9-27-10 #2

9-27-10

Dear family!

Well, I'm getting transferred! Noooo!!! It is really good to be moving to a new area but I am really sad to be leaving Hermana Reed and leaving all those I love so much. I must first apologize because I have a lot in my mind right now so I hope this letter will be alright. Hermana Reed and I have worked so well together the last two transfers, 3 months.

A lot has happened this week. Na* was not baptized despite the faith we exerted. She will be baptized someday. When I was saying good bye to her I told her that I would come back for her baptism when ever she gets baptized. We've had some really good teaching apt with her this last week though. She will be baptized some day. Hopefully it is just sooner than later. As a missionary I invite people to be baptized because of the joy, love, comfort, and salvation they can receive. When I remember how much Heavenly Father loves these people and want them to return and live with him once again I feel like inviting everyone I see.

That was one of the messages Hna Reed and I gave as we visited 9...NINE different people yesterday to say good bye to and set up apt for next week. I expressed my love for those we have worked with so much. They have progressed and I will miss all of them very much. However, I found that I haven't been as sad with leaving because all of us have the opportunity to see one another when we return and live with our Father in Heaven. We invited all to live there lives in such a way, applying the Atonement of Christ so that we will all be able to live together again as a family. What a blessing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is in our lives. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of Christ and it has the Authority of Jesus Christ.

There are so many things that I could say about this last week but instead I think I'll send some pictures. This will probably be the last time I have e-mail for more than an hour. So just so everyone knows, try to e-mail early, before I get online on Monday and hopefully my e-mails wont be to scatter brained.

The work here has improved so much. It has been incredible to me to see the difference in the area, the members, the less-actives, the investigators. Oh! We had two investigators come to church yesterday and some less-actives as well. I really feeling like I'm leaving this area on a good note. Is* is still doing really well. She should be baptized pretty soon and I'm hoping to come back to see it. Her ex-boy friend, which is her ex now because she is committed to living the law of chastity, called on on Tuesday night. He is from Columbia, one of my FAV places, their food is so good. He called us and told us he wanted to be baptized! What?! Where did this man come from? He hasn't lived the greatest live so I was pretty hesitant about his desire to be baptized. After talking to him for a while on the phone and answering his questions about the Plan of Salvation and if we could live with our families after this life he told us again that he wanted to be baptized. What? Well, he was serious. He had been taught a little by the missionaries in Columbia before he came to the USA and watch General Conference there before moving. When he saw and read Is*'s pamphlets that we had given her he called us saying he wanted to be baptized. He asked when we had church serves and on Sunday our Ward Mission Leader picked him up and came to church! Woot!!!

Ok, I need to go. Hermana Reed is already done with e-mail and is waiting for me to get done. The area here has improved so much. Honestly the key to anything is work. That is one thing I've really learned here. Work is the solution as we also apply faith. Work is the application of Faith.

I love all of you so much. Have a wonderful week! This next will be interesting but I know that I need to serve in another area and I will do so with all of my heart.

I love you!

Hermana Banaszewski

Sept 20, 2010

Hey Family!!!

Wow! I am just loving life right now! I've spent a lot of time responding to each of you personally so my time to write a huge e-mail isn't very much. That is ok, I'll be simple today. Most importantly I've realized that I need to have more faith. This week Hermana Reed and I have been working really hard to help our investigators that have a baptism date; Na*, Is* and Hu*. Is* is AMAZING!!! Her desire to be baptized is still increadable. Last week we had a lesson with her that was clearly guided and directed by the spirit. She has such a strong spirit. Hermana Reed and I were exhausted but we felt we needed to see Is*. When we got there she told us about how much she has read in the Book of Mormon and began to cry. She feels such a heavy guilt from all that has happened in her life. She is just amazing. As we talked about her life and the Atonement we were also able to laugh as she said, "I have made such a mess of my body. What have I done?" Hermana Reed and I both gave all we could in the lesson. I bore my heart out about the Atonement. I know that because Christ is our Savior, died for us, suffered for our sins, our pains, and lives again, that we can feel a relief from our grief. Words could not describe how I feel about our Savior, Jesus Christ. Needless to say, Is* is doing great! The only problem is that she is still in the hospital which means she hasn't been able to go to church yet.

