New Years Miracles

January 4, 2016

I wanted to share with you all some amazing miracles we have seen here!

This week was pretty great. We are truly being blessed to find so many
people that are extremely prepared. The work with members is booming.
We received a member referral named Pedro this week. We called him and

he was very happy to accept us. We had with us a Sister from the
branch who then invited her husband to the appointment after church on
Sunday. Then, the member who referred Pedro to us, also showed up. It
was a wonderful lesson, full of the spirit. Pedro opened up greatly to
us and told us all his needs and desires. He desires to make a serious
change and is ready to really commit himself to God. The member,
Brother Garcia, was able to happily testify of the joy this gospel
brings us and how he wanted to share that same joy with his friend.
Pedro was almost in tears as we shared the story of Alma the younger
with him and bore testimony of the power of repentance and change that
comes through Jesus Christ. My testimony has grown so strong of
working with the members. The lesson would not have gone so well if we
had simply knocked on his door and taught without members testimonies.

We also went searching for a former investigator named Walter that we
felt inspired to look for. When we knocked on his door, people began
yelling inside, "It's the missionaries!" They opened the door and told
us that Walter had actually moved just two days before hand and just
last night (New Years eve) they had moved in. The woman was extremely
ready to receive us and we have an appointment with her tonight!

We were able to contact two difficult less active families that I had
been trying since November. It was amazing because we planned to see
them at those times, and they opened the door and let us right in!
Blanca was one of those members, and she informed us that she needed a
ride to church. We organized everything and she and her three young
boys came to church on Sunday. Blanca was received with hugs and tears
by one of the members, and there was a special moment as they were
reunited. It strengthened my testimony of member fellowship before
baptism. Blanca had a Sister in the gospel who rejoiced when she had
returned.

We have a baptism coming up! On January 24th, Jonothan will be
baptized. After fasting on Sunday for our other investigator, he told
us after church that he is thinking of being baptized on that day with
Jonothan. So many miracles!!

The work is great, we are exhausted from working hard, but I don't
think I've ever been happier.

Have a great week everyone! Work hard, pray hard, and faith harder.

Con amor,
Sister Abram

Sent from my heart

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Merry Christmas from Georgia

December 21, 2015

Friends and family,

This week has brought a lot of moments of introspection and prayer. I will give you one example taken from my journal on December 19th:

"At the branch activity tonight, we were able to do an activity with the members of the branch. We bought 72 donuts for the party. Every single person in the room received a donut and they had to choose whether or not to eat it. Regardless of their decision, Elder Child did 5 push-ups for each person in the room to have the opportunity to eat the donut. It was fine at first, but they began to get frustrated as they saw how much he was beginning to struggle. Elder Child began shaking and sweating and after a while it was evident how much he was struggling. There was so much symbolism. At one point, Brother Martinez accepted the donut on the condition that he could sit on top of Elder Child while he did the push-ups. We had Eric, a struggling youth, get right up in his face and watch him cry and sweat. Alex Paguay and Israel Hernandez sat on either side of him and asked if they could help him. I told them no, he had to do it alone, to which they responded by bringing him water and a towel and sitting at his side. Finally, Sister Bailey handed me a donut, which caught me completely off guard, and into the microphone I sadly asked, "Elder Child, could you do 5 more for me please?" I tried to explain the significance of the activity, but he kept going. Finally, I told all the members to stop and watch him. There was silence for at least two minutes and everyone in the gym was sobbing. I asked him, "Ya terminó?" To which he responded, "No." He endured to the very end. The members were saying to me, "No more." But I just shrugged with tears in my eyes because Elder Child chose to do over 250 push-ups because he loved these people. When he finally finished, Presidente Ramirez wrapped his arms around him, pulled him up, and held him tight. The whole room clapped and I closed with my testimony. The room was silent. I couldn't even eat the doughnut given to me. Elder Child was our hero. 

I love my Savior. I am grateful beyond explanation to Him." 

Here is a quote from Elder Holland: 

 "The path you say you cannot walk, you walk. The load you say you cannot bear, you bear. The sorrow that you say you can't handle, you handle. You are stronger than you think you are. You are more divine than you know. How can we even know that without the trials and the refiner’s fire? There is no other way for that to be revealed without difficulty and a broken heart. We have to go through hard things so we can see what we are capable of. Christ knows everything that you are going through because of His Atonement.  How he knows, I don't know. But he knows."

