So Thanksgiving this week was AMAZING! We went to the devotional that morning and were all anticipating an apostle coming to speak to us because #1 it was an important holiday, and #2 they hadn't shown their name on the projector yet, which is usually what they do. My companion and I began waiting in line at 8:30 AM because they never have enough room for everyone and several have to go into the overflow. We got very good seats and realized that none of the Anziani from our district were there yet and it was 9:45 and the devotional started at 10:00. They walked in and there of course, were no seats. They were extremely disappointed when we all found out that our speaker was Elder Jeffrey R. Holland! Oh my goodness, he's one of my favorite speakers and he did not disappoint. We were all able to listen to a musical number done by all of his grandchildren. At the beginning only a little boy was singing. He was about four and it was SO cute :). We were all very privileged to hear from his wife as well. She was so complimentary of her husband and told us just how much more incredible he is at home. As members of the church we all get to see him as an apostle, but she gets to see him as a loving father and husband. She was very sweet :) Then Elder Holland gave a wonderful talk. He began with teaching us the importance of being thankful and that of all the people he has known on this earth, there is no one who as done more for him, no one who has sacrificed more than his wife. They both started to cry as he tried his hardest to describe his appreciation for her. He told us that on Thanksgiving we are all so blessed to have the opportunity to overeat when so many children across the world go to bed hungry. He explained to us that faith in Christ helps us attain exaltation but it is only through service to the less fortunate and love of our fellowmen that we can secure that great blessing of Eternal Life. My favorite part of his talk, though, was when he spoke of our Savior. Like his talk in conference last year he spoke about Christ's walk alone. That he did the ultimate missionary work of making it possible for all of us to return to our Heavenly Father and he did it completely alone. Elder Holland told us that we must never allow Him to do that again. We were all individually called as ministers of God to continue this work. We have our Savior's help and guidance but if we are not worthy of His help or find confidence only in ourselves, we are abandoning our Redeemer again. Having heard Elder Holland speak on several occasions, I'm sure you can all understand the power in which he spoke to us, that we could not deny the truth he was saying and that we really needed to reevaluate our purpose here as missionaries that we will not disappoint the Father and His Son.
This last week had a few funny experiences. We have had the same sub a couple of times named Fratello Auna. He's too funny. He's from Hawaii and is SO friendly. He's actually a lot like Uncle Jeff. He's really close to our teacher, Fratello Silva and the first time he taught us he told us that Fratello Silva owns two alligators and can break a board in half with his head. We asked Fratello Silva about it and of course he denied it. Next time we had Fratello Auna we asked him again and he pinkie promised all of us that he has held the alligators with his own two hands and that he's even fed them. He also gave quite a convincing account about a Christmas talent show while he and Fratello Silva were on their mission. He said that Fratello Silva got up with his companion, they tied their ties around their heads like ninja's, bowed to each other, and then Fratello Silva broke several boards, one with his head. Then his companion swallowed a hot dog whole :) Again we asked Fratello Silva about this yesterday, and again he denied it. But he never blatently came out and said "I do not own alligators." He would just laugh and say "Who owns alligators? Where would I keep them." So at the TRC yesterday, we asked Fratello Auna again and he swore to us it was true. Our other teacher, Fratello Stubbs (who could NEVER lie in his life) said that he's seen the alligators too and that Fratello Silva's dream in life is to go to Africa to train snakes. Anyways, random story, but it made all of us laugh :)
The TRC went really well yesterday. Of course it wasn't perfect. We still have so much to learn about teaching according to people's needs and gaining the experience, trust, and love of our Savior to teach with the Spirit, but I can really feel that we are improving. We taught The Plan of Salvation for the first time and I loved it. While I also enjoyed The Restoration, I felt I could convey my testimony and the love of our Heavenly Father so much more effectively when speaking of this great plan of happiness. I know without a doubt in my mind that our Father in Heaven wants nothing more than us to successfully return to live with Him forever. By teaching simply and centering it on that love of the Father and His Son, constantly bringing it back to the importance of an eternal family, we were able to strengthen our own testimonies and understanding as well as the investigators we were teaching. Being a missionary is the most wonderful thing in the world. I have been so blessed to be born into this wonderful gospel, to know that by living worthily I never have to leave my friends and family. Knowing that no matter what occurs in my life, whether by my own mistakes or those of others, I will never be alone. My Savior suffered for my sins, my pain, and my sorrow. There will always be one other person who knows exactly how I feel and have felt. There is no reason to ever fear or believe you will fail for Christ will always be there. I'm finally beginning to see and truly believe that now. There is such a difference between saying you believe something and knowing it. Deciding to serve a mission was the best choice I ever could have made. I'm already dreading coming home in 17 months because I can't remember a time I've been happier or have had a better relationship with My Heavenly Father.
Love you all so much! I hope you all continue to do well in all that you do!
Sorella LeCates
