Teaching English

Hi mom!

  Well our week has been amazing!  It went by fast, but it was good!  English classes start tomorrow and then they are every tuesday!  I'm super excited about that!  We have been teaching quite a bit!  I am getting more and more confident and I just love feeling that the lord is blessing me with the ability to learn and to change!  it is awesome to see!  well, I only see it when someone points it out, but I do deffinately feel more comfortable!  hehe

           The weather is finally cooling down! We were at 99 a couple of days ago but these past two days have been in the 70's!  I am so excited about that!  I told them that I was readdy to use my bike and get some good excersise going!!  hehe we will see what the Lord has in store for me!

        I did get your letter with Adri's Pictures and I thought that they were beautiful!!  she is just georgous!!  I want some of the rest of the family too!! hehe So how come I haven't heard from dad lately? and the rest of the Family? what are you doing?  hehe so is all of Wendover one congregation now?  You all meet at the same time?  hehe yeah, I will get it one day!!

       ok, this week we got five more baptism dates so in total, we have 8!  We are so excited but the hardest part is that they aren't going to church!  We had three come to church this week but they don't have baptismal dates!  hehe do you see the problem there!?!  hehe anyway, that was such a beautiful miracle because they have been having a hard time with the Book of Mormon so we told them they have to try it and test it out to see if it is true.  so they have been reading, and they came to church!!  We just keep praying that they will have a wonderful experience and be able to feel of the difference!  They are so wonderful though!!  they are so sweet and nice and they just really love when we come over.  Their daughter is a member (just 20 days younger than Adri) got baptized last year and wants to go on a mission right when she turns 19!  She was like screaming when the prophet made that announcement.  Her parents are very supportive of her so we will see if they have the faith to find thier answer and be baptized!

      I just want you all to know how very much I love you and that I know that this church is true.  I am so greateful that I have this opportunity to serve my Father in Heaven and show him how much I love him!  I hope that you are all doing super great and I can't wait to hear from you!!  Love you so much and I can't wait to hear back from you!!

 

Love you,

           Hna. Higley

mostly pics

I hope you have enjoyed some of these pics!!  it is us with our district and some other people!!  hehe I will send you my flash drive again with some of my letters that I would like you to save for me!  if you could just put all of the pics onto my comp. and then erase them from the flash drive and then send it back to me so that I could fill it up again, that would be really great!!  Thank you so much!!  oh, can you send me the lol- i- pop principle lesson so that we can help one of our investigators try it.  Thank you!!

Locked out

oh mom,

     you are so cute!!  You can send me a letter this week and it will still get to me! lol  This is our last week of this transfer, but we don't change until next thursday.  So not the 11th, but the 18th.  We get calls this saturday that will tell us if we stay or go and then sunday is the training calls.  Then we just meet at the chappel on Thursday and find out where we are going and who our companion is!  So this week will be normal and fine. On monday I will let you know if I am staying or going and then we will figure things out from there. 

    I'm so sorry that everyone has been getting sick, that is no fun.  I hope you don't get it either!  I am really excited to see her pictures!!  I'm sure they turned out just wonderful!! 

    Conference was soooooo good!!  I was so shocked when they changed the age!  Adri could go right after I get home!!  well, almost!!  How cool is that!?! It was so cool because we had two investigators show up to conference!!  oh, Thank you so much for sending me that Pero!  Saturday inbetween the sessions, we went and taught Pablo.  We had him give us his coffee and we gave him the Pero.  He didn't really want to but he said that I want to show the Lord that I am ready to change and that I love him.  How cute is that!?!  When he showed up to conference sunday morning, the first thing that he said was "Hermana, no me gusta la pero."  hehe but he promissed us that that was all that he would drink!!  He even went out and bought one of those electric cigarettes to help him quit smoking!  if he does it, and stops smoking, he could be baptized this weekend!  I have the faith that the Lord will help him and I am so very excited for him!!  Then we have a 15 yr old investigator that went to hear the prophet speak!  he said that he really loved it too!  We promissed him that if he would but god first and go, he would help him finish his homework so we will have to see how that went!  hehe I know that the Lord is here working miracles in this area and I am so very excited to bring this wonderful invstigators into the waters of baptism!  I really did love conference though.  I loved Elder Holland's talk on if we love Christ and if we do then we are going to turn our back on all the worldly influences and serve him with everything we got.  That is what I want to do!

     On Thursday there was a Leadership Conference and Hna. Arguello was invited so I was on exchanges with sister scrivner and it was really cool because she is on her first transfer so I kind of had to be the Senior Companion and all the citas that we had in spanish, I had to do because she doesn't know spanish!  It went really good!  I had to rely on the Lord so much and he helped me to realize that with him, nothing is impossible.  I can be Senior Companion, if need be!!  I can speak spanish if I just focus on what he wants me to do!  it is really just so amazing!

    Funny story,  we are starting up an english class to get more investigators and we met with the first councelor in the bishopric and Hna. Arguello locked the keys in the trunk!  We had to wait there for about an hour till, they broke into it!  hehe so funny, i wish I would have taken a pic of it!  Then sunday morning around 7:30, we hear a really loud knock on the door and someone had made us breakfast and dropped it off!  It was so nice!  I think that it was our district leader, but we have no idea!  it was just super sweet and made us feel very appreciated and loved!  

    I know that the Lord is preparing me to help prepare his army in this next generation.  I know that The Lord is stronger than Satan and that we all have a very vital and important part here in this work and we can't loose sight of that.  Everyone here on earth choose Jesus in the Premortal Life, we just have to help them remember that.  Our job is to save them and to love them.  Even the one that persecute us. 

    Right now with the Paez family, we are teaching them that principle of loving your enemys because that is the thing that is holding him back from being baptized.  We had them read Uchtdorf's talk from last conference, the merciful with get mercy, and then we shared some stories.  It went so well and I think that we broke one strand of the rope that is tying him down.  We have a little ways, but I know that we can do it.  I shared with them my struggles with Christian and how I just hated him for all these years and then how I felt that I had to start writing him every P-day.  I told them that it was really hard to do it at first and to tell him that I loved him, but as time has been going on, I have felt that love become more real.  God does help us when we ask him to and I know that he puts people in our lives for a reason.  Not only that but sometimes he gives us trials so that we can help others get through them as well and I really think that this is one of those times.  For that reason, I'm not sure if I will be transferred, but I told the Lord that I would do whatever he askes of me.  So I am still writing Christian every Monday and I am working as hard as I can to help these people and to bring them unto christ!  I love it!!  I love serving the Lord, and I Love being your daughter!  I have truely been raised by goodly parents and I am so glad to bear your name and Christ's as I go about doing his work!  Thank you for all that you do!  I love you so much!!  Have a really great day/week and don't get sick!  hehe Love you!!

