Pics

December 31, 2013

MAMA!!!! I'm sorry about the email not happening yesterday and today has been insane too but we had zone conference in Tulsa so we didn't have preparation day until today. Mom I love you sooooooooooo much! I tell everybody you're my best friend and I am so grateful for all that you do and have done for me. Don't be sad! I think and pray about you all the time! I'm so happy to hear you're actually doing the quilt haha I'm not gonna lie I didn't think that was gonna happen ;) BUT! Look at you provin me wrong! Also.....I'm sorry about the nursery/puke incident......HAHAHAH I kinda laughed hysterically though :D I would have to agree sometimes going to church is hard but Mom you're doing what's right. I'm learning how important it is to be completely 100% with the Lord. My companion and I have been pounded on this week by the adversary.  Then this visual came into my mind. An elder had told me that day that at home he sprayed the floorboards of his room every night with Raid so that spiders wouldn't come in while he slept haha and I had a strike of inspiration. Every good, preventative, righteous thing we do is like spraying bug spray around our home . Prayer covers the floorboard, scripture study covers the lower half of the walls, faith, repentance, keeping our covenants, family home evening, and love in the home all are levels of the home that are being sprayed with Satan repellent. :) Every day we have to renew those things and cover our home so that there's no uncovered area that is unprotected. I've learned that media is HUGE. Movies, music, and magazines, etc can invite Satan in and quite frankly we can't afford that. I can only imagine how hard Satan is going to try and attack you guys because I'm out here and because you each have such an influence on those people around you. PLEASE cover our home. Create a space where all of you can be safe from the adversary that so dearly wants to tear you apart. I'm being pounded on, but don't worry I'm covering my ground and I'm never going out of our safe haven without drenching myself in Satan repellent. :) Phew! Sorry haha kinda more serious but it's been an interesting week. 
Ya so CRAZY! But on another note Erma I LOVE MY BLANKET SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! :) You guys are the best and ma I'm so thankful for that xd card reader thing! It's awesome! I'm gonna try and upload pictures tonight and also send you that hilarious video of me eating frog legs haha. Oh! Brother Vendel also made me eat snails....ya hahah he gets enjoyment out of my disgust. :) It kinda tasted like roast beef/mushrooms. It actually wasn't that bad and no video was necessary. I didn't have seconds though haha. Have you guys gotten your Christmas presents yet???? Oh my goodness!! So the single mom! She and her kids and her less active mother all came to church on Sunday!!!!!! ISN'T THAT AWESOME!!!???? I was sooooo happy! They didn't stay the whole time but they said they were gonna come back next Sunday!!! WOOT! SO HAPPY! I was so nervous but the members were awesome! THey were so good. I don't know very many people's names yet but I yanked them over and introduced them and it turns out that one of our recent converts used to be friends with her and their kids went to preschool together and they were both so excited! THAT was awesome. God has it all worked out. Also, I went into my first house that was covered in cockroaches....ya. I was really anxious. BUT! They are such good people! Holy cow. They're less active and the mom has started coming back to church and we're working on the dad and he's so nice and good with the kids. I finally had to just ignore the walls and focus on the people becuase that's who I was there for and I don't have any room to be judging anyone. It was hard, but I did it. Ok I'm gonna go do the pictures, but in regards to zone conference. IT WAS AWESOME! We played games, President Shumway and his sons have a band and they're really good haha They played for us, and we also were spiritually fed. Once again Heavenly father is using my talents. They called me the night before and asked me to lead the music for our tri-zone meeting....so I did haha. Elder Burton is in my zone which is awesome! I talked to him for a good half hour and he's like "Sister Moreno, how is it that wherever we go people always know you do music. You're always picked for stuff like that!" Haha it's fun. I am not complaining at all. It helps me realize God knows me and is aware of me. :) I also learned that I need to memorize D&C 4, My Mission Commission, and The Standard of Truth....and 60 scriptures...ya. I've got a lot A LOT of work to do, but after last night, I don't want to leave any stone unturned. I LOVE YOU ALL and thank you to PROGRESSIVE AND THE YSA BRANCH!!! You guys are the best and I don't have time to write you but I truly appreciate all of you. :) And note to America and Emily : i'm assuming since you haven't written me in forever you're almost dead..... I lost both of your guys' addresses so I can't write you guys until I get a letter from you! My address is 4815 S. County Line Road AR, 72933. Also, my mission is the OTM...obesity through members...that's all that needs to be said about that. Please love me when I'm chubby. :)
Love,
Sister Moreno

