A great week

We had a great, busy, BUSY week. It would probably be best shared in a list:

1. We went on exchanges with the Rootstown North sisters--and I got to work with Sister Esplin! SO great. She is such an amazing missionary, and I was so inspired by her enthusiasm and open -mindedness. We talked with everyone, got to ride bikes, and taught a great lesson to a guy named Ronald and his friend Laura. I loved it.

2. We served 2 days at the Johnson Farm and 1 at Kirtland--and we were SO busy! On Friday at Kirtland, we had so many people there that they split us up to take tours! I took a tour all by myself--kind of scary! On Saturday at the Johnson Farm, we were going straight from 8-1 with bus tours. We took at least 6 in a row. Crazy! It was so amazing though. The Johnson Farm is truly a sacred place, and I'm so grateful to serve there.

3. Dan came to church! YAY!!! Whenever we invite people to church and they commit to come, we always double our prayers for the rest of the week that Satan won't throw any curve balls to keep them from coming. He made it, and the branch members were SO great about making friends with him and inviting him to activities. He's probably going to FHE with them tonight--awesome. We really hope that this helps him to progress towards recognizing and accepting answers from the Spirit. He's told us that he has a hard time trusting feelings, and would rather have evidence of everything--but we can only know spiritual truths by the power of the Holy Ghost. Baby steps? 

4. I got a letter from JUDI!!! It made my day. 

5. My favorite miracle of the week, tied with Dan coming to church: Cindy, girlfriend of a member of the YSA Branch, asked to take the lessons with us! She's been coming to church with him for awhile, and now she wants to meet with us. I am SO SO excited about this. She is so sweet, and so prepared! We'll meet with her on Sunday--pray that it goes well!!

I'm so grateful for the many miracles and tender mercies we've been given this week. It was a busy, hard, challenging week--but I made it. :) I'm grateful for all of the challenges, even the people who challenge our beliefs, because it 1. makes me more aware of just how much I need Heavenly Father for everything, and 2. strengthens my own testimony of this work. I've been seeking to strengthen my conviction of the things we teach, especially the Book of Mormon and the Restoration, and perhaps this is one way that Heavenly Father helps me do so. I know that this is His work, and that our Savior lives. This is the one and only way to salvation--what greater work than this? :)

I love you! Have a wonderful week, and good luck at girl's camp!!

Love,

Sister Lyndsay Wygant

*********************************
Here is Sister Wygant's address in Kent

1002 Lake St # I-426 
Kent, OH 44240

A mouse, tours and the Kirtland Strawberry Festival

Hi Mama!

So, guess what we caught in our apartment yesterday morning? A MOUSE! The mouse...he's left our house! :) And he did, thankfully--when we caught him and released him in the bushes outside. But it was a bit of a shock to walk out into the living room and see him crawling up our wall! A great start to a Sunday morning. :) 

Speaking of Sundays, I love them! Sunday really is my favorite day. I am always so grateful for the opportunity to take the sacrament, and to be renewed and spiritually filled so that I can go through another week. We truly, truly cannot do this work alone--we must have the Spirit with us. And I'm grateful for the simple promise given to us each time we take the sacrament--that we can have His spirit with us if we always remember Him.

We had a busy weekend at sites--we took 3 tours on Friday and 4 tours on Saturday (as opposed to the winter where we were lucky to get 1 :) )! One of the tours we took was with a girl named Molly and her family. They are on their way to Provo to drop Molly off at the MTC--she's headed to Ukraine! So exciting. :) Her sister, Rachel I think, is also submitting her papers soon--the work is hastening! Rachel went to BYU and played viola in the Phil--so she knows a bunch of my music friends like Rob Qualls and Nate and Nicole. What a small world. :) We also got to take Sister Smith on tour! Well, Pam now. :) She served in the Bowling Green ward with me my first transfer there, and she was in Lima my second, which was one of the areas we worked with as Sister Training Leaders. She is amazing, and was such a great example to me. She went home at this last transfer, and she and her sister stopped at Kirtland on their drive back to Utah! It was such a tender mercy to me that we were the ones who just so happened to take them on tour. I know that there are no coincidences--Heavenly Father knows us, and knows who we know. :)

