La Mayordomia y El Espiritu

Dear Friends and Family, 

Merry Christmas! Thank you so much for all that you do to support me! Your prayers, packages, letters, and all else you do are important to me!

This week I learned an important lesson about charity and stewardship. As a missionary, I get revelation for my investigators. I didn't realize that it was happening until it wasn't. In planning, I get thoughts to the mind and feelings to the heart as to what I should plan to teach my investigators. In lessons, I get thoughts to the mind and feelings to the heart as to what I should do and teach in that moment. I get help with discerning their needs. I get direction as to what doctrines they need to understand. Without it, I would have a really tough time helping anyone progress. That's why my lesson with Yajairah last week felt so strange. She was progressing, and she had real intent, but I walked out of the lesson puzzled by the lack of Spirit that I felt. Last night, we passed her off to the English speaking missionaries, and the lesson went wonderfully. She started praying about a baptismal date. She listened and understood. Sisters Garretson, Shelly, and Keck are perfect for her. It was really hard to let her go. I love Yajairah. She's now a dear friend. But I don't have stewardship over her anymore, and I would rather she progress with them than keep meeting with us. I'm going to miss her though...

What else! We got to attend a session at the L.A. temple this week. By some crazy circumstances, we got to ride down with Sister Risser from the Canyon Country ward. She is wonderful! She told us stories about growing up in the Depression on the way down, and stories about her kids on the way up. When it got slow, she turned up the MoTab, and she and I sang along. Hermana Arenas and Hermana Peck(from the ward) listened intently because they only know the hymns and primary songs in Spanish. I think that's beautiful. I learned a lot at the temple. I'm glad I got to go. I love the Celestial room. It's hard to want to leave. But there's work to do in Santa Clarita!

I'm sorry I forgot my camera cord this week. We had a fun time giving service at Operation Gratitude last Saturday! We got to assemble packages for veterans and servicemen. I like the feeling of giving service. I like the feeling of such organized work. I just walked along with 2 boxes and people put things in them. Then someone took them from me at the end to tape them up. Around and around I went! It was great! 

We found an awesome investigator for the YSA Elders. His name is Miguel. He is living here even though he's only 18 and from Vegas. He loves his family a lot, and he believes in God primarily because he's still alive today. I think that's awesome. We taught the last half of the plan of salvation and left the restoration pamphlet with him. I can tell he really loves his family, and he really wants to get closer to God for the right reasons.

Yes, it's cold! It gets down to 50 here! I have to bundle up for knock out! 

I love you all, and I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! 

Love, 

Hermana Sleight

Bienvenidas Hermana Arenas

Dear Friends and Family, 

Thanks for all of the love and support you send! I love being a missionary!

As we've used the Christmas initiative to teach the gospel, I've learned an important principle of missionary work. Testimony is key. Teaching the restoration is key. LighttheWorld is great, but the way to get people to listen is to invite the Spirit and testify of our unique message. That's how I've found to most success. I invite each of you to testify of the Restoration as you share your #LIGHTtheWORLD experiences over the next 13 days. 

My new companion is Hermana Arenas! She is wonderful! She is from Mexico, but she's lived in Utah since she was 3. She is pretty quiet, which doesn't usually bother me. I can fill silence just fine. I think part of the reason she's my companion is that I need to learn to step back and let my companion speak, and she's perfectly willing to let me teach a whole lesson. I'll be working this week on making sure she teaches at least as much as I do. 

What else is new? Oh, most of my area! The branch changed from 3 companionships to 2. It mostly makes sense. We're definitely busy though. There's plenty of work to do! Would you like to meet some of my new investigators?