 

Hna. Higley

Everything we got

Mom,

    Dang!!!  Adri looks good!! I love those pics!!  I can't wait till I get to see them all!! hehe  Thank you for sharing them with me, I really can't believe that she is a senior!!  My little sister/best friend is almost done with school and off to college!  I really can't belive it!!  Don't worry mom, I consider you and Sara and the rest of the Family as my Best Friends too!  That is fun that Alex and Michelle were willing to do it! So cool!!

    The work here is going amazing!  We are teaching and working and just getting to really love and help the people.  We are teaching this one investigator who really wants to get baptized.  He has come to church enough times but we have to keep moving his date because he hadn't given up smoking yet.  On saturday when we went there for our appointment, we asked him how many cigarttes he had smoken.  He said two.  We told him that they were his last ones.  Then we asked him if he had a pack of cigaretts and if he could bring them out to us.  He did and we told him that we were going to take the box and decorate it with Jesus, temples, church things, and we were going to write scriptures and roll them up and put them in the box so that every time he had the desire, he could look at the box, think  of the blessings, read the scriptures and not have that desire any more.  He really liked that idea.  Then he asked us what we were going to do with the ones that were in the box.  We asked him to get a glass of water and then break one into it.  we let it sit there for a while and then had him drink the water.  he said that it was really gross and we told him that that was what he was putting in his body every time he smoked.  We told him to remember that taste every time he wanted to smoke and he said that if he does, he would never want to smoke again.  That is what we are hoping for!!  Anyway, we had him break the rest up and throw them in the trash and say a blessing that he could have for everyone that he does.  he did it!!  He came to church on sunday and we had him talk to a convert that had to give up smoking and we got him a blessing and he hadn't smoked or even boughten another packet that whole day!!  Then he came to the baptism that night and he really just wants to be baptized!!  he is such a cute, humble, little man and I love him so much!!  his name is Pablo and he is the one that we just stopped and talked to him on the street who had gotten the finding faith in christ DVD but the previous missionaries hadn't followed up with him!!  Anyway, Hna. Arguello and I are so excited for him!!  At the baptism last night, Hna. Arguello and I had to give the Missionary moment and it was in spanish!  I was so nervous and President was there, but it went really good.  The spirit was so strong and it helped me to calm down so that I was able to speak and say what I needed to.  I know that the Lord is helping and guiding me here doing his work and I am so very greateful for that.  There is no way that I could do it on my own!!  Well, I love you so very much!!  I am so excited for conference and I hope that you are too!!  Have such a wonderful week and know that I love you and that the Lord will guide and direct you, all you have to do is ask with the intention to act.  I love you so much!!

 

Hermana Maddy Higley

Yari's Baptism

mom,

    I am so excited that they took 2nd place!!  That is so amazing!!  I really wish that I could have been there!!  Congrats to them!!  That really is so exciting!!  Enrique is going to have hand-cuffs!?!  That is crazy!!  I hope he passes!! does he still have como?  how is the singles thing going?  So how many braches are there now?  here we only go to our one ward and we just work with them.  I really like our ward a lot!!  one of our members is from Guatemala and he gave hna. Arguello and I those leather scripture cases!!  how nice is that!!  I really love them a lot!! 

 

We didn't watch the dedication, we went to a Baptism for one of Hna. Arguello's old investigators!  That was super awesome!  So you went to the dedication?  You went to Brigham city?  What is a green card?  hehe man, I feel dumb!!  Rain sounds wonderful!!  The other day, it was over cast but we didn't get any rain!!  not to mention that it was still in the hundreds!!  People have been saying that after september it cools off.  man, I sure hope so!

 

Man, I really can't believe that Adri is a senior!!!  That is crazy!!  yeah, I do want an invitation to her graduation and pics of her!!  sports, school, graduation, lo que sea.  I just want to be able to feel like I am there through all the wonderful steps that everyone that I love is making!!  I love and miss you all so ver much but I know that this is where I am suppossed to be right now.  I know that the Lord has a plan for me and I know that he will help me accomplish it. 

 

Well, we are in the fourth week of this transfer so in three weeks, we will know if I stay or go.  I told the Lord that I would do what he wants but that I would really like to stay with Hna. Arguello!!  hehe we will see what happens!!  We had a really amazing opportunity to be able to meet with the mom of our investigators.  She hasn't been letting them come to church but after meeting with her, she said that she would take them this sunday and that she would go too!!  We are so excited about that and we really hope that it happens!!  I know that the Lord is working miracles here in our area and I know that as we continue to grow our faith, he will continue to bless us and work more and more miracles!!  I love you all so very much and I  can't wait to hear from all of you!! 

 

Cuidate!!

 

Hermana Higley

Giving up old habits

mom,  I am really sorry that you aren't feeling too well :(  I hope that the family is taking care of you and helping you to get everything done that you need to.  Good thing that you have good officers to help you with your opening social/fireside! That makes me happy!! 

 

The team placed 5th at St. Joe!?!  That is so exciting!!  I am so very proud of them!!  I know that Adri is leading them to where they need to be!  I really wish that I could go to the Wendover tournament this weekend, that is always fun!

I'm glad that lalo is working in the laundry,  that was my favorite job, beside making pizza! lol  I am really excited for him to have such a good future ahead of him!  Thank you so much for giving him that opportunity and for showing him that he can do anything when christ is on his side!  That is the coolest thing that we have!  Well, the gospel and our families!!  hehe I just love it all!!

 

ok, so things over here are going so wonderfully! Transfers are the 15th of October and I really want to stay here!  But I told the Lord that I will do whatever he wants! hehe  We are learning a lot and we are teaching a lot!  We taught this amazing lesson last night to a young man (19) who just got out of jail and we taught him about how he could be cleansed of everything that he had ever done!  It was so amazing.  He was so intent on doing it and he said that he really wanted to be able to change his life.  That he didn't want to continue going where he was heading, but he didn't know what else he could do!  Tada, that is why we are here!!  He had so many good questions and he said that he went to "church" while he was in jail but all the preachers just confused him.  We were able to clear up a lot of things about how babies are innocent and how God loves all of us and how we can repent and the attonement.  Man, I can't explain how awesome it was it was just such a good feeling to help someone realize that there is more than just going through life.  That god loves them and that he is always there for them!!  I just really loved being a part of that!!  he is on parole right now so he can't be baptized for a while, but he is going to be changed through the attonement and that is really the beautiful thing that we have as members of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints!  I love sharing that with people!!

 

We have an investigator who wants to be baptized but he keeps smoking.  he has gone down a lot though!  he really doesn't smoke as much as he used to but we have to keep changing his date because he does that and he doesn't come to church eather :( one day, everyone will realize their actions have consequenses!!  hehe  I just really love the work that I am doing and I love hearing from all of you!!  I'm sorry that you aren't feeling too well and I hope that you get feeling better soon!!  I love you so very much and I will talk to you soon!!

