Week 21: Merry Christmas

Hello Family and Friends!

Our Skype with Kali!

This week was a great week for our family. We got to skype Kali on Christmas day! She looks and sounds great. It was fun to feel like our family was all in the same room even if we were miles apart. Kali told us about some of her California adventures. Her favorite food is rice and beans. We told her that she needs to learn to cook them before she comes home. She has an amazing companion named Sister Otte. They laugh and have fun but still get the work done. They have been doing lots of community service in her area. She loves the sunshine but misses the snow. 

This is what she is missing!

She bore her testimony to us in Spanish. Even though we didn't understand everything that she was saying, we could feel the spirit in her words. It was pretty amazing to hear her speak. 

She sent a little video clip today but told us that she didn't have time to send out a full message to everyone. She also said that she didn't have a whole lot to say since she told us everything the other day. Her companion is still sick so they haven't been out much. Hopefully they can both get feeling better soon.

For Christmas, they made cards and delivered them to some of their investigators. She is working really hard and loves the work. We love her!

Thanks for the love, support, and prayers that you share on her behalf.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Have a great week!

Trust God and believe in good things to come.

~Jeffrey R. Holland

Week 20: All Aboard the Struggle Bus

Hello friends and family!

Well first off... Merry Christmas!! How exciting is this week?! We get to celebrate the Savior's birth and be with friends and family. And it sounds like there is a lot of snow as well! I hope you all have a safe and fun Christmas! 













So this week has been... Fun as you can tell from the subject! I was sick all this week. I felt awful! I have the worst cold ever and eventually lost my voice. All that I could do was whisper... Sometimes. We didn't know what to do because obviously as missionaries we need to be able to talk so we called the mission nurse and President Weidman and they both told us to stay inside and get rest until I had a voice and I didn't have a voice for about four days! We stayed in the house for very long time and we got very bored. We had a lot of scripture study, napping, laughing, eating and sometimes we went out to go and see our set appointments. As a side note... One day when we went out we saw a car chase of 12 police cars and 4 helicopters because someone stole mail. Welcome to California :). But anyway I am feeling better today but now Sister Otte is sick. Worse than I was. She was informed by the nurse that she must stay inside for a few days as well. So this week should be fun as well!




















So as you can tell this has been a pretty uneventful week until yesterday and this is the story of why my p day is today! I woke up yesterday feeling really well! I got up and showered and had a really good personal study. I was super excited to have a great P-Day and do everything that we needed to do but... As we finished personal study there was a knock on the door. Turns out in the middle of the night someone broke into our car in our apartment building. At first I did not really believe it and I thought someone was joking and maybe someone had just left a present on our car or something! But then we went outside and saw all the glass everywhere. Tiny pieces of glass! They took our gate clicker and our gas credit card. So we cleaned our car and headed to the car  repair place. It was a miracle that the repair guy had a window that fit our car. That took a few hours then we found out that we needed to head to the mission office in Santa Monica to get a new credit card. We got there and  had everything figured out but then we were heading home and hit traffic! Welcome to Los Angeles!! We were in the car for about an 1 hour and a half for what would usually takes us about 30 minutes. We got home at about 4:30 and had done nothing that we had needed to do so we asked to change our P-day for today. So here I am today. I honestly can not remember anything else that happened this week so hopefully this is a better week!

As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as  a companion always.

~President Thomas S. Monson

Have a great week full of joy and celebrating and eating good food :)

Love Sister McMinn

Week 19: Heavenly Father loves us!

 Hello Friends and Family!

I made it to Santa Fe Springs and I love this area.  It feels like home :)  There are some pine-like trees every once and a while and we can see some mountains. haha!  We woke up to having snow on the tip tops of the mountains and it is still a freezing 60 degrees! I just think about how if it were 60 degrees at home we would all be in shorts and a t shirt but here I have a scarf and my jacket and I am still freezing cold!!  My new companion is Sister Otte and she is from Texas! She is soo funny and we have so much fun together.  We both just laugh all of the time so this is going to be such a fun transfer! She has been out almost 10 months! Our area is HUGE because we cover YSA and the Santa Fe Springs ward.  At times it is overwhelming because there are so many people that we should be seeing but so little time as well!

