Minnesota Humidity Craze

Hola familia! 

I hope you have had as great of week as we have had!

First, the Rodriguez family is still doing great. There are some challenges because they don't have their own telephone to communicate with them and we live about 15 minutes away. We used to call their brother-in-laws phone and they would answer. Now they have our name under church and every time we call they ignore it! So the poor Rodriguez family don't know when we are trying to get ahold of them. The family they are living with is a little malicious and when they earn enough money they are going to move out! They are progressing to a baptismal date of October 11th so that the whole family can be baptized together. They were at church this past week and continue to accept all that they are learning!! Tonight we get to do family home evening with them.

This last Tuesday was going pretty slow and we were in a trailer park we are always at! It has  been knocked completely through by the missionaries before me and so we continue teaching and stopping by people who we thought had potential. Everyone else already knows us and I thought wasn't interested. We prayed for guidance of what we needed to do to see some success. There was this lady working in her yard and I had seen her about 10 times previously but thought she had rejected the other missionaries. So I didn't really want to go talk to her but the spirit very strongly impressed me to put aside my fear and go up and talk to her. We went up to her and she almost started the conversation with us herself! She wants to learn more and has a sincere desire to find the right church for her. She is very on top of it and is going to school for a psychology degree like I want to!! Her name is Christian and hopefully we can teach her more! God is truly humbling me and when we are willing to do his will we see his hand in the work! Also! Funny story...after that we were riding our bikes and my tire popped. We were on the other side of town and it was getting dark so it was going to be a long walk home. I tired to put the tire on (I don't know anything about bike tires) but it clearly wasn't going to work. Then this Hispanic man came up to me and just took the bike and said he could fix it! Holy cow what a blessing! He gave me a spare tire for the night and until I could get his back to him. We were able to talk to his family a family we have never taught! The Lord blessed me to have my bike fixed and with new people to teach. He is always watching us!!

We were stopping by a man who I have taught a few times in the past who is friends with brother woodrum his name is William. It has been VERY hot and humid outside lately and we were talking outside. All of the sudden he starts looking a little shaking and weak and pale in the face. I thought not again! Lexi had just passed out on us! Well his eyes rolled back and he started falling to the ground and he was having a seizure. It was really scary. We helped his fall to the ground but his body was all wack because he is a big man and he was seizing. (I thought he was going to take me and Hermana Rawlins out!) It was amazing how calm I was able to be I told my hermanita to get the phone out and be ready to call 911. We got his head above his heart and I went into lifeguard saving mode. Everything turned out fine and we didn't have to do cpr thank goodness. Me and Hermana Rawlins are just magnets to people have health issues on us! Hence the title Minnesota humidity craze.

Something amazing..so we fasted a little while ago with Pablo so that he could come to church. His desire is huge. Nothing is changing at work and just on Saturday he told us he has been thinking about changing jobs or telling his boss he needs Sunday mornings off at least or he's leaving. What amazing faith, I was so stunned and grateful the way God is working in him! I know that if we pray with sincerity to our Father in Heaven miracles will happen. I know he listens to us, that he is there because he is our literal father. Sometimes it is hard to see his answers and it isn't in the way we expect but if we look to the light of the lord he will guide us in every aspect of our life EVERY time. Don't ever forget to pray and that I love you! :)

Have an amazing week!

xoxo

Hermana pentelute

Picture of Pablo

Familia Rodriguez

Hola Familia!

Let me tell you a little about the Rodriguez family...

So Hermano Robinson our ward mission leader is awesome. He was going to go out with the other Elders in our ward and their appointment fell through so they rescheduled for latter that day. When they went to the appointment the person wasn't there. So they had a couple back-ups and when they were walking they saw this Hispanic family. Well they said hi and the family said "we no speak English" Hermano Robinson luckily is a fluent Spanish speaker and was able to talk with them and he invited them to church and told him to call him if they wanted to go! Well they said they would but the thing is 9 times out of 10 when people say they will call they don't. Saturday night rolls around and Hermano Robinson gets a call from Hector Rodriguez! They called him and said they were going to church the next day! So we were able to help them get there and teach them the restoration that day. They connected with a member very quickly in our ward Sister Smith and she has been the biggest help to them in helping them find English classes and work. They had just arrived here from Mexico a few weeks before and were struggling very bad. They didn't know what do with their life and there 4 children. We were able to help them recognize their prayers had been answered by putting the church in their life at this time. They love the church and the gospel and are just soaking it up! They have never been apart of religion. (that is pretty amazing for a Hispanic who has lived in Mexico their whole lives!) They want there kids to grow in the church and continue to learn and are progressing to baptism this September. How amazing is it to see the mysterious way that God works he always has a plan. 

We had a miracle this week with a member referral (those are rare to never received so even more of a miracle) We created a family mission plan with a single lady in our ward last Sunday and she had two friends she thought would be interested in learning from the missionaries! They both are trying to stop smoking and she has told them that if they would come to church they could do just that! So we set up a time to go and teach Sue and Pam the women in her home. The spirit was very strong there and they both were very interested and open. They had a lot of questions for us and there worries were very cute and manageable. Sister Honda bore her testimony which blew us all out of the water with the spirit. She told them how important it was to listen to our message and not take it for granted. We were able to make a return appointment and commit them to coming to church this coming Sunday! I love being able to bare my testimony all day everyday and here the strong testimonies of those around me it truly is strengthening me! Also, what a blessing it is to be working with the members to bring others to Christ!