Plus, we got to help at the Kirtland Strawberry Festival! They have a festival each year similar to our city festivals in Utah Valley--with a carnival, small parade, etc. The Kiwanis Club always does a strawberry shortcake booth, where they sell various strawberry desserts. Every year, the sisters take shifts to help them serve--what fun it was! I am such a lucky bug--the parade was during our shift on Friday! And here I thought I'd be missing parade season. ;) We didn't actually get to see much of it, but it was fun to hear. And the members of the Kiwanis club that we worked with are all awesome--I invited a few of them to come and take a tour at sites, so hopefully we'll see them again soon. :)

We had a great lesson with Lamar yesterday--a member from the YSA Branch came with us and we taught about prayer. Lamar is really interested in studying different religions to find the truth--and we know that no one can know of spiritual truths without prayer. I'm so grateful for that knowledge, and for the opportunity that we each have to communicate with our Heavenly Father daily. One thing my mission has taught me is how desperately I need the Lord--and how grateful I am to be able to communicate with Him throughout each day, about anything and everything. We also had a great lesson with Dan. Thank you for keeping them in your prayers! 

Thank you for the quotes and experiences. I love them. :) Thank you, always, for sharing! Please tell everyone hello for me and that I love them all. Have a wonderful time in Hawaii! I hope Dad's camera doesn't go swimming this time. ;) Love you!

Love,

Sister Wygant

Busy, busy, busy

Hi Mama!

How was your week? I hope everything went well and that you've been able to relax a bit! We've had a busy, busy week here. Mission Council was Tuesday, Zone Training Meeting Wednesday, Johnson Home Thursday, then Kirtland Sites Friday and Saturday! Busy, busy, busy. :) But it was all so fun! 

I think the Johnson Home was my favorite. We took a tour from Elder and Sister Jones when we got there in the morning, followed them on the next tour to come in, and then we were on our own! We took a big group from a bus tour through, and another tour after that--talk about learning on the run. :) The bus tour was really fun--it was a group of seminary students from good old Utah. :) Most of the kids in our group were from American Fork and Lone Peak--including Josh Hurst's little brother Sam! Heavenly Father has the best timing. I thought that was so amazing. :) And the Johnson Home itself is an incredible place. It represents so much charity and sacrifice on behalf of the Johnson family, but also such an outpouring of blessings! The Smiths lived there for a year (Sept 1831-32), during which time Joseph was tarred and feathered, lost their son Joseph Murdock, and other hard things...but he also received 20 revelations there, including section 76. Amazing! The Spirit is so strong there, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve there.

Tours are picking up in Kirtland as well...on Friday we had over 500 people come on tour! Crazy. And awesome. :) And the drive through our area to Kirtland, Hiram, or Youngstown (for zone training meeting) is so, so beautiful. There are so many green trees everywhere! It always reminds me of Provo Canyon by Aspen Grove, or the coast in California by Pacific Grove. Speaking of! We met a lady at sites from Monterey. Small world. :) 

We still go to both the Rootstown ward and the YSA Branch, but yesterday we got to stay for Relief Society in the ward (normally we have to leave early for meetings in the branch)--and the lesson was just what I needed. I'm so grateful for all the tender mercies that Heavenly Father gives to me, especially when I'm overwhelmed and on the verge of giving up. It's those little things that always buoy me up and help me to keep going. One of the biggest challenges for me this week was to avoid being overwhelmed or discouraged. It's pretty difficult sometimes! But what helped me the most was a quote from Preach My Gospel that Sister Neslen shared in our training meeting on Friday: "Remember that your confidence should be in Christ, not in yourself." That really helped me to put things in perspective. I have my doubts, weaknesses, and shortcomings, and sometimes they get the best of me and cause me to worry that there's no way I could ever be good enough to qualify for the guidance or comfort from the Spirit that I need--but I know that if I trust in and rely on Christ instead of myself, everything else will fall into place. In His due time. :)

