Buenos dias, familia mia~
First off, your emails were... hilarious.
But I'm going to talk about MY week for a minute... :)
WOW.
I can't really describe the things I learned this week. As I'm sure you all have found out, the truths the Lord communicates to you through the "unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost" are extremely hard to articulate accurately. Once again we learn how sight and sound are simply not the best way of conveying things, but through the heart. But I'll do my best to describe them. :)
I've been learning and practicing opening my heart when someone speaks. I mean really opening my heart to what they're saying. We're so used to picking and choosing what we think is worth listening to and what automatically connects to us that we almost never truly hear what people are saying. From practicing this--having faith in people and having faith in the Spirit teaching me--I have been able to glean a goldmine of truth. Not that I've hit some sort of jackpot or that I'm perfect at listening and understanding--definitely not. But church and lessons and conversations are never boring or empty anymore. And in fact when my heart is open and "spongy" if you will, that's the only type of soil the Spirit is even able to work with. And boy, He does! Once again, as I've said in past emails, I know that getting out of the Spirit's way and letting Him do His job is SO important. It's so difficult for us because frankly, we're dense, but when we really yield..... it makes all the difference. Like it says in Helaman 3:35, sanctification cometh from yielding our hearts to God. And that leads me to another thing I learned or had reinforced. That yielding is exhausting. It's SO hard--really, truly yielding or giving ourselves up to Him. Because it's forever. You are never the same afterward. It's when you start to ascend the mountain, if you will. Speaking of Elder Holland's description of the mountain of discipleship and how it gets steeper and steeper. John the Baptist felt this when he said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." I have to rely more and more on the Atonement as I keep hiking. It gets steeper, but also I realize much more now how much I need the Atonement in every action. But one of the instances that taught me this was on Saturday when we did some practices at the VC. When the sister was role-playing (or real-playing), and I had to rely solely upon the prompting of the Holy Ghost to discern her needs (because heaven knows I didn't know them, only He did), I realized it takes ALL of my concentration and focus to teach and invite by the Spirit. And it's exhausting. ( but not nearly as exhausting as Joseph Smith's experiences... ;) )
We've been learning how to become master teachers. And master planners. Ugh, I hate that I literally do not have the capacity of telling you all what this means or how master planners plan and how master teachers teach. But I encourage you to go to the scriptures and really study how Jesus taught and how the prophets in the Book of Mormon taught and preached. And invite the Holy Ghost.
So how did the looking for someone to invite to FHE go? Did anyone even do it?
Mom, I loved your comments about loving the people before you preach to them. What a mandatory lesson we all have to learn! And how we can't have the Spirit with us unless we love people.
A VERY brief overview of the week:
We went to Liberty Jail and Far West and Adam ondi-Ahman and the KC temple site on Friday and got our own history tour! SO neat!
On Easter Sunday we found an Iraqi family that is extremely nice and wants us to come back with Arabic pamphlets and Book of Mormon. The oldest daughter translates for the Mom. They're amazing and we're very excited to go back!
We're doing our best to ensure H's well-being within the Church. He does have friends, he is well on his way to receiving a calling and the Priesthood, going to the temple, receiving a Patriarchal Blessing and we've taught him how to be nourished by the good word of God. (but a lot of that is learned privately)
We had a training meeting yesterday on the 8 Lessons (further training on PMG that the Brethren deemed necessary), which was.... perfect.
Well, I'm most assuredly out of time and I love you all so very much.
And I hope you'll take the challenges or invitations I sent. I sent them because I love you.
Tengan cuidado
P.S. I LOVE my companion!!!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Abril 20
HAhahahahahahaha oooh I love the updates.
Thanks for your emails.
Well this week was--naturally--very good. This morning we taught a lesson to a guy and his wife while he was receiving chemo in the VA hospital with a stake Patriarch as our team-up. Pretty interesting. The wife is like 92% sure her husband will be cured from his stage 4 terminal cancer, they'll go on the road and become traveling evangelists to tell about his story... but as for now... he still has cancer. They were totally willing to read the Restoration pamphlet and start the Book of Mormon, however. And I do actually believe they'll read it. Thank heaven we have the powerful Book of Mormon combined with the Spirit to be our most powerful tools.
