This is Valeria! (to the right)
Her wedding took a lot of planning...
But it was worth it!
Because guess what? This week she was BAPTIZED!
Woo! She's been preparing for this since February of 2016 - she's going to be such an awesome member, and she can't wait to get sealed in a year to her husband!
Holy Shmokes, what a week! This week, Hermana Saenz came to CHURCH!! She hasn't gone in years, but she got back from Mexico and came! Not only did she come to church, she brought with her a golden investigator named Irma who has agreed to be baptized on June 24th! We also were able to get in contact with an investigator whom we haven't been able to see since she went on vacation, and she had read in the Book of Mormon! She told us she wanted to come to church, as well! This same member also introduced us to her friend, Connie, who told us, "I won't get to sleep!" when we invited her to read the Book of Mormon. She's so excited! We assured her she didn't need to lose sleep to stay up reading it. :)
I've seen a few signs of the Spirit working on little kids this week. In our lesson with the Morenos, Jared, the 3 year-old, was over the moon to have a birthday invitation with a picture of Captain America. He kept waving it in the air, saying, "Captain America! Captain America!" I sat on the floor to spread out the Plan of Salvation visual we had brought. I said a little prayer: "Heavenly Father, help me know what to do to calm Jared down so we can teach this. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen." I got the impression to just say his name. I obeyed the prompting and said, "Jared?" He immediately put down the invitation and sat down on the ground next to me. It was amazing!
We went on exchanges on Saturday, which was interesting. We went to a lesson where the man we were teaching wouldn't let us speak. He just kept talking about how he wasn't interested in other religions, and he was Catholic. We told him thank you for telling us, could we leave you with a prayer? A few days earlier, Hermana Oliphant and I were talking about this very challenge. Hermana Oliphant told me that something her trainer did was teach during the prayer, and something that she herself has done is review the commitments in the prayer, so I decided to try it! I thanked Heavenly Father that the gospel was restored and went through the points of the first discussion. I then asked God to give this man the strength to be able to feel the Holy Ghost as he read the Book of Mormon to know if it was true. It was awesome!
I was feeling kind of down, actually, through the day, but when we exchanged back, me and Hermana Oliphant both were so excited to see each other! It was so cool.
Then, just last night, we finally got in contact with a less-active family, the Raygosas, and gave them some cookies. The mom told us she wanted to come back to church! She also told us she wanted her daughter to go to young womens. :)
That's all for this week!
Love, love, love,
Hermana Smurthwaite
P. S. Here's something really neat our Mission President showed us:
How Mormon Missionaries are like Jedi
Let’s consider how Missionaries are like the Jedi. Our chief trainer (along with the Spirit) is President Guffey and we need to listen to him. If this were the month of May we could say: "May the 4th be with you" aka Star Wars day. A play on words meaning the Force or the Spirit. Here are a few ways that Missionaries are like Jedi:
- Over arching power: The Jedi have the force. Missionaries have the Spirit.
- Dress code: Jedi have a dress code, most of them wear "Jedi robes". Missionaries have a dress code, and also wear "robes".
- Temples: The Jedi receive training at the Jedi Temple. Missionaries receive training at Mormon Temples.
- Revelation: Jedi when they need insight from the "force" they go meditate in the "meditation room" (in the Jedi Temple). When Missionaries need insight from the Spirit they PRAY, and if they can they go to the Celestial room (in a Mormon Temple).
- Leadership/Structure: Jedi have ranking, Youngling, Padawan Apprentice, Jedi Knight, Jedi Master, and Council Member, and Grand Master. Missionaries have Leadership. Trainee, Jr companion, Sr companion, Trainer, District Leader, Zone Leader, Sister Training Leader and Assistants to the President, and the Mission President. Trainee (Greenie) = Youngling. Jr companion = Padawan. Sr companion = Jedi Knight. Trainer/District Leader = Jedi Master
- Zone Leader/Sister Training Leader and Assistant are all parts of the "Mission Leadership Council" = Jedi Council Members. Mission President = Grand Master.
- A "High Council of 12":The Jedi have a High Council of 12 members, and is sometimes referred to as the "Jedi Council Quorum". Missionaries have a "High Council" that has 12 members, they direct the work, and are referred to as The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
- Chastity: Jedi are not allowed to have Sexual relations (Outside of marriage, Married Jedi were allowed). Missionaries are not allowed to have any romantic relations (Outside of marriage, married missionary aka Sr Couples allowed).
- Training: Jedi Padawan's learn by accompanying a "Jedi master" on "Missions". New missionaries (Padawan's) learn missionary work from their Trainer (Jedi Master), and from "lessons".
- Opposition: The Jedi are always being attacked by the "dark side". Missionaries are always combating the "Anti".
- Armed with a awesome weapon: The Jedi are trained and instructed on how to use a Lightsaber, and they build their own. Missionaries are trained and bear testimony of "The Book Of Mormon", and must gain their own testimony.
- Loved or Hated: The Jedi were either hailed as heroes, and loved, or as the "enemy" and hated. Missionaries are viewed either as angles and heroes and they are loved. Or they are hated.
- Training Center: The Jedi have a Training center inside the Jedi Temple. Missionaries have Missionary Training Centers (MTC's) right next to Temples.
- Everyone wants to be like them: Little kids always pretend they are Jedi. Little kids say they want to be a missionary when they grow up.
- Scholars: Jedi were revered as scholars, who studied the past. Missionaries set aside time every day to study the scriptures, and words of their leaders.
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