Prayers Answered

Hey Family! 

This week was interesting. This transfer with hermana Dutra we`ve been really trying to be more straightforward with our investigators and sort through them to find the ones who are really "de oro" and those who just want to hear "algo bonito" every once in a while. It`s been a little hard for me to stop visiting so many people. But the reality is that although most of them have lots of potential, they were all only able to meet with us once a week or once every two weeks. And it`s understandable with their studdies or work, and the fact that maybe they`re not even at home very much, but the reality is that to really make the necessary changes in their life to be able to be baptized, it all starts with the little things. Reading the scriptures, praying, and coming to church. And really, life will always be busy, and if they`re not willing to make time for those important things now, they won`t leave time for these necessary things after baptism either. 

Also turns out that this week we met with a lot more less actives than we did investigators. Which was great as well, and we had some really good lessons. 

Yesterday the mission president and his wife came to our branch! It was kind of a surprise to walk into relief society and see Hermana Goates sitting there flipping through her ipad. "Sorpresa!" It was funny. They`re super great, I love them. 

Also yesterday I had a really neat experience. So I play the piano--I say piano con cariño, really it`s a dinky keyboard--every sacrament meeting, and it`s just kind of shoved in the corner at the front of the room where the only plug is, right? It`s also super quiet, even at full volume, but I guess the important thing is that the corister can hear the tune at least, and kind of tug everyone else along to follow him. Anyway, so we do the opening hymns, and announcements, and then move to the Sacrament. The little deacon passes the sacrament to all the sacerdocio on the stand in the correct order and everything, then passes to the corister and the speakers, and then gets off the stand to help out the other deacons who are passing to the congregation. Or in otherwards, he skipped me! I kind of started to panic a little bit. I didn`t really know what to do, and I was going through all the options. Wave and try and get the attention of the deacons, or run to the back of the room to catch him as he passes to the last ones, stand up to the pulpit and announce that I`ve been missed or, just not take the sacrament. Anyway, as they finish and walk to the preists before the prayer on the water, I get the attention of the corister, "A mi no me dieron!" Then he motions to the bishop, and in the end send a deacon over. As we continue on through the meeting, I started to ponder. When was the last time I missed the sacrament? And I realized that there have been very few times in my life where I had. Even the days when I had to work I would attend the early church meeting to at least partake of the sacrament. And I was just filled with such a peace and gratitude for this sacred ordinance. I thought of all the less actives we had visited this week, and how much they were missing! It seems like something so small, but really, it`s so special and so necessary to make the weekly effort to repent, to be a little better, to renew the covenants we`ve made, to remember who Christ is and what He did for us personally. 

I`m so grateful to have had the gospel be a part of my life for all of my life, and so grateful for the things I`ve learned on this journey of the mission, and life in general, and so grateful for the little oportunities God gives us to keep changing and repenting so that someday we can live with Him again. I`m so grateful to be able to share my testimony with everyone and everyone I can, so that they too can feel and have what I have. 

Thanks for all your letters and love! Have a great week! 

Hermana Cannon

p.s. We went to Mansano again, but this time, look what we found! SNOW!!! Definitely a prayer answered. And for the record, it was incredible packing snow. Perfectly wet and thick. Sigh. Just made me miss my utah snow all the more!