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!  

From Largo with Love On My Birthday

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you all for all the love and support! Thanks to everyone who contributed to my birthday package!!! It's been a great day so far!

Indian Rocks Area

Blustery day on the bridge

I wanted to start this weeks email with something a bit more spiritual because I normally just jump into the week without sharing how much it really means to me to be out here on the mission.

This year in general conference, Elder Neil L. Anderson talked about the nature of the Latter Day Saints. He said:

"In nature, trees that grow up in a windy environment become stronger. As winds whip around a young sapling, forces inside the tree do two things. First, they stimulate the roots to grow faster and spread farther. Second, the forces in the tree start creating cell structures that actually make the trunk and branches thicker and more flexible to the pressure of the wind. These stronger roots and branches protect the tree from winds that are sure to return.⁴  

You are infinitely more precious to God than a tree. You are His son or His daughter. He made your spirit strong and capable of being resilient to the whirlwinds of life."

I am so grateful to have a loving Heavenly Father who created me strong enough to resist evil and carry on during the hardest times. I feel so blessed to see this amazing change taking place in others.

Sick with colds

We had several great lessons this week, despite having colds half the week. We taught Ema about the restoration again and she said that she wanted to come to the English ward (because she lives 5 min. away and can't make it to the Spanish Branch) even though she can't understand it because she wants to feel the spirit. She says she feels it every time we're there.

We found another dolphin!

Elouisa and Juan came to church! Yay!! We're so happy. We had a great lesson with them earlier this week about keeping the Sabbath day holy. I can really see them striving to live God's commandments, it's wonderful.

Last week when we taught them about prayer I told them how when I was younger I put tape on the doorknob to remember to pray before I left the house and then this week as we were leaving I noticed they had tape wrapped around their doorknob... coincidence? I think not!

We're really starting to work with the Seminole ward a bit more. It's exciting and a little strange. I am not used to speaking with members and investigators in English. We went to the Relief Society activity on Wednesday and although we didn't have any of our investigators there, we met a potential and each of the English sisters had investigators there, it was a great success!

Thursday we went to the park because we had a couple hours to do finding and when we get there, we see one of the Seminole sister's investigators. He works at the little kiosk-thing there and told us that if we wanted, we could ride some of the cool 2-people bikes!! "Missionaries ride free." Yup, those are my sisters, creating a good name for the church and missionaries everywhere. He also gave us free cookies and told us to have at it!

Biking in the park is a blast!

We chose the cherry red tandem car. It was a blast! And an excellent way of contacting, I might add. Lot's of people were interested merely because we were two girls in skirts...on a two person bike car.  Funnest day ever! 

Then on that note, we were up in Clearwater walking to our car from a recent converts house and we see this guy we had run into two times before and he gave us free treats from his supply truck because he is the person who stocks all the tiendas. It's amazing how as a missionary sometimes it feels like the world hates you and then other times it's like the whole world adores you! :)

The sweets that our new best friend Roberto gave us!

For my birthday so far, we had a bit of cake for breakfast, I opened my package, cleaned the apartment, went for a run and had Chilis.

I got the package!

Hermana was trying to light the match for my cake and dropped them all over the floor. Haha!

Me cutting my cake...dramatically

For my Birthday, Hermana Holloway took me out to Chilis because she had a gift card. We had lots of fun just talking and eating some yummy food. We were surprised to find that some new inventions have come out while we have been on the mission.

Hope you all enjoy your week!

Love,

Hermana Mathis

With Love From Holiday to Bradington and Back

Dear Family and Friends,

Guess what? It's that time again, one of the two greatest days of the year... MOTHERS DAY!!! I hope you're all as excited as I am, mothers are truly an amazing gift, especially mine. I'll be skyping home around 4:00 MST, just so all of you know.

