3-31-14

Family!

So this last week was a little strange because i emailed on Monday, but pday was actually on thursday because we got to go down to the temple. It was so nice! I am so lucky to get to  go every three months! And this time i realized that i never want to go so long without feeling the peace that the temple brings. Since i had the stomach flu last time i haven't been in 6 months. There is a peace that i can find in the temple that literally blocks out all the sounds of the world and i love it! Plus i have really gained an appreciation for how close we live to the temple back in AZ. From where we are it is about an hour and 45 minutes which isn't too bad, but it is a lot longer than 10 minutes.

This week has been pretty good. Debbie had some set backs but still really wants to get baptized and is continuing to better her life everyday. We were a little worried about her after she called us last week, but she was worried that the members wouldn't still want to be her friend if she wasn't ready to get baptized. But she is doing so well.

Another person we are teaching told us she was reading the Book of Mormon every morning and every night before she went to bed and it was super amazing! She has now personally felt the peace in her life that comes through the Book of Mormon! How awesome is that? We talked about how the Book of Mormon can relate to our lives personally. We talked about the example of Nephi, and what an example he has been to my life personally. After studying the life of Nephi i realized that i should never have anything to complain about. My life has been so blessed. For her she was able to look at how he recieved his strength, as she reads more she is starting to understand the story and the words. It has been really cool. Hopefully she can finally put all the pieces in place!

The women's broadcast was really good and as i type this message, Heidi (someone we are teaching) just texted us saying she was sad that she missed it and was wondering if she could find it online. So we told her where and she just said "there it is :)" and she is going to watch it. We are super excited because it was a great conference about keeping our covenants and teaching our children to do the same, and she is a young mother who recently had a baby and is reflecting on how she can improve her family! And i loved how much it talks about relationships. Not just with kids, but with our friends and everyone around us. Again luckily i have been blessed with such a great family and great friends. I have always felt supported no  matter what i am doing. I have seen that as something that really helps people come to the church, when they realize the people there are doing much more than being nice so they will join the church, but the genuinely want to be their friend. Friends change lives for the better or for the worse, luckily for us, God gives us that choice and we can have those good influences to surround us. I feel very fortunate to feel as if i have always been surrounded by good friends!

Well missionary life is going great! Still trying to talk to 10 new people everyday. We have been telling our members about it and their response is, "are there that many people in Quincy? you will run out in like a week" It is funny but there is always someone to talk to and always someone who needs to feel the love and the reality of Jesus Christ in their lives. Right now i am in the Isaiah chapters of 2 Nephi and i can't imagine what it would have been like to live in those times when the people were soo wicked and there weren't many believers. I am grateful to have the ability to worship as i please and that the people of Washington are so nice!  And Spring is upon us and having that sunshine is super nice!

I love you. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and am so lucky to have him in my life and to be his servant. Find someone to bear your testimony to so that the spirit can whisper it to their heart! 2 Nephi 33:1. Let us Open Our Mouths together and try to make the world a better place and be examples of our savior Jesus Christ! Que tengan un buen dia!

Hermana Ray

Sister Tuigamala's birthday! Ironically i am wearing the same outfit in both of these pictures, but they were taken like 2 weeks apart...

Temple day. don't mind all the laughing and funny faces... it was super windy and we all had ahir up in our face! (I hardly ever wear my ahir down here... way to windy)