We choose to believe

Familia!!

Wow wow wow! I dont even know! here it goes. basically now well I'll start with the analogy. I've come up with. Everybody starts with a wall in front of them. For sisters its 18 months away and elders its 2 years, but you just get to hit the ground running straight towards this wall! I remember Tressa said she was an emotional wreck her last couple months.  I havent really cried much? This week one night I got really sad and didnt want to be an rm, but you know what! Sunday I went to church seeking some help and revelation, and I just came out and decided to hit the wall full force! I told Soeur winter its like this, you and I are both running full force at this wall, but when I smack into the wall and get a concussion or whatever ill just still be screaming go Soeur winter! keep going! you can do it! Then ill be on the other side of the wall and have to figure out how to be an rm and whatever but ill just deal with that when it comes! haha and plus im going to Hawaii!! so fun!!

So, this week, monday we got invited to this family home evening for the chez batty, at the batty home and basically what I've done lately is go into a home and say a little pray in my heart for what I can do or share to best help the family, why its taken me this long to figure out? i dont know. but im doing it now!! haha so soeur Batty left for a sec and Frer batty was about to start and we were like 'no well wait for your wife!!' She comes to church all the time. He starts sharing the thought when she gets home then speur winter and Iwere just like 'lets talk about covenants' and kinda switch the topic and all of a sudden soeur batty is says "I wanna go to the temple! but she cant because shes not baptized yet but shes been going for about 4 years to church! because she smokes! so we're like, Soeur batty! lets get you to stop smoking! and Frere batty knew i was leaving in 3 weeks, I guess some missionaries told him and its a great perishable opportunity! so we were like soeur batty! get baptized the 8th before i leave! and so shes working on it! so we went over almost every night that week and shes progressing alot! We're weaning her off them, and plus shes run out of money to buy them! Frere batty is just like 'you 2 sisters are miracles because other missionaries have tried and she has never progresed this much!' WE CHOOSE TO BELIEVE!! we gave her a talk about choosing to believe and she just needs a little sister love this girl does! :) so thats a fun miracle for the end of my mission!!

Also of course you have dreams and revelations over at the victor househould!!! so Fernando had a dream about his baptism on the 8th of august, so hes pumped! and then Jaline the wife had a dream that i came and told samuel, the husband to get baptized and so hes like super serious about his baptsm!! hes getting married first! Hes just waiting for his parents visas to get cleared so were praying for that! but last week we taught him the sabbath day and that is super cool because he is super serious about keeping the sabbath day holy. He's like looking for a new work and MAN!! their house has just CHANGED i tell you! the spirit is in their house! the kids used to always be like crying and the parents used to kinda ignore us but now the whole family just prays and sings together and just helps each other out! man that is a super cool transformation that i have seen! I LOVE THIS WORK! this gospel is for families! I'm so happy theyre getting married!! I'm so happy that I can strengthen families :) Soeur Winter is the best.

Well lots of work to do here! seriously! this is the best work ever! words getting out that I'm leaving and were getting fed a lot a lot :) life is good and fun! I love you all!

Peace I leave unto you, said Jesus

Soeur Tenney

Fernando is getting baptized!

Family!!

Oh my gosh words cannot even describe this week. Papa, last week you were said 'i think you will see the fruits of your labor here pretty soon' well let me tell you some fruits of my labors from this week!!!!! BEST FRUITS OF EVER!! aka families!!! this gospel is a gospel for families!! and the Lord blesses us when we focus on that!

so Fernando :) sunday night we go over and we set a baptismal date with him for the 8th! the last satuday before i leave! and unfortunately back when sister Vance left, somehow it slipped out that I was leaving in august to this family, which was not good!! haha anyways so i set that date and everytime we go by they're like 'when are you leaving!' but I try to avoid the question everytime. Its no matter people! anyways! so we set the date and Jalene the mom was there and she mostly speaks creole, but can read french! She doesnt always understand everything because we've talked about priesthood and being baptized with her family like 50 times, but Samuel the dad understands, and he's like 'ya we'll get there'!

