Stories from Afar (Volume 9-the Christmas one)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!! This week, or at least the last few days since I last emailed has been maybe a little bit difficult. A lot of people are busy and stressed out so it's been harder getting appointments. For like the first time Sister Burnside and I are just out and about; walking to potential people's houses and seeing if they are home. 

We've walked A LOT!! I think one morning we walked 2.5 miles in less than 2 hours. I've come to understand that Ohio doesn't really believe in turning on their porch light at night and the sidewalks are pretty bad, if there's one at all! But Haha! Its definitely been an adventure!

Story time! So today is Preparation Day, but because it's also Christmas Eve our mission President told us to have a normal day until noon and then have P-Day. This is so we aren't out tracting or anything after 6 PM like normal. Thus, me and my companion went out this morning. 

Okay, more Mission News! We no longer have specific areas!! Crazy, right? We were just told about this on Friday morning. So instead of having two cities as our area, its grown to include the whole Ward Boundaries!! Which is pretty huge and we now share with the Elders who are in our ward. But we aren't sharing information about potential people or anything so it still feels like we have a small area. Plus, we don't have the miles to go any place far... which is stressful.

So after this announcement, the Elders contacted us and wanted us to go see a lady named Rebecca. She's apparently been in jail and wants to meet the missionaries but the elders were told that they shouldn't go see her... they didn't tell us the reason but hey. What could we say? Thus we called and set up an appointment for 11 this morning. 

We drove to a town near by called Akron and as we were driving down the main street Rebecca's address showed right where a bunch of stores were. We were super confused. I thought she might have lived in an apartment above one of the stores but we never found out. I'll tell you why. 

We turned down a side road so we could walk back to find her apartment. We stopped the car and called her two times. She did not answer. Well, we got out of the car, turned right on a little street that led to the main road and continued walking. Basically the whole time we were super creeped out and my companion saying how sketchy this little road was. Complete with a bit of a dump and scary spray-painted messages. 

As we were about halfway down this street my companion said "There's a man." Sure enough on the other side of the street there was someone leaning up against the wall. We hadn't seen him before since there were a bunch of parked cars but as soon as Sister Burnside said those words and I saw that man I felt someone grab my arm and flip me around. I thought it was my companion because she too had instantly turned and without hesitating we walked back the way we came. We didn't look back. 

We got back in our car and locked the doors. We tried calling Rebecca again to no avail and while we were waiting there we saw about 5-6 scary guys walk out from that sketchy street. They weren't all together, but it was enough to make us glad we were in our car as they went by. We then decided to find our way out of that town and back to our apartment. We were both so freaked out. We definitely have a new respect for the elders who had/have that area. (Except now it's sort of our area too)

There really are angels watching over us! Usually, Sister Burnside and I stop and consider what the spirit is telling us to do but today... we had someone turn both of us around in a matter of seconds, no questions asked! When I asked my companion about her grabbing me she said she doesn't remember reaching out for me at all! I'm so grateful to know we are watched over!! What a blessing! 

Sorry for such a scary story but it's the biggest one I have for this week. Talk about a Nightmare before Christmas! Haha! (Yes, I'm still laughing and doing good! Don't worry! I have the Holy Spirit to keep me safe!!)

But my favorite thing today was getting emails from my family! Especially the recording of a new song that my dad has written. That song is so pretty! After listening to it twice I realized I really wanted to hear a recording with the actual words being sung. I definitely have another Christmas request for my parents... hehe ;D

Anyway, I'm super excited for tomorrow! We have a lot planned with the Helbigs and with Shannon and some other members who don't have family to visit them. It will definitely be full of service and giving of smiles!! I'm also excited to open up presents! Huzzah!

Well, I love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas! 

Have fun! Be safe! Don't die!

Until Next Time!

Sister Becca Steiner

Stories from Afar (Volume 8)

No snow to be seen in Ohio!!!
What?!?

Two days ago marked two months of me being out on my mission!! Huzzah! That means only 16 more to go... hahaha! I feel that time will go by a lot faster for me than for all of you, so sorry! But it is what it is! Sister Burnside and I celebrated by going to Handles; a really good ice cream shop.

Not too much has happened this last week. It's actually been a bit laid back but I think that's been because we weren't sure exactly what was going to happen with transfers. So yeah, about that; my companion had almost convinced herself that she would be transferred even though that is highly unusual for a trainer and trainee. But huzzah! We are both staying in Tallmadge which for me means we get to celebrate Christmas with the friends and family we've made here! That is a big relief to me. That probably means I'll be Skyping from the Helbig's sometime in the afternoon on Christmas.

Let me think about stories. Like I said, not much has happened this week. But Sister Burnside and I did see a miracle after following the spirit. A few weeks ago when we asked Shannon to be baptized my companion was prompted to ask her to do it on the ninth. We didn't know why but things feel into place and she was baptized on that beautiful day. But now we know why: a few days later she had an accident in the kitchen where her finger got injured. I cringe just thinking about it. So now she has a thick purple cast on her pointer finger that can't get wet. It CAN'T GET WET! Such a miracle that she got Baptized when she did! Heavenly Father really does know what we are going to go through and He will help us to have perfect timing! God is so good!