Estoy sumamente agradecida por mi Salvador Jesucristo. Le agradezco por esta oportunidad de representarlo y compartir mi testimonio. Gracias a Él, tengo tanta dirección y gozo en mi vida. Él vive. Él nació con el propósito de rescatarnos. E igual como esta actividad, todos tenemos la opción de aceptar o rechazar su Expiación. Les testifico que es su Salvador y que les ama mucho. 

F E L I Z N A V I D A D

Hermana Abram

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Birthdays, bikes, transfer calls, and Elder Holland

December 14, 2015

Thank you thank you THANK YOU for all the birthday love! Seriously, this was the most amazing birthday yet, and I will tell you why momentarily! First, I wanted to share that it still has not yet hit me that I am 20 but that's okay. I will now give you a play by play of my week: 

Monday: everything fell through and we found no one to teach. But oh man we were excited to work tomorrow. 

Tuesday: we started using bikes!! We biked lots of miles on Tuesday and then on our way to an appointment with a new family to teach, we locked our keys in the car while putting the bikes on the rack. Oh man, it was insane. We biked all over Buford looking for phones to borrow and a way to get a spare car key. But the Dixons came to our rescue and we were able to get back into our car and apartment before 9pm. 

Wednesday: I got reeeeally sick this day and we tried so hard to go out and it was not working. The assistants called this day, as well. Turns out I am training again! Round 2! My new companions name will be Sister Bailey from Utah and I am quite excited! I will definitely miss Sister Ray, though. It has been an amazing transfer with her. 

Thursday: after receiving a priesthood blessing, my body quickly recovered and we hopped back on our bikes and biked Gainesville! Oh man, it was so fun. We met so many people. I also learned that being on bike teaches you many lessons about life-- like how to rely on the Lord for strength, perseverance, and humility. 

Friday: Elder Holland came to visit the women in 9 stakes in greater Atlanta, our stake included! We watched the broadcast and man I learned so much. Elder Holland is such a wonderful speaker and very full of the spirit. I wish I could share all I learned. Here are some things: 

God loves broken things. He asks that we come to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. So sometimes we have to sacrifice and it's very painful. But the amazing thing about the gospel of Jesus Christ, is that everything will be made right and given back to us in a restored form as we sacrifice for the Lord. Elder Holland said, "whatever you are worried about, it's already fixed. You just have to wait." How beautiful is that! If we have faith, repent, make covenants like baptism by the proper authority and rely on the Holy Spirit for the remainder of our lives, every single little thing will be made right. And that's why I'm on my mission! Because, these people need to be found!!

I learned many other things from Elder Holland, but I may have to just share them in tidbits as the weeks go on. 

Saturday: Elder Holland came to meet the missionaries! Holy cow, how cool was this! A living apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ looked me in the eye and shook my hand. Here are some things I learned from him then: 

Don't miss a moment. Sometimes we think that this is something we can just check off our list. But this is real life. This is preparing us for eternity. He explained that when we are converted and when we have the gospel of Jesus Christ in the marrow of our bones, that's when we teach with power and authority. That's when Heaven comes down and touches these hearts. That's when lives are changed. He challenged us to thrive from these "apostolic moments of your life." 

Ah! I wish I could express all I learned from him, but all I can say is that that meeting changed my mission. Maybe even my life. I am so privileged that he came to visit The GANM. 

Sunday: I got to give a talk on my birthday! I loved it. We were able to eat dinner with members who I cherish dearly, the Underwoods, and attend the Christmas concert by the Sugar Hill Stake. It was a wonderful day. Many personal, special moments happened to me yesterday that really showed me that my Heavenly Father loves me and He wants me here. 

This week has been the most insane week of my mission. From biking 32 miles, to being extremely sick. From having all our appointments fall through, to having tender moments with families. From Elder Holland visiting to training a new missionary this Wednesday. I don't know all the Lord has in store for this area or for me or for these people. But my heart has been extremely comforted all week, despite all the setbacks. 

Thank you again for the birthday messages. They mean so much to me! I am truly grateful to have all of you in my life. Thanks for making 19 the best, and now here comes 20! 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Abram 

Sent from my heart

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Weekly Spiritual Thought

December 7, 2015

I don't have much time to write today, but I wanted to share a
spiritual thought I had this week.

Sometimes in life we feel like we are stuck in tunnels, like we can't

see the light at the end, nor can we see the beginning so far behind
us. We feel like we are wandering around in the dark, never sure how
to get out. But last night at the Christmas Devotional, Elder Bednar
reminded us that Christ calls himself "the light." He is the light in
our tunnel. That doesn't necessarily mean He is just waiting for us at
the end of the tunnel, though. But He is standing by our side, guiding
us through, and never abandoning us. Our tunnels do end but that's not
what matters-- what matters is that we lean in Him to guide us to that
end.

