COU COU!!!!

Hello my beloved friends and family! Well, I am just the luckiest missionary ever, because this week I got letters from her ladyships HANNAH ELISABETH and MEGGEROOO FOSTER! And from LADY LAUREN last week. I am SO incredibly happy to hear from you, my dear Sistren, and of your happy EXCITING lives! I am going to print out your letters and peruse them later, as I have expended the greater part of my preparation day frolicking in the Salève Mountains and picking wildflowers, and have little time left at the internet cafe. :) I AM SO EXCITED! Its really a blessing to hear from ALL of you, my friends and family, because it reminds me of all of our happy experiences and how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is really the root thing that has brought so many of you into my life, and the thing that connects us. Thank you for being a part of my life, and for sharing your experiences with me. I love you all a great deal!

In other news, CONGRATS to mom and dad and all other Waldron's who participated once again in the Ogden Marathon and Half Marathon, GO TEAM! Isn't running the best? There is a little forest next to our apartment where we run every morning. Aren't I blessed? I'M SO PROUD OF YOUUUU!!! I was running after many busses that day and was thinking of you. Hahahah.

So, basically Geneva is great. ONY IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!!! It would take me hours to write all of the great lessons we have had and how the miracle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is changing his life and freeing his soul, its so beautiful. He was going to be baptized this week, but something happened at the Mongolian Embassy, and his wedding won't actually be until next week....he was so sad when he called today and told us becuase he really wanted it to be this week, but we are just encouraging him because really, its ok! We are still just so happy for him! This is quite an exciting time for him. His wife(almost), Shinee, will also be having a baby girl in a couple of weeks (we're all hoping it will be June 7th....hahaha)Note from Mom- that is Sarah's birthday! and so they just have all kinds of things we can remember in our prayers. I am growing to love these Mongolians so much, the most humble, loving, dedicated people, what a privilege to help them. Each of them have come from difficult cirumstances, and its wonderful to see that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is helping them have the power to bear their burdens. (see the talk by Elder Bednar in the April Ensign...so good)  http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-powers-of-heaven?lang=eng&media=video

So, have I told you about the Hernandez family? The father, Gabriel, was baptized three years ago, and his wife and daughter and him have been coming back to church for the past three weeks. WE are teaching them family home evening in about an hour, and they want to be baptized in the next couple of weeks too. And THE DAD can baptize them! FAMILIES! Miracles!

Sorry I have hardly any time!

Here is how I want to end. Today marks 8 months that I have been a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In this relatively short period of time, my life has changed in immense and irrevocable ways. I have found myself in situations that extend to several sides of the human condition - from within the walls of sacred buildings bought with the consecrated funds of faith, surrounded by believers, to within crowded city buses, with all the sounds, smells, and stares of people just trying to manage in a fallen world. I have been caused to consider my beliefs in the context of these two extremes, and everything in between....and have been brought to much questioning as to why I have been so very blessed.

To the men and women at whom I impose an often startling topic of conversation on public transport, though we disagree on many things, you are right about a few things. I am one of those who is too weak to get a long without faith. It's true. I can't do it. Without my Savior, I am nothing. I have no peace in my heart, and my capacity to love and to serve is diminished to nothing. Without Him, I can do no good thing. I actually do need to go to church every week to nourish my personal relationship with God, and that is just how it is, and I'm thankful that he restored His church to the earth through a modern prophet, and that He continues to lead and guide us through modern revelation. I know that with the Savior, I can become a whole lot more than I can all by myself, based on my own talents and will power alone. And maybe that makes me weak, but I never claimed otherwise.  ''That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world..." a verse from the book of scripture called The Doctrine and Covenants, sec.1 verse 23. To you, I just want you to know how great you are. It's true, we're weak. But we know that Jesus Christ has over come all things, and that as we submit ourselves to Him, we gain strength beyond our own, power to support our challenges, and courage to continue. So, let's keep on fighting the good fight.

And to those of us who wonder, its ok to question. That's how we find answers. If you have doubts and fears, take them to the Father, and He will enlighten your mind. Always question, but seek the answers with faith, not with doubt, because doubt destroys all that is good.

Well, those are my thoughts, maybe they don't make lots of sense, but the most important thing for you to know is that I love you a whole lot. I love my Savior. And that this is going to be the best week ever! Why not?

