A Son's Plea

Hola mi familia y mis amigas!

I hope that you're all doing well and that you've had a great week!!!

First off can anyone believe that its almost June??? Where did May go and also April and this whole year? Haha time goes by so unbelievably fast and it's crazy how many things happen and how much changes in such a short period of time.  This upcoming week will be the last week of the transfer and then the question is, will I stay here in Vicente Noble or am I off to another place? Well, we shall see :)

This week I have a really special story and experience that I would like to share.  I am so grateful each and every day that I get to be here serving as a missionary and for the awesome people and families I've been able to meet and work with.  There is a family of menos activos that have been inactive for a very long time. In my first transfers here, Hermana Johnson would tell me about them but then said that weren't ready and weren't ever that receptive to listening to the missionaries.  In the first week with Hma Velasquez this transfer, we decided to pass by their house and they were willing to listening.  We've been visiting them every since.  One of the members of this family actually just came home from a mission. He is super awesome and super strong in the church.  He always comes with us to lessons and is always there to help and support in the lessons with his family.  He has such a strong desire to help his family and was so excited when we started to visit them again.  This Saturday, we had a truly amazing lesson with this family that I will never forget.  It was just us, this member and his menos activo mother.  She has always been willing but not really that receptive to act on the invitations and testimonies we've shared with her.  She has a lot of baggage with things that happened in the past and these things have held her back from returning with her family.  This Saturday, we were sharing a part of the Plan of Salvation with them, about how after this life we will wait in the Spirit World for the day when we will be judged of our actions here on Earth.  We will once again be in the presence of God with a perfect remembrance of all we've done, good or bad.  She admitted that if that moment were to happen right now, she did not think that she would be ready.  We testified of how this is the time to prepare and change.  We never know what will happen, but we can choose to exercise our faith and follow Christ and be ready to return to God's presence.  The blessings of repentance and Christ's Atonement are always extended to us no matter what.  I 100% know this to be true.  We can always return to the straight and narrow path of Christ's Gospel if were are willing to be humble and change and show our faith.  We were nearing the end of our lesson and she was listening well but still in doubt.  It was at this time that her son, this faithful member and missionary began to speak with his mother in such a direct and loving and desperate way.  He began to recount a story when he was younger and first investigating the church.  He was the last member of his family to be baptized so they were all members and going to church for some time before he joined.  He began to tell a story of one of the first times he went to church, when he wasn't really sure but then his mother encouraged him and helped him have this desire to go.  As he stated it, it was an "invitation from mother to son".  He then began to plead with her that she might accept his invitation from son to mother.  That she would soften her heart and remember the things she once knew.  He expressed his grief and hardship in that he was able to leave and serve a mission for 2 year and help other to change their lives, but he hasn't been able to help his own family.  He has such a strong desire and testimony of this Gospel, and Hma Velasquez and I were able to support and testify his words to help his sweet strong mother see the importance of these things.  It was a sincere, powerful plea from a son and the Spirit was so unbelievably strong as he spoke with all the power in his soul for the sake of his family to help them remember their faith in Christ and the desires they once had to follow Him until the end.

Family and friends, I know that this Gospel is true.  I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that through Him, we can live with our Heavenly Father again.  We can have joy in this life and be ready and joyful and light when we once again return to God's presence.  There need not be any fear, any doubt or any regret.  We can always come unto Christ, utilize his Atonement, and once again be counted among his disciples.  I am so unbelievably grateful to be able to be here, so share in these experiences and to preach this Gospel.  There are sweet tender mercies and miracles awaiting us, all we have to do is show our desire and continue on in faith.

I love you all so much.  I hope you have a great week!!!!

CON AMOR,

Hermana Graham

Working Hard for the Lord

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

I hope that you all have had a great week and that all is well! Thank you all for you emails and support. I am eternally grateful!

So this was an absolutely amazing week here in Vicente Noble.  We just keep on working and it's amazing to look back at the week and realize how many truly special and spiritual experiences we have been able to have.  This is truly the Lord's work and we can see so many blessings as we work hard and with love for these people here.  

