8/11/2014

Well, I feel like I just wrote to you guys because I basically did.

 So we are having a lot of miracles here. We are confronting a lot of desafios too, but we really are seeing the hand of God here, and I love it! So I think I told you about Jely last email. Well on Sunday she came to church WITH HER ENTIRE FAMILY!!!!! It was so exciting :) Her two sons and her husband, who we havent actually ever been able to talk to! It was so awesome to see her there, and I know that she is ready, we just have to make sure we stay there with her, which we will be doing.

So idk if you guys remember Cesar, but hes the investigator that was getting over a lot of addictions and what not, but didnt want to get baptized and stopped coming to church and kind of asked us to stop coming. Well. We saw him on Saturday and we were like hey and went to talk to him and he was so excited to see us and told us that a member had seen him that day and invited him to church, and he was like i think im going to come. And then he said he read the last text that we sent to him that was like even though you dont want to, just know that you are always invited to church and was thinking about that. And then he saw us and was like okay, well im going to go tomorrow. and he came!! all by himself! now granted, he left after the first hour to go to another church, but he told us why he decided not to get baptized, which he hadnt before, he just got defensive and told us basically to stop wasting our time. then he said he wanted to talk to us, but felt bad for how he acted so he didnt want to. so who knows...maybe this time it will work! 

Also, we have this investigator who is a journalist and hes been our investigator for 6 months now. He loves the church and likes going, but he is rather....doubtful of everything. he just has lots and lots of questions and lots of things have happened to him in his life, but he always listens to us and i can see him changing and its amazing. but yesterday in our cita he was like the next time you guys come, ill show you something i wrote as kind of thanking you guys and he said its titled "how to talk to someone with a hard heart" haha.

So that guy carlos from last week...he came to church and liked it and brought his girl friend with him and she really liked everything too! it was so cool to see.

If you guys would like to pray for someone with me, please pray for someone named Xiomara. She is so awesome and pilas, but we just need a little additional heavenly help from God :)

love you guys! have a great week!!! :)

8/6/2014
Dear Family,

Oh heck. Well as you can tell it is now Wednesday and i am just writing because we went to the temple today so we didnt have a pday on monday. its been such a weird week. i feel like the week is just starting but tomorrow is already thursday...my schedule is super messed up!

anyway. Okay. We have found straight up the most golden person ever. Well, up until this point. And we didnt even find him. He came to us really. So a member called us and said his neighbor is interested in learning about the church so we call him and he starts telling us this story. oh goodness gracious. so hes been like super catholic his whole life, like super catholic, even he says that. he speaks english btw (he also asked me if i was from germany or something because i was struggling with my english...how embarassing haha) but anyway so his life started falling apart he said and he had a ton of questions that he realized his church wasnt answering. so he owns a recycling business and they brought in a box of bibles and in this box he found a book of mormon. he said that he doesnt know why but he couldnt throw the book of mormon away. he kept it, but never read it. then he moved a month ago right by our members and found out that they were mormon. these members are super pilas and shared a liahona with him and he was like i read it and i just felt a burning desire to get to know the church better. we met with him and we were like when is best for you? and he was like no, this is important i will arrange my schedule for you guys and were like...haha well okay. and then yeah, he accepted the baptism fecha right there. he was still kind of like well yes, i will, i need to know more but i think so. so were like woohoo! we call him to ask him something else and he is like...yeah, anoteme por esa fecha. like write me down for that day! he is a miracle, and i am so excited to see him progress!

also, we have another investigator jely who weve been working with for the past couple of weeks and we have seen such a growth in her. at first, she was kind of cold towards us when we talked aobut jose smith and what not, but now, she is like SO excited to learn aobut all of this. idk if i already wrote about this but we read to her from 3 nephi 11 and explained to her the way God wants us to get baptized and she was like kind of skeptical and i showed her a picture of a little girl getting baptized and we asked her to be baptized and she didnt answer. she tried handing the picture back to me and started crying and was like i think im believing it. i feel soemthing and idk how to describe it. it was so incredible. we explained that little kids have no need to be baptized, which had been a worry of hers for her son who isnt baptized. it was just such an amazing thing to see such a great change in her. shes a "tough" woman who doesnt cry and the last two citas has started bawling. haha, i love it.

we are truly witnessing miracles and i know its the gospel and the spirit testifying of the truth. I know that the book of mormon changes lives. that if people honestly take the time to study it, they will recognize it as a book of God and will recognize that His church has been restored upon the earth. that we can be saved through the power of the priesthood. it is such an amazing thing to be able to testify of. i love it :) and i love you all! miss you!

