Encouragement from an Apostle

¡Hola mi Familia!

I can´t even believe how quickly this last week went by. I'm always asking myself, "Is this real life?" y "What is going on here??" Well jokes on you because I'm actually going to tell you. :)

I have had many favorite parts of the week but by far this last Tuesday was the winner. Guess who came and spoke at our Tuesday Devotional…ELDER RICHARD G. SCOTT! We knew it was someone big when we saw teleprompters, I made a joke about Obama but no one got it...Dad would have laughed. Anyways, this was my first experience being in the same room with an Apostle of The Lord! My companera and I turned to each other and said at the same time, "Do you feel that?" The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints IS in FACT the most true church on the earth! Our church is centered around Jesus Christ and I am so grateful for the opportunity to teach others about this true Gospel and help them come unto Him. Elder Scott spoke on missionary work, surprise! It was EXACTLY what My Hermana and I needed to hear that day. We had just finished with our leccion with our "investigator" Mathias, we walked out of the room we were in and Hermana Watkins broke down in tears. She has been discouraged lately about the language, who isn't? So we talked with each other about how loved we are and how we have only be in the MTC for a week and we are teaching a leccion in pure Spanish! WHAT?? It is incredible how much we are helped by The Spirit! After we were, almost, done crying with each other, we went to the devotional. Elder Scott gave us encouragement to keep pressing forward. He spoke specifically to the missionaries that are learning a language, that we are NOT alone. We have never been alone. And we never will be. As long as we strive to live the commandments of God. At the end he pronounced an Apostolic Blessing upon us: that we will be strengthened day by day as we learn our languages. He promised us choice blessings from the Lord y que nos posterity will sing praises to our names because of the work we are doing. And then Hermana Watkins and I cried some more. It was the most tender experience, I will never forget it. 

KID!! You STUD you!! I'm so proud of you for getting those jobs, I knew you would! You have been blessed with so many talents and I love seeing you "exercising" them daily.-see what I did there? ;) I miss you lots kiddo, hope you know I love you lots!

MOMMY!!! I am a firm believer that they should fly me home each night to eat...I miss rolls, fried chicken, and green chili corn. Aaaahhhh......

  

I got to go to the Templo this morning with mi Hermana and it was SO great! I love being outside. FREEDOM!!! I really do love the MTC...It's just nice to be out in the real world for a bit. It is absolutely freezing. Today has been better than other days! We walked to the Templo with no jacket. BOOM! I felt "cool" (guys, I'm too funny). 

We have been learning lately in my classes about Testimony vs. Conversion. It's so interesting to study and talk about it. As a missionary, my job is to not only help my investigators develop a testimony in Christ and this wonderful Gospel, pero ayuda ellos to begin a very real and intimate relationship with Christ and Heavenly Father. Conversion comes with accions, do we ACT on our testimony? Do we show in every word and deed that we are dicipilos of Christ? We aren't perfect, all that we are asked of is to TRY! Si podemos! Where we lack, Christ makes up for. I know that the Atonement is very real. Over the past 2 weeks I have used the Atonement more than I think I ever have. I know that it is an enabling power! We can do all things through Christ. I KNOW that the Atonement was not only infinite, but intimate. Christ thought about us individually through the gruesome process. I invite you all to share what you KNOW to be true. And if you feel like you maybe don't know for certain, pray for that knowledge, pray for understanding, and through it you will be strengthened. And THEN share it. :) 

I love and miss you all SO much! I feel homesick from time to time, but I have had Heavenly help and the help of my awesome distrito y mi companera! And as much as I HATE to admit this........I love Spanish.......

The Church is true, Our Savior lives, and Heavenly Father LOVES us SO much!

Siempre Con Amor,

Hermana Florence

One more thing to add....It's a funny story. So I got a bagel and some fruit for breakfast, I know I'm so healthy. But they were out of the little packages of cream cheese!! NOOO!!!! But mi Hermana says, "Hermana! I saw some cream cheese over by the toast and jelly station!" And I'm like SWEET!! So I go and LATHER my bagel with this cream cheese. And people are looking at my pretty strange and I just say, "And THIS is why people gain weight in the MTC!" And I add some more... So I sit down, super excited about my bagel, and I take my first bite.   MMMMmmmm........eeeeewww......... At first I think I'm just being a baby, so I take a second bite. Yep…Definitely eeww!  Guys, I put a mass amount of spreadable BUTTER on my bagel. And now at least 10 other Sisters and Elders think I'm a tub o' lard. Yay. Just thought I'd let you know I'm still a silly person. Love you all!

MTC Life

Hola Mi Familia y amigos!

The MTC life goes as follows: eat...study...eat...study...eat...study...sleep. Ha ha, it's been long the past few days but man I have learned so much! So much about the Savior, Spanish, the Gospel, and especially prayer. What an amazing opportunity we have as Children of God to be able to be in constant communication with Him, he may or may not be tired of hearing from me.

At the beninning of the week we had 8 people in our District. Now there are 6 and my companion and I are the only Hermanas. Here is the story: My first companion was Hermana Hogan, I know what your thinking, WAS?? She and Hermana Prunall, Hermana Watkins old companion, were more advanced in Spanish than the rest of us and were transferred to the intermediate class. They are now in a different Zone and everything, so they can't in our room anymore. And last night the two other Hermanas we were rooming with got their visa's and are off to Peru...SO now Hermana Watkins and I are companions and alone in a room all in 4 days...crazy hey?? It has definitely been an emotional rollercoaster, go figure. However, it's the emotional rollercoaster that I love. I'll be riding this spiritual high and then BOOM I have to study Spanish and it is so hard. It's hard to sit in a classroom for 3 hours at a time with breaks for food and bathroom. It's a Spiritual prison...except in normal prison you get visitors. I have definitely learned how to appreciate personal study time as well as gym time, that's when I see the other Hermanas that are going to my exact same mission. Like I said before, the ultimate thing I am grateful for is prayer. I know that on any day at any time our Heavenly Father will hear our prayers, he WANTS to hear from us! Just like Dad LOVED my constant phone calls. :)

I absolutely LOVE it here! There is no where else I'd rather be...except maybe my bed. :)

I LOVE YOU FAMILY!!! I miss you all so much especially the babes...I died over the pictures of Charley! Mandie, Cari, please follow Holly's perfect example. :) I'll try myself to attach pictures...I'm still a noob and can't figure certain things out by myself...y'all should've seen my companion and me figuring out the laundry...

Again. I love you all very much and I promise I am doing womderful! Some days it's hard, but through the power of prayer and the enabling power of the Atonement I can do hard things! The Savior lives and loves each one of us. How do we know? It's apparent in our every day lives! Look around...we have our families, that we get to be with for ETERNITY! We have been blessed with eachother, never take advantage of the time you all get to spend with eachother, my favorite picture on my camera is the one of people standing around the kitchen, I don't know who took it, but THANK YOU!! Listen to or read Elder Bednar's talk called Characters of Christ, it has changed my life!! Miss you all and I think about you guys everyday. Know that I love you and pray for you!

Con Amor,

Hermana Florence

All the Hermanas going to the Houston, TX South mission. 

Hermana Florence y Hermana Watkins.