Lindsey: Letter 37

FARLEY WAS BAPTIZED!
Oh my word. What a beautiful day we had yesterday. From the second we woke until it came time to go to bed. There is much to say but because of time I will just say that the lord is truly preparing the hearts of the children of men for this gospel. We only had a few lessons with Farley and that was all it took. He was converted from the first time he heard the words "fullness of the gospel" We had fast and testimony meeting yesterday because next week is stake conference but Farley and I sat next to each other and he was so fidgety the entire time. I thought, Oh know, I hope he's not getting cold feet. I kept asking him are you ok? "He would just respond with a quick si si. He stopped the second we started singing the closing hymn. After the prayer I asked him what was going on? He said I wanted to get up and bare my testimony. Oh Farley. He is just the very sweetest and its hard not to want to just hug him and tell him how great he is! He really is a remarkable person and I feel as though I had nothing to do with his conversion process. It was soley between him and the lord. I was just allowed to witness the process and for that I will be forever thankful.

Ok I know you are hungry for details and I couldn't be more thankful for your desires to pray for the success of our investigators. Truly there just have been miracles after miracles occur here in the woodlands and I stand in awe at what the lord has done and continues to do for the benefit of his children. Oh how he loves us. Oh how he wants us to be close to him. How thankful I am that he has provided a way if we are faithful and worthy that we can maintain the sweet relationship that we have always had since before the foundation of the world. I love that he never leaves us alone. Whether we're worthy or not. He's right there to send anything and everything that might brings us down into submission so that we can feel of his love. So that we can know of his goodness and tender mercy, that we can know of the plan layed out specifically for us. He just wants us to be happy and he is right there every step of the way, clear skies and stormy weather, giving us all things that are expedient for our good. It is truly amazing.

We are currently teaching 6 families. The Mendoza family and Mendez family are part members but full of potential and we're excited for the them. The Carino family we found knocking and have had some powerful lessons with them. They've all committed to baptism just wont accept a certain date. Little stinkers. We are also teaching the Matzar family, They are beautiful and we're having a lesson with them tonight. A little noche de hogar with the Reyes (members of our ward) We're also teaching Daniel y Jose. They have a date for the 27th of February but didn't come to church yesterday so we'll have to see if they truly have a desire. We're also teaching a new family, I don't know the last name but the mom is Reyna and the dad is Jose. That was a powerful first lesson and the son (Juan) was just over in the corner flipping through the book over Mormon the entire time and kept hitting his brother and showing him passages that he'd found. It was amazing. He had many questions after the lesson. We went over for our next cita and she said she'd call us. We're not losing hope yet. It was too good for them to just fall off the face of the earth. We're also teaching a women named Angela. She knows its true she is just scared to tell her husband. We asked if we could talk to him and she keeps telling us no. Its going to be really hard for her though if her husband is not in on it with her. Its all about the family! Two of our less active families came to church yesterday! And stayed the whole time! It was a huge success and a beautiful sight. We have been praying for them and visiting them for awhile. We have a few more people that we are teaching but we're going to have to see. We don't know if there is a whole lot of desire there. Each of our investigators have commited to be baptized once they know that its true. Its just getting them to act. To read the book of Mormon, pray to know that its true, and coming to church. However, I've seen enough miracles throughout my mission to not doubt that the lord will provide the way.

To answer dads question. Yes, we are very close to the temple. It doesn't change the frequency of how often we get to attend. Still once a transfer and I treasure every minute of it. From the second we drive through gate until the end when we get to walk around the temple grounds for a bit. Its all just sweet and sacred and if the opportunity were there to attend once a week I would take it crying tears of joy. A piece of heaven right here on earth. Wow. I love the temple.

Um... What else can I tell you. I'm sorry this is getting really long and probably boring if you're not my mom and dad. Ha. I'd better say goodbye but I just want to express my love for the gospel. The sweet gospel of Jesus Christ. The incredible opportunities that we have because of the knowledge that we've been given. The opportunities to learn and to progress. That its never ending. That there's always more. And there will always be more. I'm so thankful for the incredible experiences that we're given each day to become better. We get to follow the example of our savior and try to be more like him! How wonderful is that?! Could there be anything better?! Plus, we get our families with us every step of the way! Forever and ever. Oh my. I just cant express in adequate words the gratitude I have for the wonderful plan that has been prepared for each of us. The beautiful and great sacrifice of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. For temples. I thankful for temples. For the promises and blessings that are made and given. I love you all and hope that you're happy and full of faith and hope for the promised blessings of the lord to his faithful. You're all so faithful! Just keep going and you'll land yourselves right smack dab in the beautiful mansions of the celestial kingdom prepared especially for you. Love you Love you!

