So this is what it feels like to be an aunt!!!!

October 14, 2013

Woohooo!!!!

 

What a great start to this PUSH WEEK we are about to have!!  I am an aunt!!! :D  The baby is ADORABLE.  Oh, and please, I have a suggestion concerning the name....Name her:  Alexandra Renee.... ;)  I mean who wouldn't wanna be named after their aunt?!

 

This is what I would have written to you last week:

We were very, very happy and excited to have the training sisters come this week! Hermana Bartschi and I had the opportunity to work together. I was so happy to work with her. She really helped me at the beginning during companionship study and language study. I found out some better techniques for studying Spanish. She and I had a goal to work on declarations, I have been wanting to do better on having quality declarations. She really helped me know how to do that. We discussed how a lot of declarations may only last maybe a minute, but it is still quite possible to bring the spirit. And also discerning what the person is in need of, and we are able to discern if we are spiritually in tune. So! We had the goal to have not just declarations, but quality declarations. And to talk to everyone we see. We had a blast, and we pretty much had lesson after lesson the entire day! I don't think we even had 10 minutes without talking to someone, or teaching a lesson. It was awesome! Hermana Bartschi really helped me to speak up. I was kind of quieter at the beginning, I was trying to figure out how she was teaching so I could know how to teach with her in unity. But by the end of the day I finally got it. She helped me really use what we studied in language study that morning. Hermana Bartschi really helped me a lot. She teaches with power! She asks very inspired and powerful questions. I like that. She is bold in everything she does, I love that! She bold, but not overbearing. At the end of the day, I made some goals. I want to speak up! I want to ask better questions. And I want to teach with power. Ever since then I have really been working on speaking more, and asking better questions. I am figuring out how to teach with power too. I loved working with Hermana Bartschi. She is an example to me. She really helped me emphasize how important the Book of Mormon is to investigators. I know that the exchange helped me know how to be a better missionary, and I will always remember it.  She and I sang hymns during every lesson too!  And there was one song, we were singing and I looked at the woman we were singing to, then at Hermana Bartschi.  We smiled so big, sang even louder!  I realized...I am on a mission.  I am helping so many people.  I am a missionary!!  I am preaching the gospel!!  I love this work.  It's a beautiful, glorious work.  None other like it really.

 

Hermana Corniea and Hermana Coleman set lots of people with a baptismal date when they were on exchanges!! How exciting that was. I haven't really met Rey and Esmeralda, but Carmen I do know. I know that they are ready. It's so exciting, this gospel with really help them. Hermana Corniea and I were able to set another investigator with a date. His name is Everardo. I have spoken about him before. He is the man that had a baptismal interview about a year ago, but didn't end up getting baptized because his wife said she'd divorce him if he was to be baptized. I totally understand him not wanting to risk losing his family, this gospel is centered on families. And Everardo loves his family. But this past Friday, we really felt that he could be set with a date for November 2. His wife and son were there with us. He said he is ready. That he will prepare for the 2nd. At the end we had a kneeling prayer with his family. It was very neat. We have a lesson with them on Thursday, we are excited to see what happens. We want to make sure his family is supportive and understanding of his decision to be baptized.

We are now seeing that the way we are ending this transfer is awesome. We had made a goal to always make sure we end our transfers well. Just in case we have to leave, we want to leave our area the way we would want to enter an area. We want there to be success because we would love to go to an area with people that are progressing and have dates.

General Conference was just so great. To me I saw a common theme: The importance of families in a world that downgrades families, and missionary work. All the talks were so good. I think that one of my favorite talks was by David M. McConkie. His talk was fantastic! I felt like everything he said would help me. It was all about missionary work and how to be successful! When I couldn't write fast enough to write down things that I liked, I realized I would just have to get the talk in print. It was an awesome talk. I loved what he said about how we need to remember teachers are students too, and teachers today are too focused on what technique they use in teaching rather than focusing on the needs of the students. I believe that same principle goes along with missionaries.  Elder Dalin H. Oaks!!!!!  WOW.  FANTASTIC.  I loved it!!  D. Todd Christofferson!!  Was it Charles? Dube!!!!  We need to stop looking back at what we have done, and look forward.  WOWWW!!!  You know, that goes along with sin.  We have sinned.  Lots.  But QUIT worrying about the old sins if you have repented of them!  You are going to keep sinning.  The best we can do is try our hardest!!  And that is all Heavenly Father expects of us as well.  Ahhh.  I need to stop, I will just start naming all of em!  But for real, who said we need to "look up"?  I can't wait to get the General Conference Ensign.  Which by the way...anyone, and I mean ANYONE have the Conference issue from May?!  I NEED IT!!!  Please, anyone I would love you forever if you could send it to me. 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a good week.  I really love it here in Oxnard!  The people are just so awesome!  Hermana Corniea and I are teaching some great, great people.  Full of potential.  We are hoping to have a few more people with a date this week. 

We teach a woman named Evangelia.  She is so, so great.  She is Catholic.  And she really wants an eternal family.  She has so many great questions too.  We learned this last week that she has a hard time reading and holding on to what she reads.   So we are really trying to read the Book of Mormon with her.  And we want to answer all of her questions and concerns, as much as we can of course.  The rest of it we tell her to turn to the Lord.  She really wants to know the truth, it was really cool to see how humble and teachable she is.  So willing to change as long as we help know why it is important to make changes. 

