Last Email

Hola amigos!!

I can't believe its my last email I will be sending out. This week has been pretty normal missionary life haha! I am so grateful for the past 18 months and all the ups and downs that have come with it. I feel very same same but different ;)

This week we had an exchange and I was in the sketchy part of Richmond with a missionary that is in her first transfer. It was so much fun and we were able to talk to a lot of people and we saw some weird police action in an apartment complex called "la mancha" (the stain) . But we wen to this one place and everywhere we knocked someone answered. One lady let us in her house and she ws so so nice and Hermana Ulloa was so excited. It was so much fun:)

This week Hermana Clark met some guy on exchanges who seemed pretty interested in church. Well Sunday comes along and he came to church!  He was sitting down with some members when we walked into the chapel. When we sat down he told us that he was baptized in his country!  I don't know why this happens to me all the time but the people come and say they are members haha! We are in the process of trying to get his records from El Salvador.

On saturday night we had a video call with this guy that Hermana Clark had met on Facebook. It went for 45 minutes and we taught him the restoration. He seems to have some social anxiety but we talked to him about coming to church and he didn't really want to. Sunday comes and we get a message and he said there are too many people at your church. I can't come in. but we went out and got him and he came to church. He even stayed for priesthood and made some friends and we had a potluck afterwards and he came to that as well.

In the news of transfers,Hermana Clark is also leaving the area so new hermanas will come in and take over. I will be transferred to a new area.. I think in Utah? haha!

Tonight and tomorrow I will continue working in my area and then on Wednesday we go to transfer meeting and I think on Wednesday I go contacting in downtown Richmond and then we have a night at the mission home with a testimony meeting or something. I am excited :)

Press forward saints would be cool. If Brandt wanted to play a song that would be cool or if Heidi wants to sing. Either way. I would love it if my siblings participated in some way. I will talk more about that on Thursday.

your week sounds exciting. I am excited to come be with you guys. Definitely some bittersweet feelings. I love you guys so much and I am excited to be there with y'all.

Its so unreal that this is the last week  of my mission. I have loved my mission. There has been hard parts but also some of the most joyful moments of my life. I know that Jesus Christ lives and he will come again. I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ is the most important thing that happened on the earth. Repentance is a joyful choice and it helps us to progress. I came on my mission to change the lives of the people here in Virginia but I have been impacted more then anyone that I have talked to. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the church that Christ leads. The Book of Mormon is true. I know it with all of my heart.

I love you all so much. Thank you to everyone who has supported me in one way or another on my mission. I have felt the prayers and support! I will be speaking February 17th. Contact me if you want the information!

Fresh Dead Chicken Head

Hola amigos!

This week we had some cool experiences. One of them being with a girl named Stephani who apparently wants to get baptized and we are going to start teaching her this week! So we are super excited about that. She is the ex daughter in law of a recent convert so its kind of weird but it works haha!

We went to dinner on Friday and this lady brings a dead chicken that she just killed in her backyard into the kitchen. She chops the head off and puts it directly on the stove then proceeds to pluck the chicken and put it in a bag and then she sold it while we were there hahaha. It smelt horrible but it was cool to watch!

On an exchange we met with a member to try and get him involved in  member missionary work and he told us how he always talks with his coworkers and was so excited to try and give out a Book of Mormon!

Yesterday we had a cool experience with a member and her non member husband. So he has been super against the church and whenever the missionaries are there he will talk to them but as soon as they start talking about the gospel he leaves. Well unfortunately his sister in law passed away over the weekend unexpectedly so we decided to go over and try and share a message. It went really well and he stayed for the message and the prayer. I was able to relate with him and help  him feel not alone. We testified of the atonement of Jesus Christ and its power and then he said once they get back from Texas that we could come back. It was an awesome experience and the Spirit was super strong.

I know that God has a plan and He is all knowing. I have felt peace since being back and I know that it has only come through the atonement of Jesus Christ. I have also felt the strength of so many prayers and I felt very strongly that  I am functioning because of the people that are praying for me. This gospel is real.

I love you lots!

Crazy Week Back in Virginia

Hola amigos!

It has been hard but good being back. I find when I am out doing the work I am pretty good but mornings and evenings in the apartment are rough. Part of me feels like I am putting off my grieving by being out here because I don't think about it often. I know talking about it would be good but I just don't know what to say. But I am doing okay and will survive.

This week has felt soooo long. We did a lot this week so I guess that is good. We did get to go to Angel's baptism on Wednesday! It was so great. I have never seen him so happy. He didn't want a big baptism or a program or anything like that. So we got there, took some pictures, sang a song and said a prayer and then he was baptized. He was so so happy and it was awesome.

On Thursday we went and helped a recent convert move some furniture in her trailer and that was an adventure haha. There is so much stuff inside one trailer. One of the rooms you can hardly open the door because there is just so much stuff. But after that we both felt like we should go try this referral and we did and she let us right in. We taught her the restoration and she was excited to read the Book of Mormon!

We also had exchanges with some hermanas and I got to go to the more sketchy part of Richmond so that was exciting :)

We also found this super cool lady in our apartment complex this week and we went back for the return appointment on Saturday and she wasn't there and we were pretty sad but we decided to  try again on Sunday and we ended up teaching her and her husband the entire restoration!! It was super powerful and the spirit was super strong. She had tears rolling down her cheeks after the opening prayer. They were super attentive the entire time and are going to study the Book of Mormon and we have a lesson with them on Wednesday :) We are so so excited! 

That's the cool stuff that happened this week haha! This next week we will be pretty busy too so i am excited about that. It still feels like I won't be home again for 33 years haha. Its also weird because I feel like I was just home but at the same time I never came home. Its hard to deal with this on a mission. I love you guys and miss you even though I just saw you haha!