That was sunday! yay!!! Fernando is getting baptized!!! so we started focusing on them more because this month the dad doesn't work and hes been coming to church on his scooter and LOVES IT!! so we went over thursday i think, maybe friday! ya it was friday and they were all there! and he just started the Book of mormon from start (he used to just read randomly) and he red 2 ne 2:20 which talks about commandments and so we werent planning on it but we started talking about commandments!! like word of wisdom, then i leaned to soeur winter and i was said what about chastity; they are not married. So we start talking and teaching chastity and he says, ok i understand adultery. I dont do that but the other thing, I'm not married so were making the necesaary changes. 'uuuuhhhhhh ok could you please tell me these necessary changes??' and he says, well were gonna get married. WHAT!!! i could not believe my ears!  so i said that 'what!! do you have a date!!' so i tried to invite them to get married the 8th as well so i could be there for it!! but hes waiting for a friend in haitit to come because you know hes already planned it out and his family (6 kids ) to GO to haiti so hes doing it here! WHAT!!!! so i just cried and was so happy and he says in about a month or 2 he'll be married and he said 'man if i was married id be getting baptized so fast!!' hahahaha what!! hes so cool! you have no idea mom and dad that was like the only moment really on my mission where i was just thinking  MAN I WISH I COULD CALL  MY PARENTS AND EVERYONE BECAUSE MY FRIEND AND FAMILY IS GETTING MARRIED!!!! literally repentance is so beautifull!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so theyre getting married!! and i cried. i was so happy! maybe i could come back for the wedding or sealing later when that happens but look at these fruits and success!! seriously its because we shifted our focus to families!! After i turned to Jalene, the mother and i was just like 'how do you feel right now,' and she said 'I feel so good because I  didn't like living with that sin' OH MY GOSH! repentance is so beautiful!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAY!!!! so another weddings i get to miss :) alors, theyre getting married!

We.. the rest of the week went like this, Jalene came to church for the first time with a member and cried :) it was so beautiful! in relief society we talked about marriage and family and im really not sure how much she understood but after she said' give this to Samule so that he can get us married!!!' seriously! my friends are getting married!!!!! ahhh!!!!! but samuel was supposed to come on his scooter but for some reason didnt? so after church sunday we went over and taught SABBATH DAY!!!! he had had quesitons about why it was not saturday but we answered those and he said 'alright, i need to pray for a new job because the job i have makes me work sunday' and then he was like 'also, id like to pray for a permit so i could take my whole family to church every sunday with me' FAMILY WITH A CAR!!! soon :) man. literally. look at his faith and desire to serve the Lord. I am so happy.

So that was very full full fun week for Soeur Tenney :) they figured out im leaving after the 8th so they're stoked for the baptism and all things!! im so happy too! 

I love them. they are so important to me! marriage is so important to me and family! their family is so beautiful! i will get a pic with them this week :) but so.... 

another thing! every morning we wake up and go work out and at our neighbors tree theres like 50 monkeys that steal the mangos.. like is that even real????? also a lot of soccer in the rain this week again :) i love Guyane!

One other success! a family weve been teaching we went by and the kids liked the scripture '1 nephi 1:12' which says he read and felt the spirit. So I started teaching about that and soeur Winter said i got her on the nemo stream like president Mehr does!! yes!I'm teaching like him! on the nemo stream! a super big success for me.

Its not about lessons, its about people and thats all i really care about these next couple weeks. Church is so awesome because i just sit there and see the saints gather and look at them and think of how i can help them. I love serving here because theres just not that many members and they all are so faithful. We can help them so much and I love being a missionary! life is so good! families are the best!

love you all  *Soeur Tenney

The spirit is just like a turning ball within me...

 Family!

