October 31, 2011

Hello Everyone!
   Week one of the transfer of the century has come and gone! And we had an awesome week. Not that numbers matter one iota, but we had the best numbers we have ever had while we have been together. By some miracle we found EIGHT new investigators! (That’s about what we usually find in a transfer!) And to be quite honest, most of them have a lot of potential for progression. I am so excited!
   We had some incredibly sweet experiences this week. I remembered how lucky I am to be a Spanish-speaking missionary when we went with an English member to help introduce her to her new Dominican neighbors and how shocked she was when they let us right in and had zero objections to us talking about our beliefs and sharing a prayer with them! The Hispanic people are so loving and welcoming. They are so free from the superficial and introverted ways of society that are so prevalent today. The only problem we have is getting them to change to the Gospel and keep commitments!
   We were talking to our recent convert Elizabeth and asking her if she had had a hard time accepting certain doctrinal differences (mainly the Fall of Adam and Eve) after going to catholic schools and colleges while growing up. Her response was, "No. Not at all. Once I started reading the Book of Mormon, I felt good. I felt peace. I knew it was from God. I knew that it was true. How could I have a problem with the things that are in it, that it teaches?" What a humbling experience for me. Sometimes I feel like she is my missionary (She already reads the Preach My Gospel manual).



   We had a really fun Fall Festival at the church on Friday. (See the photo for an example!) We had eight official investigators there, as well as two unofficial. It was awesome! Also, our Branch activity on Tuesday was a crowning success. Yet again we had over fifty people! I think the food committee is finally convinced they need to re-evaluate the amount of food they are bringing! (There hasn't been enough the last three or four times!)
   Sunday was beautiful yesterday. I don't know how many were there from our branch because we were all spread out in the chapel to watch the English ward Primary Program, but Hermana Dollahite thinks it was around 53. They just keep coming, and it felt so good to be in the chapel. I can't wait for the first of the year when that becomes our new home. We ended services with a short 'missionary mind-melding meeting' with President Lopez and Brother Jenson. President then gave us blessings that we may be the instruments of the Lord and find those that need to be lifted up. It was wonderful.
   Another incredible week in the vineyard! I love it. I love being a missionary and serving the Lord. I love hearing about family and friends who are being more conscious about missionary work in their homes. I pray for each of you to look for those opportunities in your lives. Not only will you be happy and never forget it, but you will also be blessed beyond what you can possibly believe.
I Love you All!
Hermana Levanger
 
Oh, and if any of you are wondering what a missionary does on Halloween the answer is.....be inside by eight.

October 24, 2011

Hello Everyone!
   Wow! What a week! It was truly crazy. Decorating for a wedding, the wedding, transfers and baptism all in the space of three days! Hermana Dollahite and I were both sick with a cold or something Tuesday through Thursday. It was such a bummer because all we wanted to do our last week together was work as hard as possible, and we were stuck at home for pretty much three days straight. Hermana Dollahite was a lot worse than I, at least with outward symptoms, and we really didn't want to infect anyone else.
   We weren't much better Friday, but we went to the church from two to seven to decorate for Saturday’s wedding. When we got to the church, our mission president and his wife were there interviewing our then Zone Leader to be an Assistant to the President for this transfer. It was really funny because Hermana Dollahite and I were both looking sad and pathetic and telling him how bummed we were that we had to spend our last week together sick at home. He just laughed at us and said that he would talk to us tomorrow. Immediately my spirits plummeted because the only reason for us to talk to President the next day was if he was calling us to tell us we were being transferred, not that we weren't expecting that anyway, but still, one can hope. My first thought was, well as much as I love you president I really don't want to talk to you tomorrow! I didn't say that though!
We got back on the horse though and started decorating for the wedding of the century...or at least the wedding of the year for the Largo Spanish Branch! Several hundred fake rose petals and thirty or so rolls of pink and white streamers later the church was looking pretty good. I was glad I didn't draw tablecloth ironing! (My Mom would have been all over that job!) I also got to see our Relief Society President make a bouquet out of white roses. She is talented! She organized the whole thing with Judy, the bride, since Judy's mother lives in the Dominican Republic. It was so cool to see her adopt Judy and blossom under the joy of being needed. Everyone needs to feel needed.
   Saturday, the English Elders had a baptism in their ward. After the baptism we had lunch and then made a couple visits but returned to the church fairly quickly to prepare for the wedding. The wedding was scheduled to start at seven, but in typical Hispanic fashion the guests, family of the wedding party and the bride and groom all showed up around 7:45! I was freaking out a little bit, but I think I was the only one. The church was beautiful and the ceremony was very sweet. President Lopez called on me to say the opening prayer after Judy walked down the aisle...not something I was expecting! Hermana Dollahite said my prayer was basically the Plan of Salvation, but I just said the words that came! It was funny though. President Lopez gave some beautiful advice and counsel for marriage in general and how important it was to remember that this was a step they were taking together to be a bit closer to the eternal marriage they will have in one year. It was incredibly powerful, and I hope all the people there (not just the non-members) felt the power of the Holy Spirit testifying of the sanctity of marriage and eternal families. After the ceremony, the party started. We ate delicious Dominican food, danced in the traditional Latin fashion (Hermana Dollahite was my partner, which cracked up our members!), and did a lot of cleaning. President Summerhays gave us permission to be out an extra hour, but we only missed curfew by a couple of minutes, which was good since we had been so sick.


