"I don't know why they think we speak Spanish...​" - January 27, 2014

Hello amazing family and friends!

 

So, wow, this week was the crazy epitome of mission life! The ups and the downs really brought us to our knees as a companionship in prayers of gratitude and pleadings for comfort and direction. But, like always, it was a great week, because we are in the Lord's service, and we always find ways to have fun! :D

 

Something Sister Muaina and I are capitalizing on is the fact that we are both brown, and not from Utah (which is pretty much unheard of here with the missionaries in the TLM), so we discovered a fun way to kind of gage where the comfort level of the members is with us missionaries (because our Elders we share the ward with have been here together for as long as I've been a missionary!). So, we get asked often, by the members if we are Spanish speaking too, and so we laugh a little and say: "Haha, no we aren't but people try to speak it to us all the time! I don't know why they think we speak Spanish!" Then there's a little pause, just long enough to have the potential for awkwardness (and the members get a chance to think... because of how you look... oh wait is that offensive? And then we laugh and say "... oh yeah, probably because we're brown... but the wrong kind of brown. :(" By this time the members are usually politely laughing with us, but  sometimes they really do find it funny, and boom, now we know how comfortable they are with us... it's pretty great, but things do get a little more awkward while you're wearing this name tag every day lol.

 

But I wouldn't have it any other way! When else am I going to get a chance to knock on someone's door at 8:20 pm, and be received with a: "I was just praying for someone to come over!", or have exciting adventures on bike day when both of your tires go flat for no known reason? Mission life is definitely amazing, and through the oscillating emotions and interactions with others, there is a beauty that can't really be described.

 

This week was one of the rougher ones I've had in the past few months. We had some interesting problems on bike day, lots of sick members and investigators, and we've been dropped by half of our most amazing investigators... okay well, they are all amazing, so half of our investigators dropped us... but the sadness in a missionary's heart, when someone who was honestly seeking truth drops us over a text, or through their kid, without giving us a chance to answer any questions is as surprising and painful as stepping on a lego with your bare foot, when you thought you were walking on some nice carpet.

 

So Sister Lagrosa, where is that indescribable beauty you were mentioning?

 

Let me tell you about it. :)

 

Luckily we didn't have everyone drop us all in the same day, but by Saturday, whew, we were feeling some of the sting of defeat, after being dropped via text. It was a little quiet in the car while we were up in Lovington, waiting, and hoping to finally meet with J. And I'd been thinking to myself how can this be true? I mean, I could rely all day logically spelling out the gospel... but I know the Spirit is what really converts... understanding comes over time... why aren't people giving it a chance? How the heck did I give it a chance? Is there something I'm doing wrong out here, what more can I do?  The air was kind of heavy in the car, and Sister Muaina and I got to talking about faith. Where our faith needs to be as missionaries, and how important it is to let other have opportunities to act of their faith, and how we all need to trust in God's timing a little bit more. As we spoke truth, how the gospel really is the good news, and how our part in helping others come to Christ is to give them an opportunities to grow their relationship with Him, the Spirit testified of that truth, and the air was more breathable. Then J showed up, a little late, but really happy to see us, because he's been facing a lot of trials the past few weeks and we've missed each other. He was happy to meet Sister Muaina, and he wanted to know more about how he can prepare for baptism, when he finally gets the opportunity to. It was SO awesome to read in the scriptures with him, about how he is already living how a baptized member of the church should live--he's already living in a way that shows he has given his life to God, and he wants to and tries to help those around him. The change has been made, and he just needs to continue to grown in it and recommit every day before he formally makes that promise to God when he is baptized under the proper authority of God.

 

It was amazing to see the strength of J's faith, and the hope he has despite the large opposition he faces with a lot of his peers and family. But that faith, wow. The faith he has is the faith that moves mountains. J is moving mountains, mountains of doubt that others have around him, mountains of opposition that others throw at him, and mountains of temptation that he knows could lead him away from the path that Jesus Christ has trod for him. That is something I think we all can learn from. It is amazing what faith can do, it is a miracle that J's testimony of the restored gospel is so strong, and I know that it is only through faith that miracles can come to pass.

