Week 6 Missionary Email
Date
October 16, 2023
Area
York, Pennsylvania
Companion
Elder Jones
Week 6 Missionary Email
Hello everyone!
Thank you for reading my email this week! Being a missionary has already blessed my life in so many ways! I love to write home and talk about my experiences!
Wow!!! A lot has happened in the past few days!!! Embarking into the mission field was such an anticipated moment and a blessing for me. My life has already been changed, and I can't wait for what's ahead!!!
Leaving the MTC: Last Thursday, I woke up at 2am to shower and finish packing. Once that was done, I lugged two giant suitcases and a carry-on along with a 30-pound backpack onto a shuttle that took me to the airport. Once at the airport, we checked our bags and got on our flight to Minneapolis. At the end of the flight, the person sitting next to me asked me about my nametag and why I was flying to Minneapolis. I explained to her my mission, my purpose, and what I was doing flying to Minneapolis. I had only been in the field a few hours, and I was already getting asked questions about my mission! Once there, we got off the plane and ran to Chick-fil-A. There, a man volunteered to pay for everyone's food who was wearing a nametag! From this experience, I immediately knew I was on the Lord's errand. We flew to Baltimore and received a ride from our mission president to the mission home.
Assignments Within the Mission: The next morning, we woke up and went to the church, where we received our assignments. I was assigned to York, PA!!!! Speaking Spanish!!!
Background About My Area: York, PA is about an hour away from Baltimore and it is in the southern part of Pennsylvania. It is very green here, and the leaves on the trees are starting to change colors, making it beautiful outside!!! It is where the Articles of Confederation were written, and it has been a town since the early 1700's!!! However, despite all of its historical significance, it is a VERY sketchy place to live. I heard that the week before I came, a couple of elders invited a man to church, he said no, and they left. A couple minutes later, they heard gunshots, and this same man was shot 5 times. There is a place in the middle of town called "murder garden", where there is a flower for every person murdered in the streets of York. It is very sad to see.
About the people: Interestingly, even though some of these people may look mean and tough on the outside, they are always very kind to us when we start talking about Christ. They really do want God on their side, and they are looking for peace and hope in their life. The diversity in this town is amazing!!! I have talked to people from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Spain, Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia, Honduras, Haiti, and Peru. It has been amazing meeting people with such different backgrounds in very different countries. On Saturday, we had a "fiesta" where members in our branch celebrated Spanish culture and ate food from all of these different countries. All of the food was amazing (especially the meat!!!).
The first night: On the first night I was here, we started driving around in our car, looking for people to invite to church. One of my companions (I am in a trio, by the way) pointed at me and said: "Your turn!". Kind of shocked and overwhelmed, I rolled down the window and nervously asked if this man wanted to come to church with us. To my embarrassment, he said "no hablo ingles!" I quickly switched my brain over to Spanish and said something like: "Quiere asistir con nosotros a la iglesia?". I was shocked when he said: "Si!" We then pulled over and taught this man the gospel. There were many distractions - cars whizzing by, loud police sirens for who knows what, and a random guy who was definitely on drugs and was listening to our lesson in hopes that he could find a place to stay for the night. Through all of this chaos, this man followed the spirit, and confirmed that our church was true. He brought up baptism, and we set up a date that he could get baptized. My companions said that this has never happened to them before. I know that the Spirit is the one that is doing this through me, and this is only more proof that I have been called by God to preach his gospel and serve others.
Spiritual story: My companions had been teaching a man named Noel for a long time. He has had a lot of interest in the gospel, but has never been able to come to church because of his work schedule. Noel is from Cuba, but he immigrated from Venezuela. His wife (who is bedridden with cancer) and family are still in Venezuela. He has been working 7 days a week to get enough money to bring his family over to the U.S. and to pay for his wife's medical bills. Then his wife died this weekend. Noel felt hopeless. The dream that he had been working for (his family to be healthy, comfortable, and happy in a safe country together) had been shattered, and he didn't know how to pick the pieces back up. We visited Noel's house shortly after we heard the news, which was my second day in the field. It was dark, and Noel was crying on the recliner chair. We sat on the couch and mourned with him. We then decided to teach him about baptisms for the dead and how he could still live with his family forever. Noel started to cry even more. However, this time he was overcome with the spirit and the love of God. He said he would change his work schedule so he could come to church on Sundays. We then asked if we could give him a blessing and also who he wanted to give it. He pointed at me. Now, you could imagine, I was TERRIFIED!! However, I said a prayer in my heart that I would know how to best say the words I needed to say in Spanish. I went for it and followed the Spirit as best I could. It wasn't the most beautiful blessing, but the point got across - God will be with him every step of the way on his journey to eternal life. All he needed to do was believe in Him, and he would lead the way.
Élder Regla (Elder Rule)
P.s. If you would like to respond to my letter please plese please do!! I also have a Facebook account as I am now required to as a missionary. My mailing address is:
166 Dew Drop Rd Apt. N
York, PA 17402
United States
if you would like to write me a letter. Love y'all!