 

Hermana Higley

Birthday Surprise

Mom, 

            I can't believe annie had another baby!!  I didn't even know that she was pregnant!!  That is so exciting!!  They are so cute and asher is just huge!!  he is a doll though!!  hehe ok so last monday was awesome!  We told Hna. Arguello that we were going to do a service project as a district and then I took the keys and drove.  She knew that something was up but she didn't know what.  I had snuck some socks into my bag cuz we were going to go bowling, but apparently she saw me and snuck some into her bag as well!  hehe anyway, the elders called me and told me that the bowling alley was full so we just met at a ice cream shop right next to the bowling alley.  The whole zone was there, which surprised me, and we sang to her and Elder Chadburn-our District Leader-bought us both ice cream!  He is such a good missionary and person!  So she thought that that was all that I was going to do for her birthday so when I woke up early, made her breakfast and decorated the door for her, she was very surprised!  I felt bad because I was just exhausted. I didn't set the alarm because I didn't want to wake her up when I got up early, I was just going to wake up, so I couldn't sleep well that night.  anyway, the pancakes that I made her, I burned.  the eggs that I scrambled for her, I put too much milk.  and the bacon I cooked for her I burned.  man, felt really bad but she was so wonderful about it!  She was just happy that I loved her enough to do something like that for her.  I made some things that were edible for her though!  hehe I also recorded somethings on a recorder for her so that when she woke up, she listened to that right away! hehe  Then  Hna. Paez made us some dinner for her birthday and one of the other members bought her an ice cream cake!  She has so much sweets that she keeps sharing with me that there is no way that I will loose weight!!  at least I am still not gaining any so I am still down 15lbs from when I started, but man, I have been out for 6 months now!! Anyway, it had been really cool to see all of these prayers answered!  I have been noticing my spanish increasing imensely and I know that the lord is answering yours and my prayers on that one.  It is really cool to be able to hold conversations with people and to know what is going on!  It rained here on tuesday like all day and that was very cool!  it felt good!!  So I had been praying really hard to feel of the love that Heavenly Father has for me and for all of his kids and this past week I recieved more letters than I have before.  It was wonderful to know that the lord does hear and answer our prayers and when he answers them, he puts it into your thoughts that hmn... that was my answer!  I know that my heavenly Father loves me and that he has placed me here for a reason.  I know that he hears and answers my prays as I continue to follow him and I know that with him, I can make miracles happen.  I have seen it, especially as I strive to work hard and to do his will.  I know that we are on the Lord's Erand and that he said that it wouldn't be easy, but it would be worth it and I can definately see that!  I know that this is where I am suppossed to be and I know that I am changing to become more like christ and I just love that!  Thank you so much for all of your love and support and for everything that you have done for me.  It really does mean the world to me and I love you so very much!!  Thank you!!

 

Hna.  Higley

A plan for everyone

mom,
it's ok though, President changed the transfers on us. so instead of getting transferred on Monday, we move on thursday and we don't know who our new companion will be or where we will go until that day!  hehe kind of hectic, but I think that I will like that a lot better! So we have another transfer here together which I am so excited about because we get along so very well and we have a lot of investigators that are really going to get baptized!!  Speaking of baptisms,  I had my first one last night!  It was so crazy!  Such a miracle though!  So this is Hna. Paez the one that we have been teaching for a really long time and she is terrified of water.  Her son got baptized in April and that is when she first noticed the church because he changed drastically to be able to get baptized!  Anyway, on Tuesday we had an amazing lesson on faith with her and her husband and we asked her to be baptized on the 16th and she accepted!  her son Jose was there and he was like "mom I would feel better about it if you would pray about it and see when God wants you to be baptized" we were like yeah do that and then you can tell us on Thursday when we come back! So we go back on Thursday and she says that she prayed and she wants to do it on the 9th.  "The sooner the better" she said.  So we were like ok!  hehe and we started making the program.  Then at District meeting on Friday one of the Elders in our district was having a baptism on sunday so they said that she could do it with them.  We were like:"uhhh we don't know if that is too soon." So at like 2 on Friday we went and asked her and she said that Sunday would actually be better because her son was moving and wouldn't be able to make it on the 9th!  So we set it all up, she had her interview on saturday from one of the AP's and when they came out of the interview they both acted like she didn't pass and Hna. Arguello and I were freaking out untill they started laughing.  Man, they were so rude! hehe anyway, Yesterday comes and they didn't show up to church so we think that something is wrong!  The baptism is suppossed to be at 4, right after church and we wouldn't have time to go after church to there house to see what was wrong so we just did it right during sunday school(We live 20 min. from the church) We got there and they were wondering what was wrong.  She thought that we had to cancel her baptism or something.  We told her that we just wanted to make sure that everything was ok and that they still had a ride and why they didn't go to church on her baptism day and they said that it was because they went to go to church and realized that they only had enough gas for one trip so they had to choose between going to church and her baptism.  So they chose her baptism.  It was sad to hear that, but she doesn't have a phone so there was nothing else that could have been done. next time we will find them a ride!  Anyway, she got baptized last night!!  it was such an amazing experience and she was so happy!!  it was amazing because she is terrified of water, but after she received her answer and knew that the church was true, she practically jumped into the font! So cool to be able to experience that!  I gave the talk on Baptizm in spanish and my comp and I sang mas cerca dios de ti.  I sang the first verse, she sang second and then we both sang third!!  We also wrote a song together and I cant wait to sing it to you!  it is about missionary work and it is to the tune of come thou fount!  I love being a missionary and being Companions with Hna. Arguello!!  We had another miracle with an investigator that we are teaching we just met with her for the second time and taught the plan of salvation.  she is 16.  We explained it all and how much god loves her and she just started crying.  She said that she can see now how much he really loves her because it all made sense.  She committed to get baptized on the 23 of September!!  I really hope it happens!  She is reading the book of mormon and asking really amazing questions!  I know that the lord is protecting and blessing us everyday and I am so very grateful for it!  I love serving him and I can't wait to bring more souls unto Christ!  I love you so very much and I hope that you are having such a really wonderful day/week!  You are in my prayers, along with the rest of the Family!!  Give the boys birthday hugs for me and tell them that I love them!  kisses for you! and hugs!!  Love you lots!!

Hermana Higley

Follow the Spirit

I really am so very happy for adriana, she looks good and is playing very well!!  And DJ is Driving!?!  oh, no!!  We better warn the city!!  hehe no that is just very crazy!!   I'm sad that Anthony got sick, that is just no fun at all!  I am happy that they got to stay with you for a while though!  they are so big!!  I really can't believe it!! and Enrique is going to have really good success in his calling, I just know it!  The lord blesses us for our efforts!

