Zone Training Tomorrow! 2/29/2016

So this week has been awesome! One of our lower points was getting members to come to lessons but we almost had one every day this week! Sometimes twice a day:)

We got a legit new investigator this week who is a member's husband. He finally accepted to take the lessons and everything that we teach he agrees with:) He really loves all of the standards for the church and he wants that for his children. He is so awesome:) Pray that he will exercise his faith and receive a spiritual witness that these things are true! They are awesome.

We also have been able to see Sean and we are trying to help him to start exercising his faith in the things that we have taught. We taught that at the first but we emphasized the importance of it and how it will help him. He brought up the priesthood and how his baptism wasn't "legit" and we explained the importance of the priesthood and how he acted on his faith when he was baptized:) I think Heavenly Father sees that and isn't mad. He is probably grateful and proud because of his faith:) But anyway, he was a little taken back at first but when we explained it more and helped him to understand he agreed to receive a priesthood blessing and to pray about it:) we can't wait till the next lesson to see how the blessing went. Brother Stewart (Who is awesome!) and brother Anderson went to give him a blessing while we had other appointments. It was very nice of them. We have great members:)

We had less-actives attend church this week and Joe (inv.) attended as well! So much success and we have many potentials who we have found:) Miracles! We have received many referrals from the members and many dinner appointments with members and investigators. Pray they go well!:)

Because of the New ward and the Spanish Branch moving buildings, miracles are going to happen with missionary work! They already have!

Love Y'all! Have an amazing week! 

 

Chao and Love you ALL,

Hermana Russell

One of our investigators gave us light bulbs because we found him a large print Book of Mormon because of his bad eyes. haha He is hilarious.

10 Months! 2/22/16

Hola,

I can't believe it. But my companion and I came out on the mission with one another and so this morning she stated, "we hit our 300 day mark. We have been out 10 months". We both looked at one another with widened eyes and said, " Thats crazy!" Time is going way too quickly!

We had a lesson yesterday with Sean and he is recovering quit well from his surgery. He is awesome and he prays daily (even hourly) to Heavenly Father. He is trying to read the Book of Mormon as well:) Pray that he will receive the spiritual witness that this is the true church of Jesus Christ and he will feel ready to be baptized in these next few weeks. Also pray he will be able to overcome his addictions and live the WoW:) We are purchasing Pero for him to drink instead of coffee.

 We have been working really hard with a Recent Convert who never came to church after he got baptized and just went down hill. Pray that they will be able to pull through the temptations of satan!

Also, there is a less-active who called one of our members of the spanish branch and gave a referral. She called us and we went to visit this sweet spanish Lady and her daughter. They only speak spanish and same with the member who went with us so we got to meet her and they are awesome! They want to learn more about what we believe and we have a lesson with them on wednesday! Pray that it goes well and they will feel the spirit as we testify of our unique message that the full gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored. La plenitud del evengelio de Jesucristo ha sido restaurado:)!

We continue to work with Joe Pando who has been investigating the church for a long time and we pray that he sees the importance of Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

We are also teaching a little girl who is preparing for baptism:) Her family are members and we are very excited for her. She is in the Elders area but she wants sisters to teach her:) There is just something special about sisters.

Oh! we have a new ward in Carlsbad because they just split! Now there are Three wards and 1 spanish branch. Its going to be crazy and this area is going to grow with many miracles! The Lord knows what he is going!

1 Timothy 4:12 We need to be that example to others. Don't be like peter who denied Christ and pretended to be someone he wasn't. After Peter realized what he had done, He Wept bitterly. Don't deny christ, follow him:) Matt. 26:73-75

Love Y'all!

Chao and Love you ALL,

Hermana Russell

Someone burned down our members shed....so we helped clear it all out and she was so grateful because everything was burned but pictures and things that were precious! 

We hit our 10 months! Love sister Tycksen:)

Sister Tycksen says we always seem to match somehow! :)

Awesome Week! 2/15/2016

Hola Hola Hola!

Life has been just great:)

We have seen so many miracles this week!

Sister Tyckson is the most awesome companion and I'm excited to baptize nations with her!

We finally got to meet with Sean after getting his gallbladder removed. He is recovering actually quite well but it stinks because my companera y yo were thinking that he can't get in water with his injury.... meaning he will have to wait to get baptized. Ugh! But he is awesome and trying to live the word of wisdom and he committed to live the law of the fast as well:) we are very excited for him. Pray that he will get a spiritual witness for himself that the things that we share are true. He actually prayed about the law of Tithing because he doesn't really agree with it because of the experiences he has had with other religions. But he said after he prayed, he felt peace:) The spirit is real!