P.s.s. The pictures are of me at a member's house in Shrewsberry, PA on p-day.
Thank you for reading my email this week! Being a missionary has already blessed my life in so many ways! I love to write home and talk about my experiences!
Wow!!! A lot has happened in the past few days!!! Embarking into the mission field was such an anticipated moment and a blessing for me. My life has already been changed, and I can't wait for what's ahead!!!
Leaving the MTC: Last Thursday, I woke up at 2am to shower and finish packing. Once that was done, I lugged two giant suitcases and a carry-on along with a 30-pound backpack onto a shuttle that took me to the airport. Once at the airport, we checked our bags and got on our flight to Minneapolis. At the end of the flight, the person sitting next to me asked me about my nametag and why I was flying to Minneapolis. I explained to her my mission, my purpose, and what I was doing flying to Minneapolis. I had only been in the field a few hours, and I was already getting asked questions about my mission! Once there, we got off the plane and ran to Chick-fil-A. There, a man volunteered to pay for everyone's food who was wearing a nametag! From this experience, I immediately knew I was on the Lord's errand. We flew to Baltimore and received a ride from our mission president to the mission home.
Assignments Within the Mission: The next morning, we woke up and went to the church, where we received our assignments. I was assigned to York, PA!!!! Speaking Spanish!!!
Background About My Area: York, PA is about an hour away from Baltimore and it is in the southern part of Pennsylvania. It is very green here, and the leaves on the trees are starting to change colors, making it beautiful outside!!! It is where the Articles of Confederation were written, and it has been a town since the early 1700's!!! However, despite all of its historical significance, it is a VERY sketchy place to live. I heard that the week before I came, a couple of elders invited a man to church, he said no, and they left. A couple minutes later, they heard gunshots, and this same man was shot 5 times. There is a place in the middle of town called "murder garden", where there is a flower for every person murdered in the streets of York. It is very sad to see.
About the people: Interestingly, even though some of these people may look mean and tough on the outside, they are always very kind to us when we start talking about Christ. They really do want God on their side, and they are looking for peace and hope in their life. The diversity in this town is amazing!!! I have talked to people from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Spain, Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia, Honduras, Haiti, and Peru. It has been amazing meeting people with such different backgrounds in very different countries. On Saturday, we had a "fiesta" where members in our branch celebrated Spanish culture and ate food from all of these different countries. All of the food was amazing (especially the meat!!!).
The first night: On the first night I was here, we started driving around in our car, looking for people to invite to church. One of my companions (I am in a trio, by the way) pointed at me and said: "Your turn!". Kind of shocked and overwhelmed, I rolled down the window and nervously asked if this man wanted to come to church with us. To my embarrassment, he said "no hablo ingles!" I quickly switched my brain over to Spanish and said something like: "Quiere asistir con nosotros a la iglesia?". I was shocked when he said: "Si!" We then pulled over and taught this man the gospel. There were many distractions - cars whizzing by, loud police sirens for who knows what, and a random guy who was definitely on drugs and was listening to our lesson in hopes that he could find a place to stay for the night. Through all of this chaos, this man followed the spirit, and confirmed that our church was true. He brought up baptism, and we set up a date that he could get baptized. My companions said that this has never happened to them before. I know that the Spirit is the one that is doing this through me, and this is only more proof that I have been called by God to preach his gospel and serve others.
Spiritual story: My companions had been teaching a man named Noel for a long time. He has had a lot of interest in the gospel, but has never been able to come to church because of his work schedule. Noel is from Cuba, but he immigrated from Venezuela. His wife (who is bedridden with cancer) and family are still in Venezuela. He has been working 7 days a week to get enough money to bring his family over to the U.S. and to pay for his wife's medical bills. Then his wife died this weekend. Noel felt hopeless. The dream that he had been working for (his family to be healthy, comfortable, and happy in a safe country together) had been shattered, and he didn't know how to pick the pieces back up. We visited Noel's house shortly after we heard the news, which was my second day in the field. It was dark, and Noel was crying on the recliner chair. We sat on the couch and mourned with him. We then decided to teach him about baptisms for the dead and how he could still live with his family forever. Noel started to cry even more. However, this time he was overcome with the spirit and the love of God. He said he would change his work schedule so he could come to church on Sundays. We then asked if we could give him a blessing and also who he wanted to give it. He pointed at me. Now, you could imagine, I was TERRIFIED!! However, I said a prayer in my heart that I would know how to best say the words I needed to say in Spanish. I went for it and followed the Spirit as best I could. It wasn't the most beautiful blessing, but the point got across - God will be with him every step of the way on his journey to eternal life. All he needed to do was believe in Him, and he would lead the way.
Élder Regla (Elder Rule)
P.s. If you would like to respond to my letter please plese please do!! I also have a Facebook account as I am now required to as a missionary. My mailing address is:
166 Dew Drop Rd Apt. N
York, PA 17402
United States
if you would like to write me a letter. Love y'all!
P.s.s. The pictures are of me at a member's house in Shrewsberry, PA on p-day.
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