I Believe in Miracles

I love miracles! That's all I can say, I thought I had had my share of miracles as a missionary and now I just need to pay the price for them, but they keep falling into our laps. We've been praying for a miracle and even though we dont' have anyone set for baptism for next week, we knew that we could have a baptism in July. And then last night we got a call from a member who said that the adoption of their daughter was now legal. We had dinner with them a month ago and said they're just waiting for the papers back so she could get baptized, and so we've patiently been waiting and they called us last night and said it's legal and they want her to be baptized next Monday! Yay! It was the best news we could hear after we found out that we're getting taken out of the Tongan Ward. I've been asked a lot of questions by different people, our Zone Leaders in particular about our area, and so I knew they were going to change up the areas at transfers. And then our ward mission leader in the Tongan ward told us yesterday, "I have bad news," but I had NO idea what it could be, and then he said, "they're bringing in elders." Noooooo! Ahh, miss em already. We were both going through withdrawals already. But it'll be good becuase I'm sure the elders will be Tongan speaking. I am so thankful I had my time in that ward, they're the best!

 

So this past week and a half we've been teaching the elders investigator because she decided she wanted to be taught by sisters, and it was so fun teaching her! She was so prepared! As a zone, we're also studying a Christlike attribute each week for 6 weeks, and last week was charity, and in this evaluation in PMG it says, "I find joy in others' success." And I remembered how there have definitely been times where I wasn't so happy for other missionaries because we're struggling severely in our area and didn't know what we were doing wrong, but with Clare, I didn't care that it didn't count for us as a baptism, but it was just exciting to see how they had found someone so prepared and I am so thankful we were able to be involved teaching her because she was just a delight. It was great. I can definitely see how much I was able to learn from that experience and being able to teach her.

 

So at different times in my mission, I've been asked what my favorite thing is about being a missionary, and I would say, "seeing people get baptized," but realized how generic that answer was and how I didn't really feel that was my favorite thing. And as I've been thinking about it, I decided my favorite thing about being a missionary is knowing that Heavenly Father is able to use me as an instrument to help others. It just feels so good at the end of the day to be able to look back and see that we were in the right place at the right time or said the right thing and that the Spirit was present and that we were able to help someone increase their faith. It really is the little day to day things that make it so rewarding.

 

 As I've been able to train Sister Chan, it's been cool to see where I was in the MTC and where I was at the beginning of my mission and how I was absolutely terrified of having to take the lead in everything and to have to take the lead in the lessons and how much I've grown from that point. I was going through my journal from the beginning of my mission (reading through journals is still one of my favorite things to do) and it was just cool to see how much I've grown and how my life will never be the same. I feel like my mission has been a whole new life within a life: starting out feeling like I have no idea what I'm doing and then growing so much to where I am now. I don't know how people make it through life without having the gospel, I can't even list or name the ways it has helped me in ways that I didn't even expect.  I love the Mormon Church. I love the Mormon Book. I love New Zealand. No place else I'd rather be!

 

Never know how my letters get so long.

 

Ofa atu!

      Sister Mullen

Tina, Eat The Food!

The weeks are going by way too fast now! It's all becoming a blur. So this past week, I feel like everyone has been trying to give us so much food, hence the title, "Tina, eat the food!" Because that's just how I feel. If you say no...they just keep offering. "Oh, why not? Just a muffin, are you sure you don't want a hot drink?" Even the palagis and the maoris. The islanders though, like I've said before, learned my lesson not to turn down food. We picked up some members to go with us to a lesson in the Tongan Ward, the lesson fell through, so they invited us in and I thought we'd be able to talk to the non-members there and set up a lesson. But it was to have some food. Ha. They gave each of us a large slice of banana cake, then they gave us a cup of milo. I was trying to balance it on my plate, but spilt a little, and then the member sitting next to me (the mum) kept tellin me to trade slices with her and to take her plate, I was confused, and then i finally asked if she didn't want her slice and she said, "Yours is wet!" and I said not to worry about it, so I finished my slice with milo on it, and then another member was telling one of the kids in Tongan to bring me another slice, so she did. And I had to eat it. Tongans, too funny.