Dec. 31

Mom and Dad,

I don't really know how to respond. I know that you know how I am feeling. Its been hard. On Friday I took the day to kind of figure out what was happening and tried to nap. Sleeping has been hard for me. But on Saturday I was back to work but we haven't had a ton happen which I am kind of grateful for because any time I talk about doing hard things or the Savior, I tear up then I try to hold it back and then I get a headache haha. I have felt the prayers of everyone though. I feel like I have strength that is not my own right now.

I am excited to be home with you all for the weekend even though it will be hard. We can do hard things. even flying alone haha I am super nervous about that but I should be fine.

My prayers are centered around our family and Christina and Wyatt. I hope they are finding some sort of peace during this time.

I don't have much else to say about this week since I talked to y'all on Tuesday and Friday haha. We had dinner on Christmas with this young couple form the ward that both served Spanish speaking missions. They are so cute and even got us stockings.

We have been studying the Living Christ and I am pretty sure I have shared this part with you before but it brings me a lot of comfort

"We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary" I know that is true for the life of Jesus Christ and I know it is true for Tyler as well. I know his life is not over and that we will see him again. I know it will be a while and that its not going to be easy here without him but I know that just like President Monson says "its as if he went into another room". He is doing other work and i know that we will be together again. It brings me a lot of comfort to know that he is a covenant keeper and has all the essential ordinances. The knowledge we have is incredible and I am so grateful.

I love you.

Feliz Navidad!

Hola amigos!

We had transfers this week! I am in Richmond and we go to the Chesterfield Ward! It is the only Spanish ward in the mission. So That's pretty cool. I am with Hermana Clark again! I was with her in Stafford back in February. So That's pretty cool! We are both new to the area this transfer so we don't really know the people we are teaching so we have been trying to contact them this week.

Saying goodbye to The Manriquez family and to Robinson and Zulma was super sad but it was good. President Manriquez sat us down and talked to us about the progress he has seen in us and it was super cool. He also had us share our testimonies and it made me tear up a little. I love Fredericksburg!

On Tuesday we had transfers and the first place we went to go do some finding we had an interaction with a pitbull. My companion got bit but it wasn't super bad  she has been a champ!  We definitely stay away from dogs though.

We had our Christmas conference and that was awesome. We focused a lot on preparing for the second coming and it was super powerful. We also got to play some sports and I forgot to eat breakfast so I had some issues there but I drank some Gatorade and Dr. Pepper and had some ribs and was all good. 👍

 On our second night we got a call from a member in the English ward that is Hispanic and she asked if we wanted to to caroling with her and her family to some members in our area. So we went and we ended up singing Christmas songs in someones bedroom through the bathroom door so that this person could hear. It was one of the weirdest things ever. On that same night we knocked on the door of one of our investigators and they were having a Christmas party but they let us in and gave us food. It was extremely awkward because the family was just staring at us and we were super out of place haha!

Church here was pretty great. It was just an hour with lots of music and lots of testimonies about the Savior. It was cool to hear a lot of through share their testimonies of Jesus Christ. I also finished the Book of Mormon this week and have done a lot of reflecting on our Savior. I know that He lives and that he is very aware of all things happening in our lives. I am so grateful that we can have a personal relationship with him. I know that He walks with us in this life.

I love you all! I am so excited to talk to you tomorrow! I hope you guys have questions in mind or something because I am so awkward and don t know what to talk about haha!

FELIZ NAVIDAD🎄

BAPTISM THURSDAY

Hola amigos!!

Hermana Coleman is visiting her mission with her mom and they were in Fredericksburg on Sunday. I will actually be playing basketball with her and president Manriquez today haha!

On Thursday we had Robinson's baptisms and it was AWESOME. there were so many people there supporting him and we had an interpreter for sign language there for his daughter. They told us that after the baptism that the daughter said there was a different feeling in their home. Robinson shared his testimony and pretty much explained the story of the whole Book of Mormon this week because He finished it so that was awesome. He seemed so calm and happy.  Then on Sunday he received the holy ghost and that was awesome. He also received the Aaronic priesthood and it was so AWESOME. He Is so excited to bless the sacrament next week. Even better, Zulma's mom is in town for  so Salvador and she was baptized a while ago but has left the church and is a Jehovah's witness but we invited her to church and she came and said she felt the Spirit and is going to come again.

We had our branch Christmas party and we had so many non members and less active there. It was a miracle!!

A couple of weeks ago we met a woman named Claudia Diaspz and talked with her for a couple of minutes but for some reason we felt SUPER good about her. So We texted her a couple of days ago and asked if we could meet with her and she texted and asked us what time church was. Well, she came and she then proceeded to tell us that she is a member and was baptized in Honduras when she was 8. So that was super sweet! And she is going to start meeting with the hermanas!

Also, last night we were teaching Jaime and Irene about the plan of salvation and they loved it. They had really solid questions and understood what we were saying. We invited them to be baptized on January 12th and they accepted the date! So that's exciting and the have plans to come to church.

As for me, I will be leaving Fredericksburg and continuing ad a sister training leader. Hermana Barton is also leaving Fredericksburg. We are so sad to leave! But excited for what is coming next. 

I have been reading a lot about the Brother of Jared and really have received a testimony that Jesus Christ is so aware of our needs as individuals and he knows what we can handle. I am so grateful for all the knowledge the book of Mormon provides and I know that the book of Mormon is a manifestation of Gods love for us. 

I love you all!

I'm Ready

Hola amigos!

