October 24, 2016 Families are Forever!

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!
    First off, I would just like to say congratulations to my brother Danny and new sister in law Sarah!! I love both of you so much! I am so happy that you were able to be sealed in the San Diego Temple for time and all eternity!
  This week we didn't have any random things happen to us (like a snake appearing in our study room) and I guess you could say I am grateful for that! It is seriously SO pretty here! All of trees are changing colors, and it is fun actually experiencing a real fall. My favorite trees are the orange ones (that's my favorite color). When I am driving, every couple of minutes I look out the window and say "Ah it is just so beautiful!" It feels like I am driving around in a movie.

Sister Richardson and I saw this really pretty tree so we took a picture in front of it !
We took this picture when we were on exchanges

    
On Tuesday we had exchanges with the STLs. I ended up staying in my area with Sister Richardson. I was pretty nervous because it was the first time I was going to be staying in my area, which meant all of the Spanish work was up to me (Sister Richardson is an English missionary here in Minnesota and doesn't speak spanish). To my surprise, everything turned out okay haha! It was a miracle! I was able to understand everything that was said to me, and I was able to teach two lessons. It surprised me how much I was able to understand and say, and it was fun to realize that I actually can communicate with people in Spanish. But, I know that I wouldn't be able to do this without the help of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! Seriously.
      On Wednesday we had a miracle! All of Wednesday morning we weren't having much success finding people who were interested in hearing our message. We talked to a lot of people, but no one was really interested. We were a little discouraged, so we said a prayer that we might be able to teach at least one person who was prepared and interested in hearing our message before we left the trailer park in Apple valley. The next door we knocked was a lady named Griselda! As soon as we told her we were Missionaries she let us right in! We taught her about prayer and about Jesus Christ. She said she hasn't really made much of an effort to strengthen her relationship with God and Jesus Christ, but that she was going to start by saying her prayers. She is one of the nicest people I have met here, and we are excited to go back and teach her some more!
     On Thursday, we had two awesome lessons with teenagers (who just happen to live next door to each other haha). Both occasions, we were trying to contact their moms, and instead we met their kids! The first guy was Bryan, and he's a senior in high school. We taught him how to pray and he was really excited to pray that night. Later in the week, we followed up with him and he said that saying a personal prayer, and speaking to Heavenly Father, felt amazing! He is really busy with school and theatre right now, but we are hoping that we can meet with him again soon! The next girl was named Aaleyeigh. When we asked if we could share a message with her about Jesus Christ, she let us in and was really attentive. She expressed her love for prayer, and she loved the story of Joseph Smith's prayer being answered! She really wants to meet with us again, but has to get permission from her mom.
     We had a Family Home Evening with la familia Trinidad this week! We were finally able to set up an appointment with them. They were taught by the sisters up in North Minneapolis, and they moved down here a little over a month ago. We had a lot fun together. The kids, Evalyn and Ismael, acted out the story of Nephi building a boat. Laura, their mom, has a really strong testimony and shared a lot of good advice with her kids. We also did a little experiment with water, soap, and pepper. They loved the experiment! Overall, it was a super fun night with them. Laura wants to be baptized; but, she works on Sundays and it is hard for her to make it to church. We are working with her, and hope that she can make it to church soon! Her husband, Mauro, was working when we had the FHE with them. But they were all really excited to continue having FHE every week as a family. I am so grateful for my parents who took time every week (even though all of our schedules were extrememly busy) to have a family home evening. I know that this is an inspired program to help strengthen families all around the world. The time that we spend with our family is time that we will never regret.
    As some of you may have heard my Grandpa passed away this last week. Hearing this news was really sad and a little difficult. The knowledge that families can be together forever has brought be a lot of comfort this last week. This morning I was reading in a talk that was given by Elder Robert D Hales titled, "The Eternal Family" (October 1997 General Conference). He said something that really stuck out to me:
       "The fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ brings great comfort in stressing times of mortality. It brings light where there is darkness and a calming influence where there is turmoil. It gives eternal hope where there is mortal despair. It is more than just beautiful doctrine. It is a reality in our lives that if we can be obedient and obtain the eternal rewards that God grants us, if we will draw nigh unto Him and embrace the eternal doctrine, we will be blessed."
    The reason why the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ can bring us comfort is the simple knowledge that families can be together forever. This is TRUE. This gospel has provided me with so much light in times where I feel like darkness just might overpower me. The hope of Jesus Christ's atonement is a source of this true and eternal light. Because Jesus Christ performed the atonement we can not only be forgiven of our sins, comforted in times of trial or despair, we can overcome death and be resurrected with perfected bodies. What a beautiful truth that brings so much comfort! I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ that Christ established when he was on the earth. I know that through the proper priesthood authority that Families can be sealed for time and all eternity. I know that this life isn't the end. I look forward to the day that I will be reunited with all of my family members and friends who have passed on. Until then though, I am grateful for this knowledge that provides me with the strength to keep moving forward.  I am also so grateful for this opportunity that I have right now to share this this happy, joyful news with the people here in Minnesota.
   I hope you all have a happy, wonderful week! Don't forget to smile and remember that there is always light at the end of the tunnel because of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you all for you support and love. I love you all so much! But more importantly, Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, love you all SO much more!