I love my Savior, and I love sharing His love with everyone!

Have a fantastic week!

Love,
Sister Abram
Sent from my heart

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Milagros con miembros

30 November 2015

Feliz diciembre (almost) a todos! Durante esta semana, vimos tantos
milagros y el Señor nos bendijo en muchísimas formas :)


On Saturday, we visited the Martinez family. I told you last week
about the story with Elvia, how we found her sitting outside the
Martinez home and we began to speak with her about the gospel.
Although we had set up an appointment, she was not home. But the
Martinez family was not dismayed! They then gave us a referral for the
second time— their cousin Kevin who lived close by. They encouraged us
to visit him that day, but not before they gave us another referral

named Lorena. Then, they began talking amongst themselves and made the
decision to take us to visit Lorena, and asked us to visit Kevin while
they got the family ready. We happily sped on over to Kevin's home,
whom we had met the week beforehand. We told him that our message is
for everyone and we realized we hadn't shared it with him. I have
truly never seen someone receive the gospel so enthusiastically as I
saw with Kevin. His whole countenance changed as we shared about the
Book of Mormon, and he genuinely accepted us back to visit him next
week. We then happily returned to the Martinez family, who began to
cry when they heard the news. They had prayed once we left that he
would accept us, but they doubted he would. They then gathered
everyone together and drove us to Lorena's house.

We got to Lorena's home, but she wasn't there. Although discouraged,

their spirits were high. We thought they were taking us back to our
car, but they actually took us to visit two other friends in their
homes— Claudia and Concepcion. The Spirit was so strong as we taught
them, along with the testimonies of their friends, about Christ and
His Atonement. They accepted a return visit for next Saturday as well.
At the end of the visit, they ended up driving us to visit a less
active sister we had been trying to visit, and continuing to serve
with us.

I think this was the most miraculous day of my mission! I could not
believe how blessed we were. This is coming from a family who as their
own struggles, a father and husband who had almost lost his life to
cancer just months beforehand. How important are members in missionary

work!

The attitude towards missionary work is changing drastically in this
branch, and it is so exciting to watch and experience. I am gaining
such a strong testimony of the extreme importance of members in this
work. It reminded me of Mosiah 18 in the Book of Mormon when we are

told in verse 21 that the followers of Christ had "hearts [that were]
knitted together in unity and love for each other (rough translation
from Spanish)."

My faith is increasing so much and I truly am so grateful to be out
here serving the Lord. Also, Christmas is coming up! Check out
Mormon.org/Christmas.

Con mi amor,

Hermana Abram

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Sister Abram 2.0

November 23, 2015

Halfway through! Many mixed feelings, I'm excited that I've made it halfway, sad to only have half left, and I still don't think it's hit me yet!

So we went to the temple this week. It was AMAZING. I love the temple so so much. While I was there, I felt so much of the spirit. I analyzed my growth over the last 6 months, and I realized that I truly have become someone different, yet someone so much closer to the Lord. 

We saw some amazing miracles this week! After stake conference on Sunday, we were eating dinner with our Branch President, a very active family, and a semi less active family. While we were there, President Ramirez began to encourage the members to invite their friends over and allow us to come teach them. He shared his testimony of the power of their homes. Then, we were invited back over to teach the nephew of the semi less active family who we had accidentally met just a few hours before by knocking on the wrong door. As we left the apartment, we saw a woman sitting outside on the balcony alone. The spirit was whisper-yelling at me to go up to her, so we awkwardly began conversation. Her name was Elvia and she began to share with us all about her struggles with her wayward daughter. Tears filled her eyes and you could feel her pain. We testified to her of the healing power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. We shared with her that we have a glad message that will heal those wounds she hides from the world, in a way that only the Savior can. She accepted us back to visit with her, on the condition that her semi-less active neighbors (who we had just visited) participate in the lesson. This, to me, is an evidence of the reality of my call. Here we are, 20 year old strangers who really don't know much about life or the world, yet this woman felt the spirit confirm to her that we were trustworthy and that she could share the feelings and thoughts of her heart.

