hermana k. rife goes to texas: "My Kindness Shall Not Depart from Thee"

Hello Family, I hope you all had a great week. It sounds like it was very busy but I am glad you are feeling better.

This week went by a lot faster than last week. I think you probably got my letters by now but after Tuesday I felt a lot better. We went to mission leadership council on tuesday and I was able to talk to President Pingree. He gave me some really good counsel and helped me know what I should do. He promised me that as I continued to be obedient and worked hard until the end that I would find a fullness of Joy. It has only been a week but I feel like I have learned a lot this week. It is hard to express everything but I feel very good and I guess that I will have to explain some things later on.

Something that I have learned in each of my areas is that although we get moved to different areas and different places. The work is still the same, and the gospel still blesses people daily as they accept it. There are still miracles wherever we are sent. It is a neat blessing.

Sanchez Family: We went to a lesson with this family that we began teaching. They are really great. Our president of our branch is a teacher and taught Leslie, one of their daughters. Their family really likes president bayles and have respect for him. We read out of Moroni 10 and talked about faith and trials. It was a beautiful lesson and the spirit was very strong throughout the whole thing. At the end Leslie and Diego said prayers and Graciela was crying. We invited them to come to church. They didn't come but Alan came to Volleyball on Friday and we are going to go over today. I feel like the spirit helped them really feel that this gospel and Jesus Christ are going to help them through these things.

Jose: We met Jose last week. His daughter's name is April (14) and she has been coming to church. He told us of a question he has about the after life and we told him that we would come back and teach him about the plan of salvation. He agreed. We returned this last week and we ended up talking about the book of mormon. He is very serious and a little bit grumpy but it is super funny. I think he does it cause it confuses us. When we really don't get it, then he cracks a little smile and says he is kidding. :) I have a lot of love for this rather sarcastic man already. He has a really good heart and you can feel it. He takes care of all his children and is divorced. He just wants the best for them and works really hard to provide for their needs. I think he really enjoys us coming over and for us answering all his questions. He is like very manly. Like Dirty hands and clothes and a hard worker. When we finished our lesson we knelt down and asked him to say the prayer. He fought it at first but we said one and then He said a prayer. It was so neat to see him how he prayed in front of three women. Men who are prideful wouldn't do it but he has a soft heart despite his rough look and personality. I don't know of many things that are better than the first prayers that people say in front of us when they have never prayed out loud or in front of people before. It was so humbling to watch as he took off his hat and as he began his simple but heartfelt prayer. He told us on friday when we talked to him that he has been reading the book of mormon and praying. He is a really special guy.

Stephanie: Last week I emailed stephanie to tell her that I was in Waller cause her parents live close by here. She called me on wednesday and told me that she wanted to come and see us this weekend. On saturday, she, hannah and Kalier came out to Waller and we had a picnic and talked about the plan of salvation. It was such a great lesson. The spirit was very strong. She told me that she had been reading the Book of Mormon quite a bit. Hermana Durham asked her about Baptism and she explained to us that she had been baptized. When we explained to her again the authority, she understood and told us that she would pray about it. She said that makes complete sense, I just didn't quite understand that before. She expressed how she had felt a lot of peace as she has been reading and praying and when she went to church. She doesn't want to listen to the English Missionaries. She told us how she thought that when we were trying to do a switch over lesson with her and then all a sudden I left that we were just trying to pass her off to someone else cause we didn't want to help her. Poor thing, It isn't like that at all and if we could we would still keep teaching her but she will do better with the English Missionaries because they know the ward. We have tried so many times to pass her over and to get appointments set with them and whenever they are there, she cancels and then ends up talking with us. Her daughter knows a few members so we are going to try to maybe set up a FHE with them and then try to get the English Sisters to get in there. I felt so bad that we didn't explain it good enough and that she felt like that. I really feel like it is for a reason that we received that referral and not the english sisters in the first place. I am so grateful that I have been able to get to know her. She is so special and prepared. She is so sweet, she made us dinner and brought it to us for Sunday. It was very tasty. I feel like I always want to do things for her and then when I do...she just does something back for us. It is like a charity war. :) but it is really out of love but still. haha

On Saturday night, we had a branch activity, No investigators came which was sad but some members came. We watched Ephraim's Rescue. It was a very touching movie. On sunday, I felt that in a way that we were going and doing a rescue. We went with Hno y Hna Ramierez to visit some less actives and non members who were in need of blessings and some spiritual nutrition. When Hno Ramierez was giving the blessings, the spirit was so strong. Both of the people were very sick and it was special to see how everyone is in need of rescuing. We were able to be a part of uplifting those who were in great need of upliftment. It was very humbling and special. I can't express how much I have felt the Love of my Savior and Heavenly Father through my mission and my life. As I look back on my life, even in the hardest times, they were there...even though sometimes I wasn't letting them in, there they waited for me to open my heart and life to let them in. I have listened to the song "My Kindness shall not Depart from Thee" many times this week. It has comforted me and uplifted me. In my opinion, it would be hard for anyone to ever deny the Love of God after seeing so many miracles and feeling the blessings that God and Christ have waiting for us. They have manifested these blessings and their love over and over again this week and throughout my mission. I am so grateful to be able to spread this wonderful gospel but to be living it too. We are all going through our own conversion process. It is the same though, even though we are at different places in our life. We have to learn to rely on Christ and His Atonement. It is up to us though how much we will rely and trust in Him and Heavenly Father.

I am so glad to be here. I feel grateful for the chance I have to serve in Waller because it is helping me stay depending on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Thank you for all your love and support. I appreciated your letters. I hope you know that I am good. I love you lots. Remember who you are and to whom you belong to.

Off finding the 10s of 1,000s

Hermana Rife