Smile

Dear Friends,

Wow this week has been absolutely amazing, scary, sad, happy, spirit led- I LOVE MY MISSION! I have so much to say so hopefully i can type this all fast enough and with enough detail you will understand.
Just one hour ago I was able to attend Messiah in America and it pretty much changed my life. I miss music so much sometimes, performing, being on stage and feeling the adrenaline but its ok I get a little serving of that as a missionary ha! This Musical production is focused on 3 Nephi when Jesus Christ comes and visits the Americas. Music helps me feel and understand things that words just cant and I can testify without a doubt in my mind that Jesus Christ really did come to the Americas. During the entire show i felt waves of chills brush over my body the spirit was so strong and I'm so grateful for the restored gospel and that this musical could even be written. God hears our plea and he knows that I needed that moment, I literally heard in my mind and heart, Jenna this is what you were born to do. And I know I am suppose to testify of Jesus Christ through music and through my voice.

Smile, you can change a life.
So last Saturday Sister Abyeta and I were in WalMart getting some things and as she was getting something up the aisle I was looking at this young lady and I just gave her a big smile. Well I didn't think much of it and I turned around and walked away then i heard, " Hey Sister Missionary come here." So I turned around and smiled and walked back to her and she says, " thank you for smiling at me, no one has ever smiled like that at me before." She went on to say that she had seen so many missionaries and none had glowed with such sincerity as I had. Well i found out that she had heard about the church kinda grew up in it but not a devout member by any means. We passed by here about 3 more times ha and I just kept saying oh I'm stalking you know ha hello again. Then she stopped me and say hey what was your name again? Sister Mettra :)... She reached in her purse and pulled out a piece of paper and said, I would never do this or talk to a missionary, but you smiled and I felt something and I like you. I don't know much about the church and I'm very inactive but will you give me a call? You will do amazing things in this world I hope you know that. I never thought how much a smile could really change a life. She kept telling my presence was just inviting I was so humbled that God had given me the gift of love and now I will get to help this women come back to him.

I'm the Creator...
Well in West gate we get pretty much anything and everything so seriously welcome to the craziest part of the square. And of course I'm in it ha and running it! So Monday morning Sister Abeyta and I are just peacefully sitting inside west gate and we are singing some hymns and studying and in walks this guy. Well I opened my window and said Good Morning how can i help you?...And he quickly cut me off and said DONT CALL SECURITY ... hmm thats comforting.. and he said I was kicked out of here 3 times this week and you better not let this be the 4rth. Cause if you call security I'll break my covenants.... Well I put my hand under the desk and reached for the panic pull and he goes DONT YOU TOUCH THAT... Then he goes look into my eyes, I'm the Creator. And begged us to give him our first names and layed on the floor and said PREACH TO ME and was making some really strange sounds. Then I said are you claiming to be Jesus cause that's blasphemous you should probably not do that haha. I thought it was funny but he didn't, then he grabbed both of our hands and wanted to feel our spirit.... Lets just say it was fricken creepy but I was totally calm I knew I was protected. My comp was freaking out but I was just like well have a good day see ya later... Security later told us he was arrested and was very dangerous.. Ha fun times in west gate!

The Gospel Reaches Barbados!
That's right my friends we have a new investigator well actually 2 in Barbados and why is that? Well cause the spirit led me to find them! After that crazy moment we had sometime on the square and we were walking and I had that strongest impression to talk to these two black guys aka my favorite! Well we started talking and decided to take them into the Tabernacle and they loved it, then over to the temple view and they were amazed by the messages about the temple. We were so spirit led on this tour it was insane. Then at the Christus everything set in and as we look these men in the eyes and testified of Jesus Christ I started to feel overwhelmed and began to pause not say anything at all. We moved to some chairs by the old testament gallery and there had a moment that testified to me that there is power in pausing. Sister Abyeta was talking to Carlton and I talked to Jerome and I gave him the Book of Mormon and told him to just read the first paragraph of the Introduction. He went silent and read not only the first paragraph but the second and then the whole page and then the next. I promised him that through these pages he would find a greater understand of the Savior. He said you have a special spirit please call me and send me this book. He is a devout catholic but he felt it when he held that precious book in his hands.