The last miracle of the night was with a former investigator. He is part of a part member, returning less active family that we have been counseled to focus on. We stopped in to check up on the family. We spent time discussing the principle of faith with the husband who believes he doesn't have faith. We defined faith as the desire to believe in something you can't see. He agreed that he has that desire, to which we testified that that means he does have faith. The next thing we knew he began to say, "You know why I don't want to get baptized?" and then he proceeded to explain all the reasons why he didn't want to be baptized. It was miraculous because he finally told us of his preoccupations, and we were able to focus on the foundation of his testimony-- God is our Heavenly Father, and how we can have faith in Him. 

As I mentioned earlier, stake conference was this weekend, and it was full of revelation for Sister Abram. I went to the temple on Friday with a question/concern for the Lord. While I sat in the temple, I did not receive any direct answer or inspiration, but I knew He was listening. I was content with that and I had the faith that He would answer me. Then while I sat at Stake conference, I received an explicitly direct answer to my question that was as though the Lord was standing right at that microphone answering me. It was an incredible tender mercy. 

As a final note, I would like to share something from the Saturday evening session of Stake Conference (which everyone must go to). One thought shared was a story from Pres Eyring: 

"When we render any service in the kingdom--be it teaching a … lesson or dry pack canning at Welfare Square--it will be of much less value to us if we only see it as a ‘To Do’ item. … But if we visualize ourselves laying on the altar to God our talents or our time commitment, such as in attending an inconvenient church meeting, then our sacrifice becomes personal and devotional to Him.”

A story shared by our beloved associate, Elder Henry B. Eyring, illustrates this principle of commitment still further. This story is about his father, the great scientist Henry Eyring, who served on the Bonneville Stake high council. He was responsible for the welfare farm, which included a field of onions that needed to be weeded. At that time, he was nearly 80 and suffering from painful bone cancer. He assigned himself to do weeding even though the pain was so great that he pulled himself along on his stomach with his elbows. The pain was too great for him to kneel. Yet he smiled, laughed, and talked happily with the others who were there that day weeding that field of onions. I now quote what Elder Eyring said of this incident:

   “After all the work was finished and the onions were all weeded, someone [said to] him, ‘Henry, good heavens! You didn’t pull those weeds, did you? Those weeds were sprayed two days ago, and they were going to die anyway.’

 “Dad just roared. He thought that was the funniest thing. He thought it was a great joke on himself. He had worked through the day in the wrong weeds. They had been sprayed and would have died anyway.

 “… I [asked] him, ‘Dad how could you make a joke out of that?’ …

   “He said something to me that I will never forget. … He said, ‘Hal, I wasn’t there for the weeds.’”

We accomplish great things by doing them for the Savior. As Thanksgiving approaches, I invite all of you to focus on the things you are asked to do in your individual lives and reflect on all that was done for you by our Savior Jesus Christ. 

¡Que pasen bien y espero que disfruten su día de acción de gracias! 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Abram 

Sent from my heart

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Life in Lainer

November 16, 2015

Buenas tardes a todos :)

This week has been so amazing. Being transferred was definitely the great fresh start I was looking for. I can say I am so happy, and everything just looks so bright and inviting. I got to finally start strong somewhere, and I'm starting running.

First of all, I love my companion Hna Ray. She is also from Colorado, and really, we are so different but we get along so well. She and I see eye to eye on many things and she is relatively new to the area as well, so we both have this white wash kind of fire inside of us. There are
things she has wanted to turn around and things I learned how to do that we are totally going to start rocking here. I'm really grateful for the time I was able to spend in Cumorah, because it taught me incredible things. Cumorah gave me the habits and the skills and the confidence I think I needed to come to Lanier and be the best Sister Abram for these people.

My first full day here, we were knocking on doors, and this woman named Maria opened. She gave us a funny look, but let us into her home. We began to talk with her and get to know her. The rest is a blur, but at some point, I felt inspired to ask her if she knew she was a daughter of God. Tears began to flow down her face and she poured her heart out to us. The most amazing part was being able to testify of the love Heavenly Father has for her, and truly feeling a connection with her. We have an appointment with her tonight, where we will teach her more about her Savior and His role in her life.

Honestly, the biggest thing to report is that I'm happy. Learning the language with your companion, not knowing the area or any of the people, and wanting to be able to work miracles really pushes you down to your knees so you can pray to find the guidance necessary. And somehow He always solves the things you can't seem to do on your own.

I have finally moved to the South! This was the Georgia I was expecting, the Georgia I didn't see while living in Roswell! There are so many trees, the sky is amazing, and everything is so beautiful. The Church members are shocked I speak Spanish and they cook really well :)

Love you all! Have a wonderful week, and don't forget to pray :)

  

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....Blog now resuming after a slight delay....

