December 19, 2011

My dear family-

Well, I am in Iowa! It is so exciting to be here. I have a new companion, her name is Hermana Rials. We are serving in Des Moines in the 5th Branch- which is ALL SPANISH! (and this area is one of two that is all Spanish and i am very blessed) The weather is gorgeous here right now! There is no snow, and yesterday it was 50 degrees! SOOO NICE! I do feel that the weather will be changing soon... :-/ Anyways, thank you all so much for all the cards and letters that you have sent me, they have meant a lot!

I am absolutely loving our little branch here. They are all so very nice to be and most of them speak English (but that does not mean that i speak to them in English all the time- I ask them: Como se dice_____en espanol? and they help me then i repeat it back) There are a lot of members in our little branch that are inactive so a lot of our time is spent helping activate our members again and getting them strong. A lot of the effort is helping activate, which I am very excited to do. I am so very happy that I am out here in Iowa serving the Lord! :) Hermana Rials and I have been sharing a scripture in Alma 7:11-12 that talks about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and about all the many things He did for us. I would like to invite all of you to read that scripture and ponder in your hearts what the Savior has done for you and then, in return, to think about something you can give back to Him. It really can be anything- it can be as simple as smiling and saying Hi to everyone you see or it could be one day a month going and volunteering your time to serve others or it could be not just doing but being a great home or visiting teacher... it doesn't really matter what it is, just do it and give it to Him.

I would like to share something that I have been thinking about a lot lately... and that is listening to the Holy Ghost. H. Rials and I went to have dinner with one of our active members and I realized something that I haven't really given a lot of thought to. The world is very loud and it is very hard to hear ourselves think sometimes because of the pressures that come from every other way, but the Holy Ghost is a still small voice. I feel such an added amount of power when i listen to that Still Small Voice. I hope we all strive to listen to the still small voice. :)

I am so very thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that we get to celebrate His birth and His life. He really is a Light in this World and I love Him! He is my Friend! :) And hope that this year that you will strengthen your relationship with Him as well. I love you all!

Merry Christmas!

XOXOXO

Love you, always, forever,

Hermana Deborah Faye Wadsworth

December 13, 2011

HOLA!

So, we are in the ultimate countdown. As of right now i only have 17 hours left in the MTC! WOOT! I am so excited/happy/nervous/ehroayrkdhakfjhadgh! I just cannot wait. I have been continually being keeping a prayer in my heart. I am so very thankful for this Gospel. I love the Book of Mormon so much! I hope you all read it daily cause it brings such a strength. I have had a scripture in my head all day today. It is in D&C 84 or 88... i cannot remember, but it says: "I will go before thy face. I will be on your right hand and on your left and my Angels will be round about you to bear you up" (Mom, that is the scripture i would like on my missionary plaque) Heavenly Father has been there for us and always will. Last night Hermana Farris was talking to Hermana Hanson and i don't remember how the conversation went this ways, but it went something like this; When we are putting our trust in the Lord we are putting our hand in His. H. Farris took H. Hanson by the hand and said, "Ok, now, pretend that someone is standing behind you and they are putting doubt into your head or just being very distracting. When we let that happen, we are turning away from the Lord and our hands are slipping out of His. I can testify that that is true. On Saturday night I felt that "distraction" behind me, i didn't feel like i was good enough. i didn't know if i have what it takes to be a missionary. On Sunday I had my last interview with our Branch President, President Claybaugh. I told him about my doubts and my burden that i felt on me. I couldn't tell you everything he said, but i can tell you this; I felt the love of the Lord. He is there for me and President Claybaugh re-assured me on that. I am so very thankful for all the angels that have been round about me, those i can see and those i cannot. There is a quote by our beloved Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson that says: "Take life one inch at a time, trust in the Lord, He sees the whole picture" I hope that we can all more fully trust in the Lord and "Keep moving forward", He will direct you!

