Monday, October 19, 2015

QUINCEANERA!!!




So this morning I wrote really early because our whole zone was going to the Redstone Arsenal! We are back now and we just got on to email pictures to our families from it! The Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army post located here in Huntsville. They do alot of stuff for NASA. Near it is the Space and Rocket Center which is a small museum park thing that talks all about space and Nasa we got to go as a zone today. Its just down the street from us! It was very interesting and fun to get together with the zone! They had all sorts of activities and space things that were really cool.

Space and Rocket Center for P-day!

JUST A SPOONFUL OF THE GOSPEL HELPS THE MEDICINE GO DOWN!

October 19, 2013

Week 3 in La Rama De Huntsville!! Hola todos los personas!!

WOW this week just flew right on by it feels like!!! Holy cow! Huntsville is amazing! This place truly is white and SO READY to harvest. So many people are here and ready to hear this amazing truth. So many crazy things have happened this week too haha so just hold on to your seats yall and get ready for the ride of yo life! First off Alabama is wonderful as always!!

One thing that I have noticed about the beautiful people of the great state of Alabama is that they LOVE TO TALK. I have met soo many people that you just ask them how there day was and then 30 minutes later you havent said a word and they just tell you so many stories! I just smile and nod and look intrigued while Hermana Ontiveros like slowly walks away. hahaha I dont know if its the tag or if people just like to talk. But I have never met so many people that just talk your ear off and wont let you even squeeze your name in there! And I thought our family liked to talk.

Another thing about Alabama is that it is a hilly state. There is one hill in particular that I call the hill of death. And it is straight up death. My legs have never burned so bad in my whole life!

Remember in my Letter home I told ya'll about Alescea and Franklin? They are some solid people we came across that are so elect. We had another lesson with Alescea this week about the Plan of Salvation. Since she will be in a different ward we got ahold of the sisters there to come, unfortunatley it was a bad day for them so instead we got a name from them, a member that we invited to come with us. It was awesome. The spirit was so strong and she just got it. Before we left, she said THE most sincere prayer I have ever heard. She prayed for her fiance Franklin to come to where she is now spiritually and have the desire she has to change and come closer to God but in his own time. It was beautiful. They both really want to come to church but Alescea had to work this Sunday but every Sunday after that she was able to get off!! A definite blessing from living in the South! Everyone understands why going to church is important.

We also have been teaching Diego Martinez and his roommate Joel! They are both from Mexico and are really awesome guys! We had an incredible first lesson with they want to learn more! So exciting!! It was so hard starting from a teaching pool of 0 but we are doing our very best and working so hard. The Lord truly is blessing us!!

This week we also decided to tract in a trailer park that is a few blocks down from us!! And man, I'll tell you there are some interesting people in this world!! One in particular, A man answered the door and he was a huge big hefty guy and we found out he was an ex cop. We asked him if he's ever run into missionaries before and he said, "Well you know those Latter-day Saints, I've seen them before, but I really do have a problem with them. They believe in plates of gold and tryin' to convince everyone around that they are the right ones but they just sad because the Bible is the only way to heaven. So i just try and keep to myself most of the time." hahaha little did he know... It's probably because our tags are in Spanish that he didn't know we were Mormons. But I just straight up said that we were Latter-day Saints and he got all nervous. haha But I just said how we believe the Bible to be the word of God just as he does and that there is another testament of Jesus Christ. Just more people testifying of those beautiful things in the Bible, that Christ is our Savior and we can be cleansed from sin through him. Needless to say he didn't want a BoM, but it was so funny!!!!

We try and find Hispanics all the time. And I have become really good at being able to tell whether an English family or a hispanic family lives at a house/aprtment!! haha There are certain things to look for, like mops. Hispanics clean alot and always leave their mops outside by their front door to dry. Christmas lights, they leave their lights on year round. And sometimes you see cute little worn out shoes by the front door that belong to the mothers!!

Our Branch is amazing!!!! Can I just shout it from the rooftops?!?! We have some incredible members. So wonderful, so loving, so welcoming. One of the Members, Hermana Consuelo's daughter, Jennifer had her QuinceaƱera Saturday night! So we helped them alot on Friday night and Saturday morning blowing balloons and getting things ready! It was such a party. Those Hispanics love to party. It started at 6:30 but hispanic time on top of Mormon time, it didnt really start until 7:30. And from then on it was a hoot. Our members were dancing and having such a great time! it was so much fun!!! We even invited some investigators to come with the permission from Hermana Consuelo. I just love the Hispanic culture!!! Being around it so much just makes me love them so much more!

