Happy Halloween!

Hola!

 

First off, since Halloween is approaching rapidly:

1. I am so glad I am on a mission for Halloween. I dislike Halloween a lot. (Besides the treats)

2. I have never seen so many decorations in my life for Halloween. Here in Memphis everyone goes all out. I have never seen so many creepy blow ups. Its crazy how many people decorate their entire yards for this day. 

 

Anyways, other news for the week,

1. Jehovah Witnesses knocked on our door this week while we were studying and shared a short message with us. (We get mistaken for Jehovah Witnesses almost daily.) 

2. Me and my companion taught Primary yesterday and it was so fun! I loved it. We taught the 5 year old class. 

 

We are teaching 2 different families that have a kid with cancer and are getting treatment at St. Jude’s. (a 12 year old and a 5 year old) Life is so precious. It’s been so awesome teaching them about the Plan of Salvation and how we can live with our family forever.

 

Everyone we teach in this area has a belief in God and attends some church. This can be good and bad. Good because they already have that belief and we are just helping them grow that faith, but it is also challenging because people are content with their lives and don’t want to change. What it comes down to almost every time is Authority and the Great Apostasy. We have been teaching those 2 concepts more than ever this week. 

 

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to serve the people here in Memphis and grow closer to my Savior. 

 

Hope you all have a great week,

 

Love and pray for ya'll daily,

 

Hermana Warner

 

Ps. Happy Halloween    

Good Morning!

Good Morning,

This last week was an adventure! Last Tuesday we had on of our best days yet. We taught many different people who accepted the message. There was one who took the Book of Mormon and was like, "you’re giving this to me for free?" "Thanks, I’m going to read this." Another lady after we said the closing prayer said, "I feel at peace when I talk to you." As missionaries that’s what we have been waiting for. Ah. I get so excited when that happens. I just want them to know, and feel the knowledge and joy I get from this gospel. Anyhow after our lessons we were having dinner with one of the members and after we were done we walked outside and my companion gasped. Then we heard a voice from a truck that said, "Don’t worry. I did it. I already called the police. I have been waiting here for 45 min." Our car had been hit, and the window was shattered. Tender Mercies: 1. we were not in the car. 2. The guy that hit our car was an honest man and waited around for us to come out. 3. We had training the next day (which is for all the missionaries on the Tennessee side of the mission) where Elder Shaw (the Elder in charge of the cars) could help us out.

Apparently what had happened is he was backing up in his truck and he looked to the left and the right and no one was coming so he went and our car was parked directly behind his across the street. He just didn’t see the car. His truck didn’t get one scratch. However, even with the accident (and all the paperwork we had to go through) that was an awesome day!

Besides Tuesday we were able to visit less actives with other members and in return they came to church yesterday!!

It was an awesome week here in Memphis, even though I cursed myself by saying it was still so warm here, because this last week I had to get out my sweaters and gloves.

Have a fabulous week,

Love you all,

Hermana Warner

Marquee Quote of the week! I got a good laugh at this one: "Swallow your pride, Its not Fattening"

Hey Ya'll!

What a wonderful week. The weather has been perfect. When I said the weather has been cooling down here the past few weeks, I meant that it’s now in the 70-80s. I love it!

Little update on my life:

Food: I love the food we get fed. It is always amazing! It’s a lot, (especially when you have 2 dinners in 1 night, 1 hour apart) but so good!

Companion: She is amazing. We work awesome together and she is my best friend! We are enjoying every minute we have together bringing souls unto Christ.

Running: We run around our lake for exercise in the morning. We run for about 3 minutes and then walk the rest!

Language: Both me and my companion are new and so we are learning together. We teach ourselves and try to practice as much as possible. We are both improving rapidly now that we don’t have our trainer to rely on when we don’t understand. I love learning Spanish. I especially love the looks we get after we say "Hola" to people and then are able to keep going and pull a conversation. I also love when we knock on doors and the first thing people say is "I don’t speak English." Well we tell them, 

“We speak Spanish so it’s ok!”

 This week we had some amazing lessons. One of my favorite stories was when we met with a less active. She has 4 young kids and was baptized in 2010. She now attends a different church where she says her kids actually learn something and enjoy going. She doesn’t believe in the Book of Mormon either. We took a member with us to this appointment. We were able to sit and talk with her about the Book of Mormon and when we were done she said, "I still don’t believe it. I only believe in the bible." We did everything we thought we could do, and we thought we just wouldn’t come back to her house again. Then as we were leaving her kids drew us pictures that said, "I love the church" It was priceless. We know they were listening to our conversations and felt something. Then we asked her, "Well is there anything we could help you with? Do you need anything?" She then went on to tell us how she and all of her kids sleep on the floor because they don’t have any beds. We said we would see what we could do. We all knew we would be going back.

