Soy Gringa 11/17/14

This week has been one of the most tiring, but most rewarding weeks of my mission. 

Tuesday I drove into Rego Park Queens, dropped off my beloved Sister Snow, picked up my cute companion from Chihuahua, Chihuahua Mexico, and grabbed my Spanish name tags. And that's where the adventure begins. Haha you can just call me the first Spanglish missionary. Called English, but now learning Spanish for the people of Riverhead. 

It's hard, but there is a promise made in Preach my Gospel; "In time you will acquire the language skills necessary to fulfill your purpose as a missionary." Of course this promise is only fulfilled if I do my part. It's not easy but I am learning a lot. 

"Whenever the Lord gives a commandment, He provides a way to accomplish it (see 1 Nephi 3:7)." PMG 

I know I wouldn't be asked to learn Spanish unless God would provide a way for me to do so. 

It's such an amazing experience to be sitting in a house and not know the language of the people speaking, but at the same time being able to understand and respond in a language I never have spoken. The gifts of tongues is real. But it's not something that just comes because I am set apart as a missionary. It takes a lot of work.

"You will not obtain this gift without effort on your part; you need to actively seek it. Part of seeking the gift of tongues is to labor and struggle and to do all you can to learn the language." PMG 

Anyway, besides learning Spanish... This week has been incredible. 

Hermana Acosta and I went through our entire area book and wrote down all of the potential investigators we felt prompted to contact. Then the next day we fasted and prayed for 24 hours. Two of those names we contacted became investigators, both with baptismal dates in December. The Lord also gave us SEVEN more new people to teach. (That's 10 new investigators, 4 with baptismal dates, in 3 DAYS!) the Lord, my God, is good. 

The 'Standard of Excellence' in our mission for new investigators is 20 per transfer (a period of 6 weeks). God gave us half of that in only 2 1/2 days. 🙏👍🇺🇸 How amazing is that?! Fasting does work, and it does bring down blessings from heaven. I, Hermana Tenney, am a testament of that. I don't say that to brag, or boast of a number we got, but to glorify my God, and the miracles He is sending me. 

I love the work of salvation. 

Anyway, I am teaching a lot, praying a lot, fasting a lot, and trying really hard to not get overwhelmed haha. 

I am teaching Sister Acosta English and she is teaching me Espanol. #itainteasy

She's really cute though and she thinks it's hilarious that I tell her that her horse is pretty every day.. Haha for some reason I can't differentiate hair and horse in Spanish. But esta bien. I'll get it. 

Soy Mexicana. (Simon) Jajaja Hermana Acosta is teaching me to be Mexicana.(if you know what I'm talking about, Simon) 

Hermana Acosta doesn't have a drivers license, so I drive everywhere now. I don't hate it, I don't love it.. 

Anyway, it's been a really... Refining week. 😊 

Oh yeah, on Saturday afternoon we had the opportunity to go back into the city to hear Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy speak to us and have a question/answer meeting. They were late coming in, #newyorktraffic, so we only got a short amount of time to ask him questions. The first two questions were in regards to polygamy, (Joseph Smith is on all the news papers in New York #famous #frontcover) and the new video put out by the church about temple garments. 

Then a Sister got up and asked a question, (the 1st two questions were from elders). She asked "How do you continue to trust in the Lord when everything is crumbling around you? As missionaries we tell everyone 'trust in the Lord, trust in the Lord' but, how do we as missionaries really trust in the Lord? We were human before we were missionaries (haha) and it's easy to say but not always easy to do when life seems to be crumbling." 

This Sister's question was really one of the most sincere, honest questions I've heard in a long while. She was really seeking guidance from a true disciple of Christ, a man that meets with the Prophet and his Apostles at least twice a week, and knows them at an intimate level, travels, talks, laughs, and eats with them on a frequent basis. 

 What I received during his response was that; to trust in the Lord, you first need to find out who you truly are. Once you know who you are. WHO YOU REALLY ARE, you will trust God. Because He is your Father. Deity is your actual father. He loves you, He cares about you, and He Knows you. You've lived with Him before, and you can live with Him again. Once you gain this knowledge, it won't matter your circumstance in life, you will be able to trust in him.

I trust my Dad, Todd, with my life. He has loved, watched over, and prayed for me my entire life. He's watched me grow, and has watched me struggle throughout the past 20 years. 

In a very real and similar way, my Father in Heaven, Elohim, has been with me. 

I'll leave you with a great quote from Thomas S. Monson: “There is one language … that is common to each missionary--the language of the Spirit. It is not learned from textbooks written by men of letters, nor is it acquired through reading and memorization. The language of the Spirit comes to him who seeks with all his heart to know God and keep His divine commandments. Proficiency in this language permits one to breach barriers, overcome obstacles, and touch the human heart” 

I really love you all so much, thanks for reading all of this.. If you made it this far.. Haha I know it's long. 😊💕😘

New York is the bomb! 

Con amor, 

Hermana Tenney

(Pictures: Barbara's cat and I, the ocean where I live, we wrapped Books of Mormon with our testimonies like presents, Sister Seely and I. Hermana Acosta and I)