Week of May Two-OH: We're Still alive, Thought You'd Like to KNOW!

Hello to one and ALL!

Please don't worry, the Delis' are still alive and thriving in Virginia, Oregon and Chicago.  Blogging life stopped for a busy interlude due to my first semester in graduate school.  But now that the semester is over and life is getting back to its normal routine--but what's normal right?!--our posts should return to the weekly posts like before :).  

Okay, since I am many weeks behind, we have made a executive decision to begin from today's emails and move forward.  Sorry for the missed weeks, but this is the best solution.  Let me catch you up on a few things:

Elder D is living in Coquille, Oregon.  He is right near the coast and has been there for 14 weeks.  Transfers were two weeks ago and he thought for sure he would be transferred or his companion would.  Fortunately, (as Elder D told us) neither were transferred and they are still enjoying each other's company!  His current companion was in his MTC district and they flew out to Oregon together.  This will be Elder D's longest companionship on his mission. 

Hermana Delis was transferred to Chicago the week before Mother's Day.  After only living in two areas, she is finally experiencing Chicago, "the city!"  YAY!  (Jim and I thought it was weird that she would be called to Chicago and only have the opportunity to experience it the day she flew in and when she flies out!)  She is VERY busy!  Her previous two branches she served in were all about re-activating and building the branches.  Now, she and her companion are currently serving in a ward with 3 missionary companionships.  There are so many investigators that they have to weed out people and only schedule the most serious ones. 

Mother's Day calls were HEAVENLY!  Both missionaries Skyped which allowed us to see their smiling faces!  They look healthy, happy and well!  Christian had us laughing from the moment he said, "Hi!"  Katie's "Hola, Hola!" brought instanteous tears!  OH! Goodness--almost forgot--Katie comes home August 2nd!  I'm not counting days until she reaches one month.  (A dear friend of mine gave me some advice as soon as my babes departed.  She told me to count "fast Sundays" because anyone can survive 24 or 18 Sundays!)  Katie only has TWO fast days until her return!  If your interested in how many days are remaining, feel free to ask Jim, he has a counter on his phone. :)!  And Christian has SIX!  We have almost survived!  Can you believe it?  YAY!!!

Enough from me, here are my babes...ENJOY!

------------------------------------

Elder D:

Subject: Well, the sun is gone for a day, pray it will be back tomorrow!

Hello Family of the Delis kind!

Well, I have some news, it is official Elder D---- H. O--- will be coming to the Coos Bay Stake on the 9th and 10th of June!  That will be intense!  This is going to be an exciting event for everyone!  The coolest thing is that we get to eat lunch with Elder O----.

So let me see...This was a fairly good week.  We have been able to go and search for investigators.  That can be hard.  We haven't been able to have as many appointments as we would like too, but we are tracting lots and spent last week getting ready for the baptisms.  We were able to have an awesome lesson with K-------.  Her kinds are both non-members and she has been inactive for about 17 years.  She told us her faith has not been strong.  She told Elder D---- and I that she was planning to not let us in the door and tell us that she was NOT a believer in Christ, but when we got to the door, she couldn't say it!  That was really amazing.  And a great lesson for me.  How important it is to just have faith and follow through with all your assignments!

Hands down the best part of the week was the baptism.  J------, M------, and K----- R------ were all baptized on Saturday and confirmed members of the Church.  Elder D---- confirmed M------.  Bishop E----- confirmed K----- and I confirmed J------.  That was really intense!!!  The spirit was really really strong and we were both really spiritually drained afterwards.  That was a lot to take all at once, to have the powers of heaven open and to tap into it for so long, it was intense!  The baptism went great!  Elder D---- and I were making sure that it all went the way we had planned.  The funny thing is, that the whole experience was very different from how we thought it would turn out.  But the girls really enjoyed it!

I love you and I miss you!  I pray for your success!

Love,

Elder Christian James Delis

---------------------------------------

Hermana Delis

Subject:  Prayer works

Hola, hola!

Happy today, familia! :)  I hope you all are great, I am very grateful for you.  Thanks for your letters and prayers.  I feel them! 

Okay, today I just want to tell you some fun things that are going on:

1. We meet someone who speaks a language other than English and SPanish everyday--it is SO COOL. We started asking people how to say "I believe in Christ" in their native language, and we write down all the sounds we can try to imitate and then try to say to them. They laugh, haha, and so do we. We've learned/heard "I believe in Christ" in Greek, Assyrian, Italian, Tagalog, Hindu, a native language to India that I can't say or spell, French, and Norweigan. JUST THIS WEEK!! I feel like I am just living the coolest life ever these days. I always kind of thought that I would just live around a city or in a suburbs-y area, but I could live in Chicago FOR REAL. Ah, I LOVE it. :) It is so fun to be here.

Okay, let's back track a bit. I will tell you some more cool things about the city soon, but today I have to tell you about the power of prayer. It works. Every part of who I am will forever testify that our voices are heard by our Father in Heaven. He lives, He listens, and He answers. This week He has made it so crystal clear that He is invovled in my life and this work. He lives, He answers.

