First week in Ohio - Chardon

Hi everyone,

Ohhhh boy. Ohio is beautiful. There are trees EVERYWHERE. I love it. Also, we're in AMISH country. That's right. When we're in our area, Chardon, we sometimes pass horse-and-buggies driving down the other side of the street. Pretty awesome. 

How it works here is that we split our weeks between sites and our area. We're at sites 3-4 days a week and in our area 3-4 days a week. When we're at sites, we give tours when needed, make calls at the referral center, and chat on mormon.org. It's great. I gave part of the tour my first day here (thanks, MTC and Sister Black's class!) and it was so good. There is sooo much here, but it's contained in a smaller area than I'd imagined. The Whitney Store is probably my favorite. The room where the School of the Prophets was held is tiny, but you can really feel the power of the spirit there. I love it. 

We live in older homes on the same property as the VC and sites. We have a Harry Potter bathroom in a cupboard under the stairs. No joke. It's ridiculously awesome. Sorry i don't have pictures of anything yet but I haven't had time! I will try to take some before next week. My companion/trainer/mom's name is Sister Ellsworth, and she's from Idaho. Her parents are serving as mission president/wife in Mesa AZ right now, and she studied at BYU before coming here. Both awesome things. She is great. I am learning so much from her. 

I got here Tuesday evening with 7 other elders (they joined our travel group on the second flight...not sure why we got split up in the beginning. Weird.) and we went straight to the mission home. President Vellinga and his wife are so wonderful. We had dinner and interviews and they took some pictures with all of us--hopefully they sent you one. 

On Wednesday, we got to tour the Kirtland temple (!!) and the sites at Kirtland with a man named Carl Anderson (sound familiar? Yep, the famous one. He is great). He is "Mr. Kirtland" and knows pretty much everything. It was a wonderful tour. Then we went to transfer meeting and got started on the work!

My poor feet hurt pretty much all the time...but oh well. I am trying to get some other inserts that will hopefully provide some more padding for them. It's tough because we are on our feet so much either walking around or standing up for most of the day. But hopefully I'll get used to it.

I have already learned so much here. I thought the MTC was a firehose...but comparatively it was like a dripping sink faucet. Ha. I love it though. There are so many things that I'm learning or traits/habits that I'm beginning to acquire that I know will not only help further this work but will help me in my future life when I get home. It's great. 

I'm really trying to step out of my comfort zone and immerse myself in the work. It's tough sometimes to not be homesick, especially when i'm facing an uncomfortable or difficult task--like tracting. Talking to complete strangers still makes me squeamish inside. Ha. So it's really easy in those times to think of the comfortable things I could be doing at home--but I have to remember that salvation isn't easy and that these people need what we're sharing. I'm trying to keep myself really busy so that I don't have time to be homesick or time to hesitate. *shrug*

I still wish that we had all day to study! There is so much that I'm learning but I wish I had more time. One thing we've decided to do is pick a Christlike attribute (PMG ch 6) each week and make it one of our study themes/focuses for the week. I am really excited about this. I have a ton to study as it is, so it's never that I'm without something to study...but having a specific focus helps me to get more out of my study time. This week we're studying humility. If anyone wants to join in and send me your thoughts/insights/etc, you're more than welcome to. I need all the ideas I can get! Smiley face.

It is already pretty cold here--for me at least haha. I'm already wearing the layers and coats that I brought...so if you could send my winter box soonest that would be so wonderful. Speaking of sending things, I'll always have the following address unless i'm out full pross:

Sister Lyndsay Wygant (use both first and last name always)

7800 Kirtland Chardon Road

Kirtland, Ohio 44094

You can send both letters and packages to that address. If you've already sent things to the mission office they will forward it to me, no worries...but it just takes longer. So send everything to this new address until I go out full proselyting--which won't happen for awhile. There are only 3 full pros sister right now--the rest of us (27 i think) split our time between an area and the VC. It's pretty great.