We also gave a church tour to a Spanish guy this week and committed him for baptism. And naturally he got the flu on Sunday and couldn't come to church or keep the appt for today. When I talked to him on the phone last night he did sound sick, though... So I hate saying this but.... I do hope he has the flu. ;) We're meeting with him on Saturday. H came to the church tour as our member and was awesome! He shared his testimony, how he felt at his baptism, etc. And H's goin' strong and doing great. His family is going through a lot, though, so that's hard on him. But he's super happy to finally be a member of the true church or Jesus Christ!
We also found J this week and have taught him twice since Sunday. He expressed some concerns last lesson that were helpful to know and that we addressed and then, with him, created a formula to "resolver sus dudas" (wink, wink, Lance), we wrote it down and he is committed to do the things necessary to overcome his fears and replace that with faith. He's a funny one....
Last Friday we also had Zone Conference. 'Twas great, of course. Yo aprendi algunas cosas que puedo mejorar y otras que son metas personales. Me gusta metas! Si las usamos correctamente--como 'tools'--nos ayudaran and nos mejoran. Todos necesitamos confiar a nosotros mismos. Y a Dios, compromisos son muy, muy importantes. :)
Lately I've made it a goal to improve my personal study. On the days when we actually get 3 full hours of study (because we're not on the morning shift at the VC or other reasons), which is extremely rare, I know I can learn a lot! Well, I can learn a lot any time I'm able to study, really, so this week I've been more structured in my study, made goals, etc. and it has been very good! I love walking away from the table to go upstairs to do companion study thinking, "Now that was a personal study...." SO! This is one of my challenges for y'all this coming week: Set apart 1 hour per day this week, starting tomorrow, to study the scriptures--the Standard Works, Conf. talks, the Missionary Library, PMG--whatever! But set aside 1 hour every day for scripture study (no matter what it takes... ) and then at the end of this week evaluate. See how your week was different. :) WILL YOU DO IT?? ;) (I'll follow up... ;) )
So last challenge: this week LOOK for someone or some family to invite over for FHE NEXT week. :) Nonmember or less active.
Love you all!
Thanks for your emails.
Well this week was--naturally--very good. This morning we taught a lesson to a guy and his wife while he was receiving chemo in the VA hospital with a stake Patriarch as our team-up. Pretty interesting. The wife is like 92% sure her husband will be cured from his stage 4 terminal cancer, they'll go on the road and become traveling evangelists to tell about his story... but as for now... he still has cancer. They were totally willing to read the Restoration pamphlet and start the Book of Mormon, however. And I do actually believe they'll read it. Thank heaven we have the powerful Book of Mormon combined with the Spirit to be our most powerful tools.
We also gave a church tour to a Spanish guy this week and committed him for baptism. And naturally he got the flu on Sunday and couldn't come to church or keep the appt for today. When I talked to him on the phone last night he did sound sick, though... So I hate saying this but.... I do hope he has the flu. ;) We're meeting with him on Saturday. H came to the church tour as our member and was awesome! He shared his testimony, how he felt at his baptism, etc. And H's goin' strong and doing great. His family is going through a lot, though, so that's hard on him. But he's super happy to finally be a member of the true church or Jesus Christ!
We also found J this week and have taught him twice since Sunday. He expressed some concerns last lesson that were helpful to know and that we addressed and then, with him, created a formula to "resolver sus dudas" (wink, wink, Lance), we wrote it down and he is committed to do the things necessary to overcome his fears and replace that with faith. He's a funny one....