 

I decided I could NEVER be Chinese. Did you know they don't even write the language that they speak? And it doesn't matter which direction they write in. The traditional Chinese Book of Mormon is written right to left and vertically, but when Sister Chan writes letters home, she writes horizontally and left to write. So confused. But I have been able to pick up phrases from the Chinese primary songs she has, and she taught me "The cheese is old and moldy," in cantonese, and now I can count to 10. I've learned the 4 mandarin tones, in Cantonese there are 7. She said she's going to teach me, but it sounds way to hard for me to remember. No wonder asians are so smart. It was been SO fun with Sister Chan lately. My love her has grown so much and also for asians, haha. Whenever we say asians, I try to guess where they are from, sometiems she can't even tell though. We were eating with members who just got some Chinese students, and this is the conversation we hear, "How do you say hi in Chinese?" "I think it's Ciao." "Isn't that food." Then I chime in , "Ni hao!" hahahaha, too funny. Especially since they just sent home another Chiense student...how did they not learn how to say hi?

 

In case anyone was wondering: they're going to have a rather large VC at the Rome temple. President Monson said, "Now I don't want a dinky Visitors' Centre in Rome!" And the sculpture who sculpted the Christus, dont' know if anyone knows, but he also made sculptures of the 12 apostles and the church is going to get replicas made to go into the Rome VC. Kind of cool. All of these originals or in a church in Denmark. The guy who came and did the training last week told us.

 

We had a really good companion study with our Zone Leaders last week. We were practicing teaching simply and it was a big wake up call to how complicated I make lessons. Even the lessons in Preach My Gospel have SO much information in there that can be over the investigators' heads. It was just what I needed because I feel like I've become pretty routine lately and I've hated it, so it helped me to see how I can change the way I teach and what I say.

 

Things are definitely slow right now, feel like I'm running out of ideas of how to get things done, but I still have so much to be happy about it. Funny how even though things aren't great in this area, I still have a strong love for this area. I guess it's a confirmation that I know that I'm supposed to be here...and I feel like I'll finish my mission in this area, ha. And I love all the missionaries I get to serve around, the sisters and the few elders we get to see.

 

Every time I talk to the Tongans, I love em more. We were talking to the first counselor in the Bishopric and he told us that Bishop challenged everyone in the Bishopric to invite one person to be taught by the missionaries. The counselor was quite excited and said they have a family that they're not that close to, but going to invite. And he said, "Everyone said 'yes' so we have to do it! Hopefully some good things start happening for yous!" Yes please! The way missionary work is supposed to be done.

 

Long letter. Sorry.

 

Ofa atu!

     Sister Mullen

A Cold Day In July

Malolelei!

 

My love for the Tongans really does grow each week. They really are so friendly and just a lovable people. For the record: almost all of them speak English. They have Sac Mtg in Tongan unless some of the youth or YSA get up to bare their testimony, then they speak in English. I think they do all the youth and definitely primary in English.

 

So we had a the head of some missionary department come to the VC and give a training to all the VC sisters and all the senior missionaries as well. The guy who did it was actually my stake president who interviewed me for my papers at BYU. It was so fun. He was literally running around the VC acting like an obnoxious 10 year old while Sister Chan and I were doing a role play trying to teach him mum. I learned a lot and the timing of that was definitely a tender mercy becuase it's just what I needed to hear after having a not-so-good week. Just good to remember how important our job is at the VC. I definitely underestimate that sometimes. It was also good to just get training on being at the VC. I mean, yeah, I stayed in Provo another week for VC training...but it really wasn't anything special. But from what Sister Chan did in her extra week at the MTC, it sounds like they're doing more now.

 

So in honor of all the sisters getting a cell phone this week, I made up a song to "You've had a Birthday" or whatever that song is called:

We got a cell phone, shout hooray. We want to text to you today. One more number and easy to call. We've got a cell phone, to-day.