Also yesterday a less active member, Estela Lopez came to church!!! I met her awhile back while on blitz with the STLs and just fell in love with her!! She is a short Guatemalan woman with the most well behaved kids. Since she is from Guatemala she talks very slowly and clearly so I can understand her very well!! Ever since I ran into her a few weeks ago Sister Ontiveros and I have been trying to find her and visit her. and Then she just shows up to church yesterday. She got so excited when she saw me and just has a wonderful spirit about her. We are going to visit her this week when she isn't working and continue to work with her so she can continue to grow in the gospel and become a active member!! So excited for her!

Well family!!!!!!! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. I feel your prayers. I feel your love! This past week we had District Meeting and an Elder shared a scripture he came across Helaman 10:4-5. So during personal study i read that whole chapter. It is so wonderful..I want my Heavenly Father to talk to me just like he did to Nephi! I want to go above and beyond. I want to work my hardest so that I can help these wonderful hispanic people!! I love them so much and I don't even know them. And I know that is a blessing from God as missionaries, to just be able to love people. I definitely feel that. The gospel is so trueeee!!!!!

Hermana MOLINEEEEEE
HOLAAAA COMO ESTAN MI FAMILIA!!! 

SO much has happened this week! Its so weird because it feels like just yesterday i was here emailing yall my first email from bama but at the same time it feels like it was agess ago haha I dont expect that to make sense. 

BUT YES first things first, Alabama is great!!!! Huntsville specifically is wonderfull.  It is kind of a ghetto city in the parts that we live in.  Dad, you said that it looked like a good place on google earth, Well it is but it is also kinda sketchy.  Our apartment totally smells like smoke haha it is sooo nasty but we spray febreeze like every second we are there hahaha. I kinda get scared at night when we go tracting.  But nothing too bad!!  There are alot of black people that live around us but there are also alot of Hispanic pockets around Huntsville.  One area is just across the street where we are teaching a few people!  Serving with Elders and another set of Hermanas in our branch is awesome.  SO FUN.  We do alot together which is great but we also do our own thing most of the time.  We have so many because as spanish missionaries we cover the entire City of Huntsville!  Where as The Sparkman Elders and Capshaw sisters (English)  cover only a part of Huntsville.  Our Zone consists of the cities Huntsville, Fayeteville (TN), Scottsboro, and Fort Payne.  I think its like 6 or 7 areas all with at least one set of missionaries. We get together with our Zone maybe 1 or 2 times a month?   Zone traingin, Zone Conference, and sometimes activities.  Sadly Dad, i dont know like anything having to do with the civil rights or history or anything but i really want to know!!  

Since we are in a car share it gives us plenty of opportunities to ride our bikes!!! My bike is awesome! Thanks to mom and Dad! Its the best because Bama has alot of hills so my legs should be totally ripped by the time I come home! hahaha just the other day Sister O and I were biking and found a freshly killed Armadillo on the side of the road!!!! It smelled soooo nasttyyyy haha but i totally made Sister O and I turn around a take a pic with it because I know Dad and Mom would appreciate it!! haha That same day we were trying to visit a less active member, Estela in a apartment complex, She wasnt home but another lady flagged us down.  Her name was Marisole! She is from Mexico and was meeting with Hermana Johnson and Torres, The Hermanas last transfer.  Johnson was telling us how Marisole kinda fell off the face of the earth and they couldnt find her.  But she totally flagged us down and said we could come by and teach her!! It was a miracle!! Since then she hasnt had time but we will make time to go see her haha.  Right after talking with Marisole we knocked on Leos door.  We didnt know her but she opened up and was really receptive.  She let us in and gave us some water and was very curious! We taught her the restoration and it went great.  We are meeting with her this week!! I know these miracles are coming because Sister O and I have been working so hard and are being exactly obedient in everything we do.  God is truly watching over us!!!

We are still tracting alot and finding people!! It is hard to find hispanics when we dont know the pockets of hispanic population but I am determined to find them! 

