Dear Family and Friends!
Good morning, and what an amazing week I had! I know it is crazy long
and I don't expect you to read it all cause I know you are all so
busy, but I had so many amazing things happen that I just couldn't
leave them out!
So here we go!
Week of September 21-27 2015
Monday:
What a crazy day like normal! So we had the awesome opportunity to go
to the Stock yards today. The Stockyards are just Streets of old
fashioned shops with cowboy stuff and everyday at 4 they have a
roundup! It was really fun and I finally bought me a Texas Flag!! I
love it and am going to hang it up in my house! And after our day
shopping around we had the fun opportunity to play frisbee with the
missionaries! It was so much fun! After that we hurried home to head
to a lesson with Hennessy and Mesmerize. We got bad news from
Mesmerize that her mom doesn't want her to be baptized so we are going
tomorrow to talk with her! Hopefully we can talk to her and help her
realize the importance! However our lesson was the best one we have
ever had with them! We also taught Erica and Jamallex and I believe
they both have the goal of the temple! We are really working hard with
them for that!!!! The temple is such an amazing place to go and I had
are hard time testifying of the love I feel of my Heavenly Father
without crying! Please go to the temple often!
and I don't expect you to read it all cause I know you are all so
busy, but I had so many amazing things happen that I just couldn't
leave them out!
So here we go!
Week of September 21-27 2015
Monday:
What a crazy day like normal! So we had the awesome opportunity to go
to the Stock yards today. The Stockyards are just Streets of old
fashioned shops with cowboy stuff and everyday at 4 they have a
roundup! It was really fun and I finally bought me a Texas Flag!! I
love it and am going to hang it up in my house! And after our day
shopping around we had the fun opportunity to play frisbee with the
missionaries! It was so much fun! After that we hurried home to head
to a lesson with Hennessy and Mesmerize. We got bad news from
Mesmerize that her mom doesn't want her to be baptized so we are going
tomorrow to talk with her! Hopefully we can talk to her and help her
realize the importance! However our lesson was the best one we have
ever had with them! We also taught Erica and Jamallex and I believe
they both have the goal of the temple! We are really working hard with
them for that!!!! The temple is such an amazing place to go and I had
are hard time testifying of the love I feel of my Heavenly Father
without crying! Please go to the temple often!
Tuesday:
What an amazing amazing day! So we
had the amazing opportunity to serve at the food bank today and they actually
had us leave a little early because we were going to fast and they didn't have
enough food to work with for another hour! It was really cool! Also we went to
the house of Hna. Fuentes to get a baptismal signature from the Mother of
Hennessy. We also were able to teach Hennessy and Mesmerize a lot and were
surprised by Hna. Fuentes when her grandson who is 11 came out and said that he
also wanted to take the lessons and get baptized! As we talked to him I was
amazed at how much he understands the scriptures. The first thing he told us is
that he had been feeling a weight in his heart that he needed to go to church
and listen to the missionaries! For an Eleven year old that is amazing! That is
when you know the lord was involved in the change of heart! So we taught all
three of them and set a date for him on the 24 of October! After we taught them
is when the stressed part of the day came. The mother of Mesmerize told us that
Mesmerize couldn't be baptized this week. She said she couldn't be baptized
until she was older! We have been studying the scriptures a lot for the
appointment and praying for the help of the lord, and through the lesson I
could feel his help through the spirit! She actually opened up to us and told
her a lot of her problems she had and we worked through them. We realize that
she needs our help a lot right now and she finally gave us written consent to
baptize Mesmerize. What and amazing blessing that occurred today! So after our
lesson and talking with them we went to a dinner with Guadalupe and Juan, her
husband. The food was amazing and as we were visiting we found out that there
week wasn't so good! Guadalupe had a heart attack last week and some stomach
issues all last week! She has been recovering and no one knew it!! So we are
working on getting her healthy and back to church! Well today was crazy and we
just finished our planning for tonight at 10:40! So as you can tell it was a
long and crazy day!
Wednesday:
Today was an amazing day! We woke up
and had a good exercise and good studies! After studies we went straight to
district meeting. District meeting I learned so much that I want to share!
District meeting September 23, 2015
Sabbath day study topics!
-preach my gospel -Ezekiel 20:20 -Isaiah 58:13-14 -exodus 31:13-17 (20:9-11)
Inviting people to Church!
-Alma 6:5-6 -Exodus:20 -3 Nephi 18 -Moroni 6:4 -Alma 24:19 -Matt 24:19 -D&C 59:9-15 -Exodus 31:12-17 -Isaiah 58:13-14 -Luke 22 -Moroni 3 and 4 -Mosiah 13:19
Try to find other scriptures that
teach the main purpose!!
* Hermana Mangelson:
How to work better with the Ward
council.
PMG 9
Am I a blessing or a burden for the
bishop?
-We need to figure out how our
bishop functions and work with that!
Ideas to unite the ward with us!:
- meet new members every Sunday.
-meet the less actives in our area.
-plug in members for investigators.
* 4 steps to build a conversion:
1. No sarcasm or gossip
2. Express you love
3. Share feelings
4. Give of your fish, or let them
know what is going on.
Use this with the bishop to really
understand him and change the relationship we have.
This was most of my notes all
translated over! After that we had an awesome time teaching Hennessy and
Mesmerize and Martin. Martin has all of his own church, but only has one black
tie he wears everyday so I gave him one of my old ties and he was in heaven. We
also are teaching how to tie it! That was all we had time for, but these kids
are so exciting for baptism and so are we! It was amazing and we have been
getting referrals out of our ears and trying to get ahold of them with the
baptism this week! I have never had a week this crazy, but it is making it go
by so fast while learning how to speak the language and how to manage crazy
amounts of stress!
Thursday:
So today we had weekly planning and
had a crazy planning session! We usually don't fill every day up, but this week
we definitely filled everything that we had! Also during planning we got a text
from Erica saying her daughter didn't have to work tonight and that she would
love if we could go and teach her, because she is having a lot of trials right
now! So we went over to Hermana Fuentes house and taught Martin the rest of
lesson one and waited while Elder Hornberger interviewed Hennessy and
Mesmerize, and then we went and taught the daughter of Erica, with Erica and
Jamillex.
The lesson went amazing and she
really understood the purpose of the Book of Mormon again. She is going through
a lot, but she wants to change so we said we would keep coming. I feel my
testimony grow each time I teach, and I know that God lives! She asked me how I
knew he lived and I said without pause, "look at the family you have, your
body, and the earth we live in. Not only that he wants us to know him, so we
have scriptures and prophets!!" She couldn't disagree and so we helped her
realize she can have a relationship with him as well! It went amazing and then
we ended our day eating dinner at 10:00 at night. If you don't have a personal
testimony that God loves you, get one! Pray!
Friday:
Today I am going to have a lot of
thoughts! We went to the Fort Worth Library today to update our SMC Reports,
also known as our Stake Missionary Correlation reports that have the
investigators and recent converts we are working with. We updated all of
our new people and I was able to get all of my songs put on to my flash drive
and my iPad! After that we had to hurry to a mission wide meeting at the Hurst
Stake Center! President and Sister Ames trained on The Sabbath Day Observance
and I learned so much! We thought it would be a 2 hour training and it ended up
being almost three and a half almost four hours! I was glued to the screen and
to Presidents insights and I can not wait to have a wife and a family to share
this with! So the videos we watched were from a meeting with only general
authorities and it was so spiritual!
Sabbathday observance
President Ames:
Today is about 2 people. Me and my
investigator.
Russell M. Nelson:
- The focus is for those who are
lost or less active to get back into the gospel.
- Focus on how we build a foundation
of faith on God, Jesus Christ and the Atonement.
- As we improve our sabbath day,
faith will increase across the world and so will our fold.
M. Russell Ballard:
- Elevating the spirit and power on
the sabbath day will retain the more part of families.
- This is not just something we
should focus on at church, but at home as well.
- When you use the ward council
effectively the spirit will be stronger in your sacrament meetings.
- Bring plans for sacrament meeting
to ward council.
Elder Quentin L. Cook:
- So much our eternal destiny
happened as Christ's life was coming to the end.
- Jesus also gave the sacrament to
the Nephites. Why in both parts of the world?
* We partake of the sacrament
to:
1. Remember: the body
2. Witness: you will take his name
upon you.
3. Inspire: spiritual experiences.
Other thoughts. Taking the
sacrament.
* We do not fulfill all of our
commandments until we partake of the sacrament.
* It is a way to be held accountable
for the thinks we promise to do better every week.
* The sacrament was one of the last
things he did before he died and one of the first things he did when he
resurrected. Do you think it is because it is important?
* Do we take the sacrament like it
is the most important thing we do in the week? Because in reality it really is!
I know I can do better at this!
How do we get investigators to
understand the importance of Sacrament Meeting?
* It is okay for investigators to
take the sacrament if they want, but explain what it means before they come!
* Don't focus on when you were
baptized, focus on the last time you took the sacrament, because you are way
past where you were when you started.
* Baptism is essential for
salvation, but also renewing that baptism is essential for salvation.
* Anytime we go to the waters of baptism
or sacrament we are humbling ourselves before God.
- Repentance is not an event. It is
not something you will just feel you have done in a certain time frame.
Repentance is a constant and never ending process.
* When we take the sacrament we
should not only think of the things that we have done wrong, but also the
things that we will do wrong. Both are taken care of during sacrament.
- As we prepare and partake of the
sacrament we should ask ourselves as the 12 Apostles asked themselves,
"Lord is it I who has or will betray you?"
How can we get a deeper
understanding of the Sacrament?
Robert D. Hales:
* Mothers and fathers, teach your
children the importance of Sacrament.
Dallin H. Oaks:
- if it is called the church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the we must also build a foundation upon his
name. The title is not enough.
- Every thing is done through Jesus
Christ.
- Covenanting at baptism or at
sacrament is taking that share of the lords mission upon yourself.
Neil L. Anderson:
- Covenants don't only bring
commitments, but spiritual power.
Jeffery R. Holland:
- We should be focusing on the
sacrament along time before the Priest knees down to give the prayer.
- Sacrament is an ordinance.
(Important)
Other thoughts
- Don't just be active in the
church, be active in the gospel.
- Sacrament layers upon itself each
week until we get a deeper commitment to follow God.
- Sacrament helps us to truly become
one with Christ. The bread and the water dissolve within us and become one with
us.
- Do we take his name upon us I
vain?
* Thou shalt not take the lord thy
God in vain!
* Baptism and sacrament give us a
chance to take his name upon us, but if we don't do the right thing it is in
vain.
- Don't take the sacrament unless you
were there for both prayers. Stay for the next meeting or come earlier next
time.
- The symbolism of the sacrament is
what is most Important.
- Just like symbolism in the temple
is to teach us a doctrine and truth. The truth taken inside of us is what makes
us change.
* What we would say to the Catholic
brain is you is listen to the Mormon brain in you instead! -President Ames
- Becoming like Christ takes
planning. Magnify your calling and you won't go home and turn away from the
church.
* Take MY "Yoke" upon
you....
- As we do that we step along in
Jesus' footsteps instead of having to find our own way.
- The sabbath day is a day we are
rescued. It is our weekly rescue!
- Do we make our chapel like our
temple?
- It should however be just as
sacred and quiet as a temple. If you need to visit go in the foyer.
- We physically taste the bread and
the water, but do we spiritually taste it?
Ulysses Soares:
- How can we teach others so they
feel this?
1. Conversations outside the chapel.
2. Teach them about covenants.
3. Teach them about coming to
Christ.
4. This is the way to overcome
Satan.
- God will always show his love, and
the spirit will always be a teacher. You will always feel the love of God, but
it takes worthiness to be uplifted and edified.
Rosemary Wixom:
* Sister experience:
- Sometimes sacrament is more a
wrestling match than a spiritual feast.
- Most sisters however come to
church hungry to be fed and have a hard time with kids.
1. Counsel together:
- Ask children what they can do to
be quiet. How can we as a family change?
2. Be patient with
children and their parents:
- They are trying there hardest.
3. Continually teach
the importance of Sacrament:
- Make it a weekly goal to have a
lesson in the week of the sacrament or church.
- Help make crafts for your kids to
focus in church.
* Other thoughts
- Talk with your stake president
about the issues of translating for kids.
- Link a friend that speaks both to
the kids.
- Teach mothers to make a craft for
there kids at church, before church.
Elder Cook:
- Give back the sacrament to the
Savior.
Sister Ames:
- If you want to show respect let
your mother or wife take the sacrament first.
- As you hold e tray for others you
are showing the. That you are there to help them through the week.
- Presidents Ames holds the bread
for a while after he gets it to make sure he is connected with the savior, and
to make sure he is ready to make the sacrifice and commitment before he takes
it.
Sabbath day Observance in the Home
David A. Bednar:
- Everything that we do is focused
on families in this church and being united and sealed at home.
- Multigenerational families are so
important.
Also today we had dinner with this
sweet old lady that I feel is like my mission grandma! She loves making food
and having the missionaries over, but she also loves to talk and say only the
truth and sometimes the truth hurts for us haha. However we forgive her,
because she is close to her 90's and still one tough lady!
