Easter!

Isn't it amazing that we don't have the foresight to see why we are meant to do something but then looking back.... and everything makes sense? That is how I've been feeling. Over and over again I just go "Oh, that is why I went to that area or had that companion." "Oh, that is why that didn't work out." "Oh, that is what I needed to learn." It goes on and on... I'm pretty sure I've said" Oh" more times on my mission than in my entire lifetime. Such a cool experience to be able to learn everyday and to grow everyday. I like what one of the Sisters said, "The mission is like a microwave, you learn and do everything super fast." It is incredible to see how much can really be accomplished when you set your mind to it and just do it. I am so grateful to still be learning how to utilize time to it's fullest capacity, to prioritize, to do things even when its difficult, and just to be happy despite any of the challenges. I am so grateful to have challenges, to see that the Lord trust me enough to overcome them and to become better for them.

 

This last week was awesome because of Easter. I love Easter and all that it means (no, I'm not talking about chocolate although that is a bonus.) Mormon.org had a page for Easter where you could share what Jesus Christ meant to you from your facebook. We were allowed to post on it but I couldn't because I have forgotten my facebook password. I thought I'd post it here.

 

Jesus Christ has helped me to understand that I am truly a daughter of God and that I am worth it. So many times in life we get those horrible thoughts saying "you can't do it. You're too young, you aren't smart enough, you're too old, nobody likes you, you are nobody, etc. etc." But as I spend time praying I feel the calming  presence of my Savior saying "You can do it, I have descended below all things so that you could overcome this. I love you and I will go through it with you." That is the greatest thing to realize... that we don't have to do it alone. (come unto me all ye that are heavy laden... ) We do not have to do it alone. God loves us, Jesus Christ loves us, they want to help us reach and become more than we are today. When we focus on moving forward and trusting in God, we will be magnified far beyond our own expectations. The Lord loves you. Have cnfidence in Him and you will have confidence that the things you go through will give you experience and work together for your good. I love you all!

 

God be with you till we meet again,

Listen to a "Prophet"

Aren't we so lucky? Isn't it such a miracle that the world could listen to a Prophet's voice and be able to  pray and ask God, "Is this your servant? Is this your Prophet?" and to think that God loves us so much that He will personally answer our prayers! God truly is a loving Heavenly Father and we are His children. He has sent us here to do a little bit of growing up and His vision for us is far greater than the vision we have for ourselves. He can change us and magnify us far beyond our expectations... if we let Him. 

Miracles do happen!

Miracles do happen! Even in the ritziest of places! We have been having some of the most amazing experiences talking to the people of Chevy Chase. We even had a few attend General Conference! Sister Lawrence is incredibly inspired and seems to always know the right moment to call people. She called one particular person just to invite them to see a prophet today. They came and they loved it and now they want to visit church! Today we had someone who investigated the church about a year ago call us and say that he would like to meet with the missionaries again. Wow! What an amazing thing that we don't always see the end result. When we meet with people they can feel the Spirit, it is something different and special, and they want to feel it again. It's funny how so many people misunderstand who we are or what we are trying to do. The people who are not as nice as they could be often have read or heard something very wrong about our faith. So many people say that they heard this or that... I often tell them, not everything you hear about us is true. Come and see. If people would just make a real effort of learning about and understanding who we are they would see what a force of good our faith is. How people are genuinely trying to live good, honest lives and try to always do what is right. Opposition in all things. I guess that is one of the ways I've seen that this is true, for when the greatest opposition comes the greatest truths are just around the corner. We are simply inviting people to know more truth with a surety in their hearts and showing them a way that they can feel more peace and happiness and closeness with God. It is amazing to see when that happens. It is a phenomenal thing to see the happiness that this gospel brings. To everyone, I invite you to find a way to come closer to God in your lives, I promise you won't regret it.

