Feliz Navidad! (week 29)

Okay I really dont have much time today so this is not going to be very long. I wish I had more time because we have had the craziest week EVER. Like some amazing miracles and some of the hardest times. I just want to start out by saying all the things I am so grateful for:

texas

Texas houston south mission

President and Sister Ashton

to be serving in the states but spanish speaking

my ward

my bishop

the spirit

my Heavenly Father

my Savior Jesus Christ

CHRISTMAS

all the missionaries serving in my mission. 

to be a missionary during christmas time

Okay thats just a few. But this week while i was on my bike I just got to thinking about all the things I am so grateful for. Because there are so many and I have been so blessed and I am just so happy to be a missionary.

Anyways so this week was CRAZY!!!! It was transfers! Hermana Knopf came with us for a few days so we were in a trio! so fun! but so crazy. we worked both areas and really didnt even get much done because of all the stuff we had to do to get ready for everything. So on Tuesday though, we got to go "running" with the new missionaries which means that we take them out to talk to people! And guess who i took? HERMANA HECKEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT??? I definitely FREAKED OUT when i saw her!!!! I was sooooooo excited and i still cant believe that she is here! In my mission!! ah. sooo awesome!!! that was super duper fun.

Thursday we had an AMAZING miracle!! So we asked the bishop to come out with us to see Maria, who hasnt been doing very well lately. She has been so stressed and smoking and I just didnt know what to do for her. So we invited bishop to come! He did and it was PERFECT. she is doing soooo much better now. he gave her a blessing and the spirit was so strong and it was so sweet. sooo awesome! Then we went to visit the Lopez family that just moved back to houston from guatemala and bishop invited them to the christmas party and to church! AND THEY CAME! finally!! Then we went to see Paula and we talked to her about missionary work which was great and she is pumped. And we thought for sure bishop woul;d leave after that. but he didnt!! He stayed to help us teach Antonio. Until 10 o'clock at night!! He is sooooo great. I was so grateful for him and he brought the spirit so strong into all of our lessons. It was amazing. :)

Then on saturday... it was probably the worst day of my entire mission. I wont go into details but it was really really hard. I was very grateful for the Christmas party though and Eric came to that!! so great! and i actually played the piano!! haha I played silent night while Lupita sang! sooo precious. my piano skills are getting slightly better. mom you should be proud! ;) i am excited. but that was way fun.

Sunday was another miracle day!!! We went to see Janie and she is having some doubts about baptism so we talked to her about that! And helped her solve some. Not all though. She needs more time. But i have faith in her! Then we went to see a referral that the elders gave us and we show up to the door and I was like... wait... we have been here before. Turns out it was a guy that we have talked to before that wasnt interested but he just moved there 10 days before and now he is super interested! I WAS SO AMAZED. it was awesome!!! We taught him and first and he seemed very interested. i am so excited! we will see how that all folds out :) i am excited to have a new legit investigator! Then the rest of the night was good too and we taught lots of lessons :)

Yesterday, we had CHRISTMAS CONFERENCE!!! soooo fun! the whole mission got together and we did studies (sorta) then watched Ephraims Rescue! SO GOOD. i was blown away. Then we ate, had a gift exchange, and did lots of fun activites. I was in heaven. I didnt want to leave. I love this mission so much and I love where I am. And I love what I am doing! I love this jolly time of the year too.

Okay i have to go but I hope everyone has a VERY MERRY AND JOLLY CHRISTMAS!!! i love you all so much and thank you for everything!!! Have an amazing week :)

Love, hermana dorian

GOING STRONG!! Miracles Really DO Happen! (week 28)

Oh my goodness I am going to have to type like a mad woman to tell you guys everything that has happened this week! It was a PERFECT week to end the transfer!! But here is the Transfer news... are you ready???... okay sooooo.... this morning we got transfer calls.... and..... IM STAYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANOTHER TRANSFER!! Sooo crazy!! this means that in 6 weeks I will have been in my area for over 9 months.. half of my mission! in the same area! its a good thing that i love it and that i love this ward. our bishop actually called the mission president a few weeks ago and told him he didnt want anyone to be transferred. so, our whole district is staying another transfer! Thats 4  transfers that its been the same! DREAM TEAM. Except Hermana Bennion left today. It was so sad to see her go. and it just made me think how fast time really does go when youre on a mission. Gotta make the best of it! Im pretty happy to be staying though. It would have been nice to have a change, but I know that the Lord needs me here and there is still a lot of work to do. i mean, its a small area and not everyone is baptized yet. so theres TONS of work! :) haha so 6 more weeks in houston 9. yay!

 

Okay now for the week and all the MIRACLES that happened. So on Monday, after p-day we had 2 noches de hogar with la familia moreno y la familia lopez. With the Morenos we read the story of Daniel from the bible and the acted it out. It was awesome. The video is the best!! LOVE that family! And Eric, Dani's boyfriend, is really progressing! He came to church on Sunday and Dani really wants him to get baptized so she is doing everything she can to get him to church and to get him to read. He came to church with all his scriptures and pamphlets that we have given him and he was reading and studying like crazy. i kinda felt like a proud mom. Thats weird.. but its true!! Anyways we read the story of Danile with the Lopez family too! I really love that story! :) its powerful.

