Another Baptism coming up!

December 16, 2013
Dear Family,
I have some excitifying news. Talyia is going to be baptized this Saturday! WHOO! She's definitely ready and we love her to bits. She's also hilarious and she always makes fun of my Canadian accent. On my birthday we're going to have FHE with her and tonight we are going Christmas caroling. It's so fun to teach her as well.

Christmas Tree FHE with the Herns

     There are more miracles this week as well (as always...but this one is especially nice). On Tuesday someone rang the Bishop's office to ask about meeting times (miracle #1), then the bishop forgot to ask for their name and number (-1 miracle, haha), then Brother Jones dialed some magical code in the phone and got the number (miracle #2), and then gave the number to us. Then we phoned a few days later and made an appointment for the next day to introduce the church to her (miracle #3), AND she came! (miracle #4). We had an incredible lesson with her. Her name is Ashley and she's definitely prepared. We taught her the first two lessons and she accepted a baptismal goal! (miracle #5). AND Talyia came early for her interview so she sat in at the end of our lesson and, bless her, she testified so beautifully! (miracle #6). We are so happy and very grateful. And Talyia is as ready for baptism as she'll ever be. She's reading regularly and she has been having a great time at church. It's so cute because she wears her "I love Ed Sheeran" hoodie to church and comes on her Penny Board. She even came to church when she slept over at her friend's house the night before. She's really making it a priority. I will most definitely miss her when I'm transferred.

With Sister Munroe

     There have been more miracles. I found a warm coat! Sister Monroe and I bought the same ones so now we are all matchy matchy. And we are writing a most fantastic Christmas Carol melody. I will video it so you can see it in the future. Christmas is so soon! AND I am 21soon...argh...I want to be `5. I don't believe I've had a full year of being 20...that's not okay!
    No snow! (miracle #780921340978) and there is a lady in this library who is wearing a string of Christmas lights shaped as Santas. (-1 miracle)
   What else? Well I loveyou all.
   Happy Christmas!
Love,
Sister Lybbert

p.s. thank you for the girts, and letters, and cards, and thank you to Grandma and Grandpa L for the Mickey Mouse bandaids because I had a paper cut when I opened the card, and because I know when I was little I'd always use up all of your super durable fabric band-aids. :)

Fabulous Week

December 9, 2013
Dear Everybody,
     THANK YOU for the whackload of e-mails today. I don't have time to reply to all of them, I'm in a bit of a rush today but I do appreciate every single one.
     To all of you who inquired about sending Christmas things, they are to be sent to my flat, not the mission office (to avoid chaos). However, since it will probably arrive after Christmas, it is alright if you send them to the mission office. If you need my flat address, contact my mom (assuming you know the telephone number) and she can give it to you or e-mail it, or facebook it.
     This week has been so so so great. Gwen is progressing! Before we met with her on Saturday, I was feeling a little doubtful that she has been working on the Word of Wisdom like we had committed her to because she flogged our appointment on Friday. We felt that we should go by on Saturday and see how she was doing.
     We went to her house, and there on the table was a cup of coffee, therefore, by doubts were still somewhat present. But, when we asked her about it, she said she's improved from drinking 15 cups a day and is now only drinking SEVEN. Whoo! And, she flogged but it was because she had to help her daughter and our appointment just slipped her mind. It made me so happy. She's even looking for options to help her to stop smoking. She is praying sincerely for help as well. I am so so happy.

Talyia

Talyia and Trish

     AND Talyia...golden. We were able to meet with her quite a  lot this week, and we even met with her mum and Marcy [her sister]. It was so nice and she's been reading the Book of Mormon regularly.  She's on chapter 11. She texts us whenever she reads a chapter because she's so excited. She came to church again yesterday and although we weren't in Young Women's or Sunday School with her, Clair (the YW president) said that Talyia was answering all of the questions, and even doing the writing on t he board. She also brought a friend to the activity on Wednesday. She's a great example to her family and friends. And she's only 12! She's not much older than Joshy. I feel like Josh must be so old now because Talyia is clever, mature, and she is gaining a real testimony of the gospel.
    We've had a fabulous week.

Our Family Christmas tree photo

What else? I love having flatmates. It makes everything so funny and exciting.



And I'm so excited for Christmas.
Love you all,
Sister Lybbert

Weeks 24 and 25

November 25, 2013
Excitifying news with transfers! I'm not moving, Sister Nigido is also staying and WE'RE GETTING FLATMATES! There is another set of sisters coming to South Shields and I could not be more  thrilled. It is Sister Monroe and her trainee whom we will meet tomorrow. There is a good chance, since there are only three sisters coming in this transfer, that it is Sister Neilson, my fellow Canadian / long lost cousin. I am so happy. Ah, the joy!

