8/30/2010

Dear Family,

I feel overwhelmed with different feelings right now. This week has been one of the most incredible weeks of my mission. There are so many things that happened. I can hardly contain myself and feel full of love and humility to be blessed to be experience miracles. To start off this week Hermana Reed and I worked as diligently as we could while focusing on our faith and applying all we've been learning together from Preach My Gospel. We had Zone Conference this week and we also have three people committed to baptism. The words joy and humility are the only way I know of to describe how I'm feeling.

So many things have happened this week. Hermana Reed and I have had some really fun times this week. Wed we were waiting at a bus stop after we taught N*, she committed to be baptized on the 26th of Sept, and we started talking to a woman from El Salvador. I always get SOOO excited when I meet someone from there and tell them that Kevin served there. We started talking about pupusas, my favorite food from El Salvador, they are SOO good. As we sat there I said, "I LOVE pupusas, I need to learn how to make them.....I need to have a friend who can teach me how to make them.... :) Pause...." The woman than turned to us and said, "I know how to make them" "Really??? That's great, they are SOOOO GOOOD!" Pause, "I really need to learn how to make them...some day." She then said, "I can teach you!" "REALLY!!!....REALLY???" The bus then came and we set up a time to meet her at her house and make pupusasa together. She has seen missionaries before in El Salvador so she knew who we were. We said, "you teach us how to make pupusas and we'll teach you about the Gospel of Jesus Christ." :) Her name is Bl*. We met with her on Saturday and has such a fun time making pupusas and sharing a spiritual message. She is looking for a Christian church to go to. She hasn't been to church in 4 years since she moved here. I have really high hopes for her and she has become a great friend of ours.

This week as I said before we have seen and experienced miracle after miracle. It has been incredible. On Wed we had our Zone Conference. It was amazing. President Nelson taught all of Zone Conference and we went over our 8 lessons from the simplified curriculum. I felt the spirit very strongly. Hermana Reed and I both felt as thought we received inspiration on what we needed to do to help our investigators progress and follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. Right after Zone Conference we left and taught N*. She has been investigating the church for over a year now. The lesson was directly guided by the spirit. I don't even have words to be able to explain how the lesson was. Needless to say we invited her and...it was incredible...she accepted to be baptized on the 26th. We have a lot of work to do to help her feel prepared for baptism. She is prepared but she jut needs to feel for herself she is ready. We reviewed the baptismal questions with her. Her testimony for the church is increadably strong.

Yesterday was a day full of miracles. Hermana Reed and I have been working as diligently as we possibly can be and having the faith that we need to have. I don't have words to discibe all that I want to share. Most importantly is that I know that Heavenly Father is in charge of everything. All that happens has a purpose. We need to do all we can to work hard and act with faith. This is not just about missionary work but about life. I know that our Savior Jesus Christ lives and that all is possible as we allow Him to walk beside us. Life might not change or become any different but Christ will carry our burdens as we turn to Him and follow His example.

Yesterday the Cu* Family invited us over for dinner. Hermano-Brother Cu* has his mother visiting from Porto Rico. She has been taught by missionaries before and gone to church many times with the Cu* family but is not a member of the church. They wanted us over to eat dinner but to also have there mother be exposed to the missionaries again. The entire week before we went over to eat with them I thought, "She could be baptised. Her son holds the priesthood, the Authority of Jesus Christ to baptise her." Dinner was great. We really enjoyed getting to know their mother more. She is an amazing woman. We taught about the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then about what we need to do to receive these blessings. We asked how she felt about baptism and if she would follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. She talked about her faith but did not accept...right off. Hermana-Sister Cu* then began to testify and talk more about the Gospel. This was one of the most spiritual moments of my mission. We were all crying. Hermana Cu* then invited her again and she accepted saying that she needs to pray about it first. Hermana Cu* said they could pray tonight about it and then I suggested that we pray right then. We did. Hermana Cuevas offered a heart felt prayer. After the prayer we sat there in silence. The silence was broken with her Grandson came in the room and gave her a hug. We then testified about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and told her we would begin planning her baptism. She returns to Porto Rico on the 6th of Sept. We are going to teach her again tonight and probably almost every other night. We need lots of prayers to have this happen. Words can not describe this sacred experience and I am so grateful for it. I feel un worthy to be able to see such great miracles happen right before me.

Later that night we ran from the Cu* home to the Acosta home. We had a member with us. The lesson was incredible thanks to the member who came. Time is running short but so I must go but H* accepted the commitment to be baptized on the 26th of Sept with N*.

I am humbled with all of the change that have been happening in this area. I love my mission. It is hard but incredible. Nights like yesterday keep me going through all of the difficult times. I know that this is the work of the Lord, not my own. I am blessed and...humbled that I have the opportunity to experience miracles in my own life and watch miracles performed in front of me.

I know this is the work of the Lord. I know He lives, I know the Atonement is real. We must continually be seeking to follow His example and have greater faith. I love all of you so much. You mean more to me than I could describe.

With Much Love,

Hermana Banaszewski