Last Friday we also had Zone Conference. 'Twas great, of course. Yo aprendi algunas cosas que puedo mejorar y otras que son metas personales. Me gusta metas! Si las usamos correctamente--como 'tools'--nos ayudaran and nos mejoran. Todos necesitamos confiar a nosotros mismos. Y a Dios, compromisos son muy, muy importantes. :)
Lately I've made it a goal to improve my personal study. On the days when we actually get 3 full hours of study (because we're not on the morning shift at the VC or other reasons), which is extremely rare, I know I can learn a lot! Well, I can learn a lot any time I'm able to study, really, so this week I've been more structured in my study, made goals, etc. and it has been very good! I love walking away from the table to go upstairs to do companion study thinking, "Now that was a personal study...." SO! This is one of my challenges for y'all this coming week: Set apart 1 hour per day this week, starting tomorrow, to study the scriptures--the Standard Works, Conf. talks, the Missionary Library, PMG--whatever! But set aside 1 hour every day for scripture study (no matter what it takes... ) and then at the end of this week evaluate. See how your week was different. :) WILL YOU DO IT?? ;) (I'll follow up... ;) )
So last challenge: this week LOOK for someone or some family to invite over for FHE NEXT week. :) Nonmember or less active.
Love you all!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Abril 14
Well, as Woody would say, Howdy howdy howdy!
Hna B. and I just keep loving the work! The mission has some new, high goals for baptisms and new investigators, etc. this month and next so that President can go out with a bang. 100 people baptized in May! So we're just workin workin workin to find the people who are ready for the Restored Gospel.
OH! H WAS BAPTIZED ON SUNDAY!!!!!
Man. He was truly converted. I LOVE hearing about his experience when he prayed to know if the Book of Mormon is true and if Joseph Smith is a prophet. And his baptism was beautiful. We had JC, another very recent convert, baptize H. And we had a lot of support from the ward. He was SO ready. And after his baptism he couldn't stop talking about how happy he was--not just immediately after, but like days after... Yesterday when we taught him his first New Member lesson he told us about how he came out of Walmart and a guy threw a car jack into his car window.... and he didn't get mad at him. He just sent him on his way, vacuumed up the glass and is going to replace the window... He's so full of light right now and I'm SO thankful I was the lucky one to see it through, to be able to teach and know and love him. He'll be a strong member now.
During his baptismal interview he told Elder N. how when he was in Mexico as a boy, working on his grandpa's farm, his grandpa would watch him work and sometimes they'd see the misioneros go by. He'd say, "Grandpa! Who are they?" His abuelo would tell him they're the men of God. He then asked, "Well shouldn't we follow them then?" his grandpa would reply yes, he (H) could, but he was too old and set in his ways. So H would follow the Elders around on his bike and they'd give him cards, but wouldn't ever teach him. He'd put the cards under his pillow and saved them. Fast forward 35 years.... he's finally a member of the true church of Jesus Christ. He loves church and learns and ponders. And he's content that this was his time. And he has started a new life!
Other than that, we're just tryin to keep all our new investigators on board! We have high hopes for E and his family, Z, and M. It's great teaching Hispanics.... but they work ALL THE TIME!! hahaha
Well'm, there's just too little time to say what there is to say. I wish I was a better journal-er. No time, though. Ever. But it's a good thing.
I hope you all are mucho bien and that you're READING YOUR BOOK OF MORMON EVERY DAY or at least something of the Standard Works every day. I really like Brent's scripture study idea. I've done something similar and it's super good. Your understanding sky-rockets when you study all 4 at a time.
Well, I love you all!
Tengo que irme!
Hna B. and I just keep loving the work! The mission has some new, high goals for baptisms and new investigators, etc. this month and next so that President can go out with a bang. 100 people baptized in May! So we're just workin workin workin to find the people who are ready for the Restored Gospel.
OH! H WAS BAPTIZED ON SUNDAY!!!!!
Man. He was truly converted. I LOVE hearing about his experience when he prayed to know if the Book of Mormon is true and if Joseph Smith is a prophet. And his baptism was beautiful. We had JC, another very recent convert, baptize H. And we had a lot of support from the ward. He was SO ready. And after his baptism he couldn't stop talking about how happy he was--not just immediately after, but like days after... Yesterday when we taught him his first New Member lesson he told us about how he came out of Walmart and a guy threw a car jack into his car window.... and he didn't get mad at him. He just sent him on his way, vacuumed up the glass and is going to replace the window... He's so full of light right now and I'm SO thankful I was the lucky one to see it through, to be able to teach and know and love him. He'll be a strong member now.