Also while we were doing our shopping at Walmart we met this super cool guy who asked for a Book of Mormon and where our church was at.... you don't see that everyday! We see him as a Bishop:)

Out of time but  i love y'all and hope things are going well!

Con amor- Hermana Russell

Sister Gentle made heart shaped Meatloaf with bacon! It was good.

Also the sullivans made Breakfast for dinner and they had everything pink! Even the eggs:) It was so cute!

Happy Valentine's Day!! February 8,2016

Happy Valentines!

Crazy how did it get to be February already??

So I forgot to tell y'all last week about going to the temple:) Sister Gentle took us which was so awesome. It was the Youth temple trip as well and she was driving up her daughter and her friend. We have a great ward.

We got to go visit Sean and he is doing much better. Just pray for him while he gets all of the tubes out that they put in his stomach tomorrow in Lubbock. So that we can get back to teaching him and helping him to progress towards baptism!

We Got transfer calls and I am staying here in Carlsbad with my old/new Companion Sister Tyckson!! She was my companion in the CCM in Mexico so we are super pumped! It is going to be an awesome transfer. She has the strongest spirit and we will baptize nations!  I'm going to miss Sister Espinosa a lot! She is headed to Alpine, TX my birth place! Where i was trained and then trained sister Wimmer. So crazy! She is going to love it and do amazing things there. Alpine is the promised land.

We have been teaching Joe who has been studying with the missionaries for years. He attends church and pays his tithing but he refuse's to get baptized. How does that even make sense? He believes his baptism in the catholic church was legit. Pray that he will get that confirmation from the spirit what the right thing to do is:)

Oh and cool story, so we have a less-active who got really sick. He got diagnosed with cancer and it really hit him. He is in his 80's. They found some cancer in his chest area and it was growing. They wanted to check him again in 3 months to see if it is growing or what the next step to do was. In that 3 months was a lot of fasting, prayer, and he received 3 priesthood blessings. Just recently he went back to get another MRI and the doctor was very confused. He came back to him and said, "there is absolutely no more cancer in your entire body. Where did it go?" haha So Weston has been trying to get better and come back to church! He is so awesome:) and We were so excited that the cancer was gone! The priesthood is real!

We have been working with a lot of new people so pray that we will find those who are ready:)!

I love Y'all and hope you have an amazing week!

Si Dios Quiere

John 15:12

-Hermana Russell

found one of our investigators when we were on our bikes. It was a miracle. He cooked us some meat! We didn't eat it because he poured a bunch of beer over it and then gave it so us. haha He was mad but we explained the WOW.

The Lubbock Temple!

Super Bowl with the walkers! haha we didn't watch but we got to eat!

We have a secret admirer! (Sister Walker) She is amazing and owns a flower shop:)

We received a text from Sister Walker this week -- She says she loves these Sister's help in her flower shop.

Transfers Next Week! February 1, 2016

Hello family:)

How are y'all??

It has been a crazy, crazy week this week.

One of our less-actives that we visit is 94 years old and she wasn't answering her door for a few days. We were super worried because she has 3 dogs in there that were barking and squealing. And we didn't know if she was alive or not. Our bishop is the head of the Police department so we asked what we could do and he was going to send in some of his men to make sure she wasn't..... you know, passed away. 

We were driving by her house when we finally caught her daughter there taking care of the dogs! We said, "Is Beth ok?!" and she was like "ya she is fine, she is staying at my house because she is having trouble with her dementia." We were so relieved!!

It was a great opportunity to meet her daughter who isn't a member and she was grateful that we came to visit her mother when we could:) Beth is the cutest, sweetest, most stubborn, and hilarious old lady you could ever meet. We love visiting her and we are so grateful that she is alive! 

We have been meeting with some new people this week which is good:) we over achieved our goal of other lessons which we were happy about:) We literally would teach everyone. We found opportunities to sit down with people and share our special message! A lot of them know the members which was cool:) so hopefully they progress!

Sean is back from the Lubbock hospital!! We were so grateful and we are meeting with him tonight:) Pray that it goes well and that we can re-kindle that spirit that he felt while we were teaching him. And pray that he will live the word of wisdom!

Not a whole lot of time this week because we got to go to the Carlsbad Caverns today! Oh my goodness they were so awesome!! My companion wasn't too excited and she has arthritis in her back which I forgot about until she told me by the end. So she is a trooper!! If y'all ever get a chance to go, definitely take it! They are the coolest thing and since we were a little low on time we ran basically the whole 3.75 miles. It was the best.

I love y'all and hope things are going well!!

Luke 10:27

Chao and Love you ALL,

Hermana Russell

Our district:) I look super terrifying but it is because the flash was so bright. Don't judge.

We made it to the top!!