La Luz de La Verdad

Mi familia querida!

It's been a good week. Things were pretty crazy there for a while, but we've been able to get most of it figured out. Thank goodness. Anyway...Justin and Mari and Richard are doing great!! They were at church again yesterday (or course), Justin and Richard wearing white shirts and ties that I'm pretty sure Richard and Mari's dad gave them. They just fit right in. 

We had one of those unforgettable lessons with them on Thursday. We had been praying and thinking a lot about it before we went, because we've just about finished the lessons and it's really time for them to make some solid decisions. Justin and Mari scared me almost to the point of a heart attack when they said they had something to say. I would never have survived if they had said it wasn't worth it anymore. But they didn't say that, thank goodness. They said that they have been thinking and praying a LOT about what they should do. One of them can't very easily move out because they're all starting a business together, plus they're already basically a family with Mari's daughter and everything. Mari still wants a pretty, well-planned wedding, but she says that she knows she can't put that before being baptized. We talked a lot about prayers and the Holy Ghost and receiving answers, all of which was what we had planned, but we taught it completely differently according to what the Spirit prompted and what they were telling us. (I LOVE lessons like that.) 

Richard also opened up a lot about how he really believes it and wants to be baptized, but something keeps making him want to put it off. He said he just really needed to talk to his dad. (Sometimes I forget that he's just 20.) His dad was up this weekend to work in the temple so I hope he did. He really should get baptized soon. Oh yeah, and he's gotten to be really good friends with one of our ward missionaries, Brother Cook. He's texted him some questions he's had. Exactly what a missionary wants to see, because we aren't here for long.

That night Mari and Richard texted us to say that they're thinking about getting married in April. That's such a big step from a year!! And honestly, a huge sacrifice for Mari. I'm so proud of her. But I don't think they understand just how much this ward would help them with a wedding. They both really want us to be there when they get married; we've gotten really close. So..we're kind of hoping we can convince them to move it closer, since the chances we'll both be there in April are pretty slim. But it doesn't matter a whole lot to me, since I'm DEFINITELY going to be there in a year when they get sealed. And THAT is the beauty of a state-side mission.

So that's them. Keep praying! I'm not worried about them at all. They'll be just fine. It's been such a blessing to teach them. Especially because we really aren't teaching anyone else right now. Haha.

So I've decided that all I ever want to study again on my mission, and probably forever, to be honest, is the principles and ordinances of the gospel. I just got through an incredible study on faith, including Elder Bednar's visit. Now I'm studying repentance. It's been incredible to study the basics of the gospel. They really do bring you closer to Christ better than anything, because they are clear, pure truths. 2 Nephi 31 has become my favorite chapter in the scriptures. It's incredible to me how clear Christ has made it for us to receive eternal life. He knows exactly what it takes and every commandment we receive is only to make it simple for us to walk that path. It's genius! There is one way to eternal life, and that is Christ and his gospel. Any other way simply won't get you there. Why doesn't the world understand this?! It's incredible how things can seem so simple and clear, but without the Holy Ghost you'll never understand it. 

I know with all my soul that this is Christ's church and Christ's gospel. Faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end...that's the way to eternal life. It's simple, pure, and beautiful. And it never, ever, fails!!

I love you all! Have a great week!

Hermana Lund

A Heavenly Texas January

Mi Familia,

Wow! What a week. I'm learning things this transfer I've never had the "pleasure" to learn before. I swear. My mission has been a non-stop furnace. Just when I seem to be figuring it out, I get t-boned by something else. All I can say is this better make me the best wife and mom the world has ever seen.

