Gratitude, Awe, Joy and Peace

This week has been wonderful. The Temple Open House is truly a blessing. I keep on thinking of how blessed we are. Those in this area have an opportunity to the temple see it and feel it. As we walked into the Payson Temple yesterday a peace set in and there was a reverence in the waiting area. As we walked in a warmth swept over me and went through me. I felt overwhelmed with the emotions I felt. Gratitude, Awe, Joy, Peace, I felt God's love enfold me. When Elder Richards said Jesus Christ walks here, I felt the whole building was even more holy and more sacred. I love the Temple. I never want to lose track of the truths learned therein. We are God's children. He loves us. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can return to his presence again. Families can be together forever.

We are so excited to be a part of this whole Open House. A______ who is a less active is super excited she got 15 tickets for her family her aunt and her cousins. She was so excited. Everyone we are teaching are super motivated and cannot wait to go. We are working to get everyone tickets. Speaking of excitement and tickets. S_______  is awesome he is from India is​ very excited to go with his family and friends. I know sometime in his life he will join the church. I feel it.

I cannot wait for the rest of this week.

I will work on doing study everyday this week. I for what seems like 3-4 weeks was not feeling all there. I lost motivation to do things and felt somewhat discouraged and stuff. This past week I motivated myself to do better. I will try my best to stay on top of things. but what I love about Exchanges - they help me. I see what I need to work on and it motivates me to become better. The Atonement of Christ motivates me to do better and give it what I have.

We did not do weekly planning this week because Hermana F______ was not feeling so well. Each time I ask when we will she gets a bit upset with me. I know she is not feeling so well but when she is we have to get it done.

Hermana Mena

Listening and Line upon Line

Many people were not home this week , but what I love about that is that you knock on a door... there is no answer, okay on to the next one... no answer. Okay, we come to question who is next... and I just love it because that is like Heavenly Father's way of saying I do not want you here  - go to this specific person. That happened this week with P____. We were driving to someone else's home we saw that P____ was home. We knocked at the door and there she was. We had the lesson on Christ's atonement and we showed the Because He Lives video. She always just pours out her feelings on the topic and bears testimony of it. She is wonderful. Prayer is so important in following the Holy Ghost.

This week I was reading a lot in How to Improve My Teaching Skills: Use the scriptures, Teaching for Understanding and Ask Questions. I learned that it is essential to explain what we are teaching simply, clearly and in a way that it is easy to be understood. As we help others understand it will have a great influence on how much they treasure what they learn and how they will go about living what we have taught, of course they do still have agency but as they feel the Holy Ghost testify of the truths they will seek to do. The scriptures are the best way to further explain the topic. They speak simply and can be understood. As we elaborate on the big and the small they come to understand it so much more.

A____ is one of the investigators we are focusing on at the moment, which is an example of this. He is progressing and coming to understand what we teach so well. We teach line upon line, here a little and there a little according to their understanding. Christ is our greatest example. As I have come to study his teachings more and the parables he used I see how important it is to speak plainly, and as we do so and expound on their needs the Holy Ghost will bear testimony in their hearts.

This week I got to meet the H_______ Family, well two families with the last name H________. It was the first time I saw them at church. They are very friendly and kind. We hope to come to be more acquainted with the members and see if they can come with us to more appointments. They are the umph needed during a lesson. With the fellowshipping workshop there was the week before conference I think more and more members are being geared up. I also got to meet the S_____ family from Venezuela, which we will have dinner with pretty soon. And I got to speak to R_______ a little, who is a recent convert. Although he was a little hesitant to speak to us he spoke back to the questions we asked.

11 more days till the Payson Temple Open house! Which means lots of planning :) We are starting to set up appointments with those in our area to go to the temple with them. Pretty exciting!

Goals for this week: Focus on Charity and Love attributes
-Pray for charity
-Pray for opportunities to serve
-Have a better spirit in serving
-Look for the good in everyone
-Uplift others when they are feeling down.


I am so grateful for the temple and for the blessing we have of being able to perform the ordinances needed to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father and to do that very work for those who have not had a chance to do so. I am thankful for the stars here. I had stopped looking up at the sky for a while when we return home. But every time I look up I am reminded of the beauty of this earth and what our Father has given us. As we look up we are able to see His glory and give thanks for the smaller things. Blessed be His name and glory be unto Him.

Daily Message"Families are the Lord’s workshop on earth to help us learn and live the gospel. We come into our families with a sacred duty to help strengthen each other spiritually."

—Cheryl A. Esplin, "Filling Our Homes with Light and Truth"

Hermana Mena

General Conference!!

Hey! How was conference weekend for you all? General Conference was amazing!!! Hearing the prophets speak is the greatest thing ever.  I know the prophet is called of God and is the Lord's mouthpiece on earth today. Such wonderful messages were shared so many inspiring talks.I loved all of them. Every one of them. I sense an urgency more than ever to read the Scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. That Book will draw us nearer to God than any book here on earth. We must be diligently reading from its pages and meditating on its words. Most of the conference talks mentioned the importance of reading the scriptures on a daily basis. Please take a moment to watch general conference if you have not done so already. Watch all sessions and ponder the words which have been spoken.

Payson Open House Training Tomorrow!

This is Sister F, from Vancouver Washington. She is training me. She is a convert. She loves to read and can be payed in Oreos. She kinda loves them, in poco mucho. 

Todo va bien. Estoy tratando de recordarme de nombres de los miembros en el barrio.