 

At first I didn't want the cell phone. That's something I've loved about being a missionary is not having to worry about my phone and just remembering how much time I wasted texting or things like that, haha, but now that we've had it, I've also remembered how much easier it is to contact people when we have a phone, or for them to call us. The thing in NZ is that it costs extra to call a mobile from a landline or vice versa. So some people couldn't call us because they only had a cell phone, besides the fact that everyone here almost NEVER has minutes to call, so they can only text. So it'll be nice to be able to text now.

 

So the other day, I was walking upstairs from the kitchen with another sister after we finished lunch, and she jokingly said, "stop following me" so then I turned my 10-year-old-me and started following her and copying her for a little bit, and after I stopped she said, "Sister Mullen...you seem so serious and responsible sometimes and to say, "that's not appropriate" (PS I've never said that to anyone) ...but you're really not." I didn't know I seem so serious sometimes, but like she said...I'm really not. I guess I still need to work on bringing out my personality more.

 

Just a little bit about chats, I don't know if I talk much about chats: but we had a guy come on wanting to learn more b/c he supports Mitt Romney, but then he really disagreed with our beliefs of the Godhead vs. the Trinity. And then he asked the bold question, "So do you think I'm wrong?" and "Do you think all other churches are wrong?" So we tactfully answered his questions ,but then he turned around and said we were a cult and we saw him starting to type "I will not vote for Mitt Romney" but then he actually never sent it (we can we what they're typing, but they don't know that, hehe). But then the next guy we had was a return investigator. Been taught everything, but could never commit to baptism, but wants to meet with missionaries again. Just goes to show the wide range of people we meet on there!

 

PS started memorizing my Patriarchal Blessing, and just as I've memorized scriptures too, I've come to see how I understand things in a different way when I memorize them. Just reminds me of Elder Scott's talk from October Conference about the pwoer of memorizing scriptures. I'm all for it!

 

Ofa atu,

     Sister Mullen

Happy 4th of July!

It's July. But it's cold here. Ready for Christmas again.

 

Well this week was good but bad, my emotions are kind of all over the place. Bad when it came to the number of lessons we had. Just struggling to set up  lessons with our investigators. People are starting to avoid us. We had this one girl who was golden, but now everything she does depends on what her partner wants to do, but we're hoping to start teaching him, so hopefully he jumps on board. Struggling to find new people to teach. This area is just so different from anywhere else I've been. And the wards are all huge as (I decided I need to start using "as" more to make Danny happy.) and I feel like I still hardly know anyone. That's what I miss about covering smaller areas, just having a more personal relationship with the memmbers. So at church yesterday I was happy and determined to be happy no matter how bad our week was, and then when time came to report our numbers for the week, I think that's when it hit me and I wasn't so happy. But had a good study this morning to get me back on track. What a tender mercy that I decided to re-memorize D&C 58:2-4 this weekend, "For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven. Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand." I know the Lord has a plan, and sometimes I really wish things went better, but just as long as I'm doing what I can. I have no reason to feel bad.

 

Something different this week though was that we had a mission wide sister trade off. We all thought they were making it to be a WAY bigger deal than it really was. We were still doing missionary work, it was just with a different companion. Like it was transfers again. The best part was that I got to see Sister Perry again. She got shifted down here to Hamilton, and I'm sure both of us would have bet money that she never would have made it to Hamilton. Anyway, I was actually with her companion for a day, Sister Bunting, just got here after waiting in Vegas for her Visa for 3 months. She's from Pleasant Grove and it was fun to be with her. Not an amazing day, I wish I could have counted how many times the Zone Leaders asked us, "Are you excited?" ...about these trade offs. So yep, got to see Sister Perry this week, just about died. Love that girl so much. We said that we were like a married couple trying to break us up when we had to say bye. And the same thing again last night after a fireside that we had. I told her I was trying to contain my excitement to see her, but neither one of us could. I think everyone just knows that we're bestest friends.

 

So we had a deep as chat online last week with a guy. He was going into the Godhead, and it's a question I've had before, but still don't know exactly how to answer it, so if anyone has any knowledge or insights, please share! He was going into how we believe they're all separate beings, but we worship Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and we believe that Christ is A god, too. But the 10 commandments tell us to only worship one God. I know that they're "three separate beings, but united in purpose." And we tried explaining that to him, but it wasn't doing any good. So if anyone has a good way to explain that, share the love.

