Examples of Ammon

Hola :)

Well things are the same old same old here in Alabama. Watched the broadcast yesterday! That was pretty exciting :D I guess now the missionaries will be able to start using the computers more for proselyting. We have to wait until they get around to our mission but it's pretty neat. Using facebook and all. But, it doesn't really apply to most of our investigators considering almost none of them have the internet let alone facebook. The whole thing with the Church doors always being open, I don't know how they will do that, but I guess we will find out :) I'm glad that they called for a lot of help with the members. We really could have a lot more success if the members were involved. Our little branch is just suffering and I don't know how to help it. We have a branch mission leader but he never does anything and they never have ward council or anything. Hopefully we can get some baptisms to excite the branch more about missionary work.

The work here seems to be going kind of slow lately. We have gone from 6 baptismal dates to 0. None of our investigators are keeping commitments so we have no progressing investigators either. Our investigator Alejandra who we were so sure about, didn't show up to church. It just breaks my heart that none of these people really understand how this Gospel could change their lives! They struggle with so many things and I wish they could just see how it could all be better if they would just accept our invitations. I am really at a lost at what to do and it makes me feel like I must be lacking something because we aren't seeing success like I would like to. Although, I was reading in the Book of Mormon this morning and I have just finished most of the stories of Ammon and his brothers Aaron, etc.. In Alma 26 it mentions in vs 27   Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to^aturn back, behold, the Lord ^bcomforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with ^cpatience thine^dafflictions, and I will give unto you success. And it goes on to tell of their afflictions and then Ammon says:30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our ajoy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

31 Now behold, we can look forth and see the afruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are bmany; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us.

It brought me back to the Christ like attribute I have been working on, patience. Maybe the Lord is trying to teach me something :) And they were just working towards, "saving some" and look at all the blessings that followed. There is always so much to learn from the missionaries of the Book of Mormon. 

Other than that, things are good :) We went on two exchanges this week. One with the sisters in Guntersville and another in the Winchester ward in Huntsville. They are great sisters. I always learn something new from each exchange I go on. We did a lot of spanish work in Guntersville. They have no Spanish investigators and they were double transfered in and one sister is brand new and the other has only been here two transfers. That's pretty much how all of our sisters here are now. I don't know how they do it. I was worried to train when I had already been here 4 transfers. They are all amazing. And to answer your questions mom, I don't know Sister Alison Spensko... there are so many sisters here now it's hard to keep up. And Sister Wilding's old companion went home due to sickness... at least that's the rumor. I haven't heard anything else.

We went to a specialized training for the Sister Training Leaders on Tuesday in Birmingham. That was intense! President Holzapfel is just amazing and so is his lovely wife. He pretty much just threw down the hammer. Basically we are going through a phenomenon because we have increasing missionaries coming, but our baptism average is going down for the first time, and it should be that we are increasing... He wanted our opinion on it, but we are just as baffled as he is. We are so sad that he will be leaving this Saturday :( He is really one of a kind. But we are excited for President Hanks to get here! We know he will have a lot of great things to bring to the mission.

We're still trying to figure out this whole Sister Training Leader thing :) It definitely has been a blessing to me as I feel I have grown a lot, I just hope I have been a blessing to others as well. That's why we're here, to bless other peoples lives and I hope that our hard work and patience ;) will bring some fruits to our labors.

Thanks mom for the skirts!!!! They have been such a blessing :) I love you all and I miss you tons! Thank you for all of the prayers and support that you send my way. I miss the kiddos like crazy and I hope that they are all doing well. I hope you're enjoying bryan head too. LOVE YOU!! Send my love to everyone.

Love, Hermana Masey Decker