I am doing great! We had sacrament meeting but the rest of church was cancelled. 

This week on exchanges we went to a English member's house and they gave us a cinnamon roll and it almost made me cry haha because it was homemade and Christmas and I was just so happy haha.

This week has been awesome. On Tuesday we went on exchanges and I was able to teach a guy from Africa and it was really cool. Then we went and taught this part member family about the love of God because the 15 year old daughter doesn't really have a belief in God and it was super powerful and really cool. then we went and shared Light the World with some a member family and this 11 year old girl told us about how she tried to give a girl at school a Book of Mormon. It was awesome. She was sad because the person didn't accept but she is determined to try again.

On Wednesday, we went back and taught Jaime and Rene (a cute couple we found last week). They had been reading the Book of Mormon and had prayed to know if it is true. They said they hadn't gotten an answer yet. We read 1 Nefi 1 and it was really awesome and they wanted to come to church but they had a funeral in North Carolina and couldn't come but we will be meeting with them again tonight!

Thursday was awesome. WE had a lesson with Robinson and Zulma and we had planned this super intense lesson about "leaving your nets" and we were going to be super bold and tell him he needs to stop drinking and take the step of faith and be baptized.  We sing and pray and we were about to start and he said before you start I want to say something and then looks at us and in English says "I'm ready quiero bautizarme (I want to be baptized)". He told us that he had been reading in the Book of Mormon at work and just started crying and he couldn't stop and he went home and told Zulma. He also said that when President Nelson extended the challenge to give something to the Lord, he knew he could do that. So after a ton of scheduling conflicts, he will be getting baptized on Thursday at 6. We will even have a sign language interpreter for his daughter. (the only person in the area that speaks both Spanish and sign language happens to be a member in Stafford!)

Also on Saturday we went to the baptism of Gisella in Henrico!!  Hermana Barton and I both taught her and it was so fun to be apart of. The Spirit was so so strong. Her husband is also not a member and I taught him as well. So when we got there I told Angel I wanted to talk with him and figure out why he won't take this step to an eternal family. So we sat down and he said that there were some things he didn't understand and didn't agree with and that he didn't have faith. Which he always claims. But I explained that faith is a principle of action and he is doing all the actions and if he is doing all the actions, then he is showing that he has faith. A light when on in his head when we were talking about that. We also talked about the kingdoms of glory and he said we should all be working towards the celestial kingdom. So we talked about the requirements to get there and we talked about the temple and he said Gisella wants to be sealed but he knows they can't unless he is baptized. So he said he would pray about what we talked about and make a decision on baptism.  It was a super spiritual experience!

Then on Sunday the snow came. We came to church and they cancelled the last two hours and it was super snowy and we couldn't drive. So we got a snow shovel form our closet and started walking to a neighborhood. We got a second shovel from a  member and got to work. We went to Roxany's house (our recent convert whose dad won't let us come over anymore) and shoveled her driveway. Her mom was so grateful and invited us in for hot chocolate. That was a huge step because we haven't had contact for a really long time with them. WE had hot chocolate and had  weird conversation with her dad but it was a miracle. WE also had a video lesson with Robinson and he was super concerned on what the brother of Jared's name is hahahah. he eventually googled it to figure out how we know his name haha!

mom I sent your email to our secretary so you will probably be getting emails about travel stuff because that is coming soonish. Transfers are not this week but next Tuesday so if you were going to send anything.. either do it this week or wait until Tuesday and you can get my address from the mission office after the transfer meeting.

It has been a great week! I love you all and Merry Christmas!!

Family History and New People to Teach

 Hola amigos!

I can't believe its December. You guys have snow while its like 60 degrees here haha!

My companion and the branch president and i just played basketball for like 3 hours... he is from mexico but his like 6 foot 2 or something and his mom is a professional basketball player in mexico.. he plays a lot like Brandt. haha it was a lot of fun.

This week on an exchange I went with a sister to visit a lady named Judy. The sisters were teaching her but then she told them she didn't want to continue and they showed her family history and she had a lot of interest in that. So we go over to help her set up an account and get started. I mostly just sat there because I don't know much about family search but once were we done helping her she asked "Why does your church think it is so important to do this?" I explained baptisms for the dead and how we need to do family history to be able to give the people that have passed away the opportunity to accept the gospel. I shared some experiences I have had while doing baptisms for the dead and it was awesome. Then she figured out that I was almost done with my mission in Virginia and she asked what has been the most important thing to me  here and I shared with her that it has a been helping people coming closer to Jesus Christ, including myself. The spirit was so strong and we were all trembling because of it.

We also had some great lessons with Robinson and  Zulma. On Wednesday we went and we talked about what impedes him from being baptized and how he just needs to make the choice. I don't remember much of what was said during that lesson, just that the spirit was incredibly strong. Then on Sunday, our branch president was talking about some things that I said and I don't even remember saying them which I always feel like is a cool thing because I don't really think it was me talking. Robinson is progressing and wants to be baptized but he is still super worried about tithing.

On Sunday we fasted as a mission to help us reach our goal of 280 convert baptisms by the end of the year. (we currently have 230). Hermana Barton and I saw some miracles from this fast. WE were able to teach the restoration twice on Sunday night to people that really have interest. We asked a man, Rene and his wife Jaime, what they would do to live with God again and they said they would listen to everything we have to say and read and pray. Which was awesome so we are going back on Wednesday!

We did get to watch the devotional and it was incredible. I loved the talks and the Hallelujah Chorus at the end was epic! Robinson and Zulma watched it as well!  I loved that the prophet talked about desires and what our true desires are. I also loved Elder Stevenson's talk about our spiritual heart health. I know  that as we focus on Jesus Christ, our spiritual heart health will get better and better!

