Ok! To start lets just pick up on that woman we were working with last
week. (The one with the flowers) So we visited her yesterday to go
visit her neighbor she wanted us to teach, but unfortunately her
neighbor wasn't home. So she just kept on trying to take us to her
other neighbors! But none of them were home. Then it came down to this
American woman. Our friend told us, "She's American, but you speak
English. I bet she'll accept the gospel." So she knocked on the door
and sure enough this beautiful blond woman greeted us with a big smile
and said "come in!" Then our friend started introducing us in English,
"these are the sisters from my church" the blond smiled and nodded and
finally piped in "Maria! We go to the same church!" She then proceeded
to tell us how she joined the church when she married her second
husband, but when they divorced she fell away for 20 years. Then just
three years ago she came back to church and since has gone through the
temple (and continues to go) thanks to dedicated home and visiting
teachers who visited her monthly for ten years. Well, at the time when
this woman was coming back to church, Our friend joined the church!
Maria opened up to her about some of her problems and holy cow her
neighbor is an angel sent from Heaven. She was able to give our friend
just the encouragement she needed and then proceeded to promise to
take her through the temple. She bore a powerful testimony of the
temple and boldly told our friend all the things she needed to do to
go. She then again promised to go with her and said that she would
even bring her visiting teacher. It was amazing. The Lord is so aware
of all the needs of his children. We had gone out looking for more
people to teach, but he used us to lead Maria to just what she needs.
We love being here so much. It just feels like such a tender mercy.
The people are so loving. (I haven't ever been fed so much on my
mission. You know you're an Hermana when death comes in three families
who decide to serve you sopa or caldo three times on the same hot
August day. Still trying to figure out the "this is the soup my mom
always made on the hottest days of the summer!" Culture....but I love
them for it!)
This week we've been taking out the bikes! We take the bikes to
different neighborhoods, just leave our car somewhere and have been
biking to members. It's been a lot of fun.
On Wednesday while biking we stopped at a home we had seen having A
carne Asada party weekends prior. A girl about our age answered the
door and we started talking with her, until she just stopped us and
said, "wait. Where are y'all from?" Um Texas and Idaho..."where did
y'all learn Spanish? Because your Spanish is perfect. And I mean
perfect." She was in shock, and quite frankly, so we're we! It was
amazing to see how the gift of tongues identified us as servants of
the Lord. She let us in and we met her cute little family and we are
teaching them again tonight!
On Friday we biked to a part member less active family, but they
weren't home. So we decided to try this other member, who was a single
woman the branch President's wife referred to us. We thought she was
less active, but when we arrived she told us about how distraught she
was that company had over stayed her time to leave in time to go to
the temple that night in Spanish. But we came! Haha somewhere in the
conversation it came up that her favorite hymn was "Lord I would
Follow thee" we asked her if we could sing it and she got really
excited. "Yes! And I want to get my mom and her caretaker!" Her care
taker turned out to be a friend visiting from Mexico and she loved the
hymn! ( her mom, who is 85, also sang with us btw.) we then talked
about our favorite lines from the hymn and shared a message based off
that conversation. We explained to her moms caretaker/ friend who we
were and what we do and asked her if we could teach her. She said yes!
So we went back the next morning- first thing! And she was so excited.
They (care taker and member- who are friends) had stayed up late into
the night singing hymns, and our new friend Josefina loved it! It was
such a spiritual lesson. We all cried and she told us that she new we
were angels of truth and committed to read the Book of Mormon.
I know that what we share is true. We aren't perfect, by any means,
but I know that the message we share is true and the most important
thing is that we keep on trying. God is our Loving Heavenly Father and
His grace is sufficient. Moroni 10:32. In all that we do, the most
important thing is that we continue to grow closer to Him and to be
more like Him. Mosiah 3:19.
God is so merciful. This week we had zone meeting and we talked a lot
about faith. Well, with Faith comes Hope and faith + hope = charity
and that is the goal: Charity. Without it, we are nothing. So keep the
faith! Keep the hope! And remember that Love is the essence of the
gospel!
I love and miss you all!
Love always,
Hermana Wallis
Spanish sisters the day of transfers. (This is from 3 ish weeks ago...)