Me and Miko Bird

Also, ever since Shannon got baptized I've been happier to be out on my mission. I love being able to put smiles on other people's faces even if it is just because of a wave or a "Merry Christmas!" A lot of people are so stressed out during this time of year, doing shopping and parties. It's amazing how the simple things make such a huge difference. Yeah, I'll miss being home with everyone but I like it out here too. I'll change the world, a little bit at a time! Hehe!

So I would really like it if you would all do something to make a stranger smile; I know Light Your Community is already over, but I would like you to just do a simple act of kindness. 

One of the things I learned this week is to not get faith and knowledge mixed up. One of the people we just started to teach has been coming to church for four years with his girlfriend who is a member. The girlfriend and her family don't like to pressure him, but he knows a lot, enough that he helps us out as we teach the lessons! We were trying to find out what was holding him back from being baptized and finally understood what it was on Monday. He thought that he had to KNOW everything on the baptismal questions. He didn't understand believing and so we shared with him Alma 32:21 which says that Faith is to HOPE! So we asked him to look over those questions again and see if he has hope for the things mentioned. I honestly hope that this will change his views and also bring a greater desire for him to be baptized so he can be sealed together forever with his girlfriend! Yay!
He is really promising! 

I don't really have much else to talk about. At least, not much else comes to mind. So I think I'll take leave of this week's volume and see you all next time!

Love, Sister Becca Steiner

Us at the Helbig's House (the bird isn't dead.
It just thinks it's a dog and LOVES its head being scratched! Best bird ever!)

Best Christmas decorations! (Grinch)

Best friends forever at a Kirtland Tavern!

Kirtland Lights

The Helbigs and us!

Cousin IT costume

P-Day Change

Da da da da! DA!

And it came to pass, that transfers week had arrived. And a proclamation went out among them stating that preparation day was to be had on Wednesday. And thus the missionaries would have to wait to send emails home until two days later.

But Sister Steiner was allowed to tell her family this glorious news. And also that she had received presents from her parents and also grandparents! In the which she did rejoice. Nevertheless, she would have to wait till Christmas to open them up.

Love Sister Becca Steiner

Stories from Afar (Volume 7)

Wow! I guess I should first start with the baptism we had on Sunday. It was amazing and also a bit stressful. Sister Burnside and I put together the programs and also decided to sing a song for it. We did an arrangement of I Stand All Amazed and it went pretty well, at least I thought so. My companion not so much, she did a little alto but lost it at the end and sang soprano with me. I keep telling her that it wasn't about how we sang; it was about the spirit that we brought. I'm glad we were able to participate.

But I think one of my favorite things about the baptismal service was the fact that Shannon's mother came to watch. She was in tears the entire time! I'm pretty sure she could feel the spirit and also the love that we all have for her daughter. I didn't realize this until later but it must have been so special for this mother to have seen her daughter go from being so sad to suddenly have so much joy in almost no time at all! I think that's what her tears were for; happiness that her daughter was able to find joy. What a testimony builder! The gospel really does give one true happiness! Huzzah!

The spirit was so strong and Shannon was amazingly beautiful! It was a really great start to the day! And since sacrament meeting was right after the service, her mom came for sacrament meeting to see Shannon get the gift of the holy ghost! That was one of the best sacrament meetings I've ever been to! I really hope that Shannon's mother will find her way to the truth! I know Shannon will play a big part in that story!

Anyway, thanks for letting me start with that story because it was definitely one of the best I have this week. Most of this week has been spent getting to be better friends with members, people we are teaching, and yeah. You get the idea.

And the BAKLAVA!!!

I think my favorite was when we went to a member's house by the name of Sister May. (I keep wanting to call her Miss May! Haha) We were finally able to contact her the week earlier and she told us that she likes baking. So we set up a time on Saturday to bake with her. Do you know what we made? We made BAKLAVA! hehehe! Ever since I read Deep Cover by Tracy Hunter Abramson (where it mentions that the main character can make this delicious desert) I have always wanted to learn and see how it was done! Baklava is a bunch of layers and nut filling that takes awhile to put together but it was well worth it; for both the food and the friendships that were made. So yeah! I've met a lot of people who are really good cooks and it's inspiring! Maybe I should become a chef when I come back. It has a special way of bringing people closer.
Hrm... what else? 

Oh! You guys remember Bruce? And how he came to church last week? Well, we were finally able to meet with him and it looks like his heart is thawing! He has his own way of doing everything and he knows it works, but he told us how lately it's gotten so hard that his way isn't cutting it. He's hoping there's something more out there! He has had trouble with people walking out of his life and I hope that eventually he'll see that he has a Father in Heaven who never has and never will leave him!