Speaking of Thomas S. Monson, his daughter, Sister Ann M. Dibb came and spoke to us in Relief Society. She told us some pretty cute things about him. His favorite color is yellow. Also, he loves red heads. (i just thought that was pretty darn cute) She also said of her dad that he is a great example for recognizing what others do and thanking them and being their friend. I just love that! I loved hearing her testimony about how she knows that her father is a Prophet of the Lord.

Oh man, i cannot wait to tell all of my many adventures to all of you. Hermana Baird and I cannot wait to get to the field. We are hoping that we will be companions again. She has been such a great example to me and I am so very thankful that i have had this time with her. We are both very anxious to get out and serve others and invite them to come unto Christ.

I sure do love you all. Today is really crazy, so i will not be able to write everyone back, but i do really appreciate your letters and love and prayers. Thank you all so much! I wish you all the best week.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Love you, always, forever,

Hermana Deborah Faye Wadsworth

Dec 6, 2011

Hola familia!

Well, here i am counting down the days left in the MTC. We got our travel plans last Thursday, and we fly out on the 14th at 7am which means we leave the MTC at 4am. BAH! It has been such a blessing being at the MTC. Hermana Baird and I are excited to go out, but we dont want to get new companions... we have grown to love and appreciate eachother so much. She is such a great companion! This week is going to be a busy week. Hermana Baird and I were selected to be a part of this program that the MTC does for new missionaries the day they enter the field. It is called ¨How to begin teaching¨ workshop. I am super excited for this opportunity! We will be starting a first discussion with an investigator and we will teach for about 10 to 15 mins then the other missionaries will take over (just to let you know, there will be about 20 to 30 missionaries also in the room watching us.) It is going to be great! and not to mention on Wednesday we are also HOSTING MISSIONARIES! I AM SUPER EXCITED TO DO IT AGAIN! We did it last  week as well and it is just a blast to talk to the fresh missionaries and hear their stories and where they are from and everything. =)

Anyways, this last week has been such a blessing. I am learning alot about myself and about the spirit. I was reading in Alma 26. Can i just put this out there, AMMON ROCKS! My goal is to be a missionary like Ammon! I love how in Alma 26 it shows all the many blessings that come from being patient and diligent. I encourage all of you to read that chapter and look for all the many blessings. I really love also in Alma 36:27 to put your trust in the Lord and dont give up on Him. He has supported me so much in all my trials and afflictions. I am forever in His debt.

On Sunday night for our fireside we watched the Christmas Devotional. I hope you all did! What a great reminder we had about the importance of keeping Christ in Christmas. Dont let the commercial aspect of Christmas keep you from what truly matters. Look for opportunities to help people around you, create memories. We really need to keep Christ in our hearts throughout the year. It makes me sad that we only feel this special spirit this time a year. This year we should all try to be a little more giving and keep the spirit of Christ in our lives day to day. We should always reflect on the blessings the Lord gives us. I am trying to be very good at writing in my journal and nights that are just crazy busy and i dont have a lot of time to write everything i want to, I try to at least write down for that the blessing that the Lord gave me that day. We should always be searching for Christ! I will be forever grateful for a loving Savior that came as a gift from God to come into the world and redeem His people. I love what Henry B. Eyring said about how the prophets of the olden days looked forward to the coming of the Savior of Jesus Christ into the world. Shouldnt we be looking forward to His return and testify to the world that He lives!?

Oh man, who else LOVES the videos the Church came out with about Luke 2?! I hope you are all posting that on your facebook walls, downloading it to your smartphones. It is great isnt it?! The spirit is so strong in the videos. :)

Well, i am super excited for Iowa! "Im dreaming of a white Christmas" I dont know if i am very prepared for the cold. Lately it has been very cold here in Utah and yeah... Hermana Baird laughs at me cause i am such a pansy. haha! I am so very thankful for the jacket Grandpa lent me... it is a great blessing! :) And i feel like i am can do anything since Kath and Steph (or was it Jen?!)  wore it on their missions. :)

Well, i love you family! Till next week... :) I hope you have a great and safe week. 

I love you always, forever,

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Hermana Deborah Faye Wadsworth

November 29, 2011

Hola Familia!

