Never A Dull Moment!!

October 26, 2015

Another busy week!

We had 2 exchanges- for one, I got to go bring my Hermana Clark to Monroe with meeee :)

And for the other, I got to go back to Marysville!!

So basically, being a sister training leader is the best/funnest thing ever!!

While in Marysville, we got to have lunch with Avelino! He was so excited when he called and I answered the phone, so we went to eat at this delicious Mexican restaurant. I didn't realize how much I have missed him until I saw him again! He said he is working towards going to the temple soon,

Funny story time!! Ok, so we went to visit this family that is super hard to find at home. We saw that their lights were on and got all excited to finally be able to teach them again. So we walk up to the door (which has glass panes at the top so you can see into the house). We knock, and can see the kids watching tv. Then, to my amazement, I watch them all line up in the living room and ARMY CRAWL across the hallway where the door us so they could avoid us. HAHA. I was laughing so hard as I watched this little line of children on crawling on their elbows to avoid the missionaries, thinking that they were so sneaky and that we couldn't see them. I'm sure it was under the direction of their parents who have lost interest. People do funny things to pretend like they're not home (hurriedly turning off the tv or the mom shushing the kids), but this was a whole new level!

A little miracle story: We were hurrying out the door one day and my companion was driving (we switch off who drives every other day). So she starts getting all her stuff together and asks, "Hermana, do you know where the keys are?" "Nope," I said. So we both start looking and after 5 minutes, we're panicking because we were late to an appointment. Then it dawned on me that we hadn't said a prayer yet. So we kneel down and ask Heavenly Father to help us find the keys so we could get to work. I opened my eyes, and saw one of the keys sticking up out of the couch cushion. There they were- right in front of my eyes. Seconds after saying the prayer. So remember, always ask yourself in situations like those: "Did you think to pray?"

Daise and Neida are doing good! They had a regional Hispanic conference on Saturday with tons of different dances and cultural performances from all different Spanish-speaking countries. So our branch did a dance, and Daise was a part of it! We didn't get to go, but they had a ton of fun. Maybe next year....;)

My ponderize scripture this week was the rich, young prince's question to the Savior: "What Lack I Yet?" I've pondered and memorized (although, the memorizing part really wasn't too hard ;)) about that this week and have heard the Spirit whisper to me many things that I still lack and have been working hard to improve. As said in conference, "Have it thy way, Lord. Have it thy way. Thou art the potter and I am the clay." May we be humble enough to let the Lord mold and shape us and our lives into the fullest potential.

-Hna Webb

Pic: Making some very yummy apple crisp with Sister Bonham- our mission president's wonderful wife! We love fall time!!!

Caramel apples. Yum!!

Making smoothies...why do all of my pictures
involve food??...

Even When It's Not Easy...

October 19, 2015

Buenos dias! 

So this week, Monday started off well! We had the branch president come with us to visit a less-active lady. Her husband is not a member, and neither are her kids, so we are trying to start working with all of them. It was funny because when we got there, her husband offered us something to drink and we all said "no, thanks." (thinking it would be water.) Then he says "I have jamica (no, not jamaica) juice!" And all three of us say "Ohh! Ok, yeah, we'll take some of that." Haha so yummy!

Then we drove to Neida and Daise's house. We watched the Restoration video with them and they loved it! Hermana Amparo was crying of course. Haha- I love that woman! The Spirit is always so strong- no matter how many times you have watched it!

On Tuesday, Sister Packard came to Monroe with me. We practiced saying a prayer in Spanish during language study. So when we went to the Milian's for dinner, I volunteered her to say the last prayer. She scooches over right next to me and I basically had to whisper the whole thing to her again. Haha. I felt like I was training again! She is just starting her mission, but is already a power house! I love her.

We also got to teach Maria again with her 2 daughters. We had a member come with us who turned out to be a perfect friend for her. We shared the Book of Mormon and we told her how it was a tool to receive personal revelation for her life. We asked what sources of guidance she has had up to this point in her life and she looked at us and said "Honestly, I had nothing. Before you two showed up, I had no guidance." We shared the promise in Moroni 10 and she told us that she knows it is true. She seems happier and happier every time we meet with her! 

On Wednesday, we had zone meeting and our zone leaders had us all write down our biggest sin and then fold it up, put our names on it, and tack it up on the board where they had written our missionary purpose. They explained how disobedience can cover up our efforts as disciples of Jesus Christ. It was intense. And then they flipped it over to show us that on the back was a picture of Jesus Christ. You could see all the holes from the pushpins and it was a powerful lesson on the effect of sin in our lives and the power of the Atonement.

Speaking of which, if you get the chance, look up a video called: 

"The Role of the Atonement in Missionary Work" or something like that

It's Elder Holland and this is what he says: 

"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?
I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary."
So if you feel frustrated or discouraged as I have this week, just remember that this wasn't meant to be easy. That we can rejoice in knowing that all that we suffer is for Him.
I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. May we always show our love for him.

-Hermana Webb

Dinner with Hermano Araujo!

He always takes selfies of himself reading the el Libro de Mormon. Haha.

My professional french toast breakfast for my companion

People gave us so many apples this week. I'm in heaven.

Covenants Are Being Made!

October 13, 2015

Neida and Daise got baptized!!! It was such a cool experience, and the scriptures are true: "Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness ismanifest."