Con amor,
Hermana Duvall

Hermana Rowland and Hermana Duvall enjoying beautiful weather outside!

Our lesson with Leo later on Tuesday night!

Blurry Zone Picture

The Spanish elders in our zone, Elder Calderwood and Elder Callan's gave me this cake after I received the news about my Grandpa passing away. It was so nice of them! Yes, I did take a piece of the cake and then I remembered that I wanted to take a picture of it haha

We went chalking at a nearby park in Lakeville, North Park! It was the first time Hermana Rowland and I had gone chalking so it was super fun. We tried to attempt chalking the plan of salvation.

THOUGHTS ABOUT MY GRANDPA DUVALL written 10-19-2016 
This morning I was talking to one of my STL's about grandpa. I talked about how he had been in and out of the hospital the past couple of weeks. As I was talking about this, I had a thought come to my mind "Grandpa Duvall is going to be one of your angels who will help you here on your mission." One of the blessings I was promised when I was set apart as a missionary was that I would have ministering angels, some of who would be my ancestors, help me in my missionary work. So this thought didn't seem random or weird, but I think it prepared me to hear about grandpa passing away. I received a phone call from my parents later in the day with this news. When I think about all of the memories and good times with grandpa it makes me smile. Grandpa was always such a happy man; he always had a smile on his face. I remember one time I had the chance to have a dance with grandpa. I don't remember exactly what we talked about or what he said to me. But I do remember the smile he had on his face the whole time, and that he told me that he loved me so much and how proud he was of me. I remember going to hear his band play, and looking up at the stage at grandpa just wondering how he did it all! He can play the saxophone, he can sing, and he can make people laugh! He's a stud. I also remember telling my friends: "my grandpa is in his 80's and still rides around on his motorcycle. He's so cool." Grandpa always gave the BEST advice and always had a story to prove his point; and, I think that anyone who has ever had a conversation with him would agree. I loved listening to his stories so so much. I am going to miss being able to sit on grandpa's lap and listen to his wonderful stories, and talk to him about random things for hours on end. I treasure his all of his advice that he has given me. He always told me to remember who I am-A daughter of God- and that I have a purpose in this life. He always stressed how important it is to continually strengthen your testimony by doing the things that we are commanded to do. There was no just doing anything "half-way" with grandpa. That is what I will always adore about grandpa. I love the fact that whenever he had the chance, he bore his testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel and the reality of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Every time he did, I could just feel the power behind his words. Grandpa is an amazing example of what it means to truly be converted to Christ and His gospel. He didn't just know theses things to be true, he lived it and showed it through his words and actions. Hearing about Grandpa Duvall passing away is really hard and sad. However I feel very, extremely grateful that I am here in Minnesota where Grandpa served his mission and also where he met grandma as well. This first person I talked to after I opened my mission call (and found out I was going to be serving in the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission) was grandpa! He was so happy, and he immediately started telling me about his mission and how he got to be in a musical performing group. He also told me the story of how he met grandma and how she was born in Rochester, Minnesota. So, for me, it is sad that I cannot be together with my family at this time. But I feel at peace and happy that I am in the very place where Grandpa served his mission and met grandma. If grandpa hadn't served his mission, he would've never met grandma, and I wouldn't be here on a mission in Minnesota. There is a rhyme and a reason to God's will, and I know that it isn't just a coincidence that I am serving here in Minnesota. I am so very grateful for the knowledge that I have about the Plan of Salvation, and that I have the opportunity everyday to testify that families really can be together forever. I know that this is true! I know that another angel just joined god's army in heaven, and that grandpa is already up there teaching people the gospel. For me, it's special to think that I am serving a mission alongside grandpa, sharing the same wonderful gospel with those who are searching for truth. I am so grateful for this gospel and for the knowledge it gives me! I am going to miss you so much grandpa, but I am grateful to be a missionary right now just as I know you are as well! 


Hermana Duvall Minnesota Minneapolis Mission

10-17-2016 Cinnamon rolls + Snake in the study

CONGRATULATIONS TO DANNY AND SARAH!!  I love you both so much! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you two this weekend, but I will be celebrating here in Minnesota! I wish you the best!! Have so much fun  celebrating with everyone 🎉 

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

     It was another interesting week here in the land of lots of lakes, lots of rainstorms, and lots of humidity.  To start of my letter, you are all probably wondering why I have the subject line of my email "snake in the study." And, so I don't kill you all of anticipation as to what that means, I will tell you. This morning, right as we were saying our personal prayers to start off personal study, Hermana Rowland yells: "SNAKE!" There was a snake in our study room!! It had gotten itself stuck in a glob of tape that was on our floor. So we ran an grabbed a box that we could catch it in. Then, Hermana Rowland carefully took time to get the tape off of the snake. It took a while to do this, and the snake was obviously not happy. After we got the snake unstuck from all of the tape, we set it free outside, far far away from our house. It is still a mystery as to why a snake showed up inside, but we are hoping that this was only a one time occurrence. I am not a big fan of snakes, so I am really hoping this doesn't happen again haha.

