110 in the Shade: in which Sister Beer gets a watch tan

Okay, so maybe it isn't that hot, but I do have a watch tan.  And it's still really hot.  Yesterday was 92 degrees F with really high humidity.  Walking outside was like walking into a really humid oven.  Or a steamer.  You pick.

With all of the craziness last week, I forgot to mention that we have a couple of new missionaries!  Sister Tung hails from Northern Taiwan, and is super awesome.  Sister Lee is training her (my little girl is all grown up!) and they are doing well, from the looks of it.  Sister Tung has graduated from college with a degree in social sciences.  We are super happy to have her here. :)  There is another elder coming today, but I haven't met him yet.  He was in the MTC a week past our transfer day, so Elder Cook (his trainer) got to go up and meet him last night.  We talked to him on the phone yesterday when Elder Cook, who is also our District Leader, called to see how our day went.  I would tell you his name, but then I might embarrass myself by spelling it wrong, so I'd better wait until next week.  Actually, Elder Radford just walked by, so I met him and asked him how to spell his name!  He seems pretty cool, from the 30 seconds I talked to him.

I don't have too much time (when do I ever these days?), but I figured I would leave with some spiritual food for thought.  This week we taught a lesson in Relief Society all about preparing for disasters.  I realized as we taught that spiritual preparedness is just as important as physical preparedness.  It was good to think back at how my parents helped me to prepare spiritually for times of trouble.  One of my favorite scriptures for those times is 3 Nephi 22:10.  I'll let you go look it up and think about it on your own time, rather than boring you with my commentary.

I love you all!

Sister Caitlin Beer

Just a short one this week.

[An excerpt from a letter to Sister Beer's mom.]

As for my devoted readers, let them know I love them as well, and that even though I haven't been able to write as frequently, they can take that as a sign that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.  Going on a mission is the best decision I have ever made.  I am glad I am here and busy!

Sometimes life is super busy...and then you have a barbecue.

Yep.  That's pretty much it.

P-Days are fun as a Chinatown missionary. The zone likes to have fun together, and that is exactly what we do. Today on the docket is a barbecue at the East River Park, with frisbee and kebabs, with perhaps a little grilled pineapple on the side. That is, however, if it doesn't rain us out. There are supposed to be thunderstorms today.  As good missionaries, however, we have a back up plan of stir fry at the Blairs' with some broiled pineapple skewers. That still sounds pretty delicious to me.

My lack of letter last week (that has been happening way too often) is due to us going to the temple. It was a great experience, as always, and gave me the spiritual boost I needed for the rest of the week. Some weeks are harder than others, and this was one of them.

Luckily I have an inspired mission president who shared D&C 123:17 with me in our last conversation, and an inspired mother who provided me with a wonderful Elaine S. Dalton quote at the beginning of my mission. These two things, along with some fervent prayer and study of the rest of D&C 121-123 have been crucial in helping me through difficult times in the past month. Growing is difficult. It has to be, or else we wouldn't learn anything from it.

Big changes are coming to Chinatown, including two of our native sisters leaving to go to Temple Square for a couple of transfers. Who knew they could do that? I didn't, for sure, and it totally threw off everything that I thought would happen this next transfer! I guess we'll find out on Saturday for sure what's up.

Also, a BIG congratulations to Sister Toronto who will be joining us in Chinatown later this year! I heard about the call from Sister MacKay, who knows the Toronto family. It will be fun to see someone I know from school in the mission, and I know Sister Toronto will be an excellent addition to the Chinatown Zone.

I love all of you, and I hope that you are having a wonderful week!  Stay cool for summer - New York is heating up fast!

Love,

Sister Beer

In which Sister Beer does some repenting and finally writes a blog post

Okay.  I really did mean to write last week, I promise.  So many good things happened that I wanted to share with you!  I even wrote a little outline in my planner of what I wanted to write.  And then suddenly there were lessons and no internet at the chapel and... no blog post.

But I'm here now, and that's what counts, right?