Hermana Velasquez and I have been able to work with some truly amazing families and individuals lately.  As we have focused more on the importance of family and the gospel, we've been able to help several families really learn and progress about this gospel.  There are two families that have been really progressing and showing real interest. We have been teaching them about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is truly a unique and powerful and divine message. It is a humbling and powerful opportunity to be able to teach about this topic.  To be able to share that our loving Heavenly Father has once again called a prophet and apostles here on the earth just like in the time of Jesus Christ.  Plus through these called servants of Christ and the Priesthood power which they hold, we have the fulness of the gospel and all its blessings. This message is something so special and each time that we teach this, I can feel the Holy Ghost testifying that this is true.  On Wednesday we were teaching one of these families about the Restoration and the Spirit was really strong.  They have such a sincere desire to know how to follow God and which church is truly His.  It was great to share about how Joseph Smith had this same question and concern and he was able to receive a very special answer.  I know that Joseph Smith really was a prophet of God!  He saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and through him, Jesus Christ was able to restore the church that He himself established when He was here on earth.  Through this, we have the opportunity to learn and know of God's plan and what we need to do to return to Him.  We invited this family to act in their faith and pray to know if these things are true.  There is so much confusion in the world today. So many who don't know how to follow Christ and so many who don't believe in Him at all.  Truly if we want to know for ourselves, we must act and exercise our faith!  It was amazing to see how excited and willing this family was to act.  I know that the Lord is trying so hard to help people find the truth.  It's humbling to be able to be a part of this work and help people find this peace and knowledge and joy in their lives.  It's even more humbling to think that I have been called to serve here by a living prophet who holds the authority of God to help direct this work.  I know that I have been sent here for a reason and that the message that we carry is so special and important of all of God's children.

On Friday we were able to travel to Azua for another Zone Conference.  All the missionaries from the south met together and we were able to hear some great messages.  We had the privilege to listen to Elder Hugo E. Martinez from the Seventy and his wife.  These are 2 truly amazing people.  They are both doctors and converts to the church with really strong testimonies in the power of missionary work.  Hermana Martinez spoke to us about having a vision and working effectively to complete it.  We need to find the vision, then make goals, and them make plans on how to fulfill them.  This is something so important of us all! I have really seen that we work so much harder and effectively and really see differences in people's lives when we follow this model.  These things help us identify the motivation behind why we do things and helps us be productive and successful.  When it comes to missionary work, the vision is to help people receive the blessings of Christ in their lives and make the changes to really follow His teachings.  We do this by teaching and working with members and following the guidance of the Spirit.  It was such a great opportunity to meet together with fellow missionaries and speak in how we can improve and be better instruments in the Lord's hands.  I felt so inspired and motivated after and I know we will really help people to change their lives and we work with diligence and love and our whole hearts.

Anyway I am just so happy to be serving the Lord.  Really the love I feel for these people and the Lord is the perfect and most powerful motivation.  I know that the Gospel has the power and potential to change and improve our lives!!  Through the true church of Christ, we can be guided and receive the fulness of blessings that God has to offer.

Thank you all so much for everything!

CON MUCHO AMOR

Hermana Graham

Blessings of Service

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!!

Hma Graham, a machete, & some plantains

I hope that you all had a great week and that all is going well!!! Also happy belated Mothers Day!!

So we had another great week here in Vicente Noble.  Its crazy how quickly the time keeps going.  I cant believe that I've already had 3 full weeks with Hermana Velasquez and that there are only 3 weeks left of this transfer!  I keep thinking about how I might leave Vicente Noble in 3 weeks and that just makes me want to appreciate every moment so much more! I feel so blessed all the time to be able to be here with these people that I love so much.  This rama here is seriously so special and the Spirit is so strong with these dedicated members of the Church here!