During his baptismal interview he told Elder N. how when he was in Mexico as a boy, working on his grandpa's farm, his grandpa would watch him work and sometimes they'd see the misioneros go by. He'd say, "Grandpa! Who are they?" His abuelo would tell him they're the men of God. He then asked, "Well shouldn't we follow them then?" his grandpa would reply yes, he (H) could, but he was too old and set in his ways. So H would follow the Elders around on his bike and they'd give him cards, but wouldn't ever teach him. He'd put the cards under his pillow and saved them. Fast forward 35 years.... he's finally a member of the true church of Jesus Christ. He loves church and learns and ponders. And he's content that this was his time. And he has started a new life!
Other than that, we're just tryin to keep all our new investigators on board! We have high hopes for E and his family, Z, and M. It's great teaching Hispanics.... but they work ALL THE TIME!! hahaha
Well'm, there's just too little time to say what there is to say. I wish I was a better journal-er. No time, though. Ever. But it's a good thing.
I hope you all are mucho bien and that you're READING YOUR BOOK OF MORMON EVERY DAY or at least something of the Standard Works every day. I really like Brent's scripture study idea. I've done something similar and it's super good. Your understanding sky-rockets when you study all 4 at a time.
Well, I love you all!
Tengo que irme!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Abril 6 - Happy Birthday, Jesus!
Well...
I have absolutely no time to write because.... I was doing what missionaries do best! I've been talking to the guy next to me for about an hour about the Restoration of the Gospel and so now I just have a couple minutes to write!
So Hermana B and I are just having so much fun. :) We love being back together. Yesterday we got 4 new investigators!! The one I'm most excited for is a Spanish family. SO sweet. And we also took a guy's beer away. It was awesome. We went in and taught him and he confessed he does marjuana and smokes and drinks. We made him some bold promises that we have every confidence the Lord will make good on (that's another cool thing about being a missionary--you can be bold making promises to people and the Lord will keep them!) and he said he didn't have any drugs in the apartment but he did have some beer. We asked if we could take it to remove the temptation and help him begin on his way to turning around his life. And he actually agreed! He gave us his beer and we went and dumped it out on the grass. And someone who saw us do it became our next lesson and new investigator. So we went around this apartment complex yesterday with the intention of contacting formers or potentials but found 6 new people to teach. MIRACLES. Another lesson was a guy from Honduras. :) And we taught a 16 yr old and his sister the day before and we're going back today. We've lately been "blowing up our system" to be able to set much higher goals and accomplish them and have the kind of faith that these new higher goals require. And the miracles are..... miraculous!
H. attended 2 sessions of conference and loved them and learned much and took notes. He's so excited for his baptism and we just love him.
S. fell off the face of the earth. Again.
SP did too. :(
A. has a baptismal date and we're teaching him today too. We'll see how it goes. Our last appt with him was... interesting lol.
C..... breaks my heart. She was so golden and now we can't get a hold of her whatsoever.
D.... same.
The VC is great. I keep learning and improving my tours and the people who come in are always interesting. :) And the Lord prompts you when to go down and do referrals because he knows when people are home and when they'll accept your offer. :) Me gusta!
I loved hearing about all of you!
CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING.
But I only got to watch 2.75 sessions because of VC, etc. But I'm excited to get the Ensign and read them all again.
HO my gosh I need to go. Now.
I love you all!
Can't wait to hear from you again.
I have absolutely no time to write because.... I was doing what missionaries do best! I've been talking to the guy next to me for about an hour about the Restoration of the Gospel and so now I just have a couple minutes to write!