We did get to watch the Brigham City temple dedication and the RS broadcast. Both were sooo wonderful. I loved them so much. It is so wonderful to be a member of this church and have so many inspired men and women to lead, guide, and uplift us. In just the week that I've been here I've met so many people who don't have that in their lives. They don't know that they are children of God and their family/other relationships are not the kind that we enjoy. I am so much more grateful now for the upbringing I had, for the loving environment and relationships that I had with family and others, and the opportunities that I had growing up. The stories that some of these people tell just amaze me sometimes. Why would anyone mistreat or disrespect someone who is family or a loved one? It has always baffled me. We don't own each other. We have families and friends and relationships so that we can love and support and encourage each other. I'm grateful that I know that, and that I know that those family relationships are eternal. I dunno. Sometimes part of me just wants to high tail it back to Provo where everyone is nice and knows who they are. Ha. But that's why I'm here--to teach these people what more they can have and become. 

The RS broadcast was also wonderful. It was honestly just what I needed. This adjustment has been harder than I'd anticipated and although it's great here, I was overwhelmed in the first week. I needed to see familiar faces and hear familiar words--and songs. :) The choir conductor...how do I know her? I know/think her last name is Wadsworth, and I want to say that she helped with the youth program that i did at the conference center that one time. But do i/you/we know her besides that?

Speaking of familiar faces and words, I am excited beyond belief for conference this next week. I loved it before but I can't wait for it now. So excited. Hopefully we will be able to bring some of our investigators to watch it with us. I just want to tell the whole world to come and watch because I know it will be so wonderful and uplifting. Ha. Seriously though. Don't take Conference for granted! Write down questions, take notes, and look for answers or promptings that are specifically meant for you. It is such a blessing to have a prophet and counselors to speak to us in God's behalf--there are so many people who don't even know about or have that opportunity. Drink it in :)

Well I'm almost out of time. I love you all so much. I hope everything is well at home and that you are keeping Purrcy satisfied/well staffed :) Please tell everyone hello for me and thank you for their thoughts and prayers. I certainly need them and can certainly feel them. 

Love,

Sister Wygant

Last week at the MTC

Hi everyone!

Last P-day in the MTC. What? Crazy. My elders left Wednesday (I cried. We all cried. True story. And i've been hearing "empty chairs at empty tables" from les mis run through my head everytime i go the the cafeteria. ha) and I'm leaving on Tuesday. Wait...what? Haha. I'm actually really excited to get out to Ohio--although I've realized that I will truly miss these mountains so much. I've already said goodbye to so many people--friends and family, my elders, etc--but on Tuesday I will say two last goodbyes--to my companion and then to my beautiful mountains and temple. It has been such a comfort (and sometimes a distraction) to look out the window of various buildings and see the Y on the mountain the trees changing color everywhere. I love it! 

I did get to see Coach [her high school choir conductor who plays the organ for MTC firesides] on tuesday. it was wonderful! I loved watching him play. after the fireside, a bunch of us who knew him went up to wait to talk to him after he'd finished playing--and he started talking to us--having full conversations--and playing at the same time. Skills :) i didn't sing in the choir that day because we couldn't go to the choir rehearsal Sunday b/c it was at the same time as the special departure devo that we went to, and on Tuesday during rehearsal I was feeling rather sick. bummer. i did sing along though. it was the arrangement of precious savior, dear redeemer that we did in MC--so beautiful :)

I hope you had a GREAT birthday, Da! So old now ;) 

I will get a picture to you of me with my name tag soonest. hopefully i can get pictures to work this week :)

Now some thoughts!

This week was so great and also sooo jam-packed intense. Just fyi, the last day i'll get mail here is monday. for those writing dear elders, they have to be submitted by noon to be printed off that day--and i do get those the same day :) For post mart/etc, I get mail around 4:30 pm, so as long as it's delivered well before then, i should get it. 