So, Hermana Abram has continued to faithfully write letters and notes each week. 
  
I, on the other hand, have not been as diligent in posting those to this blog.

So, over the next few days, you can expect to see lots of activity as I do my best to catch up on nearly six months of  her weekly writings.

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Writing to Hermana Abram

For any of you interested in writing to Hermana Abram, she would love you hear from you.  

The two best ways to reach here are:

Postal Service (new address):
1400 Mall of Georgia Blvd Apt #214
Burford, GA  30519

Email:  madeline.abram@myldsmail.net

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Adieu to Roswell

Hello everyone!

Guess what! My first transfer has arrived! I will be leaving the Cumorah branch and I am heading to the Lanier Branch in Buford! I am excited, sad, scared, and prayerful. My new companion will be Hna Ray. She is from Lakewood, CO! Cool, huh? I met her a while ago. She is not a native speaker, so that will be an adventure ;) Two gringas together! Apparently the Lanier branch has a lot of really great members and it's a very beautiful area. That was Hna Martinez's (my trainer) first area, and she loves it. I'm excited. Im scared too. It's my first big change since I went to the MTC! Please keep me in your prayers!

Last night, I was released as an Sister Training Leader and I pretty much cried all night. I loved that calling. I loved it because although it was extremely challenging, it brought me extremely close to my Savior. There were times when He was the only one I could turn to. We were single STLs, so my STL companion was not often near me. My dependence upon and appreciation for the Lord grew exponentially.

SO.... Jocelin Luna was baptized yesterday!! It was such a tender mercy to be there for her baptism. We had been praying so hard for a baptism and working as hard as we knew how. I have been working so hard with this family for the last 8 months. And yesterday I got to see them grow and take another step forward back into the church. I love them. I am so grateful I was able to stay another transfer. I have seen so many miracles and tender mercies. Even though it was THE hardest transfer of my mission, it brought the most conversion and blessings. I guess that's a lot how live is, isn't it?

(please forgive the ugly hair. It was a long day with a lot of rain) 
Another cool experience! I was on exchanges with Hna Wallis in Norcross this week! She lives with the Couch family, family friends of my parents. I got to stay in their house, but I also got to talk with them for a few minutes and we went out with their daughter to visit investigators that morning. It was amazing and so fun! I was so blessed to have them right here for so long :)

In Mission Leadership Council this week, someone mentioned something hat touched my heart. She had asked a General Authority, "Will I ever feel adequate?" He responded, "You will never feel adequate because you are always becoming." I loved that. It's okay to hunger for improvement and to desire to change. It's okay if we fall or fail. What counts is that we use the Savior's Atonement to repent and become better.

(Also I got to see my trainer again!!!) 
I'm so grateful for the many people I have met thus far on my mission. Truly, this week and this transfer I have seen incredible miracles. Sis Ayala and I finished strong this week, exceeding all our goals. When I heard I was leaving, I was able to truly tell myself that I have no regrets. Lessons learned! But no regrets. 

Hermana Abram 
Sent from my heart

 

(sisters preparation day this morning) 

(All the Spanish Hermanas in the Roswell Zone) 

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Lessons From Liberty Jail

¡Feliz día de los muertos!

This week has been really awesome and I'm not sure why :) blessings of
the mission!


Halloween was this week and we were supposed to be inside after 5pm,
so we decided to leave out a bowl of candy for the tick or treaters.
But! We were smart and left the candy taped to Mormon.org cards ;)
unfortunately, not many people came to knock on the door. SO LAME. but
we had a good laugh :)

We got to go to the branch Halloween party, which was fun, but we
couldn't stay for too long because my companion was sick all week. She
had strep throat, so Sis Abram will probably be sick as well this week
:)

I have gained a super strong testimony about Joseph Smith this week. I
have heard a lot of bad opinions because we sing a song called Praise
to the Man in his memory. And I used to be a little hesitant to talk
about it, but this week, I realized that we shouldn't be apologetic
for appreciating all he did. Honestly, he sacrificed so much and gave
so much. He suffered so much and he was constantly trying to do the
Lords will. I think we sometimes are overly apologetic as members of
the church when we face questions or oppositions. But truly, I
appreciate him so much.

I was reading a talk this week from Elder Holland called "Lessons from
Liberty Jail." He addresses all that we can learn from Joseph Smiths
prison experience. He explained, "you can have sacred, revelatory,
profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in any situation you
are in. Indeed, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly
instructive experiences with the Lord in the most miserable
experiences of your life....the real test of our faith and our
Christian discipleship is when things are not going smoothly. That is
when we get to see what we’re made of and how strong our commitment to
the gospel really is."

