Sunday, November 16, 2014

We made it!



email 11.10.14

Well this week has been quite the tormento!  But life would not be quite as fun without the craziness.  Also we would not be able to learn how to rely on the Lord quite as well. 
So we did spend almost all last week in the hospital with cute hermana Rosen.  She really went through the ringer.  With her blood clotting disorder, everything got more complicated.  She saw a hundred doctors and about a thousand nurses.  We took turns staying overnight in the hospital with her, and the other one would go out with one of the other hermanas in our branch (we have 2 trios), to get some sleep and teach some lessons, the usual.  The whole ordeal was quite exhausting, but I think we all learned alot through the whole thing.  First I had a ton of time to study and think and also watch church movies, so all very conducive to learning.  I took the time to reflect on my mission, the things that I have learned, and set some firm goals for when I go home.  I did some in depth study of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.  I just want so badly to be an emissary of love for the Lord to his children.  I just want to do what is right and follow my savior.  I have been so blessed to see so many people make that choice to follow their Savior and witnessed how it has changed them, and everything about their lives too.  I am grateful for this past week because it gave me so many opportunities to serve, and to show my love for my Savior by loving others.  The good news is that Hermana Rosen is doing much much better.  She just has to be careful and not lift anything at all...but she should have a full recovery.  God is good, he protects us. 
The other highlight was our cute cute cute Maggie got baptized.  That was our main focus this week, getting her all prepared for Saturday.  She is the biggest gem, she was just so prepared.  I have never met anyone to so easily accept all of the principals and commandments.  She just gets it.  We had an awesome family in the English ward that were her main fellow shippers, the Walton family.  They are just amazing.  They wanted to have all of the lessons at their house and do everything.  We had the sweetest baptismal service for her.  There were so many wonderful members willing to help out, give talks, make cookies, you know the drill.  But it really was beautiful.  She is a wonderful woman.  I am so grateful that we had the chance to teach her and help her make her way onto the path, she is just fabulous. 
Other than that I am just grateful to be a missionary this week, grateful that I still have time to help others come unto Christ, not to mention the rest of my life.  But I am happy that my mind set has changed about life, about what is important, about what I need to do, and who I need to be.  I feel like I have a clearer outlook on life.  Anywho mostly I am grateful to have the best family ever, who I know I can always rely on.  Thank you for being the best.  I love love love love love love you the most! 
besitos, Hermana Myer

busy busy busy

It was Hermana McRae's birthday!
Also my cute cute cute perfect Genesis at the Halloween Party!

email 10.27.14

This week was out of control!  And it also felt like a month long, but the good news is that we made it, and things are starting to calm down. 
So transfers were on Tuesday, and Hermana Rosen went down for a couple of days to go to the temple with the departing missionaries, so I was missing my right hand man for a few days.  I stayed up here with Sister Armstrong, and we took care of business.  Two sets of our sisters had to move, so we were running around like crazy.  Later on Tuesday night, Hermana McRae joined us (our new compy) and we continued to run around like crazy.  Wednesday we helped the sisters get settled, cleaned a disgusting used-to-be elders apartment, and taught some lessons.  Thursday we got word that we are not allowed to have 6 girls in our apartment...so as soon as hermana Rosen got home we got ready to move ourselves out...still teaching lessons....Saturday we spent running around collecting furniture for all said new apartment changes, and moving ourselves in.  Then we went out to dinner and taught some more lessons.  It was all very eventful and by Sunday morning my cuerpo was sore in all the ways...but surprisingly still feeling upbeat!  We just did work.  And we were really tired.  But we are all feeling much better this morning. 
 We taught Cinthia again this week, and she is preparing to be baptized on November 8th!  We had so much drama with her a couple of weeks ago, when she was supposed to be baptized and we gave her a brake last week, but she still wants to be baptized, and knows she needs to.  We took our new, awesome member Claudia with us to the lesson and she bore a sweet testimony about how her siblings have all joined the church over the last 20 years...and Cinthia just got it.  She and her daughter Nicole came to church on Sunday, and everything is going great with them.  I am so grateful for awesome members for their testimonies, we really do need them. 
Yesterday we dropped in Church attendance by 30 people, it was sad sad sad.  So we devoted the rest of the day to seeing our semi-active families.  It was such a blessing.  First of all we did not have one appointment, and we saw people from 2:30-9:00 straight through.  I have been so humbled by the trials that people go though.  These cute members are my family, and I have been with them for 7.5 months now, and I just love them.  They make me so happy, and they trust me and share with me and care about me.  I just want to help them in anyway I can, sometimes I feel a little hopeless, because really I cant fix their problems, but then I remember, DUH, the atonement is real, and God is there for them, and I just have to do all I can to help them strengthen their relationship with him.  I am so grateful to be here with my cute cute cute hispanics. 
I am happy and trying to live up every second of my mission.  I am eager to become who God wants me to become, but I know that I need to be patient and endure what he wants me to endure.  I am so grateful for the happiness and peace the gospel brings into my life, and especially the eternal perspective that I have been able to gain. 
I love love love you all! 
Besitos, Hermana Myer

One more transfer!

Our zone Leaders are getting white-washed, sad sad day :(  This is the quality selfie we tool on self timer in the church parking lot.  Classic.  Always raising the bars here in Harrisonburg.
Hermana Wilkins and Tolman are getting transfered :(, Ward, is staying!  She is the one is the red

email 10.20.14

Okay folks, here it is, I will be spending my last transfer here in the Harrisonburg!  And I am just too happy.  I didn't think I was going to be transfer and I was right!  So we are happy happy happy here.  We are getting a new companion too, which is always exciting.  Hermana Rosen is going home in the middle of the transfer, so for a few weeks we will be in a trio. The going home thing is starting to feel real, which is scary, but I am trying to sort things out so that i am not scared!  I keep telling myself that it will be good to be able to come home and be a better human, and help others be better humans too.  But it is still sad, and i think it will be hard. 
Anyway...we had another great week!  We are still on the hunt for those elect, but meeting great people along the way.  We have done some good quality knocking this week, and the good news is, it still works!  We found this cute cute lady named Lucia, who struggles with a ton of health problems.  She is older and just so fragile, and so so so excited to learn, so we jumped right on that.  We found some other fun hispanics, and I remember every time how much I love them, and how they are my gente. 
We have a new couple that just moved into our ward, and they are awesome.  The wife, Claudia, just gets it.  This week I have been so grateful for all the members that we have up here.  This new couple included.  I have just seen how many sacrifices these people make to help this cute branch.  And it really stems from their love for the Lord.  They love the lord more than anything else, and so they are willing to help, willing to give their whole hearts, might, mind and strength to him.  I want to always have a clear head about who I am serving, and spending my time efficiently doing the will of God.  I am so grateful for all of the amazing examples that i have in my life. 

