Hermana Goodwin

Hola mi familia!! 

 

I wrote a letter the first day I arrived in Nevada, but by your emails it doesn't sound like you got it. I left the MTC last Tuesday about 5:30am. The flight to Reno took about an hour, there were 24 missionaries heading to Reno, 4 of which were sister missionaries. President Hermansen and Sister Hermansen were there to meet us at the airport, long with the 3 assistants to the president, 2 of them are in their last transfer. Sister Hermansen LOVES to take pictures, I think they've already sent some. After that we went to the mission home for breakfast and then off to one of the church buildings for orientation.  Then President Hermansen interviewed each of the new missionaries to make sure the area and companions he had decided on were right. After that was through the Assistants announced one by one who our companion was and where we were going. My companion and I we were assigned to serve in LAKE TAHOE!!! I had to wait an extra day to meet her because she was in Elko, so I stayed with another set of sister missionaries that night.

The Lake Tahoe area is beautiful! Up in the mountains surrounded by pine trees (and we have a truck to drive! SWEET!!), we are living in Incline Village. Most of the work here is actually among the hispanics. So guess who gets to learn espanol?? I'm working on it... We have been teaching a young lady who already has a baptismal date for Sept 8. She, speaks English but here parents don't. I want to understand Spanish!!

Sunday we attended church along with at least a hundred visitors, due to labor day weekend. Since it was fast Sunday, Sister Frost and I got up to share our testimonies. Standing in front of all those strangers I have never felt so strongly of the things I shared with them, that I know Heavenly Father loves us and because He does, Jesus Christ was sent here to atone for our sins so that we can return to live with them again. I know that it is our choice to follow Him. I know that Joseph Smith was called as a prophet of God to restore the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that we can learn how to follow Christ through reading the Book of Mormon, there is NO OTHER book that contains so much TRUTH. Please, I challenge each one of you who reads this, I want you personally to read and study the Book of Mormon, all of it, and to have it finished by the time I return home from this mission. Please, there is nothing else as important as reading this book, to know that it is true. God will reveal that it is true to you personally if you read it with an open heart, and sincerely search it to know for yourself that it is true. Please do that for me. And, if you already know it is true, read it again!

That wasn't quite what I shared in sacrament meeting, but I felt the spirit so strong that Sunday, I couldn't help but look around and wonder if others were feeling the same. After that meeting we went to the Espanol Evangelio doctrine class (there's my attempt to slip some panish in) I could only pick out a word here and there, but I tried to listen with all my heart. We were reading in Helaman, going around the room, each person read a verse. Even me, Hermana Frost only helped me pronounce about 3 words in the verse. My ability to speak Spanish is improving, but my understanding it is a bit slower...

After church we met with the Bishop to get to know him and the ward better. He is very excited about missionary work, he told us that he had been praying for sister missionaries to be sent to this area, he felt that this is what this area needs. HE told us that we are an answer to his prayers, how can you express how you feel when someone tells you that? My heart is full to bursting.

I love you all so much! Please continue to write me! I love hearing from you! 

 

Love,

Sister Goodwin