2-21-11

Hey family!

How is everyone doing? I hope well. It is always so great to get updated on how everything is going in all of your lives. It was another great week to be a missionary. We experienced a lot of miracles and humble times. This week both Hermana Porter and I were really sick. We were not able to even go out on Thursday or Friday. It was bad. We spent a lot of time in bed just resting and sleeping when we could. We were worried that we wouldn't get better in time to go to the Temple Saturday morning. We did EVERYTHING we could to get better and fast. We slept, we drank water, air born, vitamins, soup...you name it, we did it. It really was a miracle though that with being super sick for 2 days that we only had to cancel 2 apts. It was a huge blessing for us. On Saturday morning we had to wake up at 3:45am to get ready and meet our ward at the Church. When both of us woke up we felt pretty good. We still had a stuffy nose but good enough to make it to the Temple. What a blessing! We were able to go because Cl* had never been before and is a recent convert. It was amazing!

We were able to go with our ward as well. There ended up being about 25-30 members there from our ward. There was a group of youth as well. That is one of the best things in the world, to see those your are working with spiritually to be in the Temple and that they are worthy to be there. We have been working with Cl* to do family history work as well and she was able to bring 3 names to the Temple and did the work for her Grandma! Neat hu? What a blessing!

Besides being sick there were a lot of other things that happened. On Valentines day we were all over the place but we were able to heart attack some people on the way from apt to apt. We heart attacked the Mi* Family as well as the Ro* family. We found these really neat posted notes that are cut in the shape of a heart. It is the best thing invented for missionaries. Now we can do heart attacks anywhere, anytime. All me need is a pen and we have the hearts already cut out with stickiness on the back!

This week we met with the Mi* Family. They are doing really well. Hermana Mi* is really progressing. I can hardly believe it. When I first went over there with Hna Winfield we began inviting them to be baptized and they cut me off and started yelling. When we left I said, "I don't really ever want to go over there again." But now they are reading. It is still slow but Hermana Mi* is READING!!! Before she said she never really understood it. Now she says that what she read was beautiful and she is getting it. One Tuesday we read with them in the Book of Mormon as we have been doing lately and taught them simply about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and what exactly that is: Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Then...we knelt down with them. Right there. We had them each pray and ask Heavenly Father specifically if the Book of Mormon was true and if this was the Church of Christ and also to have faith enough to ACT when they received an answer. THE SPIRIT WAS THERE! Hermana Mi* felt it. After we had them write their feelings and thoughts down in their study journal. Hno Mi* tends to talk a lot and Hna Mi* doesn't talk enough so to be able to ponder and thing about what they felt we had them right. Hna Mi* ended up writing about 1/2 page which is a lot for her. Hna Porter and I both feel like we need to talk to her and ask her about Baptism. She came to Gospel Principles again which was great and...We are praying HARD that she will be baptized pronto.

I know miracles are real. Lately I have really been feeling like I am lacking in something. I feel like I'm doing pretty well but this work can not be done on "pretty well". It must be done on excellent. This week I have been studying and doing all I can to better understand what I need to do and can do to become more consecrated. One thing that I've learned from my study is that to become consecrated someone must consecrate you in a way. In Mosiah and Alma we learn that Alma the younger was consecrated by his father Alma to be the high priest. When we consecrate oil for the sick it is done by the priesthood. The oil is consecrated by the priesthood and so forth. That is something that has really stuck out to me. For me to become consecrated the Lord must do it. Mind you there are things that I must be doing. I have been set apart as a representative of Him, a form of consecration. It will come as I do all that I can, become exactly obedient, have grater faith, repent, seek the Holy Ghost, and endure that the Lord will consecrate the work which is going on here. I hope all of that made sense. Most importantly...I recognize that I need to improve. We always do but...I NEED to improve. I can not afford not to. I must trust in the Lord more, trust and follow the Spirit more, be more humble, and improve my obedience. I know it can be done as I turn to the Lord and apply the Atonement more in my life.

This Sunday was missionary Sunday. For some reason our bishopric only wanted us missionaries to speak. It was somewhat funny to me. In a Spanish speaking ward there were four people speaking who are learning Spanish. Hna Porter gave her first talk in Spanish. She was really nervous but did an excellent job. She is a great missionary but needs to believe it. She can speak Spanish really well but she doesn't think she can. It was really good for her to speak and a lot of the members told her that she did a really good job.

All of us decided what we were going to speak on ourselves. As I prayed about what I should talk about I felt impressed to talk on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is amazing how much we refer to the word, "Gospel" but sometimes do not understand what that really means. I talked about how simple the Gospel of Jesus Christ truly is and that it is possible for all of us to live it. What joy that should bring to all of our hearts! It is possible to live the Gospel, it is simple, and all compassing!

One thing that has also stood out to me this week is how much of a difference it makes when people can feel your love for them and the effects love has on people. I have now served in this area for 5 months. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the people here. I'm not sure if I will be serving her my last transfer or not. Secretly I am hoping I stay. I don't think I could bare to leave and say good bye to all the people I love here, have to go serve in another area and then say good bye to them as well in 6 weeks. I also love serving with Hna Porter. She is really fun and she loves to work and work hard. That is one thing that can make or break it for you. If you have a companion that likes to work or not.

Oh! Another miracle for the week. Hna Porter and I were talking about Ol*. He is having a really hard time progressing because...we need to work with his parents. We have been feeling that we need to work with his parents from the beginning but they have been avoiding us. On Saturday we made 3 different scenarios going over to their home. 1 if we could teach Ol* 2 if we had the chance to talk to his parents 3 if we could only talk with Hna Me* who lives with them Well...we prayed A LOT to be able to have the opportunity to talk to one of his parents. We practiced and everything. Yep, you know it. When we got there he was home and out in the kitchen for a little bit. I knew we had to say something. Hna Porter didn't know what to say in Spanish and I blanked. With some good companionship unity and the spirit and miracle happened. I turned to her and said, "what should we say?!" I was so excited he was there that I blanked on what to talk to him about. She said, "Invite him to church" OH yeah!!! We started talking to him about Ol* learning more about the church and so forth. We ended up having a REALLY good conversation with him and figured out what some of his concerns are about the Church. We testified to him about the reality that God lives and that He is our Loving Heavenly Father. I know the spirit guided the conversation. First off because I could understand him, I wasn't intimidated but this HUGE man who is intimidating, and I could speak Spanish when I needed to. Also because he said we could start teaching his family soon :) YEP! We obviously have a lot of work to do with that family but I told him that we are here for a reason. His family had moved after the missionaries were teaching them in the Summer and by the Hand of God we were able to find them again.

Well Family, it truly was another great week to be a missionary. I love being here. I recognize I have so much to change, improve and become. I pray that I will have become what Heavenly Father expects of me and that I can become before I come home. I love all of you very much. Thank you for your continual prayers, especially for my Spanish :)

I know this work is real and is the work of the Lord, not of man. Every day we experience miracle after miracle. I know that Heavenly Father loves each of you very much. Thank you for all of your love and support. Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Banaszewski