This week was an adventure, we agreed last night that it feels like we've done nothing and everything all at the same time. It's been a long one so here we go:

Monday- We had a Zone Development Day. So what happens on a ZDD is we all get together for some training and activities. It was a complete success! Everyone had fun. So what we did is the Zone Leaders trained us on committing people to baptism, then we trained on companionship inventory and the other sisters trained on personal study. 

For our training we had 6 companionships link arms and then race to get underneath a table and stand back up again. It was pretty hilarious, and a lot harder than you would think. Then we talked about how we can get through hard lessons if we lean on our companions for support. It was pretty short, but everyone enjoyed it. After that, we all went to the park and had a BBQ and played Ninja and Signs.

With Gloria

Tuesday- We went on exchanges with the Seminole A sisters. I stayed in the area with Sister Wakefield. It was a good day filled with lessons. We taught Elouisa and Juan again, we brought President Lopez and he talked with them about marriage. They are super close...

Wednesday-Our one scheduled appointment fell through, so we decided to do weekly planning instead of on Thursday because we were booked Thursday. Regardless, we were able to have some good lessons. We went to Cindy's and taught the 10 commandments and made cake balls with a kit she had from a member in the ward. We also found out that we are now teaching in mostly English; Largo has been changed to a Zebra area. (Spanish and English)

Pizza at Cindy's

Thursday- More lessons all over the peninsula.

Friday- We went to MLC in Bradington. We were so excited because it was going to be on the beach. We got there and were all huddled underneath a pavilion because it was storming all day. We would have stayed at the beach,  but the hurricane warning went off, so we had to go to a church instead. I love MLC meetings though, because it's great to discuss with all the other leaders of the mission what's going on and how we can resolve problems. News is, some of us are not doing facebook anymore and emails are in full swing. 

Saturday- We had lessons with most of our investigators and a couple members. I got to see Antonia's new baby, he's so cute! 

Sunday- We had the Ft. Lauderdale Temple dedication. Wow! I loved it! Even though we were just watching the transmission, the spirit was SO strong. I realized more than ever how blessed I am to have the opportunity to go to the temple and to be a member of this church. It was so amazingly beautiful. We watched two sessions, one in English and one in Spanish. I can't wait until I can go through the temple again!

So that's it. Hope you all have a great week. 

Con Amor,

   de La Hermana Mathis

New Companion and a Branch Party!

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you all for your emails, once again. They are very much appreciated! Lots of things have been going on lately, so I don't really know where to begin this week. I guess I'll start by saying that I'm still STL and am now serving with a new companion Hermana Holloway. She is super cute, I adore her! She is from Riverton, UT.

Lovin' my new companion!
We didn't even plan on both wearing yellow; it just happened!

We started the transfer with a goal to find those who are truly ready and searching for the gospel and so that's what we've been doing! Lately we've been focusing on finding. We walk everyday at least 4 hours in between appointments. We're also incorporating Facebook a little bit more. The other day I had my first few lessons on Facebook. It's SO nice to be able to teach an investigator a principle in between other appointments. I am so grateful for my i-Pad.

I've decided the next time I come to Florida I am coming in March or April because the weather right now is PERFECT. We've been walking around trying to find a lot lately so my tan is getting pretty good :) Haha, sometimes it really is like I'm on vacation. The only thing is, I get to talk to random strangers and hand out cards while I'm here.

We're thinking of going out to the island next P-Day to go see the Dolphin Tales exhibit I'll send you pics if we do. This P-Day we are having a "Zone Development Day" where the whole Zone gets together does a training together and plays games.

It was Sister Jensen's Birthday and we were on exchange,
thus we ate cheesecake ... yum!

On Saturday we had our branch party. It was a blast! We all got together and just had a BBQ/fiesta at a members house. They even set up a really neat pool for all the kids and we all played get to know you games. It was perfect for our recent converts and Cindy who is still just getting to know the church. There wasn't going to be dancing originally, but let's be honest, this is a Latino branch, so the party turned into a dance right away. Everyone danced with everyone. I love being part of the Largo Spanish branch! 