   Sunday found us at the church again...at about 7:20 AM. We were laughing because when we left the church the night before it was dark, and we were back again before the sun came up! We definitely put in a lot of time at the church this weekend! We had to get there that early to fill the baptismal font, which is ancient with a teeny tiny faucet pipe, and requires an hour and a half to fill. Judy, trooper that she is, came in at 8:30 so we could take pictures before her baptism. She and Aneudy were at the church until around 11 the night before and then were up at five to take pictures at the beach because the baptism was going to mess up her hair and everything! Hermana Dollahite and I were questioning our judgment in having a wedding/baptism only twelve hours apart, but if you could have seen the pure joy on Judy's face, you would know as we do that when it comes to making covenants with God and choosing to put Him above all else, there is no time too soon.
The baptism was beautiful. Elizabeth, our recent convert gave a beautiful talk on the Holy Ghost, and her husband Jose, newly ordained Melchizedek Priesthood holder, was able to be a witness. Judy had tears of joy through the whole service, and I know that everyone present felt a strong confirmation of the Spirit. What joy there is in missionary work! The church services were wonderful, Judy's confirmation was beautiful, and the classes were just what everyone needed. After church we had a nice lunch all together with the leftover food from the night before. It was a great day!
   I'm sure by now you are all thinking, 'Wait, what about transfers?' Well I feel a little like a broken record when I say this, but...Hermana Dollahite and I are staying together yet again! Transfer number six, eight and a half months, exactly half of my time in the field and more than half of hers. Every single Spanish Sister companionship changed except ours...for the second time. All records are now obsolete. I don't know if any two companions in the history of the Florida Tampa Mission have ever stayed together for six transfers! I saved this news for last because the story deserves it's own spot!
On Saturday morning we woke up at 6:30 as always and had companionship prayer. President begins his phone calls at 7 AM. I always shower first and take the phone with me so that Hermana Dollahite can do her relaxation ritual for the day. So, while getting ready I picked the loudest most annoying ringer I could and set it on the loudest setting before I got in the shower so I wouldn't miss any calls. About a minute after I got in the phone rang. I jumped out of the shower, grabbed my towel, looked at the phone and was surprised when I saw 'Sister Summerhays' as the caller ID (at this point it is 7:08). I answered and Sister Summerhays started by asking how we were feeling. I told her we were on the mend, still a little sick, but definitely better. She then said, "Well President asked me to call you personally and tell you where you were going so you wouldn't have to wait any longer than necessary." (at this point my stomach is in my toes and my body is frozen) Next she said, "Well you are going to stay...(insert five second pause that feels like eternity here)... and so is Hermana Dollahite!" I started crying right there. I told her how grateful we were for her call and that it was the best news we could have gotten and that we would work harder than ever and still had so much left to do. She said, "Oh I know you will work hard, I don't have any doubts about you two. This is the best response to transfers that I have ever heard, I like it!" I said goodbye, and Hermana Dollahite and I celebrated for a few minutes, and then finally I got my shower!
Not too much longer, about an hour later, we did get a call from President, just like he promised! He called to gloat over making us sweat the day before and to tell us how much he loved the two of us. He said, "It was a real battle for me, but when I asked the Lord if I should split you two up for Hermana Dollahite's last transfer, He said, "Absolutely NOT! Leave them be." So that is what I did, I don't really like to mess with what the Lord wants!" It was incredibly sweet, and certainly a beautiful demonstration of his love for us. He talked to Hermana Dollahite too and we both felt his and the Lord's love not only for us, but for this area as well.
   So here I am, in St. Pete, with Hermana Dollahite one last time. I will be able to spend Halloween and Thanksgiving with her as well as be the one who gets to send her back to her family after an incredible mission of service and love. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be here and to be with her.
Our members are overjoyed, and a couple nearly shed tears of joy! Elizabeth is beside herself since she now thinks that she gets to have Hermana Dollahite for the most amount of time possible and me for not only this one but maybe one or two more! (Which is a definite reality since I think President really wants me here for the first of the year move to the chapel and doesn't want to white-wash the area).
One small miracle I saw this week was at the wedding when everyone was dancing. Everyone is so HAPPY! It is amazing to see the difference from six months ago. Our members are thrilled to be alive. They are purely happy not only individually but as families and as a branch. It really hit me as I watched them celebrating the joy of others and joining in themselves. This is one happy place to be right now! My life is truly perfection. I couldn't ask for more, I am receiving the greatest blessings that a person could possibly receive. I LOVE being a missionary. I love it. I wish I could do it forever. There is nothing that I have experienced in my life that has brought me more joy. I wish for each of you to know of my love for you, and to know that I know this gospel is true, and the purest joy you can find is in it.
I Love you All!,
Hermana Levanger

