April 4, 2011

Hello family!   Thanks for all the letters and updates on your most amazing lives!  I have the most incredible family EVER!!!

My companion goes home next week.  This is our last week together then I will be in a trio with the other sisters.  I know we're not supposed to think too much about after the mission but we have an idea.  President his wife are finishing their mission in June.  Sister Alvarez really wants to come back and visit for that and see people we have visited at the same time.  I wouldn't mind visiting either especially for president's farewell. Plus we know a lot of the same people and she doesn't want to go alone.  I was thinking MAYBE she could fly to Arizona, we could all go to Disneyland, then from there we could take a bus or something to here and stay with members for awhile while we visit and go to the farewell. Then we could either fly or road trip or train ride back to Tucson and she could spend a few days there with us then fly home.  I'm not sure exactly all the dates of when everything is planned like Disneyland or the exact day of the farewell so it might not work at all, but it's just an idea.  Another thing, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my bike.  Do we really want it to come home or should I just donate it to the mission?  It would need some repairs.  The front brakes don't work and I think some parts need to be replaced.  I'm not sure how much it would cost to ship it home.   Mom- I taught a part member family how to make cinnamon rolls (or rollas de canela) this week.  She didn't know what they were but they "sounded good".  They turned out nice. :-)  Thank you Mom, Dad, Natalie, James, Clark, Lila and Michael for the beautiful memories we have created together and the many more we still have in the future!  I'm excited to spend eternity with you flashing back on our wonderful lives!  I LOVE YOU!!!!!

Hi everybody!   I hope everyone had the opportunity to attend General Conference.  It was AMAZING!  Our mission president always tells us to go with specific questions for ourselves and our investigators and pray for revelation.  I heard several talks that specifically addressed the major concerns that I had.  It worked with Sister Alvarez too.  It's amazing how Heavenly Father speaks through His prophets to answer everyone's prayers at once.  Really incredible.  On Saturday there was a couple that took all ten missionaries out to IHOP between sessions.  On Sunday they had arranged that they and a few other members bring potluck lunch for all of us.  We really appreciated their service.  It was so nice of them.  I loved how a lot of the general conference talks were about service.  I just wanted to go and completely eliminate world hunger or something after that.  I hope I can always find something I can do to help make a difference.  

Magdalena is solid.  She's getting baptized next Saturday.  She's calling people in the ward herself and telling them she's getting baptized.  So she's 100% committed to it.  We're excited.  Our investigator, Javier, who's supposed to get baptized on the 23rd might have to start working on Sundays.  We're praying that there will be a way for him to come to church. He's very humble and sincere.  His wife, the member, is really happy he's listening to us.  

With our combined effort, we found 7 new investigators this week. I've only gotten higher than that once in my first area when we found 10 in one week.  It's wonderful.   

Here's a poem inspired by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk in conference:

Are you waiting on the road to Damascus

looking for a sacred grove

that is not your own?

It might be the place it was done before

where angels appeared

a life was changed

lessons learned

but it's not yours.

Don't think your inspiration needs to be

like others have received.

How beautiful were the waters of Mormon

to those who there

received a remission of their sins.

They were not the waters of Jordan

but they were enough.

It's what you do

where you are

with what you have

when the opportunity is given

that holds the importance.

Not how close in comparison

or geographical location

you mirror the spiritual spotlights of history.

Are you waiting on the road to Damascus

for someone else's angel to come?

It's really true that sometimes we don't feel we have received a testimony or an answer to prayers just because we don't mirror what we have heard from the pulpit or articles in the church magazines.  We all receive answers to prayers and revelation UNIQUELY.  Heavenly Father knows each of us and will answer in the way best suited to each of us.  Since we are all different, we will receive different answers at different times and different places. 

I loved Elder Holland's testimony of our living prophet, Thomas S. Monson.  I know we have a living prophet today and 12 apostles that lead and guide Christ's church by His own hand. 

It's finally starting to get hot.  My appendages are slightly more pink.  It feels good to be in the sun after all the rain. 

Thank you for all your prayers and support.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

                  Hermana Evans