 

Yeah so I just realized that I only have five minutes left so this is going to be really short! sorry!  We had such an amazing week! after zone conference, I was praying so hard that I would be able to recognize the spirit telling me what to do and to be able to do it.  I felt it and I followed what it said.  Now, there wasn't a great big experience or anything but it just feels great when I follow the spirit and who knows, maybe someone realized something.  I know that I am definately learning how the spirit talks to me and it is an awesome feeling!!

 

We worked so hard and taught 30 lessons this week!!  That is the most that I have ever had in a week before and I hope that I can continue to work that hard or even harder!!  there were two days where we taught 7 lessons!!  Crazy!!  Well, yesterday two of our really solid investigators went to church and stayed for the full three hours!!  The first time that that has ever happened for one of mine!!  plus, their son told us that the mom wanted to get baptized but that she wanted to wait till tomorrow to tell us!!  I hope she feels the same way tomorrow!!  Sorry that this was so short but just know that I am working hard and that I love you all so very much!  The Lord blesses us everyday, we just have to look for what it is!!  I love you and It was great talking to you mom!!  I will talk to you soon!!  Love ya!!

 

Hermana Higley

Changes, hair cuts!!

mom,

    I am so glad that Jim is letting you take off all the games to see adri play!  That is so good!!  I know that I just loved it when you were at mine!  take some good pics and just keep me updated!!  lol  I'm sorry that you had to go and by a new recorder for that tape, but I am glad that you got to listen to it and that I am going to hear all of your voices as well!!  I just love it!!  I'm so happy that there are so many new single adults that enrique can be in charge of!!  he is just going to love it and you will have to let me know how it goes!! 

    

wow! Kody gets sentenced this week!!  please let me know how that goes and what is going to happen with toni.  It has been such a long process and I really hope that they both can take this time to heal and to really change.  to use the atonement.  so crazy!!  Anyway, Family day was my favorite!  it's cool that you were able to take Lalo with you and too bad that dad couldn't go :(

 

Everything here is just going amazingly well!!  Can you believe that I will have been out 6 months the first of september!?!  That is just crazy!!  time flyes by so very fast!!  So, I haven't been able to have a baptism yet but I was really thinking about it and I am not ashamed of my mission at all.  Just in the sense that I know that I have been doing what I need to to bring about miracles here in my mission and I have seen them!  and just because I haven't baptized anybody, doesn't mean I am not a good missionary.  Yeah, I know I'm not the best and I have a lot of improvement to do but I know that everyday I try my hardest and I have been able to touch peoples lives!  Yesterday, one of the sisters that we have been visiting came to church after being inactive for a couple of years!  That really made my heart swell as we sat next to her during sacrament.  I think that this past week has been a really hard one for me because I don't know spanish like I think I should and I get down on myself because of that.  I just felt bad because my companion felt like she had to do everything because there are times that I have no idea what is going on!  anyway, I have been praying so hard that I will just be able to understand their needs and respond accordingly and I have been able to have a calm and peaceful feeling as we teach.  I love it!

 

So last week, or the week before, I can't remember.  I cut my hair and after styling it for a few days, I realized that I looked like a boy and that it was crooked!!  one side was way loticably longer than the other one so I decided to have my companion cut it.  Well, needless to say, she doesn't know how to cut hair so it just went shorter and shorter.  so i finally was just like whatever I'll just have to spike it.  The next day was zone conference and I was terrified of what President would say.  we walk in and he just says "I love you haircut Hna. Higley."  I was so happy.  I just felt relieved that I wasn't doing anything bad and that he was upset or ashamed about it.  Anyway, needless to say, it is still crooked but I know that it will grow back and then I can fix it even more!  hehe  I will send you pics but one day it will be how I want it to be!

 

So i'm not sure if I told you this or not, but i am going to tell you again if I did!  We were walking and found a guy there in the parking lot and he was walking very determinedly and we stopped to talk to him.  anyway, he had his bible with him and he had met with missionaries before one time and he ordered the movie, but he didn't know what to do next and then we asked if we could set up an appointment with him.  well we went back to the appointment and he loved it and believed that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is the word of god and he just wanted to be baptized!  Miracle!  So we have been teaching him and we met with his daughter on saturday and she wants to get baptized too!!  another miracle!  anyway, this family has been prepared by the lord and we can tell that they just really want to do what is right and follow Heavenly Father!  His name is pablo and he was sad when we had to move his baptismal date back a couple weeks but I think that it will really inspire him to live the Word of Wisdom and to fully comit to doing the right!  He also told us that he knows that there aren't coincidences with God and that he met us for a reason.  I just love that family!!

 

Well, another week has come and gone and I just want you to know that I know (more than I did last week) that this church is true and that God is preparing people to be ready to enter into the covenant of baptism.  I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers according to our faith and I know that I am doing the will and work of the Lord.  I know how I can increase my faith even more and I am so very greateful for that opportunity that I have.  We are so blessed and loved by our Father in Heaven and I know that with him anything is possible!!  I love you so very much!  I thank you for your prayers, Love, and support!!  That really keeps me going! Along with letters!!  hehe I love you so much!!  Have a wonderderful day at the wedding!!  Let the Family know that I love them!  Especially Raquel!!  Have a wonderful week and let me know how everything goes.. Volleyball, FHE, Kody's hearing, with Sara and the Boy's there!  Just let me know!  Love ya lots!!

 

Love Hermana Higley

Families

Mom, I did get it and I am so thankful for that!!  I will get some more pictures out to you soon!!  I just want you to know that I too, cut my hair!!  hehe we probably look like twins!!  You should send me a pic!!  Anyway, a lady in our ward cut all of our hair and she cut mine really short!!  which I did want, but she cut it really crooked so now I am trying to decide if I want to go shorter or leave it really crooked!!  hehe  anyway, that is not super important at the moment, just something that I would like to get fixed!! 

 

I am so happy that you gave him a birthday surprise and that he is calling you mom and dad!!  he needs to know that we love him so and that his Father in Heaven loves him even so much more!  it is just awesome! We have been having some awesome miracles here in Canyon Country and I am just so very happy!!  My companion and I are just really enjoying the time that we have together!!  I have so many stories that I want to share but I don't know if there is enough time!!  hehe I will definately try my best!  lol first off, for everyone that is wondering,  I can get through my prayers most of the time!!  hehe I love praying but when I think of what happened, I just burst out laughing!!  it was so hillarious!!

Ok, on the serious note, we have some super awesome investigators right now and five of them went to church yesterday!!  We were so super excited!!  Two of them are the Paez family.  Well they are the parents of jose(a recent convert as of april. 20 yrs old) They have been listening to us for about the whole time that I have been here and I think that they are going to take the step of baptizm!!  We have talked to them about it and they said that they feel that it is right, they said that they would obey the word of wisdom and she said that she wouldn't have her virginsita (kind of, we are still working on that) but they don't want to commit to a date just yet because she is terrified of water!  We don't know what to do!!  She watched her son get baptized and she said that there was now way!  That she wanted to just take a shower!  hehe we explaind authority and everything and we told her that her son could do it (because he has been given the priesthood) but she is just so scared.  She started sweating when we talked about it so we are going to teach them about blessings and the covenant that we are making and how she can get a blessing before she gets baptized to take away that fear!  Hopefully she accepts because I know that that is what Heavenly Father wants for her!

