Moral Courage, or Standing up For What is Right

Hey everyone! Josie here:

When you think of bible stories, what comes to mind? Well, for me one of the first stories that come to my mind is the story of Esther. Which leads me to the topic that I have studied this week: Moral Courage. I want to talk about the moral courage of Vashti, Esther, and Mordecai. In the story of Esther we learn that they all had the courage to stand up for what they thought was right. They had the courage to face the odds, and to not participate in what was 'popular. You are probably thinking, "Come on, Josie! Get to the point!" Ok, here is what I have found.

Vashti:

In Esther 1, the king has a feast. He was having this feast to show his people that his kingdom was very great, and also because he was about to head to war. Vashti, has come to love the king, and does not want him to go to war. She decides to have her own feast to show the king that she does not approve. He, however, still has the feast. Later on, in this chapter of the story his guests want to see her. They want to look upon her beauty. The king then commands her to come to the feast. She refuses (verse 12). She refuses because she does not want the king to go to war. As the story continues he, the king, decides that he needs to get a new queen. So, Vashti is basically kicked out of the king's house. But, there is a lesson that we must learn from this. Vashti knew that her refusal would result in her not being queen anymore. However, she had the courage to do what she felt was right, because she loved the king. She wanted him to know that she did not want him to go to war.

I think that as I think of Vashti's story it is very applicable to what we go through today. Every person has come to a point in there lives where he must decide whether or not to follow the crowd or to stand up for himself. Vashti is an example of standing up for herself. She knew the consequences, but she did it anyway.

I want to emulate that in my life. Especially, when I go on my mission. I know there will be times in my life, or on my mission where I will be tempted by the adversary to do the easy thing. However, I will remember Vashti and how even though she knew the consequences of her standing up for herself she did it anyway.

Mordecai:

In the book of Esther there are many examples of Mordecai standing up for himself. He was a very strong person who was dedicated to do what is right. In chapter 3 of the book of Esther, Haman, a man from the king's court has all the king's servants and all the people that under the rule of the king bow to him. Mordecai does not bow. I have read the book of Esther many times. One thing that I have always wondered till just now is why Mordecai does not bow... In later verses he declares that he is Jew. Or in other words he believes in God. Therefore, he will not bow because he feels that, that would be a form of worship to Haman. He only worships God. Another example of him standing up for what is right is when he rights to Esther in chapter 4. He writes because the king has just sent out a decree to all the people that the Jews will be killed. The letter said, "13....Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. 14. for if though altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" He had the courage to tell Esther what she needed to do. He knew that what he told her would be vital to the Jews survival. Throughout the story of Esther, Mordecai, does countless courageous acts. He is not afraid to do the right thing, even when it means death.

There are times in my life when I am afraid to stand up for what is right. I want to remember what Mordecai did throughout the book of Esther. He truly was a follower of God, because he was not afraid to stand up for Him.

I think that as I go throughout my life I will try to be better at following the Lord. The Lord has given us commandments and sometimes those commandments are hard to follow, but I will try to remember Mordecai's example of standing up for what he believed, having the moral courage to do what is right.

Mordecai and Esther

 

Esther:

 

Esther was truly an example of standing up for what she believed in. She is actually my favorite character. Throughout the whole book of Esther she has the courage to do the right thing. An example of simply her obedience to have courage and trust in her uncle is in chapter 2, verse 10. He tells her to not disclose her heritage. He wants to make sure that she is protected. Another example of her having the moral courage to do what is right is her heeding the counsel of Mordecai when he tells that she must go before the king to tell of her beliefs they both knew that there was a decree sent out that said all of the Jews were to perish. They also knew that the only way for them to survive was to have her tell the king of her beliefs. She had amazing courage to be able to do something so dangerous, and something that put her such a vulnerable position (4:13-17). Another example of her true courage is when she reveals the plot to the king of Haman wanting to kill the Jews. It took a lot of strength from the Lord and prayer for her to be able to do that (Chapter 7). Furthermore, she had the courage to tell the king about Haman when he was ready to go to war (Chapter 7).  Her confession to the king goes as follows from chapter 7 verse 4, "For we are sold, I and my people to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold to bondmen, and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage." She then tells the king that Haman was the person who wanted her people dead. She truly was a brave woman to be able to stand up for herself, and her people in such a way!

 

I cannot describe in words how much her example has benefited me. She truly was a woman of God. She knew who she was, and wanted to protect her family, and her people. I have learned a lot from her!

