Missionary Writings

HOLA familia!!

Como estan? This week has been great! My new companions are awesome, they have tons of life and energy and they want to be here!! Which I love, we're going to be doing tons of work here this month. We're also going to have a baptism this month. Just wait.

So....my new companions. Hermana Quezada is from Springville UT. She's super cute, half Mexican....I'm jealous. Doesn't speak spanish though, but she's really driven to learn it, so that's been really good. She's got a ton of energy, which is really good. Hermana Crawley is so cute. She's probably the sweetest girl I've ever met. She's too nice. She's waiting for her visa to go to Buenos Aires Norte! She's so full of faith and tons of love, so she's awesome. She had to go home after the MTC for a medical issue and so while she was home, somehow she found my mission blog. It was kind of weird to have her know so much about my mission. She was asking me about my investigators by name and then would ask me about funny experiences she had read about. She's so sweet.

Training 2 hermanas at the same time has been a different experience. It's fun though. They're pretty easy to train so far, so I can't really complain. It's just a different way of doing things and working with them, but I'm learning as I go and the Spirit is helping me out. I'm pretty confident that things will be really good this month.

We had dinner with a member this week and when we got there, she told us she had a surprise for us. I was so convinced that it was that she was dating someone in the ward or that she was engaged or something like that. the whole time I was totally expecting something like that. After dinner, she went and grabbed something.You could tell she was so excited to show us. She came back and handed us her temple recommend! You could tell she was so proud. She was so excited. As she showed us she got so emotional and her eyes were so full of tears and all she could say was "I'm so happy". I will never forget her face, how excited she was, smiling and crying, after having been through so so much for so long to finally have a temple recommend. That was such a powerful experience for me to see how much it meant to her to have a recommend. It made me realize how much it really means, how important it really is. She said she just felt so different already and she hadn't even gone through yet! THIS is why I am here!! I'm here to help people get there! I love her so much. I will never not be worthy to be there. After what it takes so many people to get there, seeing how much they treasure it, how can you not do everything you can to make sure you always have a recommend? I will never forget that.

This week has been great. I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK!!!

I love you all. Hope everything is good.

love,

Hermana LaPierre

May 12 Letter

Well...I hope you're all doing well since we last talked yesterday. It was a pleasure to see all of you...very sorry none of you got to see me for very long. (why didn't anyone tell me my video was off earlier?!) Anyways, things are going well.

I don't remember if I told you yesterday, but I dropped off my companion this morning. She'll be going to Pasadena in English work. And.... I'm going to train! (I guess there's really not much of a surprise about that anymore). But, this time, I'm training 2 sisters. One that's here for good and another that's a visa waiter. They come tomorrow. I'm excited. It should mix things up as far as training goes. So that'll be interesting.

There's been a completely new standard for the work now. President just got back from a mission president conference and was talking to Elder Perry who told him that we need to be baptizing at least once a month. So that's what we're going to do. It's going to stretch me, but it's going to happen. That's the standard now for everyone in the mission, doesn't matter what culture we work with. I'm excited. It'll make us change how we work, and work harder for the Spirit. Bring it on!

I love you all. It was so good to see you!!

Love,

Hermana LaPierre

May 6 Letter

Hello Family!!

How are you all doing? 

 

We still aren't sure about skyping/ calling this Sunday. I'm not sure who in the ward has a skype for us to use, so we'll have to find someone first. I may just be calling. Either way, I'll probably call or have my companion call first so you'll know. 

Things are going great this week. We contacted a homeless man that was a referral. He's super interesting. From New York. He has a million stories. He was married to an LDS woman once so he's fairly familiar with the Church. 

We also had a really awesome day yesterday! We've been working with this family since we got to Pomona and after 2 weeks, things started to feel weird with them and they started missing appointments and it was just weird, We haven't had a full sit down lesson with them for a long time. Well, they (the woman and her boyfriend's daughters) came yesterday to church!!! It was so great! We got to talk to her during the second hour (we grabbed her before she went to sunday school and talked to her in the empty chapel). Her son is a member and just got sealed to his wife in LA on Saturday. She got to go and wait in the visitors center while they got sealed and it sounds like it was amazing for her! We got to talk to her about how someday after she gets baptized, she'll be able to go in there. She's so excited. She really wants to get baptized. I'm so excited for her and so glad things are back on track with her. 

Something I've learned about faith this week is how faith is really trusting in who Heavenly Father is. We learn about His attributes by reading the scriptures and reading about how He works with His children. When we learn who He is then we can trust that He will help us. He is constant, He does the same yesterday today and forever. If that's true, then we know that He will give us answers to our prayers. He's done that countless times in the scriptures and in the past, so why can't He do it today?!  He's performed hundreds of miracles, so why not now? He loves each of us like we were His only child. He wants the very best for us. If we really believe and trust that, how can we doubt that He'll answer our pleas and perform miracles today? He wants us to succeed. He wants to see us back. We just have to show Him that we trust that, by doing our part by moving forward with complete confidence and not looking back.

I can't wait for the day when I get to see Him again. I want to do everything I can here. I want to be able to tell Him that I did everything I could. I can't wait to kneel before Him and tell Him that I tried as hard as I could. I hope that when that day comes, He'll stand with His arms out and say "Thank-you for trying". 

I know that my Redeemer lives. He lives! 

I love you, 

Hermana LaPierre

pictures

.once again, i almost forgot the pictures for like hte 3rd week in a row. 

here they are!!

one from our temple trip a couple weeks ago (me and my companion sister ward)
one with my trio in rimgrove at Juan Martinez's baptism last week...best day of my life!
one with me and the 2 juans in rimgrove...the one that got baptized my second week there and the one that just got baptized
one from mormon helping hands!!

love you

Hola Familia

hola,

how are y'all doing? this week has been good. It feels like last monday was forever ago, but it's been great.

On Saturday we did Mormon Helping Hands with the ward. We went to a park close by to the church and cleaned it. It was alot of fun. I'm always impressed by how many cigarrette butts you can find on the ground outside. I wish I had a penny for every one I picked up. It was a good time though. The members were so funny.

We had a lesson with one of our investigators this week and we were trying to get a member to come with us. We were calling everyone we could think of and had nothing. So, we went to the lesson to teach just us. Well, we stopped by to visit a less active that lives right next door before because we got there a little early. She ended up coming with us to the lesson and it was awesome!! This woman is amazing. We've visited her a few times these past 2 weeks and she is so interesting. She's been a member her whole life but has gone inactive because of work (and some other issues), but it was amazing to watch her in our lesson. We taught about the book of mormon and what it means to recieve an answer that it's true. She would bear testimony and would say exactly what Maria (our investigator) needed to hear. It was amazing. You could tell they both were really taking into consideration what they were feeling. It really helped Maria because she says she accepts the Book of Mormon and believes it's true, but mostly just because it's a book about God. She hasn't really prayed and ever really gotten an answer.  She's not really committed either so we were hoping that talking about that would help her commit a little more. It was so powerful.

Latinos are so funny, they react 2 different ways to questions we ask them. Either they will just accept everything you say and say "oh si todo esta bien, todo habla de Dios" and then when you try to ask them something to go a little deeper, they'll just say "no se" OR you'll ask them one quesiton and the flood gates will open and you can't get them to stop talking. It's really funny to watch the 2 extremes, actually, it's kind of frustrating, but in a good way because it forces me to think more about how to ask better questions and teach better. Somewhere there has got to be a happy middle right?
I am so glad to be in Spanish work though. So grateful. Latinos are so fun to work with. I have never been told off by a Latino. They may have commitment issues but they will never chew you out for being a missionary. If you have Christ on your name tag then they'll always be nice to you. We've had a couple experiences talking to white people (is there a non racist way to differentiate that?) where they tell us that we're cults or that we're being deceived or they just straight up yell at us. I guess it's good because then you know right off the bat that they're not interested. It's funny how different Spanish work is than English work.

On Wednesday, we had a good day. Literally at every house we went to, they wanted to feed us and so we ate a TON of food! By our last appointment, I was sooo sick. All of the food was really good though. At this one member's house, she made a fruit salad kind of (Latino fruit salads are kind of different), bit it's really good, you eat it with chili and lemon. That was our first house and I ate alot there not knowing what was to come. At another house, we had this Nicaraguan drink that's really interesting. At first I thought it was coffee, so I was a little nervous. Turns out though that it's this kind of drink made from burning maiz and then adding sugar and water. Very interesting and good at the same time.

It's been a good week. Hope you're all doing well...Staying "Boston Strong"... :) 

Love you lots, thanks for everything.

miss and love you,

Hermana Laree LaPierre

Hello April 22, 2013

                                                                                                                                               .

Hello fam,

How is Boston? I'm glad to hear everyone is doing well...hopefully still the case. I still can't believe that happened. So sad. They (and you) are in my prayers.

This week was great. We were in Arcadia on Wednesday for a sisters meeting, it was really good. They want us to step it up, so we're going to. Our mission for the sisters is pretty crazy, pretty much every spanish sister is training right now, and if they aren't they will be in a couple weeks. They've started to open areas and move people around outside of transfer cycles because sisters are coming in outside of the normal cycle. Out of the 7 months I've been in the field I've had 1 week where I haven't been training or been trained. Just with the way the mission worked out and the spacing of the hermanas that came in, I'm now one of the 3 oldest spanish sisters, which is funny because I still feel like I'm a newby. Anyways, it's fun. There's alot that's been required of us, but it's good because it makes us learn faster. I got to talk to my companion from the MTC. She's so sweet, it was really fun to talk to get to talk to her. She's serving in an area close to my first area in Tujunga.

This week, we were walking down the street from an appointment, and ended up stopping to talk to a couple Latino men sitting outside (drinking beer...ALWAYS). One of them, Hector, ended up being a less active from the DR who just moved to LA 3 months ago from Spain. He's awesome, we set up an appointment to meet with him and when we went over there it got even better. We met a woman that he lives with (still not sure if they're "together", I don't think so) and she said that she had been wanting to go to a Mormon church for a long time. She was even looking up online where the chapels were close by. She talked to Hector about it and he told her that we would be coming over later that week. Her name is Lucy, she's really sweet and is really open to everything.

We've been trying to meet with a family of investigators all week and they never were home. But! 2 of them came to church yesterday. It was crazy, they're ride wouldn't pick up so they called us to tell us they couldn't find a ride. Sacrament meeting had just barely started when they called us. One of the members pulled up right then and we asked her if she wouldn't mind picking them up. she said yes, so we called Josefina back and told her we'd be there to pick her and her hija (aka her boyfriend's hija) up. We found out later that Yadira (the hija, she's like 14) told her that they needed to pray to find a ride. Right after they finished praying, we called them back to tell them that we were on our way!

This area has so much going for it. The members are also amazing. We talked to this one woman, she's a recent convert, like a year or 2 ago. She told us her conversion story and it's so cool. She said that she had seem the missionaries walking down the street and always wanted to talk to them, but she thought they only spoke english. So, she started learning english just so she could talk to them. When we finally did, she realized that they also spoke spanish! she was so surprised! I think she said she was baptized like 2 or 3 weeks later. She's gold- she has made it her goal and purpose in life to make sure that everyone in her family has the gospel. And everyone else she knows! While we're talking to her if she see's someone she knows, she'll chase them down and have them come and talk to us. The other day we were teaching a man that lives in the same trailer park as her and she came over, grabbed a chair and just started bearing testimony of what we were teaching. Amazing. We also went to a wedding reception on Saturday of a couple who had just gotten sealed in the temple that morning. They wanted us us to be there so that we could introduce ourselves to their friends. We were able to pick up a potential investigator and a really good referral for the elders I served with in my last area in Rimgrove.

I also got to go back to Rimgrove yesterday for Juan's baptism! He asked me to speak. It was one of the best days of my life. He has changed so so much. After his baptism, he told me that he had called a family meeting kind of to talk to his family about his baptism and to bear his testimony to them. His whole life has changed from where it was 2 months ago. He's a totally different person. He told me that he's stopped working so much because he realizes now how there is so much more to life than just working. He wants a family so badly (his favorite general conference talk was the one about the principles of having a good marriage). I am amazed! I would have been shocked to hear him say those words 2 months ago. He's on fire!

I was able to see one of my other investigators there as well who is also doing really well! Hopefully, we'll be able to go back next week for his baptism as well. I'm so excited!

I love you all and hope all is going well.

Love and miss you,

Hermana LaPierre

:0

Hello family,

 

Sorry, this letter is going to be super short. I spent most of my time writing a letter to my mission president about some concerns I have (ps- I'm fine).

 

Anyways, this week has been good. Today we got to go to the temple. We didn't have a ride there until like 9:45 last night and the poor elders had to take the bus the whole way! It was incredible though. I have missed that place so much. I didn't realize how much until I was there. We've been teaching and finding lots of people this week. It's been incredible everything that's happening in the area. I've been learning alot. I got a call from my old companion the other night asking if I could speak at my investigator's baptism! I couldn't sleep that night I was so excited!

 

The Gospel is real. Never let anything distract you from that. That's something I've learned this week. There's nothing more important than serving the Lord and being an actively righteous disciple. Nothing. If we want the very best out of life and most happiness we can have, we'll put Him first. Always.

 

I love it. and I love you all.

 

Have a great week!

 

Hermana LaPierre

Hello dear family,

Today has been very exciting. We spent the majority of our day driving to different libraries to try to use a computer for e-mailing. we didn't find one so we ended up driving to the mission office to use the computers there. plus, my companion, Hna. Ward, was asked to come to assemble on of the bikes here- she's a bike mechanic! so we finally found a computer!

This week has been very exciting. We're just barely starting to get our minds around the area and the work here in Pomona. It's a great area with tons of potential. On Tuesday we headed to the chapel to visit the bishop and he is incredible! This ward is super organized (comparatively speaking) and were really helpful. The zone leaders have also been really helpful. They took us around on Wednesday to a bunch of people's houses that we can start working with- less actives, investigators, etc. unfortunately, none of them were actually home, but we have a good list of addresses and people to start with. The first few days were not terribly efficient, but we're getting better and busier. 

We started teaching this woman and her boyfriend's teenage daughters. She really wants to get baptized but she can't because she can't marry her boyfriend because he's married to a woman who lives in Mexico (a very common problem among Latinos). We're working on her. Her boyfriend has no interest in the church, but she really likes it. Her son is a member and she see's how much it's changed his life. 

Hermana Ward is my new companion- another 19 year old! She's a Utahn and is really nice. She's a bike mechanic and a bike racer. She's a good missionary. I'm excited to work with her. She teaches with the Spirit and alot of emotion and she feels the Spirit really strongly when she teaches, which is great, especially when I'm a little less emotional in general. It really moves them. 

General Conference was amazing! So much to learn about missionary work and what I can do to improve myself as a missionary. I love it. We went to the stake center to watch conference and I got to see my investigator Juan from Rimgrove!! He is amazing! In between sessions he was calling a friend to tell them to come to conference. The change in him since we first met him is incredible. He's becoming a very different man. He truly is converting to the Gospel and to our Savior. He is teaching himself things that we haven't even taught him! He was talking about tithing and how great it is and I know the other hermanas have not taught him that since I left! 

So....I also had the unfortunate event of experiencing my biggest fear on the mission. Latino woman love to give us hugs and kisses. I was hugging a woman in the ward the other day and went to kiss her cheek and almost kissed her lips!!!!! AWKWARD!! that's an interesting welcome to the ward.... ugh, i still squirm thinking about it. that's been my fear since day 1 on the mission. anyways, after several sessions of therapy, i'm doing ok :)

how are all of you doing? Love you!!

love and miss you, 

Hermana Laree LaPierre

Hola familia,

This week was really good. We had exchanges on Tuesday, which actually went really well. It was fun. We went to teach a new investigator of ours-this70something year old man and his caretaker came and sat in on our lesson. Her husband is a pastor at her church. Needless to say, it was an interesting discussion on the Restoration. We'll see what happens this week :)

On Saturday, our recent convert wanted to take us to a fresas y crema cart (strawberries and cream) so met him at his house. When we got there, he and his nephews were eating raw oysters. It's kind of gross- they just open up the shell and put some lemon/ lime juice on it, salt and chili and then you just eat it out of the shell. Anyways, long story short, I tried some and it was definitely kind of weird, but not as bad as I had expected. I ate two and I my stomach is still doing ok, so I think we're good. He was telling us that their is a kind of shellfish they eat in Mexico that when you open it, it's red with black juice and it's still alive/ moving around. You just put chili on it and then eat it...squirming and everything. Maybe next time. I wanted to take a picture of it, but I didn't bring my camera so hopefully I can take a picture next time.

Some of the elders in our ward had a baptism yesterday and our investigator Juan came with us!! He is the one that took forever to pray a couple weeks ago. Actually, it was really interesting because last week, alot of things changed with him. We met with him that Sunday after church and he told us that he had read the entire chapter we left with him and he'd watched the Restoration 3 or 4 times before we came! He really really likes coming to church and has begun to make some really good friendships with some of the men in the ward. Anyways, he'd told us in the past that he could only meet with us on the weekends, but then that Sunday, he said that he actually has a couple hours in between his jobs where he is home during the week. He told us to come whatever day we want to. He's trying to overcome drug and alcohol addictions right now to prepare for his baptism, and he's doing really well. There's several men in the ward that are also helping him and strengthening him through that. It's amazing to see how different he is from when we first met him. We're so excited for April 21st!

We had a mission conference on Thursday that was really great. They talked a lot about asking questions (quoted Clayton Christensen's book several times), faith, sacrificing our heart, might, mind and strength to the work and the Lord, and then the character of Christ. It was in alot of ways what I needed to hear right now and helped answer some of the things I've been thinking about lately. It was kind of funny. President took some time to teach us how to talk to people. Kind of funny/ pathetic that our generation has to be taught how to socialize with people, but asi es. I've been surprised on my mission to realize how much of missionary work really does have to do with your ability to communicate and build relationships with people. Especially since most people don't communicate outside of anything technological/ texting/ video games/ etc...

Love and miss you all,

Hna. LaPierre

hola

Familia,

I don't even know what week I'm on now, but I do know that I'm close to my half way mark. If there's one feeling that's scary on a mission it's feeling like time is running out and the countdown has started.

CA has been fun this week. It's definitely summer. It's funny because the mornings are always chilly and cold and I study with 10 layers on still and then by the end of it all the extra layers are off and I'm hot! It's been good though.
They have these trucks here on the side of the road where you can just order a bag of fresh fruit, whichever fruit you want (that they have) and then you can put chili or salt on top. We've lived off that this past week. It's soo good. very Mexican. I love going up to them and talking to them in Spanish. Actually, I think that's my favorite thing in general, when people see us and think we're super wuera, and then we speak Spanish to them! (Especially when they didn't think I understood the conversation they just had with each other... or when they try to get us to go away by saying they don't speak English- that excuse gets shut down pretty quickly!) Also- everywhere we go people give us water! By the end of the day we each have about 5 partially drunken water bottles. I won't have to worry about being dehydrated this summer, maybe finding enough bathrooms though.

One thing I do not love about CA is the BUGS. We went to dinner at a member's house this week and I was washing my hands int their bathroom and saw this thing crawling around their toothbrush cup. I looked in and their was a HUGE cockroach in their. Seriously, it was huge!!! I've seen tons of cockroaches in people's houses before, but usually they're smallish. This one was like at least a good 3 inches long and and inch fat (not including it's 2 inch antenna things). Well, I thought I'd be nice and get rid of it for them because after all, who wants a cockroach climbing all over your toothbrushes, right? that's nasty. so I started pulling the toothbrushes out so I could dump the roach into the toilet. He didn't get the memo that I was trying to kill him (or he did) because as I was going to grab on of the last toothbrushes he came out super close to me. he went to the side of the sink where I couldn't get too him before I could kill him. those suckers are fast! I about died.  this is probably a pathetic story for anyone who's lived outside of the US, but ugh it was gross gross gross. Cockroach: 1   Hna. LaPierre: 0   Next time.

This Friday, we did a no car Friday where we walked the entire day. Besides the blisters that I got, it was actually a really great finding opportunity. We went to a Latina supermarket to talk to people and get food to eat and there was this man sitting outside. I felt really impressed to talk to him after making several awkward eye contacts with him. We started talking. He's a labor worker, from Mexico and lives here with his 3 sons and grandaughter and he was really interested in hearing about our message. He gave us his address and phone number and we had a lesson with him last night. [when, outside of a mission, would you every hear of anyone giving some random person their address and phone number after talking to them outside a grocery store?! ] He is very excited to learn and super anxious to meet with us. We're excited. It's exciting to see the evolution of the work here since I first got here. It's changing so much and I love it.

I'm about to get kicked off.

I love you, Hna. LaPierre

:)

Querida Familia,

We have our new trainee! Her name is Hna. Stohlton and she is the first 19 year old hermana in the field! It is definately different training her than it was my other trainee, but she's doing well, especially considering she only had 12 days in the MTC and she's 2 years younger. She has an interesting background- she's completely white, from UT, etc. but her parents both served spanish missions and so they raised their kids speaking both! She's not fluent completely, but it's really interesting because she learned it like a native, so she just inherently uses tenses without having to think about it. (Her parents are genius.) Anyways, she's a good addition to our companionship. It's kind of intense though because of all the missionaries that are coming in in 3 weeks, we have to get her ready to either train, or be a with a really inexperienced missionary (someone that's probably been in only like 2 weeks more) in 3 weeks. It's crazy- we don't know what they'll do with us, so we'll see.

Yesterday we had a lesson with an investigator, we had planned to teach him about the Book of Mormon and then invite him to pray. The lesson was so intense as we invited him to offer the closing prayer...it took him 2 hours (pretty much from when we invited him to to when he prayed). It was so painful for him! (And for me because I had to go to the bathroom soooo bad the whole time! I could barely walk when we left....very awkward leaving that lesson. But I was not leaving until he prayed!) But I learned alot about prayer. He is trying to make significant changes in his life, changes that will draw him closer to God. He has suffered drug addictions, etc... for many years and so Satan has had a pretty good grasp on him. The impression that came to me in the lesson was that praying was so hard for him, because it will turn him closer to God- it's a form of repentance for him. It was painful, because Satan did not want him to do it. So we waited and eventually he did it!! The Spirit was working within him and I know he felt the difference.

This investigator is really interesting. He is incredibly similar to the man who just got baptized last week. They're both named Juan, both live in the garage of their sisters' houses, both were contacted because they're sisters families were referrals, both into drinking/ drugs, both about the same age, both have practically the same questions, wanted to change really badly, scared to go to church the first time.... We've been bringing Juan (Recent Convert, Juan) to our lessons, and he's amazing. We wouldn't be able to teach Juan (investigator Juan) without him. Our last lesson, they stayed to talk to each other for a while after we left and Juan (RC) told us he read with him after we left.

I love missionary work. Love it.

Love y'all,
Hna. LaPierre

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Talked to my mom today and she mentioned they had an earthquake a few hours earlier.  It was 4.7, so fairly good size and the news reports say it was felt as far north as Los Angeles.  Anyway, she may have felt it - or not - but thought I'd pass it along in case you wanted to know...

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/national/52-earthquake-hits-southern-california-felt-from-san-diego-to-los-angeles

have a great day!
love,
Lisa Michelle

hola.

So this week has been pretty intense for alot reasons:

1. We spent the first week going to investigators that they had been working with the past few transfers. one just got baptize (see point below) and the rest weren't really progressing, and hadn't been progressing for a long time. last week we ended up essentially dropping all of the investigators that they had been teaching except for Juan, which was really scary, because that meant that after Sunday (yesterday) we wouldn't have anyone to teach. Well, it turns out dropping them was really good because we ended up focusing our time on other things and focusing in other places/ people. We picked up 3 new investigators that are all really promising, and have several more potentials we have to meet with this week. We're really focusing on finding more this week.

2. Turns out planning a baptism includes thinking of alot of little details you'd never think you'd have to worry about, like finding towels for them to dry off after, (small minor detail we didn't think of until 15 minutes before), getting himnarios because no one knows the hymns in english, getting back up speakers in case rides fall through, getting food/ having RS set up food, getting programs printed. getting baptismal clothes, font filled, chairs set up, etc. before. PMG suggests how the program should be run but does not mention the little logisitics you never think of. Anyways, the program was really good. He was so happy and the Spirit was there, no doubt. I'm happy the program is done though and ready to do another one hopefully by the end of the transfer. It's a busy I wouldn't mind having to deal with more.

3. We got a call from the APs last night around 10:15 to let us know that another hermana is coming in TODAY and needs somewhere to go. So we'll be training her. Yes, this is not normal- transfers were 2 weeks ago. the flood is coming in and they don't want missionaries in the MTC if they don't need to have them. the mission is going crazy right now. supposedly next transfer there's supposed to be 8 or 9  new hermanas coming in, which means that essentially every spanish hermana will have to train and/or open new areas. BRING IT ON!

4. The stake I was serving in did mini missions on Saturday, so we had a YW come out with us to see what missionary work is all about. She was really fun. Didn't speak much Spanish, but she did really well. Because we had her with us we were able to meet with a man named Juan (different than the other one). I think I mentioned  him in my last e-mail, but he has a very strong desire to change. He's been addicted to drugs and alchohol for a long time and feels really depressed and is looking for a way out. He's really similar to the recent convert we had. Our lesson was really powerful and simple. It's amazing to think how much power the Gospel has to change us.

5. I've been trying to focus on listening more intently and sincerely this week, especially to investigators and less actives while we teach them. It's so easy to listen on surface level, but it's been interesting to note the difference I feel and the Spirit that I've noticed more when I do that.

It's interesting how many aspects of missionary work there is. You deal with problems you never thought you'd have, you're excited over things you never thought you'd get excited about, you're pushed more than you ever thought you'd be pushed.

And at the end of the day, you feel so happy to be a missionary and you loooove missionary work, and then you feel frustrated and exausted emotionally and anxious about the work and you don't like it so much...and then you go back to loving it. I've never gone through so many ups and downs in one day ever. But at the same time it's the best thing I've ever done. I can't believe I'm almost half way, it freaks me out to think about how little time I have. Never thought it'd go this fast.

Love you and miss you all,

Love Laree/ Hna. LaPierre

me olvide las fotografias. aqui estan.

also- I forgot to mention that we had zone conference this week which was so good. Exactly what I needed to hear. Exactly.

President and Sister Becerra saw your announcement in the church news and they were really excited. He announced it in the zone conference, which was kind of funny. and mildly uncomfortable. but I'm excited too so it's ok.

 

and here are some pictures from the baptism yesterday and from our mini mission (I think I look more like the one that's the young woman sadly, especially since they're both alot taller :)