And caldo with a side of Coca-cola. (They bought the napkins just for us btw.)
week. (The one with the flowers) So we visited her yesterday to go
visit her neighbor she wanted us to teach, but unfortunately her
neighbor wasn't home. So she just kept on trying to take us to her
other neighbors! But none of them were home. Then it came down to this
American woman. Our friend told us, "She's American, but you speak
English. I bet she'll accept the gospel." So she knocked on the door
and sure enough this beautiful blond woman greeted us with a big smile
and said "come in!" Then our friend started introducing us in English,
"these are the sisters from my church" the blond smiled and nodded and
finally piped in "Maria! We go to the same church!" She then proceeded
to tell us how she joined the church when she married her second
husband, but when they divorced she fell away for 20 years. Then just
three years ago she came back to church and since has gone through the
temple (and continues to go) thanks to dedicated home and visiting
teachers who visited her monthly for ten years. Well, at the time when
this woman was coming back to church, Our friend joined the church!
Maria opened up to her about some of her problems and holy cow her
neighbor is an angel sent from Heaven. She was able to give our friend
just the encouragement she needed and then proceeded to promise to
take her through the temple. She bore a powerful testimony of the
temple and boldly told our friend all the things she needed to do to
go. She then again promised to go with her and said that she would
even bring her visiting teacher. It was amazing. The Lord is so aware
of all the needs of his children. We had gone out looking for more
people to teach, but he used us to lead Maria to just what she needs.
We love being here so much. It just feels like such a tender mercy.
The people are so loving. (I haven't ever been fed so much on my
mission. You know you're an Hermana when death comes in three families
who decide to serve you sopa or caldo three times on the same hot
August day. Still trying to figure out the "this is the soup my mom
always made on the hottest days of the summer!" Culture....but I love
them for it!)
This week we've been taking out the bikes! We take the bikes to
different neighborhoods, just leave our car somewhere and have been
biking to members. It's been a lot of fun.
On Wednesday while biking we stopped at a home we had seen having A
carne Asada party weekends prior. A girl about our age answered the
door and we started talking with her, until she just stopped us and
said, "wait. Where are y'all from?" Um Texas and Idaho..."where did
y'all learn Spanish? Because your Spanish is perfect. And I mean
perfect." She was in shock, and quite frankly, so we're we! It was
amazing to see how the gift of tongues identified us as servants of
the Lord. She let us in and we met her cute little family and we are
teaching them again tonight!
On Friday we biked to a part member less active family, but they
weren't home. So we decided to try this other member, who was a single
woman the branch President's wife referred to us. We thought she was
less active, but when we arrived she told us about how distraught she
was that company had over stayed her time to leave in time to go to
the temple that night in Spanish. But we came! Haha somewhere in the
conversation it came up that her favorite hymn was "Lord I would
Follow thee" we asked her if we could sing it and she got really
excited. "Yes! And I want to get my mom and her caretaker!" Her care
taker turned out to be a friend visiting from Mexico and she loved the
hymn! ( her mom, who is 85, also sang with us btw.) we then talked
about our favorite lines from the hymn and shared a message based off
that conversation. We explained to her moms caretaker/ friend who we
were and what we do and asked her if we could teach her. She said yes!
So we went back the next morning- first thing! And she was so excited.
They (care taker and member- who are friends) had stayed up late into
the night singing hymns, and our new friend Josefina loved it! It was
such a spiritual lesson. We all cried and she told us that she new we
were angels of truth and committed to read the Book of Mormon.
I know that what we share is true. We aren't perfect, by any means,
but I know that the message we share is true and the most important
thing is that we keep on trying. God is our Loving Heavenly Father and
His grace is sufficient. Moroni 10:32. In all that we do, the most
important thing is that we continue to grow closer to Him and to be
more like Him. Mosiah 3:19.
God is so merciful. This week we had zone meeting and we talked a lot
about faith. Well, with Faith comes Hope and faith + hope = charity
and that is the goal: Charity. Without it, we are nothing. So keep the
faith! Keep the hope! And remember that Love is the essence of the
gospel!
I love and miss you all!
Love always,
Hermana Wallis
Spanish sisters the day of transfers. (This is from 3 ish weeks ago...)
And caldo with a side of Coca-cola. (They bought the napkins just for us btw.)
