Hola Familia!
I can't believe I saw you yesterday! I feel like it was all just a dream. I was feeling sad knowing that I wasn't going to be able to see James for the next couple of years, and that I missed his big Marines graduation, but then I got to see him! And my parents, Angela, and Bob. The whole family together for the last time in a long time. It was like a little birthday miracle for me. For those of you that don't know, what happened was I haven't been working at the Visitor's Center at all this transfer, so my family all decided to come by and drop off a birthday gift while they were here in San Diego for James graduation, and also so they could see the Visitor's Center. I knew they were coming by sometime this weekend, but wasn't sure exactly when, so I told Heavenly Father that I would leave it up to him and if I got to see them it would be because he wanted me to, and not from me being disobedient. So on Wednesday I found out that they needed us in the VC on Sunday, (it was only the second time they've needed us to come in all transfer,) but I still didn't want to get my hopes up, because even if they had come while I was working there I could have been giving a tour and busy and not have seen them. It turned out that as I pulled up to the temple I looked over and saw my Dad standing by the big tree. They had come out of the Visitor's Center and were literally just about to leave. It would have been so awful if they had left just two minutes before I got to the temple. I would have been really sad. I know that the Lord loves me, and that for some reason I was meant to see my family. I feel like if anything though it just motivated me to keep working hard and enjoy the last eight months of my mission. I'm in no hurry to come home; I still have so much to do, so many experiences to have, and hopefully a lot of people out there that I can help.
This week has actually been really full of miracles. We've been working with a family in our ward that has the dad and one daughter that are inactive, but they have another daughter that is on a mission. This Sunday the whole family came to church! The dad was all dressed up with a tie and everything. It was really amazing to see how their family has been blessed because their daughter is on a mission, and made me hope that my family is seeing blessings too. I know that Heavenly Father has been blessing all of us a lot, but I think that sometimes if we're not careful we can miss noticing them.
Gilberto and Andres, the brothers of some recent converts in our area, also came to church this Sunday, and they loved it! We are hoping they will be prepared to be baptized in a couple of weeks, so that has been really exciting. Another miracle was that the Relief Society General broadcast was an answer to my prayers and to some questions I've had lately. I went on splits with my Sister Nef this week, one of the sister trainers, and we were talking about how as sisters we can be so hard on ourselves, and in turn be very judgmental of others. I loved how President Monson was so bold and direct in his talk about not judging others. If you didn't get to see it, look it up on lds.org, because it was amazing.
I think that something I've realized this past week is that God really does want us to be happy. It isn't all about suffering and trials and sacrifice. I kept thinking that I had to just handle all of the hard things because the blessings were the growth and strength that would come from it, but he also gives us moments of sunshine and laughter and the good, happy things that we want in this life. I guess that I just felt like I had to deal with accepting everything that the Lord knows is best for me and that I need, but sometimes what we want the most is what we need and what the Lord wants to give us. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and have blessed me so much.
Tengan una semana excelente y milagrosa!
Hermana Dansie
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Olympic: Traslado 6: Semana 3
Hola familia!
This week was so great! It was like the sunshine after a storm. We had this amazingly miraculous Family Home Evening ward activity this past Saturday, where practically everyone we invited came!!! I don't think you can really understand that feeling unless you've been a missionary. Even the ward members were all telling us how much of a success the activity was, and how they could tell how happy we were. I think that I was starting to lose some of my faith because it had been so long since we've had very much success. Finally though I feel like we've been working the way I have always felt we should. We are working smarter and we are working in unity with the spirit. I feel like the ward is starting to get to know us and trust us because we are going to the ward activities and showing our support. We are working hard but we are praying even harder, and we are relying on the direction and guidance of the spirit. Hermana Garza is a really good example for me of following the spirit no matter what. She is helping me out, because I feel like I always try to second guess the spirit and over think things instead of just doing them.