Our last day with district 26-D was tuesday, and then we jumped right in to VC training on Wednesday. Crazy! I am so excited about it though. we get to do SO much. one of the first things we talked about in class (there are 10 VC sisters in the class--2 going to LA, 7 to Independence, and me) was giving tours that are uplifting and inspire people to change--not just informational or 'feel good' tours. we are not to be tour guides. we are to teach the same doctrines and lessons as field missionaries, just in a different context. awesome. we also get to participate in what's called the online proselyting mission--every VC sister everywhere works at a referral center for part of the day--we chat with the people who go on mormon.org and click "chat with us". the online proselyting mission has had something like 152 baptisms this month. so awesome. we started doing that yesterday. it's different and challenging in different ways--not being face to face, not being able to tell if they're pranking/trolling or not--but we have access to all church websites and materials to help us and we can even link to those things directly in the chat. awesome. I'm really excited for that. (side note, I think that's what John Woodruff does here. I finally understand what he was talking about! ha)

We watched a talk by elder bednar on sunday called "The Character of Christ". Oh my goodness it is so fabulous. Every single thing he said was inspiring. he talked about being taught by the spirit instead of just writing down verbatim everything he said. Harder to do but so much better for you. He also talked about the character of Christ and how we can cultivate it. He said that character is "moral qualities strikingly displayed, strongly developed, and consistently lived." amen. it's not enough to just know about Christ. We have to know Him personally and take on the attributes that he exemplified throughout His life. Elder Bednar told us to shake off the natural man in order to do this--and he compared the natural man to the cookie monster. such a funny impression. i.e. cookie monster wants everything now. Cookie now! For us, it could be "I want investigator now! I want baptism now!" But we have to be patient and work on the Lord's time. Elder Bednar told us that we can put off the natural man through the Atonement. the Atonement increases our capacity to do good and become better. So we can't just work harder--that will drive us crazy. Doing good and being better is the result of a spiritual gift that possesses us as we use the Atonement to come closer to Christ. Go to the mormon channel and watch Elder Bednar's 3-part series on light. it applies directly to this :)

Okay, I'm going to end here and do pictures. if i have time i'll write more later. Love you! Talk to you again from ohio!

Love,
Sister Wygant

MTC Week three

Hi Mum and Da,

Sorry I forgot to tell you last week that my pday would be saturday this week--because we had in-field orientation yesterday! crazy. i can't believe that's been almost 3 weeks already and that my elders are leaving on Wednesday. It honestly breaks my heart a little each time i think about it. they are great people and great missionaries, and I know that they will do great work in Oklahoma--but I sure will miss them!

 I found out this week that two of my teachers are climbers (rock climbers). They were telling me about some of the climbs they've been doing up in rock canyon...so jealous. but also so awesome that we have that connection. :)

In our first day's welcome meeting, President Brown told us something along the lines of "everything in your life has led up to this moment and will apply to your mission." I have really seen the truth of that already. Every person I've met, studied with, dated, worked for, or interacted with in any way has left at least one memorable experience or lesson with me that i have been or will be able to draw on at some point during my mission. this is great because, as President Wenn says, our uniqueness will allow us to connect with and touch the lives of people we meet in ways that no one else ever could. So I'm grateful for anyone and everyone who has ever touched my life--because it will help me to touch the lives of the people who are waiting for me in Ohio.

We've learned so much and had so many great and not so great experiences this week. haha. a lot of the time, our lessons end up being frustrating because we want to badly to share what we know and apply what we have learned so as to touch the investigator's heart or soften it in some way...but it just doesn't work. I've seen it work a couple of times though, and it has been truly miraculous. one such experience was in a lesson with Cade the other day. we've met with him multiple times and tried to share our message but it just didn't seem to be reaching him. But in this lesson we were able to listen to the Spirit and ask inspired questions so as to figure out what his questions and concerns about the church and life in general were. he asked why we needed modern prophets if we already have the words of prophets in the Bible. I felt impressed to share the example of The Family: a Proclamation to the World, released by the first presidency before the attacks on the family that we see in society today ever became prevalent. He turned to us and told us that he is studying the family unit as part of his major, and that this is exactly what he's interested in. he really latched on to the Proclamation and was so interested in what we had to say about it. I didn't teach the rest of the lesson as well as I could have, but I was so grateful that I had finally been able to listen well enough to share something that fit his needs and applied exactly to what is going on in his life right now. It was great.