So Hermana B and I are just having so much fun. :) We love being back together. Yesterday we got 4 new investigators!! The one I'm most excited for is a Spanish family. SO sweet. And we also took a guy's beer away. It was awesome. We went in and taught him and he confessed he does marjuana and smokes and drinks. We made him some bold promises that we have every confidence the Lord will make good on (that's another cool thing about being a missionary--you can be bold making promises to people and the Lord will keep them!) and he said he didn't have any drugs in the apartment but he did have some beer. We asked if we could take it to remove the temptation and help him begin on his way to turning around his life. And he actually agreed! He gave us his beer and we went and dumped it out on the grass. And someone who saw us do it became our next lesson and new investigator. So we went around this apartment complex yesterday with the intention of contacting formers or potentials but found 6 new people to teach. MIRACLES. Another lesson was a guy from Honduras. :) And we taught a 16 yr old and his sister the day before and we're going back today. We've lately been "blowing up our system" to be able to set much higher goals and accomplish them and have the kind of faith that these new higher goals require. And the miracles are..... miraculous!
H. attended 2 sessions of conference and loved them and learned much and took notes. He's so excited for his baptism and we just love him.
S. fell off the face of the earth. Again.
SP did too. :(
A. has a baptismal date and we're teaching him today too. We'll see how it goes. Our last appt with him was... interesting lol.
C..... breaks my heart. She was so golden and now we can't get a hold of her whatsoever.
D.... same.
The VC is great. I keep learning and improving my tours and the people who come in are always interesting. :) And the Lord prompts you when to go down and do referrals because he knows when people are home and when they'll accept your offer. :) Me gusta!
I loved hearing about all of you!
CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING.
But I only got to watch 2.75 sessions because of VC, etc. But I'm excited to get the Ensign and read them all again.
HO my gosh I need to go. Now.
I love you all!
Can't wait to hear from you again.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Marzo 30
How is everybody doing?? How's everyone holding up with spring on its way and Conference around the corner? YAYA!
What a week! What a week!
This week was so good! Sis. D and I learned SO much together! I have been learning SO much about faith--what it really is and how to consciously have it. We had a great district meeting on Friday (given actually by our zone leader, Elder T) and we were very motivated after that and we set new goals, high goals, and then went out and had a good week. I shoved myself out of my comfort zone and just went for it. We contacted EVERYONE. Have you ever chased someone down on the sidewalk to tell them about the most important thing in your life? It's pretty exhilarating. :) I chased quite a few people. And when we were stopped at a stoplight I gave the woman on the corner a pass-along card. And when we were in the QT gas station I gave a 40 second rundown of the Restoration.... in Spanish... No idea how. Hahaha that one makes me laugh. I approach this lady and she gets this slightly apprehensive look on her face when I start talking in English and have an English pamphlet and indicates that she only speaks a little English and then I go, "Oh! Esta bien!" and switch it for a Spanish one and flip into Spanish ahahaha. She was probably like, "Who IS this girl?...." but she was really nice and said she'd read it. Yay.
And so the other day we were trying to contact a referral ... and were unsuccessful... again... and there was this guy out painting his rocks (?) across the street so I'm like, "hey... let's go talk to him..." So we went over and talked to him and gave him a pamphlet and got his and his wife's name and said we'd come back. So on Monday we went back and I'll be honest, I wasn't full of faith when we knocked on the door and the wife opened it. The time we'd contacted them, R had seemed minimally interested and his wife had been nice, but not said much. So I was surprised when she invited us in. We sat down and talked and I realized that I needed to change my state of mind from normal to faith-full and with vision so I told myself, "I can see her in white...." and I did. And so when I thought that I started worrying more about what I was going to say to her because it now mattered more.... and had to stop myself again and remember the promise of Elder Holland in Preach My Gospel about listening and not premeditating on what you're going to say, how it'll be given me in the moment I need it. I made the decision to listen to her fully and let the Spirit teach instead of me--He's supposed to be the teacher anyway and after all is the most affective one. In a nutshell I conscientiously "got out of the way" (as Elder Bednar calls it). And...... it worked. I can honestly say that the Spirit led that discussion. Sis D and I worked in unity, we said what needed to be said clearly and concisely and simply. We told her about the Book of Mormon, its background, and she replied, "Well that sounds amazing!" and we're thinking, "Yeah! It is! That's the correct response to this book!" We asked if she'd read it and she said absolutely, and if she could have one for her husband too, that they'd start reading it that night, together. We asked if we could come back and when and she's like, "Yeah! You can come back today if you'd like..." Wha'??! The only person who says that to us is H.... because he loves us... and already knows it's true.... hahaha. We were on shift that evening so we set up a time to come back on Wednesday, today. So we're meeting her (hopefully them) today at 5! Miracles happen when you follow the Spirit, when you do what the Lord would have you do, and when you get out of the way. :)
H is amazing as ever and well on his way toward baptism on April 10th. We are excited to watch some of conference with him. :) He described how he felt when he prayed to know if this was all true and his description was awesome. Perfect. He says, "Me senti .... mucha paz. Mucha paz. Mucha felicidad....."