 

Tuesday, we had zone meeting! BEST Zone meeting i've ever been to! it was sooo fun! i learned a lot and we talked alot about how to teach a powerful, but 10 minute restoration lesson and how to bear testimony powerfully. And that we need to teach by bearing testimony. There really is such a difference when we teach with testimony and when we dont. Ive seen it alot and I have been trying to do a lot better with it because sometimes I just want to explain all this stuff to people but it just is going to go right over their heads if I do that! So i have to bear testimony a lot! But in the middle of zone meeting we had a nerf gun war!! We acted out that christmas story where the germans and the americans were fighting or something and then decided to not fight for christmas? i dont know! But we had an awesome nerf gun war!! it was sweet!!! And then after zone meeting i went on an exchange with Hermana Niccols!!

 

I really do love exchanges. They are super fun and on this exchange I really learned a lot! I went to South Houston with Hermana Niccols. We had a lot of fun! I really love that girl and she is such a great missionary!! Its so crazy though because I remember talking to her on facebook before our missions and then we were just chillin on an exchange! so fun :) her investigators are so awesome and we got fed SOOOO much!! and it was all super good food too :) I mean i'm not complaining!! But this is my favorite story of the whole exchange:  So we were walking around trying to find referralsand we saw a guy putting up his christmas lights. We went over to go talk to him. He REALLY did not want to talk to us. Like he was ignoring us. But we werent going to leave. So we told him who we were and he was like "Yeah Im Baptist!! And i only talk to Baptists. I dont talk to no missataries, jehobahs witnesses.... baptist and ONLY baptist!!" HAHAHAHAHAh we were like ooookkkayyyy... well here is a card and have a great day!! SO FUNNY! we were dying laughing when we were walking away!! I love houston.

 

So Antonio. He has really been progressing and wants to get baptized. But this whole time we have been teaching him he hasnt accepted a date. Well, this week on Thursday night, Elder Evertson (zone leader) called us and asked us if we had any investigators we are having a hard time with. We told him about Antonio and he said he would ask President Ashton if we could stay out later to teach him because he works late every night and we cant teach him very often. So on Friday, we were in a lesson and Elder Evertson calls us and tells us that President gave us permission to be out until 10:15 on nights that we are teaching Antonio. WHAT?! sooo crazy. I never thought we would get that!! But we did!! And Elder Evertson said to set some stuff up and get him baptized! So we did! Here is what I wrote to my mission president this morning about the lesson:

he is so ready and prepared! and he finally accepted a date. that same day that you gave us permission to do that, we set it up with his girlfriend and him and we got an appointment set up that night. we taught the atonement and the spirit took it in the direction of baptism and he told us that he knows he needs to be baptized and that he wants to really bad. we extended a date and he didnt accept it at first but we were able to address his main doubt. that he doesnt want to get baptized because he is really busy right now and would only be able to come to the first hour of church every sunday and he wouldnt be able to come to alot of the activities or anything. but we explained to him that this is what the Lord wants him to do and it doesnt matter if he is busy or not! that it is his time to make this decision in his life! then we invited him to pray right there with us about the 29th of december and it was the most amazing prayer i have ever heard. his girlfriend was just bawling and the spirit was so strong. he was truly talking to his Heavenly Father and really had the desire to know. after the prayer no one said anything because the spirit was so strong. then he said, "wow. that felt really good." and told us he wants to be baptized. he still feels like he has a lot to learn but we are going to work really hard with him this week and i think he could get baptized this week! that was the highlight of the week! so thank you for doing that for us.

I was like wanting to jump and SHOUT for joy after that lesson!!! If we didnt have to race home on our bikes then I would have! It was AMAZING! The most amazing lesson I have ever had on my mission! ANTONIO IS GETTING BAPTIZED. its sooo amazing and I am so happy for him. He is going to be so blessed for this decision. And gabby is super happy because now they can get married :) I love my mission president and how in tune with the spirit he is... to give us permission to do that! So we are going to work really hard with him and get him ready for his baptism. I love it so much and it makes me so happy that He knows this is true.

