Poco a Poco

This week in El Paso has been incredible!!!

We started out the week by hearing from a member of the 70, Elder Pearson. He really got us excited about the work. He reminded me that the gospel isn't just for "some people". It is for EVERYBODY! We are all God's children and he has restored the true church of Jesus Christ for ALL OF US.

The Gospel is the Medicine!

 So, that night after the meeting we showed up at an appointment and the guy wasn't there. We were so bummed out. We knocked on his door, the windows, the garage...nothing. Then I remembered that we had met someone the week before who lived on the same road as our canceled appointment!

Last week we were walking up the road and saw an old man (P) working on his car battery. We walked up and started talking to him. He said he has cancer and is going through a lot of pain and struggles. He said he has already talked to Mormon missionaries before and he needed to go inside because it was too cold out for him. Sister Thompson read him a scripture about the healing power of Christ, but he was still being a grump so we left. Well, P popped into my mind after this appointment canceled. Sis. Thompson looked at me like I was crazy...and I felt kind of crazy...we knew that P was a grump and not interested. But, we knocked on his door and were surprised to see his face light up! He invited us right in! He told us all about his struggles. He has so many health problems. The guy has almost died FOUR TIMES! He started crying....he said that when he saw us walking up to his car last week he thought to himself, "Are those angels?". He continued to tell us, with tears streaming down his face, that he believes we are angels come to help him. He asked us why he has so many trials, and why he has been given so many chances to live? "What have I done wrong? What is God trying to tell me?" 

We told him that he didn't do anything wrong, and that he is a son of God. As he began to realize his true identity his tears continued to come. He spread out a blanket on the ground, we all got on our knees, and he prayed to his Heavenly Father for the first time. The prayer was so unbelievably beautiful. The spirit was SO strong I can't even describe it. 

We went back later in the week. We walked in to find a book of Mormon on his table. The missionaries had given it to him 30 years ago. Don't tell me that God doesn't prepare people to hear this message....The gospel is TRUE and He wants ALL of us to have it!

Heavenly Father Hears our Prayers!

This week we talked to everybody we possibly could. Turns out a lot of people "already know the word" and "got saved a few years ago" and "don't know anybody who could use anymore happiness"....uh-huh.....anyway. We talked to 53 people who weren't interested. At the end of a really long, but really fun day of getting shut down (i'm serious it was actually fun and happy....don't know how but missionary life is just awesome) Hermana Thompson thought of a woman who she met knocking doors the week before I got here. 

When Hermana T and her old companion knocked on L's door, L asked them to come back later because she was about to have a baby that week! L's name came into Hermana Thompsons head so we went to her house and knocked on the door. L invited us right in! We met her three month old baby and one of her 4 young sons. She told us that she has been really struggling after this pregnancy. We sat down and began teaching her the same thing we taught P, that she is a precious daughter of Heavenly Father and he LOVES her. We asked her if she has ever prayed. This is what she said:

Several years ago her son broke his arm. The doctor re-set it and said that he would be in a lot of pain for the first day. That night her son was crying in pain. He couldn't sleep, and neither could she. She prayed to God and asked him to help her son to sleep. Immediately her son stopped crying and fell asleep. She looked over to his bed as she drifted to sleep and saw two arms, dressed in a white tunic, wrapped around her sleeping son. She rolled over in bed, full of peace and amazement...trying to figure out if she was dreaming or not...and saw the refection of a face in the window. She described it as a glorious face. 

We were amazed by her story. The spirit was so strong as she told it, so we knew it was true. We invited her to pray again, out loud, but she was very nervous. We opened a pamphlet to a page that had a simple guide on how to pray. She bowed her head and offered a beautiful prayer. The spirit filled the room. After she closed the prayer we sat in silence. She was holding her baby close and kissing her. Nobody wanted to break the spirit. 

Hearing someone pray to Heavenly Father, after learning who he really is and how much he wants to listen to us, is the best experience in the world. 

She opened her eyes, and closed the pamplet. On the front cover of the pamplet is a picture of Jesus Christ coming out of the tomb. His arms, clothed in a white tunic, are extended outward. She paused as she saw it, "Those are the arms...I'm certain those are them!" 

Then she said again, "I know because that is the face I saw! I saw his long hair, and his beard, and that face! That is him!"

"Do you know who that is?" We asked. She didn't. We explained who Jesus Christ is, and that he is her Savior, brother, and friend. (I don't know what really happened that night when she prayed, but I believe that whether she dreamed it or really saw what she says she did was an answer from God.)

She has set a goal to be baptized and wants to learn all she can to prepare.

