feliz Cinco de MAYO!!

Greetings from Aldine! With Hermana Zabriske.

I LOVE TEXAS!

5/05/14

FELIZ CINCO DE MAYOOO mis queridos.

Espero que tengan un dia lleno de felicidad y Milagros. Well. This week has been so great! Real fast, remember how back in Westgreen there was one night that our appointments all fell through (well... one of the times :)) and as we were praying to know where the Lord needed us, the elders called us randomly and asked us to go to one of their appointments for them? Well the appointment was a bit awkward, but in the end when we asked for referrals they actually gave us the name of their inactive niece's family! Then we went to them and they were so excited to have us and said they wanted to come back to church and for us to teach their daughter to prepare her for baptism? Well.... She got baptized!!!! How crazy are the ways of the Lord? His plans are so intricate to make everything all fall right into place! We just have to humble ourselves and call out for his help!

Another awesome miracle... so a few weeks ago we ate lunch with one of our investigators and afterwards she gave us all the leftovers... We tried explaining that we wouldn't be back to our apartment until late, but she insisted that we take them. So since we had a minute before our next appointment we decided to try and find someone that could maybe use the food. We talked to quite a few people on the street and they all turned it down (but did accept a card!) until we found this darling little family. We offered the leftovers and they humbly accepted them. Then he asked what book I had in my hand. We explained a bit and he said he wanted to read it! But when we asked for their address so we could stop by they weren't interested... Well we gave them the book and the food and prayed that their paths would cross with missionaries again somewhere down the road. WELL. We were going to an appointment with a new investigator and there sitting at the bottom of the stairs was this nice looking lady and she greeted us so cheerfully! ... I didn't recognize her... and then she reminded us that we gave her the delicious food. Ohhhh! Wow. Well they've been reading the book and they really want to learn more! She was so grateful for the miracle that day to have received food and the word, because God had really answered their prayers. Again, God works in the most mysterious ways!!

Also we have a new investigator!!... who has a sister who lives in a convent in Peru... (shout out to Jill!!) The family is very active in their church. Well, when we first starting teaching, I'll be honest I was a bit hesitant to jump into the whole "great apostasy" thing... but with the spirit we just boldly testified of what we know to be true, and she actually agreed! (not that I had any doubts). But it just shows how there are really prepared people! They have parts of the truth, but they are searching for the fullness.

Ah. I could just keep talking. There are so many miracles happening every day. We truly are seeing the hand of the Lord and it is just so evident how much he loves his children and desires the best for each one of them. I love my Savior and I am so grateful for the privilege to be a full time representative of him, to share this love that he desires to share!!

I love you all so much! Have a wonderful day! How are you all coming on the Book of Mormon enabling power challenge? I really hope you all do it. I can promise you so many blessings if you do!

REPLACE FEAR WITH FAITH! I'll talk to you on Sunday :)

los quiero,

Hermana Draper

 

"I AM ISSUING A CHALLANGE..."

4/28/14

Hola Familia!!

The weeks are getting more full of miracles, and the time is just flying faster-It must be the Lord's work or something like that :) This past week was no exception. Prepared people are everywhere!! But I think one of the biggest lessons that I really have been learning is the importance of listening. Just listening, but more importantly, listening with love. Elder Holland promises us that if we listen with love we won't have to wonder what to say, it will be given to us.

This area is extremely different from where I have served, and a lot of the people we have the opportunity to teach come from backgrounds that I can't even imagine. I know that there is no way that I can really relate my experiences to theirs, but Jesus Christ can. There is a recently activated member in our ward who we decided we should teach about family history! As we began to talk about her family tree she said that she would never do the work for the 'woman that brought her into this world'. She had gone through a very traumatizing childhood and to imagine serving her mother was unbearable. Just to see the pain and anguish in this hermanas eyes as she reflected on what had happened, nearly broke my heart. We just sat and listened. And then we sat there for a while in silence. And then we began to talk, but I know that it wasn't Hermana Zabriskie or I speaking. We testified of the Atonement, and just how truly infinite it is, and that's about all that I remember. The path of forgiveness and healing is long and difficult, but nothing is impossible with the Lord.