This morning our Zone Leader called and talked to us about those we have committed for baptism. We've had a lot of good success with having people commit to be baptized however helping them keep this commitment has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. Satan does not want these people to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. As I was talking with Elder Flores on the phone we came to the conclusion that this week Hermana Reed and I are going to do ALL we can to help Na* to be baptized this Sunday. She has investigated the church for over a year now, she knows its true, and has gone to church about 30+ times. She could be baptized this week. We have been struggling contacting her and her desire to be baptized has gone down. As I hung up the phone I realized that I need to have greater faith. Do I really believe that Na* will be baptized this week, this Sunday??? YES! It is going to take more faith than I have. This morning I spent my entire personal study on faith. For companionship study Hermana Reed and I took some special time to talk about what needs to have happened for Na* to be baptized. I know that I lack so much as a missionary, as a person in general but I know that if this is the will of God, which I believe it is that Na* will be baptized this week. I have to recognize that she has her agency but Hermana Reed and I are going to do all we can and focus all of our efforts on helping her to make her first covenant with God.

This last week I have felt more and more love for and from the members here. The members are amazing. I have seen such a huge difference in the area here. Hermana Reed and I both feel that the members trust and love us as missionaries very much. We have been bringing members with us more and more to teach. On Friday we were also able to go to an activity where most of the members were. My heart swelled for these people. It is increadble to me how much love I have for them. On that note, this coming week is the last week of the transfer. :( I have been here for 3 transfers and 2 with Hermana Reed. I am really...I don't want to be transfered but...I know I can't stay here forever. I pray that what every happens I will feel at peace and the pain of leaving these people I love so much wont hurt as much as I am anticipating.

On a funny note, Hermana Reed and I have ate so much food I...I am determined to work out like crazy when I get home. We ate so much food one night Hermana Reed and I both threw up. Sick hu? Companionship unity right?

I have so much more I could say but I will leave it at that. I love being here. We have A LOT of work to do this week and I need to have greater faith. I love hearing how everyone is doing and I miss all of you very much. I know the church is true and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way we can have and experience true joy and happiness.

Much Love,

Hermana Banaszewski

9-6-10

Hello Family and Loved Ones,

What an amazing week! I hardly have words to describe all that has happened. Actually I feel like I don't have any words at all. Nothing I write about could describe the miracles we experienced this week, the love that is deep within my heart, and the lessons I've been learning.

Before I get into anything, a brief news update:
1.) we just found out that there is a new dress code for Sister missionaries and...drum line please, NO MORE NYLONS!!! What you may say? Yes! It is true. I will need to wear them when it gets colder but that is it!!!

2.) President Nelson changed the regulations on music. I am actually really happy about it and believe it will help our mission become more consecrated. The standard now is that we can only listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (MTC), "Scripture Scouts" or talks. So...Family...friends...those that LOVE me :) if you would like to send any MTC music :) that would be just fine with me :)

3.) We will be moving apartments this week, it is going to be a fun week. Tomorrow we are going to have to pack everything up but it is going to be a crazy week.

4.) I LOVE MY MISSION!!!

OK, on to the week. I have been sending pictures home and doing different things on the computer because I am overwhelmed with how much I want to write. This week has been increadable. I feel as those Hermana Reed and I have lived 3 months in one week. Starting off from last week on Sunday we had dinner with the Cu* family, one of my FAVORITE families! They had us over because Brother Cu*'s mother was visiting from Pueto Rico and wanted her to have some contact with the missionaries. Like I said in my last e-mail we invited her to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone who holds the proper authority of God and she ACCEPTED! On Monday night we taught her more and the pattern continued. We taught her every day from Sunday night went we first met her to yesterday. I have learned so much from all of this. Brother Cu* seemed to have a really hard time believing that his mother was really going to be baptized. As there is opposition in all things it seemed to have come from him. I love Brother Cu* so much. Because of his example in the church, serving a mission, raising his family in the church and overall just being an example for his mother, his mother was ready to be baptized. Her name is Hermana Si*.

As we taught Hermana Si* with the help of Hermana Cu* I was continually overcome with the spirit. There were many times that I did not understand everything that was being said or did not have words for what I was feeling but we understood one another. I have never been able to love someone so fast and deep as I have come to love her. I was shocked at how prepared and ready she was to be baptized as we were teaching her. She told us how she was planning to visit her family, attend church with them and when she returned home to begin taking the missionary lessons again. Her entire life she has drank coffee. This was a concern we had that when she returned home that she would be tempted to drink coffee again. The entire time we taught we taught about how to be strong, how to strengthen your roots and become a might tree. As we taught about faith and she read Alma 32 about faith is like a seed we taught about what she needs to do when she returns to her country and is a member of the church. I learned so much during this experience it was...amazing. I showed her a picture of a tree that I had taken from Grandpa's house. I have included it as an attachment. We talked about this tree and compared it to her. My words can not describe the feeling of the spirit as we taught. I was able to share with her a picture of something that meant so much to me and us it as an example of how she can become more like Christ and have greater faith in Him. As we taught about the word of wisdom we asked her how she felt about it. She agreed with everything and felt very strongly about it. The day after we taught about the word of wisdom we felt we needed to review it and really make sure she understood it. We were worried that when she committed to stop drinking coffee here it would be easy but when she returned home she would have it in her home and would need to throw it all away. I asked her if she had coffee in her home? She said she did not have any in her home any more.

