sometimes Heavenly Father calms the storm...sometimes he humbles the sailor

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

haha, that is a quote from just like Heaven. But that has been my week this week. We have had some awesome investigators but they are dwindling. We made a goal last week as a district to figure out who really wants to change and who is just wanting to listen. We are here to invite others to come unto Christ, but there is no way that can happen if they don't want to change first. We did have a brand new investigator come to church though! That was awesome! We actually teach him in English cause he seems more comfortable that way, but that can be a sad thing..we might have to let him be taught by the English elders :/ But it's okay cause we are all doing the Lord's work! he is awesome - His name is Klisma, family is from Honduras and he had an LDS friend there who had actually taught him a bit about the church - in the first lesson he asked us about the sun, moon, and stars...pretty sweet eh? haha, well we explained the three degrees of glory to him and he was good :) PS - if you don't know what I'm talking about, please ask....my family or even the missionaries that live near to you...I don't have ample amounts of time to explain but the missionaries do and that is what they are there for.

 

We are still working with Francisco. Still has a date for baptism. That means solid - he's getting baptized on the ninth. We had an experience with Francisco about keeping the Sabbath day holy and for him to have the strength to talk to his manager so he can get Sunday's off. he said that his manager wouldn't understand because he isn't Christian. I got to bear testimony of how awesome my boss was when I had to go and do things for church or for my family. Jason was not Christian either but he respected me because I respected my own beliefs. So we are going to fast with Francisco so that he can get Sunday's off. he is dedicated and comes to church but we want him to receive all the blessings he can and not have to work Sundays at all..In the end it is his decision but we're here to help him.

 

What else? Well let's just say the sailor was calmed this week. I have been feeling overwhelmed, inadequete, and like I don't even know how to dress like a missionary. I didn't get it. I tried so hard before my mission/all my life to keep the rules and do what was asked of me and it was never this hard. My companion, the giant that she is (spiritually that is), helped me. There is a recording from Henry B. Eyring she listens to every morning and she was talking to me about that and how we are inadequete. I asked a calling from God to work in the name of Jesus Christ. It's going to be hard, but I'm being molded into a better person, I just need to work with my Savior and find the strength in him so when times get tough, i can keep moving forward. Vale la pena - worth the pain of growing. I.T.

 

So that's what I've learned this week. now little notes of love.

Mom - can you check that winter box I have packed...learning more about dress code here, not sure I can have all that stuff...and just email me a list, that would be awesome! Please and thank you!!

Kaity - CD's!!! and Ipod please?!! I can only have hymns in the car but all of my stuff would be awesome if you could get it to me, maybe with that letter? should all fit in a little flat rate box :)

Erika - can you send a lil note to Carree Britt and tell her she's awesome and I wrote her a letter but it came back :/ I re-send it!  THANK YOU!! oh ps - HAVE FUN AT MY CASA!

 

All in all - i love you all ! thank you for everything that you do. My spiritual thought this week is the temple. I have a problem when I go to the temple with falling asleep. I feel inadequete at times, but I know that no matter what - i did something good that day, and my days are always better when I take the time to go to the temple. If you're an RM, go with your friends if you can't go with family. If you're married, go with your spouse. The temple strengths us as individuals but also the relationships that we have with other people. Enjoy it. Go as often as you can. The Lord did not ask us to take on everything, but he asked us to follow him and how can we do that if we don't come unto him in his house.

 

That's all. I know that the temple is a great blessing, and where in families can be sealed together for time and all eternity. And I know this work is true, it is the Lord's. And I am here to help people make the steps that they may one day enter the temple for themselves and be sealed together.

Love you all!!!

-Hermana Word (2)

 

 

one is my comp, sismoore, and I when it was pouring - we took pieces of the old mural from behind the Christus :D

this is a cool tree...all the branches were just cut off and sitting on the ground - okay, they were logs

remember last week and my nasty legs...this is the one...sorry i'm so white, I took it when it was darker.

who recognizes this girl?? haha - yep, it's steph FRYE! okay, only BYUI people would get that :P she's sweet! I hosted her at the MTC.

translating is fun.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

haha, so this week has been pretty great. I got to teach a few temple tours at he Visitor's Center about why we have temples and who in temples we can make promises with Heavenly Father that can bind our family together for time and ALL eternity, not just until death do you part. I love these tours...actually, they are the only tours I have really given but that's what people want to know. They drive past this huge white building for YEARS - i mean YEARS and one day the just "decide" to come in. I know they come in for a reason and they were led there by the hand of the Lord. They may not want to learn more than that that specific day but at least they had a good experience and they can learn more later.

