Monday, April 16, 2012

Tornado!


Buenos Dias Familia eSpencer!!

No one can say Spencer. They always put an E in front of my name. I love it.
Como estan? I hope Dad's Birthday was fun! What did y'all do? 53
years, Dad. WOW! You're getting up therr! I get nervous when he goes
to Mexico because everyone from there tells me all of the craziness
that happens. He's in my prayers!

So as I am sure that you know that we had some CRAZY weather this last
Tuesday. Hermana Jones and I were just out knocking those doors, and
we come to a door, and they are like... "uhhhh... You know that there
is a Tornado coming, right?" jaja. So we keep knocking. Then we get a
text from our Zone Leaders that says: Go Home Now--There is a Tornado
Warning. So we went back to our apartment and decided we would make
invitations to church because it was El Dia de Pascua! We stayed
inside for about 2 hours, and then when it calmed down a little bit
went back out to visit this old lady and her husband - The Garcias.

*side note* the Garcias are so funny! We always see them on the
streets looking through peoples trash..... But they aren't homeless!
They have a very nice little home! jaja. Very happy people, and I LOVE
Hermano Garcias laugh. It kills me! He wears bulldog be-dazzled
jackets, and he is like 85 years old! So great!!

 Anyways..When we went in, the rain had pretty much stopped, and then
when we left the Garcias - POURING rain again. It was bad. So we ran
to our car, which was just across the street, and by the time we got
there we were both drenched. Texas weather is so crazy. I love it, but
it's crazy! And please tell thank you to the following who asked if I
was alright, Yes, I am doing just fine and dandy, if I were any more
dandy, I would be a lion.... :Aunt Carla, Dawna E., Lila B., Lindsay
Clusby, and Sharon Flower Mound Cliff, and to everyone one else who I
know asked if I was alright. Muchisimos Gracias!!

This week was super good for us! We were knocking doors one day, on a
street called, Pleasant Valley. We knocked about 7 doors, all of which
were white, white, white! So we went back to the car to change our
location, and remembered that there is this tiny little trailer park
at the very tip top of our wards bounderies (Wylie, on a road called -
La Colina!! Definitely Hispanic!) And it was perfect becuase we were
having dinner out in Wylie that day as well. So we go up there, and
this little trailer park is completely surrounded by all of these
massive homes! So random, but we knocked only 5 doors when this lady
let us come in to her house. She is this sweet lady in her 60s from El
Salvador (We are teaching so many people from there right now! So
cool!) and her name is Delmy Rodriguez. But anyways, we started
talking to her and she was like, "Me encanta escuchar musica en
Ingleis!" Out of no where. jaja, "como...Diana Ross, y Michael
Jackson!" JAJA perfect! I like Michael Jackson too! She goes, "What is
that song? We are the World??" and of course I know exactly the song
is that she is thinking of! Michael Jackson songs I know like nobody's
bidniss! So I start singing the chorus.. We are the wooooorrrld, we
are the chiiiillllldreeeeen.. oh my it was so funny! Just imagine this
cute little old El Salvadorian singing a Michael Jackson song! Ooooh,
made my day! Not only that she loves MJ, but that we also taught the
restauration to her, and how we have the authority restored on the
earth--the same authority that Jesus Christ had when He was on the
earth--to perform Baptisms!
She invited herself to church! AND set a baptismal date with her. Oh
she is such a miracle. The Lord truly puts people who are ready to
hear the gospel in your path!

La familia Salazar came to church! Sunday's stress me out! Holy cow.
No me gusta! It was so awesome though. The only down side to this
family, is that they are moving this summer when their kids get out of
school back to Mexico. We don't know how we feel about them getting
baptized here because we still want them to be super stron when they
go back to Mexico. We are going to play it by ear a lilttle bit, but
as for now we are just going to get them super ready for baptism, and
then send the missionaries by their house in Mexico once they get down
there.

Rosa and Juan are doing awesome. I am learning ASL as well! Juan is a
HUGE basquetbol fan, and his favorite team is the Lakers. Booooo. So I
always tease with him... What was that Juan? Your favorite team is the
Jazz?? Jaja, He's a good kid. Rosa is just as sweet as can be! They
both have baptismal dates which is awesome! We are super excited for
them - Cinco de Mayo!! What a great day to get baptised!

Easter was great! This week it was a really good opportunity to be
able to talk more with people about our Savior, and to testify to
people que El vive! Se que gracias a El, podemos regresar a Nuestro
Padre Celecial despues esta vida, y podemos vivir con El y nuestras
familias para siempre.

Okay family, Thank you for all that you do! I love you all so much,
and you are all in my spanish prayers (I tried praying out loud in
English the other day.... I could not for the life of me. Eeejole.)

LES AMO MUCHISIMO!

Hermana eSpencer

photos:
1- some of the relief socity sisters from the ward for the anniversary
that we sang at
2- flowers that hermana gonzalez gave us. SHE IS SO CLOSE!
3- crazy rainny tornado day. the picture does not justify.