It is so true that we are tested during the most challenging points of
our life. And somehow, the Savior can carry us through it all and He
can and does support us through our trials. We are not alone, and we
will always be supported by the Lord as we follow Him and continue on
our path to discipleship.

I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week, and don't forget to pray! ;)

Love, Sister Abram

Sent from my heart

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Miracles in the GNAM

Dear friends and family,

This week has been full of a lot of really spectacular miracles! I've

learned a lot and been able to see the hand of the Lord abundantly in
my life. I'll share a few of them with you:

1. Sunday morning, we received a call from Hermano Morales, who told
us that the sacrament meeting speakers cancelled last mingute, and
because the missionaries never say no, they called us to speak! I was
so excited, you guys. I have had so much on my mind recently, and I
loved the chance to speak so I was able to express some spiritual
insights I had. The miracle was being able to give the talk. It was
amazing to see the extreme difference from the assignment to talk in
May, and the assignment to talk in October. Same branch, same
responsibilities, totally different Sister Abram. I was so calm, no
anxiety. Whereas in May, I had a huge meltdown and panicked at the
idea. This time I was able to speak for 20 min in Spanish, with no
problems, and with the spirit.

2. We have been working really hard with less active members recently.
Two in particular have been wonderful to work with. Both are married
couples. We challenged them both to enter the temple in the beginning
of 2016 so they could have an eternal family. Both accepted, and we
are helping them make necessary changes to come back to church.

3. While Sis Ayala and I were knocking doors one night, we were
complaining about how we never have miracles when we knock doors like
the other missionaries have. Then we knocked on one door, and the
woman, China, happily let us in. We taught her about Joseph Smith and
the church, and then she happily accepted us back for tonight! She
said that she was waiting to go upstairs right before we came by
because she felt like she needed to do something more. Then she told
us that we were the reason why she stayed.

4. Last Monday night, we visited an investigator that we felt like we
had lost. But to our surprise, we ended up talking to her about
baptism and she happily accepted a date to be baptized. It was
wonderful and truly miraculous.

Truly, I've learned this week that the Lord is always with us. Even
when we don't feel Him. Obviously we don't see Him, but that's what
faith is: believing that He is supporting us, even when we don't feel
His support.

Estoy sumamente agradecida por este evangelio! Sé que, de verdad,

bendice a las familias porque permite que las familias sean eternas--
algo que no tenga ninguna otra iglesia. Y aunque no sepa todo, tengo
la fe que algún día, todo tendrá sentido y estaré en los brazos de mi
Salvador y de mi Padre. Tengo la fe que nuestro Señor siempre nos
apoya y siempre está pendiente de nosotros.

Con amor,
Hermana Abram

Sent from my heart

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Feliz lunes!!

This week has been full of tender mercies and miracles. I wish I could share all of them, but some are too personal, and there are so many that I will definitely forget to share all of them.  The biggest one was about our baptism. We have struggled a lot to have a baptism recently, and  someone finally committed to be baptized on November 7th. We were unbelievably excited. And then a few days later, when we asked her why she wanted to be baptized, she told us that she had actually changed her mind. And then we were heartbroken. 

So... The miracle is that a few days later, we stopped by the Luna's. Many of
you will remember that the Luna's are a very special family to me. I
have been working very hard with them. The last month, Hermana Luna
has made such a wonderful effort to set the example for daughters and
attend church every week. Now Jocelin,one of the daughters, will be
baptized on November 7th :)

This Sunday, we had 15 Less Active members at church. Three families
that we have been working with for so long. The Hernandez family, the
Luna family, and the Reyes family. Each of them have such a special
place in my heart. And I got to watch them all return to the House of
God for the day and remember Him and be comforted.

To be honest, when I was told that I would not be transferred from this area, I was extremely upset. I have been in this area for 8 months, and it becomes very challenging to continue forward without many changes. but on Sunday, I was humbled as I realized that Heavenly
Father simply wants to bless me. He blessed me to see these families begin to return to activity and compare it to when I first got here. Truly, all the time and stress and prayers and fasting and work were absolutely worth it. And in the end, staying here for (at least) 6transfers, hasn't been a sacrifice at all, but a beautiful blessing.

