Monday, January 30, 2017

January 30, 2017





Monday, January 30, 2017

Hola Familia!
So I can tell my spanish is improving bit by bit, I am using and not just studying more grammer techniques in my day to day language, which is exciting. We speak only Spanish when we leave the house(or try to)--Mission President's advice/rule in last 6 weeks of training. It is helping! My everyday vocabulary is small, but getting better! I REALLY want to be fluent, so I can communicate clealrly my testimony and teach with confidence and power. The Spirit is the true teacher in Missionary Work, and I know that as we testify of truth, our words are spoken TO the investigators, but the Spirit brings it UNTO to hearts of the Investigators (a little Elder David A. Bednar in there, ha) 

So this week was fun! We went to OYM a park one day, but practically no one ws there, so we parked and were planing on where to go next. A runner was coming down the street towards us, and I said "Let's OYM him!" (B/c I felt bad about not being able to OYM the park) So I was a little overenthusiastic(Greenie Fire! Haha) and I rolled down the window and stuck my whole arm out to him with a card of Jesus Christ in my hand as he passed. All I could say was "Podemos compartir" and he immediately said "No Thank You" and just kept on running! (I think he might have sped up... :'} )AH! I was SO embarrased! I only realized after the fact how creepy that was! It's like I was the scary stranger luring kids to my car by offering them candy or money or something! Sister Rosario immediately started cracking up, and I mean REALLY laughing, and that got me laughing, so we just sat in the car DYING(her from how funny she thought it was, me from total embarrassment even though it was SO funny) for like 5 full minutes. It was great. I love her so much!
Also, a few nights ago we were walking back to the car in the dark, and we walked right into a huge spiderweb. When we realized what it was, we both took off like no tomorrow! (Kind of like mine and Megan's reactions to Bee's growing up) but I dropped my BOM right where the spiderweb was, and I was FREAKING OUT, and Hna Rosario though I was still with her, and I am not kidding you, she SPRINTED away across the street to the car, and I'm over here screaming "Wait! I dropped my book of Mormon but its still in the Spiderweb, HELP!" But she's screaming, too, so she just kept going! Yeah, It was hilarious. Crop Spiders are everywhere, ha. 
But onto more serious matters (I love funny stories, they're the best) We dropped Isnelda and Samuel, but visited them last night and shared Moroni 10 with them with tow members who are leaving on missions soon! MPLs are so hard, and I am so grateful the KIs changed to no longer inclued so many elements. The World Wide Conference was so Great! I love listening to and learning from our leaders! They are so inspired! 
We found Pedro the other day on the sidewalk, he was biking to work and we stopped him to OYM him. He's 22, but speaks Spanish, so we think we can teach him and not YSA. He is so awesome! Hopefully he accepts baptism! We couldn't get ahold of him yesterday for the appointment, which happens a lot with potentials and investigators, and less actives and members too! Ha, its whatever. We do our best, and that's all the Lord expects. 
But yeah! So excited for you Dad with your new calling! And happy birthday everyone! Love you all!
Hermana Stokes
Breadman's Bakery is LIFE

Monday, January 23, 2017

January 23, 2017

January 23, 2017

 Our new district! After Transfers!



 When in Walmart

 We had 8 hours of service last week! We helped a woman named Betsy paint her office white and move her stuff to her car to take to her new office closer to home. The sisters in that area helped her paint her new office a beige color. We also helped a woman and her daughter we met while knocking clean their bathroom and fridge(which was gross but I felt so good afterwards! Cleaning checks helped prepare me for that!) because they were moving and really stressing out.









 Also we took pictures in front of our car! Her name is Natalia (We think the elders named her, it comes up when the phone connects to the car through the Bluetooth, haha.




January 17, 2017

Monday, January 9, 2017

January 9, 2017






January 9, 2017

Hola Familia!

