Hello Carrizo Springs!

Hola de Carrizo Springs!

    Todo esta bien en esta area!!  Wow, what a wonderful week it's been!

It was so hard to say goodbye to the Lake Travis area. What a blessing it
was to be able to serve there for so long and have come to love those
people so much!  I will miss them dearly!  As a farewell for now to all
those people back in Lake Travis, I wanted to share a part of a talk
given in the General Conference back in October 1997 in my email
today.  It says, "When true friends sing the well-known hymn, "God be

with you till we meet again," we offer a prayer that the Holy Ghost will
accompany our loved ones after we leave them.  This hymn is a deeply
moving expression of our need for companionship with one another and
with the Spirit of God.  Our most common English expression of
farewell is the word "Good-bye" and this came to us over the years as
contraction for the expression "God be with you."  In a day when people
recognized our dependence on God more publicly, this wonderful phrase
was used at times of departure to express love.  It is still a sweet
expression invoking the companionship of God during periods of
separation.  The phrase "good-bye," then, when fully understood,
means, "If we can't be together, if we must part, if I can't be with
you--then may God be with you." 

    The last night that I was in LakeTravis we were invited to come and teach

the restoration to the Young Woman in the ward and then have them do role

plays with each other.  It was a lot of fun and a wonderful experience for them

and for us.  I hope all went well for them this week as they continued to be
missionaries and share the gospel with their friends!
    Thursday morning we packed up the rest of our stuff and headed to
Rutherford Chapel in Austin where I would say goodbye to my wonderful
companion Sister Loveridge who I will forever miss.  I got into the
van with some other Elders and Sisters and headed to San Antonio where
I met my new companion Sister Landon (wow I love her)!  When we got
there we got into another car and headed to Eagle Pass where we would
pick up our truck and head to Carrizo Springs.  The whole trip took about
6 and 1/2 hours.  We finally made it down here!  What a culture shock
it is here!  We are pretty much the only white people.  There is about
5 different fast food places including Subway, so I am grateful for
that!  There is nothing for miles but it is really pretty!  We cover
the area of Carrizo Springs, Crystal City, Catullua, Asherton,
Encinal, and BIg Wells, which are all little cities about 30 minutes
in opposite directions from Carrizo Springs.  We live in a little blue
house (shed) in the back yard of a wonderful family in our Branch
(the Russo's).  They have a cute little dog named Twister and they love
cooking us yummy Mexican food!  I have spoken way more Spanish down
here then I ever have.  It is great because I feel like I'm learning it
again and getting to practice more!  It is less humid here because it
is more South but it definitely seems a lot hotter.  It got up to 99
degrees this week!  We are in a very small English/Spanish branch and
we translate for those who don't know English, which is a lot of fun.
    So about my new companion Sister Landon!  Wow, what a wonderful person
she is with such a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
She is from Northern California and is the youngest of 7 kids (first
girl to go on a mission).  She is 21 years old and loves to make me
laugh!  She plays the Ukulele (YAY), eats peanut butter excessively,
and loves to quote movies with me!  She is also on a Spanish speaking mission

and has been out for 7 months now.  Wow, we've seen so many miracles
together this week already.  We've met a couple new investigators and have
been able to have a lot of lessons.  It was good to get back on my
bike again!  I love it because its easier to talk to people along the
way.  It's mostly dirt roads in some of the cities out here so
hopefully my tires won't pop!  I want to share a couple miracles with
y'all!  One day I received an impression that we needed to knock on
this trailer door.  We started walking over to it and a man walked up
beside his house and we stopped to talk to him.  He told us his name
was Jesse Gomez.  As we continued to talk he said he wasn't too
religious and he had lost some faith when his parents both passed away
recently.  He invited us inside where we met his cute grandma.  We sat
them both down and taught them the Plan of Salvation.  Jesse felt the
spirit because he was so into learning about what we were teaching
him.  He told us that he wants to gain his faith back in God and
wanted our help, and is willing to learn more about the Restored Gospel
of Jesus Christ.  He accepted a copy of the Book Of Mormon and was
eager to read it and meet with us again this week (Milagro - miracle)! Also, we
met with Brenda (another one of our new investigators that we found).
We taught her the Restoration, and during the lesson she told us that
she was confused why there were so many churches, but wanted to know
which one was the true and right one to follow (Milagro)!  She was so
excited about what we had discussed and accepted a copy of the Book of
Mormon as well, and asked us if she could read more than just the
introduction and we said "of course!"  She is excited for us to come
back and teach her and her family this week!  She has a bunch of cute
little kids and she also just had a new baby girl.