How was Thanksgiving for everyone?! Thanksgiving was great for me! We started out the day by going to breakfast (the scrabbled eggs they had we the BOMB!) and then we went back to our room for about an hour and 30 mins. It was crazy to have so much "free time" but i made good use to it, i caught up with some writing in my journal and read a conference talk or two. Then we had a fireside at 10. There were a couple missionaries that spoke and also my "mission President" of the MTC, President Gordon Brown, he spoke to us about all the many blessings that the Lord has given to us and what i also learned that we need to be grateful for the sacrifices that we make because "sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven". I learned a lot from President Brown, as a little side note, this past Sunday he came and spoke to us at Relief Society and said that all of us Sisters are "Princess Moroni" and that the Lord loves us missionaries- I am so very thankful to all of my leaders and their examples to me. Ok, so after President Brown spoke, Wendy Watson Nelson spoke- yep- Russell M. Nelson came to speak to us. It was AWESOME! We actually had D. Todd Christofferson come and speak to us Tuesday night! :) SO AWESOME! Ok- back to what Wendy Nelson said and what i learned from her. She talked a lot about the Atonement and how we can be better than we were yesterday because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, that made me feel very good cause i want to be better, I want to change and thru the Atonement of Jesus Christ i can do that. She also talked about living our lives after that manner of the Lord. Jesus Christ really is the perfect example and if we want to change anything about our lives whether it be being more organized, being nice to everyone, using time wisely, studying with real intent the scriptures, all of that we can accomplish thru the Atonement of Jesus Christ and through His great example. Also, she had us write down a quote that i really like it says: "I will serve my mission for the Lord after the way He has shown me and not after the manner of men" I hope that we all can live our lives after the manner of the Lord and not listen to the ways that the world tells us, but after the Lord because He knows the beginning to the end, He knows us better then we know ourselves- we must put our trust in the Lord.

Elder Russell M. Nelson wanted me to make sure to include in my letter home to thank my family for supporting me on a mission. THANK YOU! The next thing i learned from him is to do the best i can and the Lord will make up for the rest, and when He does make up for the rest, thank him! ALLELUIA! Praise the Lord for all He has done in your life. He is great! :) 

Now, after the devotional, we went to have our TURKEY DINNER! WOOT! It was really good, they also had cranberry sauce, green beans (not canned, YAY) sweet potatoes, and yummy peacan chocolate chip pie. :) Then after lunch we went and made little sack dinners for later. Then we had another 1 1/2 between activities so i took a little siesta (nap), dont worry it was only for 15 mins. Then when it was time we went to a little fireside about humanitarian work and then they told us what we were going to do for our service project. We made 8,000 first aide kits that we are going to be sending to Sidan. Isnt that SOO COOL! AH! I love service. I love serving Gods children so much. Then, right after the service project, we went to another fireside that was all about Thanksgiving. It really reminded me of just being with the family. We had a few people that sang songs about thanksgiving like Thankful by Josh Groban, How can i keep from singing, and then we all sang over the river and through the woods. :) then they had 9 missionaries go up on stage and do a little performance about the first thanksgiving, it was a hoot. Then, about 8 missionaries got up and said something that there were thankful for and also said that Hymn reminded them of what they were thankful for and we sang the first verse. It was so much fun! THEN, after the fireside, we watched the movie 17 Miracles. It was such a great thanksgiving for me. I hope it was for you as well.

Love you all, thank you for all the many things you have done for me and all your prayers- they really mean a lot.XOXOXOXO I hope you have a great week

 

Love you, always, forever,

Hermana Wadsworth

 

PS- i only have 2 weeks left in the MTC, SO EXCITING! :)

 

PSS- LOVE YOU!

