Wednesday, June 29, 2016

June 29, 2016 Change and Hope

Hey friends and family!

Last week, we were walking to our language study lab for TALL and we saw this.  We laughed at it for like 10 minutes because we thought it was so hilarious haha.


 Oh, and in the picture, I thought about giving it a kiss, and then right before I realized how dirty it probably was (which explains why my face looks so ridiculous haha)



First off, I made it through the first month of my mission! Can you believe that I've already been out for a month? Time is just flying by. I can honestly say that this last month has been one of the happiest months of my life, because I am doing exactly what I know my Heavenly Father needs me to be doing at this point in my life.
This last week went really well! Not many new things happening in the CCM here in Mexico, because the schedule is pretty similar here every day.  But now Hermana Anderson and I are teaching 4 investigators, and we love each and every one of them.  Patricia and Walter are our new investigators, and they are both awesome. So far we have just taught them about the Restoration of the Gospel.  I love teaching the gospel, and sharing the wonderful story of Joseph Smith helping restore this gospel back to the earth! Franklin and Mariela are both continuing to progress, and it's so amazing to see how much the knowledge of the gospel is changing them.



Hermana Anderson and I's experience in TRC this week was another amazing one! We taught a lady named Fernanda, and she was just so sweet.  I felt the spirit so strongly in this lesson as she told us about her whole conversion story and how much the Gospel has changed her life for the better. I gained so much strength just as I listened to her testimony. I know the gospel changes people, if they turn to the Savior and let Him change them.

Something that goes along with change is hope.  I have been studying a lot this week about Hope. What exactly does hope mean?? I doesn't mean like "I hope I get an A on my test." It means that you have abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you. It means that you when you work through trials or difficulties, you work through them with confidence and assurance that all things will work out for your good! A scripture that I like that goes along with this is Jacob 2:19:
 "And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted."

I know that this is so true. I know that as we remember to always put the Lord first, you will be able find happiness amongst the hardest times or darkest time.  In devotional that I went to within this last week, the speaker Brother Mills talked about if you are struggling to find happiness in your life, stop thinking about yourself. What, stop thinking about yourself? How am I supposed to be happy without thinking about how I can make myself happy? Exactly, you can't be truly happy if you are always focusing on yourself. I would just like to echo this message. Christ had a really hard life, but I know that he was probably one of the happiest people to ever walk on this earth! Why? Because his whole life was dedicated to helping and serving others, His whole life was just for YOU, for ME, so we can all be cleansed from our sins and have our burdens lifted.  I am so grateful for the example of the selfless life my Savior Jesus Christ lived, and I definitely want to be more like him.  I know that true happiness comes when we stop thinking about ourselves, and start thinking about who we can serve this day, right now.

I love all of you, and I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you so much more! I love serving and being a missionary! I hope you all can find the happiness in your life, and continually look for God's hand in your life!!

Love,
Hermana Duvall

My whole zone/branch!! President Suarez, the one on the far left, just got transferred to another branch so we took a pic together

This morning when Hermana Anderson and I went to work out, in the gym, there was this HUGGGEE MOTH on the wall. SO GROSS.
Tell Cheri THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!!! It was so sweet and fun to meet Hermana Monroe and talk about how much we love Cheri! LOVE YOU CHERI!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! After I met up with Hermana Monroe yesterday, I realized that I should have taken a picture with her, but I ran into her on the way to walking over to where I write home. Perfect timing!! (Cheri Phippen sent a gift to Jenny in Hermana Monroe's suitcase. She arrived at the CCM a couple weeks after Hermana Duvall)




One of my really good friends from BYU!! Love Hermana (Allyn Jasperson)


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