Burnt hot dogs, fantastic lasagna, Zone Conference and finding lost members!

 Large Plates

Burnt hot dogs, fantastic lasagna, Zone Conference, and finding lost members!

Wahoo another great week! For Pday last week we went to Disney Springs which is basically just a shopping place. I'm super cheap so I didn't buy anything but it was a good time! And it was such a beautiful day so I got to be in the sun and walk around a bunch which I loved. Afterwards we went to have a BBQ and the Elders totally burnt the hot dogs and we didn't have any condiments but that's okay! We all had fun haha.

On Tuesday we had Zone Conference!! Love it! I got to see some of my very favorite missionaries who I have missed so much since transfers! Also the Ashcrafts are seriously the most amazing people on this planet so it's always good to see them and learn from them. 

We had a bunch of member meals this week which is fun because we get yummy food and we get to know the members better! I seriously love the members of this ward so much. They're all just so nice! And they're great cooks too. I had some of the best tacos, arepas, and lasagna of my entire life this week. Especially the lasagna holy cow.

Also we had another lesson with Liduvi! She's the one from that one time we went knocking and she was the first door and she let us right in. We video called with a member while we were in the lesson and the two of them got along so well and were able to share their testimonies with each other and it was super awesome! I'm very excited for Liduvi.

We also had two kids in the ward get baptized this week! MJ and Nicky! They're both super sweet boys and come from awesome families. MJ is bishop's kid so we know him pretty well (and we have definitely borrowed his nerf guns for pday) so it was awesome to go and support him!

We've done quite a bit of knocking this week, which is fun! I came up with a fun way to track what we're doing and make it all more efficient so I'm pretty excited about that!  Also we had a miracle knocking this week! See small plates;)

Another mini miracle we had this week was with a member. We were visiting a sister in the ward to see if she still lives there because the ward records are super out of date. We got there and it ended up not being who we were looking for but their mom/neighbor is also a member and has been having a hard time lately cause her daughter passed away at the beginning of this year. We stopped by the moms house and she just completely opened up to us and wants to come back to church! 

Small Plates 

The meaning of the word Miracle

This week we went knocking at the same place we found Liduvi. She was such a miracle and every time we go to that apartment complex I can't help but think of how cool that experience was. And of course, some part of me hopes that the first door we knock on will be answered by someone who is as ready to hear the message as she was. 

But this day, we knocked for almost two hours and pretty much got rejected the whole time. It was hot and I was getting tired and my feet were hurting from standing on the concrete for so long. We knocked a few doors on the second floor of our second building, and we were about to walk to the next door to try our luck there. 

Before we got there, the door opened and a young woman walked out. Her arms were full as she carried a huge box of what appeared to be clothes. We asked her and the man standing in the door if we could help them. They both said no.

She started walking towards the stairs with the box that was clearly too heavy for her to carry. And he closed the door behind her. As she turned away from us, we noticed the tears on her face. Today was clearly not a good day for her. We didn't want to bother her by asking again, so we hesitated to follow her. She walked further away from us but we decided to go over to her one more time. I said "can I just help you carry that down the stairs, and then give you a hug?" She gratefully accepted my offer.

I helped her carry it down the stairs, and it wasn't easy. That box was super heavy, full of what must have been all the clothes she had at what used to be her apartment. There's no way she could have carried it on her own. 

We each gave her a hug by her car and just took a minute to tell her we know her Heavenly Father is so aware of her and He has a plan for her. And that everything was going to be okay. 

We didn't get her contact information. We didn't even get her name. And she doesn't know ours. But we helped carry her burden. In this case, both literally and spiritually. I helped her carry a box she would have gotten hurt trying to carry alone. And more importantly, we took some of the emotional weight off of her shoulders and promised her she would be okay. 

Sometimes miracles look like they did with Liduvi. The spirit tells you exactly where to go and what to say and He leads you to a person who has been perfectly prepared to hear the message of this gospel. 

Other times, the miracle looks like it did for us that day. We stayed knocking for a long time in the heat, with little success. I don't know about Hermana Morris, but I was certainly ready to call it quits. But the Spirit kept us there long enough so that we could be there for her. And we knocked at just the right pace, or rather, the doors were shut in our face fast enough that we made it to her door at just the right time. 

And for what? So that this sweet girl could know that her Heavenly Father loves her, in a moment where the one person in her life who's love mattered most to her didn't love her back. 

Heavenly Father really does love us so much. 

And He's so poetic too! I don't know if it's just me, but it seems like he always strengthens my testimony and my gratitude through contrast. He made me grateful for my sight by taking it away for a time (long story). He's made me appreciate joy because of the times in my life where I was most sad.

And he's taught me the meaning of the word Miracle by showing me two totally different kinds of miracles in almost the exact same place. 

Some miracles feel like you're living in a movie and it seems there's just no way they're real. They're almost too good to be true. And other miracles come with a lot of hard work. And sometimes you don't recognize them until you sit down to write your weekly email for your mom to read, and it hits you. 

God gives us miracles in every moment of every day. Big and small. But every single one is a miracle. 

Baptism, Basher and Cow Glands

 Large Plates 

Valentines day, birthday, baptism, basher, and cow glands.

Another awesome week! I genuinely couldn't be happier here. Hermana Morris and I have so much fun and the time just flies. Every time Sunday rolls around we just have to sit there with our minds blown cause it feels like we literally just had church the day before. 

Pday was so much fun! It was Valentine's day so the Cluffs, one of the senior couples, had us all over for breakfast! We ate so many crepes and just spent some good quality time together. And of course they told us how they met which was fun haha. Then we went to the church and played basketball (aka the sisters watched the Elders play… one of our new ZLs is more than twice my size so I wasn't about to get in on that game haha). We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner at the end though so I was content! 

The next day was Hermana Morris' birthday and she got the best present a missionary could ask for: a BAPTISM!!! Wendy finally got baptized and it was so awesome. Wendy is such a sweetheart and such a good mom. Her baptism was small because she didn't want to make it a big deal and she didn't want a bunch of strangers there watching her. It was super sweet.

After the baptism we went over to a member's house for dinner and she had a little surprise party for Hermana Morris! We weren't sure if she knew it was her birthday or not haha. She had yummy food and a gluten free cake! Little did she know it was the same gluten free cake we had bought at Publix for ourselves. So yeah we've been eating gluten free cake all week and will probably continue to do so this week haha. 

We also got to suck in the helium from some balloons and you already know we had the time of our lives doing that haha.

Also! We got bashed for the first time this week! Some dude shouted out "hey! Are you Mormons?" And then proceeded to tell us about how the Book of Mormon can't be true. But his argument was super invalid and honestly kinda funny so we weren't phased by it. It would take too long to explain in this email but to give you a summary he basically ended up validating the Book of Mormon with some Bible verses. Pretty much all he accomplished was wasting 30 minutes of our time. 

We also had a ward Valentine's party this week! There's not a whole lot to say about it though haha. It was pretty much the same as the Christmas party, with all the yummy food and loud music, but we didn't get to dance this time cause dancing started after 9 when we had to leave… bummer. 

On Saturday we went over to Wendy's to teach Andres his last lesson and plan his baptism! It was a good lesson and he's such a sweet kid. They wanted us to stay after for a barbecue with them and some members and some friends. It ended up taking way longer than we expected, but it was good to be there for Wendy and Andres and for everyone else there. Also they cooked up some wacky meat and it was yucky. I'm still not sure what it was but from what I understand it is a gland from a cows neck? Idk. But it was squishy and jiggly and pretty much every bad adjective I could think of. I wouldn't recommend it. 

Sunday was crazy busy and crazy good, as usual. Wendy got confirmed and bishop's wife gave an incredible talk. We had quite a few people we're teaching in church too! Wendy brought Andres with her and I sat by them. Fransis brought her two boys with her. I love her family so much and I have really high hopes for them. She's such a good mom and her boys are so sweet. And to end the day we had dinner at Bishop's house, as usual. I love that family so much. 

Small Plates

How to know the Book of Mormon is true

I finished the Book of Mormon this week for the first time since getting to Florida, so I figured I'd focus my thoughts on that today. 

This is very missionary of me, but I want to focus on the promise written in the last chapter of the book:

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

"And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

This is a super powerful promise, but it can seem vague at the same time. What does the Holy Ghost feel like? How do I know if it's telling me the Book of Mormon is true? 

The last time I finished the Book of Mormon, these verses from Doctrine and Covenants came to my mind as I prayed:

"But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right."

"Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart."

