Dear Family and Friends!! This week was amazing! And I was able to
see so many blessings take place serving the lord!! As I was writing
this week in my journal I started thinking about the week and really how
many blessings I have seen and the feelings of love and happiness I
have been able to feel! I know that without this gospel I would feel fun
times, but never everlasting joy. Never forget what the Lord truly
gives you as you go from day to day!
Here is my week and sorry it is super long!
Week January 11-17 2016
Monday:
Wow
today was a very enjoyable day for me! So we had the opportunity like
every week to have our Pday and we started out by going to the Denton
Library just down the street from us to email for an hour! For me
emailing can be a stressful process thinking I have so much to do, until
I get into the amazing details of how everyone is doing and the fun
times that I am not missing out on, because I am reading how their life
is going. So after an hour we got picked up by the ASL missionaries and
got to work really fast by going shopping at Aldis and Walmart to get
the best deals and it went by really fast! After that we went to the
church and were able to email, fly the quad copter that my zone leader
has, and play lots of games like, basket ball, scatter ball and even I
learned a little bit of Jujitsu from another elder who took classes. He
says I am a pretty fast learner and that I have good technique, but
sadly I have know idea what I am really doing!?
After our Pday
ended really fast we had the chance of being apart of a Family Home
Evening that we have never been apart of, and we were able to teach all
of the children so that they could understand the gospel of Jesus Christ
(Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and
enduring to the end)
We used papers as stepping stones, and
it was a lot of fun! We also played so me simon says, or Jesus says,
which was lead by a new Spanish sister missionary named sister Farnes
and then had a wonder dinner that a member bought! We got Pizza with cup
cakes and it was the really good pizza as well. I feel a little ripped
off that this is what I have missing out on for 7 months, because this
is my first home evening as a missionary, and I love it!! Today was a
really fun and relaxing day!!:)
Tuesday:
So
today started out really amazing, but ended out a little rough for me!
So today we had the opportunity to go an work at a soup kitchen known as
Our Daily Bread for all morning. As we were there we had the
opportunity to clean the walk in fridge and freezer and we also learned
how to cut meats and fruits the best ways to have the tastiest food!
Really I doubt it charges much, but ever tip helps when you can't cook
like me!? So we also got the chance to cut up onions and man I can say I
had a really good cry today and I can still feel it burning my eyes as I
am trying to stay awake to write how my day went! So as I was sitting
in there watching all of the homeless people I kept thinking how bad I
felt for my brothers and sisters, but at the same time I feel like my
mission is also showing me what I don't ever want to to though! So after
our service we went and had some great studies and then Elder 'Otuafi
made us both dinner!! He did pretty good and we had pork chops with rice
and veggies that was super filling! So we took a bus to the church and
that is when the day slowly became hard for me! We had an investigator
tell us he was going to come, but for the last 3 nights he had said that
and again he said that he was going to be there at 7 and then it came
around 7:30 and he never came and he would not answer his phone.
So
it came down to it that we, I felt wasted time, sat there waiting and
calling and making plans for other days. My goal was to have a lesson
everyday in my mission, but I think that goal was a little off, I think
that my new goal should be to understand God and do what he wants me to
do! So my new goal is that and now all I can think about is how I can
accomplish that and find more people to think. So for me I was really
upset just thinking that I need to do better, but I am glad that when I
am down I always have a comp to pick me up, and when my comp is down,
somehow I am always positive! All I can say is that missions are not
easy, but the joy and things you learn in the end make them so worth it!
So I don't say I had a hard day to get pity, but to get my point across
that Heavenly Father is helping me to become better! Also we did get
our investigator to answer and we are having our lesson tomorrow we hope! So really today was a good day!:)
Wednesday:
Holy
cow! Today was a huge switch up for the both of us!! We had the amazing
opportunity to start our day off with a really good District meeting in
English, because our English speaking Zone Leaders were present with
us! However today was the first time in District meeting that I finally
understood the point of the restoration to the fullest, and not because
it was in English, but because it was taught by someone new and outside
of the District! So I learned a lot a lot!! Here is one of the things of
most worth unto me for my meeting!
We must not
teach the investigators that they are wrong, but teach upon their
beliefs, until they understand for their selves thought the scriptures
where they are wrong! Never bring the Book of Mormon in to fast to
conversations or lessons because sometimes it creates a block for them
to push away off of. And lastly ask questions to understand them and
then ask questions to see what they believe and sometimes they can teach
themselves what they want and need to do!
Do not be afraid
to use their bible to find scriptures so that they know how and that we
believe in the same things that they do! Then after our interviews we
had the opportunity to have our Mission President Interviews, and I had
so many thoughts and questions in my interview that I wish I could have
recorded it and also asked many more questions, but what he told me was
stuff I needed to hear that he had never even heard me talk about!
After
dinner we had the opportunity to have Hno. Hildreth, our Ward Mission
Leader, go out with us and teach an investigator Angela with her two
kids who are 8 and 7! We taught the two kids and the boy really wants to
be baptized, so we will keep working with them to see how that works!
We also went to an inactive Hno.s house whose wife isn't a member, but
was close to being baptized a while back. We taught about the importance
of the church and how we look at it as a way to become better. We had a
powerful lesson with her and her husband and I could just feel so much
power when I was testifying and talking to them! I truly felt the love
that my savior has for them and I hope that I can keep that love forever
with everyone I see! Lastly we met our investigator Emanuel Guillen in
the church and had just enough time to give him a powerful tour of the
church! I learned tonight that it is a huge thing to be able to get
investigators in the church meeting the people walking around going to
and from meetings, and that it is even more important to have a member
there with them! We had Hno. Hildreth there to teach him more about ever
part of the church so that he understood perfectly what a church was
and whAt each class was really for! Today was a true blessing of God and
I think it worked out for us, because we focused so hard on planning
the day before so we wouldn't have a rough day like we just had. So
today's biggest lesson was that God loves when we do what he wants. Love
him, and do what he says and you will see miracles!
Thursday:
Today was a very refreshing day for me! To start off the day we woke up at 6:30
instead of at 6 like we have been waking up, and we worked out with the
other elders at our house, and the 30 minutes extra of sleep really
made the difference for me for the whole day! So today we had our full
studies and then we went over to the City Library where we were able to
plan for the week and it was a really good amount of time to learn and
also find ways to get more investigators! So as we were planning we had a
knock on our study room door and as we looked out it was a guy that
keeps bothering Elder 'Otuafi that is gay and wears a skirt and red
hair. It isn't that we hate him, but he is always acting really weird
when we are there and he won't leave us alone. So we just tried to
pretend he wasn't there and finish our weekly planning. After our
studies we went over to the church before dinner and wrote our ward
email that looks like this right here!
!La Clave de Nuestras Familias¡
Hola Hermanos y Hermanas,
Nosotros
como misioneros solo queremos decirles gracias por todo que hacen
ustedes para la obra del Señor y también esperemos que su semana fue
bien exitoso.
Nuestro mensaje hoy es para entender más acerca del Libro de Mormón.
Unas preguntas en que podemos pensar son...
¿Ha pensado en lo que realmente es El Libro De Mormón?
¿Como puede El Libro De Mormón ayudarme en estas tiempos?
Y ¿Porque es necesario para leer El Libro De Mormón como una familia?
Presidente Ezra Taft Benson nos dijo,
“Tengo
la certeza de que si en el hogar los padres leen el Libro de Mormón en
forma regular y con oración, tanto solos como con sus hijos, el espíritu
de ese gran libro reinará en nuestro hogar así como en los que moren
allí. El espíritu de reverencia aumentará; el respeto y la consideración
mutuos crecerán. El espíritu de contención se alejará. Los padres
aconsejarán a sus hijos con más amor y sabiduría. Los hijos serán más
receptivos y sumisos al consejo de sus padres. Aumentará la rectitud. La
fe, la esperanza y la caridad --el amor puro de Cristo-- abundarán en
nuestro hogar y en nuestra vida, trayendo consigo paz, gozo y felicidad”
Sabemos que en estas tiempos difíciles tenemos que hacer tiempo por
El Evangelio en nuestras vidas. Y sabemos que Dios nos bendecirá si
hagamos estudios cada día. Por favor no niega la oportunidad de
cambiarse o su familia.
Al terminar queremos compartir
nuestros testimonios que hemos visto. cambios en nuestra vidas por medio
del Libro De Mormón. Sabemos que podamos tener paz en esta vida y
felicidad en la vida venida si hagamos los estudios del Libro De
Mormón.
"Si siempre haces lo que siempre has hecho, siempre recibirá lo que siempre has recibido."
-Presidente Ames
Esperemos que esta semana usted pueda mejorar su estudios para recibir las bendiciones de Dios!
Con Amor,
Los Misioneros De Barrio 6
So
we finished that ward letter just in time for dinner and then we got
picked up to go on exchange with Hno. Tryon. We went over to the Village
East Apartments and knocked some doors that we had gotten ahold of the
other week, but all of them kind of canceled with us so we went to find a
lady that Hno. Tryon is supposed to Home teach, and come to find out,
she is 20 and has a 4 year old in a wheel Chair and she is also pregnant
with only a boyfriend she has to travel to see. It was really sad to
see, but she told us she would be coming to our family home evening and
we hope she does come and likes it! It really put in perspective for me
how crazy life could have been for me if I was not a member of this
church. After our visit there we were going to go and teach an
investigator, but he decided it would be better to teach him tomorrow,
so we kind of ran out of ideas and decided to go and contact some
people over in what is known and Cement City, over on the Stella Street,
and as we knocked on door we were expecting rejection, but this sweet
mother opened the door and her two daughters who were twins and about 5
years old each or 7 were there at the door too and we started teaching
simply while talking to her and come to find out she has 5 kids! She was
just like my family! I testified of how the gospel can bless her family
and she said she would love to hear more, so we got her number and we
are going to go back and teach her this next Thursday!
For us today was a huge success, and we just hope that we are able to
really get back to this Hermana and really see there are blessings with
this gospel!!
Friday:
Wow
todas was a really good day! So today we had the opportunity to go to
Our Daily Bread, a soup kitchen, to serve the homeless food, and it was a
lot of fun! As we were working we were able to visit and just have fun
times with the whole district washing dishes! As we finished we had to
leave with a fun selfie and head our separate ways! We headed back to
our apartment and began our studies which took up our time until around 5:15.
As I was doing personal study I just found so many scriptures to help
back up them apostasy and why it happened for all the people that try to
beat their way around it! After that study session I just felt like I
could sit there for hours finding more things, it gave me excitement for
the next time I can study the gospel! At 5:15
we decided to run to the post office to grab so,e boxes so we could
both send home some things that we had been holding on too, that we
really wouldn't need out here. We got home just in time to pack them and
head to dinner with a sister from our ward, Hna. Farfal! She is from
Chile and is a very sweet lady! She always jokes about finding a husband
as a blessing of feeding us, and we love her great attitude about life!
She bought us huge hamburgers from LSA Burger and it was just a good
time getting to know her better! After dinner we decided to go and do
some exploring in some new areas, because our appointment fell through
until tomorrow!
