Favorite lesson this week and finishing the Book of Mormon in Spanish!

We've been working with so many less actives the past couple of weeks! Just this week, we found one who pulled up in the car right as we were about to drive away from their house, we went to dinner with another, we taught another's non-member husband, and painted another's fireplace blue for her. 

I think my favorite was a lesson that happened on Thursday. We were visiting the sister and it was a little frustrating because she keeps saying she'll go to church and then she doesn't come. So we asked her how her Book of Mormon reading has been going, and it turns out she hasn't been reading. And it's like this every week. 

As we were sitting there, I had the impression to promise her that if she keeps the Word of Wisdom, her health will be better. It was kind of random, but it made sense because she drinks coffee and had just been complaining about some pain that she's been having in her back. So I told her that impression, and she said to me, "I know hermana. But I just drink coffee to help with my diabetes." So Hermana Robles asked, "does it help?" And the less-active sister said, "well... no..." So then we committed her to keeping the word of wisdom. It was pretty sweet and the three of us laughed together about how the coffee is so expensive and it doesn't even help like someone told her it would. :)

I finished the Book of Mormon in Spanish for the first time! It was awesome! I love the Book of Mormon. I know it's true. I am so grateful for it. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to go share it with the people of Memphis every day. I've loved seeing how my investigator's lives have changed because they've read in the Book of Mormon. Even all the ones who haven't gotten baptized yet. I have a testimony of the phrase, "a man can get closer to God by reading the Book of Mormon than by any other book." Heavenly Father loves us so much and has blessed us with additional scripture so that we can get
to know him better! It's awesome!

Starting with me and moving counter clockwise: Hermana Hunt, Hermana Wilson, Hermana Robles, Hermana Quigley, Sister Lange, Hermana Olson, Sister Van Orman, Sister Lumpkin, Hermana Thornton

Hermanas Quigley, Robles, Keller, Wilson, Hunt, Olson, Thornton

Hermanas + Sister Feinga and President and Sister Hansen

Hermanas Robles (my trainee), Keller, Thornton (my trainer), Quigley (my trainee)

Hermanas Keller, Quigley, Thornton

<Jacksonville or Jonesboro video>

Teaching Plan of Salvation; Prayer

Hi everyone! 

This week we went to visit a less active member. She is awesome and totally ready to reactivate herself. We had planned to teach the Plan of Salvation. Her husband is not a member and hasn't usually been there for our lessons because he works all day. But this week, he was there. 

He started talking to us and ended up asking a question that had to do with where we came from. So Hermana Robles taught him about the premortal life. The lesson went something like this: We said something like, "We used to live with our Heavenly Father as spirits," and then he would say something like, "I just want to know where we came from because not a lot of people know where we came from," and we would say something like, "Yes, but we know that we used to live with our Heavenly Father as spirits." And then he would say, "Exactly!!" It was so funny and when we were almost done, he had to go back to work. 

After he left, we finished the lesson with just the less-active sister and she was awesome. She totally understood everything and now has the celestial kingdom as a goal for her and her family!

This week, as I was studying the topic of prayer in Preach My Gospel, I looked up a bunch of scriptures looking for the answers to the questions "Why must you pray for the Spirit?" and "What should you pray for?" I loved this activity because I love prayer. I love that we have the opportunity to council with our Heavenly Father anytime, anywhere, and about anything! With the questions, "What should you pray for?", here are some of my favorite answers that I found: 

• Pray in behalf of the welfare of the souls who know not God (Alma 6:6) 

• Pray to be led by the Holy Spirit (Alma 13:28) 

• Pray for mercy (Alma 34:18-27) 

• Pray to counsel with the Lord and to give thanks (Alma 37:36-37) 

• Pray for anything which is right (3 Nephi 18:20). 

I love that prayer is the "when the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other." (Bible Dictionary, topic: Prayer)

With Hermana Robles at Memphis BBQ

Fall

Service project on Saturday: Raking the Benitez's leaves

Because my mom says I don't send enough pictures of me:

The district: Hermana Robles, Hermana Keller, Elder Diaz, Elder Sotomarino, Elder Short, Elder Smalley

The Castanedas

Nerves and investigators progressing, and my birthday!