M---- M------ is an investigator we re-found his week while she was cleaning a house she was getting ready to rent. We offered to help her clean it and we ended up talking to her for a good while. She just started to explain her belief in God and experiences that had brought her closer to Him. We listened and cleaned. When there was a small pause, 3 Nefi 13:31-33 came to mind--it reminded us exactly of her situation, and we read it with her, and she just lit up and said her life is a testament of that scripture. We kept chatting with her, and she started to talk about her commitment to God and how she wants to help people her whole life. We read in Mosiah 18:8-10 and talked about the covenant of baptism. She excepted a date, and we're now helping her be prepared to be baptised. It was such am AWESOME lesson--we felt like the Book of Mormon missionaires! I am so thankful for the scriptures. They are true! I know that God works with us today in the same way He worked with the missionaries of the Book of Mormon.

I prayed one morning for a chance to read something that would help L------ R------, one of the less-active members of the ward. I had a good study, and learned some cool things in Ether 12:25-27. The next day we went to her house, and it turns out she is in an absolutely horrible situation at home. As we listened, we read with her what I had studied, and she just looked at us and said, "That is exactly how I feel." We testified of Heavenly Father's love for her and that in her debilidad she is strong. She just bawled and bawled. We actually ended up fasting with her that day, and when we came back, she had gotten all the answers she needed. She is starting a super rough part of her life. But she is so capable. And so so strong.

It was actually really really hard for me to fast that day, too. I have to eat like every 2 hours or I just don't function well, ha. And when I found out we were fasting with her, my heart just died a little bit because I had no idea how I was going to do it. So I prayed. I was pretty good all that day. At 10:30 at night, I was laying in bed, and Hna D-- just asked how I was--just to ask, and I just told her "I'm actually not so good." I had a headache that was strong and I was naucious...."naw-shuss" haha. :) She just immediately got out of bed, and asked if we could say a prayer that I would be okay. We did. I kid you not, my pain went away. The morning was great, church was awesome, and when we sat down at L------'s dinner table, we had mexican eggs, torillas, and refried beans. Family, that meal was so sacred. That whole day was. So so special.

I prayed that Hna D-- and I could teach in unison, and we've been team-teaching better than any of my other companions and I have ever taught. Ideas just come to our minds at random points in the day that help us to be better teachers. We know what to practice, how to to do studies, thingsj ust fall into place. 

I prayed that one of the members could be healed of this hip/back problem one morning. Haha, I forgot about it eventually, but we called her while we were driving in the middle of the day just to see how she was doing. She said good. :) Later, like 2 days later, we passed by and she told us that she knew when we called her that day that we had prayed for her back to be better. And she started jumping to show us that it was almost totally healed, haha. I just sat in my own little dumbfounded silence as she was jumping around, ha, because I was the only one that knew my prayer. Or so I thought. Heavenly Father just answers.

All week I had little sacred experiences like that--I kid you not, ALL week long. It was crazy. He lives, He listens, He answers. I am grateful to be His servant here.

I love the work, and I love Chicago, and I love these people. It's cool to be alive these days, ha. I am just grateful. :)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS. WIth all my heart, I know they are answered. Thank you. :)

Have an awesome week, we'll chat SOON!!

Hna Delis

Week of February Twenty-SIX: Training and Transfers Can be the TRICKS!

Elder D!


Subject: Wow...The spirit gives the things you need to say the moment that we say them.


Hello,


This was a really a very very amazing week.  I am in an area that is much like home.  There are a lot of trees and it is a small town like Philomath.  The ward is not large but we are doing a lot to help others to come to church.  So, Katie, you want to hear some miracles, I can say that is all I had this week!  Well first my companion is Elder D----.  We came out together and I have to say that we really excited to work together!  We are getting along really well and we are looking forward to the amount of work we have been given.


So we were tracking on Saturday (a little out of order but its still cool).  We tracked in the morning and we found two people that were interested in our message.  Then later that afternoon we went on a road and at the last door we talked to a lady about the gospel and baptism.  And she said and I quote, "Well, I have been thinking about that."  Her name is D---- B---- and we are going to have a lesson with her on Sunday.  We are very excited to return.  We then had another miracle on Friday night, we were going to the home of Brother S------- and his wife, who is not a member. We talked about the Gospel and Jesus, we invited her to be baptized and she said she might be interested in that. :).  On Thursday we did not have much success during the day, but it was a different experience in the evening.  We went to an investigator named P----, she was a person in the past we have had difficulty getting a hold of, so we felt we should just stop by.  We got there and she was reading the Book of Mormon!  Elder D---- and I looked at each other and asked if we can read with her.  We read 1 Nephi chapter 1.  It was really cool, the spirit was there and I am just grateful to be here!  So many things are happening and it is just incredible!  The one thing that I am doing is making a solid effort to say a specific prayer on how I can be worthy to hear the promptings of the Spirit.


Well, I am glad you are thinking of me.  And the family fast is very kind!  I felt the literal power of heaven pouring over me when I read that in your email.  I talked to President and Sister Y----- this week and I hope you are well.  It sounded like you are from what they said. I am not sure what you heard, but this is very interesting--Elder D---- and I are District Leaders.  This is huge mantle.  I have been putting a lot of prayer and thought into what we do.  Well, I am just grateful to serve and I LOVE you and I am praying for ya!


