Monday, September 30, 2013

First Baptism in Missouri City! Sept 30, 2013

Hola everyone (:

This week was so amazing!! I am so happy that I stayed here in Missouri City!! We had a super busy week and were able to get a lot done! One night we visited a part member family (only the dad isn't a member). The dad (Hermano Rivas) has had the lessons before and is so ready to get baptized, he just doesn't make the time for us. So, he is never is home because he works all the time, but when we stopped by, he was there! We read Alma 34 with him and told him that this life is the time to prepare to meet God. He loved it and is now going to let us come over and re-teach him! His son is the less-active 20 year old that started coming back to church in May and is now about to put his mission papers in next week!!! He calls us Jose's Angels like Charlie's angels (:

Then we saw Hermano Martinez and he keeps talking about this "cambio drastico" (drastic change) meaning his baptism and does the quotation signs in the air as he talks about it (: He is totally going to get baptized soon!! Last night we had our first baptism here, the 9 year old boy named Quique, and it was amazing!! I have never felt so happy (: His whole family has changed so much in these last few weeks and now want us to help them to prepare to be sealed in the temple!!

Both Hermano Rivas and Hermano Martinez went to the baptism last night and said they felt the spirit so strongly! Hermana Kennedy and I sang "I Know that My Redeemer Lives" and everyone was crying! The spirit was so strong!

SO it was an amazing week and I am so excited to keep working with these people to help them come closer to Christ. Oh! And on Saturday I watched the General Relief Society Broadcast (in English!!!) and it was so great!! It's so important to make and keep our covenants because there is no other way for us to progress to become more like our Savior. Covenants help us live higher laws and learn how to better live like Christ wants us to. I hope y'all have a great week and keep choosing the right! Remember the covenants you have made and work hard to serve others and share your testimonies! <3 I love you!!!

Hermana Moberly

OH! and we had Fiestas Patrias on Friday where everyone sets up a table from their country and has food and decorations! It was so awesome!! I had food from El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala (: Hermana Kennedy and I even borrowed some sombreros and had stick on mustaches (: It was so fun!!




 

Monday, September 23, 2013

4 Months and Staying in Missouri City for Now

Hola mis queridos (:

 
This week was so fun and great! It was really hard too, but a lot of cool things happened! We did a lot of service and helped paint a member's bedroom from black to yellow, we visited our investigator Samantha in the hospital after she just had her baby, Emilio, and I went on an exchange to a bike area in the middle of a tropical storm! I went to Brazos on Friday and it was raining so much!! The streets were flooding but we still went out and one time, a car drove by and splashed a HUGE puddle all over me. People are so nice haha. But we eventually couldn't see anything because it was so dark so we stopped at a women's home/hospital where a member lives and she let us in. So we sat and talked to her drying off with towels until the rain softened up. So it was an adventure and I had a lot of fun! (: Then yesterday we were all having a rough morning because we weren't able to meet some of our weekly goals, and then I saw huge tender mercies and know the Lord loves me!! I was at church, waiting for it to start, and we got a call from Hno. Martinez! He told us he was on his way to the church and would be there in five minutes!! We were soooo happy that we group hugged and started crying, haha we're such girls (; As we were waiting outside for him, one of the elders came out and told me my aunt was inside! What the heck?? I was so surprised so I went in, and Aunt Eileen was there with one of her friends! It was the best surprise ever!! It was so good to see her, and then they stayed for sacrament meeting! I wish I knew more Spanish so that I could translate for them, but the elders did it so that we could focus more on Hno. Martinez being there. It was the best day ever!!! And then this morning, I found out that I get to stay in my area for another transfer and I am so happy!! Unfortunately, Hermana Johnson is leaving, but I am so excited to stay with these people, at least until my visa comes which should be soon!

 
We are having our first baptism on Sunday and I am so happy! He is a 9 year old boy whose family are all members. Rosalba should be baptized on Thursday, but she couldn't get her boyfriend to either marry her or move out and so we are still praying really hard that the Lord will soften his heart and she will be able to be baptized. It will happen...one day (: But I'm done being a trainee, so that's why I have a stick of gum that says "it's a girl" (: It was my graduation gift from Hermana Kennedy haha. So we had a really awesome week and I can't wait to stay here in Missouri City and keep working hard. I know that as we pray in faith, the Lord will answer our prayers and do His part (Mosiah 27:14 and Alma 31:38).

