Bucksport, Maine Aug. 26, 2013

Hello hello!!                        Aug. 26, 2013

I hope that everything is going well back at home! Especially without Amy and Erin, man it is to weird to think that they have moved out.  Crazy how time flies!  Well, things have been going great out here in Maine!  Sister Wallentine and I have lots of fun together!  She is such an amazing companion! It has been somewhat of a slower week, but I'm still learning a lot every day :)

One thing that I learned was that Kaila is one of the greatest people that I have ever known!!  She is amazing, and I can't believe how much she has grown in this short time!  We taught her twice this past week about the temple, and she was just so excited about it!  The branch temple trip this past Saturday worked out really well, and she was able to do baptisms for the dead for ten people in the spirit world!!  She absolutely loved it!  It really was a miracle that everything with her has been able to work out so smoothly.  She is a very special person.  She is also very strong.  We were driving to church with a member and we got a bit of a shock when she started talking about how Kaila was going to speak in church.  We had no idea!  We got there and I'm not sure that Kaila did either, but she was so willing to do it!  She bore her testimony about the gospel and about the temple and it was really powerful.  She is such a great example to me, and I feel like I have grown right alongside her :) 

Another thing I have learned is the importance of the Book of Mormon.  I finished reading it last Wednesday, and now I have started it over again!  I can't even explain how much I love the Book of Mormon.  I know that it is true and that it has the power to change lives!  I have seen that so much with Kaila.  In one of the lessons we had with her last week she started talking with us about how miraculous it has been these past several weeks for her.  She said she is in awe at the growth, but then she started talking about how she knows that it won't always be like this, and she is okay with that. She knows that things won't always work out as wonderfully as they have been, and that she still has many trials and challenges to come, but that she doesn't worry about the Lord leaving her.  It is so humbling to hear her talk about her conversion because we saw her at the beginning.  She was so worried that it was too good to be true, but now she sees things with a more eternal perspective.  She also sees the need for the Book of Mormon in her life.  She still loves the Book of Mormon so much, and she studies from it a lot!  She told us last week that the most powerful spiritual experience came when she was reading from the Book of Mormon.  She said she felt the love of God more after reading a verse of scripture than she did being baptized and confirmed combined!  What a wonderful tool the Book of Mormon is!  No wonder we are commanded to feast upon the words of Christ!!  I have seen a lot of change in my attitude about scripture study because of the example Kaila is to me.  As I started the Book of Mormon over again I had a renewed desire to learn even more about how I can benefit from the words of God, and I have seen blessings from feasting on the word already.  Nephi is amazing, and I have been learning so much from his example. He is so faithful and obedient, and his statement, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded" is so powerful.  However, I find the story about him being commanded to kill Laban more powerful.  That was where he was commanded to do something that he really didn't want to do, and he says in 1 Ne. 4:10, "I shrunk".  Nephi in that moment gave in to his weakness.  But after the spirit commanded him again and he thought about it, he did it.  I love how real the Book of Mormon prophets are!  I know that I am not expected to be perfect in all things and that there are commandments the Lord will give me that will be hard to follow. But I also know that the Lord will be patient with my imperfections.  So, I will try my best everyday to follow the Lord's commandments and pick myself up when I fall.  When I shrink, the Lord will be there to strengthen me if I put my trust in Him!  What a blessing :)  I just love the scriptures!!

Hmm.. what else did I learn this week?  Well, I most certainly learned that I can eat a lot of peanut butter.  Very fast.  I just love it so much!  But, I do feel a need to add other food groups to my diet.  As much as I would love to live on it like I have been doing this week, variety would be nice.  So, would you look up some easy recipes and send them to me please?  They would be much appreciated!

Alright, well I've got to head out!  I love you all so much and I am so grateful for you :)  I love getting your letters!

Have a great week, read the scriptures, and go and do!!

