Monday, May 26, 2014

Teaching Ray


Dear Friends and Family,

I'm going to start a little backwards this week. On Sunday Hermana Holloway and I gave talks in the Largo Spanish Branch. Our topic was hastening the work. We both did a great job! Hermana Holloway talked about Ammon and King Lamoni and how when Ammon was teaching Lamoni he was his friend and even was willing to give his life for him when Lamoni's father threatened to kill him. She explained that we need to be friends to everyone so that when they do decide to investigate the church, they have someone to look to. 

We were talking about it and we both realized that we know people back in UTAH who could use the lessons. No matter where we are, we can find people who need to hear the gospel. Her talk reminded me of one of the members of our Stake High Council who said, "Oh, you don't have friends you can share the gospel with? That's ok, you can repent."

For my talk, I talked about using the internet, personal talents and your own personal testimony to do the work. I taught them that everyone is needed. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "There is a way for everyone to participate in this great work. We can each find a way to use our own particular talents and interests in support of the great work of filling the world with light and truth."

This week we started working with a new investigator named Ray who's sister is a member. He is very friendly and positive about the gospel. He accepted our challenge to be baptized after our deist lesson and came to church this week. We feel very blessed to have met him, he simply came to the church while we were there teaching the youth the first lesson and asked for the missionaries, how cool is that?!

Teaching Ray
For the most part, we're still teaching in Spanish. According to the branch, I've come eons with my Spanish. I hope it's true! I really want to continue speaking in Spanish throughout my life. I'm so glad God's plan includes growth and progression and not exactly strength and perfection. This week my wonderful aunt Donna sent me this quote and I liked it so much that I decided to share it with you, "It is wise to seek immortality, because time defeats all other ambitions"  (Vernon Howard) 

We also did exchanges this week. It was my turn to leave the area, so I went down to Seminole with Sister Fox. I love going on exchanges because it gives me a chance to learn from all the other sisters and get to know our area better. Sister Fox and I went out contacting and received several emails to put into the new RAIN system that sends insightful church videos out to potential investigators and also members. It was great because we were able to set a specific goal and then reach it. We felt so accomplished. It was the best, and now they have several new people they can teach.

On Wednesday, we taught in district meeting about teaching simply. Our training worked out perfectly with the ZL's training because they taught us how to help people connect the dots. Their training was so inspiring. The gospel is very simple and can be understood by anyone. Everyone can know for themselves.

For Memorial Day we had a Memorial Day breakfast with the Seminole ward. I love getting to know the English members, the saints of Florida are really so amazing! The funny thing is as a Spanish speaking missionary, you kind of forget that you are in the south until you talk with someone in English and they break out into a sweet southern accent, haha! Florida has turned out to be not at all what I thought it would be but ten times better than I could have ever hoped it would be. Sometimes I look back on the last 8 months of my life and think, "Have I really been doing this? Yes I have! Que chèvre!" (Cool)


That's it for the week!  

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