Happy Day! (2 weeks)

                                                                                                                      March 10, 2014
Dear Family,
Happy Day! It is so sunny and bright and warm out right now, I didn't wear a coat to get here! :D
     I'm pretty sure I've had more sicknesses in the past two months than ever before in my life. First it was the nasty cold, then the brutal throat infection and then on Thursday I got struck down again by a horrible cough that put me out for days...I'm still recovering...ahem.
     I'm glad you are all still crazy. It is a real talent you know, to write your name with your "bottom" in the air. I'm glad Tal is letting all of my secrets out to the world. ;). She's so funny. I love her to death and back.
     We had some fabulous miracles this week. We went to the Church of England Minister's house again and it was gr-r-reat. He and his wife showed us the things that he uses when they have communion, like his chalice and wafers and things, and then they had so many questions for us. It was another really positive experience with them. they told us about their Easter Services and it was really interesting. You know, I don't think we do enough for Easter. even in Italy in our church, Sister Nigido said that on Palm Sunday they have traditions with the palms and they have a service for that. I really think we need to commemorate all of those things more. We do for Christmas, why not Easter? Anyway, just a thought.
     We id some finding this week and found a really sweet girl that we're meeting again tomorrow. Her name is Carley. She is the daughter of a potential we found a couple of months ago and when we went by, she opened the door and had a lovely lesson with us. I'm really praying that we can see her tomorrow.
     I cannot believe we're halfway through March...ahhh. This weekend is Stake Conference again and I was here in South Shields the last time they had it! Weird! I've been living here almost as long as I lived in Edmonton...and I'm really excited because Elder D. Todd Christofferson is coming. Dad, you are so lucky you get to see Elder Holland. It is all so exciting!
     I know the gospel is the only true way to find happiness. I love you all and pray for your protection and happiness.
Love,
Sister Lybbert :)


                                                                                                                               March 17, 2014
Dear Family,
It is incredible that you were able to see Elder Holland! We had a fantastic Stake Conference here with Elder Christofferson. I shook his hand and we got a zone picture with him. Tal got a selfie with him too, she was so happy about that, haha.
     This week has been alright, I'm going to the doctor tomorrow because of this illness, things got worse Saturday when I started running a temperature. I'm feeling pretty weak, so hopefully tomorrow things get sorted.
     In Stake Conference, Elder Christofferson mentioned that one of the biggest worries that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve have right now is the problem of distraction. I've seen it as well and I've probably bored you to death on the topic but I am so against having technology in church. So many people think that if you have your scriptures on your iPod/iPad/ device, it makes it alright, but to a child, all that goes through their mind is the fact that there are adults on their iPods in Sacrament meeting. Therefore, they think it is okay for them to be. Also, we all know that if there is an incoming message, it doesn't matter how 'focused' you were on the lesson, because the new message has to be replied to that instant. Distraction. argh. At the Stake Conference, there was an apostle of the Lord speaking at the pulpit, and the teenagers sitting next to us had their iPhones out the entire time and were texting, sending photos, giggling, etc. and I was going to go crazy. I have learned that there is a special spirit in holding the weight of our holy scriptures and opening the pages to see where we have felt revelation come, and to read the notes we have left in the margins. I have a testimony of this.

Our zone with Elder Christofferson

     Well, now that rant is over, we had an absolutely incredible miracle this week. I don't know if I told you about it but about a month ago we lost contact with one of our most solid investigators and Sister Nigido and I were both devastated. We had been praying that something would happen to let us get back in contact with her, and so much time had gone by that I was losing hope. Then, our ZL suggested that we drop a DVD by as a gift and leave a card just to let her know we've been thinking about her. So, we did, and we even knocked on the door. She was in, but she didn't answer. I took it as a definite drop and was ready to move on. Then, Saturday night, she texted us. She told us she was going through a hard time and was so grateful for the gift. And, we have an appointment with her tomorrow! I know it was a miracle and I am extremely grateful for it. I feel so blessed.
     What else? I also really loved Sister Christofferson's talk in Stake Conference about the importance of studying the Book of Mormon as a family. I feel blessed to have grown up in an environment where scripture study was a priority. And being here has really solidified that desire to make that sacred family time a priority.
     I've also been studying Sacrifice in my personal study and it has been so good. It has opened up so many new ideas for me about why sacrifice is always required of us. As we see in Matthew chapter 19, the rich young ruler had been following the commandments, and he had sacrificed. However, he hadn't learned what sacrifice was because he hadn't given up what was most precious to him. There is a significance in sacrificing what we love the most, because it helps us understand the Atonement. In Romans 8:17 it says that in order to be joint heirs with Christ, we need to have joy with Him, but we also need to suffer with him. He sacrificed all, and that requires us to as well. I wish I could write more about it but I don't have the time.
Anyway,
I love you all, and hope all is well.
Love,
Sister Lybbert

