Little Service Here, Little Service There - September 15, 2014

Hi Guys :)

We are still riding high from our meetings with Elder Cook last week! 

And it has been another good week here :) Started off with exchanges... and actually, honestly, those were not that great. Hna. Stratford and I just wanted to stay together! We have been with each other 24/7 for 4 months now and we still are not sick of each other! I think that is pretty awesome! Haha!! The exchange was so awkward...no one spoke ... awka-awkward! BUT the Sisters live with Ferdy Brown's parents! So it was cool that I got to spend the night there! (even though they were in Utah visiting family... haha) 

We had a lesson with E. this week about the Plan of Salvation again. Brother Walton came with us :) I love that man! He is wonderful!!! It was a good lesson but we are at a loss of what we need to do. She is so wonderful but not really progressing, and a lot it is because of her babysitting job. She doesn't come to church she isn't reading the BOM, she cancels quite a bit... but expresses that she wants to keep learning and she knows it is true. We have been praying about it all week and I think we have decided we need to let her go.. :( no quiero!!! But I think it really is what we have to do... We can check back up on her in a month or 2… ahhh, don't know what to do.

So I have told you how we volunteer at Catholic Charities every week and we make lunch and feed the homeless :) It is awesome! We have become really close to a couple that volunteers there named Dick and Jane. Yep, those are really their names!!! haha! Dick is not religious at all and I think is even agnostic. Jane doesn't go to church but believes in God and everything. We want to teach them sooooooooooooo bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She mentioned that they are remodeling their kitchen right now and so I mentioned that I am a designer :) She was so excited and asked us to come over to their home and help pick out paint colors etc. :) So we did! It was awesome!!! Dick was so cute and had "Today's hits" playlist on Pandora playing when we got there. It was so cute! They are older, like late 50's or 60's, so they totally would not have been listening to that music on their own. Adorable :) I am hoping we can start teaching them!! We don't want it to seem like our friendship has any strings attached but I want to teach them! They would be perfect members!!!!!!!!!! 

This week we also cleaned John's bedroom for some service! He has some slobbiness issues! We filled up 2 black trash bags full of garbage and a donation bag too! It was crazy! But I had fun making it look perfect! I took before and after pics that I will send to you! 

We also have been in a pranking war with our Elders :) haha!! So fun and we got them good this week!! We covered their bedroom and bathroom in dixie cups with an inch of water in them!! hahaha!!  every single surface covered!! John helped us :) (The elders live in the Bowman's basement). 

The highlight of the week, though, was that we decided to do a pretty big act of service for A. He hasn't come to church for the last 2 months now because he took ALL of his church clothes to the dry cleaners. He hasn't had money to get them out and he refuses to come to church in jeans and a t-shirt. He told us his dry cleaning is $80!!!!! And he does not have the money. His family is struggling a lot right now with just getting food. So his clothes have been sitting there for 2 months. We talked to the Elders and we all decided we would each pitch in $20 and go pick up his clothes for him! We went to his house after and decided we didn't want him to know it was us (even though he could easily figure it out) we didn't want to embarrass him and so we doorbell ditched them on his front porch :) I was on cloud 9 after!! It felt so good! Service truly brings real and genuine happiness! :) He didn't come to church yesterday... but I have hope he will be there next week!!! :) 

Hey, I am sending pics of our service from last week too. The library computer would not work but all is well today. 

This week we taught the Plan of Salvation a lot!!!! I attached a picture of a drawing of the Plan of Salvation that we use to teach people. I love it!! It is totally a corny missionary object lesson but it is true! The Plan of Salvation is a plan of LOVE! I am so grateful to our Father in Heaven and the immense amount of LOVE He has for each of us. He gave us this beautiful plan! I know it is true!!!

I love you fam fam so much!! I am glad to hear everyone had a great week :) That makes me so happy!!! 

Les quiero muchisimo!!!!

