Hello! How is everyone doing? OK so it is SO cold outside so I hope that everyone who is driving in Utah is careful. I got stuck in the snow yesterday and then when I slammed on the gas (trying to get un-stuck) I almost a hit a tree. It was so funny. Other than that, this has been a wonderful week! Last Saturday was one of the best days on my mission because J was baptized. He is so great and will be getting the priesthood soon! I had not been to a baptism for a while and it was such a good experience. The spirit was so strong and I knew as everything was happening that this church really is true! He truly had a glow about him and he just seemed so happy. I never thought too much about baptism before my mission but what an amazing blessing it is! It makes me realize how special partaking of the sacrament each week is because it reminds us of those covenants we made with Heavenly Father on the day we were baptized. Our investigator from Iowa was also baptized on Saturday. I wish I could have been there for that one too!
Remember our investigator from North Carolina? One of things that he would always want to pray about is finding a job. He had been unemployed for several months and was very depressed. So we began praying for him and with him that he would find a job. Within a few weeks he got a great job and he was so happy but then eventually he stopped talking to us and he even cancelled the baptism that he had set for the middle of November. I was so sad for him but he had gotten to a better place since getting a job and felt like he no longer needed God. But then last week he lost that job and was stuggling again so he got in contact with us and has been asking us to pray for him again. I am so heartbroken that he lost his job but he wants to embrace the gospel again and I am so glad to have this contact with him. I just know that God is preparing him for something great. Sometimes God allows trials to happen in our lives because He knows it will bring us closer to Him. God sees the big picture and promises us that our trials will be for a small moment but that if we accept the gospel of Jesus Christ our joy will be eternal. I am happy to be teaching him again and I hope he chooses to go ahead with his baptism this time!
Yesterday the snow storm was so bad we were sent home early. Snow days are boring for missionaries so we ran outside and got big bowls of snow and then ran back into the apartment. We put vanilla, cocoa, sugar, and milk in the snow and had frozen hot chocolate!
Since we can only go to Sacrament Meeting on Sundays we have Relief Society every Thursday morning. Last Thursday we had it in the church Relief Society building and our lesson was taught by the General Relief Society President, Linda K. Burton. She told us about how her dad used to tell her: You can count the number of seeds in an apple,
but you cannot count the number of apples in a seed. This means there are an
ENDLESS number of possibilities when we plant a seed in someone's life. There are also many opportunities for progression.
We do not know what we are meant to become, but God does! She also said that our
mission is preparation or the MTC for the rest of our lives. Our work ethic in our mission will
determine the course of our lives. Don't waste any moment! Serve at every opportunity you have! This goes for full-time missionaries, as well as member
missionaries.
This morning we attended the temple and Sister Steenhoek and I brought our patriarchal blessings so that we could read them in the Celestial Room. We have made it a goal to invite everyone we talk to (those who are already members of the church) to read their patriarchal blessings. Heavenly Father is such a loving God! He has given us so many gifts to help us throughout our lives such as the scriptures, patriarchal blessings, prayer, prophets, family, etc! It is up to us to use those gifts to make us happy in our lives and to remember the bigger picture. Being on a mission and getting into the habit of taking advantage of all of these things that Heavenly Father has provided us has made me a much happier person.
So we have had Elder Holland, Elder Oaks, and Elder Don Clark of the Seventy speak to us so far since I have been out on my mission. All three of them have spoken to us about spiritual maintenance. President Monson is very worried because we are losing a lot of the youth in the church. The youth in high school, college, and even returned missionaries. All three of these men who spoke to us said that the best way to remain happy in our lives is to keep doing the things Heavenly father asks us to do. Sister Steenhoek and I have been teaching a few less active returned missionaries and when they become less active in the gospel it almost always starts with the same problem. They completely stop every wonderful thing that they learned to do while they were on their mission. I am not perfect and I won't be after my mission so I am just so happy that I am learning about how to prevent all of this right now. We learned that it is so important that we don't just go through the mission but we let the mission go through us! Even if you haven't served a mission! Before my mission I found myself just going through the motions. I didn't really think about it and I felt like I was doing ok but I wasn't saying prayers every morning and night and I wasn't reading the scriptures as often as I should.
So I would like to leave an invitation to all of my family and friends. The world isn't getting any better but if we truly want to be happy and have peace in our lives the best way to do so is just to keep the commandments, do what God asks of us, remember the Savior and his atonement. He did all of this for us and there is no possible way we can pay him back but what we can do is keep the commandments and draw ourselves closer to our Father in Heaven. SO! I invite all of you to do personal scripture study, morning and night prayers, read your patriarchal blessing, think about the Savior as you take the sacrament, and read scriptures with your family! I think it is so important to just remember the bigger picture. There are such good things to come and Heavenly Father has blessed us with so much. He promises us such amazing gifts and it is not worth it to not do our part. I know that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us. I know that He has a plan for all of us and there is always a way back to Him. One of my favorite chapters in the bible is John 14. Anytime I am going through a hard time since I was 17, I just read John 14!
