Hna. Jessica Keele- Nov. 22, 2010

Hola familia! :)

My week has been good and tough. The trio´s different but fun! The Lord is testing my patience, haha but that´s good so I can make it a strength. Also I had a good experience the other day on the bus. We had a meeting an hour or two away and on the way back, we went by bus. Well, it was way crowded at first so we (about 8 of us missionaries) had to stand for the first while, and then the people I was standing next to got off and I sat down next to this lady. I had the opportunity to have my first lesson alone! haha Scary! My companions were back further and so I talked to her. It turns out her husband had taken the lessons before and she´d gone to church a couple times about a year ago. She had a lot of questions! I told her about the plan of salvation. Then she asked about what it means to be sealed as a family because she has friends that are members who just recently got sealed and she didn´t understand but respected the fact that she couldn´t go in the temple. She asked me about what family home evening is and if she should go because her friends invited her. ha I said yes! She asked why I go to church and why we take the sacrament every Sunday. I told her about the importance of prayer and how we can use it to help us. haha I´m so grateful to the Lord for giving me that opportunity, and I´m so grateful for you guys for teaching by example so that I can have a testimony in all those things. Because our family is strong and sealed in the temple, we have family home evening, go to church and say family prayers. Thank you for teaching me the importance of it all! I love you all!

OH I realized I´m not sure if Thanksgiving was even last week. haha For some reason I thought it was but now I´m thinking it's this week, right? So again, Happy Thanksgiving in case it is this week!! :)

Also just something to think about. I was reading in the scriptures the other day. haha I love Alma chapter 5 because it has a lot of questions that we should always remember to think about. Alma 5 :14 & 15 He is asking the members of the church if WE have been born spiritually of God? If we have received his image in our countenances? If we have experienced a change of heart? If we exercise our faith in the redemption that we believe in? And if we look forward with faith to God to be judged of our works. Then in verse 16 I love the question. Can you just imagine hearing the voice of the Lord saying to you, Come here, Blessed. Because your works have been good works on earth...? :) Me encanta! I wrote next to that scripture, That's the goal! :) Then if you continue to read, he asks questions to those who should be scared for that day. But how much better will it be to be able to stand in the Lord´s presence in confidence? A bit of on obvious question, but sometimes we forget. That´s why there is repentance. We have to remember! We have to live in a way so that we will be able to look forward to that day! Anyway, I love this chapter! :)

Mi nueva compañera me dijo que hay mucho nieve. Pero solo es noviembre! haha [My new companion told me that you have a lot of snow. But, it is only November!]

I´m doing good! I love my mission, and I´m surviving the heat so far. But it´s not summer yet so I´m getting a little scared. haha I love you all and hope you're all doing well!

Love Jess Hna Keele