Hello from rainy Orizaba
This week was amazing! I'm pretty sure I say that just about every week but it's because in the mission, every week is amazing. This week I really was able to love and enjoy the Sabbath day. I can't even tell you how hard it is sometimes to enjoy this day because as a missionary it is always the most stressful day of the week. But this week it was just a day full of the spirit! We've been really focusing on teaching and helping our investigators understand the importance of the Sabbath day and that we need to keep it holy. Something that I think even us as lifelong members sometimes just don't understand. The importance of this one day in the week that we have to go to church and take the sacrament. And then to remember to really make this day special. A day different than the other days in the week. A day dedicated to the Lord. I am really gaining a testimony of church attendance and the importance of the sacrament. And especially seeing how much of a difference this one day makes in the conversion process of our investigators.
For example, we've been teaching Enoc now for a little more than a month. He is progressing so well! Reading the Book of Mormon, praying, he quit drinking coffee and he's been working really hard to receive an answer whether the Book of Mormon is true. The only thing he really lacked was church attendance! The first time he came he was late and missed the sacrament, then later he came again to the afternoon session of Conference. After he didn't come to church last week and told us he wasn't going to be able to come the next week we deceided he needed a serious lesson on the Sabbath. So we met him in the church and taught him about the sacrament and how we can keep the Sabbath day holy. It was such a powerful lesson! Later when we asked how his prayers were going he told us he had a dream. That he came to church and he was there on time and he sat with us. I asked him, And what do you think that means? And he answered simple - Well...I need to go to church, don't I? The problem was that he had a work trip and there was no way he could get out of it...But fast forwarding a to sunday morning we received a text, "Hermanas! It's me Enoc - What time does the sacrament start?!" When we got there to church yesterday Enoc pulled up on his motorcycle. It was so awesome! I'm still not even sure what he did to get out of his work assignment but it was just a great answer to our prayers that he could come to church to be able to receive that revelation that he needed and keep the Sabbath day holy! Feel the spirit that we can only feel at church.
I've told you all that Hermana Johnson was also a great choir nerd in Highschool? Well yesterday was the ward mission day so they asked us to sing a song. We immediatly put together an arrangement of Savior Redeemer of My Soul - only because the some doesn't exist in Spanish we sang it with the words of I Know that My Reedemer Lives. We called the ward pianist - who is a professional classical piano player and in just ten minutes time we had just the most amazing musical number. The spirit was so strong. Afterwords they booked us to sing musical numbers every week. haha But it really was just an amazing moment and a heart changing experience.
The next best thing that happened yesterday was the baptism of one of the ward girls that just turned 8. After sacrament meeting she ran up to us and proudly gave us an invitation to her baptism. Begging us to come. Obviously we've got to support those future missionaries! She was so cute though, and so excited to be getting baptized. I ended up directing the music and she was super cute and happy to have the sister missionaries in her baptism. I really remembered a lot about my baptismal day. And the part that hit me most was just how proud and absolutely happy her parents were. I can't even imagine what joy it must bring parents to see the baptism of their first child. And for the father to be able to baptize his daughter. I am so grateful for my goodly parents who taught me gospel principles in my youth. And helped me turn into the person I am today. And for a father with that sacred priesthood power and the authority he had to be the one to baptize me. It's something I wouldn't change for anything. It was just an amazing spiritual moment. And later we ended up able to contact a few of their family and friends who aren't members that came to the baptism!
And then we topped the day off with a Family Home Evening with the Stake President, his family and one of our investigators, Lazaro. Lazaro has so many questions and doubts, but he's so willing to do anything. He dropped coffee the minute we taught the Word of Wisdom. And he's come to church now three weeks in a row. Despite all his crazy questions and doubts - he truly just has a desire to find the truth. It was so funny to see him and Presidente Canaan talking back and forth. He would start with a question and President was ready with the answer. But the ultimate answer is always prayer. It doesn't matter the knowledge that we have, or the evidence that there is to back it up. It all comes down to the spiritual confirmation that we can recieve through sincere prayer. It's like they said in general conference. Spiritual questions deserve spiritual answers. I invite all of you, that if you have a question or a doubt - that you pray and ask your Father in Heaven because He does and He WILL answer your prayers. Every time.
Thank you all for your love and support. I am so grateful for loving family and friends. People I know are always sending love and prayers my way. It makes all the difference in the world to us as missionaries. Keep supporting the missionary work and remember that the best missionary support you can give is through being an example and teaching your friends, family, and people you know who aren't members. Remember that everyone is a child of God and everyone deserves the chance to accept or reject our invitation to come unto Christ. And as baptized members of the true church of Jesus Christ and representatives of Him - we have the duty and responsibilty to share our faith with everyone. Out of love for our Heavenly Father and love for our brothers and sisters here on the Earth.
