The Lord Makes it Happen!

This week has been fairly administrative. A fair amount of meetings

and exchanges, but still so many miracles! I went on exchanges with

Sister Moberly to Irondequoit. For those who may not recall, I came

out with Sister Moberly and was companions with her in Newark. I

seriously love that lady with my whole heart. It was so much fun to be

reunited and see how we've changed and what we've learned from our own

different experiences.

We saw Luisa again this week, but sadly she's on her way to Houston

and won't be back for two weeks, so she will be in our prayers and the

first on our list when she returns. Josephine on the other hand isn't

doing so hot. She went to the hospital to have a surgery but the

Doctors told her she was in too bad of a state to operate, so she's

just waiting things out. The Elders had given her a blessing before

she went to the hospital, then when she went it we paid a surprise

visit. Her face just lit up when she saw us, "It's my missionaries!"

We very much love Josephine.

We continue to do lots of finding and are constantly meeting people on

the bus. With the bus people are getting on and off and it's so

important to testify and invite quickly, but sometimes despite our

best efforts people fall through our fingers. On and off before we can

really say a word. But they never fall through the Lords fingers.

There was one woman I sat next to on the bus and started talking to,

but the next thing I knew we had to get off, so I handed her a card

and said "please call us!" Then off we went. Then AMAZINGLY we got a

call from a random number today, sure enough it was her. If it is the

Lord's will, He will make it happen.

Some funny moments: Sister Searle and I were contacting a referral but

her husband answered the door. We talked some and he proceeded to sing

"Amazing Grace" to us, then closed the door. The more time we spend in

the city the more people become familiar with us. There's a few bus

drivers were friends with and the usual crazies, and they're always

cheering us on. One is a guy who rides the bus pretty often and so

while I was talking to someone he shouted, "Misionera!" then realized

what I was doing and said "what you talking to me for, do your thing!"

Also while walking to an appointment with Sister Lucas I got a

mosquito stuck in my eye. Very dramatic.

Anyway, I love all of you! Keep doing your thing and know I'm cheering you on!

1. We put a Restoration pamphlet in one of the mini "libraries" you

find around town. You take a book and put one in, I think ours is the

better deal 😉

2. Remember the picture from a few weeks ago with the free empanadas

that guy gave us? We ended up going to the restaurant where they're

sold, Munchies. We're tight with the owner now.

3. As missionaries we talk to everyone!! 😜

4. A video of Sister Moberly and I being reunited and listening to our

theme song

Fish Fry for Days

Repentance is something that happens over a gradual process but even

the smallest of steps bring the biggest smile to a missionary's face.

For example, I can't remember if I've mentioned Josephine, but she's

one of my favorite people to teach. She's a Bible referral who suffers

from a lung disease whose been told she's going to die soon. We've

been focusing a lot on what will happen after we die. It's hard

keeping her focused in lessons, but the other day when we were going

over the Plan of Salvation she brought out the pamphlet we gave her

and found she had circled a piece she liked. Seriously melted Sister

Searle's and I hearts.

Repentance is essential as a missionary as well. We are constantly

relying on the Savior to help us speak when we need to speak, move

when we need to move, and humble ourselves when we are in need of

humbling. I went on exchanges with Sister Canova. Definitely a fun

reunion! She reminded me of this principle in the way she boldly

approached those in our path. We street contacted downtown in the same

place President Evans takes all the new missionaries (never thought

that same place would be my area) and it just felt good to testify.

Testifying and being a missionary truly go hand in hand, testifying

especially of the scriptures. It is so much easier to let the Book of

Mormon speak for itself. The other day we got stopped by a man who

wasn't very fond of the Book of Mormon, though it was apparent he

hadn't read it. What softened his heart was a scripture we read to him

found in Heleman 3:28 that says, "the gate of heaven is open unto all,

even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ." There

truly is a power in the Book of Mormon.

We had dinner with a member named Emma who has kind of a speech

impediment, but is the sweetest person ever. She made us fish fry, but

wanted us to leave with leftovers that she was still frying. Upon

finishing the spiritual thought I said something along the lines of

"sadly we'll have to get going," and she jumped to her feet and said,

"Not before your fish is fried!" For some reason that was just the

funniest thing to Sister Searle and I and we couldn't contain our

laughter, then Emma laughed with us, and then we left with an army's

worth of fish fry. We tried making a dent on exchanges with Sister

Canova and so there we were, awkwardly eating cold fish out of tin

foil next to the bust stop. It was a good conversation starter though.

I really love being a missionary, and I really love all of you! Have a

great week!

1. Dinner with Emma :)

2. Being reunited with Sister Canova

3. Found a flower while walking with Sister Searle

4. For zone Pday today Sister Searle, Sister Lucas and I decided to

match (fancy photo creds to Sister Nielsen)

5. Serving at the Grandin (thanks again to Sister Nielsen for fancy photo)

Tender Mercies :)

If there's anything I've learned this week it's that the Lord is

anxious to supply us miracles, we simply have to be on the lookout for

them. I may have mentioned last week our investigator Dazjor. He is

one of the sweetest people ever, and very humble. He attended the

baptism of someone in our zone and came to church this past week (he's

the one who missed last week, but still tried running). It was fast

and testimony meeting and every testimony felt as if it were centered

on him. A woman named Sister Wilkerson stood up and shared her

testimony by singing "Amazing Grace." I really love the Rochester 3rd

Ward.

Another tender mercy! While I was at the sites Sister Lucas and Searle

ran into the nephew of a member of the Spanish group the day before

church. They invited him to church the next day, and HE CAME! Miracles

all around. His name is Christian, and he, Dazjor, and a man named

Brother Taylor made their own little crowd, and Brother Taylor was

explaining what was being taught, and it was the sweetest thing ever.

Watching people make these very small but significant changes in their

lives is something I will never forget.

Rochester continues to be crazy. The other day Sister Searle and I

were tracting/street contacting around a particularly ghetto

neighborhood and we met a man named Pablo who gave us empanadas. As

little and silly as it was, it was definitely a tender mercy from the

Lord.

I also had the chance to attend my first MLC (mission leadership

council). It was one of the coolest things to see a side of the

mission I never have, and also learn firsthand from President Evans

and the different leaders in our mission. Most definitely a privilege

and very needed. We were trained a good deal on using the Book of

Mormon in contacting. It's easy to forget how much power is in the

Book of Mormon. I carry around a Book of Mormon with me that I show

people, and I can show it and point to it, but the real power comes

when we open it. So here's a scripture I wanted to share with all of

you I've recently come to love. Found in Heleman 3:28 and it says,

"Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to

those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of

God." Heavenly Father wants all of His children to return to Him, and

He has provided the way, all we have to do is take it.

I love you all very much!! Hope your weeks go great :)

Hermana Abreu

1. First MLC!

2. President Evans taking a very blurry selfie

3. Dazjor and Christian with Brother Taylor at church :)

4. Walking with our empanadas, tender mercies 😉