August 28, 2015 Week 31

Hola familia!

This has been a good week overall, but I had some moments of sadness too. I get sad when I cannot understand what someone are saying in spanish.  I get so disappointed in myself.  We started out the week going to a Bishop's meeting on Tuesday. It had a slightly different feel to it since most of the missionaries won't be attending next week because they are completing their missions at the end of this transfer. Bishop took this opportunity to address these missionaries about marriage and family. It was kinda awkward for the rest of us since we aren't even close to going home... or getting married for that matter haha!  He was a former mission president in the Dominican Republic and when one of his missionary's fiancé contacted him and asked if he was a good, honest, and hardworking missionary. To that, he was glad to report all the fond memories of this particular missionary.  I liked what he said and I think I will do the same when it comes time for me to get hitched. 

On Monday, we went to the Montelongo's to celebrate Lalo's Birthday. He turned 4!! I love that little boy with all  my heart and their entire family as well!!!  Lalo's mom is going through the temple in two months and I am so excited for her. On Wednesday, we had a service project at Zaugg's stacking hay and organizing wood piles. I really enjoyed it, and it's always fun to do service. 

Saturday was a pretty hectic day.. Right around 8 am, we went to the church to be with the other Spanish missionaries to listen to transfer calls. And good news!  Me and Hern are staying together!!! And even more good news, Hern was made STL and Sister Hawn is coming to Caldwell!  It was really exciting and a sure answer to prayers.  It is going to be the best transfer ever!! Then later that day, we watched General Women's Conference. I have been praying to receive specific answers about some things that I have been pondering, and  Sister Linda S. Reeves was the speaker who touched my heart the most. I got some pretty powerful inspiration and it absolutely brought me to tears. General Conference is the greatest thing ever and I am so excited for this coming weekend!! 

This week in my personal study I finished Jacob 6. In verses 5-12, Jacob is imploring the Nephites to repent and come unto Christ in humility.  He also poses a few questions, but the one I liked most was from verse 6 

"Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die? " Jacob doesn't just ask why we die... physically, but spiritually as well!  When we sin, we distance ourselves from the love and blessings of our Heavenly Father, and we become a servant of Satan. 

Welp familia, I am out of time.  I love you all and hope y'all get as much out of General Conference as possible!

Hermana Moss :)

Forgot to add these!

Week 30 September 21, 2015

Hola familia!

These week went by super fast compared to the last 2 weeks! It started out with zone conference on Tuesday. We had Elder Grow, from the seventy come and address us. He was not originally supposed to come, but he was sent on special assignment to replace the other seventy who couldn't make it. In preparation for the conference, we had to take a questionnaire that asked us about our success and weaknesses in our areas, including our companionships as how effective we have been as missionaries.  So during the conference, he whipped us into shape in the kindest way possible! It was an eye opener, and I realized more than a few things that I need to change. By the end, Hern and I knew that we are loved by Elder Grow and that he only wants the best for us and the mission. It was also fun to see Hawn and Guti again! Aww the sweet memories that flowed! There is nothing like the love of seeing people you have served with and have been through so much in such a short amount of time together.  I am grateful for the friendships that I have made thus far on my mission. :)

This week we saw a woman in the Spanish Relief Society who just had surgery because she broke her arm. I loved visiting with her, she is so funny! She also reminded me a lot of Grandma Nellie, the resemblance and everything!. I have been thinking about grandma Nellie a lot lately. I know she is all the way in California, but I pray for her. In a way, she is much closer to heaven because of her health and how close she is to the veil than any of us, and I hope that she is welcomed back home with open arms when the time comes for her to depart this world. My heart is full of love for her, and I can't wait to see her again and talk to her and hug her. 

On Friday we went to a baptism in Nampa for Hern. Interesting story, although she is not in the area, she and her old comp that used to teach this family have been forgoing  desserts so that they can be baptized. But it has been very difficult for Hern to refuse desserts since people here bake and cook so well! This sacrifice for her has been going on for a while, and finally one of the daughters of this family was baptized. This was not only a little miracle for Hern, but it showed me that I have been severely underestimating the power of fasting. During Zone conference, I was talking with Guti and she told me that Eva, one of our converts, hasn't been to church since she's been baptized! This took me by surprise, and it came with such a blow to my heart because I love her so much and I want her to be there in church every week to take the sacrament and to be edified by the Spirit! So I decided to fast for Eva and a few different families for the next month so that they can receive blessings too. I pray that the Lord will hear my prayers that they might have a change of heart, and want to come to church. 

