Fruits

Hey there!

Once upon a time, my trainer told me that I was going to inherit a few characteristics from her such as repeating areas and having a lot of special transfers.

Well, I got a new companion on Saturday in a special transfer!

 

 

​This is Hermana Blackham, and she's super cool! We've had a fun two days together! She's from Arizona, she got into the mission field right when I finished my training, and we have a hard time speaking English. It's been great.

Funny story. Yesterday we were trying to remember what it's called when you use an exclamation point in math. After a short conversation about it I was still thinking math when she went back to planning what we should buy for groceries. She said, "Cereal?" And I said, "I don't think it's serial, but I think it ends in -ial." She looked and me and said, "No, food." And we both just about died laughing.

Oh, English.

English Lessons with Hermana Clark:

Cereal- a breakfast food commonly eaten by missionaries. Some Elders I know eat about 3 boxes of cereal a week. That's ridiculous.

Serial- a mathematical term that refers to a number used as a label. Not what it's called when you use an exclamation point in math.

Factorial- when you put an exclamation point after a number and you multiply it by each number in a descending series. Does my English make sense? Example: 5!= 5x4x3x2x1

Spanish Lessons with Hermana Clark (since I've now done my English practice for the week...):

Fruta- fruit. As in, “Apples are fruit. They are good for us.” Literal fruit.

Fruto- fruit. As in, " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23 Figurative fruit.

This week our recent converts who got baptized in January came with us to a lesson with the awesome family who loves the Bible. This family is progressing well in learning the doctrine, but they're having a hard time coming to church and committing to baptism. Our recent converts came with us and it was the coolest lesson. They testified about how they could recognize the Spirit when it answered their prayers about whether Joseph Smith was a prophet and whether the Book of Mormon was true. They also bore testimony of how their family has changed for the better as they've faithfully attended church. The fruits of their choices are apparent in the blessings their family has received, and the family committed to pray and ask if Joseph Smith was a prophet.

We also had a lesson with one investigator who has lived in Utah before. We were teaching about prophets and she said, "isn't there also a prophet nowadays?" We taught a bit about the modern prophet and she was super excited about it. Then she asked us about the temple that's about 20 minutes from here in Colonia Juarez. She asked if it's like the temple in Provo where not everyone can enter. We explained that everyone can enter as soon as they are ready to make sacred covenants with God that they will keep His commandments. We asked if she'd like to prepare herself to enter in the temple in a little more than a year and she said, "Yes, I just need to come to church everySunday and get baptized first, right?"

We explained a little more of the process of preparing for baptism, and she said that she definitely wants to start keeping the commandments and prepare to be baptized and enter the temple one day.

I just want to finish with a scripture that I love and have come to love more and more as I've witnessed it's truth up close over the course of my mission.

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." Mosiah 2:41

Keep the commandments, hold out faithful to the end. It's worth it, it brings eternal happiness.

Thank you for your support and prayers! Have a great week!

~Hermana Hannah Jo Clark