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!!!