Talihina-Week 6

Oh boy. I can't believe this transfer is over already! Christmas and Thanksgiving really made it fly! It was SO fun to have a big project to work on. Sharing "He is the Gift" was one of the most effective and heartwarming things I've participated in thus far on my mission. The first presidency is so inspired. I'm really REALLY sad it's over, but we'll find something new to motivate us. I actually am thinking of creating a New Year’s message. I just need the Mormon messages DVDs...Would you mind purchasing and sending me those mom??? It would be SOOOO helpful! So many people around here don't have the internet...or a TV for that matter so if we bring dvds and our portable dvd player we can still show it! As for Christmas, it was fantastic! We had so much fun hanging out with The Cooks and the Ingles all Christmas eve, watching movies and eating too much haha. President Ingle tried to make peanut brittle...it kinda turned out to be peanut taffy haha I love him! He calls us his kids :) Every time we come over for dinner or something he calls to sister ingle: The kids are home! :) You HAVE to hear his accent haha I'll try to record him! Then Christmas morning we had breakfast with the Lujans whom I adore! They had like 10 cute little white fluffy dogs that attack us. The chubbiest one loves me, of course :) haha they're always the cutest. His name is Chip. Anyway we had TAMALES!!! They were delicious. I miss real Mexican food!!!!! SO MUCH! So that was nice. Then we spent the rest of the day at the Shaws! Aka my other family. :) I love them SO much! Gosh darn it! Why in the world does this happen??? I just grow to love these people SO much and then one day I'll have to leave them forever :( BUT! That's why we must live to be worthy to enter the celestial kingdom so that we can be with ALL of our loved ones again. :) Until them we soak up every minute we can with them. Well on Tuesday we had our Book of Mormon Zone conference and it was AMAZING. I can truly testify that I know that I know the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. I've never had a more spiritual experience than I did discussing the Book of Mormon that day. I have a goal of using it WAY more in my teachings and findings this coming year. One way is. We're going to start reading the Book of Mormon with ALL of our ACTIVE members in the branch. We've got some lined up already! I'm really REALLY excited! I know that by getting them in the scriptures and having spiritual experiences they will be strengthened and they will have a desire to share the gospel with the friends and family. Plus! We're also starting a month long youth missionary challenge. Sister burrows thought of it this week. We're having a youth fast this coming Sunday for missionary work and then for a month we'll be giving them challenges to complete every day of the week. For example week one will be to pray for missionary opportunities every day and week two will be to pass out one pass along card each day and then we're still brainstorming week 3 and 4 haha. But the last challenge will be to invite someone to a church tour in which we'll show: "Finding Faith in Christ" and HOPEFULLY we'll get some new investigators. PLUS! We have 3 boys from a part member family who will be getting baptized the 7th of January! Andrew, one of the boys said after his interview "that was easier than I thought it would be" haha! I guess we did our job :) They are all so great. They're names are Andrew (16), Everett (13), and Georgie (15). Their 8 yr old sister got baptized this week and asked me to speak at her baptism. That’s my 3rd talk at a baptism this transfer! Woot haha. I'm so looking forward to the 7th! I'll take pictures :) Anyway, I'll be staying here in Talihina and getting Sister Gee from Charleston!! What?! We're like sisters haha. She's just finishing her training so I'll have another new one and I am looking forward to her insights. She’s a hard worker I hear and so I can't wait for the miracles :) I LOVED talking to you guys on Thursday. I'm seriously SO blessed to have such great family and best friends. :) I love you all SO much! SEND ME IDEAS OF HOW TO FILL OPEN TIME AS YOU HAVE THEM!!! :) The 12 days of Christmas things were awesome mom! Thank you! :)

 

Love you forever,

Sister Moreno