SP... so hard to get a hold of because of her crazy job! But we taught her again and 'twas wonderful. She's amazing. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and she told us that meant a lot to her. And she's doing great reading the Book of Mormon. She flies a lot so she reads on the plane...
S.... S is always on fire.... she's on like 4 Nephi now.... and if she comes to conference and church the next week and keeps her other commitments, she will also be baptized on Apr. 10.
D and L... not totally sure. The first lesson was awesome. The second they were distracted by D's daughter.... and we just feel like it went over their heads because they were trying to fit the circle of the Gospel into the square of their protestant background. So obviously the Spirit wasn't there as strongly as it could've been. Hopefully we can meet with them again soon.
And A! A was sitting on the stairs when we tried to contact another referral... again, unsuccessfully. I went up to him and we started talking and I gave him a pamphlet, invited him to read it and said we'd be back and where did he live. He said he would and then pointed to his apartment. So we went back the other day and haha so we were standing outside the door before we knocked to practice our Spanish a bit and the people inside apparently heard us and opened the door hahaha we felt silly. We awkwardly asked if there was another man living there (we didn't yet know his name because we couldn't understand it when he told us) and thankfully somehow they understood and he came out and recognized us. We talked to him and he said he read the whole pamphlet, loved it, and wants to come to church. Yaya. So we're teaching him today at 3.
This morning we had the farewell breakfast. At the end of every transfer they have a breakfast at the VC for those who are going home. it was awesome. We sang farewell songs and took 40,894 pictures and.......
So that brings us to the next bit of news:
transfers are tomorrow.
Sister D is leaving for Concordia, MO..... and Sister B is coming here to be with me in Riverview!!!! So excited. I am sad to see Sis. D go, though. (She has a great companion though! Sis. R is AMAZING. I served with her one day back in Feb.) We learned so much together, Sis. D and I, and grew to love each other. When it was tough this transfer, I knew I had 2 choices. I could either go forward or backward. I could get annoyed and be stubborn and worry about myself.... or I could back down, learn from whatever the situation had to offer, learn from my companion and her knowledge, and become a better missionary and more like the Savior. And I'm happy to say that I am a better missionary now. And I am excited to keep on learning how to work better, teach better, BE better. The key is definitely humility, the Spirit, and love.
So there's a quotation from Elder Pearson that I love and want to share:
"The problem with some missionaries is that they do the same thing they've always done and expect different results. That's the definition of insanity! No wonder some missionaries think they're going crazy!" He talked about how when Pres. Hinkley made the goal to build all those temples, that they had to go into the temple dept. and just blow up the whole system because the way they were doing things then just wasn't enough to operate at the kind of magnitude of his goals. So they had to blow up the system and make a new one that could handle his kind of operation. And so basically don't be afraid to blow up your system in order to accommodate bigger goals, more investigators, more baptisms, more lives changed. It's really quite amazing how much of this work depends on the missionary and his/her attitude and faith. FAITH IS EVERYTHING. (reference Moroni 10:7 :) ) It is something completely different than I ever really knew before. It's something I always wanted to be able to pin down more and I think that desire has driven me to do what it takes to have faith and to receive faith--after all, it's a gift from God. And it truly, truly, truly..... moves mountains. I say that with all seriousness. The mountains that it moves in peoples lives are huge. But when you have the power of faith, aka the Power of God behind it, nothing is impossible. Absolutely nothing. Remember that the next time you pray. Prayer is the key to faith. I definitely receive more inspiration while on my knees than perhaps any other place. Too many times before in my life I'd pick up the prayer phone, order my 'groceries', say thanks, and hang up. But it is literally renewing when you actually be quiet for half the time you're praying and let Him talk back to you. I've learned that when I pray in faith, He answers. This life and time is way to crucial to not slow down and listen.
