October 30, 2017

La Sala Familar

Dear friends and family,

Thanks so much for your love and support! You're awesome, en serio! (Hna M always uses that phrase. It's rubbing off.)

As for insights this week, I've been thinking about some Christlike attributes, including meekness, "enduring injury with patience and without resentment". This morning as I was studying meekness, I was reminded that Christ himself in both the New Testament and the Book of Mormon promised the meek that they would inherit the Earth. Whew, it's something I'm going to focus on. I realized that meekness is humility in times of trial. Trials are blessings. They're a rare opportunity to demonstrate true meekness, to "turn the other cheek" or "give him thy cloak also".

Stories!

When Hojana introduced herself, I immediately said, "Ohana means family.", and she said, "family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." She has almost no experience with church, and she cancelled our return appointment for the next day, but she walked several blocks to come to stake conference with us yesterday! She asked for us to send the YSA missionaries, and that sounds great to me:) It blew me away when after a conversation about not believing in God, she said she'd give it a try. It just goes to show, there's no harm in an invitation, even if you don't believe they'll accept.

Luis wore his shirt and tie to stake conference yesterday. Additionally, his dad said something along the lines of "Who knows? Maybe the parents will follow the children!" #goldmine I love being a missionary!

Maybe mom will throw in some pictures from the halloween party:) Wonderwoman is Luisa who got baptized 8 ish weeks ago. 

Love you all! Have a great week!
Love,
Hermana Sleight

A Halloween party at Jessica's house
Luisa (Wonder Woman) got baptized! 
This little monster is too cute! 


 Hermanas Figueroa, Sleight and McDonald having a serious moment.
 It's a beautiful day in their neighborhood!
 Is the bottom photo smoke from the fires? She didn't elaborate. 



October 23, 2017

El Espiritu Cambia los Corazones

Dear friends and family,

I sure appreciate your love and support! Thanks for even reading this email!

I found this beautiful verse in my studies this week. D&C 12:8. I didn't memorize it or anything, but from it, we learn the importance of charity. I am re-learning a long-taught lesson. The best type of missionary work is Christlike living. A missionary without faith, hope, charity, love, or virtue isn't really a missionary, name tag or otherwise. Likewise, a person with faith, hope, charity, love and virtue is a true disciple of Christ, and every person they associate with learns a bit about the Savior. I would like to be more like that.

I'm going to try to elaborate a bit more than I have been. Storytime!

So about 6 weeks ago, maybe more, maybe less, I sent home this picture of the Orellana family. I love them! It's from our first visit with them. We don't visit very often, but they have been taking our invitation to have FHE and family scripture study. Slowly but surely, the Spirit has been changing Javier's heart. He is their non member dad, and when we visited yesterday, he told us that he wants to come to church. We watched this great video, "Patterns of Light" by David A Bednar. I really love those videos. He told us with a smile on his face that for him it's been like the rising sun, but it's finally coming from his own heart. :') I believe that he'll be baptized soon.

Last Saturday, a member invited us to have dinner at her daughter's birthday party. Usually that's not really the goal of a dinner at a membe
r's home, but we went, and we talked to her sisters-in-law. They're not members. They don't live in the mission. We chatted a bit, we shared a bit about the Book of Mormon. We offered them a copy, and one accepted. We offered to send the missionaries to her home. She accepted and gave us her info. The lesson I've learned is that it doesn't take much time to share the gospel. It can be done at a party. Sure, my setting apart gives me courage, but any of you could do the same and get the same result:) I have confidence in your ability to do this work!

I love you so much! Have a great week!
Love,
Hermana Sleight
 Desk cleaning day! Hermana M said, "I found it in my desk!"
Hermana M getting Elote (grilled Mexican corn)

Proof that the car wash was closed so they didn't get in trouble with the mission office! 

October 16, 2017

Bautismo de Luis

Dear Friends and Family,

I love you and appreciate you!

I don't have enough time to do a deep study justice. This week was a lot the same as last week. Learning to turn outward and be humble. 

Luis got baptized and it was like moving a mountain to get his parents there. Then they weren't I couldn't believe it. But he was so happy:) I'm happy for him too. I love that kid.

Gloria is really crazy and tried to make us wheel her to the 99 and put her pant leg on her. Yes, that's correct, she was only wearing 1 pant leg. Yes, we did wheel her to the 99 anyway. No, we did not put her pant leg on her.

Love you and have a great week!

Luis's baptism 

Francisco Ramirize III whose jumpsuit is way too big for him. 

Hermanas Figeuroa, McDonald and Sleight with Luis and Francisco

El orgullo y la humilidad

Dear Friends and family,

Thanks for the love and support! It's truly been felt. 

Humility and pride. The universal battle between righteousness and sin. As I've studied it this week, I've learned an important lesson. Here are a few lies the devil might try to tell you, and you might believe for a while: "I'm the only one making any effort around here." "If anyone needs to change, it's him/her." "I'd be happier if my circumstances changed." "Humility means that I don't think I can make a difference." "Someone told me I was humble 3 months ago, so I don't need to work on my pride." "_______ is the mark of greatness." All of these are symptoms of pride, as is competitiveness and comparing any number of human beings to one another. Pride is anything that points our focus to ourselves. Humility is confidence that because we are representatives of Christ(which anyone who has been baptized is.), we have the power and responsibility to bless the lives of others, and doing so rather than thinking of ourselves. "Forget yourself and go to work" has never had such great meaning for me.

Stories!

Felix gave us free fruit cups because Hna F asked for "un pedacito" of pineapple. It was delicious! 

We went to Luis's 17th birthday party. It was so great:) He's such a sweetheart and it's so great to see him interact with his family. He said the prayer on the pizza in English, and when he finished, his mom looked at us and was all teary when she said, "He prayed, didn't he?" It's so great to see them thankful for us.

I went on exchanges with Hna Vincent and my mission sister, Hna Velasquez! It was a lot of fun. They are so funny and they encouraged me to open up a bit. It's nice to loosen up. It's not really natural for me, but it's a lot more fun. 

Whoops, just found this sitting in my drafts from last week. Sorry!! (so this was supposed to be last week's post!)

October 10, 2017

Post from Mom

Sometimes Carmen cuts it too close to her two hour mark and her computer logs off before she can send the general email. I think this is her third time doing it. Maybe next week we will get two updates!
She sent a few photos of her companions and Luis' birthday party that they attended. She had a good zone conference. She likes her companions. But they don't like her music selections much, lol.
Hermana McDonald is only with them for 4 more weeks and then she'll go back to Puerto Rico. The weather has been much cooler compared to this time last year but much warmer than Idaho!
I know she would thank you for prayers and for reading her blog consistently. She feels the support of her friends and family very keenly in her life.
Deep thoughts on frozen fruit cups!

Hermana F. and an unnamed friend


Hermana McDonald enjoys Carmen's singing. 

Luis' birthday, happy 17th!

October 2, 2017

La conferencia general!

Dear Friends and Family, 

Thank you for your love and support!

How about conference? It was so good! I loved Elder Ballard's talk on keeping the doctrine of Christ pure. We will never know all we can about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Focus your studies on the Atonement, Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Don't worry about the rest. God will work it out. 

Yesterday, we taught Darlene, and she is a real truth seeker. She has a lot going on, but she met with us. She's 16. I'll try to get a picture. I just love her and how when you find those people who get it, they just get it! You know what I mean? 

Sorry, I don't have much more to share. I love you! Have a great week!

Love,
Hermana Sleight

Hermana Figueroa was showing Carmen the dirt on her face! 

The new companion from Puerto Rico, Hermana McDonald!