A magic flower turned me white

Hola familia!

Haha I literally just translated what we say in Spanish, I don't know how you white people say "pass by for"! ;) Haha I can't wait to see all this [football] rivalry, Dad! I feel you, Mom. If you want I'll teach you some curse words in Spanish so it doesn't sound as bad ;) JJ, that's awesome!! How do you like football in comparison to fútbol? Awe, Ez, thanks for fasting for me! I can feel the extra strength! and good questions. I don't know how many people I've taught, I think I'm in my 8th transfer, and I haven't seen any lion dogs or proposals in a while. Wow, Mo! You'll have to take me around in Dad's sweet ride!! Jar, don't get married yet, just pass all of your exams for now and get super rich until I get back. Haha Cam, will note that Badger Mountain is ugly for future reference!

This week was full of miracles with the Te_'s! The first was with Te_ 1 (Tonatiu's grandma), on Tuesday we had an appointment with her. But when we went to visit her she was feeling really unwell and had intense pain in her chest. A few weeks ago another set of missionaries gave her son a blessing, and we had talked about the priesthood before, so she had a knowledge of blessings, and when we got there she asked for one. We brought the bishop over who lived a block away and he gave her a blessing. He blessed her that her pains would leave her immediately, and incredibly they did! Her daughter wanted to take her to the hospital, but after the blessing she said no, that she was fine. And she hasn't had a pain or related problem since then!

Ward activity dancers

The priesthood is real! It truly is the power of God, and used under proper authority can perform miracles as we saw on Tuesday. But one of the most important parts was the faith of Te_. She had the faith to ask for a blessing and the faith to be healed. Every day I'm learning more and more about the importance of our faith. Faith is power as well. If we believe we can, we have the ability to do extraordinary things! But it all centers in if we believe we can do them and if we are willing to act in our belief. And if we truly believe we will act, because faith without works is dead. For that very reason the first principle of the gospel is faith. If we can have faith and strengthen our faith in our Savior, we have full access to his atonement, to his power to overcome all opposition. How cool is that??

The second miracle was with Te_ 2. This week we found out that she has been studying diligently the Book of Mormon. I wish I could show you guys her book! It's all marked with her favorite scriptures and she's already read probably almost half of it. She even checks the scripture references in the footnotes! She expressed to us this week that she's been passing for a really difficult time in her life right now (is this a Spanish phrase translated to English?), but she has found so much consolation in the Book of Mormon! More than she has found anywhere else and that she knows that it's true. I really like the quote that you guys shared from President Uchtdorf, because it reminds me of the experience Te_ shared with us. God's light can shine and guide and heal even in the darkest of circumstances. And the truth is it's the only thing that can. And one of the most potent access points is the Book of Mormon.

Uchtdorf Quote: "There may be some among you who feel darkness encroaching upon you. You may feel burdened by worry, fear, or doubt. To you and to all of us, I repeat a wonderful and certain truth: God’s light is real. It is available to all! It gives life to all things.1 It has the power to soften the sting of the deepest wound. It can be a healing balm for the loneliness and sickness of our souls. In the furrows of despair, it can plant the seeds of a brighter hope. It can enlighten the deepest valleys of sorrow. It can illuminate the path before us and lead us through the darkest night into the promise of a new dawn."

JJ and Ez, sorry, no Spanish fails this week, but I do have one funny experience! We were eating with a member family and their 5 year old little boy asked me basically if the sun had bleached me white, he didn't believe that I was born this way. Hahah! My comp convinced him in the end that I was like Rapunzel, my mom ate a magic flower and it turned me white and blond. Hahaha too funny!

Read the Book of Mormon, choose the right, and don't tell lies!

con mucho amor
Hermana Larsen