5/25/15

Lluvia de gatos y perros!!!

In last last few days, we have had some CRAZY storms. but I mean crazy!!! Last night we were teaching our investigators, and BOOM! High winds, lighting EVERYWHERE (and every color), and super hard rain. It was crazy! It was late and we needed to be in our house in a few minutes, so we called taxis and even thought about walking, but nothing worked. Thew people we were with said that in these storms, trees fall like crazy, and take power lines with them, for that reason we didn't walk. So, we were stuck in there house. The mom had her granddaughter of about 3 there, and she was so scared. So we sang I am a child of God, and she calmed down really fast. Then finally, out of nowhere, our recent convert showed up in her car and gave us a ride home! There were trees EVERYWHERE and yes, lots of wires. we almost hit some because they blended right in. We felt so protected. Also, it was special to be able to help calm the little sweetheart down only by singing. (secretly it helped her youngest daughter of 12 years as well).

As for Anel, SHES GOING TO BE BAPTIZED SATURDAY IF ALL GOES WELL!!!!!!!!!!!! She had her interview and she is more than ready. She seriously is so special, there are SO many things against her to get baptized, but to her, nothing is more important. She has such a firm testimony. She says she feels "full" like she had a big empty space and now it is finally full. If she is walking in the street with us, SHE contacts people first and shares her testimony. She loves sharing what she knows and we gave her preach my gospel (in Spanish and English) this week and she loves to study it!!! She helps the ward so much. She helps them to love each other more and she participates a lot in the classes and people always leave thanking he for her comments. I cant even tell you all the wonderful things that happen with her because there are so many small special miracles.

Saturday, we were supposed to have a special ward fast. we planned it all out that everyone was going to meet Saturday to start and then finish after church. Well, Saturday, NO ONE CAME. NO. ONE. We were a little sad, but we had our little devotional and then said our prayer to start. We later learned that some of the members DID start there fast, they just couldn't make it to the church. Some of them came to the small lunch we had after church. Sometimes I just wish we could have like a potluck like in South Dakota... or a fast like in Utah...but one day it will work out!!!  Yay!!!

Well, I was thinking, next week, I probably wont really respond to many emails, so please only write me if you have something really important, (or if you are a missionary). Thank you.

Love you all sooooo very much! This has been the best time ever. Have a wonderful week!!!!! LOVES!!!!!!!!
Hermana Stanger

5/11/15

Well, remember the story from last week? IT GETS BETTER!!!!

 So, we have been visiting Anel. There have been LOTS of spiritual experiences. Like, Thursday, we didn't have planned to go visit, but we felt the need to go see her. When we got there, her Mom was home! (she never is there, she works from like 6 am to 10 pm) So, she sat down and talked with us too. She loves it! She said she is going to work to get Sundays off so she can go to church. We also had given Anel a Book of Mormon this week. She prayed and received her answer in a really special way. Also, in two days she had read until 1 Nephi 17. When she got to work, they did a bag check, and the boss called her into her office. She told her to put the Book of Mormon in a box and to tell her whats in the book, because EVERYONE in her work has seen her change a lot this week, and she wanted to know if she was really reading it or if she just liked what we were teaching. So, she told her she hasn't read a ton, but she has prayed and she KNOWS it is true. She also testified of Joseph smith and she just stood up to her boss for what she believed. When she finished, her boss said, "Welcome, and have a great day." She then explained that her mom is a member, and she (well, technically still is..) was a member, but decided to marry a Christian and so she fell away from the church. She told her to keep learning and studying. On Saturday, we taught the first part of the plan of Salvation, and it brought her to tears, because she has had some really big trials in her life. She said that it gave her so much hope. She also isn't a person that cries much. I just cant even explain how special and so prepared she is. Yesterday she went with us to go get a few other new investigators to come to church! She testifies in the classes. She is ready. Hope fully on June 6th, she will be baptized. OH! She also said yesterday that now her whole family is reading the Book of Mormon with her. and that sometimes they secretly are listening to the lessons. :D

Also, this week we were walking and we saw a mother and daughter. We contacted them and at first they weren't super interested, but the something changed. They got super interested and the Mother said that she had a 17 year old son who wants to go to church, but one where he has classes with people his age, not with old people. YOUNG MENS! Yay! So, on Sunday, they came!! And they loved it!!

We are just seeing so many miracles and there are so many people that are prepared. It is so amazing. Also, I have learned a lot here in Valles, talk to EVERYONE. I mean, before I felt like I was, but, we try to not let a single person pass by with out talking to them. It really helps.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week. This is the Lords work and we all need to work together. And most of all with the Lord. We cant do it alone. We are nothing, but with him, we can do all things. Love you all!!!!