I love you all! Have a great week!

Dia de accion de gracias

Hola amigos!!

What else did we do on Thanksgiving? We did weekly planning, We tried to plan some zone meetings that we have coming up. We attempted to find some people to teach but people were not that thrilled to talk to us. We did have a miracle and come in contact with an investigator/part member family that we have a really hard time contacting. We knocked on the door and they let us in and we invited them to church and tried to set up an appointment with us. They offered some juice and we said yes and then he brings out this dark red drink in a tall beer glass... the first thing he said was "its not alcohol"... haha! I am pretty sure it was just some sparking cider grape flavor haha.

This week we were able to have some really solid lessons with Robinson and Zulma. On Monday we were reading in Alma 32 and asked them what they needed to do to strengthen their faith and Zulma went off about how they had went to go buy shirts the other day (on a Sunday) but they were shirts for church and she felt like that was a great act of faith and she feels like they are good.. haha sounds like we need to review keeping the Sabbath day holy again.. but we asked Robinson what he needs to do and he said he needs to get baptized but he still won't commit to a date. On Thanksgiving we read part of the talk "He will place you on his shoulders and carry you home" by President Uchtdorf. It such a good talk and I think it really helped them see that it doesn't matter where you were before, but with Christ's atonement we can become whatever He wants us to be. They shared with us some of their not so good experiences with the Jehovah's witness church and how they were shunned and they tried to go back just a couple of months ago trying to find peace but they said they ended up feeling worse than they did before but how they felt like they have found that peace here in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

We went on exchanges one day and it was COLD but we were working hard and we were able to talk to have "meaningful contact" (leaving them with something, testifying of something and inviting them to do something)  with 14 people. so that was awesome. 

I have been a little sick the past couple of days... I am feeling better but remember when I had pneumonia in 2nd grade? it kind of felt like that.. my throat hurt, i was super weak and couldn't do like anything and had a lot of pressure in my chest and a pounding headache.. I rested the past two days and am feeling better today.

I just want to share a quote from President Uchtdorf "It matters not how completely ruined our lives may seem. It matters not how scarlet our sins, how deep our bitterness, how lonely, abandoned, or broken our hearts may be. Even those who are without hope, who live in despair, who have betrayed trust, surrendered their integrity, or turned away from God can be rebuilt. Save those rare sons of perdition, there is no life so shattered that it cannot be restored.

The joyous news of the gospel is this: because of the eternal plan of happiness provided by our loving Heavenly Father and through the infinite sacrifice of Jesus the Christ, we can not only be redeemed from our fallen state and restored to purity, but we can also transcend mortal imagination and become heirs of eternal life and partakers of God’s indescribable glory"

I know this is true and through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can become better than how we started. In fact, that is the purpose.. to become better!

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Family History to Find?

Hola amigos!

We have plans for Thanksgiving but with a family that doesn't speak any English so I'm pretty sure It won't be super Thanksgivingy haha but it's all good. It won't make me miss home too much because it will just be so different hahaha. Yes we teach young women's every week. It's super fun but hard because young women don t talk hahaha

We are still teaching Robinson. Something cool that happened is that we went over one day for dinner and Robinson told us he had come home early from work and was working on family history and wanted help with that. We had literally come prepared with a lesson on temples and family history. Then the next day we had a zone conference where we talked about family history for like 2 or 3 hours. So that was awesome. Other than that the work has been pretty rough this week.  We have talked to a lot of people lately but no one is really interested. We are trying to be creative with our finding efforts so we are hoping that will be helpful.

Like I mentioned earlier we had a zone conference about family history and it was awesome. On my mission I have been called to repentance multiple times to become actively involved in family history. We were shown ways to use it to find people to teach so after zone conference we go and put it to work. People are pretty interested. On exchanges I talked to this lady about family history and she told us to come by in a couple of days. So we were pretty excited. We text her to confirm the appointment and she said she was busy so we tried to reschedule for Sunday and she then just said "I have something on Sunday but how about you come over on Saturday and have dinner with us?"  We are stoked. No one ever does that haha but we get there on Saturday and knock the door and nobody was there. We called and texted and She never answered. We totally got stood up HAHAHAH. We were pretty bitter but now we just laugh.

I am grateful to have Thanksgiving this week where we can really focus on the blessings God has given us. I have seen so many in my life and feel like I receive more and more every day. I know that God is aware of us in every circumstance and that we all have things to be grateful for.

I love you all and hope you have a great Thanksgiving! I'm grateful for ya! 🦃

 

Hermana Barton and Hermana Anderson Round 2

Hola amigos!!

This week for me has been an adventure! We started the week with teaching Robinson and Zulma with our branch president and his 6 year old daughter. We had the little girl ask him when he was going to be baptized and he said "very soon" it was precious. He has finally opened up about some doubts that he has concerning the law of tithing. He just wants to make sure that he will be able to live the laws that God commands. Then they came to English class to say goodbye to Hermana Bray and we read in the plan of salvation pamphlet in English. It was precious. On Thursday we went over so they could meet my new companion and had a lesson and we went on Saturday and tried to invite him to prepare to be baptized but he wont commit. It makes me super sad but I know one day he will be baptized :)

My new companion is Hermana Barton! We were companions back in June when I was in Staunton. It was so much fun then and it is just as much fun now. We play basketball at every chance we get haha and we just work really well together.

On Sunday Robinson and Zulma came to church and our Sunday school lesson was perfect for them. Also this is the 2nd time Hermana Barton has served in Fredericksburg so all the members recognized her and it is fun because we don't have to take time to explain who all the members are. WE are still doing a lot of finding but we are working with some part member families.

