18 Days... Seems like it's been months!

Can you say whaaaat????

June has come and gone. As of today I am now in the Orem Utah Mission. My former Mission President McCune has left the mission home and is heading to his home. President McCune has been so great. From him I have learned so much. I love the McCunes and I know I was initially called to the Utah Provo mission because they had be a part of it. They have forever changed my life. My Mission President as of 8:00 today MST (mountain standard time) is President Killpack. I love President Killpack. I have not met him yet but I just love him and am so excited to meet him. I know President Killpack is called of the Lord to lead His work in this area. We will meet him tomorrow. We have been praying for him. 

This week was a little crazy here and there. 

We got to go to the Mt. Timpanogos temple this month. The Adventures of Hermana McD and Hermana Mena will be told of in the coming week... Because I apparently have forgotten to write in my journal, which helps me remember things.... So forgive me. I will improve, there is always room for improvement. 

We are working to have organizational skills. We have been attending various stake meetings. One meeting really had an impact on me. The stake president was grieved. He stated, "Brother and Sisters we are in a rut!" His eyes looked around at each one of us. 

He went on to explain the great work that is around each one of us. He said it was time to lift up our gaze. To truly dedicate ourselves to serving the Lord. He shared of the experience his father had as a mission president in Brazil and how he strived to be obedient to President Kimball's counsel. As he recounted his memories of his father's devoted service tears filled his eyes.  "You must have faith of Power... Pray to know what it is each of us should do in our own stewardship.." A spirit filled the room. 

We have a great work to do. Do you feel an urgency? Do you see the need? There are souls to reach out to and people to find. We must be guided by the spirit in all things. 2 Nephi 25:23&26

As we do all things in the name of the Lord, pray for his divine guidance, and turn over everything unto the Lord having faith, he will weak things become strong. He will be our support. 

I invite you all to pray today, pray to know who it is the Lord is preparing. Pray with all the energy of heart you posses. And the Lord will bring names to your mind, faces will come to your remembrance. And go and act in faith. Work with the missionaries. And be not afraid for the Lord shall direct thy ways. 

Members and missionaries can see themselves in the work as they live the gospel joyfully and as they invite others to participate in activities, Church services, and other occasions. Capture the Vision We are all in this together. With fellow ward members and missionaries, we plan and pray and help one another. Please keep the full-time missionaries in your thoughts and prayers. Trust them with your family and friends. The Lord trusts them and has called them to teach and bless those who seek Him. Elder Neil L. Andersen See Yourself in the Work Change Your Life through Missionary Work Share the Gospel Online Contribute to the General Missionary Fund Youth, Your Role in the Work of Salvation"

Shout out to a wonderful beautiful Sister, Sister S_____. She has been our mission nurse. She has been so great. So loving, patient, and caring. She has patiently dealt with 200+ missionaries. Thank you for your service Sister S!. I am so grateful for all she has done. May the Lord bless her endlessly.

New Mission President!

This week has been great. And so today I had an accident. So I was in the room and then I heard the door somebody at the door., And then I ran towards the living room. And I didn't even notice that there was water in the hallway so I slipped and hit my knee on the wall and then I hit my hip and I think it's going to bruise really bad. 
We had a great lesson yesterday with V_____ and R_____. And they are so great. They understand quite a lot. So my companion Sister M and I are trying our best to speak the Language all the time. 
We are getting our new mission president next week President Killpack. I love President McCune. He is so great. I will seriously miss him and Sister McCune. She is wonderful!

New Area!

So I am now serving in the American Fork Utah Spanish speaking area. We cover American Fork, Alpine, Highland and little bit of Draper. The population of the area without the little the bit of Draper is 55,739. And I guess we need to find the Spanish speaking in the area. There is a branch here. So there is a ton of work to do here. But Preach My Gospel is handy dandy.

(Tiwi is a mentoring device for driving. Everyone is getting them.)

Marvelous, a blessing and beautiful!

I am so grateful for all that I have learned in this area. I am so grateful for the beautiful members I have been able to work with. For their testimonies and their diligence. I thank Heavenly Father for having allowed me to work at the Open House and see how much it has blessed the lives of the people in our area. For Sister D______ and her wonderful example and for her great desire to follow the Lord. I am thankful for Sister F________ and her sweet spirit. This area has been wonderful. I have learned to strengthen my testimony. I have felt the redemptive power of the atonement at work and have been able to see how it has blessed the lives of those around me.