Poco a Poco (little by little)

G is progressing really quickly. He has started to recognize the spirit as an answer to his prayers. It is really interesting teaching a Jehova's Witness. They have a lot of beliefs that don't line up with ours, so we just have to slowly and gently teach him the truth with a lot of love. We had a lesson on Jesus Christ last night. We showed him the "Because of Him" video from last Christmas. G said something like, "I knew most of that...nothing new...but when I saw the baby Jesus, I felt something. I'm not sure why, maybe I never pictured  him as a helpless baby because we don't celebrate christmas. But that is really special...he was just a helpless baby." 

Every one is getting excited for the holiday! I'm mostly excited that D and M finally have time off to plan their wedding! I can't wait....we have a wedding on Jan 13 and a baptism on Jan 17! D is so ready and can't wait to finally get baptized. Keep him and his fiance in your prayers!!!

Couple weeks ago we went to find a woman who was baptized but never comes to church. We knocked on the door and a 16 year old girl answered. We asked her if she knew the woman we were looking for. She said, "ya that's my mom, but something happened and we won't see her for a long time." 

We went back this week and found out that her mom is actually in jail, She and her three younger siblings are cared for by her dad and his sister who recently moved in. She is a very serious girl and her siblings are much more care-free. You can tell that she is in so much pain and is just trying to keep the family together while their mom is gone. We had a really awesome talk and she said she would love it if we came and taught her and her siblings the gospel! I know that if anything can ease her burdens it is the gospel! (oh ya...none of them are baptized...muahahahaha) 

Other Updates

We are loving the holdiay season. It's so awesome.

I've eaten 900,000,000 tamales and none of them are as good as Estela's. 

I asked my neighbor if I could sit on his bike and take a picture...so here is a picture of me sitting on Samuel's bike. HAHAHAHA now we just need to teach Sam the gospel. 

I love you all!!! <3

xoxoxoxox

A rough timer pic of us eating tamales and canned food 

"everyone's houses have these annoying projected lights on them. So ugly...but they made for a funny pic"

I Just Have To Talk About The Savior Because Christmas!

This week we knocked on someone's door and talked to him about Christ. He didn't believe, and he didn't want to believe. We left his doorstep in tears thinking about how tragic it would be to not know you have a Savior. All he knows is the craziness of the holiday season and a world that is cruel, unforgiving, and unfair. 

Christmas isn't about toys, bonuses, wish-lists, or time-off. It's a celebration of the most important event in the history of the world! Christmas is a time to think about the birth of Jesus Christ. 

This event was so important that every prophet in the Bible and the Book of Mormon testified of his coming and his mission. One of my favorite prophesies of His birth is in Nephi's vision:

"And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the son of the Eternal Father!" 

Alma said: "For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all--for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people." -Alma 7:7

So why is this the most important event of them all? Because of the life that Jesus lived. He was born so that he could live, and then die, for us all. 

"Yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who SHALL COME. Yea, remember that He shall come to redeem the world."

When Christ was on the earth he taught, lead, healed, and loved the people. And then, he died for them...and for us...and for every person who has ever lived or will live. He felt every pain, and suffered every sadness. But, I know, that this wasn't the end. He overcame death and was resurrected! HE LIVES. He lives so that he can teach us, lead us, heal us, and love us. He is our Savior. He really did come to redeem the world. HE is the WAY. He is everything. 

"Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me. Behold I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin. Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved." -Jesus Christ (3 Ne 14, 21-22)

The invitation to COME is for all of us. He has given us a gift of peace, hope, and healing that is free for the taking. All we have to do is COME. 

So how do we COME?

 -It all starts with faith. We get faith through the scriptures, prayer, and attending His church to be nourished.

 -Then we repent. Repentance isn't bad, or hard. The word "repentance" could be replaced with "Seeking Christ's love", "Running to His arms", "Becoming more like God", or "Coming to Him". It is an action that we do to show Christ that we want to feel the power of his atonement. We want to come to him. 

-We also witness and testify of Christ through our baptismal coveneants. Whether it is the fist act of being baptized or partaking of the sacrament each week, all is an opportunity to come closer to him. 

-Then we recieve, honor, and protect the gift of the Holy Ghost, who tells us all things that Christ would have us do. 

-And finally, we endure by continuing to come to him through faith and repentance. 

This season is a time we have to think about the miracle of Christ's birth. If he wasn't born we would have nobody to run to, nobody would understand us, nobody would be able to make us clean, and at the last day nobody would be there to be our advocate to the Father. 

My invitation to my family is to not spend this season as the sad man who we met on his doorstep. Don't forget the reality of Christ. Don't forget His birth. And, don't forget to COME.