 
One of the things that kept coming up in my studies this week was the importance of family prayer. When Christ came to the Americas, in 3 Nephi 18, He commanded the people to pray in families, and even today prophets have counseled us to study the scriptures and pray together in families. I know that as we are obedient and strengthen our families and homes, the adversary will not be able to dwell within or have control over our hearts. Keep the commandments and always keep your eye on the prophet! I love you and hope you have a great week! Y'all are in my prayers<3

 
xoxo mucho amor,

Hermana Moberly
Aunt Eileen Peterson


Not a trainee anymore



Tropical storm

Peace out, homies...

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

I Love to See the Houston Temple, Mo City Sept 2013

9/17/2013

Hola todos<3

Hope you all had a great week! I did! It was really hard, but it's always good to be a missionary (: This morning I went to the Houston Temple and it is BEAUTIFUL!!! I loved it!!

Not much happened this week...we did  A TON of service because we can't find any new people to teach. We are trying to get people from the members like their friends and neighbors, but it's hard helping them adjust to the work. They will get it eventually (; It's just hard right now because we have less people to teach and sometimes feel like we aren't doing what we came here to do. It's the members’ responsibility to find, and the missionaries job to teach!

We were supposed to have our investigator's (David's) baptism on Sunday but for some reason last week he snapped back to his old ways and is smoking and drinking again. It was so sad to hear that because he was so close! But we have some more work to do with him and I know that the Lord will help us know how to help him.

We had an AMAZING lesson with Hno. Martinez last week and we all cried because the spirit was so strong! I have never felt the spirit so strong as I do when we teach him. I know that there are angels in that room with us and that all of our ancestors are there too, especially Papa. I am convinced that they are best friends, and Papa and my companions' grandpas as well, are all helping him feel the spirit and accept our message. He knows the church is true but is afraid of changing because he has been going to the Catholic Church every Sunday for 55 years. But he will accept it one day and even admitted to us that one day he will be baptized. But I need to be here for it! He is the reason why I'm not in Argentina right now. I have never felt so much love as I do for these people here and I am trying my hardest to be that tool for Heavenly Father so that they can come back to Him.

So it was a really great week, even though there were a lot of hard times. But hard times make us stronger, right!? (: I hope y’all had a great week!! I miss you like crazy and pray for you daily! Thanks for all of your love and support! Don't stop being faithful and look for the Lord's tender mercies each day, because it's so easy to miss them.

 xoxox

Hermana Moberly
 
 
 


 
 

Monday, September 9, 2013

Another Week Here in Houston

Hola Everyone (:

          So I had such a great week and hope y'all did too! We finally were able to see all of the miracles and blessings from the last two hard weeks of trials. But I know that if we endure trials in faith, the Lord blesses us and we come out stronger. I have been praying for trials lately because I really want to become the person that Heavenly Father wants me to be by the end of mission. Be careful what you pray for, though haha because Heavenly Father really does listen to us and answers us (:

The mission has been a lot harder than I ever thought, but so worth it! I was reading in "Preach My Gospel" this last week and I loved what it said. "Obedience to Jesus Christ is a lifelong commitment." It's so simple but so true. I know with all my heart that as long as we are being obedient to the commandments and are striving to become more like Christ every day, we will be rewarded in the life to come.

I have been studying Doctrine and Covenants a lot lately too and learning more about Joseph Smith and all of his sacrifices and trials. I think I have found my new role model. Joseph Smith and so many of the other early saints gave everything they had so that the true Church could be on the earth again. I want to sacrifice like they have done. I want to be willing to literally give my entire life over to Christ and know that if I am consecrating myself and all I have, I will be taken care of and carried through. I found a scripture in D&C 24:8 that says "Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days." SO keep going! This life wasn't meant to be easy, just persevere and eventually, the hard times will become easier to bear (:

No cool stories or pictures this week...We literally just worked all the time and taught a lot which is what we are supposed to do! I think my favorite miracle of this week happened on Wednesday, though. We went over to Los Martinez (abuelitos) and decided to read 1 Nephi 8 about the tree of Life with Hermano. Usually he just listens to us and sits there but this time we asked him if he wanted to read with us, and he quickly said no, so we just read to him. Then after a few verses, he got up, got his glasses, and began to read with us!!! We were all so happy...and yes, I cried ahah. But then it was my turn to read so I had to quickly wipe away my tears and read (: I love him so much!! If he is the only one I can help be converted to the gospel, I will be so happy!! He really reminds me of my farewell talk when I talked about the joy we have when we bring one soul unto Christ. He is that one soul that brings me so much joy. But I love all my other investigators so much too and they are all doing so great! Just keep please praying for them. Love you all so much and hope you have an amazing week!!! Remember, "A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness."- James E. Faust

 Love you<3<3

Hermana Moberly 

P.S. Happy Birthday Emily and Kenzie OxOXoxX (I hope you read that like Nacho Libre says it (; )

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Still In Missouri City TX, Sept 3, 2013


Hola Everyone!