I love you all,

 God be with you till we meet again,

 Love,

   Sister Gordon

Night of Music at the Visitors Center

I was in charge of Night of Music and Inspiration last night at the Visitors' Center. (Missionaries perform musical pieces and share testimonies) It centered on Jesus Christ and his atonement. As part of it I shared my poem about Kim and how the atonement covers all pain. It was incredible how many people came up to me after and said that their heart was touched because of losses of their own. The program was as follows.

 

His Hand is Stretched out Still

Opening Prayer: Sister DeAgostini

Opening Remarks: Elder Larson (senior elder)

"He Sent His Son" Elder Williams accompanied by Elder Searle

He Left the Ninety and Nine: A talk by Sister Jones

"Where can I turn for peace"

A wind and String Ensemble:

Sister Wankier - fluet

Sister Miller - viola

Sister Wong Cello

Sister Finlay - Piano

Kim by Sister Gordon

"I come to Him" performed by Sister Welch

The Miracle of Forgiveness: A talk by Elder Rodriguez

"I Stand All Amazed"

Elder Brown, Elder Dillon, Elder Kennedy and Elder Williams Pianist: Elder Searle

Closing Remarks: Elder Larson

"When you Believe" A Duet by Sister Gros and Sister Joost Pianist Sister Welch

Closing Prayer: Elder Pawlenchuck

 

I loved it. The performers and speakers were incredible and the spirit was incredibly strong.  It was such a testimony to me of the need for our Savior and for His atonement. We all truly need it to feel joy in this life and the life to come. One of my favorite parts was from Elder Larson's closing remarks. He quoted Elder Holland " Many of you feel you have done too much too wrong for too long". Wow! How powerful to realize that often we do feel that we aren't worth the time, that we can't come back, that the atonement is for everyone else, but not for us. But Jesus Christ has engraven each one of us upon the palms of His hands. He would go through the Garden of Gethsemane all over again if He knew that just one of us would take the opportunity to use that atonement for our pains, our sins, our trials, and so that we can experience forgiveness. How truly amazing this gospel is!

Last Area Chevy Chase

Chevy chase was a fun first week! The city is crazy and we are talking to the AP's about possibly giving us some bikes for some of the closer stuff because parking is crazy but it is too far and too long to walk. We'll see, more updates on that later. (Wouldn't that be the coolest? Sister Missionaries on bikes in the city!) I wouldn't miss the horn honking that sometimes takes place with impatient city drivers. Ha ha! I don't know if I'm built for the city but I am learning. I know that life is a lot about learning and growing and I am so grateful for those experiences.

Opps!

(Feb.16, 2012)                   We got in a car wreck this morning but everyone walked away fine. 




Not my door. I was in the back on the opposite side. Not too scared. We woke up at 4 30 to do sunrise pictures at the monuments. I wasn't paying too much attention in the back until I heard tires screech. I was a little scared when we actually got hit because it was on the side of two of my best mission friends. As soon as I knew they were ok there was no worries. Poor guy that hit us though. He felt super bad! I can just imagine him going to work... "Oh man, sorry I'm late... I think I hit a bunch of nuns in my car today."

Becoming

Calista Nicole Gordon (Nikki's Niece) was baptized on Saturday Feb 4 2012. This is what Nikki had to say about that. 

What a cool experience to be able to go to Calista's baptism! What a wonderful step she is taking in her life promising God that she is going to try her very hardest to do what Jesus would do. 8 years old is such a great age. It is an age where you have reached the age of accountability or the understanding between what is right and what is wrong. Every decision can be made with the realization that our choices always bring consequences. Some consequences are good and some are not. Every choice we make leads us to who we become and effects those around us. I don't think I understood to what a great depth we effect others until quite recently. Something that seems small and a "personal decision" often has long reaching effects on family friends and especially on our future. Choices are what help us grow and progress and BECOME. I like the quote I learned from Thayer Learning Center (a boot camp I used to work at in Missouri) "Character is won or lost when no one is looking." We become the choices we constantly make, especially those we make when we feel like nobody else will know. I often take inventory of myself to see what my character is.... Who am I when I am alone and making decisions? Who am I trying to become and how am I doing it? I think it was Elder Scott who said We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day.(October 2010)  I just love that nobody is left to their circumstance but that we can overcome. We have the power to act we have the power to choose. There is a wonderful mormon message called Freedom to... 