They both shared their testimonies after they got baptized and said "After I came up out the water, I felt like a new person. I felt different." It was crazy because we thought there would be about 20 people so we decided to set up in the primary room. But people just kept coming and coming. Lots of their family showed up and other investigators (including Javier and Hugo :)). So by the time we got started, people were out in the hallway because there wasn't enough room for everyone! Their mom was soo happy and it was neat because during their confirmations, it was said to both that they would enter the temple some day to be sealed. We were able to complete an eternal family and they will both serve missions and help create more eternal families.

And a miracles came out of their baptism. While we were teaching another part member family, a few of their neighbors were over and listened as we taught about the Book of Mormon. They seemed mildly interested, but we didn't think much of it. Later, we found two of the daughters outside and read the book of Enos with them. The next week, we started teaching the daughters again, but this time their mom came out and invited us to come in and teach her too! And that ended up being one of the most powerful teaching experiences of my whole mission. The mom, Maria, told us that she is a single mom raising 4 kids and she just got laid off from her job. As we talked, it was as if the Spirit brought everything to my mind of what to say. We listened with love, and when we taught them about the Apostasy and the Restoration, Maria paused and said:

 "I spend so many years searching for the truth. I went to so many different churches, but it never felt right. So 20 years ago, I gave up. I stopped searching and I distanced myself from all of them. But THIS, this is right. This is true." I felt prompted in that moment to invite Maria and her kids to be baptized. Maria looked at us with a new light in her eyes and said "Could I do that? Could I be baptized again?" We testified of the priesthood authority that has been restored to the Earth and she accepted it without question. She is amazing! And her daughter, Cynthia, is actually in the same class as Neida at school. So Cynthia found out Neida was getting baptized, and she came to the baptism. Afterwords, she kept asking "when can I get baptized!?" And then the next day, she came to church and loved it. This family is so prepared!!

So a good week- super busy. On an exchange this week while working with English sisters, Hermana Bagley and I came to a new appreciation for our call to work with Hispanics. We went tracting with them and got some very rude responses, some threats thrown our way from the Americans we met. But seriously, I can count on one hand the mean Hispanics that I have met! The Hispanic culture is sooo loving and accepting and have such open hearts. They are good neighbors and actually know their neighbors. They live like one big family. And I don't feel like I belong to my own culture anymore. Haha. I want to work with these people my whole life! 

Have a great week! Keep studying conference- there's lots more to learn as we review all the talks given!

-HERMANA WEBB

They are the cutest!!

The whole family!

We walked up to Angel's house to find this...they were just
boiling this giant pig!! Haha. Making carnitas!!

PONDERIZE!!

October 5, 2015

General conference, though!? Talk about an outpouring of the spirit/revelation!!!  

#PONDERIZE. My scripture this week is Luke 22:32: "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."

I hope you all choose a scripture to ponder on this week and every week from here on out! What a great challenge! Send me your scripture and insights you have from this challenge! 

So Javier came to the Saturday morning conference, and he loved it, he was taking notes the whole time. Haha! And that night we taught him about fasting and how to fast for specific purposes. So we go over Sunday night and it turns out he had fasted the whole day on Sunday to clear up all his doubts and to get more clarity!! We were so surprised that he had taken the initiative to do it! He's doing great, and right now has a baptismal date for the 17th of October. Keep him in your prayers! Speaking of prayers, he told us that every night he prayers that his 5-year-old son will grow up and be a missionary too! :)

Another miraculous investigator is Angel! (a boy, it is proncounced differently in Spanish..haha). Anyway, the first time we talked with him he had all these crazy ideas about God and has read so much crazy stuff about Egyptian history. He truly had no real concept of who Jesus Christ is. So we had to prepare and pray a lot to teach him in a different way and pace than we teach most other people. So that's what we've been doing. He came to conference on Sunday morning, and really loved all the testimonies. And then Hugo helped us give him a church tour after. As we walked into the chapel, he stopped and said "Wow, I really feel a lot of peace in this room." He immediately could recognize the Spirit and it was amazingly strong. We read 2 Nephi 31 with him and he accepted the invitation to be baptized on November 9th. He's so excited that the Book of Mormon contains an account of Christ in the Americas. Basically everything we teach him, he is amazed and says "wow!"

Ok- funny story! Yes! So every Tuesday night we have dinner with the branch president's family. The sweetest people you ever did meet! And converts of only a few years. So we were over there eating on Tuesday, and one of the Elders was trying to describe the movie Over the Hedge to tell them about this funny scene in it. So he says "yeah, you know, the one with the torta.." We all just DIED laughing because a torta is a Mexican sandwich, and the word he was looking for was "Tortuga" to tell them about the turtle that is the main character. Hahaha. The funniest things happen when you're constantly trying to overcome a language barrier!

Daise and Neida (turns out I've been spelling BOTH of their names wrong for weeks. whoops, haha) are doing great! They are getting so excited for their baptism. They asked Hermana Bagley and I to give our testimonies at the baptismal service :) We were teaching them about the Law of Chastity this week and so we said "We are going to teach the kid's version of this commandment today." Their mom just starts laughing and so we had a great time talking about modesty and no dating until we're 16! They were telling us how everyone in their class already has a "boyfriend" and Neida pipes in an exasperated voice "We're all just supposed to be friends right now!" Haha. They are the cutest. We also taught them about serving a mission and a temple marriage. I showed them the picture of Ally and Skyler outside the temple and they couldn't stop looking at it! They all agreed that they will ARE going there someday :)

I know that we are guided by prophets and apostles in these latter days! Following their counsel will keep us safe against the storms of this world!

I love you all! SO MUCH!  

-Hermana Webb