We had a couple of really powerful moments this week.  We continue to work with menos activos a lot as well as the new members that were baptized recently.  There is one recent convert that was baptized in December and has been having a really hard time.  She has a lot of work in her home and many things calling on her attention all the time.  She hasn't been to church in several weeks and so we've been working really hard to help her remember the blessings of being at church and why its so important for our Spiritual well-being.  There's an example we use all the time when teaching about church.  Our spirits are like the battery of a cell phone.  Eventually the energy will run out and you need to recharge it.  This is exactly how our spirits work.  Going to church is our opportunity to recharge our spiritual batteries so we can make it through our week.  When we don't go to church, we're trying to do everything in our lives but without the energy and help we need from the Lord!  We visited this recent convert and spoke about why church is so important and how its really our choice to go and receive these blessings.  Our Heavenly Father will never force us but will always bless us when we do what we should!  It was a really powerful lesson and we were so filled with joy when she came to church this Sunday!!  These small choices make such a large impact in our lives and I know the Lord was helping us to help this recent convert get back on track.  

On Tuesday we passed by an investigator's house and found that she as sitting outside on her porch crying.  One of her neighbors who she grew up with passed away and she was feeling really sad and trying to cope.  It was such a powerful moment that we were able to show up at this time and give her some peace of mind.  We just sat and listened as she expressed her sadness and were then able to offer a short message about the plan that God has for every single one of us and what happens after death.  We spoke of how we all have a finite amount of time here on Earth but that death is not the end and that she will see her friend again.  God has a beautiful and perfect plan that is filled with so much hope and peace. I felt so humble and appreciative to have been able to share this message with a fellow daughter of God.  We can all have this peace and knowledge that God has a plan and that there is so much more awaiting us after this life!

This Sunday was District Conference which is the equivalent of Stake Conference. We all had the opportunity to go to Barahona and hear many talks and testimonies that were really powerful.  President and Hermana Nuckols of the mission were also there and it was really great.  We had so many members and people make the journey with us and it was really special.  The theme was Amar a su projimo, or in other words Love your neighbor.  Loving and serving others is such a pivotal part of the example of Jesus Christ and there are really so many blessings when we work in the service of our fellow man.  Being here in Vicente Noble, I have found an even greater appreciation of service and helping others than ever before.  There are always so many opportunities to look outside yourself and help another.  I have such a strong testimony of service and truly when we are helping others there are so many things that we learn and gain for ourselves as well.  It's one of the main ways that the Lord teaches and blesses us!!

Anyway I am doing great and just loving every moment! I hope that you all have a great week and find opportunities to serve others!!

CON AMOR,

Hermana Graham

The Gospel Blesses Families!

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!!

I hope that you all had a good week and that all is well!!

We had a really great week here in Vicente Noble.  With my new companion I am defintely learning A WHOLE LOT! She is native Spanish speaker and so its Spanish 24-7.  I can already feel that my Spanish is getting better because I get to use it all the time!  It's still a bit difficult at times when I'm trying to express myself but we just keep on working and I know the Lord is helping me so we can work together and help the people here in Vicente Noble.  Each and every week I am just so grateful that I am able to still be here in Vicente Noble with these amazing people that I have come to know and love so much!  I know the Lord places people in our paths exactly when we need then, and we can recognize this divine help in our lives if we´re looking for it!

This past week we had a lot of awesome experiences.  Hermana Velasquez is an awesome missionary and teacher and puts a lot of emphasis on the family when she teaches.  It's so true because Heavenly Father loves families so much and we are literally a part of His eternal family!  Even more, when we have the Gospel in our lives, it really does fortify and bless families. This week we had the opportunity to meet and teach a lot of awesome families and share with them the amazing message that we can have our families for eternity thought the Gospel of Christ.  Here in Vicente Noble, so many people are related.  We are constantly finding cousins and brothers and relatives of people we already know.  It's so awesome to be able to share this awesome message and to be able to see the hope and light in people's eyes as they hear about these eternal truths.  I know that with the Gospel of Christ,we can feel closer with our family, fix andy bad feelings or hardship that may be there, and just have more harmony and love in general. I am really excited to see how these families progress in the upcoming weeks as we continue to teach them.