November 22, 2011

Hola! Como estan todos? Estoy muy bien! :) This week has definately had its ups and downs. Im still just as overwhelmed as ever, but i am still going. I find so much strength during the day by prayer and scripture study. I am so thankful too for such an AMAZING companion and also for the Hermanas i room with- they are all amazing and i look up to them in so many ways. I am so thankful for Hermana Baird and that we both just laugh and her strength she has had during her trials, i want to be like her. I am also so thankful for Hermana Henderson who every night looks me in the eye and shakes her finger at me and says- "you have good dreams and you sleep, ok?" and then gives me a hug. I am so thankful for Hermana Farris and Hermana Call and their consistancy at looking for opportunities to serve (whether it be filling up my waterbottle at night or rubbing my back) I am so thankful for Hermana Hanson will just make me laugh either by just saying "HOLA!" (in a Gilly-like voice) and will say to me, "Whats your name delicate?!" haha! She is great! 

I am also so very thankful for the Elders in my district. They all have so many strengths. I am so thankful for these 19 year old boys, in the making of becoming men, that come to serve the Lord and are the greatest examples to what diligence and obedience is all about. I am also so very thankful for my teachers- Hermana Stevens, Hermana Jensen, Hermano Schofield and Hermano Garcia that help us and encourages us in all that we do and they are so patient! They are the best teachers here at the MTC! I love them all. I am so very thankful for the zone I am in, Hermana Baird is the coordinating Sister for our Branch and i like to refer to myself as the ''assistant'' to the coordinating Sister. All the Elders are so great and i really enjoy all of them! Oh, I just have to put a plug out there for Elder Bridgeraj and Elder Shaum, they are so great to Hermana Baird and I. Elder Shaum just likes giving us a hard time and then there is Elder Bridgeraj that every day tells us a CHEEZY joke, like: Why was the baby aunt confused?..... because all his uncles were ants. HAHAHA! basically he gets all his jokes off of laughy-taffys- but they are AWESOME and he just loves those jokes. 

I am also so very thankful to my family.(i must say, i cannot list all the reasons why i am thankful for you all because of lack of space and time) I am thankful to have such a good Dad that loves me and is still there for me even though he is on the other side of the veil.  Mom, i am so very thankful to you and believing in me and helping me stretch beyond what i thought my own abilities were. Tori- I am so very thankful for you and showing me what you are doing with your life. I am glad you had such a great birthday. Will- I am so very thankful for you and your patience with me and that you are going to be serving a mission, you are going to be one solid missionary! Mary- sweet, sweet Mary. I love you and your letters! I am so proud of you in all the many things you have accomplished! I am excited to see what life brings for you after you graduate. Anna, I loved your last letter, it was great to hear from you. Thank you for all the memories we have had together (being goofballs). Christopher- you give the best hugs! I miss hugging you and watching you and Jonathan play guns. You are a great big brother to Jonathan. Jonathan, bug-a-mug! You are such a great boy! Thank you for your example to me in always praying that the whole earth will Choose the Right. And also, i loved the picture you drew me and you are doing so great in writing in cursive! Rachel-lollie-pop! You are growing up so much. I hope you are being such a big help to mommy. Give everyone a little kiss for me, ok La?!

To all my other family members, thank you for all of your prayers and believing in me! I am the luckiest missionary in the world! I have all my brothers and sisters, but i also have cousins that love me. I love you all so much! I hope you are all living your lives and being an example to those around us. We are so lucky to be on the earth at this time and have the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth and that we have a living Prophet that leads and guides us today. I am so very thankful for the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and the words of our modern-day Prophet.

Oh, how thankful i am for this beautiful earth that we live on! Everyday i see another thing that reminds me of the love of our Father in Heaven. I am so very thankful to all of my friends, thank you for all your love and support as well. I am such a blessed person, i have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! I love you all! Thank you for all your support and love! XOXOXO

 

Love you, always, forever,

Hermana Deborah Wadsworth

 

PS- what are you thankful for?! :) Write it down, and if it is a person, tell them.

Novemeber 15, 2011

HOLA FAMILIA!

Oh wow! So, i am half way done with my time here at the MTC... it is CRAZY! Hermana Baird and I are SO excited to go to Des Moines, but we are also very nervous cause we still do not know that much espanol as we feel like we should. But either way, i am just going to keep soaking up the MTC.

