Runninnggg

HI!

Okay first news: my lovely companion told me that I can go running and she doesn't mind sitting outside while I do so. Wooo happy.

It was a good week! We found some great new investigators! One is a family!! The new lady I found with Hermana Hamblin last summer, Berni is her name, we went back Wednesday and her husband Pablo was there and they are both so GREAT. We left a passage for them to read in the Book of Mormon and they read it like 3 times, and so did their son! And they read more in the same chapter! We had such a good lesson with them Wed and then the dad said, ''come back tomorrow!'' Ohh it was great. They still haven't prayed about if what we've shared is true or if they should be baptized, I think because they're scared of what the answer will be haha. But they are reading in the Book of Mormon and loving it. They went out of town this weekend so they didn't go to church. But hopefully this Sunday they'll go!

Another great investigator is Aileen. She is the roommate of another investigator, Sonnia, and a less active member Camila. They are all like 19 or 20 and are great people. Sonnia and Camila aren't progessing that much but we still see them like once a week. Monday we went and Aileen came out to listen too. She shared with missionaries when she was like 13 and said she almost got baptized but backed out at the last minute. Then she studied a lot with the Jehovah's Witnesses, and almost got baptized with them too, but didn't. So she doesn't really go to any church, but if people ask she says she's JW. She's so good!! We were reading the Introduction of the BoM (Book of Mormon) and we asked her what would it mean for her if the book is true? And said well for one, I would get baptized. YES! She really does want to know, and she is reading and praying to find out if it is the truth. Woo she's awesome. :)  

So, my companion is still sick. We are bored! But we had 4 great days of work this past week. Saturday and Sunday we had to be in the house. Buttt.... we are going to go to another doctor this week or soon hopefully, so they can do a study on her ears to see why she is still experiencing vertigo. Booo sick companion. :(  

In other news, the tradition I had going with my first 3 companions of being together 2 cambios and being with them for their birthday is back in swing! Hermana Zapata's bday is Feb 11th. She'll be 24. :)  

This week I wanted to talk about the Book of Mormon. Many people don't know exactly what it is or why it is so important to our religion. So I will attempt to shed some light on that for y'all. First of all, the Book of Mormon does NOT replace the Bible. We study the Bible also, and believe in it! ''The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel'' (Intro, BoM). So while the Bible was written in Jerusalem, the Book of Mormon was written on the American continent. Christ said, ''Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also must I visit, and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd'' (John 10:16). The other sheep he was talking about were His people in the Americas! And the Book of Mormon tells of when He came here! The BoM was written by ancient prophets, not Joseph Smith as some people believe. Joseph Smith, after he was called as a prophet, was instructed to translate the book into English. In the October 2009 General Conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave an amazing talk about the Book of Mormon. He said, ''I stand with my own great-grandfather, who said simply enough, 'No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so.''' Anyone who reads the book with an open heart will feel the Spirit and know that Joseph Smith or anyone else wrote it to confuse or trick us. The book only testifies of Christ and helps us come unto Him.  :)

The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ. It is amazing. There is an invitation in the Introduction that says, ''We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost.'' So the invitation is to read it and pray about it, not to take our word for it but rather to ask God. I know it is true, and it has changed my life! Because if this book is true, that means Joseph Smith was a prophet, and THIS is the church of Jesus Christ that has been restored on the earth again in these days. The age of darkness and confusion has ENDED and we have the fulness of the gospel as Christ preached it 2,000 years ago. Like I always say, same orgainzation, same authority, same doctrine, same ordinances necessary for our salvation. THAT is pretty amazing. And the fact that God invites us all to ask Him for ourselves so we can know is something that we should all take full advantage of! I know God answers prayers. He wants to guide us in our lives. As we pray with a sincere heart and with faith, He will respond to us, by the power of His spirit.

I love this gospel and I love being a missionary. Please pray for our investigators and my companion! And keep on being happy and enjoying life, friends. That's what we're here for- to be happy! :) Until next week.

Lots of love from your Chilean missionary,

Hermana Danielle Anderton