Transfer 6! Best One Ever! (February 16th, 2016)

So this transfer is just bound to be amazing! Mainly because this is
the start of my 6th transfer (6 is my favourite number) and because
finally! I get to keep my companion! That's right the dynamic duo of
Sister Haynie and Sister Wright are staying together! This has never
happened to me before! I have no idea what it is like to be with a
companion for more than six weeks so this will be fun!

Oh! By the way! We got bikes! We are now half a biking area! I am
officially a missionary! My legs will get really tired but I have not
gotten sore apart from my bum hurting when I sit. ;/  Hopefully I will
be able to work off all the weight I have gained :)

Oh and I cannot forget! For my birthday, Sister Wright treated me to a
pedicure at a spa in bluewater. My first one ever. It was really nice
considering all the walking we do.

Not much will change in the Gillingham district accept for my district
leader, Elder Kashari from Albania. And we will be getting none other
than the one, the only... Elder Speiser! He was my district leader in
Enfield!

Also happy Valentine's Day! We went and heart attacked a bunch of
houses and only got caught on our last one at Bishop Bartling's house.
He came out just as we were finishing, we tried to hide behind his
car, but then I stuck my big helmet head out :( but then we got a
surprise dinner! His wife is an amazing cook! I love them! AND...
Bishop is a cyclist so he fixed up our bikes to be the perfect height
and settings for us and gave us a tutorial on how to use bike gears.
Guess what? They are just like car gears... Sort of.

And of course a very happy shout out to Jay! Happy birthday!

I love you all, stay tuned for next week! There is some reason I have
been brought back and then kept here in Sittingbourne, and I am
determined to find out!

Love,

-- 

- Sister Lisa Haynie

A Happy Birthday! (February 8th, 2016)

Thank you everyone for the happy wishes! My birthday was one of a kind! We went to visit some members who reenact in a museum sort of thing of what the time was like in the 1940's, during the war. They dress up and tell you all about what it would be like to live then. Very amazing experience! They do it also for the school children to bring to life what they learn in class.

Really cool! 

Then we went to stop by our bishops house and he and his family threw me a mini birthday party! It was really nice. She made this cake with crime puffs that are to die for and strawberries!

This whole week has been interesting. There have been some cool things but also some sad things.

I am learning a lot about myself and others. All I can say that I have loads to learn still about everything. I am discovering what is really important and what isn't. From the very beginning I have seen that the Spirit must be involved in every part of the work. I thought I could come out here and explain everything. I thought I could tell everyone why it was logical that the church was true and how God existed, but you cannot.

I was reading in The book of Alma this morning, and Alma totally understands this concept. So the people are starting to get really wicked and bad, even though they know better. So Alma decides to step down from being Chief Judge to work with the people, and it says, 

"19 And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them."

There is no way to help others, accept to bear pure testimony to them in hopes that they will feel the Spirit testify to them the truth of the things.

I testify that God lives and loves all of us and that His Son was sent because of that love. I know that the things He asks us to do (key word: asks) are only for us. He wants us to be happy. And no matter what we have done or who we were, His hand will always outstretched, but we are the ones that have to take it. Again, He won't force us. Choice is a gift given to us so that we can learn, grow, and reach all our potential.

Anyone can know these things for themselves, they just need to ask with sincere desire to know and real intent to act on what they come to know.

I love you all! Again thank you for all the emails! I love getting them! Keep going in all the good things you are doing!

Love,

Sister Lisa Haynie!

Sent from my iPad

-- 

- Sister Lisa Haynie

Crazy Miracle and Crazier P-Day (Part 2) (February 1st, 2016)

Hello fam and friends!

So in England there is a personality type, it's called chav. And it is
something comparable to getto back home. And they say things like
"init (in-it) fam" which means isn't it family or right guys? Chavs
are usually from Essex, a part of england. Fun fact of the week :)

Anywho, we had a really cool miracle Sunday. Everything seemed to be
going wrong, but out of no where one of our amazing members brings a
friend to church! We were able to teach her and her son about the
restoration and we will be seeing them again on Thursday! Oh and
sister Wright and I gave boss talks in sacrament meeting btw!

I love you all and hope that life is good and you are all finding the
miracles in everyday!



-- 

- Sister Lisa Haynie

Crazy Miracle and Crazier P-Day! (January 25th, 2016)

Cool miracle this week!