We've been working quite a bit with our investigators this week. Gabriella,  who has been needing to tell her husband she wants to get baptized, finally told him this weekend! We've been pretty nervous for this to happen because we don't know what he'll say, and we've been afraid he'll get angry and not let her come to church anymore. But he said he will think about it. I think that's great! 

We were also nervous to go to Leonel and Flor's house on Friday. But it ended up going really well. (They are the ones we first taught with the mission president). We read in the BoM with them. They have so many questions but I love it because I know the BoM has the answers to their questions so as they read it, they will find their answers and that will be the foundation of their testimony! Leonel didn't come to church this Sunday after he said he would, but we are trying to contact him right now to find out why. Pray for them please!

Also, this week I did an activity in Preach My Gospel where I read a bunch of scriptures and then wrote down what an investigator needs to feel to be converted. I noticed that there are a LOT of different things that an investigator can feel that will help with their conversion, but the common denominator in everything is that they have to have a desire to know God and be converted. And when they have that desire, they begin to do things that are necessary for a lasting conversion, such as keeping the commandments, praying, etc. That desire also leads to faith and repentance, which lead to baptism and confirmation. So I thought that was really cool that all an investigator needs to start their conversion is a desire to be converted.

Happy Birthdaa 2 MEEEEEEEEE at Wing Stop! Thanks Hermana Robles!! And then dinner at Olive Garden! Thanks Uncle Larry and Barbara! 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

HERMANAS Skyping for an all-hermana meeting. 

Enviado desde mi iPad

Teaching with the Mission President!

Hi Everyone! We had an amazing experience being able to teach with our mission president this week! Here's what happened.

We got an email from the APs Friday morning saying that President Hansen would be in our area that night and was wanting to go teaching with some of the missionaries. So if anyone had any solid appointments, to let them know. So of course we texted the APs super speedy quick and told them we had a dinner appointment/first lesson tonight with someone that has been coming to our English class. And that's basically how we got President Hansen to come teaching with us and had the best lesson ever with Leonel and Flor! 

Hermana Robles and I were so nervous to teach in front of President even though it would be in Spanish, but the spirit ended up being so strong!! Probably the best lesson I've ever taught on my mission. After we went over the first vision, President said he's heard it said 2-3 thousand times in English and that was his first time he had heard it in Spanish but that he felt the Spirit just the same. He later told Leonel and Flor that one of the reasons they came from El Salvador was for this. 

As I was translating that for them, I just felt the Spirit confirm to me that they are people that I am supposed to teach on my mission.That was way cool becase I don´t always fee that about everyone I meet. And then President invited them to church and promised them that if they came and put God first in their lives, He will bless them with more money and better later in the week. And then Leonel came to church!! And stayed for all 3 hours!! It was the best thing ever! This is what President said about it in his letter to the whole mission:

"I was in a teaching situation, on Friday evening, with two of our missionaries in the Memphis area. I was a little worried about this as it was in Spanish and I don't speak or understand more then a couple of words. I wanted to be able to contribute something to this discussion, but didn't have any idea of how I would be able to do that, so I was forced to really focus on the Spirit and it's promptings.  

"As the lesson started, I decided to just say a prayer in my heart that the missionaries would know what to say and that this family would want to continue with the lessons. As the lesson started and I was praying, I could feel the Spirit prompting me to say certain things ever now and then. The missionaries would then interpret it into Spanish for the investigator. We were teaching this family for the very first time. I was surprised that everything that I felt prompted to say was in exact harmony with what the missionaries were teaching at that very moment, yet I wasn't certain if my timing was right, or if I was making any sense. At the end of the lesson, I felt very strongly that I needed to invite them to attend Church this Sunday. (I am doing this in English and it is getting interpreted into Spanish.) They accepted the invitation, and last night I got a text from the missionaries telling me that the father came to all three hours of Church yesterday and really enjoyed it. (His wife had to work and is planning on attending next week.)

