Oct 12

Hello Everyone!!! :)

I'm smiling while I'm typing this because I just love all of you oh so much, I hope you know that. This week has been quite interesting that’s for sure, ha maybe you have heard a little bit on the news, maybe not! Let's just say these are the last days before the Savior will come again, but we need not to fear when we trust the Lord in every footstep. I know that prayer is essential to overcoming anything that is thrown our way. I feel like I need to talk about faith during this email because I have learned a lot about it and have grown a love for it. I think about the moments in my life when I have lacked faith and how lost I truly was. I always talk about this presentation called, "God's Plan for his Family," that we take people through. It is one of my favorite things to show people because, God loves all of his children and wants families to be together forever, not just in this life. At the end of the presentation there is a line that I reflect on a lot, " A light shall break forth among those that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fullness of my gospel." How powerful is that? Yeah I love it!!! How many of us are sitting in darkness, whether it be spiritual, mental, physical and we can't find the light? The gospel of Jesus Christ is the light at the end of the tunnel I know that with all my heart. When we have a eternal perspective on the things of this world, all the worry clears and we can see the light. It makes me reflect on one of my favorite hymns... "Be still my soul." How perfectly titled this song is to a lost soul and how simple yet complex this phrase is.

Be still my soul the LORD is on thy side
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain
Leave to thy GOD to order and PROVIDE
In every change HE FAITHFUL will REMAIN
Be still my soul thy BEST thy heavenly friend
Through THORNY ways, leads to a JOYFUL end

Be still my soul thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past
Thy hope, thy confidence let NOTHING shake
All now mysterious shall be BRIGHT at last
Be still my soul the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below

Be still, my soul The hour is hast'ning on
when we shall be FOREVER with the Lord
When disappointment, greif and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, loves purrest joys restored
Be still, my soul when change and tears are past
All SAFE and blessed we shall meet at last.

I know that Heavenly Father hears every word we speak and that He is waiting to pour out the blessings of heaven if we will just pray.

Old people are so tender...
This old couple was just siting on the couch for like a hour seriously and just staring at everything. We were covering desk aka my favorite aka miracles always happen then! Well they started talking to me and the old lady had her arm around me and called my hunny ha. She was such an angel. Sister Rathgeber was talking to a New York couple ( perfect for her) Anyways I started to just tell them about how amazing the story of Joseph Smith was. I knew that they needed missionaries. I literally didn't even give them the choice I invited for missionaries, pulled out the card and smiled. I said I would love to send you a free DVD about the history behind it all. They felt the spirit for a small moment and they accepted. That was a tender mercy because it was pouring rain and NO ONE was on the square. That couple was only there for a short time but the spirit on temple square in undeniable to anyone that walks through those gates.

God does love all of his children...As you may have heard we had some visitors to the square on Thursday :) ... We were all safe we actually were sent home early with security and they closed temple square at 5:00pm. We had to go quietly so they wouldn't notice. There were 1,000 gay protesters circling the church office building. They laid down dressed in all black to symbolize the death of young gays. President Packer's talk really caused some people to have some harsh thoughts. I love and sustain President Packer(the President of the quorum of the 12 Apostles) and I know that he speaks on issues our Heavenly Father needs us to hear. I know that God does love all of his children and that through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can overcome anything. We will have many people with this issue coming to temple square and we are advised to just love. And that's exactly how I feel just LOVE. Those who truly understood President Packer's talk have only LOVE in mind, although the world would interperate his talk as hateful.

I Love you all, I hope this email comforts those who may have a burdened soul at this time I just felt like this was important. I'm grateful for trials that make us stronger and I know that we have a Loving Heavenly Father and a Savior who knows exactly how we feel.
Phillipians 4:13

Love you all so so much Have an amazing week!
ps. They are changing stuff around right now on the square so if your thinking to come and visit you might not be able to find me and I would hate to miss you... November after transfers things will go back to normal!! :)

Love Sister Mettra

Oct 5

What up!!! True or false conference is literally the best time in the world...... TRUE!! I am so grateful that i was able to be so close to the prophet and apostles!! ....The spirit was so strong this weekend words literally can't express. Even the lovely protesters felt it I'm sure of it. I wanted to just stand on top of the conference center and sing! But I was to busy greeting our.... 100,000 guests haha literally I felt like I was in Tokyo on the streets... I've never been there ahha but I can imagine! Um how about conference is so intense and I loved every draining minute. I have never been so tired in my life honestly woke up at 6:00 on the square by 7:15 and walking all day till 9pm....I was able to go to the first session! President Monson bore a powerful testimony of how important missionary work is through members! ... That was truly inspired and I know that Heavenly Father was helping us reach our goal as a mission. It was bright sunny skies Saturday and Sunday and then Sunday night..... STORM... aka miracle. Our mission goal was 5,000 potentials. That means 5,000 non members we call personally and invite them to learn more about the gospel. On Sunday night we met together as a mission in the tabernacle at 9pm to total our numbers and have some words from President. WE DID IT.... actually more.... 5,683!!! Everyone was crying and screaming. I was so mentally, physically, emotionally drained that I wanted to fall over. My feet are blistered and my legs about to give out. I was literally falling asleep while walking. Best feeling in the world because i knew i worked as hard as I could with a smile!