 

My God is undeniably a God of miracles, and I am so grateful, that there is always relief from the heaviness and confusion of the world. As we take heed to the counsel of the Savior in Matthew when He pleads with us that labor and are heavy laden to take His yoke upon us as our own, our yoke will be easy and our burden light. It is only through His grace that we can be freed from the bondage of the adversary, and that we can have light in the darkness, that we can have truth in the confusion, and that we can have peace in the chaos of the world.

I know that it is only upon the rock of our Redeemer that we can build a house that will not fall, and I know that the fullness of His truth is on the earth today.

 

He knows and loves you perfectly and individually! Keep on praying, keep on hoping, and I know you will see, spiritually, that indescribable beauty that can only be felt in your heart.

 

John 3:16-17

 

All my love,

Sister Lagrosa

 

 

pictures:

1- a goofy picture with me and Sister Ohaver on her birthday!

2- Sunday morning breakfasts are the best! :D

--> I'll FINALLY have a picture of me and Sister Muaina together this coming week!

 

 

Lovin' the Land of Enchantmen​t - January 20, 2014

Hello Family and Friends!

 

I love you all so dearly, and I am happy to report another amazing week of miracles and missionary work! The beginning of this new transfer has started with a bang! We have been talking to so many new people, and we have a lot of potential to actually start teaching some families, it's really exciting! :D

 

Being a Sister Missionary I think is quite a different experience than being an Elder, especially out here with the members. It was really nice outside for a couple days this week (nice being nice enough to bike without needing gloves :P), so we went out on our bikes to meet lots of people! We were helping one of our less-active members with really bad back problems clean her house, and her husband came home and asked us why we had the Elder's bike rack on the back of our car (it's attached to a hitch, so it's difficult to take off). When we told him that we bike too, he gave us a disapproving look, and then said "Well, I'd feel more worried about that if I didn't know that this one (pointing to me) was a black belt. haha." I think it's funny that even the people that aren't members worry about the Sister's safety biking around town. But, don't worry, it's not really that bad here, and we don't really bike after dark, and the Elders cover the "sketchy" part of town, so life is good.

 

But yeah, it's been amazing all of the opportunities we have had to teach this week, and do service! Usually people don't take us up on our offers to help them clean, or do anything (but since we're girls, it's usually cleaning lol), but yeah it's great! If missionaries ever knock on your door, and offer you service, take them up on it!!!

 

And, as always every week, I've really learned so much! From the scriptures, from our investigators, and from the amazing members we get to see! One of the highlights of the week was finally being able to meet with Jorge and Serena again! We were able to find a time around Jorge's busy oil field schedule, and it was really amazing. It's incredible the love we are able to feel for the people we talk with as missionaries. My heart just felt full after we spoke with them more about prayer, and reading in the Book of Mormon. When we taught the Restoration, and recited Joseph Smith's first vision (a couple weeks ago), the Spirit was so strong and present just filling the room. Saturday night (when we saw them again), we asked what they had remembered, and they both opened up the pamphlet to the depiction of the first vision. Serena told us she remembered feeling really happy that night, and Jorge said that it was amazing to him to know that someone in our day, "someone in THIS day, who we KNOW actually lived" saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. He said "that's awesome."

 

It's incredible how every week I'm reminded of how truly amazing some of the simplest elements of the gospel are. I'd never appreciated how true it is that Heavenly Father spoke to Joseph Smith in our day, until I felt the Spirit testify to me of the truthfulness of Jorge's words. I knew before that Joseph Smith was called as a prophet, and he did truly see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and restore Christ's church on the earth again today, I wouldn't be out here if I hadn't known that was true, but wow... Jorge's words sank deep into my heart, and I know with all of myself, that that feeling was a witness from the Holy Spirit saying that his words were true.

 

I guess there was a theme for feeling the Spirit this week, because one of the other lessons that stood out to me most was with a less-active member, Alice. We were reading in the Book of Mormon, and we were talking about how we are guided, comforted, and strengthened by the Spirit. She shared some experiences with us about how she personally feels the Spirit in her life, and how when the missionaries come over she feels the Spirit like a comforting hand on her back. It was incredible to be sitting in there and to have it testified to me again that Heavenly Father does listen to and answer our prayers in a way that we, personally can and WILL feel them answered. I know that as we search for truth, for His truth, we will find it, and we will feel the joy and peace that can only come from on high.