We met a man at church yesterday named Erik, who learned about the church from a friend online and decided to come check it out! This was his second week here, and he really loved it. His wife isn't too happy with him coming though--she thinks he's joining a cult. :) If you could keep him in your prayers, we would sure appreciate it!

We're working with a recent convert named Anna, and we met with her last night. She is from China, and her parents are coming to town this week to visit for a few months! Yay! Anna is amazing, and has such a strong testimony. I'm so excited for her to get to see her family, and hopefully we'll get to meet them as well! 

We also had dinner with the Owens's last night, and they are amazing. They have three active little boys, and I was so impressed by their consistent patience and calm attitudes. That's something I want to cultivate. And! Brother Owens is a percussionist, currently studying for his PhD at Kent State, and he played in the Army Band! They lived in Germany for 4 years. I've always been interested in the idea of playing in an Army Band, especially if I got to travel somewhere like Germany--so it was a perfect opportunity! He told me a little about what the audition is like and their experience--another tender mercy, and definitely not a coincidence. :)

Thank you all for your love, prayers, and support! I love hearing the stories and experiences that you've passed on--they always help me! I miss you all, but I love this work with all my heart, and I'm so grateful to be here. I know that our Savior lives, and that He is in this work, laboring with us. Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Wygant

Hello ... Kent!

Hi Mama!

Hello from Kent! I've been transferred to the Rootstown West area (pronounced Ruh-ts-town :) ), which covers mainly the city of Kent and outlying areas. We serve in the Rootstown ward, which is where Sister Palmer served for 7.5 months before coming to Chardon with me! We actually got to come down here once for a baptism (someone she had been working with while she was here), so I got to see the church building and meet a few of the members. Not a coincidence. :) 

We also serve in the East Hills YSA Branch, which meets in Tallmadge--just west of Kent. I'm so grateful that I already have experience serving in the YSA branch in Bowling Green--I know that it prepared me to serve here! The members of the branch are awesome here. A few of them are here from Provo for summer internships. :) There's also a girl named Kim--the twin sister of a girl named Katie that I went to EFY with a million years ago! The world is so small. :)

My new companion is Sister Christensen, from Bountiful. :) She is awesome. We are serving as Sister Training Leaders for the Youngstown Zone, and also some of the full proselyting sisters in the Akron Zone (right next to us)! Awesome. We already have 6 exchanges planned for this transfer, and Mission Leadership Council is tomorrow. We're so excited. :) 

Kent is great. it's home of Kent State University, which I don't know anything about--but the campus looks nice! :) I've already met some wonderful members here, including the Ramirez family, who fed us dinner yesterday, and Anna, a recent convert from China! She is here studying English at Kent State, and her family is coming to visit from China next week--she is amazing, has a powerful testimony, and is excited to share the gospel with her family. Yay!

Transfer meeting was Wednesday...and I think it was the toughest one yet for me! I've known missionaries going home before, but there were so, so many going home this time that I have come to know, respect, and love. Sister Christian went home--my first companion to leave! I love her so very much, and will miss her greatly, along with many others. I am so grateful, though, for their powerful testimonies and wonderful examples to me over the past 9 months. 

