"I"m a Grandmutha"

January 12, 2016

"It has Been a really good week! We has transfers but luck for us, the
Lord still wants us here together! Phew! :) we have a really great
thing going! We have a lot of people that are really progressing! We
this week have been able to really work with one in particular who is
the man who came from Mexico. We can call him J. J has been kind of
staying with one of our members for the time that he has been here.
They asked us to come every day so we have been able to keep daily
contact with him and he really likes what we are teaching and the
feeling he has when he reads the Book of Mormon and comes to church!
He is doing really well! :) he wants to get baptized this month we are
really hoping we can help make that happen! He said his birthday is on
the 30 so we decided that it would be a fun thing for him to be born
physically and spiritually the same day! He is really great and really
prepared!
    One of my favorite parts of this week was when we had zone
training. We talked about commitments. We talked about how when we
leave commitments, it is giving them an opportunity to repent and
change and become better. We started though with repentance for
ourselves. We talked about how sometimes, we just say "we all need to
repent" "repent daily" but it sometimes seems like we don't really
understand how to do it. One of the sisters addressed this and said
that one day she was discussing this with her zone and she said " okay
this sounds dumb but I don't feel like I fully know repentance like it
know it's important but I've always thought that's just for the big
things. So how is it like a daily thing?" And one of the Elders
answered "you get down on your knees and pray. You lay it all out to
the Lord. Tell him that you want to change and you want to fix the
things that you have done." I really liked this because it so
infinitely available to us. We can change and better ourselves every
single day if we just get down on our knees and ask. I have seriously
seen this work and I don't even understand fully how but I have seen
the Lord change those things in me that "I was just born with". It can
work for everyone as long as they are willing! Try it!
   We got a new sister in our apartment and she is super cute and
remember sister Kirby? She is is my Zone!! I am so Excited for this
transfer! It is going to be another good one! I don't have a who lot
more to say for today but next time you talk to me I will be 20.....
I'm a granmutha...
-Hermana Stevens"

January 18, 2016
It has been quite the week here in the Cordova zone! some of the highlights are that we were able to do a church tour with someone that we have really been trying to get to come to church and she loved it! She really liked how we all teach eachother in this church and i myself am very thankful for that because i can learn a lot from what other people say and have learned! Anyway unfortunately she didnt come to church but we are still trying! 

     Another exciting thing is that on saturday, We went to the temple with "J"! He loved it! the temple tour starts inside and we watch a couple videos then we walk around the temple and the guides talk about the ordinances and what we learn in the temple and then we go back inside for a couple more videos and questions. It was pretty fun because the tour guides dont speak spanish and J doesnt speak english so i got to translate the whole thing! It was the first time i have done it like that because i have never done it in a sacrament meeting or anything but it was pretty cool that i didnt even feel like i had to think or listen. The words just flew so fluently out of my mouth. I still have a lot more to learn but it is very special to see those moments when the gift of tongues is so clearly displayed. It is a real thing and i dont know what i would do without it! anyway back to my story, when we were going back inside for the finishing videos with J, he told us that he didnt want to go back inside. he said "It is just so beautiful. I cant imagine what it would look like from the inside". I love the temple and it is such a blessing to have one in my area. I drive past it all the time! We get to easily take people whenever to show them the beauty in a place that is just so full of the spirit. It is so wonderful! 

     This week, we have really been focusing on the atonement with our members. we are teaching them about it and reminding them that this is what it is all about. We are here to learn and to grow but ultimately to return to our Heavenly Father and we can ONLY do that through Jesus Christ. I have been able to strengthen my testimony of the atonement by using it and teaching and testifying about it. It is amazing that sometimes our lives can get so complicated but when we really focus on what really matters; the Gospel & our families, it makes it a lot simpler right? It is sad when we meet people with really rough lives who "dont have time to go to church" or pray or read what ever it might be and i am shocked as to why they dont see the difference in their lives of when they did make time for all of that and when they dont or even see the difference in others. It is really sad but really so simple! 

     Some other news of this week is yesterday, Hermana Woodbury and I got a call from one of the assistants and he said "are you somewhere you can sit down?" and we were like "yes" then he said "okay sisters there is going to be an emergency transfer....(long pause) and it is going to take place tomorrow at 10:00... (another long pause)........ "but dont worry you arent being seperated!" I was so sad for a second but it turns out, some sisters in our zone got transfered out of their ward and so now, Hermana Woodbury and I are covering two wards! "zebra work" spanish and english. that equals 3 hours of church but dinners! so we are going to also get dinners!! whooo! anyway that is pretty fun! 

     Also I turned 20... im an old lady now but asi es la vida.. thank you to everyone who made it special! I took a lot of pictures so those will be coming through too! All of the sisters in the Zone went to Chilis for dinner. (Mom i got your package on friday thanks so much but funny thing, we planned on going to chilis the week before so the gift card was perfect!! :))

It was a really happy week! :) thank you very much! much Love!

Sister Stevens"