Ummm.... I AM SO EXCITED FOR CONFERENCE. And I'm so excited to have our investigators hear our general authorities!
But I certainly hope you are all enjoying spring. It's still freezing here. IT was 85 one day and then plummetted again lol.
What a week! What a week!
This week was so good! Sis. D and I learned SO much together! I have been learning SO much about faith--what it really is and how to consciously have it. We had a great district meeting on Friday (given actually by our zone leader, Elder T) and we were very motivated after that and we set new goals, high goals, and then went out and had a good week. I shoved myself out of my comfort zone and just went for it. We contacted EVERYONE. Have you ever chased someone down on the sidewalk to tell them about the most important thing in your life? It's pretty exhilarating. :) I chased quite a few people. And when we were stopped at a stoplight I gave the woman on the corner a pass-along card. And when we were in the QT gas station I gave a 40 second rundown of the Restoration.... in Spanish... No idea how. Hahaha that one makes me laugh. I approach this lady and she gets this slightly apprehensive look on her face when I start talking in English and have an English pamphlet and indicates that she only speaks a little English and then I go, "Oh! Esta bien!" and switch it for a Spanish one and flip into Spanish ahahaha. She was probably like, "Who IS this girl?...." but she was really nice and said she'd read it. Yay.
And so the other day we were trying to contact a referral ... and were unsuccessful... again... and there was this guy out painting his rocks (?) across the street so I'm like, "hey... let's go talk to him..." So we went over and talked to him and gave him a pamphlet and got his and his wife's name and said we'd come back. So on Monday we went back and I'll be honest, I wasn't full of faith when we knocked on the door and the wife opened it. The time we'd contacted them, R had seemed minimally interested and his wife had been nice, but not said much. So I was surprised when she invited us in. We sat down and talked and I realized that I needed to change my state of mind from normal to faith-full and with vision so I told myself, "I can see her in white...." and I did. And so when I thought that I started worrying more about what I was going to say to her because it now mattered more.... and had to stop myself again and remember the promise of Elder Holland in Preach My Gospel about listening and not premeditating on what you're going to say, how it'll be given me in the moment I need it. I made the decision to listen to her fully and let the Spirit teach instead of me--He's supposed to be the teacher anyway and after all is the most affective one. In a nutshell I conscientiously "got out of the way" (as Elder Bednar calls it). And...... it worked. I can honestly say that the Spirit led that discussion. Sis D and I worked in unity, we said what needed to be said clearly and concisely and simply. We told her about the Book of Mormon, its background, and she replied, "Well that sounds amazing!" and we're thinking, "Yeah! It is! That's the correct response to this book!" We asked if she'd read it and she said absolutely, and if she could have one for her husband too, that they'd start reading it that night, together. We asked if we could come back and when and she's like, "Yeah! You can come back today if you'd like..." Wha'??! The only person who says that to us is H.... because he loves us... and already knows it's true.... hahaha. We were on shift that evening so we set up a time to come back on Wednesday, today. So we're meeting her (hopefully them) today at 5! Miracles happen when you follow the Spirit, when you do what the Lord would have you do, and when you get out of the way. :)
H is amazing as ever and well on his way toward baptism on April 10th. We are excited to watch some of conference with him. :) He described how he felt when he prayed to know if this was all true and his description was awesome. Perfect. He says, "Me senti .... mucha paz. Mucha paz. Mucha felicidad....."