We also tracted into a man named Bobby Lilly!! haha isnt that a great name?  He is english and deaf.  And signs! We met with him once after we found him and it was really hard to communicate.  We were just writing things down.  We made some phone calls and found a girl named Darby who is 18 and signs because her mom is a professional interpreter! Her mom was out of town so we invited Darby to come and teach Bobby with us Yesterday! The spirit was so strong.  He has a hard time reading the book of mormon and the restoration pamphlet because some of the words are hard for him to understand so we just read with him and answered questions he had.  Darby was wonderful and made the process way easier.  She also is thinking of going on a mission!! WOOHOO anyways that was another blessing!!

So yes thorought the time i have been here I have met some memebers here and there but last Friday night.  We ( the missionaries) put on a Noche de Familia! An activity for all the members and some of our investigators.  We had tons of fun games like three legged races and eating donuts off a string with no hands and then after all that we had an awesome Church tour that was put on by some members.  It was such a success!! Sister O and I just helped set up.  It was mostly Hermana Johnson and the Elders that planned it all before we all got here.  But it was great.  None of our Potential investigators came but some of the Elders did!! It was wonderful.  

The President of the Branch, Presidente Lopez, Is a wonderful man!!! He is fluent in both spanish and english and is from Peru! He has his Wife, Hermana Lopez and their two daughters.  They invited us to go to Tate Farms yesterday! Tate Farms is like a giant Pumpkin Patch place that everyone in Huntsville goes to! You actually get to pick your own Pumpkin from the patch and do all sorts of games and fun things going on! It was soooo fun!!!! I will send some pics!  That night we went tracting and saw some refferals we got last week.  One of them was Katrina.  She is a black woman that is going through a hard time! luckily she was home and we just talked with her for a bit and shared a short lesson.  She knows she needs to change her life and knows she is not perfect.  These trials she has, she knows they are for her good. I shared with her Ether 12:27.  The spirit was awesome! We prayed together and she started crying.  Sadly she is moving and sister O and I are pretty sure she is not living in a way that would be okay with the gospel.  But We have faith! We are going to try and keep in touch with her.  It was such an awesome experience!! After experiences like that I like to just stop after and just say a prayer.  Sister O calls them gratitude prayers.  Just to thank God for watching out for us.  I just felt so awesome after talking with Katrina that I just wanted to Thank my Father for giving us amazing experiences and touching peoples lives.  

Last Pday we all(all the Hermanas) went to the grocery store and as we were checking out there was a lady in front of us.  She was kinda looking at me and then looking away but then she finally came up to me and looked at my name tag confusingly and asked "what is that."  I explained and she was a very nice lady.  Her name was Nina! One thing led to another and she told us to come to her house and visit with her!  GOLDEN.  She has alot of different beliefs and is going through a tough time in her life.  But She was open to our message so we shared with her a bit about the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  We were there for awhile and set an appointment for another day.  Which is this week.  SO AMAZING.  She is english but hey everyone needs tthe Gospel!!! We are so excited to visit with her.  

CHurch was awesome!!! All in spanish!  Its hard to understand everything.  It takes alot of mental power to concentrate on what is being said. But the members are wonderful!! So so so nice.  And welcoming.  Presidente Lopez had the 3 new missionaries (Acosta, Ontiveros, and I)  bear our testimonies to the branch and introduce ourselves.  I was SO NERVOUS.  Mind you I can keep a conversation and pretend I understand what people say and express my feelings most of the time but I was so nervous!  But i lived and everything went well!! It really did go well though!  

The language is coming!! It is hard but we are learning together, Sister Ontiveros and I.  I love speaking to people though.  I feel more and more confident when I continue speaking to the natives.  I speak better than I understand though at this point.  Keep praying for me!!

i love you all!!!!! you guys are thebest i love being a missionary!!!!!!!!!

This gospel is so true. Estoy muy agradecida por la opportunidad yo tengo servir los personas de Huntsville and por la opportunidad yo tengo compartir esta maravillosa mensaje acerca de JesuCristo y el evangelio de JesuCristo restaurado.  Yo se que Jose Smith fue un profeta de Dios y por medio de el podemos leer El Libro De Mormon y regresar con Dios y nuestros familias otra ves despues este vida. 