"This was a wonderful experience for me as it is the first time I have every heard the Restoration in Spanish, yet the feelings I had were the same as the feelings that I have had the other hundreds of times I have heard it in English. I believe that I was able to play a very important role in helping the missionaries to teach and commit this family. They received the Book of Mormon with great interest and the Father even offered a kneeling word of prayer. My testimony of the importance of listening to the Spirit and following it's promptings, at any given moment, was strengthen and it was reinforced in my mind that the Lord is in charge and can use any of us, regardless of the situation, if we are willing and ready to do the work. (This even becomes a bigger miracle when you understand the Spanish Culture and how hard it is to get them to come to Church for the first time.)"

So yeah. Basically the biggest miracle ever.

This week, I did an activity in Preach My Gospel where I read Alma 4:23-33 and thought about the spiritual gifts that Peter and John sought and how the Lord answered their prayers. I thought it was really cool that they asked to be able to speak with all boldness, specifically. And then they were filled with Holy Ghost and given great power to teach. I thought that was cool because those are spiritual gifts that are really nice to have as a missionary. :) 

On Saturday, as we were getting ready for our lesson with Leonel and Flor, we were really nervous. (Obviously because we were about to teach in front of the mission president). But we prayed to be able to teach with power and say the things they needed to hear, and the Holy Ghost was definitely present during that lesson! I loved that not very long after I did this activity that taught me how to have specifically the spiritual gift of the Holy Ghost when teaching, I was given the opportunity to put it into practice. And I know that lesson was a thousand times better because of it!

Marisol Bustamante and fam- moved to CA this week :((

On Saturday night our branch had a trunk or treat. Hermana Robles and I helped in the kitchen and with games and we even decorated our car to participate. I think it was really good that we were able to show our support to the branch and show them we love them. Also we had a chili cook off which was pretty funny because not a lot of people knew what chili was and they kept saying it's an American food and they don't know how to make it. But 5 people brought chili so it turned out ok. 👍 

We got to do the Musical Tribute in Little Rock! And I got to see the Lopez family (Los Lopez)! :)

Some more friends I got to see in Little Rock! Hermana López, Hermana Barrientos, Hermana Sonia!

More Little Rock peeps- Los Viveros, Hermana Roper, and Hermana Roper's brother.

I got to see my Hermanas in Little Rock too! Hermanas Hunt, Wilson, Petty, Colwell, yo, Robles, Olson

Wow we're so festive we carved pumpkins today🙂🙂🙂 🎃 🎃 🎃 

Enviado desde mi iPad

Cookies and Carousel.

* note from Mom --- I just noticed the picures are transferring blurry.  It's a busy day so I'll have to replace them later, so check back.  :) 

We went to bring our investigator, Gabriella's husband cookies like President Hansen suggested to help soften his heart. He wouldn't come out to talk to us so we just wrote a note that said we hoped to meet him soon and left. But then the next night, Gabriella texted us at about 6:30 asking if we could come over right then because he was supposed to be getting home at 7. So we did. But he didn't get home at 7. So we continued waiting and read some of the Book of Mormon with Gabriella and her kids, drew some pictures with her daughter, helped her daughter with her homework, etc. But we really wanted to meet him and we didn't know when exactly he would get home so we just kept waiting. At about 9, we were thinking "well, I guess we'll just go home now" when he pulled up! He didn't come in for about another 5 minutes and we think it might be because he saw our bikes. But when he did come in, we said, "hello!" And he said, "hello". And we said, "how are you?" And he said, "good." And we said, "how was work?" And he said, "good." And then he left the room and wouldn't come out again. So we finally met him but it was pretty funny how we waited so long to say 3 words. :) But then on Sunday, Gabriella got a blessing from the elders and in it, Elder Sotomarino said that they would be sealed in the temple as an eternal family. So that was really awesome and I think that blessing will help her have more hope. This week, I studied about Personal Revelation in Preach My Gospel. I loved that it said that we (as missionaries) have been promised inspiration to know what to do and the power to do it. I love that since we have the calling of being missionaries, if we remain worthy, Heavenly Father will bless us with everything we need to be able to bring souls back to Him. I love my calling and am so grateful that I get to be a missionary in Memphis!

