January 2, 2014

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I can't even believe it's 2014! Crazy! What did you guys do for New Years Eve? We just had a regular day, but there were sooooo many fireworks and blasting music in the city, so it sounded like they had fun! That's funny you know him! I'll have to ask him about Dr. Inouye! We see them a lot and everytime we do they talk to us forever. That sounds like it will be really fun tradition! Way good idea! Where do you get it from?

 

Not too many exciting things this week. Our friends Hermana McRae, Baker, and Juarez left this week. I'll send the picture next week of us, and then our best friends here Hermana Westover and Hyde leave next week, so that will be a bummer! We're with them allll the time.

 

I talked in Sacrament meeting AGAIN. I don't know why I talk all the time, but I guess I'm getting pretty good at it! I wasn't nearly as nervous this time. Spanish is still coming! Hermana Hamlin and I had our best lesson a couple of days ago. It was seriously the best feeling ever! We both knew everything that he said, we knew what to say through the Holy Ghost, and we taught with UNITY. I didn't have to do like the whole thing! So it was waaaaay good! So proud of her :) And I memorized the first vision in spanish, and said it during the lesson, and the spirit was so strong! Aw it was awesome!

 

Our Tuesday devotional was Bednar again, but it was a recorded one that happened a couple of years ago, but it was probably my favorite devtional/talk I've ever heard! He talked about the Character of Christ and how all Christ did was "turn out" instead of "turning in". It was because of the Character of Christ that made the Atonement possible. Then he gave a lot of examples in the scriptures. And talked about true conversion, and trying our faith. He pointed out something really cool that I've never thought of before. The Brother of Jared, when the Lord touched the stones to make them light up, he touched them one by one, He could have just lit all of them at once, but didn't. Then, I've always thought that the brother of Jared saw the Lord's finger while He was touching them, but if you read the verses, it has a period, then says that he saw His finger. So kind of cool! You'll have to go look at it!

 

One other thing that I want to try is a challenge that he gave:

1. get a new copy of the Book of Mormon

2. think of a question or doctrine of the Gospel you want to know more about

3. read it form front to back

4. mark the book in relation to your question

5. when you finish, ponder about it, and pray about it

6. write a half page summary about what you have learned

 

Then years later, you will have hundreds of copies of the Book of Mormon on a book shelf of quesions of your life and treasures from your heart that you have learned. You're own little library! Cool right? I'm going to do it!

 

Anyway, that's pretty much it! I hope everyone is doing well! I can't believe I only have one more Pday here! Oh ps don't send any more letters here cause they won't get here. It takes 3 weeks to get them. I just got Grandma and Pams Christmas card a few days ago. Have a great week! Love you!

 

Hermana Nelson