email of 26 August 2010

Hello Family of Mine!!!!!

Happy week 6 of the transfer!!! I can't believe it's here again! Every week when we have our 3-hour weekly planning session, we always say, "Didn't we JUST have weekly planning?!" It's kind of like open line Friday...again!!!

This week has been SO GOOD!!! We had our big training meetings Tues-Fri of last week, then Zone Conference with a 70 (Elder Alan F. Packer...Pres Packer's son) on Monday, then temple p-day yesterday! Man, what a spiritually uplifting week!

The new training that we received is so awesome! I'm reminded of Sam in the last little while of his mission, when PMG just came out. This training still uses PMG, it's just that it changes the emphasis a little bit and helps us to be better PMG missionaries; it's all about teaching by the Spirit, and is so powerful! There are 4 main points to the "new" teaching model:

1. Ask Inspired Questions
2. Listen (to your investigator and the Spirit)
3. Discern
4. Teach Doctrine

They focused a lot on taking time to pause, and ponder, and to let your investigator ponder as well; THAT is how revelation will come to both of us, and that is how people become truly converted: by having powerful Spiritual experiences! It's also changes the amount of time we spend talking/teaching/explaining, and is just wonderful! It's hard...takes really being in tune and listening to the Spirit, and breaking out of old teaching patterns and habits. It's so good though! When E. Packer spoke to us at ZC, he told us how blessed we are to be here in this mission at this time; our new mission pres was in the MTC for the training there, and is really implementing things here...it's just such a blessing!

Speaking of Zone Conf, it was also great! We all got to shake Elder and Sis Packers' hands, and at the end of his closing remarks, E. Packer told us how he'd been at a small b-day party for Pres Monson on Friday and had shaken his hand there, so we all got to "shake a hand that shook the prophet's hand on Friday." Awesome, huh?!

Also at ZC, I and another elder did one of the special musical numbers, and it really turned out beautifully! We sang the words of "Oh My Father" to the Sally DeFord arrangement of "Come Thou Fount." I sang solo on the first verse, and then we sang together for the rest of the song (he didn't want to sing solo), doing some harmony here and there. What was really cool was that on the parts where we sang together, we changed all the "I"s and "Me"s, etc. to "We"s and "Us"s etc. It was really cool, and I really enjoyed being able to do it!

Then, Temple p-day yesterday, of course was wonderful! Another col thing that happened was that my companion had a question after the session, and we got to go talk to one of the temple presidency and his wife about it!

I have some pictures to send you, but keep forgetting to bring my camera in with me! I'll really try to send a bunch on Monday when I write again!

Javier is getting baptized on Sunday!!!!!!! PLEASE pray for him and for the baptism to go well!!! He's awesome, and I'm super excited!

I'll try to have some funny experiences this week so that I can tell you the stories on Monday!

I LOVE YOU SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!
I also LOVE being a missionary!!!!!

Love,
Hermana Sallie

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!!!!