This week I have been studying about the Natural man, about putting off our "natural man" desires and feeding our spiritual desires.  I feel like the temptations from satan are so real and so subtle, and it is too easy to act like the "natural man".  I have learned that we cannot even take one day a break to strengthen our spiritual man, because any slight chance he gets he will snake his way in.  I am trying hard to have enough self control to just do what God wants me to do, and not what I want to do.  To react to situations the way he wants me too, to love people the way he wants me to, to be the human he wants me to.  I am so grateful for my mission and for all of the things that I have learned.  Living the gospel protects me.  And I will never not live it, because without that protection scary scary things happen. 
Funny: yesterday before sacrament meeting, the presedente's son, Amulek, who is 7, squeezed himself through everyone's pew to shake everyone's hand and say "hola".  It was hilarious, his mom didn't think so!  We died. 
Love love love being a missionary the most!  I love you all, you are the best family ever!  Don't forget to share the gospel today, and just keep being great!  Have a happy week!
besitos, Hermana myer
  

good hard missionary work



email 10.13.14

This week has been filled of some good hard missionary work.  We have come to a little bit of a dry spell with the investigators, so it is time to find some new people!  Hurray!  Just some quality time knocking doors.  I actually really really really enjoy knocking the doors, everyone is just another surprise, and you never know who is waiting for you!  Also it really helped me gain appreciation for English missionaries, they knock way more than we do! 
We did find some new gems to start teaching this week, which is just fun.  One of them is actually a former that I taught last year, his name is Cesar.  Not sure if you all remember, but he was actually the first person I ever contacted in Spanish.  We met him in the Wendy's the first day of the mission, and he came to church the first week.  He is hilarious, and a little bit flaky, but wants to learn, so we are excited. 

We also started teaching a 15 year old boy names Juan, which is right up our alley, so that is fun fun fun.  He is a soccer fanatic and actually really good (we think). 
We had two exchanges this week, which i love love love!  Sister Taylor (who is a temple square sister and served with Anna Banana in the office) came to Harrisonburg with me, which is always an adventure, especially when said knocking is done literally ALL day, but it was fun.  She is hilarious, and loves being a missionary, and just made me happy.  She made me feel so confident and light and we had a wee of a time sharing the gospel together. 
I also ventured down to the Waynesboro, which is a funny little place.  It is filled of REDNECKS, and 2 Hispanics, which you know i found, and taught.  We also found this gem of a new investigator named David, who was cracking all kinds of redneck jokes.  Too much fun. 
Any way.  We are blessed and happy here in the Harrisonburg.  This week has been awesome, I have started working on my goals based on the conference talks.  I am just so happy to be here and  I never want to leave!  As you know, Hermana Stapley came back to visit and we got to see her!  It was joyous, but also sad, she cried a few times.  I think going home is hard, but hey!  I am not doing that!  so hurray!
Funny: Me and sister Taylor were sitting in the car discussing plans, when a 8 year-old GORDITO (little fatty, male), wearing only spidey whitey-thighties ran across the apartment complex right into his tiny dads arms, who then carried him back across the complex.  We died.  I love my hispanics. 
Les quiro mucho! 
beitos, Hermana riley jane

Spiritual Fiesta

Just some after conference noms with my most favorite hermanas. Flor is the one with the cutest cutest more perfect child Genesis who I saw be birthed. VIII she is my hija.


After MLC lunch at the chicken fiesta, with sister Rose! yay!

email 10.6.14

Well I am not even sure where to start, but we had a good, very long week! 

We started off the week by finishing out our Book of Mormon read-a-thon, which was too much fun.  I had never sat down and read the Book of Mormon like that all the way through, and it was awesome.  You just get so much of the story line when you sit down and read it straight through.  I decided to highlight everything about Christ and the Atonement and to really try and focus on that, it was amazing.  I just know with all my heart that Christ is my Savior, this is his book, and he wants to help me in every moment.  I also recognized how much the Book of Mormon pleads with us to plead with our Father in Heaven.  And so many do, and are blessed.  How silly of us to neglect praying, I will never to that again, well I am going to try.  We are so lucky to have the Book of Mormon, it is just true true true. 

Mid week we went down to Richmond to go to Mission Leadership Council.  It is an all day meeting with sister training leaders and zone leaders.  They train us and then a couple days later we have our own zone meetings and train all the missionaries in our zone.  It was neat to be in that meeting, and partake of the information in a little different way, and then adapt it specifically to the needs of our zone.  We did have a scary chat about how to stay active when we go home, which was specifically for the leaders because a ton of us are going home soon, but it was surprisingly, upbeat.  I am just excited to be better. 

This weekend was the best!  I just love conference so much more.  It was powerful to have just finished reading the Book of Mormon, re-asking if is was true, then re-asking if Joseph Smith was a prophet, and also if Thomas S. Monson is a prophet.  And getting an over-whelming answer of yes yes yes, these are all the best things, and don't ever forget it.  I loved how focused conference was on Sustaining our prophet and following their direction.  The gospel is just so simple, and if we live it we can be more like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, which is what we want.  After all was said and done I had an overwhelming feeling that I just need to focus on being a little better, being a little kinder, loving a little more, dedicating myself a little more, and be constantly converting to the Gospel.  I love the prophet so much, his guidance, his clarity, and mostly his love.  I know that God loves me, I trust in the atonement of my Savior, and I know that everything is going to be just great.  I know that this is the true church, and I am so excited to share that with simply everyone. 

We met finally had a lesson last night with our Miracle find, Franklin, and he wants to be baptized!  His wifey is very Pentecostal, and not so hip on the idea, but we are going to work with them.  I know that Heavenly Father will provide a way for the gospel to reach their home.  I love them so much! 

I am so happy to be here in Virginia, I love learning and growing and changing.  I love love love you all so much!  Have the best week! 

love, Hermana Myer 

Best mission ever.




email 9.29.14

Mi familia!

Well life is great, and mission life is even better.  And that is real.  I am never coming home.  We had another amazing week, and I am just too happy. 

Maria, Keyla, and Ester got baptized on Friday! And after much preparation everything went relatively smoothly, and it ended up being beautiful.  They are just so prepared, and excited and happy, and it was just perfect.  They were only a little bit nervous, but mostly just so happy.  It is just so fun to be a missionary and watch people change, watch them become happy, watch them to become more like Christ.  I am so lucky.  We also had a ton of support from the ward, they fit right in.  Afterwards we had to have a fiesta, claro, and everyone had a great time.  Sunday we did have a little scare when they were 10 mins late and almost missed getting the Holy Ghost, but all is well, they have been confirmed! 

We had a couple of exchanges this week which was all kinds of fun.  I felt like I learned so much from working with all kinds of different sisters.  I just felt like I had no reservations, and just helped them do work, and we saw all kinds of miracles.  I stayed here with an English sister and all day we just had miracle after miracle, and I kept having to translate for the cute sister so she could see how awesome God is!  We knocked into this guy who was almost baptized a couple years ago in New Jersey, but they had to suddenly move and lost contact with the missionaries.  I asked him if he wanted to be baptized now and he said yes, so sweet. 