We do have a Christmas tree at our apartment

God has a plan! And I will put my trust in Him. The stories he has planned for all of us are perfect; exactly what we need to become EVERYTHING He needs us to be! 

I love stories. I can't say that enough. So I think I'll get into some of the smaller details about life.
Me and my companion go to an ice cream shop every Monday. It's called Handles (no really, it is!) And it's the BEST! There's a lady who is always there on Mondays and looks forward to when we come around. She's so nice and fun to see. I think we make her Mondays a lot better. (It's winter so an outdoor ice cream shop isn't super busy)

Also instead of saying "Oh look! There's Kohls!" It's now become "Oh look! There's Aldi!" My companion said that as we almost ran a red light. (She was driving) It was pretty funny, and we were saved because of my back-seat driving. ;) I love you mom!!

Anyway, I can't really think of anything else right now. So I think I'll bid you farewell until next week! I love you all so very much! 

Sister Becca Steiner

I made chocolate chip pancakes!

Sister Helbig's birthday!

Stories from Afar (Volume 6)

This week has been amazing! And so you all know, both the mission president and Site Director have let go of the ropes and so now we can choose how often we go up to Kirtland. They both wanted what was best. (Elder Jennings just wanted me to come to love Kirtland. Which could only come from being there.) So I thank my family for fasting for us to get through that situation. It really did help!

So Kirtland! There is a lot of negativity about the missionaries who go there, but I'm grateful to be able to look past all of those opinions and have my own. Kirtland is AMAZING! So story time!

Sister Burnside met Shannon on her first Sunday in this area about 8 weeks ago. It was Shannon's first time at church and they found out that she had just walked in on her own!!! She had been through tough times and a friend from work had given her a Book of Mormon, telling her that it was the only way to true happiness. She read it and decided to go to church where she met the Sister missionaries! Wow! My companion raves about her being so prepared! 

So fast forward to now. She has had all of the lessons and has such a strong testimony! She needed to be baptized! But she was a bit wary because she didn't think she was ready. This last week, she didn't work that much so we invited her to come up to Kirtland for a personal tour from us and she eagerly agreed. We settled it for Thursday afternoon. Sister Burnside and I really hoped that it would be just the thing Shannon needed. And it was!!!

So we were in the N. K. Whitney Store and the spirit was just so strong! Wow! With every story we told we were able to relate back to her and she was so amazed. But the best part of it was the School of the Prophets and the room soon after.

We told all of the stories of those men who followed Joseph Smith's council with the Word of Wisdom and then preparing themselves to see visions when the first presidency was first ordained. And the spirit whispered to Sister Burnside that we needed to leave Shannon alone in the room for a bit and thus we did, telling her to pray about when she should be baptized.

As we waited, my companion told me I had the next part with a scripture from the Book of Mormon. (Have I told you all how much I love the Book of Mormon?) And I was terrified. At least at first. But then I had faith that the Lord would give me the story that Shannon needed to hear. Really quickly the story of Alma the Elder came to mind and I knew that was what I needed to talk about. 

When she came out she was feeling the spirit so strongly though didn't really want to talk about it. So we continued with the tour and we got to the Book of Mormon. I told her about Abinadi going among the Priests of King Noah and then perishing at the King's command. But I explained that Abinadi did not preach in vain, he converted one person and that was Alma. Alma then went on to teach the people and eventually they all made their way to the waters of mormon. I opened my book and read Mosiah 18:7-11. It was so powerful! And after our testimonies Sister Burnside asked her a question:

"Will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized on December 9th?"

It was so soon! But Shannon said yes and told us how a voice had told her earlier that she needed to be baptized. HUZZAH! We were all so happy and tearful we just hugged out of pure joy!
Shannon is going to be like Alma! She is the only one of her family interested right now, but because of her all of her ancestors will be able to receive the ordinances and we know they are looking to her to do it for them! Yay!
We are so excited to have a baptism and can't wait for this Sunday. (We are doing it before church and then giving her the gift of the Holy Ghost during Sacrament right after) 

So yeah, that experience has helped me come to love Kirtland and ignore all the things others say about it. Also this experience has given my companion something else to freak out about this week: preparing a baptism. She's never done one and obviously I'm new at all of this. Hehehe! God is so good!

The next story is about church. We got Carolina, Bruce and their 5 year old son to come to sacrament meeting yesterday! It was amazing! Yeah, Bruce had a lot of questions and I got to answer a lot of them because I was sitting next to him. He asked if I had a best friend who was a guy and I said no. Well, he stepped up and now I do have a best friend who is a guy! Haha! He's amazing! I really hope I'll be able to show him that. He has more light than he realizes. 

From all of the testimonies, he was shocked to realize that we really do believe in all of this stuff and asked how. I told him that the first step is to want to believe; to open up and have that desire. Wow, I want that for him so badly! I imagine him being a priesthood holder and being with his little family forever more. I will be his friend and show him that he can have happiness in his life! He just needs to let go of the darkness that is holding him back. And I know that he can! 