Chinatown is still here, in case you were wondering.  There is still missionary work happening, and I am still incredibly happy and grateful to be here.  Even though not every day is easy, I always seem to be learning something.  Actually, it is because days aren't easy I am learning something.  That seems to be how the Lord works, if Ether 12:6, 27 are any indication.

Sister Murray, you will be happy to know your son is still as musically gifted as ever.  On Monday I had the awesome opportunity to go to President Morgan's home and perform with Elder Murray and Elder Foley at a special Family Home Evening for a departing member of our mission presidency and his family.  We performed three pieces (all arranged by Elder Murray) with Elder Murray on piano, Elder Foley playing flute, and me singing in various combinations.  It was awesome.  I am so grateful for the opportunities my mission has provided for me to share my testimony through music!  Also, it was a lot of fun to work with the Elders doing music things - they are both pretty fantastically talented.

It was especially cool to do since Elder Murray is currently serving upstate.  Usually when missionaries go up that means that we have little-to-no contact with them at all for the time they are out of Chinatown.  This will make time number two I have seen Elder Murray since he left.  (The first was at the Yankees game a few weeks ago, which was a lot of fun, by the way.  Once the church computer is up an running again I'll send pictures!)  It was pretty awesome.

We are teaching this awesome woman right now who is literally the best investigator ever.  She likes to begin lessons by asking us questions she has written down while studying the Book of Mormon.  I think this may be a first for me on my mission.  She is a true seeker-of-truth, which I absolutely love.  We taught her a lesson earlier this week and Sister Lee sat in with us.  After we were done she said "wow, she really is the best investigator ever."  Yeah.  It's true.

Making up for two weeks without boring you all to tears is hard.  I'd better not skip again.

One thing before I go.  This morning I was studying in 2 Nephi 12, at the beginning of the Isaiah chapters.  I love that the first thing Nephi decides to record from Isaiah is about the temple.  "[...] Come ye, and let us go to the mountain [temple] of the Lord, [...] and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths [...]"  How awesome is that?  In the temple we are taught about the ways of the Lord, and how to become more like him.  We are taught more completely how we fit into the Plan of Happiness and what we can do to better fulfill our role in that plan.  What an incredible gift!  The blessings of the temple, the knowledge of God, are available to any who are willing to follow Him and keep His commandments.  It's pretty incredible, when you stop and think about it.

I love all of you.  I hope this week is everything you want it to be and more!

Much love,

Sister Beer

The Gift of Tongues

Dear all,

I don't have much time to write, since we are going to a Yankees game in about two seconds.  I just want to say I love you all, the gospel is true, and we'll see you next week!

Much love,

Sister Beer

P.S. A section from a letter sent to Sister Beer's mother:

On a side note: the gift of tongues is real.  Before I left on splits [with a spanish-speaking sister] I said a fervent prayer that I would be able to understand and contribute in the lessons I attended while in Inwood.  I figured this wasn't too grand a request since 1) the Lord can do anything and 2) I took a few years of Spanish in high school, as well as grew up with Spanish influences in my home.  

In the first lesson we taught we worked with a less active member named Candida who has no real desire to come to church.  She is a wonderful, sweet woman, she just hasn't quite made the connection that going back to church will help her with the problems she is facing right now.  While we sat talking with her, I felt impressed to share my testimony of sharing testimonies.  I turned to Sister Portugal and asked if she could translate for me, but then Candida said "No, she can do it," I would assume since she heard me reading in Spanish before.  She then looked at me expectantly.  

I started speaking, and, while it wasn't perfect, and I needed help with a couple of words, I was able to bear my testimony to her about how much Heavenly Father loves her and wants her to share her testimony with other people at church.  I told her that she would be able to help build other people's faith with her own.  I'm pretty sure I didn't learn most of those words in Spanish class.  I could feel the Spirit, and I was so grateful for that answer to a prayer.

New Cycle, New Expectations

Hello all!

Transfers were this week, and boy, are we seeing some change in Chinatown.