Oh, another awesome thing happened this Sunday! Really it was just a small moment but it filled my heart with such joy!  Last weekend, Wilkin received the Aaronic Priesthood and this week he was able to pass the Sacrament.  It was such a small thing but it was absolutely amazing! To be able to think that this young man is now a member of the church and has the ability to hold the power of the Priesthood is such an amazing thing and I´m so grateful to have been able to help the Lord bring this awesome person into His fold.  These small moments are such tender mercies from the Lord that fill my heart with such joy and appreciation.  I know that you all can have these small powerful spiritual moments as well throughout your week if you are intune and looking for them.  They make such a big difference to be able to feel the help and love of the Lord in our lives!

I hope you all have a great week!!

CON MUCHO AMOR,

Hermana Graham

Change is Good and Brings Blessings!

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

I hope you all had a great week and that things are going well!

This week was really great and I defintely learned SO MUCH! This week was my first week with my new companion, Hermana Velasquez.  She is from Guatemala and is a great teacher and hardworker.  I have already seen the drastic change from having an American companion who speaks Spanish as opposed to a native Spanish speaker!!  She just speaks so amazingly (haha of course) and can talk with these people so directly and boldly and comfortably.  I have already learned so much from her and I know she is such a great contribution to our rama her in Vicente Noble.

Change is good but can also be hard.  There is always such a great opportunity to learn and grow and see miracles! It has been an interesting experience to adjust into being the one who knows the people and the area for longer.  It has honestly only increased the love I have for these people and my strong desire to share the Gospel and help them feel the love of Christ in their lives.  I am so grateful to be able to continue working with these amazing people and members here in Vicente Noble.  In the 3 months that I've been here so far, I have been able to get to know so many people and see the blessings of the Gospel in their lives. 

With a new companion, its been a great opportunity to rethink the way I've been teaching and working with these people.  Hma Velasquez brings a fresh perspective and teaching style and I know we are here together to bring about great change and blessings!  We've been working a lot in finding new people to teach and also working to fortify the investigators we already have.  This week we had several great lessons and finding experiences.  On Thursday we had an absolutely amazing finding moment.  A few of our scheduled lessons fell through and so we were walking around looking for some people. It crossed my mind to go look for a family menos activo that have always been super hard to find.  In my whole time here I have never been able to find them and Hma Johnson also explained how they weren't really open to having missionaries over much.  Hma Velasquez and I decided to go see and we were able to find them in their home. Even more amazingly, they were open to having us share a quick message.  They have been inactive for many years but we testified and shared about the blessings of this Gospel. Truly going to church isn't about the people there or other members.  The true motivation is for Heavenly Father and our love for Him.  It was such a small and simple thing but I walked away feeling so encouraged and knowing that the work will continue to progress here and the Lord will help us!

On Saturday we had the opportunity to help with a Primary activity in Tamayo and here in Vicente Noble.  It was so much fun and great to be able to interact with the members and spend time doing crafts and games with the awesome Dominican children.  I seriously love them so much and they are so fun to be around. We made tiny house out of popsicle sticks and paper flowers and all.  It was so cute and fun.

Last of all, this Sunday was another special Sunday here.  We are continuing to work with Wilkin and helping him learn and grow as a new member of the church!  I am just so happy all the time to be able to help him understand more and enjoy the blessings as a member of this church.  Sunday, Wilkin had the opportunity to receive the Aaronic Priesthood.  With this, he will be able to serve and bless the lives of others and continue growing in the Gospel. I was overwhelmed yet again with the amazing opportunity and responsibility I have been given as a missionary to serve these awesome people and help the children of God.  I know as I learn and work hard, the Lord will help us to bring to pass this amazing work here in the DR.

Thank you all so much for everything!

CON AMOR,

Hermana Graham

End of Transfer 2

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

I hope everything is going well and that you all had a great week!!

This past week in Vicente Noble was absolutely amazing! We were able to teach so many people and there was just a lot of great days.

So to start, this week was the last week of the transfer and so we got transfer calls on Saturday.  We have known that Hermana Johnson would be leaving for basically the whole transfer.  She has had 5 transfers here which is more than normal because she was trained here and then trained me afterward.  We knew this would be her last week and so we've been wondering what would happen for all week long!  We found out Saturday that Hma Johnson is going to Azua, another city in the south thats about an hour away.  She will be companions with Hma Black who was in my group in the CCM! My new companion is Hermana Velazquez (spelling?)  She is from Guatemala!!  It's so crazy that I will now have a Latin companion who doesn't know English so its officially Spanish ALL THE TIME!  It's so bittersweet to be saying goodbye to Hma Johnson tomorrow.  She was been an amazing trainer, companion, and friend and I've learned so much from her testimony and example. It will be a new challenge to have a fully Spanish speaking companion but I know it's exactly what I need.  The Lord always sends exactly who we need into our lives and I know my new companion will be exactly what our investigators and members and rama need as well!

So that's the change for this upcoming 6 weeks! Now back to all the great things this week.  So we knew Hermana Johnson would be leaving but we just kept on working hard.  Its amazing how the Lord helps us to reach our goals when we're striving to be diligent and obedient.  One of the noteworthy things that happened this week was that we had a lot of lessons with members! We usually try to have members come with us when we teach but its hard because the rama is small and there aren't many members available.  We were able to bring out several different members with us and its crazy how much of a difference these members make.  Even if they dont say a lot, there presence and friendship and testimonies are so important!  I continue to be more and more grateful for all these amazing people here in Vicente Noble.  They are so kind and warm and inviting.  They're always so friendly and generous with us missionaries. The rama might be small but the members here are amazing.  They work hard with what they have and have such strong faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  They know how important they are and are striving to build their faith and live the gospel more fully in their lives.

We got to teach Ashne (pronounced Ash-nay) again this week with our member to translate.  Ashne is the Haitian who doesnt know much spanish so we have to bring a translator every time!  He has been trying to read the Book of Mormon in Spanish while we continue trying to get him one in french.  He is amazing and has such a strong desire to learn and know. We taught him about repentance and baptism and he now has a baptismal date as well!!

Sunday was an absolutely amazing day here.  We had a goal for the entire mission to have 5 investigators come to church.  We were thinking and working all week long to really help our investigators act on their faith and attend.  We called people and passed for people and were really just hoping that people could come.  We have so many investigators who are so great but for one reason or another they have yet to come to church.  This Sunday, we had 8 investigators come, a few of which have never come before!  It was so amazing to have so many people there in the capilla.  There was a different energy and the members were great with greeting and speaking to everyone.  We also had an amazing moment when one of our menos activos walked in near the end!  He is the one who used to be president of the rama but has been inactive for about 15 years. When he walked into the capilla, my heart swelled with such joy and I was so unbelievably grateful and excited for him.  I know the Lord is working to help these people make changes in their lives.

I know that when we act on our faith, we can see such blessings and experience true change in our lives.  While going to church one Sunday may not seem like much, it's truly the type of experience that can have a profound impact.  Through the church, we can receive the counsel and answers and comfort we are looking for.  Always when we act on our faith, we can be filled with joy and the love of Christ and Heavenly Father.

I love you all so much.  Thank you for everything and have a great week!

CON AMOR,

Hermana Graham

Makes It All Worth It

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

I hope you all have had a great week and that all is well!! As always, thank you so much for you emails and support!  I truly love it and I am very very grateful!!

So this past week was so unbelievably full of amazing things that I don't even know where to start.  Okay chronological order then.  

So, first off I forgot to mention last week but we were cleaning the apartment on Monday and we ended up finding a cat and her two new baby kittens living in the extra room!  It was an absolutely hilarious day with watching and trying to get the cats out of the house.  The kittens were adorable and it was hilarious!  We ended up having a neighbor come and grab them and then the mom couldn't find the kittens and it was a whole big thing but truly hilarious!!  