The district - Hermana Robles, yo, Elder Sotomarino, Elder Short,

Elder Merrill, Elder Smalley

There's an abandoned mall right by our apartment so we went inside this week and basically the only thing that's open is the carousel so we rode it for $1

The Batesville hermanas came to the Bartlett musical tribute so we got to have a family reunion!!!  I love them!

Hermana Robles (who i am training) aka mi hija, yo, Hermana Quigley (who i trained) aka mi hija, and Hermana Thornton (who trained me) aka mi mamá

Mis hijas

Love you all, 
Hermana Keller

Homies.

We went and saw Miguela, our recent convert, this week (because we see her every week jaja) and she is doing super awesome still.  It's been amazing to see the change in her.  When I first got to Memphis, she was really struggling to read in the Book of Mormon and even more to understand and remember it.  She was having a hard time understanding what we were saying when we were teaching and she was so scared to set a baptismal date and be baptized without her daughter.  But as we've worked with her and as she's increased her faith and trusted in Heavenly Father, she's been able to understand everything better and better.  I know it's because the influence of the Holy Ghost is stronger and stronger in her life!  We talked a about temples and I am pretty sure she is planning on going through to get her endowments as soon as she reaches that one year mark.  She also understood everything so well and I am so proud of her!

I was studying the Successful Missionary section in Preach My Gospel and there is an activity where you compare Abinidi and Ammon in their missionary work.  We all know now at they are two amazing missionaries and we all want to be like them, but the immediate results of their efforts to preach the gospel were very different.  While Ammon baptized TONS of people, Abinidi was killed by the people he was trying to teach repentance to.  The question in Preach My Gospel is were they both successful?  My answer is yes.  It made me think about how even though Abinidi didn't seem successful at first, his efforts resulted in the conversion of almost all of King Noah's people either through Alma or through King Limhi and his people.  I also thought about what were the common factors in Ammon and Abinidi if they were both successful, even though their stories are different.  They both were obedient to the commandments, they both testified with the spirit, they both did their best, they both diligently warned people of the consequences of sin, and they both desired the salvation of those they served. I know that if I do those things, I will be a successful missionary. The chances of my mission ending like Ammon's or Abinidi's are not too high, if I do those things, I will baptize all that the Lord has prepared for me. 

Being a missionary on fb is kind of hard but we're figuring it out. 

Some homies that showed us where hispanics live.

Lupita, Gabriella's daughter

Lupita, Gabriella's daughter

Akari Trejo

Missionary tribute: Come Unto Christ 

Love you all, 
Hermana Keller 

Temple Roof.

Our mission is doing series of musical tributes called "Come Unto Christ" where we sing and a couple of people bear sir testimonies and basically it is so members can come and bring their friends to introduce them to the church.  I am playing a solo so I get to go to all of them.  Yesterday was our first one in Conway (about a 3 hour drive from Memphis) and it was awesome!

We got to see the Russellville hermanas so that was a bonus.

Hermanas Petty, Wilson, Keller, Robles 

Hermanas Robles, Keller, Wilson, Petty, with Sister Johnson in front.

We went to our regular dinner appointment with the Garcias on Saturday and at the end, we shared our spiritual thought as usual.  The dad is usually pretty distracted by his phone so it just ends up being us talking to the mom and trying to redirect the conversation every time the dad interrupts with something that is irrelevant.  But we shared about M. Russell Ballard's talk from General Conference and talked about how we as missionaries need to be working with them as members to help other people be able to have the blessings of the gospel and then we invited them to the missionary tribute here this week.  We invited them to each invite someone else.  The dad payed attention to the whole time!  And committed to invite someone!  The mom said she already had someone in mind to invite!  It was so awesome!