1 Let not your heart be : ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s are many : if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will again, and receive you unto myself; that am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the , the , and the life: no man c unto the Father, but by me.
The Savior went before us to prepare many wonderful experiences and blessings for us. Heavenly Father has a plan and his way is always the best way. As we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ we can enjoy those good things to come. If times are hard and we don't know what else to do we can always lean on the Savior because he knows what we are feeling. I like to imagine that kind of love that he had for all of us. He wants us to be happy and the best ways to be happy in life are doing the things that draw us closer to the Savior and Heavenly Father.
It is almost a new year and it is going to be a good one! I am so excited to see what this next year brings. I will be on my mission for about 11 months of this year and I am so happy I get to do so! I am so happy to serve here at Temple Square. I love everything I am learning and the wonderful people I get to teach. I love learning from my investigators because they have taught me so much about the important things in life. The first few months of my mission were tough but now I can truthfully say that I love my mission! I am happy I am here and I know that I need to be here.
I can't wait to see what's in store for us this Christmas! I have heard that Christmas is amazing here in our mission. I will tell you all about it next week!
Love,
Sister Park
From Macy's Mom:
After Macy received her call to Temple Square we immediately began hearing about how unique the mission was. Girls who had served there and parents of Temple Square missionaries referred to it as "the most unique mission in the world." We soon began asking questions and doing research to learn about the mission and everything we learned about the Temple Square mission was incredible. The mission isn't unique in the way that most people might think. It's not just a mission where beautiful international girls get fixed up and stand around the square to serve as customer service reps or tour guides. The rumor that "all the pretty girls go to Temple Square" is just a myth- don't get me wrong, the girls there are beautiful. But not because they were blessed with striking features or supermodel physiques. They are beautiful because, like all other missionaries serving around the world, they are filled with the light of Christ. This mission is unique for many reasons. It is an all girl mission. The girls are responsible for preparing all their own meals and don't eat in member homes. This mission does not have boundaries. The whole world is their mission and there is no country these girls have not taught the gospel in. It is one of the highest baptizing missions in the world. The Temple Square missionaries teach local investigators as well as investigators over the phone. And finally, it is the only mission that allows the missionaries' family members to visit and see their child in action. This weekend our family did just that.
Our appointment with Macy and her companion, Sister Steenhoek, was set for Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and we arrived in Salt Lake City on Friday afternoon to finish some Christmas shopping and check into the hotel so that we could go see the lights at Temple Square that evening. Our hotel was right across the street from Temple Square and the view of the Square was absolutely perfect.
Everything was covered in snow and it was beautiful!
We knew there was a small chance we would see Macy and her companion at the Square Friday night but we weren't too hopeful since many people have gone to look for Macy during conference time and other times of the year and had no luck. For security reasons the other missionaries won't tell us where she is at if we ask. We knew there would be thousands of people there and she would be hard to spot but we decided to keep a look out just in case. We walked through the west gates of Temple Square at 6:00 just after the lights went on and headed for the North Visitors Center. Inside, the visitors center was packed and I knew that if she was in there we probably wouldn't even see her. After a few minutes of looking around in the visitors center, Jeremy had a feeling he should go back outside to the west gates we entered through. As soon as he walked up to that area he saw Macy and Sister Steenhoek!
In the meantime the kids and I were still in the visitors center looking around and barely able to walk two consecutive steps because it was so packed. Then I hear Jeremy from behind me say, "Hey, look who I found!" So I turn around and there he is with my beautiful daughter that I hadn't seen in months! She was beaming and smiling from ear to ear. I quickly handed Jeremy my phone and purse so I could go give her a huge hug before Kendall and the twins bombarded her. We were all so excited to see our beautiful missionary!
Macy and Sister Steenhoek had an appointment with a family a few minutes after that so they didn't get to stick around but seeing them was so much fun and made our night! After a long day of traveling our little encounter was enough to recharge our batteries so we stepped outside of the visitors center to brave the cold and see the rest of Temple Square before finally eating dinner at the Nauvoo Cafe, one of the restaurants in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
After seeing Macy Friday night, I thought Saturday morning might be kind of anti-climatic. But when Saturday morning rolled around I woke up extra early and stared at the clock, willing it to be 10:00 so we could leave and actually spend some real time with Macy and Sister Steenhoek. The clock was ticking by slowly and finally at 9:30 we all walked down stairs and started across the street to Temple Square. According to Guest Services instructions, we were to meet Macy and her companion at the Temple Construction Desk in the South Visitor's Center at 10:00 a.m. sharp. We arrived at the South Visitors Center at about 9:35 and decided we would look around a little. We walked in and there were two missionaries at the front of the visitors center who were there to greet guests as they walked in. We told them why we were there and they acted like it was the most wonderful thing in the world. That is one of things I love about the Temple Square missionaries. The hospitality they display is very remarkable. It's kind of like going to Disneyland where the customer service is top-notch and everyone there makes you feel like you are the most important person in the world. I have heard that employees of Disney go through extensive customer service training to learn this skill. But the amazing thing about the Temple Square missionaries is that they don't go through any extensive training other than in the MTC. What causes them to possess such a gracious charm is the fact that they are surrounded by beautiful music, missionaries both old and young, temple patrons, and the spirit of Christ every hour of every day. It truly rubs off on each of them and the feeling they project is incredible.