Then just last night we were leaving a lesson with an incredible new investigator and just about to get into our car when Hermana Zabriskie saw a lonely guy sitting on a park bench a little ways off. His back was to us, but we felt like we should talk to him. As we got closer and walked in front, we saw that he had two big black eyes, blood shot, and a nose that was all stitched up and scabbing over. He looked so desperate. We just asked if we could sit down and we slowly began to talk. I was praying so hard in my heart that we would know what to say to help him, but then I just started to listen. He had been racing motorcycles and crashed with his friend. He survived but his friend died. He felt guilty, and didn't understand why he had to live. Again we had the opportunity to testify of the Atonement, but it was interesting as he took it differently. He said that he didn't want to be a hypocrite and just call out for God's help now, because once he got better, he would just go back to the same. He didn't want to abuse the gift and just pull God through it for nothing. But the thing is... the price has already been paid. He's already suffered it. We don't pull him through anything new. He already knows. And that is the best thing you could possibly do, is use it. He wants us to! He was still a little stubborn, but he slowly answered his own question as to why he was still here. He has the chance to use the Atonement, but not just use it... but to use it right; to truly use it to change his life. As we were leaving he said that he knew that God had sent us to him that day. He didn't know why he had felt the need to walk to the park that day, but he did. Then there we were just shortly after. I know that this is the work of a perfectly loving Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a full-time servant of the Lord. 

So as you know, June is fast approaching and my dear Mission President and his family are heading back to Utah! If there is one thing that President Pingree has drilled into our heads (aka taught us lovingly and through the spirit), it is the absolute necessity of the Atonement in every moment of our lives. Well, a few weeks ago he attended a Mission President seminar with Elder David A. Bednar and he gave them the following challenge...

1. Find a paperback copy of the Book of Mormon.

2. Read the book cover-to-cover and highlight any passage that helps you answer the following question: “How can I use the enabling and strengthening power of the Atonement?”

3. Write a one-page summary of what you learned.

They were promised that if they would do this, they would come to know the Savior better, learn to access added strength from the Atonement, and become more effective servants of Jesus Christ. In turn President Pingree gave this challenge to us, his missionaries, and to finish it before June 30, when they will be departing. I wish I could even express how much this challenge has truly opened my eyes to how great of a part the Atonement plays in everything!! Nephi is an incredible example of truly accessing this enabling power that the Lord has to offer us. Therefore... I would LOVE to invite EVERY single one of you to participate in this challenge as well, and to hold September 3 as a deadline. I know that as you do this, you will feel a greater abundance of strength from the Lord in every part of your life; school, work, family, or personal. What could be more important than understanding and applying the Atonement in our own lives and helping others do the same?

Well..... this is a long one... but if you get anything out of it, I hope you know that His arms of mercy are always there. I love you all so very very much and hope you have a wonderful week!! Replace fear with faith!

los quiero demasiado,

Hermana Draper

         

FELIZ PASCUAAA

 With my new companion, Hermana Zabriske! Our investigator gave us stuffed animals because he thinks we are "the chosen ones" to lead him on his journey.

 

 The Garcia Family baptism.

Another District shot

4/21/14

Hola mi querida familia!

Well it has been quite the week! So I sent off my dear Hermana Nielson, and received Hermana Zabriskie!! She is incredible. She is from Odgen (always with the Utah companions :)) and she came out with me! She had been serving up in College Station, so it was a bit of a drive to head down here back to the city, but I am so happy to be serving with her! This week was so full of miracles! The library is crazy busy, so I don't have much time... but just know that it was great!

On Saturday we had the Garcia family baptism!! It was incredible. It was a bit of a crunch to finish up all the lessons, since they were all super sick for about a week (coincidence??)... but it all worked out the way it should. This familes story is so incredible. So the parents and the oldest daughter are members, but then they went inactive before he received the Priesthood, or any of the younger children were baptized. Just within the past year, the ward and the missionaries had been working really hard with them, and they came back to church! Hermano received the Priesthood, and then this past weekend he baptized his three youngest kids! They were all so excited, but they are even more excited for what is to come. They all know that this was just a step to help them to the temple! We are now really working with them so that they can be sealed for eternity! Part member family baptisms really are so special because as President Pingree says... "you are completing families". These blessings are eternal. We can truly be with our families for eternity. And with the blessing we saw a perfect example of how the Lord answers our prayers. We couldn't find the small baptism jumpsuits anywhere. We had been searching and searching. We called members who had had children baptized recently, we called other missionaries, we called the other wards. Nothing. Then we realized we hadn't said a prayer. We just prayed that we could find something that Airam could wear for the baptism. Just moments later we grabbed an xxl jumpsuit, and folded into it was a pair of little white pants and a little white shirt... Wow. It wasn't what we were thinking, but it worked perfectly!

... and that's all I've got time for today. But I love you all so much. This is the Lord's work. This is the work of Salvation. It's more than just a church… it's more than just a good life style... it is the fullness of the blessings that our Heavenly Father has in store for His children. To help them reach their divine potential. It was such a blessing to be a missionary especially at this time to truly testify with all my heart that I know that our savior Jesus Christ lives. He suffered for our pains, sicknesses, and temptations… he died on the cross... but He lives. He loves us; and with him all things are possible. So just replace fear with faith. 

