Semillas Estan Creciendo (Seeds Are Growing!)

Dear family and friends and people who read this email,

We have been given more time and freedom with email on P Days now, so family and friends- please email me if you can! I love to hear from you! :) marissa.martin@myldsmail.net

Spring is BEAUTIFUL here! I love the giant flowers on the trees, the tulips, and all the green! It is amazing!


Awesome houses of New Jersey.  There's a little bit of everything!

I have completed my first full transfer (6 weeks) of the mission with my companions!! We have come to know so many people and become so much more familiar with this area of New Jersey in the past weeks. My trainer, Hermana Nava, has been called to be a Sister Training Leader, so she will have some extra responsibilities like going on exchanges with other sisters, but Hermana Nava, Hermana Daniels, and I will continue to be a trio in the Hightstown area. We have not had any baptisms yet (Elizabeth said she does not feel quite ready), but we have a lot of potential investigators and a few whose faith is sprouting! President Jeppson has told us as well that our efforts should be equally focused on motivating the less active members to come back to the fold as well!

Here's my list of people's countries that I've met so far: Guatemala (muchos), India (many), Ecuador, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Peru, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Egypt, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, and Nicaragua! There are probably more. One elder could name over over 100, I think!

The other day we met a hilarious pair of men sitting out on a porch while we were tracting around some apartments. One man was from Egypt and the other from New York, I believe. The New Yorker was extremely bubbly and friendly and makes jewelry for a living. The Egyptian man was very solemn and intelligent, and sat next to the other man smoking and thinking. I love to see the hilarious way such different types of people interact! (Which is a lot, here...) We taught them about the Restoration and they asked us all kinds of questions. The next day we were surprised to get a call from the New Yorker, who said he was impressed with how we shared our message and that he wants to come to church next week! We were very excited.

We met with Hermana Valasquez (the bug-squisher) this week, and she is one spunky lady! I have no idea what she is saying most of the time and all of a sudden she'll be singing or laughing. We also saw sweet, little old, Carmen this week and walked to the grocery store and back with her after sharing a message.

Through studying, teaching, and applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ, my mindset and perspective of life is changing and improving so much! During personal study, I get that feeling like at the end of a mystery book when all the loose ends are tied together and the whole plot starts to make sense! Here's the synopsis that I've been taught my whole life but is realy making more sense now:
God is our loving Heavenly Father, and He wants us to have experience on Earth and become more like Him. But because we are imperfect, we need a Savior. Christ paid the price for us and taught us his gospel/ teachings of how to return to God and be more like Him- 1. Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement 2. Repentence 3. Baptism by Immersion 4. Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost 5. Enduring to the End.
After Christ's death, these doctrines were changed, and we could not fully accomplish our purprose without the priesthood power of God. So God restored it through Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.

It all comes down to the fact that we are children of God and He wants us to come home. We can choose to or not. I'm also realizing that serving a "mission" is only one phase of helping to accomplish the "work and glory" of God- and every one of us is helping to fulfill it some way or another, especially by uplifting our families.



The Elders returning all the containers of food the sisters of the
branch have sent with them.  They feed us a lot!

One chapter that has helped my mindset so much this week is Alma 31 with Alma's prayer of faith. Especially the statement in verse 35 that "their souls are precious." So many things in his mission relate to me right now and mine- and in every one of ours!

It is funny because every time I say "My name is Hermana Martin" to the Spanish-speaking people, they look confused for a minute and then say in a really thick accent, "Oh, Mar-TEEEN!!" Haha, So I might as well put an accent on the "i" from now on. There is no "ih" sound en espanol.



We stopped the ice cream truck before knocking on doors
on an exchange with Hermana Gimenez and Hermana Garn

I am sorry to hear about the tragedies at home with Tanner Henstra, Olivia Hansen, and Baby Rayden. That is incredibly sad and hard for all of their family and friends.
Just this morning during companionship study my companions and I were sharing stories and crying together about the most challenging things in our and our family's lives (I was thinking of KJ). We realized that sometimes things like that never get completely easy to handle- we are supposed to feel, especially love for others, and it is hard. Some days it hits us in waves, like on birthdays or holidays when we think about people we have lost. God doesn't always make things happen, but he sometimes allows them happen. He does not always "see it fit to deliver [us] out of bondage" Mosiah 21:15. We all need to be able to make choices and experience the happy and sad in this life so that we can become more perfect like God and Jesus Christ someday. We can trust in God that all things will work out, because of our Savior, Jesus Christ! 2 Nephi 26: 24.



District Meeting.  "The Danger District"

I have learned more that death is not losing something/someone. It's just a temporary separation. Through the scriptures and prayer, we can really feel so much comfort and joy because we know God is there to take care of us.

Alma 26:37 "Now, my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea and I will give thanks unto my God forever"

I love you all!
Hermana Martin