Buen Dia!

Buen Dia!  This week we had zone conference and it was awesome.  We all went to Roca on Thursday for the conference with President Lovell and I learned a ton!!  He talked a lot about becoming consecrated missionaries and the new changes of the mission.  During the conference I decided that I want to focus more on the needs of my my investigators and the Holy Ghost during my lessons.  Sometimes I get so caught up in trying to figure out what I am goint to say and how I am going to say it in Spanish, but now my focus is solely in helping the people I teach truly feel the Spirit.  One of the things President Lovell said that really stuck out to me was, ¨ If we really want to bring others unto Christ, we need to constantly be asking ourselves, ´do I have the Holy Ghost right now or no?' ¨ I love this because I think it applies to everyone, not just misionaries.  If we truly want to be representatives of Christ and make a difference in the lives of people around us, we need to have the Holy Ghost with us!

Our investigators who are progressing the most right now are Melisa and Cristina Pozas.  Cristina is 18 years old and Melisa is 14! Melisa reminds me a lot of Toshy and Britta so I love teaching her :)  Anyway, they are so awesome and they have a baptismal date for the 21 of February!  I just really hope they can keep their commitments and continue to pray and read the scriptures.  They are super nice, receptive, and they love music from America so we get along quite nicely ;) but hopefully they can keep coming to church and continue progressing! 

This week we had a super spiritual experience with a less active family in our ward.  We shared the scriptures D&C 84:46-47 about the Holy Ghost and asked Brother and Sister Oviedo when they have felt the Spirit most in their lives.  They proceeded to tell us how they feel the Spirit when they are with their family, when the missionaries come to their home, and things like that.  But after, I asked the 20 year old, nonmember son if he felt the Spirit and love of God when his son was born 2 years ago.  He responded with a ¨ yes¨ and began to cry.  The Spirit was super super strong and I told them how they are doing everything right but they are missing one coventant that will allow them to all live as a family together, and that is going to church each week and partaking of the Sacrament.  The lesson went really well and they committed to praying and reading the scriptures more which is awesome.  Definitely one of the most spiritual experiences of my mission so far.  

Miracle of the week:  We gave a Book of Mormon to a Jehovah Witness, taught her the story of Joseph Smith, and prayed with her at the end of the lesson!  Usually they won´t even look at us since we are Mormon missionaries but Ana Marie (the Jehovah Witness) said that she wants us to keep coming and visiting her (to talk about the Bible of course)!  This is the second time we have talked with her and she is just great!

I gave a talk yesterday in church about reading the Book of Mormon daily and with our families.  I shared a story about M. Russell Ballard and explained how we could have the golden plates in our hands right now, but we would never know of their truthfulness without truly reading and asking our Heavenly if the words inside are true.  So....read your scriptures every day peeps!!! I love the scriptures.  Mom and Dad, thanks for all the times you woke us up early in the morning to read scriptures as a fam! 

Quote of the week:  

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.

-Emerson

Whelp, love you all so much!!!!!!  I have the best support at home and I am so thankful for all of you.  Fam, Thursday was my 3 month mark in the mission, time is flying by! Miss you guys so much :) have a great weeeeeeeeek!!!!!

xoxo

Hermana Van Boerum