 

I hope you all look for this peace throughout your week. I know the world is a loud place, but He hears your voice perfectly.

 

All my love,

Sister Lagrosa

 

pictures:

1- Sister Muaina! Love's nice carpet :P

2- a goofy picture we took before transfers w/ our new ward missionary Sister Cozy!

Chapter 6: My first brown companion! - January 13, 2014

Hello family and friends!

 

Sorry no pictures this week! (the USB port isn't working on this computer)... buuuut, big news!

 

Transfer calls came in, and I'll be staying here in Hobbs for another transfer- so I get to enjoy another 6 weeks in the Land of Enchantment! Which is very exciting! My new companion will be Sister Muaina- she is half Samoan/Hawaiian, and like me, a lot of people think that she speaks Spanish. We have already had the opportunity of working together before, (since our previous companions were the Sister Training Leaders over here), so now we are just switching companions and my dearly beloved Sister Plante is going to be in Roswell (with the aliens! :P).

 

It's an exciting new chapter of the mission... and it's still the beginning of the new year! I've really loved lately the topics of the sacrament talks and the lessons in Relief Society and Gospel Principles. It seems that at the beginning of the year we are all starting over back to the basics, and it really does bring me so much joy how simple the gospel is, and how simple the message is that we are able to share as missionaries! God truly is our loving Father in Heaven. And we may not understand Him perfectly, but we can have complete confidence that His purpose and motivation is love.

 

Isaiah 55:8-11 are some of my favorite verses:

(8) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

(9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

(10) For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and retunreth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

(11) So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

 

Knowing that Heavenly Father loves us each individually as His son or daughter is so key in recognizing His hand in our lives, when we understand this simple concept, of how great and reaching His love is, we are able to find more joy and gratitude through the good times, and comfort through the many trials that we face. We can really know for ourselves that He wants us to prosper, and His motivation is love.

 

We actually had an amazing lesson last night where we were talking about miracles, and how we are able to see them in our lives. We talked about two ways of looking at something amazing- like the conception of a child, and how cells split, and create a little human. Dace (the son) explained how while it could be considered a miracle, there is a lot of scientific evidence behind it, and his mom Naomi described that it is a miracle because of the science, and how perfect it is. We read from the Bible Dictionary under Miracles, and talked about how it really is how it effects us each individually, how we can interpret miracles... and discussed the Isaiah verses (above) about how God's logic, and science aren't different things... and we do have a better understanding of the details (like cell meiosis and mitosis), but it is still amazing because of the profound effect a tiny developing child has on us individually.

 

God's love is so great (both in the "awesome" and "huge" meanings :D). I feel really blessed to be reminded every day of it as a missionary, preparing to speak with my amazing bothers and sisters here in Hobbs, and the reminder we have at the beginning of each year (right after the amazing time for us to remember the birth of our Savior), to look to the Lord to set our goals, and remember the reason of the great gift of our savior, is because "God so loved the world..." and He so loves each and every one of us beyond what we could possibly understand.

 

I'm grateful for the simple restored truths that the restoration of the fullness of the gospel has brought to the earth again today. I feel humbled every day as I'm out here, gaining a better understanding of who I am as Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa, and who the people I have the privilege of talking to are as beloved sons and daughters of an incredible Heavenly Father. I'm grateful to be able to go directly to my Father in Heaven in prayer, and to be able to receive guidance, comfort, and confirmation of truth from the Holy Ghost. I know that my Savior stands at the head of my church, and speaks to us today through the mouth of a living prophet, President Monson. I'm especially grateful that I'm able to have the opportunity to share this great message, that all that was lost when Jesus Christ was taken from the earth in all the confusion and spiritual darkness that followed, has been restored, and we are being prepared for His return again to the earth.

 

I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, I am comforted to know my loving Heavenly Father, and I am grateful to be learning even more how to listen to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost.

 

I love you all at home! Thank you for everything you do for me, and all your love, support and prayers.

 

Love,

Sister Lagrosa

Bringin' in the New Year! - January 6th, 2014

A big hello from chilly New Mexico!!

 

It's a nice solid 20 degrees outside today! I was thinking how that's about a 90 degree difference from when I got here 6 months ago! I hope everyone's new year came in well! Ours sure did! We had a really great week, and the new year brought in a little bit of change lol.