Ha Ha, I feel like a giant next to all the short Latinos that I love.

And we danced ...

Yup, I danced too!

The kids played in the pool while we all talked and played games.

Marcelo and Diego

Goofing off with Diego.

 As for investigators right now, we're still teaching Elouisa and Juan, they're doing awesome. Right now we are working on picking a marriage date with them. Last time we saw them they asked us who in the church had the authority to marry them, so tomorrow we are going over with President Lopez (branch president) to set a date.

These gator signs are all over in our area.

Cindy and Cornelio are still doing good. On Friday, we went over to their house to teach them about observing the Sabbath day and Cindy and I made my mom's recipe for BBQ chicken pizza. It was delicious; it was a hit! Everyone loved it!

That's all I have time for today but I will send a few pics, love you all! Have a great week.

Con Amor,

Hermana Mathis

A New Companion!

Hermana and I at Cindy's, our first full day teaching together, I adore her. She is such a good teacher! We must be on the same wavelength because we even matched this day!

Hermana Holloway and Nathalie, instant buddies!

We went to Ivette Lopez's baby shower. Hermana Garnica made this balloon arch and then told us that we have to fly her out to Utah for our weddings so that she can make us balloon arches ;) 

Hermana Holloway had so much fun getting to know the branch. 

Seeing Some Fruit

I don't have a ton of time to write but I wanted to send you an email letting you know how things are going. With Hermana Duong leaving, we've been saying a lot of goodbyes, which has been really sad.

We had to get the car checked on too because there was a recall on our car due to faulty axels. Luckily ours is fine. I'm so grateful to have not crashed, I've been driving the past few weeks because Hermana Duong isn't supposed to and it's been scary. First things first when I get my new companion, she is driving! 

Other news is that the Fort Lauderdale temple open house was this past week and a lot of our members and converts and even some investigators went. 

Fort Lauderdale Temple

Friday night Cindy and Cornelio announced that they had picked a marriage date! Yay!!! I could have cried. Although they're not getting married until August 23rd, it's so good to see the fruits of our labors :) I'm so happy for them. Besides, Cornelio still can't be baptized until October, but who knows, maybe president will change his mind after the wedding. 

Jose (recent convert, he was baptized the week before I arrived) announced afterward that he was ready to receive the priesthood! We're so proud of him. 

Overall lots of good came from the temple trip. I wish I could have gone. I will send you a pic. 

Transfer calls were Saturday night. I'm staying in Largo, but I will not be training. There are lots of Spanish sisters leaving their areas, so I could be put with really anybody. 

Spiritual Moment of the week: reflecting on temple marriage because we have been talking about temples a lot with the open house and realizing how amazing temple work is. I am so grateful for all those who helped me to prepare to go through. I sat with Hermana Duong during comp study and we practiced teaching about temples in Spanish, the spirit was super strong, she'll probably be visiting the temple this weekend, I'm so happy to have had the chance to serve with her. 

Well that's it for today, tenga un buenísimo semana! 

Sincerely,

Hermana Mathis

Baptism, Birthdays, and Kissing Squirrels!

Dear Family and Friends,

For starters, Gloria got baptized!!! Wahoo! It was so amazing to be with her on her big day and to be able to help her into the font. She was super excited the whole day. She bore her testimony in all three meetings! She even made the effort to climb to the stand even though she's blind. Everything went so well! 

Sister Duong and I with Gloria

She was baptized by our ward mission leader Kevin. The branch was very sweet to make her feel welcome and loved. As part of her baptism, Hermana Duong and I and the Seminole sisters sang, "Cuando me bautice" (When I am Baptized). It was so pretty. She started crying during our song and then afterward said that we were angels. 

Her husband Diego, who she's been in a fight with for the longest time even got emotional. He said he was so proud of her and called her his wife for the first time in a long time. I am so proud of her decision. I know she is too. Even though she called us her angels, I think she is the one who is an angel. 

