Letter #46

March 1^st

Well Tuesday was great! I don't think i will ever have a birthday again as great as that day! After we e-mailed we went to old town and shopped and looked around, that's always sooo fun and i love it! I was able to get a native made ring! ahhh I'm in love! Then we went over to our ward mission leaders house and had dinner! And Sister Payne surprised me and made..... CAFE RIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND IT WAS GOOOOOD!!!!! haha she had a huge Happy b-day banner and a balloon! And she made mom's good oreo dessert! ahhhh it was sooo good! She also got my a mini BOM with a cute cover over it! ahhh I'm so spoiled! I was  thinking how cool it was, that 20 years ago i left my Heavenly Father and he told me that in 20 years I'd be here, in New Mexico just giving my heart to these people! Honestly, it was and forever will be the best birthday ever! 

Wed-- So i woke up wed not feeling the greatest, but i was working through it! Then Sister Gibbons who i served with in Los Lunas (shes now in the ysa here) wasn't feeling good, so we did splits and her comp and a member went out and i stayed with her and my comps went out! We watched Meet the Mormons! It was good, I love that movie! I like the guy from India! It makes me want to go and do that stuff after the mission!

Thurs--So there is a Part member family here, and the wife isn't a member! Well i haven't really met her but i feel like she is prepared and ready and everyone in the ward keeps thinking of her! Well we had this super awesome lesson planned went over and she was busy! She has been busy ever since i got her....so we were pretty upset, then our dinner canceled...hahaha so we went to dinner and we were talking and then our night appt. canceled...oh my lanta! but then we had a thought, maybe that one lady isn't busy! We text her, she says shes over at a friends...sgj;aldshg;lUGH! But then we think and say, hey what friends might she have in the ward that she could be at? hahahaah so since we are missionaries aka stockers, we found which friends she was at, and it was a member!

hahaha so we went over for a "member visit" and we walked in and this lady says "Oh hi sisters! I feel like I'm being followed!" and we just told her, oh well, you know, the Lord just tells us were to go! AND HE DOES! That was a good lesson for the non member and for the family! :)

Friday we had district meeting! and i love it! Our district leader has been out for 4 months and he is soo inspired and great! :) We had a zone fast on wed to get new investigators that will progress because

we have a quarterly goal for our zones that by the end of march we will have 14 baptisms. Right now we are at 10! It was soooooo good! We see people progress and ahhh we as a whole zone got 16 new investigators and talked to 492 people in one week! 

The power of fasting is real!!!!!

Then  Saturday! This was part of the miracle from the fast, we need four more baptisms, and there is one this Saturday and we needed three more. Well a recent convert just moved into our area and he wants us to teach his 4 boys! One of them is 8 so its not a convert baptism but still! ahhh Heavenly Father provides!!! But these boys are the sweetest! They are 14 12 10 8 :) it was fun to teach them, the dad grew up catholic and the mom doesn't believe in god!./.... i am forever grateful, that i have a family that knows and has the knowledge of the restored gospel! These poor boys have grown up not knowing that they have a Heavenly Father, not knowing that through all the hard things in life ie there parents divorce, that their Savior Jesus Christ knows how that feels and knows 100% how to help them! This is a huge reason why i came out! And i am forever grateful i get to help these sweet boys come to know all these things!!!

Then after that lesson our member took us to dinner, ok, well on about Friday or Thurs. I was telling Sister Kelso and Sister Michas that i know sign, and when i did my papers i didn't put i know sign and i have my whole mission wanted to meet someone who was deaf so i could sign with them! Well ask and ye shall receive! hahahah At the end of dinner 4 men sat down close to us.... SIGNING!!! Oh my lanta! hahahahahahaha well i heard this saying that you have 3 seconds to act on the impression of the Holy Ghost before Satan tries to come in and change your mind! And it is soooo true! But i did it! I went and signed with them! but I was scared because i haven't signed in a year! But Heavenly Father 100% helped me remember! They were all so sweet! Two of them were visiting from Florida and New York! It was a good experience! :)

Sunday....since we cover two wards and with all our meetings we are at church for 9 hours...i forgot what 3 hours of church feels like....hahaha we had a lesson with Aurora and her 3 kids. She loves the bible, but is scared to read the Book of Mormon! But we had a super awesome lesson and she really felt the spirit! We read 3 Nephi 11! she said they would all start to read it! It is so cool to see Heavenly Father just work through these people and help them! 

Yesterday we got to teach Ben and Nelline ! They are a part member family! and ... THEY ARE NAVAJO!! oh man i love them! They have a son together. Naline is a member and Ben isn't... they are wanting to get married soon, and we are teaching Ben! Its great! My most favorite thing is teaching natives! ahhh because do you know how cool it is, or even just talking to a random person on the street and find out they are natvie and asking "hey is there a story with in your family and tribe about a great white spirit visiting your ancestors?" and then they say "yes...?"

and we show them the Book of Mormon and say, "well this is the story of your family members meeting the great white spirit who is Jesus Christ!"

AHHHHHH coolest mission ever!!!

I know i needed to be here since i never really read the Book of Mormon, and this mission just grows your knowledge and faith in the Book of Mormon!

Sorry this letter was long! I love you all,

Love Sister Markus :)