Love,

Hna. Mangum Sr. :)

An Apostolic Blessing and Working in a Chicken Coop - September 8, 2104

First of all... HAPPY SWEET 16 MAX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

It has been a fabulous week!  We had a great lesson with Elsa. We read Alma 32 with her. It was awesome! There is such power that comes from reading the Book of Mormon. She apologized for not coming to church. She feels really bad!! But expressed that she still wants to learn more from us and that she has a testimony that the church is true. So that was a huge success :)

We also had a great lesson with Miguel. We had a really nice talk and I felt like it went really well! He struggles with feeling like he has to be perfect after he gets baptized... not true!!! No one is perfect Miguel :) We explained that that is what the sacrament is for and it started to click with him! Ya :) We asked if we could set him up with a new baptismal date and he said no... not yet... :( But, we are not giving up on him yet! He translated our Special Stake Conference yesterday with ELDER COOK!!! :) Which leads me to my next story...

Elder Cook came to our mission! Yep, the Apostle! :) Oh what a treat! We had a mission conference with him on Saturday morning. Before the conference began we had heard a rumor that he was roaming the halls... so Hna. Stratford "had to use the bathroom”. haha! We went outside and, sure enough, we ran into Elder Christensen, from the Presidency of the 70 and talked to him briefly. Then we proceeded down the hallway and we ran right into Elder Cook!, as well as Elder Baxter and Elder Rhodes, both from the 70. Elder Rhodes is actually in our ward so he introduced us to Elder Cook and told him we were "his missionaries" :) Elder Baxter told me I look "magnificent" in his sweet Scottish accent :) We were so happy!!! Elder Cook is so tiny! That man is short! ha!

They all came inside the chapel and Elder Cook requested to shake every missionaries hand! He told us that it was going to be a 2 second interview. That he was going to look into our eyes as we passed and it was a personal interview... ah! So we went up and I got to shake all of their hands again :) #2times 

The conference was AMAZING!!!!!! Elder Cook began by saying that every missionary is carefully and prayerfully assigned to their missions and even more specifically their mission presidents. We are all exactly where we are supposed to be serving! Every missionary in the world is! He also asked us lots of questions, like how many lessons we are teaching etc. Each of the General Authorities then spoke and motivated us to work hard and taught us how to be better and more effective missionaries. One thing I loved that Elder Baxter taught us... Lennon I think you will like this... is that we 

1. Instruct... this leads to knowledge

2. Inspire... this leads to feeling

3. Motivate... this leads to doing

A successful missionary learns what each individual they teach should know, feel and do. Also he said, "From time to time shut up! and let them feel!" A lot of times we can get worried about silence during lessons but really it is during those quiet moments that the Holy Ghost has an opportunity to bare testimony! 

At the end of the meeting, Elder Cook left us with an Apostolic blessing :) He promised that EVERYONE that we love and care about, both at home like family members and friends, and those we have grown to love on our missions, WILL be blessed by our service. I was so grateful and comforted to hear this!!! And I certainly hope it is true! 

On Sunday we had the great privilege of hearing from Elder Cook again in the Fort Collins Stake Conference :) Before the conference began, Hna. Stratford and I were running around trying to get the translation equipment all ready to go and as we were out in the hall, Elder Cook walked by and came up and shook our hands again! #3timesbaby :) And the Denver Temple president was with him (i actually met him when I was just at the temple) and so we shook his hand as well :) 

The conference began and it was FANTASTIC!!!! By far the best stake conference I have ever been to!!! Every single speaker was just fabulous! Everyone talked about the temple. The Denver temple matron said that, "Often in life, we become so busy and overwhelmed and we become so stressed, but the temple is the place where our souls can catch up!" Oh I loved that! It is so true!!! 

Elder Cook said that we, as members, in Fort Collins (because there is a temple being built here) need to do the following... But this applies to everyone!

1. Build Zion in our hearts and home

2. Be an example to our communities

3. Focus our vision and goals on the temple

Then he left another Apostolic Blessing on everyone that, as we are preparing and as we are supportive of the temple, we will bring all of our family members closer in a way never before possible. If our families can see how much we love our Savior and how much we love the temple, their love and understanding will also grow. 

