Culture Shock!

Mis queridos,

Sis. Martin and Sis. Willis at Liberty Park, 
which leads to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. 
Can you see NY in the background?

Here's what it looks like driving into the city of Newark.

Making Colombian bread, "pandebono" with a member.
We've tried to meet with her about 20 times
and then finally let us in and became our best friend!

I went to church in an English ward for the first time in exactly one year! On Sunday I went on a weirdly-scheduled exchange to the Madison/ Morristown because we are trying to fit in a bunch of exchanges this transfer. I went there with sweet sister from the Philippines on her third week here! It was so bizarre for me to listen to the meetings and prayers in English! Basically the only white people whom I've spent time with in the past year are missionaries, and we don't really fit the social norm, so it's a strange kind of throwback for leave on English-speaking exchanges! Especially if it's out of the city and in a richer area. No matter where you go, though, members are talking about missionary work. It makes me happy to see them "catching the wave" and talking about ways we can strengthen their testimonies and share the gospel.

What else is going on lately?... Our miracle-found investigator, Rosario, is amazing. She has been building her testimony a lot on her own by reading Joseph Smith History and the Book of Mormon and talking with some of her member friends. We've had some struggles meeting with her during the week because she is busy/ her room is really small/ her grandma is going back to Peru/ Sis. Martin is really bad at finding places with directions/ she is a little intimidated by everything going on and people talking about tithing and baptism... but I know it will all work out okay! Investigators are really tested and tried as they come to know the truth of the gospel, but it makes them stronger. She is a very sincere and a loving mother to her son. We prayed about it and we are hoping she can be baptized right before Sis. Willis goes home. We just need to see and teach her soon and set a baptismal date!

I can feel the Spirit working in and through me all of the time as a missionary- to know what to study, what to apply and teach investigators and members, when to stop someone on the street, what to ask people, what to say to my companion, what I should pray for, what I need to fix about myself and what kind of person I need to become to be like the Savior. I feel like I have lived a lot of gospel principles my whole life, but never focused myself on personally learning of and following Jesus Christ like I should. I am studying and praying with more real intent; repenting; and t is changing me into a better person. :) I still get frustrated, annoyed, grumpy, or tired some days. Or cold. It's all part of a good learning experience.

Things are going pretty well for us in Elizabeth! We are still working with two of the same progressing investigators and trying to find more. While I was on exchange, Sister Willis and Sister Nelson contacted 26 people on the street / in public in one day and quoted scripture in 16 of those! So exciting. I just worry a little bit that I don't do enough by always working at that pace like she does.

We had a Sister Training Leader Meeting this week. It mostly just helped me to clarify what my role is, including our relationship to District Leaders. The training that the Assistants gave on councils in the priesthood taught me a lot and I think it was also a good life lesson. I was impressed by the positive outlook and appreciation that all of the other Sister Training Leaders expressed toward our calling. There are still things I know I need to work on. On the way home from an exchange with Sis. Adriano, she said to me, "I am so glad we did this exchange. I feel motivated again! I love missionary work." That is the most rewarding thing to me.

After our meeting in Morristown, we went to lunch at Panera Bread. I started talking to a man who was eyeing our big group of missionaries from the corner behind his laptop. His name is Alejandro and he is from Chile said he used to serve as an "elder" in the Jehovah's Witness Church. I gave him a mormon.org card and helped him pull up the website right there with me. I told the Assistants, who serve in the man's area, to come talk to him. The next day, while I was on exchange in Morristown, Alejandro came to church!! We see little miracles every day.

I love you all! Learn and live the Gospel!

Love,

Hermana Martin

What the bridge looks like if you have special access to Ellis Island... like us. ;) haha

Statue of Liberty from the land, just peeking out!

THIS IS THE MAN WHO LIGHTS THE TORCH
ON THE STATUE OF LIBERTY EVERY DAY!
 LOUIE THE MAINTENANCE MAN! 

Life is happy if you're busy in the work!

Hola!

This week has been full of crazy snow and exchange-scheduling and rescheduling and all kinds of craziness! Here are some blips of the life!: 

• Hermana Luisa is not progressing like we would love to see her being toward baptism right now. :( We'll keep seeing her and praying that she decides to make changes in her life to progress!
• We met with a sweet, elderly lady in our ward, Hermana Morales, who told us stories about a special experience visiting the Sacred Grove and becoming truly converted to the gospel after being less-active in the church for a long time. She catches the bus in front of her house to go to the temple in New York all of the time.
• We are teaching a less-active family with three cute kids who are in some real need of bonding through the gospel right now. They committed to letting us meet with them every Wed. We taught them the Plan of Salvation this week and we hope to see them progress and that the mom will not work on Sundays!
• I went on exchange in Morristown with Sis. Pearson, who had the same trainer as me- Sis. Nava! It was fun to see some of the little habits we both picked up from our trainer.
• We went to the bishop's home for dinner and had a chance to have a lesson with his daughter, who is a less-active college student. We gave them all ideas for how to do a family mission plan and we think the caught the spirit of it a little bit!
• Catalina is doing great, reading the book that the Relief Society gave her, as well as starting on her onling Family Tree and working toward having weekly Family Home Evening.
• We taught one of the young men who hasn't come to church recently. The Young Men President came with us and said that he would buy pizza if the kid came to the activity this week.
• We've been teaching a cute single, less-active mom who lives across the street with her 2-year-old and brand new baby, Paloma. She is starting to read the scriptures and even brought a friend to church last week! We walked to the hospital and saw her and her baby last month the day after she was born!
• We met some former investigators this week who seem great! Guess where they came in contact with the church?! At the Polynesian Cultural Center and Laie Temple in Hawaii! I was so excited when I heard that and I hope they will let us teach them more!
• Our awesome Uruguayan member family, made some mean empanadas for my me and my companion who was on exchange with me last night and we shared a lesson with them about repenting ourselves and meeting people to be able to share the gospel. 
• We were let in last night to teach a family who is Pentecostal and got mostly through the Restoration last night and are planning on finishing it when we see them tonight!