 

In my own life I want to stand up for my siblings even when it is hard, like Esther standing up for her people. She stood up for them even when it was the hardest thing she possible could do. She did not take the easy route, she took the hard route of standing up for people, and her beliefs. I want to emulate that in my life. I want to strive to live up to my beliefs, and live as the Lord would have me live.

 

 

I would just like to say that each of these three people, Vashti, Mordecai, and Esther were all very brave. They had the strength to do the right thing. I know that this story is a true, inspiring story. Esther was truly a woman of God. Her ability to stand up for what is right is a testimony to me that doing the right thing is what our Lord wants, and when we do the right thing He will bless us. I say all that I have written, in the name of our Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

Just Keep Your Chin Up

This week has been fantastic work wise! Really, I just have to remember that the Lord truly blessed us this week even if there is one bad day in the mix. Yesterday we were already at 10 lessons and we had 3 appointments set up. I was so stoked that we were going to get to 13 lessons this week. Then of course, ALL the appointments fell through. Even though we had called the day before asking if the Sunday would be good for them. They weren't home or wouldn't answer the door. We spent hours in the now snowing weather trying to contact other people, formers, and potentials. I was soooo bummed. But as I reflect on in now I realize the Lord blessed us this week. We got a total of 11 lessons the most in 6 weeks, an investigator who is now on date for March 1st, and 10 hours of service. 

Now to the highlight of our week was on Saturday. There was a former who we had contacted last week and we had a lesson with him Saturday morning. His name is Justino. He read the Book of Mormon and we had a really good and really long lesson with him. He had a ton of questions. At the end we asked him to be baptized and suggested March 1st as a date. He was thinking that was really rushed and what if he didn't know if it was true. We assured him that all it was was a goal and he then nodded slowly, smiled and then said yes. He then said, "What you girls are doing... its working. I can feel it." We about cried! He really is amazing! 

I'll keep my e-mail at that. I truly am grateful for this time I have to serve. As I start on my 9 months I realize how fast it has gone... The Lord and his work carries on(:

Love you guys so much! Stay Sweet and Don't Do Drugs!

Hermana Durfee

The Perks of Being In Denver (And A Member of This Amazing Church)

Last Monday was Hermana Trujillo's Birthday and our district got permission to do something special for it.  (Elders and Sisters can't hang out with eachother on P-Days.) Another person who got permission to come was HERMANA GIRON! Gosh I miss her so much! So we all went and ate at WingStop. Then we went to Cherry Creek Mall which is in our area. It was so much fun. Never get a bunch of young missionaries in a toy store. We were all so entertained. haha. One thing that is really big in my district is Pokemon. It makes me happy. haha. It was so much fun. The only thing that was missing was a dinner with members and a birthday cake which we didn't have. Trujillo didn't get a birthday cake and I was so sad. But I plan on making her one this week(: so no worries. 

Then on Wednesday I just came to the conclusion that I was so grateful for my Heavenly Father. There was a family in my ward that got into a bad car accident. A lady ran a red light and hit them. The 2 young girls weren't strapped in.... The youngest lost half of her nose and had to have plastic surgery.... Wednesday we went to visit them... I was trying so hard not to cry during our visit with them. The youngest is named Sasha. She was so upset during almost the whole visit and her parents were trying so hard to make her happy. Who knew that gummy bears could go along way. One of her aunts gave her gummy bears and she became happy. I was so happy to leave with her in a good mood. We promised to bring her a monkey and more gummy bears. We left and as we were driving home I just started crying... balling... I was so grateful for what the Lord did for that family and for what he has done for me. Even when I think about it now I cry. When we returned a few days later with the promised items she was doing sooo much better. There were friends and family over laughter and smiles. She actually talked to us when we gave her the monkey, who she named Sparkles, and started eating the gummy bears. If you all could keep the Mendoza family and particularly Sasha in your prayers. 

We have been so good at finding since we got here. We've been able to get 2 new investigators each week and this week we got 3. One of them is named Josefina. We took Hermana Serrano to the lesson, who is a convert, we really needed her. It was such a powerful lesson and I felt the spirit whisper to me that we needed to ask her to be baptized. Then Trujillo asked her to be baptized! AH! She accepted! This week we are going to put her on date. It was so amazing that we both got the same prompting from the Spirit. 

