Things i'm learning

I'm Learning:


How to start and end conversations very quickly

How to embrace awkward moments

How to share the message of the restoration in one subway stop or less

How to mix random things together and make some pretty good meals

How much of a choice it is whether we are happy or sad

How much I really don't know

How much help I need

How much I love the gospel

How much so much of the stuff the general population worries about doesn't really matter

How much God knows each of individually

How Christ really is the only one who knows how we feel

How to cry without making too much noise or messing up my mascara too badly

How much I want to help people be happy

How much the scriptures apply to us today

How much music helps me

How to stay semi warm when it's freezing outside

How much i'm grateful for all and love all of you!

and the list goes on and on and on. Everyday i'm learning and for that i'm grateful for that.

We had some great lessons this week and a lot that fell through but of course there has to be that opposition.

i'm excited for the New Year and hopeful that this next year has a lot more learning and healing and understanding to come.

I love you all and miss you. Love me!

Sister Savage

But if not

Well recently I've been thinking a lot about a talk i remember reading for the first time in Russia. Called But if not. I've wanted to read it again and then the other day in companionship study sister Rosenlof said my mom sent me a really great talk and it was it! I was very excited. I wanted to share my favorite parts. This is after He told the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and he said " They knew that they could trust God-even if things didn't turn out the way they hoped. They knew that faith is more than mental assnt, more than an acknowledgment that God lives. FAITH IS TOTAL TRUST IN HIM. Faith is believing that although we do not understand all things, He does. Faith is knowing that although our power is limited, His is not. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him." " We must understand that great challenges make great men. We don't seek tribulation, but if we respond in faith , the Lord strengthen us. The but if nots can become remarkable blessings." "He has the power, but it's our test" "Our God will deliver us from ridicul and persecution, but if not.. Our God will deliver us from sickness and diesease, but if not... He will deliver us from loneliness, depression, or fear, but if not.... Our God will deliver us from threats, accusations, and insecurity, but if not... He will deliver us from dearth or impairment of loved ones, but if not... WE WILL TRUST IN THE LORD" " We will have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that if we do all we can do, we will in His time and in His way, be deliverd and receive all that He has." Wow huh. Pretty cool.


Christmas was so different but it was great. We had breakfast at the senior couples house and they colored there two front teeth black and sang all i want for christmas is my two front teath. We then exchanged secret santa gifts and it was fun. I loved talking with you and I feel so blessed to have such an amazing family. I'm thankful for all the letters and packages sent.

We started to teach a guy from india and on from Iran this week. I love talking to people cause you never know where they'll be from! We got a referral a month ago and set up an appointment and then found out it was just out of our area. Her english name is blessings and she is from Africa and yesterday she was baptized and it was so neat to hear her bear her testimony afterwards. It strengthened mine. she's amazing. I called the family from India that sister simons and I taught in the beginning of my mission and it was wonderful to talk with them. They are moving to new jersey but He said as soon as they get settled they will find the nearest church because he said they've been missing those days. I just know they'll be baptized someday. Patrick from my old area was supposed to baptized but he has had major health issues. Hopefully he'll be better soon. My previous companion from New Zealands parents sent me a really cool necklace. It is made out of bone and they say they carve it to mean certain things. This symbols on mine are the spiral which is "New Life or befinning, growth, harmony, and peace" and the twist or crossover is " Bonding of friendship and joing of lives for eternity. It is really cool. They also taught me a Maori phrase "Kia Kaha" or "STay Stong" So Kia Kaha all you who I love!

I love serving in Downtown and i'm glad sister Rosenlof and I will be staying another transfer.. our whole zone practically is staying which is nice. We all got nerf guns for christmas and we spent today at the church playing with them.. they hurt a lot less than kill ball. I'm trying to think of other new stuff... hmm.. i'm not sure. I know how much i love you! It's getting really cold! love me!

Merry Christmas!

I just can't believe it's this time of year again. I have been finding more meaning in Christmas this year and it's a hard way to find it but I truly rejoice more thinking of the Birth of our Saviour and what it means for our family. It was the beginning of his mission on earth and i'm so grateful for all that He has done for me. I'm strengthened everyday by the Spirit and the scriptures. I fininshed Moroni and I loved so much of it. I loved in Chp8 when mormon writes his son and says in vs 3," I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the FAther in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he through his infinite goodness and grace will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end." I feel that way about all of you! I love when he talks of how perfect children are and he says in vs 17 " i love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation." I feel that way too. In Chp 9 vs 6 he says "And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation;for WE HAVE A LABOR TO PERFORM whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God." I like that cause it means even if you labor and don't see the results it's still so important to keep laboring and we will be at rest one day.and then in vs 25 it says, "but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings unto our fathers, and his mercy and long suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever." I have felt lifted  up. I love the scriptures. I love all of you. We still meet crazy people everyday.. some say we should be in modeling school and some say we deserve the death sentence... so they are both extremes. We have been doing a lot of christmas caroling which is freezing but fun. We had a mini mission for the youth and it was fun to take them out tracting and stuff... they took it really well :) This one guy said oh i've heard all about your church and i'm not interested and the girl i was with like it's not true look at this website and she managed to give him a card before he shut the door. It was a good time. Well I wish you all a very merry christmas and i'm excited to talk with you.         Love me

it's cold outside!

