Hola!!!

So another week has gone by and we are working the entire area. Hermana Kapp is such a sweet heart. I love working with her. She has so much love and humility. She loves to help others and only wants to please her Heavenly Father. She is from Utah and is studying psychology in BYU Provo and is the oldest of 5 girls. She has a lot of love and a lot of dilligence. I´m excited to see what happens these next two weeks together. I don´t know how she cooks, yet, but we sure like to talk.

Well, it´s been a week of miracles and difficulties. As I told all of you last week. We had the amazing miracle of Yolanda´s baptism and confirmation. She is amazing and very prepared. Her daughter, Luciana, is amazingly prepared as well. There was a ward baptism saturday and they both loved it. I asked Luciana how she felt about her baptism and she said: ¨I feel faith. I have the ganas (or drive) to be baptized.¨ She was so happy and we were so excited for her. Sunday, they hadn´t arrived to church so we went to go pick them up. We get there and knock for a while. Finally, Yolanda answered and we were able to get in. She tried to tell us that We asked her to try and wake up Luciana so that Luciana could make her own decision. Norma woke up and came out. She tried to force us to leave and leave the family alone. She got mad when we tried to talk with Yolanda and Luciana. Yolanda got upset at the entire situation and left to enter the bedroom while we stayed out in the living room. Norma continued and finally, when we felt the Spirit telling us that we had done everything we could, we left. We went back later that night and Yolanda said that we couldn´t come back and that she wasn´t going to church again. She said that she couldn´t stand the contention in the home. She also said that she wouldn´t leave God, but she couldn´t go to church now. You can imagine how broken our hearts were and are. It´s rough, especially when things were going so wonderfully. We don´t know what will happen, but we feel that everything will be ok. We don´t know when or how, but we have the Lord´s promise that it will be ok. It has been a great test of faith, prayer, dedication, patience, and charity.

The members are working wonderfully with us and we are seeing the missionary spirit come to life in this ward. We are looking to find a way to help them share with their friends. I often wonder how to help people listen and feel the doctrine of Christ. We teach and sometimes they seem to listen and other times they don´t. There are a lot of things that we know, but fail to do as human beings. I knew that I was supposed to share the gospel to others. I thought being an example was enough. I have come to realize that that is a wonderful and necessary way to share the Gospel, but without an invitation, or more action, they will not know where to go. I think of Lehi´s dream. Had he not called out to others to come, it is very unlikely that they would have found the iron rod or even known about the tree. It´s true that some would have found the way by accident, but there are many others who are prepared and are only waiting to know where to go. I have come to live the scriptures and truly understand, at a deeper level, what they mean. One of my favorite examples is James 2:17-19. ¨17 Even so ^afaith, if it hath not ^bworks, is dead, being alone.

 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my ^afaith by my ^bworks.

 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the ^adevils also ^bbelieve, and tremble.¨ I have come to realized that I need to be different than the devils. I can´t simply say that I have faith: it´s not enough. I have to act.

I love all of you sooooo much and wish you all the best. Stay happy, stay safe, and stay warm. Talk with you soon.

Love

Hermana Alvey