January 11, 2016

Hola mi familia!!!! This week Alabama drastically turned into Antarctica and it has seriously been SO COLD.  I freeze every morning when we go out and its even worse on Bikes!!  I honestly have no idea what the actual temperature is here but I feel like its -10 degrees.  Ahhhh so cooold!  Luckily the Lord has blessed us with fleeced lined tights and layers on layers and layers! So all is well. 

THIS week! This week...was interesting haha It went by so quick!  This email this week might be a bit smaller than normal.

Some Highlights of the week!

We had a wonderful lesson with our good friend R****.  The spirit was so strong! I have a VERY hard time understanding what he says....it's so bad.  I have to ask him 2 or 3 times then I just have to turn to Mitchell and hope she got it.  A lot of people here in Alabama have a bad habit of mumbling like NO OTHER.  Must be something in the water....

There is a man that the Elders have been working with named G*****.  He is from Puebla Mexico and has been coming to church every week since he has been here in Huntsville! SOLID.  He is a wonderful man! His wife and daughter came to visit this week.  The original plan was to have his family stay here for a year and then they all go back to Mexico together and live here.  His purpose for being here was only to work and save money then return to his home in Puebla. He had a baptismal date for January and everything was going well.  He brought his family to church and to the activity we had last week.  They were golden.  Sister Mitchell and I just clicked with his wife, Mirna.  And we were so excited to teach them.  But plans changed last minute and they are all leaving to go back to Puebla this week!!!! NOOOOOOOO.  The branch and the missionaries and everyone was so sad when we heard this.  SO SAD.  But its okay because there are missionaries in Puebla.  All is well but we are all so sad to see them leave :(  The good news is that the church is true no matter where we are! The spirit is universal.

This week we had Zone Training! It was so motivating and uplifting.  After leaving any meetings with other missionaries we all get so pumped and get that extra boost we need to go out and work.  We received some of the saddest news of all of our missions....We no longer can have Transfer Meetings.  Usually after receiving news about who is leaving an area we have transfer meetings in Brimingham.  So all those who are getting transferred meet there. P. Hanks gives a few Trainings, welcoming the new missionaries to the mission and then dispersing to our areas with our new companions. It's the one place where you can see past companions and other missionaries!  However President Hanks received news from a member of the 12 at a meeting for Mission Presidents that we can no long hold Transfer Meetings.  Which is so sad... This will make transfers kind of messy.  But a lot of missions around the world have already stopped doing transfer meetings so we will figure it out. 

We met a man this week who had some very interesting views, well some pretty crazy views....haha but that is really something i love about being a missionary.  Being able to hear everyones beliefs even if they are strange....some of which were

1) White people are just albino black people

2) Because there are land, flying and aquatic animals, there once were flying and aquatic humans too

3) Dinasaurs still roam the earth

4) Even though many people say the internet is false the Internet really is true.

He was very opinionated and really didn't want to hear anything we had to say but it was still a cool conversation we had! Everyone is entitled to their own views! haha

And to close with the most spiritual experience of the week!

We are teaching very nice older black woman named Sheila! Sister West and I found her last transfer.   And she really has some amazing potential.  Last week we had a great 1st lesson with her and this week we read 3 Nephi 11.  She LOVED it.  She kept saying that she knows it's true because she just feels good inside.  YES SHEILA!  Last time we invited her to be baptized and so we brought it up again.  She explained how she wants to wait a bit after she gets an answer through prayer that the BofM is true.  We offered to make baptism a goal for her as something we can work towards.  And she was more than willing.  The spirit was so strong while we were reading.  I knew she felt it.  She even told us.  And she agreed to come to church next Sunday! Unfortunately because she speaks English we will have to pass her off to the English Elders but we have very high hopes for Sheila!

Being here has opened my eyes so much.  I feel like I say that every week but it is the truth.  I know this is the Church of Jesus Christ.  The same church that Christ established.  This is it.  There is too much goodness and too much happiness that comes from it.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is truth.  The Book of Mormon is the word of God along with the Bible.  I cannot deny it.  Seeing the things that this gospel has done for people that I have met here is incredible.  The faith and the strength of their testimonies is inspiring.  I am so privileged to be an instrument in His hands and to be a representative of His name.  I only have so long! I feel honored that He trusts us enough with that responsibility.  I am no where near where I want to be but I know that I am where I am supposed to be.  HERE in ALABAMA!

I love you all thank you so much for the support and prayers.  LOVE YOU ALL!

Hna FREEZING Moline