the Square. My comp was from TAIWAN!!!! (Taipei) Wow, we became close friends already. I love her so much! She has such a bursting testimony and was so excited to share the gospel and it really pumped me up to! Her favorite phrase all 4 hours was "can we go talk to them?" ahah she was great! Her name was Sister Tsai and she will be in the Hawaii Visitor Center. At the end, we talked some more and the unbelievable thing was: SHE IS A VIOLIN MAJOR at Snow before her mission and wants to come to BYU! aaaaahhhhh! :) It's neat how the mission connects you to people you would have never known before and will know/bump into the rest of your life! (especially here where I see 185 sisters each day all day long all the time-- it's a lot of estrogen but it's great! There's no place like it!)

So these are some quotes from Sister L that I'd like to leave you with:

"Times are hard. They will be! But we can choose to make it harder or we can choose to make it a little bit lighter."

"Darkness and Gloom will only be a short time, and then the light will come out again- don't worry!"

"Some say it is raining, so it is going to be a bad day. No!!! You've got your umbrella, and you can still enjoy the rain! And that way, you'll enjoy the sunshine even more!"  - Sister L

 

I love you all. Prepare for General Conference and keep notes, and ask Heavenly Father in your mind "What do I need to change, or do better on, or who can I help?" and then write down all the thoughts that come to mind throughout the talks. That is actually how I received the inspiration first to go on a mission.

 

 ---Sister Fisher