May 19, 2014

Dear Family,

So the big news of the week is that WE GOT CELLPHONES!!!!!! thats right. Guatemala got cellphones. Granted, its not my iphone, but it doesnt change the fact that I love it haha.  It seriously will help the work out so much, we wont have to waste so much time walking to someones house only for them not to be there. Or waste as much pisto calling people who dont pick up at public telephones.

We had an absolutely amazing zone conference this week, when we got our beloved cellphone. But seriously, I have been praying so hard in these days for Heavenly Father to help me. To help me to find the strength to get through our desafios and to be a better companion for my hija. I want her to have the best experience that she can. Literally my prayers are answered every day, with divisions or district meetings or videos of the church that we watch or my scriptures. But I just know Heavenly Father is here with us.

My hija is getting so much better with her spanish! She is participating in our lessons more and more and really coming along. She will randomly tell me soemthing we should do for our investigators and its so exciting because I know that she is thinking about them trhough the day. Its cool to see how excited she gets about the new experiences. It reminds me of when I started and its cool to get back that spirit.

The ward is starting to work a lot more with us. Now is the time to work with members, so I hope you all are helping out the missionaries, leaving with them and giving them references :) Also, this week was teh week of the family and so we had a bunch of activities in the building, where I learned a lot about the family. It was funny because they were talking about marriage a bunch and one hermana was like...alright...whos baggy? hahaha.

I cant believe I only have 9 months left...thats insane! I love this work, even when its hard. I feel closer to my Savior than I ever had before! Love you all! Happy birthday this week dad!!

May 12, 2014

Dear Family,

Welp, talked to you yesterday haha so I dont have a ton to say really except I have an investigator who is EXACTLY like Uncle Greg, like serioulsy exactly like him only he speaks spanish. I didnt know what to do, I was just like...what is this? haha. 

Also, today I met someone with the last name Bullough, an hermana, and it turns out she is a cousin of the Bulloughs from our ward! It was so crazy! And in her mission is an Elder Roach who has family in a stake in Indiana. It is a small Mormon world.

So Ill share with you a short thought. The mission has opened my eyes to a lot about myself. Like I am learning so much that I didnt even realize that I did. Some things I like, others not so much, but its interesting because soemtimes it makes me feel really down, but I read this scripture Ether 12:27 and its a scripture that I have always liked but I read it in a new way. The only way that we see our weaknesses is when we are closer to God, so when we see the things we are doing wrong, its because we are coming unto Him and getting closer to Him. So really, its a good thing, as long as we are willing to change. Change is hard, but it is possible! 

Also, with my spanish I have learned that I just rely on Heavenly Father, knowing that He will help me and He does. And I have to do that now with every single aspect of the work. I mean I was before, but with training, even more so. I am really just trying to grow my faith and get rid of all of my fear and doubts! 

Love you all! Hope you had good mothers days!

 

Not sure, but looks to me like she is just posing!!!!! LOL

4/28/14

Okay well first off I have to start with some worldly things haha. I was eating in walmart the other day (it has a cafeteria...will never be going back there haha) but anyway discovery channel was on and I wasnt watching it persay but I did happen to see on their commercials that there are several new shows...are you watching them? haha. Also, i have decided that at times the mission is like going to open houses. You go to peoples houses to talk to them and they give you food. And I remember those days I just went home with a giant food baby and thats about everyday here, especially because theres an elder that we share the ward with who is going home on wednesday so a bunch of people invite him to eat and us too so we go and its so much food! haha

Onto a more spiritual note. We have this investigator and I mightve told you about him. His name is Jorge and he is a journalist and he is super duro, terco, i cant remember the word in english right now, forgive me. but anyway so the last couple of lessons he keeps relating his life to us and everything that happened and he has passed through some crazy, awful stuff, and he starts crying and then i start crying haha. But the last lesson was super spiritual because he said hes afraid of starting to find God again because everytime he makes a real effort, bad stuff happens, and hes afraid of losing his daughter and his mom. I was able to bear my testimony to him of eternity and how we have the ability to be able to be with our families forever if we do what were supposed to do which is the basis of everything I do in my life and it was one of those lessons that I wont ever forget. The spirit was there super strongly. I am so grateful for the knowledge that we have of the plan of salvation. It truly is an anchor to the soul. He came to a baptism on Sunday and my comp invited him to baptism to which he said he would pray about it. We will see what happens the next lesson.

So Hugo got baptized on Saturday!! Wooh!!! Well the baptism was supposed to start at 2 but he didnt show up until 4 haha....so. But a little girl from the ward was also getting baptized that day so they went ahead and had hers at 3. And then on Sunday the elders had a baptism in the morning. It was super awesome to have the baptisms like that in a row because it was something I needed. Everything we do here is for that moment. The rest are only steps to get to that moment. I loved the spirit that is always in the baptisms! But Hugo gave his testimony at the end and was like Satan didnt want me to be here today, he put a lot of obstacles in my path but I made it here, even if it was 2 hours late. He said he felt an emptiness in his life that was filled when he started coming to church. I am grateful that I get the chance be here and experience these moments with these people.

Love you all, have great weeks!



4/21/14

Okay so this week was the Semana Santa and so all of the members were like its going to be so hard, you poor things and it was just like...thanks haha. But our zone leaders were like no, you guys are going to have a good week, a week of success. So i think I told you that last week they set the goal of 18 news and we found 19! It was a pretty awesome to see that when we tried to keep our spirits up that we were able to have a successful week despite the fact that seriously, all of our citas fell haha because no one was at home. They celebrate easter for an entire week and all go to the beach and what not, well if they have money. My area here, we have people with some serious pisto (money), like they live in gated communities where you can only enter if you have a cita with that person before hand. There are several places here where we have to give our copies of our passports to enter, but then we have the poorer parts too.

So on Saturday we called our investigator that is bgetting baptized this saturday (wooh!) but he didnt pick up. and then our phone ran out of minutes (seriously idk what it is about guatemala but nobody ever has minutes on their phone) so we couldnt call him more. we left the house early and went to bring him to church but nobody came to the door. It was disappointing because we were doing everything we could, but nothing, so we get to church and I am just sitting there silently praying that he will come. And a minute into chruch starting, I see him booking it on his little bike and I cant tell you how happy I was! It is seriously the best feeling ever, knowing that another child of God is coming unto Him through baptism and ahhhh!!!

We watched a video on Wednesday about the Atonement and missionary work and I love it. President Eyring said that everytime he thinks about taking a well deserved break, He thinks about the Savior and how even after He died, He preached in teh spirit world until He was resurrected. And President Holland says that missionary work isnt easy because savlation isnt a cheap experience. Why would we ever think it would be easy for us when it was never easy for Him? I loved it because I am proud to be a representative of Christ. I am happy for all of my trials as a missionary and a person because it helps me to understand Him better. I know He lives and I know thorugh Him we can gain exaltation. I know He has given us the way to gain that.


I love you all have great weeks!