After looking at the SLC temple model for several minutes we decided to walk over to the area where we were supposed to meet Macy and wait.
A sweet missionary from Sweden offered to take a
picture of us while we waited.
After a few minutes we heard a familiar laugh and then we finally saw our sweet missionary and her companion enter from behind an area blocked with a red velvet rope and a sign that said "controlled access".
Macy told me to not act like the paparazzi
but I couldn't help myself.
After we hugged her and her companion (again), they told us the first stop on our tour would be to the chapel in the Joseph Smith building where they attend church every sunday. Macy told us about the chapel once before in a letter and said how beautiful it was. She was right!
The woman at the organ was practicing the most beautiful
Christmas music I have ever heard. She was so talented!
A view of the ornate ceiling Macy told us about
Macy and her companion told us the reason the chapel is so luxurious is because it used to be a ballroom back when the Joseph Smith Memorial Building was a hotel. When the hotel was turned into the Memorial Center they decided to make this ballroom a chapel. It is truly amazing to see in person!
When the girls leave the chapel during the month of December they walk out to the view of this beautiful Christmas tree in the lobby of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
Our next stop was to the basement of the South Visitors Center where the Temple Square mission office is located. This area is filled with cubicles that serve as offices for the Fleet missionaries (Macy and her companion are on the Fleet assignment right now), the Office Assistants, and Assistants to the President. This is also where the missionaries go to teach the lessons over the phone to investigators who live all around the world.
As you walk into the mission office area, there is a large board that describes perfectly why we have missionaries on the earth today.
The board says "What's bound on Earth will be Bound in Heaven"
and there are pictures of recent baptisms of some of the girl's investigators.
The tagline of the Temple Square mission is "The World is Our Mission". On another wall in the mission office is this large map with little pins that represent the mission's recent baptisms all across the world.
The pins are very hard to see in this picture.
Another map on the wall represents all the countries of origin of the current Temple Square missionaries.
Since the age change, there are several
more from the United States than there were in the past.
There are over 200 sister missionaries representing 55 countries serving at Temple Square. This display of flags in the mission office represent where some of the sisters are from. There are also other flag displays in different areas of the office.
Macy and Sister Steenhoek decided to get creative with the Fleet board and bought some fabric to cover it and decorate it a few weeks ago. Here is the finished product.
A little sign they made to go on the bottom of their board :)
Next, they took us to the tabernacle. There were investigators in there so we were able to watch Macy in action as she went up to the front and talked about the acoustics in the building and did the pin drop demonstrati
Our final stop on the tour was the Christus room in the North Visitors Center. Jersy was in awe when she saw the Christus and immediately knelt down to pray. Everyone in the room was touched, including the investigators, and many of them were taking pictures of her
Macy and Sister Steenhoek talked to the kids about why we celebrate Christmas.
I just had to get a family picture in front of the Christus before we left. I wish we all would have remembered to take off our coats but at least we have the picture!
This concluded our hour long tour. We hated for it to end but luckily we were able to take Macy and Sister Steenhoek to lunch before we left. The girls wanted to go to Hires Big H, a hamburger joint close to down town that has become their favorite restaurant. They went back to the Church Office Building to get a car and we met them there. The hour that we had for lunch flew by as we listened to stories about their mission.
Several people asked me if it was hard to say goodbye and if I am being honest I was very worried about that part. But when I walked Macy to her car she looked at me and said, "Mom, for the first time I can honestly say that I am genuinely happy." Looking at her face I knew she was telling me the truth. She wasn't just ok with going back to Temple Square when we drove away, she was excited to get back to Temple Square and go to work! She is in a beautiful place decorated with the most beautiful christmas decorations on earth, she has a companion that she gets along great with, she has 200 other missionaries who are all there serving the same purpose, and she is working alongside Heavenly Father each day to help bring people to Christ. Who wouldn't find completely happiness in that? So to answer everyone's question- I will miss her for the next year but saying goodbye wasn't hard at all. She is exactly where she is supposed t
