Hola familia!
It is definitely December! This week has been super cold but I can't complain because I'm not in Grand Prairie, Canada. So.. I just count my blessings. (Shout out to my best friend, Derek Ammon Jennings who is being a champ in negative 20 something weather to bring forth the truth in my native land, the Great White North.)
I am freaking out that I have already been out for a third of my mission?! WHAT?!! Why??.. I do not want to come home. Haha I love missionary work! This week has been killer. We have worked really hard, and I am more tired than I have ever been, but it's the best!
One good thing about being out for six months is that I get to go to the temple on Wednesday! I'm way stoked, and I love Manhattan. (Even though, Queens and Brooklyn are WAY cooler..)
The temple is really important to me and I am grateful I had the opportunity to go a lot before my mission. Some missionaries only went one or two times before they came out. There is a lot about the temple that I still don't know or understand. But, one thing I do know is that the temple is a house of God, a place of love and beauty. ❤️
In all seriousness, I love the temple! And I am hoping I get to see my home girl, Sister Becca Snow when I go! I miss her so much.
I LOVE December on the mission so far! Sister Acosta and I just go around neighborhoods and knock all of the houses with Christmas lights. It sounds miserable, but I actually have a great time doing it. Haha I always think it's so funny/crazy when people have these big lit-up nativity scenes on their lawns but say they don't have two minutes to watch a video about Jesus Christ! What in the world?! Haha.
Can anybody help me out with that? I just do not understand.. But, esta bien.
This week has been full of miracles and mishaps. Haha one piece of advise I would give a fellow missionary is to Not have their dreams interpreted. A series of bad events have happened ever since some member interpreted my dream!
On Friday I almost fell out of our window! Because of my stupidity of course. Haha. We had deep cleaning this week because the transfer is almost over. We thought it was about time to take our air conditioner out of the window.. So, I opened it up and it just fell out! Luckily I grabbed the cord in time and it was just hanging there.. The cord was going to break off so I tried to grab the whole thing.. but, I must need to lift some weights or something because my arms were too little and weak and it started pulling me out of the window! Haha.. Embarrassing.. I was screaming/freaking out. So Sister Acosta started holding on to me, so I wouldn't die. I was holding this giant metal box, hanging out of the window.. My feet were off of the floor inside of the house. It was a disaster. I was like that for a good 8 minutes until somehow we got the strength to get it back onto the ledge of our window.. Haha more like my Mexican companion took over. She's shorter than me, but she could definitely beat me up.
I used to be a lot more tough back in my water polo days.. I'm not sure what happened..
So, yeah.. Bad things do happen.. But the miracles outweigh all of the bad stuff!
One miracle that happened this week is that four investigators were at church yesterday! I don't know if you are aware of how cool that is.. But, I don't think I've ever seen four investigators at church.. in Utah and definitely not in Riverhead, New York. I was SO happy! (and I still am)
It's weird how the things that bring me joy are so different than what used to bring me 'happiness'. Don't get me wrong.. I still love a pair of new Uggs, a new piece of jewelry from Tiffanys, or new perfume.. But I would give all of that up to see everyone under the covenant of baptism, in the Riverhead area, come to church next Sunday!
Something I have been thinking about recently is how The Lord has blessed us with this awesome technology to share the gospel, so IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO USE IT.
and not for silly stuff like candy crush or FarmVille. Trust me, I love Instagram just as much as any, but if our smoothie from Starbucks is as far as our influence goes on the internet.. That is pretty LAME!
My whole point is that Christmas is coming soon.. Which means it will be gone before you know it. So, make sure you use these next three weeks to share the He is the Gift video with as many people as possible. It's on your gospel library apps on your phones. Which I am sure you ALL have downloaded.
It's pretty easy to do, all you have to say is:
"have have you seen that video about Christmas on Facebook?"
"No, what is it?"
"I will show you, I have it right here".
2 minutes later....
"Yeah, I love that. It really reminds me of what Christmas is all about". -- super easy right?
And that will lead you to a perfect opportunity to invite them to something! All you have to say is:
"something my family does at Christmas time to remember Christ is.. (Go to church, go to the SLC Christmas lights, go to the stake creche, have hot cocoa and read the story of Christ's birth, go caroling.. Etc.. Etc.. Etc..) WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN US? We would love to have you and your family."
Don't know any non members? Well guess what? Even better.. You already know that less active members believe in Jesus Christ! #WOW #crazy #thisishowmiracleshappen
How easy is that? Isn't it the greatest time in the year to share your testimony of Christ with others?
I love it!
I love Christmas! And I love all of you!
Keep Christ in Christmas!
I promise that if you share the short video about your Savior to those around you His Spirit will be more present in your day and you will find more joy in this Christmas than any other Christmas before. It is so simple and easy. I know that blessings will flood your homes, which are much greater than any presents you could receive on Christmas morning!
#blessings>toys
See you soon family! Hallelujah! Joy to the world Skype is come.
Con amor,
Hermana Samantha Tenney
Oh man' this email is a mile long.. But I forgot to tell you..
I puked my guts out all Friday night because I ate cow liver! Yum! Haha I've had worse on my mission, like turtle for example.. But I have never felt so sick! Barf. Literally. As soon as I swallowed it, I knew I was going to pay for it. I felt like I swallowed a rock! When we got home we said a prayer to began planning and right when Hermana Acosta said "en el nombre de Jesucristo, amen" I just ran to the bathroom and didn't come out until after 10:20 pm. Hahaha
Worst thing ever! Don't eat the Liver! I also never want to be pregnant, because throwing up is not my thing.
Here's a selfie of me being stoked because of the miracles of fasting and some pictures of me with this little puppy (Leo) who tried to lick my face. My favorite is the one where Megan Arreola is super happy! She's the cutest little girl in the world and her older sister's name is Samantha.. Awe. Cute. (Samantha and Megan) (little Honduran twins of me and my sister) . Oh, and that's a bird that was outside of the church. I obviously did not take that picture because I would not get close to a rat of the sky. #birdHater (except for my chickens slim shady and tweet.. Which are more like dumb dogs).
