Hola Todos! IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS!
It's been another great week here in Texas! We had been enjoying wonderful warm weather with mild humidity when all of a sudden Saturday night hit and it was FREEZING. The wind was blowing and it has been bone chilling cold....it almost feels like Utah but not quite that cold I'm sure. Luckily I decided to bring a good jacket on my mission that keeps me warm.
We had the wonderful opportunity to do lots of service this week and it was great! We have been able to start going to the Central Texas Food Bank in Austin! It is a lot of fun and I love being able to volunteer there and help serve with those wonderful people, and some of the other missionaries as well. We have been getting members to go with us too, so that is a lot of fun to be able to get to know them better.
This week we were able to have our Christmas Zone Conference and I absolutely loved it! During the Conference a lot of things stuck out to me and one of them was that I am never failing as a missionary if I am doing my best and trying to put all my effort into doing what the Lord is asking me to do. Sometimes as missionaries we get down if we feel like we haven't been able to talk to everyone that we planned to talk to that day, or if we don't do everything exactly right etc. We continually feel like we fall short of what is expected. The Lord knows we are trying and helps us recognize the daily success we have and the miracles that we see. Another thing that I recognized and learned more fully was about church attendance and how we can help our investigators and less active's understand the importance of coming to church. Sister Loveridge and I have been role playing how we can best help them understand that. We put into action what we have been role playing and it worked! We had a great experience with one of our less active's this week, helped her see why she needed to get back to church and through the questions that we asked and the promises we made to her she was able to realize why she needed to be there on Sunday. On Sunday morning she came to church and had a really good spiritual experience and told us she was grateful that she knew that God knew what she's been needing in her life (miracle).
Brandon blessed the sacrament on Sunday! It was his first time and it was amazing to be able to witness him getting to do that! He is off work for the next 2 weeks and he is anxious to get to come out with us to go visit people and share the Gospel with them! He is still doing so well!
We were busy all week and had lots of opportunities to get to share the gospel with people! I truly love the people here in Texas and the many miracles we see daily! This area is progressing, there are still people out there that I know we need to find. We are continuing to see the Lord's hand every day in our effort to do His work. He has been leading us to those who are struggling in there lives who need to hear what we bring, and He has lead us to those members who are lost and seeking to get back to church. I know the Lord loves each and every one of us and his timing is perfect. He has a plan for all of us ad He knows us perfectly! We were able to teach the De Los Reyas family yesterday and we talked a lot about the Book of Mormon! I love that Book and I know its true! I read it every day and I am almost finished reading it all the way through again from starting it at the beginning of my mission! It is so important to continue to keep reading it every day and I challenge all who don't read it daily to read it daily! I know it will bring grater happiness in your life.
Something that I read this week was a talk given by our Prophet Thomas S. Monson from the General Conference in October 2008 called "Finding Joy in the Journey". It is one of my all time favorite talks. I would invite all of you to go read it and apply the things that it talks about. Here are some of the things I liked about it.
He says, "Time never stands still; it must steadily march on, and with the marching come the changes. This is our one and only chance at mortal life--here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey--now. My brothers and sisters, there is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today. Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows."
I love y'all and hope you have a wonderful week! Also MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!🎄
Con Amor,
Hermana Mann
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