September 24, 2013 letter

¡Hola familia!

 

I´m not dead - we didn´t get to email last week. You may have gotten a picture of me with President and Sister Brough. They´re really sweet. President Brough´s "advice" (I don't know what else to call it is) for our mission is to baptize and retain (bautizar y retener). And work hard. he told us last Tuesday that we were going to have blisters - and he was happy about it. I am too. It´s a great mission. We walk fast (more like run) half the time and run the other half. 

What a week - it´s been one week since I left the CCM and what a week it has been. Last Tuesday, we went to President Brough´s house and had lunch, workshops, interviews, and then we went on splits with missionaries for 6-7 hours. It was so good. It rained on us. but that´s not new anymore. It rains almost everyday at 3 and rains for a while. 

My first area is Ribera del Rio - we have a volcano near us and part of the jungle in our area. My trainer is Hermana Cruz - she´s really patient with me as I try to speak Spanish and she´s sweet. She´s from Mexico. And my other companion (we´re in a  trio) is Hermana Carerra. She´s hilarious and is from Guatemala. My goal is to walk as fast as Hma. Cruz.

I have had so many spiritual experiences this past week that I don´t even know where to start. My testimony has grown so much in the past seven days. People sometimes don´t listen to us but, oddly enough, each time that happens, my testimony is strengthened and my desire to share the Gospel grows. This message is so true and can change lives for the better in ways that we can´t understand. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us so much and have given us prophets, scriptures, families, the Atonement, and so many other things to help us be happy now and to return to live with them. This is so true. I´m so grateful for the opportunity to tell people about the gospel and invite them to come unto Jesus Christ through living the Gospel and being baptized.

This past week, a quote from Elder Holland kept going through my head from an MTC devotional. The quote is something like, "Why is missionary work not easy? Because salvation is not a cheap experience." I  didn´t realize how true that was until now. Missionary work isn´t easy, but it is worth it. We - as missionaries - are on the forefront of a war that started before the creation of this world. People´s eternal lives are at stake and we are working to help them live with their families for eternity and return to live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

I love you all and pray for you everyday! I hope everything is going well! I love you!

-Hermana Conover

[Answering some of her dad's questions about Michelle's mission.]

P.S.

We get mail every 6 weeks during change meeting and sometimes in between during other meetings, so I don´t know when I´ll get your letter. But please send them! It´s nice to get handwritten letters because we can read them other than internet time.

There´s one Elder in my district from the states. He´s been here for 6 weeks and he´s from Oregon. The closest CCM person to me is a zone over, I think, but close. 

I love the mission. On Thursday, it was pouring rain, but I was so happy. The song "Tengo gozo en mi alma hay" (There is sunshine in my soul today) kept going through my head. It was pouring, but I was so happy and joyful. What better thing to be doing than to preach about Jesus Christ for the next 16.5 months?

We do a lot of contacting here - I have contacted a couple of buses (where you stand up front and say who you are, what our message is, and that we´ll be writing down people´s information) and a lot of people in the street. It´s intimidating, but you just have to take the plunge and do it.

The worth of souls is great in the sight of God (D&C 18:10, I think). When we teach people, I get a small glimpse of how Heavenly Father sees them. It´s beautiful. You teach to them and tell them about the message of the restored Gospel and love them. It´s beautiful. I know that this Gospel is true.