Welp, a lot has changed here in the zone! new zone leader, new district leader, new elder in our ward! Its crazy, but its been good!

Its also starated to rain again. It was pretty dry for about a month and then last night we were knocking on a door and i heard this sound and i was like...hna i think thats rain and we look over and you can hear the rain pounding on all the roofs and its getting louder and louder and we were like ahhhhh get your rain jacket and so as im trying to do that, the phone falls out and were scrambling around and acting dumb haha and these people are watching us from across the street and are like hey!  come here so we went inside so we coudl get everything together and we contacted them and talked to them a little and it was super cool because God gave us this perfect finding opportunity with two girls our age and they were like yeah, sure! come back! so we shall see :)

We have this investigator named Jely and we were going to drop her but we went back one more time to tell her and she was SO INTERESTED. like she had a ton of questions about te book of mormon and she was like yeah, i want to read it more and figure out if its true and can i bring my husbadn adn kids to chruch too and were like...um yes, yes you can haha. they didnt end up being able to come but it was still nice because i think next sunday they should be able to.

I have learned a lot that happiness doesnt come from your cirumstances. Sometimes i have the tendency to think that because of my circumstnces, i dont desrve to be happy and its just so not true. I love that God has made this plan so that we are happy. I have learned that a lot this past week, and i htink i am improving a lot to not get so down so quicly. my comp is never upset. in like 3 months, i have seen her upset like 3 times and shes in the beginning of the mission, which is iwhen people are usualy the most upset haha. shes been great for me!

my birthday was good! ate lots of cake and spaghetti from pizza hut! but it was weird not talking to you guys. it felt like a normal day, only now i feel super old. no longer a teenager. oh well, life goes on. 

Well, i love you all and i hope you have great weeks :)

 

Oh my goodness. Okay so this week has been incredible. So okay, I wont lie, the whole time that Ive been training my hija (her training is over now) has been kind of a struggle, and I couldnt figure out why. Like we would have pilas investigators athat wanted to get baptized and then something would happen and nope. And it was so frustrating. It got to a point to where we basically had  no investigators really and I didnt know what to do. So we started looking for all the ways that we needed to change so that we could have more success. Our prayers became more real and we started dropping those investigators who didnt want to progress. Well, we are seeing miracles right now. Between Saturday and Sunday we were able to put 5 more fechas. One of them is a family!!! And then we have a couple of other investigators who I honestly think we could put fechas with. I know Heavenly Father is preparing people and I love that when we truly try and tell Heavenly Father that we want to find His escogidos, that He leads us to them! And the best part is that we DONT HAVE CHANGES!!! wooohooo! This will be my second 6 month area. I am excited because I will be able to be here for my birthday, my year mark, and my hijas first baptism :)

So Xiomara is our investigator that is getting baptized on the 2nd and she has a shoulder problem. Got in a motorcycle accident and broke her shoulder a year ago but up until now the doctors are finding out. So she is getting surgery on the 6th of August. Well she said that she would come to church on her own. Well at like 9 she was just leaving so I was like okay. and then at 930 i started getting worried. She finally calls at 945 and she comes in and I find out afterwards that she had gotten into an accident! But then came to the church anyway. She stayed for all three hours (okay actually she left to go to the doctors with some other members and then came  back!) and the elders gave her a blessing that was so special! And ahhh, she is so awesome! She came to church despite getting in a car wreck. She is being worked against but she is fighting because she actually wants this and ahhh its just so great to actually see!

I love the mission so much. I cant believe i completed 11 months today, thats insane! Love you  all!

