September 26, 2011

Hello Everyone!,
   I am so excited for General Conference this weekend! My very first weekend in the field was April General Conference. I have been in this blessed place as a missionary for My Father in Heaven for six months, and a missionary for eight! The time is going by too fast! I am so grateful for each day that I have to be serving in the vineyard of Tampa, Florida, especially here in Largo.
   Church yesterday was amazing! We had 53 people for the second week in a row; we are bursting at the seams in that little relief society room! We also had a new family move in, two young boys, parents both speak Spanish, are sealed in the temple, and he holds the Melchizedek Priesthood. Our prayers have been answered again! They came last week just to visit, but this week we made it official by moving their records, yay!
   Testimony meeting on Sunday was absolutely incredible. My favorite testimony was the husband of one of our recent converts. He talked about the differences he has seen in his life the last six months, going from completely inactive to taking temple preparation classes and receiving the Melchizedek priesthood at stake conference in just a couple of weeks. He said that when we allow the Father to have a part in our lives, and when we choose to follow his commandments, we discover a freedom unlike anything ever felt before. He said that he has never felt happier in his life. He knows the journey is not easy, but with his wife and baby daughter, the counsel of branch and church leaders, and a commitment to doing the little things like reading the scriptures and obeying the commandments with exactness, that it is not only possible, but worth it. He said we will then receive the greatest treasure of all...eternal life. He expressed the deepest gratitude for President Lopez, the examples of some of our strong families, and Hermana Dollahite and me. I feel so blessed to have been just a small part of this family's transformation. It was and is a miraculous thing to see.
   We had an incredible lesson with a couple we are teaching. We talked about the Law of Chastity and the Plan of Salvation. It was so funny when we got to the discussion of the kingdoms of glory she kept saying, "I want to go there, I want to go to the Celestial Kingdom. We need to do everything we can to live there ok?" It was awesome. They are now reading every single day and also ask us every time we see them to double check and make sure she can get baptized the day after her wedding, first thing in the morning! (She was worried the water might have to be cold, but we assured her it would be warm!)
   The son of our recent convert also came to church yesterday...in black pants, a white shirt, and a tie! He looked so happy to be there, and he looked like he truly belonged there. He is still very shy and will need some careful guidance and discernment to keep him on the path to baptism. However, I believe this young man has a vital role to play in this church. His spirit is one of the sweetest and most willing I have ever seen. The adversary is working very hard on him, and I am so grateful that when we asked if he had someone to turn to and confide in his answer was that he always talks to His Heavenly Father. He has a testimony that Heavenly Father hears and answers his prayers. What a wonderful reminder that was for me.
   I am so grateful to be a missionary. I see the worst and the best of people every day, but my gift is to see what people CAN be. To be able to glimpse the person that Heavenly Father sees. How easy it is to love the people we serve. What greater gift could I ask for?
I love you all,
Hermana Levanger