 

We then had an awesome first lesson with a new investigator named pablo and he wants to be baptized on sept. 2nd!!   That was such an amazing story!!  is!!  hehe we were walking and we stopped to talk to this man.  he is 50 and he told us how he had talked to missionaries before and how they had given him one of the pass along cards with jesus on it with the number to call for the free movie and how he called the number, watched the movie and loved it!  but he didn't know how to talk to them any more (the missionaries) they didn't leave him their number, get his address, or come back to visit him so he didn't know what to do and had just been praying to not be one of the lost sheep that he reads about in the bible.  We set up an appointment and met with him on saturday and he loved the first lesson.  we asked him to be baptized and he told us that he had been baptized when he was little and if it was ok for him to get baptized again and we told him yes and he got so excited.  he asked us what he had to do and he said that he wants to come to church and he was just so ready for us!  I know that the lord has prepared him and that he really wants to follow the right path!!

 

Then we started teaching a family!!  It is really beautiful to teach a family because they can all be there for each other!  One thing that is interesting about this family is that the oldest daughter is a member.  She is 17 but like two weeks ago the dad found out that he had another daughter who was 19 and a mormon as well.  The ex-bishop took them to the Visitors Center and he just loved it!!  Anyway, the family has been listening to missionaries for years so when we taught them last night we really focused on the plan of salvation and how families can be together forever and it was a beautiful lesson!  (they did come to church too!) But the thing is is that apparently the parents would always step out of the lessons earlier and only the kids know all  of them! so we were using the book of mormon and the dad had no idea where it came from and he was so the bible is the word of god!  Luckily Hna. Arguello knows where the plan of salvation scriptures are in the bible so she showed him and he was more open.  hehe now we can go back and teach him lesson one and how everything was restored!!  lol such a great family and I really think that they will progress fast!!

 

I just want you all to know that I love you so very much and I know that the church is true!  Thank you for all of your love and support!!  I hope to hear from you all very soon!!  Love you!!!

 

Hermana Higley

Ooops Accident

I forgive you!!  hehe I didn't get to get one sent either because this week was just crazy!!  in a good way!!  I definately know that the lord works in mysterious ways and I have felt that and his love throughout the week!!  I know that I didnt' get to explain too much to you about my companion last time, but let me try and do that here!  I can't believe that Brady is going to India!!  how crazy!!  Adri looks really mad in that picture, but she looks very good!!  way to be nan!!  DJ looks like he was just having a blast!!  I'm glad that he did get to go to camp and I am sorry that Enrique is not feeling too good!  Hopefully they figure out what is wrong with his ear!!  Volleyball starts today!!  That is so fun and crazy!!  I can't believe that school is already about to start again!!  how intense!!  so exciting!!  I'm gonna need lots of pics cuz I can't be there for Adri's senior year, or Raquel's wedding!  And her birthday is gone!  hehe thanks for those pictures of her though, they were so cute!!  I just love you all so very much!!  ok, now for my companion... SHE IS AWESOME!!!

 

I just love her so very much!!  She is the senior companion 'cuz she has 3 months on me in the mission field.  She really only started a month and a half before me!  she went to the MTC on Jan. 8th!!  but she only stayed there for three weeks because she could understand everything already!  she just has trouble speaking sometimes.  It has been such a fun couple of weeks and we are just helping eachother learn and grow so much!!  We are both greenies who were trained by the same missionary who is already home, but it has been so much fun!  I am letting her drive and just showing her around the area and we are just doing work!!  a couple experiences for you...

 

So monday we had to take our car to Toyota because they had to change the oil pan and they said that they had to keep the car till wednesday (reason why I didn't write because our whole P-day was taken up with car troubles!).  Anyway,  Elder Philips (man in charge of all the cars) said that there wasn't any spare cars and hna. Arguello doesn't have a bike, so we had no way to get around!  We could have walked, but our area is huge and on tuesday we had appointments on both ends of our area! Our district leader only had one appointment scheduled right in between ours so it worked out perfectly that they would take us around and then we just stuck with them through their appointment.  It was so not a coincidence that it worked out that way because the appointment they had was with the investigator who was suppossed to get baptized yesterday and we were waiting for her (her name is maria) at the park. An hour goes by and the elders finally get a hold of her and she says that she doesn't want to do it anymore, it is causeing too much trouble in her home with her family and she just wants to run a way.  We say a prayer and then go to her house.  She couldn't let us in 'cuz her family was there and they don't know that she is meeting with the elders.  We meet up with her at the park and she just cries for like half an hour! she can't even speak! she just tells us how bad she feels that it is causing conflict in her home and how she just wants to follow Heavenly Father but her guardians are making it hard and she just didn't know what to do.  We knew that we had to be there at that time because she needed a hug and us to tell her that she is a daughter of God and how proud he was of her and how she can do anything with him at her side!  She decided that she wanted to continue on the path and get baptized.  Her baptism was yesterday and it was so amazing! way more different than any that I have ever been to!!  She even bore her testimony and said that the day that she met the elders, she had been praying to help her find the path that she needed to be on.  She said that she knew that God had great things in store for her and that one day her family would accept her.  She is only 17 but she was so ready to be baptized and I was so lucky to be a part of it!  She is just amazing!  it really hurts me to see that she has to hide from her family.  She tells them that she is going for a bike ride and then comes to church and changes so that they don't know what she is doing.  I just love her so much!  ok, so really quick a funny story before the computer kicks me off!

 

I was praying before we left the appartment and I was in the middle of it and I just peek up really fast before I end and Hna. Arguello was standing right in front of me.  I did NOT expect that and I screamed so loud and that scared her so she screamed too!!  I quickly finished my prayer and was laughing so hard that I peed my skirt!!  I had to go and change before I could go out!!  She just thought that that was so hillarious!  Honestly, it was!!  She got me good and I got her back unintentionally!!  so funny everytime I think about it, I laugh histerically!!  I had a hard time praying after that becuase that would just pop into my head and I would start laughing!  I laughed myself to sleep last night becuase it was just hillarious!!  I love her!!  We are just so happy and having such a wonderful time!!  I hope we get to stay together for a really long time!!  oh,  I bore my testimony in Spanish yesterday!!  So amazing!!  Heavely Father has really been blessing me with the gift of tounges!  I told one of our investigators who was ashamed that he can't speak english because he has been in america for 30 years.  I told him, don't worry, I have been half mexican for 21 years before I could speak any spanish!!  he was pretty shocked but I told him that if it weren't for the Lord, I still wouldn't be speaking spanish!  and it still isn't that great, better, yes!!  But great, no!!  hehe I love you all so very much and I thank you for all the love and support that you have given me!  I will send some pictures soon, don't worry!  I know that this church is true and I know that we are blessed when we keep the commandments and follow the lord!  I love you so much!!  Thanks for your love and support!!