http://mormon.org/choice/#making-hard-choices

  God's idea is the freedom to become. We are free to overcome our circumstance and to become more than what the world expects of us. With God all things are possible and there are no limits. How amazing to know that God wants us to be better and do greater things than even we can imagine. If we humbly submit ourselves to God's will we will see miracles. So I invite each of you this week to prayerfully consider what more God wants for your life. Who does He want you to become and what does He want you to do. I know without a shadow of a doubt that if you follow His will you will not be disappointed with the result. God is good and wonderful. I love you all dearly!

God be with you till we meet again.

Love,

  Sister Gordon

Training my baby

Sister Gordon is getting a new sister to train
. thus a baby 

My "baby" Sister Wankier

It is amazing to see the way we are prepared throughout our lives for the things of the future. Isn't it so cool to see that God really understands the bigger picture?  I'm no longer a Visitor Center Trainer and I will miss the responsibility a geat deal. However, I have been called as an Area Trainer and am so grateful for the opportunity. My companion's name is Sister Wankier and she is incredible and happy and has the sweetest laugh. She is from Brigham City and..... she is an AGGIE! What more could I ask for? Brown eyed girls together and with faith, fire, and fearlessness we are hoping to take this transfer by storm! She is aesome and has so much energy! I am way excited and she is just ready to be out in the field! I know how much this is inspired for my mission and for my life. When I looked at Sister Bechaver's picture I had an impression that we would be companions and we were and it was amazing and truly inspired. With Sister Wankier this is the first time I had a dream of who would be my companion. I can only imagine the miracles and friendship that will occur. God is good. He loves his children. Keep me in your prayers and know that you are in mine!

Love,

 Sister Gordon

Birthday #2

Obedience

Well family, I am doing soooooooo good! My birthday is tomorrow! Crazy! I can't believe that this is already number 2 on the mission! I still feel brand new! I remember this time last year Sister Clark and I were shopping for a birthday present. She ended up getting me a hedgehog and we named it Obedience. (of course after a Christlike attribute... what else would you name it?) Missionaries are so funny! I never realized what a sense of humor you could have using scriptural references until you get a ton of missionaries in the same place. Oh! What clever people I get to associate with. It just goes back to my thinking that God really does have a sense of humor and he really likes to laugh. :)

Hot Chocolate

 There was  an incredible eexperience here just the other night. I was taking hot chocolate to Brother Brewer. (He is an incredible man who always comes to Festival and helps with parking and welcoming our guests. He always wears a suit, a Christmas tie and a Santa hat with lights on it!) So I was taking hot chocolate to him and I walked past a couple of missionaries and a family. I smiled and greeted them and then at the same time we turned to do a double take. It was a family and a set of missionaries I had given a tour of the Gospel of Jesus Christ  about 2 months ago! I hugged the Mom and high fived with the children and shook hands with the Dad. I was so excited to see them and talk with them. Their countenances had changed. They were so full of happiness! I told them they all looked happier and they laughed. They are getting baptized! The whole family! It was just incredible how the Lord had given me what seemed like a non missionary job and turned taking hot chocolate into one of the greatest experiences I could have had. They told me that the tour of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was so pivotal for them and that they LOVE the temple. They can't wait to be sealed all together. The gospel is such a beautiful thing. I was so glad that the Lord had blessed me with the opportunity to see the fruits of my labor. The missionaries told me the family asks about me almost every time they meet with them. They want to come down after the holidays and have another tour. :) I just love it.

Christmas presents under the tree.

Notice the yellow package on the right.
Sister Gordon trying out her annual event
Seeing what it is like to be a present under the tree

Headset

Here I am with a headset!
 Never dreamed I would use one of those on my mission!
The blonde is my new companion.