Another tender mercy is regarding exchanges. The Lord knows us, everyone! I am constantly in awe as I realize that every time I go on an exchange with a sister, she is facing a problem that I have

recently gone through. She is facing something challenging and needs a friend. And I can be that friend for her because I have been there before. I can testify of the Savior to her and together we can face the challenge. This gives meaning to my trials and challenges.

I realized this week that serving the Lord with your whole heart,might, mind, and strength includes letting go of results. We need to serve "with no thought of reward." This means that if you spend all day trying to share the gospel, and no one hears you, it does not mean that you failed. You don't think about that. You don't think about the results. You think about the Savior, and you have so much joy because you know He is your companion in this work. You have joy because you focus on His sacrifice and His love. And then the results don't really matter.

Love,
Hermana Abram


Sent from my heart

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This Week in the GNAM

Hello all!


It seems like this week was very successful! We were immensely blessed with a member referral and we began teaching the whole family. We taught them The Restoration and invited them to baptism, which the mother and children accepted. But it was amazing to see that after months of praying and working to teach a family, Heavenly Father
finally put one in our path.

On Monday we were practicing how to give church tours. As we were finishing up, we saw a woman standing outside, so we opened the door for her. It turns out that she was not a member and was looking for the a Family History Center. We gladly showed her the FHC and then we offered to give her a tour of the church!  Not only were we able to practice, but she really enjoyed it. She truly did not know that we believed in Jesus Christ, and she told us things like, "Now, you all have changed some of your beliefs because I don't think you believed in Jesus Christ fifty years ago." It was a huge blessing because she seemed much more open to the Church and the Gospel, and she was very appreciative to understand more of who we are.

On Saturday, we began trying to work in Marietta. There hasn't been a lot of work down there, so we are starting from scratch! We caught a ride down there from other missionaries and we had no car! It was actually really not productive for us because we only encountered Brazilians. But Sis Ayala and I were walking around pretending to speak Portuguese. Turns out the only thing we know how to say is "Temos uma mensagem sobre Jesus Cristo para compartiliar com voces" and I think all of that is actually wrong. Everyone said yes to a return appointment, it was wonderful! But at one point we asked the Portuguese Elders to come show us where a referral was. When they did, they ended up finding and teaching a family on the way back to their car. So it was really cool to see how the Lord helped people find the gospel through us!

Love you all so much :) The gospel is true and being a missionary is the best.

Sister Abram

Sent from my heart

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Always remember Him, that they might have His spirit to be with them

Buenas tardes mi gente!

Life in the GANM is going well. There are so many people here to talk to and so much to do! We spent the majority of the week informing the world about the upcoming general conference where we would hear from the Prophet! It was so fun to testify about the Lord and His mouthpiece.

I learned a lot from General Conference, and I had my questions answered, which was wonderful. I think the biggest thing I learned was about the spirit-- I've been struggling to really feel the spirit, especially in challenging times. 

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we are promised that as we keep our promises, attend church, and partake of the sacrament (bread and water) each week, we will have the company of the Holy Ghost. And included in the prayer for the sacrament is the reminder that we must do our part to remember Him.

Ive always thought of this in regards to worship, but as I listened to the prophet and apostles of the Lord, it was confirmed to me that in times of trial and challenge, difficulty and fear, we need only remember our Savior and focus our minds on Him. By doing so, we will be filled with an indescribable joy that cannot be felt from any other source. 

It was also confirmed to me that as we attend church regularly and keep the Sabbath day holy, we can and will be forgiven of our sins. 

Missionary work is the best! Whenever you face a trial, think of the Savior, and you will find peace and healing every time :) 

I love you all so much! Thank your for your great examples and your support. 

Funny story: this week we were coming home from Mission Leadership Council and the elders were trying to race us. We took a left hand turn and a police car flipped on its lights and drove behind us as we kept driving. Finally I pulled over, and he kept going. SO the funny part about all this is that the elders thought we got pulled over. So we totally rolled with it and ended up convincing them that I had been pulled over, given a ticket, and taken away. Long story short, we ended up beating them to the church and had a good laugh.

Con amor, 

Hermana Abram 

P.s. We adopted a piñata named Esteban Julio Ricardo Sibanakoliso Jo Shaqueeta. You can see him from pictures sent earlier. 