We went to go stop by a potential investigator that we had listed on
our map. We were just passing through the area and thought we would
stop by to see if they were in. It was the wrong address. So we spoke
to the residents for a minute and then said good night. I saw the
light on at the neighbours house so we thought we might knock and say
hello. We had time and why not?

So we knock on the door and start talking to this lady. Her husband
comes to the door as well and invites us in.

Now if you have ever knocked on strangers doors in the evening,
especially in England, you know that this does not happen. So it took
us a minute to accept. Anyways we come in and start talking to this
guy ( the wife hardly said two words unless directly asked a
question.) We will refer to this guy as M. So we get talking to M and
he was raised Catholic, but became atheist when he went to uni, and he
thinks we could probably be spy's. Oh and when we told him our nick
name, Mormon, he straight-up said that we were idiots. ( this is due
to his extensive education from one program he saw on the telly)
Anyways, he asks a lot of questions which we try to answer, but don't
have the time so we ask if we can come back the next evening. He
thinks about it for a bit and then says, sure, why not.

Now you can imagine the way we feel about this guy. He has been
brutally honest about what he thinks about us and the fact that he is
atheist ( he literally said that we would not conquer his soul ) and
we are supposed to see him again the very next day. Let me tell you,
we were very tempted to stay at the flat.

But we don't. I have been learning lately that when I get a feeling
that I don't want to get up and do something, it usually means that I
need to. Everything was working against us to go back to M's. The
trains, the distance, our own motivation.... You name it. But we get
there finally, a little late I might add, and M's wife was waiting for
us. She waited and thought that we decided not to come. But we did and
M said that they had talked about us  after we left the day before.
And the lesson went fine. And we are going back on Saturday! He is
still atheist but you never know. Atheist or not he is still a child
of God!

We also had exchange and I went to Illford with Sister Fenu! She is
from Italy! Super Fun!

Other than that the week is just going great! Sister Wright is great,
I am great and our p-day was great! We went to the white cliffs of
Dover! And to Canterbury cathedral! Way cool!

I am always learning and usually growing each day!

Love you all!


-- 

- Sister Lisa Haynie

Again, Another Week of Crazy Cool (January 18th, 2016)

This week has been great! We seriously have the best ward ever! There

are a lot of families in our ward who have family who are either less
active or are not members at all. So we have so many people to work
with! And they are also really awesome! We are teaching our ward
mission leaders granddaughter and her whole family! They are really
cool! They remind me of home a bit. And there are so many others! This
area has so much potential!

We also had interviews this week with our mission president! Him and
his wife are so amazing! They are definitely inspired! Sister Stevens
is so cool, while her husband was interviewing, she would also take
one missionary at a time and talk to them and see how we were doing.
It was really cool because she knew exactly what to say to help me out
this week!

We have also been working with a 14 year old girl who is awesome! She
is preparing to get baptised and she is awesome. She is so ready. The
only issue is that it can be really hard to get to church on Sunday's
because transportation is not so great out here.

Last night Sister Wright and I tracked an entire street! We prayed
with our bishops family and they chose a street to tract and then we
came back and reported. It was like 60 doors! We met a few people we
are going to go back and visit!

Sorry if this email is random and all over the place, short on time :/

I love you all so much!

I know the church is true and I am so thankful for the peace it brings
in this crazy world!

Love,

-- 

- Sister Lisa Haynie

New Companion, New Feeling, New New New! (January 11th, 2016)

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you have had a wonderful weekend!

This week has been strange. I have no idea who will understand this
but I think I now understand what it is like to meet a celebrity in
real life. Let me explain.

So before coming out on a mission, I did my research. I was looking up
everything and it's mom  about missions to be as prepared as possible
to come out. Part of that research included the blogs of missionaries
serving in England. There were a couple of sisters blogs that I was
following? One sister, I met at the station when I got transferred to
Enfield. Sister Johannes who came out 6 or 12 weeks before I did. The
other one was a sister called Sister Wright. Aka my new companion.
Weird thing, before I even really recognised her, I recognised her
suitcases. I had been looking for suitcases and ideas for which ones
lasted, and saw hers and I thought they were cute... Any ways... It is
just a weird thing to have someone you have only seen pictures of,
come to life in front of you.