SP... so hard to get a hold of because of her crazy job! But we taught her again and 'twas wonderful. She's amazing. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and she told us that meant a lot to her. And she's doing great reading the Book of Mormon. She flies a lot so she reads on the plane...
S.... S is always on fire.... she's on like 4 Nephi now.... and if she comes to conference and church the next week and keeps her other commitments, she will also be baptized on Apr. 10.
D and L... not totally sure. The first lesson was awesome. The second they were distracted by D's daughter.... and we just feel like it went over their heads because they were trying to fit the circle of the Gospel into the square of their protestant background. So obviously the Spirit wasn't there as strongly as it could've been. Hopefully we can meet with them again soon.
And A! A was sitting on the stairs when we tried to contact another referral... again, unsuccessfully. I went up to him and we started talking and I gave him a pamphlet, invited him to read it and said we'd be back and where did he live. He said he would and then pointed to his apartment. So we went back the other day and haha so we were standing outside the door before we knocked to practice our Spanish a bit and the people inside apparently heard us and opened the door hahaha we felt silly. We awkwardly asked if there was another man living there (we didn't yet know his name because we couldn't understand it when he told us) and thankfully somehow they understood and he came out and recognized us. We talked to him and he said he read the whole pamphlet, loved it, and wants to come to church. Yaya. So we're teaching him today at 3.
This morning we had the farewell breakfast. At the end of every transfer they have a breakfast at the VC for those who are going home. it was awesome. We sang farewell songs and took 40,894 pictures and.......
So that brings us to the next bit of news:
transfers are tomorrow.
Sister D is leaving for Concordia, MO..... and Sister B is coming here to be with me in Riverview!!!! So excited. I am sad to see Sis. D go, though. (She has a great companion though! Sis. R is AMAZING. I served with her one day back in Feb.) We learned so much together, Sis. D and I, and grew to love each other. When it was tough this transfer, I knew I had 2 choices. I could either go forward or backward. I could get annoyed and be stubborn and worry about myself.... or I could back down, learn from whatever the situation had to offer, learn from my companion and her knowledge, and become a better missionary and more like the Savior. And I'm happy to say that I am a better missionary now. And I am excited to keep on learning how to work better, teach better, BE better. The key is definitely humility, the Spirit, and love.
So there's a quotation from Elder Pearson that I love and want to share:
"The problem with some missionaries is that they do the same thing they've always done and expect different results. That's the definition of insanity! No wonder some missionaries think they're going crazy!" He talked about how when Pres. Hinkley made the goal to build all those temples, that they had to go into the temple dept. and just blow up the whole system because the way they were doing things then just wasn't enough to operate at the kind of magnitude of his goals. So they had to blow up the system and make a new one that could handle his kind of operation. And so basically don't be afraid to blow up your system in order to accommodate bigger goals, more investigators, more baptisms, more lives changed. It's really quite amazing how much of this work depends on the missionary and his/her attitude and faith. FAITH IS EVERYTHING. (reference Moroni 10:7 :) ) It is something completely different than I ever really knew before. It's something I always wanted to be able to pin down more and I think that desire has driven me to do what it takes to have faith and to receive faith--after all, it's a gift from God. And it truly, truly, truly..... moves mountains. I say that with all seriousness. The mountains that it moves in peoples lives are huge. But when you have the power of faith, aka the Power of God behind it, nothing is impossible. Absolutely nothing. Remember that the next time you pray. Prayer is the key to faith. I definitely receive more inspiration while on my knees than perhaps any other place. Too many times before in my life I'd pick up the prayer phone, order my 'groceries', say thanks, and hang up. But it is literally renewing when you actually be quiet for half the time you're praying and let Him talk back to you. I've learned that when I pray in faith, He answers. This life and time is way to crucial to not slow down and listen.
Ummm.... I AM SO EXCITED FOR CONFERENCE. And I'm so excited to have our investigators hear our general authorities!
But I certainly hope you are all enjoying spring. It's still freezing here. IT was 85 one day and then plummetted again lol.
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