These verses tell us to study it out in our mind, and that the Holy Ghost will tell us in our mind. That's how the Holy Ghost usually speaks to me. In this case, the Holy Ghost guided me to the realization that the Book of Mormon tells us so much about being good people. I've picked different topics to mark each time I read and I always find so much in the Book of Mormon about each topic.

So, logically, I should just choose to believe the book because it tells me what I need to do to become a better person.

But the Holy Ghost doesn't just speak to us in our minds. He speaks to us in our hearts. Maybe when you pray about it, you feel peace. That's a confirmation that you're in the right place and doing the right thing. Or maybe you feel that burning in your bosom. That's the Holy Ghost too. He's there within you and it burns because He wants you to recognize Him. Or because He dwells in Holy places and your sincere prayer has provided Him with a place He really wants to be. His joy is full within you and sometimes it feels like you can't contain all the joy, so it burns. 

Whatever way the spirit speaks to you, He's telling you to believe the Book of Mormon is true because it is. 

I know the Book of Mormon is true and we can be given the strength and peace we need day to day as we regularly read and study its teachings. I know Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration and that he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God. If you are not regularly studying the Book of Mormon, please do so. 

Before Thomas S. Monson passed, these words were his plea to us as part of the Lord's Church:

"I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives."

I testify of his words and do so in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Blueberries and Sunsets

Large Plates

Transfers! Mine and Carmen's dream of opening an arepa truck: part two. Service at the Salvation Army and so many blueberries.

I know I say this every week but wow this week FLEW by. I don't know where the time goes. 

Pday was fun of course. It was the last pday of the transfer, which was extra sad because our district has been the same for 2 transfers, so we're all really good friends. Sister Storms went home, Elder Means went to France, Elder Boatman got transferred to a different area, and we lost the Portuguese Elders, Bell and Seeley, because their area got closed down. But! Me & Hermana Morris are sticking around! And the new missionaries are awesome. Elder Mortensen (Jensen's new comp) is super nice, Elder Murray (the greenie! Harmer's training again) is our new district baby, and Sister Carter is an ANGEL. It's going to be a good transfer:)

One of the highlights of this week was that we were able to go see Carmen! Of course we had a very spiritual lesson because she's a SPIRITUAL GIANT. But then! She made us arepas!!! Her arepas are literally the best I have ever had. She was a chef back in Venezuela before moving here so she knows how to cook super well. And the best part is she has made a different kind of arepa every time we've come, because she wants me to be able to try as many kinds as possible. She wants me to know everything there is to know about arepas so I can help decide what's going on the menu on our food truck when I get home. She's 100% serious about doing it. And I'm 101% down to do it with her. I'm seriously so excited haha. She says she's gonna go on a vacation this year so she can know if she likes it, and then if she does like it she'll move there when my mission's over. I love her so stinkin much.

We also got to do service with the Salvation Army this week! They had a Valentine's dinner for people in a low-income old folks home. It was so cute to watch all the old folks from all around the world get to know each other and dance! Some of those old ladies can party hard haha. Also, they got a donation of two pallets of blueberries so they sent us away with more blueberries than we knew what to do with. And they sent the High Counselor that was with us away with even more.

That's pretty much it for the highlights this week! We were super busy and I honestly don't remember much else about what happened...

Small Plates 

Sunrises, sunsets, and your loving Heavenly Father.

This week we've had some really beautiful sunrises and sunsets (and my missionary schedule means I get to be awake, and normally outside, for both! Yay!). Sometimes Hermana Morris and I just stop our conversation for a second just to point it out and say "nice!" Other times, we drop everything we're doing to get a picture before it's gone. If you've ever seen my mom at sunset you'd notice we're very similar in that aspect haha. 

But my favorite thing that Hermana Morris did this week when we saw a really good sunset was say "Wow. Heavenly Father really loves us so much, doesn't he?!"

Yes, he does. 

We had a family home evening with Bishop Cajas' family a while back and we listened to the Primary song I Feel My Savior's Love and shared things in our life that remind us of His love for us. We all wrote down the thing we were going to share before we went around. I wanted to be original, so I didn't write down the normal missionary answers: my mission, my companion, the Book of Mormon. I'm thankful for all of those of course. I also didn't want to cry with gratitude cause that would have been awkward. So I didn't write down any of your names, although I'm eternally grateful for each one of you! 

So what was my answer to the question "How do you know He loves you?"

He makes sunrises and sunsets beautiful even though they don't have to be.

I still have the paper I wrote that down on. 

Yeah yeah, it's cheesy, I know. But think about it! Does he really have to make them that BEAUTIFUL? Is that necessary?? Not even a little bit. The world would still go on day to day if we never had pretty sunsets.

But He loves us SO MUCH. More than we can even comprehend. But we can catch a glimpse of that love if we just take a second to look at the world around us. 

For those of you back home in Utah, look at those mountains you are surrounded by! You lucky ducks. Look at how majestic they are! 

I love mountains, and I honestly missed them a lot when I first got out here. But now I've come to appreciate just how much of the sky I can see. There are so many clouds and they just keep on going! 

I have friends all over the world right now on their own missions. The climate and the landscape are different in every one. But I can guarantee there's beauty in every place. 

Alma said "all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." 

All things denote there is a Creator. There is too much order in the universe for there not to be a Creator. But better yet, the beauty of all of these things denotes that this Creator of whom we speak is more than just a creator. He is a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to know and to see and to feel of the love that He has for us.

How cool is that??

You are so loved. Please never forget that. And if you do forget, I hope the next sunrise or sunset helps you remember again. Because God's love for you is even more constant and sure than the rising and setting sun. It is infinite and complete and personal and powerful. And it will never go away.

Pics:

•My turtle friend!

•Morning walks with Sister Scott & some really beautiful sunrises  

•Mirror selfie in a ghetto mirror

•Last pics of the best district there ever was

•So many blueberries (good thing ColdStone trained me to carry my weight in fruit )

•So much blueberry crepe filling

-Me and my cute comp:))

President Schmeil- Soon to be Mission President

                    Called as the Florida, Orlando Mission President- starting July, 2022

Elder Ciro Schmeil

Elder Ciro Schmeil was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 4, 2020, at age 48. At the time of his call, he had been serving as a branch president. He served as an Area Seventy and a member of the Seventh Quorum of the Seventy in Brazil from 2013 to 2016 and a member of the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy in the North America Central Area from 2016 to 2017

 

Elder Schmeil received a bachelor of arts degree in architectural studies from the University of Utah in 1995. In 2010 he received a master of business administration degree from Ohio University. He has worked in Walmart’s corporate office in several positions, including director of real estate and vice president. He has also worked as chief operating officer of Scopel and general manager of Cia City. At the time of his call as a General Authority, he had been working as head of real estate for JBS S.A.

Elder Schmeil has served in a number of Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Utah Ogden Mission, elders quorum president, bishop, counselor in a stake presidency, stake president, and branch president.

Ciro Schmeil was born in Ponta Grossa, Brazil, on April 16, 1971. He married Alessandra Machado Louza in 1994. They are the parents of two children.

Another transfer in the books

 Large plates

Exchanges, which was basically just me working alone for a day. A bunch of good lessons, a chaotic English class, and transfer news!

This week was crazy busy, as usual haha. We had exchanges on Tuesday which I was honestly kind of dreading. It was my turn to stay in our area and Hermana Morris went to the STLs area. That doesn't sound too bad until you realize that our STLs don't speak Spanish. So basically I was going to be alone for the day because all of the work we do in this area is in Spanish.

It didn't end up being too bad though! We had our studies in the morning and then went over to our friend Elissa's house! She's a little old lady in a wheelchair because she got her leg amputated a couple of years ago. She ended up not being home, so we started knocking her complex to see if we could find the neighbor family she always tells us about. We didn't end up finding them, but we found this really sweet Egyptian lady! We were able to teach her the restoration lesson right then and there and she seemed very grateful! I'm not sure if she understood it all, but she was nice! She said she would love a Book of Mormon, in Arabic if we had one, or in English if we didn't. The crazy thing is we literally found an Arabic Book of Mormon in the car the next day and we stopped by to give it to her! There's 1 sister in the mission who learned some Arabic in college so she had a couple Arabic books. And our car used to be hers. What a miracle! The only car in the mission with an Arabic Book of Mormon ended up being the car in this area. Super crazy!

We ended up talking to a bunch of people all around the complex, who were just out and about. It was fun to be able to have a one on one conversation with them in Spanish. It felt more personal. Although Sister Char (our STL) had no idea what was going on haha. It definitely felt like I had the gift of tongues that day. I understood all of them completely, even though their accents were some of the thickest I've heard.

We also went to a Hispanic Supermarket to try to find new people! It was kind of the same situation, where I did everything and Sister Char was just there. Of course I don't blame her at all haha, there's nothing she could do. It's just kind of different from what normal missionary work is. But we found a few people: couple who wanted to go to church, a little family who wishes the world valued the nuclear family more than they do, and a sweet lady who wants to teach me how to cook with green bananas! Overall it was a very good day but I was definitely glad to have Hermana Morris back. 

We also had our last lesson with Wendy and had her baptismal interview this week! She's all ready to be baptized! I'm super excited for her. She's so sweet. Later in the week, we went over to her house again to teach her son Andres and we put him on date for baptism too! They're going to get baptized the same day! 

We also taught Fransis and her sons and they are the BEST. She's seriously so golden. We taught the restoration with a hands on activity for the boys and she would listen to us explain it and then basically teach it to her sons in a way that they would understand and internalize it. She has such a special spirit and feels like family. I love her and her family so much and I have high hopes for them.

English class this Sunday was so fun. We normally hate it (sorry but that's the truth), but this class was full of laughter and smiles. We had a full classroom & Elder Boatman was teaching the lesson. All the students were laughing at his accent, and he was laughing at theirs, and everyone was laughing at themselves too. It was just very chaotic. Once he finished the lesson, he asked us missionaries if we had any ideas about what else he should teach with the rest of the time. I suggested he help them learn the difference between though, thought, through, taught, and all the other words that look or sound like those. One girl had a question about that last week. Needless to say, the chaos magnified haha. 

We also got transfer news this week! Hermana Morris and I are staying together! WAHOO! It's going to be such a good transfer. We really have a lot of good traction right now so we can hit the ground running and keep hustling this whole transfer. I'm excited. We did also find out that Elders Boatman, Bell, and Seeley will be leaving the district, which I'm sad about, of course. Elder Boatman especially has become a really good friend of mine. He's just a funny kid (and kind of reminds me of Addison haha). But that's mission life! So many hellos and goodbyes all the time haha.

Small Plates 

A lesson from my future mission president.

We're getting a new mission president in July, and he seems really awesome! His first language is Portuguese (although I can't remember if he's from Portugal or Brazil…) and he's currently in South Africa serving as a General Authority Seventy! Super cool stuff! He actually spoke in the last General Conference, and I studied his talk this week.

It's called Faith to Act and Become by Elder Ciro Schmeil (soon to be President Schmeil!!!). There's so many gems in this talk you guys. It's impossible to pick a favorite.

Basically the essence of his talk is that in order to become a good husband, wife, father, mother, friend, or whatever other role we want to include in the list, we must first become better disciples of Jesus Christ.

But how do we do that?? The first step he suggests we take is to ask. "We need to ask in faith to know the will of the Lord and accept that the Lord knows what is better for us." I really love that last part. If the Lord knows what's best for us, why would we want anything else? God is our loving Heavenly Father and he wants us to be happy. Let Him help you be as happy as He knows you have the potential to be.

The next step is to act. "As we act, He will guide and direct us along the way." Sometimes we don't have all the answers and instructions right at the beginning, and that's okay! The Lord has our back. It was the same with Nefi. If he were given a list of instructions, it probably would have looked something like this:

What to do: go get the plates 

How to do it: ______

He didn't have much to go off of, but he went anyway! We can do the same. Right now, my list of instructions looks like this:

What to do: serve a mission

How to do it: _____

I don't have a lot to go off of either. But I'm here and I'm trying and that's what God wants from me. And that's what He wants from you. For you to act in faith and trust that He will help you become who you need to become. 

Elder Schmiel then suggests that we study. 2 Nephi 32:3 says, "Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." What a promise! The scriptures contain all the guidance we could possibly need in this life. All we have to do is search them, study them, and love them. 

The last step is to Act to Become. Essentially this just means we need to do the first three steps every day. We have to make becoming a part of our lives. A part of who we are. 

With that routine, we will have all the guidance and direction we need to be happy and successful in this life. And more importantly, we have all we need to become who we need to be. Because when all is said and done, and this life is over, not much will matter. It really comes down to who you are. 

So who do you want to become? 

Valentines Package from mom!