I love this work. Is it pretty hard? yes. Robinson asked this week about why I came on my mission and I told him it is because I felt the happiness that came from the gospel and wanted to share it with others. I still stand by that. This gospel brings more happiness than anything else and its because we have access to the full light of Christ. I love this gospel!!

Dia de los muertos :)

Hola familia!

This week has been great! We had some great lessons with Zulma and Robinson!! So on Monday we got there and he talked about some fears of failing after his baptism and we explained that we all fail but that is why we have the atonement of Jesus Christ and we are able to repent. Then on Tuesday we went and we decided to bring a member who has only been a member for a year. His name is Luis and he doesn't have a ton of knowledge about the gospel but he has a lot of faith. We had planned a lesson on the priesthood and we were so excited but we started our lesson with the questions Robinson always has. The question was this "do you believe in miracles?" so we said yes... and then he asked "well Jesus  did miracles like healing the blind and stuff.. does the power to do that still exist?"  and oh my goodness we were so excited because that is literally what we wanted to talk about. Then we had a super powerful lesson on that! Then on Friday they came to the dia de los muertos/family history part that the branch had on Friday and that was super awesome. THEY LOVED IT. We went over on Saturday and had lunch and then had  a lesson and they said they couldn't stop talking about it. Robinson wants to do his family history and he told us that "he found his church" He wants to be baptized it is just a matter of when. He felt like he didn't know much about the church but then we wrote out everything we had taught him and how he has been taught everything. then they came to church on Sunday and stayed for all three hours and loved it! Zulma might even give a lesson in relief society next week. We are so excited.

We have transfers this week and I will be staying in Fredericksburg another transfer and Hermana Bray will be leaving. So I will continue being an STL and get to spend thanksgiving here.

We went on exchanges with the Massaponax sisters and we had dinner with their ward mission leaders wife and had quite the interesting discussion on the law of chastity! hahaha!

Well I know that the priesthood has been restored and that miracles are possible because of that! I love you all!!

Radio Choirs, Turtles and a Baptism!

Hola amigos!

This week we met with Robinson and Zulma three times this week :) The first time we taught them the word of wisdom with a member who is a convert. It was so great for Robinson to talk to someone who was not born in the church and has had to overcome some stuff in order to be baptized. Then we taught them the 10 commandments and keeping the sabbath day holy which went really well but then on Friday we taught them the law of Chastity, eternal marriage, and about temples and family history. IT WAS AWESOME. They are already living the law of chastity which is awesome but then we explained that they can have their marriage forever and explained that it doesn't have to be "until death do you part". Zulma expressed that she wants to be married in the temple and  Robinson too. The Spirit was so strong, I couldn't stop smiling. WE talked about baptism and  Robinson said he wants to be baptized he just doesn't know when. The next day there was a baptism for someone in an English ward and we invited them to come. The don't speak English perfectly but the understand enough. During the actual ordinance though they cried. Then the man that got baptized shared his testimony and talked about how he still has a lot of questions but he knows the Book of Mormon is the word of God and it was the best thing ever. Robinson had tears in his eyes and after the service I asked him what he felt and he said he couldn't talk about it because it would make him cry. We are going over there today and hopefully going to put him on date.

So that is how Robinson and Zulma are :) They are so awesome and they are excited to meet you guys because I told them that I would come back to Virginia with my parents and they said we have to go to their house!

We went on three exchanges this week and it was fun! One exchange I was with an Hermana Herrera and we have wanted to be companions our whole missions but she goes home next transfer so it probably won't happen but we were excited to spend the day together in Culpeper, Virginia. On Saturday we were on an exchange and I was with Sister Cummings and we saw a turtle crossing the road so we stopped and it tried to bite us. It literally jumped at Sister Cummings and tried to bite her. hahah!

Every Tuesday in October I have been participating in a choir and this week we were recorded and we will be on a local radio station in December singing "angels we have heard on high". We had a group of not super musical missionaries but when we recorded.. it sounded decent. haha! It was to help spread the word that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints celebrates Christmas and believes in Jesus Christ. :)

I know that we have the authority to perform sacred ordinances. I always love attending baptisms because you can feel the power and love of God. I wish I could announce it to the whole world that we have the authority to unite families!

I love you all! Have a great week and Happy Halloween!

Paella.. yummm

Hola amigos!!

I am interested to see what happens with two hour church. I am grateful because that means I probably won't have to speak as long when I speak when I get back! haha! But I am excited to study the new testament next year. I think might annoy you guys when I get home because I miss ya and I am going to want to spend like every second with you guys and I think being alone might be weird so just prepare yourself.

This week was pretty administrative.. as in we had several meetings, interviews with President Smith and two exchanges. It went well though!

We had three lessons with Robinson and Zulma this week! They are progressing really well. Robinson is in Jacob in the Book of Mormon and he is trying to download gospel library on his tv so he can watch the conference talks on there. He still will not commit to a baptismal date though. He says he has "a lot" of things he needs to work on. So he is slowly taking out his earrings and he said he is trying to stop swearing. We told him those were good things to work on but that it doesn't need to hold him back from being baptized. They went on to tell us how much their lives have changed since they started meeting with us. Just a few weeks ago they didn't feel as if they had a purpose here on earth and didn't believe in God and wanted to end everything and now they are happy and excited to be alive. We reviewed the plan of salvation with them and when we talked about the spirit world, we explained baptism for the dead. Zulma wants to get that figured out so she can go (she is already a member) and Robinson thought it was very interesting. He is praying about a baptismal date and we will talk about it with him tonight! On Saturday they had us over for dinner and made us something called Paella. Its a dish from Spain (they are from el Salvador.. haha) and its rice with shrimp, chicken and mussels! :) It was super yummy and they got us dr. pepper because I had briefly mentioned that it was my fav drink. So they are the best haha!