Well here we are right before Christmas. Such a miraculous, fun and busy time. So much to do. This is such a busy time of the year for us. I love and miss you all so much. Take care and enjoy the holiday.

Relationships

As this season is upon us I encourage you all to make relationships that count 1) with God. Make sure to communicate with him and get to know him. 2) with Family. It would be a terribly lonely world if we had no relationship with family. I have realized how much my family means to me and how good they are to me. 3) with Fellow man. If you have a relationship that needs to be mended, take this opportunity to repair it. 4) With  Self. Are you kind to your self and the kind of friend to yourself that you are to others. I pray this holiday season will be fabulous.

Festival of Lights

Festival Lights is tonight! Over a million lights!!  So excited!!!

I love the fall!

I love the fall! It may not be as brilliant as usual... I'm not sure as I've never seen a fall out east before. However, it is beautiful and slowly the season is beginning to change. I am so impressed with the beauty of the Earth and the wonderful way that God shows his love for us by His creation of this World. The changing of leaves shows a passing of time.... Time is so precious. We only get wonderful moments that make up a lifetime. I have come to really see the importance of making each of those moments count.  We often get so caught up in the material things that don't really matter. Then, something happens, whether tragic or just a moment of beauty, and we take time to notice... We feel a sense of peace and calm and reality.








 What matters most is not the money you made or the powerful positions you have held... it is the people that you have loved. You can see the best memories are made by sharing love and service with people. Making others happy or noticing the happiness God is trying to give us... there is nothing better. 
My invitation to all of you is to notice the small stuff, to pay attention to the beauty, and to share it with someone else.

Love you all so so so much,
   God be with you till we meet again.
Love,
  Sister Gordon

Support and Encouragement

What a wonderful place to be! I love it here and I love the work that is going on. This weekend our mission is helping to support a local stake in a mini mission for the youth! The youth will be going out and helping the missionaries to contact new people, teach and everything! There are even going to be a group of young women at the Visitors' Center! It is going to be the neatest thing ever. Especially after hearing from Elder Bednar this last conference. INCREDIBLE!

 I just wanted to touch briefly on how important it is that we are kind to others. We have the ability to strengthen those around us and to lift them. It is easy and sometimes even popular to make fun of or hurt the people that we know and sometimes those we don't know. It seems to be funny to pick on someone or to play mean tricks. How sad to see that this is normal and seen as humorous. I myself have seen that "playing tricks" on someone to make others laugh is a sarcastic humor that almost always is a cause of frustration or sadness on the other side of that trick. We are all travelers in this journey of life. Our goal should not be to hinder the path of others by putting up obstacles or by tripping them up. Our goal should be to help make that pathway clearer. To provide support and encouragement. To lift those who are in need and especially to love those that fall behind.
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My invitation for each of you is to find ways that you can serve and love your fellowmen more often. I know that as you do there will be more peace in your daily lives and that you will see your relationships grow stronger and your friends to be more true.

I love you all with my whole heart,

God be with you till we meet again.

Lessons I Learned as a Boy

Tribute to White Oaks

I must pay tribute to the White Oak ward for the lessons that I learned there and for the people that I have met. What a wonderful place to have served! I am especially grateful for the teaching opportunities I was able to be a part of. Both young and old, member of the church or not. My time there was simply amazing and enhanced by all who I came into contact with. It was just a phenomenal experience and taught me so much about myself and about others.

The lessons the Lord has to teach us are often not recognized until looking back. I imagine myself my first transfer of the mission and realize how far I have come. I don't really feel that I've changed... I mean, I am still the same person; I'm energetic, I love people, I like new adventures... I just realize that I have greater depth. I guess that is what happens when you do something new that takes you out of your comfort zone and makes you discover what you would do in a new situation. You naturally will grow, especially when it deals with your spiritual nature.