Love, Sister Sarah

 

Birthday wishes to my Aunt and Uncle who served their missions in France.......

PS Bonne Anniversaire à mes très chèrs Anna et Brandon cette semaine!!! Je vous aime toujours! Et il faut qu'un jour vous m'ecriviez en Francais, juste pour me faire plaisir un peut ;)

May 14th

Well, Geneva is pretty much the best. Sr. Bicchierri is a powerhouse, and we are just going to kill them with kindness and the love of God here! As I told you while we were skyping, we are working toward a Mongolian Branch! This is the big goal. You should look on lds.org at the videos about how the Church is growing in Mongolia, it's awesome. There is one returned missionary, we call her Jenny because her Mongolian name is crazy, but she was the first Mongolian member to move here to Geneva, and seriously they are coming in like crazy! They have such simple, beautiful faith. Sr. Bicchierri has decided to start a Mongolian Scripture study every Sunday, and we are also doing a Mongolian Family Home Evening every Monday night, and these things are with the goal to help continue to teach and support the recent converts, and teach them how to teach the gospel. Every monday, we will be using Preach My Gospel in Mongolian to practice teaching the lessons. And, do you remember how several years ago in the Oakland mission we prayed all together for weekly missionary experiences, monthly convert baptisms, and that our neighbors hearts will be softened? We are going to institute that with the Mongolians, too. One Mongolian baptism every month! And we are inviting them to try and bring sometone to sacrament meeting each week, too. Big goals, but I know we can do it! Sr Bicchierri and I like big goals, and we are trying every day to develop more faith to achieve them. ''et le Christ a dit, si vous avey foi en moi, vous aurez le pouvoir de faire tout ce qui est utile en moi'' (Moroni 7:33) Pray for our Mongolians! The baptism we have planned for this week is Ony, who is amazing. He is so ready, but he needs to recieve some documents from the Mongolian governement so that he can get married to his fiance who will be having a baby sometime soon. He is seriously going to be the Branch President someday!

Anyway, Mongolia. Liberia. Nepal. Camaroon. We teach people from so many different countries, what a blessing it is. I am truly blessed to have this opportunity to ''Bring the World His Truth.''

don't forget to smile :)

This is going to be a nother busy week of miracles, and I can't wait to talk to you again soon!

I hope that you have a GREAT marathon/half marathon! I am so proud of you! It was while running that race that I decided to do what I am doing right now. It was a great experience for me, and a time when I learned about the Atonement of Christ. I seriously prayed my way through to the finish line. I know you can do it, mommy! (and you too dad, but you've done it a time or two already. That goes for the CW fam, too.) I JUST LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

Have a super week. Our study this week in the mission is about faith, and we are going to read from the Book of Mormon Alma 33-34. And with the Mongolians we are reading about the faith of the brother of Jared in Ether:3. You are welcome to join if you want :)

Ok I really better go

LOVE

Soeur Waldron

A note from Sarah's Mom!

Hello to all of our family and friends! And, a very Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers!!

Just a few hours ago we got to Skype with Sarah (that is a phone call on the computer!)So we got to see and hear her!!! She sent us an email on Friday morning saying that she would be able to go to the home of a member of the church to use their computer and call us at 10:15 today. She knew we had church from 9-12 so she set the time to be right after Sacrament meeting for us. She couldn't call at any other time because she and her companion are assigned to two different wards and would be in church all day. 

So we went to our first meeting and I kept my eye on my wristwatch. We did have to leave shortly before the meeting was over. It was a great meeting with the talks focused on the lives of some of the women who are talked about in the scriptures: Ruth, Esther and Eve from the Bible and the mothers of the two thousand stripling warriors from the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon. My apologies to Brother Leck, who was giving a great talk about the mother of Jesus when I had to get up and leave but I was so excited and it was 10:07, which gave us just enough time to get home. She was online when we got in!

Oh, it was glorious to talk to her and see her! I took a picture of us talking with her. She was holding a phone to her ear and calling Spencer to get him on the line with us but he wasn't home so she left him a message.

She said Geneva is wonderful and that she and her companion taught 23 lessons this week to people from different countries. She said that is the most teaching she has done in one week! 

She is happy and healthy and working hard. Her French sounds truly French! She gave us updates on some of the people she has mentioned in her letters. She truly loves the people she is serving and asked us to pray for them by name. She bore her testimony of the power of the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ.