 

Hermana Higley

New Adventures

Family,

haha mom that is really funny!!  something that I would be doing too!!  hehe Congratulations to Enrique!!  That is awesome!!  he will be amazing as he serves the Lord in whatever he is called to do!!  Congrats on the weight loss too!!  And new electronics man, that is great!!  So know who is taking care of my lap top?  It really needs to still be in really good shape when I get home because I have to use it for school!!  lol  Sorry DJ got sick, that is no fun! but adri is at a leadership camp!!  That is exciting!!  So wait, Ryan is on a mission?  Where?  Why didn't you tell me that!?!  That is so exciting!! It is such an amazing opportunity and experience that we are given!!  I love it!!

Ok, so my new companion is Hermana Arguello and she is just so super amazing!!  She is so loving and kind and fun and we just get along so well!!  She actually reminds me so much of Aimee!!  They have really simillar personalities and they make a lot of the same faces, I love it!!  it makes me feel more at home and just like I have known her for forever!!  Ok, so she was born in Ecuador and when she was 9 she moved to colorado.  She is half ecuadorian and just like me, they didn't speak spanish in the home but she can understand all of it!!  We are working on our spanish together!  this is a really good growing opportuinty for the both of us because she has 6 month in the mission and I have three in the feild, almost five total!!  Crazy!!  anyway we are working super hard, we have a lot of investigators and one with a baptism date of the 26th!!  I really hope that she makes it!!  she went to church yesterday and she brought her husband and daughter!!  We were so excited about that!!  She has a really good family friend that is a super strong member of the ward and we take her with us to our appointments but the thing is that the member only speaks spanish and the family friend understands better in english even though she still understands spanish so we kind of teach her in spanglish so the member doen't get too lost.  Anyway, we invited her to be baptized and she accepted and we were talking with the member afterwards and she had no idea!!  She was so excited but I felt so bad for exteding it in english.  Anyway, that same member visits one of the partmember families as well and one day we were like, we should go and visit them so we went to their house and the super strong member (Hna. Sandoval) was there visiting the less active (cipriana) with her husband (cipriana's)(whose name is Santiago) and so we went in and there were two others there. we walk in and I just feel super weird, like I wasn't feeling the spirit super strong and we get to talking and the other two sisters who were there were from the church of God and they were talking with the family trying to get them to come to their church and they just started attacking us.  not litterally, but they asked how long we had been members and I told them that I was baptized when I was 8 and then they said that they had been in their church for a year and that they worship on saturday, like the bible says, and my companion just looks at them and says that we aren't here to bible bash with you.  we are here to teach and bring people unto christ so if it's ok with you, we are going to pray and then leave.  So that is what we did.  We prayed and then left.  it was crazy, but it was really cool!  We brought the spirit in, invited them to the open house and to church!!  I know that this church is true and I know that satan is working just as hard as we are but we are on the winning team so we aren't going to give up!!  I love you so very much and I will talk to you later!!  Love you!!

 

Hermana Higley

Transfer 2 I'm officially all trained

oh mom!!  That is cool!!  I really love hearing from you!!  I am still here in this area and my new companions name is Hna. Arguello!!  I wrote you more about here in the letter!!  she is only two transferrs older than me, so this transfer is going to be really fun!!  We both will have to learn and grow a lot!!  I am so excited!!  I just love her so much already and I haven't even met her yet!!  lol  Raquel looks gorgeous and I can't believe that Aimee and Daniel are graduated!!  That is so awesome!!  I am missing so much things that are going on, but I know with out a doubt that this is where I need to be!!  Make sure that everyone knows how much I love them!!  I am so excited for everyone as well!!  Adri and DJ will have fun with their camps and adri's training!!  how super awesome is that!!  Volleyball is coming up so quickly!!  exciting!! 

      ok, so the area is going super well!!  The work is amazing!!  The Paez family is very ready and prepared!! (the ones that I prayed they would have no bad dreams:)) our last few lessons with them have been amazing!!  They told us that they had read the Book of Mormon as a couple and they had the most wonderful experience!!!  they just really liked it and they said that they think that this is the right path and they want to continue to go down it, but they still weren't ready to set a baptismal date yet, but we think they will get baptized really soon!!  we went through the baptismal interview questions with them to see what they believed and show them the requirements for baptism!!  They believe that Joseph Smith was a Prophet and that President Thomas S. Monson is the profeta hoy en dia!!!!  it is awesome!!  We have a few more commandments to teach them and the mom is a little attatched to the Virgin, but I know that as they continue to read and pray, they wont have any doubts in their minds and she will be able to give her up!! They didn't go to church yesterday because they had a quince (by the way, love the video!  tell them they dance great!!) to go to!!  We stopped by and saw them because Hna. Williams is going home and wanted a picture with them and they told her that they were going to continue to listen to us!!  they weren't going to stop!!  the mom looks right at me and was like we are going to be with you on tuesday!!  It was so cool to see them progress from not even wanting to talk to us but listening because of the drastic change that they saw in their son to making sure that we still come and visit them and aren't going just drop them because they didn't get baptized right away!!  hehe we extended a few dates and they said they still weren't ready, but they thought that there was a time limit to when they had to get baptized!!  hehe they are so cute!!  anyway, we are still going strong and I am really nervous to take over the area, but I know that they lord is here to help me!! 

     The past couple of weeks I have been feeling like this next transfer is really going to be a jump in learning and growing so I have just been praying really hard that I can feel of his guidance and be able to make the changes necessary to be able to keep and invited these people into the fold!!  I have felt his peace and I know that it wont be easy, but I know that it will be so very worth it!!  I can't wait!!  Plus, I'm trying not to think of the fact that my mom is dying!!  hehe my mission mom is done with her mission!!  but she left me a lot of things to be able to help me and to make sure that I knew what was going on here!!  I am really excited and I want you all to know how much I love each and every one of you!!  it is just awesome what the lord does in his work, I love it!!  Thanks for all of your love and support!!  love ya!!

 

Hermana Maddy Higley

Madison Higley <madison.higley@myldsmail.net>	7/23/12
to Betty

oh, I forgot a story, here it is!!  this week we had recieved a refferal from the english elders in our area and we went by to see how interested she was and invite her to the open house that we are going to have on the 28th and we got there and she was just amazing!! we told her that we were missionaries and she asked us if we believed in saints and if we baptized babies. We told her no and she let us in!! I was really excited at that point because those are the main problems that we encounter!! anyway we went in, we sang a hymn, prayed, and started with the first lesson!! the first point of the first lesson, God is our loving Heavenly Father, and she just lost it! She just started crying and said that she knows she is but every since she left her country, she hasn't been able to find a church that she agreed with and she has been looking 'cuz she knows that she has to go to church!! So we invited her and I am really excited to be able to teach her!! I know that the Lord is blessing us and I know that she has been prepared by the Lord and I am so excited to be able to work with her!! I love being a missionary and I love it here in Canyon Country!!
 