Like I said, this week was super busy! We received 9 referrals from our Zone Leaders!! Normally, it is best to visit the referrals within 24 hours, and of course it was on the hottest days that we were out knocking on those doors to contact these people. Haha- it made me feel like an old fashioned missionary! We also had success in having a few of our investigators come to church! This is normally the hardest part--they believe the gospel is true and they are willing to be baptized, but they struggle to get to church every Sunday. It is hard for people to give three hours of their time on Sunday, but oh is it worth it.  It's frustrating, but we were very excited to see them walk through the doors of the building and see the members take initiative and come up and shake their hand and make them feel welcomed. I love this when members feel inclined to fellowship newcomers.

Since mom sent me "Miracle of Forgiveness", I have been reading it diligently after my BOM study. I found something I thought was very true; Spencer W. Kimball told a story of when he was a boy he used to take care of a farm bull. He said that it would constantly charge him, and to stop it he would yank the ring it had in it's nose. Then he related it to us being enslaved to Satan when we sin, forced to obey the master of our actions and receive the consequences of our decisions. But just as it says in Matthew 6:24, says

¶ No man can serve two masters : for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon . 

We cannot expect to be liberated from the chains of Lucifer when we make bad choices! So next time y'all come across a difficult situation, think of what the consequences are. I sure will!!

Have a blessed week everyone! love y'all!

Hermana Moss

Week 29 September 14, 2015

Hola familia!

It was a short week. Hern and I have been kind of sick with colds. Mine wasn't too bad, thank goodness!  I am taking good care of her. 

On Tuesday, we had our meeting with the Spanish ward bishop. The meetings are always early in the morning, so my main goal is to pay attention and not fall asleep. This week he focused on Elder Neilson's talk called 'Truth' and how it is important to recognize that God's laws don't change according to man's time. It was so interesting!  Bishop put into perspective something I hadn't thought of before: If you put a medical textbook and a Bible on the same shelf for 20 years, which one will need to be updated/revised? Haha- I laughed at that one for a little bit. I love sharing this gospel.  I think the best part of the meeting was when he pop-quizzed us on which scripture from the BOM would best fit our discussion, to which I was the first to quote 2 Nephi 9:28-29. It felt so good to know that one!  That scripture is on my letterman jacket.

We had about 3 different fiestas this week. The first 2 were with the Montelongo Family, the little girl, Dulce, just turned 7!  It felt good to be there for Dulce and have some fun with her and her family. They are recent converts.  I asked Dulce what she is going to do next year. That girl is so smart because the first thing she said was to get baptized!  It was so sweet :)  On a separate note, September 15th and 16th are Los Dias de Independencia for Mexico,.  The ward planned a fiesta that took place on Saturday.  It was so much fun!!!! This ward knows how to have a fiesta... We invited everyone we possibly could, and a lady that we just met that day came!  It was a huge success, and even more because the woman who came asked us to come back and visit with her! 

Since we can't watch football, I've been deprived of this year's seasons for my beloved team!  But to counteract this, I have a bunch of people updating me on all the games. teehee! I was really pleased to hear that BYU has been doing so well!  Sad about Taysom Danggit! The one season I miss out on is the one where they have the best games... agh well!  Go Cougars!  I learned that Mangum is from Caldwell, Idaho.  People here know him.

I love you familia and hope everyone is staying healthy! 

I love y'all!

Hermana Moss

September 7, 2015 Week 28

Hola Familia!

This week was kind of slow, not many people opened doors and most of them weren't home.  When you aren't busy, you can feel every minute pass. Nevertheless, I love my mission and the Caldwell area. The people here have captured my heart, I am already telling people to expect a visit from me when I get home, haha!  Last Monday was super awesome! Our car key battery died, so we needed to go to the dealership in Nampa to get it replaced. Hern and I found a Chipotle!!!! Oooh it was so good.  It reminded me of when mom and I used to get it almost everyday back in Missouri City. The one in Nampa wasn't nearly as good, food from home always tastes better.  haha. 

On Wednesday we had lunch with a woman in the ward. She and her husband are probably the coolest, most original people I've ever met. She doesn't speak much Spanish, but they served a mission in the Mexico City temple and have immersed themselves in the Mexican culture- I can go on and on about them. She also gave us a tour of their house, which is full of authentic memorabilia of their mission to Mexico. I think the coolest part was when she showed us their car collection- they have like 4 or 5 cars from England from the 50's of 60's.... they are all one of a kind too. So cool!