This weekend we started out Book of Mormon read-a-thon, and things are going great!  We decided to read out loud together to avoid falling asleep, which proved to be a great idea.  It is fun too because then we can discuss what is going on and figure everything out.  There is a lot of things that I did not know about the Book of Mormon!  I am learning so much.  It is neat to be able to read is really fluidly, just going straight through, I have been able to make a lot more connections.  I have been marking all of the scriptures that refer to Christ, his atonement, his qualities, ect., and it has been an amazing experience.  The Book of Mormon really is just another testament of Jesus Christ, of his divinity, and the Plan that God has for us.  The idea is that after the whole mission reads the whole Book of Mormon that missionary work will just explode, and I think it will.  I am just so grateful for this opportunity that I have to grow my testimony and to keep learning. 

ALSO huge miracle.  We have been visiting Darlin and Yuleli's family, my cute recent converts, and they are really coming around.  When the girls got baptized last year Jose, their dad started coming back to church, and now their mom is starting to come back too!  They told us last night that they are preparing to go to the temple.  They know that it is a huge commitment, but they are getting excited!  We had the best family home evening with them.

So all in all I am happy, and being a missionary is the best thing that I ever decided to do.  But seriously, whoa.  Me and the Mana Rosen are just having the best time, working hard, and laughing every day until we die.  So life is great.  ALSO the women's broadcast was my favorite, we have the best church/leaders ever.  I love you all, have the best week! 

xoxo Hermana Myer

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Adventures in Richmond

My cute Cristian, growing up. I asked him if we could take a picture and he said, in a very suave voice "con gusto". Too funny.
This is my posterity, my hija, and her hija. They are too cute.
Elba and Karina.

email 9.22.14

This week has been insane.  In the best way, por supuesto.  But just out of control all at the same time.

I am not even sure where to start.  So first of all we are having a baptism this Friday or Maria, Keyla, and Ester, and they are just progressing like crazy.  They are so excited for their baptism, loving church, and eating up every lesson.  It is just fun.  They are such sweet girls and we are so so so happy for them.  

We have a cute pregnant investigator, Cinthia, and her nine year old daughter, Nicole, who are just awesome.  Cinthia is super cute, but opinionated, sassy, strong, you know, my kind of person, and just gets it.  They had missed a couple weeks of church, so we taught them about the Sabbath day, and bam there they were Sunday.  

We met a serious, black, Dominican man, named Nino this week when we were looking for a former that I taught last year.  He is super intelligent, and we teach him one principal, and hes like ohh yes that makes sense.  He came to church this week and afterwards he said "that was really positive, and I will be coming next week".  He is sweet.  

The cute branch here is doing so well, they are all just started to get excited, and starting to figure it out.  We even meet in the chapel now.  It is just so fun to see all of my gente and to see how they have progressed over time.   The Chavez family is doing wonderful, I just get emotional thinking about them.  My cute cute cute people.  

So the area is rocks.  

So now for the Richmond Adventures.  First on Wednesday we had sisters meeting, with all the sisters in the mission.  It is always the best meeting, because we get to talk about feelings and also eat salad together.  Me and Hermana Rosen trained on Faith and Esther.  It was a real tear jerker.  We taught about "self talk", and having faith in God and faith in our potential as divine daughters of him.  It is just so important to me that ever sister understands her worth, and how much our father in Heaven loves them.  So this self talk thing is cool.  What you do it you read your patriarchal blessings and create a list of "I am statements", por ejemplo, "I am patient".  So then you make a list of 5-8 I am statements.  Then everyday you make small goals of how you can be each of those things, and as you act, those I am statements literally become who you are.  It is sweet.  Anyways the meeting was awesome, and afterwards all the Sister Training Leaders went back to presidents house to have dinner before we went out on splits with sisters in the area.  Then we stayed over the night in the mission home because the next day we had a Sister Training Leader training meeting.  We had way way way too much fun.  We got up early to play sports with president, and just had a big sleepover, followed by another amazing meeting the next day.  We were spiritually and physically exhausted, but happy, so that was good.  Then we spent that evening in our own area, but then Friday we turned right back around to go to Richmond again, more specifically Chesterfield, because our cute cute precious Elba was getting baptized!  She is a dear investigator, that Hermana Rosen and I taught together, and I taught for the whole 6 months I was there.  She had a few challenges before she could get baptized, but she always knew it was true, and now she gets to have the blessings.  We were just thrilled, and there were a ton of missionaries there who had all taught her, it was a sweet experience.  Our member dropped us off at the baptism, so we spent the night again at the mission home...but on  our way to the mission home the member let us take a stop to see our cute favorite Cristian, and Ruben!  We were about in tears, and they were just as happy to see us.  We were very blessed.  The next morning President and Sister Wilson drove us back up to Harrisonburg, because they were conducting interviews.  

I just have to talk about President and Sister Wilson for a sec.  They are my heroes.  We have spent a ton of time with them recently, and I just try and soak up every bit of advice from them that I can.  Sister Wilson just does her own thing, and President Wilson loves her to death.  I really feel like President has helped me to grow my desires to be good, to follow the commandments, just because it is the right thing to do, and for no other reason.  He just makes me want to be better.  I love and respect them both so much.  On Saturday after the interviews they took us out to dinner, and we had a wee of a time.  I love them dearly.  

Sunday was awesome, like I said, everyone came to church, so we were happy.  This morning we also got the privilege to see the movie "Meet the Mormons".  It was awesome.  Apparently 70% of people that watch the movie want to talk to the missionaries.  So I don't know if it is playing at home, but get people there.  It is just very informational, really helps you see who we are, and how diverse we are, even with the same beliefs.  

I am happy here in the Harrisonburg, really really loving it.  I am just so happy to be a missionary, so have such a great purpose, and I know that through the Lord that I can accomplish all he wants me to.  My Heavenly Father in my best friend, and I know he will never let me down.  Isn't that just fun.  I love love love you!  

Besitos, Hermana Myer

God is so good.


email 9.15.14

Riley Jane is back to first address if you have a hankering to send her some snail mail.  Thank you all for loving this amazing girl!  Have a great week!
Hermana Myer
228-D Rocco Ave
Harrisonburg, VA 22801

There are just so many things to say, I have no idea where to start.  First of all could not be more thrilled to be back in the Harrisonburg, with my Hermana Rosen.  Just too good to be true.  Cried sitting on the pew by myself in transfer meeting (because she had to stay up here).  Mostly just too too good. 

So I guess first things first, I got to see my cute Darlene and Yuleli!  They are just cute as ever and just ecstatic to see me, which is always fun.  They have been doing great, when they got baptized their dad was reactivated, but there mom was a different story.  She started warming up to us, but told us that she promised God she would never go back to church, not even go in the building, besides for her girls baptism.  But a month ago Darlene went to the temple for the first time to do baptisms with the ward, so the whole family went along to go into the visitors center, and even their mom went!  Then the next Sunday she came to church.  MIRACLE.  She didn't come for a few weeks, but she came yesterday, and we shared a hug and a cry right there in the middle of the chapel.  That is gong to be an eternal family, and I couldn't be more thrilled.  It has taken them a while, but how blessed am I to be able to be here again with them to help them get to the temple.  God is just too good to me. 