 Life is happy when you're busy in the work! I'm doing well and so grateful for all of the support I have! I love you all! Repent! Serve! Enjoy the blessings our Heavenly Father wants to give you.

Love,

Hermana Martin

This was me almost a year ago on my way to New Jersey!
(Sorry I don't have any new pictures this week).

Miracles in Jersey!

Mis queridos,

Last Tuesday was the coldest day of my LIFE. We were warned to take precaution and ended up making a lot of phone calls inside during the day and only going out for a little bit at night. Since then, it's warmed up a lot.

I had a great exchange experience this week. I went to Kearny, which is in the Newark zone. Sis. Huele, a new missionary, ran the area, which I think was a really good experience for her to gain some confidence! She was nervous, but has all it takes to be an exceptional missionary and I feel like her friend!

We had some CRAZY MIRACLES this week! A few weeks ago, we were walking through the snow and saw a woman up the hill from us on a bicycle. We talked to her and she was surprisingly interested in coming to church. We wanted to keep talking to her, and she finally told us she needed to go because it was so cold. My companion turned to me after and said, "She wanted to talk to us! The light was green, but she wasn't crossing the street. Did you see that?" We called her before Sunday and offered to go by her home and walk her to church, and she said yes! Sis. Willis had the brilliant idea of having another member walk with us too. Rosario, her grandma, and her son walked to church with us and immediately became best friends with the member we brought (such an amazing cultural thing)!
Rosario has come to church three times since then! She wasn't very open to us having a lesson with her outside of church until this weekend we finally got into her home, this weekend. We found out that her new member friend and our ward mission leader helped her find a job this past week and she has already started working there! This beautiful, single mom started crying to us when she expressed her love for God and how he puts people in our path at just the right time. We invited her to be baptized and she's thinking about it. She said to us, "The cars weren't coming, but I didn't cross the street. I KNEW you were coming to talk to me." Miracles are so real!!

We have a zone goal of contacting at least 10 people per day (as in talking to people in public/ at doors when in between lessons) which is really pushing us! We have some incredibly strong members in our ward, and a lot of less-active members who need our support. Our stake here is encouraging every ward to have a mission plan and every family to have a mission plan. Do you have one?

We have an investigator on date for next Sunday. Hermana de los Santos, a beautiful lady from the Dominican Republic with three sons. (Her youngest one, Frederick, is SOO cute!) She, like Catalina, has seem missionaries for a LONG time. She was actually baptized 20 years ago in the DR, but has since gone inactive and her records were lost. Tonight our lesson is going to focus a lot on desire and commitment to Jesus Christ in order to qualify for eternal life.

Missionary work can be draining- it's a lot of emotional, spiritual, and physical demand. But it is so rewarding and I am grateful for my call! Sigan adelante!

Carinos de,

Hermana Martin

President and Sister Jeppson are the cutest Mission President couple!

Feliz ano!

Feliz ano nuevo!

We had a pretty good week! Catalina was confirmed and received the Holy Ghost yesterday in Sacrament Meeting, so that was good! We are teaching an investigatortonight who we weren't able to see over the holidays, but he should be pogressing quickly very soon! We plan to invite him to be baptized in Feb.

Transfers are happening tomorrow, but luckily I am staying another 6 weeks here in Elizabeth with Sis. Willis! We are losing one English-speaking roommate, Sis. Page, who is leaving and also training a new missionary. I really do like it here and feel like this area is a good fit for me, for some reason. It. is. FREEZING!  I'm very grateful for the leather gloves my aunt, Mandy, sent me, because they've saved my life!

I'll be going home from my mission this year in August. Sometimes I am amazed when I realize that I can understand and speak a different language now, even though not perfectly. Miracles happen. We work hard here in New Jersey, but one of the hardest things is to get people in this area to put God above work! Or to find people who really care, will accept something more than the Bible, and want to make and keep commitments. So baptisms are pretty far and few between for us, but we keep praying!

This month our mission is focusing on the topics of repentance and using the scriptures this month, including memorizing scriptures because we haven't been doing that a lot. I know those things will help me a lot. I absolutely love studying lately, especially writing in a study journal the things I learn in the Book of Mormon.

I've also been learning a lot about how the Lord's church works from participating in ward council and other meetings. Most of all, it makes me realize that no matter where we are or what we are called by God to do, we should seek the Lord's guidance on how we can fulfill our role and what the potential is for us personally and for those over whom we preside. And do the best we can. Also- we are all a team. Our Area Seventy, Elder Olsen, asked our ward and branch leaders this Sunday, "When is the last time you personally found someone for the missionaries to teach? When is the last time you reached out to strengthen a recent convert or less-active member? When did you last to temple work for your own ancestors?" It made me happy. :)

Our mission president's son-in-law, Alex Boye, came and sang and spoke to us for an all-mission Christmas conference in Dec. He talked to us about the concept of asking yourself, "What would I have happen?" If anything could happen to you- today, this week, this year, in your life... what would it be? Write it down in personal study. Think of things that if your family/ friends saw them, they'd think you were crazy! Because God can make anything good happen, and even our wildest goals are puny to Him. And you will see it really happen when you keep at it with faith!

I love you all and I love Jesus Christ.

Join in on the Work of Salvation! The Lord can use us and he qualifies us.

Love,

Hermana Martin