Bought a Skirt to Celebrate

First of all...HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my wonderful parents yesterday! I thought a lot about you and hope that you had a great day! I thought about you yesterday and then I started craving your lasagna. haha.

This week I OFFICIALLY hit one year. And no, I didn't burn any article of clothing (I actually bought a skirt today to celebrate haha). I actually spent the day in bed with strep throat. On Wednesday, we had a good day and worked hard. We went to ward council that night and during the meeting I started feeling sick. My throat and head started hurting really bad. The daughter of the stake president was in the meeting so I asked her if her dad was available to give me a blessing because he had brought her to the church and was waiting to take her home after. We left the meeting and he gave me a blessing. I don't know why but I started bawling. He kind of reminds me of Pop (seems like everyone reminds me of him these days...he even drives the same truck) and I think that is why I got emotional...plus I didn't feel good. After the blessing, he took us home and I got into bed. During the night, I woke up with a horrible sore throat. I usually get strep like once a year so I know how it feels...it's different than just a normal sore throat. I also had a temperature. In the morning, my companion and I went to the doctor, they gave me some medicine and then I went back home and slept pretty much the whole day. I was worried that I would be sick for a few days because that is usually what happens when I have strep, but Friday my throat didn't hurt at all. I was a little weak but we were able to work all day. I think it was a combo of the blessing, the medicine and my super hero missionary powers that I have. Right now, I feel like I am getting a little cough and my voice sounds like it is going, but I'm good for now!

On Saturday, we had a good day. We found a new investigator, Mayra and she is super great. She was an investigator before and her husband is an active member of the church. She recently had a baby and was living with her mom for about a month and a half because she had a c- section and her mom was helping taking care of her. We heard from some ward members that she had returned so we went to look for her and she was home with her cute little baby! She told us that she is ready and wants to be baptized but wanted to have all the lessons from the beginning just to review everything. I am so excited to work with her and help her progress. She is super prepared and told us that she wants to go to the temple so her family can be eternal. This doesn't happen every day, but when golden investigators just fall from the sky, you just feel really, but really grateful.

We worked the rest of the day and had our last appointment of the day with David. We were a little worried because he is supposed to be baptized in a week but the last time we taught him, he said that he still didn't know if Joseph Smith was a prophet. We decided that we needed to teach him the Restoration. We had challenged him to pray and read certain parts of the Book of Mormon but being an 11 year old kid, he doesn't usually complete his assignments. The lesson started off fine but he kept trying to distract us with questions that had nothing to do with the lesson. We were trying so hard to have the spirit but there came a point that he made a comment that just got me annoyed. I knew that he knew the church was true, but he just didn't want to admit it. I got real serious and looked him in the eyes and asked 'David, do you want to get baptized? Because if not, you can tell us and we will respect your decision.' He just sat there quietly and looked at me. Then my companion bore a powerful testimony and explained that we weren't here to waste his time and we weren't going to obligate him to be baptized but that we really care about him and his family and want them to be an eternal family. That through baptism, he would be able to reach his potential and be with his family forever, but that if he didn't want that, we would be sad but we would respect his decision. I then testified of what she had said and invited David to kneel with us and to pray to know if the church is true. He agreed and we knelt down and he said the prayer - very short and simple but sincere. After, we sat for a few seconds and we asked him how he felt. He said 'weird' and I asked why and he said 'because that was the first time I asked with real intent.' We then asked him if he received his answer and he said yes. We then asked him the same question as before, 'David, do you want to be baptized?' and he said quietly, 'Yes.' I asked, why? and he said 'because I want to be with my family forever.' I thought I was going to cry. The spirit was so strong and I learned a very important lesson in this moment. We had been trying to think of interactive and fun ways to teach him because he is a very intelligent kid. We had been successful in teaching him what he needed to know, but the spirit needed to testify to him that these things were true. Once he was touched by the spirit, his desire changed. He WANTED to be baptized because he not only understood, but FELT the importance of this covenant.

I honestly know that the most important part of teaching is having the spirit. If we don't have the spirit, we won't have success. The spirit is the real teacher. We are simply the way for the spirit to testify to others that this message is true. I know that the spirit testified to David and that is what helped him the most. I am excited for his baptism on Saturday!

Guess who I saw in church yesterday! Remember the Familia Hernandez Roman from Iguala? We baptized Danna and Alan and reactivated the family? They were all there and it made me so happy!! The only thing I want is that my converts stay active, and to see them all in the church together as a family made me very happy.

On Sunday, the Young Men's president gave a great talk about faith. He made the point that faith is not just believing in Christ, but doing ALL that we can and then relying on the Lord for the part that we can't do ourselves. I loved it because this is exactly what the members, investigators and everyone needs to understand. Faith is ESSENTIAL....because it is the thing that impulses us to ACT. It is not just a dormant belief, but the belief that brings us to do all that we can and after we do all that we can, the Lord makes up the difference.

I hope that we can all have more faith in doing all that is within our power to move the work of the Lord forward. I am grateful to be a missionary and member of this church. The more I learn and study of the gospel, the more grateful I feel for the truth that has been restored. I LOVE the church. I LOVE the gospel. It is perfect. It is Christ's church and gospel and I know that He loves us.

I hope you all have a great week! I love you all!

Love,

Hermana Durham

Happy 1 year to me...hahaha...I look pitiful but there was no way I was going to get ready just to take a picture.

Me and La Familia Hernandez Roman.