August 30, 2011

Hello Everyone!,
  Another great week to be a missionary! Elder Zwick of the Seventy met with us yesterday for a special Mission Conference. It was awesome and really powerful. We received a lot of good advice, but more than anything, he expressed love and gratitude for all that we are doing, not only from him, but from the first presidency. I felt truly honored to be a missionary. Of course, I feel that every day.
  We had four women from our branch go to the temple to receive their endowments on Saturday. The light they brought back with them was blinding. I was a little jealous. More than anything though, I was so grateful to see the change that came over them and to be a part of it. I hope I can see that change when many of their husbands go in November as well. What joy there is in the Gospel and in seeing families joined together for eternity.
  I know I talk about the gospel in just about every letter. It’s just that as a missionary I see the difference between those who live the precepts of the gospel and those who don't. I used to feel the commandments were restrictive. Now, as I’m involved in this work, I see it is the World that is binding and that there is freedom and safety in the commandments. I wish there was some way to show each one of you the difference. I do know that when we live the commandments and follow the teachings God has given us to help us, we have so much more happiness in our lives. I am so grateful for their safety and protection for me, not only as a missionary, but as a daughter of God.
  Still two weeks until the end of the transfer. I have NO IDEA what is going to happen, but I think this may be the end of my companionship with Hermana Dollahite. As my Dad told me earlier this week it is absolutely useless to speculate and frankly is a waste of the Lord's time to do so. I will be grateful for every second I have with her. She is the greatest person I have ever met. I am so lucky to have her as my friend, companion, and sister.
 
I love you All,
Hermana Levanger

August 22, 2011

Hello Everyone!
In my mission President’s letter today, "I feel such strong desires for your present and lifelong happiness. That strong feeling for your happiness has been present as a constant companion ever since my call. I feel certain your happiness will be my desire for the rest of my life. I know that one key to your happiness is to stay in the right spirit."
What a wonderful man. I am so blessed to have as my mission president. He really loves us and worries for our safety and happiness more than anything. I found it so interesting though, as I read his words, that I have the same feelings...for our investigators, members, and converts. What I wouldn't give to secure the happiness of those we have the opportunity to serve. It helps me to see just a fraction of what Jesus must feel for each of us, those He is called to serve.
There is such a special bond of love and hope formed you and those you serve. I know the feelings I have will be with me as long as I live. What a blessing it is to work with such wonderful people. I assume, although I don't have the personal experience yet, that it is something like the love a parent has for his children. I was told the other day that it doesn't matter how much a child loves their parent, they can never love their parents as much as the parent loves them. I wanted to disagree, but I thought of the love my Heavenly Father has for me, and knew that I could never measure that love. The wonderful gift we as missionaries have been given, is the opportunity to feel a small part of that, which small tiny part nearly fills me to bursting.
As for the work here in Largo, things are really flying! We have three baptismal dates set with another possible three this week. The dates are for September and October and may not happen this transfer, but they will happen, and they will be strong when they do. My favorite thing is that all six of them are members of part-member families! We love adding to and completing familes! One of the most pure and wonderful joys of missionary work is seeing a family come together in the Gospel.
There are four sisters from the branch going to the temple this Saturday to receive their endowments! Amazing! We have been talking about getting patriarchal blessings for our members and having a group of men go to the temple in October. When that happens, the number of endowed members and the number of Melchizedek priesthood holders will have doubled since we got here. This Branch is going to be meeting in the chapel by the end of the year, and be a ward by the end of next. I love being a part of it.
We also had our third 'Branch Family Home Evening,' which has now become a regular monthly event. Only this time there was a roaring crowd of 50 people! The whole branch turned out for it! It was packed, we ran out of food, and there simply were not enough chairs and places for everyone...but nobody cared! It was an evening spent together as a family, and everyone left feeling closer to their home-the Largo Branch. I got the ones I could to gather for the above picture after the event. I’m not in it because I took it!
Words simply cannot express the joy I find in this work. I get to spend every day with the greatest companion in the world, Hermana Dollahite, I get to serve the greatest people in the world, the Largo Spanish Branch, and I get to be a missionary in the greatest mission in the world, the Tampa Florida Mission. I wish it could last forever; I really feel like I could do this the rest of my life.
I have never been more happy or tired or fulfilled. At times I feel as President Eyring did when he said, "when his body begs for rest, he gives himself this rallying cry, ‘Remember Him!’  Whenever we remember Him, it becomes easier to resist the temptation to want to rest from our labors and to endure to the end of our tasks." I often want to rest, and my body sometimes begs for mercy, but I simply say, 'Press on,' and somewhere somehow the strength comes.
I am so grateful to be a missionary and to be serving Our Lord and Our God. I am so grateful for the love and support and prayers that I feel from each and every one of you. Thank you for remembering me, writing to me, thinking about me, and praying for me. I need your love, it keeps me going. I hope you all know how much I love each of you, and how often I pray for your health, safety and happiness. Thank you for being my family and my loved ones, and for giving me up for this year and a half to be a part of a different family. I love you all more than I could ever say. 
Love you All,
Hermana Levanger

