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| Fredericksburg North Zone |
Since you are the only two
family members to email me this week, I decided to address my email to
you:) I really do love all of you, and I understand that I've been away
for so long, but I'm still here and I'm still eager to hear about all of
the awesome things that are happening in your life!
Anyway, I would like to start off with the most
exciting announcement of all time! An Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ
will be visiting my mission next month! AHHHHHHH I almost broke down
crying when the Zone Leaders announced it at Zone Meeting last week! We
don't know who it is yet, but he will come with two other General
Authorities. We'll have a whole mission conference and some missionaries
from the Chesapeake Mission will also be in attendance. More details
are forthcoming:)
Speaking of General Authorities.......who LOVED General Conference? Here are some of my thoughts:
At
the very beginning, President Monson did something that I thought was a
little unusual. Normally he'll announce new temples, or he won't. This
time, he announced that he wasn't going to announce temples. Did anyone
else think that was strange? He said that over the past six months, the
church has grown without hindrance. Does that imply that there will be
hindrance in the future? He said that they will continue to consider
where they want to build temples in the future. Are they surveying land
in Jerusalem or Missouri?;) Just some thoughts.
The theme of this conference was very different from
the last. In October, there was a huge emphasis on missionary work. I
felt like this one focused more on personal preparation for the last
days. The adversary's influence in the world will grow at the same rate
that the restored Church of Jesus Christ spreads across the earth.
The choir number "Let us all press on" really hit
me--Saints are going to experience more persecution in the last days,
but we know who will ultimately win.
My
favorite talk was Elder Bednar's about how a load is necessary for
traction. There are some loads we don't need to be carrying around with
us, but it's important that we do carry some burdens. We might not see
all of the reasons why, which is why we have a loving Heavenly Father
who sees the end from the beginning.
I also enjoyed President Packer's testimony. It was
very powerful when he testified that he has the same knowledge that
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon did--that Jesus Christ lives! He lived a
perfect life, he gave his own life, and now he lives. When President
Packer spoke, I felt as if I was in a room alone with him, and he was
sharing his witness with just me.
Elder Holland's talk made me reflect on some of the
difficult experiences I've had on my mission. I feel honored to be
persecuted for the Gospel's sake! We had one mild experience this past
week...
We tracted into a woman named Dora. She's separated
and has three kids. She is SO prepared! We taught her the first lesson.
Lots of Hispanics live with other people because they can't afford to
live on their own. During the end of the lesson, as we were talking
about the Book of Mormon, one of her roommates came into the kitchen to
cook. I could tell he was listening in. Out of no where, he interrupted
and started asking lots of questions and telling us why the Book of
Mormon couldn't be real. We explained that the Book of Mormon takes
place in the Americas, and that he is a descendant of the House of
Israel. He started laughing at us. I felt the Spirit leave--as a
missionary, this is the worst thing ever! Dora was quiet, but she looked
upset that he was ruining our spiritual moment. I prayed so hard to
know what to do! I remembered what it says in Preach My Gospel--all
concerns are answered in the Book of Mormon and my testimony is my
greatest tool. I realized that he didn't want to hear what he had to
say, because he kept cutting us off. Instead I just bore my testimony to
Dora. The man shut up immediately. He watched for a while, and then
left the room. I could tell that he felt really guilt for what he had
done. Dora seemed pleased, and even cried as she said the closing
prayer.
We've since seen Dora twice more. We met her at her
doctor's office to help translate her appointment and we stopped by last
night to watch "Como Hallar Fe en Cristo," or "Finding Faith in
Christ." She said that she's grateful we found her because she knows
that the Gospel is going to bless her children.
Other little tidbit: translating is a great
challenge! Last week I sent a picture of the Moreno family. Hermana
Moreno had a parent teacher conference for Pablo, and she asked us to go
with her to translate. I did the majority of it and it was a lot of
fun! I love this language and I feel blessed to be able to preach the
Gospel in it!
Okay I'm out of time. I love you all so much:) Don't
forget to send me your favorite conference addresses if you haven't
already!
Love, Hermana Crandall
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