But anyway, Justin, Mari, and Richard are still doing really well. Mari came to church for her 4th time and Justin & Richard for their 3rd yesterday. The ward has been awesome, too. Without us even knowing it, they invited Richard to church ball and he went! They say hi to people in church and always tell them that they will definitely be back (it never gets old to hear that). Richard and Mari even told us that they've been telling people that they're Mormon now. Ha! They have been getting a bit of persecution, but they hold strong because they know it's right and they already see the blessings. Yesterday the gospel principles lesson was on the Fall and afterwards Mari said that she just wishes she could show the Book of Mormon account (in 2 Nephi 2) to everyone because people outside this church just don't understand. They're awesome.

Richard was previously set with a date for the 1st, but we're not sure that he's onboard with that right now. Not exactly sure why. He's really hard to get to the bottom of things with. Justin and Mari--especially Justin--would get baptized now if the whole chastity thing wasn't in the way. We've been fairly bold with them and they understand what they need to do. It's just a matter of them wanting it badly enough to sacrifice. They will. I know they will.

Besides that we don't have a whole lot of investigators. Not progressing, anyway. We've been working a lot with the Relief Society President and Bishop, visiting anyone and everyone they want us to. I like it because it keeps us busy. This ward is incredible. They blow my mind all the time. We have 15 stellar ward missionaries and the greatest Ward Mission Leader I've ever seen. It's the easiest thing to get members to lessons and they always take it upon themselves afterwards to befriend the investigator. If I ever move to Texas this is definitely where I'm going.

I love you all! Keep me updated with how your missionary work is going at home. I'd love to hear your stories!

Have a fabulous week!

Hermana Lund

Sana, sana, culito de rana. Si no sana hoy, sanara manana.

Mi Familia!

My new companion is Hermana Arteta! She's got a great sense of humor and a firm desire to always improve. I don't have my card reader with me today, so I'll have to send a picture next week.

This week has been leaps and bounds better than it would appear from the outside. Transfers and changes are always hard for me, and I miss Sister Arche a ton. But I'm really happy. I credit it to two things:

First of all, Elder Bednar came on Friday! It was an absolutely incredible experience. I sat on the 3rd row, right front and center. I even got to sing in the musical number! Sister Hill had volunteered to put something together weeks ago, and the Assistants called her the night before. So 5 of us sang Sweet Hour of prayer, including the 3rd verse that's only in the Spanish hymnal. Elder Peterson played the piano and jazzed it up very nicely. It was a really neat experience!

The whole time Elder Bednar spoke with us rather than at us. It was really special, and a great example of how we should teach our investigators. A few weeks ago he sent us a few of his talks for us to study before he came. On Friday he asked us to share what we learned. I raised my hand and shared an answer to a question I had received after a lot of pondering and prayer, that learning by faith means that we display righteous actions, which open our hearts to be taught spiritual truth by the Holy Ghost. Really simple, but really profound and eyeopening to me. Elder Bednar looked me right in the eye, had me repeat what I said, and fullheartedly confirmed it. He made me promise to never forget it, especially as a wife and mother. It was a really cool experience to have an apostle of the Lord confirm something I had received through my own revelation. 

Second, something inside me clicked this week. (I feel like I say that so much that it's probably losing effect, but just go with it.) My whole mission I have been told--by people, the scriptures, other missionaries, Ensign articles, everything--that I just need to chill out, focus on the good things I do, and let the mistakes go. I've tried several times, but it has always been halfheartedly since, if you don't focus on your mistakes, how are you supposed to ever get better? Such was my thinking. But I finally just got it, and i honestly have focused on all the good things I do. I don't worry about whether or not it is something any missionary would do, or whether or not I wanted to do it, I just recognize it as a good thing that I did. I do a lot of good things! It has completely changed the way I look at myself. I feel more motivated and more able to go out and work because I'm not so afraid. It's been very freeing. I just pray that I'll be able to hold onto this, that I'll be able to continue thinking this way throughout my mission. I still want to improve, but in a positive, building way.

I know this is God's work and I know He leads it. I know He is omniscient and knows our hearts better than we do. He loves us and only lets hard times happen if it will make us happier in the long run. He is good.

I love you all. Have an incredible week.