So much has happend this week in class, at firesides and just all together so much! I have learned so much about Jesus Christ! Sunday was just a perfect day for me all around. I always have so spiritually fed on Sundays. My mission President, President Claybaugh talked in sacrament meeting and he taught so beautifully about the Plan of Salvation (which that topic alone, just gets me right in the heart and speaks volume) but he focused on the Atonement. He taught about the far reaching effects of the Atonement in our lives and how all we need to do is turn to Jesus Christ. He talked about the poem "Footprints in the Sand" which we all love and think it is so great! He says as much as he loves that poem it is false- one of my institute teachers had said that to me before, but i forgot why.... well, the reason why is that there is  always only one set of footprints in the sand, and that is the Saviors. HOW TRUE!  He is carrying us! I have no doubt that in my moments, after Dad died, how much i had to just focus on breathing, I have no doubt in my mind that Jesus Christ was holding me and whispering to me "just keep breathing, it will be alright- i got you".  We dont have to fear because Jesus is with us and He will "not leave you comfortless".

I am so excited to help the people of Des Moines, Iowa to come closer to Christ. To know that He Lives! and that He is always there for us! I am so very thankful for the Book of Mormon and i know that it is true. One of my friends told me that I am such a strong person. Well, i didnt really understand why. I know why now, it is because i know that the Book of Mormon is true and that "a man would get nearer to God by abiding to its precepts, than by any other book", as Joseph Smith said about the Book of Mormon. I would like to offer an invitation to everyone that reads this to read the Book of Mormon. I will promise you that if you read it, ponder about it, and ask Heavenly Father if it is true, He will help you to know.

I am the person I am because of the Book of Mormon! Whenever I am having a hard day and i read from the sacred pages of the Book of Mormon, I have recieved FUERZA (strength) and PAZ (peace)!

Yo se que el Libro de Mormon es verdadero! Yo se que Jesucristo es el Salvador y Redentor!

I know that the Book of Mormon is True! I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer!

Thank you for your prayers!

 

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

I love you, always, forever!

-Hermana Deborah Faye Wadsworth

 

ps- keep the postcards coming! I LOVE THEM! :) Thank you all for your love and support to me and my family!

November 8, 2011

Hola Familia!

Well, here we are, week 4 since i have been in the MTC just a couple days short of a month and about half way done with my time in the MTC. I thought that with this email, i would kind of give you and idea of what each day is like at the CCM (MTC) or at least what is like for me.

Sundays we wake up at 6:30 like any other day and get ready for the day, then we have planning at 7:00 and then breakfast at 7:35. (which is cold cereal, fruit and maybe chocolate milk) then we go to sacrament meeting from 8-9. then at 9:30 i go and watch music and the spoken word then at 10 we have relief society and we always have a guest speaker. Then the rest of the day we have district meeting/interviews and a Temple walk (which i love) then at we go to choir and then there is a fireside. this last Sunday President Atkins who is a lawyer for the church came and spoke to us. it was really cool! he talked a lot about the church and the growth, but he also talked about how we get into the countries that we do... and the main thing that i learned is that there is power in prayer and having good 'relationships' with other countries.

 

Then Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are basically the same. We will wake up at 6:30. We plan at 7. Breakfast at 7:40 and class usually starts at 8.... class, gym, class again, language study time, personal study time, TALL (which is Technology Assitant Language something, haha! it basically is another tutor for spanish)

 

ok, sorry, so as im telling you about this, i am getting bored. haha! so, i am going to switch gears. I have learned something very valuable this week.... and it is something that i have never thought about before. Hermana Baird and i have kinda been having a hard time at teaching our investigators (Juan and Patricia) We have been having a hard time balancing teaching by the Spirit, applying the lessons to them, gaining our own testimony about the things that we teach and also teaching to their needs. For me, it has been really hard because so many people have told me "oh, i love the MTC, you are on such a spiritual high and you learn so much about yourself and you gain such a testimony" well, the MTC is not that way anymore. And i am not trying to sound negative because it is not a negative thing and the MTC i have learned a lot about myself and i have been on a spiritual high as well. But this is what i really learned this week. This mission is not about me. It is not about me, it is ALL about the investigators. When i wake up in the morning, i should be more concerned about how i am going to help Juan and Patricia, not on what i want to wear in the morning. What i study in class should not been focused on me and what i want to learn, but how i can help the investigators come unto Christ. I would like to challenge everyone that reads this email to study their scriptures not only for them, but for someone they truly care about and who they want to help. You will learn more about yourself then you could ever imagine. "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God".

