Week 39 November 23, 2015 Fun with Guti

Hola familia!

I got your packages this week mom, thank you so much:))) Hope everybody is doing well and enjoys Thanksgiving this week! I know I will!! Heaven knows the amount of food that will be offered to us this week. 'Tis the season to bust out the sweatpants and pepto bismol! :D

This Wednesday we had zone conference. It's always wonderful when we get to listen to President Cannon and Sister Cannon deliver inspired messages. This conference was dedicated to the importance of consecration, and the principles of hastening the work of salvation. We also had a really sweet testimony meeting. The entire conference was amazing, but it wasn't until the testimony meeting that I realized that I wasn't doing everything I can to consecrate myself. That night I went home and thought some things through, and decided that for the last 9 months I am going to give everything I have to the Lord. Consecration was put into a new perspective for me, and I have already seen little miracles as I rely on the Lord's help.

This week I was able to go on exchanges with Sister Gutierrez!!! It was so much fun to be with her in Nampa.  A lot has changed, but being with her brought back fond memories and we stayed up talking about stuff and laughing our heads off. I LOVE GUTI!!!!!

Saturday was really cool, our district leaders' ward threw a mock MTC for the youth, and asked us to teach the class rotations. Collins and I were assigned to teach how to extend commitments and do a tracting approach. It was a good experience teaching the youth how to knock on doors and talk to complete random people. As we taught them, it was a reminder to me of how important our calling is and how much responsibility we have as representatives of the Lord. I hope my brothers are paying attention at church and home, because they will need to know some things.  Read the BOM boys!

On Saturday, we had a great lesson about the Atonement with Jovany at a member's house. He has been having some difficulty deciding whether to take that leap of faith now or later when he feels more 'ready'.  Please continue praying for him!!! 

Welp I love you familia! Have a Happy Thanksgiving.  

Hermana Moss :)

Week 38 November 16, 2015 Hermana Collins goes home next month

Hola familia!

This week passed by both fast and slow. My new companion, Sister Collins, is so amazing! I love her so much! She is from Florida and this is her last transfer before she goes home, which is sad because I am going to miss her a bunch. 

So in our new companionship, I recognize that I am the most fluent and now I will probably have to take a much bigger role in all of our lessons. I am so terrified of this, but so ready for this new challenge! This will give me the opportunity to really use the gift of tongues and rely 100% on the Lord. I expect miracles this transfer, even if it is only 5 weeks long. 

So since Collins is an STL, she has to go to all the meetings: MLC, DLC, and lots of exchanges!! Which means that Hawn and I got to go on some fun exchanges this week! I loved spending time with her, reminded me of the good old days back in Ontario. Then on Saturday, Collins and Hern had DLC, so Hawn and I were supposed to go on another exchange, but it turns out that they couldn't make it to the meeting and the other elders felt uncomfortable about me being alone for the next 2 hours so they asked me to join the meeting. I don't know what it is, but last transfer and this one it feels like the Lord wants me to be around people with leadership callings... I have no problem with that, but what is it that I need to learn in order to fulfill this calling? And what do  I need to learn from my experiences with Hern being a newly called STL and now with Collins? Collins calls me her fancy Sister Training Leader secretary/assistant. Haha :)

We had zone meeting this week and our zone leaders extended a challenge to us called a 30 day fast and feast. So for the next 30 days I will be taking some of my bad habits, or traits that I want to change and fasting on them, and just exercising exact obedience. I am super excited for this! I know the Lord will help me in my righteous endeavors and I am so glad I have Collins to help me -- she is my anchor in this and I am hers in her goals. 

Saturday, we had a quincenera for a YW in the Spanish ward. It was so fun to see this sweet girl come into society and I got to see all the people in the ward come and support her. It is a great tradition and a perfect opportunity to get together. Plus nothing is as good as a Spanish fiesta! Who wouldn't want to come to those?

Welp familia! I love you! Enjoy the cold weather!

Hermana Moss:)

Week 37 November 9, 2015 Hern got transferred

Hola familia!

Welp transfers have come and gone! Good news and bad news - good news first - I am staying in Caldwell, the bad news is - Hern got transferred to the other side of Caldwell. :(  I will still get to see her at Bishop's meetings, the spanish wards and other activities, but it won't be the same! I will miss her dearly and I can't wait to see her in Utah next year and reminisce about all the fun we had on our mission! More good news - my new comp's name is Hermana Collins and I already love her to pieces!  I haven't served with her yet, but all the Spanish missionaries know each other and they say she is a hard worker and is so loving and kind.  I am super excited to to serve with her.

