Faith is the Opposite of Fear

Fam,

  I'm afraid that I have gotten to the point on my mission where coming up with an email every week is hard. I still enjoy making titles though, haha. I want you all to know I love and think of you, and appreciate every email I get, even if I can't respond to everyone. 

  So I have a goal to become a Latina, and so far I can gradually eat spicier and spicer food #thankyoufuegoTakis It's interesting to see how my tastes change. I love the latino culture! These people are real, hardworking, open, and loving. I've gotten several invites to go visit Colombia with people so we'll see how that goes one day haha. 

  First things first, two miracles, two souls came unto Christ in the waters of baptism this Saturday! [D], the son of my recent convert [A](they speak English), and [F], our investigator from Colombia who has made amazing changes in his life. My mission president baptized him which was super special. We joined the baptism with the Elders and it was fun to share that special experience. I love being able to teach with other missionaries, we all got up to testify of the Restoration together. We related it to the Good Samaritan and how the aid to the spiritually suffering(which is honestly all of us) is the healing gospel of Jesus Christ :) There were six baptisms in our area that day including the English missionaries, and President Hillier joked "in this mission we baptize on the hour!" Haha fun to say but each person represents a lot of work and prayer, and of course their own personal choice to follow Christ! 

  I want to testify of the importance of baptism! None of us can fully receive the Atonement of Jesus Christ without it and the gift of the Holy Ghost. The authority to baptize has been restored to the earth again through modern prophets and apostles, just like those Jesus Christ gave authority to. The Restoration is so cool it gives me chills all the time. How amazing is it that God still speaks to us?! :D We taught a first lesson to a man named Raul last week and he feels like all churches come from man and he just isn't sure if God is there. It was powerful to share the First Vision with him, that Joseph Smith got an answer to his prayer, and so he can too! He got a really thoughtful look on his face and said he would try out the praying thing. 

  I am so privileged to be on this mission. I keep trying to remind myself that when things get hard. I learn over and over again as God gives me experiences teaching me to trust him that while I'm here to serve other people, this mission is really for me. God is changing me! I'm not the same person I was when I left, and I don't want to be. An Elder in our district gave a really powerful training this week talking about weakness. In Ether 12:27 it talks about how weakness makes us humble, and God can help make us strong. Well, this Elder related our weakness to a tree. There's a difference between weakness and weaknesses, he said. Our weaknesses stem from our main weakness. Like a fear of talking to people stems from a lack of faith. I thought about what that meant for me individually, and I definitely have a weakness to work with God on. Then this Elder really hit it home by saying, by inviting you to think about your weakness and how God can help you with it, I have invited you to repent. Wow! 

  People I love, crying repentance is what missionaries do. And it is a joyful thing! Sin is what brings sorrow and pain. God wants to heal us and reaches out to all to come back! So as a missionary then, I invite you all to joyfully repent :) Let Christ and His Atonement not only save you, but change and transform you!

Muchisimo amor,

Hermana Alley

Hermana Coleman, Hna Alley's trainee, got to come back to visit the area for a baptism