June 10, 2013

Hola familia y amigos!

I forgot to ever tell you about teaching seminary! So, one of the seminary teachers in Salina was our High Councilman over missionary work (it changed last week. Sad day!), and the other seminary teacher is the Stake President, so they are both rather missionary-oriented.  They invited us to come sit in on one of the their classes sometime because they both have nonmember hispanics in a couple of their classes.  In the Stake President's class, he invited us to come up at the beginning of the class to share our testimonies.  Before our HC's class, he asked us if we could share with his class what led to us serving missions, as well as our testimonies.  He asked us particularly to share how we overcame any doubts or things that would have kept us from serving because that could really help the girls, especially, in the class who were debating serving missions.

I went first and just started at the beginning--how growing up I had always wanted to serve a mission because I had seen the examples set for me by my mother and aunt (and my grandmother a bit later!).  I went on to explain a little how I got distracted from this goal when I went to BYU-Idaho and found someone that I wanted to marry. Then I shared the experience with prayer that I had, read Proverbs 3:5-6, and told how that scripture helped me to rely on the Lord and have faith in His timing, trusting that He had a plan for me that was greater than my own.  This led to when I began to pray about whether or not I should begin my mission papers, and how eventually I was led to Mosiah 14:3-5 (which I read with the class).  I bore testimony that I know that my Savior has done so much for me.  He suffered and gave up His life for me.  If He can do that for me, I can certainly give up a year and a half of mine to serve Him, to help others accept the amazing gift that is the Atonement into their lives as well.

It was a lot more detailed than that...but you get the gist!  The Spirit was there super strong.  It was really neat :)  Sister H took her turn after me, and the bell sounded before she even finished...oops!  We apologized to our HC afterwards, but he just said, "What the Spirit wants to teach this class is far more important than what I want to."  He is so humble.

Ra... is doing so great, and we are all so excited for his baptism this Saturday!! Our lesson on Monday didn't work out until Wednesday, but I think that was inspired because Wy.... called and told us that he could come with us that night.  We taught Ra.... about the Law of Chastity, and it was way good--and then we asked Wy.... how living the Law of Chastity has helped him in his life, and oh, gosh,  I wish I had recorded what he said so that I could listen to it every day!  It was so powerful!  He talked about how it has led him to have a greater respect for girls and women, and how he will never treat a woman in a way that he wouldn't want his mother, sister, or future daughters to be treated.  He went on to say other things that I believe came directly from the Spirit, and I think that Ra.... was touched in a way that Sister H and I couldn't have done by ourselves.  It was amazing having a testimony like that come from someone his own age and gender.

We also had a lesson with Ra...... about the Word of Wisdom, tithing, and fasting.  When we got to tithing, I asked Ra...... if he had heard of it before.  He replied, "I think so...isn't that where you donate 10% of our income to the Lord through the church?  But I have a question.  Do you pay tithing on grants and scholarships?" Oooooh gosh! Then when we got to fasting and we asked him what he knew about that he said, "Oh yeah, That's where you go without eating two meals.  I would do that with my dance group whenever we had a performance coming up that we were worried about."  Why isn't this man already a member?!! He is beyond prepared!

Oh, and then last night when we went to visit a woman named Lu...., Wy..... was just leaving in his car (he teaches English to Hispanic people as part of his service mission).  He pulled over to us and I thought it was Vi...... (his service mission companion) with him in the car, but as they got closer I realized that it was Ra....!  He isn't even baptized, and he is already going out with the service mssionaries! How does this even happen??

Oh goodness.  Miracles like crazy! I can't wait for this Saturday! I get so excited for each lesson that we have with Ra..... He is just so amazing.

On a more temporal note, we got a new car! Elder W....... (senior missionary over mission vehicles) called us Tuesday morning and asked us to meet him in Salina to exchange vehicles.  This thing is brand new. It had 18 miles on it when we got it (Elder W....... brought it hitched to the back of his van).  Awesome!  I was kinda nervous driving it at first though!

Thanks for all of your love, support, and prayers!

Have a great week!  I love you all!

--Hermana Burner