Week 38

March 3, 2014

Dear Family,
     First off, happy 14th Ashy! I cannot believe it! And thanks to my funny brother Kyler for the e-mail! You are the greatest dude. I tell all of the people here that my little brother is Native American and they all think it is so super neat. People here are obsessed with Native American culture because there aren't many here, so they all love to hear about you.

Sleeping on the Metro at 5 a.m. (Bleh!)

Surfing on the metro

Mother/ Daughter picture

     This week was pretty good. We've done a lot of finding this week and it actually hasn't been too bad. We've been enjoying it actually and meeting all sorts of interesting people. The other day we tried street contacting separately at the South Shields town center. I didn't even know until last week that we could do that. I didn't like it so much because I just looked like a lost puppy as people were "too busy" to stop and talk. then three men who were sitting on a bench eating fish and chips called out to me saying, "are you lost?"...before that I was trying to avoid them because they looked rather interesting...but then I walked over to them and started to talk to them. They were hilarious. they were actually buskers who had their equipment all set up just down the street. they were from the Inca tribe in Peru and they were friendly. When they went over to play their music, it was absolutely breathtaking, and then it started to rain. So they asked me (through the mic..I was way down the

Buskers from Peru

 street by then) if I could pray for them...oh my. I got a picture with them...I can't say I look my best, maybe just a bit creeped out?
     Shaun, the other sisters' investigator, was baptized Friday. South Shields is harvesting some good souls, haha.

matching Primark Skirts

     Last week we also had Zone Conference! I love it. I don't really know how to rewrite everything that I'd want to say in such a short time, but President focused on Moses chapter 1 and also parts of exodus. this is an excerpt from my letter to President afterward, I don't want to rewrite everything I felt over again so I'll just give you it:

I really loved how you compared us to Moses in that as we make progress in the work, Satan will try to destroy it, but as we recall the past miracles we had and the testimony we've built, we are able to overcome and be refined through it. Something that I have done since I was little, but I want to be more committed to it, was write the miracles and the hard things in my journal so that in the future, when I feel like my testimony is not enough, I can look back and "call to remembrance" the things I once knew with all my heart.

I was illuminated as you were speaking of this, and instead of putting myself in Moses' shoes, I put the investigators of the church in his shoes. As a representative of Jesus Christ we have the responsibility to do what God did, by giving Moses all the spiritual testimony building experience and assurance he needed for the challenge that would face him as he was approached by the devil. We all know that before something miraculous happens the very jaws of hell will open and as missionaries we must teach with all our hearts and then pray that what we've done was enough to get them through. It's changed the way I want to teach President. Thank you.

I really loved the meeting, as always. Zone Conference is such an uplifting experience.
Thank you everyone for all you do. I love you and pray for you every day.
Love,
Sister Lybbert

Righto, Flower! (two week update)