This week was super slow compared to the last week, mainly because of the transfer craziness.  I think we only got in about 15 lessons..which was super slow for us. Jovany is doing well! I spoke with him yesterday about some of his concerns and hopefully it helped.  He has kind of reached out to another one of the elders in our area for counsel and advice, because it's hard for sisters to teach a young man about the priesthood and other responsibilities. Please continue to pray for him.  Baptism is scary and he is so close!!!  He just needs to take that leap of faith and he'll be swimming like a boss in the baptismal font!

This week, Hern and I took one of the Young Women out with us to help teach some lessons. It totally made me remember all the times that I went out with the sisters before my mission, in fact that's what got me out here! Anyway, by the end of the day when we were taking her home, we asked her how she thought it went. She told us that she has already learned a lot about what it takes to be a good missionary! That melted my heart, just hearing those words from someone else who thinks we are good missionaries made our night. Sometimes, I need to hear that I am doing the right thing and succeeding in the work, that is what makes me truly happy.  I want Heavenly Father to be happy with my sacrifice ultimately.  

We have a ward mission leader who is fantastic, but even though he has put his heart and soul into hastening the work of salvation, he hasn't seen his hard work come to fruition and he is discouraged. I feel like that occasionally, when I'm not sure how I need to change to be a better tool in the Lords hands. Gahh! But I know that the Lord knows what He's doing and all I have to do is trust in Him. 

Stay warm familia!  Winter is sneaking up on me here in Idaho.. I am not in Texas anymore! Burrrr!

Love you!

Hermana Moss:)

Week 36 November 2, 2015

Hola familia!

As the weeks go by, I am slowly starting to realize that my mission is coming to an end faster than I thought it would. Being the last week of the transfer, its hard to believe that the next transfer will be my halfway mark. I feel like there is still so much to learn and I have to use all the time I have left to absorb and study as much as I possibly can. There won't be another time in my life where I am 100 percent devoted to the Lord 24/7.  I simply cannot bear the thought of finishing my mission soon. 

We went on exchanges on Monday again, so I was with Sister Eckery while Hern went with Sister Pearce in her area. We made the most delicious pies at a member's house! We got to eat dinner and then watch and participate while the pie-man showed us how it was done! I am a pie making and eating expert now!  We had so much fun.

We meet with an investigator named Rosa and her family. For the past couple of weeks we have been teaching them the lessons. They are so cool! They do a really good job of reading the homework we give them and they are learning so much about the gospel. In the most recent lesson, we invited them to be baptized, and they kinda of accepted on the pretense of them learning a little bit more so they can be sure of what they are doing. I have faith that they will learn more and desire to be baptized, but the only problem is that they are going to be in Mexico for the next 6 weeks / a whole transfer!!

This happens all the time- and I have no idea why that is!  For some reason, as soon as we get close to baptizing them, everyone decides to move back to Mexico and go back to their old church that they have been inactive in for the past 20 years or they decide to listen to us but not really want to make or keep commitments...It's sooo frustrating!! They are full of excuses too..my favorite one and the most common is 'si Dios quiere' or 'si Dios me permite' hahaha!! 

On a more positive note, Jovany is doing really well. We just taught him Chastity, Word of Wisdom, and Tithing. He has decided to move back his baptismal date to the 21st, because I guess he felt the pressure of the closeness of his baptism- which is perfectly okay. I would much rather baptize someone when they feel ready rather than push them into the water and have them go inactive. He is already seeing the struggle in his family to stand up for what he believes. The rest of his family are members of and attend the local apostolic church and try to convince him how our church is false. I was so surprised when he told us that he, not even a member yet, is defending the church! I can't quite read him too well, but so far from what I see, he is all in and knows what we teach him is true. He continues to pray, attend church with us and read the scriptures. He will be very important to the church one day. Heavenly Father is blessing him in ways he doesn't understand yet.

Saturday was Halloween! I'm sure everybody had a great night and lots of fun trick or treating... meanwhile in Caldwell, Idaho it was cold and uneventful for us haha!  We were not allowed to stay out past 6 pm.. so Hern and I spent the night watching church movies and eating popcorn until bedtime. I almost wish I had done something more productive, but I needed that girls night in.  haha

Anyways! I love you familia! and I miss you tons!!

Hermana Moss :)