Love,


Elder Christian James Delis


--------------------------------


Hermana Kate Delis


Subject: I LOVE TO BE A MISSIONARY


Hello, fam!  Happy Preparation day to all :)


March 4th a fast for Christian!  We're praying for you Elder! :)


This week was so eventful, I have no idea where to even start.  Here's a good place: my companion was in the ER!  Haha, we were making lunch after district meeting and she opened a can of refried beans and cut her finger on the can.  Haha she turns to me and goes, "Hermana, I think I'm going to need stitches."  Haha, I was like "whaaaat...?"  I started to laugh!  And then I looked over and she was gushing blood out her thumb and we wrapped it up and got in the car and drove to the hospital!  Haha, so crazy.  5 hours, 6 stitches later, and after meeting TONS of awesome people in the hospital, we sat down and ate our refried beans. :)  Hahaaaa it was so crazy.


Biggest struggle right now:  getting over feeling awkward!!  Hermana G------- feels it big time right now, and I remember feeling like I was just swimming in awkwardness the first weeks of my mission--ah!  I remember it was like yesterday, haha.  But here are our solutions: we're  memorizing scriptures on faith that we repeat every time we feel like we're being "weird."  Our favorite is Joshua 1:9 :).  Also we're applying the "How to begin teaching" section to ALL situations when we first meet someone.  We've decided that the first time we meet someone is so important because it gives us the opportunity to invite the Spirit.  It's easy to forget what other people might be thing of who we are if we're focused on inviting the Spirit and understanding what God thinks about them.  As we do that, we give them an opportunity to see that we're NOT weird, but that we're servants of Christ.  And that they need this message.  And the last thing is just practicing what we do as missionaries.  The more we tell someone "THIS MESSAGE IS TRUE," the more we feel the powers of heaven backing up all our words.  Hna G------- is brave.  She pushes herself hard, and I am grateful because by "training" her, I learn so so much.  I feel my faith growing.  I feel the Spirit in my life.  I love it. :)  We're enjoying testifying of Christ together a lot.  We're seeing improvements in the work, the people, and ourselves.  That's real missionary work, I think.  We love it. :)


Haha, with some of the experiences we've had its no wonder Hna G------- feels so awkward--we've run into some pretty cold people, ha.  We had this one day when the world just felt totally against us.  NO ONE wanted to talk to us for nothing!  And Hna G------- was just devastated.  Just heartbroken.  It was the worst when someone invited us back just to tell us that they are not interested at ALL in what we have and they don't want to change right now.  Hna G------- just wanted to leave so quick.  We both just got in the car and cried for a minute.  It was sad.  But then we planned to go knock!  So we did.  I found out later that Hna G------- didn't even take her scriptures out with her because she just figured no one was going to let us in anyway, ha.  I'm telling you!  It was a ROUGH day.  So we get to B---- Rd--where we've wanted to knock for a while--said another prayer that we could please find SOMEBODY, and started knocking.  The first door we knock let us in!  We taught M---- the first lesson and she just told us that she'll pray for US, haha, because she admires us and our dedication, but doesn't believe in Jose Smith.  She was super sweet, and we made a good friend :).   But still nothing, ha :).  So we go to the next house.  AND THEY LET US IN TOO.  That is a milage in itself, haha.  That rarely happens that we get let in twice in a row.  By rarely, I mean like cash NUNCA.  It was awesome.  And the lesson we had with this family was absolutely incredible.  Just incredible.  They asked awesome questions--it was a couple, their daughter, and the daughter's boyfriend.  The parents only spoke SPANISH, the boyfriend English, and the daughter both.  So we taught it in both languages and they all had super different needs, but EVERYTHING was answered.  Ah, it was so cool.  We were so bold and upfront: Everything we had been practicing was put into practice.  It was incredible.  Ah!  It was so perfect.  They want to learn more, so we're coming back on Saturday.  Miracles happen :).


I love you very very much and I hope your semana va bien :).  Love you mucho!!


Hna D

Week of February TWO-ZERO: My Missionaries are DEAR-O!

Elder D!

Subject:  I have been transferred ... I am in Coquile, it is by the coast.

Hello!

Well famlily, this is the news, I have been transferred.  I was not able to get to the doctore yesterday since I left at 8 a.m..  So I am sorry I am not to sure what is causing problems in my leg, so I am praying for the resolve and have it leave really soon.  Basically I have no news on what I am going to be doing about my situation.  I am so grateful for your prayers.  I have been feeling them, I am also just grateful to have a loving family.  Mom, I received the package that you sent and I would like to say thank you so much!

This week was really busy since we were out and about trying to help others.  Elder B------ and I are no longer companions.  We were both transferred from the Three Lakes Ward.  I am sad to say I had to leave but, the ward will be in good hands..  I am also sad Elder B----- and I are not companions.  I am excited though to being in Coquile.  My new companion is Elder D-----, he and I came out together, I think that is pretty cool.