                                                                                                 February 17, 2014
Hello Everyone,
This week has been one of the best. And to top it off, I can't believe what's happened with transfers. Nigido and I are both STAYING, whoo!! To make matters EVEN better, Sister Monroe is staying and the crazy thing is that Sister Peck is coming to South Shields from Gateshead and Sister Neilson is going to Gateshead from South Shields. It is incredible! We 6 were so sad to separate and all that happened was a little swap. Cushty Belta! (talyia thought I said that one day but I didn't even know what it was...it means posh/sharp/classy even though the term itself sounds otherwise...haha)
     I can't remember if I told you about the girl we met while knocking that is from the Born Again Church we attended a few weeks ago. Anyway, we had a huge miracle in that she accepted everything we taught her about the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and about the importance of Priesthood Authority on the earth through prophets. She even said she'd come to church with us as soon as her mam is recovered from a recent surgery. I was shocked knowing the background she came from and how open she was to learn more about the gospel. She's adorable as well and I am so happy that I am staying so that I can still meet with her.
   AND we had tea with the Church of England Minister and his wife. We actually found out he is a retired Church of England Canon, which is apparently pretty "up there." It went really well. We had decided that this time we would not let any topics contain the slightest amount of tension and so Sister Nigido and I planned to leave a spiritual thought through singing them a hymn instead of reading them scriptures that they might contend with. So all week we had been planning this and singing to people at our other appointments because it really was so uplifting and it was nice to do something a bit different like that. We chose the hymn, "O, My Father" because it teaches the plan of salvation. Another beauty of singing a hymn was that nobody can interrupt a hymn, nobody can help but feel the spirit during a hymn, and it taught something unique to our faith but it wasn't in any sense "pushed" onto them. The sad part was that, the very day I started to get an infection in my throat. I had just got over the cold I had, and then this came on the morning of that day. We sang anyhow and it was good. Angela, his wife absolutely loved it and they invited us back for whenever we can make it.
     As for the infection, Sister Pilkington has arranged for me to see a doctor. I talked to Sister Kinghorn on Sunday who is a nurse and she examined my throat and told me there were glands that were swollen and that I should call Sister P. if they didn't' clear up in the next couple of days. Well, they haven't but I'm alright. Nothing to worry about. I just sound like a man.
    Ashleigh is being baptized on Saturday! We have so much to look forward to this transfer. I'm grateful for the lovely people in South Shields and that I get to spend 6 months here! And with the Italian!Wahoo! :)
     And Mom, I did get the Valentine's card. I love the pictures. I carry them with me everywhere! Everyone looks so old!
I love you all,
God Bless,
Sister Lybbert :)


                                                                                                                 February 24, 2014
Dear Family,
This week went really well. Ashleigh's baptism was perfect, she's doing great and we are feeling really blessed to be here another transfer in South Shields with our BFF Talyia! She's incredible, absolutely incredible. She started indexing last Thursday and by Saturday she'd done over 1 000 names. Champion!

Ashleigh's Baptism

     I don't really know what else to talk about this week. I'm healthy again. That's been nice. Apparently it was just a very bad viral infection in my throat. It was not fun, but now I'm back to my usual self. (Not sure if that's good or bad, I am a bit crazy as you all know.)
   I'm so bad at remembering things...it was such a crazy week too with transfers happening, and the baptism. We had some fun knocking this week too, and found some classy people. One guy is named Malcolm and he's 82. He has worked as the Chief Engineer out at sea, which is a pretty big deal and at first he wasn't so keen on being "brainwashed" by us, but when he realized that we're human and that we just wanted to be friends he was nicer. I sang "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy" to him and it softened him a bit. He told us some stories of his life in WWII (I'm always fascinated by it) and then he told us that we can come back but only "if you have nothing better to do". It was such a good experience though, I'm always learning so many things about people and how to help them recognized God in their lives.
   We met another seafarer yesterday. He was plastered in tattoos, and so at first when he opened the door, naturally I didn't think he'd listen. But, again, we had a lovely conversation, he accepted a Book of Mormon, and said that if we're in the area again, to stop by and talk to him. He's so nice, and was genuine even though his wife clearly was not. I like people like that.
     Tomorrow is Zone Conference in Leeds! Whoo! I'm so excited.
Thank you everyone for your love, prayers, and support.
I love you all!
Sister Lybbert

p.s. thank you to everyone who has been sending letters. Letters are always nice. this week I got one from Cammie, Camille/Janae/ Amber, and Kaiah. :)

Famous pumpkin cookies

February? Whatever!

FROGS!

District 3

MTC crew! Elders D., L.,
Sisters Lybbert, P., and C.,

With Sis. I

On Tal's penny board

The Book of Mormon is mint!

Transfer night with Italian Pizza!