December 23, 2013

Subject: AHHHHHHHH!!!!!

FAMILIA!!!,

I'M IN CHARLESTON ARKANSAS AND I LOVE IT SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!! I have compiled a list of things I need to tell you so I can use my time wisely. Fist of all thank you soooooo much for my package!!! I opened it right after we went shopping today, and guess what I bought....tuna hahah it cracked me up how you know me so well Mom. I love you :) And please feel free to send food storage whenever you feel like it. :) But honestly it's fantastic. The Shumways were way intimidating and I was nervous about my companion Sister Breaux (bro) cause she's a sister training leader and she's sooooo enthusiastic and nice...ya know opposite of me haha just kidding ....kinda :) But honestly it has been fantastic! The people here are soooo nice and they are all so loving! I just met people and they're already saying they love me and they're huge huggers around here which I love! I have in fact met many people without their front teath or they're teeth are rotting which is kinda gross but seriously I have not met one person who wasn't nice to me. NOT ONE and even though we may not have a lesson with a lot of them they are still so courteous and Christ like. It's very obvious that this was the state Grandpa was born in. Southern hospitality is alive and well. :) It's so crazy cause there's churches on EVERY BLOCK! But there's only one LDS church for 12 towns haha. But oh my goodness have I seen miracles...it's insane...or rather amazing haha. When I first got into Arkansas my companion told me that our ward was "young" which in Idaho and every other western state means they just have a lot of little kids. Well here it means they are all young to the gospel. Church here is really different because they're all learning what to do and what they're responsibilities are. It's kinda frustrating for us but then we step back and look at how well they're doing for being brand new. It's amazing. The ward has doubled DOUBLED in the past 6 months because of the bishop and the missionary efforts. This are is SOOOOOO ready for the gospel it's ridiculous! We found 6 new investigators in my first 4 days! My very first like 3 hours were spent meeting 2 of those! Oh my heavens it is just amazing how blessed I am. Oh ya and when I met with sister Shumway before I came out here we were talking about how I sing and speak and what not and she said that the Lord has a way of using ALL of our talents when we're out here. And sure enough he does. I sang a duet with Sister Breaux, sang alto in the 6 person ward choir, and randomly got called up in sacrament to sing with the Young Women ALL ON SUNDAY hahah. My very first Sunday! It was awesome! Sister Breaux and I sound really great together. We sand Oh holy night and I sang alto. We had so many members come up to us and tell us we made them cry :) It was amazing because I could just feel the extra spirit that came from the words because I am a missionary. I have learned how to recognize the spirit so well and it has been something that I never want to live without. What a blessing from Heavenly Father. Speaking of which. Sister Breaux and I were driving way out in the boonies looking for a less active and it was dark outside. Well, we were following our GPS and it's leading us way up in the hills past all civilization and we're starting to get a little anxious, and then I realized I had dreamt of that place before and that I was lost in my dream but I came upon a cabin and I got out but these men all dressed in black drove me away and it was an aweful dream! Well I told my companion that and we start really freaking out and suddenly the GPS told us we met our destination and it was nothing but woods.....ya. We kept driving a little further and a huge wall of fog hit out of nowhere and the spirit was gone. There was this bad feeling that came over both of us and I said we should pray and we finally just turned around and left. It took us a good hour to get back to the country area where there were at least a couple houses but that feeling didn't leave for a really long time. It was one of the creepiest things I have ever been apart of. We realized just the other day that Satan is seriously working on us so hard because we're doing so much work and I don't know what would have happened if we kept driving but I know it ws bad. I am so grateful for the holy ghost and that it guides and warns us. I'm also really glad that we were told to pray for protection. Heavenly Father watches out for all of us. Anyway haha don't freak out mom it's all good :) It's actually quite wonderful because we don't live on our own! Most areas live in apartments but our are is HUGE so there aren't really acceptable apartments around. We live with an older couple, the Vendels and they are AMAZING!!!! They are soooooo nice and they treat us like they're own. They feed us even though they don't have to, they let us use their GPS, we sit around and talk to them in our pjs, they give us hugs...or hand hugs haha in the case of brother vendel and they tell us they love us. Plus! They have a special trip planned for us tomorrow! They won't tell us where they're taking us but we're super excited. Also after that whole creepy incident, brother Vendel gave both of us a blessing and it was amazing. He started crying for both of our blessings and so did sister vendel. They are such good people and I cannot tell you how thankful I am to live with them. They are both super musical and so that's how I got "roped" into singing. :) They play the piano and they even have a family CD. They are amazing and I love them a lot. I think Heavenly Father knew I needed to start off here. It's really gonna be so nice because all their family is coming over for Christmas and we're apart of their family:) It's much nicer than celebrating it alone in an apartment. However, they're not the only nice ones spending time with us on Christmas and Christmas Eve! We are actually booked! Isn't that great??? :) It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy all over. We're having lunch with the Merkely's on eve and then we're just staying around there all afternoon (after our surprise trip which sister vendel said she'd send pictures