Well, Hola!
So, I have about 15 minutes...sorry! This will be short, but hopefully have something interesting to read about :)
Yesterday was Sunday...our Sunday yesterday looked to be very promising at the beginning of the day. We had 4 lessons scheduled and some good ideas of where to go tracting in between. We have been really working hard on finding new people to teach so we have been using our "finding" skills a lot this last week. Well, of our 4 appointments scheduled - only one of them happened and it was dinner at the Bishop's house. The other three investigator lessons all fell through last minute - we had even gotten members to go with us and everything. How sad! So, we got to do some serious tracting and we met some of THE most interesting people probably in the whole world :) It was actually kind of fun. We met a nice old Brazilian fellow who was as sweet as pie! He and his wife were out putting up Christmas Lights when we walked by. We stopped and talked to him - the wife couldn't really speak English so she quickly jetted, but her husband was the friendliest person I've ever met. We talked to him for a good 20 minutes and gave him a Book of Mormon and he committed to read it every day! He spoke with so much passion and so much love for Jesus Christ that I just really wanted to be more like him. He is such an open and caring person which is something that I have actually been struggling with lately. So, my goal is to be more like Rob. We're going to send the Portuguese Elders his way - who knows what will come of it. Hopefully something good :)
The good thing about yesterday was that we got the chance to do some good street contacting in Spanish. I have struggled contacting in Spanish (or speaking Spanish for that matter ) but I was feeling adventurous and almost did a whole contact by myself in Spanish! I felt pretty good about it! I know I still have a LONG way to go, but it was confidence-inspiring to take a leap like that for me.
Another street contact we had was super heart-breaking for me. A guy in his late 40's (I would guess) was just walking from church to church on Saturday afternoon trying to find someone to talk to when we met him on the street. He's had some bad luck lately and lost his job and feels like losing his job and his lifestyle has ruined his chance for happiness with his little family. He and his wife fight all the time, their little four year old girl can't go to dance lessons anymore and his list went on and on. The really heart-breaking thing is that he knows what can bring him happiness. He basically bore his testimony to us but then said how he was so mad that because he didn't listen to God this one time he had to suffer so much. It's not like they're going hungry. He still has is family in tact. He's just too prideful to admit that he needs to go back to that - it's possible to find happiness when you don't have the best job and the nicest house. We tried so many times to show him the happiness to be found by turning to the Lord but he refused to acknowledge it. It was really sad to send him on his way but I have to just pray that his heart will be softened and that when he realizes he needs to turn to the Lord that he can find his way back.
We had a SUPER-sweet Zone meeting on Friday - we focused on being better companions and on improving our "finding." We got to do some sweet role-plays of awkward street contacting information (like knocking on someone's door when they drive up, trying to catch up to someone walking really fast, language barriers, contacting a famous person, somebody crying on the side of the road...good stuff like that. You'd be surprised how many times we run into these situations as missionaries so it was really good practice). I got to practice contacting "Ryan Reynolds" That was quite the treat - the thing that I really learned from that is just that we should go out of our way to talk to EVERYONE!! Right after the meeting we had the perfect opportunity to apply what we learned. We were going to a lesson with a less-active member and saw two guys sitting on their front porch. We struck up a conversation and ended up having a 45 minute lesson with them! Go figure!
We get to go to the temple tomorrow! It's our Christmas gift from President and Sister Evans. I'm so excited!!
The Christmas Broadcast was super awesome! We got to catch most of it last night. I'm super bummed that I don't get to spend Christmas with my AMAZING family, but at the same time, I will have the perfect opportunity to REALLY focus on what this whole Christmas season is all about. I have already had lots of time to reflect on God's love for me and the love he has shown for us by sending His son Jesus Christ. My suggested reading this week would be 1 John Chapter 4 - it's all about God's love for us. I feel so blessed!
Share the joy of this season with everyone around you!!!
I LOVE YOU!!!