Carmen! Yes, I'm teaching Carmen! My first name is shared by many women in this area. At first it really threw me off. In fact, Carmen took us to Costco on my first P day in the field, and every time someone would say her name, I thought they meant me. Not so much anymore. I'm pretty used to people calling me variations of Hermana Sleight (Hermana, Sleight, Hermana Sleight, Hermana Slate, Missionary, etc.). Anyway, she's from Mexico. She's a great friend to the missionaries, but she's been investigating for a long time without coming to church. She told us she wants to figure out why the Book of Mormon even exists, and she also happens to be in 2 Nephi 29 in her Book of Mormon reading. Hooray! 2 Nephi 29 is the boldest explanation of why the Book of Mormon exists I've ever read! She's going to love it. We're teaching her tonight.

And I think I've mentioned Yajairah before. She's got finals this week, and when we taught the Holy Ghost, I told her he knows everything, even math, science, etc. and that was exciting for her. Seeing her excitement helped me see the reason for teaching to people's needs. Her brother, Gian Carlo who we call Gio, is also investigating. What I love about it is that at our last lesson, his mom told us she's comfortable at the church they're already going to, but he came to church yesterday, and he explained to us yesterday why he's going to try reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. I know that he and Yajairah can gain testimonies of the Book of Mormon. They're going to be such great youth in the branch!

I love you all, and I'm thankful for all you do for me! This has been a wonderful Christmas season so far, and I expect even more to come!

Love, 

Hermana Sleight

Bautismos Me Pongan Nerviosa!

Hi Friends and Family!

What a big week! I hope I can tell you all that happened in what little time I have left myself!

Listen! That's the lesson of the week. Listen to the Spirit. Listen to your companion. Listen to your branch leaders. Listen to your investigators. Listen to the people you meet. But always listen to the Spirit. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. 

Let's see, what happened this week? Oh yeah! Pedro and Jesus got baptized and confirmed! I was so nervous! It's all worth it though. Jesus was so nervous about the water and baptism, but he only had to go under once, and he's been smiling ever since. He got confirmed yesterday, and last night we helped them decorate their tree. While we were visiting, he said, "The Holy Ghost is my best friend." "He makes me feel happy.", and "The Holy Ghost is going to go with me to surgery tomorrow!" He also read 20 pages of the Book of Mormon that one of the women in the ward gave to him as a baptism gift. I'm so glad Jesus got baptized! The gospel makes us happy!

We have a miracle family. We got a referral from the English sisters for a woman named Rosa, but when we knocked on her door on Thanksgiving, Yajairah answered. Turns out no one named Rosa lives there, but we contacted her anyway. Turns out her mom and grandma are inactive members whose records never made it to this ward. She's really excited to learn about the gospel, and last night we had a super strong Plan of Salvation lesson with her, her parents, and her brother. Of course they want to be together in the Celestial Kingdom! They're really happy to be invited into the community which is a ward/branch. I hope and pray that they will be in the temple before I finish my mission. 

Pedro's baptism was supposed to be Saturday, so we announced it that way on Sunday. Then his work schedule changed, so he couldn't make it. We knew he was ready though, so we just bumped it up a day! We had kind of a small turn out as a result, but Pedro gets it. Covenants are between himself and Heavenly Father. Who comes to watch doesn't really matter. 

Transfers are tomorrow, and I'm going to start training! That means I'll most likely be in Santa Clarita for 12 more weeks! I would love and appreciate advice on training because I'm really nervous! I constantly remind myself that the Lord can do His own work, and if He says I can, He'll provide the grace to train this Hermana and handle area that's just been added to ours. I'm excited for all that is in store for me! I appreciate your prayers! 

Happy Birthday to Danielle! I'm so proud of my little sister! You're doing great!! Love you babe!

Thanks for all of the love and support! I love you all! Don't forget to #LIGHTtheWORLD everyday!

#ILUMINAelMUNDO

Hi Friends and Family! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Up next, Christmas! And it's going to be a great Christmas season!

If you haven't taken the invitation to #LIGHTtheWORLD yet, I strongly encourage you to visit mormon.org to watch the video, and then take the challenge. All people everywhere have the power to light the world. When you get on board, you'll be able to experience even more light and love in your life and the spirit of Christmas will be apparent in your home. 

