Come Unto Christ

Hi guys,

So this last week was just rubbish for us. Good things happened and all, but our work was not so good. Sister Laineenkare had a nasty cold this week, and I had a mild form of the stomach flu. We are okay now. We feel better, and we are going to do our best to make sure that this week is our best yet! Not much new to report here unfortunately, but that's okay.

On to more important things! January is almost over so I am sure that you guys know by now the new youth theme for 2014. The theme for the youth is "Come Unto Christ". Now, I know that this is mainly for the youth, but I think it can be and should be applied to all of us! We should all "Come unto Christ and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness” (Moroni 10:32). Jesus Christ is our Saviour and Redeemer, but He is also our brother. He loves us so much, which is why He did so much for us! He performed the Atonement, which includes His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, His suffering and death on the cross, and His resurrection. He loves us, and there are many times throughout the scriptures in the Bible and the Book of Mormon that He invites us all to come unto Him. He is always there with His arms open wide, waiting for us to come unto Him. I love the Christus statue that we have because it shows the true nature of Jesus Christ. He wants all of us to come unto Him, not just some of us, but ALL of us! May we ever remember that, and take this into our hearts, and Come Unto Christ.

I hope and pray that you guys have a great week, and don't hurt yourselves further. I love you all and pray for you continually!

Love,
Sister Connery

The Christus Statue

This one is especially for Daddy! I love you Daddy! Love, Bug :)

This is what we did last P-Day. It's cold outside but we went and got milkshakes. lol. It was fun anyway! 

 Sister Laineenkare and I! :D

A Living Testimony of Service

Hiya!

Yes, our weather has been half and half. Half rain, half sunshine, but always cold! But alas, that's missionary life! We're blessed for being cold, so it's all good.

I never would have imagined that I would be singing in public, especially not a solo! I'm still scared to do them, but I'm getting over it, and I'm more willing now. I think that Brad Wilcox may have spoken at one of my EFY's, but I'm not sure. My memory is still rubbish. That hasn't changed. Yes, Sister Missionaries could teach the Relief Society lesson if needed, and we can also help with visiting teaching  too. Good for you guys to have the Sister Missionaries over for dinner. We have a dinner appointment almost every night this week, so we are happy missionaries! :)

So, my aches and pains. My hand is fine. The nail is growing on the finger, so that is good. It will look a little funny, and I'll have some small scars on my finger, but it's doing good. My shoulder is hurting more than usual because the Church has decided that missionaries need to be using shoulder bags, and that's a pain for me, so I just have to switch shoulders every now and then. I also bought a little muscle cream to rub on it to help relax the muscles. But pain is relative. My feet hurt still, but what missionary doesn't have aching feet? No new bruises to report though, so it's just the usual injuries. But it's all good! :)

We have a baptismal date for someone, and he is really cool! He is doing great so we are hoping and praying that he makes it to the date that we have set. He came to Church yesterday, so all is going pretty well with that so far. There isn't a whole lot of news to report on this week. Just doing the same old missionary thing, but one thing about this job...it's never boring! It's always exciting, and there is always different stuff to do and different people to talk to! One thing though that I would like to share with you guys is my testimony of service. In the Book of Mormon, in Mosiah 2:17, it says, "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." When we give service to other people we are helping Heavenly Father. Just like Jesus states in the Bible, "...Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (see Matthew 25:40) Twice it says a similar thing, that when we serve others, we are serving Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ was here on the earth, He was the perfect example of unselfish and loving service. We need to be more like him! We need to follow the example that he has set for us, to serve others and do what He did so that we can become more like Him.

Thanks guys for everything! You guys are the best! Keep up all the great missionary work you guys are doing, and I hope you have a great week! I love you all, and pray for you always!

Love,
Sister Connery

The Power Behind Us

Hey guys!

It's a beautiful day here in England! There is blue sky, the sun is shining, and it's going to be a great day and a fantastic week! :D I'm glad that you are all enjoying the letters that I send. There really is nothing to worry about. We have a great district leader who looks after us and does plenty of worrying. It is strange to think that we are just two 20-year-old girls living in and walking around a big city, and we are all on our own, but yet we are not alone! We are never alone because Heavenly Father is always with us as long as we are being obedient. We live in Purley, but the city of Croydon is also our area so if you Google pictures of Croydon then you'll see where I do my missionary work and stuff.