 

Hope you all have a good week!

 

Ofa atu,

     Sister Mullen

Jealous

Yep, jealous of y'all going to the lake. But then again, Mom, Dad & I went to Hawaii without Megan, haha, still can't believe we did that. The price of being a missionary.

 

Trying to keep my letters short. I feel like I have so many thoughts lately, but most of them no one else cars about, ha. That's nothing new coming from me.

 

We had some REALLY good lessons with a new investigator, Janelle. Don't know if I've already mentioned her. This is how we met her: we had a preach by the way, talking to a lady on the street outside a kindy (day care) and she just blew up at us. Born Again Chrsitian and was trying to tell us what we believe and to check our archives under the utah temple and how when they don't know what to pray about ,they pray in tongues, like it says in the Book of Abraham...I was SO Confused and still am. What book of Abraham is she talking about? Praying in tongues? Anywho, I was just frsutrated after talking to her and I just wanted to leave, but then we saw Janelle and I knew I needed to talk to her to get that nasty taste out of my mouth from the last lady, and Janelle gave us her address and phone number. We had good lessons teachign her the Restoration and Plan of Salvation. Tuesday she had already set the alarm on her phone to get up for church on Sunday and she went and bought a new skirt. And after walking out of each of her lessons, I was just on a high. it's been a while since I've had that feeling. And I was trying to compare it to anything I've felt before the mish, and I couldn't. There really is a different reward and satisfaction that comes from missionary work. As I read in the intro to PMG today, "More happiness awaits you than you have ever experiences as you..." go on a mission, or something like that. Anyway, yep, missionary work is happiness. We spoke about missionary work and it was good fo rme to realize how much I do love this work and how I've come to understand how important missionary work is.

 

So yesterday, we show up to the Tongan ward, no pianist so I offer to play, but 2 of the 4 hymns they were singing were Tongan hymns that I've never herad before, they weren't too bad to play, but I had no idea how fast they were. One I started playing way too fast. And then they add a lot of notes that aren't written, so the first verse I was confused sometimes, but it all worked out. Never, especially before putting in my mission papers, did I think I would be playing the piano for foreign hymns in a foreign speaking ward. We sat on the front row, and the chorister was mouthing to me that there wer going to be three speakers and then we would sing again. I know I always comment on how loud they sing, ESPECIALLY on the Tongan hymns (I mean the ones that aren't translated from English) and the closing hymn was especially loud yesterday. Almost hurting my ear drums. Love it.

 

Saw a wedding on Saturday, and I saw heaps of girls wearing heels and I realized that almost every girl here wears heels...even platforms. And I was glad to see that my heels will still most likely be in style when I get home, And I was thinking "Oh yep, I can wear my 5 inch heels. 5 inch heels? Did I really buy those?" Ha. I surprise myself sometimes. PS Dont' think I've mentioned how much I love seeing the wedding on the weekends :)

 

I decided I need to stop thinking about things too much...and then I caught myself thinking too much about how to stop thinking too much about things. Fail.

 

Sis Chan has crazy Chinese medicines/lotions for everything. I said how my calves were sore after doing jumping jacks on morning, she had a lotion for it, I had bug bites, she had one lotion stuff that didn't do much, but then later she gave me a magic lotion for it that made the bite disappear in minutes, and then I was saying how my back was hurting in a weird way like I slept wrong or something, and she jokingly said, "Want a lotion for that?" Too funny.

 

Love the Book of Mormon! I haven't been reading it a whole lot lately because I've been wanting to read more from the New Testament, but as I've been looking things up in there lately, I realized how much I miss it. My testimony constantly grows of how important it is to read the Book of Mormon everyday. There really is power in its words!

 

So much for being a short email. Love yous!