 

The MTC is a great place! I cannot wait for the day when Will gets to come here! He will just eat it up. And i will tell you what, i look forward to everything that we do here everyday. oh and, i just wanna say again, i am getting really good at shooting 3-pointers... haha! and the Elders dont like it. hah! :) I love it!

 

Oh, and today Hermana Baird and I met a lady, her name is Sister Madsen (she works at the MTC) and her daughter went to Des Moines, Iowa, spanish as well! She went on to tell Hermana Baird and I that there are about 6 Hermanas assigned to that mission (or at least that is how it was for her daughter that has only been home for 2 years)

 

Anyways, I love you all so much! Thank you for the prays and for the support and all the letters! I LOVE all the drawing that I have received, they are my pride and joy. :) Oh, and guess what... on Monday afternoon we sat by President Brown who is the MTC president and he said that we are going to have a special speaker tonight.... and it is one of the Twelve Apostles! WOOT! I will let you know who.... :)

 

I love you, always, forever,

Hermana Wadsworth

November 2, 2011

Hola mi familia!

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Well, another week has gone by. I cannot believe how fast time flies when you are really on the Lords time. Hermana Baird and I realized yesterday that if we were going on a mission speaking english we would be packing our suitecases today and heading to our missions. What a blessing we are going to be speaking spanish! =)

This past Saturday we had TRC which is the Training Resource Center. I dont know if I have mentioned this at all, but we have had an ´´investigator´´ since the first Friday here and we need to teach in spanish (it is a little stressful at times, especially since we arent fluent) but anyways, what happended at TRC is we went into the room and we taught a volunteer a lesson in spanish. For the most part volunteers are members of the church, most of them are returned missionaries, and we teach them in spanish. It went really well. I love it when Hermana Baird and i get into a room with our investigators and we just completely rely on the Spirit to lead us on what that person needs to come closer unto Christ.

So, every week Relief Society is held with all the Sister missionaries at the MTC and we always have a guest speaker. Guess who was our guest speaker this week???? Elaine S. Dalton! It was such an uplifting talk and I learned some pretty valuable things. First, she said that us as Sister Missionaries are fulfilling the Young Womens Moto- "we will stand as witnesses of God, at all times, and all things and in all places" that just speaks volumes to me that i really am doing that, but i am not saying that every Sister or Brother is not fulfilling that purpose. It is very important that we always do fulfill that purpose and to stand for what we believe in. She also reminded us of the love that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father have for all of us. She also went on to tell us that having a testimony in these last days is not going to be good enough, but that we have to be converted. Dallin H. Oaks gave a good example of this: " having a testimony is feeling and knowing. Being converted is doing and becoming" i might have mixed it up, but it is so true! We need to BE disciples of Christ and becoming more like Him. The last thing and really the most important thing that she shared was about enduring to the end. She told us a story about how she and her husband went running this one day and there were some pretty good hills that they were running. Anyways, when she was running up this hill about half way up, she yelled to her husband, who was pretty much all the way up the hill, and told him that she is going to go back to the car and she will wait for him there. He then turned around, ran down the hill to her, took her by the hand and said, "Elaine, don't you know that you should never turn around when you are going up a hill". She then went on to tell us that she and her husband walked hand in hand up the rest of the hill and they both enjoyed the most beautiful sunrise that she has ever seen.

