May

Hello family!

So it was transfer conference this week and I got switched around a lot! My new companion is Sister Flores from Honduras and I am now out of the Beehive house! Which is sad because I loved that house, but it was getting kind of repetitive. We are now the supply coordinators of the square, which means that we stock up all the desks with copies of the Book of Mormon in different languages and we make sure that everyone has what they need. It's a lot of work, but it's serving the other missionaries, so it's good. 

I forgot to tell you all that when I was still with Sister Lupashko I took my first Russian tour and it went very well. She told me that they usually laugh or make fun of her, but this time he didn't do any of that. She said it was one of the best Russian tours she took. I probably had something to do with that!  just kidding. So it was fun and this morning I took my first Spanish tour! It was good, but kind of awkward. I hope to pick up some Spanish this transfer! 

I want to share something with you all from my personal study this morning. It's from the August 2012 ensign. I hope you all have heard this quote before, but if you haven't, here it goes. It's from President John Taylor, "If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you have saved had you done your duty." I vaguely remember me typing that before. So this might be the second time you've read it from me, but that's ok. I just love that quote because it's so important to remember! Maybe some of you needed to read that just now. I know that it's important for us to always do our best with whatever we are given. There is another quote from the same ensign that says "Perhaps when we face our Maker, we will not be asked, 'How many positions did you hold,' but rather, 'How many people did you help?'" I know that with whatever we are given in this life we can magnify our callings and we will touch people's hearts. I didn't want to serve on Temple Square. Everybody told me that it was a cushy mission and that all I would be doing was giving out tours all day and not doing real missionary work! I thought that was true, so I didn't want to be here, but when I got here I found out all the things that missionaries on Temple Square get to do! We can call the referrals that we receive and teach them more about the restored gospel. We also take inbound calls for people who want a Finding Faith in Christ DVD, or just who have questions. We also do the chat that you see on mormon.org, the "chat with a missionary", that's me! We do give tours all day, but as we're giving tours, we're teaching the lessons from Preach My Gospel. We get tons of people who come here who have never heard about this church. I'm spreading the gospel how the Savior did. In large groups and it can be difficult because you're not sure what all them need to hear, but that's why after the tour you go up to the people and ask them individually how they felt and if they want to learn more. It truly is great work and this is how the Lord needs me to share His gospel. It took me a while to love it here, but I can say now that I do love it here and that I can really serve people here in different ways. 

I didn't intend for this email to be so long, I apologize, but I just want to finish with my testimony. I know that my Savior lives. I know that because of Him, we can all be made clean and that we can return to live with Him again. I love the words in the beautiful hymn "O Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown". I won't quote them all for you, but just this one line. In the second verse it says "The very foes who slay thee have access to thy grace." I think that line speaks for itself, but I know that it's true and that we can all use the atonement. 

I hope you got through this email without falling asleep. Love you all tons!!!

                                                  Sister Stolpg