Hola!
This is Sister Lee, reporting from the little known town of Cruzville, New Mexico and BOY do we have a story this week! haha
So Friday and Saturday were a bit intense. I say intense because we BRANDED cows for 2 different families! I love branding. I was a bit disappointed because I was in charge of the vaccinations both days, so I didn't get to throw (flank) or sit on any of the cows. The first day wasn't super fun. I don't know why, maybe it was because no one laughed at all. The second day was hilarious! It was my companions and I, Sister Snow and her son Garrett, and Brother Laney and his daughter. The hilarious part about it was that Garrett was the one that roped the cow and then brother Laney would grab the rope, leaving all of us girls to wrestle the cow to the ground. It was quite a sight. Some of those cows only required 2 of us, while others required everyone to hold them down. I didn't do much wrestling because as soon as they had that cow down, I had to shoot it with the vaccine. I learned a lot about shots for cows. I also discovered that they aren't huge fans of needles either! The cow that broke my heart was a bigger cow that had broken its leg somehow after it had been born. So it was limping around the corral and then Garrett roped it and everyone had to tackle it and I had to watch that poor thing get branded and castrated. It was sad. I was totally fine with the other cows, though. You get a bit desensitized after your 15th or 20th cow. All in all, this weekend we helped brand and vaccinate over 50 cows. The first time that we helped, we did over 70, so this was a piece of cake.
Anyway, this week we were also able to visit and help several people in the community, mostly non-members, and we've been getting to know the members a lot more. The work in this area is very different. We don't have as many lessons and we currently don't have any investigators. Why? you may ask. We have to strengthen the flock before God will trust us with any more lambs. Roll that around in your mind a little bit.
Just a little bit more.
We have to strengthen the flock before God will trust us with any more lambs. Now, as missionaries, we are called and set apart to teach. That's what we do, and that's what we're doing up here. We're teaching people how the Gospel is lived by serving them. We're teaching members that missionary work isn't as hard as they think it is. We're teaching people in the community that Mormons aren't something to be hated or feared. Apparently Mormons and the missionaries didn't have a very good rep up here, so we're working super hard to dispel that because, until we do, we won't teach. And the people that God has prepared for us will have to wait even longer to hear the gospel. They call it SERVING a mission for a reason folks. It breaks my heart when people don't think that any progress is being made because we haven't had a baptism. Yes, baptism is a focus. But not as a number because these are GOD'S CHILDREN and this is THEIR SALVATION and sometimes the only way to get them to baptism is by SERVING them first. I would like to share a story before I do my miracle of the week (by the way, brilliant idea to do that, Pond).
This is a story of a man who went to preach the Gospel to the Lamanites and, after being captured and taken before the king, he states that he just wants to serve the king. So, he's given the duty of being a shepherd. After a series of events (including quite a pile of severed limbs) the king and his household are converted. Now, how did that happen?! The king went from being ready to kill this guy, to getting baptized by him! (This is Ammon, by the way). The king didn't trust Ammon as a Nephite, but he trusted him when he saw what a devoted servant he was. That opened the door for Ammon to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with this Lamanite king. Yes folks, service is an amazing thing.
Now I'll get off my own personal soap box and tell you the miracle of the week. It really is a miracle. A few months ago (before I got up here), the Sisters tried to contact a woman named Linda. They had called her and she told them that she wasn't interested. (Several months later) We were talking with a member and asking about service in the community. She mentioned that some of the ladies that she plays Canasta with on Wednesdays have recently lost their spouses and that they could use a little help. So, one day we dropped by the community center after they had finished cards and offered to do service. This sweet lady asked us to come by and clean some of her higher windows that she couldn't reach. Lo and behold, her name is Linda, the same Linda I mentioned before. So we went to her house and cleaned her windows. When we finished, she invited us in for some lunch (chilli and salad and it was GOOD). While we ate, we got to know her better and the conversation turned to life after death (the Lord works in mysterious ways) and we were able to share our testimonies with her. Later, we heard from the member, that Linda couldn't stop talking about how sweet we were and about how grateful she was. And now she's invited us back to make cookies. This was a door that was shut a few months ago, but little by little, it's opening and soon, she'll be ready to prepare for baptism.
That's my miracle of the week and it's strengthened my testimony that, not only has God prepared these people, but he accomplishes his purpose in a whole myriad of ways. I know that God really loves us all individually and that he knows what we need better than anybody else and he can help us attain true happiness and discover who we really are, just by following his commandments and striving to live like our savior. I know this church is true, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I've been given to SERVE. Don't forget to say your prayers, read your scriptures, go to church, and attend the temple. That is what can bring us lasting happiness. And if any of you ever have the chance to brand cows on a dusty day, don't forget to wash behind your ears :) haha You know what they say: cleanliness is next to godliness!
Love,
Steph
sorry, no pics this week. We all forgot our camera cords (oops)
Oh, and have an AMAZING 4th of JULY!!!