There are so many miracles and lessons learned from Hermana Si*. Never before have I loved someone so quickly. She invited us to come visit her in Pueto Rico when we are off our missions. I am planning on it. She is planning to come back to New York in one year and go through the Temple with her Son and Daughter-in-law. That will be about 3 or 4 months after I get home and a perfect time to visit my mission again :) I learned a lot about being prepared for Heavenly Father to answer our prayers. Brother Cu* is an amazing man. He has been praying for his mother for years that she will accept the Gospel someday. He had a lot of concerns of his mother staying strong in the church when she returns to Pueto Rico. From what I've heard the church in her area is not very strong. After teaching her, feeling of her spirit and...loving her more than I thought possible, I know she is strong. Last night when we said good bye she talked to us about serving a mission herself. She is single and would be able to in a year. I apologize for my thoughts being all over the place. There is so much that has gone on this week, so many lessons learned, pleads to Heavenly Father, and miracles happening.

On Friday morning we went over to the Cu* family for our last lesson and to have a family testimony meeting. Ever since Sunday Brother Cu* wasn't to open with us about his feeling with his mother being baptized. It was really hard for us and he has been a close friend to me while in Brooklyn. It was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through on my mission. I felt as though he did not trust us and still could not believe his mother wanted to be baptized. After we bore our testimonies and while Hermana Si* was being interviewed by one of the Elders we talked with Brother Cu* for the first real time through all of this. I talked to him about how incredible his mother is and how prepared she was. He wasn't sure about how prepared she was. I told him how she doesn't drink coffee any more and he said, "No, she does." Sister Cu* pitched in and told him how she hasn't drunk coffee for months now. At that moment something clicked with Brother Cu*. Hermana Reed and I were so grateful. We had been praying and fasting for him that he would accept his mothers decision to be baptized and be excited about it before her baptism. The next day, Saturday she was baptized. The only people there were missionaries and their family. The baptism was beautiful. Brother Cu* asked me to be the speaker at her baptism, this was before he liked me again. He asked me to speak about enduring to the end. The night before we called our mission president and invited him to come. It sounded like he was really busy and wouldn't be able to come but he showed up! I gave my talk and was overcome with the spirit. I was praying so hard to be able to speak Spanish and that the spirit would be there. As I talked I pulled out the same picture we had used to talk about having faith and the things we need to do to develop our roots. All of us were edified and filled with the spirit as we looked at the picture. This was not because of any words I said but because Heavenly Father was merciful. Hermana Si* and Brother Cue* were prepared and ready for her baptism. Last night we gave Hermana Si* her own copy of this picture in a nice frame along with a copy of her baptism. She was so excited and said she felt the spirit so much while looking at this picture and learning about what she needs to do to become strong in the Gospel. What a blessing it has been to get to know Hermana Si* and spend more time with the Cu* family.

This week as we were fasting to find those people who were ready to hear about the Gospel. The day we were fasting we got a call from a woman we knocked into. Her name is Is*. Hermana Reed wrote more about her in her e-mail. She is an INCREADABLE woman as well. She has lived a really hard life but she has such a strong desire to repent and be baptized.

The Lord is truely preparing people to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The question is, are we ready? Are we ready to share the joy and blessings we can receive from the Gospel? I love this work, I love the Gospel. Nothing brings me more happiness and joy that the Gospel of Jesus Christ in action. I know that Christ is our Savior, our Redeemer. I know that God is our Father in Heaven and that He loves us so much, so much that He send His son to the earth to live and die and be resurrected. Christ came to this earth for many reasons but one great reason was to show us the way. He invites us to follow Him, to be baptized, have faith, repent, and endure to the end. I know that through the Gospel of Jesus Christ we can have pure joy, happiness, and peace regardless of our trials and struggles.

