Light the World is Back!

Another week down in Rochester! With the Christmas season getting started we've been out and about using "Light the World" again. I've had many flashbacks of last year and being at people's doorsteps showing them the video. Even if not everyone is always interested, I always feel the Spirit watching it, and know they do as well. It's given me lots of reason to reflect on the past year and the service I've given and have seen been given, and I know it's all under the influence of the Light of Christ. He truly is the Light of the World.

In terms of the week things have been moving forward! Brother Breedlove went to the Christmas devotional broadcast from the church last night, so that was awesome! We pray for his progression, and for everyone else's as well! Brother Rivas received the Priesthood this past week and will be going to the temple this week, which is very exciting!

The Santiago's are still doing well and read the Book of Mormon every day. They always mark how their day goes a little better when they read and when they don't. We are also teaching a Puerto Rican woman named Luz who is pregnant. Something I love that the Puerto Rican's do is say, "Gracias a Dios" after explaining any good thing that's happened in their lives. It's a true principle. Thanks to our Heavenly Father we have what we have, and it's always good to be reminded of that.

Rochester continues to be filled with surprises and we continue finding people every day. 

1. There was a little Christmas tree in the storage so we took it out and now we have Christmas!

2. A very true statement 

3. Closer look

A Week of Gratitude

Hello everyone!

Thanksgiving week was an adventure. We last minute had Thanksgiving dinner canceled on us, so the Evans gladly invited us over for their Thanksgiving. It was p-day that day so we spent some of the time doing scripture study with the Evans family and playing ping-pong. That was a joy, and for sure a memory I will always remember.

We are also gearing up for Brother Rivas to head to the temple to do baptisms, and for him to get the Priesthood, which were all excited about. Brother Rivas is excited to get back to the sites and keeps saying, "I can't wait to get the card that will get me inside the temple." It's the little things :)

We have seen a good deal of direct blessings this past week. As winter approaches I will admit, it's been a little rougher to get up and out there each day when we don't have a car. But the Lord is very aware of our efforts and introduced us to a family to teach! The Santiagos! Seriously, we call them our miracle family. They let us right in from their doorstep in the first contact, but they couldn't meet the first week because their daughter was sick. But we dropped off some little cakes on their doorstep one evening, said a prayer as we were leaving that no animals would get to it, and lo and behold we got a text just fifteen minutes later that they'd gotten them and had been reading the Book of Mormon.

We also are visiting a man named Brother Breedlove, who was a Bible referral and loves Jesus. He has pictures of him all on the walls of his home. He's brother passed away earlier in the year, so he just wants to do all he can to make his brother, and the Lord proud. 

Also, I discovered a miracle that happened. Does anybody remember back in the summer when I wrote about pirate day and Sister Dickey and I went outside to take a picture of us with the parrot and invited a man named Michael to come in and take a tour? His baptism was two weeks ago. I hadn’t heard any news of his progress after sending his information to the missionaries, but there it is! I found out serving with Sister Murdock as she was taking about the baptism they were soon having and asked how they find Michael. She gave me a puzzled look and said, “you and Sister Dickey?” I then exclaimed, “ THAT Michael??” There was much screaming involved.

It's an honor and a privilege to be teaching and have taught these people.

I love you all, and you are constantly in my prayers.

Sincerely,
Hermana Abreu

1. The sisters at the sites got together and do an exercise where we pretended to be Joseph and Oliver Cowdery as they were translating. The Bradford’s graced us with quills as our gift!
2. Panorama of Thanksgiving with the Evans
3. Michael’s baptism with the sisters that taught him :)
4. The Santiago’s daughter taking pictures on our iPads 

A Week of Reflection

There has been a lot of reflection involved in this week. There have been amazing miracles. As I wrote about last week, Brother Rivas was baptized. It was one of the sweetest moments of my mission, if not my life, to watch him step into the water and take that step. During the baptism we sang the song “I Am A Child of God.” Watching Brother Rivas sing out the words of a song he picked, I realized this was a very precious knowledge that he held very dear. The fact that God is our Heavenly Father, and because of that we have a divine potential to return with Him. 

I received the news of Gabriel’s passing a couple of days later and the same words of the song were ringing through my head. I am a child of God. I know that we are all His children, and His only desire is for us to come back to Him. As is described in Alma, “the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.” This Thanksgiving I am grateful for that knowledge. I’m grateful for a family with that knowledge. I’m grateful for our unity in that desire to live with Him again, and how in this journey of returning, we have each other and I have them to lean on.

I also had the opportunity to sing a musical number, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives,” for the baptism. As the words left my mouth I was reminded of their truth. He lives to wipe away my tears. He lives to calm my troubled heart. He lives and I shall conquer death. 

He truly does live. He is the way home. And one day, holding faithful, we will see Him again. 

I can’t put into words how much I love you all. 

Sincerely, 

Hermana Abreu

1. With Brother Rivas at his baptism

2. Brother Rivas in the flesh

3. Sister Ingersoll and I in the Frame Home

Walking in a Winter Wonderland!

Hello everyone! 

It's been a week of craziness and wonders that's for sure. So first off, Brother Rivas (or, Fernando) is getting baptized this Saturday!! We are very very excited for him and are making all the plans which has us very busy, but a good busy!

Sister Ingersoll is a fabulous missionary and I'm very proud to be her companion. I'd met and heard about her most of my mission but had never served around her and now I have the privilege to serve around her 24/7. She's very powerful and has a great desire to be exactly obedient. We've been working hard, even in the cold!

Speaking of the cold, the temperatures have dropped dramatically. The other day it was 20 something degrees and in the city with all the skyscrapers and windchill it makes it like fifty bagillion degrees colder. Without a car we still do walking and busing and it's been a little bit of a struggle. The other day there wasn't a warm place to sit nearby, so we stayed inside a high rise building after a lesson and ate our lunch on the floor. And you know, it's moments like those when you're eating Cheetos on the floor and people are giving you weird looks that make you appreciate being a missionary. And I really really do love being a missionary.

I love you all and hope your week is fantastic!
Hermana Abreu

1. Sister Ingersoll and I downtown!

2. One of Fernando’s  texts. We are very happy about his progress as well 😊

3. Sister Ingersoll’s and I’s feet huddled away from the cold!

4. Different angle from the floor