"Come, my bretheren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. 

Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness. 

Behold, my beloved bretheren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice."

"YOU CAN HAVE OUR NUMBER IF YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT JESUS!"

Update on the Mission 

This week was wild because of all of the changes in our area. We split our area with two new elders and had to get them all set up with our investigators and the ward and the area and everything. Turns out that this is a really good change. Elder Sutton and Elder Andrade are really hard workers and a lot more people will be able to hear the gospel because of them. 

The elders got bikes instead of a car because their area is small. We called them to check in on them half way through their first day and they had been working on their bikes ALL day. I figured out that they didn't know a whole lot about bikes. So we went over there and I was able to use the knowledge I got from B smith and my dad and fix their bikes. Seriously dad you would be proud. I patched their tubes AND replaced some tires AND fixed the chain and brakes. Anyway...thanks dad and Braden. 

So here's the good part. I'm telling the elder's that my buddy Braden taught me how to mtn bike and he said, "Elder Smith?". Sutton and Braden were friends in the CCM! Small world. 

Because of all of the changes we got some of our mileage allowance taken away. So we've been on foot which isn't super convenient because we live a good 30 minute walk outside of our area. So to even start working we have to walk 30 minutes down the highway in sagebrush and thorns. HAHA I actually love it. And we have had some great experiences from it!

As we have been walking more we have been trying to talk to everybody we come in contact with. Suprisingly most people we talk to agree to meet the missionaries wherever they live! On wednesday a buch of guys in a truck stopped and wanted our numbers so Hermana Thompson shouted "YOU CAN HAVE IT IF YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT JESUS!" 

The Assist x 2!

About 3 weeks ago Hermana T and I were walking and there were some guys way ahead of us up the road. I started yelling to flag them down and one of them came over to us while the other walked away. Turns out he lives like 30 min outside our area so we told him what we do and told him we would send the missionaries to his house. Guess what...HE'S GETTING BAPTIZED!

That's all about that. I'm just excited. The church is so true. And all of this is so worth it. 

Who Said Church Is Boring?

This week at church was probably the best day of church of my life! All three of our investigators showed up! (ya don't judge that we only have 3...we are working on it haha) But still, that is %100! One of them sat with a member that has been coming to his lessons and the rest sat with us. It was testimony meeting and during the sacrament I explained to G that he should just pray and feel the spirit. While he was doing that I was praying my guts out that he would feel the spirit and that the right people would get up and share the right things. All of the young men went up, tons of really strong women and men went up,and even a little boy who just got baptized went up! They all bore simple, clear testimonies about KNOWING that the Savior lives, the Book of Mormon is true, and that this is the true church. The spirit was as strong as I have ever felt it. After church we went and visited G and told him that he can know for himself too. He can feel the same that all of the other young men felt. The spirit was so strong as we testified to him and then after he texted us and thanked us for a beautiful day:)

We have actually learned a really powerful lesson in only having 3 people to teach. Sometimes the Lord tears us down to build us up stronger. His plan is perfect. 

Thanks for all of the love, prayers, and support! I hope you are all having an awesome holiday season!!! <3

Hermana Thompson and Johnson with the Assist!

This week has been a little unusual. With the holidays most of our members and investigators were busy. We had two delicious thanksgiving dinners so don't worry, we definitely got fed. The first one was at our second councilors house. He had TONS of family over with tables filled with turkey and casseroles and treats. Sound familiar? I felt right at home! Sounds like you all had an awesome thanksgiving! I missed my annual nap on grandma's couch after Thanksgiving dinner, so hopefully somebody took my place and got a good siesta in. 

We started this week by getting dropped by our two most promising families that we were teaching. Both of them dropped us because the husband didn't want the family to get baptized. lame. And then we finished our week with transfer news where we found out that Sis T and I will be together another transfer, BUT our area is getting split. The elders are getting our investigators who are getting baptized this month, all of the less actives we were working with, and all of our potentials. SO we are basically starting from scratch. We have the south half our area still but there hasn't been much work done down there. Heavenly Father knows that there are people who are ready down there, so he's forcing us to hit the pavement with this big change!

It was kind of hard to lose all of the work we've done. We are excited for the elders because they are going to have a few people to baptize who we have taught, but it's kind of sad to not be able to finish our work. And the English elders are baptizing a family we taught because SUPRISE they actually want to go to the English ward! Haha.... All in all, Heavenly Father has a plan. And people are getting baptized! That's the goal! We might not get to be there but in the long run it doesn't matter even a little bit. 

SO for an update on the investigators we get to keep! 

