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