This week we had a string of awesome dinners. On Tuesday we had dinner with a family where the mom was a return missionary and she gave us tips for when we eventually start our own families. Hern has a boyfriend that is waiting for her while he goes to school in Utah, but the funny thing is that his family lives in the Caldwell area!! And on Friday we had dinner with them. They are a super cool and they absolutely adore Hern. They cant wait until she gets married to their son. 

On Saturday we had a service activity at the home of one of our recent converts. We spent 3 hours picking weeds that were as tall as I am. In their yard, they have at least 30 chickens, geese, and rabbits!!! It was a nightmare trying to do the service and looking behind my shoulder to check if there were any of birds behind me. UGHHH!!!! I have a bird fobia.  The Lord is testing me, but I am grateful that he gave me the strength to endure it.  God is good ALL THE TIME!!! haha :) 

Welp familia, I love y'all to pieces! Hope all is well at the homefront! 

Hermana Moss:)

Week 27, August 31, 2015

Hola Familia!

This week was really wonderful! It was full of spiritual revelation and console from Heavenly Father. I'm glad to hear that everyone has had a smooth transition back into school! Y'all remember when the Sienna Ward had that missionary fireside and the bishop asked me to give some advice? Well, I replied back and said that going to seminary was really important and not only that, you have to pay attention! Don't forget the awesome stuff that Brother Smith shares with you, because that stuff is gold!!!!

This last Monday we had an appointment with the Mayes family in the ward, they opened their home for us to invite some of our investigators over for FHE. We had previously planned that we would invite Lina and her sister over so we could talk about the family proclamation, but as luck would have it, they canceled on us last minute!! Hern and I didn't want to cancel on the Mayes because they already put so much planning into this FHE. But then I felt a prompted to visit Tonia, Marissa, and Jesus's house. They are some recent converts and sometimes they have a difficult time waking up for church, so they aren't enriched by the lessons in Sunday School. By the time we got to their house, Hern walked up to the door and invited them while I waited behind the fence and filled in Brother Mayes on the phone. It all worked out and we got good ol' Juan to pick them up and bring them to the Mayes. The lesson was perfect, and the spirit was so strong! We even had a little testimony meeting. Afterwards we set up another FHE with them and the Mayes for next week! I cant wait :)

This Thursday we had a service project at a members' house in the 15th ward which we cover. We coordinated our efforts with the daughter who lives with her parents to cleaned their house.  We worked hard.  Right after the service, we went to Lupita's house to have lunch. we were really surprised to see Lina there, our investigator with a baptismal date for Sept 19th. She confided in us that she has been having a tough time with her sister and she is hesitant for us to come over to her sister's house and visit with her because her sister might get mad. She told us that she may be going back to Mexico soon if she doesn't resolve things with her sister! Please fast and pray for Lina with us this upcoming Sunday.

On a happier note, later that evening Thursday, we visited with Celia who is married to a less active that we have been visiting lately. We were able to talk with her and teach her about the Family Proclamation. It really brought the spirit and she was really excited to start taking the lessons. Her husband is a huge support and we are happy for them because they want to eventually be sealed in the temple! After the lesson, we invited Celia to the Relief Society activity and she came!! One of the RS sisters works in a Panaderia and taught us to make conchas, or pan dulce, and it was super awesome!!

I absolutely love reading el Libro de Mormon, because I learn something new each time!   In 2 Ne 32:8-9 where  it talks about how the Spirit teaches us to pray.  Verse 9 reads, But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul. One of the things that I have been pondering was why we need to pray so often, why we can't just say 1 prayer in the morning and in the night? Why would it be important to pray before we leave the house, in the companionship before every lesson, to start a lesson, to end a lesson, for food, and anytime we need spiritual direction? We are taught that we use prayer to communicate to Heavenly Father and that we should not be repetitive, but when someone prays like 20+ times a day- you can see how it is easy to be repetitive. Then I read this scripture and one of the last lines in verse 9 says that we need to pray to consecrate our actions to Heavenly Father. I then asked myself what it meant for me to consecrate my actions?  I suddenly remembered something-- everyone is a child of God and is special to Him. We don't say a general prayer for all the people we teach because they have individual needs!  Every week we weekly plan and prayerfully discern each of our investigators' needs, So to emphasize this, I wrote in the margin of my PMG that these people are INDIVIDUALS and need our INDIVIDUAL attention and prayers. To add to that, we, as missionaries consecrate our actions to show respect, love, and determination to follow the will of Heavenly Father, so it makes perfect sense to talk to Him as often as we do, because we need to know what he wants us to do for His children! 

Welp familia! I love you all and pray for you INDIVIDUALLY! 

Hermana Moss :)