Naked Kids, Pink Food and Baseball Games!

A Hey and A Hidi Ho to you all too! :)

We have had quite the eventful week.

On Wednesday, we went to see an investigator Patricia Coca Cayo. We always have an adventure going to her house, it's quite crazy. She has 3 kids. Her Daughter Karol, age 8, has a disability and we have to have a lot of patience with her. She normally can't stop laughing or trying to touch us when we are there. But, we love her. Well, this week, Karol was being crazy so her mom sent her upstairs to get in her pajamas. Karol comes running down the stairs and up to us, pajamas in hand, but completely NAKED. Her mom starts chasing her around the living room and Karol is running around saying "Don't spank me! Don't spank me!" Me and my companions were doing everything we could to not laugh out loud. It took a bit of time and her mom eventually got her dressed. At the end of the night, their neighbor ended up spraying Hermana Simpson with a hose (We have no idea why). And Karol, chased us to our car and pressed her face against our window. It took us a while to finally get out of there. I don't think I could ever forget that night!

On Thursday, we went to dinner at Esperanza's. She fed us the Guatemalan version of Enchiladas. They are more like Tostadas. They had beets on them and so they were very pink! But so good.

Her Husband Jose is coming around. He has been very receptive and they have tried reading the scriptures together. He wanted to come to church this week but had to work. Bummer.

Friday, we had a really neat opportunity. All of the DC South and DC North missions got to go the Nationals baseball game! It was something that normally would never happen, so we were super grateful to go. We got to ride the Metro into DC and It was so fun to go and see over 500 missionaries there representing the church to kick off the National Day of Service. The best player on the team, Bryce Harper, is a Mormon, so it was good to go and support him too.

Yesterday, we got to go to the "Why I believe" Fireside, done by Senator Orrin Hatch. We sang in the Choir and sang, "My Dear Redeemer, Lord and King" and "I know that my Redeemer Lives." It was a great experience.

Church yesterday was an adventure as well. I play the organ every Sunday and just have to sight read the songs because nobody knows what they will be until that morning. But, before church the new ward chorister, a crazy Hermano, started talking to me about the music. He was saying something about changing a song and adjusting some notes and stuff, but I only understood half of him. In the middle of sacrament meeting, Hermana Simpson realized he was doing a musical number and wanted to play. I impromptu ran up and accompanied him to "I am a child of God." Half the congregation didn't realize it was a musical number so they started singing along. It was a pretty horrible, but funny.

We also had a ton of people at church! We had Jhoana and her son Jordan, Esperanza and her baby Ryan, Their 3 nieces, Heidy, and Patricia and her kids showed up for the first time! Everybody was very welcoming and we think that Patricia liked it!

Heidy gets baptized this Saturday! We are so excited. We were really worried for a little bit because she moved back in with her family in her grandma's house. She doesn't have a phone anymore so it's been hard to keep in contact with her. But we saw her this week and she told us she got a job and she has been praying and reading every night on her own. We almost cried tears of joy. She also came to church this Sunday on her own. We are so proud of her and it's been amazing to watch her grow and come closer to Christ. I love that girl. We just still are working on her taking out her stupid lip ring....

My advice to all that read this is the quote from Joseph Smith, "After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel."

We have been so blessed with the restored gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today. Our numbers are few. But our faith is strong. When we return to our creator and we are visiting with friends and loved ones from our life on earth who did not have the gospel, how heartbreaking and tragic it would be if they approached us and said "You knew about this...and you didn't tell me?" Don't let your fear stop you! If you are scared, that's okay. I am too. You can pray and give it all to the Lord and he will guide you and tell you what to say. Even if others don't agree with you, bear your testimony. Others can argue doctrine and opinions, but they cannot argue your testimony and what YOU KNOW to be true. Bear it, and bear it often.

I love you all so much. Keep in touch. And keep the faith! This IS the true gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today. I know it.

Much Love,

Hermana Spencer

1. Me and my pink Enchilada

2. It's been a little colder and it rained this week. Tracting in the rain!

3.Me at the Nationals game

Another great week in the work of the Lord

September 9, 2013

Hello Familia!

It has been both a long and short week.

This Friday we had my first zone conference! It was so wonderful. We talked a lot about prayer and the importance of it in our own and other's conversions. We also talked about asking inspired questions. I have a huge testimony of inspired questions. We have had lessons go completely not as planned because of asking an inspired question.

It was so good to listen to President Riggs. I LOVE that man. He is extremely young, but SO wise. He seriously just...Gets it. President Riggs talked about all of his missionaries are his investigators and that he loves us all so much. I was filled with so much hope and love when he spoke. I am so excited I get to spend my whole mission with him as my president. He is so inspired.

Every zone conference they do car inspections. Me and my companions went and got a car wash, vacuumed and organized everything in the car. At the conference they gave out clean car awards, and we won first place (which is 100 extra miles). I am pretty sure EVERYBODY in our zone hated us at that moment because they had all seen our car all the other times. We have 3 girls in one car and tons of teaching material. It is far from first place material. It was pretty funny though.