August 15, 2011

Hello Everyone!,
   Another joyful week full of highlights to talk about! We found a wonderful new family. We have incredible members who are reaching out to help in any way they can. We’re excited to be working for the Lord and stand as witnesses to the miracles that He can do.
   One of the biggest highlights of this week was the baptism of Emily. (See the photo.) She is the first child in the history of the Largo Spanish Branch to be baptized as a previous child of record. What an exciting and wonderful thing it was! To see a child baptized into the church is such a blessing to be a part of. To see her go into the waters of baptism with her father and to have the support of the branch was one of those moments of pure joy. We are here so those who are coming into the church for the first time can see and feel that sense of family and belonging. We are here so they can watch their loved ones follow in their footsteps by taking that first step to follow Christ. I pray for that experience for our converts and for the people we work with. All three of those who’ve joined the church on our watch have children who are not baptized. I pray they will have this experience just as I look forward to having it in my own family with my own children.
   Speaking of joy and the children of recent converts, another of those joyful moments came this week while we were teaching Lazaro’s teen-age son. We’ve run into some rough patches with him, but really felt like we should try to teach him again this week. We found a boy who was not only ready to listen, but who had been trying to read the Book of Mormon and had not been able to sleep the night before because of all the questions and feelings it brought to him. He learned that night what the Holy Ghost is, and how it answers questions and testifies of truth. I know that we still have a REALLY long way to go with him, but I also know that Heavenly Father is working over-time to let him know that he needs the gospel in his life.
I think back to what I was like when I was 15. I know what I would have become if I hadn't had the church and it makes me cringe to think about it. I know that there are people in this world who do a lot better with a whole lot less, but for me, I would have been lost without it. I hope that somehow, through me, God can testify to him just how important the gospel is. The fact that a 15-year-old not only feels this way, but recognizes and points it outto us is incredible to me. I really shouldn't be that surprised; I have a younger brother just like him. He is a young man with a heart of pure gold, who loves his family and his friends and his God and wants to do the right thing at all times. He is a young man who is often misunderstood or under appreciated (a fact which breaks my heart by the way). He is a young man who would go to the ends of the earth to help someone else; young man who will do real miracles when he joins me in the mission field in a few months. How grateful I am today for the example, love and guidance that my younger brother Erik has given me.
   How I love this gospel. How lucky we are to bask in the rays of hope and love that it offers. I have so much gratitude in my heart not only to be a member of this great church, but to have the opportunity to be in the front row as others turn on that light in their own lives. Is there anything more powerful and worthy of our love and gratitude? If there is, I haven't yet experienced it. My mission is the greatest blessing and experience of my life. Sure we have difficulties. We have bad moments or hours or even days. But the truth we occasionally forget is that the worst moment as a missionary is better than the best moment of someone without the light and truth of the gospel. We have the honor and the privilege to help others see that light that already exists inside all of us.
    I am happy. I am so happy to be here, to share these moments with my sweet and wonderful companion Hermana Dollahite, and to build these life-long relationships with the members and investigators we have been given the opportunity to work with. I know that this work is a privilege. I know that there is such a big difference between thinking that we have to be here and knowing that we GET to be here. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I have to be here.
Love you All,
Hermana Levanger