I am so grateful for the opportunity I had this week to shake an Apostle's hand 3 times! And to hear his words as well as the words of other General Authorities and witnesses of Christ! What a truly amazing blessing that was, and an experience I will never forget :)

I have actually been sick all week... but regardless it was a good week :) I was feeling so terrible, so we ran to the grocery store to get some medicine and as we were walking in, I found $10 on the ground!!! But, I was a good and honest person and tried to turn it into one of the cashiers in case someone came looking for it, but he and another employee told me to keep it!!! So that was exciting :) haha

We also went and did service at a farm this week! It was fun! Hna. Stratford and I were in charge of putting down new wood chips in the chicken coops and picking up all the eggs! I loved it! The other missionaries had to build a green house type thing. The farmer had a few already... with lots of pot growing in them... #coloradoissohigh... We also played with the chickens and I am now a pro and catching them! The trick is to grab them by their tail feathers! :)

I love you all so much!! Thank you for your letters this week and for the prayers! I can feel them!! Have a fabulous week!!!! And Max... HAPPY BIRTHDAY :)

Sorry, no pics this week. This computer is not letting me :( I will double up next time. 

LOVE,

HANNAH :)

I Appreciate Elder Holland's Words! - September 2, 2014

Hey there :)

I am staying in Fort Collins for another 6 weeks with Hermana Stratford!!! Crazy! I have never stayed in an area this long or with a companion for this long! I am happy! I love it here and I love Hna. Stratford :)

So have you all heard about the ice bucket challenge that has been going on?? I am sure you have and I am sure you know a lot more about it than I do! haha! But John Bowman got challenged to do it and so we helped him! I got to dump the water on his head! haha!! It was really fun! He challenged us to do it... but I don't want to! It would be funny to see missionaries doing it... hmm... I'll think about it! :)

We also hiked Horsetooth yesterday with John for Pday! It was super fun! I am sore today though... And I am sick... :( It is the worst to be sick as a missionary! I hope I get feeling better quick! Anyway.... the hike was beautiful and it was fun to do something outdoors on the one sunshiny day we have had in a while!!!

Mom- Thank you so much for your letter this week about what you thought about the talk, "His Grace is Sufficient". It is seriously one of my favorite talks! I am glad you liked it and I really appreciated your insights on it!! For some reason before my mission I had a hard time really understanding what Grace meant. But after studying it and after reading that talk I totally get it! And I love it so much!!! Also... thank you sooooooooooooooooo much for the treat sent via Christine!!! :) MADE MY WEEK!!!! (We ate it at the top of Horsetooth!!) I am soooooooo glad you got to meet her at Swiss Days! She showed me your selfie :) She told me she felt like you were best friends getting caught up on the last years of your lives :)

I have been trying to think about what I could write home about this week but honestly it was a tough week... One of our investigatros literally tried to sneak out of his house while we were there for our appointment and we totally saw him - haha! Things with other investigators have been a lot slower because they have started jobs and other things and now can't come to church or to activities... nada! No one was home for other appointments. It has been a trying week. And so, I guess I just want to say that I know that we have trails in our lives for a reason. There is a purpose for everything! LIfe is hard. It is not meant to be easy. We are supposed to have difficulties and we are supposed to struggle and have temptations and ups and downs. If we didn't, we would not turn to our Father in Heaven for his help and his guidance. We wouldn't use the Atonement. We wouldn't understand what true joy and happiness is. This is a lesson I having been learning my entire mission and especially this week. I didn't have the most positive attitude the entire week. I wondered why things were not going well. But I am now trying to remember this! But life is not meant to be hard forever! It is meant to be enjoyed! You can find positives and blessings in every situation. I am also reminded of one of my absolute favorite talks by Elder Holland called, "Missionary Work and the Atonement" He says...

"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?

"You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience.Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.

"Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.

"For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul.

"If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” 16 then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way.

"The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators. When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

"I testify that the living God is our Eternal Father and that Jesus Christ is His living and Only Begotten Son in the flesh. I testify that this Jesus, who was slain and hanged on a tree, 17 was the chief Apostle then and is the chief Apostle now, the Great High Priest, the chief cornerstone of His Church in this last and greatest of all dispensations. I testify that He lives, that the whole triumph of the gospel is that He lives, and because He does, so will we.