We have seen some great miracles this week! it is super awesome to see an area grow and see more and more people prepared for this gospel!  We went to go and see one of our baptismal dates, Margarita, and teach her the Restoration. She was a little distracted with her grandson at first but was still understanding everything that was going on. When we got to the First Vision she just stopped and listened and after she said that she felt so good and could feel the spirit but directly after that she said that she had pain in her heart. Sister Otte and I were both so confused about what happened because we had never had that reaction before. We talked about it a little and she said that it was an actual physical pain in heart. We decided that we would pray and we prayed that at that exact moment she would feel peace and calm in her heart and know that the things we are teaching her are true. At the end of the prayer she said that the pain had left and she knew that she wanted to be baptized. It was such an amazing moment.  We have been talking about how we are representatives of Jesus Christ and how when we promise blessings to our investigators it is really a promise from Christ.  We have the opportunity to make those promises in His name. That is the power and authority of our calling. 

We also have this awesome family who Sister Otte and I have such high goals for and are so excited to see their changes. They are a part member family. Both of the parents and the 3 oldest kids are baptized but are very less active.  We basically treat them as investigators because they don't really remember or know anything about the church.  They want to change and start coming to church which is so amazing.  The best part is the kids want to change the most and are the most willing to make the efforts to change.  There is a 20 year old named Eddie and we work with him at YSA and he is making such great progress.  He still struggles with reading the scriptures and saying his prayers everyday but he can see the difference on days when he does read which is the best part.  But the rest of the family is 15, 12, 8, 4, and a newborn.  The 8 year old is named Illusion and she is so much fun.  She says the funniest things every time we come over and she loves reading the Book of Mormon.  She tells us all the time that she "wants to be Mormon sooo bad" so we just keep telling her that we are working on it!!  She is the one that is motivating her parents to keep making changes.  She wants to go to church every week and the parents can see the difference in their family when they go and don't go.  I love seeing an 8 year old make such a huge difference in her family and setting an amazing example.  I love this family so much.  Every time we go over to their house I feel at home and so welcome and that is something that I have needed!

Being on a mission is definitely one of the hardest things that I have done.  I am constantly exhausted physically, mentally and spiritually but I have learned many things already.  I have learned that Heavenly Father is constantly aware of all of our needs. Every single one of His children.  He knows what we need and He wants us to be happy.  No matter how alone we feel, or frustrated, or happy He is constantly by our side smiling down on us and giving us little blessings showing us of His love.  I love this gospel and I love my Heavenly Father!

“I know the Lord lives. I know that He loves us. I know that apart from Him no one can succeed, but as a partner with Him no one can fail.

“I know that God can make a lot more out of our lives than we can.

“May we all have the moral courage from this moment forward to more fully strive each day to think on Christ, learn of Him, walk in His steps, and do what He would have us do.”

~President Ezra Taft Benson

Have a great week!!

Love,

Hermana McMinn

Week 18: Miracles and Tender Mercies

You will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times and you will realize that He was always there beside you.
~President Thomas S. Monson

Hello friends and family!

Well I have finished my 2 transfer!! How crazy is that?! I have been out on a mission for 4 months. It seems like I have been out forever. But also it seems like I've been out for a few seconds! This transfer has been a transfer of miracles and tender mercies. Last night I found out that I'm going to be transferred to a new area. I am going to Santa Fe Springs and I also have a young single adult area. My new companion is Sister Otte. I am super sad to be leaving Hermosa Liahona but I am ready for some more miracles in the work of the Lord!

One of the many miracles that we have this week is that we found 13 new investigators! Pretty sure that's a new record. And the best part is is that they're all very solid. We had two new baptismal date as well. It just goes to show that as we keep working hard the Lord is aware of our efforts. Another one of the best parts is that both of our baptismal date or family member of recent converts! We are helping families be together forever!! Nothing is better than that!

One of our baptismal dates is named Ernesto. He is the son-in-law of Rosendo. I had wanted to talk to him a little bit last transfer but never went and talked to him. This transfer we decided to go and knock on his door. The first night we went it was too late and he was already in bed but we set up a return appointment! We ended up missing that appointment sadly but had the prompting to go back and talk to him again. At first he was not home so we had a lesson with his daughter Kalista. I really liked her because first off the first four letters of her name spells my name but also she could really feel the spirit and she knew the importance of our Savior. As we finished the lesson with her, her dad walked in! He was a little hesitant about having to listen but we told him we could do one real fast. We started talking about what he desired and what he wanted in this life. He said that all he was looking for was peace and that his family could be happy. Well.... We told him that we had the answer! Jesus Christ! We talked about how the teachings of Jesus Christ bring more love into family and this peace and joy that we are searching for as well. We got a prompting to extend a baptismal date and he gladly accepted! December 27 is going to be an amazing day. We're going to keep working with his family as well so that they all can be baptized on that day. I love families!

