20!

This week by far has been the fastest one. I don't think I have ever had so many things happen in such a short amount of time! I'll just go ahead and get started.

Last week we had a FHE (Family Home Evening) in Bishop's house, but it was funny because they waited until we got there to start. Our lesson before went a little longer than expected. The FHE was supposed to start at 7:30, but we didn't get there until 8:15. Usually it starts a half hour late, because we are on Mormon/Hispanic standard time. But they waited even more just for us, haha, oops. Bishop taught a really good lesson on how we need to have a really strong foundation before we can start building upwards. He compared it to a tower of cups. If your base isn't firm, the tower will fall when you take away only one, but a tower with a firmer base will last longer. It was a good one!

Tuesday we had Spanish Forum. We had been preparing all week to do our training on planning, but then Elder Hansen didn't announce us to get up and present it, so it didn't happen. He didn't even realize anything was wrong until we went up to him afterwards and asked what happened. He felt so bad, but it was fine. We learned as we prepared, and all the time was used during the meeting the way it needed to be, just kind of funny. Also, we got a mission Spanish program picture, and then individuals with President, since this is his last week in our mission. It was so great because in the pictures we took with him he put his arm around us. It was the closest thing I have gotten to a hug in 11 months, and it was from President Riggs, so it was a great day!

We have facebook again, which I am sure some of you noticed! It’s going to be a little different this time. If you want to contact me, still go through my email, or USPS ;), but not through facebook. We will be using it to keep in contact with the people here in the mission, investigators, less actives, and some members. Feel free to like and comment on the few things that I will post, but don't feel bad if I don't respond :) This is a great tool for what we can do as missionaries, but also a huge distraction if we let it be.

One day this week we were supposed to have two dinners (kind of like in Little River) but neither of them ended up working out, so we ate at Chick-fil-a! We also took Angel there this week to get him a job. If he can work there it will be perfect because he can come to church EVERY Sunday! Right now he is planning on being baptized on July 4th, so please pray for him!

Saturday was amazing for me! I got to go to the temple with the Deza family (my family). We went through with them for the endowment session, and then they were sealed with two of their children. The other 5 don't have the permission to even be baptized because of their mom, but she is currently listening to the missionaries! So all good news! It was a missionary reward day for Hermana Pettit and me. I loved every second. That family is amazing and they have been through so much and I was so happy that they wanted Hermana Pettit and me to be there with them on this special day. They are incredible!

Yesterday was the best birthday ever! The other Hermanas in our ward tried to surprise me, but it didn't really work out that well, so they got there, threw some balloons at me and sent me to my room for a little bit. Then I came out and we had a little party with decorations and fun stuff. Then we studied and went to church and had a good day. That night we had a baptism and then also a fireside for new members and returning members. Basically all of Little River was there and it was wonderful. The meeting was amazing and the spirit was so powerful as testimonies were shared. I loved every minute and got lots of pictures with the Deza family :) I only have some of them, because I am waiting for them to send them to me on facebook, so I will send more next week.

Families can be forever. I have no doubt about it, and I will do everything I can to continue helping others get that and also making sure that I will be with mine forever. The Lord is always on our side, but the devil is always tempting us to mess up. Doing the little things will give us the strength to resist whatever he throws at us. I love you all and hope that your week was as incredible as mine, but that would be pretty hard :)

Love,

 Hermana Moberly

 

Moverlos

Another week is gone, which leaves us with less than two weeks left in the transfer. Crazy how fast it flies. I'm pretty sure I say this every week too, but it blows my mind!

Last week we had our zone activity, so we went and played "beach" volleyball at a sand court in Arlington and had a BBQ. Also, Hermana Christensen brought her soccer ball, and since we aren't allowed to play soccer we just passed with it for a while. It is SO humid here, it’s really gross. But I get to be in the sun more! That means that I'm not as white ;) There's been some pretty nice storms lately too. It’s weird because it’s so hot that you don't want to put a jacket on, but you don't want to get wet at the same time. It’s a difficult decision! Haha

On Tuesday we had a zone training based on what we learned in MLC last week, so there isn't much more to say about that, except that I was asked to give a 5-8 minute talk on repentance. My life has changed a lot, because it was weird for me to be the one doing all of the talking without my companion on my side as well. Before I was just fine talking and talking and talking, but now it’s awkward or me to be there alone. Missions.

Our investigator, Carmen, is doing really well. This last time we met with her we talked more about the Book of Mormon and where it came from. She loved it and has been reading it since we gave it to her. She believes that it’s true and wants to be baptized...now we just have to get her married to the father of her kids! They are planning on moving out of the state in a month and she wanted to know what she can do to stay with the church. She is awesome!!

On Wednesday I went to the Olive Garden for the first time, and it was super good! I loved it. Our recent convert, Eder, took us :)

On Thursday we did exchanges and I got to go to Sudley with Hermana Riddle. It was super fun, but like most exchanges, every appointment fell through, so we did a lot of knocking on doors and meeting new people. I got to see one of the families that I was teaching before and it was so fun.