I got to see my cute Flor (favorite member whose childbirth I witnessed) and she has been having a rough past year.  I was devastated because they moved earlier in the year to Texas and some sketchy things where happening, and they had to some back to Harrisonburg because her husband had to go to jail here for a few months.  So that was really sad.  But she was also so happy to see me and we had an awesome lesson with her, and she just gets it.  She has not lost her testimony through all of the hardest times.  And the kids are as cute as ever, and Genesis is huge!  Just darling.  She is just so fuerte and such a good example. 

The branch is doing great, it is growing, and they even meet in the Chapel now.  They are just so cute.  I am just so excited to be back and actually speak Spanish now, and I know that there are a ton of reasons why I am here. 

As for being a Sister training leader, it seems pretty much the same!  We are over 4 sets of sisters who we do exchanges with each 1 time a transfer.  So not too much English work!  Hurray!  But we are here to help them be better, set visions for them and their areas, and mostly just love them.  We have another set of hermanas  in the ward, my bff from the CCM, Hermana Wilkins, so that is fun.  I don't really know the other sisters, so I am excited.  Mostly we just are supposed to be good examples and love them, and teach them!  This week we have a training meeting in Richmond so I will get more of an idea. 

As for being with Hermana Rosen it has been amazing.  The first night we got together we talked forever and we are both just at the best time in our missions to do work and to have faith.  We are teaching a lady named Maria and her two cute daughters Keyla and Ester.  Last week, when I got here, they where not feeling sure about getting baptized, saying they were going to go back to the Catholic church etc...but that first night Hermana Rosen and I talked about having faith in God that he can work through he and just making him our best friend through prayer...and then we just worked like crazy.  They all had their little hold ups, but after much fasting and prayer and talking, they all knew it was they needed to and wanted to do.  We saw them last night after church and they all three committed to be baptized on September 26th.  It was a miracle.  I just saw God working so hard, and us trying everything we could, and it worked. Faith is real.  He listens to us.  He loves us, and he is just good. 

I am so so so happy to be here, there is just so much goodness.  We have been doing a lot of contacting and talking to people, but we are not wasting time, the people who are ready are the ones we are teaching.  I know that Heavenly Father loves us very much, he cares about us individually.  My Heavenly Father is my best friend, and I know I can trust him with my life, and I know that when I have faith in the Savior, everything will turn out just fine.  I love love love you all so much!  Have the best week! 

Besitos, Hermana Myer  

Cambios!



email 9.8.14

Well I am sad to report and I leaving my cute hija, it was a day of tears that is for sure.  We have some really good work going on up here in the woodhood.  I am leaving, and becoming a sister training leaders, and she is staying here and training!  A little loco, but it should be good.  Mostly Hermana Collins is really nervous, but she is going to be great!  Hurray!

Last p-day we found the only Jamba Juice in Virginia for Hermana Collins, Me and the STLs surprised her.  It is on the Marine base.  We were very sneaky, and she cried.  So fun. 

This week the work slowed down a little bit.  For whatever reason we didn't see all of our progressing investigators until the weekend...so that was hard.  BUT we had some really really great lessons when we did see them! 

We saw our cute Hernandez family who have come to church a few times, but are just still on the fence about really committing.  We taught them some of the commandments and they willingly accepted to live them.  They really are so great, just still a little unsure.  They have a baptism date for two weeks, pray for them.  I had the opportunity to bare my testimony to them, like the whole thing.  I just felt right and like what they needed to hear.  It was kind of surreal, when I was talking it just didn't seem like I was saying the words, it was almost like I was listening to myself too, and top it off in Spanish.  It was just cool.  I felt the spirit working directly through me.  Fun. 

We had a super fun lesson with our ninos, noelia and Amilcar.  They are still coming to church a reading and all that jazz, but are lacking support from their parents...We had a lessons about using the scriptures, church, and prayer to conquer our doubts.  So clearly we filled up waterballoons with paint and water and pinned them to a foam board and labeled them our doubts...and then we labeled darts with the scriptures, church and prayer, and then we popped our doubts with the darts.  It was too fun.  I love teaching kids, they are humble and happy to learn.  They are my favorite. 

On Friday night Mishel came out with us again.  She just started community college so she has been pretty busy and not able to come out with us, but finally we found a time.  She told us that she had been having a hard week and was feeling a little depressed, and by the end of the night she was just happy.   Sharing the gospel makes us happy.  That is real.  And how could anyone not be happy after a great lesson with Hector!  He is a real gem, I will attach a picture.  He tried to give me a besito when I said goodbye, but I intervened real quick.  Too good. 

Anyways we spent some time saying goodbye to our favorite people, some tears were shed, but I can rest easy knowing I am leaving Hermana Collins here.  She is the BEST!  

ALSO we had zone meeting and they told us that the week of the 27th the whole mission is going to read the Book of Mormon all week.  We will do normal studies, and if we have any super super solid appointment we can leave to go to those, but other than that everyone is just going to read the whole Book of Mormon.  We are super excited! 

I love being a missionary.  I love this gospel so much.  I love being happy.  Keep sharing the gospel.  Love love love you! 

xoxo Hermana Riley Jane

Gems

also check out this pictures of my basil plant, Hermana Collins is a tad bit Jealous because mine are taller than hers...and yes she was crawling across the table to attack me.  Sometimes studies get long...

email 9.2.14

This week has been awesome.  Por supuesto.  Every week is the best week, really. 
 
We have some really awesome investigators right now, so we have turned our focus to really caring for them.  I mean we always really care for them, but we are just so busy that there is not time for door knocking or anything. 
 
We have our two cute ninos that we have been teaching, Noelia y Amilcar, who are just awesome.  They come to church every week and every baptism, and they love everything.  They are just still not feeling ready.  We decided to have a really in depth study of the scriptures with them, because we know that the Book of Mormon really is the only thing that will convince them.  So we did what we call a large plate/small plate study.  So you get a question and write it at the top of the page...then you make two columns, one for the facts/story and one for what you learn from the spirit.  Then you read, essentially anywhere in the LDM, and then you get answers.  It is unreal.  Everyone needs to try it.  The spirit was so strong, and I was even getting personal revelation like crazy.  It really is a personal study thing, but we were just there guiding them, and studying ourselves.  But moral of the story is, the Book of Mormon answers our questions, and kind, and its true.  Pray for our cute kids, they are almost there! 
 
On Wednesday we did an exchange with the Sister Training Leaders, one of whom is my BFF from Harrisonburg, Sister Seegmiller, so we had the time of our lives.  She doesn't speak Spanish, so it was an adventure for all of us.  We did teach a lesson to the children of the Hernandez family, who we have been working with, in English so that was good.  We needed to get them up to speed because they understand way better in English.  We also got our cute retuning less active youth, Steven to come with us, and it was just good all around.  Sister Seegmiller is a really patient and simple teacher.  She is just so good, and so happy.  I love serving around her, she just puts others first and helps me be a better missionary.  I am thinking life long friends with that gem.  Speaking of gems, not sure if you guys are aware, but the scriptures refer to Joseph and Hyrum Smith as "gems for the sanctified"  DC 135:6, feast your eyes on that. 
 
