March 7, 2016: Van City Baby!

Hello Family and Friends!

Wow, what a week! I got a new companion straight from the MTC. Sister ZoBell is from Alberta. She is actually a visa waiter for Colorado but she is ours until it comes! I got her on Thursday and we just keep on learning together everyday! Sometimes we get a little lost in Vancouver but "blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of wanderers in a strange land." :)

Our investigators are doing great. We got to teach Sandra about the Ten Commandment and she was reading them and she read out "thou shalt not commit adultery" and added in "EVER!" It was hilarious and cute. That lady just has so much faith. She came to church on Sunday and she stood up and bore her testimony. She told about the experience she had when she 1st had her kidney failure and how the doctors said she shouldn't ever been alive and how because of that experience she knows that God is there. Then she shared about when Sisters first met her on the street her husband was trying to get her to not talk to them but that she just told her husband that she knew they had a message from God and that she needed to listen to them. She then gave her testimony on how she loves the Book of Mormon and how it has brought peace, understanding, and revelation into her life. It was so cool! She passed her baptismal interview and is all ready for baptism this Saturday! :) We feel so blessed to have the opportunity to teach her!

Dawna is also going really good. Me and Sister ZoBell went and visited her and she told us about her experience of praying about the Book of Mormon. As she did so she just cried and said that she has never believed in anything, but she believes in the Book of Mormon. Moroni's promise works for any honest seeker of truth. Its amazing to see really how much that Lord has prepared her heart for these things. We taught the Plan of Salvation but she already had a great understanding of it because she studied the pamphlet so well. Sister ZoBell asked her how she thinks the Atonement can bless her life and she just gave a profound answer of spiritual healing. She just gets things way more than other investigators and its because she truly knows that she is ready for these things. :)

I am so grateful that the Lord has allowed me to serve a mission. I am so humbled to be with a brand new missionary my last transfer. It has been teaching me a lot. But really, the Lord is just showing me how much I truly have grown on my mission. I have seen weaknesses turn to strengthens. He has helped me over come my fears and doubts. He has granted me all of my righteous desires. With The Lord we truly can do all things. I'm grateful that I can see the Lord's hand in my life and to see Him use me, despite my weaknesses, be in an instrument in His hands to bless His children. Its the greatest blessing I have ever seen. I love you all and thank you for your love, support, and prayers.

Love,

Sister Lofthouse 

The blossoms are out! 

Me and Sister ZoBell :) 

February 29, 2016: My God is an Awesome God

Hello Family and Friends! 

Man, its been such a great and busy week. I don't even know where to start... How about my last transfer calls... I'M TRAINING!!! Haha I can't believe I am training my last transfer in Vancouver!! Im a little scared but it will be great! I can't think of a better area to start your mission. :) I will meet her on Thursday! Please pray for us! I'm sad to say bye to Sister Unwin! She taught me so much and all we did was laugh! And teach the Gospel. :) 

As for a continuation of last weeks amazing skytrain miracle.... Last week we got a call from President Burt saying that he got a letter sent to him. And it was from Dawna's boyfriend's family in Alberta. She had been asking them questions about the church and asked how she could learn more because she wants to start a family and raise her kids in a good home. Well her boyfriends brother wrote President Burt and told him the other half of the story and how crazy it was that she actually ran into Sister Missionaries on the skytrain. Cancelled flights, missed flights, stand bys... everything. It was cool because that man that wrote the letter was like you probably don't know who those sisters even are... But there service has meant so much to our family. He thanked President Burt for having such great missionaries who are worthy of the spirit. Me and Sister Unwin were almost crying as President Burt was reading this letter to us. And the amazing thing is, me and Sister Unwin weren't even doing anything special. God just made everything happen that we were in the right place at the right time. God is in EVERY detail of our lives. If we are searching for him, he will reach our to us. President Burt also promised us that this would be a little fore tast of how heaven will be like, we will be able to know all the other halves of the story.

On Friday we got to have an appointment with Dawna. It was one of the most spiritual 1st lessons I have ever had. And it was because of Dawn's preparation. She had really studied the Restoration pamphlet. She also was very open with us and told us that she was in a very dark place the past few weeks before we met her. She has had many scars that need healing. She said that she has tried everything and now she knows that the healing she is looking for is spiritual. We testified that the Savior and his Gospel brings that healing and went into the Restoration. She really studied it and already understood it. She said that when she read about the apostasy and she was, "Thats me! Im in apostasy!" and then she kept reading where it talks about "when time is right, God will reach out in love." She said that she knows God is reaching out to here now. She said that when she was reading it, she just got the most amazing feeling, and obviously it was the Spirit. She also really wanted her own Book of Mormon so that she could do all the additional study in the back of it. She really connected with us. She even gave a beautiful prayer at the end of the lesson and asked if we could kneel. No one ever does that! She is amazing. I already love her sooo much. :) We are going to see her tonight. :) 

