Monday, November 12, 2012

So what do I do at the VC?


I love you all soooo much!! Thank you thank you for being the best family ever. So this week I just kind of wanted to tell you about my life as a Visitors Center Sister Missionary. Oh, also I got to see Sister O'hare this week!!!! Ah it made me so happy! :) And Sister Anderson leaves for the mission home today and then is flying back home tomorrow! It is so weird having one of my trainers leave and I really don't like it. I feel like I'm being abandoned! haha But really I don't like thinking about home as much as I have lately, but it's just hard not to when your companion is going home. But it's all good! :) So we got the call for transfers and....... I am in a trio again!!! Sister Shurtz and I were NOT expecting that! Our new companion is Sister Lewis and she is also from Utah. Sister Shurtz has been companions with her before and she really likes her, so that's good! I have only briefly met her at our weekly prep meetings at the visitors center (we have them every Thursday now since we are preparing for Christmas lights! yay!) Also we are moving again! We are staying in the same complex, but getting a bigger apartment! Sweet! It's a two bedroom two bath so I am quite happy :) The only bad thing is that we are going to lose our beloved couch that our beloved members gave to us :/ Anyways so, my life. It is not what I expected it would be, but it is so awesome!! So as you know everyday we go to the Visitors Center. We either have the 9-3, 3-6, or 6-9 shift. I absolutely love working at the Visitors Center! I get to meet so many amazing people and I literally see miracles there everyday. Amazing. Oh, also in my mission we get to go to the temple once a transfer. We actually got to go last week on Halloween! It was awesome and the Mesa temple is BEAUTIFUL! So, when we are at the Visitors Center we are either assigned to a position like front greet- where we greet people that come into the building, schedule movies, answer the phone, play the Christus narration for people, and if it's not too busy up there then we can go take people on tours. There is a new position we added in since this time of year is pretty busy and we get to just walk around and talk to people. I love it! I absolutely love helping people and using all of the amazing resources at the Visitors Center to help them come closer to Jesus Christ. 

So then we have the back greet which is just like the front, but better. We get to take people through this walk through movie thing called "God's Plan for the Family". That is my favorite thing to show people besides the Christus of course. I get a little choked up every time! When I took the Loveland's through it I was crying but having a familiar face there just made me think of you guys and how grateful I am for my family! That station is my favorite because everyone can relate to it. We have all had tragedies, loved ones die, there is contention in the home, there's never enough time, etc. but what this movie shows is that as imperfect as every family is we can be united and strengthened through the gospel of Jesus Christ. One day I will take you guys through it :) 

So at the back greet we also have the prophets display, the table with The Book of Mormon's in tons of different languages, and a cute little kids display. Oh, also the back wall has displays that talk about the temple. I love being at the back desk because the whole back wall of the Visitors Center is a big window so we can directly see the temple. 

And now that they are putting the Christmas lights up it looks so amazing at night! We also have another spot to work at called media- which is where we call referral cards, chat on mormon.org, answer calls for the number on the back of pass along cards as well as those who call into mormon.org. It is so cool!!! I love it because when you serve at a visitors center you have the opportunity to teach people all over the world! I am talking to one guy in Idaho right now, another in Maryland, and I just sent missionaries to a family in Georgia! Awesome! If you guys want me to send missionaries to any of your friends just let me know! :) I love serving at the Visitors Center. So on top of all that amazing stuff I also get to serve in my area- which I love as well! 

Ah this week was super amazing with our investigators! I love them! haha and yes I do find their names to be quite ironic as well... but Jesus is getting baptized December 1st! I have never met somebody so prepared in my life! I know that there are prepared people out there who are searching for the gospel and they just can't find it. We have to help these people! God's message is for everyone! He wants all of His children to experience this happiness. I had an interesting thought this week. You know this is the Lord's work and it will go forward with or without me. Also I know that Heavenly Father is fair and will give all of His children the opportunity to receive His message in this life or the next. So then why serve a mission? I am serving a mission because I want to show the Lord that I am willing to do whatever He asks of me. I am serving a mission because I love the Lord with all my heart and my greatest desire is to honor Him and share the happiness I have found with all of His children. I am so grateful that the Lord has provided me with this opportunity to express my love for Him. Understanding this concept really motivated me this week to work harder because I realized why I was doing it. Some people don't want to hear what you have to say and are rude and reject you, but it's ok! I know that God sees my efforts and that is all that matters. Then God blesses us with amazingly prepared people and it is just a wonderful happy cycle. Well family - I miss you all!

Till next week!
Love eternally,
Sister Hamstead xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox