Ward Party & Exchanges :)

 Hellooo friends and family! This week was so fun and I can't wait to share some of it with you!

Saturday night we had a super fun ward party!! It was to celebrate all the cultures so everyone brought different food from where they were from and it was SO good! Except at the end I tried some rice that had chili peppers in it and wowww my mouth has never burned so bad haha. We had two awesome progressing friends come, Roberto and Carlomanuel. There were also a bunch of dancers from the nearby high school mexican dancing group who came and performed, so all their families came to watch and the church gym was nice and packed!

Hermana Silva made some brazilian fudge for the ward party which was so good AND she made me brazilian black beans this last week so let's just say I've been fed well.

On Sunday, Fidelina and Angelina were confirmed members of the Church and recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost! I'm so happy for them. Talking about the blessings of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost so often has really put into perspective what a HUGE blessing it is to have the Spirit ALWAYS with us! The Spirit can guide us in every moment if we're putting ourselves in a place to recieve. I definitely don't think I could fully understand the magnitude and power of baptism and the Holy Ghost as an 8-year-old, and I don't think any of us can completely understand it in this life, but getting to share this blessing with others has helped open my eyes to its importance!

Monday we met our new district! They mixed the english and spanish-speakers, which they don't normally do, but I'm excited for this transfer and to get know them all more!!

I had an exchange yesterday with a brand new Hermana! Her name's Hermana Nelson and she literally just got here this last Friday. I was so nervous to lead out area with her because I wanted to help give her a good first impression of the mission but I still don't always feel like I know what I'm doing half the time. It ended up being a great day overall, a couple ups and downs with figuring out getting to lessons on-time with our bikes, but it all worked out and Heavenly Father's hand was definitely involved!

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

This week I want to share a quote I read from the talk "Fear Not, Believe Only!" by Elder Holland.

"Yes, we might sometimes want to run away from where we are, but we certainly should never run away from who we are - children of the living God who loves us, who is always ready to forgive us, and who will never, ever forsake us."

Life isn't always going to be easy, but our Heavenly Father is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He wants us to remember that our identity as children of God NEVER changes, and He'll be there for us through both the high and low points in our lives.

My challenge for you all this week is to pray and ask God how He feels about YOU. I promise you you'll be blessed to feel His love, especially as you focus on recognizing day-to-day blessings.

I love you all & have the best week!

Hermana DeMordaunt

PICTURES:

-ice cream to celebrate my 3 months!! (this ice cream was wayy too expensive for its size but good memory so it's okay I guess haha)

-the 4 hermanas of our zone!

-group picture with cornelio, a pretty new member who just recieved his mission call to salt lake city!

-our new-member friend Santi got the priesthood!

-cute jackie and me!

-dinner at the ward party

-comp pic in the library study-room :)