"On that first Resurrection Sunday, Mary Magdalene first thought she saw a gardener. Well, she did—the Gardener who cultivated Eden and who endured Gethsemane. The Gardener who gave us the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley, the cedars of Lebanon, the tree of life.

"I declare Him to be the Savior of the world, the Bishop and Shepherd of our souls, the Bright and Morning Star. I know that our garments can be washed white only in the blood of that Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. I know that we are lifted up unto life because He was lifted up unto death, that He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows, and with His stripes we are healed. I bear witness that He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, that He was a man of sorrows acquainted with grief because upon Him were laid the transgressions of us all. 18

"I bear witness that He came from God as a God to bind up the brokenhearted, to dry the tears from every eye, to proclaim liberty to the captive and open the prison doors to them that are bound. 19 I promise that because of your faithful response to the call to spread the gospel, He will bind up your broken hearts, dry your tears, and set you and your families free. That is my missionary promise to you and your missionary message to the world."

I second EVERYTHING Elder Holland said! I know this is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience! I appreciate all of the love and letters and kind and sweet words you send to me! I am grateful for my great family! You are all so wonderful!!! Thank you from the bottom of my corazon :) 

Have a fantastic week!!!!!!!! XOXO

More pics from the week include:

1-2. Waling to Andy Warhol Soup Can with Penny on Campus
3. Katie Fraser :)
4. Mama Juana - going back to Mexico tomorrow :(

Hermana Hannah Mangum :)

Denver Temple Here We Come - August 25th, 2014

It has been a great week :) So much has happened!!!!

First: It was Hna. Stratford's birthday on Tuesday and was also her year mark, so we got to go to the TEMPLE!!! It was awesome! Such a wonderful blessing to be in the House of the Lord and feel His spirit so strongly there! The best part though was that John Bowman came and did baptisms with Mark Orchard as we did a session! It was John's first time at the temple! What a blessing and treat to have been able to be there with him on that special day! Christine took us to CPK after to celebrate! Oh yum! They don't have CPK in Fort Collins! Messed up right? So that was awesome! 

Also, Tuesday morning we woke up at 5:00am and kidnapped some other Sisters in our Zone who had the same bday as hna. Stratford. We took them to get donuts! It was really fun :)

Thank you so much for your letters Mom and Lennon!!! They made my day :) I love getting letters! And thanks for sending me Geoff's talk mom! It was AMAZING!!!! 

So some funny things...

Our ward had a Jell-o Cook-off. Hna. Stratford and i decided we wanted to participate and bring something! So John helped us make the jello and then we left for some appointments we had and ran back to their house right before to pick up the jello and bring it. We thought it would be funny to have our name tags floating inside the jell-o so everyone would know it was ours. haha! we made it in a bunt cake pan and when we went to flip it over, it completely fell apart! Epic Fail. It was hilarious and it tasted nasty! haha! Oh well it was fun :)

We also had an Emergency Preparedness activity at the church and Christine needed my help to be in her play that she wrote... I wasn't too excited (you know me and being in front of people), but it was pretty fun! We were the”not so prepared family” and the Cornwall's were the prepared family! It was great!!

We had dinner with Cory Turners parents last night and it was awesome! They are such AMAZING people!!! We are all predicting that he will be the Fort Collins Temple President! 

We had a great lesson with Carlos this week. His wife is suuuuuper sick! She does not believe in our teachings, but she was in so much pain that she told Carlos that we could call someone to give her a blessing! That is huge!!! So we called Bro. Morgan, our ward mission leader, and he and Carlos gave her a blessing together! It was so special! Carlos has never given anyone a blessing since he has been baptized. It was a neat experience for him and I think for his wife too! I hope she gets feeling better!! 