The family home evening activity was about the iron rod, and we set up a rope and had them go through the course blindfolded with people trying to tempt them away. We did a similar activity in my last ward a couple of transfers ago. It really was a success; everyone loved it. I think that Lehi's vision of the tree of life (1 Nephi chapters 8, 11, and 12) is such a good self evaluation for all of us to think about where we are. Are we moving forward, holding on to the iron rod? Are we lost? Are we being tempted and tried? We are all somewhere in the journey, and God is always there urging us to come back to him and do what we can to make it. Sometimes even after we've tasted of the fruit we can still fall, but because of the atonement we can also come back. On the other hand Satan is always there as well, tempting us. Most of the time with fears, doubts, and insecurity. He tries to tell us that we can't repent and be forgiven, which denies the miracle and power of the atonement. If we don't believe it is possible to repent than we are saying that Jesus Christ doesn't have that power to heal us. I know that he does, and that we can repent. Satan is so evil though! I hate how sometimes he just tries so hard to tempt us with good things that we really want, but just at the wrong time. I was thinking about that as my companion tried to lure people away from the "iron rod" with some fresh baked cookies we had made. He is always going to be there trying to get us to fail, or get us to think that we've failed so we might as well give up. We can only resist all of his temptations through prayer, and through reading the scriptures, which are the iron rod. The scriptures make so clear all of the little games that Satan tries to play and the traps that he sets to get us, and help us remember that keeping the commandments is always the best way to get the kind of happiness that lasts for forever.
The more I'm on my mission the more I realize that God really is our loving Heavenly Father, and that as his children in this point of our spiritual journey we are just like toddlers. There are so many things that we can't even begin to comprehend. We literally physically are not able to understand so many things that God knows. We can't even understand the concept of eternity, even though we know that it exists. This is our first experience with these physical bodies, learning how to control and handle them without them controlling us. Slowly we are going to learn and grow, but as we do we are going to make mistakes and fall down and get dirty, but he is always going to be there to pick us back up if we let him.
Well, I figured it has been awhile since I've given you all a good long sermon, so I thought I'd make up for it today. :D I'm just feeling really good and happy, and like I've gotten back a lot of that drive and motivation to do the work, and I've been paying attention and seeing so many of the blessings, instead of seeing just the negative like I was before for awhile.
The church is true. We have it because God loves us. I know that God loves me, and am so glad that I am here on a mission learning all of these things.
I love you all!
Hermana Dansie
This week was so great! It was like the sunshine after a storm. We had this amazingly miraculous Family Home Evening ward activity this past Saturday, where practically everyone we invited came!!! I don't think you can really understand that feeling unless you've been a missionary. Even the ward members were all telling us how much of a success the activity was, and how they could tell how happy we were. I think that I was starting to lose some of my faith because it had been so long since we've had very much success. Finally though I feel like we've been working the way I have always felt we should. We are working smarter and we are working in unity with the spirit. I feel like the ward is starting to get to know us and trust us because we are going to the ward activities and showing our support. We are working hard but we are praying even harder, and we are relying on the direction and guidance of the spirit. Hermana Garza is a really good example for me of following the spirit no matter what. She is helping me out, because I feel like I always try to second guess the spirit and over think things instead of just doing them.
The family home evening activity was about the iron rod, and we set up a rope and had them go through the course blindfolded with people trying to tempt them away. We did a similar activity in my last ward a couple of transfers ago. It really was a success; everyone loved it. I think that Lehi's vision of the tree of life (1 Nephi chapters 8, 11, and 12) is such a good self evaluation for all of us to think about where we are. Are we moving forward, holding on to the iron rod? Are we lost? Are we being tempted and tried? We are all somewhere in the journey, and God is always there urging us to come back to him and do what we can to make it. Sometimes even after we've tasted of the fruit we can still fall, but because of the atonement we can also come back. On the other hand Satan is always there as well, tempting us. Most of the time with fears, doubts, and insecurity. He tries to tell us that we can't repent and be forgiven, which denies the miracle and power of the atonement. If we don't believe it is possible to repent than we are saying that Jesus Christ doesn't have that power to heal us. I know that he does, and that we can repent. Satan is so evil though! I hate how sometimes he just tries so hard to tempt us with good things that we really want, but just at the wrong time. I was thinking about that as my companion tried to lure people away from the "iron rod" with some fresh baked cookies we had made. He is always going to be there trying to get us to fail, or get us to think that we've failed so we might as well give up. We can only resist all of his temptations through prayer, and through reading the scriptures, which are the iron rod. The scriptures make so clear all of the little games that Satan tries to play and the traps that he sets to get us, and help us remember that keeping the commandments is always the best way to get the kind of happiness that lasts for forever.
The more I'm on my mission the more I realize that God really is our loving Heavenly Father, and that as his children in this point of our spiritual journey we are just like toddlers. There are so many things that we can't even begin to comprehend. We literally physically are not able to understand so many things that God knows. We can't even understand the concept of eternity, even though we know that it exists. This is our first experience with these physical bodies, learning how to control and handle them without them controlling us. Slowly we are going to learn and grow, but as we do we are going to make mistakes and fall down and get dirty, but he is always going to be there to pick us back up if we let him.