How true is that with our own lives. How many times have we gone half way up a hill and it was just too hard and just kept going?! I am so very thankful that through the trial of dad passing away that even at the beginning of the hill, the Savior came to me and took me by the hand and is walking me up the hill. That is how the Savior is with all of us. Maybe He doesn't always take our hand at the bottom of the hill, but i do know that He is walking right beside us and will be there when we fall or trip or just because we just want to hold His hand just to know that He is truly right there. I also feel like while we are going up our hills that the Savior also lets family and friends walk up the hill for a while with us and give us the ecouragement and let us know that we are loved and that there are people around us that also want to see us succeed. I am so very thankful for all my family and friends that believed in me when i didnt believe in myself, that smiled at me and gave me a hug and who cried with me in my time of pain.

 

Thank you all so much for your prayers and love sent my way, I love you all! I know that our Savior lives and that He loves all of us! I hope you always remember that. :)

 

Love you always and forever,

 

Hermana Wadsworth

October 25, 2011

Hola Familia!

Well, another week has gone by, it feels like time really doesnt matter in the CCM (MTC). I am sure that you are all very anxious to know who came and spoke to us last week at the fireside... ready for it.... it was Richard G. Scott! He spoke to us a lot about the ´´why´´ of missionary work, and he also shared with us over and over again how the Lord loves us. In fact, after his talk was done, we sang a closing Himnos and then he got up again before the speaker and again told us how much the Lord loves us! it was such a powerful testimony builder to me. The Lord really does love all of His children and He is aware of every single one of us. One thing that i really wanted to share also that Richard G Scott said was about after our missions... he really told all of us that ´´hanging out is idleness in groups´´.... UH.... YEAH! haha! it really is. so.... that is all i am going to say about that.

 

So, we got two new hermanas in our room last week, Hermana Call from Idaho and Hermana Farres from Utah. Let me kinda give you an idea of how fun these hermanas are and what a blessing they have been. Hermana Call since the moment i met her TOTALLY reminds me of Marlo... well, just to test it, i asked her if she would grow her leg hairs out and when they got long enough, would cut some off and tape it to a letter and send it home to her family... she said ´´heck yes!´´ and she said that she has done something similar to that already to one of her friends that is on a mission. haha! she is a blast! and Hermana Farres is realy such a great match to our room, she is very quiet, but when that Hermana opens her mouth, look out! she is just as funny! lately for gym time i have really enjoyed just shooting basketball hoops. hermana Farres and Hermana Call have been teaching me how to dribble the ball between my legs, i am getting pretty good at it. Yesterday at gym was a blast cause we got a game of speed going and there were about 4 hermanas playing and then about 5 elders playing and us Hermanas pretty much dominated. hahaha! it was so fun cause whenever a hermana would get an Elder out, the othere Elders would say, ´´OH! you have just been HermanaD!´´ hahah! so much fun!

 

Ok, so i am not sure if i have shared this or not, but we have an Elder in our District that is from Korea. He has been in the US since he was 15 living with his grandma and aunt (he is a citizen of the US since he was born here when his parents were in college and he chose to live here at the age of 15) anyways, he has only received 1 letters since being her so, if any one would like to write him, please do! His name is Elder Shim and he has the same PO box as i do. He is so funny! he is really good at spanish there is just some things that he has a hard time saying.... he says GRA·SHE·US (gracias)  and our new favorite is that he says HE·HO and HE·HA (hijo and hija) we all love Elder Shim! He is everyones favorite.

 

I got the email today about Brother Brinton. I must say, my heart really has been aching ever since i read your email, Mom. I hope that you are going to let all the Brintons know how much I love them! I will forever remember how Sister Brinton, when we were setting up the display for Dad´s viewing came up to me and asked ¨what can i get you to eat? i will go anywhere for you.¨ I will do anything for the Brinton family because i love them all so much! Please, please give them all a HUGE HUG for me! My Branch President on Sunday in sacrament meeting spoke about enduring the the end and the power of the Priesthood that binds on earth an binds in heaven. I know it is very hard some days to even function and that some days the only thing you are doing all day is just trying to breathe. But i take great comfort in knowing that it is going to be ok, we are sealed together as a family in the Holy Temple of God and we can keep going. I know that prayer works, i have spent many hours on my knees pleading with the Lord to take the pain away and to just help me get thru the day. I know that my Redeemer lives and that He really does hear our prayer and that He loves us!