Church in Simonside

Sis. Lybbert & Sis. W

With two of my favorite
people, Jean and Delwin

Week of Miracles

Dear Family,
This week has been one of miracles. To start off, we were able to go to Durham to see the Cathedral last P-day, I will send photos. It was just like you could imagine on the inside, and the "courtyard" is where they filmed quite a few scenes from Harry Potter, so that was also pretty neat. Durham is a beautiful little place as well. I love places with little shops, cobblestone streets, and a nice castle AND a cathedral. We didn't go in the castle though be cause it is Uni student housing. How neat is that?
     Tal love, love, loved the Temple. I am so glad about it because we had such a short time to get everything organized for her to go. She was able to take the bus with other young women in the stake, and with Sister Deacon, Sister Choi and Sister Kinghorn. She really had an excellent time. she said she was so full of the Spirit while she was there and that she was emotional with the strength of it.

With Sis. N from Italy

     Also, Ashleigh is progressing toward baptism! She is scheduled for February 22nd which is exciting. Sad thing is that transfers are next week (unbelievable!) and so Kneadyourdough or myself will not be here. (Kneadyourdough is a nickname for Sis. Nigido because one of the members couldn't remember her name for the longest time...and then we came up with that. haha)

Do you recognize this? It's where
 a lot of the scenes from Harry Potter were filmed.

     Another great miracle is that we tried by a Church of England Minister that we had met previously. He told us to try by on  Thursday afternoon so we did. He let us in straightaway and we sat down at his kitchen table. I was pretty nervous, as you could imagine, and was praying so hard that I'd just be able to peaceably answer any questions or discuss any scriptures that he might throw at us. Well, the very first thing he did was tell us that one of our leaders was in the paper. I was hoping it would be something positive, as I saw the article my heart sank. I was then informed about the issues going on right now with President Monson and the Westminster court. Obviously, it is all quite ridiculous, but how was I supposed to defend my faith when he had that sitting in front of us? At first, things were a bit contentious just because he was trying to undermine Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I have a fault of being a bit too bold in these circumstances, but I was trying my best to not let the situation get to me.  He then left for a minute and I looked at Sister Nigido, who has a gift of remaining calm in all situations. It is a great blessing to have a companion like that, because we looked at each other, whispered a few uplifting things, and I was able to better relax. When he came back in the kitchen we were able to testify boldly, ask inspired questions, and we must have done something right because he and his wife have invited us for dinner on Thursday. :)

     Something funny that happened this week was that yesterday we visited an elderly woman from our ward. Just to give you an idea of what she's like, her testimony was probably 25 minutes long last Sunday. She is a doll, and she has a heart as big as the whole outdoors. We were there for ages and being as polite as we could while listening to her. We had just come from tea with the Adlingtons, who provided a beautiful Sunday dinner, so we were completely stuffed to the brim . This dear sister (like everyone else) had assumed that missionaries here are somehow starving (that's how I've gained 15lbs) and she had prepared a platter of food for us. Sister Nigido and I knew that we had to shove it down, and quickly otherwise we'd be there until Monday morning. by the time we left we could have been rolled out of the house. I don't think I've eaten so much in my life.
   Now back to the Spiritual side of things. I've learned this week that God knows exactly how we feel and what we need. I had some prayers answered this week and my testimony has increased a great deal because of it. I love how the gospel is so simple, and that all it teaches us is the directions God has given us in order to let us be the absolute happiest we can ever be.
I love you all,
Keep the faith!
Sister Lybbert :)

Durham Cathedral with Sister N.
 from Mountain View

Splendid Week!

