Interviews With the President!

We had interviews with President.  The entire zone meets and then one by one we have our interview with President. While we are waiting, the Zone Leaders and the Assistants to the President (APs) give trainings.   It lasted about 7 hours.  It was really good.  We were told to come with a question - I came with about 20 (just kidding, I'm exaggerating).   Every question but one was answered in the trainings before I even went in to talk to President.  Then during my interview, I got the last one answered.  It was good.  I learned a lot!

Are You Personally Converted?

We made transfer goals as a companionship this week.  We have a goal to speak Spanish 24/7 this entire transfer! Wish us luck!  I'm more excited about it than my companion.

We have a bit of bad news.  One of our investigators had to move, so she is no longer in our area.  We told her to let us know when she knew her address so we could send other missionaries to her house.  We were kind of bummed because we had put so much energy into helping her get baptized, but the ward members,  through their example, have helped us see the importance of just trusting in God's timing and plan for us and those around us.  She'll get baptized soon!

Other than that, our week went fantastic!  We had zone conference this week.  I was asked to give my testimony during it. I talked about how the biggest convert in the mission should be ourselves and although that has been said so many times, it is probably the best lesson any missionary can learn.

During zone conference, the recurring theme was that how much we learn on our missions (or even in life in general) depends on how we serve.  Our President kept saying that the mission is not about us, rather it is about everyone, but us (it sounds less-confusing and cooler in Spanish).  He said that when we do everything we can to make this mission about serving others and less about serving ourselves, then we learn the most.   In turn, the mission becomes about us.  It kind of sounds like a paradox, but it is really true.  As we turn out and serve others - especially during the times when we would really rather help ourselves - we grow tremendously and we actually end up helping ourselves more than anyone else.

With that principle in the back of our minds, my companion and I went off to work.   Immediately, we had just a no good, very rotten day.  It was pretty bad.  We got yelled at by multiple people all right in a row.  By 8:30 p.m. both of us were pretty upset at just about everything.  Having gone through all our plans that day, we rode our bikes back in the direction of our car.  We were both so frustrated that as we passed some people in the street, we didn't even stop to talk to them (I know, it's bad and we felt even worse as we passed by).  Finally, when we were almost to our car, we saw a cute little family.  We both decided we had had enough of this pity party we created for ourselves, so we stopped and had nice little conversation with them.  They gave us some referrals, and we were on our way.  Immediately, we felt so much better.  The contention that we had felt disappeared by the time we made it to our car.

Man, it's been a good week......

Zone Conference! Be Happy!

We had zone conference this last week.  It was really good .  President Maluenda spoke about the importance of having "ánimo" or "excited motivation" (I honestly don't quite know how to translate that word) in missionary work and in life in general.  It really is a choice for us to be happy.  He said that when we truly work hard, plan well, and repent every day, we will always have ánimo.  He said that if we plan well, we can accomplish anything we want in life.  It really applied to missionary work because attitude really is everything.  If  you have a good attitude, you'll do better.  People mirror your mood.  So if investigators think you're happy, they'll be happy, they'll feel the spirit, and they'll get baptized.  Easy as that!

There Is No Other Way!

In District and Zone Meetings this week, we learned about the importance of the basic principles of the gospel.  We can never stop learning about the first principles: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End.  The more I learn about them, the more I realize the importance of missionary work. If we don't do these things, we cannot reach our highest potential.  Missionary work is so important because it provides a way for people to return to live with Heavenly Father.  There is no other way.

Recent Pictures!

Photos courtesy of President and Sister Trayner

(Outgoing mission president and his wife)

Edinburg Zone

Zone Conference

Find this scripture...

...Ready, Set, GO!!

We love Zone Conference!

Greeting the "New" Mission President!

Greeting the "New" Mission Mom!

"Changing of the Guard!"

Faith Without Works is Dead!

We had a surprise zone conference and President Maluenda gave a wonderful talk about what it means to have faith.  He told us how faith is an action word --- something I have come to really understand here in South Texas.

We have often been told that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20) .  I had heard that all growing up, but it was not until I was with Sister Dudding that it really became clear what that meant.  And its significance is soooooo simple!  All it takes is common sense!

The example President Maluenda used:

If I want to lose weight, I might exercise faith by praying to God for help losing it.  If I pray, but just continue to sit around eating cake and ice cream every meal, am I going to lose any weight?  No, of course not! But if I pray for help, and I exercise every day and watch what I eat, I'm going to lose weight.  God will help me perhaps have the willpower to do it, but it's up to me to take the first steps.

So, in the mission field: if we pray to find investigators, but we don't open our mouths on the street, we won't find them!

For all you regular members: if you pray to have a stronger testimony, but you don't read the scriptures, pray every day, and go to church, you're not going to get a stronger testimony.  You may have a strong belief and even knowledge that prayer works, and yes, prayer is an act of faith.  But after that prayer, it is up to us to take the next step.  We can't just wait around for things to happen.

It sounds simple and like common sense, right?  But if you really try to apply this concept in any and EVERY aspect of your life, you will see that acting on faith really IS an act of faith.

Zone Conference = Familiar Face!

We had Zone Conference on Thursday.  I ran into Elder Paulsen there.  (He and I went to high school together.)  It was fun to see a familiar face and I updated him on all that was happening in WVC when I left. He got a picture of us, but I didn't have my camera that day.

The rest of the Zone Conference was really fun.  We had great presentations by President and his wife complete with a slot song and video. 

My mom later spotted me in a couple of pictures that President and Sister Trayner took at the conference.  They were posted on their blog.