My dear ones,

I'm in Geneva! Yes, that's right, I have transferred, again! HAhaha, either the Lord can't decide where to put me, or He knows I need to be dynamic. Whatever the case may be I am SO happy to be here! I am with Soeur Bicchierri, who is from Venice, Italy! NEAT! She is techinically still 'blue' (new-this is her second transfer) so I am picking up where her mission mother left off, but I have a feeling she is going to teach me even more than I can teach her. I'M SO EXCITED! We are going to have some awesome miracles here, I can feel it. There are four wards here, and she and I are in La Paroisse de Genève Lac, and also the Geneva Ward, which is English! We will be going to the chapel soon to have Family Home Evening with all the Mongolians, there's apparently a lot here! We only have a few minutes, we got here from the gare (train station) and are sitting here with all my bags, ha. LET THE ADVENTURE CONTINUE!

 

It was a bittersweet thing to leave Renens, but I left on SUCH a wonderful high note. Church was perfect yesterday, it was like a feast of love and gratitude. Sr. Jaquet gave the lesson in Relief society, and she talked about the article in the Liahona magazine where it references Machu Picchu, and how it is one of the wonders of the world. She related this to us by asking us if we don't live enough in 'wonder' and marvel at all of the glorious blessings which surround our daily lives. It is true, the Great Creator has given us so much to be thankful for. I also know that the adversary acts in oposition to the natural childlike wonder we are born with. It is he that seeks to dull the senses, and nullify all things that are good; he wants us to become passive, and cease caring about anything and every thing, he wants us to live bland lives. But, the Lord wants us to experience more. He wants us to appreciate the little moments, and the big ones, and to give us the courage to feel, even though it may sometimes feel risky, or difficult. Godliness is happiness. Anyway, I loved her lesson, it reminded me to wonder, it also reminded me of Spencer's mission and how we went to that beautiful place as a family.

 

I have to go! Sorry!

 

I will CALL you on Sunday!!!! and then we can arrange to skype, maybe just turn it on anyway (Missionaries can call home twice a year-Christmas and Mother's Day so we are so excited!!--Laura :)

 

love you

(Sarah-she was in such a hurry she didn't sign her letter)

J'espère que vous tous avez passé une super semaine!

April 30, 2012

For me, it was a week of train rides. I love trains. It started out with our chocolate factory adventure, and then the next day we had Interviews with President Murdock in Yverdon, which is where our Zone leaders work. WE had a wonderful afternoon of learning and were thankful to have new ideas to apply in our work. IT was a little sad becuase that was the last time we will have interviews with President Murdock before he leaves! I love President and Sister Murdock, they remind me A LOT of you, mom and dad, and so I just feel so loved and at home when they are around. ITs the best. 

One of the things we learned in interviews was what we called the 'Pillars of Light' Contacting. We analyzed one of the most important manifestations in History, the first vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and one of the things we discussed was how this miraculous experience all started out with a question. We have been studying and discussing how to 'vraiment apporter la lumière du Christ a tout ceux qui nous entourent' or, truly bring the light of Christ to all that surround us, and one of the ways we have decided to try and accomplish this is by asking inspired questions. So, we practiced contacting people by starting out directly with a question. 'Hello, we'd like to ask you, what does the word peace mean to you? or, what is the importance of the family?' Instead of 'Hi, we're missionaries and we share a message...' we just start off right off the bat with a question. Its amazing! We have had so many more enlightening conversations! Anyway, we found a new ami that very afternoon doing this new contacting apporach, and I have really seen the way asking inspired questions changes everything. I love it! 

Well anyway, that's really the best part of the week. Here's another quick story. There is a woman in our ward who I hardly ever get to talk to, but every time I do she just looks you in the eye and gives you the biggetst bisou imaginable and tells you how great you are. Her name is Sr. Alvarez, and she is from Spain. Anyway, we were having a really hard day last Thursday, one of those days where nothing seems to work and you wonder if you are even making a difference for anyone. All I could think was how much I wanted to see Sr. Alaverez, I knew that at least she would be happy to see us. We had planned to stick a nice note in the mail box of one of the less active members from time to time when we were in her neighborhood, and so we kind of lethargically sat down to write a little note, and went to put it in her mailbox (we were trying to fill up time because we were waiting for our train to leave for our next rdv) anyway, we go to put the note in the box, and as we are walking back, who do we see but Soeur Alvarez going on a walk with her grandchildren! Miracle! I know that might seem like a small thing, but in that moment I was certain of God's love for me, and for each of us personally. 