 

We had exchanges this week, so my fearless STL companion went off with Sister Hall (the other STL over here), and left me and Sister Muaina to work in Hobbs! It was a little strange not being around her for a couple days, but it was really fun, and, as always, we met some AMAZING people on bike day! :D

 

Sister Plante and I were reunited on Friday evening, and we had some amazing lessons we were able to teach. It's been such a blessing to be welcomed into people's homes with smiles, where we could sit down and have a really spiritual gospel discussion, and people have questions for us! It really is the best to be able to have answers to questions like: Where did we come from? Why are we here? and Where are we going after we die? I've really found, it reaffirmed to me again, that even if we do have some differing ideas about some points on religion with others, as long as we are both searching for truth and not fault (both us as missionaries, and the kind people that desire to speak with us), then we are able to have the best, and most uplifting conversations as we talk about the gospel.

 

Saturday morning-bright and early at 9 am-brought us great joy, as we attended the baptism of Emily and Evie! :) It was SO great to see Emily make it into the water, and back out again without any fear! She also humbled our fearless district leader- Elder Webb- after her interview when he suggested a closing prayer, she said "yeah, we should probably kneel for this one." :)

 

It's so true, kneeling prayers are the best ones! That's something I've actually been working on lately-- I found a very insightful message from my old self in the margins of my scriptures a bit earlier, which said "as you become casual in your scripture study, you become casual in your relationship with your Heavenly Father."

I humbled myself reading those words, and recognized that I really do need to continue to pray with intention. We pray a lot as missionaries, and just like in other relationships, when you get used to someone, sometimes you take them for granted. That's something I know I can't do with my prayers to Heavenly Father, because He knows the best path I need to be on, and He wants to guide me! So I've got to continue to not be casual in my relationship with Him as I pray, and as I search the words of the prophets, which testify of my Savior, in the scriptures.

 

It's good to know I'm starting 2014 off right! And right where I need to be! :) (It's so hard to believe that this time next year I'm going to not be a missionary anymore! I feel like time's running out so fast!)

 

I love you all, and I hope that you are starting off the new year well!

 

All my love,

Sister Lagrosa

 

 

pictures:

1- Emily and Evie's baptism!

2- Me and Sister Plante in front of the Hobbs,NM sign! :)

 

 

 

Sister Lagrosa: Compelled to Humility - December 30, 2013

Hi Family and Friends!

 

So, this past week was amazing, As you may have discerned from the title of this e-mail, I am a missionary with a subtitle! haha

 

On Christmas Eve, we had to finish our proselyting by 6pm, and we were going to meet up with our Elders at the church, but they were late. Luckily though, we found some members, the Murrays, there who were substituting for the missionaries who run the Addiction Recovery Program in our building on Tuesday evenings. No one showed up, but it was a good opportunity for Sister Plante and I to sit down with the Murrays and we talked about how the steps really help us to come closer to Christ, and receive help for the trials that we all face. Over and over again in the scriptures, and also in the steps, it talks about humbling yourself before God, and our trials compel us to humility. As we were talking about this, I said something like:

"I really have been compelled to humility time and time again. That's me, 'Sister Lagrosa: Compelled to Humility!"

and Brother Murray says:

"Oh boy! We have a missionary with a subtitle here!"

haha, but it's true, we do need to be humble to receive help... and more often than not I feel we are compelled by our trials.

 

Later on that evening we opened our Christmas presents, because we were going to have an early morning calling our families! There was definitely a theme -- socks and lotion! haha, we are really grateful for our warm feet, and our bathroom cabinet which now looks kind of like the toiletries section in Walgreens lol. It is truly a blessing to be a missionary on Christmas!
Early Christmas morning, I sang a hymn with my makeshift guitar (racquetball racket) to Sister Plante, and we went to the Huddlestons to Facetime. The whole drive over we were talking about how weird it'd be to talk to and SEE our families, but when the time came, it was just kind of normal... except for seeing my nametag in the little box that shows what you look like lol. :P But it was wonderful, and I loved talking with everyone! :D

 

This really was quite the week with Christmas, and everything going on with the holiday season. We were really blessed to have some solid lessons with people, and we were able to see miracles every day. I feel like a brand new missionary sometimes, because my heart is just so filled with joy before, during, and especially after some lessons where the Spirit is testifying of truth with so much power!