On Saturday, We had "Launching Leaders." Which is a Seminar about developing ourselves. It is taught by a senior couple who have had an amazing life. He has been a mission president and they have served a few missions. He is dripping of wisdom and success. He talked to us about being on our "Peak Performance." When we are on our peak performance, we have the ability to be successful, we feel good about ourselves, and we are the last person to choke. He talked about how we must have balance in our lives in order to be a peak performer. It was something I had heard before, it just put it nicely into perspective about each of our potentials.  

We did a bit of finding this week. We were checking up on some potential investigators and formers, and we decided to knock on this door. We met this guy named Jairo from Guatemala. He has a great family. We taught him the restoration and he seemed really intrigued. He was very involved and he sounded like he was really going to study the BOM. We are excited to teach him again tonight!

Good news of the week....We are teaching Esperanza's husband Jose! He has always liked us, he just has always hid from us when we came over. But he said that at his wedding he felt like he was with family. He has noticed a difference in Esperanza. The other night, he came home from work and he joined us. He said that he is willing and wants to come to church, but he doesn't want to come to church and not change. Well, we promised him that he WOULD change and for the better. He and Esperanza read together that night from the BOM. We were so excited. Since they got married and since she got baptized, there is a difference in their relationship. It's more meaningful. We are so excited to keep teaching him. We know he will come around and Esperanza wants so badly to be sealed in the temple. She already has a testimony of forever families. It has made my testimony of families grow. We really can be together forever!

I am very excited that this Friday we are going to go to a Nationals Game! Our entire mission and the DC North mission are going for the day of service to go to the baseball game. We are all so excited and it should be super fun! Somebody teased me though and told me that they were playing the Red Sox. I got all excited...But they aren't. They are playing the Phillies!

Well, I know that this church is true. I love being here and bringing others to Christ. The gospel really is the way to true joy. I love you all and I am so grateful for your love and support. Don't be afraid to share the truth with others. It is the best news you could ever tell somebody!

Much Love,

Hermana Meagan Spencer

Hola Familia!

September 3, 2013

Well Hola Everybody!

As I am sure you guessed, the Library was closed on Labor Day, so I am emailing today :)

It has been quite a week! As always. I love being here in Northern Virginia. The more I am here, the more and more I realize that I am here for a reason. I am here meeting the people I am with, and working with, for a reason. I am learning SO much. I love being back on the East coast. Except for the fact that the drivers here are CRAZY! Hermana Simpson doesn't really like driving and Hermana Wilde can't drive because she is a visa waiter, so I have been doing most of the driving. We typically spend like 1-2 hours a day in the car and the Virginia drivers are nuts. It keeps us all on the edge of our seats.

Well, ESPERANZA GOT BAPTIZED!!! We are so happy for her. She got baptized on Saturday and confirmed at church on Sunday. It was quite an interesting baptism though. We went an hour before to fill the font and found a HUGE cockroach in the font. Hermana Simpson took a mop and pushed it down the drain. We didn't dare tell Esperanza because we were afraid she wouldn't get in the water! Almost nobody showed up for the baptism. There were 10 missionaries there, one family from the branch and her Sister Jhoana. It was a small sweet baptism, although we were bummed nobody showed up. She was so happy though! She definitely feels like family to me. I am so excited to keep in touch with her after my mission.

Sunday was crazy again. Jhoana had all the kids again. Yep, Sunday normally means babysitting for the missionaries. My crayons and coloring book,  Etch-a-sketch has been big hits, but there is normally screaming and crying over them. I have to play organ too, so sacrament meeting was an adventure. This week, Allison (in Hispanic homes pronounced: Al-ee-sone) wanted to bear her testimony, so she ran up there and 5 kids followed her. That was pretty embarrassing.

Yesterday we got to go to the temple. We were so excited. Hermana Ortega, from the branch, took us at 6am. We were tired, but very excited. After the temple, we did a ton of grocery shopping and then went to play Frisbee with the Elders in our district.

My new companion, Hermana Wilde is super cute. She is hilarious too. Secretly we hope she never gets her visa so she can stay in our mission! She has been a fun and great new addition to our companionship.

It's so crazy to think how much time has flown by. I have been out on my mission for over 3 months now. Only 15 left!

No crazy foods this week, only crazy Hispanics :) I love working with these people. It's so great. I definitely want to pick up their immense love. I love them so much. Spanish is getting better too. It's crazy how much you learn just by listening. 

Well, I don't know what else to write this week, but I will make sure to update you more next week. We hopefully have a baptism with our investigator Heidy in 3 weeks! She reminds me a TON of the teenage version of me (so of course, she is extremely difficult and stubborn). I am excited though!

I love teaching the restored gospel. It really is great news, and a wonderful message. I know that I am on the Lord's errand and I am simply a mouthpiece for him. I know that what we are teaching is true! I love you all so much,

Hermana Spencer

1. Me, Hna's Simpson and Wilde at the temple

2. I helped dye Hermana Wilde's hair yesterday!

3. The missionaries that taught Esperanza, at her baptism!