Boo! [Letter 37]

Sup family?

This week has been great. We are working hard and we have been having great lessons with less active members and investigators here in Almería. The ability to watch as people change and turn to their Savior is truly a blessing and testimony builder of the power of the Atonement. There are days that I feel like Ammon or Aaron from the Book of Mormon as they watched their brethen the Lamanites awake  and shout praises to God because of a remission of sins. What joy we have when we see one of our brothers or sisters come unto Christ. It is a privledge and a blessing to be able to watch. One of our investigators right now is a great example of this. His life has been full of partying. Drugs, alcohol, tabacco. As we have started teaching him he of course has been having struggles. However this weekend we have seen a great change in him. he struggled daily even hourly to for go his former habits. As we talked with him about the strength of the Lord and how we can find strengthen in Him through reading the scriptures and praying we watched him change. We watched his faith grow. And he made it through the weekend! At chruch on Sunday he was so happy and was very attentive in sacrament meeting. I thank my Father in Heaven for this opportunity to help my brothers and sisters. What joy we have as we share the gospel with others.

Has anyone every wondered if they could miss their native tongue? Let me tell you it truly is possible. Hermana Torres and I are doing great. She is teaching me a lot of Spanish everyday. And in our apartment she is making great strives to learn English.  When we are in lessons I still sometimes get lost. Working on my vocab of worldly things. Its getting better. Learning Spanish has truly been a humbling experience. I don´t think I have spent so much time on my knees begging for something like I have for Spanish. And I know its only through the grace of the Lord that I know any Spanish. I can definately tell when I get a little cocky about Spanish because in the next lesson I can´t form a simple sentence. It is only when I keep a prayer in my heart and rely on the Lord and the Spirit that I am able to say anything. It is interesting how well the Lord knows us. How perfect each of our lives are to fit us. Each mission, each lif is personalized to help us progress, to the become more like our Savior.

I am thankful for this opportunity to learn and grow. It is like in Mosiah 2:41 ¨ And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven.¨ The Lord has blessed me with this wonderful oppotunity to learn Spanish which is a temporal knowledge but through this process I am being refined, and humbled spiritually. Oh the Love of our Father in Heaven! I know this chruch is true. I know we have a prophet today and Joseph Smith restored the Church of Jesus Christ back to the earth. I know the Book of Mormon is true and it contains eternal truths essential to our eternal salvation and exaltation. I know that it is only through our Savior jesus Christ that we can recieve these gifts from God and if we abide by the precepts found in the Book of Mormon we will be prepared to meet our Savior and continue serving in His kingdom. I love you all and I pray you are well in body as well as in spirit.


With love,
Hermana Petru