I want to read a quote from my journal to you! because you asked momma

'The spirit is just like a turning ball within me. I never feel like it's not there. Well, sometimes I do and I fix it. MAN! I love it so much. How does the Spirit get in there? And to so many people at one time? Questions I'd ask Jeffrey R Hollande. I love him. Call me please? :) or Pres Mehr'

So could you please pass this journal entry to Elder Holland? or Presdeitn mehr! haha ABBY EYRE!! please? no im just kidding but i studied those questions this week and i found some good stuff! Literally there spirit is there for anyone who will seek it! Everything we do can become a spiritual experience! This morning, i was in the shower after having won a soccer game members vs missionaries but i got to join the members team :) but i was in the shower and I just really would have rather NOT and been studying or something.. the urgency is so real! but then I realized, 'i must shower so that i can be clean so that i can feel the spirit!' wow! ok well that was a petit little spiritual experience but this week there was so many!!

Another! Soeur aimee works with us every friday and Soeur winter decided to stop this car (because we only talk to people with cars) and we talk to him and Aimee is so close to the spirit and she says 'he sad' so i ask 'are you sad!' and he said ya! His wife just told him to leave and he is just super lost! So that night he came and played volleyball with us and came to church! wow! way to follow the spirit aimee! and me! and soeur winter! 

This week i also had a really cool experience where the Lord spoke to me very personally. and he helped me help an investigator! oh ya and president Herrington came! and boy is it different! love him! haha but what a change! but he was super cool! one thing he said is be the missionary that your investigators can't sleep at night because of what you shared with them!/

The week was great. It ended with a great dicsussion with Elena who got baptized last week and is already almost 200 pages into Jesus the Christ because she wanted another book to read and she LOVES it!!! she said 'its weird to be closer to you 2 than my own 2 daughters' she is an amazing woman and convert! she wants to send one of her daughters to america next summer. any member out there want to keep her? my family maybe?? shes so cute! her name is Josepha!!

So yes, missoinary work is a way of life; it is SO FUN!! today i officially have one month left! what!! its crazy! i remember tressa said she just cried a ton at the end but guyane literally is just like a magical land i dont even know how to descirbe it! its like im just floating through life in a spirit cloud! again with the analogies... sorry:!! haha so ya reginal and venante are doing great! reginale is having a hard time commiting!!! why didnt you come to church?? but they love us so much and are well on their way to conversion!! i love it and them!! 

Well i love life! im really busy! going hard to the end! cant wait to see you all and read all these blog things I"ve done??

follow the spirit!

I realize i talked about how the spirit is always with me. I"ll describe maybe how and why i feel that. Because one I am obedient. Every little rule i follow helps the spirit get there super fast. One because i have the gift of tongues and can effectively commmunicate with people and help them feel the spirit. I"m just like a vessel for the Lord to help His children feel his love. and 2 i study the scriptures!!!!! the scriptures are FLOODGATES to the spirit and revelation! and I study the words of the living prophets! So mommy hopefully that answers your questions! the spirit is so wodnerful! seek it! live it! love it! obey it! and the commandments 

Love,

Soeur Tenney 

Beautiful baptism of Elena

hey family!!!

so this week was amazing!! actually a lot happened this week! haha let me tell ya!

About a week or 2 ago 2 missionaries left and we didn't get replacements so now theres only 6, and this week it got a little to me, and i really felt the pressure! but no matter! oh my gosh also, fun facts really fast actually scary facts for people like my mom, I BURNED MY HANDS THIS WEEK!! ok well we got sunburnt thursday and then i drive the car and the tips of my fingers got like second degree burns! on 3 fingers!! its so gross!! hahahah i tell people that snakes bit me or that theres bugs in my skin. or that im turning into a lizard. haha or last night we saw a SLOTH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!! funniest experience ever!! haha so anyways this morning i told people the sloth grabbed my fingers and made them all deformed.. i hope i dont have scars! moral of the story i need to take care of my body more. I'm going to the pharmacy today, but a really nice lady in the ward bought me some cream and i put it on at night. But man being sunburnt WIPED ME OUT!! i was exhausted from it!! hahaha