Video Hermana Howland being a life saver to a snake! She is BRAVE!

A SNAKE in our study!!! STUCK IN TAPE!

     This week, we did a lot of work with some of the Less-Active members in our branch. We have a lot of members who aren't able to come to church because of their work schedule. However, more members have been showing up to church recently. It's so awesome! Yesterday, Vivian, her husband Maurian, and their two kids, Aiden and Jade finally came to church!!!!! We have been visiting them for the past couple of months trying to get them to come to church, and they came yesterday!!!! It was so fun to see them happily sitting next to each other in the Chapel. It is really cool to see the difference that the gospel can have in a families life.  They seemed so much happier and unified. They want to be sealed in the temple within the next year! So exciting!! I am so grateful for temples and that families can be together forever. This knowledge has brought be peace time and time again. I am so happy for Vivian and Maurian and for their desire to go to the temple!
      We had a lesson with this lady named Inez this last Wednesday. She has been taught by the missionaries for a long time (we call her an "eternagator"). But this lesson was so awesome! We all felt the spirit really strongly; and, she seemed a lot more receptive and open to the message then before.  We taught her about how God is our loving Heavenly Father and we are all His children. She told us that she loves saying prayers, because she is able to directly talk with God. She expressed to us that she really wants to figure out her purpose in this life. We invited her to pray to Heavenly Father and ask specifically what she can do to further fulfill her purpose that He has prepared for her. She was really anxious to pray and ask God. I know that each and every one of us have a specific purpose in this life. I know that as we pray and ask God, we will receive an answer. It may not always be the answer that we want, but it will be he BEST thing for us!
       The older lady in our branch, Hermana Leonor, ended up in the hospital this week. We went over to visit her on Tuesday with the Elders because she wanted a priesthood blessing. She was very grateful that we came by, and kept saying that it was a "miracle" that the Elders came with us.  She ended up in the hospital the next day with pneumonia. We didn't find out until we showed up at her place on Friday. We visited her on Saturday and brought her un peluche ( a stuffed animal) and starbursts.  She loved them, and wanted the peluche next to her haha. She loves when we sing to her. So we sang a couple hymns to her. We also visited her yesterday and she turned to me and said that when she was younger she had crazy curly hair like me too! We joked how we are long lost twins haha.
       There was a surprise baby shower for a lady in our branch on Saturday. Hermana Rowland and I ended up making about a 4 four dozen cinnamon rolls! It was Hermana Rowland's mom's recipe, and they had chocolate chips in them! They turned out to be a big hit at the Baby Shower, but we still ended up having a lot left over. So, yesterday after church we went and handed some more out to some of our investigators and other members. I was surprised that so many hispanics liked them, because most hispanics are not huge fans of chocolate!

       Throughout my studies this week, I noticed a reoccurring theme: God's love. There is a quote by the Prophet, Thomas S. Monsoon that I feel explains God's love for us very clearly. In the October 2013 General Conference Women session, he said:

          "...Your Heavenly Father loves you--each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there.


                As we seek our Heavenly Father through fervent, sincere prayer and earnest, dedicated scripture study, our testimonies will become strong and deeply rooted. We will know of God’s love for us. We will understand that we do not ever walk alone. I promise you that you will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times, and you will realize that He was always there beside you."

As a missionary, I study in the scriptures every morning and say several prayer every single day. I know that as I have done this, I have felt God's love for me, and for His other children, so much stronger than ever before. This knowledge, God loves us, is such a simple truth that sometimes can be easy to forget. Yeah, we all go through times of difficulty where we may feel like He has abandoned us--that will never be the case. He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to not only atone for our sins, but so Christ would know how to succor His people according to their infirmities, afflictions, and pains of every kind. This is one HUGE example of God's love for us, and there are so many other ways that we can see His love.  I see it every single day, as He guides me to the people that I need to talk to or as I am able to enter into an apartment building at the exact perfect timing to catch an investigator who is leaving. He loves us SO much, that He works out all of the little details to help His will come to pass!! I know that as we trust Him, and the council of the Prophet and His Apostles, that we will always be guided to go in the right direction!


    I love being a missionary!! I am so grateful for my savior, Jesus Christ; and, that I can testify of Him and His redeeming love every single day! I love this gospel so much, and I know that it is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the fulness of the gospel that Jesus Christ established when he was on the earth!


    I hope you all have a wonderful week, and don't forget that I love you all! But ore importantly, Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, love you all SOOOO much more!!


love,

Hermana Duvall

Speaking of cinnamon rolls!!! We handed out so many cinnamon rolls, and we gave two to Leo! Leo is super awesome. I have been sick recently and he has given me some Emergen-C drink stuff to help me get better.

It was Dhayanna's birthday yesterday! We stopped by the party for a little bit and got to talk to some of her relatives. They thought I was 12 and were surprised that I spoke Spanish. It was funny.

Casual Candid Pic with a junkyard in the background

"I was jumping and she just happened to take the picture!  Haha! Perfect Timing!"

Un Barracho!