This week we had an awesome lesson with Patty! We went over to her apartment and she told us that every night she and Daniel FaceTime each other and they pray together!!! How cool is that! These are 2 people who had never said a prayer before and now they are praying together over FaceTime! The church is true, dang it! Haha! But, we decided that Patty would do better going to the singles ward... this was a hard decision because (selfishly) we wanted to keep teaching her because we love her so much! But we did the right thing. We took her to the YSA ward on Sunday and had her meet the missionaries there. She brought 3 friends with her and Enya came too! So there were 5 beautiful Taiwanese girls at church yesterday! It was awesome! And then we had a pass-over lesson with the YSA Sisters last night with Patty. Daniel was on FaceTime and chatted with us during the whole lesson! It was so awesome! They are incredibly smart and really FEEL it and try to understand everything They each said a prayer during the lesson and they were so amazing and so sincere! A good reminder of what a sincere prayer is all about! I love them! Even though we can't teach Patty anymore we will still visit her and be great friends! :)

So as you can tell it was an amazing week! Things are going well! Transfers are this weekend... We are really hoping that we get to stay together for another transfer! I love Fort Collins :) 

I have read/listened to 2 amazing talks this week! The first was... "His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox and the second was "Healing the Wounded Soul" by Jack Christensen. I want you guys to read His Grace is Sufficient this week and listen to Healing the Wounded Soul. (you can't read that one) they are amazing! So do that for FHE tonight! Ok!!?? The Atonement is simply amazing and the greatest gift we have! We just need to use it! 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!

love, Hna. Mangum Sr.

Long but Good Week - August 18, 2014

Sweet family!

This week has felt so long... it is really weird how some weeks fly by and others take a little longer. But it was a good week! 

So, lets see... we went on exchanges with our sister Training Leaders. They went pretty well. Hna. Stratford and I are doing great together, so they didn't feel very necessary... but it was still good and we got a lot of work done that day and saw a lot of people :)

Also, this week we started teaching English classes!!! Ya! I am really excited about this! It is going to be a great way for the ward members and our Spanish members to get to know each other better and a way for us to get new investigators!!! yay! This was our 1st week and it was kind of a fail... but not really. Only 3 people came but that is ok :) No one came for the first 30 minutes... haha! We entertained ourselves by dancing on the chairs! It will take some time to build up our group! But I think this is going to do a lot for our work! :)

We also had interviews with President Brown this week and they went really well!! It is official... I will be coming home December 16th :) Wow! It seems so soon! It is crazy! I have got to make the most of the time I have left! :) In my interview we talked about Elder Uchtdorfs talk from this last conference. I had read it that morning in my personal study. I think it is very interesting that being grateful is actually a commandment! Pres. Brown had me read D&C 78:17-19. I love these verses! We need to do things cheerfully and with a grateful heart! Our attitudes have to power to change everything!

We had a lesson with one of our investigators this week. He told us he didn't feel ready to get baptized on the 23rd. He had been drinking coffee and has an occasional beer. He is having a hard time putting away his Catholic beliefs even though he also says he loves the LDS church and feels in his heart it is true.He says he loves everything about it. I think he is just afraid of commitment. But we had an amazing lesson with him! I am glad he was honest with us! We explained that our intention is not take away anything that he has learned from the Catholic church but to simply add to it. Then Hna. Stratford showed him Elder Uchtdorf’s talk from the October Conference, "Come Join with Us". It was PERFECT! He even said after, "Well you nailed that one on the head" haha! And then I asked him if he would do a joint fast with us from Saturday night to Sunday after church, to give him the strength to quit drinking and to receive an answer from Heavenly Father that the church was true. It was really awesome! So we did! On Saturday we texted him and told him we were starting our fast and he sent us the best text back :) He was at church on Sunday and looked so happy! He said he went to a carnival in Old Town Saturday night and that there was so much food but he didn't eat it! He was so proud :) So, even though we will not be having a baptism with him this weekend we made leaps and bounds with him in the right direction! It was a miracle and the spirit was strong as we fasted all together :)

I have a testimony of fasting! And of this great work! I know that Heavenly Father cares enough about each one of us to bless us and comfort us and give us the answers we are seeking for as we sacrifice and show him how much we truly love Him. I am grateful for the experiences I am having. Some days are hard but others  are great! And seeing people change their lives is one of the greatest things I have EVER been able to experience! Thank you for your love and support!!! I love you all so very very much :)

LOVE,

HERMANA MANGUM

P.S. Lennon- your bad bird luck has now hit Fort Collins!! We saw some kind of hawk or falcon eating another bird AND I ran over a bird this week too!! hahaha!!

WARNING: these pictures are graphic!!!