 

Yesterday was an example of a crazy-yet-amazing missionary day filled with miracles. Church was fantastic, and our friend Justin was there again (3 weeks in a row!) and he is so lit up with the Spirit, desiring to learn, and he's smiling and talking so much more than when we met him nearly a month ago!

 

We taught Emily (9) and Evie (8) (two sisters who are getting baptized this Saturday!) in a tent at their house after church. It was so amazing to see how far Emily has come since we first met with her, and how well her understanding has increased. She's really articulating what she knows, and she really wants to be baptized because she knows that it's what "her friend, Jesus" wants her to do.

 

We've been driving up to Lovington (about 20 miles N of Hobbs), on Sundays the past few weeks, and we did again yesterday, after 2 hours of what we had planned fell through in 15 minutes, we went looking for some members' whose addresses weren't correct. It was pretty uneventful until we met a man who was just really filled with sadness. I don't know exactly how to explain our conversation, but my heart was heavy as we left his cold, windy doorstep. He'd really made me think about how we let our trials affect us.

The words he'd said so accusingly: "You don't know what I've been through... I feel sorry for you that you can trust people." rang, as I though to myself You don't know what I've been through either... but Christ does. There is hope, there is goodness in the world.

 

I thought again about the Spirit, testifying of all truth, and how it really brings hope into our lives. And I realized again how important it is to search for truth, and search for goodness even though, honestly there is a lot of hate and sadness in the world. There is hope in Christ's gospel, there is hope for the world.

 

We prayed together to try and feel the Spirit again, and we knew where we needed to go to feel the Spirit again.  We went to see Sister Audrey. She's blind, and can't make it to church most weeks, but we always go and read with her when we are in town. We forgot the exact address of her house, but we knew the street, and talked about how we'd know it's her house because it'll be glowing with all the love she has for everyone around her -- which is so true. She speaks with intention -- intention to understand, to comfort, to explain truth, and we were able to uplift each other's spirits as we discussed the miracles of Christmas, the blessings of our families and read from Mosiah.

 

Afterwards I thought to myself: I knew something great would have to happen after the sorrow we'd felt earlier, I'm so glad we went there! As Sister Plante and I traveled to A member's home- our last appointment for the evening. We were thrilled as we walked in, because we were just reflecting upon the craziness it seemed like the day was, and we had been trying to meet with Sister Cozette for 3 weeks now! As we ate dinner, we got to know her and her family a little better, and her coworker, Laurie, who had come to church today joined us. (I thought about how it's every missionary's dream to have a member 1- bring a friend to church, 2- invite us over for dinner AND 3- bring that friend to dinner and have a lesson, then I thought about how that's kind of how I ended up meeting the missionaries. :P)

We had such an amazing lesson as we talked about the restoration of Jesus Christ's one true church on the earth today. Laurie has been looking for direction, and she described how she felt as: "Well, I came in just feeling hungry, and now I feel... different. There was like a weight in my head, and it's been lifted."

 

I love that the Spirit really does affect us all in our own way that we can feel it. We read with her in Galatians, about the fruits of the Spirit, and invited her to read from the Book of Mormon and pray to know for herself if it is true. We were able to promise her that as she did read and pray that she would come to know her Savior better, and she would know that Joseph Smith was truly called to restore the very church Jesus Christ established when He was on the earth Himself. We asked her when she came to know the truth of our message for herself if she would be baptized, she said: "Yeah. I would do that... wow! I didn't even hesitate."

 

It is truly such a blessing to be here. I know that our God is a God of miracles. I'm so blessed to see His hand in my life, and I know that His love for His children is so great that words cannot even begin to describe it. There is hope and love to be found in the world, and there is true, lasting joy and safety to be found in the good-news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. I feel so blessed to know my Savior, and to know that we are led again today, but Him, through a living prophet. I know I am so blessed to know that our loving Father in Heaven is no author of confusion, and He wants us to find truth as we search for it.

He loves us, and we are never alone!

 

Be safe as we welcome in this new year!

 

All my love,

Sister Lagrosa

 

Pictures:

1- I sang a hymn to Sister Plante Christmas morning :P

2- We opened presents Christmas Eve. :P

3- We had a lesson in a tent yesterday!