Small miracle! On exchanges the other sisters called us and asked if we could meet up and bring them some Spanish book of Mormons so we met by a former's house. Well that former was outside and we went and talked to him and he committed to read the Book of Mormon and meet with us! Then we were at McDonald the next day using their wifi and he was there and told us that he would see us at our appointment! So that was super cool. Being in the right place at the right time!

We had interviews with President Smith and that is always an edifying experience. He shared with me the story of Gideon from Judges 6 and how he asked God to show him that he had his back when he was going to battle. President Smith invited me to do that same thing, not ask for a sign but pretty much ask God how he feels about me and my efforts! It has been pretty cool as I have felt how God feels about me as his daughter and servant. Everyone should do it too :)

I know that God is aware of us and is helping us through every step of the way and he wants us to be successful in all that we do!

I love you all!

What keeps you from being baptized?

Hola amigos!

It got pretty crazy on Thursday. I accidentally drove through some standing water and it was super sketch the sister that was with me said that the whole front tire was under water and then we got splashed because someone was driving on the other side of the road so we couldn't see for a sec but we survived in one piece.

I have reread some of the conference talks and I love them! We watched all the sessions in English except the Sunday morning session. so that was nice. I can understand the Spanish fine but I don't like the voice over haha.

This week we went on three exchanges which makes for a busy week! The first one I was with Sister Dunn and we were knocking a street and we knocked a door and talked to a guy named JR and he seemed to know who we were... well it turns out he is a member but his wife has had some bad experiences in the church and won't let them go anymore. We had a really good discussion about how he misses the church so much. He sneaks down to his basement to read the Book of Mormon and he said he was going to try and read the conference talks because he misses that. It broke my heart a little bit that he couldn't come and take part in church but brought me comfort that he was doing what he could!

On another exchange we taught Robinson and  Zulma. They are the coolest. But we had invited our branch president but he couldn't come and the sister with me doesn't speak Spanish so I taught the lesson by myself which is always interesting... When we started the lesson Robinson asked me if I was a Mormon and I answered "Well, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." and he laughed and said that he wanted to hear that because he had read the prophet's talk! He is also in 2 Nefi 25 because he said instead of getting on social media when he has nothing to do, he reads the Book of Mormon because he wants to understand and know if it is true. So that was awesome. Then we started talking about faith, repentance and baptism. We read Mosiah 18:8-10. After verse 9 I asked them if their desire was to do those things (bear one another's burdens, mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places.) They both said yes and then as Robinson read verse 10 they both understood that if you are willing to do those things, then baptism is the next step. So we discussed that and Robinson said he needs more time just so he can be 100% sure but it was super awesome and super powerful. Afterwards they asked us to stay so they could feed us papusas and it was so great. They came to sacrament meeting the next day as well and we are meeting with them  tonight.

We haven't had a ton of contact with Rosario and Miguel but we went by yesterday and they were all sick. They have been to the doctor like 3 times this week but we have an appointment set for Wednesday and Friday this week. 

On Sunday we only had two young women in our lesson, one of them being Roxany and we can't go to her house right now because her dad doesn't like us so we were finally able to teach Roxany for the first time since she got baptized! It was super awesome :)

I have been reading in the Book of Mormon a lot and there was a verse that really touched me this week. Jacob 2;8 and it says "the word [of  God] which health the wounded soul". I just know with all my heart that this is true. The word of God literally heals people and brings us spiritual health. That is one of the many blessings of the Book of Mormon!

I love you all! Have a great week!

We are looking for a Juan Carlos

Hola amigos!!

I loved general conference. I was in complete shock when they announced the changes in the church schedule but I am excited!! I have already looked at the study guide for next year and it looks awesome. I loved the emphasis on shepherding and service. I loved the story and picture of the sheep dog. I loved how determined he was to guard his sheep. 

This week we taught Rosario and Miguel and their five kids the plan of salvation and then invited them to be baptized. They said it was too early but now they would like to start meeting with us regularly so that they can feel ready and feel like they know enough! We went back later in the week and helped them download the app on their phones so they can listen to the Book  of Mormon!

We taught Zulma and Robinson twice this week as well. They are still consistently reading the Book of Mormon! Our branch president came with us to a lesson and they had a really cool conversation about how the Book of Mormon is about their ancestors. Then at the end Presidente Manriquez felt impressed to tell Robinson and Zulma that God loves them and He knows that they have been far from God but he is watching out for them and wants them to come back. The spirit was so strong and everyone in the room got teary eyed including the English speaking sister that was with me and didn't understand what was happening. I know that this is true with all of us and just like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, God is watching and waiting for our return and when he sees us, he runs to meet us and walks us back home.  I love that aspect of the gospel.

On Sunday a person who we had given a book of Mormon to a couple of weeks ago that I met on Facebook came to the church and watched general conference and he wants to meet again to read the Book of Mormon with us.

Sunday evening we knocked on a door that a member had told us was a Hispanic household. So we knock and an American lady answers.. so I said we were looking for a Juan Carlos hoping that she would point us to the right house but she looked at us and said "How do you know Juan??"  I panicked because I didn't anticipate that  a Juan Carlos would actually live there.. but Hermana Bray said "one of your neighbors said he was really cool..."  and then she told us we could come back later.. Then we went to Hermana Ogden's house ( the member) and told her how we looked super creepy hahaha!  not sure if that made sense haha!