Well I love you all very much and hope you have a blessed week!! I have a testimony that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom here on earth and that we have a living prophet! Jesus is the Savior of the world and God is our loving Father in Heaven!

Remember to look for the tender mercies of the Lord they are all around us. (1 Nephi 1:20)

p.s. I love letters :)

Hermana Pentelute

xoxox

1. Recent convert, Ben

2. Night bike riding

3-4. The Candy Shop!

5. My family out here Wade, Pablo, Hermano Campos, the Robinsons, Brother Piippo

6. Huge bug on Hermana Rawlins leg while we were teaching

Marvelous Minnesota

Hola Familia! Como estan?! This week was marvelous.

We taught Tana this week. She is doing good, she came to church again woohooo even though we were in the Seventh day Adventist building? We are taking her to the largest candy shop today here in MN and I am pretty excited. She doesn't have a whole lot of self confidence but we are hoping to help her see how amazing she really is. Everyone is beautiful in the eyes of God and so special I wish everyone understood our divinity as children of God! Sister Rudd one of my favorite members is helping her out a lot. I love the members here in the Mankato ward, missionary work is really impossible without them!

 I went on exchanges this week with Sister Smith. She is really great and we learned a lot together! They live in the nicest member home, it was fun to be in that atmosphere. We taught a lady named Valarie and she was too die for. We ate fajitas (one of my fav meals with lots of guacamole. Carter would have loved it) with her and she was raving the whole time. Making sounds and comments for the course of the whole meal. She is working at pet co right now and loves animals. She is reading the Book of Mormon and taking things very slowly right now but progressing!

The Woodrum-Wilson Family is doing great. We were able to teach them in a member home and do a Samuel the Lamanite lesson. Sally Sister Woodrum-Wilson really enjoyed the throwing marshmallows part. Each week her heart is being softened I know it! Hope is still doing good and Brother Woodrum got ordained to be a priest this Sunday yay!!

Miranda and Isabelle are being bipolar. Somedays Isabelle tells us she needs us so badly and she is so grateful we are in her life and other days they will just not answer the door when we come. So we are being very patient and letting them both work at their own rate and in God's timing!

I am doing wonderfully and loving every second out here! I am so excited and happy for everyone back at home going out into the field their is an urgency in this work and it is truly hastening! I love you all! Make it a great week :)

Love,

Hermana Pentelute

xoxox

Bautismo de Hermano Woodrum

Hola familia!

Wade Daniel Woodrum is now the newest member in the Mankato Minnesota Ward! Saturday was such a special day. Me and Hermana Rawlins cleaned and got the font ready for the dip. Then we took pictures with Brother Woodrum and just took time to feel the spirit. His whole family was there to watch it happen and to feel the spirit of God. It was amazing to see everyone there that loves him and has supported him in this 6 week journey and change to his eternal salvation. President and Sister Forbes walked in the door and I was so surprised! They came to his baptism so that made it even more special!! The spirit was undeniable and I just felt a sense of joy unlike anything I have ever before felt! I couldn't stop smiling. As we sang the closing song tears came to my eyes as I saw Brother Woodrum's beaming face with his family beside him. I felt like a proud mama. Sunday after he received the Holy Ghost and he got up and bore his testimony. It was perfect!!! It was very precious because he had fasted for the courage to share his testimony in front of everyone so his family could hear it and sure enough he did it flawlessly!

Saturday after the baptism President and Sister Forbes offered to take us to dinner. If you don't know that is a huge deal! No one ever gets to do that so we felt very special. We got KFC because we didn't have a lot of time but it was so great to just spend some one on one time with them and get to know them. They are a lot more relaxed than the Clements haha we even laughed together:)

Yesterday we were teaching a girl named Lexi at her door step around 7:30pm and it was still like 85 90 degrees out and humid. We were teaching her the restoration and we got to Christ's life her on earth then all the sudden I see her eyes just start going back into her head and she starts loosing strength and her face was super white. So I reached out and grabbed her and asked if she was okay and gave no response. So then Hermana Rawlins grabbed her too and we were pretty much holding her helping her to the ground. I was just talking to her and telling her to breathe. (thank you life-guarding for the help) She was out for a little bit but just continued to take deep breathes with us and she was finally okay. She said she had been outside a lot that day and was probably dehydrated. It was kinda scary but we finished teaching the restoration sitting on the step and even set a date for her to be baptized!

Miranda is doing awesome. We taught her the plan of salvation this week and after we asked her to be baptized again. She couldn't say yes and feel good about it for some reason. So I asked her if we could all go into the living room and kneel and pray. We did and she asked the Lord for guidance. We sat there for about 2 minutes in silence as the Holy Spirit taught her. It was a very special and powerful experience. She felt a confirming answer form the spirit that she should be baptized on August 30th. I am so lucky to be apart of these experiences. The Lord is truly blessing us for our hard work. That is one thing I am learning is how to work and work and then work harder with diligence. The Lord blesses us as we give up selfish tendencies and give it all to him. Accepting his will and nothing else!

I love you all very much. I am so blessed to have you in my life. I hope you have a faith filled week. Don't forget to look for the tender mercies of the Lord they are all around us!

Love,

Hermana Pentelute

xoxoxo