October 17, 2011
Wow, the weeks seem to just be flying by! We've been teaching this cool woman from Guatemala, Marina. We haven't been teaching much in Spanish here so I can definitely see that I am forgetting it as I've been trying to teach Marina...it's SOOOOO sad! :( But I'm so happy that we've been finding more hispanics to teach so that I can get it back!
I've talked about a less active, Stacy, in the past. (She's the one who was drinking to numb the pain) We got in contact with her again and she's so super busy we were having a hard time coming up with a time we could come visit her until I was blessed with the amazing idea to make her dinner. So we did, we made her tacos and she's on her way to the right path again. She was telling us about her friend that was really religious and really happy and she just wanted to be really happy like that. Then wham, it hit me, The Tree of Life. The fruit "was desirable to make one chappy...., most sweet, above all...and white, to exceed all the bwhiteness....And the fruit thereof it filled [Lehi's] soul with exceedingly great ajoy." 1 Nephi 8: 10-11. The fruit is what she's after in order to obtain that happiness.  Later on in the lesson Sister Hancock was telling Stacy how she didn't want to go on a mission and was resisting what God wanted for her and Stacy was like "Whoa whoa whoa, I just had an epiphany! I've been resisting what God wants me to do because you girls keep coming over here wanting me to come to church but I just keep thinking, no not yet, I'm not ready. But I need to do what God wants me to do. Whoa" It was a definate break through. :)
We drove up to Cedar Falls  (2 1/2 hour drive) to do exchanges with the Sisters up there. I had a lot of fun I really like the sisters up there, Sisters Whitaker and Cuny. On Friday night I was walking around the college campus with Sister Whitaker talking to people and there was nobody and Sister Whitaker almost started quoting Little Mermaid on accident "I want to be where the people are..." We were also talking about finding joy in the work. An Elder said in a meeting, "If you're not having fun doing missionary work then you're doing it wrong." I liked that so much. Since I know that all of you reading this are not full time missionaries you could apply it to yourselves by saying: If I'm not having fun in life then I'm doing it wrong.
I must go, love you!

Hermana Jilyn Hepworth
8515 Douglas Avenue #19
Urbandale, Iowa, 50322