Anyways in more fun news! so I havent told you about this beautiful family that loves soeur winter and I :) its Reginale and Venante! So Reginale was of course a right before 9 oclock miracle when we were about to go home, but Soeur winter and I just kinda walked down the street and a scooter drove up and, we flagged it down and it was reginale!! he was stoked!! he gave us his number. We came over and taught him and hes got 3 kids! The first time we came the wife prayed and said 'I dont know why these girls are here but thank you' now she loves us! ever since! this week! or maybe it was last week and maybe i already shared this experience, but she was like 'ever since you've came, things have gone better in our house' and then  they're just so perfect! the kids are stoked to be baptized we just have to work on the parents. Reginale was like 'were not ready!' so we said, 'ok what would help you feel ready?' and he said, well i should probably need to read this book and we said 'ok we invtie you to do that!' teaching through questions. its the best way.

anyways! they have a 3 month baby and one scooter, so the mom and daughter came to church for the first time yestserday and the dad and son 2 weeks ago. it was his birthday saturday and they offerred us chicken, but we were fasting. haha this family is amazing. venante the mom said, 'i just felt like we were really in the house of the Lord' at church. so ya. theyre amazing.

Richard!! he didnt come to church this week so we have to follow up with him this week. we taught him law of chastity and hes prayng about it. hes the best!!

Fernando and Samule!! we kinda backed off fernando because his parents werent really into it but we would still teach them like once a week and this week his DAD woke him up and said 'fernando! were going to church!!!' so they came! what a miracle! hes in a weird mood but not stoked about baptism right now; but SOON!! i know it!! 

so our investigators are SO CLOSE and donig SO GOOD!! just praying for miracles and commitment and keeping teaching with boldness and LOVE!!!!

so ya. i wanna tell you about Elena now. She came uip to the elders and said 'i wanna know about you church!!' the elders lost her number but as they cleaned the apartment about 5 weeks ago they found it and invited her to church. she came to church and read the book of mormon super fast and yesterday was her baptism!! AMAZING! this church is true! i did not give that story justice but she LOVES all the missionaries. she brought us lunch at the church one day and wrote us all notes because she loves and admires us and yesterday we went to eat at her house after her confirmation and it was so tranquil. it was amazing. TRES it was like literally anthropology she had an orange kitchen and ^plants hangning all randomly and spices and shes a vegetarian and her kids are so cute. she had fish tanks!! anyways! it was a neat experience for me cuz missionaries had never been to her home ( they always taught her at the church) and i felt how she feels the spirit and has felt the spirit her whole life but we missionaries just litearlly filled ever corner of her house with the Spirit. We left her house with the Spirit. That is a neat thing I will never forget. Walking into homes and being able to feel the spirit(or lack of and need to bring it). Its crazy. I am very close to the spirit right now.

Well, that was pretty much my week! amazing! baptisms are coming for my friends im really excited :) love you all and see you pretty dang soon!

 

Love, 

soeur tenney

 

 

 

Baptism of Elena

 

"Birthday highlights"

Dear Family and friends,

 

raooowwwwwww i dont even know how to describe my birthday week! just the best week of my life! its starts with telling the right people oh and trust me i told the right people :) so a recent convert MARIA who reminds me of my momma (photo attached) had a soiree familial tuesday night for the missioanries leaving and my birthday. all the brazlilians were there including leno who is like my brazilian father. i saw leno everyday this week for sports and because he worked with me on my birthday :) ill tell you about that.as on my brithday!!

so ill tell you the higlights of my birthday. first; we went on a birthday walk to the beach :) and when i put my feet in the water God made some fish jump out and do a little fish slip show for my! first birthday present from God! then Melove texted and told us SHE BELIEVES IN GOD!! MIRACLE!! so we saw her sunday and that was wonderful!! then we had to plan, so we went to the baech and i got sunburnt :) and had some GREAT INSPIRATION! then cordination where the elders made me a cake but we dipped out early to get my package and go teach RICHARD ON MY BIRTHDAY WITH FRERE LENO!! such a magical combination! literaly even though richard isnt brazilian and leno is they are the same person! the spirit was so strong! leno cried testifying! and richard accepted to be baptized! and he came to the baptism saturday and told the elders 'next baptism is ME' hahahaha yes i love richard!! so that was great. and then some members had some cake blah blah blah. 

this week im just grateful. so so grateful. and so happy! i fasted sunday to thank the Lord. for all that I've learned and how great the work is going now and how confident and all the blessings hes given me! IM SO HAPPY! i really dont know what else to say! OH! and i get to teach district meeting tomorrow and really inspire this place to grow as the Lord wants! so happy! new mission pres comes next week. 

