Holy Places D&C 101:22 & 64

Mom, you and I are so similiar, I love it! I also take advantage of any time I have to do hidden exercises ;) It's funny that you say your week was long and boring because it sounds like you all are very busy with a lot! Haha my week in any case has just zoomed by! This week has been so amazing and I got host Zuster Wood and Zuster Townsend on exchanges here in Amsterdam and go to Gouda for exchanges with Zuster Djoukeng, each one was so amazing! I learn so much from all of these girls, they are such great examples! Zuster Wood and Djoukeng came out with the same group as my companion, Zuster Larson, and they are some of the most incredible missionaries I've been privileged to serve with. They're all just so prepared and motivated! I have a full testimony that they have been hand-picked by the Lord to start off the wave of sisters we're getting here this summer. I'm bummed I won't get to serve with all the incredible sisters the Lord is sending our way, but I'm eternally grateful for the honor of serving with who I'm sure are the top. 

Some miraculous experiences I've had with the sisters this week are:

-Witnessing the miracle of a priesthood blessing and a confirmation

-Having locked doors literally blow open giving us access into a building full of children of God searching for the truth

-Teaching a woman who is so prepared for baptism that she's committed to making the covenant this month after just one lesson

-Working hard despite an appointment falling through and due to diligence and enthusiasm running into people who needed us at the end of our hour. 

-Food was provided for us every day this week and in abundance!!

-Interviews with President Robinson

-Celebrating birthdays

-Cheering up a woman who has lost all hope 

-And so many other wonderful things, big and small, that change my life on a daily basis. 

In RS yesterday we watched a mormonmessage about a girl's preparation to take some names to the temple. The RS president talked about how each moment of preparation can be considered a "holy place" in the timeline of our day, week, life, existence, etc. because they prepare us for greater and better things. She also talked about how in times of difficulty we can create "holy places" as we come to rely on the Lord and really exercise faith in Christ's Atonement. That's what I feel a mission is for me. One big "holy place" that allows me to come to know the Savior in an invaluable manner. I am so grateful for all the experiences I have every day here. 

I love you all and hope you have an amazing week full of miraculous moments as well. I am so grateful that you are my eternal family! What blessed am I!! 

D&C 101: 22, 64 Behold, it is my will, that all they who call on my name, and worship me according to mine everlasting gospel, should gather together, and stand in holy places;... That the work of the gathering together of my saints may continue, that I may build them up unto my name upon holy places; for the time of harvest is come, and my word must needs be fulfilled.

I am so glad for the work the Lord has done to gather our family together and all that He continues to do so we can stay together in holiness. I am also grateful for what He trusts me to do to help others.

Love you!!!

Zuster Becky Hinchcliff

May 27th

Real Fast

So, our p-day hasn't really gone as planned and turns out I don't have much time...like five minutes. I'm printing out your emails so I will read them later and respond to them next week. 

This last week for us has been really great. I got to go on exchanges with Zuster Omozokpia in Gouda and with Zuster Townsend in Dordrecht. I had a lot of fun, learned a lot, and got to teach people too :) Also, here in Amsterdam we had some really amazing and spirit-filled lessons and a baptism! Our friend, Daniel, was baptized yesterday at church. He had probably the best attended baptism I've seen my whole mission, we just all love him! He's a golden guy and he's making a difference in the lives of those around him. 

Well, I'm afraid that's all I have time for this week, but know that I love you, the church is true, Heavenly Father loves you, Joseph Smith restored the true church of God to the earth, the Book of Mormon is true, Thomas S. Monson is a prophet today, and did I mention I love you all? Because I really and truly do!!! 

Love, Zuster Becky Hinchcliff

May 20th

Well, I've had another great week starting off with an exchange with Zuster Omozokpia in Gouda! She is wonderful and I get to have another exchange  with her this week and one with my MTC companion, Zuster Townsend. We haven't served with each other since leaving the MTC, it'll be an exciting couple of exchanges, I know it!

This last week I got to participate in the Rotterdam Zone Training. I was super nervous, and sweated swimming pools, but I really enjoyed it. I love the gospel and sharing it with others who love it too is encouraging and just feels nice. I love teaching investigators and others, but there's just something different about teaching a group of missionaries. It's probably the eagerness they all have to actually listen and  the spirit they already bring into the room. It's very fulfilling to both speak to a group like this and be a part of it. 

