September 13, 2016

So....I'm sure you've seen me on Facebook....yes, it was different at
first. I thought I was never going to have to use it, it is my last
transfer so I was like, no way.  But then....missionary leadership
council.....online proselyting training....we had to be the first ones
to get Facebook this week and by Friday everyone in our mission will
be allowed to be on Facebook. This week I have been trying to make my
prayers more meaningful and more focused on others so that I can have
that prayer in my mind and in my heart. It has helped me to constantly
be thinking about our investigators. It's also helped me stay focused
as we have been cleaning up our Facebooks! Doing that could have been
so distracting, but I said a lot of prayers asking the Lord how I
could stay focused and not pay attention to the things that I needed
to hide. He helped me so much to find different ways to stay focused
on my purpose and receive revelation for our investigators, He really
needs to be included in the process, in every phase of missionary
work. This experience actually really helped my testimony of prayer
increase and helped me to see how focused I really am on my purpose.
Sometimes I dont really realize how into I am, but this was an
eyeopener for me and really helped me to increase my relationship with
him because I couldnt do it on my own . its just a similitude for me
that we cant do any of this on our own

I locked the keys inside....only the second time on my mission!
Luckily our screen was already broken from other missionaries who
locked themselves out....

We had a great week this week and have our investigator, Roberto,
preparing for his baptism the 24th of September <x-apple-data-detectors://1>.
He really wanted t
get baptized, but I feared man and didn't set him with a date because
he struggles with his testimony of Jesus Christ, which is super
important. Well, our first lesson Sister Summers and I set a date with
him and ever since then his testimony of Jesus Christ has been
strengthened so much! This week he even said he  knows that he has a
savior. It has been amazing to see the Atonement change his life. I
have really grown to love him, even with his stubbornness! Things have
been hard for him since his son died a year ago (the day after
christmas...so sad) and has really chosen this time to come closer to
christ. It has really strengthened my testimony that if someone really
has the desire to change, they really can change by ten fold! He has
become more and more humble every time we see him. One day he wanted
us to teach him in English and he was speaking very broken english to
us and me di cuenta that he really is becoming humble....it really
hurts your pride speaking a language you hardly know! That was a
really special lesson with him and he even bore his testimony about
Jesus Christ.

My companion and I have really been trying to always be in the right
place at the right time. I mean, as missionaries we always try to do
that, but in planning and going and doing sometimes I feel it gets
lost in all the busyness. The other night we didn't really feel very
good about our plans so we prayed and felt that we should go to one of
our backup plans from earlier in the day. It was a less active that I
really didnt know who they were (And it turns out on sunday that ward
council doesnt know them either). They are sealed in the temple and
all of their family is lessactive. They are super old, so thats why
they havent really been coming, he works on Sunday and she has some
health problems. I told her what happened, how we prayed and felt that
we should be there and she said "Sisters, you were following the Holy
Ghost because I really needed this visit today". I felt soooo good to
hear that because in that moment I knew that we were in the right
place at the right time.

Can I just tell you that I love this ward??? The members are so
amazing, we find lots of members that are willing to come out with us.
One of the ward missionaries is this little old lady from Guatemala.
She is the coolest missionary and has the most amazing story. At
dinner on Sunday <x-apple-data-detectors://5> she shared an experience
about when she lost her son.
We have been having such amazing short lessons at dinners with members
and we have been really blessed to have them sign up. We have been
able to give them commitments that really apply to their specific
needs. I felt on Hermana needed to hear a quote from the of my
favorite talks called"waiting for the prodigal" so we planned on that
because I knew she had some people in her family that had not been as
active as she woud have liked. The first things she talked about was
her grandson who recently lost his dad and is going through a really
rough time and how much she wishes that he had the gospel in his life.
The quote we had picked beforehand was soooo perfect and she
absolutely loved it and chocked up again reading the words that were
promised to her that if she loves, watches, and waits, he will find
that hope in his life. We have a lot of members inviting their friends
and family to the mission presidents devotional this sunday and they
are just really getting involved in the work which is just such a
blessing o see.

I have just been doing so good and I truly truly love being a
missionary. It was the best decision of my life to come out here and
serve these wonderful people.

Love,
Hermana Lapp