The mission is the hardest thing I have ever done, especially the last two transfers. But, I have learned so much, and continue to learn and grow each day. Here are just a few of the lessons 

No matter how much easier or better you think it is to be 'right' about something, it always feels better to be kind. Without charity, we are nothing.

Discouragement is a tool of the Adversary that robs you of the joy you are entitled to through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. No matter what your current situation, peace and joy are accessible. The Atonement of Christ becomes efficacious in our lives as we obey the principles and ordonances of the Gospel. Therefore, joy and righteousness are interconnected. 

The Lord loves us individually, and we help others feel His love by working together in community.

Voila, just a few of my thoughts. I love you. I love Switzerland. I love the sheep that are in the little pasture on the way to the church. I love picking wildflowers. I love the mountains. I love the Sunsets. I love that God created all of these things for us, His most miraculous creations. I love that He also instilled in us the ability to create, and I know that each and every day is an opportunity for us to create new and enriching experiences. I also know that He created a plan for us and our families, and that death is not the end of this life. My thoughts are with the Greenan family and also with Chad, and all others who are mourning the loss of a loved one. 

All my love! And a wonderful week to you!

Sr Waldron

PS another person who we contacted and I tuaght one time in Montpellier was baptized last weekend! BOO YA! His name is Hervé, and he is French! WOO!

PSS will you pray for our friend Yenny? thank you!!

BONJOUR à tous!

Monday April 23, 2012 9:23 AM

The Lord My Pasture Will Prepare

I love you all so much and I am so thankful for all the letters I have received!

Tada! It's preparation day. It seriously goes by too fast. I now have less than a year left on the mission (what?!) Crazy! We have had quite the adventure this Preparation day! WE decided that we wanted to go to the Callier chocolate factory, which is a bit less than two hours away by train(s). SO COOL! Actually, the coolest part was just seeing Switzerland....it’s seriously unbelievable beautiful here. As Spring continues to come, there are wildflowers all over the place, which I pick almost every day. :) The world is green and the mountain tops are still white as can be, and many of the fields are full of yellow flowers. As we got off the train the little town where the chocolaterie is, the air is potent with the smell of chocolate....yummmmm! In the tour, they tell you all about the history of chocolate, and specifically Swiss chocolate (you will all recognize the name Nestle...yep, from Switzerland) They let you taste the cocoa beans from all over the world (still not as legit as when Spencer took us to that member's house in Peru and we ate the cacao there, but that is what it reminded me of!) and all of the chocolate you want! Grandma Dayton asked me in a letter she sent if the scenery here looks anything like the Sound of Music...and that would be an affirmative! The hilllllsss are aliveeeee laaaaaa!!!

Next pday we might go to the cheese factory in Gruyère. I am getting more and more convinced that happy cows also come fromSwitzerland. 

So, this week, I came to the firm and steady conclusion that the key to happiness and peace in this life is living in conformity with the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, namely faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Something I have talked about countless times, but it is so profound to me. I loved the talk in General Conference about being active in the church, and active in the Gospel. I am convinced that in order to be active in the Gospel, we must be constantly nourished by the good word of Christ, and invoke the Father in prayer. We really did learn everything we need to know in Primary....but why is it still sometimes so hard to do? This week we helped a woman in our ward clean her small apartment where she lives with her husband and five children. This good member loves her family, and like so many of us wants to do what is right and help them however she can, but she is just so tired, and honestly doesn't always know what to do. The unity she said they once had in her family is dissipating, as well as the faith of some of her family members. Not to mention that she and her husband both work, and they hardly get to see each other. My heart was filled with compassion for this woman, who is trying her best just to make it through every day without crying. As we discussed a spiritual message at the end of our visit, it became obvious to me that I needed to invite her to begin again to read her scriptures with her family, and to kneel in prayer each and every day. From the way she reacted, it was obvious to me that it has been a long time since these simple family traditions have been observed in their household, aside from prayers at mealtime. I am convinced that if we as families and individuals will commit ourselves to a specified tradition of individual and personal prayer and scripture study, we will have more harmony in our homes, more peace in our daily activities, a greater portion of the Spirit, and we will have the Spirit to be our constant companion and protection against the destroyer. The Lord has truly given us all we need to navigate through this difficult life, all we need is to accept it.