Hermana Lund 

11 Months

Mi Familia!

Today I've been out exactly 11 months. Crazy! It's so weird how the mission goes so agonizingly slow and so uncatchably fast at the same time. I'm kind of excited to hit a year; if I can do a year I can do a year and a half.

So..Sister Arche is being transferred to be an STL. I'm so sad to lose her! We really didn't expect it at all. We were sure we'd stay together. Really, I'm so bummed. I really hope God knows something I don't know. He does. In fact, He knows several things. Oh! And Sister Isham is going home (so sad) so Sister Hill is going to be our new STL leader, living with me. :) So you can tell Katie that. 

Guess what! Elder Bednar is coming to our mission this week! I'm so excited. If I were going to pick a favorite apostle--which I'd never do, of course--it would be him. So I'm excited.

We went to the temple on Thursday. We--especially Sister Arche--just felt like we really needed to go. Missions are hard. How many times have I said that? Anyway, Sister Christensen and Sister Isham went with us, along with Sister Slaughter. It was a neat experience. Also, as we were leaving, we ran into Sister Payne from The District! She and another missionary she had served with were there for the sealing of someone they had taught. Haha, she's a missionary celebrity! 

And we're still teaching Justin, Mari, and Richard! Richard is Mari's brother; I don't know if I mentioned that. They're all about my age, give or take. Oh my goodness, they are a missionary's dream investigators. I still can't believe it's real. We taught them 3 times last week and they LOVE it all. Their dad has talked with them quite a bit and they were prepared before we even met them. Richard accepted a baptismal date for February 1. Justin and Mari fully plan to be baptized, but they're not married or even engaged yet. Mari wants to be engaged for a year before they get married. Ahh! But who knows, minds can change.

They've all just been eating it up. In our last lesson Richard felt bad for only reading 3 chapters since Mari had read 8 and Justin had read 12. I'll take 3 chapters any day!! And Mari asked if we could teach Word of Wisdom, so we did. Apparently Justin is a big coffee drinker, but he found out about the Word of Wisdom last week before we met him and dropped it cold turkey. He says he's had headaches ever since, but he's kept to it! All 3 of them have felt the Spirit and have recognized that that's what it is. 

They even went to a baptism on Saturday. They loved it, especially Justin. He told Sister Christensen that when the man went under that water he felt peace, and that he knows he needs to be baptized. And I overheard him tell Elder Cottle that he loved the service and he can't wait to be baptized. When I asked him how he liked it he said very excitedly, "I felt the Spirit! I know that's what it was." And they all came to church yesterday! All 3 hours. From what I could tell they really liked it. And Mari's coming along with her daughter to a party a few of us missionaries are having with our investigators and recent converts tonight. They're SO solid. 

The only concern for Just in and Mari is the marriage thing. But honestly, either way, they're going to the Celestial Kingdom. I just know it. Even if they do get baptized in a year and a half, it is cool to be a little part of it all!

Richard doesn't seem to have any concerns. The only thing is that he doesn't talk much, while Justin and Mari have tons of questions. It's easy to just focus on them and assume Richard is doing fine. He seems to be, but we're trying to give him more focus and attention so he can be prepared for baptism soon. 

Also, we had our President Interviews and I talked to him about the thing that seems to always be on my mind: Spanish. I told him how I've felt somewhat limited in my learning since I'm, you know, in America. He thought about it pretty hard and then told me that he didn't think there were any limits on me. He said I can learn Spanish as well as I want to, and that it's a good desire I have and that I should take advantage of this time when I have so much of His help to learn it. It was so nice to hear that. Just knowing that it's not hopeless for me to learn it like I want to and that it's not selfish to want it helped me a lot and motivated me to work even harder for it. It's been so nice to have Sister Arche to speak with me. Heavenly Father truly does love and know us and works according to our desires.

How on earth do I write such long emails. Well, I love you all. Have a tremendous week!

Mucho amor,

Hermana Lund