of to you mom) and watching Disney G rated movies haha. Don't worry! That's what all the missionaries got permission to do both on Christmas Eve and Christmas!!! It's gonna be so nice! The Merkely's are from Utah and they just moved here in September so they're still adjusting to the different lifestyle here but we eat over at their house every Sunday with the Elders whom are hilarious haha. One is from Rexbourg and the other from Salt Lake. We were talking yesterday and brother Merkely is having a hard time because literally the home teaching system down here is broken and no one does or reports anything. and I've only been here a few days and I could already tell that. However! There's absolutely NO DOUBT that we're all from Utah and Idaho...places used to organization and planning. The Merkely's were called here forwork but honestly it's more than that. We're all here to build the church and to teach these wonderful people how to get things done. It's amazing and it was so nice to go to their house and see familiar set ups. You'd be surprised at how different Arkansas really is. EVERYONE has pets haha and everyone has out lawn chairs, boots, carpet and dirty couches on their porches hahah it's crazy but I love it. :) Another amazing miracle that happened was We were in Mcdonalds cause our ward mission leader took us to Booneville (pronounced Boonvle...don't say it the way it's spelled or you'll be made fun of:) )and this lady gave up her table for us because they were about to leave and my companion and I went to go sit down and then we looked up at each other and nodded haha We headed after her and introduced ourselves. We then proceeded to teach her that GOd is our loving Heavenly Father and that he has a plan for us. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she says: "Wow...ya know...it's really weird because I've been having a really ahrd time and I've been praying for answers to god and so you coming up here is like him answering me"....CRAZY!!! What would have happened if we didn't go after her?! I'm so grateful sister Breaux is a go getter. We set up an appointment with her and she's gonna start the lessons. :) ANOTHER MIRACLE! We got this list of past investigators and we saw this lady, Melanie on the list and thought we'd go visit her. She lives in Lavaca (not pronounced like cow in Spanish...also mad fun of for saying that like it's spelled haha!) Well neither one of us had met her before and we go in and start chatting with her and she's a single mom with 3 kids. She has just moved form Nashville and she was really nice. I'm telling you guys! THese people down here are so open and friendly! Ayhoo, we talked to her for a while and then she started asking about baptism.......ya hehe...she starts asking if our church would baptize her baby boy because she was told that he was born with all of her sins and she had lived a rough life and didn't want that for him. BAM! It was AWESOME! I found the perfect scripture....Moroni 8:11-15....I think that's what it was. Anyway, it took me forever to find it but it was perfect! Plus during my search she and her brilliant 13 year old daughter are asking us all these questions about all of this stuff that they'd always wondered about cause they'd heard different things from different churches and it was so wonderful because the gospel of Jesus Christ answers them all! They were so good and they were telling us about how they believe in repentance and hjow going to church is so important and she made her daughter watch passion of the Christ...which is kinda scary but it showed just how important following Christ is to them. So we have a really great question/answer type lesson and we give them both a Book of Mormon and we just come right out and ask. " If you found the things that we're saying to be true and if you received an answer that the Book of Moron is the word of God, would you be baptized into Christ's restored church by the power of God"........they said yes......................................:O. Just yes. WOW. Holy cannoli. That was an amazing experience. What good people and what strong faith. That was a sign to me that God has prepared these people of Arkansas. They are ready to receive his gospel and to come unto him. I've also learned that it's so important to realize what you're asking people to join or be apart of it's not "our church" it's coming unto Christ and following his gospel. It's joining and coming closer to him in HIS restored church. What a powerful experience. Not only that, they invited us over for Christmas dinner! Ya! They just met us! She is amazing and we're sooooo excited for her. :) However, it's seriously so obvious that Satan is bombarding these good good people and I just pray that they'll be strong enough to push him away. Ok I'm running out of time, but I did just send y'all stuff tehe I am seriously catching the accent so fast it's ridiculous but Sister Vendel says she can't tell haha She makes fun of me all the time. But! I accidently sent a bag of panty hose to Grandpa that were meant to come home...so ya haha. Kalen's gift is in said panty hose bag so just grab those from Grandpa's when you get a call that I sent Erma underwear haha :) OH! AND! I can Skype on Christmas!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!! So exciting!!! I don't know how to do it and I'm not sure you guys do either but I'll call you first mom in case you guys can't figure it out but Cass will you please work on figuring out how to Skype? Maybe you already know, but ya it'll be around 9 am on Christmas! Also, thank yous to Millie, Sarah and Butch for my slippers for Christmas!! I love them soooo much! and I wear them all the time! Sister Vendel calls them my elf slippers haha! And thank you to Sue and Deli for my 7 year pen!!! I had already gone through 2 pens but then I started using that one and I am soooo glad I did! I seriously think I'll use it all this year but we'll see haha It's fantastic. I was also just called and told that I got another package at the mission home so thank you to whoever that is from! I am soo blessed and I think about you often and I ALWAYS pray for you. I LOVE YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH and I'll talk to you on Christmas!