This week, I did an activity in PMG where I read a couple of scriptures and looked for the qualifications for baptism in them.  I loved it and thought it was really cool that none of them say that a person has to have read the whole Book of Mormon or has done a anything super special.  But all they have to do is have a desire to be baptized, have repented, and have a "broken heart and a contrite spirit" and anyone can get to that point.  All of Heavenly Father's blessings aren't exclusive but are available to anyone who wants them. 

We also got to help clean out the temple on Wednesday.

We were on the roof so of course we had to take a selfie.

Love you all, 
Hermana Keller 

Throw down.

We had a couple of throw down lessons this week with some less actives as well as investigators who haven't been progressing.  One less active in particular, knows all the things she needs to do but always makes excuses as to why she can't do it.  We've seen a lot of progress in her Book of Mormon reading these last couple weeks because we've texted her a lot of reminders.  But she is still having trouble with the law of chastity, the word of wisdom, and keeping the sabbath day holy.  While we were with her this week, we read Heleman 4:24-25 and then we talked about how we need to keep the commandments in order to have Heavenly Father with us.  Then we said something like, "Hermana, we really don't know what to talk about when we visit you anymore.  We've talked about the law of chastity and nothing has changes here.  We've talked about the Word of Wisdom and you still drink coffee.  And we've talked about keeping the sabbath day holy and you still have trouble coming to church a lot of the time.  We've seen you progress in your daily scripture study, but we want to see the same progress in these other commandments too.  How can we help you?"  Boom.  Throw down.  We then had her pick one commandment to work on and she picked keeping the sabbath day holy.  She almost came to church yesterday, but unfortunately she texted us a half hour before it started and asked for a ride.  We didn't see the text until about a half hour after the conference started.  But I know that's progress for her and I'm really hoping that we'll be able to help her come to church every Sunday from now on. 

We finally were able to see Yoli this week.  She has been working a ton this past month.  We were able to talk more about where she is at with the gospel and what she wants to get out of the visits.  She said she liked it all and wants to get baptized.  But we also talked about how she can't get married to her boyfriend because she and her family are working on their papers and when they started she was not married.  It's a pretty difficult situation because she and her boyfriend have 3 kids together and she lives with him and his family.  He and his family are all members.  But as we were talking, I knew it would be better if we dropped her for now so that we could find the people who are ready to be baptized right now.  We told her that we want to help her prepare for baptism, but it's hard because she can't take that step right now.  So we encouraged her to keep reading and praying and coming to church every week so that they could progress on their own.  Then we told her that in a few months, we would come back and try to teach her again to help her get ready for baptism.  It was sad and hard to do because I don't want to stop visiting her, but I know it'll be better, especially because she's so busy with her new job all the time. 

This week, I studied the Baptism and Confirmation section in Chapter 1 of Preach My Gospel. I really like the quote by Dallin H Oaks that says, "We do not preach and teach in order to 'bring people into the Church' or to increase the membership of the Church. We do not preach and teach just to persuade people to live better lives. ... We invite all to come unto Christ by repentance and baptism and confirmation in order to open the doors of the celestial kingdom to the sons and daughters of God. No one else can do this."  I love that our purpose is to help people make the covenant of baptism with God so that they can receive eternal life.  Without that goal of baptism in mind, we're just sharing a nice message about Jesus Christ.  But because we have that goal in mind for everyone around us, we share a message of hope and change and we can help others be able to truly draw closer to our Heavenly Father. 

We took lots of pictures on Wednesday because we had to change our profile pictures on Facebook.

 

Wish us luck because our miles got cut again. We're supposed to be a "half bike area" which is basically where we bike all the time except when we really can't. *praying I don't get hit by some of these crazy Memphis drivers😂😂

 

We listened to the Sunday morning session of general conference in Spanish with all the members and our investigators. As the the Mormon messages and homefronts started playing, the tv started doing this: jaja

<spanish video>

 Love you all!

Hermana Keller