I will too :)
Sister Bergeson

Kaila's baptism    Aug. 15, 2013

Bucksport, Maine Aug. 19, 2013

Dear wonderful family!        Aug. 19, 2013

Thank you thank you for the great letters and the package this week, I loved them a lot :)  It is so nice to hear about what you are all doing!  I can't even believe that Amy and Erin are moving out today, I hope everything goes well!  They are going to have a great experience in college.  Summer just slipped right by didn't it?  Happy start of school :)

Alright, well last week was pretty crazy, but so so good!!  We started off the week with a movie night at one of our member's homes! Kaila was there with another member family and we watched the Joseph Smith movie that they show at temple square.  It was amazing!  We wanted to do something special with Kaila before her baptism, and because she has such a strong testimony of Joseph Smith we decided that this would be great :)  The spirit was so strong there, and it was a great chance for Kaila to get to know more members of the branch!  We were really glad that it all came together so well :)  And even more glad at how excited she was to be baptized!!  Thursday the 15th came and went in such a blur, but it was an experience of a lifetime!  Kaila's baptism day :) :)  She walked through the doors of the chapel wearing all white (sidenote: she couldn't find a white skirt so she wore white skinny jeans instead :) How I love that girl!! Pictures to come!) and she was totally beaming!  We had a great turnout from the members, and although we started late due to some confusion with the programs and such, (...satan...)  the spirit was so strong when she was baptized!!  One of my favorite parts was after the baptism after Kaila had got changed.  Three girls in the branch sang the song When I am Baptized, and it was the most beautiful thing that I have ever heard!  It reminded me of my own baptism singing that song, and an overwhelming sense of joy came over me when I thought of how blessed I was to be able to witness Kaila's baptism and play a part in her conversion.  The words to that song are so powerful! The last verse goes something like this: 

"I know when I am baptized my wrongs are washed away, and I can be forgiven and improve my life each day.  I want my life to be as clean as Earth right after rain.  I want to be the best I can and live with God again"

I know that Kaila made one of the greatest decisions in her life by being baptized and confirmed as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! I know that the Savior lives and loves us and because of Him we can live with God again! I have already seen how much the gospel has blessed her life and I know that if she keeps the covenants she made, her relationship with God will only improve :)  It was also such a blessing to hear her share her conversion and testimony.  She wasn't nervous at all and it was so powerful to hear how much her life has changed!  Definitely an Alma 29:9 moment!!  I am so grateful for her and her example to me!  And it just keeps getting better!  Her husband Joe came to both her baptism and confirmation and we taught him about the Plan of Salvation last week and he told us that he wants so bad what Kaila has!  He especially liked the fact that he can live with Kaila forever and he wants it so bad!  Kaila is such a great example and help to him and they have become a much stronger couple in the past few weeks as they have learned, prayed, and studied the gospel together, and I pray that they will only continue to get stronger and stronger!!  It is amazing to teach such a sweet family :)  Words can't express!! 

We also had zone conference this week which was amazing!  The theme was working with members, which I have seen is sooo important because of Kaila especially!!  It has been hard for us to get new investigators here.  I have heard that the state of Maine is the least religious in the nation.  While there are miracle experiences like Kaila's, they don't happen extremely often.  That is why we need the members!  Our goal is to build trust with them and help them have missionary experiences.  Our mission vision is to help each member family in the mission have a significant missionary experience within the next 12 months, and I know that this will help so much to move the missionary effort forward in New England!!  Members are key! I know that when they pray and look for missionary opportunities they will find them and bring souls to God!  That goes for you too family!! I can promise your testimony will grow so much as you share it with others! 

I love being a missionary!  I love my Savior, Jesus Christ!  I know that the gospel is true!  And I know that because of it, we can be together forever! :) 

Keep sharing the love!

Sister Bergeson :)

Pictures

The tree that fell on Jessica's apartment during a storm.

The Catholic church dinner where Jessica and her companion volunteer.

In Castine, Maine.

