October 26, 2015

Mi familia bonita! La pasada semana fue muy rapidooooooooo

OH MY LANTA.  How have I been here for almost 6 weeks?? This week has flown by.  Transfers are on the 11th of November and I hope I stay here in the branch!  It has been so great and i would love to continue to work here.  

Since being out here I have learned something so valuable from President Hanks! NOTHING beats HARD WORK and ARROWS OUT. NOTHING.  Arrows out  is an expression that is pretty well known in the ABM.  P. Hanks says it alot.  meaning as young people, our arrows are usually in.  he uses the analogy of a stick figure with arrows all around him, all pointing inward.  Self-centeredness, me, me, me.  But as missionaries there comes a point in our mission where we must turn those arrows OUT.  To find real happiness we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves. And that is something i have been trying to work on.  

Last Wednesday an appointment we had with someone fell through so we went to go follow up with some people we found last week! One of those people was xxxxxxxxx  He’s an old black man who is a retired pastor!  Because he was a pastor he was pretty set in his ways.  But he was so sweet to us and funny.  I could tell he was an extremely wise man.  I immediately fell in love with him.  His humility and soft spoken heart really set the tone for the spirit!  And He definitely saw something in us.  Multiple times he said that he saw God in us and genuinely respected us and what we were doing.  I kept telling him he needs to teach me his wisdom! haha I shared with him Galatians 5:22,25 a verse I was sure he was familiar with. About the spirit.  We explained how we can know truth if we pray to God, something he knows very well.  We invited him to pray and ask God to help him recognize truth, especially in what we say.  

He was so cute and nice. We had an amazing discussion about religion. We laughed and also got emotional. Sometime during the discussion he looked at me very intently and said with a big ol smile on his face "This sister here, you are something else."  hahha I loved talking to him. After we said a prayer he went in for a hug! I explained that it was a rule as missionaries we cant.  He then said "Its okay I think God gave us permission."  He then gave me a big ol bear hug and kissed me on the cheek!!!  hahaha man he was so funny I love him!!!  

We also had Interviews with President this week!! On Thursday.  Every month our mission has an activity.  Interviews with P. Hanks, Temple trip, and Zone Conference. They just rotate each month.  This month was Interviews! Just 10 minute interviews but it was so good!! He is such a great man.  We just talked.  He asked how S. Ontiveros is, the work is, what I’ve learned and What I think I can improve on.  It was so nice! He is a wonderful man..

  

And also, can I say it enough that I LOVE HISPANICS?? I wish so badly sometimes that I was Hispanic!! Sister Johnson says I am in my heart hahaha.  I really have so much love for those people.  Their food, their culture, their language!!  They are wonderful people!! A motto that I was told this week was "As Spanish missionaries in AL we look for the brown in the sea of black and white!" soooo true....

Okay time for PEOPLE.  xxxxx  xxxxxxx  Quick backround.  We found xxxxxx on the street. He looks homeless and kinda smells homeless too but he is not.  We said a prayer with him when we first met with him and truly his eyes and whole countenance was just beaming.  Since then we have been teaching him.  He is a very interesting guy.  He was struck by lightening in the head, stabbed, fell down a flight of stairs, and has been to prison twice.  He’s had a pretty rough life and isn’t quite ALL there in the head but truly does have a desire to change.  Oh and he’s been smoking since he was 25 and he’s 53 now.  But little by little, over time, things have changed with him.  Not necessarily physically but he listens alot more.  He has such a desire to learn and especially to be baptized.  Since he is English we have to pass him off soon.  He came to church this past week too!! it was Stake Conference and it was just wonderful.  He went to both sessions, Saturday and Sunday. And   Oh my...Elder Fred A. Parker of the 70 came and presided! And man is he a character!! I LOVE HIM.  He’s a big black guy that is basically like a Southern Baptist meets a Mormon Bishop! I felt like we were at a Baptist church when he spoke! So powerful and so full of the Spirit!  haha it was awesome.  

      President and Sister Hanks were there too!! They are so sweet.  Both met xxxxx too! One older lady spoke, She was a true southerner.  SO FUNNY. The thickest southern accent I have ever heard! She was hilarious!!!!! I was laughing SO HARD.  Every once and a while President and Sister Hanks would look at me and just start cracking up.  It was so funny. One of my favorite things she said was "Promptins from the Spirit- Now don’t just go and throw those away!!"  

      Sister Hanks was asked to bear her testimony during the meeting and totally shouted me out! She basically said that among all the faces she cant help but notice Sister Moline, one of the newest missionaries and recognize that THESE ARE HER PEOPLE! She belongs here in the South and has been prepared to come here!! It was super special haha.  And I can totally say I agree 100% with her.  THESE ARE MY PEOPLE SOUTHERNERS AND HISPANICS. I belong here and I know I am here for a reason.  This call was for me personally and I wouldnt have it any other way. 

     Sunday session was just as good!! So many wonderful and amazing things said.  The spirit was so strong.  P. Hanks spoke a bit too! It was so great.  He talked about how we need to "Just jump in the Gospel with both feet. And be ALL IN the church." there is safety here.  He was so straight up. I loved it. Elder Parker said that one of the reasons we come to church is to MAGNIFY the name of Christ.  He had the families of all the missionaries serving from the Huntsville Stake stand up and gave his gratitude.  He then had all the missionaries serving IN the Huntsville Stake stand up.  HE expressed his gratitude. And promised for the wards that they would stand by and support us.  They pray for us as well as our families back at home. I was so proud to be able to stand up. I love being a missionary! Especially here. President and Sister Hanks were crying.  It was so powerful!

I am sorry this is like a freakin novel but I truly do love this Gospel!! And I love being a missionary.

My verse for Ponderizing this week is John 20:29, 31 " Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.  But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of god; and that believing ye might have life through His name."  

Let us continue to believe! I choose to believe because I find happiness therein.

Que tenga un buena semana!

Con mucho amor,

Hma Moline