So we have this really hilarious investigator named Hector, who is just the light of our lives right now, he never ceases to amaze us, a real gem.  We have been teaching him at our of our fuerte members home every time.  They are both older men, so its a little new for us, but he is super interested and super excited always. So on Friday night we get to the members house and he wasn't there, and Hector was walking out and was like well hey Hermanas, I read the Libro de Mormon, so we still have to meet without Jose!  And we were like YES.  And then he mentioned it was Friday night, so we should probably go have the lesson at Taco Bell, because you know we should go out...so that was too good.  He did all his reading about getting baptized and was like okay "I am going to be baptized, but not on Sunday when I come to church"  we had to reassure him a few times that we weren't actually just going to push him in the font if he came in the building...and everything ended up going well.  He loved church!  Hurray!  Also almost every day since we have met him we see him riding his bike, just all over town, and he is just always so happy to see us.  He said he is going to cry when we leave...so that will be hard because transfers calls are on Saturday, and I think one of us is out...because we are getting 7 new Hermanas!  Anywho, church was great. 
 
Virginia is filled with gems, and they mostly just speak Spanish, but it is okay, one day you will meet them all!  Mostly I am just so grateful to be a missionary, I am learning so much, especially about becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ and what that really means.  I have been studying about becoming pure in heart and what that really means.  I am still working on it, working on giving it all over to the Lord.  Still a work in progress, but I am happy.  I love love love being a missionary! 
 
Love love love you all! 
 
xoxo mana myer
 
ps Felicitaciones Luke!  I really cant believe you drive.  that is nuts.  but fun! 
 

also check out this pictures of my basil plant, Hermana Collins is a tad bit Jealous because mine are taller than hers...and yes she was crawling across the table to attack me.  Sometimes studies get long...

Fiesta Espiritual

Also we made pupusas with the familia Hernandez. This is Evelin, the mom, and Stefani, the daughter. SO CUTE.

My mana Heibert, she was at the zone conference with Elder Anderson :)

email 8.25.14

This week has been awesome.  Seriously so unreal.  I had no idea that we could use our time so efficiently.  I thought we were goners this week for teaching lessons and such because we had two long meetings, one in Richmond, but we killed it.  And It was so much fun.  And we had a trillion "fiestas espiruituals", seriously people have been saying that all week.  So fun.  I love being Hispanic. 
 
So we started out the week with my FAVORITE meeting ever, which is of coarse Spanish forum.  We get to see all of our people there, and talk about Spanish work and sing together real loud, and it is always the most spiritual.  I trained this time about helping new members and recent converts get to the temple.  Favorite subject really.  Then my cute mana Rosen trained about just having better lessons, and a lot of other gem things about being a missionary and trying to be better, and we had some good laughs and some good tears on that one.  She has just been such a good example to me, I have learned so much from her and I am so grateful we ended up here together on the Mission trip.  I just left that meeting feeling revived and ready to get back to work. 
 
During the week we taught a zillion and a half lessons.  We have been so busy and the best kind of busy, the really productive kind.  Since our area is humongous now that the elders lost their car, we only have time to teach people that are super prepared and progressing.  It is all very uplifting.  We also had a member invite his friend over to have the charlas in his house and asked us to come, so that was sweet.  The guys name is Hector and he was freaking out he was so excited about the Restoration and the Prophet and got down on his knees right there after we talked about the first vision and prayed about Joseph Smith.  We were like oh yeah yes lets do that, good idea.  It was rich. 
 
Also we had another prayer miracle this week.  I love these they are just so good.  So we got home one night like riiiiight at 9:30 so we are hurrying in and then turns out the door to get into our building is broken, someone had twisted the lock so the key didn't work, so we start to panic a little because we have not phone number to call, its past office hours...you know.  So clearly we decide to pray, and then nothing happened.  So then we just thought that we should start banging on the door, and then about one second later our cute Hispanic neighbor pops right out and opens it up for us.  It was a milagro. 
 
On Saturday Elder Anderson of the seventy and his wife came to talk to us, and that was another fiesta spiritual.  They were so great.  They talked to us a lot about faith, how to grow it, what to do with it.  Elder Anderson said one thing that reminded me of Dad, he said that we grow our faith when we keep commandments.  He also talked to us about communing with the Spirit, and how it is another language, and we need to really study and pray and learn that language, because it is vital.  We are so lucky to be missionaries and receive all kinds of direction and guidance from General Authorities. 
 
Sunday was just another treat.  First of all our cute family, the Hernandez family, came to church again!  We were just so happy.  And as a little surprise President and Sister Wilson came too!  They spoke in Sacrament meeting, then had a meeting with all the Youth, and then we had combined Relief Society and Priesthood.  It was so fun.  They talked about the restoration and of coarse missionary work.  We even did role plays with all the members to help them practice talking to people.  It was just too much fun. 
 
We are so blessed, and happy, and tired from all of the spiritual parties we have been attending.  But it is just the best!  I love you all.  Have the best week.  Talk to strangers and tell them to come to church, or even better yet people you already know.  Wouldn't that just be fun?  Love love love you all!
 

besitos, Hermana Riley Jane

Car Prayer

We fix cars.
Breakfast for lunch with Mishel

email 8.18.14

Mi Familia! 

As always this week was very eventful.  I love being a missionary.  We just have so many adventures.  Very rarely do things work out the way we think/want, but it is always SO GOOD. 

So we started out the week with an awesome Zone Workshop.  Mostly just trainings and such.   But one that was particularly cool was about working with the Ward leaders, and how we can do that better.  We have such a unique opportunity right now to be learning all about what kind of leaders we need to be, what our responsibilities will be, and of coarse helping the leaders that we work with be the very best!  That was good.  After the meeting we had a little exchange with the other hermanas because we were passing an investigator off to them.  They have been having problems with their car not starting and after we were done with our lesson we had to go save our cute companions.  So we get there, and we decide we need to jump the car, but then we realize that we all don't really know exactly how to do it, so we call a member.  Cesar comes with his little brother Emmanuel to help us, well to teach us how to jump the car.  So its not working and we have been there for a good 40 mins, when we FINALLY decide to pray...DUH.  So Cesar is working on the car and us missionaries and Emmanuel decide to huddle up and say a prayer, and after we said "Dear Heavenly Father" the car started.  After the prayer Emmanuel was like hey we didn't even need to pray!  So we took that little teaching opportunity, and learned a lesson ourselves as well.  Prayer is real, always use it, silly missionaries. 

Also Tuesday night we had an awesome lesson with our family investigators about the Temple and Eternal Marriage, and it was just the happiest.  I just love that really that is what our goal is here as missionaries, not just to baptize people but help them have an eternal family, and inherit all the blessings of the celestial kingdom.  And also I want all my cute Hispanics to be with me up there, so that's why we gotta work hard to help them.  There are just so many blessings to be shared. 

Our cute investigator Veronica told us this week that she is going to be baptized.  She has not been able to come to church yet because her parents don't let her leave the house (we are working on them), but she just bore her testimony to how happy she is with all the things that we have been teaching her, and she wants it so bad.  That was a good day. 