Love ya!!

Week 12

Mom!!

    That is such a cute ring!!  I can't believe that she is getting married that soon!!!  And Beth too!!  That is crazy!!  I am glad you got the videos!!  I am recording still so I will probably send the tape to you next week and you can hear everything that happened for a week!!  hehe  it has been fun!!

    Hermana Williams goes home next week :(  so I will be getting a new companion and we wont find that out until Saturday!!  That is exciting for Adriana!!  I know that that will be great for her!!  So you never did tell me what happened with everything!  Is is all one Ward now?  Are you under the new mission Presidents authority, or are you with the Grantsville stake?  I've been in suspense for too long now!!  I need details!! hehe That is too bad that they didn't work out, but I am glad that stephanie is now back in the family!!  she can go to church and she will be better off!!  We can't loose that family!!  We have Lalo and Stephanie, we are almost there!!  hehe hopefully they can realize the importance of church and the difference that it makes in life!!  I really hope that it doesn't take as long as it did for me!!  hehe  I think that being out here and working with families that have never had the gospel in their lives has really changed my outlook on life!!  It is impossible without it and I am so very greatful to all of the generations who have kept stong and kept going!!  it really does make all the difference and it is so worth it!! 

    We have this family in the ward that moved here from El Salvador quite a few years back and the wife was baptized when she was younger, but the husband wasn't.  Anyway, the wife stopped going to church long before she came here and she came here with her husband and they had a few kids and years went by.  Her sister lives in Utah and when her daughter got really depressed, they had her stay with her aunt, who took her to temple square and she loved it so she singed up for the missionaries to go over!  The missionaries who were here at that time weren't obedient so the family didn't see any missionaries for like 8 month until my trainer showed up! They taught and baptized the daughter in April, the week before I got here, and the mom was liking it so much that she wanted to get baptized too!!  she remembered that she had already been baptized before so the Ward had been looking for her records and they couldn't find them!  She had been looking forward to getting rebaptized and having everything be a fresh start when they finally found them so she couldn't!!  hehe anyway, they have been actively and faithfully coming to church and participating in the classes and everything ever since I got here!!  The husband wont ever come and he is never there when we go.  he dosen't like it and he was just ok with them doing it.  Well, yesterday at church I was talkingwith the mom and she told me that all of a sudden he gave her an ultimatum on saturday night at like 11pm.  that either she chooses him or the church.  She started crying and told me that she knows that the church is true but that they have been married for a really long time and she doesn't want to loose him (he was the only guy in her life, high school sweet hearts).  Anyway, she looked and me and said Hermana I am here at church and I don't know what is going to happen, but i feel at home here!!  She hadn't told anyone about that, not even her daughter, but she knows that the church is that important to her and she came!!  I was so happy for her!!  She has had her first vision and she is still going strong!!  She said that she knows that everyone has to go through hard times in thier life, but the church heals!!  I can't explain how happy I was to know and feel of her testimony and the strength that she has!!  not to mention, that I understood every single word that she said and I was able to comfort her!!  That is the Lord working miracles, right there because she doesn't speak any english!!  I just love this work and I know that this is where I am suppossed to be!!  Thank you for all of your love and support!!  The church is true, don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise!!  Love you all!!!

Love Hermana Higley

Birthday time

Hehe I was wondering about that!! I do want to record back to you!! Do I need to send the recorder back, or do you have one of those? I have some videos that I recorded on my camera that are too big for the e-mail so I am putting them on a flash drive and will send that to you!! you should send it back and I can keep sending videos also!! We can do both!! I did get all of the boxes and the week was amazing!! Thank you so very much!! My comp. was sick on the night of the 3rd and all day the fourth so I was stuck in the appartment! it was a little crazy but I did get a lot of studying done!! we went up on the mountain to watch some fireworks so I was happy about that!! On my Birthday we had zone conference and we met the new president, his wife and thier kids!! his is 44 and he served his mission in buenos aires north west in argentina. they have four kids, three living here, and they are just so fun and warm!! I can really feel their love!! the morning of my birthday one of the sister missionaries in english called and sang happy birthday!! How super sweet is that!?! Her name is sister ngalu and she just made me feel so super special!! She even called Sister Hall (Presidents wife) and told her that it was my birthday so during the stretching part of the conference, they just starting singing to me!! It was awesome!! It was even better to wake up and listend to all of your voices and words of encouragement,it just helped me get through the day!! I listened to it twice that day!! I'm glad you liked the pics!!

Jenny did tell me about the blog and I thought that that was super cool!! Investigators are doing great!! we have a baptism sceduled for the 22nd!! so hopefully he sticks to it!! We are having exchanges today until tomorrow so I hope that I can remember everything for the new sister that is coming!! hehe that is only for a day and then our transfers are on Monday the 23rd!! I wonder who my new companion could be!! It had been kind of hot, but not too bad!! the summers in Vegas helped me I guess!!

I can't believe all the new changes that are happening!! So is their not a branch anymore?Did it change to a ward? What ward is it? Adri better write and tell me all about Scotty!! That is too cool!! I need pics too!! hehe I can't believe that raquel is engaged!! That is crazy!! I need an invite and I need her to write and tell me all about it!! I just love you all so very much!! Thanks for all the love and support that you have given me, I really have appreciated it!!

Can't wait to hear back from you!! Love you lots!! keep me informed on everything that is happening!! congrats to dad!!!

Love you all so very much!!!

Hermana Maddy Higley

Hehe I was wondering about that!!  I do want to record back to you!!  Do I need to send the recorder back, or do you have one of those?  I have some videos that I recorded on my camera that are too big for the e-mail so I am putting them on a flash drive and will send that to you!!  you should send it back and I can keep sending videos also!!  We can do both!!  I did get all of the boxes and the week was amazing!!  Thank you so very much!!  My comp. was sick on the night of the 3rd and all day the fourth so I was stuck in the appartment!  it was a little crazy but I did get a lot of studying done!!  we went up on the mountain to watch some fireworks so I was happy about that!!  On my Birthday we had zone conference and we met the new president, his wife and thier kids!!  his is 44 and he served his mission in buenos aires north west in argentina.  they have four kids, three living here, and they are just so fun and warm!!  I can really feel their love!!  the morning of my birthday one of the sister missionaries in english called and sang happy birthday!!  How super sweet is that!?!  Her name is sister ngalu and she just made me feel so super special!!  She even called Sister Hall (Presidents wife) and told her that it was my birthday so during the stretching part of the conference, they just starting singing to me!!  It was awesome!!  It was even better to wake up and listend to all of your voices and words of encouragement, it just helped me get through the day!!  I listened to it twice that day!!  I'm glad you liked the pics!! 