Well, let me think, hmmmmm, okay, so as I was talking about the fact that I am reading the scriptures and studying the atonement to understand it a bit better. The one thing that I really like is the this quote, "The more that you know of the atonement the more you will want to declare the gospel."  I am not sure who said it, I have it written down somewhere.  Anyways, I was reading Preach My Gospel and I studied only the Atonement, it was really really powerful.  So as I read it I came across the scriptures and as I did this the power behind the words hit my soul!   I never can say how the powerful these words could be. 

I miss ya, I love you and you are always in my prayers!

Love!

Elder Christian James Delis

-------------------------------------

Hermana Kate Delis

Subject:  Well, dad, I think I will tell you about my healthy back

Hello familia!  Thanks for your awesome letters!  Okay, well dad said I could talk about my back or my new best friend missionary...I choose back!  It feels great.  No doctors, no surgeries, no nothing!  Yep, all good. :)

Ha ha ha..." Okay, just jokes. :) The new companion is Hermana G-------, and she ROCKS. She's fantastic. Just fantastic!! SHE SPEAKS SPANISH. Let me repeat. SHE SPEAKS SPANISH. Her family is from Mexico, she was born in California, and her whole family speaks in Spanish. She's fluent! In English and Spanish! So we only speak spanish. Well, almost all the time.  She loves the work and just wants to GO. Just do whatever. So we work really really hard. I am so grateful for her love of the work and her ability to REALLY work hard--be diligent. It's so great, and it makes a difference. And she loves the people. I am so thankful for that. SO thankful. Her actions display it. It makes a difference when you REALLY are here to just love the people. Ah. It's so GREAT. I am so thankful for my companion. AH!

I forgot how nerve-racking the first weeks were. They are hard--even if you kow the language. She gets really nervous, and at the start of every lesson I lead a lot. But as soon as the Spirit starts to come in and tensions cool--you know, it's not awkward and everyone in the room isn't thinking about how random it is that these two little girls are hanging out in huge coats trying to read from the Book of Mormon (who the heck is "Mormon"?...ha)--she's comfortable and loves it. She loves studying and she loves planning things out. So we have really in depth lesson plans right now so she feels comfortable. It's been great. :) The hardest thing for her is that she feels like she doesn't know the gospel well enough. Not true. So I just let her decide things about the work, what to do, how to say stuff, and she does, and then it all works out great. Then she realizes she's good at being a missionary. It's fun. :) She IS good at being a missionary. I hope she sees it.

I think something funny about beign a missionary is that a lot of missionaries think there is this one right way to do it. I don't believe it. Be obedient. Study. Plan. Then just go DO. Whatever you planned with the Spirit, just do it. And miracles happen. It's just consistency. Such is life probably.

My favorite thing right now is that she is teaching me how to be Mexican. Haha. For real, I want that so bad. I want to understand the people I teach inside and out--I just want to have a  relationship with them. Ah, it's going to make me cry, ha. It's so hard sometimes to have a language barrier. It can be horrible. I am at a point where I can declare truth in Spanish really well now--I know how to teach the lessons, I know the information, I have a handle on what needs to be said. But Spanish is an incredibly expressive and beautiful language. And we know the gospel is beautiful. I do my job well by declaring--that is why I am here--but I want to have real relationships with these people. I want to REALLY understand them, and I want to be able to express myself in Spanish the way the gospel should be shared. It's so beautiful--I can't think of another word to describe it--and SPanish can explain it in ways that really do it justice. But my handle on the language isn't where I want it. It's just that the more I learn about Spanish, the Mexican culture, I realize how much more can be done in my ability to share the gospel with these people. I know I can do my job well right now, I know I can, but I can do it better. I have a promise in my blessing that says I will have the power to be fluent and express myself in this way awesome language, and I feel like I rarely see it. I feel SO far away. But it will come. If you have tips for what I c an do, tell me!! I want all the help I can get. Pray for me!

Okay, well, I had better get going.  I stress too much. Pray that I can stop that, please. Haha.

Love you lots. :)

Hna D

Week of February ONE-TWO: What's Wrong with Elder D? We Haven't a CLUE!

Elder D!

Subject:  This is Oregon sunshine alright!  Now I know why the Beatles sang "Here Comes the Sun!"

Hello!

Well, I am very short on time to write today, I will have to be short and to the point.  This week we tracted 12 hours and President Y----- made us promise that if every companionship in each of our zones tracted 12 hours he would take us out to eat.  And we did!  So he will be taking us out to eat!  Sweet!  so we had a good week in doing what we could.  We are getting really good at finding even if it is hard to go and do sometimes.

On Thursday we had a Zone Conference, it was pretty cool!  We were at the church from 7 am to 3:30 in the afternoon.  I will be honest, I was tired and we also got an hour of tracting in too, that was pretty good!  The day was a little long but, I understand the reason that we have the meetings.  The specialist called this week and I have appointment.  I am hoping that it goes well.  Let me think, ummmm...my mind is going off track.  This week was fairly good.  I am just glad I have the opportunity to spend the time searching for those who are looking for the truth.  I am pretty drained.  I will not lie, I am still not sleeping much and that isn't helping.

