January 9, 2017 Change brings so much Joy!!

.Just waiting for our car to warm up
 so we thought we would take a selfie haha

1-9-2017
¡Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

     I hope everyone had a wonderful first full week of 2017. It's so crazy to think that it is already 2017. Time is just flying by. This week was a pretty good week! I feel like so much has happened in just one week, yet it went by so fast!! The weather wasn't super cooled until the middle of the week where it got down to -24 degrees. It has been in like the 20s for a while now, so I dropped like 40 degrees and my body had to readjust. We have to warm our car up in the morning now and scrap ice off of our windows. It's super fun, besides the fact that my face and hands freeze so quickly haha.

 

All of the STLs and Sister Forbes as well at MLC

 I went to my first MLC (Missionary Leadership Council) and it was so awesome. During this meeting we kind of just talk about what's going on in the mission and how we can help the other missionaries. It's so cool to see 19-20 year olds getting together and sharing their testimonies and thoughts. We also had a couple of some really inspired trainings. One was given by Brother Ellerts and the other was given by President Forbes. I learned so much from each of them! The main thing that I was reminded of during this meeting is how important repentance is.Repentance is just change; having a change of view of oneself and of God. I love that we can all repent (change) to become better every single day!

Sister Brown was my STL back in North Minneapolis. It was so good to see her! She's going home at the end of this transfer so we had to say our goodbyes there.

    This week was a little different because Hermana Warmbier was sick some of the days, so we weren't able to leave our apartment as much as we wanted to. However, the work still went on and we saw some amazing miracles!

     We had a lesson with Vania this week, and we had a really amazing lesson with her about Repentance. In the lesson she even told us that all she wants is to just follow Jesus Christ and do what He wants her to do. She has been investigating the church for a while now and has a desire to just follow the path that God has set for her. She wants to be baptized, but wants to make sure that she is prepared and ready. I am excited to continue working with her and see her faith grow.

    Another really amazing miracle this week was that we were about to meet with Jesus Hernandez. He was the investigator who randomly just called us last week and told us that he was on his way to church. Hermana Warmbier wasn't feeling well, but we already had the lesson set up. So, we ended up having a short exchange with the other Hermanas. I ended up going with Hermana Davis to the lesson and Hermana Hughes went with Hermana Warmbier!!  Hermana Davis just got here to the mission about two weeks ago, but she is such an amazing missionary and her Spanish is getting better day by day. Anyways, we ended up teaching Jesus and his son, Daniel, as well. Daniel just moved her from El Salvador. The lesson was directed by the Spirit the entire time and it was just amazing. Jesus has so many questions that can all be answered just through the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We invited Jesus to be baptized and he said, " Claro que si!!" which means, yes of course! He wants to make sure that he is prepared because he understands that he will be making a very important covenant with God. He wants Daniel to learn more about the church as well, so Daniel will be able to grow up with the influence of God in his life. They both are also AMAZING at socccer! They came and played soccer at the church with us on Saturday night, and their feet just move so fast. They were on my team and we won :) Mainly because of their skills though, not mine!! I am so excited to continue to teach them and help them gain a testimony of the restored gospel!
   
    One last miracle that happened this week! The missionaries have been teaching Leopoldo Vasquez for a while now. He started out with not having any knowledge about God and/or Jesus Christ. He isn't able to read either, so the missionaries have been going over there and teaching him about God and Jesus Christ and reading out of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I have been able to teach him about 3 times, and just in those 3 visits his understanding level has started to grow!! He is just soaking everything in that we teach him and asks the best questions. We invited him to be baptized on March 11, 2017 and he said yes!!  It's amazing to see the difference that the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ can bring into peoples lives. Leo inspires me. I feel so grateful that I get to help him learn more about his divine identity as a Son of God. I cannot wait until he enters the waters of baptism!!!

    This week, I studied a lot about the life of Jesus Christ in The New Testament in Mark. I am just marveled as to the miracles that Jesus Christ performed. He healed so many people of pains, sicknesses, infirmities; He forgave those who spit on his, mocked him, or trespassed him; He followed God's will and gave up His life so that we all can return to live with our Heavenly Father again. As I think about everything Jesus Christ as done for every person who has lived, is living, or will live-- I am filled with awe and wonder. Yet, as I think about what He has done for me personally, I am filled with love and gratitude. One of my favorite stories in the Book of Mormon is Alma the Younger. Alma's Father was the prophet at the time, yet he went about teaching/preaching false doctrine. He sought to destroy god's church. However, one day an Angel appeared to him, and he describes this experience to his son later on in the Book of Mormon, saying:

"17 And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.

19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy."
I love this scripture so much! The second that Alma felt as if he had a lost soul, the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ saved him! He was able to repent of his sins and feel of the redeeming love and joy as a result. I know that Jesus Christ really is the light of the world. I am so grateful for this knowledge that I have, and that I can share it with everyone. Jesus Christ can save us from sin, pain, sadness, stres--any feeling we have he can help us! I know that as you simply turn for him in Faith that your life will be filled with love, joy, and hope. Sometimes it seems scary to change, but as rely on our Savior, Jesus Christ it doesn't have to be!! Repentance (change) bring more joy than we can even imagine.

  I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week. Don't forget that Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ, love you all so much more!!

Love
Hermana Duvall

I took this as we were driving to mlc!! Downtown Minneapolis.

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Our district out at lunch at "d-spot". They have really good burgers! The Anderson's are senior missionaries in our district and we love them so much!! 

                 Random video as we were waiting for our car to warm up 

 

The Hmong sisters left this note on our car with the BEST tasting cookies. So sweet of them