This has been an amazing week! So many miracles have taken place across the whole mission! We have something called Mighty Prayer every Monday and Friday at 9:00am. We have a conference call with all the missionaries in our zone (Hialeah Heartbeat Zone, 3 districts) and have goals set as a whole zone and then district goals, etc. But in this call, on missionary is assigned to say the prayer, and every companionship sends them the names of the investigators/less actives etc that we want them to pray for, and it is so awesome! The whole Zone is participating in the same prayer for our investigators, and this happens all across the mission! It truly is Mighty Prayer. I invite all of you to join us and pray at 9 on Mondays and Fridays for anyone you know of who could use the Gospel in their lives, or who are just going through a rough time (yourself included!). Prayer is sooo powerful. I love being on the Mission, because we pray ALL THE TIME! Before we leave the house, before we leave the car to knock, teach, whatever, and just all the time. I know it truly makes a difference, and that God hears EVERY PRAYER! It can be a simple prayer, even a prayer in your heart. Like yesterday! Ah, yesterday. Sundays are the best, especially fast Sundays, and then even more so when TWO of your new investigators come to church with a member family!!!!
Okay, so let me elaborate. So we met Isnelda and her two sons, Samuel (12) and Daniel (9). We were knocking and we had just started, and they had just gotten back home from somewhere bc they were outside their door. We asked if we could share a short message with them, and straightway she invited us into her home. So we talked with her, got to know her and her family a little bit (She's from Venezuela and her husband is still over there working. Venezuela is really not doing well right now, I don't know if you guys know this, but there is a lot of violence, starvation, etc, so definitely send prayers their way. We have so many Venezuelan members, and we meet tons of them who have only been here for a few months. It is really sad, especially since so many of them didn't come with all of their family.) But anyways, the lesson went good, and she accepted a baptism date for the 21st! (Kind of, she said she would pray about it.) But we had a second lesson on the 6th with a member, Sis. Fuentes. We told her about Isnelda and she though she might have met her 2 months ago because their sons go to the same school, but she wasn't sure if it was the same person. So when we knocked on her door, Isnelda and Hna Fuentes saw each other, and immediately embraced! It was so cool! That lesson was on the BOM, and the spirit was so powerful. Hna Fuentes shared a story about how her youngest son couldn't walk, and how hard that was for her. She shared the scripture her huisband showed her, and it was about faith and receiving no witness until after the trial of your faith. To make long story short, she bore her testimony very powerfully about the BOM and how she knows that God speaks to us through its words. Her son later started to use his tiny tiny deformed legs, and now he is perfectly healthy! Let me say, it was amazing. And we committed them to church, and Hna Fuentes and her family were able to pick them up, and they camed on a fast sundy so all the ward members bore their testimonies, which are so strong! Ah, it was perfect! And Samuel and Daniel both loved church, they stayed for all three hours. But we also had three of our less actives make it to church too! It was a miracle!!! I was sitting up on the stand (I have been playing the piano for the last two weeks, not sure where their pianist is, haha. We don't know her..) And so I didn't see when Marcial made it, but once Sacrament started I had time to look around, and there he was, right by Hna Rosario!!! I cannot tell you how much joy I felt at that moment, it was truly so amazing. It is so humbling being able to work with God's children. And we had a lesson with Isnelda later that night, and it was so good! I love Samuel, he is so elect! I just hope his dad lets him get baptized, because Isnelda said he is against children being baptized. We explained about the age of accountability, but we will have to see. He is so cute, though, while he was reading the pamphlet, he raised his hand like a preacher while reading silently to himself, ha.
There are other mircales from yesterday, like the Dominican family we finally had a lesson with, and now we have 5 new investigators!!!! Ah, the mission is great, and God is soo good!
I love you all so much, and I now have another Brother! Welcome to the family Brock!
Love,
Hermana Stokes

January 3, 2017

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!



January 3, 2017 HAPPY NEW YEARS

December 27, 2016

 These are from the Christmas Conference, we had a White Elephant game


 Our Apartment 




December 27, 2016