LIFT

¡HOLA!

First off - Shoutout to Grandma Mel it's her birthday TODAY!  Woot. Woot.

Well I hope everyone had a fantastic week, it's crazy that school is
starting soon - time flies when you're having fun I guess! We had
another good week here in Monticello. We met with almost everyone we
usually do, and had a few miracles too! We've also started to clean up
our areabook and have made plans to contact EVERY potential
investigator. So far it's been pretty rewarding. We've already been
able to either drop people who aren't actually interested or set
return appointments. Sometimes some good organization and planning
does wonders in missionary work! And not only that but we've been able
to see small miracles everyday. Like being in the right place and
running into investigators, like the other day we went to this
apartment complex to do a few lookups but I felt like we needed to see
Linda first. She just happened to be outside and really appreciated
talking to us and we prayed with her. And then the other day me and
Sis Pomce heard a TV in Spanish while doing a lookup, decided to knock
on the door and this lady named Maria let us in, and told us we could
come back every Monday. There really aren't coincidences!

Last Wednesday we were able to go see Stevie and Adelyse and they are
just awesome. We talked about the Plan of Salvation and then Adelyse
asked if she could watch a Joseph smith video. So we show her the 5
minute version and when it gets to the part where Heavenly Father and
Jesus appear to Joseph Smith she says this is my favorite part!! And
then she kept asking us when she could get baptized :) so we helped
her to pick a day - she chose Sept 19th so hopefully everything goes
well so that can happen!

We've been seeing Beth a lot too! We LOVE Beth. Seriously. Words can't
really describe her. She's changing so much and just keeps telling us
how she is so excited for the day she is healthy enough to come to
church and bear her testimony! Thursday was her birthday so we had
made a cake to take to her and so we call to see when we can go and
she said RIGHT NOW. So we rush over, because with Beth you kind of do
what she says, and that was so fun to sing to her and spend some time.
She later told us she doesn't really like her birthday but this was
the best one she's ever had! Love goes a long way :)Saturday morning
we got a pretty intense phone call from Beth saying she was in
trouble...so we rush over and apparently her aid hadn't come and she
was in a bad situation and needed help to get to the bathroom and to
shower and everything (she's kind of couch ridden?) so we were able to
serve and help her and I've just been thinking about that a lot this
week. We showed a member the new Mormon message "LIFT" about these men
who go over every night to help this lady get into bed. And the joy
and fulfillment that comes. Me and Sis Ponce had a few partially hard
days this week but as we were able to turn outwards and serve others,
it really just lifted us!

The focus this month in our mission is the Book of Mormon (zone
conference this upcoming Friday is on that too) and just being able to
study and apply it into more and more of what we do as missionaries
has been such an incredible blessing. It really is the keystone to not
only the gospel but our lives, how we teach, etc. Thursday night we
went over to see Bro King with the elders and he just bore the
strongest testimony of the BOM. He's had such a hard life, especially
the past few years, and since the missionaries have been meeting with
him more both he and his wife have read the BOM every day. And he just
kept telling us how it helps him to not be lonely, and he sleeps
better, and how he can apply it to so many things! He's just one
example of the power of he BOM we've been seeing in this area. As
we've started to read it with more people, like Sis Crumbley, you can
just see the peace and comfort come into people's lives. ITS SO TRUE.

We also had a Branch FIRESIDE this weekend on Saturday night. And when
I say fireside I mean it. We had some food and sat around the fire and
watched Ephraim's Rescue. And of course roasting marshmallows was
involved. It was a great activity, and the fact that it had been
raining all day but somehow not on the spot we had our activity was
such a miracle!

Sunday there was a bagel festival on Broadway in Monticello - we had
to be detoured to get church - but it was worth making it to church!
Bro King came, and the Leon's (from Costa Rica) were there. Sis Ponce
translated primary this week so I went more with the mom and she bore
such a strong testimony during relief society about the miracles they
have seen in their family. I'm so excited to have them in our branch!
They are such an answer to my prayers.

Well I'm running out of time but this week really was good. From
accidentally hitting a squirrel to going on a split to Newburgh there
definitely was a lot that happened! But we're some of the highlights.
Also thank you so much for your prayers for Mama Burgos, she's at home
now and we were able to go visit her. She's loving being home, but
still needs lots of prayers and love. Mostly her family too.

Well I love you all! Have a fantastic week :-)

Con Amor,
Hermana Smart