 

Well, its time to go but I hope you all had an amazing week this week!!! remember, the Lord is ALWAYS there! No matter what. Performing miracles ALL over!! I am so grateful for the power of prayer and fasting. And I am so grateful for this Christmas season! Oh and p.s. say hello to the new ward pianist if Hermana Knopf gets a companion that doesnt play piano. Will you all pray for me? haha disaster waiting to happen. LOVE YOU ALL. MERRY CHRISTMAS!! :)
con amor,

hermana dorian

MISSIONS RULE!!! (week 27)

There is just something so different and cool about being a missionary on thanksgiving. Well, I guess being a missionary on any holiday. I thought that I was going to be sad and homesick because I wasnt at home having Thanksgiving with my family, but throughout the whole day I was just so happy and felt this sense of joy that I was serving a mission. And I was able to think about all the things I am thankful for and there are SO many!! One is the amazing ward that I am serving in. The ward members dont really celebrate Thanksgiving the way we do because they are basically all from other countries. They just celebrate it because they know its a big american holiday. But they took care of us missionaries. They wanted us to feel at home and not miss our families too much. So we got fed. A TON!! First us and the other hermanas went to a members home for lunch. She made us posole and sweet potatoes in cinnamon and butter! yummmm. just like home :) Then the other hermans played their instruments and we sat and listened. Then we went to see a new member that just moved into our area from Houston 4. ONE OF MANY MIRACLES FROM THIS WEEK!!!! Seriously. Now we have 3 members in our area! YESSS. I was soooo happy to find that out. we are being so blessed!! So we went and got to know her and she is the sweetest. then we went to see another member. Luckily some of our members were home and we were able to visit them. Then we went to the Morenos and ate pavo! and lots of other food. I was still full from lunch but i was able to eat most of what they gave me. it was really good pavo too!! And our investigators who are the neighbors of the morenos came. They seriously love us so much. They laugh at everything we say and the mom wanted like a million pictrues with us. At the morenos and at their house with their christmas tree. so random. but it was so fun! they are so cute!! Then we had to race to Janies because it was Eslendys birthday!!! Yay! I gave her some of my necklaces and she was so excited and was like "yay! cute necklaces to wear to church!" p.s. she hasnt been to church in forever so that was perfect. She is such a teenager. But we ate even more food there!! I think i gained like 5 pounds. oh well :) sooo worth it. And we asked everyone what they were thankful for and after we left Janie's, I just felt like "okay. i have done some good here!" I love them so much and to hear them say they are thankful that we have taught them and all they have learned from us just melted my heart. I love my life!!!! :)

 

Anyways.. so the rest of the week! So on Monday, it was really cold and rained all afternoon! By the time we had to leave the other hermanas apartment and end p-day, the roads were flooded!!! not too bad but we were driving on a road and everytime a car passed us, the whole car was covered in water! completely! crazy!! it was pretty exciting! but by the time we got home, it had stopped and we were able to go out and visit people. we froze but it was fine! we taught maria and then taught A.V. at his door step because his mom wasnt there. We taught him about missionary work and challenged him to give a book of mormon to a friend before christmas!!

 

Tuesday we had district meeting then went out and saw all of our potential investigators with Gabi!! Shes the best!!! we got to see Elizabeth and all her kdis were on break so they were all home! and they LOVE the church!! and they LOVE reading the Book of Mormon. SO AWESOME!!! we read a scripture with them and Gabi planned to take them to church which was perfect. Then we tried other people that werent home. Then we saw Maria and just taught Gabi. After that lesson with Gabi, I was so grateful for the Atonement and how amazing it is. Shes going through a hard time but shes really applying the Atonement and I really am so grateful for it. But then we taught Antonio at the church and it was an awesome lesson!!! Hes awesome! AND HE CAME TO CHURCH!!!! YAY!!!!! he is sooooo ready for baptism!!! he just needs to know that he is ready!!! ahhh!!!

 

Wednesday we had to do weekly planning because they wanted us to prosylyte on Thanksgiving. Then we made paper chains for christmas with Eslendy and eliud!! THanks mom for sending the papers. ITS PERFECT. they love it!!! haha and then Friday we did exchanges!! I went to Houston 2 with Hermana Shill! She's awesome!! we did lots of service and visited some awesome people. it was really fun and nice to be in a car for a day. haha

 

Saturday was my favorite. it was perfect. and i wish i had more time to write about it but we got to go to the TEMPLE with our less actives and recent converts. Gabi and Antonio were there!!!!!! It was sooooo awesome!! Hermana Bennion and I stayed outside with those who couldnt go in and just walked around. They we went to the store and then to the waiting room where we watched the childrens book of mormon stories. but in movie form. cooolllll. Antonion and Gabi loved them. It was so perfect that he was there. All the missionaries went and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! I LOVE THE TEMPLE!!! and i love the spirit that is felt there. The Houston Temple is GORGEOUS. ah so awesome. :) But then we had lots of awesome lessons with members and we have a new!! Her name is Maria and she is so cute. Shes catholic but she is open. we taught her the restoration and then we invited her to be baptized. she sat there quietly and then she was like "let me think about it..." so then she wouldnt take the book of mormon and we explained how it was necessary to know these things are true, to read the Book of Mormon. then she goes "is it really necessary?" and I was like "yes." then she sits quietly and goes "okay. esta bien." YAY!!! shes awesome and i love her so much!!! This area is moving along!!! LOVE IT SO MUCH. LOVE MY MISSION. And I love this gospel!!

 

Hope everyone had an AMAZING thanksgiving!!!! I am sooooo thankful for this church and this gospel and the spirit, the atonement, and just everything. LOVE YOU ALL. have a great week!!!

Love,

Hermana Dorian