God bless Arkansas...and you, :)

Sister Moreno

December 14, 2013

 I only have one hour and I couldn't really fall asleep last night because I have so little time to write you and toooooooooooo much to say!!!! However,...let it begin :)

Mi Familia,

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! Except the boys..they haven't written me. Friendly reminder, I'm only sending Christmas surprises home for those who write me;) There's incentive hehe. First of all thank you to all who have written me!! You are the best and I have loved every single letter! Note to America: Yes I am getting your letters! The first one was almost a full paragraph but it cut off half way through a sentence so I don't know what happened there but I got your second one and I love you too!! Please give me your address yo! I'll write you a personalized letter once I get that. Good luck with finals! Also, very good with the whole Z man thing. Don't forget what you really want and remember where you really want to be in the end. Send me your address on Dear ELder by Monday!..or give it to my mom. Love ya. Note to Emily: Thank you soooo much for your letters!! I'm sending you a letter tonight :) Note to Erma: Thank you sooooo much for the card and pictures! People were shocked to see that I actually had family cause I'm the only one who doesn't have pictures of their family with me :) I'll send you and Grandpa a letter tonight. Note to Cass: I wrote you a letter and I'm mailing it today! :) Note to Manda: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MY LETTER! I was sooooooo happy to hear from you! That's so great that your wrapping everything up. I'm glad that you're feeling good about your plans, and I'm not judging you whatsoever on wanting to stay in Jerome. I've been realizing lately just how fantastic it is:) Please send me your address so I can write you a better letter!! Love you so much!

