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