Le dimos el desafio a una la Hermana Bernisse Garcia de invitar a sus vecinos a la casa abierta de el Templo de Payson, well will follow up with her this week.

Esta semana se me hizo tan dificil de despertarme! My allergies are acting up and my sleep was not so good this week. This week will be better though. I will be back on track. Exercise is great.
A quote I liked this week was: change your thoughts and you will change your destiny.
Todo va bien mi companera estuvo enferma y no podimos planiar mucho ni hacer muchas visitas, me frustro aveces. Pero he aprendido que debemos servir a nuestros companeros y hablar con ellos dejarles saber que nos molesta que tenemos en que tenemos que trabajar juntas y
ser unidas en todo :)

We have been able to be of service to some of the less active members. Sometimes simply sharing a message won't do it but asking them how we can be of help to them and what we can do to ease their load helps them. We helped a Sister pack and clean some on Friday she was feeling very sick and had some people coming over to take a look at the house, she messaged us and we dropped everything and went to help her we had just had a cancellation too so it all worked out. We also helped another family who is less active to clean up their kitchen. The mother is a single mom and just had gotten home from the hospital she had an operation and the kids piled up the mess. Helping her clean was fun! Washing the dishes helped me relax some aha.

We had talks a gain this week. I did not know what to give my talk on and while I was sitting on the couch, BAM a thought came to mind: the importance of the Holy Ghost in missionary work.

I read an article in the New Era that went right along with it. I made an outline and I said a prayer. I kept that prayer in my heart that whatever we would share would be able to answer someone's question.I was not nervous and when I sat down I felt I went with what it was the Spirit had me share. It is marvelous to see how the Lord can use us as we rely on the Holy Ghost. Without the Holy Ghost there is no power. I never want to have a moment in the which I am not directed by the Holy Ghost. How great is the love of our Father in Heaven. He never forsakes us. I am thankful for Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I love this work and this mission.

So as a result of being able to use such great technology on the mission we are being trained. I read Safeguards for Using Technology and it is beautiful it is inspired. I love the mission handbook, it contains principles not rules and it is for our safety and well being. It is a wonderful time to be a missionary. It is an exciting time. The Lord is hastening his work and we are just holding on, and I am smiling as I hang on.

Tomorrow we are getting training for the Payson Temple Open House. 4 more weeks!! The temple if the House of the Lord. Everyone wants to come to the open house. it is expected that we will be getting 1,100 people through the temple each hour and about 300,000 people will be coming to see. It is exciting.

Getting to know the members is so great. They all have different stories and testimonies. They are wonderful. I love to see the desires they have to follow Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.

I hope all is well back in NC. I love you all! I think about you all every day, thank you for all you do and who you are!

Daily Message:
"To perform our covenant duty as the salt of the earth, we must be different from those around us. This requires us to make some changes from our family culture, our ethnic culture, or our national culture. We must change all elements of our behavior that are in conflict with gospel commandments, covenants, and culture."
—Dallin H. Oaks, "The Salt of the Earth"

Hermana Mena

Payson Temple

The Payson, Utah temple will be dedicated on June 7th. I will be at the open house doing the tours!

A Penny and a Dime

We had a zone conference. Elder Clark of the seventy came. We spoke of how we have to use technology righteously. Some highlights were as follows:

-We have to have the Lord's will embedded in our hearts

-Our hearts have to be in the right place

-Technology is something God has given us, we must use it with that in mind

So this past two Sundays we have had to give talks at different wards. The Payson Temple dedication is getting closer and closer. It is beautiful. Many are preparing. It is such an exciting time. There have been people that have seen it from the Highway and say that they felt something that pulled them to it. At a temple open house everyone is welcomed to walk through the temple. 

 In a world where religion is diminishing and darkness temples are a beacon and are a light. 

When the tide comes and the storms are strong, you stand still and know that He is. 

Do not doubt, do not fear for with that fear you will be carried away is the depths of the sea.

God, He lives and knows you too.

He knows your pains and sorrows.

Trust in Him, to Him confess, all that brings to your soul burden.

We do fail, we do fall, we fall short and are weak.

Depend on Him, ask Him for strength, for He shall give an Hundred's fold.

I know I can, because He know I can.

He sees in me what I can't see.

I know that I can come to Him

I know I can be whole and clean through Christ in me has made a change

Christ redeemed and ransomed me

For He loves me and you and they.

Trust in Him, believe in Him

And you and all can live again, with that Great God, our father 

and Christ our brother and savior.

Daily Message

• "Children of the covenant have the right to receive His doctrine and to know the plan of salvation. They claim it by making covenants of sacred significance."

  —Russell M. Nelson, "Covenants"

Golden

Crazy is one word to describe this all.

 

I love this area. It is so great. The member are phenomenal. Those who are investigating the church the best, those we meet: golden.

 

We had a district activity today that was to occur but it will be replaced with another activity. We were to go to a gold mine place here but it snowed quite a lot so that is not happening.

 

Two things that my testimony has deepened in this week have been:

1. The Atonement

2. The Restoration

So something awesome that is happening very soon is the open house of the Payson Temple. It will be amazing. 

 

Love you all!!!

​
Daily Message:
​

"We cannot foresee what the Lord has in mind for us. Our only course of action is to be prepared and worthy for whatever he requires. We must govern our actions every day with our future in mind."

• —M. Russell Ballard, "Purity Precedes Power"