I can't just sit here and not tell you about some amazing things the Lord allowed me to be apart of......

Poland angels

First things first, I love people from Poland. They are so humble and they are so prepared! We met this couple from Poland and some how I understood polish ha. We brought them to the statue of Jesus Christ and this women just started crying. The spirit was so strong and she knew that this was true. I told her that Jesus loved her so much that he died for her so she could return back to her father in Heaven. She was silent and she just looked into my eyes and said thank you thank you. And I love you in polish. I was so humbled to be apart of this moment. Missionaries in Poland will teach her and i know she will be baptized. I gave her a big hug and I wish i could be the missionaries to teach all the lessons. But this was just the seed :)

Real men wear Pink...

Oliver this cute little lad from London haha.... he was actually 24. I was walking towards him and I knew I had to talk to him so I stood in his way so he couldn't walk around me haha. I said hi where are you visiting from and he just smiled and said London. He had bought a one way ticket to the US. Hmmm not by chance! Well I didn't give him the choice to talk to me or not I just said come over here I would love to show you this building... ha. Sister R was laughing cause I was being so bold. And she said my eyes were sparkling in the sun. (tender) ... Well we brought Oliver down to scriptures and Revelations and he felt the spirit so strong. He was atheist... I tend to attract those. And I looked him in the eyes and said Oliver, I know that Heavenly Father is waiting to bless your life. I read Moroni's promise and told him that when he prayed he would feel more peace then he has ever felt before. I said Oliver I would love to send you a BOM and he just smiled and said I only have a phone number. And i said well that's perfect I will call you and find out where you are so missionaries can bring it to you.... Later some other sisters found him reading the book of Mormon. He was talking to him and said, Sister Mettra said that i would feel peace so i decided to start reading this now. :) Yeah that's right!! OLIVER ..... I am so grateful that I was able to speak and teach Oliver by the spirit. The Lord knows his Children.

Singing in the MIDDLE of the Square.....

Come on you knew it was coming haha.... We met two men Sister R was talking to one and I talked to the other in front of the flag pole. Bob started asking questions about the temple and why they were so important. I told him how amazing temples really are and why they are vital to return to our Father in Heaven. Then bob started asking me about the scriptures and what they meant to me. I read him Moroni's promise and told him it was just for him. I said you know Bob... You stopping here today was suppose to happen. Because you need to know that Heavenly Father loves you personally. He knows your heart he knows your struggle and he wants to help you. I would love to send you a BOM. He smiled and said yes. The other one asked me how I knew all this. And I told him that Heavenly Father answers our questions of the heart exactly how we need them to be answered. I talked about how music answers many questions of my soul. And I then felt like they needed to hear that. I sang I need thee every hour in the middle of temple square. Perfectly on pitch and with a pure testimony in my heart. People stopped to listen and I just kept smiling and singing. Bob had tears in his eyes. And after I just said, I know this is true. And he goes I can feel it! ........ YAY i love the spirit cause it teaches i don't do it!!

Sacrifice brings powerful moments...

This is short but i was telling these 3 ladies how I walked away from singing in Austria and the lead at school .. to be here right now. This lady was just balling her eyes out and she said God Bless you sweet heart. So many will be blessed from your heart. She was to overwhelmed with the spirit she didn't even know she was feeling it. She had to walk away. But i know that I went through that trial so others may understand how important this really is!

Just passing through for a convention.... Yeah right

Dee this little old angel here for a convention... Sister R was talking to the other women and I pulled this one aside teaching her about the temple. I read her 3 Nephi 11:15-16 she just looked up and said WOW I got goose bumps.... And then I just said to her Dee do you see how each soul is important to Jesus Christ?... You are so important and that's why you feel this way when you read the Book of Mormon. The spirit you feel right now is because you have a Savior that atoned for us so we could return to our father in heaven. She just sat their quietly and I told her I want to send her a gift that will change her life. And she accepted missionaries and a BOM :)

I love the gospel and I know that this is the only true church. General Conference brings a whole new light to the world. I prayed that I would be able to hear President Uchdoft and Holland.... And I was in the first session and Elder Holland was the first speaker.... Heavenly Father is listening keep praying.

The prophet Joseph Smith lived and died for his testimony of the restored gospel... "Shall we not go in such great of cause?"

I love you all. Thank you for all your prayers and support! This mission is incredible. And when I am so tired and worn I remember how important these moments are!

LOVE YOU