Crispy Colorado

Familia y Amigos,

Colorado is so lovely these days. There is so many beautiful colors. The weather is "nice and crispy" says Hna. Romero. This is the last week of transfers :( I am really sad about that. Time is just moving so fast.

Last week:

We were really working hard to get a good balance of everything that we are supposed to do as missionaries. That means - teach, find and contact people. We had a very balanced week and it was amazing.

Last week we put Mary on date. She is 11 and is the daughter of a new member of our ward. Her mom is from Mexico and speaks Spanish clearly....however her daughter Mary grew up here and speaks almost nothing of Spanish. So she goes to our ward with her Spanish speaking mom and sister. She was so cute when we taught here the other day. We told her that we were going to talk about baptism (it was the second time we have met with her) and she then says...."Can I get baptized this Saturday?" We explained that she needs to understand a little bit more before she gets baptized. So she should get baptized next weekend. Hopefully I am still here! She is super cute.

Hilda is still progressing. She loves going to church and has really noticed a lot of changes in her life. This week she wrote her testimony of the Savior and it is just so wonderful to help people make changes in their lives. We also figured out why Alonzo doesn't want to get baptized - he thought he couldn't date until he was a grown up and for a 13 yr old this is a deal breaker. Luckily Hilda explained this to him ;)

The Rivera family is still doing so great. Hno. Rivera just got called as a Ward Mission Leader! YAY! Ana, the daughter, gave a talk this Sunday and it was just wonderful. They are doing so great. They should be going to the temple very soon! I really hope that I am in Denver because I can go with them and watch them be sealed. I am just so excited!

Some other highlights of the week:

-I ate octopus for the first time. It was in a soup with shrimp, crab, oysters and some veggies. I feel like I can almost eat anything these days with a smile on my face. The octopus wasn't bad just so you know!

-We had a ward activity where we taught how to have Family Home Evening. We had Hna. Rivera tell us what FHE is and then I gave a lesson with a good chunk of the ward. I taught about the Sabbath Day and it was super funny. They loved it. We then had  a relay race and a pie eating contest. It was a good activity.

- Battle with the North Mission! So there is this little patch of earth where lots of Hispanics live....and us being Spanish missionaries really like talking to Hispanics :) So when Hna. Coughlen and I found this place we declared its name to be MECCA! We have taught several people there. Well we get a call from the elders one night saying that the North elders say that MECCA is in their mission......So we had this frenzy of calling between the two mission offices and the mean North Elders....(they really are kinda mean). And sadly we lost MECCA and along with it investigators.

-Visa Missionaries - So two sisters that will eventually go to Peru are now in our mission: Hermana Cambell and Hermana Case. Hermana Thomas and Day are training. So they split up there area and are both there.

Yesterday we went to the botanical gardens with President and Sister Maynes and Hermana Day and Hermana Cambell! It was so beautiful. It was wonderful to just walk around and take some pictures. I will have to send some home. It was just wonderful and it was free! It was nice to do something different.

So Transfers.....I do not know where I will go. We are getting a new Spanish sister next week....and she either goes with Hna. Romero and me or with Hna. Coughlen and Wilkerson.....or everything gets crazy. I am worried that I will train....but I now feel a lot better with Spanish and teaching. So I will let you know Monday where I will be going....but send your mail to the mission office :)

Things are going really well here. I love it. I love knowing how much God loves His children....or at least understanding this a little better. I love this line from Pres. Uchtdorf's talk:

The “what” and “how” of obedience mark the way and keep us on the right path. The “why” of obedience sanctifies our actions, transforming the mundane into the majestic. It magnifies our small acts of obedience into holy acts of consecration.

This really is the true in the work of missionaries. When I understand what I am actually doing, I see more miracles and my small efforts are magnified. A good example of this is talking to people on the street. It is still hard to do after all of these months to walk up to a stranger and talk about God. BUT every time I do it, I always feel more of God's love. On Sunday we went to dinner in a nicer part of down town where a member lives. We left and we saw this girl sitting down. I said, "lets go talk to her." So we went and it was so wonderful to be able to testify of God's love. She is homeless and not doing all of the things she should, but God still loves her. I love knowing that He puts people in our way and we have the opportunity to testify. I am going to miss that so much: having a reason to open my mouth.

I really do love the gospel. I have realized that God is so much more powerful than I could have realized. I see His hand more in my life and feel is love. The mission gets easy in some ways and always harder in others. I am realizing more and more how I can give more of my self to the work. I really hope that when I go home I get a little more of the why and put it in practice. I wish the time would go by slower. 

I really love all of you and love that you are praying for me and writing me. All of you are helping me and the people here more than you know.

Quotes:

"Conpermiso....Grandota" (Excuse me.....huge thing) -Hna. Romero moving a TV from the library.....it is only funny because she accidentally directed the "Grandota" at a group of women.

"Mom am I black?" - Aime .....she knew she wasn't black

Smile the gospel will always be true,

Hermana Spencer