So, I absolutely love Sister Laineenkare! She and I get along so well! She is so funny, and I just love her to pieces! It's a great companionship. This last week was pretty good for us. Lots of stuff going on. We have another investigator with a baptismal date in February, and we will try our hardest to make sure that he will be prepared, but when he is ready, it will happen regardless of when it does actually happen. We also had zone training this week, and we felt really motivated after that. We are trying to keep the motivation going! We also had to teach the lesson in Relief Society yesterday because the sister that was supposed to teach it got sick at the last minute and asked us on Saturday night if we would teach it for her. It actually worked out really nicely. It's amazing what can happen when the Spirit is there! Saturday night, all of the missionaries (all 6 of us) in the ward got invited to a dinner that the High Priests group was putting on for all of the single people in the ward. We got invited because they asked all of us to sing together, but they fed us as well. After we did our group song, the High Priests Group Leader asked if I would sing a solo for them. I politely declined, but then he got the whole room to start egging me on to try and persuade me to sing a solo and because I was already super embarrassed, I just did it. I got up there in front of the whole room of about 50 people and sang a solo. Tough job, but I did it. My confidence since I came on my mission has really gone up a lot! It feels good! I figure, if I have a talent, I can't go bury it or it will be taken away. The Lord gave me this talent, and I am supposed to use it so I will.

Now, before I sign off, I would like to share something with anyone and everyone who reads this. We all know that member missionary work is hard and it can be really scary, BUT, it doesn't have to be that way! There is a quote I would like to share:

"The task ahead of us is not as great as the power behind us." - Brad Wilcox

This is the Lord's work, and we do NOT work alone! He is working with us to bring to pass His work and His glory, the immortality and eternal life of man. Doing our member missionary work is the task ahead of us, but the power behind us is Heavenly Father, and His power is greater than our task.

In the gospel of Mark, chapter 9, verse 23 it says: "Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."

And again, in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 17, verse 20 it says: "And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

And once again, in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 19, verse 26 it says: "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."

Jesus Christ says a similar thing, three separate times! If something is repeated over again, then it must be important! If we just have a tiny amount of faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, then nothing will be impossible for us! Heavenly Father will provide the way for us to do our member missionary work and it will be possible! Pray with faith for a missionary experience, and He will answer us, and He will help us to accomplish these things that He asks of us. I truly testify of these things!

I hope that you all have a great week, and that you will continue to stay strong in the faith and exercise it daily! I pray for you all, and I love you all very much!

Love,
Sister Connery

Forever Faithful

Hey guys,

I'm glad you liked the video. It is super funny, and we still laugh about it. We didn't do much New Years Eve. I slept, and apparently the fireworks went off at midnight and woke Sister Oriaku up, so she watched them for a bit. The next morning she asked me about them, and I was like, "What fireworks? I didn't hear anything." She just looked at me and said, "I was even talking to you while they were going on and you didn't hear anything? Were you dead?" Any opportunity I have to sleep, I will take it, and only the alarm will wake me. Speaking of our alarm, we usually just use the phone to wake us up, but we can't do that anymore because I lost the phone. :/ I dropped it on one of the buses, and now we have to get a new one. Oops. Note to prospective missionaries: Don't lose the phone! It will make missionary work very difficult! Now we get a taste of how it used to be. I will never take the phone for granted ever again!

 

So, about the holidays. The holidays here are just different. There is holidays for the Queen's birthday, and a lot of bank holidays. Those are just when the banks and library and whatnot are closed. But I think that's about it really. Congrats to Lindsay on her marriage! That is really exciting and I am so happy for her! Biology is not that hard you guys. If I was allowed to, I would help you out, but you'll have to use Grace in the meantime. She'll take care of it. In our mission we have approximately 300 missionaries. That is including the senior couples which are 28 people total for them, so we have 272 young missionaries in the mission. 

 

We had transfers this last week, and I am still in Purley! However, I got a new companion! Sister Oriaku was transferred and my new companion is Sister Laineenkare, from Finland! She has been out for 6 months, and I absolutely love her already! We are gonna have such a great time together! So to pronounce her name just say it like this: Line-en-car-a (the "a" is not -uh, or -ah, it's just "a") One day I will say it for you guys and then you'll figure it out better. So, that is the exciting news for this week! No one up for baptism yet, but we're hoping, praying, and trying to get a few dates this week! 

Our mission president, President Millar, has come up with a new motto for our mission: "Forever Faithful". I love this motto! Faith is definitely something that I have been working on, and I was actually studying in the Christlike Attributes chapter in Preach My Gospel, about Faith in Jesus Christ this morning. In that section it says, "Faith is a principle of power. God works by power, but His power is usually exercised in response to faith." (PMG, pg. 116) Faith precedes the miracles. Especially in missionary work. We have to show Heavenly Father that we have faith before we can see miracles happen. There is a chapter in the Book of Mormon that talks about faith and miracles. It is Moroni chapter 7. I suggest that maybe for FHE you guys read it and talk about it and also study that section about faith in Preach My Gospel on page 116 too. Study those together, and I can promise you that your faith will grow and you will grow by spiritual leaps and bounds. It will also help Sam to be able to prepare for his mission by studying Preach My Gospel, and it will help all of you to be better member missionaries. I know that you are all trying, and Heavenly Father is very proud of all of you and the work that you are doing for Him. I challenge you all to be forever faithful to our Father in Heaven and to our Savior Jesus Christ, especially in bringing about the great work of salvation! 

 

I hope you guys have a great second week of the New Year! Be good, work hard in all things, and be forever faithful! I love you and pray for you all every day!

 

Love,

Sister Connery

 

 Me and Sister Laineenkare

Look Not Behind Thee

Hiya everyone!

Gosh, it was so good to talk to you all last Wednesday! I can't believe that it's been almost a whole week since I spoke to you guys. It was so nice to hear your voices and to actually get to speak to you. Just think, next time I get to speak to you on the phone or Skype, it will be May, and I will have less than 6 months left on my mission! How crazy is that?! Time really goes by so fast! I'm sorry that I couldn't Skype with you guys last week. But, maybe on Mother's Day I will Skype with you guys. You could probably get Jen and Jordan, Chris and Wendy, and Matt and Peyton in on the Skype call too. I'll let you guys figure out that end of it. But, the most important thing was that I got to talk to you guys! That was my best Christmas present as well! Also, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the Christmas presents! You guys really didn't have to send me all that stuff, especially cuz it's expensive but I am very grateful for it all, so thank you!!! :)

So, lots more missionaries are preparing to go out now! Come join the army of 80,000+ Christian Soldiers! Honestly, you'll never regret going on a mission! Congrats to those who have gotten their calls! You'll love it! Not much has really gone on since I last talked with you guys. We've just been doing what we do, and loving it! I hope you guys enjoyed the video I sent you. We couldn't stop laughing! I think the end bit where I am standing on my head is my favorite part! lol. Hope it gave you guys a good laugh! :)

Now is the time for New Years Resolutions! Now is the time to look back, but just for a moment, on the regrets of 2013, and to make your resolutions. Once you have made your resolutions, don't look back anymore. The future is before you, so just like it says in Genesis 19:17, "...look not behind thee...". There is always room for improvement in everything. My advice is to set goals and make plans to accomplish your resolutions this year. It's great to have them, but unless you set goals and make plans to accomplish it, then it won't happen. Work hard for it, and you'll get it.

I hope you guys had a very Merry Christmas, and I wish you a Happy New Year! Bring it on 2014! Have a great week, and a great start to your new year! I love you all!!!

Love,
Sister Connery

P.S.-Here is a link to a Mormon Message that you guys should watch:
http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=910930409001&cid=HPTH122613304&im=true

Merry Christmas

Check this out! A member of the ward made this using an iPad app! It's my companion and I, and two of the Elders in the ward. Enjoy! It's hilarious! :)

Going to the Temple

Hiya everyone!

Oh my gosh, I am so excited for Christmas day! I can't wait to call you guys and tell you more about all the missionary work and to hear more about what's going on with you guys! Yes, I will call at 12pm your time, which will be 8pm my time. I figured that way you guys could have breakfast and open presents and stockings already. That way the kids won't be complaining and dying to open their presents! haha! Don't worry Mama, I won't forget to call. Please answer the phone this time! lol. I will call on your cell phone Mama, but if you don't answer then I will try Daddy's phone, Grandma's phone, Sam's phone, the house phone, etc. I will even call Jen or Chris and tell them to call you if need be. Hopefully we won't need to do that though. I'm so glad to hear that Daddy's home so I can talk to him as well! Just a few more days! :D

So, this week we taught 33 lessons, have a few new investigators and also had a referral from a member! She gave out a Book of Mormon to a co-worker and then brought the co-worker and her young family to church yesterday, where we met them and after church we were able to teach them about the Restoration! It was great! Sister Oriaku and I were so excited! We have received a few small gifts from members, but we both agreed that the best gifts that any member could ever give missionaries is to find someone for them to teach! The best part of my week was the opportunity that I had to attend the Temple on December 19th! Oh my gosh, how I loved it! It was such an amazing experience! I have missed the temple SOOOO much, and I was so happy to be back there again! In our mission we now have 300 missionaries total (including the 28 single sisters/couple missionaries), so it was VERY difficult to get all of the missionaries there. We were blessed though, because President Millar said that he had no idea how it was going to be done, but it worked out in the end, and everyone in the mission got to go. We had to go on a couple of different days, but at least we all made it there. I am actually very close to the temple. I am a half hour away by train or car. The temple is actually in my zone (a zone as a missionary is the stake boundaries-so a zone is just like a stake) It was one of the best days that I have had on my mission so far! :D

Congrats on the baptisms and all of the other missionary news! That's always a wonderful thing to hear about! The work truly is hastening, and it's a wonderful time to be a missionary! Don't worry about the White Christmas-we're not having one either. We're having a Wet Christmas instead of a White Christmas too! haha! Also, in other news, the entire fingernail on my broken little finger came off! It's kinda strange looking, but the new nail is growing, so by the time I come home next year, it will be fixed! :)

So, other than all of that, there's not much to share. But there will be loads to talk about on Wednesday I'm sure! Can't wait to talk to all of you! Have a great few days, and I will talk to you on Christmas! Merry Christmas everyone!

Love,
Sister Connery

Christmas Dinner at the London Temple

Sister Oriaku and I outside the temple

 Me outside the temple!