Tuesday, April 30, 2013

GREETINGS FROM TEXAS

29 April 2013

Scott got to see Hermana Gato off at the airport... Mom and Dad were on a plane from D.C. so we missed her in the air.


Hola Familia!! Que esta pasando??
Well... I don't even know where to start.. I love it here! Texas is beautiful! So remember how I was in love with the MTC...? Well it has nothing on el campo misional!! Wow. The past few days have been so crazy! So Wednesday we flew into Texas, normally there are 8-10 new missionaries every transfer here.. and this week there were 40!! And President was saying there will be that many next transfer and even more in the next! The Lord is certainly hastening His work! Well the first day we just had a bunch of meetings going over the rules and expectations and we ate some really awesome texas sheet cake... (don't worry Erin, your PW is still better) …then we spent the night in various members houses near the mission home, because transfers are done on Thursdays. The next day we had breakfast... and then I met my trainer!! She is amazing. Really. I wish I could describe to you how awesome she is! Her name is Hermana Glauser and she is from Seattle and she will be 22 in 10 days (so we are going to have a fiesta)!! It’s crazy because she has only been here for two transfers, so she just barely finished being trained and now she is training me! But do you remember Hermana Perry? The one that went into the mtc a transfer before me? Well she is training mi amiga Hermana Burnham!! Isn't that insane?? They had so many Hermanas coming in that some missionaries that have only had one transfer here and are training!
Well me and Hermana Glauser have been assigned to the ....*drumroll*.. WOODLANDS! I know right? Our area is beautiful! There is actually such a wide range of houses in our area... it is awesome! I'll be honest.. the first few days were really rough. They were incredible! But sooo stressful! Turns out the spanish that they teach you en la ccm is not the same that people speak in the real world... Good thing my companion is really awesome with Spanish. And we have made the goal to speak Spanish all the time! And it has helped me so much to pick up those words that you wouldn't think of studying. And actually in personal study I have been reading my libro de mormon(in Spanish)! I have my English one right next to it for when I don't understand, but the language is definitely coming! It's true what they say, you have to qualify yourself for the gift of tongues; you can't just expect to receive it. You have to do all you can and Heavenly Father with help you so much!
 Well. In the past few days I have met some of the most interesting people. It’s funny how different Spanish speakers are. Some are so appreciative of us trying to learn Spanish and are really patient; one man we met said it was just like him trying to learn English. So he would speak to us in English, and we would respond in Spanish. But then there are others… actually a really funny story… We went tracting into a taco stand... And as we were ordering our tacos de lenguas (yes cow tongue tacos... mi companera made me try it.. side note.. it really isn't bad, it just freaks me out when you can see the tastebuds still..) anyway! We were talking to the lady working there and she seemed pretty interested in the church! Then we asked if maybe we could teach her more and she said "but you don't speak Spanish..." ouch… But that is okay! We left her with a pass-a-long card with our number if she wanted to hear more! Well then on Saturday we decided to go tracting in a new part that just got added to our area. And it just so happened that right as we arrived it started to rain. We carried on with our plan and we met some remarkable people. The area was actually a trailer park, so as we knocked trailer to trailer a lot of people slammed their doors, but there was one lady in particular that we were able to talk to for nearly 30 minutes. We taught her the first lesson and it was so touching to see how her eyes lit up when we told her the God loves her so much. She isn't close to any of her family, and she lives alone so she was so grateful for our visit and wanted us to come back and teach her more! We gave her a Book of Mormon and it was great! Unfortunately, she spoke English, so we have to refer her to the English missionaries, but I think that she has great potential (just like everyone!!). Then we continued on our journey. Well one of the rules is that if there isn't another adult female present in the house, we can't go in, for safety and liabilty and such. So we kept having amazing discussions with people, as we stood outside their trailers, in the pouring rain. This is missionary work!! How great! Well I could keep telling stories from that, but I have much more to say! Sunday was awesome. We got to meet with some less active families before church, then go to church! (which is at three in the afternoon.. because we have to use another stakes building because our chapel was set on fire a few weeks ago..) Anyway. It was awesome. Sacrament was all in Spanish, then we went to the young adult class, which was all in “spanglish”... it was funny because we would read Spanish scriptures then discuss them in English, then watch an English video and discuss it in Spanish. Then relief society was just great! I got to meet the members and they are all so loving and look out for the missionaries. One crazy thing... there are actually seven missionaries in our Woodlands 3rd ward (four Hermanas and three Elders (one elder is a visa waiter for Argentina) because the area of our ward is so large; but it is fun how the members are still so involved with us. Well, I am almost out of time but I just want to share one more awesome experience.
Last night we had a lesson with a new investigator. Hermana Glauser and her former companion had taught her a little bit about the restoration, but that's about it. So we reviewed that and she remembered nearly everything! Then we read the introduction of the BoM with her and she had awesome questions and then she understood how important it was that she prayed and found out for herself. Then... my heart was pounding. Really I don't think I have experienced it to that extent before and I went for it and invited her that when she knew these things were true to be baptized (all said in Spanish!) and she said yes!!! She was willing to pray and find out the truth. It was incredible. I really don't think I will forget that moment. It made me so happy to see how much she wanted these things in her life because she knew how greatly they would bless her.
I love this work. I'm only a few days in but I can't wait to see what the rest of my mission has in store. The Lord has prepared many and I can't wait to meet them!
I love you all so much! Have a beautiful day!
Te queiro, Hermana Draper


