Grace Shall Be As Your Day: Listen to the Music...

Hi -Dee-Ho Everyone,

Let me tell you...General Conference was the thing I was looking forward to all week long! With much prayer, I waited to hear what the Lord would have me hear. So you could only imagine the disappointment when we walked into the chapel to find the video connection was awful. The video kept stuttering and the screen would turn black every couple of minutes. So frustrating!! We sat there as the hour changed and conference began, the video still stuttering until the screen went completely black. We talked with the somebody to try to find a better way, but it would take a while. In all, it took about 45 minutes to get the video working properly, but within those 45 minutes, Sister Atienza and I looked at each other, feeling a little annoyed, thinking that we need to bring the spirit back. We stood up and got everyone singing "We Thank Thee, Oh God, for a Prophet." Though we are no Tabernacle Choir, nor do we have the voices of angels, but the spirit was so strong and those simple words spoke even louder than they have ever been before. I feel so grateful to listen to the words of the leaders that the Lord has called to be His voice unto His people. I especially love how much the music can be like unto a prayer. If you noticed, at the end of many of the songs the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings, they sing the word, "Amen." ...Love that!

I also loved the talk from Elder Wilfred W. Andersen about remembering to listen to the music. I agree that dancing without music is pretty awkward. As we do the routine dance steps, I just want to add my testimony to listen to the music, feel of the spirit it can bring, and I know it will bring more happiness.

I always thought that the last six months of the mission would just moving at snail pace, but honestly this is the fastest time in the mission that I have experienced. This is already the last week of the transfer cycle. I hope Sister Atienza doesn't get transferred. She only has one cycle left until she goes home, so I hope I'm the one to "kill" her ; )

I think it is so fast because we are so busy every day. But I'm glad to be busy. It means miracles are happening. This week's miracle was when we found out that our "eternal investigators" finally got permission from their parents to be baptized and will be able to be baptized next week! They come to church every Sunday and read The Book of Mormon everyday. They have been wanting this for a long time! This change of heart from the parents was a miracle that started with fasting. I loved what President Eyring said about fasting on Saturday morning. Before the mission, I never really took fasting as a serious commandment, but now I can see the miracles that can happen. That is something I want to keep with me for the rest of my life.