    Many people are prepared in this area and I can't wait to continue
finding them!  It has been wonderful so far being able to serve here
in Carrizo Springs!  I'm beginning to love it here and am excited for
the journey ahead and for the people we will meet!!  Last thing I
wanted to share with y'all in my email today is about true conversion.
    Bonnie L. Oscarson said this, "True conversion is more than merely

having a knowledge of gospel principles and implies even more than just

having a testimony of those principles. It is impossible to have a testimony

of the gospel without living it. Being truly converted means we are acting upon

what we believe and allowing it to create “a mighty change in us, or in our
hearts.”  In the booklet True to the Faith, we learn that “conversion
is a process, not an event. You become converted as a result of …
righteous efforts to follow the Savior.” It takes time, effort, and work.
    The prophet Moroni, in the Book of Mormon, taught, “I would show unto
the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen;
wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness
until after the trial of your faith.” In our world where instant
gratification is the expectation, we are often guilty of expecting the
reward without having to work for it.  I believe Moroni is telling us
that we must do the work first and exercise faith by living the
gospel, and then we will receive the witness that it is true. True
conversion occurs as you continue to act upon the doctrines you know
are true and keep the commandments, day after day, month after month."

    As a representative of Jesus Christ we don't convert others.  We
invite others to act for themselves and see the blessings that come
from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ and begin to have their own
conversion. I know the blessings and happiness that come from living
the Gospel.  I know it's true because I have received a witness from
God that it is true.  I have acted on my faith and KNOW the truth!  I
would invite all of you to act on the faith you have and find your own
conversion. I hope y'all have a wonderful week!  I love you!  Be safe out
there!

Con Amor,
Hermana Mann

Transfers!!

Hola Todos!