On the metro at 5 a.m. for zone conference

     The weather hasn't been too bad. Today it is quite nice but on Wednesday it was hellish. (I'm convinced hell is a place where there is freezing rain, cold winds, boisterous thunder, lightning, and nobody has proper coats or boots or mittens.) Our appointment fell through Wednesday evening and we were knocking in it. I am going to buy a new coat sometime soon, but when P-day rolls around the weather is nice and I fell more motivated to do other things, like be at the chapel with all of the missionaries. Last week, Elder and Sister Marsh, the missionary couple in Newcastle, brought loads and loads of apples they'd picked from a member's tree and all of us were slicing them and then they made apple pie. That's something I miss, is Dad's apple pie. We watched Monster's University. I think I loved it better than the first one. It was hilarious!

across the Tyne to North Shields

Sister Nigido (my daughter), me,
Sister Decker (my sister), Sister Jodicke
 (my mother) and Sister Burningham
 (my grandmother)

     On to the more spiritual side of things, Talyia is the most adorable friend of ours. She is so excited to come to Young Women's with us tomorrow and she came to the ward buffet / Georgina's baptism on Saturday. Georgina was being taught by the Elders. Elder Saolotoga, from Australia and Elder Wells from Utah. It was a miracle because not only Talyia came, but her mom slipped in the back just as the dinner was about to start. I'm so grateful her mom came to be with her. The other night, her mom stayed and listened for a little bit while we were reading the Book of Mormon with her. Talyia is the sweetest girl in England. If I'm ever rich enough, I'm flying her over to visit me in Canada. She is only 12 but she has real desires to know more about Jesus Christ, and about how she can find peace in this life and the one to come. It was so cute because she was outside with her Penny Board when we showed up for one of our appointments, and her dad was in but her mom wasn't so we couldn't go inside. So, we ended up teaching her while we made laps around the block. We probably walked around her block 12 times and it was so cute because I fell like she's just like Ashy in some ways and I care about her just like a little sister.

Sisters Cavallero and Nigido...
my friends from Italy

     I love South Shields. We went on exchanges with some of the sisters in the ward last week as well and I had such a great time. I don't know what else to say except I love it here.
I'm so happy Kaiah is loving her job, and things are going well.
I love you all so much and I'm always praying for you. The Lord is mindful of all of his people and he will guide us and help us when we humble ourselves and ask in faith.
Love,
 Sister Lybbert




December 2, 2013
Dear Family,
Oh, bless! Penny and Erik are adorable! [cousins' babies that I sent pictures of to Sister Lybbert] I am so happy that you were able to go down and see them and that I was sent photos. Mom, you look hot (young, vibrant, happy) ....so do Grandpa and Grandma.
     This week was excellent. It is really funny because the flatmates that we gained in South Shields are Sister Monroe and Sister Neilson, my long lost cousin from Cardston! It was so strange to meet another person from home. We were looking through photos and it's odd to see people that I know or when we were looking through Mara's wedding photos, it was weird for her because she's really good friends with Kirsty.
     I still haven't found a warm coat, I was going to today and then we decided to go to Newcastle for P-day and watch anime with all of the other missionaries...yes, we do that on our p-days and I'm not complaining...I'm actually enjoying it. I think because with my Chinese missionaries, and all the other missionaries it is just so funny. I know how to say "What are you?!" in Mandarin. Sister Wu taught me. :) She's from mainland China and was converted when she was at school in Greece. Her MTC teacher was the missionary who taught her in Greece. Small world ;)
     This week was great. We saw some miracles as we extended the Word of Wisdom commitment to Gwen, and she accepted! Gwen is so sweet. She has so many struggles, nevertheless, she is willing to exercise faith and try giving up her smoke and coffee.
     Talyia is a doll. She came to church on Sunday and she loved it, and she came to young Women's last Wednesday and loved that as well. WE made pizzas. She made a sweet one with peanut butter, jam and all sorts of sweets. It is hilarious because people here don't even comprehend how peanut butter and jam go together. Sister Nigido thought I was off my rocker when I put it on my toast. She loves her giant jar of Nutella and all of her other Italian things. She has real Parmesan cheese and real mozzarella cheese... like not the kind you shake out of a tub. Fancy schmancy.

   What else? Well, I love this ward to bits.

I've been asked to sing at the Relief Society Christmas Party and I was wondering if you could e-mail me some songs or things that we could maybe do? I don't know if I'll have time next week but I'd like O, Holy Night if you could send it. :)
   I'm so excited to see your book! I cannot wait.
   I don't really know what else to say, except that IT"S DECEMBER AND CHRISTMAS IS SO SOON!
I'm not sure how the Skype thing works, but will any time work for you? We'll probably do it in the evening or late afternoon here.
Love you lots,
Merry Christmas!
Sister Lybbert