Pictures sent by a couple on one of her tours

They said she was lovely!  And she wanted to share her with me.  So sweet.  :)

She sure looks happy!

Week 63: THANKSGIVING and MIRACLES

Hello! This week, you actually get to hear about my life. You're welcome. 

First off, Thursday was Thanksgiving and it was wonderful. Our Zone all met together at the Stake Center and did fun things together, then we went over to the VC where the seniors hosted a HUGE feast for us. So we ate until we exploded, then we got to go home and relax! It was quite nice. Then, the next day, WE WENT TO  THE TEMPLE WITH BILL! It was so good. It was like a little "Shaker Heights missionaries and their Recent Converts" trip. It was me, Sister Beck and Bill, the Elders and their 2 recent converts (one of whom I found out I'm related to. Not even kidding. See attached picture.) and our Ward Mission Leader. All 8 of us squeezed into a little van and took a nice little road trip. It was really fun and all of the Recent Converts had great experiences. Then, Friday evening, we headed back to the VC to watch the lighting ceremony. (Elder Wynder hired professionals to light up the VC. It kind of looks like Temple Square not, but not even close). While we were there, we saw Candy! Candy 

is the biggest miracle to ever take place. Here's her story:

Candy was walking around in the mall one day and saw a little wreath Christmas tree ornament with a white star in the center of it. She said that when she saw it, she felt like she needed to go somewhere, but she wasn't quite sure where. So she began to drive home and on her way, she drove past Historic Kirtland, where she saw a big wreath hanging on the building with a white star in the center! A huge version of the ornament she saw in the mall. She said she knew that was a sign, so she turned into the parking lot.  Sister Beck and I got to take her, her daughter and their friend on a tour, and the whole time she was very in tune with the spirit. She kept mentioning how she loved how she felt as she walked on the sacred sites and how inspiring all of the saints were. We could just tell there was something special about her.

Towards the end of the tour, she said to us, “This may seem like an ‘out there’ question, but I need to know--Do you guys believe in the power of healing?” We went on to explain the Priesthood power and told the story of Elsa Johnson, who had an arthritic arm and was miraculously healed after a blessing of healing given to her by Joseph Smith. I then told her the story of my eye situation. She was amazed! She explained to us that she didn't have the best health and had been diagnosed with cancer multiple times in the past. She then
said, “Now I know where to come next time it comes back!” 

At the end of the tour, Candyy accepted a Book of Mormon but didn't want to give us her contact information. She said she would come back to see the Nativity display, though! We were very hopeful and we prayed for her multiple times the following days. We prayed that she would either come back to the sites or that the missionaries in her area would find her. About a week later (Friday night), we saw Candy and her daughter wandering around the sites looking at the Nativities. We ran up to her and began talking. She explained that within the past week, she met two elders who talked to her on the street. She told them how she had taken a tour, received a Book of Mormon and couldn't wait to go back. They were able to set up a return appointment and she became a new investigator. During that week, she also found out that her cancer had come back, and she knew she needed to come back to the Historic Sites. Once she arrived at the Visitor’s Center, she approached two random elders (the Assistants, no less) and explained how she needed “the Grace of God” and needed a blessing. They were able to take her up to a quiet room and give her a blessing of healing. After talking for a few minutes, they committed her to baptism, and SHE ACCEPTED! She continues to meet with the Elders and has come back to the sites multiple times. She just can’t get enough! It's so crazy! At our Zone Training Meeting yesterday, we spent a few minutes talking about miracles we had recently seen, so we told that story and as we were, other missionaries were throwing in bits and pieces that they had heard about from other missionaries who were involved. It was so neat! It was like a mission-wide miracle. Okay, not mission wide. But Zone-wide, plus the Assistants. SO COOL! So we are now meeting with her at the VC while the elders in her area work with her out in her area. It's the neatest thing! Everything about it. 

