New Brunswick Life

Para todos:

Things are going well here in New Jersey! I miss you all lots! We're busy trying to find new investigators, but things are going upward slowly but surely.

We had Zone Conference this week and Pres. Jeppson taught us about the Atonement. He is so powerful and we will all miss him a lot when he leaves this summer! The Assistants trained us on teaching the first principles and ordinaces of the gospel as we teach the Restoration (not just focusing on prophets/ restoration of the church), so that people understand the purpose and importance of our whole message more. It was really good. My companion and I did a role play in front of Pres. Jeppson and a group of missionaries introducing the Book of Mormon. Pres. Jeppson liked the way we set it up so much that he slapped the bench he was sitting in, stood up, and said, "YES!" That was a rewarding moment. ;)

We are studying and planning diligently. We have some great members, but the attendance at our ward is small. We keep praying to find more people with real intent to hear the gospel. We taught an exiciting lesson this week to a new investigator who was referred from a member. She is a mother of 3 and commutes to work in New York. Lots of potential!

I love the spring here in Jersey! The trees are so pretty! The gospel is becoming more a part of my heart and I hope you are always doing what you need to help it get root inside of you.

This man is incredible. He is from Mexico and lives in a little trailor not
too far from our house in our area. He was baptized a few months ago and
just beams with the Spirit! We pray that he and his whole family can go to
the temple someday!

This is when he took us to eat at a buffet that reminded me of Golden
Corral!

Love,

Hermana Martin

Elder Perry, Easter, Referrals

Saludos!

Easter Sunday was amazing! We had stake conference in East Brunswick and three other sisters spent the night with us so they would have to drive back down to their areas between the Saturday night and Sunday morning sessions. Thanks to my family's Easter package from home, my companion and I hid plastic eggs for them in the morning and then we dyed a few hard-boiled eggs during breakfast, and it was really fun! Sis. Haddock and I also hid some eggs and candy for the little Peruvian girls who live downstairs.

At stake conference, I got to see some members from the Princeton branch, where I served in my first area! It was so exciting! I saw the Deardens, a member couple who my companions and I lived with over last Easter, as well as Rigoberto Leonardo!! He was baptized the Sunday before I left my first area in September, and this week I just heard his name announced among the brethren in our stake who have been ordained to the office of "elder" in the priesthood! That is true joy and fulfillment in my heart right there! Man, I love those people...

That night, we had a miracle and found a couple of new investigators who came from a member referral. We don't have a lot of investigators right now, so we are really excited to teach them and we are still searching. 

ELDER L. TOM PERRY CAME AND SPOKE TO OUR MISSION YESTERDAY! Wow, what an amazing experience! He came in and we formed a long line of missionaries and greeted him one by one. Seeing the way he interacted with people and feeling the spirit that came with him and Sis. Perry into the chapel was like getting a glimpse into heaven! Our mission president, Pres. Jeppson, is Sis. Perry's first cousin, and apparently Pres. Jeppson was involved in setting the two of them up before Elder Perry's second marriage! He called up an elder from Tsai Pan and told us the story of how he and his former mission companion and other Marines built the first little chapel on Tsai Pan while he was serving in the war. From the scriptures, he taught us about how God gives us priesthood authority and how the Church is divinely organized. He opened up a question-and-answer session and taught us about how to effectively teach, the importance of prayer, what it means to have "a broken heart and a contrite spirit" and other interesting things missionaries asked him about.

I went into the conference with him seeking an answer about how I can continue my spiritual growth after the mission. The main answers I concluded were: 1. Keep my heavenly destination in mind, and that I want to make and keep covenants in the temple 2. Always take time to be alone with the Lord. I think one of the biggest differences in truly spiritual people, like the apostles, is that they reallly take time to study the scriptures, ponder and contemplate ideas, and pray sincerely to our Heavenly Father. Elder Perry said that during General Conference when he is the next speaker up, he sits there pleading with the Lord! He is an inspiring and fun man to be around! One day he could be the president of the church. I feel so blessed to have had this expereince with him.

