September 24, 2012

Hey Family
So I have a new companion and she is so great. She is so hard working and the spirit is with us when we are teaching and I am finding that I feel like a real missionary. One that gets home at night as is so dead tired but who is so unexplainably happy. It is the best feeling and one that I am going to work on keeping with me my whole mission. My companions name is Dalia Sanchez, I already told her that her name is like the coolest cause it’s the name of the coolest flower ha! She is so great. I love her already. If you could pray for her, she is sick with what they call gripe down here we had to come home early from church because she was not feeling good. So keeper her in your prayers, we have a big week and I don’t know what we are going to do if we can’t go out and work. 

So I have to tell you guys I have seen miracle this week; three to be exact but I know there have been so many more. We have two new converts that have wives that are or were very against the church and didn’t want to have anything to do with the church even though they loved us missionaries. This week we went to go visit one of them who happens to be the mother of Magdalena, she is very proud and set in her ways, but what shocked us was that Magdalena said that her mother wanted to know if she could have a Book of Mormon to read. This was a interesting request not just for the fact that her mom wanted to read the book but that her mom was sitting in the chair next to Magdalena while she was asking us for her mother. But any who, it is a miracle that she even wants to read the book and we are so excited to start teaching her as well so if you could, keep her and Magdalena and her son Jorge in your prayers.

Especially Magdalena, we had a great lesson with her on Saturday, the spirit was so strong it was the lesson we were committing her to baptism because we thought she is ready. We shared a great scripture one Alma 7 11-15 even 16 and 17 are great but read them and think about why Alma introduces baptism with first talking about the atonement it is truly amazing. I love it. But the spirit was so strong and I wanted her to say yes so bad because I know the blessings that will come. She said not yet and that she wants to read the whole Book of Mormon first. We explained that one doesn’t have to read the whole thing before they can know that it is true. She told us she thought she had an answer and we talked about that and how we can help her get a firm answer from the Lord. I began to cry as I told her how much we loved her and her family and that we are here to help her make this sacred covenant with the Lord  and that we know it will bless her life. It was the first time I felt true love for the people I am serving and it was amazing to see that we are the instruments in his hands to show forth his and our love and to minister to her and others needs.

That’s what we do as missionaries is love and give and then give some more. We warned her that Satan will be working hard for her not to get baptized because he knows when she does she will get the spirit and he will have a harder time tempting her. We asked her to make this decision a priority in her life because it is the biggest one you will make in your life. I think she understands the importance of this decision and that is why she wants to be sure. Her and Carlos Mauricio are like that, they know the importance and what to know beforehand. Please pray that they will be able to show forth their faith and show God that faith by being baptized. Pray that they will get answers to their prayers. 

That was one miracle, the other is like it. A recent converts’ wife, who wanted nothing to do with the church, is starting to listen and read the Book of Mormon. But I need your help. Her name is Maria and she and Carlos told us they were coming to the open house that we were having on Saturday for all investigators at the Temple. They arrived so early, like an hour early, and were waiting for the bus to come and five minutes before the bus showed up Carlos came up to me and said that they were leaving and that is wasn’t worth this wait. I tried to get them to stay and tell them that the bus was coming it was just late because there was a parade that morning in the streets that made traffic really bad but they left and I was so sad because Maria really needed that trip to feel the spirit and know that she and her husband could be together forever. Please keep her in your prayers that she will still have an open heart to the gospel even if our busses are late and that she can come to feel the spirit and know for herself.

The other miracle that happened this week was an investigator found us as we were out tracting. We were walking down the train tracks, Hermana Sanchez had a pamphlet of the restoration in her hand to fan herself, it was very hot and this man stopped us and asked if he could have one. You could imagine our shock and happiness to give him one and to talk to him about it and set up an appointment to talk to him later that week. We went back and he was sitting at his kitchen table waiting for us. We sat down and were amazed to hear he had read the pamphlet and liked it (no one reads the pamphlets!!!). We had the best first lesson  I have given so far. He had been looking for the truth and he knew that the church of Christ had apostles and prophets and 70 men that were called to preach to all the world. We told him that we had the same organization today. we showed him the picture of the organization, the one that is in the Ensign with the apostles and prophets and shows the quorum of the 70. He was so excited to see we had the 70 too and that we had order in our church. He said that God is a God of order. We told him of the first vision and everything and afterward talked to him a little more. He said that he had felt something in his heart as we were teaching him. I was so happy because I knew the spirit was there. It was great that he knew that too. We set up another appointment and came back and taught him the Book of Mormon. He is accepting everything we are teaching him. He has good questions and oh just a great investigator who found us!!! God works in small ways to bring great things to pass. To change hearts. To have a man pass us on the tracks and something in him said ask for one of those. 

I love this work, it is the work of the lord the most important work in the world and it’s great to see that God is in it, it is his work and he is the one that is orchestrating everything. I know that this church is true that Joseph Smith saw God our Father and Christ our Savior. We have the authority on earth to work miracles in his name. The same type of miracles that Christ did while here. Faith is a principle of action and power and it is through this faith that Christ can work miracles. Have faith and be obedient and you will see miracles in your lives. The spirit is a wonderful gift from God. Live worthy of it and you will be able to know where you stand with God. Never suppress a good thought. We all have a mission to do here on earth and each person in our path each day is a person that God has placed there. Uplift them; teach them; and give them your time and love, it is what Christ did and it is what he has asked us to do.

Miss you all tons but love you so much more.color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> 

Hermana Hale

P.S. can you believe it! Next week, I will have been out 4 months! Time goes by so fast!!!