October 17, 2011

Hello Everyone!,
   Another joyful week in the mission field. How I loved Stake conference this past week. We were truly uplifted and edified by our leaders and fellow servants of the Lord. I so appreciated each and every word and feeling that was shared over those two wonderful days. I loved the feeling of the spirit as it enveloped each and every person who had a heart willing to be taught.
   How I love seeing that experience in others. That joy that comes into their eyes when they see a glimpse of what it is they are fighting for, and resolve to take the steps necessary to accomplish them. I saw the fruit of one such decision yesterday, as I shook the hand of one of our newly ordained Melchizedek priesthood holders, Jose. Jose is the husband of our recent convert Elizabeth, and I was there the day they saw the glimpse of their future in the gospel way back in April. (They are shown in the picture with Sister Dollahite and me.) What an honor it has been to see them valiantly take those necessary steps together as a family, to be where they were yesterday. What a joy it was to see the first bit of the harvest of all those efforts! They look forward to moving forward together continually, to holding weekly family home evening, and daily family prayer and scripture study. Their two year-old daughter will be blessed by her worthy priesthood-holding father and given a name in the next couple of weeks. She will be raised in the gospel, sealed to her parents in the temple, baptized by her father, attend seminary, and maybe even serve a mission one day. Her whole life changed because her parents saw what they could become, what Our Heavenly Father had planned for them. How grateful I am for that light of inspiration!
   My Mission President had these beautiful words to say today in his President's letter, "I also feel to bless you to fully understand who you are and who you represent and serve, the Lord Jesus Christ. I bless you that your mission can be filled with happiness, peace, love and productivity." What more could I ask for? As a servant of the Lord, what more could I ask than to be always anxiously engaged in productivity? Being busy, productively busy, is something that I pray for, and something that I have certainly received here in Largo! We are so busy! Even with the help of the Elders, the work is growing so fast that we can barely keep up. Hermana Dollahite and I have developed a handy little mind-reading talent so as to not waste time verbally communicating when we can barely catch our breath as it is! How we love these people! How we love Our Lord and His vineyard and each other! I will never be the same, nor do I wish to be, after what has happened to me here.
   I don't know how it happened, but somehow we are at the end of another transfer. I haven't got a clue what is going to happen, but I know the Hand of the Lord will be in it. I will be indebted to this area, to these people, and my companion for the rest of my life. I have become much closer to the person Heavenly father wants me to be because of them. I will love them for the rest of my existence. How lucky I have been to have had the experiences and friendships that I have had here.
I Love you All!
Hermana Levanger