I'm doing well in North Brunswick! We are trying out new finding ideas. This week we will be giving a class at the Family History Fair at our chapel. I've really enjoyed District Meetings and we've been making a lot of goals for how to improve personally and with the work in our area. We went on an exchange with our Sister Training Leaders and they really helped us out a lot. We are contacting quite a bit, and Pres. Jeppson has challenged us all to contact with even more FAITH. I am still learning a lot of fun things about other cultures and my Spanish is still improving, which is exciting! It's so great to be a missionary! Some things are hard, especially trying to live up to such a high standard and fulfilling such an important cause every day, but I know the Lord really helps us through it. The gospel is so true and necessary for everyone. My testimony has been being strenghthened a lot lately. We are surrounded by a lot of Jewish people here and people of other faiths, which has led me to contemplate on what I really believe. I am grateful for my testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ, and to have his restored church on the Earth! I love you all! Keep trusting in the Lord, fulfilling your callings and family roles, and hastening the work!

Love,

Hermana Martin

Only Time for Pics Today...

My companion on her 20th birthday last week! The elders and our Ward Mission Leader surprised her with a cake at correlation meeting. And we got fed way too much food all day by members.

I am in the same zone now as one of my old companions, Sister Clark! Man, I love seeing that sister around.

"Las ninas." We visit these little girls weekly. 4 girls... sounds familiar to me. :)

Pictures taken by Sister Gilbert, a senior couple missionary, on my last Sunday in Elizabeth. :)

Another southern summer!

Saludos!

A not-so-quality snapshot of the awesome city in my new area
of New Brunswick! We live right by Rutgers University.

New Brunswick is dramatically different from my last area, Elizabeth! Here there are trees, freeways, car dealerships, malls, and houses instead of crowded one-way roads, hole-in-the-wall stores and restaurants, and apartment buildings! New Brunswick borders my first area, Hightstown, and I even know that one older sister from our Princeton branch who I visited with Sister Nava and Sister Daniels, Hermana Carmen Arrenguren, lives just two minutes out of this area! I am excited to spend another spring and summer in the beautiful south, but we have a lot of finding to do as far as investigators go! 

The East Brunswick chapel/ stake center.
Much bigger than the little capilla of Elizabeth!
I am excited for stake conference this week-
maybe some members from my old Princeton branch will come up for it!

Contacting doesn't come quite as easily in this area because people are more spread out, but we are determined to do what we can to work with the members and find through our own efforts. One challenge is that when we ask for referrals, people tell us, "I don't know anyone. I go straight from work to home and don't do anything else." I think we should all understand that part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ is going out of our way to get to know people, and then have enough faith to share the gospel with them!

Hermana Luisa De Los Santos got baptized last week in Elizabeth! The night of her baptismal interview, she had had a bad day and we had to really encourage her to go through with the interview that night because she had kept putting it off. After the interview with Elder Boyer, she had the Spirit more and she thanked us for her patience with her. She has been investigating for years and years since she moved her from the Dominican Republic and her records were lost and she became less active in the Church. I'm proud of her for finally taking the step and I'm excited for her to go to the temple! I love her and our other recent converts back there so much!

Sis. Haddock is a sweetheart. I am so impressed with the patience she has while breaking me into the new area after she just barely did the same with her last companion, Sis. Schwendimann, last transfer! We get along really well and she is very calm and kind all of the time! Our area is like a doughnut around the elders' more densely-populated walking areas, so our job is to find the sprinkles of Spanish-speakers in the vast cities around theirs!

We fasted with the mission yesterday to find families. This morning at the laundromat, a cute, bubbly Mexican lady walked in and said "good morning" to us as we were studying. She had a big cart of laundry to do, and she told us that she has a husband and six kids, including 12-year-old triplets! She goes the Laundromat around the corner from us every Monday and Friday. We are excited to start sharing our message with her "poco a poco." :)

General Conference was incredibly inspirational! I loved Elder Holland's talk on defending our faith. Thankfully, I haven't had anyone spit food on me during a contact, but I have learned more on my mission that the gospel of Jesus Christ is all-or-nothing. It's not always easy, but it's the only way for us to be completely happy. I am excited to share The Book of Mormon, as well as Preach My Gospel with the world more! I don't know why I didn't think of discussing Preach My Gospel with my family more before!

Love,
Hermana Martin