My testimony was really strengthened this week about how God knows all his children in their needs. One night we were going to have a lesson with an investigator at a recent convert's house but the investigator ended up canceling. We decided to have a lesson with the recent convert. Turns out the recent convert really needed us and really needed our help and the help of the Savior as well. We had the opportunity to testify that Christ is our Savior and is always there to help us! Our recent convert really needed us and as we followed the prompting to go and see him we could really be the tools or the instrument that Christ needed.

Happiness does not depend on what happens outside of you but on what happens inside of you; it is measured by the spirit with which you meet the problems of life.

~President Harold B. Lee

I love you all so much and am so glad for the prayers and the support that I receive from you all! Have a great week :)

Love,

Hermana McMinn

    Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.

~President Gordon B. Hinckley

Week 17: More Tender Mercies

Hello friends and family!!

How crazy is it that I am almost done with my second transfer already? These past 5 weeks have gone by so fast! And I heard it only goes faster so I am not quite sure what to expect from here on out!

Well this week we had so many tender mercies happen. It was amazing! One day we were going to go and see Maria Cendejas. She was a really solid investigator who we ended up transferring to the English ward because it was easier for her husband to understand English. Her mom had joined us in one of the lessons that we had with Maria and she loved it. She could feel the spirit so strong and we actually set a baptismal date with her in that lesson and gave her a Book of  Mormon.




We had tried going by a few times after that but she was never home or didn't want to talk to us so we ended up turning her over to the Lord. But anyway we went to go and see Maria but she wasn't there! Luz, her mom, was though! And she wanted to talk to us! We were so excited and started talking about the Book of Mormon and turns out she has actually been reading it every day! We asked her how she felt while she was reading and she said calm and that she knew those things were true!! We are so happy that we followed the prompting to stop by and go see her! The hardest thing with her is that her husband does not like when we come over and does not like when his wife leaves the house! We have been praying for him to have a more open mind and heart so that Luz can come to church! Heavenly Father answers prayers!

Another tender mercy is the whole day on Friday!! We went on a companion exchange for that day and I stayed in my area with one of my sister training leaders, Sister Bown. I was super nervous because she does not know any spanish at all so I would be the one who was doing all the talking. We started the day out with not having any set appointments and just planned on knocking on doors all day long until we found people to teach and boy did those people come! We found so many people who invited us to come on another day and who really wanted to learn more. There was one man whose name was Flabian and he is a lecturer for his Catholic Church. I had the prompting to teach him the restoration of the Gospel right then on the street so that is what I did! It was going really well and I said the first vision.. The spirit was so strong and Flabian could feel it. All that he could say was... Wow! We then explained the Book of Mormon and I happened to have an extra copy in my bag! We gave it to him and he promised that he was going to read it and pray about it!! I am super excited to go and follow up with him this week!




We ended up finding 8 new investigators that day! A family who let us in to their home, 2 teenage boys, an older lady who really wants to learn more about Christ and some other amazing people! The Lord is preparing the hearts of many people to accept this gospel! :) tender mercies of the Lord!

Yesterday there was a new holiday video that came out called A Savior is Born. It is absolutely amazing. The spirit is so strong as I watch it every time. I invite you all to go and watch it and check out the website christmas.mormon.org. It is a great reminder of what this season is really all about. We have a Savior who was born. who died and was resurrected just for us so that we can return to our loving Heavenly Father. Share it with all your friends and family and remember the true meaning of this season! This is the perfect time of  year to share the gospel with others because they can already feel the spirit of Christ even if that is not what they recognize it as!

As the Christmas season envelops us with all its glory, may we, as did the Wise Men, seek a bright, particular star to guide us in our celebration of the Savior's birth. May we all make the journey to Bethlehem in spirit, taking with us a tender, caring heart as our gift to the Savior.

~President Thomas S. Monson

Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus.

~Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving and also have a great week!! 

I love you all and am so grateful for all of your support and prayers!

Love, Hermana McMinn

Week 16: Happy Thanksgiving

Hello Family and Friends!

Well this week has been a week of finding people to teach. We don't have many progressing investigators so we are in the process of contacting a lot of people and trying to find those whom are ready for the Gospel and who the Lord is preparing to accept our message. A message of true happiness!! At times it can be a little frustrating because we have appointments set and then they are either not home when we get there or they cancel on us. I love agency but I am so sad when they don't accept us and I wish that we could force them to listen to our message because we now that it will make them so happy! I am sure that is exactly how Heavenly Father feels as well when we all choose to disobey as well.