10-10-2016 "Warming up hearts through music and tights" Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

   I can't believe that I am finally saying this... But this week I wore tights. I've been trying for a while to not accept the fact that it's getting colder and colder every day, but the other day I just had to put on tights. Minnesota's fall is here (and in my mind it seems like California's winter weather). So yay for the cold and tights. Soon enough I will have to be wearing boots, lots of layers, and a huge coat! A member told me that it is supposed to snow this Friday.. knock on wood please!

Hermana Duvall with her new companion,
Hermana Rowland 

Hermana Rowland!! She's from Utah.
Loves theater and loves to sing.
We have lots of fun together!

   Hermana Rowland is my new companion, and I love her so much already! She served here in Lakeville back in October of last year to February of this year, so she knows the members and the area pretty well. This first week has been super fun! One thing that we love doing is singing hymns for people, and it has opened a lot of doors and opportunities this week! Music really does open and soften hearts. For example, this week we were trying to visit this lady named Janeth, but Janeth wasn't home. Her mother-in-law, Francisca answered the door.  Right when she opened the door, Francisca just flat out told us that she was not interested in hearing what we had to say. So, we just asked her if we could sing her a hymn! She let us inside, we sang her a hymn, and then said a prayer with her. And then right as we finished the prayer, Janeth walked in the door! We had a short little discussion with her, and then they both said we could come back! Music changes hearts!

   We weren't able to see Chantel this week. She's been really busy with work and taking care of her kids. She still has a desire to learn; we are probably just going to have to push her date back though because she hasn't come to church yet. 
   On Wednesday we finally got to meet a lady named Maribel. Hermana Brittner and I had been trying to contact her for the past month or so. Then, Hermana Rowland and I finally got to meet her! She was a referral from a long time ago. We taught her about prophets and revelation for the world. She was interested in what we were teaching her, and are going to try back again this week!
We finally had the chance to teach Marian again! She really has a lot of faith and desire to serve God. She has been reading in the Book of Mormon a little bit, but still hasn't prayed about it. She expressed that she loves when we come over, and really wants us to help her understand her purpose in this life! We are hopefully going to see her this week! 
    A couple of weeks ago, we met a lady named Patty Lara. We had an awesome lesson with her, and she was super excited to read and pray about the Book of Mormon! On Saturday, Hermana Rowland and I helped them move houses from Burnsville to Apple Valley. It was super fun helping her unpack all of her things, especially decorations. She had me walk around her house putting pictures, lamps, rugs, etc. where ever I thought they should go. I was basically decorating her house. It was so fun! Patty is awesome! When we were with her she expressed that she wants to learn more so hopefully when things settle down with her moving we can have another lesson with her.

The Montecillo Menor Family!!! Love them so much!  They are hilarious!

    Hermana Rowland and I had the pleasure of teaching the Sunday School lesson and the lesson in Relief Society. So that was fun! Both of the lessons had a similar topic. They were both about strengthening families and how we can do so. Families are so important. I am so grateful for my parents who taught me the importance of relying on the simple truths of the gospel and continually strengthening my own testimony through scripture study and personal prayer! 
     I've been reading through the general conference talks from this last general conference this week. One really stuck out to me. It's by Elder M. Russell Ballard and it's called, "To Whom Shall We Go?" In his talk, he spoke about how there were some of Christ's disciples who chose to not walk with Him anymore because it was too hard for them to follow His teachings. They let their doubts or concerns overcome the things they believed and knew to be true. Christ notices that many of his disciples were choosing to go away, and in John 6:66-67 it says: "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?" 
The question "Will Ye also go away?" sticks out to me. But I would like to add "Will ye choose to stay with me?" Sometimes it is hard to continually follow Christ and His teachings as we are trying to climb a steep, rocky mountain and we may perhaps keep falling. But, what is our ultimate goal when we get to the top of the mountain? Where do we want to end up? For me, I want to make it to the Celestial Kingdom with all my family. I want to be able to live again in the presence of my Heavenly Parents. That is my goal; that is what keeps pushing me forward. The wonderful thing is that we don't have to do it alone either! Jesus Christ is always there to help me, and Heavenly Father will always answer my questions as I turn to Him in prayer. I know these things to be true. I know that we all have a divine role in this life, and sometimes it's difficult to keep moving forward as we try to figure it out. But I know just like that one cheesy quote (that I am going to change just a little bit): "Heavenly Father didn't say this life was going to be easy, He just said it was going to be worth it!" 
    I am so grateful to have this opportunity as a missionary to help others discover their divine worth and potential. I know that this can be found through the simple truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ offers us! Thank you everyone for all of your prayers and your support!
I love all of you. More importantly, Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, love you all so much more! Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Hermana Duvall 

We always take pictures at Costco!

Sister Myer and Sister Card were my STL's
 (Sister Training Leaders)

Goodbye to Sister Card and Hermana Duvall

First Frost! 

"41*!  It got down to below freezing!"
 This California girl is getting nervous!

