Consecrated Missionary

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! I love you more than life itself! Sister Sarvela is so cool. We went proselyting and she is SUPER bold. We went to an investigators house and he was have a hard time focusing and she asked him what was going on and he just said "I'm just pretty hungry" so she stood up walk right into his kitchen and opened his fridge. He didn't have a single thing in his fridge or freezer. He had a box of mac n cheese in his cupboard but nothing to cook it in. So she said, “we will be right back" and we went back to her apartment and she CLEARED OUT her fridge and shelves and brought his as much food as we could carry. She was super clear about this not happening all the time but that for now he won’t go hungry. Her confidence and willingness to give all that she had reminded me SO much of mom. I just love her so much.

OK – so these pictures are kind of all over the place but they are the cutest family ever – LA FAMILIA BRINGAS!! They have the cutest kids! Also we talked to their grandma and we are going to go over there once a week for an hour and speak Spanish with her so we can better learn – which I really need! Nana sent me a cute package for Valentine’s Day so I took a little photo shoot for her but I wanted to send you guys a pic too. I just thought it would be selfish of me not to share the love that is my face – LOL. The sky here is SO PRETTY. Never in my life have I been able to see so much sky. Oh and that girl is sister Sarvela, she is my STL. We went on exchanges this week and we became best friends – but she leaves this transfer :( but she’s super cool.

Yes, I am writing in my journal, but it’s so hard because I just want to sleep! Zone conference was cool –President and Sister Badger spoke to us. Sister Badger talked about closing our hearts to the elders (and vice versa) and staying focused on the work.... there have been some problems with that in other districts and President Badger talked to us about having our own visions. Like to set goals of the kind of missionary you want to become. He wants us to be FOCUSED, be CHEERFUL, be BELIEVING, and be STILL and KNOW THAT I AM GOD. Which was AWESOME!  I have gotten really good at setting goals while being out here. I also really want to be a consecrated missionary. Like throw all of my energy, heart, might, MIND, and strength into this wonderful work. I am super pumped. I feel like so much of the time I really like to work hard and study and stuff but my mind isn’t really in it – like I will be thinking of other things. So I am really working on keeping my thoughts centered in Christ. Zone Conference was in Davenport and the Assistants to the President gave a training on being sanctified missionaries and the STLs (Sister Training Leaders) gave training on the Higher Law of Chasity. It was awesome. You guys, I am seriously loving this work. It has been hard to find people who want to talk and learn from us but we just keep chipping away.

By the way, I didn’t forget I just have been saying other things but HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! You are amazing and beautiful and everything in between! I love you guys so much and I have to go, but just know that I am loving it here. I wish I was speaking more Spanish, but I know that God has a plan for me and everything will go great!! Oh and PS – we get to go to this chiropractor whenever we want because he is a member! By the way, we found this magazine in his waiting room. Coincidence? I don't think so.