Sister Martin: March Missionary Madness

Hello Family,

This week was awesome. First, Sister Hewett and I were specially invited to Zone Council on Wednesday. Normally only zone leaders and sister trainers get to go, but two brothers from Salt Lake City Missionary Department were coming, and all the district leaders and a few select sisters got to go. Some sister comapnionships were even split up, only one go to come. Sister Hewett and I were lucky we both got invited. We asked out zone leaders why we were there, and they just shrugged and said President Meredith specially invited us. But for whatever the reason, we really appreciated it as we got some great training!

The two brethren discussed how we were a healthy mission, leading the area in member present lessons! They said that is a strength of ours, working with members. Our mission lately has had training stressed on finding, so that's what we expected to hear. But no, they took us back to the importance of planning and studying. They helped us see planning involves so much and that studying helps us get the revelation we need to be more powerful teachers to retain those that we are already teaching. As we focus on studying for our investigators and their needs, then the Spirit will give us what we need to know "and it shall be given you in the very hour"(D&C 84:85), and they related the scripture to not necessarily meaning the hour we are teaching the lesson, but the hour we are preparing for it.

Then we had a special ward fast this Sunday for our ward to grow through missionary work. The third hour was dedicated to us sisters missionaries (Sis Hewett and I, and the two sisters in Lafayette ward helped out to) giving training about Preach My Gospel and how the sisters in Relief Society can help us out better when they come out with us to lessons. The Lafayette Ward heard now asked us to come help out their RS/priesthood one week, and the YM/YW the next! Sister Hewett and I are telling our ward to call March, March Missionary Madness. The sisters in Lafayette are saying March is M&M's month, or Missionaries&Members, and they are supposed to wear green on Sundays to show they support the sisters. Then next Sunday we are having a special Sacrament meeting dedicated to missionary work and all our recent converts (and the spouses for the part member families) are going to speak, as well as Bishop and our Ward Mission Leader. Then the next week is Augie's baptism!!! Meanwhile, us and all our ward missionaries are working hard this month to visit families in the ward, and not really do a "family mission plan" but a "family mission commitment" and the commitment is the same for everyone. They invite a friend or neighbor (preferably a family) over for dinner and a principle. It's simple, not a huge elaborate FHE, but something you tell your friend you just like to teach your kids good values once a week, would they like to come for that and dinner. Then when they come they feel the Spirit. Worse case scenario is you are a better friend, best case scenario is they are interested in the gospel.What a crazy month full of awesomeness!

Last night Sis Hewett, a member, and I visited a less active man. He is a cowboy in his 70's! He was awesome, and he told us a story of him running his horse as fast as he could at a coyote who was dragging away a house cat, with his leg in his mouth( I almost cried or threw up at this part of the story...) and he scared the coyote away and saved the cat! He wrapped him up in a blanket and rode with him away and eventually to the emergency vet. He now owns a three legged cat named Mama Kitty. I said I had to see this. So he showed me the cat in his garage, and it was curled up so I couldn't see the leg (he said he has a fake one now) and it hissed at me so I couldn't pet it. What a crazy story! Poor traumatized kitty! And cowboys exist in this kind of place! He said the more he talked to me, the more Texan he could see in me :).

I also had exchanges again this week, with the new sister trainer, Hermana Camarillo, who I made good friends with during our time at Christmas in the Visitor's Center! It was a really fun exchange, we got to do a lot of service, attend a baptism with Augie where we also helped with a special musical number, and we saw some amazing investigators. Things are looking great for this transfer so far, and its a short transfer (only 5 weeks). And did I mention, we are getting 19 new missionaries in the next transfer, and 11 are sisters?! 5 of which are full proslyting English, and 1 of which is my good friend Hermana Cash from EFY! She will be Spanish speaking and in the Visitor's Center.

pictures:

1)a sign outside someone's door....seriously

2)what happens during lessons when someone has a cat

3)raining during transfers, most of us sisters in our rain gear

4)my other companion for a week, sister erdenebaatar, with our mongolian food, "ho-shore"

I will send more pictures, LOVE YOU ALL!!

Love,

Sister Martin