Viva Brentwood!
Date: February 13, 2012
Area: Brentwood, Long Island
Companion -
Well Feliz Dia de San Valentine! Happy Valentines day!! Well Here we are again :) It's Monday! Another week has come and gone! What have we done? Everyday we are creating our own story book and making a new page. With Every thought, action, and word that we say we are creating our own story books. At the end of each day we can think....ok what did I do and what chapter did I create in my book of life :) Something to think about.
Ok well lets see. We had a really good lesson with Christian ( a 19 year old boy) and his mom Judy. She is a sweet lady from Bolivia and she wants her son to learn good values.She loves having us over and said the other day, " My house is your house, you can come over here everyday" haha Christian is good, he has a lot of questions, which shows that he is curious and that he wants answers. He wanted to know how he could have his faith grow. So then we went ahead and read Alma 32 with him- which talks alllll about faith and what we can do to nourish it. Which, makes me also remember, we talked to a less active who gave us food this week. We were talking to her about testimony and how it is a process. We talked about those 3 things- those primary answers that we always hear. 1. Daily Prayer, 2. Daily Scripture Study and 3. going to church. She was wondering why her testimony had fallen....we talked to her about those three things and she then understood that a testimony is something that is very fragile and unless we are constantly nourishing it, then it will die. Just like a plant- it needs food, water and sunlight. Well our spirit and testimony also need to be nourished :) Why else do you think that the prophets and apostles are constantly talking over and over again and stressing the importance of those 3 things?! Just like in Alma 37:6-7 "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass."
Let us see....what else? ok how about funny note- ok so on Thursday we were driving after looking up someone who was not home. So we were driving and I saw a couple walking on the side walk, quickly I said to my companion, " PULL OVER" I have to talk to those people :) So she pulled over ( probably thinking that I was crazy) and I began talking to this couple. I told them that we were missionarys and asked if there would be a time that we could come over. Quickly the male responded, "How about Tomorrow?" haha ok fine by me :) So then the next day we went over to their house. We were quickly let in by a teenage boy and then soon the entire family was sitting down listening to us. A mom, dad , two teenage boys and a cute little 12 year old girl sat down as we were able to teach the restoration. I have never seen 2 teenage boys so attentive and asking questions in the lesson. It really makes me so SO happy inside when I am able to teach an entire family the gospel. That is what it really is about :) Families! This gospel Blesses families!
We were able to have a couple really good lessons with the Familia Carpio. They are so good, humble and really have a desire to learn. We were able to teach the Word of Wisdom this week, and actually they took it very well. We knew that they had a problem with several things, however when we taught it, they were very receptive and agreed to live it. They are so prepared. It just goes to show that the lord is really and has been preparing these people so that they can accept the gospel and enter into those sacred ordinances, the first being baptism.
Well I am being Transferred…it is always hard to leave an area, especially when you have fallen in love with the members and have truly worked hard to help others come closer to our savior Jesus Christ. However change is good J For we know that the only thing constant is change. I am excited to go into another area and get to work. There are so many people in NY that are just WAITING to hear the gospel. Having been on a mission sure does make me appreciate having the gospel in my life. It makes me appreciate the sacrifice that my parents made to be able to teach me the gospel principles and to have daily family prayer and scripture study. Just like Elder Bednar said, “Your kids may not all remember what you taught them in scripture study, but they WILL remember that you had scripture study.” I remember my parents being consistent. It has been truly humbling as I have seen family’s the Carpio’s and the Mendoza’s now starting to have family scripture study and prayer and really being able to see the changes that they have made. I truly feel honored and blessed to be here for the short period of time of a year and a half to be serving my savior full time.
As Valentines day approaches may we all remember the biggest act of love ever done. That of the atoning sacrifice of our Savior. He laid down his life for each and every one of us. So that if we use his sacrifice, his atonement we can then make changes appropriate so that become better people and that if we are baptized that we can one day enter back into his presence and receive eternal life. Its our choice :)
Well, I love you all! May we this Valentines day try to show more love by our actions and may we think in a way that we can show our love all year long, not just on this special day of chocolate and flowers!
I love you!!
Love,
Hermana Gray
Love - Elder Russel M. Nelson
If I were to ask which characteristic of His life you would identify first, I think you might name His attribute of love. That would include His compassion, kindness, charity, devotion, forgiveness, mercy, justice, and more. Jesus loved His Father and loved His mother. He loved His family and the Saints. He loved the sinner, without excusing the sin. And He taught us how we can show our love for Him.
