Sister Manwaring: Serving in North Carolina

  Setting up a refuge home March 27, 2022   Dear Family and Friends,   I got to participate in three of my favorite activities this week (only one of which is represented in the attached photos )  On Tuesday I was able to help the hermanas teach two new people.  On Wednesday I was able to help set up an apartment for Afghan refugees, and on Saturday I was able to serve in the temple.   One of the persons I was able to help teach was Mauricio.  He misses his family.  He also spoke of the sadness he experienced when his father and mother separated.  Hermanas McHenry and Morales chose to teach about the God’s plan of salvation--the purpose of life--why we are here on earth and how God has provided a way for us to return to Him.  Hermana Morales shared with him  Alma 7:11-12  and pointed out that our Savior not only suffered for our sins, He also suffered for our pains and disappointments.  A...

  Park Connections March 13, 2022   Dear Family & Friends,    Probably my favorite activity I do on my mission is when I get to teach with the hermanas.  So Friday afternoon  when I quite accidentally ran into Hermana McHenry and Hermana Morales at the park, I was super happy.   They were studying together and I suggested we take a photo of ourselves.  Then I had a better idea.  I suggested  we ask someone else to take the photo and we could turn it into an opportunity to share the gospel.  It turned  out that the person we asked spoke only Spanish!  After she took our picture I said to her, pointing to the  hermanas, “İEllas son misioneras!” The hermanas took it from there and taught a brief lesson.  She accepted  a Libro de Mormón and gave them her phone number!   We all enjoyed the encounter and the hermanas said they would try the picture-taking method of conta...

Temple Trip   March 6, 2022   Dear Family & Friends,   Today I attended the baptism of three people--a woman and her two children.  They chose for an opening song, “Be Thou My Vision.” The song speaks of seeing, not as the world sees, but as God sees.  As I sat there, I thought of the  changes I see in people as they come into the church:  Not just their appearance changes, their entire countenance changes, their behavior changes.   Just last week Kenneth was baptized.  Today he was greeting people and handing out programs.  A few weeks ago our friend Andres was baptized; today he blessed the Sacrament.  Carlos and Santiago, also recently baptized, regularly go teaching with the missionaries. Last Tuesday three of our new members went to the temple to do proxy baptisms for the dead.* And  one of our sister missionaries told me of giving the Book of Mormon to a drunk man who totally turned his l...