 

Ofa atu,

    Sister mullen

Gotta Learn How To Shake My Hips Like An Islander

We had a fun ward activity on Saturday, it was an International Night, and we were able to see performances of New Zealand, Samoa, Cook Islands and Mexico! I finally put the pieces together that the Haka is purely maori, not from any other island. I remember telling a Samoan-Aussie elder I served around how we had some Samoans teach the boys a haka for the "all boys dance" for the dance festival and he sarcastically said, "Samoans doing a haka...that's a disgrace." ...Because everyone still knows the haka. But I realized that what they did at the first dance festival was a mix between a haka and a Samoan dance. Good to know! Also after seeing the performances, I remember a girl in my contemporary dance class at BYU telling me that she was in a polynesian dance class...and decided I could now add that to my repertoire after my mission. I'm sure I'd love it, ha.

 

Not an amazing week, struggling to set up appointments. And members are more than willing to be fellowship and help out with teaching...but we really need their help in finding, and they all tell us, "oh, we hardly talk to non-members." Sick of the excuses. Ha. But we had a really good lesson with one investigator yesterday. She doesn't have a belief in God (she's from China, her husband got baptized a few years ago). She started coming to church, but said she doesn't feel anything special and we've been struggling to get her to read the Book of Mormon and exercise her faith. So we invited her to the Visitors' Centre and we watched the Joseph Smith movie, and at the end, we could both tell how much she had changed. She said she gained a lot of faith from watching it and was able to understand more and said that Joseph Smith was an amazing man. We gave her a specific chapter to read from the Book of Mormon and she was so anxious to say "Yes, I'll read it." We're so excited for the progress she is making, and SO thankful to have the Visitors' Centre and how powerful it can be to have lessons here.

 

I read Elder Bednar's talk this week about the Power of the Priesthood. So powerful. I especially loved how he said you can break your priesthood covenants by not doing anything, and I thought really applies to everyone, not just priesthood holders. Just think about Christ and how He was the perfect example. We shouldn't wait for someone to come ask us for help, we shouldn't wait for someone to come ask us about the gospel, there are certain things that we have to take the initiative on. The gospel really is all about doing and being at work, that's what it takes to be a true disciple of Christ.

 

Also, I feel like I've had it reinforced to me several times this week what the feelings of the Spirit are. (If anyone wants to read an amazing talk on the Holy Ghost, read "Unleashing the Dormant Spirit" by F. Enzio Busche. Or maybe it's Enzio F. Anyway, it's on byu.speeches.edu. So good) In that talk it says how being unhappy is not of the Spirit and then I read another talk that says having a bad attitude is not of the Spirit. Kind of a big slap in the face that I have a reason to be happy every day! I have been happy the last couple of weeks, just when I started training and we were double shifted in, I was way stressed and I think it let it affect me too much. Anywho, I decided I will be a happy camper the rest of my mission, no matter what. Or at least try to.

 

When we find out someone is from China, and I say, "Ni Hao" they always think it's really funny. Try it sometime.

 

Don't know who's at the Lake this week, at least Dad, Mom, Megan & Danny, Mike & the girls and Ariel. A bit jealous. Have fun! It's officially winter here and I can't go outside without wearing leggings or tights.

 

