Salam kasih dari Manado!

Kami sangat baik di sini. Saya sangat bersyukur dimana saya bisa kirim surat setiap minggu ke sana. apa kabar? Semoga masih sehat dan hebat!

I hope things are going well back home! We are working hard here and we are finding new people to teach all the time. This last week we got back from a Zone Conference. We flew over to the island of Java and went to the eastern portion to the second biggest city in Indonesia called Surabaya. It is super hot and humid there, but right now is rainy season so the furnace is not on right now in Surabaya. It's a whole different world in Surabaya. Everybody is Muslim and everything is bigger and there is a lot more traffic. We had a great time meeting the missionaries there and learning from President Donald and Sister Donald. They are truly inspired and have helped us so much with our missionary work. 

President Donald taught us many things, but one of the things we learned was how to "rent" a Book of Mormon. First, everybody missionary who travels by foot and by busway or angkot (minivan taxis), must carry a Book of Mormon in their hand. Next, you contact absolutely everyone you meet! No being shy! We start contacting by whatever method we would like, I like to ask where they are headed and then let the conversation go from there. Then after a minute or until you feel comfortable and they feel comfortable with you, you ask if they have ever read the Kitab Mormon. Then you give the Book of Mormon and have them read the first paragraph from the Introduction. Next, you ask if they would be interested in reading it. Usually, more often than not, they say yes! It's incredible! Then you "rent" them the Book of Mormon. You tell them that we will be able to give them the Book of Mormon for free and that they can read it. And we can later follow up. If they like it, they can have it and we can teach them more about it. If they don't like it, it's all good, we will just take it home (and probably ask for a referral while we are at it haha). 

I tried out this new method that President taught us as soon as we got home. I met a man on the way to Koha and he said he would love to read it and he asked us when we could come to his house! We told him we have time next week. We got his phone number and then he jumped off the angkot (blue minivan taxi). He was a super nice guy and told the driver he wants to pay for us! We told him it was alright, but he paid anyways and went on his way. I pray that he finds peace and happiness in his life through the great blessing of the Book of Mormon. 

I know the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God. My testimony has grown so much and I know that this gospel is true. The spirit is so strong whenever I learn and teach about this restored gospel. 

Thanks for all your love and support.

Elder Litster

Selamat Hari Natal!

How's the weather back home? It's nice and hot and sunny here in Manado. There's been lots of rain and there is still not any snow here.

I sent a couple pictures. One is of the traffic that is crazy here, some Nasi Campur food, the island and city I am in, and Elder Wijaya and I by a big Christmas tree! 

This week I got a new companion named Elder Wijaya. He is the 2nd of 10 children and is an awesome companion. He is the greatest teacher of the gospel I have ever met! He teaches so clearly and always shows the principle, blessing, and meaning behind a scripture. It is a gift of the spirit and it is blessing our teaching so much. I am so happy to be his companion and I know I will learn lots from him. 

This last week we have been sharing a message about Christmas to the members and to the investigators once in a while as well. The great thing about Christmas is that you don't have to be there at the time of Christ's birth in Bethlehem, or at home with your family,or at a big Christmas party to feel the spirit of Christmas. If we ponder about the birth of Christ, His life, His example, and His love for us, we can feel the spirit here as strong as if we were with Him at His birth or even walking with Him. I have felt that spirit already this month and it is remarkable. Christ came to earth and lived a perfect life for us. When Jesus was born, He was born in a manger. He had the power to choose to be born in somewhere nicer, like a hotel, or even at a different time period. But we would not learn anything from that. We learn from His birth in a manger that He was meek, humble, and that He loves us.  He loves us so much that He came to earth and redeem us from our sins. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and this Christmas season. I hope you all will have a Merry Christmas and I pray that you will be able to ponder about Christ's birth and His love for us. 

Love,

Elder Litster

Hello everyone! 

Sorry, I don't have much time this week to write, but this week has been awesome! 

There was a baptism this last week and Elder Kyle was able to baptize the new Sister in the ocean. It was very spiritual and cool to see. I am so grateful for God's plan for us here on earth. 

My companion is moving to become assistant president in Jakarta and I am getting a new companion named Elder Wijaya tomorrow! I am excited to be companions with him and I know he will love it here in Manado! 

 

By the way I just graduated my 12 week training program! 

Elder Litster

This is a lake that changes colors every hour!

Hello Family and Friends!

There is still no snow in Manado, just rain. Tons of rain! The streets flood and everyone all of a sudden disappears. I think they go inside buildings.

