New Assignment

Area: Serenada/Georgetown
Companion: Sister Raelynn Pito
Companion: Sister Rachel Bills
New Assignment: Sister Training Leader

Are y'all ready for the new transfer news? It is exactly what none of us were expecting. Sister Pito and Sister Bills are leaving, and I am staying. That means this will be my fifth transfer in Serenada and my second transfer in Georgetown. It all feels like one area though. I am also humbled to accept the assignment to serve as a sister training leader. I had the opportunity to attend the Missionary Leadership Council meeting last Tuesday. They called me a few days before and invited me. I didn't know why until I got there. I was excited and nervous.

MLC was AMAZING! I knew, but never realized how much President Slaughter loves us. His vision is one of complete consecration to the Lord. He watches his leaders and follows both the written and the unwritten order of the church. He is a true disciple of Christ and desires for all of us to become the same. My eyes were opened to his individual love for us. I feel a deep sense of pride to be a missionary in the Texas San Antonio mission. The TSAM has a culture of obedience and hard work. How blessed I am to be a TSAMer!

We are teaching an incredible family. I think I told you about them. {D1} is the Dad and he's got four fairly young children. We taught {D1} a few lessons before teaching the whole family, and then started over with the lessons to teach them all together. It has been so great! This week we taught the the plan of salvation. The Primary President came with us to meet the kids. They all committed to be baptized. The kids are so ready, and so excited. They just get it. We taught them again a couple days later about faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Or in other words, the doctrine of Christ. They are thrilled to be baptized. I am so grateful that I'll be here next transfer to continue to teach them and help them progress. Yesterday {D1} was going to come to church, but he got really sick. The kids were so sad because they were looking forward to going. Luckily we went over before church to make sure they were coming. A member from the ward always offers them a ride and came just in time. {D1} allowed the two older boys to go the church with the Brother in the ward. Now remember, the two older boys are 11 and 8. When we got there, they sat with the primary president and the member who drove them. They were so well behaved and in awe. They loved primary, and were taken care of in their classes. I am in awe to how prepared those two boys are, as well as the rest of the family.

When I look at {D2}, I think of Dad who was taught by the missionaries when he was around that same age. There are times when I think I feel the posterity of that little boy guiding us and urging him to move forward with this. When I think of {D2} being baptized, I think of a possible future daughter having the same blessings I have received from the gospel and from those missionaries who taught my Grandmother, my Dad, and my Aunt years ago. This literally affects thousands of souls both currently living, and not yet born. I am so grateful to be a part of this great work. We are so privileged to live in such a time as this. This is the dispensation of the fullness of times. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is his very church restored in its fullness, has never been stronger. The good in this world has never been so wonderful. Yes, there is a lot of wickedness. Evil is spreading. But righteousness overpowers all. We have no need to fear. The Lord has already won the battle. It's not a matter of if good will triumph, or if Gods people will win. It is a matter of "choosing this day whom we will serve." Do we want to be on Gods side, or the Devils side? I can say with absolute certainty of my soul that I am clean before the Lord. My heart is pure through his atoning blood. And I choose him, now and forever. I am not afraid. I have no reason to be. I will stand for truth no matter what the cost. I will never back down from his eternal truths.

There were so many miracles this week. There are some people that I haven't met the whole time I've been here and have met this week. The Serenada area has historically been a difficult area to work in. But in the time I've been here, we have watched it bloom and grow in ways it never has before. I feel a deep sense of appreciation for the hand of the Lord in nurturing and preparing the people here to receive us. It's moments like this I sit back and know very specifically why I am here on a mission and why I am in this area. I really look forward to going on exchanges with all the sisters next transfer. It is a tremendous responsibility that I cherish and hope to magnify.

On Sunday we were at an apartment complex waiting outside for someone when we saw a woman sweeping in front of her door behind us. When we started talking to her she signalled that she was deaf. I really need to start carrying a notebook for when we meet deaf people. Luckily I still had some space in the back of my planner so we wrote back and forth to her as much as we could. The spirit was really strong, though we didn't have a whole lot of space. We're referring her to the American Sign Language (ASL) sisters. It was a miracle to run into her. The ASL sisters are doing everything they can to find people who are deaf so that they can learn the gospel, but they need our help. It was a miracle to find her when we did. And it's amazing how the spirit silently testified.

The 4th of July was fun. We all dressed in red, white, blue and took patriotic pictures. :)

I gave my first zone meeting training on Friday. The spirit there was very edifying.

I have much more sympathy for people with allergies. I have never had allergies until recently with whatever is currently in bloom. The reason I tell you is because I was going to sing a song for you and send it, but I can't sing right now. Hopefully my voice gets back in working order soon.

I love you all! I hope you're constantly looking for missionary opportunities wherever you are. I know that the Lord will provide them if we ask and seek. :) I'd love to continue hearing about your missionary opportunities. Keep the faith!

Love,
Sister Record