October 3, 2016 Ninja Stars, General Conference, Transfers

This is a street in Rochester, Minnesota that Elder Esquivel, one of the APs, took for me!!! So fun!! I hope I get to stand on this corner someday! My Grandma Duvall was born and raised in Rochester, MN. My Grandpa Duvall served part of his mission in Rochester MN and my grandparents met in Rochester, MN!

 St. Paul MN TEMPLE TRIP!!!! It was so nice to be able to attend a session at the temple!
 I always feel the spirit so strongly every time I go. I love the temple!!!

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!!

     This week we had A LOT of meetings, so we didn't have as many lessons as we wanted. But we still had some really solid lessons and little miracles this week! First things first, I am not getting transferred! 

I was trying to wink!

My companion, Hermana Brittner, is getting transferred to North Saint Paul and I will be staying here! I am going to miss Hermana Brittner, but we are both excited to see what miracles come to pass this next transfer! My new companion is Hermana Rowland, and I will meet her on Wednesday...pictures to come next week!

     

A ninja star that one of the kids gave me!! Super legit!

Having fun with photo editing and my companion!

Annual Costco Lunch!!

I think I mentioned that we had a lesson with Kyle and Kayla last Monday morning in my last letter. This morning we had another lesson with them!! We started talking about the Book of Mormon with them, and why we have it! Kayla made a really funny comparison to coffee that I thought was clever. She said that she doesn't understand why there are like 50 flavors of coffee, that there should just be one. She related this to the Church of Jesus Christ; there must only be one true church. We then shared Joseph Smith's First Vision, and she loved it!! Kyle really liked it as well because he recognized that Heavenly Father can really answer prayers!! They both are really excited that to read the Book of Mormon! Kyle said his first prayer ever today! It was so sincere and awesome! They are awesome. Sadly, they don't speak Spanish so we have to pass them off to the English Missionaries. It's okay, because they will be in good hands! 
    On Tuesday we were walking around, and Hermana Brittner had a prompting that we needed to knock on a door of the street that we were walking on. So we did that! We introduced ourselves as Hermana Duvall and Hermana Brittner, and she smiled and said "Hola, I am Hermana Patty." ha-ha. She let us right in! We ended up teaching her about the Book of Mormon and about Joseph Smith. She already has a lot of faith in Jesus Christ, which is awesome. She was really excited to learn that she could learn more about Jesus Christ by reading the Book of Mormon! She is moving this next weekend, but said that we could come by and teach her some more when she moves into her other house! She is still going to be in our area, so we were happy to find that out! 
    We met with one of the less-active members in our branch this week. His name is Mario! We just invited him to conference and shared a short message about prophets! When we were talking to him, his little dog Nessy escaped the house. He told us if one of us caught the dog, he would give the winner $10.00!! Who won.... THIS HERMANA! But he didn't give me ten dollars because he said I tricked Nessy. I was just really nice to her, but apparently he wanted me to trace her all around and catch her that way ha-ha.
     We got to teach a lesson to Diana!! She is the lady from Kenya that we met a little over a month ago! She was super glad that we stopped by, and let us right in!  She hadn't had time to read the Book of Mormon (in Swahilian) that we gave to her last week, but she really wanted to learn more about it! So we taught her about the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Throughout the whole lesson, she asked a lot of in depth questions. She really has a desire to learn. We invited her to be baptized, and she said that she would be eventually if she learned that the things we taught her were true!! She is eager to learn more!! We are also going to have to pass her off to different missionaries; but, I am so grateful for each of the experiences that I have had so many chances to teach the Gospel in English and in Spanish! 
      GENERAL CONFERENCE!! General Conference was so awesome! I feel like all of the talks were directed towards me! I watched half of the Saturday Morning Session in Spanish, and that was an experience to say the least. I understood the gist of what each person was talking about, but it was difficult to take notes because I had to really listen to understand. We watched the Sunday Morning Session with Jensen’s. Sister Jensen and Brother Jensen made a really yummy breakfast before Conference started! It was fun watching with them, because it almost felt like I was back at home.  The other two sessions, we watched at the church building. Like I said, I really loved all of the talks, but I especially loved what the Prophet said.  He talked about the Plan of Salvation. He said, "It is the one perfect path to peace and happiness both here and in the world to come." Heavenly Father gives us different experiences for our benefit; and although we may experience sadness, distress, despair, we can also experience so much happiness because of the plan Heavenly Father has given us! Heavenly Father gives us experiences for our benefit, and He loves us so much that He sent his son Jesus Christ to atone for us. I am so grateful for the words of the Prophet, because he reminded me how important it is for us to fulfill our purpose in this life: we are meant to have joy! I know that President Thomas S. Monson a prophet of God, and that his advice (and the advice of everyone else who spoke) is meant for the whole entire world to hear! 
    I am so very grateful to be out here on a mission, because every day I am able to help people learn how they can be happier. It's as simple as that. Heavenly Father wants us to be happy, and I promise that through the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ all can receive happiness!
I love you all so much, but more importantly Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, loves you all so much more! Until next week!
Love,
Hermana Duvall

September 26, 2016 Powerful prayers and birthday celebration

September 26, 2016

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!
 