I LOVE YOU ALL!! i feel your prayers.  God knows and loves us and has a specific plan for us.  We must let him continue to lead us an guide us. 

Hermana MOLINA


PICTURES:THese are still from the CCM!! This is our last week there!! I miss that place!! 
















MORE PICTURES:












1. This is Angie Morrells niece!! Tell her that I saw her!! I only got to talk to her for a quick minute but she is way nice!
2. This is my wonderful Trainer Hermana Ontiveros! our first pic together
3.
4.This was today! we got some elders together and played some sand volleyball. SO FUNNNNN.
5.
6. ARMADILLO FO DINNAAA
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11.Sister O LOVES Halloween so we got some decorations and she decorated our aparment!

AND MORE PICTURES AGAIN:













Monday, October 5, 2015

Roll Tide

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Saryn Moline <saryn.moline@myldsmail.net>
Date: Monday, October 5, 2015
Subject: Roll Tide!
To: Lauralea Moline <lauralea.m@gmail.com>, Timothy Moline <timmoline@gmail.com>

3594 Chasewood Dr. Apt #4 Huntsville, AL 35805

That is my current address!! 

I love Alabama!!! IM HERE!! And somehow still alive.  I have yet to be around a ton of true southerners because I have been around alot of Hispanics but  ROLL TIDE is still a thing among them haha. Thank you all for your emails! I got on and had 39 unread emails...whattt i am so loved thank you!! 

Welp! Real quick ill give you the scoop on my companion and area!! I kinda forgot what I told you on Wednesday.  My trainer is Hermana Ontiveros! She is from Seattle Washington (howfreakincool)  and is the oldest of 6! Her parents are not active and kinda comes from a broken home.  She doesn't talk about it much but she just started becoming active about a year and a half before she left on her mission.  She made some major changes then and has just been growing ever since. She has been out almost a year this month! I have alot to learn from her.  

So our area is Huntsville!! We are serving in the Spanish branch.  In our church building there are 3 wards, The Sparkman Ward (English, with English Elders) Capshaw Ward (English, with English Sisters) and The Spanish Branch (Spanish, with me, Ontiveros, Hermana Johnson and Acosta, and Elders Aido and Smith) So in one single Branch we have 6 missionaries.  Crazy!! Sister Ontiveros and I got double transferred in this area, meaning that originally there was only a Sister set of missionaries and Elder set.  So we are brand new! Ontiveros knows nothing about the area so we have been hanging around our Sisters, Hermana Johnson and Acosta to get aquanted with the area and people.  I have yet to meet alot of people in the branch. But I have met the President, President Lopez who we are going to have dinner tonight with! 

We are in a car share with the Sisters but we live on the other side of the town so sometimes we just spend the night at Hermana Johnson and Acostas to save miles haha especially since it was General Conference this weekend!  This area is pretty ghetto.  There are alot of Hispanics!! and since we have no investigators, Hermana Ontiveros and I have been tracting ALOT.  Just finding people and talking to more. It has been draining but this is the only way we can find the elect people that have been prepared by the Lord to hear the good word of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel!!!!  I am so blessed to have been born into a Spanish branch too! This is my companions first Spanish area so we are working and learning together!! 

GENERAL CONFERENCE!! What a blessing.  I so needed to hear the many wonderful talks that were given! All the missionaries that are in our building came to the Church building (about 5 minutes away from our apartment) along with some members and recent converts.  It was truly wonderful to hear what they had to say.  And yes I did pay attention and saw Elder Devon Durant speak!!! I told everyone around me that I know him!!  His talk was one of my favorites.  I have made it a goal to ponderize a verse a week.  My verse this week is Alma 5:26. "And now behold I say unto you my bretheren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"  

I love that scripture!! I found it in personal study a few nights ago. I hope I can always remember the song of redeeming love!!!!!! Another thing I loved about Conference was "The Lack of spiritual habits hinder you from blessings and miracles"  I forgot who said it but it really brought to mind how important it is to pray to our HF in earnest, solemn prayer and feast upon the word of God everyday.  Surround yourself with good influences and seek opportunities to serve others and God. I could go on and on and on about Conference!! 

