Monday, October 7, 2013

Hola Mi Familia! Ah! Wasn´t Conference weekend just fantastic!?! I will get to that soon.... Well, like with all new transfers, this first week has been kind of a long one--especially since we don´t have very much work at all right now. Our main focus: Finding new investigators and encouraging the members to get more involved in missionary work. Although the week was a little dry, I do have a few special experiences that I would like to share with you all. A little blip....a member wasn´t able to have us over to eat this week so they just gave us money to eat. So we decided to go to Applebees! It was fun! Here is a first that I had never done before. So my comp is really good about the concept of ¨Talking To Everyone¨ which is something we should do. You really don´t have any progress in missionary work until you have someone to teach and so you need to talk to everyone to tell them about this wonderful message and invite them to come unto Christ. I feel like this is one of my weaknesses sometimes talking to people randomly on the street, or the cashier in the store, or the person cutting your hair. But my comp is really good at it which makes up for my weakness. So we were waiting at the bus stop one day this week and the bus was taking FOREVER to pass by. While there we just start talking with random people there getting interested in their lives and trying to get a reference out of them. Well, they said that they weren´t really too interested about us passing by their house and so the conversation kind of died there. Like I mentioned in my last email, my compp really likes to sing too and we sing in all of our lessons and he had the idea of singing for these two women that we were talking to. I was a little hesitant and just a kind of surprised seeing as how he just wanted to sing right here on the side of the street, but then I remembered how much music and especially the hymns can bring the spirit and so I gave my consent. We pulled out the hymn book and started singing to them ¨Nearer My God To Thee¨. That was a first for me...singing on the street....As we sang, there was sweet spirit and even a few people who were a little ways across the street turned their heads as we began singing. In the end, we still didn´t get the references, but it was still a neat experience sharing the spirit through song with random people on the street! For the past few weeks we have been trying to contact a member´s friend who said that they wanted to hear the discussions, but we have just hadn´t had any luck finding her in her house whenever we go. Well, this week we stopped by and she was actually there! She listened as we talked to her she began telling us of a few problems that she has in her life. Listening to her I was happy to be going through my mind and thinking all of the ways the Gospel will be able to bless her life. We were able to teach her the first lesson and she apparently really liked it. We still don´t know her too well, but when we did talk with her she just kept telling us how much she like church the one time she went with her friend a few years ago and how much she wants her kids to be in a good place. So we are hoping to really focus on here and get a baptism here soon! I really like this next experience. One day this week, we were looking for a reference we had and we couldn´t find the house and so we decided to stop by a member´s house who lived nearby to ask them if they knew the person. This member is a single mom who just moved here from Mexico City with her older mother and she has two young kids. When we got there, she told us that her kids were really sick from some kind of something they got from the heat (it isn´t as hot in Mexico City and so they are still trying to adjust to the climate here.). We could hear her 2 year old in the back screaming and crying because of the pain or irritation of the sickness. We offered the sister blessings for her two kids and she was a little hesitant not know if the 2 year old would sit still, but in the end accepted. We entered and the mom took her young son in her arms. We placed oil on his head and then proceeded to give him the blessing. Exactly when we began to give the blessing, the young screaming 2 year old went quite all or a sudden. We were able to give the blessing in peace and without a peep. At the end, the mother told us that when we began, the kid had crossed his arms and closed his eyes listening to the prayer. Afterwards, he went off as happy as can be and resumed playing with his toys. For the rest of the time we were there, there were no more tears. I am so very grateful for the power of the Priesthood and the opportunity that I have as a priesthood holder to hold the power of God and to bless our Heavenly Father´s children here on the earth. One last one. We went and visited a less active and upon talking to him and getting to know him, he told us of some personal problems in his life that have kept him from going to church. We began to give a lesson on faith and the wonderful and powerful concept of repentance. At the beginning of the lesson he countenance was a little bit depressed and burdened. We began talking about repentance and the wonderful opportunity our Heavenly Father gives us to have a 2nd chance. We went through the steps to repentance and explained each one in detail and importance. Through the lesson, you could see a progression in his facial expressions. He began to lighten up and by the end of the lesson he had a smile on his face and a confidence that he could repent and put his life together thanks to the miracle of forgiveness and the powerful Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. Conference was just WONDERFUL! We have been anxiously waiting and preparing all week for this wonderful time of year! The talks were just magnificent and I felt like I received personal revelation for things that I need and things that I didn´t know I needed, but I got more council and help. I love the focus on missionary work and moving forward in life through tough trials. I was especially touched by our dear prophet´s words as well as Pres. Uchtdorf´s conference address. I would like to share with you a few points from the conference that called my attention and that were especially important for me. * ¨The Scriptures hold the keys to spiritual protection¨ --E. Packer * ¨You can do it now¨ --Pres. Uchtdorf * ¨You must become the rock the river cannot wash away¨ -- E. Maynes * ¨How would you feel if someone promised you something every week, but they never kept the promise¨ (Speaking on the Sacrament and baptismal covenant every week) --E. Vinson * ¨The decisions that we make everyday have eternal consequences¨ --Sis. Oscarson * ¨Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith¨ --Pres. Uchtdorf Just a few favs! I can´t wait to get all of the talks in print to be able to review them and study them again! It was just such an uplifting and spiritual weekend! Tell me your favorite parts! Well, I hope you all have a superb week and that your week is filled with missionary opportunities! I challenge you to do what our leaders told us this weekend and pray specifically for missionary experiences to help others come unto Christ! Until next week.... ¡Yo sé que vive mi Señor! Con Mucho Amor, Elder Joyner