Consecrating Our Efforts

This was an exciting and busy week!

Our recent convert, Saned, made the tennis team. It is her first year of highschool and they recently moved here a few months ago. It was so great to see how happy she was.

Tuesday we had a lesson with someone we are teaching named Monico. We taught him about faith. He said he knows he needs to be baptized but that he wants to be married first. The next day we got a text message from Margo, his partner, saying that Friday they were going to get married! Friday we got to go to the wedding. The Branch President married them and asked them if they wanted a big wedding with a party after. Monico said, "No, after we are sealed in the temple then we will have our celebration!". We are so excited for Monico and his family! 

The work here has been going really well. Since reading the Book of Mormon we have been able to use the scriptures a lot more when talking to people. It has been really cool to see how powerful the scriptures are. This week I was able to read in the scriptures about the counsel the prophet Lehi gave his son Jacob. He told him:
Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.


This week we have talked with a lot of people about faith. This verse of scripture never stood out to me before, but this week it really did. While I was reading this with a guide that explains the scriptures, it said, "One meaning of the word consecrate is to dedicate or make holy". Lehi seems to be promising Jacob that the Lord will dedicate Jacob’s trials for his ultimate benefit. On the mission I have seen the sacrifices that a lot of people have made. It is a very humbling experience and I wonder sometimes why people have to go through such hard times. That scripture really shows that if we have faith and rely on the Lord, He will consecrate our efforts and in the end everything will be for our benefit. Here is a picture of me and my companion out teaching.

I get to play the piano in the Branch at church which is nice. So many members help us and are willing to come to lessons. This is such a great Branch  (congregation). We also had a very fun District activity this past week.

I'm looking forward to another great week!

A NOTE FROM HER MOM:
She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog. 

The Book of Mormon 5 Day Challenge

Wow-so many things happened this week! 

Monday we had a baptism. It was easily the most spiritual baptism I have ever been to. Saned and Sandra were super excited. 

The members have really taken them in. They recently moved here from Venezuela and they have been such amazing examples to me of sacrifice and faith. They put the Lord first no matter what. It has been amazing on the mission; it is great to teach people but I think the people teach me more than I could ever teach anyone else. 

We started reading the Book of Mormon as a mission. We read it in 5 days. I have read the Book of Mormon before but reading it in a short period of time was amazing. The stories made so much sense and the words really spoke to me. There were so many instances that I just had to sit back and think to myself "Wow, these words are so beautiful!" One scripture that really stood out to me was about faith. There was a prophet named Alma who was teaching about faith and he compared it to a seed -  if we nourish the seed it will turn into a tree.  

These are his words:

41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.

As we try our best and act according to our faith that we have in Jesus Christ, the blessings will be joy and happiness to a degree that we can not even imagine. As I had the opportunity to read the Book of Mormon and take the opportunity to pray about it. I truly know that it is the word of God and that it teaches us by plain and simple means. I love how the Book of Mormon and Bible work hand in hand to teach and testify of Jesus Christ.

I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and was given direction to translate the Book of Mormon by the power of God that is back on the Earth again today. 

One thing that really hit me was that God is not just an all powerful being, but a loving Heavenly Father who knows us each individually. I loved the opportunity that we had as a mission to read the Book of Mormon. It really made a huge impact on me. As we read the Book of Mormon as an entire mission, it has already helped us be more powerful teachers of the Book of Mormon. We found a family right away and started teaching them. Here is a picture of my companion and I reading in a BIG chair at the beach.

A woman we are teaching made us some cute hats!

I had a fun surprise this week because a friend from Hawaii sent me a package and it had some great shirts in it.

Another fun thing that happened this week was I got to go on splits with Hermana Person - my companion from the CCM in Mexico-  (she's from Lansing, MI-small world!) We had a great time together!

The work here is amazing and I am really loving it! 

A NOTE FROM HER MOM:
She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog. 

Reflecting on Morro Bay

This week is amazing! 

Monday was so crazy busy. We had to get ready for transfers and the mission was closing down our area so we had to close out the entire apartment. The YSA sisters came to help us with cleaning because literally it was so much to do. The zone leaders came to help us take out our bags of trash and boxes and things sisters in the past had left. It was a lot of work!

