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
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