Also, Sandra is absolutely amazing! She is our investigator from the Caribbean. We taught her lesson 3 this week and we asked her to define faith and she basically quoted Preach my Gospel!! So prepared. She just keeps telling us that she knows God has kept her from joining a church her whole life so that she could join this one. She came to church yesterday and absolutely loved it. She fits in so well in the ward. She even was giving great answers in the Gospel Principles lesson. It was on prayer and in her accent she said, "And if we have faith, God will answer our prayers. He do. He do." She is so cute!!! At church, she leaned over to me and was like, "I just wanted to be baptized." So she is doing so well. I love her so much too. :) And her daughter still in the Caribbean is going to meet up with missionaries. :)

Again, I could just keep going about the amazing experiences that I have been having. I am so grateful to be here in Canada and here in Vancouver. I can't believe I will be starting my last transfer. It makes me really sad. My mission has taught me so much. I truly know that God is in every detail of our lives, sometimes we just have to open our eyes a little more to see it. He sent his Son so that we could have mercy. If we are afflicted in ANY manner he can heal us. (3 Ne 17:7) He has compassion for us. He has sorrow for our sufferings and His joy is full when we have enough faith to come unto Him. Those afflictions can be spiritual. We can be healed spiritually though the Atonement. Just like Alma the younger. "And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvellous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!" Becoming clean from sin is being healed spiritually. I've seen that in myself and I have seen it with the wonderful people I get to serve here in Canada. The Gospel of Jesus Christ works. I love you all and miss you so much. Thanks for all the support. Have a great week! 

Love,

Sister Lofthouse 

February 22, 2016: And then... Two Sister Missionaries got on the train

Hello Family and Friends!

Its been another amazing week here in Vancouver. Man, I love this beautiful city. And the sun has come out for a couple days! Really miracles every single day and our investigators are just so amazing. They increase my faith!

Last Monday evening we had a lesson at the Church with the cutest girl ever named Cindy! She is 33 and is studying at UBC here in Vancouver. She is so enthusiastic about life! We taught her the Restoration and she absolutely loved it. Our member asked her what are her thoughts about prophets and we just exclaims, "THEY ARE NEEDED! DEFINITELY NEEDED!" She's adorable. She also told us that she sleeps with the Book of Mormon under her pillow because it makes her feel safe. Then after that lesson we were headed over to another appointment across town to an investigator who the Elders were passing to us to teach. So we go and get on the sky train and both me and Sister Unwin sit in seats where there would be empty seats by us so that people could come and sit by us and we could talk to them. Well, after a couple minutes I'm looking at Sister Unwin and a couple people go to sit by her and then at the last second decide not to. So I start laughing to myself because I'm thinking she smells bad or looks funny or something like that...  But then I see this girl get up from her own seat and comes and sits down and start talking to Sister Unwin... I'm trying to see what's happening while having a conversation of my own with another person. But then it was our stop so I got up and this girl that was talking to Sister Unwin gave me a great big hug and was like, "This is a miracle! Ask your friend what just happened." And we got off the train and I asked Sister Unwin what happened! She said that this girl, Dona, said that her boyfriend (who she was on the train with) is a member of the church and that his family is big into the church. And they have been thinking about starting a family and how she really likes her boyfriend's family's values and beliefs. So the day before she was on the phone with his Dad asking what she should do to get more involved and learn about the church. And he told her she needed to get in contact with the sister missionaries in Vancouver. And she told him that she has never even seen sister missionaries in Vancouver... So then they were on the train and and all of the sudden her boyfriend leans over to her and was like "look who just got on the train..." It was us!!! And she got the courage to come up and talk to Sister Unwin and exchange contact info. Whoa. God is so aware of each one of his children!! We were put in each other's path at the right time in her life. We were going to visit her tonight but she texted us saying that she is really sick so that we will have to reschedule. But really what a miracle!!

Later Monday evening we made it to Sandra's (the investigator the Elders passed to us). She is from the Caribbean (Yes, she is black!!!) and she has such a strong desire to be baptized! She is going through kidney failure and is on dialysis... So she is just so humble and ready for the Gospel. She prayed at the end of the lesson and in it said, "Let me know if the Book of Mormon is true. Even though I already feel that it is." The spirit was so strong. We have seen her a couple times since and she told us how she used to study with the Jehovah Witnesses but she never felt inclined to join them or get baptized or anything, but that now she feels that God is telling her that this is her path and she needs to get baptized. She was just crying with joy when she told us this and that she called her kids and talked to them and told them how she is going to join the church and they told her to do it! So she just cried with joy even more. She has 6 kids back in the Caribbean, But really Sandra is amazing. :)

Really I feel like I could just keep going on and on with cool stories and lessons but my time is limited. I just love being a missionary and our area is on fire! The Lord has been so merciful to me. Today I was reading Alma 36 and went in with the question of "What would Alma want his son to understand?" He begins and ends by saying "Inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land." Must be important! Want help, strength, and happiness?? Follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He overcame the world. He can help us with ANYTHING. I love you all so much! Thanks for your love and support.

Love,

Sister Lofthouse

Last P-day was really rainy... So we made a fort in our apartment. :) Welcome to Fort Loftwin.

Bubbles!!