We actually had some success and found 2 people that the missionaries
have passed by before that are willing to have us pass by again! We
loved today and had the best exercise because we biked our whole area in
one night!;)
Saturday:
Wow
today was such a fun, and busy day for us!! So to start off the day we
got all of our studies in and they were so good like always, but I felt
better about my personal studies, because I am beginning to really write
down the things I learn to remember them a little bit more! After our
studies we headed out to contact a few potential investigators, but no
one seemed to be home as we were contacting and it also began raining on
us and I was more a light sleet than a rain. So we contacted people for
about 2 hours and then we decided that we would have the same success
cleaning out our area book being warm, so we went home and cleaned out
our area book! After cleaning for a while our bishop came and picked us
up for a Wedding of some no members, and it was so much fun! It was a
simple wedding, and the couple was very nice! As we walked in everyone
was being greeted in Spanish, but me, so as I began speaking Spanish
everyone stopped talking and just looked at me. I thought I said
something wrong and was nervous, but on of them just asked, "how do you
know Spanish? You are American!?" So I got to explain to all these non
members what missionaries are and that I learned in Mexico just so I
could talk with them!! We also met a good friend David who is a member,
just very inactive, but he still doesn't drink or smoke or anything and
come to find out he is rich, like a millionaire. We keep telling each
other it is because of him following the commandment of the word of
wisdom. He has a wife and 2 kids and his wife is wanting to go to church
and be a member, but he is not wanting to!? It is a weird situation,
but he wants us to come by and spend time with him, so we got his number
and plan on passing by some day this week! Those Hispanics know how and
how not to party, so while everyone was drinking, our friend and his
wife just visited with us and the bishop and we are going to invite them
to come to church! So we only planned on spending a little bit of time
at the wedding, but spent 2 hours over waiting for the bishop to
finishing visiting! The bishop dropped us off at an investigators house
for a small lesson and we were able to teach so,etching small before
they also had to leave! We taught this inactive brother and nonmember
wife about living below our privilege and they seemed to take it well!
We expect to start seeing some good process in them as well! Today was a
very tiring day for me, but it was so amazing!
Sunday:
So
today was a very good day for both of us to have! So today we started
off our day by going to early morning meetings at the church before our
ward council meeting and then the companionships split and half go in
while half stay out of the ward council, because we have so many
missionaries in one ward! So we had a great sacrament meeting today and I
was able to prepare it and it made me think of home when sometimes I
would be upset I did it alone a lot, but I just thought how childish I
was and what and honor it really is to prepare the sacrament for others
and how much I miss it! So today in elders quorum I was asked a question
in front of the whole class by the fastest Spanish speaker I have ever
heard, and I could understand ever word he said perfectly, but I was so
embarrassed because in Spanish when you are from certain places you
sometimes switch ways of asking questions and for me it just mixes up my
brain trying to understand perfectly what was being asked meaning wise
so I just told him, "I am sorry, but I just can not understand the
question perfectly!"
I was very embarrassed, but it is all
good, because I was out of my comfort zone and was able to see what I
can get better at by studying!
So after church we were able to
eat with the bishop and his family and we had a good time getting to
know the whole family waiting for the bishop to get home. His wife has
cancer and had a stroke and can't talk well in Spanish or English, but
for some reason I understand everything just perfect and was able to
help her get the food ready while my companion was visiting with her
sons who are close to going on missions! After our amazing dinner the
bishops wife took our pictures and made us put in our families numbers
so she could send them the pictures and tell them we are doing great. It
was a great time! So this afternoon we had the chance to pass by a lot
of people and found two groups of kids in different places playing
soccer, so we played with them for like 10 minutes so they could get to
know who we were, and we had an amazing short lesson with Emanuel
Guillen and I asked him to be baptized and he said yes!!!!! He set the
date for the 13 of February
and we are so excited for him!!! All I do is keep praying for him! The
blessing I have received only today amaze me so much! I can truly say
that God knows me and loves me perfectly and I can't wait to be able to
know him perfectly as well one day!
It was a really amazing week and I am so grateful for all of you
and the things you do for me!! Have a great week and know that I love
you all so much!!
Con Amor,
Elder Spendlove
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