A Lot of Lessons Learned This Week

ASL sisters signing

Dear Friends and Family

When I was getting really frustrated during the summer with all the people that didn't accept the gospel even when I knew they had felt the spirit. My mom saids " Some people are sowers, some are weeders, some are harvesters, but all are important" (Okay she didn't say it just like that, but you get the point). She is right all are important. I feel when I first got here I was a planter. Right now I feel more like a weeder. A few transfer ago I was more of a harvester. Its all different work. It is all needed work and thats what is important. We are not here for ourselves. This is not our mission it's the Lords. We do his work. We need to put aside pride, selfish desires and ask him what needs to be done. Have you ever asked your mission president that? How about the bishop? Have you asked them lately, what can I do for you? I look forward to working with a Bishop someday and asking him that. So do it for me right now, till I can myself. Please!

Sister Hoyt my amazing district leader gave me a booklet that she got on her outbound in the Texas Houston South Mission. Their mission President sounds AWESOME! This booklet has many amazing talks in it by past and present general authorities. I studied President Asytons (the mission president) words this morning for personal study and I think it was the best personal study I have ever had! I learned about goal setting and putting Gods will above yours and about prayer and how you should not just talk to the Lord but be in counsel with him. This is what I will be striving to do this week. Counsel with the Lord. The best part was learning about the Sabbath day, I have a new scripture:

Isaiah 58:13-14 
13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the ^asabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the ^ahigh places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

As President Ashyton said: We should be delighted to go to church. We should not be complaining about what we can't do, but look forward to this opportunity to focus on the Lords words and his work. President Kimball instructed that the Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important, but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, writing letters to missionaries, taking a nap, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day at which he is expected. 

All these things got me really excited about sharing the importance of the Sabbath with my investigators. It also humbles me and I know I need to repent as I have broken the Sabbath many a time. (I also hope I go out bound to this mission :)

Last note, I read another talk in this booklet by President Kimball call "Lock Your Heart" I'd advice all missionaries to find and read it (I couldn't find it on lds.org....). It has helped me refocus myself and remind me of my purpose here on the mission.

I hope you are having a great week and that you work to have the spirit with you always.

I love you all! 

Sister Bascom

The Lights Are Coming!

Changing of the Guard

The Temple Square mission will have a new mission President in Jan. The sisters will miss the Gillettes terribly.  Change is good. These Visitor Center Directors come with so much experience. 

Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission
David Edward Poulsen, 68, and Adrienne Veneta Wilson Poulsen, six children, East Millcreek 12th Ward, Salt Lake East Millcreek North Stake.  Brother Poulsen served as president of the South Africa Johannesburg Mission and is a former stake patriarch, counselor in a stake presidency, high councilor, bishop, gospel doctrine teacher and missionary in the Southern Far East Mission. Former president and chief executive officer for American Express Centurion Bank. Born in Provo, Utah, to Charles Edward and Annie Leona Clegg Poulsen. Sister Poulsen served with her husband in the South Africa Johannesburg Mission and is a former ward Relief Society president, ward Young Women president, ward Primary teacher, ward missionary and gospel doctrine teacher. Born in Los Angeles, Calif., to Charles Kimball and Veneta Caroline Wilson.

Dancing, Singing, Signing and Some MORE

Dear Family and Friends

The Temple Square performance went great! I was glad  that no one heard my mistakes! So glad all the sisters were praying for me. There was a deaf girl at the performance too. I was very glad Elder Sharp was inspired to have us interpret the fireside. I didn't get to talk to her much but she was very thankful that we did that.

I Got to see Saviour of the World last night, and WOW was it good! Maybe someday I will be able to perform in that. I walked home wanting to strengthen my relationship in Jesus Christ, I felt after watching the show that I barely knew him....

I don't like to waste the Lords time! I told someone that over chat the other day and they got upset. They took at as they were wasting my time, guess I have to be more careful. :/ I think I may have become a little to bold sometimes. Trying to have Christ like love and teach like him is really hard to do. I have found that logic and facts get you no where. Sadly bible verses hardly ever help as many people that I have meet know the Bible much better than I do and always have a different view of verses. So all I really have is my testimony and the Book of Mormon. Those are the only things that really bring the spirit because as I have learned I don't convert anyone on my mission the spirit does. I am simply its vessel, but thats hard all by itself. Trying to constantly have the spirit, having so much of it that it just spills off of you and people just want that, that is my purpose really here, to have the spirit to be an example and a witness.

P said that we might be able to teach his brother.  I want to teach him myself but also get the local missionaries involved. Thats how it works here we get peoples info and teach them over the phone and than we try and get them in contact with the local missionaries. Some times they don't want to talk to their local missionaries and would rather learn on the phone.  Sometimes the missionaries can't find their address and give up or there are no missionaries in the immediate area... like Africa need more missionaries.

For a zone activity we had a camp fire. (Ok it was a lamp that had fire taped to it and the white board had trees on it) We built our tents blindfolded (blankets and chairs), we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores (in the microwave)  and we watch Despicable me :D

It was great!

A great p-day over all 

Love yall! 

Sister Bascom

Beginning To Look Like Christmas

Dear Friends and Family

Training is going great! I couldn't ask for a better companion. She is sweet and funny. We laugh so much together. We are learning together. She teaches me so much!  I am continuing to learn to how to balance lessons and tours. I'm getting better but thats one of the biggest things I struggle with.

We had a great district meeting on Wednesday night. Our District Leader Sister H is truly inspired, she asked us to give a 5-10 min lesson on something in Ch 10 PMG. The lesson we were able to plan helped everyone, but I think it helped me the most. District meetings always humble me. This week I learned again how much I still have to learn. It always seems that just when I get a little confident in my teaching abilities the Lord is very good at showing me my weaknesses and what I need to  work on. I constantly have to tell myself that I will never be perfect, but that doesn't seem to stop me much from expecting it from myself.

The Temple Square performance is on Tuesday! :) I'm getting excited and nervous. Oh we also get to go to The Savior of the World performance in a few weeks and then we get to give tickets to people we think would benefit from it! So good!

Before I emailed we went to an all you can eat buffet at Tucanos. It is really good Brazilian restaurant. The  best part as some people payed for ALL 14 of us. Thats half our whole allowance for the month and then some! We were so thankful it was SO good. 

On the way back I met a deaf homeless man looking for money to get home... I wanted to talk to him more. After I told him I didn't have any money to give him but he wasn't interested in speaking to me. I feel my ASL skills are improving with help from Matt that comes to the square several times a week now to practice. I hope to go to a deaf ward in a few weeks after the performance is done and things calm down a little before Christmas... Oh the lights are SO beautiful and I can't wait to see them all on :)

Can you believe I have less than a year left now!? I can't!!! I saw Elder Jensen again yesterday. I am looking forward to when Sister Schafer and I can teach a lesson together! (These are both missionaries serving in the SLC mission that are friends from home.)

Sister Bascom

P Day Number TWO

Dear Family and Friends

Today has been crazy! We went to Costco and got a TON of food but when we went to get cash out of the ATM it wasn't working. The cashier said just use your  debit card and it STILL would not work. After an hour of being on the phone to the bank and calling other people to try and find out what was going on it turns out that the bank charged us but didn't give us anything back!!!!! It was so frustrating!!!! I HATE MONEY! Anyways we have lots of food now. Pres Seppi came and bailed us out.He was so sweet!  I could have cried. Lots of members came to ask if we need anything and one bought us ice cream :) After 5 hours of shopping we ran down here to email and then go home with everyone. So much for a restful p-day..... Sister Seigle was so so so helpful though I think she is what kept me calm or I would have just walked away from the store and forgotten about everything. I think of her as one of my best friends here on temple square, we are like sisters.

Partners In Frustration at Costco

I have come to really love Sister Orsorio the AP. I was talking to her at the Halloween party she was telling me how great of a missionary she thought I am and she told me that they know they can depend on me for anything. :) It really good to hear this from someone I admire and I really admire Sister Orsorio she is very very sweet.

Halloween was great! We had a potato bar and lots of cookies and candy. We watched The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I couldn't help but compare everything to the gospel. I mean its not hard with that movie. But wait till I get home with every movie I watch I will be doing this :P

How was your Halloween?

One Canadian and One Italian Cowboy

I'm very excited for the TS sisters performance in just under 2 weeks! So much work still to do.  Learn my harp piece, practice the songs in ASL and the dance too. Craziness! But TS really keeps you on your toes thats for sure. Never a dull moment!

Sister Bascom and Sister Turro from Scilly.

Love my new companion Sister Turro. She is from Italy. She is a lot of fun and we have similar personalities.  Some people would get bothered with this but, I LOVE it. (Well we have only been together 3 days.) Our first tour together was so AMAZING! She has the biggest testimony and is very eager to learn all the facts and history here, but she has already got the principles of the gospel down pat! I know we will work really well together. The couple referred and they said they have anew view of the mormons and feel very enlightened. Can't wait to start teaching them via phone and email.  

Well hope you all are having a great Nov. (Yep its that time already!)

Remember your Braver than you Believe, Stronger than you Seem and Smarter than you Think.

Sister Bascom
Stay warm!