AAANDDD. My address is...
26325 Northgate Crossing Blvd. #1621
Spring, TX 77373

And send everything here! letters and packages. the mission home doesn't want 100000 packages there. and the apartment will just put a package slip in our box so we can go pick it up.
oh and yes we have a super nice gym in our complex.
oh and yes we have a car because our area that we cover is huuuuuge. 

te quiero! Hermana Gato. :)


LAST P-DAY IN THE MTC!

 18 April 2013
(A note from Dad: I was traveling so this letter is being posted a week late. The current letter will be posted shortly.)

 THE BRIGHTON HIGH MTC GROUP

  • THE LAST PDAY! {until the real p-day's begin...}‏
Pues... HOLA FAMILIA!
Que pasa? Tengo mucho gozo en mi alma hoy! (never gets old..) Well I really can't believe this is my last p-day en la CCM. I feel so prepared and so unready all at the same time. But, as in the words of Nephi... "Nevertheless I [go] forth". Our whole district is leaving on Monday... except for the Texans who aren't leaving until Wednesday! It is just crazy to think that I will be out teaching real life people in just a few days.
Yesterday my companion and I had our last "progressing investigator" lesson together and it was so sad! It went so well, but I am going to miss having lessons with her!
Pues... this week was really something incredible. To answer your question Scott, we have officially had one of the twelve apostles come and speak for a devotional! Elder Richard G. Scott spoke on Tuesday and it was incredible. Most of the talk he talked about prayer and receiving personal revelation through prayer. The thing that I loved is he said what you often say, Mom, but make a decision. Then you will have 1 of 3 reactions... 1- YES: with out a doubt you will know it is the right decision. or 2- NO: stupor of thought.. just an uneasiness about it. or 3- (which we usually don't acknowledge) and that's when we don't receive an answer. Sometimes we have to assume responsibility, and act in faith. It was just interesting to think about. Another thing was that we shouldn't complain when we are going through trials. Just like everything, it is all about perspective. We should be grateful for trials, and ask the Lord what it is that we are supposed to learn from our trial, because it is always designed to strengthen us and our faith. And the last thing is he said "He will fit the task to your capabilities". Remember that God knows you perfectly and He knows exactly what you are capable of. He will never give you a challenge that you can't achieve because "God didn't send us here to fail". It reminded me of Relief Society where Mary Edmunds spoke and she said "all you can do is the best you can do"… and that is perfect!
Pues... the MTC has been awesome. Thank you all so so much for everything! These past two days I got especially lucky because I just "coincidentally" ran into Gainell. And then, this morning at the temple I "coincidentally" ran into Gma and Gpa! Tender mercies when the going gets tough. I love you all so so much. Off I go into the wild blue yonder, para siempre Dios este con Vos. Reemplaze con fe. Trust in the Lord and take courage in all that you do. La iglesia es verdadera. Rememeber who you are and all that you stand for!
TE QUIERO, HERMANA DRAPER



Sami's "CUTE" little bed

Thursday, April 11, 2013

WAIT... I HAVE BEEN HERE FOUR WEEKS ALREADY?

