try #2

due to a rather unfortunate internet disconnection at the family history center yesterday, I wasn't ever able to send out the e-mail I had writted. aqui esta.

 

Mi querida familia, 

I've realized the past couple weeks that I already have less than a year left of my mission. I can't believe it! The time is going by so fast. 

We had a couple really great lessons with some investigators this week. We were able to have 3 investigators attend services during stake conference, which was great. They had a meeting right before the general session for recent converts, returning less actives, and investigators. We had 2 investigators there and when it first started, I was a little nervous to see how the meeting would go. It ended up being really really good. They had some temple missionaries teach for a little bit and I think it was right on with what the 2 of them (our investigators) needed to hear. I had felt that maybe we should focus on the temple with them, so I think it reinforced some of that. We also had an investigator come to the general session too, it was his first time ever coming to church, so it was kind of weird trying to explain to him why this meeting was different from how we had explained the normal services. The meeting was really great and despite the really distracting family sitting in the rowright in front of us, he told us he really liked it (...prayer works!).

This man is really interesting. He is open and receptive to us, and the principles we teach, but focuses alot on and has alot of questions about deeper doctrinal questions, that don't usually relate very well to what we're trying to teach. He's open to us turning the conversation back to our message, but it takes some time. He and his daughter really love talking religion and soak up everything we give them. We gave his daughter an Ensign that had a couple articles about Joseph Smith for her to read and he told us that she's been studying from that.  He has been progressing though and keeps every commitment, and reads alot from the Book of Mormon, both he and his daughter.

Something I've been realizing this week is the importance of both being bold and "aggressive", but also being gentle and loving as well. Sometimes I think I focus more on getting people to do something because I want them to do it, for stats, or whatever, in stead of focusing on the why we commit them to do it. So, I'm trying to remind myself why we actually commit people to do something and focus on how I can help them to accomplish them so that they can see and feel the blessings of the Gospel, and especially the Atonement, in their individual lives.  

Hope you're all doing well.

Miss and love you,

-Hna. LaPierre

try #2

due to a rather unfortunate internet disconnection at the family history center yesterday, I wasn't ever able to send out the e-mail I had writted. aqui esta.

Mi querida familia, 

I've realized the past couple weeks that I already have less than a year left of my mission. I can't believe it! The time is going by so fast. 

We had a couple really great lessons with some investigators this week. We were able to have 3 investigators attend services during stake conference, which was great. They had a meeting right before the general session for recent converts, returning less actives, and investigators. We had 2 investigators there and when it first started, I was a little nervous to see how the meeting would go. It ended up being really really good. They had some temple missionaries teach for a little bit and I think it was right on with what the 2 of them (our investigators) needed to hear. I had felt that maybe we should focus on the temple with them, so I think it reinforced some of that. We also had an investigator come to the general session too, it was his first time ever coming to church, so it was kind of weird trying to explain to him why this meeting was different from how we had explained the normal services. The meeting was really great and despite the really distracting family sitting in the rowright in front of us, he told us he really liked it (...prayer works!).

This man is really interesting. He is open and receptive to us, and the principles we teach, but focuses alot on and has alot of questions about deeper doctrinal questions, that don't usually relate very well to what we're trying to teach. He's open to us turning the conversation back to our message, but it takes some time. He and his daughter really love talking religion and soak up everything we give them. We gave his daughter an Ensign that had a couple articles about Joseph Smith for her to read and he told us that she's been studying from that.  He has been progressing though and keeps every commitment, and reads alot from the Book of Mormon, both he and his daughter.

Something I've been realizing this week is the importance of both being bold and "aggressive", but also being gentle and loving as well. Sometimes I think I focus more on getting people to do something because I want them to do it, for stats, or whatever, in stead of focusing on the why we commit them to do it. So, I'm trying to remind myself why we actually commit people to do something and focus on how I can help them to accomplish them so that they can see and feel the blessings of the Gospel, and especially the Atonement, in their individual lives.  

Hope you're all doing well.

Miss and love you,

-Hna. LaPierre

Lovin Southern California

Buenos Dias,

I'm back to loving Southern California, it's been 70s and 80s all week. Perfect weather. I love it, it doesn't feel like January at all. 

As far as the work goes, we've been focusing more on referrals, and contacting and following up on referrals than we have with going to former, etc. in order to find new investigators this week. It's made the work alot easier and more fun. We had been visiting and revisiting the same people for a long time, and it had made things drag alot. Having referrals is great because it's helped us to keep on moving, and keeps the work changing. If they aren't there after so many times, then we move on to other referrals, which helps the work flow more and us to be more efficient. 

We were able to pick up 4 new investigators this week and picked up a couple more the week earlier from referrals, and through other ways as well (talking to a neighbor of an investigator, etc.). We began teaching a former investigator, who called us up last Sunday and told us that he had been involved in some "bad things" and had been hanging around with the wrong group of people. He expressed to us his strong desire to change and recognized that he needs God in his life. We had a really nice lesson with him this week and we all felt the Spirit testify of the atoning power of Christ and His Gospel. Our other new investigators are also doing well. One woman, we just met and had a lesson with her, she only speaks English, so we'll teach her enough to pass her off to the English elders soon. We also met Roberto and his daughter Susan, who are religious as well, and open to learning. He has alot of questions, especially about the "Rapture" (as far as I understand, it's pretty much similar to our belief about the resurrection, hopefully I'm not agreeing to false doctrine though).As far as his questions, he's kind of intimidating. In our last lesson, he was talking about the rapture and all of these random Bible scriptures that talk about the Rapture, etc. and kept talking.We barely got a word in! He's really interesting to listen to though, but it wasn't really going anywhere as far as our message. Finally, we talked about the Book of Mormon, and how that's our purpose and message. There's alot of things that we can talk about and beliefs we can compare and discuss, but in all reality, it's not really our purpose there. We invite people to read the Book of Mormon, because that's where the answers are. If anyone wants to learn about our beliefs, the best place to go is the Book of Mormon. As soon as the conversation shifted to the simple truths, the spirit was strong in the room and they were listening really intently. It was amazing. They are both really sweet. 

There are so many interesting, random people we've talked to this week. While we were contacting referrals, we met this one man, who used to race cars and his apartment was FULL of pictures, and certificates, and awards and his old license plates. He reminded me of Doc Hudson on Cars. We also met this man from Australia who came over to the U.S. a while ago, he used to be a drunk, but through his wife's example, started going to church to change his life around (not interested in our church unfortunately, but it was still super interesting to listen and talk to). He's kind of a closet cat person, he was talking for almost half an hour about each one of his cats and how they got them. I never thought you could talk about any animal for that amount of time, but I've been lucky to meet several people on my mission who can. 

We have a less active that we're working with that keeps asking us about the Avenging Angel. I have no idea what that is, something about in the early church history, it was an angel that killed people that prosecuted the church.  He says he saw it on a video and swears that it's true. I have no idea what to tell him other than that it's probably not true and that alot of people like to skew our beliefs to confuse people. He's so interesting. He's another talker and I don't think he really likes to be taught, he likes being the teacher. So alot of our lesson ends up being him talking and then us trying to steer the lesson a certain way, it not working out so well, and then him continuing to talk, and eventually, somehow he kind of comes to some conclusion himself. Last week we learned that he loves the Book of Mormon and believes it's the word of God, but doesn't believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet, so that's given us something to try to work with with him. He and Roberto are teaching me to be more patient, I think because it is so hard for me to listen to people when I feel like it's going off topic and when they won't let me control the conversation. I just want them to get back on track and so I start to tune out on what they're saying. I get really frustrated really fast with that, so maybe it's good for me to be teaching them. 

Anyways hope you're doing well. I'm still alive and kickin', so things are good. 

Miss you and love you,

Hermana LaPierre

Hola familia,

the b2 bomber that flew by during the rose parade. It was soooooo cool. loved it. 

me and Hna. Duran after exchanges. she was my companion for the dayour

district last transfer

This week was good. I got to go to San Gabriel on Tuesday and it was AWESOME! I loved it so much. It's alot different than Tujunga- there's alot more space, less apartments and it's flat, but it was really fun. The work there is going really well. We taught almost every hour, which was really nice. I really loved being there, I learned alot that I want to apply to our area. 