Well, I love you and I miss you!

Love!

Elder Christian James Delis

--------------------------------

Hermana Kate Delis

Subject:  Apliquemos nestro corazon para entender (Mosiah 12:27) (The answer is NO, Handy Manny does not teach this in his cartoons and YES, I haven't a clue what she is saying!)

Bueno, familia del typo Delisioso! Haha, that's "hello family of the Delis kind", Spanish-style :) One of my teachers in the MTC called me Hermana Delicioso. Sister Delicious. Weird? Yes. Haha. But now! It's been a yesr since I was there, almost! So crazy. Dad, your email was so great today. I have been thinking a lot about using every minute well, too. It's kind of crazy that I've been inthe field 7 transfers. Just crazy. But something really interesting is taking place in my heart, ha. I'm just changing. Who knows if anyone else can see, but I can. I can feel it. I will be eternally grateful for my mission and for what it gives me daily.

What I wanted to say today kind of falls along that vein, actually. My mindset for the past transfer-ish has been to purify my heart. I just want to be pure inside and out. So my big theme scripture--you know, like my go-to pump-up jam :)--is Helaman 3:35. I love that it says that they got stronger in their humility and firmer in their faith by giving their entire heart to God. I believe that happens. I see it happening in my heart. It's simple, but it moves mountains in me.

A huge mountain in my life has always been that I am a perfectionist. This week, I just decided that I believe in improvement, not perfection. Yes, it happened. Decision made. Haha. :) Today is just not the day for perfection. If it was, I would be Christ. I am not Christ. But I am His disciple. And so I will use the atonement in my life. By letting go of perfection today, I accept the atonement NOW. It's so simple. I don't know why I complicate it. Just because I want to be in control I think. But I don't have to be. I don't have to understand everything. I just have to do what I think is best and allow myself to be corrected. Life is happier asi.

Well, big news, too actually! Haha, this probably should've been the first thing out of my mouth. Transfers are tomorrow, and Hna C----- is going to a new section of the zone, and a new missionary is coming here! I would tell you her name, but I don't know it. She gets into the field today! It's all a very silly story...haha, we got transfer calls Saturday night to tell us what was going to happen, and at 845 we got a text saying we weren't going to be moved and all would be the same. WELL. I felt weird about that, because...well, I don't know. I just knew this was the end of a phase of my mission and a new one was goingto start and I had assumed it would be with transfers. But then Hna C----- and I rejoiced! Haha, we were excited to stay together and make new goals, work hard, etc. etc. THEN after a chain of weird, confused phone calls to our apartment, we learned that that text message was probably wrong, ha. And then President D--- called us to tell us that Han C---- was leaving and I'll be training a new missionary. So ridiculous, haha. I cried.

I just remember sitting in that room when they announce who your trainer is like it was literally one week ago. Oh so weird. And I remember exactly what she is going through allllll day today, and I know she's excited and probably nervous, and she has NO idea what's about to hit her. You think you know before you get here....but you just don't. The mission is so laser-pointed to mold you into a servant of Christ, and your trials are so intimately personal and they just hurt. But you learn. You come out to be better than you think you can be. You do things you didn't think you could. There's this talk called the Fourth Missionary that talks about how the only time the Lord stops asking things of you is when you walk away. So if you are still doing things His way, He will keep demanding things of you. That talk talks aout how you can do things with a willing heart or with a grudging heart. One attitude will change you, one will just leave you confused and flustered. I can't believe I just remembered that talk right in this moment, ha. But it's true--when you give your heart to the Lord, you just change. Before the mission I knew the answers to everything. I had most the knowledge. I was talking to Hermana C----- today and she was talking about what she could possibly say in her homecoing talk--"is it even possible to give one of those and say all that you learned?" And Ithought about that for a little bit and I just thought that I'll probably say the exact same things I said when I left--just preach the gospel of Christ. But I pray my heart understands it all. This morning I read Mosiah when Abindi esta hablando a los judios and he tells them that they haven't understood the scriptures because they didn't APPLY IT TO THEIR HEARTS (Mosiah 12:27). Today I stand as a witness of Christ, and I pray that my heart and mind are humble enough to undestand it. To just live it. The mission is different. There is no time like this ever again because I can't have this time to give everything to the Lord again, but I can havethe results for forever. The mission is so special. It means everything to me. I'm praying hard I can help my new missionary can feel it a little more, too.

Also, I love you! Thank you for your love and prayers. I fee them daily. :) Oh, I got your valentines package! Thanks everyone! :) It was wonderful to get. :)

Okay, talk to you soon!! And check out the mission website in a few weeks! I bet therer will be pictures of our new companionship soon!

Love you!

Hna Delis

Week of February FIVE: Both Missionaries are Plugging Away and ALIVE

Elder D!

Subject:  Well here was the sun ... wow it's winter and sunny in Oregon Now!

Well family, I have no herniated discs and I am still in lots of pain.  I should have gotten a call from a specialist and haven't.

