Howdy Y'all!!
This week has been super busy and full of adventures and many great
experiences! We changed our P-Day this week to today because
yesterday we were given the wonderful opportunity to go do service and
help those people in Austin who's homes were affected by the flooding!
It was lots of hard work but it was so good to see these families
smile when they saw how many people were there to help them. We spent
experiences! We changed our P-Day this week to today because
yesterday we were given the wonderful opportunity to go do service and
help those people in Austin who's homes were affected by the flooding!
It was lots of hard work but it was so good to see these families
smile when they saw how many people were there to help them. We spent
almost all day down there and it was so worth it!!
This past week started out great! We were visiting one of our part
member families and when we left their home we were walking back to
our car and I saw a man in his garage playing his guitar. I told my
companions that we should go talk to him. When we approached him he
didn't really want to talk to us but then I told him I loved playing
the guitar. He smiled and asked if I would play him a song. He handed
me his guitar and I started playing and then he just started singing
to the music I was playing. His voice was amazing and he sounded like
a natural country singer! It turned out to be so fun and it touched
my heart to see him smile and excited while we were jamming together.
We then talked for a little while, and as we talked he began to open up
to us more about himself. He used to be in a band in
Nashville Tennessee and he came to Texas a couple years ago. He had
been approached by missionaries before but was never really interested
on what they had to say. He said there was something about us that
made him feel like he needed to listen (MIRACLE). We taught him the
restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon. We left him with a prayer
and he had a smile on his face!
Throughout the week I was able to experience miracles like that. On
Wednesday we had Zone Conference and our Mission President and his
family came and spoke to us, and gave us some advice because they are
leaving in a couple weeks and we will be getting a new Mission
President soon (President Polley). It will be exciting to receive a new
Mission President and I can't wait to meet his family! This Zone
conference was amazing and I learned a lot! Later that day some of us
missionaries in our area got to set up a booth at the Amistad Festival!
There was a big Mexican dance competition and lots of things going on
during that outside, and we got to be apart of it! We met a lot of
great people there and even some amazing members! Last night we had
family night with the Solano family (Our Branch Mission Leader). It was a lot of
This past week started out great! We were visiting one of our part
member families and when we left their home we were walking back to
our car and I saw a man in his garage playing his guitar. I told my
companions that we should go talk to him. When we approached him he
didn't really want to talk to us but then I told him I loved playing
the guitar. He smiled and asked if I would play him a song. He handed
me his guitar and I started playing and then he just started singing
to the music I was playing. His voice was amazing and he sounded like
a natural country singer! It turned out to be so fun and it touched
my heart to see him smile and excited while we were jamming together.
We then talked for a little while, and as we talked he began to open up
to us more about himself. He used to be in a band in
Nashville Tennessee and he came to Texas a couple years ago. He had
been approached by missionaries before but was never really interested
on what they had to say. He said there was something about us that
made him feel like he needed to listen (MIRACLE). We taught him the
restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon. We left him with a prayer
and he had a smile on his face!
Throughout the week I was able to experience miracles like that. On
Wednesday we had Zone Conference and our Mission President and his
family came and spoke to us, and gave us some advice because they are
leaving in a couple weeks and we will be getting a new Mission
President soon (President Polley). It will be exciting to receive a new
Mission President and I can't wait to meet his family! This Zone
conference was amazing and I learned a lot! Later that day some of us
missionaries in our area got to set up a booth at the Amistad Festival!
There was a big Mexican dance competition and lots of things going on
during that outside, and we got to be apart of it! We met a lot of
great people there and even some amazing members! Last night we had
family night with the Solano family (Our Branch Mission Leader). It was a lot of
fun and we had some of our investigators there! We watched the 20 minute
restoration video and played some gospel related games!
I would like to share with y'all something I learned in the Zone
Conference. As missionaries we have been studying this
Be Not Moved packet, which has been one of the best studies I've ever
had, and I've learned so much from it. Well at the Zone Conference we
had a discussion on it! Something that has really stood out to me was
one of the talks that was given that I reread. It was a General
Conference talk given by Douglas L. Callister back in October 2007
called Knowing That We Know. This is some of what it said in that talk;
"Years ago a man was accused of a serious crime. The
prosecution presented three witnesses, each of whom saw the
man commit the crime. The defense then presented three
witnesses, none of whom had seen its commission. The simple
jury was confused. Based on the number of witnesses, the
evidence seemed to the jury equaly divided. The man was acquitted.
It was irrelevant, of course, that untold milions had never seen
the crime. There needed to be only one witness.
