Hello family!!

This week has been really great. 

We had a good follow up visit with Maria after her baptism on Tuesday. She said that as she was walking into the font on Sunday, she realized that she had had a dreamed her baptism before! And she knew that it was what God wanted her to do. She said after her baptism, she felt like she was in the clouds! She asked us if/ how she could do the baptisms for her grandparents because she feels like they really need it and should have the blessings. I'm so happy for her. We started talking about temples, and then somehow the prophet came up. She was so excited talking about how the prophet came to her baptism. 

....yup, she was convinced that President Monson was at her baptism!! I WISH he had been at her baptism!! Ha, it was really funny, we tried to explain how he's the leader of the church for the whole world, and showed her his picture, and still, she was convinced. Unless she saw something that we didn't, which, who knows. Anyways, that was funny, I think she was referring to one of the councellors in the mission presidency that came for the baptism. 

Well, hopefully we helped her understand that a little bit better. Anyways, then comes this Sunday, the day of her confirmation, and get a call from her ride that morning to tell us that she can't pick Maria up that day. Ok, well we called someone else and we were all set. Church starts, no Maria. Maria's ride walks in...still...no Maria. What?! For some reason, I guess she couldn't come to church because her kids came and so she couldn't leave...

so that was a bummer, but we went over after to talk to her and she had been at least reading her book of mormon, so that was really good. We got to talk to her a little bit more about the importance of confirmations and what they are, and church. she's really good, we're excited for her confirmation next week. 

I've been really impressed lately with the importance of making promised with Heavenly Father. Not sure if I shared this with you last time, but there's something about promises that really does strengthen your relationship with  Him, especially if you truly understand and do everything in your power to keep that promise. Our testimonies are strengthened, our relationship with Christ deepens and the divine help is poured out more than we usually deserve. I'm so grateful for that, and for prayer, the opportunity to kneel and communicate with Him about those promises. He really does listen. Prayer makes it all so much more real. I love the Gospel. 

Have a wonderful week!

Love you all, 

Hermana LaPierre

Maria

June 10, 2013

Hello Family!!

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This week was AMAZING! Maria got baptized yesterday!!! It was incredible.
 The Spirit was so strong. I am so grateful for the Gospel that brings so much more light into peoples lives. I am amazed by her change. At the beginning of the transfer, we were about to drop her because she hadn't been keeping commitments, we had an idea to start teaching her at the church and getting members involved more. The difference was amazing. She started keeping commitments, and coming to church more and really understanding what we were teaching her. She bears her testimony to anyone that will listen. After her baptism she came over to me in tears so filled with the Spirit and so happy, she was saying how grateful she is and how excited she is and how much she will always remember us and her baptism and everything. I love the Gospel.I love the Spirit. It was a good day.
 One of our last lessons with her she was telling us that her 10 year old daughter was baptized like 3 years ago. WHAAAT?! how does that not come up earlier?!? well, actually, it ended up not being true. at least not yet, we're on it.

We had a meeting with President Becerra and about 6 other companionships about planning on Friday. It was really good. Something that stood out to me most is the importance of praying for inspiration on the goals we make. It makes me alot more determined. 

This past week, I've felt really confused spiritually because I felt like a couple weeks before, I was closer to the Lord than I ever had been and then this past week, I felt like all of the sudden, I didn't feel the Spirit as strong as before. I prayed a lot to figure out what I was missing or what was going on and I felt like Heavenly Father was just trying to push me a little more. It's super interesting to me to see how the Lord pushes and tries us to get us to our upmost potential. He knows who we can become much better than we do and so He provides opportunities for us to learn. We, as always, have to make the decision to act. Heavenly Father works so simply and so effectively.

This week is great! love you!
Hermana LaPierre

Querida Familia, 

I am so happy. This week has been great. We're preparing for our first baptism here this following Sunday, Maria. (That's my present to you Jamie!) She's so ready and is very excited to do this. She's been coming to church every week this past month and is doing great- she participates just like a member of the ward already! We're working with her this week to make sure she has the support she needs from us, but mostly from the members. It's amazing how much quicker she progressed once members became a more central role in the teaching process.

We have another investigator, Rafael. He is AWESOME!! He's this 60-something year old man and has a pretty serious alcohol addiction. He hates it, he feels alot of sorrow about it and he wants more than anything to get rid of it. He is so funny though because he always talks about how he's going to get baptized "para cumplir todo justicia"- he always says that after we gave him a tour of the chapel and talked about Christ's baptism. He can't really say our names very well, especially my companion Hna. Crawley. Bless his heart, he just always sounds like he has a speech impediment whenever he says her name. We like to tease her for that. He loooooves us. Everyone that walks in and out of his house while we're there, he tells them to come learn with us, and he tells them how we're going to baptize him and how he's going to "cumplir todo justicia" when he gets baptized. Words do not do justice to explain this man. He is so awesome. It'll be interesting to note the difference in his energy after he's sober. It's debatable how much is the alcohol and how much is actually him. He has a baptismal date for the end of the month. He knows that he needs Heavenly Father to help him overcome alcoholism, and he is clasping on for dear life. It's a challenge for him of course, because it is such a serious addiction (5 or 6 cervezas cada dia, por lo menos), but we're working with him. He's been reading and keeps his commitments, which is great. He always remembers when our appointments are, and he lists them off for us before we go. We're working on getting powerful member presents to come with us for support. Every time we talk to him he tells us how much he wants to get baptized! We're praying hard for him and Maria!

I've been growing and learning so much this week. Everyday is different, I have a new perspective on my mission, on the Gospel, myself, etc. We just had zone conference this past week. It was really good. President talked alot about repentance. He has a very suave way of calling us to repentance. It was good, I made a lot of goals and things I can do to become better and more effective. As a mission, we're doing a purification fast, where you fast for 40 days from habits that "poke at your spirit". The first day we fast and you personally and prayerfully make a list of 10 things that keep you from having the spirit (thoughts, actions, activities, obedience, etc.) and then you fast from those things for 40 days. I'm excited to do it. It's intense, but really good and worth it. It should be a really incredible experience.  President is really really excited for the broadcast that they are doing from the new mission president conference coming up. Apparently President Monson and others are broadcasting one of your meetings church wide. It's called "The Work of Salvation" on the 23rd of june. We're getting together that day as a mission, all of us are fasting and then we're going to watch the broadcast all together. I'm really excited. (Mom and dad, pick good seats so I can see you!) President and Sister Becerra are super excited for you two. They keep asking me how you're doing and what you're doing right now and how you're feeling. 

 

This past month and especially this past week, I feel like I've come to know Heavenly Father better than I have my entire life. The Gospel gets realer and realer every day. 

love and miss you, 

Hermana LaPierre