I love all of you so much. Right now I could not dream of the work going better than it is now. I have been extremely humbled at the miracles I have seen and the experiences that I have been having. We are still teaching Hu* and Na* right now who both along with Is* have a date to be baptized on the 26th of Sept but we need a lot of prayers and miracles to help them keep there commitment to be baptized on that day. Oh how grateful and I am for the Hand of the Lord in my life.

I love all of you more than I could describe,

Love,

Hermana Banaszewski

9-13-10

A funny sign I saw last night in the subway.

Erika and Filomina who we went to the Temple with on 9/11 along with a lot of other members of our ward. AMAZING!

We were able to go to our roof and see the lights for 9/11 it was really neat




Hey Family!

Most of my time today online has been reading your e-mails and responding individually. Hermana Reed wrote a great e-mail with more details about specific things and I'll try to write about my own feelings so you can get a better idea of how things have been this week. So much happened this week.

We moved apartments. That was physically exhausting but great all at the same time. We've had to learn different routs to get around and take different buses but we should only be at our new apartments for 3 weeks before we have to move again. It was hard to move as well because we had to take so much time out of proseliting to clean our new apartment and move. I think the people that lived there before us smoked and...ran around the apartment with oil. :) There was a thick layer of oil all over the kitchen. Sicky. It was interesting going from cleaning and moving mode back into missionary mode. Hermana Reed and I were both exhausted this week but we keeped plugging along.

We were able to meet with Is* again. She is amazing! The last time we met with her she told us that she loved us. This woman is amazing! She has such a stong desire to learn more about the Gospel and be baptized. We have to pace ourselves with her becuase as much as she wants to learn it can still be overwhelming if we teach everything at once. She seems to be right on her way to baptism. She is still in the hospital so the only thing holding her back is that she still needs to attend church more before she can be baptised but that is something she is really looking forward to. It amazes me how much these people are preapared and ready for the Gospel.

On Saturday, the 11th we were able to go to the Temple with our ward. There were two people we had been working with who had never gone before. We received special permission from our mission President to be able to go. We met a small group of members at the church and headed to Manhatten. We thought it would only be a group of about 7 members from our ward but when we got to the Temple there was about 27 members there! It was increadable! It was amazing to be in the Temple with people that I love so deeply and see them progressing and doing those things that will benifit their lives for the better. One of the members, Hermana Je* Jo* was there as well. In the dressing room she hugged us so tightly and told us she loved us. It was...increadable!

Lately I have really felt so much love for the people here. I feel as though they can feel my love as well. Hermana Reed and I have been working really hard with the ward and we have seen huge changes. We are excited for the growth that has been happening and seeing that our hard work is moving things forward. Most importantly though, even if we didn't see any difference from our work is the relationships that have been created. They are....I have no words. My heart is here, these people hold my heart in their hands. Everytime we see them, visit them in their homes, it is amazing. I love these people more than I ever thought possible. They mean everything to me and I do everything I can to serve them and work hard.

As I've said before this week has been exhausting in every way possible. We have been working hard with Na* and Hu* to progress and help them reach their baptism date but we haven't been able to meet with them for a long time. We need prayers and lots of faith. Is* is on the right path but we also need more people to teach. There are people here who are ready and need the Gospel in their lives, I know I sure do.

More and more I see how I am nothing. I am nothing with out the Savior, with out the Gospel. This work is hard. But I LOVE it! This work is exhausting but I would do nothing else. I can not express how much I love my mission, setting goals, having a purpose, working harder and more effectivily every day but regardless of all of it, it means nothing with out Jesus Christ. I need to remember that more. I must have greater faith. I can feel things changing. There are only two more weeks in this transfer. I am not sure if I will be transfered but sure don't want to be. Hermana Reed have become great friends and she is a companion I know I will stay in contact with after our missions. She has helped me a lot and we work so well together.

Last night we ate at a members home. Hermana Reed and I were both tired and couldn't wait to crawl into our beds. One thing I have really come to know is how much the members mean to us as missionaries. When we left the members home we felt uplifted as I know they did as well. They members offered to go out and teach with us, knock, and just work with us. Members make all the difference in missionary work. Do all you can to help them by teaching with them, feeding them good...normal food and most importantly just showing them Love. I have realized that it doesn't really matter if people know who I am as Hermana Banaszewski because most people actually can't say my name but rather that I am a servent of our Father in Heaven. However even though I am doing all I can to be His hands, I need to have something to give so I can keep working hard and be effective.

I love all of you so much. I know this work is the work of the Lord.

Love, Hermana Banaszewski

8-30-10

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 Na*, 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 Na*. 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 incredibly 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 describe 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 Cu* 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 Ac* 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 Hu* 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