In the genius of the gospel plan, there ultimately only has
to be one witness, but that witness must be you. The
testimony of others may initiate and nourish the desire for
faith and testimony, but eventually every individual must find
out for himself. None can permanently endure on borrowed light.
The restored gospe is not truer today than when a solitary
boy walked out of the Sacred Grove in 1820. Truth has never
been dependent on the number who embrace it. When Joseph left
the grove, there was only one man on earth who knew the
truth about God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. It is
necessary, however, that each find out for himself and carry
that burning testimony into the next life."
"When the 23-year-old Heber J. Grant was installed as pPresident of the
Tooele Stake, he told the Saints he believed the gospel was true.
President Joseph F. Smith, a counselor in the First Presidency,
inquired, “Heber, you said you believe the gospel with all your heart,
… but you did not bear your testimony that you know it is true. Don’t
you know absolutely that this gospel is true?” Heber answered, “I do
not.” Joseph F. Smith then turned to John Taylor, the President of the
Church, and said, “I am in favor of undoing this afternoon what we did
this morning. I do not think any man should preside over a stake who
has not a perfect and abiding knowledge of the divinity of this work.”
President Taylor replied, “Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, [Heber] knows it
just as well as you do. The only thing that he does not know is that
he does know it.” Within a few weeks that testimony was realized, and
young Heber J. Grant shed tears of gratitude for the perfect, abiding,
and absolute testimony that came into his life. It is a grand thing
to know--and to know that you know and that the light has not been
borrowed from another."
"Years ago I presided over a mission headquartered in the Midwest. One
day, with a handful of our missionaries, I spoke with an esteemed
representative of another Christian faith. This gentle soul spoke of
his own religion’s history and doctrine, eventually repeating the
familiar words: “By grace ye are saved. Every man and woman must
exercise faith in Christ in order to become a saved being.” Among
those present was a new missionary. He was altogether unfamiliar with
other religions. He had to ask the question, “But, sir, what happens
to the little baby who dies before he is old enough to understand and
exercise faith in Christ?” The learned man bowed his head, looked at
the floor, and said, “There ought to be an exception. There ought to
be a loophole. There ought to be a way, but there isn’t.” The
missionary looked at me and, with tears in his eyes, said, “Goodness,
President, we do have the truth, don’t we!” The moment of testimony
realization--when you know that you know--is sweet and sublime. That
testimony, if nurtured, will rest upon you as a mantle. When we see
light, we are engulfed by it. Lights of understanding turn on within.
I once conversed with a fine young man who was not of our faith,
although he had attended most of our worship services for more than a
year. I asked why he had not joined the Church. He replied, “Because I
do not know whether it is true. I think it may well be true, but I
cannot stand and testify, as you do, ‘I actually know it is true.’” I
inquired, “Have you read the Book of Mormon?” He answered that he had
read in the book. I asked whether he had prayed about the book. He
answered, “I have mentioned it in my prayers.” I told my friend that
as long as he casually read and prayed, he never would find out,
worlds without end. But when he set aside a period for fasting and
pleading, the truth would be burned into his heart, and he would know
that he knew. He said nothing more to me but told his wife the next
morning that he would be fasting. The following Saturday he was
baptized." "If you want to know that you know that you know, a price must be
paid. And you alone must pay that price. There are proxies for
ordinances, but none for the acquisition of a testimony."
I would like to share with y'all something I learned in the Zone
Conference. As missionaries we have been studying this
Be Not Moved packet, which has been one of the best studies I've ever
had, and I've learned so much from it. Well at the Zone Conference we
had a discussion on it! Something that has really stood out to me was
one of the talks that was given that I reread. It was a General
Conference talk given by Douglas L. Callister back in October 2007
called Knowing That We Know. This is some of what it said in that talk;
"Years ago a man was accused of a serious crime. The
prosecution presented three witnesses, each of whom saw the
man commit the crime. The defense then presented three
witnesses, none of whom had seen its commission. The simple
jury was confused. Based on the number of witnesses, the
evidence seemed to the jury equaly divided. The man was acquitted.
It was irrelevant, of course, that untold milions had never seen
the crime. There needed to be only one witness.
In the genius of the gospel plan, there ultimately only has
to be one witness, but that witness must be you. The
testimony of others may initiate and nourish the desire for
faith and testimony, but eventually every individual must find
out for himself. None can permanently endure on borrowed light.
The restored gospe is not truer today than when a solitary
boy walked out of the Sacred Grove in 1820. Truth has never
been dependent on the number who embrace it. When Joseph left
the grove, there was only one man on earth who knew the
truth about God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. It is
necessary, however, that each find out for himself and carry
that burning testimony into the next life."
"When the 23-year-old Heber J. Grant was installed as pPresident of the
Tooele Stake, he told the Saints he believed the gospel was true.
President Joseph F. Smith, a counselor in the First Presidency,
inquired, “Heber, you said you believe the gospel with all your heart,
… but you did not bear your testimony that you know it is true. Don’t
you know absolutely that this gospel is true?” Heber answered, “I do
not.” Joseph F. Smith then turned to John Taylor, the President of the
Church, and said, “I am in favor of undoing this afternoon what we did
this morning. I do not think any man should preside over a stake who
has not a perfect and abiding knowledge of the divinity of this work.”
President Taylor replied, “Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, [Heber] knows it
just as well as you do. The only thing that he does not know is that
he does know it.” Within a few weeks that testimony was realized, and
young Heber J. Grant shed tears of gratitude for the perfect, abiding,
and absolute testimony that came into his life. It is a grand thing
to know--and to know that you know and that the light has not been
borrowed from another."
"Years ago I presided over a mission headquartered in the Midwest. One
day, with a handful of our missionaries, I spoke with an esteemed
representative of another Christian faith. This gentle soul spoke of
his own religion’s history and doctrine, eventually repeating the
familiar words: “By grace ye are saved. Every man and woman must
exercise faith in Christ in order to become a saved being.” Among
those present was a new missionary. He was altogether unfamiliar with
other religions. He had to ask the question, “But, sir, what happens
to the little baby who dies before he is old enough to understand and
exercise faith in Christ?” The learned man bowed his head, looked at
the floor, and said, “There ought to be an exception. There ought to
be a loophole. There ought to be a way, but there isn’t.” The
missionary looked at me and, with tears in his eyes, said, “Goodness,
President, we do have the truth, don’t we!” The moment of testimony
realization--when you know that you know--is sweet and sublime. That
testimony, if nurtured, will rest upon you as a mantle. When we see
light, we are engulfed by it. Lights of understanding turn on within.
I once conversed with a fine young man who was not of our faith,
although he had attended most of our worship services for more than a
year. I asked why he had not joined the Church. He replied, “Because I
do not know whether it is true. I think it may well be true, but I
cannot stand and testify, as you do, ‘I actually know it is true.’” I
inquired, “Have you read the Book of Mormon?” He answered that he had
read in the book. I asked whether he had prayed about the book. He
answered, “I have mentioned it in my prayers.” I told my friend that
as long as he casually read and prayed, he never would find out,
worlds without end. But when he set aside a period for fasting and
pleading, the truth would be burned into his heart, and he would know
that he knew. He said nothing more to me but told his wife the next
morning that he would be fasting. The following Saturday he was
baptized." "If you want to know that you know that you know, a price must be
paid. And you alone must pay that price. There are proxies for
ordinances, but none for the acquisition of a testimony."
I know that was a lot of it, but I loved reading through this talk and it made
me wonder....do I know that I know that these things that I am
preaching to these people are true?....
Alma spoke of his conversion saying this, “I have fasted and prayed
many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know
of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest
unto me” (Alma 5:46).
Being on a mission has helped me realize the testimony
that I have! I know that I know that Joseph Smith was
called of God to be a prophet! I know he restored this everlasting
and true gospel on the earth today! I know that the Book of Mormon is
true! I know without a doubt that God loves each and every one of us!
I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I know when He
was in the Garden of Gethsemane He saw each and every one of us. He
saw our strengths and our weaknesses, and our shortcomings and still
thought that we were worth it! I know this gospel is true with all my
heart! I know we are all God's children and that He has a plan for
each and every one of us!! I love love love being a missionary and I
hope y'all have a great week!
Con Amor,
Hermana Mann
Alma spoke of his conversion saying this, “I have fasted and prayed
many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know
of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest
unto me” (Alma 5:46).
Being on a mission has helped me realize the testimony
that I have! I know that I know that Joseph Smith was
called of God to be a prophet! I know he restored this everlasting
and true gospel on the earth today! I know that the Book of Mormon is
true! I know without a doubt that God loves each and every one of us!
I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I know when He
was in the Garden of Gethsemane He saw each and every one of us. He
saw our strengths and our weaknesses, and our shortcomings and still
thought that we were worth it! I know this gospel is true with all my
heart! I know we are all God's children and that He has a plan for
each and every one of us!! I love love love being a missionary and I
hope y'all have a great week!
Con Amor,
Hermana Mann
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