Possibly most significant is the fact that Elder Murray and Elder Ling are going upstate.  We are really going to miss them here.  I realized also that Elder Murray and I have been in the same district or zone for the last eleven months.  That's a long time.  He is a fantastic missionary, and someone who's work and dedication (not to mention musical ability) I greatly admire.  Upstate is going to love him.  In return, though, we are getting Elder Zander back, and he will be training Elder Leung from Hong Kong.  Hooray for new missionaries!

I have been transferred out of my area, but am still in Chinatown.  I will be working with Sister Woo as a Sister Training Leader in Manhattan.  What that means is that we will go and do exchanges with sisters in the four Manhattan zones to help train and evaluate their work.  It should be a great experience, and I have been wanting to work with Sister Woo essentially since the beginning of my mission.  She is from Singapore, rock climbs, is studying mechanical engineering at BYU, and is lots of fun to be around.  I'm super excited!

Looking back at the last cycle, I have seen an incredible amount of change.  Sister Lee (who I am really going to miss being companions with) and my area went from a mediocre to a strong area.  We have solid investigators who are progressing towards baptism, great less actives who are coming back to activity, and solid members who are willing to help us do missionary work.  What more could a missionary ask for?  It's incredible.  Beyond that, I have seen incredible personal growth and have felt an increased connection with my Heavenly Father.  It has been a great cycle, and one that has shown me that it really is through small things that great things come to pass.

For example, this last week we had one of our less actives officially come back into activity.  I have been teaching her since January, when she was not attending church, seldom praying and not reading scriptures at all.  Since then she has started reading, praying every day, has changed her work schedule to come to church, and has seen miracles in her life as a direct result of keeping commandments.  She is worthy and willing to partake of the sacrament.  Her testimony is incredible!  

As I was talking with one of my zone leaders this week I wondered how it was possible she hadn't become reactivated earlier.  He said "Maybe no one took the time to really focus on her like you two have."  It made me stop and think.  Our making the effort to go and visit, even when it seemed like she wasn't making progress at all, was an act of faith in her and in the Lord on her behalf.  That faith resulted in a miracle. (See 2 Nephi 27:23 for more on that note.)

I love you all.  You are amazing, and I am lucky to have your love and support!

Until next week,

Sister Beer

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles!

This week has been one of miracles!

As my good friend Christopher Dean once told me, "Miracles happen every day of your mission.  If you don't see one, you aren't looking hard enough."  Last week I wrote my mom about miracles, and what goes into accomplishing a miracle.  What it really comes down to, I have decided, is faith: faith that the Lord will provide the miracle when it is needed, not when I want it. Faith that when the miracle comes, that it will serve the people it needs to. And faith that God is a God of miracles; He loves us and wants us to feel that love. Our experiences this week have helped us to see how important miracles are in this work and how we have been blessed with an opportunity to serve. The past two days we have had several "surprise lessons" (where we either found someone on the street who was interested in the gospel, or someone's schedule opened up, that sort of thing) where I have felt the Spirit directing our teaching. It was exciting, since we had very short notice before the lesson started that it would be happening, and we had to rely completely on the Spirit to help us know how to move forward. It was a great experience for both Sister Lee and me to teach those lessons. I think these people have a lot of potential to progress!

What really happened to make these miracles happen, though, is trusting that the Lord would help us do the things that we need to do.  Every week we set goals as missionaries to direct our focus for the week.  We realized that in order to meet our goals this week, we would need to get a certain amount of lessons every day.  So far, we have met those goals each day for lessons, although in ways that we did not think we would!  Heavenly Father really is blessing us here in Chinatown.

This week is a shorter letter because we are meeting at one to go to the Bronx Zoo!  It should be lots of fun, but it takes a while to get there.  Even though what Chris said applied to missions, I think it applies to our everyday lives as well.  If you see any awesome miracles in your life this week, feel free to post them in a response here or send me a letter.  I would love to hear about them!

You are amazing. :)

Love,

Sister Beer