About Grandpa Chambers, and Kent's dad. I'm so sorry to hear that they passed away because we'll miss them so much. However, being out here I've been reminded even more of the fact that there is soooo much more than our time on earth. I know they're both continuing on and that they are with you in spirit. My love and prayers are with all of you.

Holy cannoli I have learned so much it's ridiculous! I feel like I've truly become bipolar haha! Some days are so fantastic and spiritually high and other days I'm like wow this is really hard and I don't want to study for another three hours straight. HOWEVER! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!! :) Seriously it's the best. I've had such a great companion whom I can totally be myself with and we're constantly having fun and learning. We've lived really similar lives and have so much to talk about. My district is Fantastic! We've all become best friends and I'm seriously going to miss them sooooo much! THe NC people leave Monday and the Tulsa people fly out Tuesday.( We're leaving the MTC AT 2:30AM ON Tuesday....ya. So, basically my last day here is MoNday and then I'm flying out. Mom: I'll be able to call on Monday around 6 am.....if you don't want me to I understand haha I realize you love sleep :) ) I have had great roommates (also part of my district). Ya, soryy for lack of details with the pictures, but I can't really remember what pictures I sent you. Sis lavea is my comp, the tan beautiful one :) The blonde curly hair is Sis. Jacot(JAY-COT) and we have a ton in common. SHe's going to BYU. SHe went for a year. Then the short blonde hair is Sister Larson and she is fantastic. :) SHe's so nice and friendly but all of us get along so great. Those two sisters went to a year of college before coming out so I'm the baby...weird. However, there's 3 or 4 elders in my distric who are the smae age/position as me. Elder Burton and I are literally best friends now haha. He's ALWAYS talking to me and getting me in trouble!! Terd :) Just kidding I get him in trouble too haha. Me, sis lavea, Elder Burton, and Elder Madsen (his comp) are all going to Tulsa and we all are literally best friends. We're always talking to each other and somehow we always end up in the same rooms for everything even when it's with everyone and completely random! Elder Madsen is also HILARIOUS! I'm gonna try and send you pictures. There's one where we're all together and the boys are kneeling on the floor. Elder Madsen is the white super blonde guy caressing Elder burton the little guy with glasses hahahah holy cow it cracks me up! :) I told them I'm pretty sure my grandpa and grandpa took a picture like that, and Elder Madsen,..... you're my grandma. Hahah I'm so glad we're all going to the smae place. It's gonna be a blast...if I ever see them.