I have so many thoughts and quotes that i want to share that i think i'm just going to list them instead of trying to put them together in coherent thoughts. hopefully you like them.

*if you're not focused on the right thing, you will get the wrong results
*we don't convert. the spirit converts. we open the door for an investigator to feel the spirit.
*We and they need to know Christ, not just know about Him.
*true love is inspiring someone to change.
*"Beauty springs from the well of virtue" -Julie B Beck
*one of Satan's greatest tactics is to destroy hope. Without hope, we will not act. And we must act.
*do not justify being less than you are because of who you are with.
*Investigators remember less what you teach and more how they feel.
*This is not a gospel of avoiding hell. This is a gospel that moves us forward-a gospel of obtaining heaven.
*Never again will Zion run--it's time to take a stand

And possibly my most favorite, from a talk called "Missions are Forever" by Elder Holland that we watched on Sunday:

"Come to the edge," He said.
"No. We'll fall."
"Come to the edge!" He said.
"No! We'll fall!"
"Come to the edge."
So we came to the edge.
He pushed us...and we flew.

I know that if we allow Christ to push us past what we think we are capable of, we will soar.

I'm almost out of time and I still want to send pictures...my pday is friday next week so I will write again then! Love you all!!

Love,
Sister Wygant

Photos

This is Lyndsay with her companion Sister Arakaki, with the Branch President's wife in the middle.

Lyndsay with her MTC district.

Letters please!

Hello,

This is the email letter we received from Lyndsay on Friday.  She would enjoy letters or cards from anyone interested in writing a note.  DearElder.com (http://www.dearelder.com/) is a free website that allows you to write letters to missionaries on their website, which they print and send to the missionaries at the MTC.  And did I mention its free!  Just address a letter to

Sister Lyndsay Margaret Wygant
MTC Mailbox # 79
OH-CLE 0925
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

Thanks for all of your love and prayers in support of Lyndsay!
 
**********************


Well, I made it all the way to Saturday night before I broke down. There is just so much to do here and so many things to learn/practice/internalize that it's easy to get discouraged and overwhelmed. I think I wanted to be perfect at teaching and learning from day 1, and it was frustrating when I wasn't. But that's what a learning curve is for, right? I especially struggled because those that I usually turn to for help or comfort--like you and Dad--were unavailable. But since then I have really learned to trust and rely on the Lord. Things are much better now :)

We have been teaching since day 2, and we get better and better each time I think. We have 5 or 6 investigators that we are teaching right now--which is a lot to keep track of and plan for! the first day it seemed like we had so much time to study, but now I find myself wishing that I could have more time because it never seems like enough. It really is like drinking out of a fire hydrant--a bit of it gets in your mouth but a lot of it gets all over your face. I am learning to catch more of it though :)

As of Tuesday we will be the oldest district in the Zone. What? Crazy. The district above us (1 week older) leaves for Louisiana and Florida on Tuesday--and they are going stir crazy. They are so ready to leave. Haha. I really love them though. Even though they only have one more week than us, they seem so much more experienced and better at teaching. I've been able to learn a lot from watching them and having them teach us in Zone Teaching. I really have come to love and appreciate them, and I will miss them when they leave.

My flute did make it safe and sound! I was delighted to open the package and find my baby sitting inside. I haven't been able to audition yet because auditions are only held on Thursdays and it didn't get to me til wednesday--but I am planning to audition next week :)

Emails are great but letters are wonderful! thanks for sending some during the week. If you could get the word out that everyone can use DearElder to write me for free, I would sure appreciate it. Dear Elder is the best because it's free for the sender and we get it within a day. I would love to get letters from anyone and everyone :)

Love you!