Well I don't have much time today but I love you all and pray for you constantly. It has been a pretty good week we went and volunteered at christmas party for under priveleged kids and it was fun and it made me a little sad too... there was a magic show and it was so fun to see the kids get sooo amazed and excited! All week long i think of things i want to write but when it comes to it I don't know what to say. It's a happy time of year and such a sad time too.. but i'm determined to make the happy times win! I love you all i'll email more if i can get another computer!


Love Sister Savage

it's beginning to look like Christmas

It's pretty snowy today. Yesterday we were walking on the street and these people were doing free pictures with santa and I don't know what came over me and I was like lets get one.. my companion was a little skeptical at first. Then the camara didn't work and it took longer than I thought and I felt bad but we talked to two of the elves about the gospel so really it was just an out of the box finding activity. We have had some sweet miracles. I called a girl I talked to on the subway a few days ago then she called back while we were in church and left a message and was like I would really like to join your church. She came to the First presidency christmas devotional last night and really liked it. She is wonderful. she is coming to FHE tonight. Curtis is an investigator that we have been working with for awhile and he has had such a rough past. He used to be in the rap industry in Harlem New York... and he was in a bad way when we first met him but he has come to church once and FHE 2 times and to the ward christmas party and he just smiles. I asked him why and he said he was happy. It's amazing to see the changes the people go through. We finally got Gerald to commit to praying about a specific date he did not want to do that because he's afraid something will come up and he won't make it. he was baptized but not confirmed 15 years ago and he knows everything is true and he wants to be baptized but he has a lot of obstacles. We told him setting a goal always helps us progress more than we would if we don't set goals and he said he's going to pick a day and pray about it. The hardest thing here is people are sooo busy.. most are going to school and working and finding time is really hard. We just keep trying though. Mandla who was baptized the first week I was here is struggling cause his employers make him work on sunday now and he is so sad about it. He reads the book of mormon everyday and I love calling him and hearing him tell us what he has learned. He always says how much he loves Nephi. So it's been a good week but very emotional for me. I think this Christmas will be a struggle as I miss my family and my sweet mom. There are no words to tell how I feel. I'm grateful for prayer and for the scriptures. I am being carried through. Life is so full of dissapointments and things we don't understand and i'm learning more and more to just accept and not question but to keep on moving forward. Life is so much more full of blessings and things to be grateful for. when I am at my lowest my companion and I go back and forth and say what we love and are grateful for... that's something I learned from dad and I'm glad I have such fond memories of doing that with him. It really lifts my spirits. I've noticed that it is in my moments of feeling the most peace and happiness that I feel closest to my mom. I know that those are the feelings she is wanting so much for us all to feel. It is when I doubt and focus on the negative that I feel the most separated from her. I challenge each of you to look for the good in life, despite what happens. God is waiting and there to comfort us whenever we choose to let him. I love you all. I don't know if I shared this thought before but I think often of when the Savior went to suffer for us in the Garden and He was sore amazed.. or surpised.. He even asked to let the cup pass from him. But in the end He said Thy Will be done... and I think that's how i have felt of course in a much smaller degree. I think we all knew we would come to earth and go through the struggles and pains of life but I think it is surprising when we realize how much it can hurt. I know I have been surprised. But there is a way and that is through our Savior. I know He lives. I know that the more I try to put my will in line with the Fathers I find more peace. I miss you. I love you!


Love Sister Savage

Helpful quotes

I thought I'd just write some quotes i've been given that have been helping me along. I'm ok as can be expected. I can't tell you how much i appreciate the love and support and I'm sorry if I can't get back as quickly as I'd like. I haven't got mail for a while and I hear it's piling up so it will take me awhile to get on top of things. I LOVE YOU ALL
"Life is eternal, and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." -Rossiter Worthington Raymond (that's a big name)
" To live in hearts we leave behnd is not to die." -Thomas Campbell
"Hope [through Jesus Christ] stands quietly with us at funerals. Our tears are just as wet, but not because of despair. Rather, they are tears of heightened appreciation evoked by poignant separation. Those tears of separation change, ere long, becoming tears of glorious anticipation." -Elder Maxwell
"Mourning is one of the deepest expressions of love. The Lord said, " thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die"(D&C 42:45) The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life." True to the faith
"People are often unreasonalbe, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulerior motives:

Be kind anyway.

If you are succussful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies:

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you have anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway."

Mother Teresa

Two Posts

I just posted Monicas Letter from this week along with a few pictures and the tribute she wrote for her mothers funeral last week. Monica Chose to continue serving in the mission field but was able to watch the funeral live via Skype.