Anways..! Love you all! Have a great week! Don't forget to write! ;)
Hermana Terry
If you haven't ever eaten a cheese quesadilla that looks like this - You haven't lived.
The baptism of Hasibi Paloma :)
For example, we've been teaching Enoc now for a little more than a month. He is progressing so well! Reading the Book of Mormon, praying, he quit drinking coffee and he's been working really hard to receive an answer whether the Book of Mormon is true. The only thing he really lacked was church attendance! The first time he came he was late and missed the sacrament, then later he came again to the afternoon session of Conference. After he didn't come to church last week and told us he wasn't going to be able to come the next week we deceided he needed a serious lesson on the Sabbath. So we met him in the church and taught him about the sacrament and how we can keep the Sabbath day holy. It was such a powerful lesson! Later when we asked how his prayers were going he told us he had a dream. That he came to church and he was there on time and he sat with us. I asked him, And what do you think that means? And he answered simple - Well...I need to go to church, don't I? The problem was that he had a work trip and there was no way he could get out of it...But fast forwarding a to sunday morning we received a text, "Hermanas! It's me Enoc - What time does the sacrament start?!" When we got there to church yesterday Enoc pulled up on his motorcycle. It was so awesome! I'm still not even sure what he did to get out of his work assignment but it was just a great answer to our prayers that he could come to church to be able to receive that revelation that he needed and keep the Sabbath day holy! Feel the spirit that we can only feel at church.
I've told you all that Hermana Johnson was also a great choir nerd in Highschool? Well yesterday was the ward mission day so they asked us to sing a song. We immediatly put together an arrangement of Savior Redeemer of My Soul - only because the some doesn't exist in Spanish we sang it with the words of I Know that My Reedemer Lives. We called the ward pianist - who is a professional classical piano player and in just ten minutes time we had just the most amazing musical number. The spirit was so strong. Afterwords they booked us to sing musical numbers every week. haha But it really was just an amazing moment and a heart changing experience.
The next best thing that happened yesterday was the baptism of one of the ward girls that just turned 8. After sacrament meeting she ran up to us and proudly gave us an invitation to her baptism. Begging us to come. Obviously we've got to support those future missionaries! She was so cute though, and so excited to be getting baptized. I ended up directing the music and she was super cute and happy to have the sister missionaries in her baptism. I really remembered a lot about my baptismal day. And the part that hit me most was just how proud and absolutely happy her parents were. I can't even imagine what joy it must bring parents to see the baptism of their first child. And for the father to be able to baptize his daughter. I am so grateful for my goodly parents who taught me gospel principles in my youth. And helped me turn into the person I am today. And for a father with that sacred priesthood power and the authority he had to be the one to baptize me. It's something I wouldn't change for anything. It was just an amazing spiritual moment. And later we ended up able to contact a few of their family and friends who aren't members that came to the baptism!
And then we topped the day off with a Family Home Evening with the Stake President, his family and one of our investigators, Lazaro. Lazaro has so many questions and doubts, but he's so willing to do anything. He dropped coffee the minute we taught the Word of Wisdom. And he's come to church now three weeks in a row. Despite all his crazy questions and doubts - he truly just has a desire to find the truth. It was so funny to see him and Presidente Canaan talking back and forth. He would start with a question and President was ready with the answer. But the ultimate answer is always prayer. It doesn't matter the knowledge that we have, or the evidence that there is to back it up. It all comes down to the spiritual confirmation that we can recieve through sincere prayer. It's like they said in general conference. Spiritual questions deserve spiritual answers. I invite all of you, that if you have a question or a doubt - that you pray and ask your Father in Heaven because He does and He WILL answer your prayers. Every time.
Thank you all for your love and support. I am so grateful for loving family and friends. People I know are always sending love and prayers my way. It makes all the difference in the world to us as missionaries. Keep supporting the missionary work and remember that the best missionary support you can give is through being an example and teaching your friends, family, and people you know who aren't members. Remember that everyone is a child of God and everyone deserves the chance to accept or reject our invitation to come unto Christ. And as baptized members of the true church of Jesus Christ and representatives of Him - we have the duty and responsibilty to share our faith with everyone. Out of love for our Heavenly Father and love for our brothers and sisters here on the Earth.
Anways..! Love you all! Have a great week! Don't forget to write! ;)
Hermana Terry
If you haven't ever eaten a cheese quesadilla that looks like this - You haven't lived.
The baptism of Hasibi Paloma :)