Sister Wygant

Oh man. Where to start? (Lyndsay's first email letter from the MTC)

Oh man. Where to start? It is so busy and crazy here. But I love it. I had to suppress tears for the first few hours here, but eventually I got settled enough that I could calm down. The very first thing I did after putting my stuff down and getting all of my new materials was go to class. All of my normal classes are with my district (5 elders and 4 sisters) and we are in the same classroom for all of them--which is nice because we can leave our things there during the day. My teacher was so friendly and inviting that first day that I immediately felt a bit calmer. Our teachers are both awesome. My district is also awesome. I love my Elders so much (yes, I feel like I have kids to watch over again...but it's good because they don't really need looking after...they just need someone to remind them of things once in awhile :) ) It's not that I have to mother them, but it's nice to have people to watch over. Anyway, I love my Elders. They are all going to Tulsa, OK. Our district is already really close and we laugh and joke and uplift each other all the time. I love it. My companion, Sister Arakaki, is going to a visitor's center in LA, and the other two sisters are going to a VC in Independence Missouri. So I'm actually the only one in the district going to Ohio. But that's okay. I couldn't ask for a better district.

I'm so happy to hear that my phs (Provo High School) kids did that (cheered when Lisa told them that Lyndsay has gone into the Missionary Training Center). I love and miss them so much, and it is nice to hear that they miss me too :) I hope that someone will keep me updated on the marching band's progress/etc throughout comp season :)

On my very first night we got to role play. About 40 of us new missionaries went to a classroom where an investigator was meeting with two "seasoned" missionaries...and after a few minutes the companionship would leave and we would all get to continue team teaching the investigator. We did this 3 times, and each time I got up and opened my mouth to share something I just felt so happy to be sharing the gospel. Spiritual high on the first night? Definitely. My classes are varied between doctrinal study, personal study, companion study, learning how/what to teach, and role playing--actually teaching. It is great. It is hard to focus sometimes but when I can get the Spirit to come and teach me, I learn so much and am so uplifted. It is busy and we have a looot to do and study, but I love it. I love feeling so close to the Spirit and being able to share this message with other people. I thought I would be scared to role play but I actually love it. I'm not very good at it yet and I don't know enough to be able to share everything I want to, but I love the experience and the warm fuzzy feelings it brings :)

My branch president is President Wenn, and he is about 4'8''. Seriously. He is so short but it is so awesome. I love him already. And his counselors too. Thursday night we had a meeting with them and then they interviewed each of us. Each one of them immediately put me at ease and made me feel comfortable and more excited to be at the MTC. President Wenn called me to be the coordinating sister for our district--which I've gathered is basically the Sister's version of a district leader? Kind of. I get to do some leadership and administrative things and show the new sisters around next week. It will be a lot of extra work but I am excited about it.

Well I'm almost out of time and I still need to attach pictures. Maybe I will send another email just with pictures so that i can make sure this one gets out. I love you mama. thank you for everything.

Love,
Sister Wygant

First letter

Hello all,

We received a letter from Lyndsay yesterday.  It was handwritten so I can't post it, but I'll share the high points here.  The President  of the Missionary Training Center asked the new missionaries to write to their parents the first night and let us know how things are going.  Smart man! 

She has already seen several other missionaries that she knew previously--including her companion whom she ran track with in middle school and knew throughout high school.  One of the elders who helped her carry her suitcases in (Chance Carter) was on one of her Europe music tours. (Sairah--she thought that would give you a laugh).  Small world!

The Elders in her district are all going to the Tulsa Oklahoma mission where her friends Jorry and Nick Ricci served (someone pass that word along).  The other sister missionaries in her group are also going to visitors' centers--one in LA and one in Independence, Missouri.

Apparently the food is OK--lots of options so she won't starve.  The MTC is obviously a powerful place. Lyndsay hates vegetables but she says she ate all of her veggies at dinner the first night! ;-) 

After dinner they had the new missionaries get together in their district and do some preliminary teaching, basically role playing.  She says "I didn't anticipate being so eager to share, but I was.  I loved it and learned so much."

Well, that's about it.  She closes by saying "tell everyone that I am here safe and that I love them".

Thank you all for your support and interest in Lyndsay.  We'll keep you posted.