11 APRIL 2013

Nothing like a new pair of shoes!

Hola Familia!!
Que pasa? tengo gozo en mi alma hoy!
I cannot believe it has been a full month already!! Time has literally flown. It's funny though, we were joking that it feels like we just got here, but we can't remember what it was like to sit on a couch and watch TV... like we have been gone for years… It was even crazier to think that I only have seventeen months left... the more I think about it, the shorter that amount of time seems. Live in the moment though! Make the absolute most out of those few months I have out here!
Well this past week has been quite the week! Conference was amazing! Yes, it was way cool in the MTC. We all watched it in the 19M Gym (where all of the devotionals are held). I'll admit, it wasn't the same as ‘church in your jammies, with Belgian waffles... but it was still pretty good :) I have never gotten so much out of a conference… Oh except for Conference last October when the course of my life changed... but it was so good! I just had never felt like there were so many talks that were directed straight to me. I just want to spew all of this stuff on you, but they limit my time on the computers :) So I guess I will just have to pick some of my favorites. Henry B. Eyring's talk from the Saturday morning session was probably my favorite talk out of everything. Exactly what I needed to hear at that moment in time... I also really liked Elaine S. Dalton's… mostly because of the phrase "What e'er thou art, act well thy part". It reminded me of the Abe Lincoln phrase (I think that is who said it) "What ever you are, be a good one". I don't know. Just if you are going to do something, do it well! And everyone is a child of God... I guess that makes more sense in my head... Okay and throughout all of Conference, I couldn't believe how many talks were about family! It’s true, the adversary knows how important families are!! I can't even express how incredibly grateful I am for the family I have. Seriously. How did I get so lucky? I just loved how in Richard G. Scott's talk he said the home is the place for love to abound; and how grateful I am to have had that. But it was great how they emphasized that if you aren't there yet, then strive for it. Because things like that don't come easily. On Saturday night the sister missionaries watched the recorded Young Women's broadcast, while the Elders were at Priesthood, and President Uchtdorf's talk was amazing! He just gave us three simples tips on how to make this journey (of life... of a mission… of anything!) a wonderful journey. 1. Don't fear- you are not alone. {reemplaze miedo con fe} 2. Love one another (the language of love is universal {even in spanish}). 3. BE OF GOOD CHEER {happiness is a destination... but it is also the path}. How great are those?? OH and obedience was another thing that was extremely emphasized. Here en la CCM the quote goes "obedience brings blessings... but EXACT obedience brings miracles".
Okay. How about that half time conference report on the band of youth?? It was like a high school reunion! And I got to see the Wahlen's... man, that was cool! I guess you all got a little view of what life is like here! It is great! Conference was great and so were both the devotionals! Sunday night they spoiled us and "Vocal Point" came. Then on Tuesday Gerald N. Lund, the famous LDS author came to speak. The thing that hit me the hardest was that we constantly pray for things "if it be Thy will"... but we never really consider that maybe they are His will, it just isn't His time yet.. I thought about the quote "God may not come when you call, but He is always on time". Just realize that God will always do things on His timetable. His will, His time, and His way. And it will all work out exactly how it is supposed to as long as we are humble and let Him lead us.
Well, I will hop off my soap box. I just felt like there was so much learned in such a short amount of time! It really is incredible how much they can pack into such a short amount of time. The language is coming. I love to speak in Spanish. My companion is the best. Life is just beautiful. La iglesia es verdadera. Dios es muy amoroso. Familias son por eternidad.
TE QUIERO,
Hermana Draper


 Hi Ho, Hi Ho..... off to the laundry we go!


 

Friday, April 5, 2013

SIX MONTHS AGO... TOMORROW

 General Conference, Saturday Morning Session, 6 October 2012

 "...we have also given consideration to the age at which a young woman might serve. Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21."    -President Monson



We just happened to have tickets for that morning session when this announcement was made. Amazing, touching, emotional! Sami knew immediately that she was going and had an appointment with the Bishop before the session ended. Who would have thought that she would be in the MTC on the six month anniversary of the announcement.
So proud of Sami and what she is doing!

 

WEEK THREE AND ALL IS WELL!!!


 The District Sister's "FAMILY" Portrait!


