"Tell me why God is allowing so many people and children to die and suffer in horrific ways?"

I am glad the ward is reading the BOM together. That is an awesome, unifying goal to have as a ward. The Book of Mormon can really answer the questions of the soul! There is a whole section about it in Preach My Gospel that you can study :) My goal is to finish the Book of Mormon in the next two tranfers. It takes me a little longer to read the BOM in spanish just because the scriptures use some weirdy words sometimes, but I realize that there is precious time I should be using to study the scriptures like during lunch hour or before we go to bed.

This week was VERY interesting. So my new companion is from Riverton, Utah and she has been on her mission for 1 year, but she has been in the spanish YSA for 6 months where very little spanish is spoken, so with her I do 90% of the talking with the members and contacting. As soon as I realized I would be doing most of the talking I realized I had to step up my "spanish game" So now I make sure I speak as much spanish as possible: around the apartment, in my journal, in the car, and with the few members who are bilingual. Those bilingual members will talk to us in English , but I make sure to always respond in Spanish! I think I have been scared and kind of embarrassed to speak in Spanish, plus I used my last companion, who was a native, as a crutch. If I didn't understand something or didn't know how to explain something, I would just look to her, but now I do not have that crutch! And I have been surprised by how well everything has been going hahaa. The Lord has been blessing us :) I have to do a lot more preparation and practice to be ready for each day, so this week has been very productive and satisfying!

Brennan's MOO chocolate yummmm

We had a couple of really cool Knock-Out experiences this week! One was with Steve. Steve asked us...

"Tell me why God is allowing so many people and children to die and suffer in horrific ways?"

"Why would a merciful God allow this?"

We testified to him that God has given us a beautiful gift called agency, and sadly many people use this ability to choose and act to harm others. We also testified that all that in unjust in this world will be made right through the atonement of Jesucristo. Christ can heal every wound. Erase every scare. Shine light in the darkest of nights if we only believe in Him and obey His commandments. Relief, Joy, and Peace will come...maybe not in this world, but in the life to come. Then he asked me a question that stopped me in my tracks,

"Do you just believe all this because it sounds better than dying and rotting in the ground?"

I had to think for second. 

Why do I believe? 

Do I believe out of fear, or do I believe out of faith?

 I thought of a quote I read recently that says,

 "We do not obey because we are blind. We obey because we can see!"

 I believe in a Savior because I have seen him shape and change my life. I believe in a resurrection because I have seen members of my family pass away. I looked at Grandpa's casket and knew that wasn't him. His spirit had moved on! I believe in the BOM because I have applied its teachings and I have seen how it has taught me to be more kind, patient, and humble and I am happier because of it. I testified to Steve that my testimony is not based in fear but in faith! Fear does not compel me to pray every night or read my scriptures...I do these things because I have seen how they have made me (and are making me) into the person I want to be which is like Jesucristo!

Here is a random quote that I like since we are starting a new year:

Live only for tomorrow and you will have a lot of


empty yesterdays today. I think that is from the Music Man? My goal is to live every moment of 2016! Set goals for the future, remember the past, but get to work today!

RANDOM THINGS

1. New Year's Eve we had to be inside by 7:30. I had zero desire to stay up until midnight haha. I was asleep by 10!

2. During knock-out this lady told us she was not interested in our message, and as she was about to shut the door I offered to take out her garbage. She was pretty old and on oxygen, so I thought I would offer, and she actually said yes! No one ever takes me up on that offer haha. She ended up talking with us for a while. She was super cute. As we were leaving she said, "Thanks again! Remember that Jesus is better than sex! Bye." Then she shut the door. Hahaha missions are the best.

LOVE YOU MAMA! Thanks for all the love and support. I loved that pic of you at Mountain River Ranch! Looks freezing! Stay warm,

Hermana Moo