Chorley Transfer with Sister Hanson

 I am now serving in Chorley with Sister Hanson from Idaho Falls. She was in the South Stake in Sunnyside ward. She seems so wonderful. Honestly I really felt I was leaving and some how I felt I would be coming to Chorley. It was nice to feel this way because it made it a little easier to say good bye. I will miss Kendal so much and Sister Crookston and the investigators. It is crazy cuz sister crookstons new companion was trained by Sister Hanson. So it is the "mothers" and the "daughters" together. Chorley is where the MTC and temple are so this will be quite different than kendal but it will be great. 

Dear President,

It has been really good to be here in Chorley with Sister Hanson. President, Sister Hanson is such a wonderful person and missionary. I feel so grateful that I get to serve with her. I wish she could see herself the way our Heavenly Father sees her. I think she is starting to, but it is hard. In fact before my mission I was very similar to that as well, and I still struggle with it from time to time, that is really recognizing who we are. It is difficult but it is so important. A few things that I believe helped me were whenever I would get down on myself I would go and serve someone else. It helped me take the focus off of me. I also had to pray with all my might to be able to transform my eyes to see myself in reality instead of some hazy image in my mind. The Lord knows us so much better than we know ourselves.

The members here in the Chorley 2nd ward are incredible. I already love them so much. They are so willing to help. It is amazing. What an impact that makes.

My brother leaves for the MTC on Wednesday. I am so excited for him. I remember the feeling just one year ago that I was doing just what he was doing. I feel I have grown a lot in this last year. I have a long ways to go before I am where I would like to be but I am so happy that I am constantly progressing. I feel Sister Hanson and Chorley will help me a lot with this.

Something I learned recently in my personal study was all about how we must trust in the Lord. Trust really requires true humility. A recognition then a submission. I know that our Heavenly Fathers ways are higher than our ways. I know that He has great things in store, but I want to know how I can bring those great things to pass. I want to learn how I can be the best instrument I can be in helping Him in the work. I learned that I must prepare. I have learned that preparation precedes power. That is something one of my softball coaches always would say before we had a game. I love it! It is so true. It is something I learned a lot about as we went to the temple then climbed Mt Snowdon. We can only prepare so much then we must pray and take a leap of faith. That is when we have to trust. Trust in God that he will fulfill His end of the promise. Trust that He knows the plan and that no matter what happens He is in control. I loved this insight. It is something I feel I really need right now. I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father and the example His son sent for us. I also am grateful that as we trust in the Lord and are obedient, the Holy Ghost will go before us leading us in what we must do.  

President, the church is true! I love this work and am excited for what adventures Chorley will bring.

Love Sister Longmore

DAD,

     That is so good that Taylor was able to have a successful farewell. I love president Mauhn. He is an amazing man.

     As for working with sister Hanson it is good. She is such a great missionary. Very humble and has the most amazing spiritual prayers. She speaks as if Heavenly Father is standing right in front of her. I am learning a lot from her. We are trying to learn how to work with one another because we are so used to doing things our way that we are really having to rely on the Lord for help which is what should be done all the time. 

      In the Chorley 2nd ward, the ward we are in, there are about 200 members. It is such a change from about 20. Our tea list is filled to the brim. Next week we have 5 tea appointments out of 7 days of the week. It will be great. They are from all over the place since a lot of them came her to be near the temple.  So in our area we have 2 people dated for baptism. One will be baptised this up coming saturday. and the other one hopefully will be on the 3rd of November.

      Dad I love being able to be a missionary. It has been something that has shaped my life. I feel that everyone must experience this.

      I hope that you have a good week and that it will be a good experience sending Taylor off to the MTC. I love you.

 Love -Lyssa Lou

Goodbye Cumbria--Transfer week

(this is a sweet email sent to me today by the branch president in Kendal)

Hi Melanie,

We are just about to say goodbye to an amazing missionary - your daughter! I wanted to tell you that she is working
so hard and is so so happy even in all the Cumbrian rain we have had this summer. She remains totally undaunted!

She and Sister Crookston have worked so hard in Kendal - they are a great team! And they are so persistent in their
requests to do service - so much so that I let them come to help me with digging up a bit of my lawn to plant vegetables. Not only did they do that but they wrestled with massive ferns that were invading our garden and also jumped over the wall to tackle some more.

One of the people looking into the Church described these two sisters as 'beautiful' and 'spectacular' people.

When their Mission President came to talk in Kendal, he described them as the most hard-working missionaries in the Manchester Mission - we can understand why he said that!

We will really miss Sister Longmore and hope to stay in touch. You must be so proud of her.