Then on Tuesday, we had our Mission Christmas Conference. It was SO GOOD! It started out at the VC where we all looked at nativities and watched the new videos the church has produced. Then we had 2 hours for lunch. We were all way confused and didn't know what we were going to do with our lives for all that time, but then lo and behold, "The Best Two Years" began to play on the projector! WE WATCHED THE BEST TWO  YEARS! Ahhh it was the best 2 hours of my life. Just kidding. But it was really exciting/fun/weird/letsdoitagain. Then we all headed to the temple and had a devotional. We sang Christmas songs, listened to special musical numbers, and heard the testimonies of multiple missionaries/church leaders around our mission. It was so good! The spirit was so strong. I love love LOVE it when all of us missionaries gather together. The spirit can be felt like none other. I wish you all could have been there. I wish everyone could experience being a missionary. There really is no greater way to spend 18-24 months of your life at this age. I love it so much. Thanks for the support. :) And sorry I wrote an entire novel. 

I hope you had a good week as well. If it was anything like mine, you're probably in heaven.

 I love you!

Love,

Sister Livingston

1. My cousin, thanks to Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings.

2.  Sister Evans. Apparently I'm her "special friend". Whatever that means.

2. Yay for chubby cheeks! (Elder Bowcut and Jensen (ZLs) have a goal to make all of the Site Sisters fat. Isn't that horrible? Yet, SO hilarious. It's working.)

I just realized it looks like all I ever wear is black/white patterned shirts with the yellow cardigan.  Perfect.

Week 62: Reassurance!

IM ALIVE AND DOING WELL! Gotta go. love you!

-me

Week 61: The Best Thing I've Ever Done With My Life!

Heeeeey!

The week of never ending exchanges is over!! And 3 District Meetings. It was really hectic, but really fun. Really draining, but lots of learning. So, I'm happy. 

I got to go back to Kirtland on Wednesday with Sister Davis and that was FABULOUS! Got to see Sister C and boy do I miss her prayers! Love that little lady. So much. I also got to see Madame M! Still a hoarder. But the cutest one you'll ever see. Then on Thursday, I stayed in Shaker with Sister Berry and it was amazing! We found a new investigator. He was the one who offered to give us his number, he made sure we had his address and then when we were getting ready to leave, he was like, "Don't forget about me!" His father recently passed away, and he's proposing to his lady friend on Christmas, so he's prime. Hopefully all goes well with him! Then on Friday, I served in the Euclid area with Sister Janairo and we almost got blown over to California due to the crazy wind. By this time, I didn't even know who Sister Beck was. Just kidding. But it was nice to be back with her on Saturday.

On Saturday, we took the coolest tour! 3 non-members. A mom, daughter and some other guy. We're not quite sure how he fit into the picture. But at first they said, "We're just here to learn." But by the end, they had so many questions! The mom kept saying how the spirit told her to come to the sites, and how she loved the feeling that was there, and she was SO inspired by the saints. We told her about the Book of Mormon and she was like, "I would love one!" So we got one for her, and then the daughter asked if she could have her own. SO COOL. At the end of the tour, she said, "I know this may seem weird, but I just want to know. Do you believe in the power of healing?" YEAH WE DO!!!! Then we told her a story of one of the saints, and I told her the story of my eye. She loved it! Then she explained how she's had cancer multiple times and has had to go through chemo, but then she was like, "I know where I'm coming next time it comes back!" Supersupersuper cool. The sad part is they didn't want to give us their information. But they live nearby, so I trust that they'll be back. 

Basically, this is the best thing I've ever done with my life. I'm grateful everyday for the decision that I made to serve. I wouldn't trade it for a thing! I love Ohio (though I don't mind that I don't live here permanently) and the people, I love the sites, I love the missionaries I serve with. I just love it all. 

CHURCH IS TRUE!

Oh. By the way, next week our Preparation day is being moved to Thursday for Thanksgiving. So I'll be emailing on Wednesday for like 4 seconds. And the week after that, Preparation day won't be till Thursday. It's a good thing sacrifice brings for the blessings of heaven. 

Until then, be good.

Sister Livingston

Week 60: She is in love!