So this week was another hard one, but we worked really hard and it was always busy! SO I'll just go day by day to make sure I remember everything:

Monday: It was P-day and we went to make some visits, but no one was home!!

Tuesday: Hermana Kennedy went on exchanges so it was just Hermana Johnson and I in the area. I was really nervous because we are still both new (she has only been out one more transfer than me). But we had a great day!! We went over and just got to know one of our investigators a lot better. She is the lady we always serve named Edith. She just had us come in and we sat on her bed because that's the only room with air conditioning. We just asked her lots of questions and had a really good time. Then her grandson, Angel came in and we played with him for a little, he is the little boy in the picture! He's super cute and we are going to his birthday party next Saturday! (: Then we taught a lesson to an 8 year old boy in the ward who isn't baptized yet. We taught them the Restoration and then invited their family to have family prayer and scripture study together every night. It was so great that I could bear my testimony on those things and know that they really bless families because we did it growing up! Then we found two new women and shared a message with them about who we are and what we believe. They weren't interested, but they were super nice!

Wednesday: We taught our less active, Jose who is actually now active and putting his mission papers in this month!!!!!!! We were still on bikes all week and as we were leaving his house, Hermana Kennedy fell really bad and cut her knee open. The mission nurse told us to wait and see if it stopped bleeding, but to lay down for the rest of the night. Two hours later it wouldn't stop bleeding and she couldn't walk, so we went to the urgent care and she had to get four stitches!!!!!!! SO we were there for the rest of the night. She still can't bend her knee, but she's okay! They gave us 100 extra miles in the car so we could drive the rest of the week (:

Thursday: We had weekly planning so we were in the house all day, then had dinner with mis abuelitos and taught him about the Restoration. He is so going to get baptized!! I can't wait! I feel like he is one of the main reasons why I was reassigned to Texas. I love them so much! His wife has been a member for 20 years and we are the first missionaries he has ever listened to! He is starting to read the Book of Mormon and knows that if he reads and prays, there is no other way he will find out if these things are true. So just keep praying for him (: Then we visited a less active woman who has such a strong testimony but can't come to church because she takes care of an old lady on Sundays.

Friday: I went on exchanges!!! I went to the Houston West area and was in the city for a day!! It's so different...I definitely like the country. We just walked around apartment complexes and tried to teach some people. We talked to EVERYONE but no one wanted to learn more. We got yelled at a lot and people were just rude. So I think Heavenly Father knew I could only handle nice country people haha. But it was fun and Hermana Carlson was really nice! I just missed my companions...Our car battery almost died right when we were leaving for lessons so before exchanges, we spent the whole morning in Pepboys...our car has so many problems!!

Saturday: We switched back at 2:30 after some studies and then we went to some lessons, an expo on the Book of Mormon held by our ward and one of our investigators went and loved it!! Then we went to a quincenera for a less active girl in the ward. We stayed for a little bit before we had to go home. But it was so fun!! They had a mariachi band and it reminded me of "The Three Amigos" (: It was cool!!

Sunday: Church was amazing and the whole mission had a fast together to help us complete our goal of 1,000 baptisms for the year. We are only at 400 something right now but I decided to make some sacrifices and really work on giving my entire self to the work so that the Lord can bless our investigators. We then went over to our abuelitos again and taught him about the plan of salvation. He believes everything! It's so exciting to teach him because I can see in his eyes that he knows everything is true. He just has a fear of changing.

Monday: So it was a really long week because we didn't have P-day today. But no one was home to teach because it was Labor Day. We did some service for Bishop's wife and then had an FHE with a member family who invited some of their friends. We watched a movie on the Plan of Salvation and it was great! They don't want to change their religion, but they loved the message. Then we went to teach another part member family (we are teaching the non-member husband) and had the corn from "Nacho Libre"!!!!! And it is so good!!! They BBQ corn and then put mayonnaise and cheese and chili on it. I thought it was going to be gross but it's really good!! Who would have thought? (: Haha
 
But it was a great week and this week is going to be even better (: Keep working hard and pray and read the scriptures every day!! I love you so much! John 4:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments." <3 Please pray for me to have the gift of tongues and pray that my investigators will be touched by the Spirit and keep progressing! Love you!!!!!

Hermana Moberly<3
 
Hermana Moberly and Angel

Hermana Moberly on Exchanges

Hermana's Garrett, Kennedy, and Moberly at a Quinceanera

Missouri City September 2013