Well, I figured it has been awhile since I've given you all a good long sermon, so I thought I'd make up for it today. :D I'm just feeling really good and happy, and like I've gotten back a lot of that drive and motivation to do the work, and I've been paying attention and seeing so many of the blessings, instead of seeing just the negative like I was before for awhile.
The church is true. We have it because God loves us. I know that God loves me, and am so glad that I am here on a mission learning all of these things.
I love you all!
Hermana Dansie
Monday, September 13, 2010
Olympic: Traslado 6: Semana 2 / Sept. 13, 2010
Hola Familia!
I had a really great week. It has been a lot of work getting to know everyone in this area, but I am so excited for this transfer. We've been coming up with a lot of great ideas of how to do the work more efficiently. It is so great to have a companion that has a such a similar perspective and is willing to try new things. She had a really good idea to mail our picture with our phone number and a note to all of the members that live in our area, so we are doing that today. We are also going to start doing a Family Home Evening in an retirement complex where a lot of members from our ward live. We've been working with a really sweet older woman named Hortencia who is in her seventies. Her son just got baptized a couple of months ago, and she sat in in all of the lessons and has a testimony of everything she has been taught for the past few months, the only thing is that she doesn't want to be baptized because she is afraid of changing and has all of her friends at the Catholic church. We are hoping that through having this FHE with all of the cute old members in the ward and her that she will be able to meet some friends and feel comfortable with being baptized. We are also working with a man named Fernando. He is about 30 and his girlfriend Monika is a recent convert. He is searching for the truth and really wants to get that same conviction in his life that she has. I have loved meeting all of these new amazing people and just throwing myself into the work, but at the same time not being too serious about it. Sister Garza is really funny and a lot of fun to be with, so she helps me lighten up and just laugh at myself. She got a real kick out of finding out that my mom married her zone leader, so she likes to tease me a lot and joke around about that. :)
Well, I don't really have much time to write this week, but like I said I'm doing really good. I love you all!
Hermana Dansie
I had a really great week. It has been a lot of work getting to know everyone in this area, but I am so excited for this transfer. We've been coming up with a lot of great ideas of how to do the work more efficiently. It is so great to have a companion that has a such a similar perspective and is willing to try new things. She had a really good idea to mail our picture with our phone number and a note to all of the members that live in our area, so we are doing that today. We are also going to start doing a Family Home Evening in an retirement complex where a lot of members from our ward live. We've been working with a really sweet older woman named Hortencia who is in her seventies. Her son just got baptized a couple of months ago, and she sat in in all of the lessons and has a testimony of everything she has been taught for the past few months, the only thing is that she doesn't want to be baptized because she is afraid of changing and has all of her friends at the Catholic church. We are hoping that through having this FHE with all of the cute old members in the ward and her that she will be able to meet some friends and feel comfortable with being baptized. We are also working with a man named Fernando. He is about 30 and his girlfriend Monika is a recent convert. He is searching for the truth and really wants to get that same conviction in his life that she has. I have loved meeting all of these new amazing people and just throwing myself into the work, but at the same time not being too serious about it. Sister Garza is really funny and a lot of fun to be with, so she helps me lighten up and just laugh at myself. She got a real kick out of finding out that my mom married her zone leader, so she likes to tease me a lot and joke around about that. :)
Well, I don't really have much time to write this week, but like I said I'm doing really good. I love you all!
Hermana Dansie
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Olympic: Translado 6: Semana 1 / Sept.6, 2010
Hola familia!
Its the start of another transfer, my first on the downhill slope, which I still can't believe. I was moved to an area called Olympic, spanish speaking, so really not that much has changed according to the work. I am still in the ghetto, which I love. We are "flushing," which means that both me and my companion are new to the area. My new companion is Hermana Garza, she is so incredible and I love her so much already. :) She was actually Sister Garcia's companion in the MTC, and Sister Garcia's new companion is Sister Stout, who was my MTC companion, which is kind of crazy. Hermana Garza is so sweet and loving. She is from Texas and her family is from Mexico. We are really excited, because together we are going to start this really awesome diet plan and get in really good shape. She is hypoglycemic and is trying to lose a lot of weight, and I'm pretty sure that I'm partially hypoglycemic too because I get really sick from eating sugar, so we're really excited to help each other out so that we'll have more energy and be able to do the work even better.