This week was splendid! We had an exchange, I was in Gateshead with Sister Peck and Sister Benner was in Shields. Sister Peck and I had a wonderful time street contacting, and knocking and going to different lessons. It was funny because we went to a less active's house whose name was on the ward list but people hadn't really met before, and she said she is a Jehovah's Witness and never was baptized a "Mormon." It confused us a bit, haha. Maybe she accidentally slipped in the font?
     Sister Peck and I are also mastering our snowboarding techniques so that we can eventually become hermits in the Canadian Wilderness and then establish friendships with the Sasquatches, but we can snowboard places when we need to get supplies. No, we didn't go snowboarding, we just took the snowboarding stance while riding the metro to and from appointments, and didn't hold on to anything. Mind, there weren't many people in the same car as us so nobody knows that we're proper crazy.
     This week was also wonderful because we scheduled Ashleigh for baptism! The goal is February 15th which is coming up quickly, but I believe that she can do it. She came to another baptism with us on Saturday and it was another Chinese. I love the Chinese! They have such a strong Chinese LDS community and are always baptizing. Ashleigh had a lovely time there and afterward there was an activity to celebrate the Chinese New Year. I felt very cultured because we had Chinese Hot Pot (where you eat mystery fish/meat/seafood that you throw in a pot and fight over with chopsticks to get things when they're cooked...can't say it's very sanitary but it was SO good.) And one of the Elders did some crazy Marital Arts Dance. And then Sister Wu started an icing war with the leftover cake. She's hilarious. But the best thing was that Ashleigh was able to get to know some more YSA and she enjoyed it all so much!
     Talyia is going on a youth temple trip this Saturday! I'm so excited for her and more than anything I wish that we could go with her. I miss the temple, it will be so nice when I can go whenever I want.
     Another thing I miss, that I didn't realize until recently is everything Maple Flavored. I miss Maple Cookies, Maple Cream Doughnuts, Aunt Jemima's, etc. A sister from the ward brought me some Maple Syrup at church last week and it was so sweet of her. I didn't realize either that if you aren't in Canada, Maple things are scarce. It is a sad reality.
     I had a really wonderful week and some great experiences while finding. I love it when we talk to people that are polite and friendly and that you can have instant friendships with. We've had a few experiences like t hat in the past few weeks. I love how people of all types and of all places all have the Light of Christ. It is something that I value, is the way I've been able to change my perspective on different people. Heavenly Father really cares about His children and being here and trying to serve whole-heartedly has taught me so many things about His love for us. I'm by far not even close to the perfect missionary, but I feel God is always helping me to work more effectively every day. We have seen so many miracles with the amount of lessons we had, and the way that things are going especially with Tal and Ashleigh.
     I cannot believe that it is February either. And another fun fact; A bird pooped on my head this week, for the first time ever. The sad thing is that as a visionary, you don't exactly have time to go shower so I made Sister Nigido sanitize my head with my Brownie Mix hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works. I was not impressed with the situation. In Sister Jodicke's words, "That is not okay!"
Well family and friends, I love you!
Keep the faith,
Sister Lybbert

This week has been a mixture of things....

January 27, 2014
Dear Family,
This week has been a mixture of all things. I'm currently battling another cold but this time it is making my lungs rattly and so that's not good. At church yesterday I left sacrament meeting to cough (as usual_ and then there were a few members that came out after and were all telling me to go home and get rest because I wasn't looking so good. Brother Power and Brother Cave gave me a blessing so hopefully things will start looking up tomorrow.
   I'm so sorry to hear about Chrissy's Dad. Tell her that I am praying for her and thinking about her, Scott, Penny and her family. The gospel brings so many blessings, one of which is the knowledge of life after this one. I've had some powerful contacting this week as we've testified of that. It was even emotional for me as I bore testimony to these people who I didn't even know.
    If Laycee is reading this, I am overjoyed for you! You know Lace, the gospel never became as real for me as it has in the past 8 months and I know without a doubt in my mind that the way to true peace and joy comes from following the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Priesthood is real, and through it we can find  our purpose of this life and reach our God-given potential to become like our Heavenly Parents. I know it. You've always been a great example and friend. I wish I could be there!
     Ashy got a bearded dragon? How excitifying! Will it still be around by December though? ;)
     A Sister from our ward brought me maple syrup. :D
Another sister from our ward that's a nurse gave me this bottle of herbal Chinese medicine for coughs. It looks like t he medicine from Nanny McPhee but I've been taking it and it seems to be doing something...I think.
     This week we had some great miracles, one of which was while we were knocking .When the lady opened the door, we were able to take President Pilkington's council and be conversational at first, (he also tells us to mention the things we have given up to come here and mention where we're from so that people will see the importance and effect this message has on us). Anyway, we had a great lesson at her door and we are seeing her again Friday! She was emotional as we talked about the potential that God has given us, and we were able to relate to her the First Vision. She is a sweet lady, and miraculously has some connections to the ward here. It is crazy how that works out!
     Fun Fact: Elder Sim (from England) is serving her (in England) and he is "famous" on YouTube for his "What Mormons Say" videos that he has done with Bryce Hardy (who is from Calgary, and who I used to play with when I was 4 years old...small, small world).
     Also, I forgot to mention that Elder Olson is serving in Alnwick which is where the Alnwick Castle is, which is the HP castle. He's not in my zone but had they not recently split the zones, he would have been. I haven't seen him yet because we were in Sunderland instead of Newcastle last P-day but for some reason, President is banishing all of the Canadians to the north..hahaha. There's Sister Neilson (Cardston), Me (Magrath), Elder Dotschkat (Calgary), Elder Veitch (PEI), Elder Olson (Magrath) , and I'm sure there are more. We're taking over the North!
     I remembered a huge miracle !