October 10, 2011

Hello Everyone!
   Great week this week! We had another packed house in church, with three investigators there as well. We were supposed to have five, but the other two were taking care of their grandsons until two in the morning. We are making some real progress with Alan and had a really great lesson on the commandments with him and the other Young Men of the branch after church. Since we are teaching a youth, and had youth members to help us, we decided to teach Chastity, the Word of Wisdom and Tithing from the "For the Strength of Youth" booklet. It was AWESOME!
   We are expecting some very exciting events the next couple of weeks after this one. That being said, this week is critical, and we really have to be on our game and listening to the Spirit direct us. Hermana Dollahite and I are up to the challenge though. I am receiving a lot of strength from reading the April General Conference addresses, as well as the special edition Ensign on the Book of Mormon. If you haven't read those yet, I highly recommend them, two thumbs way way up!
   We picked up another part-member family investigator. Yeah! I really love those. I think I could work exclusively with putting families together in the Gospel and be completely happy. The love and happiness that comes into a family when the parents turn away from the World and toward each other and the Savior is indescribable. I wish every family in the world could have that experience. The world would certainly be a better place.
   Please continue to pray for us, as well as all of the missionaries in the world and the people they are working with, we feel and need each one of your prayers. I am so grateful for the love and support I feel from all of you. Please know how very much I love you all. Not a one of us is perfect, but with the Savior and repentance we can all be perfected in Him. I have a true testimony of the Atonement. It heals us and takes our pain away. Please use it everyday. I love you all so much, and I pray for your happiness and safety each and every day.
I love you all!
Hermana Levanger

October 3, 2011

Hello Everyone,
   What a fantastic General Conference! I am feeling so edified and uplifted. I loved every second of conference. I remember the April Conference was my very first weekend in the field, and I only understood a few words here and there. This time, six months later, I was able to understand most everything. I felt so much love, not only for those speaking, but for those I have been called to serve. What a great blessing Conference is and the opportunity I had to be watching it here in Largo with my dear companion Hermana Dollahite once again. I hope you all had the opportunity to participate in this great blessing. If you didn't, it’s easy to do. All you have to do is go to gc.lds.org .
   While many of the talks spoke to me personally, some of them were also special because they answered a question those I am working with have posed. It was a unique experience, to feel and think of so many others during a time that has previously been more personal (or at times boring if I am being completely honest). I pray they were watching. I pray they heard and understood the power and love that was shared.
   While I did think more of others than I ever have before during Conference, I still received invaluable personal revelation. The two themes that struck me most deeply are intimately connected. The first was during President Monson's talk on his lost five dollars in the Sunday morning session. While the story was cute and a good lesson, what struck me more was the faith a young boy had in his prayers and his Heavenly Father. As I began to think on this concept, this deep and abiding faith in personal communication with the Father, no matter the size of the dilemma, the first Sunday session closed and I had some time to reflect on the lesson I had been taught.
I began to think of another lesson from the day before in the Saturday afternoon session, the story by Elder Carl B Cook of the Seventy and how those two were connected. He told about when he felt overwhelming feelings of inadequacy. I have felt inadequate many times as a missionary and could empathize with his urge to keep his head down, maybe shake it a bit, and wonder how he could possibly live up to the circumstances and responsibility that had been given to him. However, when President Monson entered the elevator, he gave him the infinitely wise council to 'look up.'
It is always better to look up, for it is there that we find the answers that help us to grow and progress and come closer to our Heavenly Father. When we look down, all we find is the world's answer to problems, "It's too hard, it isn't that important, just give up." I have a firm testimony in 'looking up,' in calling upon Our Heavenly Father to take away those burdens that we cannot manage on our own, to find the solution and power to persevere through Him and none else.
I believe that Our Heavenly Father DOES hear each prayer, no matter how small or insignificant the problem or concern seems to be. Faith is the key ingredient, and when we couple that with the requisite action, miracles will and do follow.
As far as the work goes, we are working our tails off to complete some extra tasks the Lord has assigned us this month. I'm actually not sure how we are going to do it, but I know we will somehow! One of the most exciting things for me was a crazy mad and successful dash to get one of our most promising investigators to mutual on Wednesday. It was awesome! We drove about ninety miles to make it happen, but happen it did! (The activity was scraping paint off of some science work stations downtown, I bet he LOVED that!)
Two of our other promising investigators came to one of the Saturday sessions of conference. When it ended, before we could even ask, one of them said, I LOVED that, it was all from the Book of Mormon (She has read all but the last thirty pages or so and over half of the Gospel Principles book.). It was a great week, and I can't wait for all of the miracles that I am going to see this week.
      I am so grateful to be here and to be a part of this great work. I hope I live up to the responsibilities the Lord has given me. I do know that I will never be able to if I don't keep my hope and faith in Him. I am determined and committed to keeping my eyes focused in the right direction...up.
I love you all,
Hermana Levanger