Later on that day, I was additionally humbled as we taught the 8 year old son of a woman from Equador, who would like to be baptized. She and her husband live in their car with their three children, who until today actually, had not had any schooling. Though these children may not know the same things that their peers of the same age do, they do know how to pray, and they know how to love. This dear woman bore her sweet testimony two Sunday ago, and it was an expression of gratitude and hope. Blessed are the humble.

Later that day still, we met with a man who is homeless. He left his home country and his family, and is alone here in Switzerland, searching every day for food to eat, a place to sleep, but more importantly peace in his heart. He wanted to know what we could tell him about Christianity, because he said he thought it might help him find peace. We gave him the Book of Mormon in his language. We saw him from a distance later on in the day get on the bus, and clasped firmly in his hand was the Book of Mormon, which he opened directly upon sitting down and read as if fully consumed in its pages. When we saw him by chance the next day on the bus, he told us 'I am so thankful for the book....it helps me consider things I have never considered before.' I asked him if he had prayed, which we had taught him how to do 'Oh yes, and I remembered how you said it didn't matter where I was or at what time I can always pray.' 

I know that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ. I know that this life is difficult, but that is why Jesus did what He did for us, for we are all dear to the heart of the Shepherd. Change is possible. I would like to close with few statements from General Conference that I believe are of the utmost importance and worth. The first is from President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church. The link to this talk is below where you can see the references to the scriptures he quotes.

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/mountains-to-climb?lang=eng

Many of you are now passing through physical, mental, and emotional trials that could cause you to cry out as did one great and faithful servant of God I knew well. His nurse heard him exclaim from his bed of pain, “When I have tried all my life to be good, why has this happened to me?”

You know how the Lord answered that question for the Prophet Joseph Smith in his prison cell:

“And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

“Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.”²

There seems to me no better answer to the question of why trials come and what we are to do than the words of the Lord Himself, who passed through trials for us more terrible than we can imagine.

You remember His words when He counseled that we should, out of faith in Him, repent:

“Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.

“For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

“But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

“Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.”³

You and I have faith that the way to rise through and above trials is to believe that there is a “balm in Gilead”⁴ and that the Lord has promised, “I will not … forsake thee.”⁵  (President Eyring)

I know that through the Atonement of Christ, ALL mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. The next talk is from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I will just include the ending portion here and you can read the rest by following this link.

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-laborers-in-the-vineyard?lang=eng

however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.

Whether you are not yet of our faith or were with us once and have not remained, there is nothing in either case that you have done that cannot be undone. There is no problem which you cannot overcome. There is no dream that in the unfolding of time and eternity cannot yet be realized. Even if you feel you are the lost and last laborer of the eleventh hour, the Lord of the vineyard still stands beckoning. “Come boldly [to] the throne of grace,”³ and fall at the feet of the Holy One of Israel. Come and feast “without money and without price”⁴ at the table of the Lord.

I especially make an appeal for husbands and fathers, priesthood bearers or prospective priesthood bearers, to, as Lehi said, “Awake! and arise from the dust … and be men.”⁵ Not always but often it is the men who choose not to answer the call to “come join the ranks.”⁶ Women and children frequently seem more willing. Brethren, step up. Do it for your sake. Do it for the sake of those who love you and are praying that you will respond. Do it for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, who paid an unfathomable price for the future He wants you to have.

My beloved brothers and sisters, to those of you who have been blessed by the gospel for many years because you were fortunate enough to find it early, to those of you who have come to the gospel by stages and phases later, and to those of you—members and not yet members—who may still be hanging back, to each of you, one and all, I testify of the renewing power of God’s love and the miracle of His grace. His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there.

So if you have made covenants, keep them. If you haven’t made them, make them. If you have made them and broken them, repent and repair them. It is never too late so long as the Master of the vineyard says there is time. Please listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit telling you right now, this very moment, that you should accept the atoning gift of the Lord Jesus Christ and enjoy the fellowship of His labor. Don’t delay. It’s getting late. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.  (Elder Holland)

All of my love, prayers, and gratitude,

Soeur Waldron