-G is a Jehova's Witness but is really interested in our church. We taught him the first lesson at the church about a half hour before a 17 year old kid was getting baptized. G felt the spirit in the lesson and committed to be baptized...but wait...in THREE YEARS! I guess that is the tradition in his religion....so we will have to work with what we got. After we went to the baptism with him. He liked it but was a little offended that the kid being baptized had only seen the missionaries for two weeks before his baptism. I guess I never realized how awesome it is that people can be baptized basically as soon as they want. A lot of people believe baptism is the end goal, but really it is just the first step! It's the beginning of our journey to become more like God!

-D has been seeing the missionaries for over three years! He's awesome, but he lives with his fiance and baby. He has to get married before he gets baptized...so that has been his obstacle all of this time. Last week when we saw him his whole life was falling apart. His job, his relationship, his finances, he started smoking for the first time...literally everything. Then we got a call a few days later that his baby was in the hospital with something that could be fatal! So scary. We sent the second councilor in our ward to go give him and his family blessings at the hospital. Daniel called us the next day and said they got discharged because the baby was healed! We went over to his house and from the moment we walked in there was a completley different feeling. D told us that he told God that if his baby is healed, he would be baptized. Him and his fiance had been fighting lately under the stress so we talked with them about their marriage doubts and all kinds of stuff....by the time we left they had told each other how much they loved each other and committed to get married and baptized this December!!! So excited for them!

-C is one of my favorite people ever. He is so sassy and he calls me hot donna from that 70's show. HAH.  We are sadly losing him to the elders because of the split..but it will probably be good in the long run. We had had a hard time getting ahold of him this week so we were wondering if he was taking us seriously. Finally on friday we were walking out of a training about how to better invite people to be baptized. As we walked out we saw C walking down the street! We literally ran. We finally caught up to him, asked him if he wants to be baptized, and he said yes!!! He was smiling ear to ear! Ah such a great moment.

Update on Hermana Borja:

We had dinner with her last night and she told us her story. When she was young her father left her, her mother, and her little siblings. They came to El Paso from Mexico to try and escape the poverty. She ended quitting school at age 12, going back to Mexico and working in a factory to help her mom make ends meet. Her biggest priority was finding shoes for all the kids to wear so they could go to school. She quit the factory and started cleaning houses which paid a little better. They went back to El Paso where her siblings finished school and she continued working. She has been working full time since she was 12 and knows that it is because of Heavenly Father that she has had a job to put food on the table and shoes on feet. We were so humbled that she fed us, knowing she didn't have much to offer. Her story was a really great reminder that we have so much to be thankful for! She is one of the most grateful people I have ever met, and she shows that gratitude by getting up at 3 am to read, praying, paying her tithing, and serving the missionaries. Wow, I wouldn't be suprised if I talk about this woman every week for the rest of my mission. Her testimony has changed me!

Other things that happened:

-I gave my first sacrament meeting talk in Spanish

-Found a lot of less actives who we are excited to work with

-Ate a whole jalepeno and almost died hehe

We are excited to get the new elders here and get started with our area in the South. Sometimes the Lord has to cut us down before we can be built back up. As frustrating as it is to feel like we are always prepping people for other missionaries, we know that the Lord has a plan. More than anything he wants us to be humble and willing to do what ever he asks. 

Anyway, sorry this e-mail is kind of lame. It really is all over the place.... I'm sending pics from the past three weeks to make up for it. 

LOVE YOU!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

This week has been unbelievable. Filled with so many miracles that I won't be able to share them all!!

We Goofed 

Last week Hrn. Thompson and I thought we got 31 lessons, which we sent to the President in our weekly report. He texted us and said that this has never been done in the history of our mission. We were super stoked but also wanted to double check....turns out we only got 29. It's still a record but barely, and we felt bad that President was misinformed. We told the Zone Leaders and they told us not to worry about it, but then at Zone Conference President Guffey announced that "Rumor has it, a companionship hit over 30 lessons!" YIKES! Turns out it really is a rumor....that WE started....Then he told everyone that we shouldn't be surprised when he starts holding the whole mission to a standard of 30! AHHHH we felt so bad. So, this week we decided to hit 30 lessons, just to feel better about ourselves and make sure it's actually possible. Thankfully we did and today we are going to let P. Guffey know that we goofed. Ha....

Kind of funny....but really it's not about the numbers at all. Our 30th lesson was one of our best ones this week. It isn't about getting a ton, it's about being determined to strengthen as many people as possible in the time that we have. What we really wish we had was 30 baptisms! hahahaha....kidding but not....