Recently we just met Fernando,  Fernando is such a special man! He is from Mexico but went to Arizona for work and was having family troubles when the sister missionaries found him and started teaching him.  When suddenly he had to move to Houston Texas for work.  Just two weeks into living there he was baptized and then was immediately sent to Huntsville for work.  He has been here for a little less than 3 weeks and has been in constant contact with the sisters here.  He has that wonderful recent convert spirit about him and wants to share it and learn as much as he can.  The sisters here have started teaching his Uncle who travels with him and continue to teach him about the restoration.  I cant wait to continue to teach him and whatnot!! 

Huntsville is the promised land!! I know I am supposed to be here for a reason with Hermana Ontiveros.  We have alot of work to do here but I am so excited to see the miracles and wonderful blessing to come!!!!!!! 

I know this gospel is true, I have such a testimony of the Spirit!! I love to feel it and I just want everyone to feel of it and the Saviors love for them!!..

Unfortunately no pics today because I am a ditz and left my camera at the apartment.  BUT next week there will be plenty! 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH.  Your support and love keeps me going! The Lord is my light and salvation, whom then shall i fear????

Molinesrockmissionariesrule. HUNTSVILLE IS COOOOLLLL

Hermana Moline

p.s. some of my fav one liners from conference:
"He freely gives us His love, so I must freely give mine"

"In any moment of temptation, may we remember our mothers as well as our Savior"  (I LOVE THIS ONE MOM)

"Happy day, All is well!"  
"Let us Choose the light of our Savior"
"Believe in God, Believe in Yourself, you're doing better than you think you are."
"I am weak but thou art strong"
"The Lord cares about our direction not our speed"
"Gird up your loins! Our God will never us forsake!"
"Both Positive and Negative things work together for our Good"
"True disciples of Christ represent the Lord even when it is not convenient. And desire others to follow, not just inspire."



These are ugly but some are good!! The last picture is one of all the Hermanas in the Mission.  Not sisters but Spanish sisters! Benioni and I are the top left. My companion is not the one on my right but the next one! 

The first one is of me and Hermana Johnson.  She is from Pleasant Grove Utah and has been in Huntsville branch for  one transfer and has been out for almost a year.  She has spent alot of time in Spanish branches on her mish, unlike Hermana Onitveros, and is sooo goood at Spanish.  I want to be at her level when I am almost a year out!

Sunday, October 4, 2015

ALABAMA Bound!

I Made it!! I made it to good ol Bama!! So grateful i was able to call you guys yesterday.  It was pretty emotional for me but I am okay now and so grateful to be here!!! Last night we, all the new missionaries, there are 12 of us but only 5 spanish.  We spent last night in a Marriot and then this morning we were picked up by the APs to go to the Transfer meeting! I met my new companion/trainer there!! Her name is Hermana Ortivos ! She is from Seattle, Washington and has just become active about a year after she came out on a mission.  She is 24 years old but looks like she is my age.  She is way awesome.  I am her first child to train and has already expressed how nervous she is!! She has been out for almost a year this month and has yet to be in a spanish area/ward.  BUTTTTT we found out that we are in HUNTSVILLE!! In a spanish branch!!!! I AM SO HAPPY. I am soooo incredibly blessed to have my first area as a spanish area.  Benioni wasnt able to be as lucky  and was pretty sad but i know she will to great in Athens.  Anyways my trainers spanish is not the greatest since she hasnt used it since the CCM but I am so excited to get better and learn all i can from her.  She also hasnt been in the Huntsville area! So she is knew here too.

Anyways, We are in the Huntsville spanish branch along with another Hermana companionship! Hermana Johnson and Hermana Acosta who have both been blessed with spanish areas. and are VERY good at spanish.  I cannot wwait to get better from them and my comp.  We are learning together!! Hermana Johnson was here in Huntsville branch before so she is the one that knows this area the best so we are just following her and praying our hearts out. 

We have already met a few people in the ward and I am just sooooo stoked to meet more and use all the spanish i can.  

I have such a strong testimony that THIS IS WHERE I NEED TO BE.  It was very scary at first but I know this is the best place in the world and i am so excited to go out and talk to some peeps about this amazing message of eternal life and forever families and the Book of Mormon.  I love it here already!

I should go but i love you all!!!!! thank you all for everything
sureloveyoumolinesrockmissionariesrule

CON MUCHO MUCHO AMOR
Hermana Moline

Click to see Mission President's letter of Saryn's arrival: