Hi! 01.26.2009 (Email)

My Family,

Hi! How are you all doing? I hope you´re all doing wonderful as always. Well, it has been a good week! Lets see, where to start...

Did I mention that Hna. Celis started the mission here in Allen? It has been interesting to meet some of the people she taught / found. Funny how it all works out.

So, we have our area more figured out this week, so that´s good. In our district meeting this last week the zone leaders went, so I took advantage of the opportunity to ask LOTS of questions. It was good. We got some things cleared up, and we still need to clear some other questions up, but I´m feeling a lot more comfortable this week about how things should be working.

We met with our ward mission leader for the first time this week, and it was really good. I felt a little guilty because we had A LOT of things to talk about with him and the elders for the first week. But there are a lot of ways we can improve! One of the first things he is going to do is get us a ward list so we can know who is and isn´t in our area. That´ll be good.

There´s also a little bit of a possibility that we´re going to change our area boundaries. We need to talk to our leaders to see who can change / decide what the boundaries are. We just want what´s best for the people in the area.

So I´m playing the piano here as well! It´s good though. I thoroughly enjoy playing the piano, and I miss the ¨therapy¨that playing the piano used to give me on a daily basis back at home. Once a week is just going to have to be good enough. :o)

So back in Plottier, we had a teacher for Gospel Principles. When she couldn´t teach, we taught as a companionship. So here the missionaries are the teachers, and we take turns. One person teaches at a time here instead of teaching in companionships. I was a little surprised, but it works. So they informed me last week, that it was my turn yesterday. I must admit, I was a little nervous about teaching the lesson, in spanish, by myself for the first time. But it went really well! It was on Temple Work and Family History. It really made me miss going to the temple. It´s so peaceful and wonderful there. The Spirit is so strong. You all need to go a time for me! Anyway, Heavenly Father really helped me with the lesson so I could teach the things I needed to, and I think they all left the lesson understanding. :D I took the calendar that you sent me for Christmas so they could see more pictures of temples, and they thoroughly enjoyed it. One family (baptized 3 or 4 months ago I believe) is pretty sure that I need to give them the calendar. :D Temples are beautiful.

Did I mention that Hna. Ramirez has been a little sick? We have had to go to Roca (the biggest city close by) several times the last two weeks so she could have tests taken (an endoscopy). Anyway, we need to go one more time on Wednesday, and that should be it. Hopefully the doctor will know what she needs to do so she can have full health.

I´m not sure exactly when Hna. Ramirez was baptized, but she had been a member a little over a year when she left for the mission.

Lisa, what is gastritis and what causes it? If you could let me know I´d love it, because I always here about people here who have gastritis, and I don´t understand why I´ve never heard of it before if it´s so common. Grac!

So we are trying to work more with the members, as I mentioned last week. Something that we were taught was to go to the houses of the members, and have them tell us the name of every person that they can think of who is not a member of the LDS church. They tell us without address, phone number, or anything. We assure them that we won´t visit any of the people they tell us, unless they want us to. So the next time we go we give them this list, which they put in a very visible place, and they are supposed to be praying about who on the list is ready to hear, accept, and live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We did this with one family last night. They´re actually very missionary work oriented, so we´re excited to work with them. I am recognizing more and more why missionary work with the help of members is so important. The members already have the trust and confidence of their friends and loved ones. It is so much harder for missionaries to go in, unannounced, to houses and to try and gain their trust and confidence. Members are SO important!

So my invitation to you all, is that for FHE tonight, you can make a list of all the people you know, who haven´t been blessed with the message of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Then put the list in a visible place, like on the fridge, and pray both individually and in your marriage, about who you can share the gospel with. Will you do it tonight for FHE? Great!!! I know that we all know people who would accept and live the gospel if they really understood the blessings and opportunities that we receive.

So I have been reading the conference talks still this week, and I´m thoroughly enjoying it. It´s amazing how even though I´m reading the talks in order, that I read the things that I need just in the moment that I need them.

Some quotes I love:

¨Our heartfelt testimoes are the most powerful answer we can give our accusers. And such testimonies can only be borne in love and meekness¨. Elder Hale

¨The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare¨. Juma Ikangaa (man who won the New York Marathon.)

¨I [pray] that every young woman might be encircled, strengthened, and protected by righteous priesthood power, not only at the time of birth and blessing but throughout life¨. Elaine S. Dalton

¨You must never under-estimate the power of your righteous influence¨. Elaine S. Dalton

Oh, we had a really neat lesson the other day. As we were doing contacts in the street, we met a family who are less-active, and have been for like five years or so. So we made an appt. to visit them. We weren´t sure if we could go because of the boundaries, but decided that we could. We went with Hna. Moreno, and great member of the ward. The lesson was wonderful. The family had been offended, and stopped going to church. We´re eager to keep working with them, and the Moreno family is going to keep helping us. :D

But how are you all doing? I hope you´re all doing so well. You all sound very busy, but it sounds like things are going well. I am so grateful for my family, and that we´re sealed together in the temple. I love you all with all my heart. Thanks for everything, and I´ll write again next week!

Love Always,
Hermana Jana Banana Pincock