-Hermana Palmer
So, I have about 15 minutes...sorry! This will be short, but hopefully have something interesting to read about :)
Yesterday was Sunday...our Sunday yesterday looked to be very promising at the beginning of the day. We had 4 lessons scheduled and some good ideas of where to go tracting in between. We have been really working hard on finding new people to teach so we have been using our "finding" skills a lot this last week. Well, of our 4 appointments scheduled - only one of them happened and it was dinner at the Bishop's house. The other three investigator lessons all fell through last minute - we had even gotten members to go with us and everything. How sad! So, we got to do some serious tracting and we met some of THE most interesting people probably in the whole world :) It was actually kind of fun. We met a nice old Brazilian fellow who was as sweet as pie! He and his wife were out putting up Christmas Lights when we walked by. We stopped and talked to him - the wife couldn't really speak English so she quickly jetted, but her husband was the friendliest person I've ever met. We talked to him for a good 20 minutes and gave him a Book of Mormon and he committed to read it every day! He spoke with so much passion and so much love for Jesus Christ that I just really wanted to be more like him. He is such an open and caring person which is something that I have actually been struggling with lately. So, my goal is to be more like Rob. We're going to send the Portuguese Elders his way - who knows what will come of it. Hopefully something good :)
The good thing about yesterday was that we got the chance to do some good street contacting in Spanish. I have struggled contacting in Spanish (or speaking Spanish for that matter ) but I was feeling adventurous and almost did a whole contact by myself in Spanish! I felt pretty good about it! I know I still have a LONG way to go, but it was confidence-inspiring to take a leap like that for me.
Another street contact we had was super heart-breaking for me. A guy in his late 40's (I would guess) was just walking from church to church on Saturday afternoon trying to find someone to talk to when we met him on the street. He's had some bad luck lately and lost his job and feels like losing his job and his lifestyle has ruined his chance for happiness with his little family. He and his wife fight all the time, their little four year old girl can't go to dance lessons anymore and his list went on and on. The really heart-breaking thing is that he knows what can bring him happiness. He basically bore his testimony to us but then said how he was so mad that because he didn't listen to God this one time he had to suffer so much. It's not like they're going hungry. He still has is family in tact. He's just too prideful to admit that he needs to go back to that - it's possible to find happiness when you don't have the best job and the nicest house. We tried so many times to show him the happiness to be found by turning to the Lord but he refused to acknowledge it. It was really sad to send him on his way but I have to just pray that his heart will be softened and that when he realizes he needs to turn to the Lord that he can find his way back.
We had a SUPER-sweet Zone meeting on Friday - we focused on being better companions and on improving our "finding." We got to do some sweet role-plays of awkward street contacting information (like knocking on someone's door when they drive up, trying to catch up to someone walking really fast, language barriers, contacting a famous person, somebody crying on the side of the road...good stuff like that. You'd be surprised how many times we run into these situations as missionaries so it was really good practice). I got to practice contacting "Ryan Reynolds" That was quite the treat - the thing that I really learned from that is just that we should go out of our way to talk to EVERYONE!! Right after the meeting we had the perfect opportunity to apply what we learned. We were going to a lesson with a less-active member and saw two guys sitting on their front porch. We struck up a conversation and ended up having a 45 minute lesson with them! Go figure!
We get to go to the temple tomorrow! It's our Christmas gift from President and Sister Evans. I'm so excited!!
The Christmas Broadcast was super awesome! We got to catch most of it last night. I'm super bummed that I don't get to spend Christmas with my AMAZING family, but at the same time, I will have the perfect opportunity to REALLY focus on what this whole Christmas season is all about. I have already had lots of time to reflect on God's love for me and the love he has shown for us by sending His son Jesus Christ. My suggested reading this week would be 1 John Chapter 4 - it's all about God's love for us. I feel so blessed!
Share the joy of this season with everyone around you!!!
I LOVE YOU!!!
-Hermana Palmer
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