May 7, 2012

Hola!

 

Hey everyone, I am so sorry for no letter this week.... What with packing, writing letters to all my local peeps, and saying goodbye I did not have any time! BUT this week you will get one! :) Promise. I also look forward to getting the other half of all of your letters! I'm dying to know what they all say! 

So yup... I'm 6 miles east of ****! My new companion's name is Sister T from K. it is its own country, a small island in M.  She is SO FUNNY! I don't know if it's because she's still learning English, or if she's just crazy ALL the time! 

But goodness, we laugh pretty much all day. She's a jokester and her favorite phrases are "Oh my goodness!", "Sista Mo! You CRAZEE!" and "*gasp* oh... nevah mind...".  We're talking VERY expressive here :D 

She's a convert to the church, and is so strong in the Gospel. I admire her faith to come to the "United State" to learn English and leave her small island. She is the only member of the church in her family besides her sister and grandma.

 

It is so different here... I'm still getting adjusted. I'm trying to pull my heart away from **** and move on to ^^^. Gosh I loved **** so much... Saying goodbye was not easy. I was there for so stinkin' long, that's why!! 

 

Ever since the phone call about transferring I was so sad! I felt at peace, though, despite my sorrow. After saying "see ya later" to my recent converts and investigators, I had a chance to say goodbye to A. (She is the sweet 94 year old member whom we visit every week)... knowing this would be the last time I would see this woman in mortality I wept like a baby. I felt dumb, but we both understood. I really look up to this woman's strength. She is hard of hearing so we would always write on a dry-erase board. I wrote to her "Well we better go now... I'll see you in the Celestial Kingdom!" :') It's just amazing to know that it's never the end.

 

My final lesson in my area was amazing. Since every Tuesday we have FHE with the V family, we decided to do it on prayer. We had everyone write a letter to Heavenly Father, but close the letter with "in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen". We told them to make it personal, as if you were writing a letter to a dear friend or family member. It was a neat way to look at how prayers should be, still keeping in mind the respect needed in prayers.

After writing our personal letters/prayers, we wrote out a family prayer together, showing that sometimes the prayers we say on our own are different from the ones we say in public, since they ARE private prayers! Everyone participated in saying things we should pray about at the close of the night.

 

As we ended the lesson and game it was time for us to go. I took out the written family prayer and held it out to U, "U, will you please say our family prayer tonight?" Never before has she said yes to our invitations to pray. For nine months she has refused to say the prayer. Not really thinking she would say yes, she reached out, took the paper and said "Yes. I will do it."

 

Stunned, we all bowed our heads as she began to offer the prayer. Her thick German accent will forever be in my mind as she prayed aloud to our Father in Heaven. The Spirit filled the room as she paused... she began to cry. She choked through her sobs to finish the prayer, and by the end of the lesson there was not a single dry eye in the room. And then it hit me: She has never before said a prayer out loud. In ALL of M's years he has never heard his mom pray.... I felt at peace. Overwhelmed with the Spirit the impression came to me "My work here in **** is done.. I did everything that I needed to accomplish now. We got her to pray. I can move on now".

 

I gave her a big hug and told her "You know this church is true. Don't be afraid to act upon the answers you receive as you pray..." She nodded and we all said our goodbyes.

 

It feels good and I feel at peace.

 

I'm excited for this new adventure in ^^^! It's different, but the Lord needs me here.

Here we go! WOOT!

 

Oh, I have to tell you about Friday: All day Friday the entire mission met as zones at our stake centers and read the whole Book of Mormon ALL DAY!! It was so amazing! President Howes just felt strongly impressed to have us do this... I gained SO MUCH out of it! I didn't finish it in the 12 hours we were there, but it was still amazing!

 

The Book of Mormon is true! If we read it like a storybook we won't be bored with it! LET IT COME ALIVE TO YOU. I truly love this book with all my heart. It supports and clarifies things in the Bible. It is a second witness of the truth and divinity of our Savior Jesus Christ and His sacred teachings. Read and ponder and pray about this book. It blesses lives.

 

I love you all so much! And family, I look forward to talking to you this Sunday!! I will be calling you around 2:00 pm (my time... I don't know what time that will be for you guys.. you'll have to figure it out...). I hope that doesn't conflict with church! But I so look forward to it!! :D I just can't believe it's almost here! 

 

Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah for Israel!
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Love, Sister Moore