#3
4 April 2013
Hola Familia!
I honestly can't believe it is p-day already!! It's so true, the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days. I'm over the hill at the MTC, and I can hardly believe that in three weeks I will out in the field! This past week has been truly remarkable. Easter in the MTC was amazing. From the pictures you sent it looked like you guys had a riot too! I guess I just had a totally different experience and since it was Fast Sunday, there was so much meaning behind the holiday for me this year.
Sunday they did an MTC wide sacrament meeting which was really something. Everyone had bets on which General Authority would speak (which I guess is one of those #thingsmissionariessay) and it ended up being the Presiding Bishop, Bishop Causse! One thing I loved that he said is that a lot of people question the Church on why they would trust such an important task, such as missionary work, in the hands of such young kids. But he said it is because of the Atonement. Because as it says in Ether, our weak things are made strong, so even though we may lack experience, we have the Lord on our side constantly strengthening us. Later in the day we had our zone testimony meeting, since it was fast Sunday, and Bishop Causse and President Nalley (the MTC President) attended my Zones meeting! So I had the chance to bear my testimony, in Spanish, to those two! That night, for our Sunday devotional, Sheri Dew came! In case you didn't know, (Mom, I know you know this) I love Sheri Dew! She has not had an easy life, and it was so cool to see how she has been able to find complete comfort in the Atonement. The ultimate message of her talk was that the power of the Atonement is far reaching. It isn't limited to deep sins, although those are a big part, but Luke 4:8 says that He came to heal the broken hearted, the bruised, the captive (which can mean a lot of things), and to heal the wounded soul. He loves us so much and if we will turn to Him, He can help us no matter where we are at. Sister Dew's talk was amazing and it made me really happy because a bunch of Elders were saying they were bummed at first that it was a woman speaker -___- but then they were actually really impressed. Way to represent sisters, Sheri! Then to top off the whole amazing Easter, on Sunday nights they play Church films and my district chose to watch the "Characteristics of Christ" by Elder Bednar and he told us that the natural man is like the cookie monster... "me want cookie now"... and how as missionaries we tend to be cookie monster missionaries "me want Spanish now… me want investigator." But all in all, it's not about us at all. He literally said the line "get over yourself". To put it even more in perspective, that Spanish isn't even my purpose; it is just helping me fulfill my purpose in inviting others to come unto Christ.
Well, I think that sums up my amazing Sunday. Other than that, it’s been pretty much all the same. We wake up early, eat, sit in class and learn a ton, then eat and sit in class for a while longer and learn even more about everything and anything; eat some more, go to the gym, read the scriptures, eat our snacks that we have gotten in packages in the residence, then go to bed! Very repetitive but so, so worth it! My brain has never been so full of so much. Speaking of snacks at my residence.... THANK YOU FOR THE PACKAGES!! I guess the MTC got 1000 Easter packages on the Friday before Easter, they said it was even busier than Christmas. But thank you, thank you! They mean so much. Spanish is coming along very nicely, our district is trying really hard to speak it todo el dia, cada dia. It must be working since as my roommates say that I sleep talk in Spanish now... I can't believe Conference is this weekend! It is unreal to think that at this time leading into Conference weekend in the Fall I had no idea that I would be going on a Mission so soon, and now, six months later, here I am! I am so thankful for this incredible opportunity, and I am so grateful for all of the love and support!
Se que la iglesia es verdadera. los profetas son llamando de Dios. Familias son por eternidad! Reemplaze miedo con fe. Trust in the Lord and take courage in all you do.
Te quiero,
Hermana Draper

P.S.  DEAR ELDER, COM IS FREE TO SEND LETTERS THROUGH. I KNOW YOU ARE ALL ON COMPUTERS ALL DAY EVERY DAY ANYWAY. ;) jk. But just thought I would let you know you don't even have to spend money on stamps… but hand written letters (or postcards ;)) are also very much appreciated! Mail is just fun.

P.P.S  I love life. I love you. Vida es muy bonita. Keep up being so amazing. I love you all very, very much and I don't know what on earth I would do without you!!






SHOUT OUT TO SCOTT AND LAURA FOR SENDING THE "JAY Z EASTER" GLASSES! I made my comp do a duck face. She was very resistant... so that was just to show Scottie and Laura that they were much appreciated!