Ok, on to more important things. :) Mom you remember when I learned about the holocaust and got really super depressed because I just really felt for those people and I was in that funk for a good couple months? Well, as I've been out here we've had the chance to teach people who volunteer to be investigators. Most people are members, but some aren't. Well, sis lavea and I were teaching this girl from china who was mormon just acting like she wasn't but she missed one of our appointments, so we're sitting there waiting for her and this other lady comes up and is asking if we're there to meet with her cause she'd love to hear from us. We said ya sure! So, we go in and start "talking to her" which consisted of us sitting down and listening to her tell us her whole life story.....wow. SHe is a real investigator and she came to volunteer cause she didn't want her friend to know that she was meeting with the missionaries. She told us all about her life and I have never ever heard a life so hard. She was abused physically, emotionally and sexually by both of her parents, her brothers, and her husband. She went into detail about how she's never been loved and how she was always blamed for problems and how her husband had an affair with a lady and as she was getting a sea section for her 2nd child cause her pelvis had been broken as a child. Her husband walks in with his girlfriend to see "their child". Her incision was infected and the doctors didn't have the medicine or something and her husband, with his girlfriend told the doctor "Call me if anything happens. I'll call a truck to come pick up the slabs of meat".....It's making me cry again just writing this. THis was only ONE of many MANY awful things this lady really experienced. I cried, she cried, sister lavea cried. We stayed in there with her for 2 1/2 hours. Lessons are usually 45 minutes. I have NEVER felt sooooo unbelievably sad in my life. But the thing is , she has no hatred. SHe doesn't hold any grudges. She said she's experienced mean all her life so why would she want to continue that. I have never met anyone so strong and humble in my life. We bore our testimony to her on who she really is, how God loves her and knows her. We told her of the atonement and how Christ knows everything she has gone through, and how even though she dosen't and we don't know why she would ever have to experience any of those things, we told her "God sends his hardest trials to his strongest most valiant warriors." She just cried and cried. I can't even tell you how I feel about that. It was obvious that we were supposed to meet with her instead of our "fake" investigator. However, just like with the holocaust situation, after heard all of these things I just felt so depressed and sad. I couldn't get that dark alone feeling out of me. I explained to sis lavea how I felt cause she was so excited to talk to her cause her mom had been through similar things and I told her I just feel really what she's been through and I can''t shake it. Well, later that night I still was in this funk and she gave me a scripture to read, Alma 36:27...one of my favorite scriptures that I forgot about. And I felt better immediately. She told the branch president about it and he told her that I have a special gift, and although it may seem like a trial now, it will come to be a gift. It's hard, I'm not gonna lie. I just feel really deeply these people's lives and it's hard to get out of that dark place and back into the happiness of the gospel, but I'm beginning to see that through the scriptures, through prayer, and through the atonement, everyone can be healed of ANY pain they've experienced.

I'm out of time, but I know this church is true. I've never felt more close to my Heavenly Father and the Savior than I do out here. I'm excited to serve and I have this weird feeling about Kansas haha but I learned yesterday during "in-field training" that God has prepared someone in EVERY area that I will be called, and I can feel that there are friends that I've known before this life waiting to hear that they can be with their families forever, that they can be freed from sadness and sin and truly come to know what true happiness is through A relationship with Jesus CHrist. I love you all and Monday is my last day in the MTC! Be strong and count your blessings. So many have so little, but where much is given, much is required. I love being a missionary, and it's going by quick haha:) Talk to you on Tuesday!

Love you forever,

Sis. Moreno

Reply, Reply All or Forward | More

December 7, 2013

Hello hello family! :)

It is Saturday and also my P-Day and it has been so nice to walk around in sweats all morning! :) Thank you Mom and Cass for the letters! It was fun to get mail/email. Mom I sent you letter in the mail Tuesday afternoon so I don't know if you've gotten it yet but if you haven't it's coming. Things have been crazy here. The first day seems like a bagillion years ago. I swear it feels like I've been here for 3 months! Not in a bad way but the time here is so different. We have class and meetings ALL day long BUT! I LOVE my district and my companion and that's who we spend all of our time with.

Oh my goodness! Ok so Mom remember before I got out of the car I was like "I hope I get a cool Samoan companion at some point"? Well, haha I walk into my class after I got my name tag and what not, and this cool Samoan/ Tongan (She's both) shakes my hand says she's my companion!! My jaw just dropped cause I was like oh my goodness Heavenly Father thank you so much she seems awesome hahah! :) And she is. I turned to her like 5 minutes into class and I was like " I have so much t;o tell you" and she was kinda taken a back and I'm pretty sure I weirded her out at first BUT! It turns out we have a TON in common!! We both brought a gross ton of gum and we have the same lotion and the same sense of humor. We are constantly cracking up...sometimes too much haha. We also both feel like we're going to be humbled in some dramatic way because we're always making sarcastic comments about how the Elders aren't as spiritual as the sisters haha Ya....it's bad and we need to knock it off before we both are forced into humility hehe :) But seriously we just have a great fun time together and I'm REALLY hoping we get to be companions out in the field together. Oh ya! Her name is Sister Liahona Lavea (Love-ay-uh). By th3e way! I have the top bunk! Me the only girl in my room that is afraid of heights! At first I took it cause Sis. Lavea didn't really want it and I was like oh I'll be Christ like and deal with it. Later on though as we became practically best friends I was giving her a hard time about it and the first night there I wake up because she wacked her head on the bar of the bunk and shook the whole bed hahah I was like "that's what you get for choosing bottom bunk" :) Also she always beats me at rock paper scissors in role plays to see who has to be the missionary! IT'S OK! I'm getting more practice haha. Nah it's all in good fun. She is AWESOME and I love her. :)