With Love from
President & Sister Humphreys
Kendal Branch
Preston Stake
UK

Inspiration takes perspiration

Now for the coolest thing. YOu know how we have a family member from Moreland, Westmoreland. Well last P-Day a member of the branch wanted to take us on a tour of the lakes, I think I told you that in my last e-mail, well he did that but he also took us on a suprize visit to Moreland. IT WAS AMAZING!!!! it was tiny. Blink and you miss it kind of town. The oldest church in Cumbria, which is the county now, is in moreland. It was from when the Saxons came into england. They even have a cemitary in front. I know you would have loved this mom. We will have to visit there when you come to get me. WOW! it had such a history. It was amazing I will try to send you some pictures.

Hey Dad,
I love the stories and experiences you share with me. Thank you. I am so happy and grateful for the example you set for me of scripture study. I remember waking up in the morning and going to get some brakefast and seeing your bowl of cereal out with your scriptures open next to it. :) I will never forget that. It was such an example to me of consistant scripture study.
I know Taylor will do good on his mission and sure the MTC will be a wake up call and it will be tough, but if it is not then you know there will be another humbling experience coming your way just around the corner. It was so humbling to me when I went to the MTC. I remember going in thinking, "Ya I've got this! I can teach people the gospel" but boy was I wrong. I am not even to do the teaching. I am purely there to help create the right environment to where the spirit can be felt and the investigator can teach themselves. I love missionary work dad! it is great! Have you been able to do any lately? I know it can be quite hard in Utah but I'm sure it is still possible. Just pray for those opportunities and they will come.
We definitely go tracking a lot. We have had some success with it. We just have to know what time is the best to go and where are the best areas. The greatest is when we pray before our nightly planning and we both look at the map and a street jumps out at both my companion and I. I've had that experience before. I even had a dream the other night of a street that I feel we need to tract and it was a street that Sister Crookston also felt we should do. It is quite a ways away. It will take us an hour bus ride to get there but it is worth it even if just one person were to listen to what we have to share. I will let you know how it goes when we tract it.
We definitely run into a lot of other ministers. Just like with you most of them are kind but we get a few that just want to bash. We've even seen 2 Jahova's Witnesses going around tracting doors. It was funny we had a nice little chat with them.
Well I love you so much and hope your week goes nicely!
Love your missionary- Alyssa

Dear President,

This last week started out interesting. I was feeling quite agrivated last p-day for no reason. I decided I should go into the other room and council with the Lord. As I did I very strong impression came to me that I should fast. Inside myself I could feel my natural man fighting to give into my spirit. But as I finished my prayer I knew what I needed to do. I started my fast to allow my spirit to be more in control and have the Lord leading and guiding me in the work. I know how important the spirit is and how with out it not only shall we not teach, but I would even suggest that we can not teach. Our words become jumbled and our thought prosses starts to twist and turn in ways that we can't keep up with. I knew not only did I need to have the spirit in control, but our investigators depended on us to have the spirit leading and guiding us. The second I decided to fast, I instantly felt calm. I knew I had taken the Lords advice and followed the council He gave to me.

I have loved serving with Sister Crookston so much and have grately enjoyed serving in Kendal. I feel it has been the gratest learning periods in my mission thus far. I pray for you as you go into the week of transfer planning. I pray that you will will recieve the revelation and guidence you need. We all rely on you to call us to the areas where the Lord needs us. President I know you are called of God and I thank you for living worthy of that call.

I feel I am finally starting to grasp how to do missionary work, it only took me a year to get there. I have a vision, one that came to me when I first stepped foot in Kendal. I just know the branch will grow. The time is now. There are so many prepared individuals we are working with. One of which was the investigator referal that you met when you came up to Kendal. His name is Craig. Yesterday in fast and testimony meeting he got up and bore his testimony. WOW! President, it was amazing to see someone change, and have the spirit prompt them to do something and have them act on that prompting. I can't wait until I get to experience this again.

When I first came on my mission Sister Chuo asked me what I wanted to accomplish while on my mission. I told her I want to see hearts change. I saw it. I've seen it many times and it is such an amazing feeling. I know that hearts can only change as they allow Christ to touch them and heal them.

I know my Savior lives! I know that the Atonement is real and that it is available to anyone that humbles themself enough to ask for help, believing that help will come. I know that if they are sincere the help does come.

Love Sister Alyssa Ann Longmore

Chocolate for Mum!

The Famous 1667 Chocolate House

Alyssa sent me a WONDERFUL assortment of chocolates for my birthday!  It was all SO good--especially the infamous Mint Cake.