So please keep Bruce, Carolina and little Raiden in your prayers. They are really so amazing!

Time is almost up!! Eek! I've got too many stories! I can't tell them all! 

But I will tell you all that I love you! I LOVED the notes my family all made for Thanksgiving! 

(And the chocolate )

Until next time!
Sister Becca Steiner

...even mistakes can turn into something amazing!

A crazy week this has been. But I'll only share a little bit. I think I'll talk about exchanges that happened on Saturday. I wanted to focus on learning to recognize the spirit and boy! I think I learned a lot!

It was around 7 at night and we were heading to a house to visit someone who might be interested in our message. But we missed the turn to get on their street. Instead of turning around, my companion Sister Linford kept going, telling me that there must be a reason why we missed our turn. We turned at the next place we could and stopped the car. 

We were going to use the spirit to find someone on this street who needed to hear our message. Long story short, we knocked on quite a few houses and got rejected each time. When we went to our car I thought to do one more, so we did. But still no good luck. We drove away, going to the house we originally were heading to.

To our amazement, the garage door was open and someone was on a ladder getting stuff down from a high shelf. We got out and was able to talk with the nice gentleman. He was interested and we made a time for us to come back and meet his wife, Heather. This man was the only one home at the time. 

This is such a great blessing because if we hadn't stopped and tried our luck at all the doors earlier we wouldn't have caught this guy in his garage and it would have been easy for him to shut the door in our face like so many others that night. We were so happy and amazed at the timing of the Lord. Only he could have helped us be right where we needed to be right when we needed to be there. 

I love the holy spirit now and how even mistakes can turn into something amazing. We just need to have open minds and look for God's plan in everything. 

This is all that I will share for this email. So I will bid you all farewell until next week! (Hopefully it will be longer then)

Love you all!
Sister Becca Steiner

Stories from Afar (Volume 4)

Any way, I guess it's time to get into the really fun stuff! SURPRISE!!!! I am not at Kirtland! I was sent right out into a full proselyting mission (I hope that's how you spell it) and I am in a town called Tallmadge; maybe 45 minutes away from Kirtland. This is really weird for everyone because I am the first VC Sister to NOT get trained at Kirtland so I'm not really sure what's up with that... but even before I learned where I was going I knew that the Lord would guide me and I would work to do my best.

My Companion is named Sister Burnside. I remember it because it's kind of like a sideburn, you know a beard... She makes that joke too sometimes when she introduces herself so that's been great. Thing about her and me is that we are so opposite! She loves shopping and you all know how I feel about that. She's not much for art or crafts or movies, but she's so open we are getting along quite well. I already feel that I can just ask her anything and she won't judge me for it. She's been so much fun! She looks a bit like one of my Trek Sisters; Miranda. (I think Bethany might know her) Sister Burnside is an inch or two shorter than me and is just so quirky! When it's just us and she goes on a rant she gains this silly accent that makes me laugh. I've already seen my own words following a similar pattern as hers when she speaks this way..... so no guarantees and it's only been 5 days! She can be pretty dramatic which is fun. (Btw she's from Sandy Utah)

My apartment is in a tall tower (At least tall for Tallmadge) and even though it says no smoking and stuff the halls always smell like it so that's been an adventure. I think the stairs smell like an unpleasant cat though Sister Burnside doesn't think so. We are the only two in our apartment and I think my favorite thing is to now grab my blanket and lay on the floor. Maybe it's also because I get so tired. 

The very first day Sister Burnside said that the Tallmadge area is the mission that EVERYONE wants to go to and that's because it is blooming! And she wasn't kidding! When we look at our areabook we have so many dots showing potentials and people we are teaching and the like! It's so crazy here! But I love it! We are always on the go and Exact Obedience is something we always strive for. Last night especially! (Oh it was so great... story time!)

We went to visit an old lady around 8:30 who Sister Burnside said was very talkative. We were there just listening to her for about 50 minutes! As you know, missionaries are supposed to be in their apartment by 9:30. We had about 10 minutes to drive back and get inside. As soon as we left the old lady's house we booked it to the car and quickly backed out (I had to stay out of the car to make sure we didn't hit anyone though there was no one there). When our building came into view it was 9:27; only three more minutes! We noticed that all the good parking spots were taken and so we had to turn around (Which included more backing up) and drive to the other side for more parking. I said a quick prayer for us to get in before 9:30. We found Celestial Parking which was great but we got out of the car so fast! We ran and were practically crying out "Exact Obedience!" as we went. Thankfully, my companion's phone said it was 9:29 as we reached our door and we both sighed gratefully to be in on time. 

I know that is super ridiculous but we've been super obedient and the effects are already showing in this amazing area. I want to keep having miracles happen and the way to get those miracles is though Exact Obedience. hehe! You are probably wanting to know more about some of the people we are teaching. Well, I'll gladly tell you!