We also, as you know, were teaching Carmen!  She had a baptismal date for the 26 of October.  But the very first thing she told us when we walked into her house was, "About baptism.  I can't get baptized, I'm moving to Chicago on Tuesday.  But I want missionaries to come teach me there."  So we are sad that she is moving.  We had a fantastic lesson with her, we read the Book of Mormon with her.  We are just so happy to know that she wants missionaries to come visit her!!  What a great referral!  And she will be baptized one day, I know it.  She knows this gospel is true. 

We are teaching a man named Javier.  He is cool.  He told us he knows there is something different about us.  Hermana Corniea and I know it's the gospel, of course!  Haha, so we have been teaching him.  He is progressing very well!!  He does his reading and prays.  We know he has potential.  But sometimes we feel like he is a little too friendly.  He always wants to take us to get ice cream or dinner.  And the last few visits he's grabbed on of our shoulders multiple times.  We aren't really too sure what to do.  We don't know if maybe he is just a nice guy, or if we should see if the zone leaders can go teach him.

We are also teaching Everardo!  We had a FANTASTIC lesson with him and his Wife, Gabina.  And also one of their sons, Michael.  We watched the Testaments with them.  By the end of it, Gabina said, "Wow.  That is so beautiful, isn't it?"  We told her it is.  And that it is in fact true, that Jesus Christ did come to the Americas.  We commited all three of them to study 3 Nephi 11 together.  We are sooo excited.  They are also going to pray about it.  This gospel will be such a blessing in their lives.

We have really seen our work progressing!  This has been such an exciting transfer, especially the last two weeks.  Something the zone leaders asked us to do is spiritually create baptisms.  Ever since Hermana Corniea and I started doing that everyday before we left the house, we have seen a difference in the work.  That's when we got progressing investigators.  That's when we got people with baptismal dates, we see more potential in people.  I love it.  I know that it helps me help others. 

Hermana Corniea is doing great!  She is such a good example to me.  She is seriously constantly serving me!  She is so selfless.  I want to be more like that.  She has a lot of hope.  She teaches me what hope really is, not just by words, but by actions too.  She is so helpful with helping me feel good about my Spanish.  And she's really let me teach a lot more, which has been really helpful for me.  I taught the whole Restoration in Spanish!!  It was so cool.  I know this much Spanish because of Hermana Corniea.

I have really pushed myself since the exchanges with the training sisters.  I made a goal to speak more, and now I am.  I know it is important to open my mouth.  I never want to hold back just because I may not know Spanish as well as the other missionaries, the only way I can learn is by speaking it!  There's no time to hold back just because I might embaress myself, haha because that does happen.  I also memorized the 1st vision in Spanish (finally).  Hermana Bartschi helped me realize that it was in fact VERY important to know by heart. 

I have just got to say.  We have lots of people with baptismal dates....one of them is moving to Chicago, but if you would have gotten my email last week it would have been 4.  They are all so prepared and ready.  And this next week should bring a few more people who will have dates.  I am not about numbers though.  I don't like to name off numbers, these are people.  They are very special to me, they will never just be a number to me.  And if what I am expecting to happen this next transfer, I won't even be here for the baptisms.  I am just happy they are taking this great step to follow Jesus Christ.

 

So yeah, transfer calls will be Monday (Oct 21) morning.  So I will tell you what happens.  But our prediction is that we are both leaving.  The reason is because our area is hoppin, and this is how we want to leave an area.  I always want to leave an area the way I would want to come into one.  And Hermana Corniea and I are DEFINITELY ready to say this is how we want to leave an area.  Of course, I don't want to leave.  Oxnard is so great.  Everything is fantastic.  I love the people.  But I also know that I will love where ever I go because that is where I am supposed to be. 

 

I know this church is true, without ANY doubts.  I would be long gone if this wasn't true.  Not that I have even really had a hard time, it's just that I am not about wasting time.  Not one bit.  This is not a waste of time.  I have never felt myself grow more than I have these last few months.  I know that I am not the same person who entered the MTC.  I won't ever be the same.  I know this is all true.  I know the Book of Mormon IS in fact the word of God.  Every question I have had is answered in the Book of Mormon.  Seriously, try keeping a question in mind and read the Book of Mormon front to back.  You will get an answer, I have heard that promise time and time again from prophets and apostles.  This church is true my friends.  It is the same exact church Jesus Christ established on the earth during his ministry.  It's true.  So true.  I love it.  I am giving my life for it.  We don't have time to waste here, the second coming is near.  This is in fact the last days, we must prepare now.  We cannot be like the 5 foolish virgins, we must collect our oil now before it is too late.  And you can do that through this wonderful beautiful gospel.  I know it, if you ever doubt, remember what President Uchtdorf said, "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith."  I love that. 

 

Have a great week, sorry I don't mean to blab, I just know what I know!!  I have a strong testimony of this gospel.  I love you all, I feel the prayers and support.  It means so much.

 

Hermana Ah Mu

 

Ps.  I mean it when you give your life and your all to the Lord...that includes our bodies.  I have gained many pounds.  Don't expect any pictures any time soon...