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Quotes from General Conference - Women's Broadcast

“There is enough that doesn’t go right in life, so anyone can work themselves into a puddle of pessimism and a mess of melancholy. But I know people who, even when things don’t work out, focus on the wonders and miracles of life. …

“… God didn’t design us to be sad. He created us to have joy! So if we trust Him, He will help us to notice the good, bright, hopeful things of life. And sure enough, the world will become brighter. No, it doesn’t happen instantly, but honestly, how many good things do? …

“… Now is part of eternity. It doesn’t only begin after we die! Faith and hope will open your eyes to the happiness that is placed before you now. …

“… Everything … in the gospel—all the shoulds and the musts and the thou shalts—lead to love. When we love God, we want to serve Him. We want to be like Him. When we love our neighbors, we stop thinking so much about our own problems and help others to solve theirs.” …

As you walk along your own bright path of discipleship, I pray that faith will fortify every footstep along your way; that hope will open your eyes to the glories Heavenly Father has in store for you; and that love for God and all His children will fill your hearts.

Sent from my heart

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I Am the Gardner

Hello friends and family :) Happy Monday.

I don't have much to write this week except share a story with all of you. In the General Women's Meeting of General Conference this weekend, President Uchtdorf shared a story with all of us, and asked us to apply it personally so that the Spirit could tell us what it's meaning and application was for us. Here's the story I've picked for this week:

I was living up in Canada. I had purchased a farm. It was run-down. I went out one morning and saw a currant bush. It had grown up over six feet (two meters) high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no currants. I was raised on a fruit farm in Salt Lake before we went to Canada, and I knew what ought to happen to that currant bush. So I got some pruning shears and clipped it back until there was nothing left but stumps. It was just coming daylight, and I thought I saw on top of each of these little stumps what appeared to be a tear, and I thought the currant bush was crying. I was kind of simpleminded (and I haven’t entirely gotten over it), and I looked at it and smiled and said, “What are you crying about?” You know, I thought I heard that currant bush say this:

“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me because I didn’t make what I should have made. How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”

That’s what I thought I heard the currant bush say, and I thought it so much that I answered. I said, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.’”

Years passed, and I found myself in England. I was in command of a cavalry unit in the Canadian army. I held the rank of field officer in the British Canadian army. I was proud of my position. And there was an opportunity for me to become a general. I had taken all the examinations. I had the seniority. The one man between me and the office of general in the British army became a casualty, and I received a telegram from London. It said: “Be in my office tomorrow morning at 10:00,” signed by General Turner.

I went up to London. I walked smartly into the office of the general, and I saluted him smartly, and he gave me the same kind of a salute a senior officer usually gives—a sort of “Get out of the way, worm!” He said, “Sit down, Brown.” Then he said, “I’m sorry I cannot make the appointment. You are entitled to it. You have passed all the examinations. You have the seniority. You’ve been a good officer, but I can’t make the appointment. You are to return to Canada and become a training officer and a transport officer.” That for which I had been hoping and praying for 10 years suddenly slipped out of my fingers.

Then he went into the other room to answer the telephone, and on his desk, I saw my personal history sheet. Right across the bottom of it was written, “THIS MAN IS A MORMON.” We were not very well liked in those days. When I saw that, I knew why I had not been appointed. He came back and said, “That’s all, Brown.” I saluted him again, but not quite as smartly, and went out.

I got on the train and started back to my town, 120 miles (190 kilometers) away, with a broken heart, with bitterness in my soul. And every click of the wheels on the rails seemed to say, “You are a failure.” When I got to my tent, I was so bitter that I threw my cap on the cot. I clenched my fists, and I shook them at heaven. I said, “How could you do this to me, God? I have done everything I could do to measure up. There is nothing that I could have done—that I should have done—that I haven’t done. How could you do this to me?” I was as bitter as gall.

And then I heard a voice, and I recognized the tone of this voice. It was my own voice, and the voice said, “I am the gardener here. I know what I want you to do.” The bitterness went out of my soul, and I fell on my knees by the cot to ask forgiveness for my ungratefulness and my bitterness. While kneeling there I heard a song being sung in an adjoining tent. A number of Mormon boys met regularly every Tuesday night. I usually met with them. We would sit on the floor and have Mutual. As I was kneeling there, praying for forgiveness, I heard their singing:

But if, by a still, small voice he calls

To paths that I do not know,

I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine:

I’ll go where you want me to go.

To be honest, my mission has been extremely difficult for various reasons that I never expected, and I think that's true with each of our lives, as well. But I know He is the Gardner. I know that as we go where He wants us to go, we will be who He wants us to be. And it will be so much father than we ever could have gone and so much better than we could have been on our own. 

1 Nephi 11:17 And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.

Love you all, 

Sister Abram ❤️

(I grabbed the wrong tag this day and didn't realize it till that night. Oops!) 

Sent from my heart

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