HOLA FAMILIA!
Entonces.....tuvimos un bautismo en el sabado pasado!!!!!!!
Yes yes it's true, Manual was baptized. He is amazing
and I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father to have been part in his conversion
process. I didn't feel like I did a whole lot because I don't understand a lot
of what he says but then again maybe I am being too hard on myself. Needless to
say, it is amazing to be able to watch someone enter the waters of baptism and
come out all glowy-like. I've never seen anyone so happy in my whole life! I'm
attaching pictures so you can see for yourself.
This week has been COOOOOLD. Yesterday Sister Aguirre and I
thought our faces were going to freeze off. My eyes were watering and I'm
pretty sure my tears were half frozen by the time they fell out of my eyes.
Today it is 15 degrees which is even colder because it's so humid. No me
gusta.
Soooo....something tragic just happened! :-( I lost my journal
that contains everything of my life since the 1st day of the MTC! We were
walking to the church from our apartment and it must have fallen out of the
cart we were carrying it in. If you could please pray really hard that by some
miracle it ends up back in my hands or by some miracle it ends up converting
lots of people it would be greatly appreciated. My heart is sad :(
This week has been good, we're just trying to find new
people to teach because we don't have any firm investigators. We found a lady
last Monday that I told you about but she wasn't home yesterday when we tried
to go visit her and then she called today and I guess she really isn't that
interested...so we'll see. Pray that we can find new people to teach!!!!
I'm excited that missy's papers are finally in! (or
basically in) Willie keep working because I know what it's like to have to wait
for your papers to go in but it teaches you patience! You two are going to be
amazing missionaries, I can't wait!!
Yesterday we didn't have anything to do so we started
tracting an apartment building that we found and we ran into this family and we
are going to go back to teach them! They are from the Dominican and seem really
interested.
The Lord is teaching me patience and faith through all this
good stuff. Also that rejection is okay. Let me just say that WHITE PEOPLE ARE
RUDE. Everytime I try to talk to someone on a train that is white (usually it's
women) I'll say hi and they say "I'm not interested in any religion."
Sister Aguirre and I got tired of this so we have started practicing ways that
we can still bear our testimonies even if they are not interested. We've
started replying to them "Okay, thanks for the opportunity I have to tell
you that I love my Savior Jesus Christ." Yesterday I saw a lady sitting on
the train and she looked like a challenge so I decided to talk to her. She said
I'm not interested so I began to say "Okay. I just want to let you know
that I kn--" Lady: "Okay I realize that but this is the only time I
get to myself so I'd like to be alone." Rude. But at least I bore my
testimony to her.
On Monday for personal study I studied about Ammon and the
Lamanites. I love this story!!!!!! I decided that if Ammon and the sons of
Mosiah could be missionaries like this then why can't I?? I have the same power
and authority that they have. I've been praying really hard to be able to
listen to the whisperings of the spirit throughout our days and I've begun to
notice the little miracles that are happening. I love the Lord and my testimony
is increasing more and more every day of this great work. I love being able to
look someone in the eye on a bus or train and tell them that I know Jesus
Christ lives and that he died for us. I like to think that people pretend not
to care but my words touch their heart enough that their hearts are softened. I
love being a missionary!!!! I also love NYC because of all the different people
we meet. On Monday night we were coming back from visiting a member and on the
bus we met two people from Britain. They are both researchers at Colombia and
one of them, Tim, studied at Cambridge in England. He was so interesting! He
was super nice too which was a relief. We gave him a BOM because he seemed
pretty open to learning more. We contact so soooo many people each week and
even though we never see them again I like to think of it as planting a seed
for them in the gospel. Next time they meet missionaries they can say that they
have talked to some before.
Elder Hulme, my zone leader, gave me some quotes this week
that I would like to share with you:
"When the light dawns and
it finally comes to you that this gospel really is true and the work matters
and that God is not going to come down and do it himself, we will realize that
we are the only hands He has got, and that we are the only feet He has got.
When somebody knocks on those doors, it is with our knuckles. When we make
contact on the street, it is our voice out there on that street corner. When we
work with the less-active, Moroni and Mormon and Alma and Joseph Smith are not
going to come down and go in that door to do the teaching; it is you and it is
me, it is just the people who get up, like we get up every morning and do the
work of the Lord the way those men and their wives did it in their era and in
their day and in their age, and in their time, but now it is our time. When
we come to know this, then we will get on with the work. -Jeffery R. Holland
"Your mission is preparation. It is your school for
eternity. You won't forget that, will you? This mission is not just a two-year
(or 18 month) stretch. This is the time when you cultivate the seeds of godhood
so that you can help other people on their way towards exaltation. How small
are we who think of the mission as just being a stretch of time, some physical
things to do, a little studying to do, some praying. This is the most
purposeful thing, perhaps, you have ever done in your life and possibly the
most purposeful thing that some of you will ever do. It's up to you to let
this be the prelude to your life, to let it be the beginning of a great and
glorious life."- Spencer W. Kimball.
So, family, I leave you with these thoughts of being a
missionary. Mom and Dad I am so grateful that you two chose to serve missions
and set an example for your children. Missy and Willie, take these quotes to
heart and prepare with everything you have because this really is not JUST a
mission. It's a battle for souls! You're going to need all the preparation you
can get. Learn to love the Book of Mormon. Learn how the spirit speaks to you
so that when you get out here you'll be able to recognize it. Learn to respect
your leaders-sometimes in the mission you have a companion or a district or
zone leader you may clash with, but remember that God chose them to lead you.
Learn from them! Learn to love people and to love to talk to them. Learn to
love your Father in Heaven. Pray as often as you can and ask him to show His
hand. Then watch for miracles to happen! He is eager to show us how much He
loves us but we just have to recognize the little things he does for us
everyday.
I love you!!!!
Staci
NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
No comments:
Post a Comment