How is everyone?! Everything here has been really awesome! It's been a really fun week!!
On a weird and funny note...I have to say how much a spoiler living in the United States is for missionaries. Passing by the technology section of Walmart to get to the picture printer booth...to find the new Ipads out...horrible spoiler for those who want to keep everything a surprise for when they get off! jaja...fun note to start things off!
This week has been very good! Last week was filled with all the amazing trainings and counsels, making this week was filled with amazing opportunities to put them to the test! We've really been blessed to have the amazing blessing to have a general authority come and help things hasten on this side of the Lord's vineyard. It's really been cool to look back on my notes from meetings from the past, and see many things that have led us to receive the further guidance to put the hastening into action. Many things are happening in the WKM and missionary work as a whole that we're very excited for! It's a great time to be a missionary...AND member!!
Thanksgiving was a lot of fun for all of us! I'm glad to say that I wasnt in the column of "death by turkey" this year. We ate a good amount, but are proud to declare that we only ate ONE Thanksgiving meal...on Thanksgiving day...now we wont talk about what we've been eating and taking home for the rest of the week!
I really love holidays and seasons! Really amazing times where we can spend time with family and take in the Spirit that can come from it! That's been a theme that I've really tried to carry to each and every person I meet! Remembering the further significance of holidays.
On Thanksgiving day, the highlight of the day actually occurred earlier that afternoon, when we were able to visit with one of our recent converts, Guadalupe. She's been so amazing and a really fun member to visit and teach! Recently, we've been going over the conference talks because she wasnt able to watch them. ...kinda funny how excited she's been to read them on her own! She came a day after with a really bad headache because she read for way too long! She just couldnt stop reading and thinking about it!
But we shared the last talk given in Conference by Elder David A. Bednar, "Come and See."
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The discussion was a lot on looking at the talk in the form of "living in thanksgiving daily," which is something that we've really been able to see in the life of Hermana Dume!
The really amazing part of the lesson came when we went to the car to retrieve some "He is the Gift" cards we left behind. We walked out of the house and found a man pulling weeds in the yard. Having never seen his face before, I thought he was the gardener, but after greetings, I found that it was her son-in-law....he's just never been home when we have.
On a back note of this, we've talked on multiple occasions with Guadalupe about what she can do to share what she has and feels with her family, especially her daughter and her family that has lived with her for a little while. Each time, she quickly replied with how she's tried to talk to them about Gospel subjects, but they dont seem interested at all.
Juan stopped us and started up a conversation on his gratitude that we've been here to help his mother in law. After talking for a little while, he said that just a day before, a member in that area invited him and his family to the church that Sunday, where he accepted the invite. As well, he was looking forward to the missionaries to come and teach him and his family in the upcoming weeks. What really got him to accept and take curiosity for everything was the simple yet profound examples that his mother in law has been throughout how activity in the church this past year. ...really amazing to see where things started, all with talking the invitation to "come and see," but also to make it a part of you!
With Elder Walimaa moving forward in mission age, we got to go and do the Doctrine of Christ training (it's the training for missionaries who are into their second transfer in the field). It was a really amazing experience. I learned SO much that day! The Doctrine of Christ is such an amazing thing! We truly can spend all our lives in the study of it, and only reach the surface! What an amazing plan that our loving Heavenly Father has prepared for each and every one of us! Such an amazing blessing!
I have to share this as well!
So we usually have a really busy schedual on fridays, spending the afternoon in the house planning for the week, then going to coordination with our Branch Mission Leader. Well...just about everything dropped. All the appointments that we had planned, and even the coordination...which has never dropped! A really funny moment to be sitting in the car thinking..."hmmm...really didnt expect that to happen...I really have no idea what to do." But it was really cool experience that followed thinking for a little.
The distinct name of Maricruz came to our minds after just a minute of thinking. At first thoughts, she was just another name of "people that we've knocked on their door and said something in Spanish that we may not have understood too well so we take it as a return invite." So we went and talked for a minute on the doorstep of her home, until her husband came up and started talking as well. ...might be the accent (starting to pick those up...i think), but we missed a few words here and there until he invited us in.
We had a lot of thoughts coming into our heads as we continued talking with both of them...super friendly and super awesome! We had different guesses on what exactly they were saying until they pointed to the flowers behind us. In them had the passalong card that we gave them a few days ago...BUT SOMETHING WAS BEHIND IT! Another passalong card! But not ours...it was from the Elders just across town (had their number on the back), which was where they used to live. At that moment, everything clicked! They've talked to missionaries in the past, but not too much. They've had such a huge desire to come to church though.
We had a really amazing first discussion and introduced and gave them a Book of Mormon. They were really excited to receive it!
Right after that awesome lesson, we were able to have another miracle lesson with the Fuentes family. Two of the older brothers were sitting in the same room together and wanted to talk! We focused a lot of the Book of Mormon and what they could do to really get reading it together. It was a really good lesson. And when the oldest gave the closing prayer, he brought up baptism...when we hadnt even brought it up! SO, we really hope that we have the opportunity to meet up with them and keep talking! We're very excited for that family! For all the families and brothers and sisters we've been teaching!
I'd love to, and probably could...keep talking and talking on the week...but I should let you all go!
Know that I love the work and KNOW that it's the work of the Lord. I am eternally grateful for the amazing blessing it is to be here and hope that it never stops!
I love you all and hope for the best!
Elder Glen Wright Washing Kennewick Mission
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