Then yesterday came. It was Martin Luther King day so we weren't able to e-mail because all the libraries were closed. When we got out the door there was a HUGE parade happening on Cofax the street right next to us. I have pictures but I'll send them next time(: Since we didn't have to e-mail we all had extra time. So we went over to the other hermana's house and Hermana Gutierrez made us lunch, Trujillo slept, I drew a little. Then the whole district had a dinner together at a restaurant that a member owns. Went the older missionary couple who is in our ward as well finally got there (they are always late) they said we had left the mission. We were all so concerned especially Elder Diaz (the district leader). We called President and got permission. However turns out we weren't even out of our mission. We all worried and got permission for nothing. haha.

Okay kids! I have to go! Love you all! Stay Sweet and remember Don't Do Drugs!

Love 
Hermana Durfee

Study, study, study! A look into Josie's study! Yet again!

I thought to make it more interesting I would upload some pictures of my sisters and me. :)

 

A Scripture Study of: 1 Kings 17–2 Kings 1, The Miracles of the Lord through Elijah

This post is going to be a little different. I decided to share the scripture and just the thoughts that I had afterward. I hope that it's not too boring!

 

(A) Read the following scriptures and list the miracles the Lord performed through the prophet Elijah in each case:

The miracles performed in each of these stories are for the people in the stories. The Lord of Israel knew what each of them needed.

1 Kings 17:1

The Lord blessed the land so that there would not be any drought. Elijah is able to reap the benefits of this and be blessed with water and food.

1 Kings 17:2–6

The Lord then made the brook of Cherith fill with water and there was bread and meat for Elijah for a very long while.

1 Kings 17:8–16

The Lord then blesses the woman, her son, and Elijah, because Elijah asks the woman for bread and the woman gives all of her meal to him. When she does this the Lord sees her conviction and blesses the household with food.

1 Kings 17:17–22

The Lord provides Elijah with the power to heal the widow’s son. Elijah cries unto the Lord a few times and finally the Lord hears his plea the third time and the son is healed.

1 Kings 18: 31–38

The Lord is with Elijah always. The priests are being wicked and worshipping false gods. Elijah then shows unto all the people that his God is the only one and true God. He shows them because they were making burnt sacrifices on the stone. Elijah tells them to douse the stone three times in water and he then shows them the power of God, by having the stone catch on fire and burning.

1 Kings 18:41–45

Elijah tells Ahab, the king of Syria, that the drought has stopped. Ahab believes him, and so they go up to Mount Carmel. Elijah tells Ahab to go up now and look toward the sea seven times and Ahab does this. The seventh time he sees big black clouds that are full of water and they rain down upon Elijah and Ahab.

1 Kings 21:17–19; 22:34–38

Elijah in a vision sees Ahab die in battle and he sees that dogs lick up the blood of Ahab from the chariot that he was riding. In verses 34-38 the prophecy of Elijah came true. Ahab died and his blood was licked up by dogs. (GROSS!)

2 Kings 1:9–14

Elijah wants to send a message to all the armies of Syria, so when the first two captains and there fifty soldiers come Elijah commands by the power of God to consume them in fire. However, when the next captain and his fifty come, the captain begs for his life, and the life of his soldiers. He does this because they finally can see the power of God.

 (B) Write a paragraph that gives examples from what you read of how the sealing keys can both bless and curse.

            The sealing keys, which is the power of the priesthood can both bless and curse because Elijah was able to show the people that God is there in the ways of either blessing or cursing. He was able to do this by healing a little boy, which showed the widow woman that God does care about her, and wants her to be happy. Elijah was also able to show the widow woman that if she took care of him, the prophet, by sharing her last meal with him that her household would be blessed. However, it is opposite for the priests who were worshipping idols and making sacrifices on the stone. He showed them the power of God by dousing the stone in water three times and then by the power of the priesthood the stone was consumed in flames. Elijah also showed the captains of the armies that God is there by consuming the first two captains and their fifty men each in flames. I think that Elijah did this because he wanted to make sure that the people of Syria knew that the God of Israel is the one and only true God. He is the First and the Last. He is Alpha and Omega. As I was reading and studying these stories it was a little hard to understand why the Lord did what He did to each of the people. But, as I have pondered and thought about it I think that Heavenly Father, the Lord knows what each of us needs. So some of these stories were a little harsh, but Heavenly Father is a just God, he knew what each of the people in these stories needed.