Greetings, from freezing Ohio! Just kidding. It's actually not that cold yet. And you know what? I'm okay with that. I took some people on tour from California the other day. They said it was in the 90s out there. Is that true? If so, I'm a bit jealous. Okay, enough weather talk. It's like we're on a date and we don't know what else to talk about or something.

This week was really great! We had 0 time in our area though. My week goes as follows:

Monday: Preparation Day

Tuesday: Mission Leadership Council

Wednesday: Sites

Thursday: Zone Conference

Friday: Area

Saturday: Sites

Sunday: Sites

But the good news is, since there's only one set of sisters in our area now, we are way busy during the time that we are in the area, so we still get a lot done. We seem to only be teaching men at the moment which is extremely difficult. We can't teach them alone inside because that's scary bears, but it's too cold to teach them outside because, not to bring up the weather again or anything, but it's a bit chilly. Ideally we would bring members with us, and ideally it would be men around their same age, but we can't bring just one other man because we can't be paired off. #doubledate. But we don't want to bring just one woman because we don't want them to think we're love doctors, so as a result, we have to bring the entire Relief Society. And then we scare them off. But it's okay, I'll survive. Don't worry about me. 

Only one of our investigators was able to make it to church yesterday. His name is Mr. A, and he lives in the same apartment complex as Mr. Bill. He's so awesome! He's 19 and is here for school. He's from Kentucky and has the thickest southern accent. It's hilarious. He's really funny. We were hoping to have about 4 of our investigators at church, but at 9:00, NONE of them  were there. Sweet nothin'. Our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, but behold the Lord comforted us, and said: Turn around, and there ye shall see Austin. And lo and behold, HE WAS THERE!! Hallelujah. He saved the day. So things are going well with him and it's really exciting. 

Guess what. We're going on 3 exchanges this week. Back to back. Therefore, who even is Sister Beck? It'll be crazy and draining, but hopefully effective. The Zone Leaders are doing the same thing with the elders. We (us and the ZLs) will be going to all of the District Meetings in our Zone, then going on exchanges afterwards. So nuts! But I'm excited. It'll be grand. 

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! I love my companion, I love those I serve, I love those I serve with, I love the Visitors' Center, I love the leaves, I love beans, I love it all. Mostly though, I love my Savior, Jesus Christ.  And I love the Book of Mormon, because it's allowed me to come to know Him better. It's amazing to think of the amount of love he had to have for each of us, and the Father, in order to perform His sacrifice. And I absolutely love the moments I have when I just feel an overwhelming sense of love from and for Christ. He truly is my best friend.

You come in a close second though. Wink. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Livingston

Week 59: The Spirit is Still Here, No Fear!

The Calista Crew

Heyheyhey! 

This week was really exciting, but also really depressing. Exciting, because I'm still in Shaker with Sister Beck. Depressing, because I'm in Shaker with no DK. And that's the worst. It's weird not having her around and I don't like it. Not one little bit. It's a good think Christmas is coming up though, now she can send herself to me. In a package. 

I Love to See the Temple

So there used to be us 4 (me, Beck, DK and Erickson) serving in our area, but now DK is home and Sister Erickson got transferred, so it's just Sister Beck and me! And it's freaky. We live in a huge home by ourselves, we weekly/nightly plan by ourselves, we eat by ourselves, we sleep by ourselves (nothing new, don't worry), we do it all by ourselves! It's definitely taking some adjusting. But it means that we're staying busy! So that's a blessing. PS when I say "by ourselves" I mean just the two of us mortals. The spirit is still here, no fear. 

