9 Meses en la Mission?!!?!!

Hola Familia!!! Buenas dias!

This past week has been an adventure that is for sure! I hit my 9 month mark, can you believe it?! Time flies and all I know is we have to take advantage of every moment we have because each precious moment is a gift from our father in heaven. I do wish time would slow down but I am just working my very hardest and enjoying this awesome adventure with the time I do have!!!

So this week we had Zone training and it was good. We learned about our own initiative and the nac initiative and pretty much about just having more faith and trust in God. I always learn a lot at those conferences and am motivated to go and change all of Minnesota! haha After that we went on exchanges and I was with Sister Toone. She is from a small town called erda in Utah. Our exchange was normal just like any other exchange until we had our interview and studies together. She was asking me some questions I didn't really know how to respond to and I felt a little bit dumb. One of my weaknesses is expecting myself to be perfect all the time so this was hard! And she asked the question a few other times in a few different ways until one penetrated my heart. She had no clue that what she was asking was going to have a huge impact on my mission and life. She was simply following the spirit. I felt like I was going to cry because I felt the spirit very strong of course and I fought it for a little while I fought what the spirit was trying to teach me but then I opened my heart and humbled myself and learned an unforgettable lesson. I first learned that we have to allow the spirit to teach us. We have to be living in a way so we can feel it and then we need to listen and listen carefully. I also learned that we are always instruments in the lords hands and have to be willing to follow those promptings we get! Sister Toone followed a prompting so I could learn and grow. I learned a lot about my relationship with my Savior and with my companions. I learned how to be a better companion and more fully what my purpose is in each of their lives. I have learned that the people placed into our lives each one is like the best investigator we could ever ask for. Our job is to help them access the power of the atonement, to be healed and to change. We can't pass up these sacred opportunities because of the closeness in our relationship. Sometimes we pass by or look past the best opportunities to change a life. So I learned a lot haha:)

Pablo is getting baptized and confirmed this Wednesday and we couldn't be more excited for him. He beams at church and its so fun to see his excitement on this spiritual journey. He truly is remarkable and an example of the believers!

This week was a roller coaster with CJ. He is super excited and soaking everything up and we taught his whole family together. Then he is depressed and worried and scared because Satan is working on him. Satan is the worst. CJ is 18 and has lots of temptations from the world. We are helping him to keep the spirit in his life so he can have strength to overcome! CJ has already been blessed he has been blessed immediately for the changes he has already made! He just needs to keep the faith! So many of our investigators are having these way spiritual experiences unlike anything I have experienced but they aren't letting God change them. It is very hard to see that they know of the goodness of God but still would rather choose what they are comfortable with. I think that is one of the reasons I learned what I did this week. We have to allow the spirit to change us, we choose it. We choose our own happiness and eventually reward in the end. Tana is struggling with this but is still progressing and I just feel so blessed to be in her life right now. She needs more than anyone I have ever met. I wish you could meet all these people. You would LOVE them. I am so lucky. :)

Travis is still set for baptism and has lots of ganas to do what is right for his daughter! Hope Woodrum is making progress and we are planning on setting a baptismal date with her tonight. The work is great here. The people are better. The knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ is best and I am the luckiest Hermana to be an instrument in the Lords hands right now. The Gospel is true. The spirit is real. Change is possible. I encourage you all to think about what God is trying to teach you right now in this time of your life. We are always changing learning and growing. Allow the spirit to guide you so you can more fully enjoy the blessing from our Father in Heaven.

I love you all very much. Never forget it!! Make it a marvelous week! :)

xoxox

Hermana Pentelute

Pics: "over the hump" 9 month pic, me and Sister Toone and the Kasota goat zoo 2 mins away from St Peter gotta love it!