September 19, 2011

Hello Everyone!,
   We are so looking forward to this new transfer and continuing the work that we have only just begun! The work is unfolding and spreading in ways that we never dreamed it could. We are discovering the true power of prayer and how important it is to be specific in our prayers. I am so blessed to be in St. Petersburg, to be working with the Largo Branch, to be serving with Hermana Dollahite, and to be a missionary!
The picture is of Lazaro, Elizabeth and Helen, taken the Saturday before Helen left to go back to Peru. While we’ve had hundreds of choice and spiritual experiences here in the Largo Branch, the baptisms of these three over the past few months will always be among the most spiritual blessings I’ve experienced.
   We had our monthly branch family home evening this week. We had a 'Talent Night,’ and is there ever a lot of talent in this branch! The only low point of the night was probably the very sad attempt of the missionaries to sing one verse of 'Teach Me to Walk in the Light.' Luckily, there were many incredible acts that preceded us and everyone was so hungry I'm not sure they even heard us!
   My favorite experience of the week was the reaction of our Branch members to transfers. Who knew how much they cared? By the time we went to our branch activity on Tuesday night, almost every member of the branch already knew that we were all staying...because they had ALL called us in varying degrees of panic the day before! A couple of the women who called us actually screamed on the phone when we told them we were staying! And putting aside some minor hearing loss on our part, I think everyone here in the Largo area is happy with the results of transfers!
   We saw so many miracles this week! My favorite was with Yudi (pronounced Judy) and Aneudy. We have been working with Yudi since I got here; she is the girlfriend/fiancée of a less active member, Aneudy. They had a really hard time understanding the logistics of getting married and that they COULD actually do it without too many problems. They finally decided to get married back in August and set the date for...October 29th. I was so bummed! That isn't even this transfer and we have been working with them FOREVER! So I started praying and praying, and lo and behold we get a frantic call from Yudi that the building isn't available on the 29th and she doesn't know what to do! So we go talk to them and after exploring many options I suggest they just move it to the week before so all they have to do is change the 9 to a 2 on the invitations...and they agreed! So not only are they getting married a week sooner and in this transfer, but did I also mention that we were able to move her baptismal date to October 23rd in the process? Yay! God works in mysterious ways, even if it requires scheduling a regional youth dance in the building to do it!
   Looking forward to this next week, as I look forward to every week I have in this richest of all fields. Who am I kidding? I look forward to every second, let alone every week! I hope you all have a great week as well. I hope you know how much I love and pray for each and every one of you. Thank you for all of the love and prayers you share with me.
I love you all,
Hermana Levanger

September 12, 2011

Hello Everyone!
I can't believe I am actually writing this...Hermana Dollahite and I are staying in St. Pete for a fifth transfer! Not only have we been together longer than any other sister missionaries in one area with one companion, we have now passed all missionaries! I guess the Lord just isn't done with us here! The thoughts and feelings of my heart right now are amazing. While I was okay with a transfer, and I knew I would miss Hermana Dollahite and St. Pete desperately, I also knew that whatever happened would be the will of the Lord. I am so grateful that the will of the Lord is to keep us here! Hermana Dollahite and I will serve together for seven months, nearly half a mission! When this transfer ends, I will be three days away from my nine-month mark.....NUTS!!!!! I remember Hermana Dollahite celebrated her nine-month mark on my third day in the field...I thought she was such an old missionary! How did that happen!
We had the blessing of having Elder Nelson in our mission this past week. I learned so much in that conference, not only about being a missionary but about myself as well. I learned more about my role as a missionary, and had my power and authority as a servant of God emphasized and reaffirmed by a prophet of the Lord. What a blessing it is to be a missionary! We have been given so much, and I know that much is expected. How I look forward to every second I have, proving my commitment and love to the Savior and His work.  It was truly an experience I will never forget as long as I live, sitting at the feet of an apostle (the assigned seating had Sister Dollahite and me in the front row, right under the pulpit), being taught and having a blessing pronounced upon us and our work. I continue to be grateful for the opportunity to be one of the Lord's chosen servants at this time.
Two of our investigators right now are the parents of a recent convert in the Palm Harbor area. They were originally from Portugal and most recently from Venezuela. They have a REALLY heavy Portuguese accent. Anyway, we have been working with them, and at first no one thought they were going to be interested because they told others they were Catholic (like EVERY Hispanic convert!). When we began teaching them, we realized they aren't really THAT Catholic! The Mother is especially proactive about learning about the church and had already read to 2 Nephi before we even had the first lesson with them! Last Wednesday, we had an incredible lesson on the restoration with them. It was so powerful. We committed her to a baptismal date and the spirit in the room was amazing! Even the flat tire we got on the way home didn’t bring us down! Once again, Hermana Dollahite and her trusty AAA card/membership saved the day! (Funny story: she got her renewed card only a couple of hours earlier in the mail!) Amazing how Heavenly father looks after his missionaries!
In a previous e-mail I mentioned that I hoped the Largo Branch would be meeting in the chapel by the end of the year. I know that was well beyond my authority to foresee, but I really did feel a confirmation that this was the future of the branch, that the people here were simply too incredible and precious in the sight of God to have them not grow and continue to progress. Well, on Sunday we received the news that the Largo Spanish Branch will be meeting in the chapel for a three month trial period beginning January 1st, 2012. For example, the picture with this post is of the two sisters baptized since our arrival, with their babies who were born after they arrived in the branch. See how the branch is growing! Only by seeing into my head and heart could you comprehend the joy I feel! I know I am unable to express it in words; I am so thrilled and honored to be a small part of the miracles that are happening in Saint Petersburg.
We already have plans to have that first meeting packed, and all those that follow. By the end of this year, the Largo Spanish Branch will be changed forever, and will still only be beginning to reach its potential. If nothing else comes of my mission (and I know there are many more blessings to follow), I will know with a full surety that I have been a part of something truly remarkable. These are the kind of experiences that change you, and I can assure you all I am changed forever because of the blessings I have received to be here in this area with Hermana Dollahite.
Love you All,
Hermana Levanger