      This week was another awesome week! I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to be a missionary at this time in my life! I love serving here in the Lakeville area in Minnesota, and I love the people here!

This one is for you Chan! @thekerrfamily 

      We taught A LOT of first lessons this week, and some really cool little miracles.  Last Monday, we were in the Apple Valley trailer park and Hermana Brittner saw this guy standing on his driveway and though that we should go talk to him. So we started walking towards his house, and he like ran inside to his house.  But we knew that there must have been another reason as to why we needed to walk down this street.  There was one house that stood out to us at the end of the street, so we went and knocked on this house.  We ended up meeting this awesome hispanic guy named Eric. At first he was very closed off, but he slowly opened up as we shared with him that Jesus Christ came to the Americas after he was resurrected! We told him about the Book of Mormon, and he was super excited to learn more. We also taught him how to pray.
    I went on exchanges with Sister Richardson on Tuesday, and it was fun to teach some more lessons in English. We met this guy named Tom, and we taught him how to pray! At first he was closed off, but after we taught him how to pray and said a prayer with him he was very grateful that we stopped and talked with him.
   On Wednesday, we had a goal to teach three other lessons, and we only had one scheduled lesson. We were down in Farmington, when we got a phone call (from the person that we were going to have a lesson with) and they cancelled. So, we were just left to doing a lot of finding for the rest of the day. We had time planned on being in this trailer park in Farmington, and we prayed and felt like we need to go to this one street. So we went to Eveleth Street, and we told Heavenly Father that we were going to at least knock 4 doors or teach 4 lessons before we were going to leave the street.  The first door we knocked on was a lady named Angelica, who is from Mexico. She let us right in, and we found out that she had been taught by some missionaries in the past. We taught her about the Restoration of the gospel and she loved the story. We also taught her how to pray, because she had forgotten. Then, we met a lady named Brittany. The second we told her that Christ came to the Americas, she was super interested. We shared a Book of Mormon with her, and she said that she was going to read it that night with her son! We taught her how to pray, and she said that it felt really good to pray. We are going back tonight to teach her another lesson! Then, we saw this boy playing with his Kendama (that wooden hammer thing that you throw the ball that's attached to a string) on his porch. At first, we just wanted to play with it. But we ended up teaching him about the Book of Mormon and how to pray as well. After he said a prayer, Gabe said that it was "refreshing." And that really stuck with me! We have been teaching a lot of people how to pray recently, and sometimes it's crazy to think about how many people don't know how to pray! Prayer has always been such an essential part of my life. I am so grateful that I can help people learn that they have a loving Heavenly Father who wants to communicate with us. Also, it has helped me realize how important it is to actually pray; if you know how to pray, PRAY!!
   We got to meet with Andy again this week! He has been kind of hard to meet with because of his work schedule, but we had an awesome lesson with him! He still wants to meet with us, but we explained to him how important it is for him to personally study and learn even we are not able to meet with him.
    We also had another lesson with Chantel this week! She is solid. Seriously, she already has such a strong testimony and is just soaking in everything we are teaching her! She's so prepared and ready! At the end of the lesson she gave us some brownies and orange juice. It was kind of a funny combination, but they were super good brownies!
    We finally were able to get in contact with Peter and Diana this week! They were the two people from Kenya that we met through a miracle. We brought them a Swahilian Book of Mormon, and Diana was so happy! She said that Peter had been reading in the Book of Mormon, and she had not. But, when we told her that we brought her one in Swahilian, she was so excited! They both were just about to leave for work, but we are planning on seeing them later this week! She said that she was just thinking about us that morning, and then we showed up! Let me tell you, when you follow the spirit, good things happen. It's a given.
     Hermana Brittner's birthday was yesterday so we celebrated!! In the morning, we actually had a lesson with Laura y Mauro, who Hermana Brittner taught when she was back in Minneapolis!

Hermana Brittner - The Birthday Girl

Celebrating our awesome Wednesday with some chocolate milk!! And this was on a ten second timer, so we were laughing about how long it was taking to take the picture haha.

They just moved to our area a couple of weeks ago. So that was a treat for her to get to see them. Our branch got Hermana Brittner this Choco-Flan cake that was decorated and everything. We all sang to her, and it was just super fun! I love the Lakeville Spanish Branch so much; every time everyone is together we just feel like one big family.  Then later last night we celebrated again with the Jensen's (the family that we live in their basement). Sister Jensen made this amazing apple pie that was sooo yummy. You could say that I have eaten way too many sweets these past couple of days... haha
   On Saturday I had the opportunity to watch the General Women's Broadcast, and I loved every single one of the talks. I really loved how they all focused on having a rock solid foundation in the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, because I think that is so important. Living in such a crazy, confusing world it is important to lean on the basics. I especially loved President Uchtdorf's talk. I wish I had the exact quote, but I don't. However, I loved the part when he said we use our eyes to see and ears to hear, but sometimes we forget to seek to understand with our spirits. We need to learn how to "listen differently." As General Conference weekend is coming up, I would like to stress this point. Heavenly Father wants to help us and provide us with answers to our questions; but, if we choose to only listen with our ears we aren't going to receive the answer. I know that as week seem for personal revelation that HE WILL GIVE IT TO US, but that we need to line our will with His will, and then everything will just make sense.  I know that President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God, and has been called a this time to direct the people in the earth. I fully sustain Him, and His apostles, and I am so excited to hear the things that Heavenly Father wants us to learn and understand! I hope you all enjoy Conference, and remember to listen to the Spirit!

