Apple trees and the Lord's vineyard

Large Plates 

Rain, lightning, interviews, service, and portuñol.

Such a good week!! Pday was fun as always. We played some basketball and gaga ball in the church gym and then went thrift shopping. I found my new favorite shirt! I've already worn it a few times this week haha. We ended the day with a barbecue and some water games.

As far as missionary work goes, we did a lot of knocking this week. It can be draining sometimes but we've had a lot of good come from it! Plus another cool thing is that we can do some Facebook work before we go out knocking, and then by the time we're done knocking we have a lot of people who have responded to us!

We also had interviews with President Ashcraft this week! He's so awesome. He's such an incredible example for each of us and it's always so good to be able to talk to him. He gave me a lot of good advice and I'm pumped for next transfer!

We also went on exchanges this week! Hermana Morris stayed in our area and I went to a different area. We did service for most of the day. We started off at a food bank which was so chaotic and crazy but it was a good time! And I got to see like 20 other missionaries, including some I hadn't seen for a while. We also went and helped one of the members in their ward prepare for a birthday party, so I got to do some painting which was fun! And then we were knocking for a little while and I got to speak portuñol (portuguese & español)! We met a lady who spoke portuguese and I told her I'm trying to learn portuguese but I speak Spanish (I said all of this in portuguese) and then she told me she spoke Spanish too! She started to speak Spanish but it became very evident that she didn't actually speak Spanish haha. So basically I talked to her in Spanish, but I used as many Portuguese words as I could. And then she spoke Portuguese and used as many Spanish words as possible haha. It was fun!

Also the weather has been CRAZY. We had some awesome lightning and there was a tornado here in Central Florida. Not Orlando though don't worry! I love this kind of weather though. Rain is so fun (even though it makes my hair super crazy haha) and the lightning is incredible. Add that to the list of reasons why Florida is the best.

Yesterday was a really good Sunday! All 3 of our recent converts came to church! It was the best. I wouldn't ask for anything more. All I want for them is to stay strong in the church for the rest of their lives. Andres got to go to young mens this week which was such a miracle because they can't normally stay for the second hour. 

Small Plates 

Apple trees and the Lord's vineyard 

This week I read in Jacob 5 about the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees. Every time I read that chapter I can't help but think of my grandpa and his apple orchard. Today I want to draw a few parallels between the vineyard and the orchard because it really helped me deepen my understanding of this chapter:)

"The Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor in the vineyard." 

In other words, Grandpa would never send the grandkids out to work alone. He always worked alongside us. Hand in hand. Sure, maybe there were days when he'd have Addison climb the tree, but grandpa would always be the one deciding which branches to trim. 

The same goes for our work in the Lord's vineyard. This work is important. This work is the gathering of Israel. He's not going to require us to do it alone. He will be at our side at every moment. Sure, we might be the ones with our feet on the ground. But He's guiding us in every step of His work. 

"The servant said unto his master: How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard. And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit."

Sometimes we would wonder why Grandpa did things the way he did. Some of his ideas were downright crazy. But in time, he always seemed to prove us wrong. He knew what he was doing. And his orchard has become beautiful because of the time and care he gave to each plant. If he had left it up to us, or his kids back in the day, to decide which plants to keep, we'd only have a fraction of the orchard we have today. 

Ultimately, it's not up to us to decide which fruit is worth cultivating, to decide which people deserve to become a part of gathered Israel. It is our responsibility to give everyone the opportunity to hear the message of this gospel. Then it is in the hands of the Lord. He will do what He knows is best for each of His children. We just need to be willing to be instruments in His hands.

"Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might... and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself"

What was everyone's favorite part of working in the orchard? The apples, of course. They were a snack while we worked, a drink at the end of the day, a pie on a Sunday evening, and food storage in case of hard times. Grandpa wanted everyone to enjoy the fruits of his orchard. 

And the same goes for us in the Lord's vineyard. We don't have to be a part of this work just out of obligation, or even out of love (which love should be more than enough motivation). We are promised joy as we participate. 

"And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"

I've already tasted of the joy that comes from the work of gathering Israel. And I know the joy I feel is nothing compared to that joy I will feel in the presence of my Father. And my only wish would be for each of you to be able to feel of this joy. I love missionary work so much. I have genuinely never been happier in my entire life. And I know there is no greater cause on this earth today. So my invitation to you is to grab your work boots and come join us in the orchard. Go to the temple. Share your testimony with someone, or with your social media followers. Prepare to serve a mission. Keep serving diligently if you are already out in the field. Raise your kids in a gospel centered home. Live in a way that will help others to feel Christ's love through you. Whatever role the Lord has for you in His vineyard, my only hope is that you will be ready and willing to do His work and submit to His will. 

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!