September 7, 2011

Hello Everyone!
   Another week (plus a little bit)! I can't believe how much happens in just seven short days! The miracles just keep coming. I'm sorry my letter is a day later than I said it would be. We were technically supposed to do e-mails yesterday (because the libraries were closed on Monday for Labor Day), but we had back-to-back appointments all day that couldn't be re-scheduled, so...e-mails today!
  We had a great week. In testimony meeting Helen bore her testimony and said she had tons of questions but that they were all answered through the scriptures! She used one example that I loved. She said, "I could never figure out why the Church magazine was called the "Liahona. Where in the world did they get that word?" Then she was reading the Book of Mormon and came across the story of Lehi finding the Liahona. She said, "I finally knew what it meant! The Liahona is like a guide for all of us to know where we should go and what we should do, just like Lehi! I know that is true, and that the scriptures really do show us the way!" What a great blessing that was to hear! I was so proud of her and so grateful to have been a part of her discovery of the gospel.
Another awesome experience was yesterday with Elizabeth. We can already see the difference the gospel is making in her life. It is just incredible, amazing really. She was making transfer predictions, as all the members seem to be doing this week. (In case you were wondering she thinks I am going to stay, but Hermana Garnica thinks that Hermana Dollahite is going to stay. After several minutes of this, her husband Jose said, "I don't like this!" It was pretty funny!
Of course, because the subject of transfers came up, Elizabeth was talking about other sisters they had seen those few times they went to church before we started working with them. She kept talking about the sisters like, “you know the one who didn't talk very much and had brown long hair" or "the one who laughed a lot and led the music" or "the tall one with long blond hair, the one who was companions with the short one who had curly hair."
It totally cracks me up trying to figure out who they are talking about when they are talking about the other sisters, especially since I don't really know them. All the members do that!
Of course I wanted to know how she would describe us to the next missionaries and what she said is something I will never forget. She said, "Oh, I don't need to describe you. I know your names. You are the ones who introduced me to the gospel, who made it a part of our lives—I will never forget you." Wow, what a gift that was.
My other favorite moment of that visit was when Elizabeth told us a story about Adrianna. Since we are now adopted members of their family, they have pictures of us on their computer wallpaper (which cycles through the random pictures they have on their computer). Elizabeth was reading and Adrianna was playing on the floor when all of a sudden Elizabeth hears, "Hola Hermanas....Bye Hermanas!" As our picture came on and then left. It was so cute! Every time we come now she calls us by name! I love this family so much!
   I love you all more than I can say. I really love being a missionary. I will tell you all next week what happens with transfers but I'm not worried about it. What happens will happen and it will be right. I will never forget my time here though, it has changed me, and I will be thankful for it for the rest of my life!
Love you all,
Hermana Levanger