"Humility is not thinking LESS of yourself but thinking of yourself LESS."

We handed out Halloween treats to everyone we meet in the street, whether they say Trick or treat OR NOT!
#mormonmafia (yeah, I heard about that)

Hey everyone!!!

Mom, Dad and Anthony, I hope that you are enjoying your cruise!!! Be safe!

This week was really a great one. After big changes in the mission sometimes we have to adjust and go with the flow. That’s how it has been for us! Not too much happened during this week but we saw some great miracles!! We received references from our investigators that we visited and it turns out, they are golden! That made us happy to find new investigators. We also were able to do acts of service many times throughout the week. I think in general, this week made me grateful for a new start, week 1 of the change, new goals, and prayer! My companion and I have been praying and will continue to pray for the guidance we need for this next 6 weeks and for NOVEMBER!

I love how the mission has given me a better understanding of prayer. I had a district leader that emphasized that prayer is a communion with God. That’s so real! If we don’t feel like He is on the other side listening, we need to change something! I know that Heavenly Father HEARS and ANSWERS our prayers. I don’t know how he does it all, but he does. It’s funny how many of my friends emailed me this week mentioning prayer too! It’s so so soooo important that we are praying. Especially in the mission, when I’m stuck or I don’t know what to do, I know that I can get on my knees and pray and that Heavenly Father will help me.

Also, Friday I had an amazing personal study. I felt prompted to study humility. It’s an attribute of Christ. I remember last year (woah) when I Skyped home. My family asked what I had learned in my first 5 months. I said that I had learned humility and my Mom laughed and was like "whattt?" Yeah, I never thought that I was very prideful either haha! I mentioned that I needed to have humility to learn Spanish because I needed the help of the Lord and others. Well, I still do haha (Spanish isn’t easy). Before, I was never the person who liked to accept help with things that I felt that I could do on my own. I felt that it was me being weak, and I don’t like to think that I’m very weak, haha. However, my studies helped me so much to understand what humility is. Humility IS NOT WEAKNESS! It’s actually a strength. Humility is submitting to the will of the Lord, depending on him and understanding that we are nothing without him. Humility is not competitive, that’s pride. Humility is accepting correction when we are wrong and not making excuses. It’s being grateful for what we have. Is it easy? No. Haha it’s not. But I know that it’s something worth striving to have.

I have felt the Spirit so strong as I read my scriptures and looked for ways that I can be more humble. A huge example to me of prideful people in The Book of Mormon is Laman and Lemuel.

1st Nephi 16: 1-3 reads “And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold they said unto me: Thou hast hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear. And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center. And now my brethren if ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say: Though speakest hard things against us.”

Laman and Lemuel were not able to accept the things that Nephi was telling them because they were prideful. They said that they were "hard things" putting the blame on him rather than themselves. In the mission, more than ever in my life, I have felt so imperfect. I know that it’s important to be open to correction and to change. Who doesn’t want to be better? With humility we can be. …And then there’s one of my favorite scriptures of all time.

Ether12:27 reads “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”

If we are humble, the Lord will lift us up! He will bring us to our potential. I know that God loves us and that if we depend on Him for our strength, He will make our burdens light and guide us. I am trying to be more humble. I want to see the Lord’s hand more in my life and I want him to know that I need him. In a world that encourages the "me me me" attitude, sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in it all.

Like C.S Lewis said "Humility is not thinking LESS of yourself but thinking of yourself LESS."

I encourage you to study humility! It has changed me in these past few days :)

I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!!! I can’t believe that it’s already November!!! Where is the time going?!?!

Send me your Halloween pictures please!!

Have a great week!! Love you all!!

Love you all,

Hermana Zerilli♥

Today we were able to go with Rocio, Alejandro and Edward to see more of our area! It was so fun! We went to Ujarras and Tapanti!! Ruins, dams, beautiful look out sites, and bridges. We did it all! I’m grateful for that family. They are the best!!