Los quiero,

Hermana Draper

... AND, SHE'S OFF!

 With the Pingrees

 ADIOS! Hemrana Townsend

 My artsy Blue Bonnet shot

4/14/14 

Hola Familia!

Well... I truly believe this has been the fastest three weeks of my life... I've gone from Westgreen to Waller to Aldine and training... and now my baby is off to Mexico already!! I will be getting a new companion later today. Through all the madness, it has just been non-stop miracles and this past week was no exception!

So our dear friend, the one that came to conference? Well he is just progressing like crazy! You can already see a new light in him, a new hope in his eyes! He is so happy, and he is "hungry" as he explains to us to keep feeling this feeling. This past week we had two awesome lessons with him, unfortunately for both of them our member cancelled on us just before, so we had to teach out on the porch, but the spirit was still so strong. One of the lessons we taught the Plan of

Salvation, and like I've said a million times, it's my favorite to teach because it just gives everything purpose!! He said that he no longer has a desire to drink, and he is looking for a new place to live to separate himself from his current environment. He just wants a fresh start following our Savior Jesus Christ because he knows that's the only way he is ever going to be TRULY happy. He is still super excited about preparing for baptism! Also this week we were on exchanges with the sister training leader, which did I mention is Hermana Miller, my other daughter?? Well it was super fun to be with her and we had a crazy day full of miracles! All of our appointments fell through for the morning, so we were just walking through an apartment complex to see if there was anyone outside to talk to. Then we turned left and a door caught both of our eyes. We decided to knock it and the lady let us right in. We taught the restoration and she accepted a baptismal date! It all just flowed and at the end we asked why she even let us in and she said it was like God was knocking on her door. Wow. He is truly preparing the hearts of His children! Then as we left her house we ran into a guy who seemed quite frazzeled, and we asked him something about if he believed that Christ could help him in any situation. He ended up opening up about a lot of time that he spent in jail and how he really started believing in Christ and how much happier he was, but then he left and got back in with the same crowd and everything has gone down from there. We talked with him a lot about the Atonement and he said he really wanted to learn more, he is American so we referred him to the Elders, and when they visited with him they said it was one of the most powerful lessons they had had. The Atonement is so real. Christ always has his arms of mercy extended; he is just waiting anxiously for us to take hold of them! Then later that day we had a perfect example of why it is sooo important that the members and the missionaries work together!! So a few weeks ago one our members brought her neighbor to church, we got her information and set up an appointment. When we went she wasn't there, but her sister was who was baptized nearly twenty years ago, but wants to come back! Well we set up another appointment and this time brought the member along with us. As we were waiting out front for the member, she stopped to talk to one of her other neighbors and waved us over to introduce us. We stated our purpose and shared a bit about the Book of Mormon and they seemed really interested, and we set up a time to go back! Then we had an awesome lesson on the purpose of the Book of Mormon and how it testifies of Jesus Christ. We read together in Mosiah 3 and it was so amazing to see how these women have always "believed" in Jesus Christ, but as we really read about the Atonement and how through His grace we can find true peace was really beautiful.

Sorry this email just seems a bit boring and all over the place. But this week was amazing. Oh, and I also got to speak in sacrament meeting yesterday! Bishop called me on Saturday and said their speaker just decided to go out of town... so let's call the missionaries! Well at least I got a heads up! The talk was on humility and it connected so nicely to my studies lately on sacrifice!

With Easter coming up I have been studying a bit about the feast of the passover and all of the symbolism, because interestingly enough "easter" is used because "eastre" is the pagan goddess of spring and with time the two holidays merged... but in Spanish they say "pascua" which means passover. Well we know that every sacrifice that they offered before was symbolic of Christ's ultimate and perfect sacrifice. But then what is it that we sacrifice now to show our gratitude? "And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings. And ye shall offer for a asacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit." (3 Nephi 9:19-20) So now we don't offer up our perfect, firstborn sheep, but we sacrifice our heart; our will, our desires. We humble ourselves. So with that and this up coming week, remember why we celebrate Easter. Remember the Atonement of our Savior. Remember that with the enabling power of the Atonement we can literally do anything.

I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week! You better enjoy the egg hunts this year, because next year I'm going to reign again :)

REPLACE FEAR WITH FAITH!!

las quiero demasiado,

Hermana Draper

The Katy Prayer Room, right next to the liquor store... oh, Texas!