Well, that's that!!

Josie

I'm Not A Witch I'm Your Wife!

o I have great news! I am not puking anymore! YEAHH!! Not only that I am 100 percent better(: Thanks for all of your prayers! And I hope that all of you know what movie the title came from if not shame on you! Tuesday night we had dinner with Sister Redd. She took us out to Chick-Fil-A and on the ride home we were quoting a lot of Princes Bride. Thus the title for my e-mail. 

This will probably be a short e-mail. Nothing too crazy or exciting happened. I am having a few struggles getting along with Sister Mortensen. I find that the littlest things she does really annoy me. Yesterday morning was particularly hard we then went to a lesson with Jonathan (a struggling 17 year old). After feeling the spirit of that lesson we got into the car and I looked at Sister Mortensen and no longer felt upset or annoyed. I realized that I needed to look at her as Christ would. Even though it will be hard and most of you know I can be extremely prideful. I am going to do my best to be the best companion for her even though she might not be for me. 

Something else I have learned this week is work your hardest. I believe it was Thursday, we had Zone Conference from 9-4:30. It was wonderful but by the end of it I was exhausted! I was able to see some missionaries that I had missed. Oh! And! Elder Hoyt, my first District Leader, who happens to be a BYU football player (look him up), is now the new AP (Assistant to the President). People thought it crazy that he went from District Leader to AP but to me it makes so much sense! He is one of the best missionaries I have met on my mission. They had us do speed role playing. We were in lines and we had to do a street contact of one minute about different topics they assigned us. Guess which topic was the last. The Law of Chastity (no sexual relationships before marriage). A street contact about the Law of Chastity? Hahaha needless to say I did pretty well(: But like I said it was pretty tiring. I didn't really want to go out and work and though every muscle in my body said I need sleep we went out to work anyways! Then of course a miracle happened. A less-active, Sister Lucero, we had been trying to visit with for months now with no success we decided to try. She was home and we shared a wonderful message with her. It was a testimony to me that as long as we are working our hardest we will see miracles!(:

Sorry that this e-mail is on the short side(: I'm sure that exciting things are just around the corner. I would love your prayers. A goal that the mission has sent is for every companionship to have a baptism in December so that we can have a "White Christmas". 

Love you guys so much! Stay Sweet and Don't Do Drugs(: 

Hermana Durfee 

Food Bank of The Rockies

This week is going to be short. We finally got into a routine sadly. So it wasn't that exciting. Correction. Missionary work is always exciting! haha

I think the most exciting thing about this week probably was The Food Bank of The Rockies. Its an awesome way to do service! 

I am really sorry this e-mail is short. As we go into week 5 I am sure I'll have more fun and crazy stories for you(:

AND of course I have pictures. But you need to thank Elder Jijon for them(:

Love you guys so much! It will be a better e-mail next week I promise. 

Its Like Opening Up A Shaken Bottle of Pop.

OH KAY! Crazy stuff has been happening in the Denver Colorado mission. The first thing is that I AM BEING TRANSFERED! After spending almost 6 months in Fort Lupton they finally are sending me away. Friday night we were at Jose's house (a member) with the Fort Lupton Elders and a set of Elders and Sisters from the Monte Vista ward. We were all anxiously waiting for a call. The call to train. But by the time we had to go none of us had received a call. I was a little disappointed at that point because I really wanted to train but not much. We had just drove up to our house and were about to plan (making it about 9:30-9:40ish) when I saw that we were getting a call from one of the AP's. I looked at Sister Mortensen excitedly and said, "Its the call!" and answered. However, it wasn't for me, it was for Sister Mortensen, who excepted the position as trainer, very quietly. She is super nervous to be leading and area plus training. That night I couldn't sleep. One because I was sad that it wasn't me that was the trainer, kind of thinking maybe God thought I wasn't ready for it. Two, because I knew I was going Spanish. I was sick to my stomach the whole night and didn't fall asleep till like 2:30am. 

Then Saturday morning we went to Aurora to go to the trainer's meeting that Sis. Mortensen had to attend. One of the AP's, Elder Farrales, came to talk to us and I lean close to him and say, "Come on Farrales, give me a hint on what is happening to me." He leans a little closer and says, "You're getting a jeep." He smiled at me and I knew he was joking (or at least I thought). I laughed and said, "If only" and the meeting started. After the meeting, I went up to President Toombs hoping that I could get something out of him since Farrales didn't give me anything. He just laughed and then looked at me and said, "Okay, I'll give you one hint. You're going Spanish." I nodded at replied, "Okay, if that is what the Lord wants me to do, then I'll do it." Not soon after did my stomach ache return and I was feeling very small. What it really comes down to is my Spanish. I just don't feel like I'm good enough to go to a Spanish ward. 

