The work of Salvation ...

 ... is missionary FUN!

My call as a Missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Mesa Arizona Visitors Center changed my life!

Our purpose is to "invite others to come unto Christ,
 by helping them receive the restored gospel through
Faith in Jesus Christ,
Repentance, Baptism,
receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost
and Enduring to the End."
What a marvelous calling.

"Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world,
and you are of them that my Father hath given me;
And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost."
(Doctrine and Covenants 50:41-42)

As a missionary we are never alone.
We preach the gospel "two by two" and learn to
love, serve, listen
and become a true
Disciple of Jesus Christ.

Sister Pickett, a wonderful missionary
serving with me together at the Mesa Arizona Visitors' Center.

My wonderful Companion for almost three Transfers
(1 Transfer is 6 Weeks) in front of the Mesa Temple.

"Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life."
( 3Nephi 15:9; in the Book of Mormon)

Sister Weber and Sister Cude are Spanish speaking Sister missionaries.
Because we know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true
 we want every nation to learn about it and in every language.

Sister Garcia and Sister Pothoof.

One of my Exchanges with these
wonderful Sisters.
It showed me how much
Heavenly Father loves us
and every single Sister missionary has an amazing
story of why they are serving a mission
 for 1 1/2 years.

"Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist, the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves - It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me."
(Alma 32: 28; in the Book of Mormon)


How great is the Work of Salvation.

Don't forget to talk..

Talking

Why is it important to talk with each other?
Being on a mission and having a companion for 24 hours is hard and sometimes you just need your break, but one day we will be married and we will have someone next to us for the rest of our live.
I know that this mission time is a good preparation for our future.
But why is talking important?
Maybe it is better to ask what will happen if we don't communicate?
Yes, exactly, it will be a mess because we won't understand each other and we will never know what the other one feels what our desires are and how we can help each other to become better.
Everyone of us is special in a different way and we are all children of god, so there is something special in all of us. How can we see this special side in us, if we don't communicate and people don't tell us?
When we communicate we develop a friendship, a relationship And see similarities and differences.
How often do we see people and put them in the lowest drawer and judge them for how they look like or how they behave at that one specific day?
To much!
We should talk to people and get to know them to understand them better and everyone of us has a hard time but we shouldn't judge people according to this one day.
Why don't we talk to people?
Sometimes we think we know enough by seeing them in action.
How bad would it be for you if someone would judge you because you had this hard day. We don't know what people are found through and what their struggles and strengths if we don't communicate. Do you see the importance of talking?
I have this friend that I met the first time on a youth camp of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and she was always down and never talked to anyone of us and I just told my friend she is not talkative at all and how bad she is and stupid stuff like that. After that day we hat games night and I was with her in a team. I had to talk to her but I realized how special she is and that she was going through a rough time in her life and I was judging her from the first view.
I promised myself after that experience that before I Judge people I want to talk to them and try loving them. And it worked out very well. I love that talking makes us happy and makes our minds focused on the things that are more important. Jesus Christ is an good example how to love people without judging them.
I just want to invite you to think about how often you judge people without knowing them and you will see that it is a lot.
Try to stop this behavior and become a better disciple of our savior and redeemer Jesus Christ.
You will find better friends and have more fun with the people around you. It is a gift to love our neighbor.

I know that god lives and I am grateful to be a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and serve a mission to learn more about myself and to grow and become stronger. What a blessing.
 
Love,
Sister Avanesjan

Everyone is loved

 

Everyone is important...

                            especially YOU ... !

Today was a wonderful day!

As missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we meet once a month together and receive a training from our missionary leaders.
I loved it today because we were talking about the love that God has for us and that we are important to him. Growing up I never liked, or accepted myself and always focused on how good others around me were.
But do you know how important you are?
I love the stories about Jesus Christ. He always loved others and showed the weak ones how important they are and how much he loves them.

"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

( Book of Mormon, Moroni 7:47)

I love this scripture because it shows how much we are loved. If you read this and ask yourself "Am I important to God and Jesus Christ?" I can tell you: "YES!" Because you are a Child of God and no matter what you do, he will love you.
If you feel guilty for the things you did wrong, kneel down and ask Heavenly Father for forgiveness and he will forgive you as you pray with an sincere heart.
That is the best about the gospel because we know we can be forgiven and that WE ARE LOVED.
No matter what people say, ask God and he will tell you how loved you are.
See all the miracles that happen throughout the day and you will see his hands in your life.

You never walk alone!

I realized today how much more important it is to love my neighbors. Not only love them, but tell them that because it makes everyone happy.
Thank God for the people around you. Your family, your friends, your neighbor and even if it's just a person who gives you a smile during the day. Everyone is important and you are too!

I know that God lives and because I know this I know that I am loved by a loving Heavenly Father who supports us and guides us in our life.

18 months

This will be my blog for 18 months as a missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints.
As missionaries you have the chance to serve in an area for 18 months and to bring people closer to Jesus Christ. I was born in Armenia and raised in Germany and I am 19-years old. I had the chance to serve in Germany Berlin Mission (Berlin Dahlem and Dresden) for 4 months waiting for my Visa to the States and I learned a lot!
I was really nervous to go on a mission but after the first couple of days I got used to it and I saw all the miracles and felt the love of God.
I was called to serve in Mesa Arizona at the Visitor Center. I love it here! It is brown and hot, really hot. Germany is compared to Mesa really cold, but I am getting used to it.
It is a privilege  to be a missionary serving  God for 18months.
I've already seen so many miracles on my mission and I am so excited for the coming months.
Never in my life have I felt the spirit so strong than on my mission.
I love seeing all the wonderful people I meet and having the chance to talk with them and see them progress in coming closer to Christ.
I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church and it is so awesome to be a member of this church.
I came to Germany when I was 4 years old and a few months after my family was introduced to the Church. We converted, or joined, the church knowing that this gospel was truly the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Through joining the church I learned so much about myself and about the importance of charity and love.
Being on a mission is one of the hardest, but really amazing times in my life. I realized how important it is to be obedient and have love for the people around me.
As a missionary you are 24hours with your companion and you learn to love her and appreciate her so much. As a missionary you also have lots of rules but they're there to protect you and to make a good impression in front of other people.
I know everyone of us goes through hard times, even as a missionary we face problems and trials but I realized how important prayer is and how much God loves and helps us as we turn to him in prayer.
Before my mission I prayed probably once at night, but now as a missionary I pray maybe more than 15 times just to feel the comfort of God and to be calm in different situations. It helps so much. God has a plan for each of you, he know you better than you do yourself because he created you. He wants you to come closer to him in prayer and scripture study. No one can help you except God, because he can do everything. Trust me! If you don't have a testimony yet rely on my testimony. Because I know that God lives and he loves you! He shows us everyday how much we mean to him.

I would love to add my favorite scripture in here.
It is in Mosiah 5:7 (in the Book of Mormon)

  7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the ^achildren of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are ^bchanged through faith on his name; therefore, ye are ^cborn of him and have become his ^dsons and his daughters.

I know God lives!

Love, Sister Avanesjan