Muchos Amigos!

Familia!

This week was awesome! Our work with our investigators has slowed down a little bit, but I have just been so grateful this week for all the friends I have and people I know here! I just felt like every lesson we had, wasn't a lesson, so I almost felt like we weren't doing missionary work. But that every lesson that we had was just a really good conversation with a really good friend. We have so many really good friends here, especially in the singles ward, and it is so fun to be able to be a part of their lives!

We did have a really awesome lesson though this week. We were actually thinking about dropping one of our investigators, Ana Mendoza, (I think I have talked about her before) because she is really hard to find at home and she just didn't seem like she was super interested anymore, and she would always say she was going to come to church and then she wouldn't, ect. But on Friday we had dinner with a member who lives right across the street from her, and then we took that member over to Ana's house right after. It was a miracle! She was there! So we sat down and had a lesson. Having that member there was soooo awesome! Ana had brought up a concern in our last lesson about how she had already been baptized and that she didn't understand why she needed to be baptized again to receive the spirit cause she thought she already had it. So this time we taught her the restoration, which for some reason we hadn't taught yet, and we explained to her about the authority. She was paying attention super well, which she doesn't usually do. After we shared the Joseph Smith experience, she told us all about her son and all these problems she is having and all this stuff. She started crying, and the spirit was really strong. Hermana Valencia (the member) was perfect and went and sat by her and comforted her and all this stuff. She told us that she didn't understand how she could know which person had the right authority cause everyone says that and it is just really confusing. We told her to pray about it and to ask God who had the authority and she said she would do it. She also said that she just feels really good every time we come over and that we always come over when she needs it and when she is struggling. It was awesome. Hermana Valencia promised her that God had something awesome for her if she would follow what we said. It was sooo sweet!!! I am really excited for her. I can definitely picture her being a strong member of the church. I am really excited to see what happens in her life!

Sometimes on a mission you have doubts. I know, it seems contradictory because it seems like you should just have a super strong testimony all the time. But there are so many people that try to tell us that we are wrong and try to get us down, and sometimes it works just for a little bit. But God always helps us and our testimony will grow and be strengthened if we just put our trust in him and don't give up. I had a cool experience this week through a blessing where it was very apparent to me that what I am doing is right. I know this is the true gospel. I know the priesthood is real. I know God works by faith and that he wants me to be here at this time and in this place. I know that we are all his children, literally! It was such an awesome testimony builder for me. This is true, and don't ever forget it!

Les Queiro!
Hermana Johnson