DECEMBER 05, 2016

THIS WEEK IS "FINNA" BE AWESOME!

Hola, 

This week flew by. I cant believe that I am already HALF WAY finished with my training... ahh!! 

First of all, wasn't the Christmas Devotional last night amazing? This Christmas season means so much more being a missionary. Christ is truly the only "gift" we need. I am so thankful to have a Savior and Redeemer and I know that because he lives we can know true joy. 

With that being said. I had a pretty great week. Sister Leslie has been feeling a lot better so we got to go out a lot more. She still isn't 100% but we are working through it! It kinda seems like all of Florida is sick, kinda gross huh? But all is well, I'm feeling GREAT! 

On Thursday, our last two appointments canceled and we were pretty bummed. We knocked for a while and then decided that we should drive home because it was close to 9:00. We got to the house around 8:30 but then decided to go "Beast Mode"(mission slang?) and knock around our neighborhood. And the first door we knocked, a two really wonderful Dominican women answered and invited us in. We talked to them and they were just so amazing! We said a prayer with them and the spirit was so strong. We testified of the restoration and the power of the spirit in our life. Also, there were two adorable little boys there that were so full of energy and so cute! The time got away from us and all of a sudden we realized that it was 9:25 and considering that we lived like a 10 minute walk away from the house we were at, we ended up sprinting home getting home just in time so we wouldn't have to call President. 

We also taught Victor this week. He is the most humble man that I have ever met. We taught him the resto and committed him to baptism on the 24th of December. He is really hard to "read" because he doesn't talk very much but he has the kindest spirit. We taught him outside of McDonald's. It was not very conducive to the spirit considering there were 2 men "trippin" out on the other tables around us. haha it was interesting but all is well! 

Also, we had a meal appointment with an Argentinian-Uruguayan couple. They made us authentic Argentinian BBQ and it was so good!!! It was so awesome! 

Anyway, that all the time I have this week. I love you all and pray for you every night! Keep being awesome! Thank you for all of your support! Stay close to the Lord!!

NOVEMBER 28, 2016

THIS WEEK WAS "SICK"!

Hola Familia y Amigos! 

I hope all of your thanksgivings were amazing! Our ward legit fought over who could have us over for dinner.  We went to the Robles Family for thanksgiving. They are the cutest little family. They prepared so many different dishes and were so happy to just have us in their home. I’ll send pictures! 

The sickness has continued and now is spread throughout our whole house. It’s been a rough time. Sister Leslie has it the worst and we have been inside for almost 10 days now. I have been going out a lot with the STLs which has been so fun! We are basically just covering two wards at once right now because someone is always sick in our house. It’s been quite the challenge but the days are super rewarding. I went out with Sister Erickson twice. She doesn't speak any Spanish at all so I flew solo on all Spanish speakers. It was really scary at first but once I opened my mouth, the Spanish just flowed out! It was such a miracle. I made me feel a lot more confident and was honestly such a blessing. We also knocked into this woman from Haiti. We asked her if we could say a prayer with her, she declined, we then asked her if we could help her with anything, her eyes got really wide and was so shocked and told us she had been putting up her Christmas decorations all day. We offered to help and then spent the next hour just putting random Christmas cutouts on her lawn. It made me feel so festive! The Miramar Sisters are now teaching her the lessons. She is such a cool woman! 

The baptism of Manuel and Jimmy was so amazing. The spirit was so strong and you can just tell that they have been truly converted to the gospel. Jimmy and Manuel were so happy. Sister Leslie, Elder Naea and I all sung a musical number and it actually turned out really well. They are so solid! They bore their testimonies in Sacrament meeting and they sounded like they had been members their whole life. I can’t really put into words how awesome it was! \

My spiritual thought for this week is in Alma 34:8

 8 And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

This is basically just Alma's testimony that Christ will come again. I just want to add my testimony that I know that Christ did come to those people. I know that we have a Savoir and Redeemer Jesus Christ who knows us perfectly. He atoned so that we could have happiness in this life and be able to have endless joy in the life to come. I am so thankful for my Savior. 

I love you all and pray for you everyday. Thank you for being so amazing and supportive. Till next week! 

NOVEMBER 21, 2016 

THANKFUL FOR FLORIDA!

Hola Familia! 

This week has been quite the week! I really felt like my Spanish improved A LOT. Although, I did realize that Cubans seriously speak another language. It’s so hard to understand them! So, for now, I’m just going to continue to talk to my Hondurans, I love them. 

I actually got pretty sick this week. I think my body is just getting used to all this Latin Food and the stress of a mission. I had to stay in for two days but I’m ready to hit the ground running today after Pday is over! I hate just sitting around. Oh! I got a haircut today by a lady in my ward. I was a little scared and it’s a little short but all is well!!! ha-ha She was just the sweetest women, so I am so thankful for her! My companion turned twenty yesterday and everyone LOVES her so she had a surprise little party during gospel principles yesterday! Sister Leslie is amazing so we celebrated pretty hard ha-ha (and still went to bed at 10:30) ha-ha 

We had an amazing ward "Dia de Accion de Gracias" party. Since Latins love to party, a lot of people brought their nonmember friends and it was awesome! They asked us missionaries to act out the story of Thanksgiving. It was hilarious! Everyone was recording it and thought it was so funny. I just love the Latin people they really know how to have a good time! 

Our investigators are progressing really well! Actually, ONE OF THEM IS ALREADY A MEMBER! Gabby (The Mother, who was the most hesitant about getting baptized) is a member! We brought our ward executive secretary to our lesson last week she was talking about how her family might be members and everything and then he looked her up. It was so cool! Now she’s just so excited for Jimmy and her son Manuel to get Baptized. They are so solid. Seriously everything is working against them right now and they are just pushing through so hard! Their testimony of the gospel is amazing! Jimmy is the absolute "head" of his household and takes that calling so seriously. He’s amazing! They are getting baptized this Saturday and the whole ward is just so excited for them! 

Knocking is hilarious. You never know who you’re going to get, especially in the more ghetto places of our area. It’s so fun (sometimes). We have seen everything from devil worshipers to really old men in robes to small atheist children booing and spitting on us. It’s so crazy. We try not to knock after dark though. ha-ha. I have met so many amazing people that have such incredible stories. 

This is such an amazing experience and I am so THANKFUL for these people and this opportunity. Some days are harder than others but everyday has just been an opportunity to get closer to my Savior. I love this work. 

I just want to leave you with a scripture in Alma 34:38 "That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you."

I am so thankful for all the wonderful people that the Lord has put in my life and the opportunity that I have to share this gospel with all those that I meet every day. Try to take a moment to recognize all that you have been given and give all thanks back to the Lord. I know I have been given more than I could ever repay to the Lord. I love you all and am thankful for you! I pray for you every day! Have a great week!!! 

NOVEMBER 14, 2016

MIRACLES IN MIAMI LAKES!

This week was so great! I for real love this so much! I love Florida! The weather has been perfect and this week just few by because we have been non-stop busy. I have pretty much gotten over my hatred of knocking for an hour a day which has been a huge blessing. 

First off, our investigators are getting BAPTIZED!!! Miracles are REAL! This family has been meeting with the missionaries for months. They have gone through 3 sets of missionaries and have been dropped once. I had my first lesson with them on my first week here and after me and my companion felt like maybe we should try to drop them again because Gabby, the mom, didn't want to commit to anything and was basically telling us that she needed a HUGE sign from God before she was going to get baptized. We were super bummed and didn't really know what to do. We continued to Text her throughout the week, sending her scriptures to read and just checking up. AND THEN, we went to our next lesson with them (Jimmy Gabby and Manuel) and they told us that they want to be baptized and are so excited for everything! We were so excited! They looked so happy and just different. Gabby received the most amazing answer to her prayers that I honestly think it would be just too hard to type out. She awesome!  They are the most beautiful family ever. They told us that we were their angels and they feel like we are just a part of their family. I love them!!!! They speak absolutely no English, except for Manuel, and are so patient with me and my Spanish. We have become best friends though. They are already so excited to get sealed in the temple and I’m so excited because I get to see it!! Ah!

Also, this week I learned that I LOVE biking. it’s so fun! I biked for the first time this week and felt so missionary-like. I could not stop smiling ha-ha it’s so weird. Also, we have been working to try to work better with the members. We are working with a few less active families and part members to try to help them out. They all are hilarious and just love talking to us! I feel like all these people are my best friends. Our ward had a goal of getting 20 baptisms this year and now with Jimmy Gabby and Manuel we are at 17! Me and Sister Leslie are so excited because we thought of a super cool way to make everyone responsible and feel hyped for missionary work this new year.

On Saturday, our stake had a cultural night which was a huge success. Each ward represented a different country and there was food and performances and the whole thing was chaos. Latins love to party or any type of activity. I have already met people from pretty much every Latin American country and the Caribbean. Cubans are ridiculously hard to understand but hopefully I figure it out soon!  

I miss you guys and pray for you every night! Everything is great here in Florida! I’ll talk to you next week!! Thank you for all your love and support!!!