My district: There are 4 sisters and 6 Elders in my district and I love them! THere's 4 of us going to Tulsa (Eld. Madsen, Eld. Burton, Sis. Lavea and Me). The rest are going to Charlotte North Carolina, which makes me sad because I love them so much! :( The two other sisters in or district are soooo great! They've helped me out so much with being exactly obedient. They seriously are some great friends and I've been so lucky to love my district and zone becuase we're together ALL DAY LONG. But it's great cause we're all good friends! :) Also! Elder Burton is sooooo cut3e! He's like a little cute t3eddy bear guy! He looks just like Elder Jake CHmabers.... when he was 12 hahah! I tease Elder Burton all the time cause he's really quiet and yesterday we were all exhausted and just chatting instead of focusing and the teacher came in and told us to use our time wisely and I was like " I would but Elder Burton keeps talking and I can't focus" HAHAHA oh goodness. He turned bright red and I felt really awful because he was so embarrassed! I was like " I'm just kidding Elder Burton! I'm the loud mouth I'm just glad you're talking cause I'm, your friend! " Haha I think I slightly terrify him, but honestly I've forced him to be my friend and we get along great. :) In our zone, there's 4 more sisters. Three of which are going to Tulsa and two of which are from Idaho! Crazy! Tulsa must love those Idaho girls :) We're not as close to them but I also love my zone. We have church together on Sundays in addition to Zone teachings which are a few hours a day, everyday. Speaking of Sundays, I got a calling! I am the branch Music coordinator! Fun! :) It was kinda weird yet totally because of Heavenly Father that I got it because all of my district knows I love to sing but I hadn't told anyone in the branch presidency so that was revelation for sure. I'm excited :) And also me and my sister roommates are going to do a musical number for a big meetings next week. Yay! Well...we have to audition first but I have a good feeling we'll get it hehe. THey are soooo talented. I'm so happy I've had so many opportunities to sing and have music in my stay here cause it makes me feel at home.

Well, in addition to all the amazing people I've met I've learned so much! Holy cow. The first day here is was a total fog, and it seemed like I was going to be doing this FOREVER and it seemed like too much. The second day I was feeling discouraged cause there's so many people here that feel super confident with teaching and I do not. But yesterday was good. It was sooo long but I learned so much. I had so many lightbulb moments. I realized my purpose is the doctrine of christ! You'd think that'd click in my mind but it didn't. 2 Nephi 31 is the whole reason I'm out here. I am not going to Oklahoma to teach people lessons. I'm not going to Oklahoma to simply get people baptized. I'm going to Oklahoma to bring people closer to God. As I was teaching one of my "investigators" I had to truly stop and think what about this gospel, what about this church makes my life better. This investigator was raised catholic and so he prays all the time, he feels he has a great relationship with God and he's happy and connect with his life. Why would he need the gospel of Jesus Christ? What does the church have to offer him that he doesn't already have.....the doctrine of Christ. The steps of Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Those steps to becoming truly happy not only in the life to come, but here on Earth. Because of the doctrine of Christ I have been able to change. I have been able to become something more than I ever could be without the help of the Savior and his atonement. I am soooooooooooo far from perfect, but because of the Doctrine of Christ I am able to change everyday and become better than I was the day before. In addition to the doctrine of Christ, I also studied a lot about receiving revelation through prayer. This is obviously a HUGE part of the mission. We have to pray and recive revelation for ourselves, our companions, and mostly our investigators. We MUST have the spirit with us to know what to teach people or else we're just spouting out random stuff that won't affect them whatsoever. And as I was reading in Preach my Gospel about prayer I was completely focused on Lucky (my investigator) and how his prayers should change to grow closer to God, I juist felt this surge of love from my Heavenly Father for me. Since I've been here my prayers have changed. I've become more formal and general, because I used to pray to God like he was right there with me, but becuase there's so many really righteous people around me I felt like I should make my prayers more "intellectual and spiritual" but at that moment it was like Heavenly Father was talking right to me. I just felt that he really loves me for me. He wants me to stay me as a missionary and to keep that relationship with him. Not only did I feel his love, but I also knew at that moment that he specifically and literally picked me to be his companion. That was an amazing feeling. I felt so comforted in knowing that I am needed and here for a reason. I love my Heavenly Father so much and Even though I don't know everything, I'm learning. And I know enough to help people come closer to Christ and to God. That is my goal. I also know that he knows every single one of you and that he hears your prayers. Try reading 2 Nephi 31 and honestly ponder what the doctrine of Christ has done to bless your life, cause the recognition of all the things you've been blessed with will blow your mind. :)