Lindsey: Letter 36

Wow, it sounds like everybody just had an incredible time up north this week. My word, Aren't you just so thrilled for the everlasting family relationship? So grateful for the knowledge that we can continue sister relationships beyond this life. That we can continue to Love each other! Continue to share sweet experiences and form incredible memories. We get to continue on! Continually progress. I cant think of anything sweeter in all of the world. It makes me realize how each family relationship in this life is a treasure beyond anything we can truly comprehend. How thankful I am that the lord has provided us a way to seal the family bond beyond the grave and to experience a piece of the love and joy we will feel when we inherit eternal life. There is no greater blessing that we are given than that of eternal life and the cherished blessing of continual progression, continual creation of life. Its all just sweet.
Yes, Farley is still on for the 30th and we're actually meeting with him today to go over his program for his baptism. He is so wonderful. So prepared. We had a lesson with him last night and starting reviewing the baptismal interview questions and he had a hangup on the word of wisdom concerning coffee. Wow, After some intense testifying, promising blessings, and testifying some more he walked away with a better understanding and a renewed commitment to never pick up another cup of coffee again. He is truly one of the elect and has been well prepared to take upon himself the name of Christ and endure to the end. He's just a champ in every way and I'm so grateful for the sweet relationships that I have had the opportunity of forming while on my mission. Wow, its just humbling.
Mom, I will indeed find the time today to write out some of the amazing miracles that have happened in just this one transfer alone. Its amazing to be apart of it and I thrill at every person we get to talk with about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and that there is a way that we can be with our families forever! Each person we come in contact with brings us that much closer to those that are ready. This last week alone we found 4 new families that we hope to be teaching on a regular basis shortly. That's the goal. Finding families. Getting them in on this wonderful plan together! United and continually striving to help and lift each other, supporting one another. I cannot think of a greater support system in all of the world than that of my family. Lehi left Jerusalem with his family, Nephi and his brothers went back to get their future families (as I will do... one day) Ishmael took his entire family into the wilderness. Its all about the family! What else is there? I just couldn't have a fullness of joy without them. Would it really be eternal life with only part of your family there? My word, heaven forbid I may just opt for a different kingdom. Ok, that was certainly not true. But even if some go kicking and screaming I will see to it that my kids are with me forever. Carlee and Ryan but have to drag some of them by their feet but they'll catch the vision and they'll thank me:) Ha. Don't you love the gift of agency:)
My goodness, I'm clearly more than passionate about that one inparticular subject. All is going well and we are just working working working. Showing the lord that we will go to whatever length needed to accomplish his purposes. He is in charge and he gets his work done as if it were out of our hands. Miracles are taking place right and left and I'm could not be more thrilled to be apart of it. Tell Paige that I did not receive her package:( Hopefully soon. I think I remember the elders saying something about that but I will just have to wait patiently until that can get it to the office. I am praying for your entire family Paige and know that the lord will place you wherever you will benefit most, now and down the road. There is a plan and all we need to do is live the gospel, keep the commandments, and endure to the end. He's got it taken care of. The way has been prepared and we need not worry if we will just trust him. I love you all with my whole soul and pray for you happiness and protection. Thank you for sharing that about Bretts phone call. That thrilled my soul to hear about Lance. I already know it but it makes me happy when others recognize it as well. He truly is a special boy and my best friend. (As are you Ry) I love you all!

Lindsey: Letter 35

Hello my sweetest family! Dad, I did not forget about you! Happy happy birthday! I feel like I'm going to pass you up by the time I hit 30! Its like you're aging backwards! There is a little card on its way. Its weird skipping over the tradition of a bajio gift card and movie tickets. Haha. I need to come up with something else anyway:) Next year we'll do something great! I hope you had a good one and just enjoyed your sweet wife. My near perfect mother. Isn't she just wonderful?!
Mom, I printed out your email and quickly skimmed through it and will be sure to read it later. Lots of sad news it sounds like. Poor Rynearsons. I hope they're doing ok. I will be sure to pray extra hard for their family. I'm so sad. We just loved Thelma. She is not a far off however and she is happy and at peace. What a wonderful woman she is. She gave us Randy! We will bless her name forever. I was sick to hear about Regan. My word! That just hurts me. I hope he's doing ok. Such a great guy. He'll find someone soon soon. The Warners are such a great family and he served such a good mission. The lord has much in store for him.
I couldn't be more thrilled to hear about your Gluten Free Cooking classes. What a party! Write everything down word for word. I will need every single recipe for when I get home. Haha. My poor family is going to get so sick of my chopped up vegetables. Its quite ridiculous. ps. yes I received the millers Christmas package. I thought I wrote that home but please tell them thank you thank you. I was thrilled! Oh, another thought, I walked into a home this last week and it smelled exactly like the oliversons! Tears almost ran down my cheeks as memories came rushing back of all the sweet, fun times I had with the twins. Wow.
Everything is incredible here in the Woodlands. The ward, the members, the area. Its all just beautiful! We work super super hard from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm. Its incredible and I love ever second of it! My companion is sister bullock and shes just a little ball of energy. Oh my word is she ever. She just is amazing and I love being her companion. I'm learning more than ever and I'm excited to be here. We have some great investigators and always looking for more! It would take me another hour to write about all of the miracles that have come to pass since I've been here but one day we will get to sit down and share back and forth of all that has happened in the last year and a half. Until then I will just say that we have a Baptism on the 30th of Jan. His name is Farley and he's just the very elect. Wow. Talk about being prepared by the lord. He's incredible. We're excited and happy as ever. I love each of you with all of my heart. Thank you for your prayers and love!

