Hey Everyone,
I hope you all were able to watch conference. It was a really good one. I loved it!
I was able to watch all of conference in English, except for Women’s Conference and the two talks in Spanish we changed to Spanish. I love watching conference in the original language because there are always things that just don’t translate the same or sometimes don’t get translated at all. We watched conference in the stake center in a room upstairs with a bunch of missionaries and a couple of members that can speak English. Conference is so amazing especially as a missionary it is a whole different perspective listening with all the people we are teaching in mind.
I forgot to bring my notes, but I have a couple parts that I loved that I want to share with you. I absolutely loved the talk by Wilfor W. Anderson when he talked compared the gospel to a dance and how we need to learn to hear the music. We learn the steps with our brains, but we hear the music with our hearts. This is the difference between true conversion. We truly need to learn to hear the music of the gospel to become more fully converted by doing the little things like praying, studying the scriptures everyday, but we must also do it with sincerity, not just passing through the steps, but really studying and trying to hear the music and learning to not only live the gospel but truly embrace and enjoy it.
I absolutely loved the talk, I don’t remember who it was, but He said that the church is a grand Hospital. We are all spiritual sick in one way or another. We are all here in the church because we are trying. We need to remember that in the way that we treat others around us. A lot of the less actives we are working with here have been really hurt and offended by other people and it makes it hard for them to return, but as the begin to understand that we are all growing they are able to forgive and return and keep trying. I also loved how he defined a saint as a sinner who keeps trying.
Next I loved the talk that was in spanish by Elder Zebellos. He is from Chile and recently just gave an amazing conference to all the missionaries in my mission here last month. He is an amazing speaker. He talked about our responsibilities as members and did a great job. In the mission one of the biggest things I have learned is the huge responsibility I have as a member as a part of the missionary work. We as members have the responsibility to not only work and grow our personal testimonies, but the help other to be aware of them. There are a lot of people struggling that we could help if we would just take the time to know those around us and those in our wards by serving them.
I also loved the talk about the puzzle pieces. We aren’t going to be able to know right now where all the pieces fit together but we must focus in on the most important, on the whole big picture and the Lord will put the rest of the pieces in place little by little. We need to trust in Him, knowing that He has a plan and He knows what is best for us.
I felt like the conference talked a lot about the family and the plan of salvation. That is really what this life is all about. Sometimes we get distracted in all of the other things going on, but when we really focus on our purpose and remember our part in the plan we will find ourselves making better decisions and finding even greater happiness in our lives.
I have just about a hundred other things I loved but I cant share it all, so I invite you if there was a part that you didn’t see to go back and watch. All of the talks were absolutely amazing and very inspired. I challenge you as well with Russell M. Nelson to asks yourselves now. “Because of what I have heard this conference, what am I going to change.” There have been so many great things said. Now comes the hard part applying it in our lives!
Okay so this week has been really good. This last transfer has flow by so fast and we just recieved transfers again. I am going to be staying here in Talca, but I am going to receive a new companion tomorrow named hermana Sousa. I am so excited because I have met her and she is awesome. She is from Brazil so we will be able to speak 3 languages between the 2 of us. I will tell you more about her next week!
My Book of Mormon challenge has been going really good I have loved reading it in Spanish and in the perspective of a missionary. This time it seems like every chapter is talking about missionary work as there are so many great examples of missionaries to learn from. It has been a lot of reading, but such a huge blessing in my life and I am more than half way through now!
Okay as for people we are teaching, we have been able to find a lot of new people to teach. One family who’s dad is a member but less active who we found when we were painting the fence of another members house. The mom came up to us and talked with us for a while, then invited us to come and teach them we are really excited about that. Also another less active and her husband who was investigating the church. They found us at conference and said that they had taken the missionaries before but recently moved and want us to pass by. Also we had a family night with a family in the ward and the mom of a young women who has been attending alone came and we talked about the Plan of Salvation. She loved it and had so many questions. We are so excited to start teaching this families. The Lord has really blessed us. We have continually worked with a lot of less actives and others, but I am just about running out of time for this week so I will have to share it all with you next week. I love you all so much and I am so grateful for all of your love and support for me.
Love ya,
Hermana Stringham
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