I LOVE YOU ALL SOOOOOOOO MUCH!! Please tell Emily thank you soooo much for the letter!! It was great to hear from her.....but I have absolutely no way of getting back to her hahah. I need addresses!! :) Tell Grandpa I love him! I talk about him all the time here :) Also loves to Erma, Nelson and Stevie, and Everyone! I tried to attach pictures.......we'll see how that goes:)

Love you forever,

Sister Moreno

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 4, 2013

Before Andrea entered the MTC we went across the road to the Provo Temple Parking lot to take pictures and say our good-byes.

Andrea’s luggage weighed more than she did.  The tiny missionary that was her guide assured us that she was stronger than she looked and took the heaviest suit cases herself.

I'm headin out!

The time has come! I'm headed to Tulsa Oklahoma to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I couldn't be more excited, more nervous, and more sure of anything I've ever done in my life. It's a decision that was not made lightly. I prayed to God that I would know what college to go to and I received the answer to defer my enrollment to BYU and go on a mission! Needless to say, it wasn't what I had expected and it took some time to adjust my will with our Heavenly Father's. However, as I came to terms with this new plan I realized just how much I've been blessed with. I've grown up in a great town with loving family and friends. I had a job, a house, scholarships, and a thousand and two opporutunities to grow and develop talents. Perhaps most importantly I was born and raised in a free country, and I had the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. How in the world did I deserve all of those blessings? Then I realized, I didn't. I had done nothing to receive anything I had been given in this life, yet my father in heaven gave me so much, because he loves me and I love him. Although I will never be able to repay him for the blessings I have and for the greatest gift of all time, the atonement of Jesus Christ, I will try my best to show that I appreciate it. I'm going on a mission because I have been too blessed to sit still. I'm going on a mission because I love the Lord. I'm going on a mission because I love his children, and I want all of them to experience the love God has for them just like I have. I'm going on a mission becuase he's asked me to and I will not fail him. When times get hard I will remember "Sometimes it takes a storm to lead a heart where it can grow". And nothing is too hard with the Lord on your side. Soooo here goes nothing! My lovely mother will be posting my letters and I would love to hear from all of you!! I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church of God restored on earth by the power and direction of God through Joseph Smith. I know that The Book of Mormon is the word of God and another testimony that Jesus Christ truly is the Savior of the world. I know that he will come again and I know that we must repent in order to be worthy to return to live with our Heavenly Father. I know that we are all quite literally children of God and that when we pray to him whether outloud or in our hearts, he hears our prayers and he answers them. He loves us, he knows us better than anyone else on earth because we lived with him before we came to earth, and he wants us to return back to live with him again. I'm so grateful for the gospel in my life and for my friends and family. They've all blessed my life tremendously, and I look forward to having new experiences in Oklahoma! God bless! :)