Everlasting Gospel...
Alex is a very inactive member and we met him on chat and he said we could call him for potentials. But in all seriousness he is the one that needs the gospel right now. I started talking to him and I don't know I had this moment where I could feel the love God had for him. He is in the Military right now and doesn't even know why he is there. I could sense the urgency in this young mans heart, he needed his father back. He hasn't been going to church and I told him, " Alex the things in this life are gone in a moment, but the gospel is everlasting, its forever." I invited him to start praying and reading to find God. Well I called two days later and he said he has a hard time expressing how he feels. And I said Alex, what helps you feel? Music makes me feel, nature, good friends. All of these things help me feel Alex. He said I guess Jenna I've never really felt the spirit before and I don't know what will help me feel. I was prompted that he was looking back and told him that the miracles he is searching for are right in front of him. Many other things were said in this talk but there was a moment that I will literally never forget. I bore my testimony of the power of prayer and then was overwhelmingly prompted to pray over the phone with Alex. He said I don't know Jenna I've prayed my whole life for a moment where I am completely taken by the spirit, Jenna where I can feel his love. I knelt down on my knees and the spirit poured out words I couldn't even think of. They were so beautifully worded that I myself couldn't believe what i was saying. I was on the Verge of tears cause I know that God was speaking through me to him. I ended the prayer we said amen and I just sat there in silence. Tears started streaming down my face and he just said all I can say is thank you.... I'm feeling a lot more then I'm sayin. I said Alex, God wants you back, he is so proud of you. Silence again I could barely speak, " Alex remember how you just asked for that spiritual witness? I don't know you hundreds of miles away and I felt it, God loves you so much." " Wow, yeah I can feel it your right." I walked home that night in complete reverence for the blessings of personal revelation and prayer. Never underestimate the power of a humble prayer.

Lovin the South
Oh my heart I'm so grateful for the southern people. I'm so drawn to them I want to be their best friends ESPECIALLY TEXAS! So this little southern couple walks in and I'm like ok they are for sure from the south I'm going to need to talk to them. Well to my great surprise they were from Texas and I fell in love with them. By the end of the conversation the women was like, you know what hunny I think I might just love you. They were VERY baptist but I used my smile and some jokes to help me pry them open ha. They said they did feel something here and I said yeah that's the spirit you know that. I taught them quickly of the apostasy... and they thought that was interesting never thought of it. Well I gave them the reff card and they are like hunny we aren't going to be filling that out we are baptist. And I said well just take it around and come say bye before you leave I'll sing a little somethin for ya! Well they came back and hour later with huge smiles and gave me they card and said, Hunny there is somethin about you. ( The card was filled out and checked the box for the Book of Mormon) I sang amazing grace for them we took some pictures and they wanted me to come stay with them in Texas ha. Joyce the women said, I Love you I will never forget you angel you are so cute. God Bless you my love you are an amazing girl. TENDER MERCY and I just love them!!!

Through others our needs are met...
We met this lady Alice and her sister and brother in law were members but she wasn't. The entire tour I really felt like she didn't care what we had to say but it wasn't until the end. The spirit blurted out now we will watch a clip from the Modern day Prophet today, Thomas s Monson. I had her sister pick which one and at random ( but not really) chose the perfect one. Little did we know Alice was a single mom and was leaving and running away from her abusive husband. The clip was all about the role of a mother. That room was filled with the spirit and Sister Abeyta bore the most beautiful testimony cause she can relate and I bore mine. All of us were crying because of what abuse had done to the daughters of God in that room. When she started that tour she wasn't even claiming to be interested really. But at the end she filled out the card and it read, soon to be baptized LDS, Thank you stay in touch.

Well my loves that's all for now, looks like miracles are happening every moment. God Bless all of you. I love being a missionary my heart is so full of gratitude for the moments I've had this week.

Love Sister Mettra