Carmen Mary Sleight

Dear Friends and Family,

I missed Grandma Law last week! Happy birthday Grandma!

This week I memorized Moroni 7:26, but while I was doing that, I was undergoing a refining process of godly sorrow, which is necessary for complete repentance. The gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone, even missionaries. Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Recieving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Everybody always needs it. There are no exceptions.

Yessenia and Landon are reading the Book of Mormon and have great questions! Landon is probably coming to scouts tomorrownight! We're planning on taking them to the visitor's center this week! They could use you prayers, because Landon is trying hard to decide between coming to church or playing soccer on Sundays.

Here's a sad story: Maria needed a ride to church yesterday. It was pouring all day. Our member went to pick her up, but they didn't see each other, so Maria stood outside in the rain for 30 minutes and finally gave up and didn't come to church. I am really sad about that one. 

Thanks for all you do to support me! It is surely felt! I love you all!

From Mom: This is her favorite outfit, I wish I could figure out how to rotate! 

Sigue el Espiritu

Dear Friends and Family, 

Thanks for all of your love and support! I am thankful for all of your prayers and support! Happy birthday Trevor Sleight and Richard Sleight! I forgot a couple of birthdays a few weeks back, and I'm sorry about those too. Happy belated birthday to Matthew and Natalie Sleight and Elder Wahe! 

This week I learned a very important lesson the hard way. It'll probably sound familiar because I learned it the easy way, but I guess it didn't stick. Missionary work is wasted time without the Holy Ghost. Everybody should be constantly seeking the guidance of the Holy Ghost, but missionaries are especially needy. This week, I tried too hard to work too fast according to my own will, and I didn't work hard enough to seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Who knows what opportunities I missed? Who knows which miracles I didn't work because I was too hard-hearted? Well, I repented, and I hope you'll all enjoy this story, which is the result:

The Great California San Fernando Mission (members and misssionaries) says a prayer at 3:55 every day except P day. From 4-6 all missionaries knock doors, looking for ways to serve and people to teach. We call it knock out. Most of the miracles of this mission come from knock out. Yesterday, we drove to the place we had planned to knock out. I looked up and down the street, and my prayer literally began with the words, "Heavenly Father, this is a white neighborhood!" It is not the first time we've showed up to a spot we chose by the spirit and had there be no Spanish speakers. But we got out of the car, and the man on his porch wasn't interested, but we asked which way the Spanish speakers were, and he pointed us down the hill.

We tried knocking every door on the way down the hill, but there were some kids playing ball down the street. Every missionary has a miracle story that contains that sentence. I am so excited that we skipped the houses between us and them. Finally it seemed like we should head back up, but we listened to the Spirit, and we knocked a couple more houses at the bottom of the hill. 

We found Lori. At first, she asked for the card, which usually means that someone is not interested, but she kept asking what else we had to share, what else we needed. She asked us for a Book of Mormon, said she's been looking for one in every bookstore she goes to. She asked us to tell her about Joseph Smith. The introduction to the Book of Mormon and all of the Restoration lesson later, she offered a kneeling prayer in which she expressed how much she wanted to know the truth. She is truly a humble seeker of truth. After the prayer, I identified the Spirit, and she said, pointing to the Book of Mormon, you mean if I read that, I'll feel like this??? She was so full of joy, she couldn't contain it. 

Miracles are out there. You can go find them. Use the Spirit. 

I love you all so much! I'm thankful that I get to serve the Lord with your support! Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Sleight

La hora mejor para sembrar un arbol es 30 anos atras; la proxima es hoy.

Dear Friends and Family,

I love you all! Thanks for your love and support! 

So, time to set some goals for the New Year. Time to set some goals for the mission. Time to set some goals for the day. Here's the thing to remember: The best time to plant a tree is 30 years ago. The second best time is now. Remember all of the things that wouldn't have happened if Alma the Elder and his brethren hadn't prayed so fervently for Alma the Younger and his buddies. Thousands of souls were brought unto Christ. Sometimes the fruits of our efforts seem pretty meager compared to theirs, but they had a whole lifetime! I also have realized that they didn't personally convert thousands of Lamanites. They set up the church and their converts did the work themselves. Similarly, if we see our efforts in terms of what we alone have done, we will see fairly linear growth. But if we trust in the Lord to magnify our efforts, at the  end of our lives, we can look back and see that the prayers we offered today resulted in the salvation of many souls. Not that it was our prayers alone, simply that without them, we can't be sure anything would have happened.

I hope that made sense. I don't really have time to review it. 

Yessenia and Landon came to church! I don't know if they'll necessarily be ready on the 28th, but I believe they will be converted and baptized. Leo was so cute. He didn't want to go to Primary without his mom, and she wanted to go to Sunday school, so he sat through Sunday School, then Relief Society, then Sacrament Meeting. In Spanish, which he doesn't really understand. By the end, he was so bored, he asked Hermana Arenas why church was so boring. She told him it's because he didn't go to Primary. "Next week, I'm going to MY class!" Hooray! They're coming back! And this time, for the first time ever, everyone will be in their own class!

For those who want to know, Yajairah who I had to give to the English missionaries has been to church every week, and her parents are starting to read the Book of Mormon too. Hooray! I feel a family baptism coming on!

Love you all!

Love,

Hermana Sleight

Feliz ano!

Hi Friends and Family!

Looks like it'll be a short email this week. Sorry!

In Spanish, they just say "Feliz Ano". I don't know why. Apparently the "new" part is implied. I also can't explain what "Mande?" means. When you say it though, people repeat what you didn't understand.

This week has been my "learn about people's agency" week. I don't get to choose what people want and don't want. My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ. If I do that with love and with the Spirit and with all my heart, might, mind, and strength, I've done all I can. 

D&C 18:15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

Love you all!

Love, 

Hermana Sleight

 Christmas Eve! Second one is a little blurry but it's cute!

 Carmen in Christmas jammies opening presents and then wearing all of them! The scarf was made by Aunt Ericka, the apron (complete with printed name tag) is from Nana, the sweatshirt is from Mom and Dad. Personally, I (mom) love that in all the pictures, she has her name tag on!