 Rainy Season, this happened in 15 minutes

 4th of July, Check out the shoes

 Too bad Ashtin isnt having ANY fun on her mission

7/7/2014

Oh heck so I have to tell you guys what happened on Sunday. Well okay, first I have to start with Saturday. Okay so we had been having an...interesting day haha. Pretty hard day if I am being serious, but we ended up going to a baptism of the elders and this lady is so flipping cute. She was so happy to get baptized and shes this little old lady, and yeah. But while I watched her get baptized, I remembered and felt so strongly in that moment why we are here. The trials and desafios dont matter at all when we get the chance to see another soul enter in the door to salvation. Like words dont describe being able to know that we were a part of bringing one more of Heavenly Fathers children back to Him. So anyway, I left that feeling good! The day continued as it had, but we were looking forward to our cita with the guy who is getting baptized in two weeks. We have the cita and yeah. We go back home and I am exhausted. We get a message from the guy we had just had the cita with telling us that he is thankful for all of our help but he cant change and he will no longer be continuing with us and coming to church. I heart broke in that moment. After that day, that was just kind of like the straw that broke the camels back. That night I prayed and poured out my heart to Heavenly Father and then tried to read a little about Christ because I know that He knows how I feel, and well I still felt pretty down, but I felt better knowing that I can relate a little bit more with Christ.

I woke up feeling good because I woke up determined not to let Satan win this battle. I would not give up that easily on this guy who has come so far to give up at the last minute. So we called him and the Spirit totally led that conversation. I dont think I would ever say what I said to him without the spirit. I asked him if he really loved God because when he says that he cant change, he is denying Christ and His ability to help him. He is denying His sacrifice. He was like yeah, tiene razon and we talked about other things too. In the end, he ended up coming to churhc. He showed up looking rather uncomfortable, but he stayed all three hours which he never does, ever. And he left smiling and looking very content. I know that Heavenly Father helped him out and helped him to feel better through his obedience to this mandamiento. I love seeing what obedience to the commandments does for people! Anyway, it was just an amazing experience for me to be able to see how Heavenly Father helps us to change.

Hope you all had a great Fourth of July! Love you!

6/30/14

Dear Family,

So this Sunday was pretty cool! Our investigator who has a fecha came! Even though he says he doesnt like the experience of going to church haha. And then a couple of less actives came to church! And I was so excited to see them! One of them haha okay so I asked him if he was coming to church a while ago and he was like yeah and I was like are you lying to me? and he didnt respond and I looked at him and was like I am a representative of Jesus Christ...do you know what that means? And he was like yeah. And I was like so if you lie to me...youre lying to Christ and he was like...oh. And so I was like are you coming to church this Sunday? And he was like yes and he came! And yesterday was the third time that he has come! And all of his family are members and usually only his mom comes or his dad sometimes and yesterday 6 of them came!! AHHH! It was so exciting :)

I have learned, and I wish I had done it earlier, to be very bold about our message and who I am. I am a representative of Jesus Christ and our message is true. It is for the salvation of everyone! I love the Spirit that comes into the lessons when we are bold. I have always admired the courage of the prophets and apostles for how bold they are but loving and I am trying to emulate them....even though I am far from them hahaha. But I am working on it. I cant believe I only have 8 months left because I still have so much to change!

So we have been praying that we could find this recent convert Hugo because we havent seen him in 2 months. One day nothing was working out and I was like whyyy haha and we went to this members house and we left the house late for our next appointment but I didnt feel anxious about it or anything which I usually do and we walk out and THERE HE IS! walking by at the exact moment that we left. It was such an answer to our prayers!

Love you guys!


6/23/14

Dear Family,

Well this week we had our final conference with Presidente y Hermana Watts! It was so sad! We got there and they talked to us for the last time, giving their final talks, they showed us our new president and his wife. Presidente y Hna Crapo. Gosh, it was so sad haha. Like so afterwards they had us all talk to them one at a time and take a picture with them. Hna Watts started crying before we could even take the picture...me too. I told them that I would never forget them because they have influenced my life for the better. They have taught me so many things, and I am the missionary I am because of them. Hna Watts said that she wouldnt let me forget them. Shes like we will keep in touch. When you start dating, you will have to introduce the guy to President Watts before you get married haha. I love them so much and I know that Heavenly Father sent me here partially from what I learned from them!

