Oh hey again...I actually have news even tho it's been literally 3 days

 Soooooo the big news is that Sister Miller and I are staying together! Which I guess is not really news at all. We'll be staying in Azle and Springtown which means I'll be spending 6 months here woohoo!! 

LITTLE MIRACLES-

♡ Got to go to the temple on Thursday. We went to Coco Shrimp after and our member bumped into her mom's best friend that she had lost contact with. It had been more than 30 years! There were many tears. (This is why you take missionaries to the temple)

♡Finally got to meet this one friend of ours that we've been trying to meet the whole transfer. He's still working towards baptism so yay!

♡we made church invites and got to invite so many people! Will definitely be seeing fruits from that faith

♡our ward fasted for missionary work here #blessed

♡Got to groom horses, I wanna do it for a living 

♡two friends came to our ward Christmas party

♡Maria and Edison want to get baptized!

SPIRITUAL QUOTE- 

I saw this quote on Chewbacca's tombstone (just a small flex): "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants" -Isaac Newton

I actually love that quote. I've been reading The infinite Atonement and listening to general conference talks. I just have to say, that these men are spiritual giants. I'm grateful for their insights and for their commitment to learn and live the gospel. I can't imagine the countless hours of pondering, searching, and prayer that it took to receive such revelation from God. However much it was, I'm so grateful that I can learn from them. I invite yall to learn from the best type of giants, the spiritual ones this week. 

Pics of da week

-temple

-temple

Major heart eyes type of week

As you can tell from my title, this week was BOMB. It was also a very long week so I'll sum it up real easy. 

INTERVIEWS- Interviews with President are always exactly what I need. This time around we talked about 2 things. First, resting friends. I'm terrible at resting friends that aren't progressing because I hate to think I've given up on them, but sometimes it's not their time (read about my MSTL exchange for a lil sorta miracle) second, we talked about diligence. Too often I say "I just have to do my best" and then I get mad when I can't do my best everyday. Focus more on diligence. We won't always be able to do our best. We can learn from the past amd look forward with hope. 

MSTL EXCHANGE-ahh I learned so much from Sister Dent. I wish that we took a picture :( but, a lil cute miracle was that one of their friends that they had rested a while ago reached out to them when we were on exchanges. I took that as God letting me know that if I had the faith to rest people, He would still be watching out for them. 

THANKSGIVING- To say the least, I ate way too much. We were fed by three different families woohoo! It was really funny because prior to Thanksgiving I was telling everyone about my Grandma's pomegranate salad that I was gonna miss this year. And guess what?? You probably guessed it. Someone made pomegranate salad. It almost made me tear up. Seriously. That's not a thing down here whatsoever. It was so random. God just loves me. 

EXCHANGE W/ SISTER MAVY-I got to go on exchanges with Sister Mavy! She was one of my comps in Watauga. We had a blast, I love that gal so much. She got so scared of a frog that was outside of our apartment. I of course took a pic with. That's like my 6th frog here!

TEMPLE TODAY- I get to go to the temple today! That's why I'm writing this on Thursday. I love the temple. I love the peace and power it gives me. Maybe you'll see some pics next week

SPIRITUAL QUOTE-

The gift of the Holy Ghost … quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates, and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity” -Parley P. Pratt

I love this quote. Do we understand the role of the Holy ghost in our lives? It is through the Holy ghost that the Atonement of Christ is able to change us. As a missionary I realize a lot of my weaknesses, but I have so much faith and hope that woth the Holy ghost I can overcome every weakness, every bad though, every temptation, and every limitation. I invite and sincerely ask you to find a way to strengthen the I fluency of the Holy Ghost in your life. Doing so will start a change in you until every fiber of your being is better, brighter, and holier. 

My lovely photos of the week-

-baking for Thanksgiving

-just two friends on friendship road

-I found my Heaton relatives. I'm 4th cousins once removed with the dad and 5 cousins with the kids. Soooo that was pretty cool

-my first little town Christmas lighting. They prayed before they lit the tree

-yellow roses and the Ripstrict

-me and Sista Mavy

-icing houses with the kids

-we painted BOMs for Thanksgiving

-it has literally been my dream to have a butterfly land on my hand and it finally happened. Dreams really do come true. This is my peak. 

-frog and Brown Bean (that's my ninja name) Sister Miller's is short scratcher

-another frog...I can't help it 

A Week of Gratitude 🙏🍗

 I'm a little tired this week so I'm gonna leave this week very mysterious and not explain everything. 

Title this week has double meaning. One for me and one for you. 

Blessed with so much faith to find this week

Juanita- followed a cat

Erica- grocery store bathroom

Caleb-chased by a smelly dog in an RV park

Plenty of lessons! GOD IS GOOD

Calvin is especially killing it

Sacred sacrament

I struggled with some of my own weaknesses this week, but that only made the sacrament that much more needed in my life. I continue to be amazed at the love and mercy God gives meeach day. He's so patient with me!

LOOK AROUND THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE AND SERVE OTHERS!

-chaos but the good kind

-with Rachel- two chilly lessons and getting stuck in the gravel lol

-yeehaw Texas

-I made the board

-it's Christmas time?

-hi

Rise to your responsibility

 Another amazing week! Twas very full!

YSA VIBES- Went on exchanges to the YSA with Sister Plowman.  I got to go to a mission call opening, and play volleyball, and go to the Weatherford campus and talk to some homies. It was epic but really weird. I'm not used to talking to people my age anymore. Give me the grandma's and the old folks! 

STEPHENVILLE EXCHANGE- we had another exchange with the Stephenville sisters. I stayed this time. Sister Evans and I had a great time. An amazing lesson with our friend Calvin. And we got to meet this other dude named Chuck whose literally read the Book of Mormon 3 times and believes in apostasy. He wants a meeting with the bishop, not sure what that's about haha. 

TWO TALKS- If you know me, you know how long it takes to prepare for a talk. Times that by two and you know how much I was freaking out because we don't have any time as missionaries to sit down and just write a talk. ..jk I didn't really freak out that much, the talks went well and I'm glad I got to speak once again! 

A SACRED SUNDAY NIGHT- so one of Sister Miller's friends was getting baptized yesterday in Denton. One of our Azle members, Sister Hansen, was so so kind enough to drive us an hour there and an hour back. The baptism was absolutely beautiful. The guy had been investigating the church for 4 years! On the way back we listened so seal it Sunday (a missionwide zoom that our president does) and after, we we listened to a very heart warming and hurting story of Sister Hansen's. I have so much love for this lady. Her ability to turn outwards in very hard situations impresses me so much. I want to he like Sister Hansen when I grow up.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT- The scriptures say:

Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

There are many qualities that describes Moroni but one that stuck out to me this time around was this: [he was a] man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people. 

Each and everyone of us, at the waters of baptism, has said they were willing to serve, mourn, and bare the burdens of others. Moroni was someone who took that promise seriously. Too often, I find myself in my little corner wanting to mind my own business. That's not what Moroni would do and that's not how we are going to conquer Satan. Take the responsibility for the welfare of your people. Maybe thats your neighbors, the people at school, etc. Imagine a world where everyone was looking out for each other, I'm sure that's part of what makes heaven heaven. I invite you to get out there and do your part. There are too many blessing to list for this invitation. If you do so, many of your weaknesses will be made strong. You'll find purpose and you'll see miracles. 

With lots of love!! 

Sister Masina