8/28/13

No letter this week, but plenty of pictures!

Dear family and friends!

Sorry last week's letter was short! I'll try to do better!

This week has been super busy! We taught more lessons than ever and did a lot of great service! I'd like to write in a journal entry I wrote from this week. 

It was a great day today. Our plans fell through, but God led us to where He wanted us to go. We brought Branch President's wife to fellowship with one of our investigators. Her testimony was so strong and the spirit was amazing when we were with her. She told of her conversion story and how she came to know that the Book of Mormon was true. She was first really confused and skeptical about this gospel that was taught from these two teenagers in her house. But she prayed about it, read the Book of Mormon, and she felt a burning feeling in heart that she knew it was true. She was so confident with her decision she called up the missionaries and told her she wanted to be baptized. I know that through the power of the Holy Ghost, people will be able to find the truth of this restored gospel and find amazing happiness and blessings in this life. After we dropped off this Sister, her neighbors asked us if we knew some people in Jakarta or something. My companion said that that was his family! Turns out, it was my companion's family members! They are interested in family history and one the kids who is 23 wants to learn about the Book of Mormon. We gave it to him and told him to read 3 Nephi 11. We set up a time to meet with him! The Lord is preparing people to be taught and I am so grateful for opportunities we have been given to teach.

I learned a lot today. One truth I learned from 3rd Nephi is that our church is named after Jesus Christ. It is named after Christ because it is His church and He leads it. It is not named after a saint, a person, or anything else because it is God's church and not man's. We worship God and Christ so we should name it after them. I know that that Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God. And I am so grateful to be a missionary of this church and that I am able to proclaim this gospel. Thanks again for your prayers and your love. I am loving it here in Manado, Indonesia and my testimony is growing stronger each day. 

Love

Elder Litster

Hey Everyone!

Sorry I don't have much time! But I am grateful for the birthday wishes! I had a fantastic birthday here in Manado and I wanted to send some pictures! I hope you were able to see General Conference and I am so grateful for the the Prophet and Apostles! 

Love,

19 year old Elder Litster

Family and Friends!

Sorry I don't have too much time this week, but it has been fantastic here!

Rainy season is starting up so it's pretty crazy! The streets flood in a manner of minutes and then the rain will suddenly stop too. It's crazy. It's so beautful here and the people are even more beautiful. They are all so kind, patient, and hard working. I learn so much from them.

This week we visited a member family who lived kind of far away from church. We talked to his family and they are incredible! He used to be really poor and said he had an ugly home. He saved up $200 dollars here and then it all got stolen! He was so sad and thought to get mad at first, but instead, he prayed for the people that stole his money. He prayed that they would have enough money for food and clothing. His wife was scared that they wouldn't be able to get through the week. But they had exceedingly strong faith and prayed often. Then that month, the Lord blessed them with enough money to buy a car! Then they bought a car! And now they live in a bigger better house and have two beautiful little kids. They are so kind to us and the Lord has blessed them so much. The members here in Indonesia are incredible and have great faith. I love them so much. This family knows that because they go to church and pay tithing, the Lord blesses them with more. Before, they paid maybe 20 cents for tithing, but now, they pay more than his old pay check in tithing! He is so blessed for his good works and his faith. I am so grateful to the Lord and I am constantly blessed here. He is always with us missionaries and we are working hard to fulfill our mission and bring others unto Him. I love this work and I am so grateful for being born into this gospel.

Enjoy conference this week!

Elder Litster

 Hello everyone!

This week has been great! It seems like everyone has been having birthdays so we celebrated birthdays with the Branch President and a member in the ward. But we also went to a funeral which was really sad. I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation and for eternal families. We are so blessed to know God's plan for us.

We have a bunch of investigators here in Manado. Two of them we contacted on my first day here. I gave Om T a Book of Mormon and he has been reading everyday! He already loves it and reads it day and night. The BOM has power and it changes people's lives all the time! If you want your life to go better, read the Book of Mormon. I promise it will bless your life. The other investigator we met on the plane. She lives so far away from us, so we visit her once a week or so. She really took the first lesson well and the spirit was strong in her home that day. I am so grateful for the opportunity to share the gospel.

Today Elder Taulu went to Jakarta for some leadership training. He's staying there for 3 days so I am going to be with the other two missionaries. It's going to be crazy because three foreigners in Manado is rare and everybody gives us funny looks. I am excited to work with them. They are great missionaries and I always pray that we can help the Manado branch and the people of Manado come unto Christ. This gospel is true. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and the Restoration and I am so happy to share it with the Indonesians here in Manado!

Hello from Manado! 