The Lord always blesses me with a tender mercy during my lowest times. I had let my sister (cousin) Linds know that I would be in Aurora and that she could get her brownie pan back. She came and gave me a huge hug. Of course I'm trying not to cry. She then takes Sis. Mortensen and I out for lunch. And then... I was less nervous and more excited. (just a tad). It was nice to spend some time with someone I loved. Another blessing that occurred was I knew a little bit before that I was leaving because Pres. Toombs told me I was going Spanish. So I had Saturday AND Sunday to say good bye, unlike the usual which is only Sunday. So I made my Fort Lupton goodbye rounds that day. Granted, I don't know where exactly I would be going I just knew I would leave. Then Transfer Doctrine comes. Some crazy things happened that night. Expected things and some REALLY unexpected things. 

Names were read out loud and people were told where they were going. One of the names that really caught ALL of us off guard was Elder Bryan. He and Elder Gallegos were serving in the Fort Lupton ward with us. Elder Gallegos has know his fate for a LONG time. He's going home after two years. We all knew that Elder Bryan would get a new companion. We all assumed that he would stay in Fort Lupton and just lead the area. But when they called out Elder Bryan's name, he was being transferred! To Greenwood Valley in Denver. I looked and saw totally shock and disappointment in his eyes. That was totally unexpected... for all. Then I hear my name, "Sister Durfee, you will be transferred to the Denver 4th ward in the Aurora South Zone. Your new companion will be Hermana Trujillo (Tru-hiyo). Guess what, Hermana Trujillo is in my zone, she was in the same room as me. We looked at each other excited! Then we realized that we would be what we as missionaries call, "Swept". Meaning that both of us will be new to the area. 

So lets step back a little and evaluate the situation, I will be senior companion for the first time in my mission, I will be driving in an area that I have no idea direction wise (I probably will have to buy a GPS). My Spanish isn't the best because I've been in an English area for almost 6 months of my mission. There is a lot of things that I could look at negatively however, yesterday, we were driving and most of the nervousness that I was feeling was replaced with determination. I am going to take this new crazy adventure with all my might. I would ask for your prayers, specifically for the language to come to me so I can teach these amazing people. Show them that there is a way to become more happy then they might already be. Luckily Hermana Trujillo is a native Spanish speaker so its going to be good. 

Now, I only have a few concerns. One is that the Fort Lupton ward is getting new elders, again. And I know one of them. His name is Elder Aragon. He's not very obedient. Something that Elder Gallegos said to me was, "It only takes one elder to mess up a ward." I am truly praying that he wont be THAT elder. I've told the right people my concern, but it is now my turn to give him the benefit of the doubt. I am going to trust him with the people I love. I really love those people. It was so hard to say goodbye these past few days but most of them told me that its going to be great. Is something that I've told other people as well. I guess I should take my own advice. 

So now its off to a new area. I still have no clue where we are supposed to go once I pick up Hermana Trujillo. I have no idea where we are living... This is going to be so much fun. For those who wrote me e-mails this week I have saved a little bit of e-mail time for tomorrow so I'll respond as soon as I can! Christmas is around the corner! Keep your thoughts on our Savior(: And look up The Wexford Carol, probably my favorite Christmas song of all time!(:

I love you all! Stay Sweet, Don't Do Drugs!

Hermana Durfee

A little dip into what Josie is studying!

Hey all! This is Josie! Right now I am preparing to serve a mission just like mi hermana Sharlee! I tell ya she is an amazing person! So right now I am taking an Old Testament class, which is helping me prepare for a mission,  and I felt like I would share some of the things that I have studied.