     On Saturday, Ashleigh was going to come to a baptism in Newcastle with us and I was so excited. but then, she sent us a text saying she was tired and the weather was rubbish so she didn't want to leave her flat. We were devastated because we didn't know what we could do in t he awful weather and me feeling sick. We tried to call other people to come, but none of them could, and then we decided to say a prayer.
   After the prayer, the sun came out, and we got another text.  It was Ashleigh saying that we could meet her at the Chichester Metro! I knew Heavenly Father was looking out for us because our back-up plans were less than desirable.
     Ashleigh really loved the baptism and she started to talk about when she gets baptized. She came to church with us yesterday too and loved it again. She said being at the baptism made her realize how she really wants to try harder to read and pray and make these things priority. I feel so blessed.

Well, bless you all.
The Church is true.
Love,
Sister Lybbert :)

   

Life is Good

Dear Family,
    This week was pretty great, although e-mail time means that my mind goes blank and then I can't actually tell you about it.
      Dad, Keeping bees is on my bucket list! If you get started you can teach me the ropes later. How exciting! You should definitely do it! And Mom, that is class that you are getting a harp, except what about a new piano? (Then you can save your piano for your second daughter).
      This week we had interviews and Zone training. In President's Interviews, he told me to tell you (in case I haven't) That he likes me because I'm from Canada and Canada (Medicine Hat) looked after his father for three years in the Second World War. President is absolutely one of the classiest and most motivational people I know. I really wish you could meet him and Sister Pilkington.
     This week we scheduled appointments after church Sunday which we try to do sometimes but it's not always as effective as we hope, but these past two Sundays, we've done quite good. So, we stayed busy, but also made finding a priority, which was something I don't love to do because the weather was rainy and I go through phases where I crawl back into my shell and lose all confidence to talk to strangers. But, the Zone Meeting was all on Finding, and President is inspired. He is encouraging us to never again approach someone and say, "HI! My friend and I are missionaries...blah-de-blah-de-blah" because that will not make anyone listen. Instead, we are encouraged to be real people and try different approaches. the best ones we have started to use are, "Hi, can we ask you a question?  What makes you happy?" or "How do you feel about your ancestors?" That way we can talk about the gospel without spouting at them or talking at them, but talking with them and being conversational. It reminded me of a project that I was doing with a friend a few years ago where we wrote down a load of questions like that just because we wanted to see what different people were like, but we never got around (or got the courage) to actually go around and talk to strangers.
    The adventure for this week was that we had a flat inspection from a gas company of some sort, and our boiler was condemned. Which meant that we had to freeze for only one day and then temporarily move to Gateshead with Sisters Peck and Benner until it's fixed. Hopefully that gets sorted soon because that means we have to commute on the metro from Gateshead to South Shields every day.
     OH! I forgot! Yesterday evening we went to a Born Again church service. We met some people from there when we were visiting Marilyn from a few doors down our street. Anyway, we said that we'd come to theirs and they were invited to ours, only fair right? Right. Well, it was...interesting. The first half an hour I felt like I was at a gospel rock concert. The music wasn't weird or bad, it was probably something us missionaries would listen to in the morning, but the Spirit was lacking as the sermon went on because they were missing some important truths. It made me so grateful to not have to feel like so many important doctrines are unclear or missiong. After the sermon, the people were  very friendly and all interested to talk to us but didn't exactly let us get a word in. I'm so grateful for sacred sounding hymns, and having the Spirit in the building throughout the meeting, not just when bits of truth are told.
    This week has been great, thank you for your prayers and support. It is always appreciated.
 Love you all,
Sister Lybbert