Manado is truly amazing! The people, the food, the different language, and my new companion are all awesome! It is so beautiful here and tropical. It is paradise! The people are so kind and loving here. Manado is this city on the tip of the island Sulawesi. It is really close to the Philippines. Everybody is Christian here for the most part and there are churches on every street corner! This week we went to a member's house to visit them who lived pretty close to a volcano! I saw it go off too! It was so cool! The volcano is active and so is the member. haha On p day we went to a waterfall! It is so amazing here in Manado! It's really hard to describe Indonesia. The people are so great, the traffic is crazy, but perfect, the angkot/taxis play loud music and have flashing lights, the ocean and all the islands are beautiful, and everyone is poor and happy. It's a great place to live and everybody is so patient, loving, and hardworking.

My companion is fantastic! He always serves me and works so hard! I want to be as good of a missionary as he is someday. We work hard every day, but we have fun. Missionary work is so awesome. This last week, we invited some investigators to church and they came! I was so happy to see them there! The branch here is so cool! The building is right next to the ocean and the ocean is so beautiful. 

Every time I bear my testimony, I always get a reconfirmation that this church is true. I challenge you to bear your testimony more often about the simple truths that you cherish. I am so grateful for the spirit. The spirit has led my companionship so many times here in Manado already. We can do nothing without the God head and I truly believe this. I am so grateful for God's hand in my life. 

Love

Elder Litster

Selamat pagi!

I made it to Indonesia! It is so awesome here and crazier than I ever thought! The culture is so different and the people are so nice and friendly.

President and Sister Donald picked us up from the airport. We got temporary companions that we will have for 5 days when we got to the mission home and split off to different areas around Jakarta. Elder Hall and I were blessed to stay in the mission home and be with the APs. They are so cool! The mission home is so nice and the ward here is so great.

President Donald assigned me to the Manado area. It is the furthest area from the mission home and is on the North East tip of the island Sulawesi. It is full of Christian people and I am excited to meet my companion there. Elder M and I have done a lot of contacting on the bus and it is really fun. There are so many people who are searching for the true gospel. One day we traveled 4 hours and visited a family in western Jakarta and they are so awesome! They are recent converts and are preparing to go to the temple. They were so kind to us and fed us sate and rice afterwards. At the end of the lesson, they told me that they had a friend in Manado that I should contact and gave me a referral! I am excited to go and find him and share the gospel!

I don't have much time, but I want to say that I am so grateful that I am able to be a missionary here in Indonesia. The people are so awesome here and I love them so much already. I know that this gospel is true and that through Jesus Christ, we can find true happiness in this life. I am so grateful for this opportunity and I know that Jesus Christ is at the head of this missionary work. I love you all and thanks for your support and love!

Elder Litster

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you would like to contact me, please send it to:           isaac.litster@myldsmail.net
Thank you!

9/5/13

Selamat Pagi! 

How is everyone? I am so grateful for everyone and their love and support. We got our travel plans last week! We are going through LAX, then Hong Kong, China, and then to Indonesia. It should be about a 33 hour flight! We have about 5 days left until we head out. We are leaving on the 10th and we will be going to the most populous Muslim country by plane on 9-11. I still remember when I was in first grade watching the twin towers. I feel so blessed to live in this country. I am grateful for the opportunity to go and help people in another country that does not have all the same freedoms we do. 

I have decided that the best way for skinny people to gain weight is to go to the MTC. I have easily gained 20 pounds or more now here. If we did not have gym every day, I would have definitely gained more. Gym has been awesome! We have been playing soccer every day now. We always play world cup and have a great time. The field is always super muddy and we just play barefoot and slip and fall in the mud. It is great to be muddy and dirty for a change because we are always in our missionary attire trying to look our best. We are representatives of Jesus Christ and we must behave and dress in a way that respects and honors His name at all times.

I got my picture with an Elder that got here from Pleasant Grove, Utah. I do not know his name, but we call him Elder Tinggi. Tinngi means tall. He is 7 foot 3 and is a skyscraper!  We hosted new Elders again this week. I was able to see one of my good friends and host him! It was Sam Johnston! I was really surprised because he was supposed to go to the South Africa MTC. I guess his visa did not come in time and he will be in the states for a couple weeks till his visa comes.

This week during the devotional, I was able to develop a stronger testimony about our Heavenly Father. Elder Evans of the 70 spoke along with his wife. They have strong testimonies of this gospel. My testimony is growing stronger and stronger each day. I have been working on having greater faith and charity towards others. I really like the scripture about faith and the mustard seed. I feel so blessed to be born into this church and knowing that God has a plan for me. The Plan of Salvation is so wonderful and perfect. I know God loves me and answers my prayers. He is always helping me. As it says in Jacob 5, the Lord is laboring with his servants in the vineyard. I know this to be true. I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that the Atonement is real.

Love,

Elder Litster