A New Transfer

So the new transfer just started and I'm still at Temple Square and my new companion is from Honduras!! Just like my previous companion, so I can learn more Spanish! Her name is Sister Trochez and she just came back from outbound. A lot of sisters this transfer came back from outbound and a lot just came from the MTC. Because it's summer time we always need more sisters, especially because a big class just went home. 

So I don't know if any of you have heard of the new church movie called Ephraim's Rescue? It was made by the same guy who did 17 Miracles. So as a mission we were able to watch it and it was sooooooo amazing! It was such a great movie and it really tells the story of the pioneers very well. It tells of the hardships and the amazing miracles that happened along the trail. The movie focused a lot on the priesthood power and how we can perform miracles just like the ones Christ did when He was here. It's pretty amazing and I hope that you all get a chance to watch it when it's open for the public. 

I don't know what this transfer is going to bring, but I hope that I will learn the lesson that I need to. I don't know if I've shared this with you before, but sometimes we may get sick of hearing the same story over again. Like in church, or in class, or in General Conference. But a quote that someone said goes something like this..."You've heard the stories, but have you learned the lessons?" That is one of the reasons why we have trials is so that we can learn the lesson and try to be better people. That is why almost all of the pioneer stories are the same, but you can always learn valuable lessons from them. 

Thanks everyone for the packages you send and for the love and support you share! 

Love you all!!

              Sister Stolp

Hi

Hello everyone,

greetings from Temple Square, it is getting very hot outside and I am sad to admit that it will get even hotter!! That's not cool, but whatever! At least I don't have to ride a bike ;) 

Well, I have hit my halfway mark and that is super sad to me! I have learned a lot of things over the past 9 months or so of my mission. I have learned how to ask inspired questions, I have learned how to answer gospel questions, I have learned how to serve, I have learned how to have fun while being a missionary, I have learned to be patient, and I have learned that communication is the key to a good relationship. These things that I've learned are attributes that will help me throughout my whole life. I am so glad that I made that decision to go on a mission and I can't believe it's halfway over! I shouldn't think about it, but being so close to so many sisters we kind of talk about it a lot. 

In the last half of my mission I am going to be the best person that I can be! You can resolve to do the same with any aspect of your life. There is a quote I found from a talk given by Thomas S. Monson that we should ask ourselves every day. It says "Am I what I want to be? Am I closer to the Savior today than I was yesterday? Will I be closer yet tomorrow? Do I have the courage to change for the better?" Wow, that was deep! I would invite you all to ask yourself these questions each day and answer them truthfully, then change the things that you need to in order to be closer to Jesus Christ. I know that as you do this you will find in your life more things to be happy for and you will see the light of Christ in you more than you ever have. 

I love you all and hope you have a good week! Transfer conference is on Sunday!!!!

                              Sister Stolp

Pics

(note from the editor: So Helen got to see her cousin Jackson Ostler after he was sealed to his wife a few weeks ago. They were so excited to see each other there!)

Patience is a Virtue!

Hello friends and family,

I have learned this transfer that patience is the key to everything! Not much has happened and I don't really have any progressing investigators right now, but I think that's because the Lord is trying my patience right now. Since my companion speaks Spanish we have mostly Spanish tours so I don't really talk much. It's sad, but we helped take a hospitality bus tour and it was English. That tour is just historical facts only and we can't invite to the whole group, but if they ask us we can ask them if they want to learn more. So it was really fun and it's really cool to be able to talk with a lot of people from all over the world and we get to answer their questions about the church and our basic beliefs. I love doing that and helping the people come to understand what we do and why. 

So, transfers are coming up soon and who knows what I'll be doing! I don't think I'll go outbound or train because I have the supply assignment and that takes up a lot of Square time. There will only be 9 going outbound this transfer. 

I have learned to just come what may and love it! Because "when we are in the service of our fellow beings we are only in the service of our God." I know that to be true and I have seen it even though I don't have anyone progressing at the moment. Whenever I help someone on the Square I feel that I am doing a great service and especially when someone calls in asking a questions I'm able to answer them with the Spirit telling me what to say. 

God is great and the church is true!! Thanks ya'll for doing what you do!!

                                      Love,

                                          Sister Stolp

I Come in Peace!

Hello people of earth!
So it was pretty cool last week because I saw the whole Scott Ostler clan for Jackson's wedding! You might have seen pictures of us already and, yes, I was there! It was great to see family and see them so happy! 

I know that you all know that Sister Monson died and that was sad. All the sisters on Temple Square were able to go to the Tabernacle and watch the services. It was a beautiful funeral and very insightful! President Uchtdorf and Eyring spoke of how Sister Monson is in a happier place and I loved how they were preaching about Gospel truths. It just shows you that at any setting you can let people know what you believe in. It was really sad, though because President Monson look so pale and had to be escorted by two men on either side of him.  

Despite the sadness I've had a lot of little miracles this week. It was mostly in the teaching center where the miracles happened. I've been discouraged lately because we haven't had many people to teach and we haven't been able to take that many tours because of our assignment, but when you work hard, the Lord provides! I've been praying for a miracle to happen and every time that I've been in the TC lately I've received phone calls from people who have referred their friends! I've also got a hold of more people, but most of them drop me. It's just been good to work hard and to see the Lord's work moving forward. 

Sorry my emails aren't really that long, but I sometimes forget about all the things that have happened during the week! 

Thanks for your love and support!

                                      Love,

                                         Sister Stolp

Greetings, Programs

So I know you're all probably wanting to know about my investigator in Africa who had a baptismal date for May 11. Well, he got sick with malaria, I think, so he's been down for a while. He sounded super sad, too! Annie, please send me some details about malaria, so I know exactly what he has. Thanks. So yeah, that was really sad! 

I'll just tell you some cool things that happened since I talked with you all for Mother's day! The other day we were able to do garden service! Since we don't have the opportunity to do service for people like if we went tracting or whatever we get to do service around the gardens on Temple Square. Next time you're here, you can appreciate all the beautiful flowers because some of the sister missionaries helped plant them! It was really fun and I forgot how much I missed getting dirty!

So I have a pretty funny story to tell you all. So today me and my companion were on the Map desk just minding our own business, when this group of 10 Chinese people came! They couldn't speak any English and I couldn't speak any Chinese, so it was crazy! Then, one of them pointed to my companion's Book of Mormon and said "Chinese, Chinese!" Finally, we understood and handed a Book of Mormon in Chinese and any other Chinese materials we could find. Then they left just as fast as they came. We didn't know what hit us, but it made me thing of why they wanted that book. Maybe they just wanted it so they could pass the airplane ride reading, or maybe they really were searching for something. You never know! There are so many people out there who don't know that they are searching until they find what it is they were missing. So many people on the Square say that they felt something here that they've never felt in their life. That is the Spirit and it's our job as members of the restored church of Jesus Christ to help those people who don't know what they're searching for. It's great to be a missionary now and I'm glad that I'm giving up 18 months to serve the Lord! But I'm not going to stop after that, I'm going to continue to serve Him with all my heart, mind and strength! 

Thanks for all your support!

Love you all!!!

                              Sister Stolp