Bucksport, Maine, Aug. 12, 2013

Hello Family!                                        Aug. 12, 2013

How are you all doing?  It's been awhile since I've been updated!  Write me soon, ok?  Well, this week has been pretty crazy, but good! I've definitely learned a lot.  And well, that is how it has been every week of my mission so far.  It is amazing :)

First of all, I have to start with the really good news!  Everything is set up for Kaila's baptism :) :)  Her husband couldn't get work off on the 17th though, so she will be baptized on the 15th!!  Your 25th anniversary mom and dad :)  That made me pretty excited!  And Kaila is even more excited.  She has been reading the scriptures so much and listening to the hymns and studying about baptism and the temple.  She knows how important this step is, and I am just so happy for her!  Also, there will be the branch temple trip to the Boston temple on the 24th, and she will be able to go and do baptisms for the dead if all goes well!  Hopefully it will, she wants to go to the temple so bad :)  She is just doing so well, and she is so happy.  My favorite is the way that she interacts with the members.  She has been fellowshipped so well, and the mothers love helping out with her cute daughter.  Ahh, missionary work is just so good!  And it is all because she was open and ready to hear and accept the Holy Ghost bear witness to her that the gospel is true.

So, this week I went on two exchanges!  My companion is the sister training leader for our zone.  That means that she goes to the leadership meetings every month and she goes on an exchange with every sister in the zone each transfer. So I'll end up going on a total of six exchanges this transfer.  Which is a great thing because I really like exchanges!  I learn a lot about getting along with new people, and I get new ideas about how to better share the gospel with others.  I went on an exchange with Sister Jensen, my MTC companion, again and it was great to talk to each other and see how we have grown! On another exchange I also went tracting for the first time which was interesting.  It showed me how important members are to the work because it is very seldom that someone even opens the door long enough for you to say your name, let alone share about the gospel.  Keep looking for missionary opportunities, it really helps the missionaries when the members do the finding :) 

Alright, well I also have a confession.  This week has been pretty stressful.  Getting everything ready for Kaila's baptism interview was hectic, but miraculously went through thanks to a member who was willing to sacrifice her afternoon to take Kaila to the chapel.  Great, but stressful nonetheless.  And with the exchanges I really didn't get to spend that much time in my area.  Also, our area definitely has its challenges.  We are in the far top corner and we feel like we need to do more work in a couple towns that are an hour away from us.  We are pretty far away from the majority of the members also.  So, needless to say, this buildup of stress was not very healthy for our companionship this week.  However, we had a great talk yesterday about it that I learned and grew a lot from.  But before I talk about that, I just want to say that my trainer, Sister Wallentine is AMAZING!!  She has such a strong testimony of the Savior and she is so loving and kind.  I look up to her so much, and she has really helped me build my faith in this gospel because of her example.  So, in our conversation we mentioned how easy it is to bottle emotions up inside and act like you are strong, but how harmful that is too.  I feel like I do that a lot with my stress and insecurities, and it ends up biting me in the rear end.  Yep yep.  The world makes it seem like people who admit their weaknesses are frail and hopeless, but it is so different in the Lord's eyes!  In 2 Corinthians 12:10, Paul says, "For when I am weak, then am I strong."  I know that this is true!  Humility is such a strength because it is the way that we qualify for the Lord's help.  Asking the Lord to help me with my shortcomings has allowed me to recognize the Holy Ghost guiding me.  I know that with the Lord's help I can do all things, which is such a blessing because life is tough!  It is hard to be patient and open and calm and on and on, but I know that I can do it because I have the Lord :)  What a great lesson learned, and I'm positive I'll keep learning it again and again all throughout my mission and my life. 

Well, you've made it to the end of the letter! Hooray :)  Thanks for being the greatest family around!  I love you all so much and hope that you have a fantastic week!

With all my love,

Sister Bergeson

P.S. I love the fall already.  Love it.  The weather has cooled down and the leaves have started changing a little bit!!  I'm so excited to see all the different colors soon!! :)

Pictures from Maine

 By the Penobscot Narrows Bridge

 Holding a live lobster

 Having a lobster feast at a member's house

 At Acadia National Park

Aug. 5, 2013 Bucksport, Maine

Hello family!                                                           Aug. 5, 2013

I am so glad to hear that you are home safe from your fun trip! :)  I hope you had a great time on the west coast!  The east coast has been pretty great!  I still can't get over how pretty it is here.  The weather has started to cool down a bit, and I just can't wait for fall!  I am so grateful that I can see the leaves change in such a pretty area of the country :)  I can't believe it has been two months from today that I left from the MTC.  So much has happened, and I've just loved it!

It's most certainly not easy to be a missionary though!  I've definitely seen that thoughts are so crucial in how my attitude is for the day and week.  One little negative thought about myself can turn into more and more, and then my mind is not focused on the work.  It's been something that has been and I'm sure will be a continuous struggle, but what is amazing is that it forces me to work through it and I've grown a lot from it.  It helps that my companion is amazing, encouraging, and supportive of me.  And it helps even more that I have my Savior who loves me more than anyone and who wants to help me every step of the way not matter how big or small the trial.  There is a great hymn that I've been thinking about lately that I thought I'd share with you, called Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me.  The first verse goes like this:

Jesus, Savior, pilot me over life's tempestuous sea; unknown waves before me roll, hiding rock and treacherous shoal.  Chart and compass came from thee: Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

Although I will never be able to see what is ahead, I know that the Lord has already gone before me, which gives me so much comfort :)  I feel so renewed every time that I turn to the Lord and ask for help, and that is what has made this week so wonderful!!

But first, I'll get the bad news out of the way.  One morning we had an ambulance and policemen pull up next to our apartment and carry our next door neighbor out on a gurney.  She had a seizure, which was pretty scary, but she is doing alright now.  She is a member of the church and so sweet!  It was a crazy way to start out the day though!  Sister Wallentine and I have had some pretty abnormal things happen while we have been here, that's for sure!  We are really glad that she is ok, and hopefully they can figure out why she had one. 

For the good news....Joe (Kaila's husband) has a baptismal date!!! :) :) :)  Kaila is the most amazing person ever, and she has changed so much already because she has truly applied the gospel in her life.  She recognizes it and she wanted to share it with her husband, so that is what she did!  She taught him how to pray and they pray together every morning and night and she also reads a scripture passage with him every morning.  They have been working on their marriage, and Joe said that he has seen a big change as they have been praying, reading, and communicating more openly with each other.  We had a lesson with both of them at a member's house, and the spirit was so strong.  Joe wants what Kaila has and he is willing to work for it!  Also, we have officially taught Kaila all of the missionary lessons, and she has her interview on Wednesday!  We love talking with her and it is crazy how much more we learn about her each time.  She is only 22 years old and she has had such a hard life, but she isn't bitter about it.  She has grown so much from all of her past experiences and it has lead her to where she is right now.  She is such a great example to me, and I am so happy and grateful that I will be able to see her get baptized!! :)

This week we have also done a whole lot of service, and I love it!  It feels great to get involved in the communities and meet new people :)  We help at the library in Castine, at the Catholic Church community meal in Bar Harbor, and we helped a member's friend move. It's been a lot of fun!  I've been studying about charity and love this week and I've seen my love for others grow as I serve them.

I love you so much family, and I'm so grateful for all the service you have done for me my whole life!  Keep looking for ways to help those around you and you will see blessings! 

Sister Bergeson :)

July 29, 2013 Bucksport, Maine

Dear, dear family!                                                                July 29, 2013

This week has been amazing!  My testimony has been strengthened so much, and I am so grateful for all of the experiences I've been able to have.  Sister Wallentine and I have been so blessed here in this area.  Although it was a hard start coming here opening the area, we have already seen it grow a lot.  I know that the Lord has heard our prayers, and He is putting people who have been prepared into our path.  I know that we can see miracles happen everyday if we prayerfully look for them!

Kaila is the greatest example of that.  She never ceases to amaze me!  I feel like I have learned so much more from her than she feels that she has learned from me. It is amazing how much the Lord trusts missionaries to share the gospel with His children.  I feel so inadequate to teach her, but I guess that is why prayer and teaching by the spirit is so important. Kaila is 22 years old and I can't believe how many awful things that she has gone through in her life, but yet it's amazing how trusting she is and how much hope she has that there is surely something better.  We had a life changing lesson about repentance when we were teaching about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the spirit was so strong.  The Atonement is real, and it has been such a blessing to see Kaila turn to her Father in Heaven and plead with Him to lighten her burden and forgive her.  I know that He cares so much for her and for me.  As we have teach her, I feel a portion of the love that Heavenly Father has for her, and I am so grateful that I have the chance to be apart of her life!  She is so willing to change and to be more like our Savior.  For example, we gave her a pamphlet about chastity, and when we came back she had gone through 2,000 of the movies on her hulu account and deleted them until she only had 200.  She watched horror movies the majority of the time, and she saw the need to change and so has now been watching more uplifting things, and has tried to limit the amount of time she spends watching anything at all.  She also told us that has set the goal to finish reading the Book of Mormon before she enters the waters of baptism.  She is so diligent and excited to be baptized it is contagious!  So contagious that her husband is now investigating the church!! :)  She shared with us that she has been talking to him about the gospel and taught him how to pray.  We had a lesson with both of them, and it was amazing to see Kaila talk with him about how she has seen the gospel bless her life.  It was such a privilege to be able to witness :)  Also, on Sunday we had a lesson about priesthood blessings in Relief Society and after she asked if she could receive one.  She did, and again, the spirit was so strong.  She said she felt like she had been smacked in the face with the Holy Ghost, and she felt so much love from her Heavenly Father. The priesthood is so powerful, and I know that what was said to Kaila was from the Lord.  I really can't even describe it! Words just don't do any of these experiences justice. I feel so humbled and blessed to see her growth, and I know that it is all happening because she is turning to God and acting in faith.

We saw another miracle this week when we went to contact a media referral, Chris.  Sister Wallentine and I were pretty shocked when we showed up at his door.  He said he referred himself because his grandparents are members of the church and he had been talking to them about the gospel, so he decided to look into it for himself.  He has already read half of the Book of Mormon, quit drinking, and is trying to quit smoking! Totally surreal! He is such a nice guy, and he said that he wanted us to come over and help him learn more about the church. What a humbling experience!  He's pretty rough around the edges (he has tattoos and gauges and dreadlocks), but he has such a happy personality!! We invited him to church, and he came!  He couldn't stay the whole time, but he said he really enjoyed sacrament meeting and he wants us to go back to his house today :)  I still can't believe it! 

For the last miracle, we had transfer calls this week, and Sister Wallentine and I are staying in Ellsworth!! :)  I am so glad that we will continue to serve together.  She is such a great example to me of service and love.  She teaches so powerfully with the spirit, and she is patient with my mistakes.  Most important of all though, is that we have so much fun together!  This work would be so much harder if we didn't laugh!  But we also know we are on the Lord's errand, and we work hard.  So, here is to another six weeks living in Bucksport :)

I guess what I want to stress in this email is that prayer is so important!!  I know that if we pray and act on promptings from the spirit we will see miracles :)  The Lord will lead us if we put our trust in Him, which leads me to one of my favorite scriptures! Alma 37:36-37. I know that the Lord listens to our prayers and will answer them in His time. 

Keep praying for missionary opportunities! There are people out there searching for the truth, and as you share the gospel you will see miracles!

Love ya bunches!

Sister Bergeson

P.S.  Have so much fun in California you lucky ducks!