I love following the spirit. yesterday i pretended like i was a new misionary and made soeur Winter train. she didnt like it. neither did i! i dont life feeling useless!! 

oh ya and friday night at volleyball leno brought me coxinha. its delicious. i am so blessed to be a misionary here. LIFE ROCKS! sorry i dont really know how to describe it!!

Love,

Soeur Tenney 

 

Birthday girls party!

 

"Her name is "MELOVE"

hello my dear dear loved ones,

YES! its my birthday this week. I'm really proud of myself. last year on my birthday, I celebrated ALL TRANSFER LONG! a little bit embarrassing... haha and like no one really knows this time. EXCEPT of course the important people. like of course, Soeur Maria, recent convert we're teaching her daughter, who throws great family nights, or as I like to call them soiree familiales, so tuesday because some missionaries are leaving shes throwing a soiree familiale with everyone (basically meaning all the members and some of our investigators) for the leaving missionaries and my birthday :) YAY!! thursdays gonna be the best day ever!!!! i think? OF COURSE!! i remember how aweosme my birthday was last year. im gonna ask for so many miracles!! and they will all come! 

ANYWAYS! so i feel like i just talked to you cuz it was Wednesday when i emailed last, but ill give you a little update. haha so Richard is still sick and couldn't make it to church ;( but no worries he will get baptized before i leave! ill keep you all updated! im gonna try and update you on my investigators! so we've been teaching the Monazah family :) thats the family that made me cry they're so humble and haitian and love God and the church. anyways so hes come to church and hes preparing for baptism but were trying to get the WHOLE FAMILY INVOLVED! because theyre actually married! (im about 80 percent sure ill confirm next week, not sure if they understood the question, the creole french barrier is a little hard) ANWAYS little 16 year old MICHELINE came to church and her smile just melts my heart! because Monazah only has a scooter. He can only bring one person in his beautiful family of 5 kids (like my family) to church :) ANYWAYS so i love this family! and all the members love this family! they are progressing so beautifully, and I know we'll see some baptisms really soon from them :)

Fernando hasn't been to church in a while :( but we're focusing on teaching his whole family and his dad has crazy work. He said he's coming to church in July, so we'll try and see where it'll go from there!

and i want to tell you a cool miracle from this week :) so our appointment fell through, of course! I"m a missionary what do you expect! and we had aimee with us my mini misionary :) who is awesome! and the neighbor was painting! so we asked to help and they said 'come on in!!' so fun! so we came in and painted and i was wearing this cute hawaiian dress aimee got me. anyways! details! so we painted and then there was this girl there, MELOVE! thats her name so cute! shes 20! and she was SO INTERESTED! she told me (while painting of course) that she stopped going to church and shes SO CLOSE to not believing in God, and so i told her, i went through a phase like the too. but the BOOK OF MORMON helped me! so we're gonna go see her this week (hopefully on my birthday) and i just reall like her! She's so prepared! and shes such a miracle! before we left she said, 'your pretty and i dont think your crazy, so i think theres gotta be a God.' just makes me feel good you know. 

and i know i always tell really cool stories like that, cuz im kinda a really sparatic and crazy missionary! but i really felt it with melove! so we'll see where she goes! im EXCITED! for  this week!!

MISIOINARY WORK IS THE BEST. I love the gospel so much. The gospel is so so wonderful. The gospel is in magic. The gospel helps me! The gospel is me! I love it! 