Because I serve in Amsterdam I also got to attend the Den Haag training where I was particularly edified by Zuster Schwab's portion of the training. This sweet angel was my other MTC companion and she spoke about being a successful missionary. When I first came on my mission, things were quite different than I pictured. And that's an understatement. My whole mission I've been seeking to understand how to do things according to the will of the Lord and not according to how I picture things going and simultaneously seeking His approval to know I'm doing things right. During Zuster Schwab's training we read from Preach My Gospel, "You can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when you feel the Spirit working through you," and I felt that I truly have His approval. I've read that sentence many times before, but at last I received the accompanying confirmation I've desired. I am so grateful. As I reflected on this wonderful feeling and other things discussed I thought on 3 Nephi 7:15-16, 21

"And it came to pass that Nephi—having been visited by angels and also the voice of the Lord, therefore having seen angels, and being eye-witness, and having had power given unto him that he might know concerning the ministry of Christ, and also being eye-witness to their quick return from righteousness unto their wickedness and abominations; Therefore, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds—went forth among them in that same year, and began to testify, boldly, repentance and remission of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ....And it came to pass that the thirty and first year did pass away, and there were but few who were converted unto the Lord; but as many as were converted did truly signify unto the people that they had been visited by the power and Spirit of God, which was in Jesus Christ, in whom they believed." 

Nephi was a very spiritual man. That said, He did not have had a "picture-perfect" mission. But he didn't let it bring him down. He turned his circumstances into a springboard of opportunity to lift others up. He testified boldly and I know he worked according to the Spirit, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to perform the later miracles he did and help the few be converted. Furthermore, those who were converted were not converted by Nephi's efforts, but by the Spirit his efforts brought. So, yeah, maybe his mission was not picture perfect, but I would definitely say it was ideal. 

I am at a point, took me a while to get here, that I feel the same about my mission. I know my mission hasn't been picture perfect, especially not considering the image I first formed, but I know because of the continual confirmations I have from the Spirit, that my mission is ideal. I wouldn't have it any other way. I know that ideal is possible for all missionaries. So whether we help thousands or just a few come closer to Christ through faith in Him and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, we can know that those few or thousand are, "converted to the Lord; [and] as many as [are] converted [will] truly signify...that they [have] been visited by the power and Spirit of God, which [is] in Jesus Christ, in whom [we believe]." I know this is true. It's my mission experience.

The other segments of both zone trainings were also very enlightening and fun, however, this is the experience I treasure most. 

As far as Amsterdam itself goes, things are moving along quite nicely here. One of our friends is committed to being baptized this upcoming Sunday and he has a lot of great support from friends in the ward and stake. Another great person we're currently working with is the best friend of our ward mission leader. One of our companionship goals for this transfer was to become besties with the ward mission leader and bishop. To accomplish this we came up with some smaller goals and in the process I felt like we should ask our ward mission leader if we could arrange an appointment with him and this specific friend. He'd talked about him a few times and I felt impressed to see him. Things were arranged and after a spirit-filled lesson, Sung is excited to learn more. As far as improving our relationship with the bishop goes, we have dinner with his family tomorrow. Things are happening here in Amsterdam! And I've only mentioned a few :) What an exciting feeling to be apart of the Lord's work!

I feel like big things are going to be happening for us this week, and I'm excited to allow these things to work in me so I can springboard into the thousands waiting to hear about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I love you all sooooooo much!!!

Love, Zuster Becky Hinchcliff

KONNINGINNEDAY May 6, 2013

Hey Family!

I just want you all to know I love you a lot. Like an overwhelming a lot! You all are incredible.

This week has been soo great! Tuesday was Konninginneday (Queens Day) and we took advantage of the holiday to talk with hundreds of the people on the street out celebrating. We set up a stand where we shared pass-along cards, pamphlets, and copies of the Book of Mormon. We shared about 40 books with everyone and pretty much everyone who received one specifically requested it! We are still working on contacting all the people we met from the booth. Such a great experience. The individuals we met I believe were sent there by the Lord at just the time they needed for the particular pass-along card or pamphlet we shared in that moment. 