We found some new investigators this week, a Guatemalan family.  After the lesson I was saying that one day I have to go to Guatemala, to see my people...you know...and then the mom started freaking out and got super excited...and said oh well you just need to marry a Guatemalan, and he can take you there...IN FACT here you should marry my son (19 year old boy sitting in the room), he would love that, then you two can go to Guatemala together.  So that was fun, second marriage proposal...but this time from the mother!  COOL. 

Our best friend in the ward, Mishel wanted to make us lunch this week and she was so excited planning this big surprise...and when we got there she was making pancakes.  She was just so happy as to how American she had become in the last four years that she even knows how to make pancakes. She is a real gem.  Then of coarse we spent the hour answering all her questions about going on a mission, she turns 19 in January and is SO excited.  Best. 

Also I don't know if I talked about Jhonny last week, but we met with him two more times this week, and is was awesome.  He is the one who has been mixed up in all kinds of trouble in his life, in and out of jail, ect...and he just wants to change so bad.  It is definitely a process, but the atonement is real, and he wants it.  I have been so grateful for my new way of looking at people, being able to see them the way God sees them, every single human has the potential to be good.  We are all Children of God, and we can all make it back.  I love being a missionary. 

Yesterday was of coarse filled of Milagros we met 4 super super super prepared people.  YES.  One of them, Rudy was asking us about what he has to do before he can get baptized, then our member started on a rant about the Word of Wisdom, and I was freaking out a little inside...but then he was like oh what a coincidence, I just decided to stop drinking coffee because I think it is bad for my health...and we were like yeah no, not a coincidence!  We met a guy named Lazaro, we taught him on his doorstep...and then we gave him a pamphlet to read, and he was like oh okay I will read it, but I am going to have all my questions ready, and we were like oh okay.  YES. 

Anyways, the mission life is just the best.  I love it.  God blesses us every single second.  Mostly it is just good to be alive.  Love you all!


Besitos, Hermana Myer

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Buenos!

Classy pictures in front of Dennys!
This is Hermana Collins favorite treat, just a little carmel covered pirates booty :) She noms.

email 8.11.14

Well well well, another great week.  This week was pretty tranquila, and fun, and surprising, and good all around, as usual.  Just the normal mission trip adventures. 

We had some really great lessons, and even found some members that had be hiding, silly guys, we always find them!  Anyway I learned a good lesson this week about waiting on Heavenly Fathers timing.  He is such a tricky little guy sometimes.  But I just know that he has his plan, he loves us, and he gives us what we need when we need it.

Our cute Noelia, who was supposed to get baptized this coming week, had a bit of a breakdown.  She is 15 and her brother is 11 and the hermanas had been teaching them since way before we got here.  Anyways she had a bit of a break down this week.  We were going through the baptismal questions with her and I think it is number three that asks about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and she just burst out in tears.  She told us that she has been begging for an answer, she comes to church every Sunday, she reads the Book of Mormon every day, but she has just not received an answer yet.  She has the most sincere desires, and she wants her answer so bad, and she is just distraught that she has not received it yet.  Of course we are working with her on recognizing her answer and being patient, but it just touched my heart, how much she really wants this.  I just thought about how so  many of the answers I have received have been easy, and others hard, but in the end they are always answered.  I just know what she will know someday, and we have to be patient for when the time is right.  Yesterday we fasted with her, and I had one of the best experiences I have ever had with fasting.  I was able to receive direction not only for me, but for her as well, and the Sacrament is always a million times better when I fast.  I love being a missionary. 

I did have a surprise visit from the one and only Jessica Nelson, which was so random, and the best!  Things were just normal as ever, just best friends.  Which is funny because I think we have both changed quite a bit over the years.  But it was good to see her! 

We started doing assigned splits with the Relief Society women this week, and so far so good.  We really do have so much support from the ward, which is really nice.  It just makes me want to be a really really really good member missionary when I get back, you know to pay it forward.  Our bishops wife, Hermana Arana came out with us and we had a wee of a time.  Just as missionary work sometimes goes a lot all the appointments fell through and no one would really let us in...BUT  there is always a miracle to be had!  It started pouring rain and we were just walking around contacting some potentials but then we saw this kid walking his dog that looked like my cute Cristian from Chesterfields, so we had to stop him.  He was super nice and Hispanic but was trying to get out of the rain, but of coarse we noted what house he went into and went back to knock the door like10 mins later...I think he was a little freaked out, but then his mom came the to door, and was like "oh hi, Mormon missionaries?  My daughter goes to your church with the neighbors sometimes, please come back and teach me about your church on Monday at 6."  That mostly never happens, so we died of happiness and knew that we needed to meet her!  God is just so good to us. 

My favorite thing this week was lunch with Hermana Claros.  She is a member who feeds us every Thursday for lunch, and she is the biggest gem on the planet.  She is just my mom here in Woodbridge.  When I am at her house I feel happy, and loved, and like I can keep being a missionary even if sometimes it is a poquito hard.  I love her. 

I love being a missionary.  I love the gospel.  And I love you!  I hope you guys are looking for opportunities to share the gospel all the time, and praying for them too.  I love love love you! 

xoxo mana myer

Buenas!

Meet Yallena, she is the biggest GEM. She is the daughter of our cute investigator Grisel who we love so much. When she thinks she has to make the windy face. :)

email 8.4.14

We had so many breakthroughs this week, the work kind of exploded and it was so much fun! 

First of all, I had a miracle with my stomach.  I got a blessing, and then decided to stop taking my vitamins...and life is good.  God is good.  Just another reminded to always act in faith.  Miracles are real. 

We got a new set of Hermanas this week!  So my good old pal Hermana Chambers is up here, and she is training too!  So that was exciting because she is my friend and a really good missionary and I love her!  ALSO my bff Sister Seegmiller, who I served with in Harrisonburg got transferred up here and is my Sister Training Leader, so we are just having a party here in the Woodhood! 

Okay so mostly we just had a million of surprise member present lessons, which is always the most perfect, and also found a ton of people to start teaching.  We were lagging a little bit on the new investigator front, but then we were blessed with a million sweet referrals and then we just talked to everyone, and now we are busy busy busy teaching. 

We met this super awesome guy named Johnny, who is just the most prepared.  We were actually looking for his dad, but he was asleep, so he let us in anyways.  We started talking to him and he started telling us about his life.  He is a little rough around the edges, but he is in the process of becoming sober and changing!  He told us how his life had no purpose, he was just running around and doing bad stuff and he hated it and he felt bad inside and he wanted to change.  So he is in that process right now, we invited him to be baptized and he was so excited, it is exactly what he wants and needs.  He is a gem.  More to come. 