       This morning we got transfer news!  DRUM ROLE!!  I'm getting shipped
down to the border by Mexico!!  YAY!  The area I am going to is Carrizo
Springs and my new companion will be Sister Landon!  I've never met her
before and I'm so excited (so I will tell you all about her next week)!
Sweet Sister Loveridge will be leaving as well and she is heading to
Anderson Mills with the amazing Sister Newman (my first companion)!  I'm
so excited for them to be companions and I love them both so much!  I
will be leaving Lake Travis on Thursday morning!  Wow, it's been an
adventure in this area!  I have loved every moment of it!  I have come
to love the people here so much and I can't wait to come back and visit
them one day!  I know the Lord will continue to prepare people for the
missionaries to meet!  It's going to be hard to leave them, but I'm so
excited to see the work move forward!
       This week has been an amazing week!  I got to go on exchanges with
Sister Jones on Valentine's Day and we were able to see miracles
together!  What a wonderful opportunity it is to get to spread the
gospel to everyone we talk to!   We met some great people and we were
able to Skype one of Sister Jones' converts back in San Antonio after
her baptism!
  We had what's called "Missionary Week" for the youth in our Stake!
It started on Friday last week and will go until Sunday this week! One
of the young woman from another ward came out with us on Friday night
then slept over and got to live the life of a missionary.  Then on
Saturday a different young woman from another ward came out with us
all day and that was also a lot of fun!  Both of them had amazing
testimonies!  On Friday night one of the members fed us muscles for
dinner (not a big fan of seafood), but I ate it (wow miracle)
and so did Sister Loveridge, and also Andrea (the young woman who was with
us).  It was a great experience for all of us!  Yesterday they had a
missionary fireside at the stake center and all the youth who want to
go on missions, the full time missionaries serving in the stake, and
our mission president got to come!  We sang "Called to Serve" on the
stand with the Seniors and it was so awesome!  The spirit touched my
heart as we sang that wonderful song!  Then they played a slideshow of
all the missionaries serving from the stake who are out on their
missions, and then they showed all the pictures of us who went out with
the youth in the stake!  For some reason I've become more emotional on
my mission so of course I cried watching it!  Our wonderful Mission
President (President Polley) got to speak and he spoke about crying
repentance.  He is very inspired and I loved what he told those youth!
I want to let all those who are preparing or even thinking about
going on a mission to know that it will change your life in many ways!
It is literally the hardest most rewarding thing I've ever done in my
life!  The gospel makes sense because I know it is true and It brings
me happiness and joy!  Being prepared to come on a mission is very
important and these are the ways I found that helped me prepare  1.
Spiritually ready 2. Mentally ready 3. Physically ready 4. Emotionally
ready.  I know that as you do these things in your life as you prepare
to go on missions that it will be a greater blessing to you!   Missions
are the best!
    As the week went on we saw many miracles!  We were able to have a
lesson with Jonathan with one of the young woman and it was a really
good lesson!  We talked more about the Book of Mormon and he was stuck
with a lot of questions, but as we talked with him more and invited him
to read on his own and pray, he seemed to be feeling the spirit and
knew that all his questions will be answered!
    I will definitely miss Brandon!  We were able to go over a few things
with him this week to get him preparing to go to the temple soon!  His
testimony is amazing and I can't wait to continue to see him learn and
grow!  God be with you till we meet again!
    Last thing I want to share with y'all is a talk that I read this week
and I feel like I need to share it!!
    Its called "Turn to Him and answers will come" By Elder James B.
Martino Of the Seventy.  "When I was a young man, my parents joined The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We knew that the
missionaries had been teaching them, but my parents had taken the
missionary lessons alone.  After this surprising announcement, my
brothers and I began to listen to the missionaries as well, and they
each received the message of the Restoration with gladness. Although I
was curious, my heart was not into changing my life. I did, however,
accept the challenge to pray about whether the Book of Mormon was the
word of God, but I did not receive an answer.  You might ask why
Heavenly Father did not answer that prayer; I certainly wondered. I
have learned since that the promise made by Moroni is accurate. God
does answer our prayers about the truthfulness of the gospel, but He
answers them when we have “a sincere heart” and “real intent.” He does
not answer just to respond to our curiosity.  Perhaps there is
something in your life that you have a question about. Perhaps there
is a problem you do not know quite how to answer. Today I would like
to share some thoughts that may help you obtain the answers or help
you are seeking. The process begins with being converted to the gospel
of Jesus Christ.  Receiving Revelation Depends on the Condition and
Intent of Our Hearts I have thought about the accounts of several
individuals in the scriptures. Take, for example, Laman and Lemuel.
Like Nephi, they were “born of goodly parents” and taught “in all the
learning of [their] father.” Yet they murmured because their father
was a visionary man. From their point of view, his decisions defied
logic, for they knew not the things of God, and therefore they would
not believe.  It is interesting to note that their choices allowed
them access to potentially faith-building experiences. They left their
home and their riches. They suffered through wanderings in the
wilderness. They eventually helped build the boat, and they agreed to
journey to an unknown land.  Nephi passed through these same
experiences. But did these actions build their faith? Nephi’s faith
was made strong, but Laman and Lemuel grew more cynical and angry.
These brothers even saw and heard an angel, but alas, they continued
to doubt.  Mortal life is not easy for any of us. We are placed on
