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.