On Friday night we started teaching about family history, and for one of them we used the little girl's Barbie’s. It made it so much easier to understand that with family history we won't know all that we need to and that we can always go to others to help us find more information. So Kristoff and Flynn Rider helped us out to teach Brenda to start looking for her family by talking to grandparents and other family members that remember more.

The Deza's are getting sealed in the temple this week and they invited Hermana Pettit and I to go with them! We are going to the endowment session and the sealing! I'm so excited! I started crying when they called me and invited me to come :) They are incredible and I can't wait to be there with them on that special day!

Hermana Christensen and I have found out that missions really help you find some more talents. We have set up for many parties and we're actually really good at it...but maybe it comes from all the practice ;) Haha

This work is so amazing and I am so grateful for the chance that I have to be here and learn all of these things. I see so many miracles everyday and I know it is because the Lord trusts our companionship. Thank you for all of your prayers. I love you all!! Have a great Fathers Day :)

Love,

 Hermana Moberly

Six Flags

June 8 2015

I feel like I have been riding roller coasters all week! We have had so many ups and downs and twists, but it’s been fun :) I am still learning more than I ever thought was possible. We started off the week by finishing putting all of our paper records onto the iPad Area Book, which took forever, so we are finally going to bed on time! :) Thanks to our district, they all stayed with us for two hours after district meeting and we put it all in. Such a relief! Then, we had exchanges with the other Hermanas in our ward. Hermana Tate came to our side with me and the two Hermana Christensen's were together in Arlington. It was awesome because we found a bunch of new investigators that are really solid. Because we are on exchanges so often, one of our investigators knows me, Hermana Christensen, Hna Mensinger, Hna Tate, and tomorrow she will meet Hna Peabody when we have our last set of exchanges this transfer. Quite the variety :)

This investigator is incredible and golden! We found her a couple weeks ago and we have been seeing her at least twice a week. This last week we also started teaching her boyfriend and her brother in law. They are doing so well and reading their assignments and praying. They are going to progress really fast. They were supposed to be at church on Sunday, but they didn't come, and we will figure it all out tomorrow. We are so excited for them though!

We found a young man named Andres and that lesson was amazing. We knocked on his door because we found his teaching record in the paper area book, so we stopped by. At first it was kind of crazy because he really didn't want to listen, but we were so ready to teach and the Spirit was so strong that as soon as we started explaining the truth of the gospel he stopped arguing and listened and got really interested. He started asking questions and it was so powerful. Usually when we talk to people in English we stumble over the words, but this time was basically perfect. The words were provided by the Spirit. There were questions that he asked that I didn't know how to respond to, but my companion did. And then there were questions that she didn't know how to answer, but I did. It was so incredible and it felt so good. Now he is listening to missionaries again and we get to talk even more :)

This week we had MLC (mission leadership conference) which was incredible. We talked a lot about establishing a culture for the mission for when our new mission president comes. It was really cool because we talked about the good and bad things about the mission culture now and we came up with a lot of ideas to make it better. It all came down to just having charity, the pure love of Christ. When we have charity for one another and for our investigators we will work harder and be more unified. So now on exchanges we will start training the Hermanas on charity...which means that I have to work even harder to have charity! I wouldn't say that I don't have charity, because I love a lot of people, but there is always more that I can do, so for the rest of my life I want to keep praying and using my charity. We also played a game of speed with all of the 50ish missionaries there and I came in 7th! I was so close, but then Hermana Pettit got me out. It was super fun! And President Riggs won again.

On Wednesday we had interviews with President, which was incredible as usual. He is an amazing man and I love him so much. He gave me a blessing and it helped me focus on my purpose and help so many more people. He has so much gospel knowledge and answered all of my questions perfectly. I am going to miss him so much! He is leaving at the end of this transfer, which will be on the 26th.

You know that we have been working hard because we had 6 investigators at sacrament meeting and 5 less active/recent converts at church. IT WAS AMAZING! It’s so incredible to see the progress of the people here and how much they are learning. I'm so lucky to be a missionary here and now. I love every minute, even if it hurts sometimes. There is nothing else I would rather do. Thank you for all of your prayers! You are the best! Love you :)

Love,

 Hermana Moberly

6 Packs

June 1 2015

IT’S JUNE! How did that happen? Is anyone else as surprised as I am? That's crazy! Time just won't slow down.

This week went by super fast! We went to Maryland three times :) Only to the visitor's center at the temple. We watched Meet the Mormons twice! Once in English and once in Spanish. Those people are just so incredible! I don't think I could get tired of that movie :) It’s too good. Also, I got sick this week, so I spent a little extra time sleeping. That always makes time go faster. Then, like usual, because I was sick my voice decided to stop working, so I have been voiceless for a few days. Yesterday was the worst day and Hermana Christensen and I taught Gospel Principles at church. Let’s just say that no one would ever want to hear my singing right now ;) haha

Mission news: We have Tiwis now, which aren't nearly as bad as we thought they were. We can drive just like we used to without a problem. It just has a creepy voice and we have to log in every morning. It tells you to check your speed when you are going 10 over, which isn't bad!