Good-bye, Sis. de Kock (DK)

One Last Selfie Together

We were able to find some new investigators this week! One is a former investigator. He's from Italy and it's a struggle to understand him. Plus he like to hold our arms and place his face no further than 5 inches from our faces. Some might say it makes me feel weird. Plus we can hardly get a word in when we meet. Plus he says he already knows everything that the Bible and Book of Mormon teach. But he is still a child of God and we love him. The other is a man we just met on the streets. He calls us like, all the time though. And he's a little too excited to meet with us. So we may or may not have to pass him over to the Elders. The last one was a Head Quarter Referral. Her name is LaFawnda (not really). We stopped by yesterday and she was like, "I ordered this a looooong time ago, girl!" But we just stoked her hair and said it would all be okay. Just kidding. We gave her a free Bible and she was said, "Great! And how often are you in this area? I work the night shift from 8pm to 8pm, but usually don't go to bed until12pm so mornings are best for me. When can we meet this week?" We were blown away! It was a miracle. She's super neat. We're excited to see what happens with her.

God Be With You, DK!

What else? I don't know. Oh! Bill bore his testimony in church yesterday! That's 3 times in 3 weeks! And we didn't even ask him to do it this time! He also bought Sister Beck and me some CTR necklaces and Journals. Precious. HE GOT THE PRIESTHOOD YESTERDAY!!!! So we're trying to set up a temple trip with him and Rose, the Elder's Recent convert who was baptized a few weeks ago. Temple party. In the most reverent way, of course.

We also got to take President and Sister Brown on a tour with some of their extended family. Elder Wynder made us. It was scary, but it was SO good! It 's neat getting to spend some one on one time with them. Well, I guess it was actually two on five time, but what is math anyways? 

The Last Hurrah!

I love my mission. I've been able to learn so much and really strengthen my testimony. I wouldn't trade it for a thing! Not even all the Rubio's bean and cheese burritos in the world. It's here that I've really come to know Jesus Christ and feel of his love for not only me, but for everyone. And let me tell you, His love is real. And it's strong! It's eternal and will never end. It's amazing. I love Him with all my heart and want to be more like Him.

I hope you all have a great week! 

Much love,

Sister Livingston

Week 58: God Be With You Till We Meet Again

Hello, hello!

Sorry the past two emails have only been half a gallon long. I'll try to be better. This week was great! We got transfers calls on Sunday, and I'm staying in Shaker AGAIN! So crazy. Like, nuts actually. 5 Transfers in Shaker. I was shocked when I found out. I assumed I'd be leaving, because usually STLs don't stay in an area for more than 3 or 4 transfers, so I started to pack my suitcases on Saturday night. My closet and dresser had SWEET NOTHIN' in them. Then we got the call, and I had to unpack my bags! The thing that's weird though, is the fact that Sister de Kock's companion, Sister Erickson, has only been here for 2 transfers and she's leaving! So she wasn't prepared at all to leave, but she's leaving. I was super prepared to leave, and I'm staying. President Brown is a tricky one. But I'm glad. I really love this area.

Speaking of Sister de Kock, she goes home tomorrow and I want to cry. It still hasn't quite hit me yet though, so tomorrow will be rough. Especially because during Transfer Meetings we have all the departing missionaries stand on the stand and we sing, "God Be With You Till we Meet Again". It's always really sad, but to have my dk leaving! Someone get me some tissues, please. She is the best. I really love her a lot and have been able to learn so much from her. She'll be a life long friend, no doubt. Is it okay if I move to South Africa? Thank you.

On Sunday we had what was called a "Non-Member Sunday". All of the talks were supposed to be completely geared to those who aren't of our faith. They were going to be on: The Restoration, Plan of Salvation and Gospel of Jesus Christ, though we only ended up having time for one. But Bill bore his testimony and it was awesome! He's so cool. We hoped that a lot of members would invite their friends and we'd be able to meet some potential investigators, but there was a grand total of one non-member who showed up to Sacrament Meeting. And that was our former investigator. So that was kind of sad. I mean, it was great that she showed up, but sad that no one else was able to make it! But it's okay, because it was just want she needed. That was her first time attending church and she LOVED it. She told us, "Usually I don't listen to every word that is said in services, but I did this time. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot." So neat! So hopefully things continue to go well with her.

Thank you for the emails each week! You're all the bomb.com. Especially you, mom. (You know I pay her to say things like that about me.) I love you all! Have a great week and say your prayers.

Much love,

Sister Livingston

Enjoy my face and the really pretty trees.