Letter #51 - Week 53: Do You Remember The 18th Night Of September?

September 23, 2019

Hola Everyone!

Last Wednesday marked Hermana Gonzalez' y my year mark, so here's some fun facts and stats from the past year:

-1 mission
-2 states
-3 areas
-4 seasons
-5 boroughs
-6 week transfers
-7 mission languages
-8 district leaders
-9 transfers
-10 companions

-The number fun facts are a little bit of a stretch, but I came up with facts
-I've been on exchanges for approximately 419 hours
-I've taught at least one lesson or been to a ward function in every geographical area in our mission North of the Bronx except for Danbury (that's 7 areas)

Stats I wish I could give:

-Pounds of rice I've eaten
-The amount of Hispanic women that I've never met previously and given besos to
-The number of times someone has told me that I'm not from around here/ guessed wrong the small state I'm from

This week Area Book Planner 4.0 came out of nowhere, but I like it a lot. The biggest change is that the calendar now actually has a 24 hour format where you block events out rather than simply a schedule with a list of things that are going to be done during the day (screenshots attactched).

Yonkers, New York is starting its very own Facebook page, so look out for your invitation to like 'La Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de Los Últimos Días de Yonkers' coming soon. Speaking of the Facebook program, the missionary department has started to expand the program that our mission has been working on! It has been such a blessing to use social media and technology to find people that God has prepared for us to teach. More and more people that have been baptized recently have been found thanks to ads on Facebook.

We had exchanges pt. II this week, and I was able to Olmstead en el Bronx with Sister Matthews! She is one of the sweetest people that I've ever met and I learned so much from her. They're an English area over there, but I still got to talk to one of the girl's that they're teaching grandma who only speaks Spanish, so that was a lot of fun. She also made us a hearty Dominican meal which is always appreciated.

We picked ourselves up and dusted off a bit from a couple of weeks ago about everyone who wasn't able to get baptized on their scheduled date, and this week we were about to get back to 5 people on date, some the same and some different with hopefully a few more in the works. God's work will always move forward and hopefully we can learn how to keep up with it better a little bit everyday.

Mosiah 12:8-19

8 ... And many things did Abinadi prophesy against this people.

9 And it came to pass that they were angry with him; and they took him and carried him bound before the king, and said unto the king: Behold, we have brought a man before thee who has prophesied evil concerning thy people, and saith that God will destroy them.

10 And he also prophesieth evil concerning thy life, and saith that thy life shall be as a garment in a furnace of fire.

11 And again, he saith that thou shalt be as a stalk, even as a dry stalk of the field, which is run over by the beasts and trodden under foot.

12 And again, he saith thou shalt be as the blossoms of a thistle, which, when it is fully ripe, if the wind bloweth, it is driven forth upon the face of the land. And he pretendeth the Lord hath spoken it. And he saith all this shall come upon thee except thou repent, and this because of thine iniquities.

13 And now, O king, what great evil hast thou done, or what great sins have thy people committed, that we should be condemned of God or judged of this man?

14 And now, O king, behold, we are guiltless, and thou, O king, hast not sinned; therefore, this man has lied concerning you, and he has prophesied in vain.

15 And behold, we are strong, we shall not come into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea, and thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also prosper.

16 Behold, here is the man, we deliver him into thy hands; thou mayest do with him as seemeth thee good.

17 And it came to pass that king Noah caused that Abinadi should be cast into prison; and he commanded that the priests should gather themselves together that he might hold a council with them what he should do with him.

18 And it came to pass that they said unto the king: Bring him hither that we may question him; and the king commanded that he should be brought before them.

19 And they began to question him, that they might cross him, that thereby they might have wherewith to accuse him; but he answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment; for he did withstand them in all their questions, and did confound them in all their words.

¡Os Amo!

-Hermana Prue