Now that that is out the way, I'll tell you all about the famous-ish
Sister Wright. She is 20, from Logan Utah, has two younger sisters and
is super fun! She is so different from me and any of my other
companions which is probably why we are now companions. I need a
little more fun in me. She has a totally different look on missionary
work. Not bad at all just different and it is just taking a bit
getting used to.

Again, anyways. This week has just been a reminder of how the
Gillingham 2nd ward is the best ward in this mission! As I have been
taking Sister Wright to meet the members, it confirms that we have the
coolest members. This area may be one of the hardest but it comes with
the best ward! I love these people

Oh and just have to give a shout out to my awesome mum! She was so
right when she said I would wish that I had kept up with the piano. As
I am finding myself saying more and more often, mum you were right. :)
On some missions, they need piano players like you wouldn't believe.
My last companion, sister Mathews, could play piano very well and the
ward was sad to see her go. They loved her dearly, but they are really
going to miss her talent. So, Carson, Josh, Jay, and Ben, please keep
up the piano. I wish I had.

By the way, fun fact about being a missionary, we, on a pretty regular
basis, get talked to through upstairs windows when we knock on doors.

Another not-so-fun-fact, as a missionary you grow to love complete
strangers and when you get to know them, watch them learn, grow, and
see the gospel change their life, you experience such joy. I have been
able to experience that a few times but this week, I was also able to
experience the other side, when they decide to not continue changing
their life. It is really sad, especially when you know they have felt
the spirit. I never thought that it could affect me the way it has. It
is probably because I am beginning to get tiny, itsie-bitsie glimpse
of how God sees them and feels about.

But even when that happens, I am surprised how positive I still am for
them! I know this is the only church that has Christ's gospel in its
entirety! I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior!


Love you all! Until next week!

Love,

-- 

- Sister Lisa Haynie

Transfers Again. . . And They Just Don't Stick:/ (January 5th, 2016)

Hello everyone! I hope the holidays were good to you all and you have
been able to pull yourself back to the real world. I know it's hard
after a break, but you can do it! I believe in you!

So transfers are here again! Another six weeks have flown by here in
Sittingbourne.

Sad to say that I must have something wrong with me, but none of my
companions want to stick around for more than one transfer. Areas seam
to stick to me better than companions. Guess I just have a lot to
learn! Any who, my beloved companion, Sister Mathews, will be headed
of to Dereham, which is almost as north as you can go in the England
London Mission, and I will joined by sister Wright! Never met her
before but I have heard great things!

We had an amazing miracle! So there is this guy here, Clayton, who has
had a lot of contact with the Church in the past and a little while
back, Sister Mathews called him and he started meeting with the
missionaries. That was back in September. Fast forward to a lot of
growth, some bumps in the road, but fairly steady growth, and I came
back and continued teaching him with Sister Mathews. He was preparing
for baptism in December, but he wasn't quite ready, so we decided to
shoot for the middle of January.

Side note. He works down here, but lives up north on the weekends, so
the sister missionaries up there were teaching him too.

Anyway so, on the 21st of January, we get a call from those sisters
saying that their zone leaders were challenged by President Stevens to
find one more person to be baptised by the end of the year and they
believed it could be Clayton. At first the sisters were unsure if he
was ready. He still had a lot to learn and come to know for himself.
But they had a good feeling so they called and asked him if he would
be baptised on the 31st of December. And... He accepted. It was a
miracle! Satan was definitely fighting it. But with one more meeting
from us and one from the other sisters, and a lot of driving back and
forth, Clayton was baptised on the 31st.

We were not able to go to it because it was so far away (up north is
where his ward is, so that is where he was baptised) but was an
amazing thing to be a part of! To be able to witness someone change,
even over the short amount of time I knew him, and then take that leap
of faith to be baptised! I have never witnessed anything like it!

I love my Heavenly Father! I am so thankful to my Savior Jesus Christ!
And I know that this church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints, is the only church on this earth that has all of the truths
needed to be able to be happy in this life amidst all his confusion.
And the Book of Mormon is the way, the evidence, one needs to know if
that is true for themselves.

If you haven't read it, I invite everyone to and discover for
themselves the joy it brings!

If you have, read it again and watch as miracles happen in your life
as you follow its direction!

I love you all and am so thankful for the impacts you have made in my life!

Make 2016 a year of miracles and happiness for you and those around you!

Love,

-- 

- Sister Lisa Haynie