This is Sister Lee, reporting from the little known town of Cruzville, New Mexico and BOY do we have a story this week! haha
So Friday and Saturday were a bit intense. I say intense because we BRANDED cows for 2 different families! I love branding. I was a bit disappointed because I was in charge of the vaccinations both days, so I didn't get to throw (flank) or sit on any of the cows. The first day wasn't super fun. I don't know why, maybe it was because no one laughed at all. The second day was hilarious! It was my companions and I, Sister Snow and her son Garrett, and Brother Laney and his daughter. The hilarious part about it was that Garrett was the one that roped the cow and then brother Laney would grab the rope, leaving all of us girls to wrestle the cow to the ground. It was quite a sight. Some of those cows only required 2 of us, while others required everyone to hold them down. I didn't do much wrestling because as soon as they had that cow down, I had to shoot it with the vaccine. I learned a lot about shots for cows. I also discovered that they aren't huge fans of needles either! The cow that broke my heart was a bigger cow that had broken its leg somehow after it had been born. So it was limping around the corral and then Garrett roped it and everyone had to tackle it and I had to watch that poor thing get branded and castrated. It was sad. I was totally fine with the other cows, though. You get a bit desensitized after your 15th or 20th cow. All in all, this weekend we helped brand and vaccinate over 50 cows. The first time that we helped, we did over 70, so this was a piece of cake.
Anyway, this week we were also able to visit and help several people in the community, mostly non-members, and we've been getting to know the members a lot more. The work in this area is very different. We don't have as many lessons and we currently don't have any investigators. Why? you may ask. We have to strengthen the flock before God will trust us with any more lambs. Roll that around in your mind a little bit.
Just a little bit more.
We have to strengthen the flock before God will trust us with any more lambs. Now, as missionaries, we are called and set apart to teach. That's what we do, and that's what we're doing up here. We're teaching people how the Gospel is lived by serving them. We're teaching members that missionary work isn't as hard as they think it is. We're teaching people in the community that Mormons aren't something to be hated or feared. Apparently Mormons and the missionaries didn't have a very good rep up here, so we're working super hard to dispel that because, until we do, we won't teach. And the people that God has prepared for us will have to wait even longer to hear the gospel. They call it SERVING a mission for a reason folks. It breaks my heart when people don't think that any progress is being made because we haven't had a baptism. Yes, baptism is a focus. But not as a number because these are GOD'S CHILDREN and this is THEIR SALVATION and sometimes the only way to get them to baptism is by SERVING them first. I would like to share a story before I do my miracle of the week (by the way, brilliant idea to do that, Pond).
This is a story of a man who went to preach the Gospel to the Lamanites and, after being captured and taken before the king, he states that he just wants to serve the king. So, he's given the duty of being a shepherd. After a series of events (including quite a pile of severed limbs) the king and his household are converted. Now, how did that happen?! The king went from being ready to kill this guy, to getting baptized by him! (This is Ammon, by the way). The king didn't trust Ammon as a Nephite, but he trusted him when he saw what a devoted servant he was. That opened the door for Ammon to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with this Lamanite king. Yes folks, service is an amazing thing.
Now I'll get off my own personal soap box and tell you the miracle of the week. It really is a miracle. A few months ago (before I got up here), the Sisters tried to contact a woman named Linda. They had called her and she told them that she wasn't interested. (Several months later) We were talking with a member and asking about service in the community. She mentioned that some of the ladies that she plays Canasta with on Wednesdays have recently lost their spouses and that they could use a little help. So, one day we dropped by the community center after they had finished cards and offered to do service. This sweet lady asked us to come by and clean some of her higher windows that she couldn't reach. Lo and behold, her name is Linda, the same Linda I mentioned before. So we went to her house and cleaned her windows. When we finished, she invited us in for some lunch (chilli and salad and it was GOOD). While we ate, we got to know her better and the conversation turned to life after death (the Lord works in mysterious ways) and we were able to share our testimonies with her. Later, we heard from the member, that Linda couldn't stop talking about how sweet we were and about how grateful she was. And now she's invited us back to make cookies. This was a door that was shut a few months ago, but little by little, it's opening and soon, she'll be ready to prepare for baptism.
That's my miracle of the week and it's strengthened my testimony that, not only has God prepared these people, but he accomplishes his purpose in a whole myriad of ways. I know that God really loves us all individually and that he knows what we need better than anybody else and he can help us attain true happiness and discover who we really are, just by following his commandments and striving to live like our savior. I know this church is true, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I've been given to SERVE. Don't forget to say your prayers, read your scriptures, go to church, and attend the temple. That is what can bring us lasting happiness. And if any of you ever have the chance to brand cows on a dusty day, don't forget to wash behind your ears :) haha You know what they say: cleanliness is next to godliness!
Love,
Steph
sorry, no pics this week. We all forgot our camera cords (oops)
Oh, and have an AMAZING 4th of JULY!!!
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