In 1 Kings 3:9-28, King Solomon at the beginning of these verses asks for an understanding heart in one of his prayers to the Lord. This pleases the Lord very much because Solomon asked not for riches, or for power, but to be able to just understand. To me this is very amazing because Solomon, I think, just wanted to judge his people in a way that would be pleasing to the Lord. And this of course pleased the Lord very much, because he did not ask for anything of material value. Which leads me to a thought that I have I think that as we go throughout our lives many of us get caught up in material things, and what is the hottest trend etc. For instance a person might have asked the Lord for more money, or to be popular in his area of expertise. But, it takes a person who has followed the Lord to know what is of greater importance, like Solomon asking for an understanding heart. He knew that he would not be able to take with him to the next life money, clothes, or anything that satisfies the person temporarily. He knew that what we take to the next life is what we learn, and what we have achieved mentally and spiritually.

Solomon was able to show his people that he had an understanding heart through the experience of the two women. The one had accidentally laid on her baby, and the other still had a living child. So, the first woman stole the second woman's child in the night. However, when the second woman woke up in the morning she knew that her baby was with the first woman, so they took it to the king. King Solomon then prayed to the Lord to know what to do and his answer was to divide the baby in half, and see who would defend the poor child. The second woman of course spoke up and he was able to understand, with the understanding heart that the Lord had given him, that she was the true mother (1 Kings 3:16-27). He was able to show unto these women that he was a just and understanding ruler.

As I have thought about the example of Solomon, and how he prayed to have an understanding heart I thought about how I could apply this principle in my life. How can I be more understanding to my fellowmen, to my siblings, to my parents, and to my friends? I should realize that they are not perfect, and make mistakes. I should realize that we are all spiritual brothers and sisters, and with this knowledge be loving and kind to those around me. One of my bishops (the leader of our congregation) told me that if I tell myself that each of the people that I come into contact with everyday is going through something hard I would most likely be correct. Thus, I should be more kind, and understanding. In 1 Corinthians 12:31 it say that the Lord will show unto you a more excellent way. In my opinion this means that the Lord has a greater plan, and knows what we need. We should not second guess his plan. He is the great creator, and he knows.

So, as I have studied I have come across the following scriptures in Doctrine and Covenants 46: 8, 28, and 30. These scriptures are that of advice to the Lord's children (us). They tell us that if we want to develop spiritual gifts like Solomon did all we have to do is ask with a sincere heart, and have faith that the Lord will provide, and of course do everything in our power to help this come to pass.

As the following scriptures 1 Kings 4:1-25, and 1 Samuel 11-20 have clearly portrayed, if you follow the Lord, our Heavenly Father you will be blessed. If you do not follow him then bad things come to pass.

Anyway! That is some of the things that I learned from my study! I hope that I was not boring to you (the reader).

Over and out!

-Josie

I live in the ghetto no big deal

Eveybody Clap Your Hands! Since I've been here I've experienced, hobos, drunk people, vicious dogs, a wedding, and many other crazy things. Where is here you may ask? Downtown Denver baby!

So here are a few stories about my new crazy life. Transfer day has come and gone. Trujillo and I were pretty much just going to wing the whole thing. We didn't have a clue where we were going to live, didn't have a GPS, no phone either. We only knew a few steps and then its rely on the Lord time. Well He provided. An elder let me borrow his GPS. The zone leaders where there to give us directions, keys, and our phone. So the next adventure was to get to our apartment. I didn't realize how downtown our home was until I was driving through it. Probably my favorite part of the day is finding a parking place near our apartment every night. haha.

Our apartment is now wonderful and beautiful but you should have seen it when we first walked in. It stunk and was... yeah... No thanks to the elders that lived there before. They did do the dishes though haha. There was a giant map of our area and the do's and don'ts of the area. "Don't talk to the hobos they ask for money, not food, money." "Don't walk on Colfax..." (the street right next to us) "...after 7pm." "Don't ever go through City Park." Okay so mostly Don'ts. The only do's were, "This is the best Icecream shop ever!" hahaha. And because I'm a rebel ( ;D ) I went to City Park, and this week we are going to walk on Cofax after 7. KIDDING... maybe... ;)

On Friday we attended a wedding that a set of Elders put on. Yes, pretty much these Elders planned this wedding. Its something that we struggle being in a Spanish ward. Some of the people we are teaching don't have papers thus can't get legally married. Which they need to be in order to be baptized. Elder Jijon (or He-Haw as we call him) and Elder Robertson did a fantastic job. There was a really small turn out in the beginning but we waited just a little longer and then the people arrived. The kind of stupid thing about being in a Spanish ward is that they truly believe that you can't dance. Of course we can't dance with someone or anything other then appropriate but I CAN DANCE GOSH DARN IT! haha for example... The Cupid Shuffle came on and I wanted to go join the line but couldn't. I was really sad. Oh well...