 

Weather's about the same. Little less humid but rains randomly. LOVE IT! oh and yep, did I tell you my leg looks like it has a desease? Well it does, and not both, just my left leg because i have this problem with scratching my bug bites and then they get a little beat up looking...not sure why i don't get any on my right leg or when I do they don't really itch. Just kind of weird.

 

COOL NEWS - okay much cool news!

-1st - FRANCISCO IS GOING TO BE BAPTIZED!!! We talked to him about the importance of baptism more and that the Lord is preparing him, and has been for a long time, even shared D&C 39:7-10 with him, and told him that we know he can be ready for baptism on the 9th of September. and he was a little hesitant at first but we addressed the concerns he had, and then he said in Spanish "We're going to do this!" and shook Hermana Avelar's and my hands. That was a tad weird with the hands, but super cool! So that was our miracle of the week.

-2nd- Reina is doing well. She still has to work on Sundays, which is good because she needs money for her kids, but hard cause she can't go to church :/ we are praying for her and helping in the ways that we can. She's awesome though!

-3rd - the VISITOR's Center is getting REMODELED! Okay, not sure of any of the details but we're getting new exhibits AND a new mural behind Christ. I will send home pictures once it is all done...but they are supposed to start soon and be done in 3 weeks, because the festival of lights will start (well they will start putting the lights up after that). I wish all of you could come see it. I'm told some of you have! So cool - but it's changing some come and see it again!

-4th - I translated Sacrament meeting for President Matsumori and Sister Matsumori this Sunday. He literally grabbed me while the 2nd counselor in the Bishopric was standing at the pulpit about to start Sacrament meeting and took me over to sit with them to translate. I found out a- i understand more than I think. and b-translating is really hard :P haha, I give props to the people who do it live for General Conference and other things.. we have to do that at the VC for concerts and things when we speak the language better cause that is translated into Spanish! SO COOL!!!

 

Notes of love -

CHRISTY  - I'm sooo sorry...BUT HAPPY [belated] BIRTHDAY!!! you're all 21 and stuff! How does that feel? Did you do anything fun for your birthday?? BJ's?? love me some BJ's and pizzokies! hope it was wonderful and i love you!!

ERIKA - HAPPY BIRTHDAY tomorrow!!! Can't believe my little girl is all grown up ;) haha, seems like just yesterday we were writing on cars and getting snowcones really late at night, and escapading through fields in really bad shoes. :D well love you and i hope it is wonderful! can't wait to hear and see some pictures!

-Sister Simper! Thank you for  your wonderful Email!! You are so great and I will be writing you soon!

 

That's all i have this week so I can get some pictures in. But I love you all. I want to leave a little testimony this week about talking it out. A lot of times we let little things frustrate us about another person but go along and just think it's all good and try to work together...I work with all the sister's in the mission and if we're off the VC is off. We all have to tell each other what is up with anything so that we can talk it out and the Spirit can work with us. It is the same in our homes. We need to talk it out. I encourage you all to talk with your family once a week about what's up...maybe something they did to annoy you but also something they did that you were grateful for. I PROMISE the spirit with be stronger in  your homes and you will be able to work more efficiently.

 

CON AMOR!!

-Hermana Word (2)

 

2881 - this is the "K" house...were i live :D

2884 - this is it at night with the fountain (love my camera - thanks SMash!)

..computer is too slow for more :/ sorry

 

well it's a little wet over here...

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

haha and not because it rained but because I'm sitting in wet clothes after zone activity : D SOO FUN!!! We had a mario party remake/live action game...not really sure how a slip n slide ties in but it did. and now i'm soaked to the core but it is great. I also am wearing a super bright yellow shirt that I bought this morning for team wario :) it's great.

 

first few items people have been asking about/i want to tell you in general.

1. my address - I have no idea what my building address is. President Matsumori asks us to have all letters sent to the mission home. Yes, I get my mail...comes to the Visitor's Center about 3 times a week and I'm there that much so it's not biggie :) please just send it there. Sorry. Don't even have a mail key.

2. pictures of my apartment - I will try next week...I was going to take some before email but we came right here after zone activity

3. The weather's great! haha, but truly, just thought I'd through that in there...getting eaten by some bugs but that's alright.

4. I'm going to buy a backpack and send mine home soon. the zipper is broken and I don't want it to get more ruined because it is a nice backpack.

...okay that's all

 

 

SO THIS WEEK...

