Olo!

Y'all know what one of my favorite scriptures is? 2 Nephi 2:25, "Adam fell that men might by, and men are that they might have joy!" Isn't that just great! Men are that they might have Joy. That's our purpose. I teach that everytime we teach the Plan of Salvation, but I think sometimes, I myself forget that. There are so many simple joys in this life. If I'm not smiling and laughing, something is wrong. I'm not living the way God would have me live. So many simple joys! For instance, have you seen the blue skies of the south :) There something to be seen. Or the fact that everyone waves to you down here. People, even when they have just told us they are not interested, always say, "Y'all come back, ya hear!" The opportunity to listen to the Prophets and apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. Having the restored gospel on the earth today! Mexican Tiendas ;) Southern accents. Little Mexican men. Southern AND Mexican food! the best of both worlds :) We had to drop off a note at one of our investigators and their front porch was covered in cockroaches. Gross. But Hermana Barroso decided to take one for the team. Haha, she was dancing the whole way up there so one of them couldn't crawl on her. I had a good laugh about that. There are just to many things to be happy about, there is no need for sadness :)

 

Well, I had all that I wanted to tell y'all written out on a paper, and I forgot it at home, so we'll just go off of memory. Wasn't conference just wonderful! Seriously, those men and women are inspired. No doubt about it. LOVE THEM. I went over some of my notes this morning from Saturday morning session and I noticed a common thing, at least for me. Covenants and ordinances=blessings. Living the gospel just makes us happy! We have to go forward with faith! Like Elder Dube said as he quoted Elder Holland, "Faith is always pointing to the future."... (something like that.) And it's so simple! Just like Elder Bednar said when he talked about tithing. The gospel brings significant but subtle blessings! Bah! I just loved it all. Why wouldn't anyone want to be a part of something so great! And it was perfect because we have had a lot of our investigators, including Rey, talk about how they have received so many blessings from their faith in their church. That is wonderful! But there is so much more!!! Why wouldn't anyone want more blessings?! I just don't understand it I guess. Our covenants we make bring so many more blessings and make us so much more Christ like. That's what it's all about, isn't it? I guess I never really focused so much on the covenants as I should be. That's what I'm going to change because of conference :) Blessings! Don't you just love President Uchtdorf. Every time he talks I am just mesmorized. I loved his, "Doubt your Doubts, before you ever doubt your faith." He's a genius, that's all there is to it. And thanks grandma for all of the other quotes! 

 

Rey and Jesus came to church!!! Every time they come I just get so excited. I can't imagine being in their position. Having to come to church where hardly anyone speaks your language. But the members were great! We watched conference in another room so they could watch it in Spanish. (We had headphones, my spanish is improving, but there is no way I could understand conference language quite yet). They seemed to like it. We tried to really pound it in them to pray before they came so they could feel the spirit and know that Thomas S Monson is a prophet today. They are having struggles with the whole idea of prophets today. We had lunch in between and a lot of the ward members were so great with them. They speak a little bit of english, so they can understand a bit. One of our members is just so supportive of us. His daughter is serving a spanish speaking mission in Califronia and he promised her he would try to learn Spanish so he came in for a little part of conference while we watched it with Rey and Jesus and he bore his testimony after :') it was so simple but so powerful. He's wonderful. He invited them over for dinner after church, but they couldn't come. Still, A for effort! We need more members like him. Most of them just don't know what to do with us and our Spanish.

 

I let our Spanish less active cut my hair last Monday (the family I wrote about a while ago). It was our plan to try to get her to come back to church. She didn't come to church, but I got an interesting hair cut ;p the sacrifices we make for the work! She did it super fast, bless her heart ;) I'm going to get it fixed today by one of the english sisters investigators who works in a salon. Simple joys ;)

 

Did I already mention that I love President Uchtdorf :) Grandma sent me some of his quotes: "You are stronger than you realize. You are more capable than you can imagine." and "Your destiny is not determined by the number of times we stumble but by the number of times we stand up, dust ourselves off, and stride forward." I was talking with Hermana Barroso this morning in our companionship study about the atonement. I know I have felt the atonement greatly previously in my life, but it's amazing how much I have felt it just here on my mission. I'm not making any huge sins, but just the day to day ones and I know that I have many MANY weaknesses that I need the help of the Lord with. I have had to learn to be very humble. Especially since the people I am supposed to be training are better missionaries than I am, and they speak better Spanish than I did ;) But if I have learned anything out here, it's that, the gospel is for imperfect people. I am full of imperfections, and thats why I need this gospel. That's why everyone needs this gospel! What the atonement means to me is that sometimes, at the end of a day, I'm going to come home and say, "I didn't do so hot today... but that's okay, I'll just try harder tomorrow." Progression, it's all about eternal progression :) I may not be the smartest missionary, or the most prepared, or the most spiritual, or the most energetic, or the most fluent, but I have started to see those things as a blessing, because I have had to learn to turn to the Lord and let him make up for all that I lack.

 

Sorry, this letter is a bit long today! The other sisters write forever, so I've had a bit more time now days than I usually do :) The work is great. It is going by way to fast! I can look back and see all that has been done, but like Elder Dube's mother said, "Don't look back. Lood forward and see all that we have left to do." :) and there is a lot! Love you all!!!!!!!! Miss you!!!!!!! God bless!!!

 

Love, Hermana Masey Decker