Lindsey: Letter 34

Hello hello my wonderful family!
It sounds like everyone is doing wonderful and that you're on your way to recovery from the havoc Lucy and Logan caused while they were there. Ha. That was a complete joke. What a treat have your sweet grand babies with you for 5 months. Wow. They'll be home just before you know it. There will be many wonderful things to come this year. I can feel it. I love the year 2011! Look at it! Doesn't that just look right?! It will be great!
Transfer calls have been made and it looks like they're shipping me out. I'm headed to the exact opposite of my area now. Instead of living in little Mexico I'm headed to a city full of rich, white people. (Is that too general?) Even more so than my first area. We'll be flipping over rocks to find the Hispanics! Ha. It will be an adventure but a rich one, full of sweet experiences of joy and success. I know it will! Hermana Bullock will be my new companion. She is a 5ft little ball of energy. Oh my word. I went on exchanges with her a little while ago and can honestly say it was a defining experience. We left each home full of the spirit and had amazing success in just one day. My new address will be 26325 Northgate Crossing Blvd. #1621 Spring TX 77373. My area is called the Woodlands and truly I'm just excited as ever. It will be an incredible transfer.
Luis, our investigator who is set for baptism on the 29 did not come to church this last week, so again... we'll have to move it back a week. One of these days I'm just going to break down and ball my eyes out in front of them and get on my hands and knees and plead with them to get it through their heads that they have to keep their commitments or they will go no where in life! How can you progress anywhere without the gospel?! We have one of the members go by each week to go get him but he always gives silly excuses. I'm going to tell Hermano Espinosa (the Lehi of our ward) to go pick him up and drag him out by the ear. Ohhh that would be so good. Sister Stevenson is going to keep me informed with Luis and hopefully I'll be able to attend his baptism soon.
Oh the experiences and lessons that I've learned here! What incredible memories that have been made and will be cherished forever. What incredible people we've met. Seeds indeed have been planted and they will be harvested hopefully sooner rather than later. They just need time. Its an interesting concept to me. Why do people need time to be happy? Its a riddle that I'm afraid will go unsolved. Why don't people understand that to continue serving the natural man only leads to sadness and momentary pleasure. When they could embrace the gospel and indeed understand true happiness. That a righteous life is a rich life. full of sweetness and understanding. Who doesn't want to understand the mysteries of life. The mystery of why we're here. Our very individual purposes as sons and daughters of a loving heavenly father. Who doesn't want to know that?! Why do people like feeling lost and confused? Why go on questioning when you can have the answer? When the answer is staring at you in the face?! The gospel is the answer. Jesus Christ is the way. The truth the life. My goodness. I get a little bit worked up over this at times. Especially when I feel the joy, happiness, and healing process of the atonement.
I love you all. I thank you for your sweet testimonies, for you prayers of love and concern. Everything is going great! I'm happy as ever and am looking forward to what today will bring.

Lindsey: Letter 33

Hello sweet family! Happy new year! Wow, 2011. The years just keep rolling by don't they. Oh but wasn't 2010 great! It truly was. Lots of incredible things happened. Sweet memories were formed, new friends were made, miracles occurred. I'm so thankful for the gospel that is the center of it all. Everything is going just as it should be. Not easily but there is no question that its going. Look, we're in new year! That's proof that the time is moving! Haha. We have a couple investigators right now that have accepted their baptismal commitment and one working toward a date. The other is Jehovah's Witness and is a bit tougher to reach. She has a strong testimony of what she's been taught through them and I pray with all of my heart that we can get the spirit in there to teach her the truth. Transfers are coming up this next week and I really feel as though I'm staying in Aldine. I hope that is the case. I just love it here. I love the area and the people. I don't feel like we've accomplished what I know we're capable of and I feel as though I need more time. But if it comes down to what I feel and where the lord would have me go I think I'll take the sure way which always is the lords way. I'm so sorry this isn't going to be too long. But know that everything is just going great! That the Texas Houston mission is skyrocketing on Baptisms right now and there have been miracles after miracles occur. Its an incredible sight and I couldn't be more humbled and thrilled to be right in the middle of it. I hope everyone is happy and healthy and doing all that they can to seek those that are in need of the gospel. Whether they're members or not. Oh how we all need the healing in our lives that only the savior can provide. Pray for opportunities to be an instrument in the lords hands for any one of his children on the earth. I love you each with all of my heart and hope you have a wonderful week!