earth to be tried and tested. Our response to life’s experiences will
often greatly influence our testimonies. Consider some of the
reactions of Laman and Lemuel: They murmured when their father asked
them to do hard things. They attempted to obtain the brass plates, but
when success did not come, they gave up. Their attitude was “We’ve
tried; what more can we do?”  There was even a time when they were
sorrowful for doing wrong and asked for forgiveness. They prayed and
were forgiven. But the scriptures record that later they returned to
complaining and they refused to pray. They came to Nephi and said they
could not “understand the words which [their] father [had] spoken.”
Nephi asked them if they had “inquired of the Lord.” Notice their
response: “We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto
us.”  Continuing Obedience Allows Us to Receive Answers.Nephi’s reply
to his brothers is a key for us to receive continual answers to
prayer: “How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord?
How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts?
“Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?--If ye will
not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall
receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these
things [will] be made known unto you.”  I know some returned
missionaries who have had undeniable spiritual experiences, but the
lack of certain spiritual habits seems to have caused them to forget
the times when God has spoken to them. To those returned missionaries
and to all of us, if you “have felt to sing the song of redeeming
love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?” If you do not feel it now, you
can feel it again, but consider Nephi’s counsel. Be obedient, remember
the times when you have felt the Spirit in the past, and ask in faith.
Your answer will come, and you will feel the love and peace of the
Savior. It may not come as quickly or in the format you desire, but
the answer will come. Do not give up! Never give up! Let us compare
Laman and Lemuel to the sons of Mosiah. Both groups of men were raised
in righteous families, yet both strayed. Both were called to
repentance by an angel, but what was different about the experience of
the sons of Mosiah?  Trials Will Build Our Faith. Their missionary
success is unforgettable. Thousands were converted to the ways of the
Lord. However, we often forget that as they began their missions,
their “hearts were depressed, and [they] were about to turn back,
[but] the Lord comforted [them].” They were counseled by the Lord to
“bear with patience [their] afflictions.”  The Study of the Scriptures
Tells Us God’s Will.  Why did the trials of these sons of Mosiah
strengthen their faith and commitment rather than cause them to murmur
or doubt? The key is that “they had waxed strong in the knowledge of
the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had
searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of
God.” We will all face trials and have questions, but remember that we
must be “continually holding fast to the rod of iron.” “The words of
Christ will tell [us] all things what [we] should do.” We must make
scripture study a daily part of our lives, as this will open doors of
revelation.Prayer, Combined with Fasting, Invites Revelation. For the
sons of Mosiah, “this is not all; they had given themselves to much
prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and
the spirit of revelation.” Prayer and fasting will allow us to be
susceptible to spiritual promptings. Communicating with Heavenly
Father while purposefully abstaining from food and drink allows us to
“loose the bands of wickedness [and] to undo the heavy burdens.”
Prayer, combined with fasting, will provide so that when we “call, …
the Lord shall answer; … [and when we] cry, … he shall say, Here I
am.”  Turn to Him.  These personal religious habits--obedience,
scripture study, prayer, and fasting--strengthened the sons of Mosiah.
The lack of these same personal religious habits was a major reason
that Laman and Lemuel were left vulnerable to the temptation to murmur
and doubt.  If you have been tempted to murmur, if you have had doubt
that leads to unbelief, if trials seem more than you can bear, turn to
Him. If you are one who has turned away or rationalized your behavior,
turn to Him. Can you remember when He did “speak peace to your mind …
? What greater witness can you have than from God?” Ask yourself, “Am
I as close to living like Christ now as I was before?” Please, turn to
Him.  May I return to my personal story. Eventually I began to be
sincere. I remember when the missionary who was teaching me asked if I
was ready to be baptized. I replied that I still had some questions.
This wise missionary told me that he could answer them but that I
would have to answer his question first. He asked me if the Book of
Mormon was true and if Joseph Smith was a prophet. I told him that I
did not know, but I wanted to know.  My questions led to increased
faith. For me, the answer came not as an event but as a process. I
noticed that as I did “experiment upon [the] words” and began to
“exercise a particle of faith,” the Book of Mormon became “delicious
to me” and it did “enlighten my understanding” and truly did “enlarge
my soul.” Eventually I had that experience the scriptures describe as
a swelling within your breast. It was at this point that I desired to
be baptized and to commit my life to Jesus Christ.  I truly know that
the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that Joseph Smith was a
prophet. Oh, I still have things I do not comprehend, but my testimony
of truth draws me closer to the Savior and builds my faith.  Brothers
and sisters, remember Nephi and the sons of Mosiah, who had spiritual
experiences and then acted in faith so that answers came and their
faithfulness grew. Contrast this with Laman and Lemuel, who doubted
and murmured. Even though they sometimes acted in worthwhile ways,
work without faith is dead. We must have faith with works to receive
answers.  I hope as you have listened this morning that the Spirit has
impressed on your minds and hearts something that you might do to have
your questions answered or to find an inspired solution to the problem
you face. I bear a solemn witness that Jesus is the Christ. Turn to
Him and your prayers will be answered. In the name of Jesus Christ,
amen."