On Saturday we went to a referral and her name was Mae, though most people call her Freddy. (I have no idea why). We taught her the first lesson and she was supper receptive! She already had experience with feeling the Holy Ghost so it was pretty easy to invite her to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if its true. She accepted... and then it was my turn. I promised her that she would get that truth if she sought for it intently (Like Mormoni 10:4-5 says) but I also asked that if she did get the witness would she be willing to act on it and get baptized! SHE SAID YES!!!! So point for extending my very first soft baptism invite! Huzzah! We are excited to go later this week and teach her more.

That same day we went to go see a lady named Carolina who lives in our same building. She has been having lessons for a while now and has such a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. We are trying to get through to her boyfriend Bruce. He is the one who I usually think about. It took Sister Burnside and Sister Dunn a few weeks to get through to him enough for him to sit in on the lessons and so we weren't sure what was going to happen when I came instead of Sister Dunn.

Also something you should know is that when Bruce did come out of his shell he gave the other sisters nicknames. Sister Burnside is Smiles though I don't think Sister Dunn got one. But I got one that night. I got a nickname. I don't think I've ever been so happy to get a nickname because it means that he likes us. (He really doesn't like people) And guess what my nickname is!! He calls me Red. It's not because I'm "Retired Extremely Dangerous" Haha! Its because my face burns when I talk sometimes; especially when I'm nervous. So yeah! A silly nickname that I love! 

Bruce has done a lot in darkness and he doesn't have much a desire for light. He told us he wanted to find someone who was as dark as him but nope! Instead he got to meet me! An innocent girl full of light. (Seriously he talked about how innocent I look) I'm just so grateful he's opened up to me. I don't know what we'll do to get through to him and show him that light is better than darkness even though its hard. My hope is that I'll be able to be a good example to him of light and how him how amazing it is. I know Heavenly Father loves him and I do too. 

I will be honest that after talking to him about his darkness I was freaked out but I know there is hope for him. If anything, I want to remain his friend. He has told us he doesn't have friends and so I think that's very important. But yeah. That's been my life right now.

At least, the non-stressful part. Sister Burnside and I have to decide how often we go up to Kirtland to do tours and stuff. My companion worries about me and my training for the Kirtland stuff. She stresses out about this a lot though I think we'll just figure that out as we go. We are actually going to head up there later tonight and stay there until Wednesday morning. We both know how important Tallmadge is and thus we aren't going to go up very often. Since I haven't spent much time up there I haven't met the other Kirtland Sisters yet but I will tonight. That's exciting, though I think I'll go back to being quiet like I usually do around big groups. (My companion already knows that about me. At least she'll have my back and I'm grateful for that)

I'll finally get my phone tonight too! YAY! Right now I am actually in a library on a computer. This will probably be the last computer I'll touch for a long time. Yeah, we have a rule about not being on computers at all. We had to call our Mission President for permission to do this since I don't have my phone yet. This is a pretty strict mission and our Mission President is intimidating. Sister Burnside is both in awe and terror at the mention of his name. It's pretty silly. I love her. She makes me smile in a world that is so grey. Seriously! There has not been a sunny day since I've arrived here. LOTS of rain/snow and I'm so grateful for my rain-boots!! There was Frozen Rain on the day I arrived. It's been great!

I hope all of this makes sense cause it feels so disorganized today. But oh well! Life has been amazing and my companion is hilarious and encouraging. She's always pointing out my strengths and helping to start using them more often in our teaching. (I never knew that innocence could be a strength but that was one she mentioned after Bruce). She's patient with all of the stories I tell and we laugh a lot. I am loving the work though missing my music and stories. I do miss you all too but the stories I tell of you is helping me be happy. So thanks for all the fun adventures we've been on.

Until Next Time!

Sister Becca Steiner

P.S. I did get myself a new coat. We have two dinner plans on Thursday so we'll be stuffed. As far as I know our P-Day is on Monday.

We also got this cute note from Becca's Companion:

Subject: NICE TO MEET YOU

HI I'm sister Burnside and I get to be companions with your AMAZING daughter!!!! She is so happy it's crazy!!!!!! Here are some cute pictures of her I took on my phone (see them above) !! I already LOVE her

I wish your amazing family the very best <3

The Life of a Visitor Center Missionary

It’s Friday, I have yet another P-Day, which is pretty nice, but that means that I don’t know when I'll be able to email you all next. I get to my mission next Wednesday and I think that is P-Day in the field. I’ll see if I can send something out then. Anyway, since the rest of my district has left the time for the real training has begun. 

These last two days I have learned so much about what Visitor Center Missionaries do and I am now more excited to be one.Apparently, VC Sisters (Visitor Center Sisters) do a lot of work online. There’s this website we go to that lists off the people all around the world who are requesting free Book of Mormons or Bibles. It appears that most on the list are desiring bibles. Which kind of makes sense. 