We were on the metro the other day and I overheard a conversation where it sounded interesting and the group of people talked a lot. When they left I just felt such a sense of emptiness... I didn't know who they were. The things they talked about didn't help me to understand their experiences or anything really about them. I was just baffled at how that could be an exciting conversation, or how a friendship could be based off of such superficial things. I was so grateful for a greater understanding of my divine nature as a daughter of God. Knowing that changes everything. and truly understanding that helps me to be a better person. 

I am so excited for General Conference this weekend! There is nothing better than a worldwide meeting that can be watched by everyone at the same time where a prophet and apostles come together to speak to us. AMAZING! Their counsel is priceless and can help anyone of any age, gender, socioeconomic status, etc. What great love the Lord has for us to send us inspired leaders to guide us and to testify of Jesus Christ!

I'm a litte nervous as I take on new responsibilities this transfer. I will be asked to grow and stretch more than I think I even realize. I am memorizing D&C 121:34-46 to help myself remember what I am striving to do. (not that I have the priesthood because I don't) I am striving to lead the way that the Master would. Out of sincere love for those I lead, in an attitude of service, and with the intent to lift, inspire, and bless. It is a big call... but charity never faileth. As long as I'm trying to do what the Lord wants I know it will be alright... so, I'm going to pray. A LOT!

Keep the faith. God is there and He loves you. Do what is right and nothing will ever permanently go wrong. And remember your reaction to small things determines your health in the long run. So when something happens that frustrates you and you feel like you can't handle it just ask yourself, "is this going to give me high blood pressure 20 years from now? And if so is it really worth being mad about?"

Transfer! Splendid.

TRANSFERS! My new companion is Sister Lewis. She is from California and she is absolutely wonderful. I'm the Senior companion and I am in.... DC 2nd Singlles Ware. I  will miss White Oak but I am so excited! Also, I have been called as a Visitors' Center Trainer. I'm very excited about this and I hope that I live up to the Lord's expectation of me in this calling. I will be in charge of new sister training for all of the newer sisters at the Visitors' Center. (helping them to learn the resources and encouraging them and getting to know them.) I am so excited! I just love all of the Sisters so so so so so so much! They aregreat and I know I'm going to learn so much from them! SPLENDID!

Preparing For Storms In Our Lives

Many of the areas surrounding us were affected by the storm. I also heard that a few people died because they were out wandering in the storm. These people knew that the storm was coming... they had the information and the time to prepare but they didn't take it. They left the safety of their homes to wander out for what I'm sure they thought would be a fun and cool experience.

 

So it can be with ourselves. We know that we need to make preparations. This is true on a temporal level as has been taught by modern prophets. We need to prepare food storage and have money saved up so that when hard times come we are prepared and we have all that we need. This is also true on a spiritual level. We know the commandments God has given us. These are not cages or a list of do's and do not's. They are guideposts to keep us out of harms way and to give us direction to a happier and better life. How often do we ignore the warnings that a storm is coming and decide not to prepare for it. How often do we decide that we can read our scriptures later or that we are in too big of a rush to pray... so that when the temptations come we are not well enough equipped to be able to overcome them. How often do we decide that the experience of a hurricane might be fun or exciting? How often do we look at sin as an exciting or fun experience that we do not want to miss. Are we willing to risk our lives for such experiences? Are we willing to seek instant gratification and momentary happiness or fun at the sacrifice of lasting happiness? I think that it is very easy to look so closely at the now and what we want instead of focusing on the long term. The big picture is so much more important! When we lose sight of that it is easy to  walk in the storm but when we see the lasting effects of each choice that we make we will be determined to move forward with not what is most rewarding in the moment but what is actually better for us long term 

"nothing will ever permanently go wrong when you are doing what is right."

 

This is my  invitation for each of you. To look at the lasting effects of the decisions you make. To choose the better part. To do that which will have lasting happiness and not just a moment or two. Heed the counsel of the Lord and of the Prophets. I know that as you do this you will see the blessings that come and you will experience lasting joy.

 

God be with you till we meet again.

Love,

 Sister Gordon