    I know this Church is true with all my heart! I am so excited to go
share my love for the Savior with the people in Carrizo Springs and I
will be excited to see all the Milagros (miracles) and speak lots of
SPANISH!  I love y'all and hope you have a wonderful week!

Con Amor,
Hermana Mann

Last week of the transfer!

Hola Todos!

Todo esta bien en la area de Lake Travis!  I can't believe it's the last week of this transfer!  It's been another wonderful week here and I just love this area!  It's feelin pretty warm out here about 85 degrees this week, and we've been walking a lot.  It definitely doesn't feel like the middle of February!  First, our lesson with Carrie went well last Monday.  We were able to talk to her more about the Apostasy from the Book Of Mormon (1 Nephi chapters 12-14).  She seemed to understand and was glad we were able to read from the Book of Mormon with her.  We found out that she is moving soon so that is sad news to us, but good that we will be able to refer her to the missionaries where she is moving to so they can continue to teach her!

We were able to have a lesson over the phone this week with Jonathan and he had some good questions and concerns that we were able to discuss with him and help him better understand.  It was a really good lesson and the spirit was present and was able to teach and testify to him that what we were saying is true because he kept telling us that it all made sense.  I've been trying to be more focused on the spirit lately because sometimes I catch myself teaching what I know instead of letting the spirit be the teacher.  I'm learning how to better teach people, not lessons, which has been a good thing considering that's something we've been focusing on lately as a mission. 

We did lots of service this week! On Tuesday we went over to one of the members' homes and helped them paint their house.  I was super sore the next day but it was worth it because he said his wife was so happy when she got home to have a finished house!  That made us happy!  That day we found out that Staci Dunson needed help cleaning her house.  She is a less active in our ward and her husband (Troy) is a non-member that we've been teaching.  We were able to go help her and spend a good couple hours at her house (we got a picture of us and our Texas attire).  They are feeding us dinner this week so hopefully we will have the opportunity to teach them more and hopefully get them to come to church with us!  

On Friday we were able to go to the Central Texas Food Bank and we were there from 1:30-4:30pm dicing onions.  Let me tell ya I've never diced onions before but I'm pretty good at it now!  That was fun and there were a lot of tears.  Most of the missionaries in our Zone came and we had a contest to see who would end up crying the most and I'm pretty sure I won!  Also that night we had a lesson with one of the Less active families in our ward.  That lesson was amazing!  We had originally planned on teaching them something completely different then what we ended up teaching them.  When we got to their home we felt the spirit prompt us to not teach what we had planned.  We ended up teaching them about Temples and Family history work.  We found out they had not been to the temple yet but want to prepare to go (miracle)!  I am grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost and for the promptings that I receive daily.  I have seen miracles and been blessed because of it.  

One more thing that happened this week that I want to share with y'all happened on Saturday.  We had no set appointments so we decided to go to one of the trailer parks in our area, which we had never been to because its far away, and try to find people to teach that might be outside because it was such a nice day!  We were there for quite awhile, and let me tell you, I haven't spoken that much Spanish in months!  It was great!  The gift of tongues is real!  I was able to teach Sister Loveridge some things that she could say to the people there too!  It was a really good day and we found people to teach and hopefully go back to this week and share more! 

I would like to end by sharing with y'all this question I've pondered this past week.  The question is "how can we better recognize those subtle thoughts and feelings (promptings) of the Holy Ghost throughout our daily lives?"  The spirit is always there to help lead and guide us. The spirit speaks to us quietly, through our feelings as well as in our mind.  

President Boyd K. Packer taught, “The voice of the Spirit is described in the scriptures as being neither loud nor harsh. It is not a voice of thunder, neither a voice of a great tumultuous noise. But rather, a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it can pierce even to the very soul and cause the heart to burn (3 Ne 11:3; Hel 5:30; D&C 85:6–7)" 

“The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand.  Rather it whispers.  It can be so quiet that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all.  Occasionally it will press just firmly enough for us to pay heed.  But most of the time, if we do not heed the gentle feeling, the Spirit will withdraw and wait until we come seeking and listening and say in our manner and expression, like Samuel of ancient times, Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth (1 Sam. 3:10.) (“The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, Jan. 1983, 53)."

In answer to the question, “How do we better recognize the promptings of the Spirit?” I found in Preach My Gospel that President Gordon B. Hinckley read Moroni 7:13, 16–17 and then said, “That’s the test, when all is said and done. Does it persuade one to do good, to rise, to stand tall, to do the right thing, to be kind, to be generous? Then it is of the Spirit of God.  If it invites to do good, it is of God. If it inviteth to do evil, it is of the devil.  And if you are doing the right thing and if you are living the right way, you will know in your heart what the Spirit is saying to you.  You recognize the promptings of the Spirit by the fruits of the Spirit--that which enlighteneth, that which buildeth up, that which is positive and affirmative and uplifting and leads us to better thoughts and better words and better deeds is of the Spirit of God” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 260–61).  

I love y'all and I hope you have a wonderful week!! Be safe!!

Con Amor,

Hermana Mann

One year mark!!

Hola Y'all!!