Ofa atu,

      Sister Mullen

Still Love the Tongans

So we had our amazing baptism yesterday! Yay! 7 total got baptized and it was just so much fun. Almost the whole ward was there...that's the way it should be at a baptism. It was crazy seeing them all be baptized...they just kept coming and coming and coming! They had them share their testimonies afterwards, and it was so cute how the younger boys got up and just said, "I know the church is true because I prayed about it. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." Then their oldest brother, we asked him how he felt seeing them get baptized and he said it was amazing. So we asked when is his turn, he said maybe next year...and we said "Maybe next week." He's praying about it...hopefully it happens soon. Also, Kaysharn, the miracle we found out about last Sunday who also wanted to be baptized, his mum definitely felt the Spirit as well and she said she wants to be baptized so we're aiming for the 23rd with her. We may have some obstacles, her partner is still trying to finalize his divorce or something...but I believe in miracles! Then of course we had a huge feed after the baptism. BUt we had to go because we have to be home early Sunday nights, so they told us to take our plates and fill em up, but right after the prayer, everyone just ran up to the tables and was shobing food on their plates with their little forks, it was so funny. And then a member was getting ANOTHER plate for us because Tongans just love giving missionaries food. The Zone Leaders left early and said they almost wouldn't let them leave without taking food, somehow they managed to not take any food though. Anywho, love the Tongan ward, it's a gold mine. My District leader kindly reminded me that I was a little less than excited to come to Temple View because they're all members, but we have been so blessed to find a family! Oh, almost forgot, it was complete chaos having all of them at the VC wednesday night to have their interview. Kaysharn, so we met him Tuesday night, taught him what he needed to know, and then wednesday night he tells me I look different with my glasses and asks, "you're brainy, eh? you're brainy cuz you've got glasses, eh?" And then they wanted to go watch kiosks, but we were trying to keep them contained in the theatre. And then they were AMAZED at how I could make the led go away on my meechanical pencil. Oh the tricks I've got.

 

Obviously that baptism was the highlight of the week and a wonderful blessing. Can't think of much else that happened.

 

Love yous!

     Sister Mullen

 

PS one of my favorite things about being in the Tongan ward is how loud they sing. It never gets old. It's so much fun. We bought Tongan hymnbooks so we can for sure always sing with them. :)

Don't Turn Down Food From A Tongan

Malo e lelei!

 

Umm..I LOVE TONGANS!!!! We had a baptism on Saturday, Josie. She's been waiting for her husband to get the Melchizedek priesthood and she's so cute and so solid and it was a good baptism. Miracle it happened. Miscommunications. THe Bishop didn't find out til THursday nighta bout the baptism, and then he said because the family hadn't talked to him, he wasn't planning on it happening. Phone calls made, he agreed to come. Miracle it happened, but at least he's willing to move on. Yes, I know I messed up and I don't need the elders subtly hinting about the lessons I need to learn from that miscommunication.  Thank you very much! :)

 

So I told some of you about this Tongan family we started teaching, family of 9. And we set the 3 youngest kids for baptism last Monday, getting baptized on June 10 w/ the member's daughter they know, she's 8. Then we had a lesson at the VC, talked to the two daughters who are 13 & 18...set them for next Sunday too!!! THEN at church, Bishop wanted to talk to us after Sacrament Meeting (I was a little scared abouthe baptism the night before) but he called us in to tell us that some grandparents had their son & his fam move down from Auckland and they want their 10 yr old baptized next week too! We got permission from our Mission President because he'll only have been to church twice (the mission rule is 3 times) & our mission president asked,"Now does everyone know? Does the bishop know?" Yes, yes he does. Ha. I hate messing up. But lesson learned! Our Bishop was excited AS about all these baptisms. Their ward goal for the year is 20. Ahh, I just love Tongans. I love the family too, the Ongosias. Just love all of the kids. Especially the 8 year old. Especially about him telling us his older brother used to have his hair cut like Justin Bieber. Last night I kept telling Sis Chan how excited I was. Seriously. Giddy. And I kept telling her like every 5 minutes. Ahhh! It's the best. We finally had a hymn book too yesterday so we could sing along w/ the Tongan hymns. I think that little ward sings louder than one of our palagi wards that is 3 times the size. Ha. We're trying to learn Tongan...I can say the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ...have a long way to go!

 

Things are getting better with my companion, I feel like a lot of it is me chillng out and not stressing so much, but her personality is coming out more and it's just been fun! I'm afraid we won't be together another transfer, but still love her anyway! Her mum sent a 10 kg package of food to her...we have HEAPS of instant noodles, love it.

 

K, we're off to go to bridal veil falls again. Love you all! (Of course I actually get letters the week we're in a hurry, ha)

 

OFA ATU!

Sister Mullen

 

PS we were at the Tongan family's house, the Ongosias. And she was giving us food for dinner and a whole cake she bought. I was trying to turn it down for her family to enjoy it and the mum got sad and said, "well i bought it for yous." Okay, okay! We'll take it!! Give it to us! haha