Last week we hiked up West Mountain! IT WAS AWESOME! I was not able to reach the top because my companion was exhausted. So we were like

it was about 100 yards away from the top :( But it was fun. and so worth the trip up there.  When we were coming back down the mountain. my legs could not take it haha. I prefer going uphill because my legs were just like noodles and I simply could not just walk down the whole way because I guess they just gave up. 

This week was marvelous, a blessing and beautiful. One of the investigators that was dropped a transfer ago has been attending church, so we went to visit her again. It is so crazy to see how the Lord prepares people. She is humbled. She truly believes in the Restoration of the Gospel and that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of the Lord. When we read in the Book of Mormon with her, you can just see the great desire she has to learn more and to do all she can to prepare to be baptized. Because she wants her family to go to the temple. (it was she that brought up the temple not us) She says she went through twice and that she felt it. She felt the Holy Ghost. She wants to be sealed in the temple with her family.

The area is getting there! We have been able to cut to the core of our teaching pool because it was large. We are finding the jewels in between all the fog. I hope that this area is blessed because it has truly blessed me and will forever have a place in my heart. I got THE E-MAIL I am being transferred out of my baby area! (tear tear) BUT I am excited about transfers. I knew it was coming and have a really good feeling about it.

The Cultural Celebration was so great. I about cried as I watched some of the youth I know perform in it. and to see the dedication of the members to have a temple here in Payson. I love Payson. This temple has become a huge part of my life. Temples are heaven on earth. a taste of the Heavens on the earth.

https://www.lds.org/church/news/youth-fill-the-world-with-love-for-payson-temple-cultural-celebration?lang=eng

I know God lives. He is our loving Heavenly Father, who knows us in and through. As we rely on the Savior we can feel the redemptive power of which 2 Nephi 2 speaks of.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/choose-to-believe?lang=eng

Daily Message:
"The weakest among us, through God’s grace, can become spiritually strong, because God “is no respecter of persons.”"
—President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "On Being Geniune"

Hermana Mena

Point of No Return!

Hello Hello Hello:

This week has been great!

So this week we had just a few lessons. but they were great! We had dinner with the newly called Relief Society President and it was the best. We were able to share the info we knew about the families in the ward and we were able to build up trust with her. She is wonderful.

Back when Sister F____ was here, we were trying to figure out ways we could serve Bishop and his family but were not very successful with figuring out how. About 3 weeks ago they introduced us to their grand-daughter and we were in awe how much she knew and to see the desire she had to be baptized. Despite her immediate family's situation we were so impressed how she has been prepared. We were able to finish teaching C____ and she was baptized just this Saturday. I can just feel and know that she will work wonders. She is a special soul of Heavenly Father, and I know that she will help her family and strengthen them.

Sister D_____ is so wonderful. She is always on top of things and knows just what to do in almost any given situation.

I know that our leaders are so inspired and that all of the programs, resources and aids we have are from the Lord. TIWI is the best. (Sis. Despain - I have no idea what TIWI stands for...) It is simply just like the Holy Ghost. There is always room for improvement, always :)

Updates:

Exchanges are the BEST!

I love Sister L___ she is awesome. I hope to serve with her one day.

We went to her assigned area and this is my second time. I love it there I love the people. I also hope I get assigned to labor there :)

I reached the point of no return!

We were driving back home down the hill the other day and I saw the sunset and the beautiful majestic mountains and then I knew. I love Utah I love the people and I think I love it here more and more and I kinda do not want to go back home.

Crazy/Interesting things that have happened:

So with one of the families we are working with we have been unable to get appointments with and each time I go over the kids want to race with me because I did one time before and they were like "please teach me a lesson and once we are done we can race!" It made me laugh because he was like I want you to teach me! hahaha and he was so eager. But I sense he wanted to race just a tad bit more than to hear us teach a lesson.

 

There is Excitement in the Air in the Ward

Our P-day activity today: Hike West Mountain with the District

I am so grateful for the Sabbath, the day of rest we have been given. Thankful for the atonement and what is has done in my life. I know this is the Lord's true church on the earth and am so grateful for all that I have.  I invite you all to read in the Book of Mormon. Ponder its message and ask the Lord with a real intent to act upon the answer you will receive and you  will receive an answer. 

Daily Message:
"The Savior’s Atonement cannot become commonplace in our teaching, in our conversation, or in our hearts."
—Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Gift of Grace"

I Love you all!!

Hermana Mena