I love you all so much. But Heavenly Father, and His son, Jesus Christ, love you all so much more! They both want us to be happy! They don't want us to wander around in the dark!
Until next week!

Love,
Hermana Duvall

Hermana Duvall and Hermana Brittner with Aimee

So many people showed up to church this last Sunday!! It was awesome!! Love all of these women.

This is the famous Leo!! Last week when I was sick he brought me some tea to our lesson with him. He is so awesome!!

With our friend, Leonor!

Here is a video we took as we waited at the door -Some super cool African music! We took this video before Diana answered the door haha. So awesome!

September 19, 2016 Awkward Spanish Phone Call and Lots of Singing

September 19, 2016

Hello my wonderful family and friends!
 
      So fall has finally come, and hot and humid days are very coming to a close. It is raining here a lot, and it is just slowly starting to get colder and colder and colder. I am excited to experience my first Minnesotan Winter! Even though so many people have told me that this is supposed to be a really bad winter. Then they ask me where I am from... and then just laugh and tell me that it's going to be really cold. Thanks?
      Funny Story. So I really don't like talking on the phone to people who speak Spanish, because it's just really hard to understand sometimes. But the other day, one of our investigators (Andy) was calling us back and Hermana Brittner was in the bathroom. We hadn't been able to talk with him in a while, so I answered it before Hermana Brittner came out. I was talking to him and we were just having a regular conversation talking about work and the Book of Mormon. etc. Then all of the sudden he started talking REALLY fast and I didn't understand anything. He asked if I understood him, and I said I understood a little bit. Then, he tried explaining it in English; but, eventually he gave up because it was too hard. It was actually quite funny and we both just laughed. Afterwards, Hermana Brittner told me that she was actually done right after I answered the phone, but she wanted to give me this wonderful opportunity of speaking Spanish on the phone. So yeah, it probably was just funnier for me in the moment, but I just thought I would share :)
   We did a lot of less active work this last week! Last Monday, we got to meet with this amazing lady named, Rossy (sounds like Rosie). She has been less active for a long time. But, she recently decided to ask us to come teach her more about the church because she wants to learn more. She has such a strong desire to figure out for herself if this church is for her. She expressed to us that she wants to learn more about the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and strengthen her relationship with God and Jesus Christ. Overall, this lesson was basically just awesome and we are so excited for her!!! We also visited with Vivian this week! We talked to her about General Conference and the Prophet. She was so excited to hear that we get to listen to the Prophet and His Apostles in about two weeks! It was fun to see how excited she is for General Conference!
  We had an interesting lesson with this guy from Mexico. He's almost 80 years old. His name was like impossible for me to pronounce, so sadly I cannot remember for the life of me. We taught him about the Book of Mormon. He was happy to hear that there is another testament of Jesus Christ, and is excited to read it during this next week. At one point in the lesson one of his sons got home from work, and he turned to us and said "hey, you should teach him about the Doctrine." and continued to tell us that we should marry his son. It was really funny hahaha. We are going over this next Sunday to teach him (and hopefully his wife too)!!

  LEONOR! Ahh, I just love Leonor so much. I think I have mentioned her before, but she's an older lady who grew up in Spain. She has had a really hard life, so she doesn't smile that often. But this week she sang a couple of songs to us!! She's actually a really amazing singer, and apparently she won some competitions back in Spain when she was younger!! We love visiting Leonor every week!!!

    Hermana Brittner and I sang in Sacrament Meeting yesterday. We sang, "I know that My Redeemer Lives!!" When we were singing I just felt the spirit testify to me that it is true. Jesus Christ lives!!! 

    This week we had a zone conference, and we had a lot of really good training that was super helpful and just awesome. Hermana Brittner, Elder Callahan, and I sang a song. We had about 15 minutes to prepare the song, "Abide With Me" but it turned out really good!  

One of the main things that I loved about the Zone Conference was how almost every message that was given was centered on Jesus Christ. This is a very simple spiritual thought, but I think it is something that is easily forgotten. And one thing that I have noticed is just how much happier life is when you are using the Atonement of Jesus Christ weekly.  The Atonement isn't just for forgiveness of our sins, but it is to help us with literally everything we think or feel. In 2 Nephi 31:20 it says, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." I think this scripture describes how all of us want to feel.  I know that we all want to be happy; we all want to have a perfect brightness of hope; we all want to feel loved. And guess what? We can have that with the help of how savior Jesus Christ. Yeah, life is difficult and there are some curveballs that hurt, but that doesn't mean we can't be happy through it. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love each and every one of their children, and I know that they do not want us to be sad. So, remember that the Atonement applies to each and every one of us, not matter what.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and happy week! I love all of you! But more importantly, Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ love you all SO much more!!
Love,
Hermana Duvall

"Yeah for being sick!"