Another expression of our Savior’s love was His service. He served His Father, and He served the people with whom He lived and labored. In both ways, we are to follow His example. And we are to love our neighbors by serving them. We start with our families.
Ok well lets see. We had a really good lesson with Christian ( a 19 year old boy) and his mom Judy. She is a sweet lady from Bolivia and she wants her son to learn good values.She loves having us over and said the other day, " My house is your house, you can come over here everyday" haha Christian is good, he has a lot of questions, which shows that he is curious and that he wants answers. He wanted to know how he could have his faith grow. So then we went ahead and read Alma 32 with him- which talks alllll about faith and what we can do to nourish it. Which, makes me also remember, we talked to a less active who gave us food this week. We were talking to her about testimony and how it is a process. We talked about those 3 things- those primary answers that we always hear. 1. Daily Prayer, 2. Daily Scripture Study and 3. going to church. She was wondering why her testimony had fallen....we talked to her about those three things and she then understood that a testimony is something that is very fragile and unless we are constantly nourishing it, then it will die. Just like a plant- it needs food, water and sunlight. Well our spirit and testimony also need to be nourished :) Why else do you think that the prophets and apostles are constantly talking over and over again and stressing the importance of those 3 things?! Just like in Alma 37:6-7 "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass."
Let us see....what else? ok how about funny note- ok so on Thursday we were driving after looking up someone who was not home. So we were driving and I saw a couple walking on the side walk, quickly I said to my companion, " PULL OVER" I have to talk to those people :) So she pulled over ( probably thinking that I was crazy) and I began talking to this couple. I told them that we were missionarys and asked if there would be a time that we could come over. Quickly the male responded, "How about Tomorrow?" haha ok fine by me :) So then the next day we went over to their house. We were quickly let in by a teenage boy and then soon the entire family was sitting down listening to us. A mom, dad , two teenage boys and a cute little 12 year old girl sat down as we were able to teach the restoration. I have never seen 2 teenage boys so attentive and asking questions in the lesson. It really makes me so SO happy inside when I am able to teach an entire family the gospel. That is what it really is about :) Families! This gospel Blesses families!
We were able to have a couple really good lessons with the Familia Carpio. They are so good, humble and really have a desire to learn. We were able to teach the Word of Wisdom this week, and actually they took it very well. We knew that they had a problem with several things, however when we taught it, they were very receptive and agreed to live it. They are so prepared. It just goes to show that the lord is really and has been preparing these people so that they can accept the gospel and enter into those sacred ordinances, the first being baptism.
Well I am being Transferred…it is always hard to leave an area, especially when you have fallen in love with the members and have truly worked hard to help others come closer to our savior Jesus Christ. However change is good J For we know that the only thing constant is change. I am excited to go into another area and get to work. There are so many people in NY that are just WAITING to hear the gospel. Having been on a mission sure does make me appreciate having the gospel in my life. It makes me appreciate the sacrifice that my parents made to be able to teach me the gospel principles and to have daily family prayer and scripture study. Just like Elder Bednar said, “Your kids may not all remember what you taught them in scripture study, but they WILL remember that you had scripture study.” I remember my parents being consistent. It has been truly humbling as I have seen family’s the Carpio’s and the Mendoza’s now starting to have family scripture study and prayer and really being able to see the changes that they have made. I truly feel honored and blessed to be here for the short period of time of a year and a half to be serving my savior full time.
As Valentines day approaches may we all remember the biggest act of love ever done. That of the atoning sacrifice of our Savior. He laid down his life for each and every one of us. So that if we use his sacrifice, his atonement we can then make changes appropriate so that become better people and that if we are baptized that we can one day enter back into his presence and receive eternal life. Its our choice :)
Well, I love you all! May we this Valentines day try to show more love by our actions and may we think in a way that we can show our love all year long, not just on this special day of chocolate and flowers!
I love you!!
Love,
Hermana Gray
Love - Elder Russel M. Nelson
If I were to ask which characteristic of His life you would identify first, I think you might name His attribute of love. That would include His compassion, kindness, charity, devotion, forgiveness, mercy, justice, and more. Jesus loved His Father and loved His mother. He loved His family and the Saints. He loved the sinner, without excusing the sin. And He taught us how we can show our love for Him.
Another expression of our Savior’s love was His service. He served His Father, and He served the people with whom He lived and labored. In both ways, we are to follow His example. And we are to love our neighbors by serving them. We start with our families.
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