"Man up and play the Tuba" -Keith Simpson

So this week has been pretty great! We had tracked and tracked and did a little more track-ting. Haha! We probably didn't do that much tracting but it sure felt like it. Our Zone had the goal of passing out 600 Books of Mormon in the Month of September. So each companionship in our zone need to pass out about 40 books. So Sister Rodriguez and I have been doing all we can to Fluid the Hamilton area with the Book of Mormon. So for it has been quite the adventure!

So as I mentioned last week our investigator Lacey is getting baptized on October 15th. I am so excited for her!!!! She is progressing so well and she is now turning to the Lord on her own for help when she needs it. It really is the sweetest thing to see how the Lord really touches the hearts of his children and how the Gospel can change lives forever.

Also pretty soon Sister Rodriguez and I will be getting to go to the temple with one of the recently returned less actives! So on October 8th, I will get to go to the temple a 2nd time before i go home. Oh how blessed i feel to be able to got to the Lords house while i am serving a full time mission.

So i am so excited for General Conference!!! I am so excited Sister Rodriguez and I have a count down. Only 6 more days till we get to hear the sweet words and council from our beloved Prophet. This last few days I have been reflecting on all the fun things my parents did for us kids when i came to General Conference. For one instants i remember my sweet parents sharing the story of King Benjamin addressing his people. I remember my dad explaining that King Benjamin's address was basically the first General Conference and that as the people turned there tents towards him their hearts were touched by the spirit. Then when Conference came my mom made us a tent so we can have our hearts touched by the spirit just like King Benjamin's peoples were. So many fun memories form my childhood. As Conference is approaching please remember the wise word in which King Benjamin spoke, " My Brethren, all ye that have assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak unto you this day; for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but taught you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view."

Lacey has a baptismal date for October 15th!

So this week has been pretty great! We have spent almost every-night at my favorite humans house, "the gang". It has been so amazing to see the Gospel catch on fire with in that wonderful families lives! A member of the family Lacey has a baptismal date for October 15th! I am so excited, Lacey is a wonderful sweet girl and I know that the Restored Gospel will bless her life so much and its amazing to know that she knows that as well. I am so excited!!!! I truly love seeing how powerful the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ can bless and change so many peoples lives!!!

 

Also this week we had a wonderful Zone conference on the Doctrine of Christ. President Rogers focused alot on Repentance and forgiveness. President Rogers taught that when you are truly repenting of your sins you are turning to God and turning away from sin. That when you sincerely Repent you know how it feels to go to Gethsemane and you know how the Savior felt for a few minutes as he suffered there for you. It was just so enlightening to here the wonderful words taught my our mission president. 

So I would like to share with you all some of the things that I have been studying this week. I love the Atonement of Jesus Christ and have been studying about it a lot lately. Oh how wonderful the Atonement is. There is a wonderful quote by Elder David A. Bednar, " There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in morality that the Savior did not experience first... He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do relying only upon our own power." 

I love the Restored Gospel so much and i know that all can and will be forgiven through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. "The Lord is my light; the Lord is my strength. I know in his might I'll conquer at length. My weakness in mercy he covers with pow'r, And, walking by faith, I am blest ev'ry hour.The Lord is my light, my all and in all. There is in his sight no darkness at all. He is my Redeemer, my Savior, and King. With Saints and with angels his praises I'll sing." 

Thank you so much for all your loving support!!! I hope and pray that all is well and that as you apply the Atonement into your lives daily you will come closer to your Savior and feel his love encircle about you. 

"Its Flower Scented!" (fluorescent)

Well this week has been super fun! We have gotten the blessed privileged of helping one of our investigators chop wood for the last 5 days! It has been so much fun!!! I love having Farmers as investigators! It really just makes my day when they call asking for help. HAHA granted Sister Rodriguez has no idea whats going on, but she is willing to help and we have the best time ever!!!

I am now starting transfer 12 out of 13. Time is just flying bye!!!! Every day I pray that it will slow down but sadly it doesn't! But I am doing the Lords work so time does not matter. This week has been pretty crazy but still lots of fun! We had alot of wonderful lessons with our investigators about the Atonement! All i can say is I love the Atonement and the amazing power it has! 

Over the time I have been able to serve the Lord here in New York i have come to truly understand, how the Atonement is something every human uses everyday weather they know it or not. And for some they use it more then others. I often think of the Atonement as a life guard. A life guard is always there ready to help, and when we need help he jumps right in and keeps us safe and above water. The Atonement of Jesus Christ does the same thing for all of us. But its is our responsibility as humans to let it keep us about water and not to turn our backs on God.

Also this week we got to do some fun crafts!!! Because we are teaching so many little kids, every Saturday now we have a craft day. We teach short lesson and as a reward for being so good during our lessons for the week we do something fun. This week we made a prayer poster! and each kid made there own prayer foot print to remind them to pray and how to pray. It was so much fun! We also made scripture cases with the some other kids we have been seeing and taught them about the importance of keeping our scriptures safe and taking care of them. 

It is so much fun being a missionary!!! I cant believe it has gone by so fast! “I have often said one of the greatest secrets of missionary work is work! If a missionary works, he will get the Spirit; if he gets the Spirit, he will teach by the Spirit; and if he teaches by the Spirit, he will touch the hearts of the people and he will be happy. There will be no homesickness, no worrying about families, for all time and talents and interests are centered on the work of the ministry. Work, work, work—there is no satisfactory substitute, especially in missionary work.”

thank you for all your love and support!!

4 Transfers in 1 area!

Well this week, seemed short and long! We have been able to still see so many miracles!!!! I just love it!

So on important news, I am staying in Hamilton for a 4th transfer so I will most likely leave my last transfer. But who knows the Lord may have mercy on me and let me finish my mission here.

So its been a while sense I told you guys some fun stories and boy oh boy I have quite a few!!!

Alright we have been doing a ton of Finding, mostly knocking on peoples doors. So on Tuesday we were knocking doors on a road called Johnny Cake Hill, and we knocked on this cute old ladies door. In my mind I thought she would be nice but no. She looked at me straight in the eyes and said, " you are a cult" So we just left and I busted up laughing because after 15 months that was the first time any one has ever told me I was apart of a cult. Then the next experience I thought was pretty legit! We were of coarse knocking on doors again but this time another little old lady answered and was nice for the most part but told me our Jesus wasn't the right Jesus. I thought to myself. "well wait there is only 1 Jesus so how are we wrong." Then I bore sold testimony to her and told her she should check her resource because I knew that Jesus Christ I my lord and savior and if that was wrong, well I was living one happy lie. So that was all super fun!!!

We are now teaching a whole family!!! There are 8 people! We first started teaching the kids (there are 6 of them) because the mom told us that was ok. But then on Sunday, we got the best text message for the kids mom. She asked if her and her husband could get one of the books (the book of moron) from us because she to would like to read it. So we went over and have them 2 copies with our testimonies. We had a wonderful lesson and today they asked us if we could come over and have a lesson with the whole family. So tonight we are going over and doing a family home evening lesson on the Restoration! It will be lots of fun!!!! I have never seen so many people that are prepared for the message of the Restored Gospel it is just amazing!!!

Also today we got to go on a amazing hike in the mountains here in New York!!! It was so much fun!!! We hiked up Bold Mountain in the Adirondack. It was so much fun!!! The view was amazing and I felt like I was back at home! We got to climb into a old fire look out station and that was just wonderful!

I have 12 weeks left and it is crazy thing to think that time has gone by so fast! But I am so grateful for this wonderful opportunity to serve our Lord and Savior! I have found a scripture just recently that I love so very much!!! D&C 50:13-16 " wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question- unto what were ye ordained? To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth. And then received ye spirit, which ye could not understand, and received them to be of God; and in this are ye justified? Behold ye shall answer this question yourselves; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto you; he that is weak among you hereafter shall be made strong." I know that through doing the Lords work I will be made strong and those in whom I am blessed to teach will be made stronger!

Thank you for all your loving support!!!