Obedience brings blessings

 Large Plates 

Exchanges, languages, and the Germans

It was another crazy busy, crazy good week! We started it off with a pretty relaxed pday. We spent the morning at Disney Springs, until we got rained out. Then we headed over to the church and just socialized! It was actually tons of fun. I really like this district and it was good to be able to get to know them better! 

That night we went over to a member's house for dinner and found out her house had flooded! So, we ate with them, and then spent time getting the water out of her carpet with a water vacuum. It felt good just to do an impromptu act of service!

Tuesday was our first exchange of the week. I stayed in my area with Sister Torres (who was in my old zone, so I know her well!), and Sister Rowell went to the Portuguese area with Sister Rigby (from Ridgeline!). We spent the whole day finding people to teach, and I had so much fun. I got to talk to people in 4 languages! English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hatian Creole. I'm definitely not fluent in all of them, but it was fun to use them all! We sent out referrals to missionaries serving in each language. It was so motivating! I just want to keep learning and progressing in my language skills. I was able to practice my Portuguese with Sister Torres (she's from Brazil) and I felt like I did okay conversing with her! I definitely wouldn't say I speak the language, but I can chat a little bit haha. 

Sister Torres and I found some really amazing people on Tuesday. We went to an apartment complex because we felt like we needed to visit someone who had previously been taught. When we talked to him, he still wasn't very interested. We knew we were in that apartment complex for a reason, so we looked at our member records for the area. We found a family that we decided to visit, and when we knocked on their door, they let us right in! We got to know them a bit. They haven't been to church in a while, since leaving their country, and they want to start coming back! They introduced us to their 2 kids, neither of which have been baptized yet. We're really hoping to help this family return to full activity in the church and we want to help their kids progress toward baptism! Please keep them in your prayers.

Wednesday we started off the day with service on the Temple grounds! We scrubbed the white benches until they were squeaky clean. Afterward, we went home to do our studies and calls and then we headed to the church to teach English class! We started teaching, and then some of my favorite members, the Bautistas, showed up and said, "if you don't mind, we were thinking we would do something different for class today!" Long story short, it was Hermano Bautista's birthday and we ended up having a potluck and teaching them all of the things that people might say at a dinner. It was the most fun English class I have ever been a part of. 

We went on another exchange this week too! This time, I was still in Horizon West, but with Sister Theurer (from Ridgeline as well)! It was tons of fun and she's super cute. We did a ton of finding and met some cool people!

Sunday was the perfect was to end the week! Our friends Germán and Dayanis, and their two kids, Germán and Germán (yes, I know it's confusing) came to church!! They're the family I talk about in the small plates this week! I'm also starting to know and love the members! The talks and lessons were awesome and we got to chat with President some more in our accounting call. I love President and Sister Schmeil so much:)

Small Plates 

Obedience brings blessings: the couch edition

This week I learned a lot! I'm having a hard time deciding what lesson I learned that I want to share with you, because I learned so many valuable life lessons. 

One of my favorites, though, is that obedience brings blessings! I don't know if I've already mentioned this, but our mission (and every mission in the world, if they're following the council of our church leaders in Salt Lake) is getting rid of our couches. 

I know. It's kind of odd. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's just something we have been asked to do. Lots of missionaries have had a hard time with this rule, and they haven't wanted to follow it. But, we've been promised that as we keep the commandments and follow the council of our priesthood leaders, we will be blessed. 

We found out there are some members in our ward who refurbish furniture, so we gave them our couch, and then put every missionary that needed help getting rid of their couch in touch with them. They ended up with so many couches haha. 

We trusted that we would be blessed for our obedience, but we figured the blessings would have little to nothing to do with the couches. Couches and missionary work don't have much in common.

Well, on Thursday, those members who refurbish couches called us and told us they had seen a miracle! It turns out that they had been in contact with one of the families we are currently teaching, and they offered to bring them a couch! This family is very new to the country and don't have a lot of furniture for their home. 

The members went over there to give them their couch and long story short they sat down and had a 2 hour conversation about the gospel and answered a bunch of their questions and just really fellowshipped them.  They even met one of their sons, who we had never met. 

It was exactly what this family needed. And it wouldn't have happened if missionaries hadn't been obedient to a seemingly random rule. I don't know. I just think that's really cool. 

Their whole family, including the son we had never met, came to church on Sunday! I'm excited to see them keep growing and learning. They're really awesome and I love them a lot. 

And who knows? Maybe that lesson on the couch (it even could have been our couch!) will end up being a pivotal point in their conversion!

Transfer Week!

Hey everyone! Sorry I didn't write an email last week. It was such a busy week, and I got transferred!

I won't go into the details of all the business and craziness that happened last week, because I also need to write about this week haha. But it would be accurate to say that it was one of the busiest and most joyous and most exhausting weeks of my life. I'll send pictures and you'll have a good idea of what was going on.

As for this week it was also both joyous and exhausting! I don't know how to portray to you the chaos that it has been but here's a list of some highlights:

• I went on my first blitz as an STL and Sister Theurer (from Ridgeline!) is so incredible! 

• I met so many people from so many places! So many states, England, Jamaica, and of course every Latin American country

• Sister Rowell is an awesome companion and I'm already learning so much from her

• I spoke in church again! 

• My new district is awesome!

• Sister McMullin is in my district again! 

• MLC was so motivating and I got to see some of my favorite missionaries there!

• I feel like I'm figuring out who the people we are teaching are and who the members of our ward are!

• We did yard work at the temple and I got really sweaty and I stepped on the white concrete with my muddy chacos

• I got to account directly to the mission President which is so awesome because I feel like I got to make a good personal connection with him!

• Carried a large couch down 3 flights of stairs

• I no longer have a couch

• I went on my first exchange as an STL!

• I had an impromptu lesson in a brunch cafe

• I got fed so much pasta 

• I learned Jamaican slang

• I learned some ASL

• I ate a ton of brownies

• President Schmiel spoke to me in Spanish which threw me for a loop

• I could go on and on, but basically I was super busy but super happy:)

Large Plates 

I'll go where you want me to go

Last week was stressful because of the anticipation of transfers. It's the first time we have had transfers since president Schmeil got to the mission. No one knew what to expect.

I've been in my first area for 9 months, which is a very long time. Everyone talks about how crazy it is, whether I'm there or not. Anyone who knows me knew it was time for me to leave. Not because I didn't want to be there anymore but because honestly my time was up. Someone else needed a turn in that area. I had kind of accepted that. 

But the thing is, I had no idea where I was headed. I had heard about a hundred rumors or ideas that people had and I had zero clue which one was true. 

Fortunately, we were blessed to be able to go to the temple on the Thursday before transfers! Some of my very favorite members, Boris and Yerika, went to get their endowments!

During the session, I learned a little bit about the law of consecration. The thought came to my mind: that's what you need to study in the Celestial Room. So, when the session was over and we entered the Celestial room, that's what I did (after hugging all of my favorite people ever). I opened up to D&C 42 and I immediately felt like it was speaking to me.

And then I got to this verse. And it hit me.

"And from this place ye shall go forth into the regions westward; and inasmuch as ye shall find them that will receive you ye shall build up my church in every region."

The first half of my mission has been in the Orlando South Stake. But at that moment, I knew God had plans for me in the Orlando West Stake, in the area of Horizon West.

It was really hard to leave the Buena Ventura area. I miss it every day. But I know without a doubt that I am exactly where I need to be. And I know without a doubt that my mission president is called of God and he is inspired by Him in every aspect of his work. 

I'm really excited to see what Heavenly Father has in store for me in this area. I'm already feeling really good about it. It hasn't been an easy week by any means but I have never once felt like this isn't where I need to be. 

I know I'm supposed to be in the west, and to build up the regions round about. Next week we are starting a Spanish group in a chapel 45 minutes away, and I know the Lord needs me to help build up Zion there. I know the Lord needs me to help build up Zion in my ward, and in my district and zone, and in each of the respective areas within this zone. 

Time and time again Heavenly Father keeps showing me signs that I am exactly where I need to be. Miracles are everywhere and I am just so grateful that my Heavenly Father allows me to see the miracles, and in some cases, to be the miracle. Here's to the second half of my mission!!