I love you all too! and ill see you all soon! but for now! im gonna go SERVE THE LORD ALL DAY EVERYDAY!

Love,

Soeur Tenney

 

 

                        Monazah family!

                             

                               Sisters in Suriname

I LOVE Teaching!!

ohhhh my beautiful family,

I dont even know where to start! A longggg beautiful week! so wonderful!! So my mom sent me an old email from tressa as a missionary and it was so great! She was reflecting on her mission so maybe I'll do the same! haha but first I'll talk about my week.

Richard. A miracle handed to us from God. haha I LOVE RICHARD!! this guy just showed up the first sunday after his trip to Suriname! the sisters had found him before me and i taught him like once then he left to suriname; well he came back and came to church! so we thought, LETS GET HIM BAPTIZED!!  He came a couple times and this week he was dodging us and was like 'im sick'  so on the phone I said 'RICHARD WE'll BRING YOU SOUP!!' (throwback to those goyave patrick days abby eyre :) anyways so that night we made him chicken noodle soup cuz its fun and we love serving people and these people are PEOPLE and need a little love and nurturing. so THEN! we also like to call it baptismal soup! because after he accepted a baptismal date! and its for this saturday! but because we were gone were gonna have to change him to help him get there.... but ANYWAYS he WANTS to be baptized! miracle( fun soup :) haha

So the week before, Suriname was great, but then saturday we get in the car with the elders and hop the border to SURINAME!! long trip on the BOAT to suriname :) we got plenty snacks and stamps at borders and lots of weird new languages. a straight ROAD TRIP on the mission so fun!! haha then we get to the sisters apartment and they were so excited! their place was so cute!! we went to church in dutch and i learned many things! 1; i do NOT like feeling useless! PUT ME TO WORK! and 2: i have become an extremely effective tool in the Lord's hands preaching His gospel in the language I have been called! haha SO GREAT! great lessons! i did a lot of life reflecting this trip because our phones didnt work so its not like i even could call my investigators if i wanted to. a FORCED vacation for me and soeur winter but i guess it was nice :) i'll take it. SURINAME WAS BEAUTIFUL! the sisters got us bikes so we went out with them and rode all around and it was amazing!! we ended up teaching a guy in french for them that was so sweet!!

So then was zone conference/ man that was rough! last zone conference of the west indies mission! wow. soeur Mehr and President Mehr are just 2 people I really really look up to. I have learned so much from both of them. I really really enjoyed watching them teach. oh ya that was another thing i learned this week. I LOVE TEACHING!! anyways so i watched them teach. they both have very different ways of teaching and I want to master them both!! haha and when president mehr is teaching he just puts you in the nemo stream, he says: when dory and marlin cross the sea on that current. The Lord's truth is like that. Jospeh Smith, with the education of a 3rd grader, was able to tap into the nemo stream. and then when we were doing a role play in front of EVERYONE (scary.. haha jk not really) and when president mehr totally corrected me and taught me how i should have taught him, he looked me with his eyes in the nemo stream of truth and knowledge. ok i may not be explaining this right, you might not get it but President mehr is just an amazing teacher. so when he was bearing his testimony about how he wasted and wore out his life here on his mission, it was super hard to hear and i was just really sad! but happy! i just love them so much! and we had a comp study with soeur mehr after. and she is amazing. so i was sad but also excited to meet the new presdeint! WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY!! wooowwww zone conference was so good. so worth it.

so yes i was in suriname and another country and it was crazy and a cool experience but feeling that nemo stream and feeling lost in time when president mehr taught eternal truths made it all worth it. 

So i learned this week that i LOVE teaching. which is why ive decided im gonna be a teacher. I LOVE TEACHING!! it is so fun! im so grateful for all the people i do get to teach! Soeur Winter and I have such a desire to teach people these true saving doctrines! man i am so blessed! 

I learn something new everyday! now and for the rest of my mission i am going to write down how i followed the spirit everyday and how i feel as i teach. these are feelings to never forget!!

Love,

Soeur Tenney