8-31-15 FAITH is real

Hello all! 

wo wo wow wow. Cool. So this week was good. Really all over the place, but good! I went on several exchanges and I was the one that left the area every time, so I've been packing and unpacking a lot. But it's fun going to other people's areas, you learn a lot and get to meet cool people :) 

This week I've been learning a ton about faith. 

FAITH THOUGH

Seriously it's the most powerful thing. and it involves a lot of hard work. Whoever things that faith is easy and they can be lazy doesn't understand faith. Faith is a belief that leads us to action. For example, when someone has faith in Jesus Christ and that through Him their sins can be washed away, they get baptized and they stay strong in the gospel. As a missionary, we have faith that God will lead us to prepared people and help us hit our goals and become better, so we go out and work hard and talk to everyone and THEN we see the miracles. It can be applied to every aspect and life and is SO COOL. Faith can move mountains. no exaggeration. :) 

Let's see.. a cool story from this week was that I was on an exchange with Sis. Quintero in her area. Technically our areas overlap, but she's in the English ward. So we were trying to find an English less active at this apartment. We knocked, and a lady named Ruby answered. She definitely only spoke Spanish, and apparently the LA lady had moved a few months ago. Ruby was superrr prepared though. She said that she has been wanting to get closer to God and was going to go to a church down the street but something kept her from going, and then we showed up! She seriously just stood there looking at us with her mouth open like, "Woah. God sent you here... woah." It was awesome. 

I know that this is God's work and miracles happen every time we ask for them and have true faith that we'll receive. 

Love,

Hermana Lance

Also this morning I was leaving a message in Spanish to a member and accidentally started saying "Padre, por favor bendicenos.." (father, please bless us..) AWKWARD. We all make mistakes. and I almost died laughing. Just thought you'd all like a laugh. :)

Exchange with Sis. Isom. Who loves Provo and the TMM (Texas McAllen Mission)?? WE DO!!

8-24-15 I love....everything :)

Hello hello

Well. This week went by faster than I could say Texas. But it's all good cause it was a BLAST. and I learned a ton!!

Like I said last week, we had a big leadership training meeting for 3 days. We learned a ton about liderazgo, planning, more planning, and lots of stuff. All I gotta say is that I'm going to come home a master planner. President Maluenda is huge on that and even just in the few days since the meeting I can feel a difference in the work as we plan better. 5 P's of planning: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. yep.

We would be in the meeting from 8 till around 5 and then go work. I got to work with some other stls (sister trainer leaders) that I worked with in the past, so it was tons of fun. We rode bikes and went hard.

The past three days in our area have been nuts. My poor comp has been pretty sick, and we've had even more meetings. But even so, God has helped us still have success in our area and we found 7 new investigators this week. Also I went on an exchange on Saturday so I only worked in Casa Linda twice. crazy stuff, right??

Well moral of the story this week is that I'm growing a lot and God is working so many miracles that I can hardly keep up. I love what I'm doing and feel like I'm working harder than ever. I love the sisters, I love my companion, I love all these mexicans, and I love my Savior.

And you. I love you too.

Hermana Lance

Here's my new address.  Letters encouraged :) It's still best to send packages to the Mission home. Love you all!!!

Hermana Emily Lance

2425 Barnard St #33B 

Brownsville, TX 78520. 

at 3 day training

Crazy pic!!!!

8-17-15 New area and new responsibilities!

SORPRESA!!! 

I got transferred!! 

I'm now serving in Brownsville! wooo!! I'm sad I only got 6 weeks in La Joya (because I LOVED it there) but I'm so pumped to be in Brownsville. My area's called Casa Linda and we're over a cute little Spanish branch. Que linda, verdad? This is my second linda area. "Cielito Lindo" and now "Casa Linda!" cool, right? 