I love you all! Have a great week!

Cool Lessons = Cool Week

Hola amigos!

We had some cool lessons this week!  Not all 22 went through but the ones that did were pretty awesome!

On Tuesday we got in  contact with a less active who had been baptized about 2 years ago. We have been trying to contact her for the past 12 weeks but haven't been able to. But we finally set up an appointment and it went really well. She has a strong testimony and she wants to come back to church she just needs the support. Then we went back on Thursday and we read in 3 Nefi 11  with her and she started to cry and she told us about this dream that she had in high school that was similar to what happened in the chapter. So that was amazing.

Then we had a lesson with Zulma!!  (less active lady who randomly called us!) She read to chapter 17 of 1 Nefi and she said her husband downloaded the app and started reading as well. So we waited for him to get home and invited him to sit down with us. We taught the whole restoration and he explained that he has been away from God for a while but wants to start building a relationship with him. We went back a couple of days later and started teaching the plan of salvation and we asked him if he would be baptized if he knew these things were true and he said yes without hesitation. So that was pretty cool. We invited them to church and Zulma wanted to come but Robinson wasn't so sure. But they came to sacrament meeting and loved it! We are going back again this week. Zulma told us how she has changed since she has started reading the Book of Mormon and having contact with missionaries and her husband has noticed the change. Its incredible and it has really helped me have a stronger testimony of the Book of Mormon and this gospel. it really does change people.

We had a lesson last night with Mary and her family! We talked to them a little bit about faith and told them about general conference and we are going to start meeting with them weekly. Her husband is not a member and neither are her two daughters but they all agreed to read in the Book of Mormon :)

On Wednesday we had transfers and my new companion is Hermana Bray. She is from California but lived in Utah and actually attended Granger high school for a little bit.

I know that Heavenly Father is guiding this work and guiding our lives. I am so excited for general conference and to hear from a living prophet. Its such a blessing to have a prophet and to have the chance to receive revelation through his words! I hope you all can watch it :)

Have a great week!

Scattered Israel Hangs Around Gathered Israel

Hola amigos!

Alright, buckle up because this might be a long one! We had an amazing week. We taught 17 lessons and we already have 22 set up for this week. I don't know how many will actually got through but we have found some awesome people!!   Last Monday we had to stay inside the whole night because of the tornadoes but it was actually really productive. Luckily we could use Facebook to talk to a lot of people and we called and set up appointments with a bunch of people.

On Tuesday we went to go contact a former in our area book but we started driving there and the point was plotted incorrectly on the map and we ended up in a super nice neighborhood, probably the nicest I have been in on my mission. (We had actually made this same mistake like 8 weeks ago haha). We had planned to find in that neighborhood though so we pulled out white pages (an app that is a portable phone book) and started looking for Hispanic last names that live in the area. We found a guy named Alberto so we knocked and he wasn't interested but he took a Book of Mormon. Then we found another one and we talked to a guy that was from England or something and we asked if he knew if any of his neighbors were Hispanic. He pointed us to a house at the end of the street. WE walked there and right as we get to the house, a van pulls in the driveway. A woman gets out and she is on the phone and we hear Spanish. We were stoked. We start talking to her and she tells us that she was baptized into our church when she was 12 but since she got married in 2004 she stopped going to church because her husband wasn't into the no alcohol thing. Also, when they went to church as a family, they would go to an English ward but he feels more comfortable in Spanish so that was super exciting. We set up an appointment for later in the week then she told us that she has been waiting to hear from the missionaries for 2 years because ever since they moved into that house, she hasn't heard from them. She also said that she normally isn't home at the time that we talked to her but she really felt like God led us to her and was really involved in her life. We went back on Friday and read the introduction to the book of Mormon with her and she wants us to work with her family and help her kids and her husband learn about the church! It was so awesome.

So last week on exchanges, I had planned a day of lots of finding and we talked to almost no people. I was so frustrated. We had left some cards in people's doors but that was pretty much all we did. Well this week on exchanges, Hermana Clark got a call from a lady that said that a card was left in her door and she wants us to come by because she used to be a member. So we go by on Saturday and she tells us she was baptized in 1985 when she was a teenager but after she was baptized she quickly went inactive and never went back. She had joined the testigos de jeovah but said she never felt quite right in that church and left it. She said she has been going through a hard time and started praying for help and then not even 2 weeks later we left a card in her door. She  said she doesn't remember much and wants to be treated like a person we are teaching. So we taught her the restoration and she got teary eyed when we said the first vision. She couldn't come to church this week but messaged us last night and said she wants to go next week. We set up times to meet with her twice a week and teach her. She is so excited and said she will read the Book of Mormon every day. she messaged us last night and said that she had read the pamphlet and the introduction! She also said her husband wants her to go and get involved in the church and once she is involved, he will start learning too!

We had an awesome lesson with the less active that stopped us at Walmart (Jose) and his wife who is not a member, Kelin. WE taught them the restoration and they want to meet weekly so we can start teaching them and they said they will start working hard to come to church and keep commitments because they want to change and Kelin wants to know if this church is the true church.

We went to a lesson with some other sisters because the father of the family they are teaching only speaks Spanish. They have 10 kids and that was insane. It worked out well though.. not sure if we will be going back.

On Sunday we didn't have anyone at church which was sad but I have high hopes for next week!  WE ran into a guy that we have been trying to contact for weeks and set up an appointment for later this week. We knocked on a door and talked to a super kind lady from Ecuador who wants us to come back today and teach her and her daughter. We also found a guy who wants to read the Book of Mormon and study it so he can know if its true. Earlier in the week we found a guy on Facebook and gave him a book of Mormon and have a video lesson with him tonight! We have 4 lessons tonight and I am stoked.