Conferencia General

Hola mi Familia!! Como estan?!

Okay, so Conference.

WAS SO AWESOME!!

I don't think I had ever been so excited for Conferencia ever before
en mi vida. NUNCA! Holy smokes, I loved it so much. Every bit of it! I
want to know everyone's favorite talks and why! K? k.  Just like Elder
David Evans--- during his talk, I was like "I love this guy!" "Look at
him telling people to write the missionaries a letter, and not just an
e-mail! This is great!" bajaja. ;)

Truly though - it was perfect. I was able to watch 3 sessions in
English, and then Sunday Morning Session we watched in Spanish and so
didn't get a whole lot out of it. My sunday notes go as follows:
Deiter F. Uchtdorf: "STOP IT!"
Russell M. Nelson: "Soy una hija de Dios"
Ronal A. Rasband: El Plan de Salavacion?? (I hope so becuase we had
Cecilia Sanchez there with us, who brought her esposo AND her hija!
twas perfect!)
Julie B. Beck: Sociedad de Socorro? (I'm going to miss her!)
D. Todd Christofferson: Doctrina de Cristo?....I'm confused... don't
know what's going on......
**Cancion del Corro: Let us all speak kind words to eachother-
WINNIE!!! Love you!**
Thomas S. Monson: El Plan de Salvacion- 3 preguntas del alma--
something about Rio en Provz..?

The good news is: That I will be able to re-read ALL of the talks in
about a month! Yayayaayayya!

In between Conference Sessions on Saturday- we went and mowed a lawn
of one of our investigators- Rosa. She is so great. I love her! Such a
sweet old lady that just loves us. She was all ready to come to
conference on Sundee, but Juan wouldn't get out of bed.... It's okay.
Her desire is there!
Then Sunday in between sessions-- here in Texas, or at least for the
hispanic culture, everyone still goes to church to listen to
Conference! It's awesome! Especially because we had Cecilia there, and
so los miembros del barrio were able to help out with getting to know
her a little. Then we had coordination meeting with our Ward Mission
Leader- Hermano Medrano.

*side note: the photos I sent this week are of los hijos de Obispo
Alvarez. They were all matching and I loved it, so we HAD to get a
picture! The little one is Lauren. So cute!!*

As for my favorite talk in Conference...........?
I loved them ALL! Jeffery R. Holland's, Henry B. Eyring's, Robert D.
Hales, Neil L. Anderson!! AAAHHH! So good! My two favorite sessions
were Saturday Morning, and Sundee Afternoon, but I think the talk that
definitely helpped me out the most was the talk by O. Vincent Halleck.
About being able to see the vision that Christ has for us. Because a
lot of the time as a missionary, struggling along to try and learn
spanish, it gets hard at times. I loved that he quoted the scripture
that said, "I will not leave you comfortless!" And talked about how
the Holy Ghost is the comforter. There has not yet been one day on my
mission when I have not been able to feel the Spirit, and to feel the
love that God has not only for me, not only for you. I have felt the
Spirit every day, and es sierto.. He does NOT leave us comfortless.
I've been studying el Libro de Mormon, and el Nuevo Testamento. I love
reading the Bible! I love how L. Tom Perry said that BOTH books are
necesary! It is soo true! Neither book is complete without the other.
Both are clave for nuestro salvacion, y exaltacion. .... (Spanglish-
yo se. Sometimes it just comes out easier en espanol.) But ahhh, I
loved it. Go read: Mateo 11: 29-30

So after we watched all of conference we went over the casa de la
familia Gonzalez to see how they enjoyed the conferencia. All the the
fasting and praying truly paid off! They loved it! Hna. Marta said
that when she heard and saw the Profeta  speaking, that she knew that
it was a higher person that was speaking and not just him. Then her
son Giobanni said, "Yeah, she was even tearing up when she watched
him!" Wow. I love how the spirit works, and truly how amazing it is
that we DO have a living Profeta. The other day we were teaching
Griselda y Nicol (10) about our profet, and Nicol says, "Wow, that is
Amazing, I am litterally overwhelmed by how amazing that is!" (she
acts a lot older than 10 years old.. jaja, love her) But it truly is
amazing!

I looove this gospel, and the obra misional, and CONFERENCIA GENERAL,
all of you! Thank you so much for all of your prayers, and cartas, and
packages mother! I can truly feel your prayers so thank you, thank
you, thank you! Que Bueno! You are all maravilloso!!

Con muchisisisisisimo amor,
Hermana Spencer

Favorite citas de Confrencia General:
"Don't delay, it's getting late." - Jeffery R. Holland
"None of us will ever be so lost that we can't come back through the
atonement." -M. Russell Ballard
"You can't be right by doing wrong, and you can't be wrong by doing
right!" - Thomas S. Monson (but in the talk by Ulisses Soaries?)

p.s. I forgot to tell you that Hermana Jones and I sang for our
Sociedad de Socorro Aniversidad. We sang - Hija de un Rey