We had a lesson at a member's home with an investigator that we've been working with for a while. We taught the plan of salvation. She was a little preoccupied with her daughter, so it made teaching her a little difficult, but it was still really good. She got to feel the Spirit in their home and see what a real family is like. It was really funny, when we began, I asked the 10 year old girl (who is a member) what the Plan of Salvation is, she said something like when all the cows died, and then started talking about grasshoppers. I don't know what was funnier- my expression, her parents', or our investigator's. I guess she got confused with the circle of life, and the 7 plagues in the story of Moses, which she's learning about in school. It was a good ice breaker and made everyone laugh, so it was good. 

I've been a little frustrated with one of our investigators this week because she agrees alot to what we say, she'll read a little of what we assign her to do, she sometimes keeps appointments, but I don't really see that she has really taken responsibility herself. We've been wanting to teach her the law of Chasity for a couple weeks now (she and her boyfriend live together) and each time we go to teach her, for some reason it falls through (can I just say how much I hate Satan?!) For the most part, it's all things legitimate, but it keeps her from us being able to teach it to her. She has also not been attending church. Every week she says she'll try to be there, but something gets in the way every time. She has a strong desire to continue learning and she says she feels herself coming closer to God, but at the same time, she's not really taking responsibility for herself. 

Besides her, we don't have many investigators yet, but we've set a really high goal for referrals this week and we want to focus on that and on contacting referrals this week. We also had a former investigator call us yesterday to set up an appointment this week, which was really really exciting. 

Transfer calls were on Saturday and we didn't get a call so I'll be here for at least another 5 weeks! (this transfer is one week shorter than normal). I'm excited, I just hope that I've learned what I needed to learn these past 3 transfers to get the work moving here. I make mistakes all. the. time. and it drives me crazy, but at the same time, I've learned and am learning alot. I really love missionary work. I've been focusing alot on praying more for things this week. Especially for praying for specific things, for me as a missionary, for our investigators, and as a companionship. It's been opening up alot of really good opportunities for us and for the work. 

I love you all. 

Love, 

 Me. 

hey!!

Hola familia, 

This week was good. The missionaries in our zone got to go to the Rose Parade this week, which was awesome!!! Apparently Elder Cook was across the street from us, but we didn't go over to talk to him,some of the elders did though. 

This week, we received a few referrals from members in the ward and made really good contact with one and are still trying to get in contact with the other 2. We've had some good contacts with former investigators, neighbors of less actives, and street contacts. In fact, several of the people we've talked to the past couple weeks have strong connections to the church already (they have extended family that are members, etc.). One thing that I've been trying to learn is how to get our pool of potential investigators to become investigators, and when to stop chasing them down, so we can move the work forward rather than always going to the same people who are not progressing. This past transfer has taught me alot. It's been very challenging, but also a huge blessing, a good challenge. I love missionary work.

We were supposed to have exchanges last week, but the night before, Hna. Connelly was up all night sick (literally all night) and it wasn't a very good night for either of us, so we ended up having to reschedule exchanges. We spent pretty much all day at home and then went out for one lesson that night. I felt so bad for her. We'll be doing exchanges tomorrow now, so I'll get to go to East LA (San Gabriel) for a day. I'm excited!

There are alot of little miracles happening here still. We had a great lesson with a LA family we've been working with. When we first came, they were really reluctant to do anything, but a couple lessons ago, we invited them to read the scriptures as a family and the next time we came back they told us that they had! In our last lesson with the father and one of their daughters, both of them said a kneeling prayer at the end of the lesson! Slowly, they are making the steps to let Christ in their home. Another exciting thing was that we finally got to start meeting with Isis again, an investigator we've been teaching for a couple months. We committed her to baptism last Tuesday and she said yes to a date. Originally, we had given her a date of January 13th, but the next couple days neither of us felt good about that date. We've decided to change the date to the 27th. I think she can be prepared that day. We're going to be focusing alot on her these next few weeks to prepare her for baptism. 

I love working with Hna. Connelly. We are very united and both are dedicated to working hard. Sometimes, I get worried that I'm not doing everything right as a trainer, but we're learning together, and I am learning a ton as we go. We had a funny experience last night as we were sleeping, somehow we had started talking about one of our less actives in our sleep and slowly came too as we were talking about how we could help her! (We really are united!)

Hope you're all doing well. I love you!!

-Hna LaPierre