Our apartment is nice. IT was really dirty and gross at first because mostly elders have lived there, but we cleaned it up really nice. Its nice because it is pretty big. Another big change is that we won't be working in the Visitor's Center this transfer, which we are actually both pretty happy about, because flushing the area takes a lot of hard work, and it will be nice not having our time and attention divided between two different things. Our area is close to the temple, so they can pull us in if they do need us, and then they will transfer us in and out for different transfers. I'm hoping that not being there this transfer will give me a better chance of being there for Christmas when they have all of the lights and musical performances, but we'll see what the Lord wants me to do. :)
The only thing that I feel sad about is that I feel like the transfer ended when I was in a really weird place in my companionship with Sister Garcia and we didn't really get a chance to resolve it. I think is anything she was just really sick of me from being together for three transfers, so hopefully eventually we will be able to be really good friends again.
We had an amazing appointment this past week with a recent convert and his mom that isn't a member. The spirit was so strong, and you could tell that she knows that its true. I love how with the new method we are working on asking inspired questions that are guided by the spirit, and then truly listening to the people tell us their concerns. It helps us to get to the root of their doubts so much faster, because we take time to listen to what the spirit is telling us that they need and that they are thinking and feeling, like with Ammon in the Book of Mormon. It is really powerful. I've realized that the way we do missionary work can be so much more effective if we trust in the Lord. I have also been learning about the power of praying specifically, and asking Heavenly Father questions that we need to know the answers. I feel like he has answered so many of my prayers as a missionary. I felt so lucky that I got everything I wanted this transfer- I wanted a challenge, but I still wanted to be in a spanish area, and with a companion that knows how to follow the spirit so much better than I do so that I can learn from her example. It is going to be such a good transfer with so many miracles!
I love you all!
- Hermana Dansie
Its the start of another transfer, my first on the downhill slope, which I still can't believe. I was moved to an area called Olympic, spanish speaking, so really not that much has changed according to the work. I am still in the ghetto, which I love. We are "flushing," which means that both me and my companion are new to the area. My new companion is Hermana Garza, she is so incredible and I love her so much already. :) She was actually Sister Garcia's companion in the MTC, and Sister Garcia's new companion is Sister Stout, who was my MTC companion, which is kind of crazy. Hermana Garza is so sweet and loving. She is from Texas and her family is from Mexico. We are really excited, because together we are going to start this really awesome diet plan and get in really good shape. She is hypoglycemic and is trying to lose a lot of weight, and I'm pretty sure that I'm partially hypoglycemic too because I get really sick from eating sugar, so we're really excited to help each other out so that we'll have more energy and be able to do the work even better.
Our apartment is nice. IT was really dirty and gross at first because mostly elders have lived there, but we cleaned it up really nice. Its nice because it is pretty big. Another big change is that we won't be working in the Visitor's Center this transfer, which we are actually both pretty happy about, because flushing the area takes a lot of hard work, and it will be nice not having our time and attention divided between two different things. Our area is close to the temple, so they can pull us in if they do need us, and then they will transfer us in and out for different transfers. I'm hoping that not being there this transfer will give me a better chance of being there for Christmas when they have all of the lights and musical performances, but we'll see what the Lord wants me to do. :)
The only thing that I feel sad about is that I feel like the transfer ended when I was in a really weird place in my companionship with Sister Garcia and we didn't really get a chance to resolve it. I think is anything she was just really sick of me from being together for three transfers, so hopefully eventually we will be able to be really good friends again.
We had an amazing appointment this past week with a recent convert and his mom that isn't a member. The spirit was so strong, and you could tell that she knows that its true. I love how with the new method we are working on asking inspired questions that are guided by the spirit, and then truly listening to the people tell us their concerns. It helps us to get to the root of their doubts so much faster, because we take time to listen to what the spirit is telling us that they need and that they are thinking and feeling, like with Ammon in the Book of Mormon. It is really powerful. I've realized that the way we do missionary work can be so much more effective if we trust in the Lord. I have also been learning about the power of praying specifically, and asking Heavenly Father questions that we need to know the answers. I feel like he has answered so many of my prayers as a missionary. I felt so lucky that I got everything I wanted this transfer- I wanted a challenge, but I still wanted to be in a spanish area, and with a companion that knows how to follow the spirit so much better than I do so that I can learn from her example. It is going to be such a good transfer with so many miracles!
I love you all!
- Hermana Dansie
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