Saturday night we were really busy and did not have time to get food for Sunday. On Sunday after church we were starving! We had no food the whole day except for a couple snacks that we had to scrounge from the house. Our rice was gone because one of the elder's dropped their phone in the gutter and he asked if he could put it in the rice. So we let him use the last of our food to try and fix his phone. All of our appointments fell through while Elder Taulu and I were planning in our home for the next week. So we had no idea what to do! We prayed for help. Around 6:00 pm, right before we were done planning, we got a phone call from an investigator who never can meet with us. I have never met with her before. She said to come over to her house right now. We finished planning and went straight over there. She immediately told us to eat! There was a huge feast and her whole family was there! There was tons of rice, chicken, fish, pork, vegetables, cookies, crackers, pepsi, water, and beans! We were so so grateful to her. We asked her, how did you know we haven't ate any food at all today? We were so grateful to her and her kindness to us. The Lord fed us when we were hungry and answered our prayers. After we finished eating, she invited us to get to know her whole family. So we talked to them for a while and told them that we were missionaries and that we share a message about church, gospel, Book of Mormon, and families. They said to come back again soon and possibly this week again! Spiritual seeds were planted in them and also physical seeds were planted in us. haha I am so grateful to the Lord for His protection over us and the food He provided us through this kind investigator,  

Christmas here is amazing! I took some pictures of what it's like. There is no snow, just a ton of rain. Here's a picture of the rain outside our home. The people here have Christmas devotionals every day at someone's house and they feast together and read the Bible together. Their lives revolve around their religion and their faith. It is so different than having our faith revolve around our lives. Christ should be at the center of our lives and then we would not have to worry about our next meal, our job, our circumstances, or anything. If we seek for the kingdom of God first, everything else will be added upon us. ( Jacob 2) I am so grateful for the Lord and the blessings we have received here in Manado. 

There is going to be a baptism next week! We are excited and are preparing for it this week. Thanks you for all your love and support and your letters. 

Love

Elder Litster

Hello everyone!

This last P-day we went to a volcano! And it is still active so it is under surveillance at all times. After the volcano we went over to a Pagoda that was near by. There are thousands and thousands of places that are incredible that people have not yet discovered. It is unbelievable how beautiful is is here in Manado.

After a hard day's work in Manado, we are dead tired and ready for sleep at 10:30. The other night I was sleeping and one of the Elders heard me sleep talking. I said," hati hati di belakang," and then I said,"Be careful behind you." haha so I said some words in Indonesian and then I translated it into English! I will sleep talk once in a while and it is always in Indonesian. So hopefully it means my language is improving. We met with Tante A today. she just quit her job and said she wants to find the Lord! She quit her job so she could go to church and meet with the missionaries again. She hasn't learned from the Elders in about a year! She is prepared now. The Lord is hearing my prayers to help us find and talk to people who are prepared to hear the gospel.

The other day I ate sardines and dog. Dog is actually not too bad. It just tastes like meat, but chewy and a little grainy. I have had it a couple times before according to the other missionaries, but I tried it on purpose this time and it wasn't half bad.

President Donald came to Manado today and he strengthened us a lot! The progress in this area is booming and the work is moving forward. I am so grateful for all the amazing leaders in our church. They are truly inspired by God and I love to hear from them.

My companion, Elder Taulu, will be transferred soon to Jakarta. He is going to be assistant president. So that means I will have a new companion in the next couple of weeks as well. I am excited, but nervous at the same time to teach my new companion. I will have to know all the routes and where everyone lives. I will also have to teach him the Manadonese language. Indonesia has a ton of different languages and they are completely different. He will be confused at first having to learn Manadonese, but I know he will be just fine and learn it quick. They mix Indonesian and Manadonese in their speech so I will have to teach him, even if he is a native Indonesian. The Lord will help me and I know that faith power works wonders in our lives.

Thank you for your emails and I hope you have a wonderful start of the Christmas season.

Elder Litster

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving this week!

Here is a part of my week from my journal:

We were up in Koha today and visited a couple families. We taught about the temple and ordinances. We taught about baptism for the dead, endowment, and eternal marriage. We testified of the joy and happiness that all can receive who go to the house of the Lord. The presence of God is in His holy temples. I have felt it and cannot deny it. After teaching the lesson, I realized how great of a blessing it is to have a temple 15 minutes from my house. I knew it was a blessing, but now I am forever grateful to the Lord for the temple so close to my home. 

  Brother A had tears in his eyes during the lesson and we could tell the spirit was testifying to him about the eternal blessings his family could receive. We shared a quote from President Kimball. "Any of you would go around the world for the sealing ordinance if you knew its importance, if you realized how great it is. No distance, no shortage of funds, not situation would ever keep you from being married in the Holy temple of the Lord." I pray so hard for a temple in Indonesia one day. I can't wait to see that great day.

A guy today asked about our church. He asked us about our missionary work. We told him we are full time missionaries. We work hard every day all day to spread the gospel of the Lord. I gave him and his friend a pass along card. They laughed at us. That is the missionary life. People may laugh, scorn, and mock us. But we are not ashamed. Like in Romans, We are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. this gospel is true and there is no place I would rather be than here. I have great joy, more than I have ever felt in my life. These are His people and now my people. I love them and pray for their welfare. we missionaries are servants of the Lord and the medium by which they may receive the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Elder Litster

Sorry I will send pictures next week! I ran out of time!

Selamat siang semuanya!

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to write to you all today.

This was another one of those fast and busy weeks! Elder Taulu was in Jakarta for another leadership meeting so I was with Elder Kyle and Elder Johnson for a couple days until my companion came back. I truly have the greatest companion and I am so grateful for him. We pray sincerely for each other every day in companion study and in our personal prayers. It is amazing what the Lord can do when you and your companion love each other enough to pray out loud for each other specific things to aid them. Faith power works wonders. The blessings of heaven come when we pray, search, have faith in the blessings we ask for, and if it is God's will, the blessing is given to us. I have been blessed with a fantastic companion.I love my companion and am so happy that I can serve here in Manado with him.

