Friday, June 17, 2011



Mango Season!

Can you believe those mangoes! I hope you got the package at jareds... i sent a few in there. Hopefully they weren't too mushy. Well- i am still sick. But we had zone conference this week, and they had the doctor who is over our mission there, and i talked to him. Retired Doc's are called on missions to be the doctors over several missions. So he covers florida and the neighboring states. He is a convert to the church- a really neat guy... cardiologist from Cedar Hills. Well he said that since it has been with me so long it is definiley not bacterial... and probably some viral infection that just never left. I am going to have blood tests this week- and he is also going to test me for diabetes... since i am going potty much more often than normal. I will make sure to have the nurse call you when we find out the results. I took some time resting this week... but still just don't have much energy. It is really hard for me to just rest- i like to work and like to push myself... but i know my limit. and i am past my limit so i am learning patience. I know that i need to take care of myself... it is just hard not being able to do what i came out here to do. Since i don't have the energy to go out and trackt a ton and find people to teach, on Wednesday night i decided to pray for some referals. Since i have been here, we have maybe got 5... if that. Well Thursday morning while i was laying in bed, the phone buzzed... and guess what it was- a MEDIA REFERAL!! :) These come in a text to our phones from the internet... when people request the missionaries or a book of Mormon. It was truly an answer to my prayers... then the next day we got another! It was a miracle. Even if they don't end up panning out, i am very thankful that my prayers were answered.

sharon and shirley made it to the temple for baptisms. they had a beautiful experience. they were both able to take their own names. They absolutley LOVED it of course. We taught shirley last night and had a really great lesson. She is so converted, and willing to follow the commandments with EXACTNESS. Both of them are HUGE sports fans and sunday is her normal day to watch all her games. Well even though "The Heat" were playing... in the playoffs for that matter... she didn't watch the game! She said that to keep her mind occupied to fast and not watch TV, she read in the BoM and went and watched a bunch of Mormon Messages on mormon.org. It is so great to see that already, she is taking things so seriously. After she was baptized we asked her how she felt... and she said, "I feel good. Everyone has been coming up to me and telling me 'congrats' and stuff like that... but i don't see it that way. Baptism is something I know i needed to do- everyone needs to do it. It is like when a guy tries to impress you by saying 'i take real good care of my kids...' well- he should that is what you SHOULD do... just like baptism." She is just so humble, and really thinks a lot about life and can see the big picture. It is great. The best part.... was last night, when we pulled up at her house, she had an "LDS" sticker slapped on the back of her brand new car! How converted is She!?

I got a call the other morning with a crying sharon on the phone. She had just got the box with their scriptures. They LOVE them. THANK YOU! The colors were perfect! They were also real excited because they found out my first name. THey have apparently been trying to figure it out for some time now... and now they know! :)

We have been working a lot with a recent convert- Mauricio from Mexico. He is a really fun guy. He would fit right in at WMC. Really. Well he works at a nursurey and has crazy hours, but we were finally able to have a lesson with him last night. We haven't seen him in a while and have been worried that he might have slipped up. (When the missionaries met him, he was drunk... and just a major alcholic and just was going no where with his life. he came here to work to support his daughter back in mexico, but has no one here. He slowly accepted the gospel. and it has really CHANGED HIS LIFE. He is a completley new person) We ended up watching the Restoration with him- a 20 min video about the restoation of the Church of Christ, and about Joseph Smith. He was really moved, and even started crying. It was a beatiful experience and really helped him remember his conversion and that this is the true church, and where he needs to be. I need to talk him into moving to Utah to join the lawn crew. He wold be a terrific addition! :)

We had Zone Conference this week... and it was the last time that I will see the Hales... at least for now. We talked all about the timberlakes reunions! :) It is amazing how many connections we have made. But this past week, i have been thinking a lot about foundations. How Christ was such a great missionary and teacher because he had a sure foundation. At Zone Confrence, president talked about foundations. He said that since he was in real estate land development, he could look at a foundation and have a pretty good idea of how tall/deep/wide a building would be. He can look at missionaries and see their foundation, and what their building will look like at the end. We had the opportunity to bear our testimonies at the end of the conference, and i wasn't planning on it, but i got up.

"I have been thinking a lot about foundations the last couple days, and really enjoyed hearing more about them today. My Dad owns a constuction company, and growing up, i went to work with him often. I have helped and watched many foundations being poured, and houses being built. But now, I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to build my own foundation..."
President talked about how that is exactly what we are doing... we are laying the foundation for the rest of our lives. I really am thankful that i have the opportunity to be a missionary. I am learning so much that really will bless be for the rest of my life. I am so looking forward to the rest of my mission, and the rest of my life. I wouldn't be here without you. I miss you and Love you. Talk to you next week!

p.s.
since last monday was memorial day, we had p-day tuesday. and next week it will be on tuesday because of transfers!

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