La Hermana Borja

First of all, we went back to that member who went and knocked doors with us. Her name is Herman Borja. So, just to refresh your memories, Hermana Borja asked us if we would help her meet her neighbors two weeks ago. She was really nervous, but the first door we knocked on was a woman who lives alone with her son. Herman Borja, with no fear, opened her mouth and introduced herself. "Hi I'm your neighbor! I came because I have something that makes me really happy and I want to share it with you!" 

The woman, Max, said, "Hold on, I have a Blue Bible by my bed." 

Max came back to the door holding a Book of Mormon. As we left her home Hermana Borja broke into tears and told us how much she loves her father in heaven.

We went back to Hermana Bora's house this week to go visit Max. Max was busy, so Hrn. Borja asked if we would help her knock the rest of her block (Missionary dream come true). This woman, even though she was scared and didn't know what to do or say, was so courageous because she has a desire to serve her Father and Heaven. Behind the doors of her neighbors we found a total of 5 people who received us and agreed to take the discussions. That's more people than we find in a whole day of tracting most days. 

We went back into Hermana Borja's home and talked about her faith. She opened up to us that she is a single mom of three, she is working full time and doing school full time, and her family is on food stamps right now. They don't  have very much furniature or any nice things from what we could see. She said that every morning she wakes up at 3 in the morning because that is the only time she has to study her scriptures. Then she juggles school, work, kids, and trying to put food on the table for the rest of the day. This week she has a list of sick and lonely people she will try to visit if she has time. She has two free hours every Tuesday night so she invites us over because she wants to serve the Lord. As she told us this you can imagine my heart was melting. Her desires are truly to live the gospel. This woman is converted....she doesn't look at herself and think of her many struggles, she calls the missionaries and asks us to help her find people who need the happiness and peace she has. It is rare to experience someone with such incredible faith. My heart was so touched....I will honestly never be the same because I know Hermana Borja.

It was pretty late when we left her house. We had definitely overstayed and wanted to give her the time she needed to finish her homework and get to bed because she has to get up at 3am. But as we left she asked if we had somewhere to be. We said we were going to go knock a little more, so she said "Great let's finish this street".

Mensajeros De Dios

We went on splits with the other sisters this week to try and knock as many doors in our area as possible. Hermana Bosch and I started at one end of the road and Hermana Thompson and Hermana March started at the other end. Hrn. T and I picked this particular road because we knew there was a potential on this street, but we didn't know where and we needed to knock every door to find her. We prayed about it and knew that this was for sure the street to be on. Me and hna Bosch found the potential pretty quickly so we were super happy, but on the other end of the road something even more incredible was happening. 

Hrn. T and M knocked on a door that didn't open for the longest time. They were walking away when a woman named Nancy finally opened it. The sisters told her that they were messengers from God and Nancy invited them in right away! Nancy is on bed-rest because she has been trying to have kids with her husband for 9 years and finally found out that she is pregnant last week! Better yet, she is having twins! She has been taking it easy by staying in bed and said she is terrified to be home alone. In-fact, she never opens the door for anyone but when the sisters knocked something told her that it was messengers from God so she hurried and threw on some clothes and came to the door. 

Hermana Thompson and I came back later that day and taught her the first lesson that we teach about how the true Church of Jesus Christ is restored on the earth today. She kept emphasizing that she NEVER opens the door, and that she knows we bring the truth. She has been looking for a church...she goes to several different churches and just wants to be able to feel that "good feeling" about what ever religion she is practicing. She said she will pray to know if this is the true church, and if it is she for sure wants to be baptized.

Miembros Misioneros

This week we have been trying to tell every member about our experience with Hermana Borja. We want everyone to get on board with the missionary work. When I got here our binder was filled with investigators who love the missionaries, who have seen them from everywhere from 1-6  years. We have gone to each person and explained our purpose and turns out, not many people understood that we were there to help them get baptized and be in the Church, or they understood and really just didn't want to. That explains why there wasn't a baptism here for 7 months (until Ruben)! So we revived a few investigators, and dropped a lot. We have been doing a lot of finding and trying to focus on those who want the gospel, like Nancy or Hermana Borja's neighbors. We know that the best way to find people is through the members. Neighbors, family, co-workers....who ever it is it helps SO much when they already have a relationship with the church that they can trust. 

We were supposed to speak in sacrament, but an area authority showed up so we didn't have to speak. Better yet, this authority- Elder Torres, gave the most powerful talk on missionary work in the world. He explained that if we have faith, we need to act on it. We need to share it! He had us stand up and told everyone that the sisters are here to help them do what God has already asked of them. He gave the ward three things: 1- Pray for missionary experiences, 2- Give a name to the missionaries 3- Go to the temple regularly. Then he announced, "The sisters will be standing at the doors of the chapel to take your referrals down. Everyone is to give them a referral." He promised that the ward would be blessed beyond belief if they do this. 

I stood at the door with tears rolling down my face while people gave me name after name. They weren't just any names....people referred us to their parents, siblings, nieces/ nephews, and children. Not everyone gave us a name, but as the day went on we received phone calls from members giving us names. So crazy!!!

The Savior asked, after he was resurrected, for us to preach his gospel. Not just the missionaries, but every follower of Christ. Everyone who feels peace from the Book of Mormon, everyone who has or wants and eternal family, everyone who feels the comfort that the truth brings, EVERYONE who knows about the restored gospel is called to share it. I know that Heavenly Father will bless us for doing so.

Thanks for all of the e-mails and letters from you all! You are the best family EVER! Hope you have the best thanks giving evvvaaaaaaaa. I wish I could sit around at grandmas and hear about all of your blessings this year. If anyone asks, I'm grateful for every single one of you...and I'm REALLY grateful for the gospel. Don't forget how much you have to be grateful for. And don't take what you have for granted! If you need a reminder...come to El Paso. hehe.

Sureeeee love you!!! xoxoxoxox

Pizza and a 2 liter

HOLA!

It's been another awesome week here in El Paso.

On the Border

Kind of a crazy week for the world. The day we found out about the election we visited a lot of our investigators. It was heart breaking to be in some of the homes of our people. A lot of them don't have papers so they were making plans (planning for the worst) and trying to figure out what they will do. Most people are scared even though they do have papers! I don't know who the right president would have been, or if anything bad really will happen, and I'm not even supposed to comment on politics, but it was just heartbreaking to see people afraid. Luckily everything has stayed pretty calm down here...not a lot of violence that we know of. All we can do is pray on! 

Faith

This week we have been trying to find people who are ready for the gospel. We have talked to so many people who's hearts are completely closed to any type of faith. One guy says that "right now we are victims of the world and if there is a God we will find out after we're dead and He looks us in the face."  Another guy said that he's read every religious book out there and has decided that God is "our own thoughts". And everyone we talk to who says these kinds of things admits that something in their lives is missing. They literally say that they don't feel any kind of peace! When we explain that they can find that peace by reading the Book of Mormon, they refuse. They "already know it all". This probably sounds like a really general experience, but it's a common pattern that we have seen 4 or 5 times this week alone! It's so sad because if someone doesn't have a desire to look for something greater, we can't help them, no matter how hard we try. We can't force someone to have faith and act on it...they have to want it. 

Because we have had lessons with these kinds of people over and over we have been focusing a lot on faith. It is the first principle of the gospel for a reason! We have been studying faith like crazy and really when it comes down to it, faith is a simple desire to believe in something you don't have a perfect knowledge of.

On Saturday night we were having a lesson with one of our really tough investigators, Emerita. She comes to church every week and want's to know the church is true, but she kind of wants us to prove it to her. So, because we had been studying faith all week, we shared with her what we learned. We opened to Alma 32 and taught her about "planting the seed", "experimenting on the word" and simply having a "desire to believe." Her countenance changed, and her heart opened. She finally was starting to get it.

We were so happy, and wanted to keep the spirit, so we sang "How Great Thou Art" for her and the member who was with us. Then I did something really...childish. I thought I heard someone...pass gas (is that the missionary way to say it? I don't know). I was certain it was my companion  and I was gonna start dying laughing. I honestly couldn't hold it in. I stopped singing and bit my lip trying so hard not to laugh....leaving Sis. T alone to keep the song going. I kept trying to come back in but my voice would shake and then I'd have to bite my tongue so hard to not laugh. Literally I was acting like a 5 year old boy. Toots should not be that funny! Anyway....so then I realize that everyone else in the room is crying. They thought that I was CRYING not LAUGHING! So because they THOUGHT I was crying from the spirit they felt the spirit and started crying too. So I jumped on that opportunity I bore my testimony, and Emerita listened intently for the first time. The spirit was stronger than ever before... it's like someone passed gas and the spirit came out instead. I told H. Thompson afterward that I was actually laughing and she couldn't believe it...it literally looked like I was crying! and also she didn't boof...she just accidentally moved her shoe on the tile or something. bummer. 

Members and Missionaries

This week we are really trying to get our members to unite in purpose with us. People don't understand that the ward should have a real Mission Plan that everyone is aware of and working toward, and the missionaries help them execute it. There are SO many reasons why members are so crucial to the work.

-The members are examples to family and friends, preparing others to be interested int the gospel. 

-They have personal stories to share that other people can relate to.

-They are on the inside of the church and have the power to help others feel welcome.

-They can be a good friend, example, or a listening ear to an investigator when the missionaries can't be.

-They can help recent converts to change their lives and stay solid in the gospel.

There are a million more reasons but I feel like I'm kind of ranting about it right now. It's crazy to me how influencial a member can be, but how unaware the members are of their role!

For example, Ruben (our recent convert) has a long way to go before he feels comfortable at church. He doesn't have church clothes so he just wears jeans, he's scared to get the priesthood, and he needs support with some of the commandments that are difficult for him. We had to do a lot of work to explain to the bishop, the young men's president, the YSA, and other fellowshipers that we can't just baptize people and expect they are gonna figure it all out on their own! We were so relieved on Sunday when our efforts paid off. The second councilor brought him to church and helped Ruben find appropriate clothes. Then the bishop invited him into his office to talk about the priesthood and temples. Some of the YSA came and took him to priesthood, and then the guy who baptized him drove him home. SUCCESS! Honestly without the support of the ward we wouldn't be able to do the work. It would be impossible.

Another example is having members in lessons. We want to have a member in every lesson possible, but that's really hard to pull off. People are busy, scared to come, confused on why we need them, or just don't think it's important. The people who do come out with us, though, are the converts who LOVE the missionaries and want to do anything they can to bring more people to Christ. So I'm not complaining, we have some AWESOME member missionaries. I'm just saying it's hard to get as many involved as we need. This week we had some awesome experiences with members, and some not-so-awesome ones.

The best member-present lesson was with the family from last week (the one where we met the dad walking his dog, and then he invited us over and the mom loves us and wants her son to be Mormon). We took a member with us to sit down in the lesson and she fulfilled her purpose perfectly! She got to know the family, related to the mom about things like raising kids and other mom stuff, and then turned the time over to us. We taught a brief lesson and then invited the member to share her brief testimony/experience. It was AWESOME. Then the member invited them to church and activities and they got so excited! They can't wait to come to church! And they already have a friend who they can sit with when the come this week. 

The less than awesome member-present happened with Juan y Sidumy. We took a member to them and I guess the member wasn't on the same page as us. We thought we had given her enough background, but after a super spiritual moment with this family (who has only had half of the very first lesson) our member decided to bear her testimony on why polygamy isn't a concern and baptisms for the dead. So ya. Huge bummer...kinda funny....but a bummer.

We also go to members homes to eat with them and help them with their missionary goals. It is so fun...I love the people in our ward. They are the greatest in the world! Last night we were talking to a 9 year old while her mom was in the other room. She was asking all about missions...what we wear, what we drive, who we teach...and then she says "Will you tell me how you know when you get a baby in you?"

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I <3 Missions

Anyway... most of the time members are awesome. And my mission isn't the only one that needs people to come out with the missionaries and fellowship people who want to come to church! They all need the members to be missionaries! If any of you out there are interested in helping out the missionaries, read D&C 84: 106-110 and then call your ward mission leader! He probably has a plan that you can be a part of!

So ya, that was basically my week. Lot's of crazy stuff going on in the world, but don't worry we are super safe here in El Paso. I love the work out here! Every day is a blast with Hermana Thomson. She's the

best trainer. OH and she asked me to train her (like personal training) in the mornings. Lol she was actually serious! So thats what we do now. I work-out train her in the mornings and she does the missionary training for the rest of the day. It's pretty funny!

Thanks so much for the prayers, the letters, the packages....you are the best family ever. I'm always praying for you! I know there are a lot of changes going on in both the Warner Family and the Johnson Family....just know you are always in my prayers and I'm working hard for you! 

SUUUREEEE LOVE YA!

xoxoxo

P.S. The pictures were taken the same day...we started out with my per-usual green smothie...and then at the end of a really discouraging day Hrn. Thomson broke me down and we got a pizza and soda to eat in the car. I haven't had a soda in FOREVER. HAHA my eyes were watering from the carbonation (zoom in lol) hahaha lol. good times.

Another week in Texas

Hello everyone!!!!

We've had another great week here in Texas (still can't believe I wound up in Texas....). I love it here. We are right on the border of Mexico so most of the people we meet came from Mexico. It's awesome. Everyone has cool stories and an awesome culture. 

What we get a new president tomorrow??? I'm out of the loop. When people bring up politics I just say "Don't worry, my uncle is a congressman so we will be fine." Haha....I think I just confuse people more than anything when I say that, but it makes me smile. #shoutouttoraul

Life in El Paso is awesome. It's not too hot right now because we are getting closer to winter, and the food is really great. I really love it here...the only thing I really miss is music. Every week we do service at a food bank where they play normal music, so that's a tender mercy. Oh and they also play music at our apartment gym! Side note- we have to split the gym time with the elders but for some reason they get 4 of the 6 days and we only get 2. The feminist in me gets really ticked off about that....the normal person in me doesn't really care....and the Christian in me says "They steal one of your gym days, give them two of your days." I guess I'm not a real missionary yet cause I think the feminist in me is still winning. 

This week started out pretty rough...we had a tragedy with one of the people we teach and it really shook us up. But no worries we are back on track! We focused on weeding out our investigators who aren't progressing and finding new people to teach. It was really hard to say goodbye to people, but once we did the Lord blessed us with SIX NEW PEOPLE! And they are all totally prepared and ready. My favorite finding experience this week was when Hermana Thompson and I were praying to find someone who was prepared by the Lord to receive the gospel. We felt prompted to go to a specific street. We parked the car and got out and just stood there. We looked at each other with blank faces...."which house?"..."I don't know".... none of the houses were right. So we started walking and walked right into a man walking his dog. He was so excited to meet us and invited us back to meet his wife and son the next day! We met with them last night and we couldn't get through the first two points in lesson 1 because the whole time the wife and husband were, for lack of a better word, rejoicing that servants of the Lord were in their house. Seriously these people kept cutting us off and freaking about our work as missionaries. They kept yelling at their 17 year old son (poor kid)  that we are his examples and he needs to be better. The mom kept telling us to tell him not to drink or do drugs. Then she asked us our ages. She said to her son "you will marry one of them or someone like them." This poor kid has no agency! HAH! It was so awesome...they seriously are so prepared. They have faith in the Bible so we explained that our church is the same Church of Christ from the Bible with the same authority of Jesus Christ on the earth today. That sealed the deal! Our member present invited them to church and other activities and they happily accepted.

We knocked on some awesome doors this week. Every person we talked to came out their houses happy and relieved to see us. We had a guy invite us back because "he really needs to talk to people like Jesus" and another guy invite us back because he knows that "God has more for him". Actually, that same guy was my favorite contact this week. He told us that he reads the Bible and feels that God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost have to be different people. YES! And that God is merciful, so why would he send people to infierno (hell). YES! And that God doesn't want him to sleep around and drink because we can't just 'accept Jesus' and then keep sinning. YES YES YES. His favorite parts of the Bible are the teachings of Jesus. We showed him the Book of Mormon and explained that Christ visited the people in America, too. He said he can't wait to read it! Seriously this 20 year old kid was so excited to get his own copy of the Book of Mormon and read about Jesus Christ. How cool is that? 

I know that the Lord is preparing people to receive the Gospel. It is amazing to see His hand leading us to people every day!

I also had some embarrassing moments...shocking I know. The worst was one night we were trying to find a former investigator. We got to the house and the street was really dark but the door of the house was wide open and there were lights and noise blaring from the house. We figured out that the were watching the Cubs play...sounded like a real party. Hermana T and I stood on the sidewalk for a minute contemplating what we should do. Finally...classic me....I say "Let's go!". I started marching up to the door with way too much enthusiasm, hrn. T way behind me by now, and I literally step into the house and knock on the wide open door. Basically it was just a few 20 something mexicanas sitting around with beers in their hands watching the game. So I say (way to loud and excited) "HOLA! COMO ESTA LA JUNTA?!" They all looked at me so confused. Saying nothing. Just me...crazy white girl inside the house of a bunch of drunk mexicanas...My companion quickly said something to them and they weren't interested so we walked out. Hermana Thompson asked me, "Hermana, what was that word you said?"

Me, "la junta!" 

Hrn T. "That means MEETING.....I think you just walked into someones house and shouted 'Hey how's the meeting?'"

Me (dying laughing) "ohhh I meant JUGO!"

Hrn. T. "That means juice....did you mean juego (sport)."

Me "yep"

Anyway....sorry if nobody gets how funny that was. Just trust me....it was a highlight. 

Basically this week has been amazing. I have come to love the gospel more and more each day. I especially am growing my testimony of the Book of Mormon. It is SO powerful. All of the answers to our spiritual and temporal questions are found in that book. The words are literally from God sent to us. I want to invite everyone who hasn't read it, or who has read it but hasn't prayed about it sincerely to give it a try. All we are asked to do is to try it for ourselves, and if we do read and pray with a sincere heart then God will show us all the things that we must do.

Love you all so much!!! Thanks for keeping me updated on everything back in Idaho. So fun to hear about all of the horse back riding adventures etc. Someone give my horse a hug for me! 

Hermana Johsnon