Semana 11

Pictures from the halloween activity!



Elder Boyd & Moore from the MTC! (we're in the same district at the moment)



Well well! The work here in Torrance, CA has been moving along this week. However, I'd be lying if I said it hasn't been hard. It has been. Being out in the mission field is so very different from anything you expect, and in some ways I feel like I didn't learn anything in the MTC! haha

In all seriousness though, the work is good. We're currently in the "finding" stage of the mission cycle so we really don't have any new people to teach right now. We also don't really have anyone who is progressing towards anything either - which is frustrating. But that's what the work is all about. Going out and contacting and bringing people into the gospel. However, I don't much like knocking on doors so we're just hoping that the members will kick into gear here soon and refer some people for us to go out and find. That's something that's been a big focus of ours lately - the role of the ward and ward leadership in missionary work. Read the last chapter in Preach My Gospel if you're wondering about anything and than follow those guidelines. Trust me - it will save the bishop and the missionaries many, many headaches. We've been working hard, as I said, to try and get the ward involved and we're tryign to find, teach, and/or reactive people who can help. It's been quite a task.

HOWEVER we did have 2 baptisms this Saturday! While it seemed like everything that could go wrong did go wrong that morning - it happened. The important part (the actual ordinances) went just fine. They were confirmed on Sunday and it just made all the hardships that we'd had at the end of the week worth it. They were so happy and even though I've only known the two of them for 2 weeks, I was happy for them too - and filled love for them. We are actually starting with their recent convert lessons tonight - so that's exciting.

Today was the Turkey Bowl!!! I know - it's just barely November - BUT they hold 3 turkey bowls here in the mission in order to accomadate all of the zones and we just happened to be in the grouping whose turkey bowl day was today (first). AND WE WERE UNDEFEATED! 2 - 0. It was pretty exciting. AND I actually played, not just sat on the sidelines. Yup. Little ol' me played football today and won. Miracles really do happen on the mission!! (see photos - me and sister jo and the rest of the south bay zone)


Hermans Johanson & Hensley

This week is going to be another super busy one! We have zone-conference all day tomorrow and then I go on my first SPLITS EVER on Wednesday (and it's in a Spanish zone! So I'll be speaking Spanish all day on Wednesday, which I'm really nervous about since I haven't really spoken it in 2 weeks and I already feel "rusty") and then of course, the teaching and the finding and the studying and the work of being a missionary.

Know that I love you all - and that I love hearing from you. I love knowing that I'm in your prayers and I want y'all to know that y'all are in mine. I may be focused on the work during the day, but at night while I'm praying for the poeple I teach, I pray for those at home as well. Especially those who don't have the blessings of the restored gospel in their lives. WORK WITH YOUR LOCAL MISSIONARIES! Pray over a group of names and then let the Holy Ghost inspire you as to whom to GIVE TO THEM AS REFERRALS and then GO TO LESSONS WITH THEM. The work of the Lord for all of his children is missionary work. And I'm blessed to be one full-time for the next 15 months.

con amor,
Hna Hensley