Oh! And guess who else is serving in the Rootstown Ward? Sister Esplin! There are two other areas that cover the ward--Rootstown and Rootstown North. They're mainly in the city of Ravenna, which is right next to Kent--so we don't see them every day, but we do see them often! Sister Esplin is awesome, just like Pat. AND we even figured out that she went to the 195th ward last year! Small, small world. :)

We're teaching a student named LaMar, and we just met a guy named Bryan and a lady named Lindsey ( yay!) last week. Hopefully we will be able to start teaching them soon--they are both so prepared! When we offered Bryan a Book of Mormon, he really wanted one, and was sitting outside reading it when we drove by later. Lindsey told us that she is always open to new things, and thought that the idea of a prophet on the earth was really great. We'll see how things go. :) 

I was studying about the Holy Ghost and faith this morning, and something occurred to me: Ether 12:6, which teaches us that we receive no witness until after the trial of our faith, is perfectly applicable to recognizing and following the Spirit. Sometimes we question whether it's the spirit or not. I've taught so many people who struggle with that--especially with recognizing answers to prayers. It would be so much easier if we received answers in concrete form, spelled out for us. But that's not how faith works, and that's not how the Spirit works either. Nephi himself wrote that when he returned to get he plates from Laban, he was "led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I would do". We have to act on promptings to do good, whether we're sure they're the Spirit or not--and only then can we receive a witness. Maybe that only makes sense to me, but it's something for you to think about. Don't doubt the Lord--He always wants to help us!

I'm about out of time--I love you all so much! Please tell Coach and everyone else hello for me and give them my love. You're all so wonderful! Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Wygant

Transfer day--Back to Kirtland

Hi Mama!!

First off, Heavenly Father has a great sense of humor...remember last week when I was pretty sure I wouldn't be going anywhere at transfers? Well, President called, and I'm being transferred back to Kirtland!! I didn't expect to go back until after I finished training Sister Young, but President is calling all of the Kirtland sisters back to sites to help with the summer rush. I'm sad to leave Bowling Green, because I love it so much, but I'm so excited to go back to Kirtland! In a way, I think I knew it was coming. I felt very blessed when I was first called full proselyting to not feel homesick for Kirtland or anything like that. I immediately fell in love with Bowling Green and felt very immersed here. But over the past few weeks, I recognize now that my heart has been turned back to Kirtland--I started thinking about sites a week or so ago, and got really excited to go back someday in the far future (so I thought). But now I know why. :) And I'm ready to go home to Kirtland :) I can't wait to see what's happened in the 3 months I've been gone!

I'm so glad that you had a great birthday, and also that you got to see Grandma and Grandpa! We celebrated here as well, by finding two new investigators! :) We tracted into a lady named Becky and her daughter Fran last Thursday, and went back for a lesson. We got to teach Fran about the Restoration, and then Becky and Fran came to the church that evening for a church tour! They are so sweet, and Fran is so energetic. I love it. Hopefully they'll come to church!

Also, speaking of church, our investigator Justin and his wife, Sister Cole, came to church! Yay!!! We were so happy about that. We felt impressed to invite them to church at our lesson

, and it turned out to be the one Justin had off from work because of the holiday! Perfect timing. :) 

I learned something amazing while preparing a lesson for Justin about faith. We were reading in Alma 32, and in verse 22 it struck me that agency is so, so important to our Heavenly Father--to the extent that He even gives us the freedom to choose whether or not to believe in Him! That's what faith is all about--using our agency to choose to believe in Him, even though our natural senses may declare otherwise. We "hope against hope" that walking by faith, rather by sight, will lead us to the desires of our hearts--and through obedience to God's commandments, He blesses us with what we need and helps us to gain greater faith in Him. Pretty great, huh. :)

Thank you for the wonderful quotes, thoughts, and hellos from everyone. Please give everyone my love and thanks! I'm so grateful to have the prayers and support of so many people at home. Thank you! :)

Love,
Sister Wygant

PS Pictures! 1. We bought matching Bowling Green shirts to improve our companion unity. :) 2. Me with Sister Richardson! She is the most amazing woman in the whole world. She served a mission in El Salvador and then taught at the MTC...and she's been helping Hermana Young with her Spanish! Such a tender mercy and wonderful opportunity. I'm so grateful for her. :)