So this week we went and had the full Restoration lesson with Meda, Martha, and Cristina... Our barber shop ladies! They love us so much and they love when we come because they always say that it makes them so happy :). We started the lesson and they weren't quite listening or told us that they knew everything that we were telling them but then we told them about the priesthood. The were a little offended that we had told them that there baptism didn't count because it wasn't by someone who held the correct authority but then they really accepted the idea and really understood what we were telling them. It was really cool to see the Spirit work in them and see them process exactly what was being said. When we finished the lesson we asked all three of them to be baptized and all three of the answered that they would once they had received an answer that all of this was true. Meda is the one who really received our message. She has such a true love and desire to follow our Savior. I seriously learn so much from all of the people who I teach.

We had another amazing miracle this week. As we were walking down the street we ran into a man who we had talked to before and he was so excited to see us!! He told us that he had been looking for us because he knows that our church is true. He had been in jail for a few months for immigration problems and while he was there he chose to go to church instead of having time outside. Turns out that church was actually lessons from the missionaries! He gained a strong  testimony of this church while he was in jail and then once he we let out he searched and searched for our church but could not find someone holding the priesthood to baptism him. He was so relieved when he found us but the only problem is that he works every single day until

10 at night Except for Sunday and so we invited him to church and.... He came!! And absolutely loved it and felt the spirit so strong. We had a lesson with him after and talked about the restoration of the church and invited him to be baptized. He said no (not sure exactly why but we are working on that) but he said that he wants to read and learn a little bit more before he makes that decision. We are super excited for Edgar because he says he knows that this church is true! I am super excited to keep teaching him and seeing his faith grow!




As you all know this week is Thanksgiving!! And what better time to think about our Heavenly Father and Savior because it is because of them that we have all that we will ever need. We have our bodies, personalities, talents, families, the Gospel in our lives and so much more. I invite you all to reflect on what our Heavenly Father has given us and all of our many blessing because I know I have taken advantage of many things! :)


"The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

It is not happy people who are thankful, it is thankful people who are happy!

Have a great week and eat some pie for me :)


Love, Hermana McMinn

PS Happy 13th birthday to BROOKIE! The greatest little sister everrrr :):)

Week 15: I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Hello family and friends!!

Another week has come and gone here in California... and yes it is still cold and I guess it only gets colder from here!  This is going to be a long winter haha :)

Well this week has had its ups and downs for sure. I will just start with one story.  So my companion always has to go to the bathroom because she is constantly drinking water and one night she really had to go to the bathroom and we ended up going into a barber shop to use the bathroom. I started talking to them in my very broken spanish (but i could understand more than before.. positive thinking!)  but we started talking about what missionaries do and about how they leave their homes for 18 months to 2 years.  They didn't sound very interested because they were all really catholic and we asked if we could come to their house and teach them more but they all turned us down.  We ended up singing "I know that my Redeemer lives," and the spirit was so strong.  Once we finished singing they said that they had felt very calm and peace in that moment.  We testified to them that that was the Spirit telling them that our message was true.  They started having so many questions and invited us back to the barber shop and teach them more because they wanted to feel of that spirit again.  We were so excited after that lesson and we knew that my companion had to go to the bathroom for a reason ;)

I don't know if I have told you about Maria Cendejas at all but she is one of our investigators with a baptismal date and she is so awesome.  She is 24 and is married and has 2 kids.  She knows without a doubt that this church is true but the hard thing is her husband doesn't know very much Spanish.  He decided to come to church this Sunday and he loved it! The only probably was that he didn't understand anything that they were saying... the Spirit sure does testify even when you don't understand.  The sad thing is that they have decided to change to English speaking missionaries but we are so excited for them to be baptized together and go to the temple!!! :)

This week I have been reading a book called Believing Christ.  I would highly recommend it to all of you as well.  It talks about Christ and His atoning sacrifice for us all.  We know that we all make mistakes and will keep making mistakes but as we believe Christ we can be clean of everything that we have done and start completely over!  I know this to be true.  I know that Jesus Christ lives and loves us all so much.  So much that sometimes I can't even comprehend it.  I know that He suffered for us so that we can become clean and return to live with our Heavenly Father again.  I know that through Christ we can receive strength to do all that we need to do and more.  We must trust in Him and all that He has done for us!

Sorry for the short email this week but hopefully I have more stories to tell next week!  I love you all so much!

Love,

Hermana Kali McMinn

Fight all of your battles on your knees and you will win every time.

~Charles Stanley