So in the mission lessons with members present is a super important thing. The goal is 20 a week. So we try our hardest to have a member always when we are with investigators which isnt as easy as it sounds haha. But one day we had members with us for six out of the 9 hours. six hours. Guess how many lessons we had with a member. A whopping zero hahaha. I was just like...oh my heck. But it is the effort that counts and for one reason or another we werent able to visit those people. It was just kind of a funny day haha.

Saturday at 11 at night they told me that I had to give a talk in church the next day and i was like como and they were like no en serio. So I stayed up until 1 thinking of ideas, got to bed at 120, and woke up again at 5 to give it. I gave my talk and here they have this little rd blinking light to tell you when you need to stop talking but I didnt know what it meant (i figured like okay wrap it up but it means right now end it haha) so i kept going. i blame it on my lack of sleep.

we have this investigator who is super awesome he has a fecha and he just really wants to change. I love seeing how the gospel makes people want to live better. to give up the good for the excellent. To get rid of their bad habits for good ones. It is only Jesus Christ who can make that change in people and it is such a blessing to be able to see that change in other peoples lives. to play a small part in it!

Love you guys!

Sorry I havent posted in a while!  Lots of pictures below.

June 16,2014

okay im sorry but this is going to be kind of short this week! i got behind because i had to send a bunch of pictures for president and hna watts and other things.

anyways. i told my hija that this change would be a change of miracles and well it has started. okay on sunday...not a single investigator came to chruch, but as hna flewallen said...we didnt say it would be a domingo de milagros...just a change. haha. so yeah! but dont worry, it will be better next sunday! we are really going to be focusing on getting them to church because it doesnt matter how well they are progressing or how well the lessons are...if they dont come to church...it doesnt matter. they cant get baptized.

 we found this guy named cesar the other day and it truly is a miracle that we found him. he was getting taught by missionaries in another area but he moved here. he was going to get baptized there but he drinks coffee and smokes so he couldnt yet. we are workign with him on that right now and he is doing so well! he hasnt drunken or smoked in a while. he is super pilas and knows its true. actually, steph i told him about how you were able to completely quit smoking and how it is totally possible and he looked so excited about it! it was super cool!

 we got to play baseball today! well we only had two gloves and a bat and baseball haha but it was still so much fun! havent been able to play in a while. im sorry its so short but i hope you all are doing well!

June 9, 2014

Dear Family,

How is everyone? I am doing well! We had zone reunion this week, which was super great! So changes are this week, but luckily I get to finish traning my hija :) I am super excited. i already told her that we are going to have a change of miracles. I cant believe how fast time is going. I remember during training that it seemed to be like a long time, but Hna Flewallen is already at the half way point. And my trainer, who only had 10 months when I was with her is leaving for her house!! Like its so insane how fast time goes.

So let me tell you something about the capital of Guatemala. I love it, dont get me wrong. But the people outside of the capital are (generally) a little more...warm? Welcoming? Needless to say we have come across more people here who outright reject than when I was outside of the cap. And its still kind of new to me because I was born outside of the cap. So anywho. We have had quite a few encounters in these weeks with people who just dont like us one single bit haha. This lady came out with anger in her eyes, using the Bible to basically tell us that we are not virtuous women and that we need to find Christ and what not. Well, I have learned how to deal with it. We listen, bear our testimonies and walk away. But I am grateful for these experiences now. Before, I would just get irritated, but now I mostly just feel sorrow for them. The thing is though, that I have never more in my entire life been more sure that this is the truth than I am now, when people attack it every day. When they hate what I know to be the truth. As sorry as I feel for them, I am extremely grateful for the knowledge that I do have.