Hermana Brittner wasn't sick but joined the Gatorade gang!"

9-12-2016 Miracles upon Miracles

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!! 

This one is for Bailey Scott and Bryce Baugh!!  Russian Book of Mormon!

   I hope everyone had a fantastic week, and were able to recognize God's hand working in your lives! This last week was another really good week with a couple of little cool miracles! We stayed with another set of sisters all of last week, and it was so much fun! We got a lot closer. One night, there was this HUGE STORM (I know I always mention really big storms in my emails home... I guess they happen a lot here). But there was this siren that was going off outside of the apartment, and it woke us up. We thought it was a warning for a tornado, but it wasn't. So, we went back to bed about 15 minutes later. Then the storm just HIT, and for the rest of the night it was thundering and lightening all through the night. I didn't get much sleep to say the least haha. 

Homemade enchiladas!! Yum.. Except we definitely made them more Americanized haha

   We moved back into our place Saturday night, and we are happy to be back where all of our stuff and beds are haha. It was sad leaving the other Sisters apartment though, because we had a lot of fun together! The weather here is slowly starting to get colder...and colder...and colder... so that's kind of exciting. I don't think I am mentally prepared for this Minnesotan winter haha.

   We had an amazing miracle last Monday, after P-day ended! We were on our way from Apple Valley to Burnsville and we were passing this Apartment complex that wasn't in our plans to visit.  Hermana Brittner turned to me and said that she felt that we need to go visit a less active member who lived there. So we turned the car around, and went to the apartment building. We accidentally parked in front of the wrong apartment building; so, we had to walk a little bit to get there. When we got to the entrance of the building there were these two people carrying a TV in, and we held the door open for them. They took the elevator; we took the stairs up to the 2nd floor. We walked all the way down the hallway to the last door (because that's where the lady we were going to visit lived). Then all of the sudden the same 2 people that we helped with the TV are walking down the hallway. One of them yelled out to us, "We're coming!" We ended up talking with them for a little bit and teaching them about the Book of Mormon. Their names are Peter and Diana. They are both from Kenya, and are currently working as nurses. They moved here to the US a little while ago, but to this specific apartment just a week before we met them! They are awesome! We gave them a Book of Mormon in English, and they said they would love to have us come back and teach them more! We ordered and got a Shawilian Book of Mormon for them that we are going to give them when we see them next! 

English, French, Arabic(I think), Thai, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, and we have a Shawilian Book of Mormon not pictured!!! 

    On Wednesday, we brought one of the members in our branch, Alma, out teaching with us.  We were waiting to get into this apartment building, and then someone was leaving the building so we were able to get inside!! Alma turned to us and said something along the lines of, "Wow, you girls just have doors opened for you! I guess that's what you get when you are serving the Lord." I had never really thought about how blessed we really are, as missionaries, to just have doors open for us when we need to get into apartment buildings! Heavenly Father is amazing, and when we are where we are supposed to be, doing what we are supposed to be doing, miracles happen! We ended up teaching one of Alma's friends, Abby. We have a return appointment with Abby this week! 

     We had an AMAZING lesson with this lady name Chantel. She has three kids, one 7 year old boy, a 5 year old girl, and a 1 year old baby girl. All so cute and fun. She works with two members in our branch, and asked for us to come over and teach her! So of course, we went over. We taught her about the Godhead and how they are three separate beings but one in purpose. At first she was a little confused, but as we continued to explain it seemed that this wash of understanding came upon her face. That was cool to see. We taught her about the Restoration, and the Book of Mormon, and how to pray! The whole lesson she was practically finishing all of our sentences. We invited her to be baptized, and she said she would if she was ready by then!! We are so excited for her, and she is so excited as well! 

      Something that I have been learning over and over again here, is how important the Savior's role is in everyone's life! There's a scripture that I came across this morning in my personal study, and I just love it. It's in Alma 5:60. It says: "And now I say unto you that the good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold, and ye are his sheep; and he commandeth you that ye suffer no ravenous wolf to enter among you, that ye may not be destroyed." The Savior is literally CALLING OUT to all of us. I just love the wording of that because it is so true! He is our brother and he wants to help us. When I think about this, I think about my sister and my brothers, and how I know that they are always willing to help me no matter what time, or where I am at, or what I need help with. Jesus Christ is like this, and He wants us to know and remember that he is here to help us with whatever we need! He will joyfully bring us into his arms and change our lives.  He doesn't want us to suffer. He doesn't want us to be sad. He doesn't want us to feel like we don't deserve the help. Because that is SO NOT TRUE. Being a missionary, I have been able to see firsthand how the Atonement of Jesus Christ can just change someone completely, and help them be happier. That's what He wants. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to have joy. He wants us to come unto to Him and partake of his redeeming love. I know this to be true. I love my Savior Jesus Christ so much. I have felt His redeeming love change me day by day and how I am so forever grateful for Him. 

I love you all so much! But more importantly Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, love you all SO MUCH MORE! Have an amazing week. I am praying for you all! 

Love,
Hermana Duvall

Cool car dude haha