Transfers are this week and Hermana Clark will be leaving the area but I will be staying. I am sad to see her go but super stoked to stay and work here because things are going really well. In our mission conference a couple of weeks ago Elder Haynie described the elect or prepared people as Scattered Israel. The members of the church are gathered Israel. I know that the people who are ready are hanging around the people who are already members! I have seen that a ton this week.  So many incredible things happened and I know that the Lord is in charge of this work. He is in every aspect of what we do! I love this work!!

Have a great week!

Finding, Finding, Finding

Hola amigos!!

The weather here has been fine.  A little bit of rain but I am not really sure if that is because of Florence or just because it rains here. The part of Virginia I am in probably won't really get hit but the storm but the people in my last area will get a lot of rain.

This week we went on two exchanges and it was super great! We did a lot of finding and talked with some people. I love being able to learn from different sisters and see how they do missionary work :)

This week we taught a man and his wife, Edwin and Lily. It was a very interesting lesson. We sat down and Edwin went to get Lily and we think they may have been fighting before we got there. Anyways, so we start the lesson and teach the restoration. We asked Lily to end the lesson by praying and it took a lot of prodding since she didn't really want to but once she started she was going and started praying for Edwin's brother who is in jail and there was a super big rush of emotion and she started crying really hard and talking about how he is innocent and all this stuff but it all worked out and they said they would come to church on the days they aren't visiting his brother in prison.

As of Sunday after church we had found 1 new person to teach for the week and we had a goal for 5. So we get going and we go back to teach this lady that we found on exchanges and she invited us in and we taught her and her two teenage daughters the restoration. They moved here from honduras a couple of months ago and the daughters don't speak any English but they are going to school here and its super hard for them because they don't understand much of what is going on. They really enjoyed the lesson and are excited to have us back later this week. We are really excited to start teaching them. A couple minutes later we found another new person to teach and then we had reached out goal!

I recently started the Book of Mormon over and I have been reading the story of Nefi and his brothers. I have been really amazed at the forgiving heart that Nefi has towards his brothers. Those guys are literally trying to kill him at some points and are doing everything they can to torment  him and rebel against Lehi who is literally a prophet of God, but Nefi is always praying for them to have soft hearts and repent and then when they do he is very quick to forgive them. I feel like that is how God is with us and all of his children everywhere. Whenever we sin or go against what he is teaching us, He is hoping for us to change our hearts and right when we do He is ready to forgive. I know that God is a god of mercy and forgiveness.

I hope you have a great week.

Hey sir, there is a frog right there

Hola amigos!

So funny story, Hermana Clark and I had not even heard a thing about the hurricane until Sunday night on our conference call with the leaders in the mission that there was going to be a hurricane hahaha! At our mission conference they told us to make sure we had everything we needed to survive even if we need to buy it Monday night. So we go to Walmart on Monday evening and it was actually really cool because we got stopped by a less active member whose house we had knocked earlier that evening but couldn't get a hold of. We got his phone number and set up a time to meet! Then someone else stopped us and asked about English class! It was awesome :)

Yesterday, Elder Haynie of the 70 came to the mission and spoke to us. A lot of what he talked on was gathering scattered Israel and bringing them to the gospel. I know that is what we are doing and that it is a great work. He also talked about letting the mission change us and letting Christ change us. I like to think I have changed on my mission, I am not super sure haha but  I know for a fact that my testimony has and that it has gotten so strong. I know that this is the restored church of Jesus Christ and I know that everything I have is because of Him. I love my Savior with all my heart.

We had another lesson with Rosario, Miguel and their family. We start every lesson with a song and singing with them is some of the best minutes of my week. The spirit is so strong whenever we are singing. We read part of Enos with them because Miguel (the father) had not read in the scriptures yet. We had another family with us that they are friends with and it was great. We invited t hem to read and pray as a family every day and they told us on Saturday that they had done it!! they were not able to come to church this week but we have a lesson with them later in the week and we are going to teach the plan of salvation and I am so excited to tell them that they can live forever as a family.

We had a couple of exchanges this week and on one of them we talked with a man that has had a crazy past in Brooklyn, New York. He talked about how he has done some things that he is not proud of and got a little teary eyed. As we testified of the Book of Mormon you could see a change in his countenance and it was incredible. I know that there is serious power that comes from that book.

We also talked to a man that is an atheist but wants to have a belief in God but feels like  he can't because there are so many unanswered questions. Same kind of scenario. We testified of the Book of Mormon and his countenance changed. He asked us that if he should read one part, what should he read. We gave him 3 Nephi 11 and then Sister Cummings said, "if you want to read when I knew the Book of Mormon is true, just read to chapter 17" and then I told him that if he wanted to read when I got the first confirmation of the book of Mormon that he should read chapters 18 and 19 as well. It was awesome. They have an appointment with him later this week as well.

We have had some super cool contacts with people that have a hunger to learn and to read the Book of Mormon! I know they can feel the spirit when we are with them. Its awesome!

On Sunday we were knocking on a door and we saw a frog that was sitting on the outlet right next to the door.. it was pretty cool. So we talk to this guy who was not at all interested but Hermana Clark was going to do everything she could to get him to listen so she said "Hey sir, look how cool this is, there is a frog right there!!" hahahahah! This man did not think it was super cool and told us to have a good night and shut the door! It was super funny! maybe you had to be there? hahah!

I love you all and hope you have a great week! I hope you all have a chance to strengthen the faith you have in the Savior every day :)