Stacie's email August 31, 2015

Dear family, 

Well, it's been a really short week with really long days! My companion and I have been really blessed in our efforts to find people who desire to change, learn, grow, and progress towards becoming faithful followers of Jesus Christ. This week we decided to change some things up to make our work in this area more productive and effective. Working smart :) 

We, unfortunately, had to refer Yesenia and her daughter to the English speaking sisters. I was really excited about teaching her and seeing her make changes in her life, but I know she's still in good hands. There is no doubt in my mind that she will eventually follow our Saviors example into the waters of baptism, it might take some time, but she'll get there! We have also had great success in teaching a mother and daughter named Maria and Estrella. They have both come to church 3 times now and have expressed desires to learn more and eventually get baptized. They come to all of our church activities and participate in classes. Maria cried when we taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel and shared the First Vision. She told us that she really relates to the boy (Joseph Smith) and can feel in her heart that this is the course that she needs to take to be prepared to meet God. It was so beautiful! 

Veronica too has been progressing very well. She has a pretty crazy work schedule (she works in the hospital) so we haven't been able to see her as much as I would like, but there is something just so sincere about her desires to follow the Savior and her willingness to hear us out, I just feel so blessed to be serving the Lord right now. It's truly a miracle to see people change their hearts and lives.

As of right now, we have 3 investigators that are really progressing....which is quite the feat in this area. I pray every day that my companion and I will be more diligent and more obedient so we can find more people like Maria, Estrella, and Veronica. 

I've been pondering a lot this week about the importance of gaining and retaining our own testimonies, especially in the Restoration of the Gospel. I've centered most of my studies around it this week with hopes of strengthening my own testimony in the Restoration, so I could teach it with more power from the Lord. A testimony can only grow from understanding points of doctrine, which comes from diligent prayer and scripture study. We can nurture it by LIVING those truths that we find. I pray that all of us may start letting that desire work in us, then do our part in nurturing it, so that we can turn that tiny seed of faith into our own tree of life. 

I love you and miss you all so much! Until next week :) Espero que Dios les bendigas.

Love, Hermana Townley