One last crazy story... Though its probably more funny for Trujillo and me but I'll tell it anyways. There was a potential that we went to contact around 7pm at night. As we head up to the door we see a grey almost terrierish dog by one of the parked cars. Of course being the animal lover that I am I call to it. Mistake. When it got a little closer I realized that it had its hackles raised and that it was baring its teeth. We both drop our 50lbs purses off our shoulders ready to wack it one if it got any closer. Eventually Trijillo bent down to pick up a rock and before she got back up it had scampered off. Well about 2 days after we were in the same neighborhood again at 7pm in the dark. Trijillo gives me a look and I know what she's thinking.

"No, nu uh! I'm not going to die today by a vicious dog!".... "Okay fine." And I picked up a rock to arm myself. We are almost to the door when we hear barking and we get scared we start running. We then realized that nothing was coming after us and we turn around to go back to the house when we see a white dog just staring at us. We jumped and screamed... hahaha Oh man the poor thing. We start laughing so hard. The dog probably just wanted to come and see what we were doing and we reacted the way we did. He scampered off real quick.

Okay that story is not as funny as I think it is and its pretty lame. Okay got to go... AH my session is ending!

Love you guys! Don't Do Drugs and Stay Sweet!

Hermana Durfee

Holy Poop Snow

So... we've have a lot of snow and its been super cold. Yesterday it didn't get over 10 degrees. Luckily we had appointments with some members so we didn't have to tract in it. But dang, its been so cold. Plus we have an awful car. I am super grateful to have one however, when you are sliding all the time... I tend to get a little worried every now and then. One time we were trying to go up a hill but the opposite happened and we were sliding down. Its time like those I really miss my jeep. Oh Chief. But the really good news is that we hit 50,000 miles last week and they retire cars when they hit that. So hopefully we get a new car soon... really soon.

Though its been really cold we have had really warm days too. Last p-day was pretty decent and we went to hit up 16th Street Mall. It was super fun! Then another warm day was actually Friday before the snow. We walked a lot because it was so nice. In fact we were in the ghetto in the middle of a neighborhood and we saw this Mexican Resturant called Luceros. With its barred up windows it said "You've tried the rest, now have the best." The crazy person in me wanted to try it, plus I was really hungery. Trujillo didn't. But I convinced her. Turns out not to be that ghetto. Three pretty ladies were running it. I got mexican chili-cheese fries that were super good. So I was disappointed that it was as ghetto as it looked but really satisfied with the food(: haha.

New Years came and went. Another thing that I was kind of disappointed in. Since we are downtown and right off of Colfax which has the reputation to be crazy, I was expecting it to be loud and full of noise.... It wasn't. We did hear the fireworks that were going off in the city though. I guess I can't have it all huh? haha

This week truly has been a week of new beginnings! Trujillo and I set two goals. One: to reach 10 lessons this week. And Two: Get more service hours. Both we reached. We got exactly 10 lessons and 8 hours of service. It was so awesome. We also got a "new" investigator. Her name was Martha and she was actually a former of about 5 years ago. We've been contacting all the potentials and formers since we've been here. Its has really been pretty awesome. Most of our new investigators came from the potential list.

Then on Saturday my companion and I went on exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders. I went with Sister Hand into her area. It was a hard day. It was snowing, really cold and no body was home. But we didn't give up. We were contacting a less-active when we saw a young man, who turned out to be 20, shoveling his mom's sidewalk, watching a video on his phone and smoking a cigarette. We asked him if he would want to listen to our message and he said, "I always have time for the Lord." It didn't stop there. During the whole lesson the Spirit was so strong. We were talking about the Nephites and Lamenites. He said, "I've heard of them before." We showed him a picture of Thomas S. Monson and his counselors and he says, "I feel like I know them. Seriously." and then when Sister Hand asked him to be baptized he said, "YES! on my birthday!" (which turned out to be in April) Sister Hand asked if we could shoot for something sooner and he said, "Or sooner that great too!" It was amazing! I text Sister Hand yesterday and the sad news is that he went back to his dads and we don't know where that is. I know we'll find him again. He is one of the elect! For sure!

Alright, if I want to send pictures I should end this. I love you guys! I hope everything is going great! Know that you are all in my prayers!

Don't Do Drugs and Stay Sweet(:

Hermana Durfee