An example of this is a young Polish family we handed an English Family Proclamation to, not because we knew they were Polish, but because it was the end of the day and that's all we had left! About 5 minutes later I saw them walking back to us and my first thought was, "Oh no! They realized what they accepted to read and are returning it because they don't want anything to do with Christ," as had happened with others during the day. However, to my surprise the man asked, "Where can we find this church? Is is here in Amsterdam? Where is this church? We had a sister missionary teach us about this in Poland, Zuster (I can't remember who they said). We loved her and the message she shared. Where can we find this church?" A much better reaction than I expected. And just think, if they hadn't come at that time they may have received another pamphlet or card and not realized it was from the same church. 

Another young man who came to our booth shared an extended moment with us, 5-6 hours worth. D. attended Institute with a friend the week before and heard us invite everyone to participate at our booth. None of the young adults came, but he did. He told us how he'd been reading in the Book of Mormon, about 30% of it so far, and had some questions. We answered his questions and he spent his Queens Day reading the pamphlets we were sharing, observing the reactions of others to our efforts, and he even helped give away a copy of the Book of Mormon himself. The next evening he was again at  Institute where we arranged an appointment for the next day. Since then we've met with him twice, he's come to sacrament meeting, and he's accepted a baptismal date! 

I love missionary work.

I got a new companion this week, Zr. Larson. She is a sweetheart who came to share her love for our Savior and every time she bears testimony all present are flooded with the Spirit of love too. Teaching with her has provided some of the most powerful lessons of my mission. She came here to testify and work and her focus helps me be better. 

I really love it out here.

I love you truly and eternally,

Zuster Becky Hinchcliff

Catch-up April 29th, 2013

Hey family! I feel like I haven't really kept you all well updated for the past month or so...sorry about that. To make up for that, here's my month is short since conference:

-Contacted a Jewish family who weren't initially interested in accepting what we said until I mentioned the Book of Mormon begins with a family out of Jerusalem. That caught their attention. They asked for a copy which we gladly delivered. I just spoke with their teenage daughter a few days ago and she said her father thinks it's beautiful :) The title page of the Book of Mormon says it is written to Jew and Gentile. It feels good to be sharing it with everyone.

-I got to go back to Dordrecht for exchanges with my former companion, Zuster Israelsen! It was super strange but cool to be back and to see some of my friends there. Zuster Israelsen and I saw miracles left and right together and one of the people we contacted together that day is now investigating, yeah!

-As a zone we went to the temple and later to Keukenhof. Both were amazing, but the temple was definitely better! I felt so much peace and was able to stay for a few hours. Keukenhof was nice as well, but the flowers weren't as nice as last year because of the long winter we've had here. However, I had way more fun this year than last with the other missionaries. 

-Zuster Davies and I helped a woman with her groceries and were invited to her birthday party the next day. We thought that'd be a fun way to find new investigators, turns out it was just awkward. Haha. She really loved the Book of Mormon we gave to her as a gift though :)

-We had another special zone training this month from the Den Haag Stake President, President Oddens, about how we can help the members better engage in missionary work. I also got to go on exchanges with Zuster Schwab (one of my MTC companions) in Haarlem (my greenie city!) a few weeks ago and have an exchange with her again here in Amsterdam just last week. Of the three exchanges we've had this month I got to arrange one. Talk about pressure. Cool to know feel the inspiration of the spirit though as I felt impressed to have certain sisters go together for a day. After that exchange I had them write down all the miracles they've seen and it was pretty powerful and humbling to read how the Lord worked through them all. 

-Last Thursday I got to attend the baptism of a dear friend, Fabien, in Haarlem. Fabien is a girl Zuster Jeffs, Zuster Moses, and I met last year during my second transfer in Haarlem. She's been investigating the church ever since and through it we've become really great friends. It was a miracle to be able to attend her baptism. Six of the ten(?) missionaries who taught her were there. It was a high-light of my mission and life. The service was small and simple, and the spirit was strong ("through small and simple things are great things brought to pass" Alma 37:6-7). I'm pretty sure everyone in attendance shed a few tears. 

-Most of our most positive investigators right now are all either Portuguese or Spanish speaking. My high school Spanish helps out a bit, but mostly we have a joint-teach to translate. I wish I had studied and kept it up more. To those out there studying a language, work it and keep it up! You never know when the Lord is going to call on you to use it and you want to feel prepared!

-I got transfer calls last night! I am staying here in Amsterdam for at least another six weeks and will be training. I'm so excited to serve with one of the special sisters who Heavenly Father has selected to be part of the first wave here in the Belgium/Netherlands mission! I know she is going to be a powerhouse and can't wait to learn from her!!