Rainy season has started and some of the huge typhoons from the Philippines keep sending rain and cold our way. But I love it! The rain is much more rare in Utah and Colorado compared to the beautiful country of Indonesia. We constantly get rain and it is so refreshing from the heat. I still cannot believe that there will be no snow in December and January. We will see. I still don't believe that there will be no snow. haha 

One of the coolest things about Manado is the culture, and in particular, the many different religions. There is Advent, Gmim, Catholic, Baptist, Jehova Witness, Pentecostal, Buddha, Muslim, and then our church The Chruch of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. Coming from a Utah background, it is strange to have my religion being the smallest religion on the island and in the neighborhood. It is really humbling and brings forth the great blessing of continual service to our branch. We are growing and the gospel is being spread quickly. We work hard here and we are harvesting much fruit. Once again, I am so grateful for the incredible opportunity to be here in Manado. I know  I have been called of God to be here and be a representative of Jesus Christ. I feel so honored that I can represent Him and be a missionary for Gereja Yesus Kristus Dari Orang-Orang Suci Zaman Akhir.

Elder Litster

Hello everyone! 

Have you ever had ants in your pants?! This morning I was hanging up laundry and I looked down and and saw all these giant red ants on my feet and then I felt something bite my leg! I ran inside screaming "ants in my pants! Ants in my pants!" Inilah kehidupan misionaris. This is the missionary life. haha 

If this week can get any better, I will be a missionary for the rest of my life if I could! We reached our goal and then surpassed it this week! It was incredible and a new record for my companion. We had 0 lessons at the first of the week, and then God blessed us with a bunch for the rest of the week! We always have lessons planned, but most fall through. a bunch fell through this week, but we got a ton of opportunities to teach and serve new people. I am so grateful. I truly believe that God is answering our prayers and blessing us for fasting last week. Out of all the lessons this week, my favorite was with this big priest. usually he won't listen to us and he will just talk and quote the bible the whole time. So today we switched it up on him and watched Finding Faith In Christ. He still talked and quoted a million Bible scriptures, but when we got near the last 10 minutes, he was silent and cried as well. The spirit was strong in the room. It was a miracle! 

So our investigator who lives around the corner from the big priest told us a story. The big priest, who normally doesn't like us and tells everyone to never listen to us, went over to our investigator's house and talked about us with her.  They told her to receive the missionaries and their lessons! They told of their son who works on a ship in America. There son told them that there are Mormons on the ship and that they are good people with strong morals. 

The people on the ship see our church member's good example and it is affecting our missionary work here! I am so grateful to the strong members who live by example the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We pray so hard for the work here, and I have especially prayed hard to see the fruits of our labor. And God has heard our cries. We had 7 investigators at church this week and a bunch of inactive members come as well! We are being rewarded for our efforts. I just wish are branch would be re"ward"ed too. haha (I wish our branch would become a ward) 

I am so happy that God is letting us see the fruit of our labors. I testify that He hears our cries. They are not in vain. We are His children and He is guiding those who obey His commandments. Humility, patience, and diligence is key in the work of a missionary.

Elder Litster

November 3rd, 2013

Selamat siang!

Over Halloween, my district met up with all the districts in the Surabaya region. Surabaya is on a different island than Manado so we had to fly 3 hours to get there. Surabaya is on the island Java and is on the Eastern side.It is supposed to be the hottest area in the whole mission! But we were lucky with good weather and rain so we were blessed! Our meeting was called a PLD. This PLD was special because Elder Gong from the Quorum of the Seventy was there. We prepared all month for this meeting and we were so excited to meet Elder Gong. He taught a ton about the Atonement and about stakes in Zion. The spirit was so strong and I was able to feel and remember what it was like when I first gained a testimony of the Atonement years back. He specifically mentioned the word "tremble" and that Jesus trembled from the pains and sufferings. Elder Gong brought in the sprit so strong and I am glad we had this amazing opportunity with him. We were all introduced to him and he talked and had lunch with us as well. One cool thing that I learned from Sister Gong was that if you are called to serve in the Seventy, you are to fulfill that calling until you are the age of 70 years old. So Elder Gong has served since he was 56 and now he is 60 years old and has 10 years to go. But she also said there are some who are 45 and get called! That's a lot of service! Elder Gong is over all of the asia region except for korea japan and the philippines i think. But he covers half the world's population! 3.5 million! Just him and his wife! So he is traveling all the time everywhere! I am so grateful for the opportunity to meet with him personally and talk to a leader in our church. I know this gospel is true and my testimony is growing continually in this mission. My companion, Elder Taulu, is awesome and we are great friends. I have learned so many things from him and I am so blessed to have such a good companion as my trainer. I know that we are called of God to serve where we are called and that we are serving our brothers and sisters wherever we are. I attached a couple photos of Elder Gong and my companion and I. Thanks for the love and support!

Elder Litster

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