We had not really eaten all day and we went to the Bishop's house about 30 minutes away and they were just sitting down for dinner. They had 2 hamburgers left so we ate them and I was so grateful. It was so sad to say goodbye.

It was really funny because we were leaving and I was turned around to say goodbye and I didn't see these 2 huge pots of plants that were right in the doorway and I HARD CORE tripped and was so close to falling down but I caught my balance after falling for about 10 yards and did a little spin and went "I am okay!" Everybody was laughing-it was hilarious! I went out with a bang. 

I had mixed feelings leaving Morro Bay. I felt like I hadn't had much success there. But I was thinking about this and realized that one of the biggest accomplishments of my time in Morro Bay was working with a teenage girl at church. She was kind of going through the motions. But that first week I was there back in March I prayed that members would be able to help us. That Sunday she came up to us and said, "I dont know why I am doing this but I want to help you guys". From that day she came to many lessons, shared the gospel with her friends, invited us to meet her friends, and even came out tracting with us. She want from someone with not too much confidence to a young woman who was not afraid to share her beliefs and from someone who said "Yeah, I am not serving my mission" to someone who said "I am definately going to serve". She said it was the influence we had on her life that changed it. I dont really care how hard or tough Morro Bay was. I had an impact on this girl's life and maybe if no one that spoke Spanish was converted to the gospel, I think it was even more important that a young woman grew in her conversion. 

Tuesday was transfer train. My new companion is Hermana Mejia which is great. 

Tuesday was also sports night. It was really fun. We teach lessons every day and multiple lessons which is just amazing. The streets are FILLED with Hispanic people. We barely speak English. It is great to be with Hermana Mejia since she is a native speaker. We met lots of cool people and got a lot of return appointments. One day, someone we met bought us Elote (Mexican street corn) which was delicious.

Thursday I got to go on splits with Herman Southard. She is amazing it was so fun to serve around her. She put a great job on hold to serve her mission and she is awesome. Friday we met the people, Snadra and Sanet, who are getting baptized tonight! We are SO EXCITED! Also we had this return appointment with this one lady but we knocked the wrong door and it was someone we had also met previously. She opened the door and let us in. We taught her for an hour and she said she has been searching for truth and doesn't know where to find it. She said she felt really good meeting with us. We are excited. 

Church was amazing. 3 people came who weren't members. It has been about 5 months since anyone we invited has come to church so it was such a miracle. Tonight is the baptism and we are SUPER excited. I get to play the piano. I also get to play the piano at church for sacrament meeting. The members are great. I met 2 families so far. 

Anyways, life is amazing. Hermana Mejia is just great and we get along very well! I'm looking forward to another great week in Santa Barbara.

A NOTE FROM HER MOM:
She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog. 

Santa Barbara Bound

This week has been CRAZY!!! 

Monday we went to the State Fair with our Zone.

Honestly this week was such a blur but Tuesday we went to visit a family to potentially teach with some members to drop off cookies. 

We met the members and the people told us they were moving to Chicago on Friday so we were kinda bummed. But then we told the members that we were heading to another lesson so the members came to the next lesson with us. It was such a miracle because this family who we are teaching and these members were SO similar and it was perfect for fellowship. They testified of the Book of Mormon and how important it is to read it every day. 

Wednesday we had a member visit with the Clevelands. They just came home from being the mission president in the Detroit mission so it was really awesome and President Cleveland is an awesome guy and Sister Cleveland is so kind and nice too! 

Sunday we found out that the Spanish FHE and Sacrament Meeting is now officially a group which was amazing! That means that there will be a sacrament meeting every Sunday. The members were so happy they started clapping and a few cried. It was one of the best experiences on my mission. 

We got transfer calls and they are closing Morro Bay with Spanish work. The SLO (San Louis Obispo) Elders will take over the area but attend the SLO ward. Hermana Raban is heading to Thousand Oaks and I am heading to Santa Barbara with Hermana Mejia. 

I am super excited! I know that God knows exactly where we need to be and who we need to be with. I am excited to experience a new area and a new companion. It will be hard to say goodbye to Hermana Raban but we had an amazing time together serving and I have definitely changed a lot and have grown closer to God. I love this work! 

She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog. 

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