We have what's called an Area Book, which is a record of every person the missionaries have talked to in this area. The one that we have for this area is HUGE! And we have to have it all transferred onto the iPads by Saturday...so we have been staying up and using all of our free time to get it all in before the sixth. We are trying to convince our district to help us after our meeting tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. As soon as we finish getting it all in we are getting back onto facebook and other online things, but it'll be a lot better now! So get ready! :)

We went on exchanges this week and Hermana Mensinger came to Bella Vista with me! But I forgot to get a picture with her :( sorry. It was awesome! We found some new investigators and learned a lot from each other. I've always loved exchanges because you learn so much. And since I get to go 4 times this transfer I learn even more! It’s the best and I love it :)

One of the days that I was really sick I was texting someone and wrote "muy gracias" instead of "muchas gracias". That's like saying thanks very instead of thank you very much...oops :)

Hermana Christensen and I have decided that we are going to have 6 packs by the end of this transfer because we just laugh and laugh whenever we are together. It’s the best!

That's all I have for this week, sorry it’s kind of lame. A lot more has happened, but there is no time! I have seen so many miracles and I wish I could tell you them all, but there will be time for that later. God's plan is perfect! He puts us where we need to be when we need to be there and He guides us. Even though things might seem to be going wrong, that is how He wants it to happen and it will only be for the best, even if it is hard!

Love you and miss you! Have a great week :)

Love,

 Hermana Moberly

Christmas and Morphosis

May 25, 2015

     What a week we have had over here! So many miracles :) I'll start off with a little bit of what happened last week. Hermana Christensen and I planned and set up a wedding last Saturday! The Elders in our ward were there trying to set up the reception, but it didn't look very good and they were more than happy to leave us in charge, so we took care of it and Lesly was so happy :)

     On Monday night this week I stole an idea from past family home evenings and we made a scavenger hunt. We had a bunch of scriptures that led to the next clue. It was a lesson on enduring to the end, which was really good for all of the recent converts that came. They

loved it!

     During district meeting this week, one of the elders was talking about a very rich area of our ward and he said that one of their investigators was "raking in the dough". There is an elder from Mexico in the district as well, and he has only been here for 4 years, so when he heard that he was thinking about cookie dough. Someone asked how to say that in Spanish, so we translated it normally to earning lots of money. And he was sitting there and says, "Oh, so dough means money!" And it was hilarious! Hahaha

     This week while we were driving we hit a snake. Out of all of the animals possible, it was a snake...but it didn't die, so we went back and took a picture of it :)

     The title of this email is Christmas and Morphosis, because a little girl was trying to remember our names and that is what we got :)

     We had exchanges this week, which was super cool! Weird that I was on the trainer side this time. I went back to Sudley, but on the opposite side of where I was and I was with Hermana Mugleston (she truly is a muggle because she hasn't even seen or read any Harry Potter). It was so cool, because in one lesson, we walked in and we sat down and I just had a wave of love come over me. I was just sitting there before we really even started talking to her, and I already felt so much love for her. The lesson went so well and it was one of the best experiences that I have had so far! I loved it :)

     Every morning we use a Jillian Michaels video, so I'm learning how to kick box! I got a new chair for my desk this week, because I have fallen over in it multiple times. One of the wheels was broken, so the weight made it fall over very easily.

This Wednesday we are getting something called Tiwis. They are a permanent backseat driver that talks to you and tells you to slow down. Lucky us! If we get three marks against us, we will have our driving privileges taken away...so wish me luck!

     Tonight we are going to the Visitor's Center with our investigator, Angel. He is on date to be baptized on the 13 of June, so please pray that he will be prepared. Another investigator we have is from El Salvador. She just escaped from her abusive husband and was taking lessons from missionaries there. She is so prepared, but she can't be baptized because she can only leave a mile radius from her house and the chapel is 1.8 miles away. It's really frustrating, but we wrote a letter to her parole officer so that she can leave for three hours every Sunday for church only. Please keep her in your prayers as well.

     We found this amazing family on Saturday night. We looked for Hispanic names on white pages and we found theirs. We knocked and they said that they have been looking for a church. Then they came to church yesterday and they are so excited to have us come over this week to teach them more. Maria, Cindi, and Liz are so cute and we are so excited about this family!

     At this point, 9 of our investigators are progressing and we plan to have 8 of them on date to be baptized at the end of the week. We are really seeing so many miracles every day and we know that the Lord is helping us. There is no other explanation. We are working so hard and literally loving every single minute! I love you and miss you all, please keep me in your prayers so that I can accomplish my goals that I have made. Have a wonderful week! 

Con Amor,

Hermana Moberly