Querida Familia Mia,
I am so excited to be able to write you today. I always look forward to Mondays. :)
Hermana Morse surprised me this morning with a cupcake she made for Heidi's birthday. It was sooo sweet. :) I have felt Heidi close to me the last few weeks. We are going to Urban Cafe today for lunch to celebrate her birthday. I love and miss her so much.
This week we had our big "Mormon Missionary Day" at the armory and put together 4,000 care packages for new recruits. It was a fun day! The staff was so impressed by all the missionaries who came and our hard work! We surpassed their expectations by 1500 care packages! They were so grateful to have our help. They said that we represented ourselves, our families, our religion, and our country! haha it was pretty great. Hermana Morse and I were assigned to be "hamsters" so we just grabbed a few boxes and went down the line and other missionaries filled our boxes. We went in a circle like that for 4 hours! It was a great day.
I went on an exchange here in Reseda with Hermana Vega. It was super fun! We talked to a little old lady named Rosita and she told us that she had already been reading the Book of Mormon for years because her son brought one home one day. We were so surprised! I love being able to see how the Lord has been preparing people. Sometimes it's years and other times it's a few days. Most of the time I feel like we are helping others be prepared for a future day when they will meet the missionaries. Either way we are helping bring other to Christ. :)
On the exchange we went to a member's house to eat dinner and she had a big orange tree in her yard so we took a few...:)
I also went to Sylmar on an exchange with Hermana Figueroa. I forgot to take a picture. :/ But it was really fun. We talked to a family that they are teaching about Enduring to the End. It was a great reminder to me! We taught about the different things that God has given us to help us endure to the end. Church, the scriptures, our prophet, our family, etc. I know that God has given us these things so that we can find peace and joy in this life.
Hermana Steele had to go home this week (she is the Hermana that I took out contacting on her first day and was Hermana McGlothin's trainee) She was having a lot of migraines and back pain. We are so sad that she had to leave but I have absolutely no doubt that she is going to do great things! :) She is such a good person (and missionary!) She will keep doing missionary work at home I have no doubt! We went to help her pack.
We went to help out in our District Leader's area this week (Elder Taylor and Jo). While there we met some pretty interesting people. They work in the less nice part of town. There was trash all over the streets! We met a guy who was pretty hippie-just kept throwing out "peace" and "love" and "good vibes" to come our way. haha. We also met a catholic woman who tried to save our souls. Haha. We gave her a pass along card. :)
Elena is doing really good! We taught her about family history and the temple this week and she smiled so big when she saw a picture on lds.org/temples of the Celestial Room. We could tell the Spirit touched her heart as we talked about the work we do in the Temple for our family members.
We retaught Carlos about general conference and got him super excited for it in April. He is such an amazing Recent convert. If he isn't working, he is out with the Elders contacting or teaching lessons with them. He is so incredible. He will be a great missionary next year!
Thanks for your letters this week! I really enjoyed the talk that you sent. Missionary Work and the Atonement by Elder Jeffery R. Holland. It was super inspiring. There was a quote that reminded me of when we taught Elena the Plan of Salvation. "A missionary's testimony invokes a great legacy of testimony dating back to the councils in heaven before this world was. There, in an earlier place, these same people heard this same plan outlined and heard there the role that Jesus Christ would play in their salvation. . . they are not only hearing our testimony of Christ, but they are hearing echoes of their own testimony of Him." I have loved to see Elena realize the testimony she already has inside of her. It is a wonderful thing!
I know that Christ is my Savior. He loves us so richly and deeply. I am so grateful for his Atonement, which makes it possible to return to our Heavenly Father. I know he knows me and everyone of my investigators. I have seen the Atonement change their lives, just like it has changed mine. He came to "bind up the brokenhearted, to dry the tears from every eye, to proclaim liberty to the captive and to open the prison doors to them that are bound," as Elder Holland says. I am so grateful to be a missionary-I have never before felt so close to my Savior. I know that as I carry the glad tidings of the gospel to the hearts of those around me, He will be there every step of the way. Yo se que vive mi senor! We sang that song on Sunday and I have never heard it sang with such strong vigor and admiration. I love my ward so much. I am so grateful that I get to hear their testimonies shine through song.
El vive, y yo lo honrare.
A Cristo siempre alabare.
Gozoso, canto con fervor:
Yo se que vive mi Senor.
Les amo muchisimo! Estoy agradecida por una familia tan especial! Las familias puedan ser eternas por el Divino Plan. Yo se que esta iglesia es verdadera con todo mi corazon.
Ustedes son los mejores!
Con amor,
Hermana Buxton
PS. A saying from Hermana Figueroa: Vine porque pudo, no a ver si puedo. (I came because I could, not to see if I can!)
Us and our mission abuelita. :) The picture is terrible and super washed out but I wanted you to see her. She is adorable."