So this week was not hugely exciting.  We are spending most our time finding.  We spent 12.25 hours tracting and talking to people on the street, so that was cool.  We found 12 potentials adn narrowed it down to 8 and one of them Elder B----- and I feel pretty strongly that she will be willing to listen to our message.  She is looking for the answers to some of her questions and we gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon.  We hope to go back on Tuesday to teach her about the Holy Ghost and how it helps ratify the decisions we make in life.  We are praying for the best and do feel like she will find the answers she needs.

Other than that were pretty much busy on finding the Elect.  We are sure they are out there, we just need to find them!  I love ya!  I hope all is well!

Love,

Elder Christian James Delis

------------------------------

Hermana Kate Delis

Subject: Mom, you're obviously the one one the far right (I sent my babes a photo that a girl friend of mine sent me a couple of weeks ago from my baptism Open House.)

First, I think my new date for coming home is August 1st or maybe the 2nd.  So I get to party with the birthday-havers!  WOO!

This week was awesome. So so cool. :) We worked our bums off--in all senses: hard work outside in the semi-cold weather, emotionally, spiritually, mentally--everything was hard. BUT WE SAW SO MANY COOL THINGS THIS WEEK!!

1. M----'S PRAYER: We are teaching O----- D------, and M---- is her 8 year old son. O----- was at home one day while we were knocking and she let us in to chat. She's a single mom and she's worried about her kids. You know, the usual. :) We talked, and she just liked listening. SO we came back. And then again. :) We've taught her daughter Ivett who doesn't believe in God, and O----- is reading the Book of Mormon and praying. She is doing so well, family. She just reads it, loves it, and listens. She keeps her commitments. She's just a really good good person. And she we went to an appointment with her on Tuesday and taught the plan of salvation rapid-fire style and gave her a verse to read, pray about, and think about. She said she would. :) And then we asked her son M---- to say the prayer at the end. He was shy, and we talked about how easy it is to talk to God. He was quiet and then said, "okay, I think I have one thing to say." So he started to pray and asked that he could have a dad again. He just started to cry. O----- and her husband are seperateed. So he finished the prayer, and Hna C----- and I had tears in our eyes! It was so sincere and so sweet. I will forever remember looking at him and promising him that God heard him, and that He always does. After we talked about prayer with M----, O----- started to cry. It was so so powerful. :)

2. THE MIRACLE THAT IS U----- L----: So right after O-----, we had this appointment with a man named U-----. He is a hero. :) He lives way far away from where most of our investigators and all of our members live and he lives alone, both of which make it hard for us to visit him. But the night before during planning we just knew we had to find him at 8 the next day. I remember thinking that night, "I don't even know why we are planning this like this"--it justseemed irresponisble. But as soon as I tought that, I remembered something one of the missionaries in the district I'm in said: "if you want to have more faith, do things that require faith." So that's what we decided to do. That night we had dinner with a member and we asked if by any chance she could come with us to our appointment. She said maybe, but then asked Han Bernal (a member that is living with her) if she wanted to go. Hna B----- said sure. :) At this point, we didnt' even have an appointment with U-----, but we had one with O----- right before, so we figured if U----- couldn't, at least O----- would get to meet on of the members in the branch. So she came, and on the way we called U-----. He didn't answer. But then he called us back before the appointment with O-----! And he said that he was just thinking about us, and was hoping he could meet with us soon. We said "that's so great, we were thinking the SAME THING! We'll be over in an hour." :) And so there we were and hour later. :) And guess what! He's reading the Book of Mormon! And guess what else! He believes the message we bring as missionaries is what he's been waiting for for a long time. :) AND Guess what else!! He's totally right. We feel so blessed to be working with him. He is a pretty happy guy. Just a few things are missing. And he is going to feel the cleansing power of the atonement very very soon. Ohhh, I just get so excited about things like this. :) IT was a big miracle that day. And my faith DID grow. What's the best is that Ulises' faith is growing too.

3. HNA B----- THE MISSIONARY: The member who came to these appointments with us got up and bore her testimony about missionary work yesterday. She said that she felt the Spirit so strongly as she went out with us, that she knows this is the work of the Lord, and that ALL the members should go out with the missionaries. :) We asked her bare her testimony after the lessons we had, and she just looked at us and started to laugh and say "I'm not promising anything." She's kind of shy. :) Then when she started her testimony, she just started to bawl and say that she had to come up at tell the congregation about the Spirit she felt wit hthe missionaries. It ROCKED. The members are getting so involved in the work right now, and it's just been fantastic. MEMBERS CARRY THE MISSIONARY WORK. Can you believe that? I just didn't get that before the mission. The longer I'm out, the more I'm learning how to be a good MEMBER missionary, haha. My calling will end, but I will forever be a missionary. I LOVE this work so much. :)

Okay, way way way out of time, haha. Love you lots and I hope your week is great!

Hna D

Week of January Twenty-TWO: Missionaries always have a List of Ta DOs!

Elder D!

Subject: Well this is an unexpected amount of rain ... so yea ...

HI!

So that you are not shocked, I am getting a MRI Wednesday.  I am still in pain and yes, it is not fun.  I am not really enjoying that, but the MRI on back is to see if it is more than what the doctors think.  I am sure whatever it may be, there is a reason for it, though I am not sure what it is.  As it says in D&C 121 "Ye are not yet as Job."  The reason we go through things is for our growth, so hopefully I grow from this experience.

