The Whale

In the Book of Jonah, the prophet Jonah is asked to do something he desperately does not want to do, go to Nineveh. He does not want to go there, he basically tells God, "I will do anything but go to Nineveh!" So naturally he gets on a boat headed the other direction and sails and sails until naturally he gets swallowed by a whale and has to repent and decides he will go to Nineveh and teach them about Jesus and call them all to repent as he has just done.

So last week while I was anticipating a transfer call, I knew in my heart that I would be leaving my beloved Manette Ward. So as I prayed, I told God, "I will go anywhere, I will do whatever you want me to do. But PLEASE don't make me double in again, please just let me have a normal transfer for once." MISTAKE

Lesson learned: Never tell God what you want, ask Him what you need.

one of my favorite scriptures says: 

"Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works." Jacob 4:10

We can't tell God what we want Him to do, my desire to have a normal transfer, while it is not a bad desire, was not what God wanted for me.

Another great gen of the scriptures is from Isaiah 55:9 

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

I've learned on my mission that Heavenly Father always knows best. He always knows what we need much more than we do. So over a year ago when I turned in my mission papers, I promised my Heavenly Father, that "I'll go where you want me to go," and though I didn't know it then, I also agreed to be doubled in for the third time and doubled out for the second. We never know what will happen to us next, but we can always be sure, that we will be better because of it!

As for Silverdale, it is a lot of trees and streets that don't connect, but should, and long driveways, and critters all over. Yep, it's the boonies. It will be another grand adventure, and Sister Stallings and I will definitely be conquering the world up here!

All my love,

Sister Megan Monson

God is at the Helm

Waste and Wear Out Our Lives

High council speakers often get a bad rap for being boring. But sometimes they say some truly profound things. Like yesterday, Brother Mantzke said "the Pioneers truly wore out their shoes and wore out their lives to gather the saints." I thought it was appropriate to pioneer with "missionary." "the Missionaries wore out their shoes and wore out their lives to gather then saints."

Yes that is what we do, it reminds me of this verse:

D&C 123:13 Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—

And that is what missionaries truly do. I have worn through two pairs of rainboots and have totally trashed all my shoes, clothes and purses because I love seeing people's lives change. Every day I come home feeling like I've just been snowskiing, my body is so tired. And it is worth it.

What an amazing blessing to be a missionary!

Monday evening we were knocking doors in an apartment complex and we came to door 205, a young woman answered and just said, "no, we're good." so we turned around in the narrow hallway and knocked on the door exactly opposite. A Hispanic woman answered, and I used my meager Spanish skills to tell her, "we have missionaries who speak Spanish, would you be interested?" She answered yes and I scrounged up more Spanish to tell her how to get a hold of them. Just as I was finishing the conversation, the young woman at the other door opened it again. She told us she kept having this feeling to invite us in. She introduced herself as Abby and her sister Ashley came in as well. Abby is single and Ashley is married, but her husband is on deployment so they're living together until he comes home. Sister Pluim and I thought we would teach the Restoration, but when a question about Heaven and Hell came up we switched to the Plan of Salvation. The Spirit truly guided our words and Abby and Ashley felt the Spirit strongly. It was one of those experiences when you know you are doing your job. The gospel is so true!

Sometimes Heavenly Father does this thing where He puts you in a place and just when you love it so much that you could stay there forever and never leave, He grabs you out and sends you away! That's right, I'm getting transferred! After two wonderful transfers in this amazing area, I'll be going to Silverdale 6th ward with Sister Stallings, who is from one of my favorite places in the world, Logan, Utah! Neither of us have ever served in Silverdale 6th before so it will be nothing short of an adventure! This will be my third time "doubling in" and my second time "doubling out" because Sister Pluim is going all the way up to Port Angeles to train a new missionary! So crazy things are happening.

I have learned so much in Manette Ward and it is so sad to be leaving so soon, but it is time to say good-bye. Luckily Abby and Ashley won't be left behind because new Sister missionaries will be coming in!

God truly is at the helm of this great work, He decides where each person needs to be at what time for a very specific and divine reason. And I can not wait to find out what He has in store for me!

All my love,

Sister Megan Monson

Saying Good-bye to Bremerton Manette Ward

Sister Missionaries youtube video

                 Sister Ireland, Sister Pen and Sister Rust all sing Lemonade by Alex Boye

Two of these sisters are formal companions of Sister Monson and Sister Pen was in a companionship that lived in the same apartment that Sister Monson did in Lincoln.

More of You, Less of Me

The other day, my companion was sick, flat on her back, not going anywhere type of sick. So I had a lot of time on my hands to think, to ponder, and to take a break. My dad sent me a poem by Henry Drummond, that really made me think. 

I lived for myself, I thought for myself,
For myself, and none beside—
Just as if Jesus had never lived,
As if He had never died.[The Greatest Thing in the World (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, n.d.), 40]

That part stood out to me and made me think a lot, thinking, "who am I living for?" As I sat in our little apartment with nothing to do, some thoughts came to my mind that turned in to words. Words turned into lines and lines into stanzas. Eventually I came up with some deep truth that was hidden in my brain.

I Give my Life to You

"I give my life to You," I say.

As I turn and walk away

From everything I've ever known

My heart begins to sway.