We plan to go back there this next week to help her out, read with her and take her some beds that a member was able to get. So many tender mercies!

I love this quote by President Monson, "I hope you appreciate the sacrifices which your parents so willingly make in order for you to serve. Their labors will sustain you, their faith encourages you, their prayers uphold you. A mission is a family affair."

Thank you all so much for your continual prayers, and support in my behalf. I have never been so happy in my life. I love being able to serve the people here in Memphis day in and day out.

Hope ya'll have a wonderful week,

Hermana Warner

picture that the little boy drew that says "I love the church" My heart just melts. So cute.

This Lake is where we went fishing and what we run around. Its right behind the home we live in.

Me and my companions at the temple right before our trainer left

Me and almost all of the Spanish speaking sisters in this Mission on Transfer day. (Minus my trainer and one new sister who was waiting in Arkansas for one of these sisters to go over there) *There will be 5 new Spanish speaking sisters coming into this mission in November

Family Email

Another week came and went,

First off, before I forget, transfers are this week; we got an early call last night from the mission president that my trainer would be leaving today… in 1 hour… back to Arkansas. (Normally they get the call this morning and leave Wednesday) We did get a call this morning however from the AP’s (Assistants to the President) saying that both me and Hermana Johnson will be staying in this area!

This past week was bike week. I loved it. However, our Zone Leader did make up an acronym that I think is pretty funny and one my companions referred to it everyday.

B iking

I  s

K iller

E specially

W hen

E veryone’s

E njoying their

K ars

Conference was amazing! If you didn’t watch it, y'all should. It was amazing. Every talk. Also, if you watched the weekly report during the sessions about the Mexico MTC, they filmed that while I was there and I knew like almost everyone. Some of the Elder's shown were in my district. It made me reflect on the MTC and how much I LOVED it there. in addition, Arnulfo Valenzuela who spoke in the Saturday Afternoon session spoke while I was in the MTC too! 

I loved when Elder Hales talked about conference and how after we are edified it’s important to GO HOME AND LIVE what we learned.

I also loved when Elder Ballard said, “It’s Impossible for us to FAIL when we do our BEST and when we are on the Lord’s errand.

I love how a lot of the focus this conference was about member missionary work. I have realized that members are the key to our success out here. Number one because they can speak the language and answer their questions. Number two every time we take members to our lessons, our lessons are so much more spiritual and the investigators can really relate to these members. These members are the ones that are going to stay. We will eventually have to leave.

 However, member missionary work isn’t just that. I love the quote “Each one, reach one.”  This work is hastening. It’s time for the gospel to be spread to the whole earth!

Another acronym my mission president made up:

Because

Of

Love

Diligently invite

Besides conference, this week was great.

Continue to Look up and have a great week,

Hermana Warner

P.S. The signs on marquees for churches out here are so great. My favorite this week was Spiritual Blindness can only be cured by the Greatest Physician.

HOLA FAMILIA!

I think this was the fastest week of my mission. I can't believe another week has already gone by. We had a lot of success this week and hope to continue it this week.

All 12 of us missionaries in our branch sang yesterday because one elder is going home this next week. We sang Called to Serve.

We started bike week yesterday and the weather is perfect. Last night as we were locking up our bikes we found a frog and I decided to pick it up and kiss it! My companions freaked out but they were able to get a picture... unfortunately I have misplaced my camera cord to load them onto the computer so ya'll will have to wait in suspense to see that picture.

This month our challenge has been to carry around a Book of Mormon EVERYWHERE we go. It's crazy how many more Books of Mormon we have given out because we have them in our hand. A lot of our lessons have been focused on the Book of Mormon as well. Every lesson without fail was amazing. The spirit was so strong and we were able to bear strong testimonies of the truthfulness of the book.

I went on exchanges again, this time for 48 hours. Our sister training leader (who is an english sister) came up with me and Hermana Johnson. It went very well. It is amazing how people can tell you something and you have no idea what they are saying but the spirit will just direct you what to say next and somehow its perfect.

I did go fishing last week and I caught a fish and an oyster. How’d I catch an oyster, I have no idea. It was pretty awesome though. Again, I have pictures to show it, but yeah, maybe next week.

Im so grateful for the opportunity I have to be serving a mission. I love it!

Enjoy General Conference!

Hermana Warner