So this week was pretty good other than we had snow and enough rain that it flooded in the Albany area.  I truly have to say we had a lot of rain.  When Elder B----- and I had the car and as soon as we gave the car to the other missionaries the rain started to stop.  I thought that was interesting.  That was a very different response then I thought would be since we had rain for 7 straight days.

This week we set a date with M--- T-----.  It was really cool we were able to teach him and we are praying that he will be spiritually ready for the upcoming date.  We are not sure though, it will all depend on him and the work we put in as well.  It will be very cool if he really does choose to come unto Christ.

On Sunday I had to give a spur of the moment talk.  I had only 2 days notice.  It reminded of the times every time that dad needed someone to talk and then I was given an opportunity to do it.  The topic was on the Sabbath and the Sacrament by Elder L. T-- P-----.  I am not sure if you will remember saying this dad, but do you remember a time the missionaries spoke before I left?  Anyways, dad, you leaned over to me and said, I quote, "See, how those missionaries don't have any notes?"  I said, "Ya."  "Well when you are a missionary and you don't have any notes and get lost in what you need to talk about, I am going to find you and get you!"  Then you just smiled and laughed a little.  SOOOOO you don't need to come after me, I used notes.  They are actually in my journal and it was quite convenient.  I feel like it went well and that when we speak of the importance to the Sacrament and the Sabbath day, I was able to give a decent talk. 

I love you and I pray for you!

Elder Christian James Delis

---------------------------

Hermana Kate Delis

Subject:  Happy hip-healing, good conference, going back to school, and finishing track day to everyone!

Hello, family!

Happy today.  :)  Thanks for your letters--as usual, they were great.  I am always grateful to hear about the blessings you guys are receiving every day!  I love blessings!  I love hearing about other people's little blessings.  You really get to know people by understanding what they consider a personal tender mercy from the Lord.  I know God loves us, He is so so mindful of us. :)  Let me tell you about some of my tender mercies this week, actually since we're on the topic. :)

1.  We got in contact with so so SO many people this week.  People that we hadn't seen in a while.  Hna C----- felt she should call a man they taught in the past, and long story short: he is so ready for the gospel.  We just listened to him talk through his problems, testified of the truth, and then he told us we were definitely his answer to many prayers.  So pray for U-----!  He is ready for the gospel.

2. Spanish.  Spanish will forever be my unexpected blessing from the Lord.  I will forever be grateful for the opportunity I've been given to widen the range of people I can meet and know.  I have this whole new dimension of life because I know another language.  I can't believe Heavenly Father just GAVE this to me.  Truly, it was just handed to me.  I just have to use it, and I learn it.  It's that simple.  SO, guess what  Hna C----- and I are doing?  We only speak Spanish.  Only Spanish all the time.  Yesterday I think we said maybe 50 words each in English while talking to someone on the street o algo asi.  And we talked all day!!!  Language is so cool, and I just can't express to you the extent of my gratitude to have this extra cool tool in my life.  I know I have it so I can know more people, love more people.  And the crazy part about it all is that I am blessed so hugely for it.  I get blessings for having it!  It seems so backwards, ha.  That's like the joke of the mission: you go in with all these awesome desires to just do good, try to give everything to the work--to the Lord, and you just end up getting 100 times more than you can give.  Think about it: you give all you have, just every ounce of energy, hope, strength, desire, anything and everything, and then YOU are the recipient of blessings that you didn't expect of hope for even.  They just come.  And then you just pray your heart out that the people you meet feel that, too.  The mission is so crazy, ha.  I am so grateful. :)

3.  Our new branch mission leader, Hno M------.  I almost want to cry thinking about having him as a new mission leader, haha, that sounds so dumb--he's just the mission leader in the branch!  But I just feel so very blessed to have him leading us.  He just knows how to do missionary work, and he puts us to work with the members, helps us fulfill the things we want to do, and he respects us.

4. I still love Spanish!

5.  We are learning how to truly find the elect.  We've had to stop visiting quite a few people recently because of unexpected circumstances, and it had been a little heartbreaking.  But the area is being shaped for big changes to come, and we're watching them unfold.  I feel blessed to be apart of the movement here.  I am one in an army of saints trying to follow the Lord, trying to be disciples of Him who sent us, and I just love being in that little, fiesty army!

Okay, well I gotta go. :)  I hope your week is great and happy.  Thank you for your prayers, I FEEL THEM. :)  The work just keeps getting better, ha.  Sometimes it kills me when I write that in my emails.  It's true, but the whole week is so hard, and the work is ALWAYS good, I think I just change with every week.  I just see that I become a little better.  Oh, the mission.  Incredible.

Love you tons, and talk to you soon!!

Hna Delis

Week of January One FIVE: Missionaries tract and JIVE

Elder D!


Subject:  I can say that I don't feel as if I have been out that long ... oh well!


Hello Family!


I have been realizing I am getting to that point where I have less time out then I do when I have been out.  I am not lying that it feels weird to me.  I can see the end but really I am hoping that it is not going to be as soon as it seems.


