we all shared about the thing that was most precious to us

"I talked about my miracle book.
Everyone really liked it and I read one of my days to them. 

I love to reread all the miracles that have happened to me."

email

September 7, 2011

Dear Family,

   I have some notes about what I want to write.  Here are a few bullet points:

Grandma: Thank you for your letters I love to read them.  Don´t send anymore to Guatemala though because I probably won´t receive them. I love to hear about what you are doing and also a little bit about the world because I have no idea what is going on out there :)

Dad:  I read Alma 7:17 and thought about how you taught us to bear testimony in that mission prep class in Sheridan.    Also thanks for being a faithful writer.  I´m glad that you are preparing for Elder Nelson and hopefully that is a really fun thing for you.  Please please please tell him that I say hi.  I just think that would be cool. 

Mom: thank you for the dear elders from missionaries.  I like to receive them.  You don´t have to send all of them all the time, but I would like to get a few from Ellis and Hannah and Robert and Rachelle. 

Also, the garden looks fabulous.  thanks for the picutres of the squash and my sweet pea :)  I loved the picture of the backyard with the Wyoming sky. 

Kevin and Cheryl, can you send me a picture of the family at some point?  I especially want a picture of Tanner and Nani, but I would like to have one of all of you.  I have Scotty and Adam and I want to show off all of my cute neices and nephews. 

Paul I wrote you last week. I hope you get  the letter.

          I´m super excited that Lucia is going to make Pozole for Elder Nelson.  That was a great idea, Dad.  Don´t send me any more mail here because I won´t get it.  Mom can you post my new address on facebook and tell people to address the DE to Nicaragua Managua Sur?  Gracias. 

Speaking of Gracias,  my Espanol has definitely improved a lot.  It´s hard for me to realize it sometimes, but it definitely has helped to have to speak to my teachers and companions in Spanish.  I learn a lot and I get to implement what I learn.  I need to work on my vocabulary more.  It´s fun.  My poor Latina companion probably thinks that I´m really slow because I don´t speak well, but whatever.  I didn´t speak much Spanish at all on Monday, and a little more on Tuesday and Today has not started off well, but I am going  to improve!!!!!!!

            From Tuesday night until Monday morning I felt sick.  I was just really stressed out for some reason.  I made myself physically sick.  I felt like I was going to throw up.  But I didn´t.  Finally, I asked an Elder in my district for a blessing and that was really good.  He blessed me that the stress and the feelings of sickness would leave. That I would be able to teach with my companions, and that I would be able to love and communicate my love for my investigators.  He told me three times that Heavenly Father was pleased with my decision to serve a mission. That was nice to hear as well. 

         Happiness!!!  We taught in CRE last Saturday.  We taught Hna. Ayala´s sister and I´m still not sure what her name is.  I think that it´s Madeline.  She is a member and she is going to go on a mission in March, hopefully.  We talked to her about preparing and gave her a compromiso commitment.  She gave us three referencias.  Two of them are her best friends and one is her brother- in-law.  Hna Ayala told us that Madeline called up Mariana, one of the referencias, and invited her to come to CRE this Saturday.  So we are praying that she will come so that we can teach her.  I am so excited to teach a real live investigator.  It´s fun to teach teachers and members and less active members too.  Way fun.  Except I feel like I´m going to throw up every time.  Kind of like Speech and Debate.

           Hna Ayala is one of our teachers and she is pretty much the coolest person on the face of the earth.  A gift from God.  haha but really.  She´s super intimidating.  But every time she opens her mouth I feel the spirit.  She had us read about Lehi´s dream and find the different types of people that were in the dream.  Then ask ourselves:  how can this help me fulfill my purpose as a missionary?  I really liked how she applied it to us.  As missionaries, we can partake of the fruit and then call out in a loud voice to others to partake of the fruit as well.  Or we can partake of the fruit and be ashamed to share it.  We can be ashamed of our Spanish, and how we can´t really communicate very well.  I need to be more like the people who heard the people in the great and spacious building and heeded them not.  It´s cool to hear from Hna. Ayala becuase she served her mission in Ohio, and she had to learn English.  She was at the visitor´s center and also proselyted. or as Doug might say Proselytizerationalized.  She talked about how a group of young people came to the visitors center and they laughed at her English.  It made her feel bad, but she just kept on talking and bore her testimony. 

           Last night we had a devotional from Elder Martino.  He´s in the area presidency.  He told us about his mission and I guess he served with you, Dad.  I asked him afterwards, and he said, yes I remember there was an Elder Tew in my mission.  We never really were in the same area, but I remember there was one.  He talked about many things and here are a few that stick out.  Your companionship and personal study will determine the success of the rest of your day.

If you work with all your might, mind, heart, & strength your families are going to be blessed.  He said there are some of you that are worried about your families, but they are going to be blessed by your service.  He told us to unpack all our bags.  Don´t leave part of your heart or mind in Wyoming.  BTW I talked with three Latinas yesterday, and all three of them live closer to a temple than we do.  I thought that was interesting.  In fact, the three of them combined probably live as far from a temple as we do.

         Well, Familia.  I love you all.  and by love, I mean love.  I hope life is good in Utah, Wyoming, and Albany and DC?  Where is Kyle nowadays?  I think about you and pray for you.  Paul, you got a new job, right?  How is it going?  I love to hear from you.

Dani thanks again for my miracle book.  Yesterday we all shared about the thing that was most precious to us (an actual object that we had to show)  and I talked about my miracle book.  Everyone really liked it and I read one of my days to them.  I love to reread all the miracles that have happened to me.  I love you all!!!!! Thanks for your prayers.

         Love, love, love Hermana II