We have been teaching this cute family for the past transfer, the Hernandez family.  The old hermanas were teaching them, and passed them over to us, but we didn't get to see them for the first two weeks we were here.  But when we finally started teaching them we were so excited.  They had so much potential.  Every time we would go over they had the best questions, they were reading in the Book of Mormon, and they want to know if it is true.  BUT they had never came to church.  Finally on Saturday night we had a lesson about keeping the Sabbath day holy.  They were so sincere and committed to come to church on Sunday, because they really understood the importance and want to know if it is true!  YES.  They came, they loved it, they felt the spirit.  It was just perfect.  Also all the testimonies were really appropriate, and so that was also a huge blessing. 

I think last week I told you about the less active family, Ascencio, that we have been working with...well they came again!  I about cried.  BUT then Kevin, the 9 year old, got up and shared his testimony.  He said that he knows they haven't been at church in a while, but now they are coming again and he is never going to stop coming because it feels like home.  Then I actually cried, and I think everyone there too...even the Elders.  You know how I feel about my cute ninos, they just have the most pure testimonies and intentions, and I love them. 

I don't know if I have ever mentioned our friend Blanca.  She is a cute young mom in our ward and she was our first friend here.  She has two cute little boys, and a recent convert/less active husband...so we visit them.  They fed us dinner this week and I was just so impressed by her example.  She just wants to be good, she puts 110% into all she does, and she is the cutest mom.  I am so grateful for all of the really really good example that I have in my life. 

This week I started reading Preach My Gospel from page 1, just to mix it up.  And I am so happy I did.  I have been reminded about how much power and authority that we have as missionaries.  I really just want to live up every second of having that privilege.  Because it really is a privilege.  I read the Following up talk from conference again and he invites all  members to read the PMG, I know that we will all be truly blessed as we continue to go forth and share the gospel :)

Funny: We taught this new little family this week and when we were leaving, the little boy was said "HEY!  you guys are really smart, and know a lot of stuff, but next time can you teach us about Abraham Lincoln?"  We died. 

I love love love you all the most!  you are my favorite family.  I hope you have the best week ever! 


Love, Hermana Myer

Nicole Moments

Selfie with Kailey Ascencio
Less actives pet chicken!
Hermana Clark
Yours Truly

email 7.28.14

Querido familia! 

This week was wonderful, I had a few Nicole moments this week, which always makes for happiness.  As you know my dear friend Nicole is just filled of wonder and love and joy and happiness always...and sometimes those emotions get the best of her and she just cries...and me too sometimes! 

First I went on exchanges to Stafford.  I got to serve with Hermana Clark, who is just the coolest person ever.  She is Natalie Boud re-incarnated into Hermana misionera.  BEST DAY EVER.  She was just so peaceful and calm and I just sat in the front seat and worked with her in Stafford.  We even got to go to a trailer park where we met this awesome family and invited them to be sealed in the temple as the commitment for the lesson.  It was so cool.  The spirit was so strong, they accepted and are excited to learn more.  Then we ran across the trailer park in the pouring raid because we were late for our dinner appointment, and then I cried again.  Because I was just so happy to be having the most classic missionary night.  Feeling the spirit in a trailer park=happiness. 

The second Nicole moment I had was at the annual noche de talentos..aka Talent show...in the Hispanic ward=so priceless.  We were forced against our will by the Ward Mission Leader to do a number...and because we don't have any "showable" talents we decided to rap the restoration in Spanish.  Out of control, but so good.  We even had props..Ill send a picture.  They thought we were really funny, so that was a success.  But then the best thing happened, our investigator Silvestre showed up.  We met him a few weeks ago and he was completely drunk outside he house, but we talked to him to a few mins, and then taugh him again last week.  He works with a member who had invited him, so he decided to come!  And he even decided to sing!  It was the most unreal.  So here I am eating some pollo y ensalada, sitting next to Silvestre, enjoying the noche de talentos, and then someone gets up and sings la Bamba, and Everyone is singing, and then, I cired again.  I was just so happy.  I was with my people, everyone was happy and singing, my investigator came and loved it, and there was just not one thing to be sad about.  I love being a missionary so much, I would not change one thing.  It is just so good. 

Lastly we have been visiting a less active family in the ward, the Ascencio family.  Less actives are my FAVORITE, I just love them so dearly.  So we have been having noche de hogar with them every week since we have been here.  They have three kids and are just lacking in animo to get up and come to church.  But we have been working with them, loving them, the whole 9 yards. And then yesterday they came to church!  Just walked in with big smiles on their faces, stayed all three hours, and everyone was so good to them!  They were just happy, we are hoping that this goodness continues! I cried, I was so happy.  Mostly just so grateful that they are trying to strengthen their family so they can all get to the celestial kingdom together.  They are the cutest. 

So this email is dedicated to my dear friend Nicole.  She inspires me to be happy and to have adventures and to love people, and just to love life. 

This week I have continued studying in the Doctrine and Covenants, and I have been reading about the different Kingdoms of Glory, and the requirements and all that jazz.  This morning I read about how we really do choose which kingdom we go to, based on what we decide to do. Verse 32 of section 88 says: And they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received." How crazy is that, they are not willing to enjoy what they could have had.  How silly!  We have to be willing to do what it takes to get the reward that we can have, and we have the potential to have all of the rewards in the whole universe!  It is so worth it to keep working! So keep working!  I love you all so much, thank you for being the best family ever! 


xoxox Hermana Riley Jane

Trees trees and more trees




email 7.21.14

Once again this week I realized how many darn trees there are in this place, and then I think about how hard it would have been to even put anything else but trees here, aka houses.  But I am so glad they figured it out, because it is so pretty, and my favorite, and I love it.  I love Virginia, I am so grateful to be here! 

This week has slowed down a little bit, for whatever reason, but still good.  We are still being missionary preaching that good gospel, and we still saw miracles, of course. 

We started off with a lovely P-day, going to the "beach" of the Potomac river...they had a dock and everything!  It was not quite what I am used to, but I really really really enjoyed the time outside in the sun :)  And also part of the dock is actually in Maryland, so we got a little rebelious and crossed over. 

Tuesday was mostly just crazy.  It had been super super super humid, like i am sure over 100% humidity, the most unreal.  And then at night time it will storm, these super awesome thunder/rain/lightning storms, we always get a good show on our drive home.  But on Tuesday it started raining at like 6 and did not stop until 12, and our appointments kept falling through etc, and when we got home it was like we had been in the shower...it was so fun!  We were literally dripping, and freezing, so we got into jammies to plan and even made hot chocolate, in the middle of the summer! 

This week I started the Book of Mormon over again, and I have been studying it a little bit more in depth.  Yesterday I was reading in chapter five verse five says,  "But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness."  I was sitting there thinking about the fact that he was rejoiceing in the promised land, that he would not actually get to for another 8 years!  But he was already rejoicing, because he was depending on the promise that he was given.  I need to do that more!  I have been promised so many things, in the temple, in my call letter, and in my patriarchal blessing, and I may not have all the blessings right this second, but I can have that hope and happiness that one day I will!  Just put things back into perspective for me! 

We had a return and report meeting in Richmond for all the trainers and the trainees, and it was awesome.  The APs trained us on not only inviting to baptism, but inviting people to be sealed in the temple.  Because that is really our goal.  I got my fire reignited to just talk to every single person, to helpt them repent, and be happy, and mostly to go to the temple!  hurray for meetings! 