Afterward we all had snickerdoodle and peanut butter cookies which I made and rice krispies that Sister Wakefield made. Gloria loved them, and as they were leaving, we watched with smiles on our faces as Diego sneaked an extra cookie for her in her bag. Overall it was a wonderful day. (For those of you who weren't aware hers was my first baptism.)

As for the rest of the week, where should I begin?

Monday we celebrated Hermana Duong's birthday by going to her favorite Indian food restaurant and then to a surprise b-day party at the Seminole sisters apartment. They made her broiled birthday cake, haha, with Barney colored frosting and brownies. We all put on mustaches and sang and just laughed about the silly things we do as missionaries. We had a blast!

That night we taught Elouisa and Juan about the Book of Mormon. They are super into it! We watched the Restoration with them and they loved it so much they asked if they could keep it! We gladly gave it to them to watch with their kids over and over again.

Tuesday on Hermana Duong's actual birthday we had a day booked of lessons which you can bet all included a birthday cake for Hermana Duong afterwards. Bleh! I never want to eat cake again! Haha. 

We started at Gloria's house and taught about prophets. Afterward she gave us some cobblery stuff and mango juice. Ema we taught about tithing and fasting and then afterwards she gave us some chocolate strawberry cake with white frosting, very classy, it was so very "like" her. Hermana Pizarro, our fellowshipper gave Hermana a pink doll which was really funny because Hermana Duong HATES pink, so she decided to name it after me because apparently pink is my color. 

Elizabeth made us a Puerto Rican dish of chicken and yellow rice. Delish! She also made Hermana Duong a cake which was supposed to have a Butterfly on it but the bag broke as she was decorating it, so she just smeared all the colors together, ha! It was a masterpiece! She threw a full on party for her. It was super sweet.

 Eluid and Maggie, Elizabeth's siblings were there and they gave us presents! I am now the proud owner of a very ugly pink, blue, brown and white tie-dye skirt which matches Hermana Duong's very ugly pink brown tie-dye skirt. Pictures will be included later. They also gave us both perfume. Afterwards we read from the scriptures, they love reading.

Wednesday after district meeting we went on exchanges with the St. Petersburg Metro sisters, sisters Kunz and Losada. Me and sister Kunz stayed up in Largo and spent the day finding mostly. We went to Largo park and met a few people who were interested.

We started talking to this guy who was feeding squirrels and he said that he would hear us out, so we sat down and started teaching him. He gave us each a bunch of peanuts to feed the squirrels and taught us how. "You got to look them in the eye" he said, "and then when you've got them, when their biting down on the nut, you lift them up and kiss 'em on the head!"

I look at sister Kunz, she looks at me, what do we do? We decide to try it! So there we were sitting in the park, feeding squirrels, and Sister Kunz does it! She kissed a squirrel on the head! Crazy right? Well, I on the other hand, was having a hard time getting them to stay on long enough to kiss them on the head, so there I was just flipping squirrels everywhere! It was hillarious! I wish I would have gotten a picture. Crazy day right? I had so much fun.

Thursday we switched back in time to teach Gloria again. We spent the whole time preparing her for her baptism, she was so ready. After that we taught back to back lessons all day. Chavela gave us more cake that night, bleh! We ended up giving it away to Elouisa and Juan, they were happy to receive it.

 

Friday we did another exchange with the Seminole A sisters. I went finding with Sister Anderson. We went to the mall and met a bunch of cool people. Saturday we gave sister Anderson to the Seminole C sisters and we kept Hermana Wakefield to spend one more day with us in "Spanish land." I love the opportunity to learn from so many amazing daughters of God. 

That night we watched the Woman's Conference and I adored it! I never thought I would ever watch conference in Spanish and understand it like I did. The spirit was so overwhelming. I hope nobody saw because I was crying the whole entire time! I love the sense of unity conference brings! I can't wait for the weekend, it's going to be the best! Missionary Christmas!

Hope you all have a fantastic week!

Con Amor,

Hermana Mathis