Hermana Stanger   

5/4/15

Liahona Experience

You know those super awesome experiences that happen in the Liahona, and you always think, "HOW COOL!!!!! If only that happened to me....." Well, this week, that one of those moments happened!!!

Thursday, we were walking along the dirt road. My companion uses a umbrella to block the sun,and all of the sudden, there was a gust of wind! Well, her umbrella went flying in the air. We started laughing, and a young woman saw, and was laughing too. She then was walking towards us like she knew us. My companion too, so I just kinda followed thinking it was someone she knew. Well, she didn't. We started talking to her, and we just felt something different. Like we had known her for forever. Well, we set up an appointment and returned 2 days later. When we got there, she was so excited. She explained her dad had seen the pamphlet we gave her and it reminded him of when the elders visited their family years and years ago. She also said that when she had meet the Elders, they played the hymns on guitar, and she loved that. So, we sang a hymn and started in on the first lesson. When we were talking about prayer, she said she had to tell us something. 2 days before we met her, she had been praying. But she says harder than she ever has in her life. She asked for someone to help her know what God wants for her. She said when she saw us, she felt the need to talk to us. She also said, that the night before our appointment, she had been reading the Bible, and she read a scripture that told her messengers were coming to teach her the truth. She also said she was in the process of getting engaged, but she prayed, and didn't feel like it was right. So, after the amazing lesson, she was telling us how her friend is a member, and he has a girlfriend that's like her sister. Turs out, the girlfriend is one of our other golden investigators! Anyways, so we told her we would pass by for her Sunday at 11. Unfortunately, ward counsel went SUPER late, and it was almost time to start. So, we panicky found someone with a car and she took us to her house. When we got there, her mom said she got desperate and went by herself. So, back to the church we went, and when we got there, SHE WAS THERE! After the sacrament meeting, ALL the members were greeting her (They thought she was a missionary :D )and she saw her friend there, and they were so happy to be there together. In relief society, she shared her experience, and all the sisters cried and told her she is where she belongs. They also planned to go to a YSA fireside later that night! I just cant even tell you all how amazing its been. The Lord really is preparing people. If you doubt it, think again.

We also got to listen to Elder Johnson, a 70. He talked about keeping the sabbath day holy. Well, I always thought I was keeping it holy, but I learned I'm not. He read a scripture in Isaiah 58:13-14 and it talks about how we need to do the will of the LORD not ours. So, I'm going to be a lot better in that. It was also cool because we got to go to a city where there have not been sister missionaries, so we felt kinda special.

Well, that's my spiritual experience of this week. Hope it helped you all like it has me. We will see what happens next. :D

Loves to everyone!!!

Hermana Stanger

4/27/15

Well, today is cambios! (changes/transfers) I am now in Valles. Its a land different than Tampico. There is NO humidity, BUT! It gets pretty hot here. supposedly its supposed to get to about 65 this week.... That's in Celsius. In Fahrenheit that's about 149 degrees. WHOOO!!!! Im pretty excited, and hoping to not get dehydrated. Lots of water!

Also, I am now with Hermana Calvo! She is from Monterrey. She loves to sing and she totally called that we were going to be companions. She is really great and I'm so excited to work with her.

This week was a little frustrating in the work of salvation because the shootings began again. So, we were in the house a lot. But what we could do was good. We had a FHE on Tuesday, like a "pj party" so we could include the son of our investigators a little bit better. We invited lots of members and it went really well. OH! Cool story. On Friday we went to stay the night with some other sisters because they were fixing our house. So, we got there early and supposedly we were going to be in the house early for the security problems. But, then they changed it and we could keep working. So we went on mini divisions. The sister I went with went home today (she finished), but we were contacting referrals. We contacted one and then asked if any of her neighbors would be interested. She named a few of her neighbors, and so we went to visit one. When we got there, there were a TON of statues of the Virgin Mary, so we thought, this isn't going to go well. So we rang her intercom, and she said, "what do you offer?" So we said, "a message about Jesus Christ!" Then things went silent..................and we waited..............and waited............... And THEN! She turned the light on and opened the door! She was so super nice and willing to listen to us. She then told us she was in the middle of cooking, but would like for us to return. We walked away and my companion said, "Did that just happen?" It was cool. 

Saturday we had a talent show! My companion and I did the sketch of where she is my arms and she id my make-up. It was really funny. Sadly time is up, but have a wonderful week!!! I love you all and read your scriptures!!! :D




Hermana Stanger