    It's been another great week here in the Lake Travis area!  I can't
believe this week I will hit my year mark of being in the great Texas
San Antonio Mission!  ONE YEAR!!!  I remember when the morning of February

10th 2016 finally came!   As I got ready to enter the M.T.C. I had a flood of
emotions come over me.  I was so excited that I couldn't even eat
breakfast that morning!  I finished packing everything up and we drove
to Provo.  That was the fastest hour that I have ever experienced.  I
cherished every last minute that I could with my siblings because I
imagined how much they would all grow up by time I would see
them again.  The last few moments with my family were bittersweet.  We
took a few quick pictures at the Provo Temple and then I had to say
goodbye to the most special people to me.  I hugged everyone so tight
and was ready for this new adventure.  I remember all of them saying,
"Love you Lyss" as I got out of our car, and I waved goodbye to my mom
and said "I love you" on that cold February morning and was crying my
eyeballs out when I looked away because I had no idea what I was just
about to get myself into.  I immediately stopped crying right as I
opened that M.T.C. door because I felt the Spirit tell me that it was
ok and that this was going to change my life.  I received my name tag
that read, "Hermana Mann" and placed it on the left side of my jacket
that I was wearing.  I have worn the name of my Savior Jesus Christ on
my chest for a whole year now and I couldn't be any happier.  I have
never looked back on my decision to serve a mission. This has been the
best, but the fastest year of my whole life. I will forever be
grateful for this experience that I've been able to have and I cannot
wait for the next 6 months!  I know that God will continue to prepare
people in my path to receive the message of the Restoration.  I know
that it won't always be easy, but I know that my Heavenly Father will
always be there for me no matter what. I have seen many lives change
because of Jesus Christ.  I met Ashley Pineda while in my first area,
Round Rock, who was apart of a part-member family, and was able to
teach her.  And later after I left to go to my second area I heard she was
getting baptized and I was able to Skype with her right before the ordinance!
I met RJ while biking in Lockhart and stopped to ask him for
directions and found out he was interested in learning more about our
church.  Soon after meeting with him he was baptized and is still
active in the church and doing well!  In October we met Brandon, who
read the introduction to the Book of Mormon right after we gave it to
him.  Three weeks later after seeing him overcome a lot of things and
come to know for himself that the church was true he was baptized and
is doing so well!  Over the period of time that I've been in the Lake
Travis area I've been able to teach Richard, and in a couple weeks he
will be baptized as well. I've been able to see each of these children
of God come to understand the importance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and enter the waters of baptism and make important and special
covenants with our Heavenly Father.  What a blessing.  I love my
mission!  Something that I've come to learn is to enjoy every second of
my mission because I can never get this time back.  Thank you to all of
my parents, family, friends, and church leaders who have helped me get
to this point in my life.
   
    We have seen many miracles this week!  Richard doesn't have a set
baptism date yet but hopefully it will be sometime in the beginning of
March!  He will be out of town for a little while but we are anxious to
see him in a couple weeks!
    This week we had Zone Conference and I always feel like I learn so
much when I get to attend these meetings.  We learned a lot about the
importance of the Holy Ghost while teaching and what his role is in
our lives.  As I was studying this week I came across a talk that was
given in General Conference called "The Holy Ghost" by Elder Robert D.
Hales.  I would invite all of you to go read that talk!
    I had exchanges this week with the wonderful Sister West who came
into the Lake Travis area with me and we saw many miracles together.
We walked a lot in the rain and Brandon was able to come out with us
(what a trooper) and share his testimony with those whom we came in
contact with!  We met a woman named Kimberly who was walking her
dog and was very nice to us, and said we could come by this week and
teach her more about the Plan of Salvation!
    We had a wonderful lesson with Jonathan this week (our investigator
that we met last week on Sister Loveridge's birthday).  Brandon came to
the lesson with us and we taught him the restoration and emphasized
the Book of Mormon.  He made a funny comment to us and said he didn't
know if he could join the church because he didn't want to have to
change his first name to brother (he said he wasn't ready for that
kind of commitment).  We died laughing and had to explain that better to
him and he understood and just laughed with us.  Hopefully he will
continue to read the Book of Mormon and meet with us!
    We have a lesson tonight with Carrie Phillips another one of our new
investigators and hopefully it will go well!  She has met with
missionaries in the past but wasn't ready and now, a couple years
later, she is open to learning again.  Way to go past missionaries
who planted a seed in her heart!
    It has been a wonderful week and I'm excited for this upcoming week
and know the Lord is preparing people for us to meet!  The Lord loves
all of you and so do I!  Have a wonderful week and be safe!

Con Amor,
Hermana Mann