This week was interesting.  I am not even kidding, Elder B----- and I spent just under 13 hours tracking this last week.  It was a good use of time.  We have found a lot of people who we are trying to have come unto Christ.  In the last two weeks we have found about 19 people we are praying and hoping that they will come to the realization we have the truth.  So this week we have been doing all we can to do what God wants us to.  We have been making it a solid effort to make that our focus it is not just in the way we act but the way we think.  So that our thoughts are what God would want us to think and to lead us to those souls.  It's a hugely difficult task but, I know that it can be done.  It just takes every ounce of our effort to be on the companionship of the Spirit.  We are being as obedient as we can to be that instrument and having the whole focus on those we find not on the small things that can get in the way.  Elder B----- is being a huge help for me and he is amazing at listening to the Spirit.  I am hoping I can do the same.  Sometimes he looses me when he is listening cause sometimes I wonder how he will jump to a thought, but he is still is a huge motivator for me to strive to do better.


To answer you about the Physical Therapist, I went and saw him last Wednesday.  Basically, my hip was not aligned.  It must have been rotated too far forward.  I am going again later today to see him again.  I feel good other than that.


LOVE!


Elder Christian James Delis


-----------------------------------


Hermana Kate Delis


Subject: Familias son eternas!


Hello to my familia!  Happy today!  I hope you are all doing well.  Thanks for the emails--it was great to read about everything.  I hope Christian's exam went well--I didn't get an email yet from him, so I hope all went well.  How fun Amy and Becky were there!!  That's so great!  And you ate at the famous Rays Hell Burger joint.  Dad, we're praying for you over here!  Hope your kick off speech goes well.  Mom!  Can you believe you start school so soon?  CRAZY!!  You'll be a "master" soon.  I think that's just what I'll call you--an art history MASTER.  Like a pokemon master?  I think it sounds pretty cool.  MASTER MOM.  Nicholas, haha, nice to hear about the barf-and-run.  Must've worked great to get 3rd place!  Haha, there are elders that have like 3 eating appointments in a day---it happens on accident, people just love to feed us, ha--and they throw up in between because they just can't eat it all, haha.  So gross.  Luckily that has never happened to me.  


ANYWHO, life is great over here.  Mom and Dad, thanks for saying you see blessings for our service.  I wonder sometimes, haha.  This week was so so so so HARD.  Emotionally, Physically, spiritually, I was so drained last night while we were driving home to plan for today.  Hna C----- and I were talking about the madness that happened this week:  We had to stop visiting some of our favorite people because they were not progressing, we're probably going to have to stop visiting another one of our favorite people, we got a new mission leader and things are changing in the branch BIG TIME, my spanish was so nasty this week, Hna C----- and I talked about a lot of frustrations we have this week...it was just a week of madness. And I was just exhausted.  And then it was kind of silent in the car and I just started to think about how much I gained this week.  I did so many hard things.  I developed a lot of really good habits of leadership this week, ALL of our investigators know that we love them, and all of the members know we love them--no doubts there ever, I studied Spanish so hard this week, and I learned really awesome parts of the grammar I hadn't understood and used them even though it didn't sound perfectly fluid every time, I treasured the scriptures and we helped L--- H-------- start reading them, I was a patient companion, I recognized where I lacked and tried to fix it, I followed a lot of promptings from the Spirit.  I thought about all these things and I was amazed.  I don't want to go through this week again, but I was in awe with what I gained from it.  Hna C----- y yo talked about it for a minute and I just started to think "If a hard week in the mission leaves me feeling this impressed, can you imagine what it will feel like to look back on a lifetime?"


I am so thankful for the life I have.  I am starting to understand in a small, small way that my life is just a small part of who I am.  I know I lived with God before I came here, and I know He loves me.  He treats me like a treasure.  I feel His love because I am His child, and He wants me to succeed.  So He places me in situations where I can grow and choose to become better.  I am slowly learning that I am so capable to succeed.  Central to my success is the Savior.  Family, I know He lives.  He is central to my progression.  And if He is central to MY progression, He is the foundation of why we are here, and why we can hope for something better than what we go through every day.  I pray I can better testify of Him.  I know the Book of Mormon testifies of Him perfectly.  I know they way to rely on Him is by living the principles of His gospel that are found por complete in the Book of Mormon.  I know we are never alone, and that we are important, imperfect beings in the process of recognizing our divine nature.  I love being a missionary because my life is spent telling people the simple truths that lead to salvation.  I invite others to come unto Christ.  Today I use words I do every day, but I just hope I can live forever in a way that testifies of Him.  We are so so lucky to have what we do as members of the church.  We truly have the truth.  So let's just live it. :)  It is too happy to not!


Okay, I love to be a missionary.  I think it is easier than not being one, haha.  The trick will be figuring out how to always be sharing the gospel without the tag...I think it's just in living it and being happy to follow the Savior.  That's just not easy sometimes.  Ohhh, life.  Well, I hope your week rocks, than you for your examples for me every day!  I think about you often an I will forever be grateful for the love you have for me.  I love you lots back, and I will talk to you next week!!


Hna Delis