August 8, 2011

Hello Everyone!
  The work here is moving forward! We are really on a speeding train that is shooting through the mists of opportunity. I know without a doubt that this branch has a destiny, and that destiny is to be a strong, thriving ward. I believe that reality is in the near future, not a glimmering light in the distance as some still seem to think. I have never been more grateful to be a missionary.
Speaking of being a missionary, last Saturday night was Mormon night at The Trop so we got to go. They may as well have called it Mormon Missionary Night as there were so many missionaries there. The picture was taken there.
   We started an English class on Tuesday nights. It has been tried in the past and failed because of lack of participation from investigators. We were worried about this at first, but instead of starting one and hoping for the best, we brought the issue before the Branch Council. In our combined meeting last week President Lopez went around the room and asked every single member which day they could commit to coming on...with Tuesday being the over-whelming majority. So, with faith and lots of prayers, we arrived Tuesday evening to plan and prepare. One by one they came, three recent converts and one long-time member to learn, grow, and support our efforts. It was a crowning success and all had a great time learning together.
   That may be the biggest difference I have seen, the change in attitude in our Branch. Members of our branch are excited to come to church each week. They fight for the chance to bear their testimonies. They sign up to feed us and have us in their homes. (That’s nice!) They support our monthly activity, other activities and special events. It is such an honor to be a part of this work.
   This week we have five new investigators, none of which came through the tired old way of missionary work...knocking on doors. Four are members of families who have a church member in the home. One moved here a few months ago and decided that she wanted a fresh start, including a return to the Church. Her mother and husband want that light too. Two are the parents of a recent convert. When first questioned three weeks ago, they were not at all receptive. They were Catholic, proud of it, and just wanted to visit and support their son. We still gave them copies of the Book of Mormon, which they have started to read. They came to church on Sunday and we have a lesson with them on Wednesday. It is amazing what that little blue book can do!
   We are so grateful for Elder Davis and Elder Taveras. Hermana Dollahite and I were just talking about how we never got the work done with just the two of us. There are too many people, too many miles, and not enough hours to do it all. That is the thing that occasionally keeps me up at night...there isn't enough time. How do we do it all? The only answer I have found is to give it to the Lord. Give him all of your burdens, your worries, your dreams, your hopes, your desires, your struggles. He knows what to do with them. He knows what to do with His work and His faithful servants. I am blessed with His love and guidance in my life. I am grateful for His son Jesus Christ. I am so honored to be His missionary.
With Honor,
Hermana Levanger

August 1, 2011

Hello Everyone!
    Another transfer has come and gone and Hermana Dollahite and I are both still here, as are Elders Taveras and Davis! President said he absolutely did NOT want to mess with a good thing!
   Things in the Branch have totally turned around. President Lopez asked if the missionaries could speak in Sacrament meeting before James (our branch mission leader) presented the new branch mission plan. We now have a branch goal for each member to Invite one person to church, to a branch activity, or to a family home evening each week. We also have a stake goal of reading the scriptures daily, sharing our testimony weekly, and being invited into the home of another member to share our love and testimony with them monthly. We have been promised by the Lord that if we will do these things our branch will grow dramatically and exponentially! It is awesome! And the branch is so energized.
Sister Dollahite and Elder Taveras spoke, followed by an AMAZING special musical number by Elder Sims (He is English-speaking elder in our zone who wrote and learned the song in Spanish just for us. He is also our new district leader). After the musical number, James presented the plan. It was a great Sunday.
  The Elders also had their first baptism, and it was wonderful to see how excited they were. I thought Elder Davis' eyes might pop out of his head when Diego asked him to do the confirmation (He has only been learning Spanish for five months!). And I don't think I have seen a bigger grin of pure boyish delight than the one I saw on Elder Taveras' face after Diego came up out of the water. What a wonderful week the four of us had working in the field together. It is still hard for me to remember that the way we are doing missionary work is unique.
   One of my favorite experiences of the week was at a stake missionary training meeting. The meeting consisted of every branch and ward council in the stake, every missionary, the stake presidency, and President Summerhays. It was a LOT of people. During the meeting the branches and wards discussed their goals and how the work was going. President Summerhays was then asked to provide feedback or counsel.
President Lopez (our Branch President) told everyone that our Branch was holding a monthly family home evening activity, that it would continue to schedule regular temple visits and that we would get all of our members to the temple by the end of the year. He also said we would have a complete home teaching program with integrated accountability. He finished by saying the Branch has the best missionaries he has ever seen and to please never transfer any of us. I'm pretty sure I was beet red. A little complement once-in-awhile is probably okay but this is the Lord’s work.
Then President Summerhays chimed in and said, "Did you all know they had 58 people in sacrament last week? There are beautiful things happening in the Largo Branch, and I am so excited to see it!" It was really cool.
   I'm excited to be here and doing the work of the Lord. He really is the orchestrator here, and I am so grateful to be one of the 'instruments' that He uses. What an honor and a blessing it is to be a missionary. This transfer will be the greatest one ever. We are setting high goals and we are determined to reach them. We already have the activity for the month planned and are starting English classes tomorrow. We visited the homes of our members 77 times this last transfer and we are determined to visit even more during this one.
I love you all!
Hermana Levanger