Also she is the queen of the
casseroles for sure! Sorry mom! She has had more experience, but she will never
beat the love and everything else that you do for me!
Also you are the queen of chicken
pillows and pretty much every other food including cheese cake! After our amazing dinner with her we went to the church to type up the programs for our two baptisms tomorrow!! It was an amazing day!
Saturday:
Wow today was definitely a day I
will never forget! So today we had our normal studies and even had the
opportunity to pass by a beauty shop that we got a Referral too. As we walked
in the place was packed, the lady we needed to talk to was swamped with people,
and everyone was staring at us. There was no way we were going to be able to
talk to her in that moment! So I told Elder Schuhmacher to go to the bathroom
so it didn't look really awkward for us to just walk in and out. As he was in
the bathroom the lady we were going to visit with actually finished up her
costumer and was asking if I was getting a haircut, so without the help of
Elder Schuhmacher and with the help of God I was able to tell her why we were
there and actually give her a card and Book of Mormon. She thanked me and left
and then Elder Schuhmacher walked walked out and was trying to figure out what
happened! He was very impressed. So after that we went and visited with Hermano
Peña and his sister, who is from California, to see how they were doing!
Hermano Peña is recovering so well and just needs his time alone! He doesn't
like a lot of visitors, but never pushes anyone away. After our amazing visit
we changed and went to the church to get the font filled up and get the room
ready for our 2 Baptisms that we had! The baptism went amazing and I was so
nervous to baptize and speak in Spanish in front of everyone. As I started
going I realized I have no reason to be nervous. This is a day for Mesmerize
and Hennessy! So elder Schuhmacher baptized Hennessy and I baptized Mesmerize.
It was such a good experience for me to go through. And they were so happy
afterwards!! Hennessy is on the left and Mesmerize is by me! Then we took one
of just us two. She was not much for smiling, she was very nervous and had
tears in her eyes before, because she doesn't like groups of people! But she
did amazing and the whole day was just so amazing!
Sunday:
I always say that my days are good,
but I just don't know how else to describe being blessed by God everyday. I
have seen so many miracles happen that I can not say my day was bad even if it
was hard! So today we had a great sacrament meeting, and both Elder Schuhmacher
and I got to confirm the Hennessy and Mesmerize in English in the Spanish branch!
Elder Schuhmacher confirmed Mesmerize and I confirmed Hennessy. It was scary
until I realized that most of the barrio couldn't understand what I was saying.
Haha so we both are on Koloa right now thinking about helping these girls, but
are seriously looking for some more people who need the gospel so they can feel
the same happiness that we have! What an amazing day we had and also there was
a so called Super Moon lunar eclipse tonight that was pretty cool! So don't
worry I am working my butt off and getting to enjoy my hour a free time before
bed! Oh also I was asked by our district leader, Elder Hornberger to give a
disempeño, sorry a role play this Wednesday on contacting with the Book of
Mormon and I am super nervous. However I have the faith that the lord will help
me with the language!
Well as you can tell my week was more than I could have ever asked for!
Thank you for all of you emails, letters, thoughts, and prayers! They
help me greatly as I serve the Lord! If you have written me and I
haven't responded give me a while, I am very slow at my responding to
letters!
I love you all and pray for you every single day! If you don't believe
that email my companion!
If it wasn't for the people I love at home supporting me, my mission
would be very different! I always have the love and motivation I need
and a a loving every hard and easier moment I am get!
I want to leave you with a quote that I heard this week.
-"If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what
you have always gotten."
-President Ames
Please really think about this as you go through this week.
If you want something to change in your life you have to do something different!
I challenge you all to change something in your life so you can feel
the love that our Heavenly Father has for you!
Have a great week!
Thank you for all of you emails, letters, thoughts, and prayers! They
help me greatly as I serve the Lord! If you have written me and I
haven't responded give me a while, I am very slow at my responding to
letters!
I love you all and pray for you every single day! If you don't believe
that email my companion!
If it wasn't for the people I love at home supporting me, my mission
would be very different! I always have the love and motivation I need
and a a loving every hard and easier moment I am get!
I want to leave you with a quote that I heard this week.
-"If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what
you have always gotten."
-President Ames
Please really think about this as you go through this week.
If you want something to change in your life you have to do something different!
I challenge you all to change something in your life so you can feel
the love that our Heavenly Father has for you!
Have a great week!
Through Christ we can do all things!
(Alma 26:12)
Con Amor,
Elder Spendlove