Mostly this week I am just thankful for my family.  I am thankful for people that love me and want me to be happy, that really care about me.  We have been meeting a lot of people that just don't have that.  Last night we finally taught a potential named Silvestre, he has no one, he wants to be happy.  He is going to be baptized, because this is what he needs.  He needs hope and love and care and support, and that is what we have.  I makes me sad when people don't want what we have, there are so many that are suffering, I just want to help them! 

Yesterday my sweet trainer came to church to visit me!  She has been working at EFY for a few weeks and she suprised me at sacrament meeting.  I about died.  She is a gem.  She taught me so much, and it was just good to see her again.  Anyway, we had a great week!  I still love being a missionary and teaching and finding and praying.  That is pretty much all we do here, oh and a lot of loving.  I love love love you all! 


xoxo Hermana Myer

Felicidad

Birthday!
Cute Hermana Penaloza
Ivonne y Fulovio

Our cute member Betty who comes out with us all day every Wednesday, who is moving to Utah this week :(

email 7.14.14

This week was amazing!  Being a missionary just gets better and better every day and also just so classic always.  And mostly just felicidad. 

First I did have an awesome birthday, it was super tranquilla, and relaxing.  I got my nails done, we had a party, and ate brownies.  It was perfect! 

On Tuesday we had exchanges and my favorite Hermana Penaloza came to Woodbridge, I lived with her in Harrisonburg.  We had a wee of a time, and just did WORK.  It was so fun to be back with her, especially right before she goes home, and to learn and laugh and all that good stuff.  She is s real gem.  We took a member out with us who ended up knowing all of the people we visited and had a break through with some less actives.  It was awesome. 

We also had another breakthrough with a less active family that the elders have been trying to visit for ages, but have not been able to get in their home.  The daughter called us to ask us if we could help her with a paper for college, so we jumped at the opportunity.  She is in the Pathway program at BYUI so her paper was about why we have trials and how we can get through them.  She shared all her experiences with us and bore her testimony, and then came to church on Sunday :)  we were happy.  I love getting to know all these cute people and know their lives and just love them. 

We had the coolest miracle with a referral from Headquarters.  It was from the temple and we knew they had member family, so we headed out!  We met Ivonne and Fluvio, the cutest little Columbian couple.  They are SO prepared.  Their son and his family are strong members that go to an English ward, and their granddaughter is on a mission.  Basically they said that they want to be members of the church and when can they be baptized.  We didn't know what to say, so we started teaching them.  Ivonne told us that the sprit has touched her and she knows it is the right time.  I think they have been being prepared for a long time, and we are so so so excited to teach them!  They had to go to New York this week, so hopefully as soon as they get back we will be able to start teaching them for real!  It was such a miracle.  And they are the cutest little things.  Ivonne reminds me of Grandma Jane and I even had a little moment of crying in the bathroom, because really Grandma Jane's Columbian twin was sitting outside.  It was a happy happy day. 

This week we have been so blessed to have a ton of members come out with us, and it has made our work so much more productive.  And we have been able to have some awesome lessons with less actives.  I have been trying to focus this week on improving my prayers for others.  It is so silly to try and help people by ourselves.  I love the example of Enos, he pleads for his people, because he knows it works.  And I also know it works.  The work is moving forward here and we are so so so happy! 

DC 58:3-4, read that, its good.  I love the Doctrine and covenants so much. 

Funny: This morning when we were working out outside our funny neighbor was going to take the trash out.  He is a funny bald guy, who is 50 but thinks he is 20, rides a skateboard around and is always trying to chat with us about our car, and we call him Rex.  Anyway he asked us how our workout was going, and told us he a personal trainer and used to be a body builder, and told us we were doing a good job.  Then he informed us that the whole apartment complex has been talking about us and how they want to join that "couple" for the morning workouts!  He thanked us for inspiring others, and then we died laughing.  What a gem. 

I hope you all have the best week!  I love love love you!

xoxo, Mana Myer

Bueno

Sneakers, our investigators dog that kills me. He is a puppy and runs around like crazy and that was the best picture I could get, we were all crying/laughing.
God Bless America.
Feliz Cumpleanos, thanks for all the party stuff friends!

email 7.7.14

Todo esta muy bien aqui en Woodbridge.  Hemos tenido un semana LOCO.  Como siempre.  Pero me encanta la vida de ser misionera. 

But really good good good week.  The work is rolling right along and we are talking to everyone we see.  We had a training at the beginning of the week at district meeting on how important the people in our immediate surroundings are, how God litearally places them there, and if we don't talk to them, we are doing the work of God a diservice!  So we got fired up on offering the gospel to every single human, and it has really changed the week.  I just feel happy when get to share the gospel.  This morning we saw two hispanics when we were on our walk, so you know we talked to them and we even set up appoitments!  Mostly it was lucky we both remembered our tags!  Life is just happy when you talk about how happy the gospel is, you should all try it :)

This week we were so fired up about talking to everyone that when we were stuck in HORRIBLE traffic (we are super duper close to DC so the traffic gets really bad here) we decided to roll down our window, and would you guess, there was a hispanic right there in the car next to us!  We chatted and invited him to church, and even threw him a pass along card.  The next time we stopped we were next to another hispanic, so you know we just continued the pattern.  Hermana Collins thinks I am nuts sometimes, but she goes with and and we always have a good time! 

We have been blessed to mee some really gem humans here.  The other day we were knocking doors and this guy just stuck his head outside of the window from the 2nd floor and then we proceeded to teach him the restoration from the lawn.  We call him window popping Juan, he is a gem.  We aslo finally got to meet with a family yesterday that the other sister had been teaching and they are GOLD.  We taught them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we had a member with us, who pretty much taught the whole lesson, invited them to church, and the whole nine yards.  They are so prepared and asked really great questions, and with a fuerte member friend, they are going to be solid.  We are so excited for them! 

The fouth of July was pretty darn good!  The morning started off with a classic Breakfast with the ward.  There is nothing more rich than the Hispanic 4th of July Breakfast complete with tortillas and beans and even pupusas.  Also donuts and orange juice and all that jazz.  They played country music, sang the National Anthem, and even had USA trivia.  We were in heaven, it was just so classic.  Our Bishop is hilarious, we were sitting with his sons, and we were all dying at his trivia questions, which he ended up not even knowing the answers to.  So good.  Of corse we dressed in red white and blue, as I demanded, to get into the spirt and we had a pretty successful day contacting and even had a couple of lessons!  Sadly we didnt get to see fireworks, but we did have some glow sticks the grandma Jane sent me, so we had a good time.

I started studying the Doctrine and Covenants last week and I just can't put it down these days, the history of the church is so cool.  And all the revelations for us today, I mean we are so blessed.  I am so so grateful for the truths that we have here on the earth today! 

Mostly things are good here in the Woodhood, just working hard and loving being a missionary as always, and just trying to find all my cute humans to share the happienss with!  I love love love you all the most!  Have the best week :)


love, Hermana Riley Jane