I read a great couple of verses in Mosiah 23 today that really express how I feel about this work. 

 10 Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth.

 11 Nevertheless, in this I do not glory, for I am unworthy to glory of myself.

I am just an instrument in his hands. He pounds in the nail, I am the hammer. I also have pounded in the nail, but only because he's chosen me. It truly is a privilege to participate in this great work, and all are invited to do the same. Please, be a missionary in the way He has prepared you to do so! You are needed in this work!

A lot of you have asked about Thanksgiving. It was great! I got to spend it with the families Leiva, Bran, and Rodriguez! I got to know the missionaries in this branch even better. I got to learn how to stuff a chicken. This is a brilliant idea. I will probably have chicken as an option in some of the Thanksgivings I'm in charge of. It was really an awesome day. 

Jesus got sick this week, and I'm worried about him. He didn't feel much like talking yesterday, so we had to go over the baptismal interview questions by watering them down to yes or no, and he just nodded his head. When we got to the last question, whether he's willing to take Christ's name upon him and choose the right for the rest of his life, his little head nodded as fast and hard as it could! I love Jesus! He's going to be a great disciple of Christ. 

Maria scared us by saying that her baptism date is a little premature, and we tried really hard to testify and help her see that it's right. After the lesson, I prayed that she would know that the date we had picked out was right, but then I realized that that might not be His will. Instead I prayed that she would feel right about the right day and so would I. I felt like we should push it back. Preach My Gospel is very clear that if a missionary feels like we should push it back, we do. I'm thankful for the power I have to know the will of God. The Holy Ghost is a very wonderful gift we can have, and I am thankful to have it. Prayer also has become so much more meaningful to me this mission. 

I love you all! Thanks so much for your support and love! #LIGHTtheWORLD

Sigua la Guia del Espiritu (week 10)

Dear friends and family,

Thanks for all of your support and prayers! Every ounce of faith matters! I love you!

I studied charity this week. The section we usually read about charity is in Moroni 7, and it describes charity a lot, but how do we develop it? First, we must pray with all the energy of heart to have it. God bestows spiritual gifts such as charity upon those who earnest seek it. Second, we must serve. I think the verb form of charity is sometimes love and usually service. I'm pretty sure that sentence is going to make no sense to the reader, but I'm trying to say that if you want charity, go out and serve. If you need charity for one person, serve them. Smile at them, speak highly of them, do all you can to make their lives better. Just see how long it takes before you feel the pure love of Christ for them. 

On the way over to the library, Hermana Whittingham asked me if I had any stories to tell this week. It seems we have nothing thrilling, but a week full of little miracles nonetheless. During planning, we chose where to knock with the Spirit, and he really confused us at the time, but just watch:

We chose a mobile home park that's very unfriendly to missionaries, and we blew through about 10 houses in less than a half hour. I mentioned to my companion that we might knock the whole park and have time left over. The next house was a less-active who was delighted to finally be visited by someone from the church. She isn't on the branch records, so no one has visited her since she moved here, but she reads her scriptures every day, and when she found out church is only 6 minutes from her house, she said she'd come. God works in mysterious ways...

For yesterday we chose a very white neighborhood, but we found and inspired a member family who referred us to the Spanish speaking families in the neighborhood. We shared a thought with them and inspired them, and we were back on track to reach our member inspire goal, which we thought we weren't going to meet.  The Spirit was really strong there, so I think that's what God wanted us to be doing.

Pedro is really excited to be baptized on the 3rd! We took him to a baptism on Saturday down in the valley, and it was very exciting for everyone. I'm excited for the day when I one day get to serve down there, but just now, I really love the Santa Clarita 2a branch and I hope I get to stay for another transfer. 

Love you lots! Thank you again for all of your love and support!

Una Semana Llena Milagros (week 9)

Hi friends and family!