So, this transfer my mission changed and got a lot crazier, because I was called to be an STL! Which stands for "Sister training leader." Basically my comp and I help train all the sisters in our zone. AKA a lot more exchanges and meetings and service. Pretty exciting stuff! I'm so excited for this chance to serve the sisters so much and help them grow in their faith and have tons of success. It's awesome :) 

This week was NUTS. Because now I have about a million more things to do. But it's super fun! My new companion is Sister Acosta. She's a BOSS. She's from Orem, UT and went to Mountain View HS. Weird, right? haha 
Our first week together has been great. This is her second to last transfer, so I might be her last comp. But we'll see :) 

I don't have a lot of time cause all the leaders are going to McAllen this week for a big, long meeting called 3-day. Basically we leave today, and then go to really long meetings everyday and then come home Thursday night. Fun, right? I'm excited. I've always loved big mission meetings cause you learn a ton, so this will be awesome. 

I love you all a ton! Keep holding to the rod, because it will never lead you astray! :)

Hermana Lance

"True happiness comes only by making others happy" -David O. McKay

PS I don't have my new address yet but I'll try to get it for next week. Love ya!


                             

                                                    Sis. Acosta and I

                             

                           Also my baby had a baby! So now I'm a grandma. 
                                  Here's our family pic for your enjoyment.

8-10-15 Hello family!

Hello family! and friends! 

First off, CONGRATS TO MY BROTHER ERIC AND HIS NEW WIFE, KATIE!! I love you guys and am so happy for you. :) 

Things here have been good. We had a meeting last week with all the sisters in the mission,which was a lot of fun. I love all the sisters a ton, so that was really fun. 

This week was pretty normal, but we definitely saw several miracles! One of them is that a solid, active family had their nephew move in with them and their nephew, Gustavo, is now a super cool investigator. Another one is that our investigator Angie, 16 yrs old, finally chose a day to be baptized and it's the 23rd of this month. Hallelujah! So happy. 

Also this week I got a really badddd haircut. no pictures will be included until I get it cut again and it's half-way decent. surry. haha

Well we're still waiting to hear about transfers, but I hope I stay here in La Joya! I really love it here. We'll see :)

Love you all! Have a great week!!

Hermana Lance

PS...this week it was so hot that our car started a fire in the dry grass we parked on. Good thing we saw it before we left it. Welcome to south Texas. This week it got to at least 109.. We love summer!

                                     

                                           Me and Eber with some cool cat dogs

                                      

                                                     The little La Joya district

My mission Mom and Daughter

                                      

                                                     Our dear friend, Jesus

8-3-15 Miracles everywhere!

Hello all! 

Well well well. Here we are. August! how neat. how hot. woo!

This week was incredible. MIRACLES EVERYWHERE, EVERDAY. Seriously it's insane. I love ittt.

So. cool story for you all about our recent convert, Norma. So during her baptism last Sunday, the four missionaries of the ward sang a song while she changed. Then when she came in and the ward mission leader kept conducting, I got a very strong impression that we needed to sing again, and we needed to sing Divina Luz (Lead Kindly Light). So I slyly interrupted the WML and we got up and the surprised elders got up and we sang and the spirit was super strong. We went by a few days later to visit her, and the dots started connecting. 

So Norma has had many losses in her family. Her husband passed away about 2 years ago, and before that she had a daughter pass away that only had 12 years. So on Sunday we were talking about baptisms for the dead and temples. Sunday night, her oldest daughter (25ish yrs old) had an amazing dream. in her dream, her dad (Norma's husband) came to her and said "Por fin, encontre la luz." (I finally found the light) and then he walked away into a pillar of light till he disappeared. WHATTT!! 

So during that lesson we felt like we should sing. And that song, Divina Luz, came to our heads. So we started singing it and MAN. the spirit hit me like a train that those were the words of Norma's husband. In spanish it's a little different than english. But it basically says that the night was dark and he chose not to follow God but now is following the light and will make it back to his celestial home. MIND BLOWN. 

I told her that, and then re-read the words and she just started crying because he was in the darkness, and also for the joy of knowing that he can have the light now. 

And that is the beauty of the gospel, ladies and gents. Even though this world is dark. Even though we're imperfect and make mistakes and are sometimes dumb and stubborn, we can still find the light. We can repent and come unto Christ and he will lighten our burdens and lift us up and we never have to be lost in the darkness again. That's our message to the world. And what a joy it is to share it everyone we see. 

The church is true and I love you! 

Hermana Lance

                                  

                          Some super sick wall art that perfectly describes my mission.