OH MY GOSH...GUESS WHAT!?!

this week we got to go to an ISLAND! it was SO awesome! our whole zone went together to preach the gospel to the people that live there because there aren´t missionaries there! so we got to take a boat out to this island called corral. it´s really beautiful there! and the people there are REALLY prepared to receive the gospel. i hope they put missionaries over there soon!

OH MY GOSH GUESS WHAT!? this morning i got to call hermana aquino in la union to see how she is doing and see how things are! and she told me that Hugo is getting the melchizedek priesthood this weekend! i almost starting crying...and then she told me that one of the investigators we found together got baptized and now she´s working on her family history and her parents are going to get baptized!! so then i really did start crying! how awesome right!? la union is so special! i love it with all my heart!

i love that syd has been studying her scriptures everyday since EFY. this week i´ve been studying a lot about the gathering of israel. and i read something that said without the book of mormon, there would be no gathering. its so true! i never thought about that. our investigators can´t just pray and come to church...they have to read the book of mormon to gain a testimony of it all...and like syd said, become truly converted to the gospel. the book of mormon is the key stone of our religion! without it we have nothing. i love the book of mornon so much! when we were in corral, we´d read a verse to the people when we would knock doors and we testified like crazy of the book of mormon. the whole day people were asking where they could buy a copy and how much the book costs. how lucky we are to have such an amazing book in our homes and in our lives to read everyday! in d&c it says we should treasure up in our minds continually the words of life. elder bendar said treasuring up means more than just reading. it means "focusing, working, exploring, pondering, praying, applying, and learning, valuing, appreciating, enjoying, and relishing." i love this quote that grandma steele put inside my scriptures when she gave them to me:   

"what i mean by reading is not skimming, not being able to say as the world saith, "oh yes i´ve read that," but reading again and again, in all sorts of moods, with an increase of delight every time, till the thing read has become a part of your system and goes forth along with you to meet any new experience you may have." -C.E. Montague

the book of mormon testifies of chirst on every page...so when we read it, we learn of Him. we learn what He is like and how we can become more like Him. that´s why i love the book of mormon!

anyways, i hope you all have a great week! i love you all SO MUCH! thanks for everything!

con amor, hermana steele