COMPS!!!
1/20/14
Hola mi querida familia!
What a great week it has been!
I think the number one lesson of the
week, regarding the subject of this email is that “A GRATEFUL HEART IS A HAPPY
HEART!!”. We have seen an overabundance of miracles!! It has been amazing! But
we also had a lot that went... well, not exactly as we had imagined. But above
all, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have
not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and
prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of
good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings
thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. And he who receiveth
all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this
earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more" (D&C
78:17-19). It doesn't say he who receiveth the good things with thankfulness...
but he (or she) who receiveth ALL things with thankfulness, good or bad!
Because really... everything happens for a reason. Good and bad is for our
benefit!
So with that... Hermana Cano is
finally back from her month long trip to California! Her baptism was over a
month ago, and it was so great to see her bright smiling face! We had decided
that we wanted to talk to her about preparing to receive her patriarchal
blessing, and after we finished the lesson, she told us that the spirit had
told us to bring that message to her that day. Just the night before she had
been reading the scriptures with her husband and thought about some of the amazing
blessings promised in his blessing that have now come to pass and how anxious
she is to receive her own blessing. She is truly an elect daughter of our
Heavenly Father. I am so grateful I have the chance to know her!
Also we have been working with a
less active/part member family. The other night we felt we needed to share the
story of Alma the younger. We talked a bit about his example and how it doesn't
matter where we come from, the Atonement can strengthen us and purify us. He
shared with us a bit of his rough past, and some of the things that have driven
him away from the church, but he said that tonight he realized it wasn't any of
those "excuses" that really drove him away, but it was himself. So he
said that he felt like Alma, and how it gave him hope that he too can leave the
past behind and become a strong leader for his family! He understands that it
is a process, but he is so excited and driven to do it. It was a great
experience and the spirit was truly so strong. Also that night… I may have
eaten one of the best foods I've ever eaten… and I think you are all going to
fall out of your seats when I tell you. He used to work in a five star
restaurant… but his wife is also from Honduras, so they made this soup called
mariscada... it has a coconut milk base... then it has crab, shrimp, mussels,
red snapper fish, calamari, squid, and sea snail; foods I have been scared to
eat, all thrown into a nice big pot. But it was... incredible.
Last night we also had the chance to
meet a referral we received from the Bearcreek hermanas. She let us right in
and opened up about her vast religious background. It was so strange because it
just flowed so naturally into comparing her to Joseph Smith, and how she too
could know the truth. We introduced the Book of Mormon in a way I had never
done before, but it really seemed to click with her. She said that she was so
excited to read, and how it would be her "fun read" in between her
medical terminology chapters. It was just crazy to see how incredibly receptive
she was, truly prepared! Of course she only speaks a little Spanish so she is
going to be going to the English ward so we have to hand her over but I am so
grateful that we had the chance to meet her!
Things are going so great in our
area. God just continues to bless it. Sometimes it's easy to focus on what we
lack, but we just have to be grateful, because it means we have room to grow!
Eternity would be a pretty long time if we were already perfect now... So I
would like to invite you all to say a prayer everyday where you only give
thanks! (I'm pretty sure a general authority made this invitation before, but
it really is amazing!)
I love you all so much! Have a great
week! Replace fear with faith!!
Les quiero demasiado!
Hermana Draper
Mariscada... before!
Mariscada... after!
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