Well, that's just a bit of the last few weeks! I'm excited for the next transfer to begin and to share with you more of the miracles we see!!

Love, Zuster Becky Hinchcliff

SPRING April 22, 2013

Well family, Amsterdam is finally showing signs of spring! The trees have buds of leaves, flowers are popping up everwhere, the sun is shining! Life doesn't get much better :) And let me tell you, there is almost nothing so beautiful as seeing the freshness of spring against the backdrop of an old, European city. Also, people are friendlier as a result of the sunshine and new life and that creates perfect dispositions to talk to about the restored gospel. Zuster Davies and I have been having a lot of fun and success together and we have plans to continue that pattern. 

Last week P-day I didn't get a chance to email, so today when I got on there was A LOT to read! I am still sorting out my feelings about the news you shared with me about Scott and moving to Korea, but I have pretty much decided to not think or worry about it and just focus on what's before me now. I know the rest will take care of itself just fine. The Lord knows what He's doing and is in charge. I had a companion a while ago with continual medical problems. She was freaking out because her MTC companion was sent home and she doesn't want that to be the story of her mission too. The thing is, the story of your mission is what you make of it. So, she decided to make every day count, just in case. Ideally, we all are making every day count, but I have to admit, she was one of the most focused and dedicated missionaries I've ever been privileged to serve with. And I just can't help but think to myself, what if she didn't have these difficulties, would she be just as hardworking and influential? I don't know. But, I do know the Lord doesn't ask us to do things just for kicks and giggles, He is purpose driven and anything He hands to us is to help us become even more like Him. In the case of my companion, I'd say so far it's working :) Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6). Words of wisdom right there :) 

I've really come to understand this better throughout my mission. Funny thing is, I thought I knew it and fully understood it before I came. Guess I still have some learning to do. One thing I'm sure of is that I'm grateful for the opportunities the Lord gives us to continually learn and grow and progress to become more like Him. 

Mom, that scripture you shared with me from John 14:26, "but the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your rememberane, whatsoever I have said unto you," is the same scripture our ward mission leader shared in our investigator class yesterday as he taught us all about covenants. I know that as we are true to our covenants everything works out the way it's supposed and the Lord rewards us in all aspects of our lives, even through things as simple as a common scripture shared in a class and an email. Small things are inspired too, after all, it's by small and simple things that great things are brought to pass (Alma 37:6-7). Thanks for listening to the Spirit in even the small things so I could experience that little miracle :) It brought just the comfort I needed. 

I'm so grateful you're my eternal family.

Love eternal daughter/sister, 

Zuster Becky Hinchcliff

conference

Rebecca Hinchcliff <rebecca.hinchcliff@myldsmail.net>	Apr 8
to me, julie

Isn't conference so great?! I sure do feel the love of our Heavenly Father and Savior whenever I listen to the words of the prophets and apostles because the Spirit is so strong when they speak. Zr. Davies and I were super excited for conference and wanted to invite everyone we saw to come watch it with us. So we did :) We talked with some great individuals and families, but not a single person we met came! They missed out. However, I did have a Jewish father ask me for a copy of The Book of Mormon because he's curious about the family that leaves Jerusalem and their story, so that's pretty awesome! Also, one of our investigators came and LOVED conference. She said it felt nice and she loved the focus they seemed to have on families. Interesting since when I watched I noticed themes from my mission and personal studies. Isn't it so amazing how the general authorities prepare talks for a world-wide audience and they still seem to have really personal significance? God is so amazing :) I am so grateful for the Restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the blessings that come from it like a surety that God is my loving Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ's Atonement truly does apply to everyone, the Book of Mormon, the priesthood, latter-day prophets, eternal families, the gift of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, temples, the sacrament, geneology, the list goes on! Oh, I am so grateful!! It feels good having a knowledge of the truth. Why aren't more people jumping out of their seats to find it? Please, please, if you have an inclinations as to individuals or families who could use or are ready to accept this beautiful restored gospel let the missionaries know! And then let them know what specific message you think those individuals and families need so we can be as personal as possible when we contact them. I can understand that sometimes it's scary to trust us with your friends and family members, but I know that everyone has a back pocket referral. The Lord has called us and trusts us, please sustain us in our callings by putting your trust in us too :)  Then pray a whole lot and I know miracles will happen! I love you all and hope you have a great week!!

Love, Zuster Becky Hinchcliff