 

I am sorry that i have not been able to write a lot of you back, time is flying so fast and, well, there are just not enough minutes or seconds in a day, but please know that i am so thankful for all the very thoughtful letters and the encouragements. I really cherish all of them, i love you all so much! And i pray for you all daily!

 

XOXOXO

 

Love,

Hermaña Wadsworth

October 18, 2011

My Dear Familia y Amigos!

Buenos Dias! Haha! So i am looking at my time and i only have 24 mins left to write ya´ll.... i am going to try to cover everything cause i have so much so i apologize in advance for being so jumbled.

Wednesday, when i arrived at the CCM, that is spanish for the MTC. It was kind of a blur to me... my host was Sister Diaz who is going to the Las Vegas, NV mission. She was super nice and took me to the book store where they handed me a big blue bag with all my spanish books and then she took me to my classroom where i met my Companero, Hermana Baird. She is from the Falls area in Idaho, she is the oldest of 7 children and she did not know a little of spanish. She took German in high school and it has been such a treat to help her learn the language, well, and refresh my own skills. OH AND! She is going to Des Moines as well!  We have another set of Hermañas in our District Hermana Henderson, who is from Haiwii, and Hermana Hansen, who is currently from Utah. Ok, i really fast want to thank the Merrifield family for letting me stay with them and taking me to the Provo Temple right before they took me to the MTC. I just read in my journal my feelings and well, my heart is very full, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Thursday, we woke up super early and did a service project! They are going to be taking down one of the buildings so we went and pulled up all the carpet and took all the beds that were in one building and took in into another building. it was so much fun! I saw Hermana Moffat! It was so good to see a familiar face and one of the Hermanas in her district is HERMANA WADSWORTH too! We took a picture together cause we are cool.... hahaha! I cannot remember where Hermana Wadsworth is going though... she said that her family is from Ohio so there is definitely a connection, we just don't know where yet.

I forgot to mention something that was so DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS for me.... so i go into class and our teacher ONLY SPEAKS SPANISH! AHHH!!! Hermana Baird and I look at each other and just start laughing..... we were so stressed. It was been very good. On Saturday or Friday night we met with our Branch President, President Claybaugh and we had interviews. All of us Hermanas met with Brother Washburn (second Counselor) and i told him about dad and that he recently passed away. He gave me some counsel and he said that it might be a good idea to tell Hermana Baird. So, on Saturday, i informed Hermana Baird about it and man it made SUCH a difference and really changed our companionship. It is kinda weird cause i find myself talking about dad all the time here. and it isn't painful to talk about him.

ok, now im starting to get short on time. I LOVE SUNDAYS here... We wake up do companionship study, go to church, eat breakfast, do more studying, eat lunch, go on a Temple walk and then study more, eat dinner and then we have a special fireside. This week we had Brother and Sister Hacking came and spoke to us. Sister Hacking spoke about proper etiquette with setting a table and eating. Now Grandma, did you know that the napkin is not supposed to go under the fork it is suppose to go beside the fork on the left side... i just wanted to make sure you knew that. =) ok now i am running out of time... uh... ok.

Today at breakfast Hermana Baird and i sat next to President Nally who is in the MTC Presidency. It was really fun to talk to him. He said that tonight at the fireside we are going to have a special speaker come, but he cant tell us who. then he said, oh we have another surpise as well for this morning and i cant tell that to you either... well, we found out. it was a fire drill! haha! it was so crazy, if that doesn't wake you up, i don't know what will.

 

well, i am out of time, i just wanted to thank everyone who has written me so far. Richardson family, i LOVE the pictures! Everyone should send me more pictures (taken or drawn).

 

I love you all so much! Thank you for your prayers and love!

 

XOXO

Hermaña Wadsworth