"I give my life to You," I say

As I kneel down to pray

eyes watering as I tell you

of this very, very hard day

"I give my life to You," I say

As I hear my new friend pray

Hoping this time it will lead

To the straight and narrow way

"I give my life to You," I say

As I go up to pay

Kind tribute to your Holy Name

For we have come all this way

"I give my life to You," I say

As I turn and walk away

From the best things I have ever loved

This time I know it will be okay.

(Written by Sister Megan Monson, 2017)

The Relief Society teacher yesterday quoted some mainstream Christian song that was really profound. "More of you, less of me. Make me who I'm meant to be." This is one of the most challenging things about a mission is coming to know that your mission is not about you. It is only about God. 

The Savior once taught:

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it”. (Mark 8:35)

The promise a missionary makes when they put that nametag on for the first time is not just for 18 months or for two years, it is a promise of a lifetime of service to the Lord. What an amazing thing!

           

All my Love to you,
Sister Megan Monson

Is Not This Real?

There are certain chapters a missionary reads about a thousand times, ones that often answer questions for investigators and usually help them to gain testimonies of the gospel. I have read chapters like 3rd Nephi 11 or 2nd Nephi 31 with so many investigators and less actives I have lost count. Another such chapter is Alma 32 when Alma teaches the poor people about faith. As I was studying this chapter for the upteenth time my mind caught hold on a phrase "Oh then, is not this real?" in verse 35. Is not this real? is not the gospel real? is not Christ our Savior?

It never ceases to amaze me that even though you read the same thing a million times, something new can always pop out at you.

As we were reading Moroni 10:3-5 (another very common missionary passage) and the member pointed out in verse 4 "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost." Moroni literally tells us to ask of these things are NOT true, that is how much confidence he has that you will get an affirmative answer.

I love how true the gospel is, and I love how much it can help and bless the lives of families.

This week was overall kind of an upset, our area seems to be a little dried up for missionary work and things look very gloomy right now. Whenever this happens my mind turns to a verse in Alma 26 "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." And that is what we will be doing. We cannot control others' agency but we can control our own.

Because the Gospel is so very real, I keep going! Because it is real, trials are okay, because Christ is always there! How grateful I am for a Savior who lives and loves me. I know that this gospel is real!

All my Love,

Love being a missionary!

Sister Megan Monson

Fireworks

Sister Wadsworth

 

Lions Park

Lions Park

Let go and Let God

This week my Heavenly Father answered a prayer that I said when I was 6 years old. "Heavenly Father, I really want a sister." And He certainly gave me one! 14 years later, but who is counting? I am so grateful for the knowledge that Families can be eternal and that we are not meant to be individual beings but members of family units.

If you can imagine this week was a little bit rough, I wanted so much to be with my family for my sweet brother's wedding, but the Lord told me He needed me here, so here I am! As I pondered why I could possibly need to be here rather than there, a phrase I have heard a thousand times came to my mind, "let go and let God." Our Heavenly Father is very aware of us and our situations, He wants to bless us and He wants to guide us, sometimes we need to just let Him take the reigns and trust that He can lead us better than we can.

I will never lie and say that my mission has been easy, or that I haven't ever thought about giving up. I have been studying the Old Testament with what little free time I have, and the phrase that sticks out to me constantly, is "and Noah walked with God." or Adam or whomever. This life is a time for us to learn to walk with God.When the Savior taught His people and they found something that was a little bit hard to handle, they gave up and left. In John 6 it says:

66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

I know that my Savior is there holding me. Every trial I have had on my mission is nothing in comparison to what He went through, suffering for my sins. I know that He is there and He understands me. Jesus is the Christ. He is my Savior and my friend, He is my older brother and my comforter. I know that there is nothing that I can do to repay Him, but I am certainly trying! 

All my love,

Sister Megan Monson

This is what Sister Monson was doing on Saturday July 1st:

Having lunch with Bishop and Sister Hill

enjoying the sights of Bremerton while doing missionary work

AND... attending her brothers wedding in the Bountiful Temple 

She fit right in as one of the Bridesmaids

and even gave the groom (Jaymes) a photo op

but actually she was in Bremerton all day enjoying a drink run with her comp

All in the Lord's Timing

This week was Basically the Longest week of my entire life. We went on exchanges on Tuesday and I gave a training in District meeting on Wednesday, but when I was looking back on my week I thought that those things happened last week it felt so long ago!

This week we had an amazing experience with the Bergman Family. Our Bishop had gone over to visit them for ministering visits on Tuesday, and felt that we needed to visit with them as well. We had to put it off because all the times we could visit Sister Bergman were either filled, or we didn't have our car when we actually had time to go visit them. So Friday came around and we had left our ward list at home!

The ward list is the most important tool you have to find people to visit, if you don't have an address how can you find them?!?!? Sister Pluim and I looked at each other and decided we could probably find our way to the Bergman's house.

The coolest thing was that just as we were pulling up, they were building a fire to roast s'mores, but Brother and Sister Bergman were wondering how they could help all of their 7 children to roast marshmallows.
When we walked into their yard they were so grateful for two extra sets of hands! So we roasted Marshmallows and laughed, and talked to the kiddos. I wound up having a really great conversation with Sister Bergman about why they aren't coming to church, and a couple of her children expressed desires to come to church! So we are hoping to get them in there one of these days!

The Lord's timing is perfect, even for simple things like roasting marshmallows!

All my love,
Sister Megan Monson