Emily - Vigo Week 4

1.11.09

Hello Beautiful Family...
Oh it has been a crazy week. Actually every week in the mission is crazy in one way or another. I did get letters this week from mom and jess. Then today when I went down to do email I had a letter from mom and I will read it once Im done email. I have emails from pops, Grandpa Gogarty, and Jess. Im excited to do the study tomorrow that Grandpa sent. I am so blessed to have such an amazing family. Not only are my parents fabulous but my grandparents too. Thank you for the letters. Im glad you enjoyed my videos. Oh pops if you think you were crying like a baby watching my videos, you should have seen me when I watched the ones Jess sent. How is it possible to love people so much, to the point that its just overwhelming? I dont know how people move here away from their families for years. Im moving home and never leaving again. Im going to be that weird kid that lives in the basement. I hope you are prepared for that.
So the biggest news you are all waiting for is....how is my greenie? She is fantastic(I started saying that word because our Nigerian inv. says it)-funny but anyways, no really Im so grateful for her. I prayed for her and she prayed for me. We are A LOT alike, so much that today the man that owns the cyber, where we do email asked me if we were from the same place because we seem a lot alike. We are already having a great time together. Her name is Hermana Rudder and she is from Boise, ID. She is really tall and our humor is the same. The Elders are actually scared of us. You know how I tease people well she is like that too and they just dont know how to handle it. Especially because before us there were two quiet hermanas. It has been crazy being in charge of everything. I thought I had the gift of tounges in the beginning well now its just happening all over again. My understanding has increased a bunch. My ear is still plugged from my cold and that has been a little frustrating with so much Spanish going on but understanding another language is just weird. Ive really enjoyed being myself in Spanish. Even just with the people for example that work in this cyber, we are really good friends. I chatted with the wife while my comp. wrote her family to tell them she got here okay. We didnt talk a ton about the church but they definately talked to me about why im here and why I came. I was able to share a little with them and they told me how much they respect us for what we do. It was nice to just talk with them.
We had a crazy visit with Manuel Santos this week, a man from Portugal. He is a mason and a brain doctor. Sometimes the lessons get pretty crazy, especially with the member we invited. I dont want to say they were fighting but it was a little heated conversation. Everytime people start talking about crazy off the wall ideas the thoughts that come to my mind through the spirit are always simple and powerful. I love how the answers always go back to the simple principles of the gospel. I started testifying and shared my experience of how I came to know the Book of Mormon was true when I was 16. I didnt realize it but my comp. told me later that it was the only time the room was totally quiet and he listened intently to every word I said. Its interesting to have her thoughts after the lesson because she mostly is just observing. I realized how use to feeling the spirit I have become and how much I need to recognize it and be grateful for it.
When he came to the church the one person that shook his hand, looked to me and said is he an investigator or a member. I didnt answer her because I HATE THAT QUESTION. Everyone that reads this email dont ever do that, EVER! I looked over at Manuel Santos like lets look at her like she is the alien and see how she likes it. He just laughed and because he is reading the BOM he told her that he was a gentile. She didnt get it but we laughed and she walked aways. WOOPS, I dont think she will be helping us in any visits but seriously I wanted to say well Hermana so and so this is a person and his name is Manuel Santos. We talked to our ward mission leader and he suggested someone to help us in the visits and its actually the councilor to President DuVall. I think things are going to go a lot better now. He really does want to find the truth he is just really confused. He has to be thee most confused person I have ever taught.
I set up a couple visits this week with some menos activos and members. We are going to stop by teach them the first to remind them of what they have and then ask them to choose through prayer a street for us to work on. Then once we find someone they will help us at church and in visits. I want to start from the beginning with a member instead of beating our brains to think of someone to come with us and then they come and it ends up being a disaster. I can see how well everything would work if it was done it the right way. I read the talk in the Ensign from the Priesthood session about fufilling the calling that you have been given. I think it was called lift where you stand and I loved it. I can see so clearly where I failed as a member before the mission. I hope to do a better job of that when Im home. I really am excited to help the missionaries when I am a member. Hopefully I can help some members here figure out how to better help the missionaries. The work isnt going to change here until the members and the missionaries are united in the work. Anyways just some thoughts sorry.
I sure love you all so much. Preach my Gospel tells us that the BOM and the Spirit is what will convert the hearts of the people we teach to the gospel. I know that is true because that is what happened to me. I was 16 and I began reading the BOM everyday and praying about it. I remember specifically one day kneeling at my bed and begging Heavenly Father to help me know if what I had been taught my whole life was true. The Spirit touched my heart and ran through my whole body. I love the Book of Mormon and I love prayer. It really is the simple gospel principles that can change lives. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know He payed the price for my sins. His church has been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith.
I love you all dearly and I am praying for you.
Love,
The Sister