But our job on that website is to contact those people in that list by messaging them and then calling them to ask more questions and contact info! Calling.... many of you probably know that I can get super scared from calling and tend to pace around for a few minutes before even attempting the call. (That’s what happened when I had to call and set up an appointment with the Stake President to come out on this mission) It looks like I’ll have to get over this weakness of mine.

Also with online work, we get to refer to ourselves by our first names! It’s to help people understand that we aren’t nuns but actual people with experiences. It’s already really weird to use my first name! Lol! Who knew it would happen so quickly?

The other thing about VC Sisters which I love a lot more than calling is giving tours. It was described to us as a “walking lesson” and that is literally what it is... except I think it’s easier. When giving a tour you have a lot of resources to work with; videos, pictures sculptures, etc. all of these things have a story and you all know how much I love telling stories. We had a TRC tour yesterday. Basically a practice one where we had a person, learned about who he was/ his story and then took him to different murals we have to teach him something that could help him. Our TRC wanted to find direction in his life and so we went to two murals; the first showed Nephi about to renter Jerusalem to get the plates “being led by the spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do”. 

The second mural depicted the story of Esther and how she stood before a King. I loved telling these stories and I felt that he understood them better because there was a picture. We continued by explaining that these two stories told of people who trusted in the Lord. They did not know what would happen, only that the Lord was on their side. Come to think of it, I can also relate to these stories. After all, I have no idea what’s going to happen on my mission. I just know that giving tours is probably my favorite thing so far.

The other news is that I’ve now met up with all the other sisters going to visitor centers! There is about 50 of us here right now, so they had to split us up into two classes. Silly thing is that the 50 of us only represent 4 different missions. More than half are going to Temple Square and the other half are going to the Washington DC Temple Visitor Center. You noticed I did my math wrong?... yup! There’s a single sister going to the Mormon Battalion Historical site in California and then there’s me; the lone missionary off to Kirtland.

It kind of depresses me because I was really looking forward to meeting someone going to my same mission. I guess I was hoping to make a friend that I would see a lot at the Visitor Center. But alas it is not meant to be. It does make me wonder why. Why am I the only one? Why was I sent at this point in time and not when a big group of us went out? There are a few answers that give me comfort. I’d like to think that Heavenly Father has something special planned for me there. The other reason is so I could learn to be more social and not have to live with the mistakes that I’ve made here at the MTC. 

I am definitely learning a lot about myself and the things I need to work on to become the Sister I want to be. Wow, I just love telling stories. So I thank everyone for listening (or reading as it may be). I’m excited and also nervous to head out to my mission, but I know that Heavenly Father will be by my side. He’s definitely been here this week, holding me up when all I wanted to do was cry and sending precious sisters to listen and comfort me. It’s been really hard. Wednesday has probably been the hardest day of my whole MTC experience. But I am making it through and surviving. 

Never underestimate the power a single email has upon the heart of a missionary! (Or anyone else) So I’m going to challenge you guys that when you get a prompting to reach out to someone, don’t wait; not even a single day! Cause even if it’s a really short message, it still has the power to make someone’s day a whole lot brighter.  

I love you all and hope you are doing well. But I will bid you farewell until next time!

Sister Becca Steiner

Stories from Afar (Volume 2)

This week has been both amazing and difficult. I’ve felt lonely, been given comfort, gotten a greater witness that this is where I’m meant to be, and also have felt the love of a new family I found here at the MTC.

Hearing stories about why others are out on a mission kind of brought me down. I have had experiences and they have been amazing! But so many others have gone through things I can barely imagine and it has made them strong and their testimonies reflect their inspiring determination. Stories of overcoming and persevering through family problems, death of loved ones, even suicide of close friends. I was not anticipating all of their experiences and I allowed myself to feel... I guess discouraged. Did I know why I was here on my own mission?

My art

I wrote in my journal my experiences to try to make me feel a bit better and it sort of worked. But what really helped me was praying to my Father in Heaven. I felt comforted. The next day, I started drawing on the same page as the day before but words came to my mind and instead of drawing, I wrote them down.

“Turn the page...” I wrote. “It's a new day!

My soul lifted and I felt courage and peace. I then began to draw what I was feeling on the next page. I love that picture because it still gives me the courage, peace and strength that I felt that day. I’m so grateful for art and being able to express myself through it.

The next story I’ll tell is about the power of music. It is tradition for the leaving districts to sing a song during their past sacrament meeting with the zone. The song that we chose was the EFY Melody. This song has always been special to me because it reminds me of when I sang a rendition of it with my family and also a miraculous experience I had on Trek when I sang it then. Little did I know it would be wonderful to me even here at the MTC.

Practices were always pretty bad, like they usually are but I had faith that the Lord would help us do our best on the actual day and thus it was! It was powerful. The spirit filled the room and while we were up there I realized two distinct things that Heavenly Father wanted me to know.

The first came about because I looked out the window of the room we were in and once again saw the building I stayed in during my time at BYU. At that moment I was singing with power, proclaiming that I was a missionary. I knew then that I could overcome the feeling of longing I got whenever I saw that scene. No longer would it hold sway over my heart and no longer would I allow it to tempt me away from being a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Now whenever I look towards BYU I feel warm and smile because I know where I’m going and what I’m doing. I’ll return there someday, but that isn’t today.

The second realization came from the words we sang on the last chorus. Instead of singing “we will be the Lord’s missionaries!” we changed it to say “we are now the Lord’s missionaries!” At that moment all my feelings of loneliness disappeared and I discovered that the Elders and Sisters who stood by my side had become my family! I had hope that my district and every missionary I would ever meet were a part of one great family. We may have come from different walks of life with different experiences but we all had one thing in common; being united to do this great work! I may feel alone sometimes but in reality I’m never alone. I will always have a Sister in the Gospel by my side.

Amazing district and a teacher; Sister Rojas

That night I let go of the hard feeling I had with my companion and I was more free than I have ever been here at the MTC. I laughed, joked, and played with the others and I really needed to be joyous. That day the Elders became my brothers and same with the Sisters! Sunday night was joyful beyond what I can say, but there was much more to come the next day.....

Amazing district and a teacher; Sister Rojas

The day went slow and somber because we all knew it was the last day that all of us would be together. The classes came and went, kind of dull, but the moment I want to touch upon was at district council that evening. We finished telling each other why each of us were on our missions and my companion was last. But before she even started she was already in tears and could not tell her story. She didn’t want too.

After a while of silence, Elder Smith began his testimony and got it going. Everyone has beautiful testimonies and most of what was said was how we really had become brothers and sisters. We had come from so many different places but now we were one! Many tears were shed, and eventually my companion was willing to share with us her reason for a mission.

I was astounded at the things she been through. She ended with the Lord’s promise that she would be a light unto others and help them know they are loved. She has doubts because of her experiences but she is putting her faith in God. Somehow, with her mission she will be able to receive this blessing. I teared up at this. I haven’t told her yet, but she and I have the same desire. We both hope that Heavenly Father will help us make a difference. Knowing this has definitely helped me love her more than ever before! I am astounded in her faith and pray that she will have that blessing and all others that God wants her to have.

The rest of the testimonies were so tender and I loved them all so much. We also exchanged little notes with each other. But I didn’t truly cry until the very end when Elder Smith gave the closing prayer. We all knelt down on the floor and got in a really close circle. I don’t remember much of what was said, but the spirit descended almost tenfold and tears fell from my eyes. I knew without a doubt that we were family and always would be because of all that we’ve been through.

I cried for our family, and those who would leave in the next few days. I cried because of the love I felt and the connection to each and every one of them. By the end, everyone was crying, Sister Finlinson the most of all. She had clung to her companion and was sobbing. I had enough to go over and cling on, sobbing with her and feeling her sorrow. She was amongst the first to leave and she was my closest friend. It hurt to see her sob so heartbroken! (Sorry to say family that I cried harder here than I did saying goodbye to you all)

This is when it was the hardest to not hug all the Elders! It was awful! But alas I have not and await for the day to hug the rest of you! The rest of the night I kept thinking of a scripture in Alma. (Huzzah for the scriptures!) When Alma the younger sees the sons of Mosiah for the first time in years. It is after they have all been preaching the word of God and they rejoice exceedingly! But what added to their joy was finding each other still strong in the faith.

This story gives me hope that I will see the members of this district again, whether it be in this life or the next. And we will rejoice exceedingly for the success each one of us will have. Our district chose the Christ-like attribute of hope this week and I think it is a great one to work on.

We will hope for each other’s safety in our travels. We will hope for success in our missions and for strength to see them through! And we will hope for the day when we will be able to see each other and rejoice!

I’m going to miss my district so much! Every time I think of the faces of those who have already left I get tears in my eyes. But I know the Lord will carry me through this last week and seeing everyone else leave. Four left today, six Elders leave tomorrow, and then three sisters head out next Tuesday, leaving me to be the last to go next Wednesday. The Lord will carry me through this.

After district council last night

I love telling you all stories and I hope that they brighten your day. Even though they were kind of sad this week. I’ll try to find more funny stories in the future. I love you all so very much!

Until next time,

Sister Becca Steiner

Stories from afar (Volume 1)

Hello, friends and family! I can’t believe that it’s already been two weeks! The saying is true: “The days go by slowly, but the weeks go by fast.” Each day is busy with classes, study time, teaching, and of course... food and sleep. There’s so much it’s hard to take it all in, but I’m comforted that I’ll get it all eventually. I am now half way through my MTC experience. One more week with my district and then an extra week for visitor center training. We’ll see how that all goes. I just know that I’ll miss my district.

We all bonded early. It was said of us during our first week that we were as close as most other districts were on their 3rd week (for English speaking missionaries that’s their final week). We always sit next to each other at meal time and during our district meetings we aren’t afraid to tell experiences and ask questions. We love telling each other our highs and lows of each day and we’ve had many nights where we are all crying from spiritual talks with each other. We are definitely a big family of fourteen; eight elders and six Sisters.

The reason why I say all of this is because I have some stories that I would like to share. The first was done last Wednesday night or so (maybe Tuesday). The Elders had the idea of consecrating their own oil and giving some of it to everyone in the district to keep with them for the rest of their missions. That night, the elders had little idea of what to do, but thankfully, we had the missionary handbook which explains exactly how to do it. I will tell you, that the moment the first elder started his prayer, the room just filled with the spirit and it was amazing. I’ve never felt the spirit descend so quickly as it did that night. It was special. I bought myself a small vial at the store on the MTC campus and was able to get some from Elder McBride. This is something I will definitely keep with me.

The other story I will tell about my district is mostly about my companion, Sister Francom. We are very different from each other, but I will tell you how we’ve come closer together and it was because of a bit of service. My companion has been sad due to a number of family problems, and I wanted to find a way to cheer her up. The Lord gave me a wonderful idea and with His help I was able to pull it off.

It first came to me as I was making these little origami balls that I had learned to make from my math class. I decided that I should make one for my companion and write a little not inside telling her how much I had come to love her and admire her. Then the idea grew to getting notes from each member of the district for her, so she would know how much we all cared for her and loved her. I would stick all the notes in the origami ball.

Sister Framcom and I at the MTC

I took this idea to Heavenly Father in prayer one night, and I knew that it was good. I could not fall asleep because I was so excited and Heavenly Father helped me refine my plan. I realized that to make the origami ball, it took 12 pieces and my district was 14. So subtracting me and Sister Francom it was perfect. Everyone, would have a piece to write on. If I did it the other way, there wouldn’t have been enough room for all the notes in the small ball.

I will say that I did not hesitate to start this process. The next morning I convinced Sister Francom to go and get more origami paper (pink for the sisters, blue for the elders, and two green to throw off suspicion) I was determined to keep my ultimate plan a secret from my companion and that would have been really hard without the help from Sister Finlinson and her companion Sister Wilson.

Early on, Sister Finlinson said she’d help me with anything and after I finished folding each piece I gave her charge to give them to each of the elders with the instructions of what they were to do. She then gave the prices to our district leader, Elder Probst who passed them out. The next day or two, Sister Finlinson said she had got all of them, but we were too busy to put it all together that evening so it had to wait until Saturday night.

Saturday was pretty emotional for Sister Francom, she saw one of her best friends working in the cafeteria and it really made her homesick. She really needed what I had planned for her. Thankfully, Sister Wilson was able to hang out with Sister Francom that night so I could get together with Sister Finlinson to put the origami piece together. I finished by writing her my note and then we gave it to my companion!

She was confused. At least until, I told her to look at my note (which I hadn’t put inside). It described what it was and that I’d help her open it so she could read all the notes. She cried as she sat on a bed and read all of the notes. I don’t even know what the others told her, but it definitely has cheered her up these past few days and I’m glad that Heavenly Father helped me know what I needed to do.

I’m also pleased to say that Sister Francom had no idea how I was able to put it all together without her knowing. I told her all about the adventure, expressing how I couldn’t have done it without Heavenly Father and the others members of my district. I’m so grateful for all of them!

But yeah! That’s the biggest story I have this week and the one that gives me the most joy. My love for Sister Francom has definitely increased and even though we aren’t the closest, we are getting along pretty well. It’s a good start.

This next story, is shorter and a bit more closer to home, I think. Most of my time is spent in the really big, most southern building on campus. And I often am able to look out the windows and see the exact apartment building I stayed I last year at BYU, even my very window. When I’m on the 6th floor of the building I can see a lot of the BYU campus and I do admit that I get a bit homesick for it. But then, as part of a class activity on Saturday, we were to pick a scripture randomly and somehow apply it to ourselves. I tried to give my partner a hard one and I gave him one from the war chapters. Numbers came to my mind and I said Alma 55:12. Open it, if you’d like. It’s a simple verse. Basically, Moroni is trying to free some prisoners from the Lamanites and to do so, he sends a good lamanite to give them wine to drink, so they’ll fall asleep. They want the wine, and the good lamanite says they can do so according to their desires.

Little did I know, this story would be of great worth unto me. It said I could go back if I really wanted to, but then as it was a bad decision for the lamanites so too would it be a bad decision for me. I’d fall asleep according to things which are best and I wouldn’t grow as much as I could. I fear that, like the lamanites, I would awake and find myself surrounded by my enemy and fall. Being on a mission is hard, but from this simple scripture I’ve realized that this is the best place for me to be right now, even though I miss everyone terribly.

Let me just say one thing: I love the scriptures!

Those are the stories I wish to express this week and we’ll see if I have more next week. I also really enjoyed getting emails and packages from those who sent them so thank you for those! So I’ll bid you farewell until next time!

Sister Becca Steiner

The walk to the temple on Sunday