Letter October 22nd (2013)

¡Hola mi padre! ¿Cómo esta?

I love hearing about your work in the Temple - we get to go every 6 months (because our work is for the living, as I heard once) and it reminds me of how special a place it is.

This week was really good. I´m working on street contacting more and listening to the Spirit more in lessons to ask inspired questions and discern the needs of the investigators

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We had Zone Conference on Friday and it was fantastic. We practiced teaching lessons (where I practiced using silence effectively after the First Visions - the Spirit was really strong) and President Brough talked about how we have angels assigned to us to comfort us and help us in life. He talked about how our angels are our ancestors and our future children. And he emphasized the importance of exact obedience and being valiant. 

After the conference, it was POURING rain. I have never been so wet from rain in my life. It was as if I had stood underneath a shower for five minutes. It was ridiculous, but we were so uplifted from the conference that it didn´t really matter. We got home, changed clothes really quickly, and went back to work.

I got your letters after the conference! Thank you so much! It meant a lot to see your and mom´s handwriting on the pages. Thank you.

This week I realized the importance (or, re-realized) of reading the Book of Mormon and how integral it is in the conversion process for members and non-members alike. In Preach My Gospel, there´s a whole chapter dedicated to the Book of Mormon and how to use it to answer questions, doubts, and in conversion. If the Book of Mormon is true, then it contains the words of God, Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, the Church is true, and Jesucristo is our Savior and Redeemer. President Kimball (I think) said that for investigators, the only concern is whether the Book of Mormon is true because if it´s true, it´s all true. We taught a lesson Saturday night (many lessons, but one in particular) where we testified that the evidence of the truth of the Gospel is the Book of Mormon and how any person can grow closer to God through this book and know of hte Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a really good lesson and the Spirit was really strong .

There´s a quote somewhere (I don´t remember) but it´s to the effect of missionary work is home teaching for non-members and home teaching is missionary work for members. I thought you´d like that. I think Elder Packer said it, but I´m not sure.

New thing I tried this week - I don´t know what it´s called in English, but basically, it´s boiled bananas with a little bit of salt and sugar. It´s really good. I want to get the recipe, it´s that good.

I love you! Say hi to the family for me! I pray for you and mom and the family everyday!

Con MUCHO amor,

Hermana Conover


Usually Michelle's letters to her mom are answers to "housekeeping" questions about how to take care of internet things, how her clothing is working out, what she needs...you know, mom questions.  This week's letter to mom gave a little more insight to her language acquisition and the rest of her letter paralleled her letter to her dad.  "Esta todo bien!" or "Its all good!" as she is fond of saying.

Hola mi amorosa madre, ¿que tal?

I do have an accent - an American Spanish accent. No, Spanish is coming along. Really. We had Zone Conference on Friday and I talked with President Brough and he said that my Spanish is really good. And he wouldn´t just say that - he knows how much I´ve been stressing about my Spanish. So that was good to know.

I study the Book of Mormon in English for a half an hour a day, but I think I might switch over to Spanish and read the English when I´m confused. I´m grateful for my Book of Mormon classes at the Y, for sure, PERO, I´m studying for a different purpose now and for specific people and not just for my own personal knowledge. It´s a special experience how I can read a chapter in the Book of Mormon and find at least one scripture that applies to our companionship or our investigators. No matter the chapter, there´s a principal that can be applied.

I was reading in Helaman 4 and 5 today and Mormon talks about how not even a hundredth of the Book of Mormon is in the plates. It meant a lot to me today that every scripture, every word, is what we need in today´s society. The Book of Mormon was written for us and for our day and every scripture can be applied to our lives. So we need to read and reread the words of the Prophets. 

In Preach My Gospel, it talks about the Book of Mormon and how crucial it is for investigators (and members, for that matter) to read it. If the book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, this Church is true, and Jesucristo is our Savior and Redeemer. I know that. I get it. So, we´re trying to get our investigators to read the Book of Mormon with renewed vigor and intensity because the evidence that this church is true is in the Book of Mormon. I know that. And I know that this Church is true and that we can find solace and comfort and the words of God in the Book of Mormon and its´teachings.

I love you, mom! So much! I pray for you and the rest of our family everyday! 

Con MUCHO amor en Guatemala, 

Hermana Conover