Okay now onto awesome spiritual moments and experiences.  So on Tuesday Hma Johnson and I had the opportunity to have intercambios again with the Hermana Leader.  Her job is to watch over the Hermanas in her area and make sure we are good and our areas are good as well.  Last time Hma Johnson went with the Hma Leader so I went with her this time.  Her name is Hermana Molina and she is from Santiago here in the DR.  She is an awesome missionary and it was an amazing day full of powerful lessons and a lot of learning!  It is always amazing to be able to teach with a different missionary and see how they teach and interact with the people.  Hma Molina is so full of love and genuine concern for everyone.  She teaches with a lot of love and understanding!  One quick story: we went to our first lesson of the day in the morning with a new investigator named Miguelina.  She is new and we didn't know much about her yet.  We went in with the plan to talk about Heavenly Father and prophets.  As we were starting, Hma Molina started talking about how the Gospel blesses families and Miguelina immediately started crying and talking about the rough relationship she has with her father.  It was such a powerful and personal moment and we then got to testify and remind her of the perfect love of a perfect loving Father in Heaven.  It was a great lesson, we learned a lot about this sweet girl and it was definitely guided by the Spirit!  I told Hma Molina later that I knew she was meant to come with me that morning because it would not have been that type of lesson without her!!

The rest of the week was also amazing!  We had a zone meeting in Barahona and got to hear some great messages from the Elders and Leaders of our zone.  They are all awesome and have such a genuine desire to help.  Hma Johnson and I spent a lot of the week preparing for the Wilkin's baptism which was this Saturday!!  We visited him a lot and read a lot with him in the Book of Mormon as well.  Saturday morning, we went to the capilla to clean and prepare for the baptism.  We also have interviews with the Mission President, President Nuckols, and his wife Hermana Nuckols.  This was my first interview with the mission prez since being out in the field and it was awesome.  We talked about certain challenges of the area and mission and what we've been working on.  It was a great experience to receive some guidance and direction from this inspired leader who has been called of God to lead and direct the work here.

Wilkin and his mom who barely speaks
Spanish but is the sweetest thing.

Okay so now onto the best moment of the week and my mission so far: Wilkin's baptism.  I honestly had no idea how I would feel but it was just the best feeling I've ever had in my entire life.  Saturday we held a baptismal service for Wilkin and a girl who lives out in Tamayo.  Her family makes up most of the members out there and it was great to be with them and the Elders and to have so many people there in support of Wilkin as well.  He showed up right on time and was really excited.  We took pictures with everyone and then the service started.  Violeta, a member from Tamayo shared a talk on baptism and Hma Johnson spoke about the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Hma Johsnon and I also did a special musical number of ¨Señor, me te seguire¨ or ¨Lord, I would follow thee¨.  Wilkin was just super relaxed and going with the flow.  He was baptized by President Cuevas from the Elders Quorum and it was just amazing.  When he had the opportunity to share his feelings at the end, he just expressed his appreciation for the Savior and for this opportunity.  It was so simple and sweet.  I couldn't wipe the huge smile off my face the whole time.  It was just such a warm and amazing sense of peace.  I felt so unbelievably grateful to have been able to be an instrument in the Lords hands to help Wilkin learn and progress and draw closer to His Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ.  Sunday during Sacrament, Wilkin was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  He was so funny and smiling in his new white shirt and tie that we gave him.  During his blessing, I definitely started to tear and was overcome with the Spirit and just a huge appreciation for Wilkin and his desire to follow Christ. 

Hermana Johnson, Wilkin, President Cuevas, Hermana Graham 

Being there in support of Wilkin and being able to watch as he made this important covenant with the Lord, made everything in this mission worthwhile.  No matter what we've been struggling with or trying to learn, everything was lightened and made more sweet as we were able to help this awesome young man start this journey with Christ at his side.  I know he will continue to change and feel these blessings in his life with the gift of the Holy Ghost.  I am so grateful to be here in the Dominica Republic.  There is no place I'd rather be and no work as important and that can bring such joy into our lives.

I love you all so much. I am grateful for every single one of you. I hope you all have an amazing week!

CON AMOR,

Hermana Graham