I love you all so much! I'm so thankful for your love and support during my mission! It's been an amazing week, as you can see from the heading, so buckle up!

This week I figured out why missionaries are constantly counting their baptisms. It's not a measure of success, we know that. Each baptism a missionary gets to be a part of is a sacred privilege, and it's not taken lightly. It's the pinnacle of joy. I haven't gotten to experience a baptism of someone I've taught yet, but it's coming, and that already fills me with joy. 

We took Pedro to the temple visitor's center this week! It was so good! Hermano Skyles and Sister Putnam came with us, and we had a glorious experience, as usual. Pedro said his favorite part was learning about the Celestial Room. I have so say, that's my favorite part of the temple too. In the celestial room, I have no doubt about my infinite worth and potential.

I think as a lifelong member, it's been difficult for me to realize how nervous people feel about coming to church. The whole idea of showing up is scary to someone who's never done it before. That's why church activities are such important opportunities to invite people to come and see without the pressure of worship. We had a church tour with my friend Maria this week. We were already to lesson 3 without a baptismal date or church attendance, but she studies the Book of Mormon like a champ. At the end of the tour, I played some baptism songs in the chapel and she meditated on what she'd seen and learned. She committed to baptism and church, and she came to church yesterday! I love Maria! She's going to be a Book of Mormon scholar!

We also met Patricia this week. She's also Chilean, like Beverly, and it's been really cool to see what things about Beverly are also about Patricia. She's committed to reading the Book of Mormon, even though we were super late to her lesson, and she texts such sweet things to us. Still, I miss Beverly(she moved out of my area, but she's still investigating the gospel. If you're as attached as I am, don't loose hope!) 

Thanks again to all of you! I'm so happy to be here! Love you!

Photos: The temple outside, Pedro with Hermana W and Carm (eyes closed, classic! so my kid)

El Campo es tan Blanco (week 8)

Hi friends and family! 

I had something very happy happen to me this week. I read Jacob 5, and I understood it! It was the first time ever! I wrote down all of the symbols I thought I understood, and now they're on a post it in my scriptures for the next time I read it. The most important thing I think I learned is that the Jews have already been prophesied to receive the Gospel. This is very exciting for me, because I have some very dear Jewish friends from MIT that I know would be blessed for accepting the gospel. I love this work! I'm so glad that I'm hear. This is a truly marvelous mission. It's an amazing part of the allegory when the branches from all the trees get grafted and nourished by all the servants the Lord calls into the garden. That's the days we're living in! Look in the last few verses for the way He rewards his servants. 

Let's see... stories!

I should bring my journal with me to this place. I keep forgetting my stories as soon as I write them. 

Pedro came to church all by himself only 15 minutes late yesterday, which is practically on time because the only other investigator only got there 2 minutes ahead of him, so we hadn't even started gospel principles! People, this is big news! Pedro is actively attending church! This is his 4th Sunday at church! Hooray! 

Hermana Whittingham and I taught Jesus and Diego (8 and 6, Jesus's birthday is in 2 days, so we're teaching him the lessons so he can be baptized) the 10 commandments. We started with the reason we keep the commandments, which is because we love God. Then we taught the 10 commandments with the hand actions. Then during dinner we were able to use the actions to remind one another to follow God's commandments because we love Him. It was so awesome! Diego's mom says she's been able to use it to help them with their behavior while we're gone too! That's what it's about. Boyd K. Packer taught that learning the doctrine of the Gospel will change behavior faster than a study of human behavior will change behavior. This is that in action. 

Halloween was the least missionary day of my whole mission. First it was P-day, then at 6 we headed over to eat pizza as a zone. Then we watched a movie (The Restoration, 60 minute version), then we went home. 

Thanks, Nana for the awesome package! I am thankful for all of the support and the prayers out there! I love you all! 

Love, 

Hermana Sleight

The top picture is Hermana W's Christmas decor. 

The bottom is Carmen with all her random notes from her mom.