I love you all and I am extremely grateful for the support you always give me. Please read the Book of Mormon and later, pray about it. Please. I love you so much :)

June 2, 2014
Dear Family,


Okay so I have a story for you all. Okay on Saturday we met with the guy who we had met last Sunday. on sudnay we had prayed to find where we needed to go and we eneded up contacting manuel who was outside of his house and he seemed pretty interested. so on saturday we went and we talked to him and he started telling this huge long story in his life with all these details. hes a lawyer and had gotten himself into a sticky situation. as he was telling us i was like thinking to myself okay...how can this story apply to the gospel? the moment i thought it a story from the bom popped into my head of a guy named zeezrom who was also a lawyer. the story was almost exactly like what happened with manuel. i decided to show him the story even though i had no idea why or how telling him would help him. well we get to the end of the story and it says that zeezrom got baptized and so right then i realized why. i told him that everything happens for a reason and that its usually to bring us to the true gospel so i told him that like happened with zeezrom, happened with him, to show him where he needed to be. he was like woah!! and wanted to read it more. so we asked him to say the closing prayer and he was like "thank you for showing me this story in the book of mormon because i have been looking for the answer for 2 years and now i know why it happened to me" it was such an amazing experience. i know that God answered our prayers and led us to him. he came to chruch the next day so we will see what happens :)


that same night, we had a cita with the two little kids who are going to get baptized. we ended up calling a super awesome hermana from the ward to come with us last minute and she said yes. it started raining super hard (its been ridiculous, the rain thanks jacklynn for the boots, love you so much for that) and she still came with us. we got there, taught the lesson, and the mom (being forced by the kids) dropped the bomb that she is having some very serious issues with the father and they will be moving out to leave him. i was shocked when i heard. they dont have the money to leave though. as missionaries we cant offer money help at all, but this hermana who "per chance" happened to be there offered them the help they need. they also had not eaten that day so we went with the hermana to buy food for them. it was such a blessing to be able to help them through this amazing hermana who i absolutely love. i just love how God prompts us even when we dont notice it.

have great weeks!!!! happy birthday ethan :)



May 27, 2014
SOrry I didnt write yesterday. Its because we worked yesterday and today we had pday because WE WENT TO THE TEMPLE!!! heck, i needed that so much. I had been in this world for far too long without a break. 9 months without the temple. There is just a peace there that I cant explain. I cant feel the anxiety of the world when I am there. I dont think about everything that I have to do this week, I just feel calm. I needed that so much. I was able to receive some answers to some questions that I have about my mission and it was just a good kind of checkpoint to have with God now that I have completed half of my mission.

Speaking of which, I completed 9 months this week. Where did the time go? But seriously. Like I dont know about you guys, but I feel like I just left sometimes. And then Hermana flewallen will say something aobut a movie ive never seen or soem phrase ive never heard of and i am like what?

So I had an interesting experience on Sunday haha. Okay so on Tuesday and Wednesday we had just amazing days. Like I had been praying so hard that I could just get better in some thing sand that members could leave with us more and well ithe prayers have been answered. I was super excited for Sunday because we had a lot of possibilites of people coming to church...and only one came. And the girl who should be getting baptized didnt come, so we had to change her baptismal date again. We were super happy about the investigator who did come, dont get me wrong, but Jacklyn who is supposed to be baptized didnt show up (ps. she wants to name her kid that shes pregnant with afeter me and my comp shelby ashtin haha). So that was disappointing and then all of our plans fell and I was trying my best to stay animated and not discouraged. So I was like okay, we have our last cita at 7 with a reference from a family, itll be great. The woman calls me and is like hey im really sorry but my friends arent going to be able to come. And after I hung up, i just started to cry haha. Like I sat down at a bus stop and just cried for like a minute. My poor comp. I just let out all my frustration and then i was like alright. ill stop being a baby. and i started calling some people but no one was home. so we were like okay, lets go contact. so we prayed to be lead where to go and we found 2 people that were super open to what we had to say. people that i really felt like can progress. and we would have nEVER met them had we not had all of our citas fall and that prayer. I know He listens to us. I know He does. I know that when we push on even when its hard, we receive the blessings.

We also put two new fechas yesterday! :) wooh! 

 They got cell phones, I think to help with the withdrawal symptoms

 Its the Rainy Season

Making Ash rethink the number of children she wants!