11-1-2010

Hello to all those I love!

How is everyone? This was one of the best weeks of my entire mission! So many things happened this week and I have felt the love of Heavenly Father so much! Wow, where do I even begin? I feel like this week was relieving, joyful, full of love, and full of miracles! I sure have felt the tender mercies of the Lord. I am overwhelmed with the Love Heavenly Father has for each one of us. I have felt His love for me and for those I am serving and serving with. One of the most incredible things on my mission has been to feel so much love for those we are teaching, visiting, or even just contacting on the street. He has more love for us than I think we can comprehend.

I am just so full of joy, happiness, love, AHH!!! Anyone who knows me well I feel as though I just can't contain myself because I'm so happy! Really,the word joy doesn't even cut the explanation of how I feel. It is one of the most incredible feelings I have ever had. I love these people, all people, so much. Wow, I wish I could describe how I feel better. This is really one of the happiest moments of my life. I LOVE being a missionary and seeking to become a true disciple of Christ. My heart just feels like it is going to burst open! Wow! What a blessing from God.

One of the highlights from this week is that Is*, sometimes I wrote Is*, same person...well, SHE WAS BAPTIZED!!! What a miracle...WHAT A MIRACLE! Hermana Winfield and I received permission to go down to Brooklyn for the baptism this Sunday! We were able to go to Sacrament meeting in our ward and then we had to leave right after to make it for the baptism in Brooklyn. It took about 1 1/2 hours or so to get there by train. It felt really good though because I felt I knew where we were going and when I didn't know exactly were to go we could figure it out. I love New York so much! Out of all days to leave our ward early this didn't seem like one of them. We had five investigators at church yesterday, that made me SOOO excited. Two of them had never been to our church before either. I was worried about leaving early but Is* had asked me to give the talk on the Holy Ghost at her baptism and we HAD to be there. I couldn't miss seeing this woman be baptized. Right after Sacrament we talked to some members and they were really excited to walk our new investigators through church! Hermana Winfield and I were so grateful for them. Even if we were there that is the best thing for the investigators, to have the members help them out and be with them the whole time. We can feel and see the ward is improving here. There is still a LOT of work to do but just being here for 5 weeks I have really seen a difference.

Speaking about the ward, this week we went through the 12 pg ward list with two amazing members, the Bishops wife, Hna Ga*, and Hna De*. We had planned to meet both of them at Hna De* home, eat breakfast and work on the ward list. We are both new in the area and don't know everyone or what their stories are yet. On our records it shows that about 70% of our ward is in active. This is the biggest ward I have been in yet but that is what the records show. When we got to Hna De*'s home she had invited her neighbor to come an eat with us. She is in her 30's and fit right it. What a great example of member work! Once her friend left we spent a good amount of time figuring out who people where, if they moved, or what happened to them. This was such an example to me that Heavenly Father really does love His children. Even if thy may feel forgotten, lost, or alone, some one is always thinking about them and on there way to invite them back to the fold.

Ok, back to the baptism. It was incredible. After she was baptized she stood in the fount for a while and sobbed. Her life has changed in so many ways. I gave the talk in the Gift of the Holy Ghost. All week I could not put my finger on what I needed to talk about. I didn't want it to be the typical, This is the Holy Ghost, talk. During the service it came to me what I needed to talk on. I shared an experience that Hna Reed and I had had with the Holy Ghost, how he can guide us in our lives, protect us, and help us learn and receive answers. The experience was finding and teaching Is*. Then I talked about how I was so proud of her and wished I could give her a gift but I was a poor missionary and couldn't give her something sufficient enough but how Heavenly Father will, the GIFT of the Holy Ghost. I felt the spirit so strongly there and while talking. I was blessed to be able to speak with the spirit...in SPANISH! What a blessing!

This week we were able to meet with Ro*. She is a new investigator from English class. We have been having a lot of success from finding people to teach from teaching English class. She is ready! She always come to English class, the other day she came to our building for an exercise class a ward member teaches and THEN she came to our ward party and THEN...she came to CHURCH!!! She really wants to learn. She doesn't have much religious background but she listens and accepts everything.

One thing I've really learned this week is that I have been really hard on myself. I felt as though this week I enjoyed my mission even more, if that is possible. I always want to grow and improve and I felt that I was stopping myself by being too hard. This week Hna Winfield and I have really come together. I love that girl so much! When we first got together it was a little hard because we are so much like each other. Last night we had an amazing time talking and...I just love her so much. We had to be inside at 5pm. We did our weekly planning and really enjoyed each others company. I really hope and pray that we are together next transfer as well. She has so many gifts and talents and...I just love my companion.

Last Thursday we had a fun and BUSY day. We had apt to apt. We visited all members or less-active members. I could really feel how much Heavenly Father loves them. The only problem with all of our apt's was that we were feed an entire meal EACH TIME! Prayers were answered and we were able to get through the day with out dying from being over fed. :) We are doing our best to work hard and love our missions. I know this week has sure been a blessing from Heavenly Father. Oh-really quick, Ar*, and Hna Pa* are SO neat! They wanted to make sure we had Thanksgiving at there home so they invited us early. I've seen SO much progress in his life. What amazing people. When someone has a true desire to change, they change.

I love all of you so much! Keep up the great work and know that I will be praying for all of you.

Love,

Hermana Banaszewski

PS- Make sure you read Hna Winfields blog. She has some funny things added in her e-mail that I didn't share.