           Jenny did tell me about the blog and I thought that that was super cool!!  Investigators are doing great!!  we have a baptism sceduled for the 22nd!!  so hopefully he sticks to it!!  We are having exchanges today until tomorrow so I hope that I can remember everything for the new sister that is coming!!  hehe that is only for a day and then our transfers are on Monday the 23rd!!  I wonder who my new companion could be!!  It had been kind of hot, but not too bad!!  the summers in Vegas helped me I guess!!

       I can't believe all the new changes that are happening!!  So is their not a branch anymore?  Did it change to a ward? What ward is it?  Adri better write and tell me all about Scotty!!  That is too cool!!  I need pics too!!  hehe  I can't believe that raquel is engaged!!  That is crazy!!  I need an invite and I need her to write and tell me all about it!!  I just love you all so very much!!  Thanks for all the love and support that you have given me, I really have appreciated it!!

        Can't wait to hear back from you!!  Love you lots!!  keep me informed on everything that is happening!!  congrats to dad!!!

 

Love you all so very much!!!

                    Hermana Maddy Higley

Alex Boye y Marvin Perkins

Wow!!  Everyone is looking so good and all grown up!!!  I can't believe how Blonde Anthony is!!  That is crazy!!  I have been opening the packages on their specified dates!!  hehe so I have only opened adri's and DJ's!!  Thank you so much for them!!  We have the Appt. all decorated and we are going to make the deserts for district meeting on Friday!!  That is such a fun idea!!  Thank you!!  I have recieved four out of the seven so hopefully I get the other three this week!!  hehe I recieved DJ, Adri, Rique, and Sara's!!  Just can't wait to open them!!  This week was very fun!!  A little frustrating because our investigators are not seeing the value of their souls and the capacity that they have to become so great!!  they are only seeing the now and wont take the steps necessary for baptism!!  It is frustrating but I think about how we just have to keep loving them and showing them how much happier they could be!  It is like when Heavenly Father sees us mess up everyday but he still loves us and urges us onto the right path!!  Not to mention, that yesterday we had a wonderful fast for all of them and I know that it is their turn to choose for themselves!! 

 

Throughout the week, we had some extraordinary experiences!!  I just loved it!! We did have a really good lesson with one of our investigators about the importance of families and she just really wants to get baptized and join the church, but she is not married to her esposo!!  She wont leave him because of the kids either!!  After that lesson, she went upstairs and talked to him.  She wanted him to come down and talk with us so that maybe he would want to get married too, but he didn't even want to come in the room with us.  We hope that she can take the step to follow the Lord because everything else will just fall into place!

 

On Tuesday; President Martin gave us a "Farewell" training.  He left on Friday and we got a new President so he wanted to give all of the missionaries  the training that he gives missionaries who are going home.  I guess he just didn't want anyone to get left out because he is very wealthy and he uses that opportunity to tell people how to make money.  So we learned how to make money and how to get a family that will last forever.  It was really a great experience!!  he shared with us a story about his first born son that really inspired me to make a life goal and to stick to it!! 

I will have to explain more about that later 'cuz I really want to talk about a special surprise visit that we recieved on Friday!!  We have our district meetings every friday morning and this Friday Alex Boye came with Marvin Perkins!  now, I don't know if you know who they are but Alex Boye is in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and he came and spoke to us at the MTC!!  Marvin Perkins is also a convert to the church and he talks about blacks and the priesthood!!  Both wonderful men with amazing testimonies!!  anyway, when they first got there I told Alex that I had been at the MTC when he spoke to us and he thought that that was a coincidence!!  He asked if I was there when David Archuletta was there and I said yes and he told us about how he went to his farewell and how David said that people had been giving him a hard time about serving a mission 'cuz he was famous and that was his mission but his response to that was that he wasn't going on a mission for the people.  He was going on a mission to strengthen his relationship with his Father in Heaven and he was going to help people along the way.  I thought that that was really cool.  I think about this short time that I have been out here and my relationship has grown immenselly!!  no, I haven't baptized anybody yet but I have been obtaining a relationship that will last throughout the eternities and I know that that has influenced other people as well!!  He goes on to explain how everybody needs to gain their own "first vision" to keep them pushing forward through the hard times and how when we have that whitness, that testament, nothing can move us off of our course!!  I have obtained that First Vision!!  no, it didn't come before my mission but I wouldn't of had it any other way!!  I know that this church is true!!  I know that God lives and that he loves me!!  I know that he watches over me and that he has a plan for me!!  I have felt his love comforting me, giving me that healing power of the attonement that it doesn't matter what other people do to me,  I know that he is always there!!!  it doesn't matter how many doors get slammed in my face, how many people turn us down,  don't get baptized, or make fun of my spanish,  Heavenly Father loves me and he knows my capacity!!  he knows what I can become and he knows what I need to become that person!  Such a beautiful gift that he has given us to be able to come to earth and to learn and to grow and to find out for our selves that this is the path that he wants for us!!  I know that throughout my life I was doing what was right because it felt good, now I know that Satan has pushed me down, kicked me, beat me up and I asked him to keep going because I know that I am not going to stop what I am doing because I have recieved that "First Vision" that testimony of my own that it is true!!  I love it!!!  I love my Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ!!  Thank you so much for being that good example for us, for being that rock that we can lean on, that testimony that we can borrow untill we read, ponder, pray, and gain that testimony of our own!!  It was such an amazing little session that they sharred with us!!

     

             Marvin is so funny, he came into the capilla and his hands were full so I asked if I could hold something and he put his stuff down on the table and said "you don't have to do that, but you can give me a hug."  He just went to give me a hug and I just froze!  He stopped mid-way and said "that was a test, good thing you passed!"  hehe he tried it again, but still it didn't work!!  at the begining of the conference he wanted to start with a prayer and he was like "who wants to offer a prayer, and please let it be a sister!  The one that likes to hold things!"  hehe there are only me and my companion in the entire zone but we all know who that was!!  lol anyway, he went through a whole presentation about how we are all different shades of brown and how the races was made up by a man nammed yohan something or another in the 1700's and how he printed it as a theory and then disproved it but man wanted to keep it around.  So in bible times, blacks and whites didn't exist.  it has to mean something else!!  so we went through what idioms mean and what they were talking about in the scriptures and how the new revelation in 71 helped us to understand even better the meaning of the words!!  it was so exciting!!  So intriguing and I just love the enlightenment that I recieved!!  He gave us a whole list of scriptures to look up and study and I can't wait till I do that!!  I love you all so very much and I thank you for your testimonies and for the presants!!  I love the idea, it's so fun!!  my companion loves it also!!  I will write to you later!!  Love you!!

 

Hermana Higley