We had some really cool experiences - first was with Reina. She is a single mom who can't go to church because she  works on Sunday. But what was cool is that she wants to! She knows the Book of Mormon is the word of God, as well as the Bible, and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet :D... So she is working on finding another job to be able to go to Church on Sunday and be baptized soon :)

next was with Francisco....I did my first exchange this week and we did a comp study where we studied for Francisco and see why he might not want to set a date for baptism even though he has a desire to be baptized. We ended up studying about the difference between the Holy Ghost and the GIFT of the Holy Ghost which can only be given by the laying on a of hands, after being baptized by someone holding the proper authority of God. Well Francisco is a scripture buff and loves the Bible, even loves to read the Book of Mormon...and had a scripture open in the Bible (can't remember where :/) about the Holy Ghost = Coincidence?? NO!! That was inspired. Heavenly Father wanted him to realize this for himself. We just helped him understand it better with what we were teaching him that day. He told us that he thinks the Book of Mormon is a good book but doesn't know if it is the word of God so we asked him to pray about it and he did at the end of the lesson! SO GREAT! His prayers are always so sincere - this is a man who knows what faith is...it is an action and if he excercises his faith in prayer and receives and answer - he will act! I find that even hard to do sometimes, we all have trials but as we get pass the natural man, get past who we are and want to follow him, Heavenly Father will hear our prayers and send his Son to help us grow stronger!

 

What else....Messages of LOVE -

-Travis Davis= thank you for the letter! I will be getting back to you asap!

-Mom - thanks for keeping my acct secure you're the best!

-Kaity - love your emails but never get to read them while I'm here...sorry for that :/ but One day we will talk...or I'll eventually have time to write you back.

-HERMANA WATKINS!!! - i need your address again please :)

-...that's all i can think of this week :) but you are all wonderful!!

 

Okay some fun stories -

One - the other day i was eating dinner and couldn't open a can of salsa so Hermana Avelar came over, pointed the jar away from her/towards the table and the salsa proceeded to cover everything on the table which was all mine :P I had a letter, mini PMG, and my white handbook in Spanish! Haha, lets just say it looks like a salsa salad in my books...

one other - Hermana Avelar thought she threw the keys in the dumpster yesterday and proceeded to try and move things around in the dumpster(which is probably 30  years old) and couldn't find them...we found them up stairs on her bed :P long story short - she has a bad memory and I hear it "runs in the family" haha, hope not.

 

Just want to let you all know that FHE is important...I've been thinking about this a bit cause it keeps coming up in my life - at church , with investigators, other things...but it is set apart to be on monday for a reason. So when every mom out there wants to do FHE...support her. Take just a bit and spend time with  your family...i know it is hard and things happen, but try your hardest. It has be set apart by the general authorities for a reason, all church stores close early just to get home for it. Blessings come after obedience. I know that to be true.

 

Love you all!!

Chao!

-Hermana Word (2)

 

Can I just tell you that the Lord is wonderful!!

 

Wednesday, 8/1/12  So this week has been pretty slow - we had many appointments fall through and only taught maybe one person a day...we usually have 3 scheduled appointments with backups. Even our backups fell through. But that is okay because Heavenly Father blessed us with new people to teach in the crunch time of finding people. Usually out here we study and do things to prepare until 6 (including meal times) and then we start teaching after that. We cannot start teaching after 8.30 but if we are teaching then we have to be in our apartment by 9.30pm. bed by 10.30pm up by 6.30am to workout and get ready...just a cycle that is full of spiritual knowledge and learning for others - NOT YOURSELF...because I'm out here to serve but be served and kick back and study for me.   We also had our first Zone Meeting last week - things are switching up out here...no more transfer goals, only monthly goals...and less meeting with a zone or district a transfer. Sorry, don't have much time to explain that but maybe Kaity can help  you with it, I'm actually still figuring out Zone's and Districts. But our "white washing" is doing well - that area has a good amount of people interested to learn more of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! OH _ speaking of...we have an investigator named Francisco who is so great! He loves that Bible and even reads the Book of Mormon. He knows that they compliment each other and loves that they are from God. He is so great!! Well the other night we taught him about Joseph Smith and that the Church is the same as Christ's Church when he lived...and then we invited him to be baptized. The Spirit was there, but I wasn't sure what he was going to say....He said yes, but was hesitant on setting a baptism date because he wants to be ready. We promised him that if he continued to read the scriptures, pray to know for himself if the message we shared with him is true, and goes to church that he will be prepared for his baptism. He is wonderful and even prayed with us that night! You know, I can't understand everything hispanic people say , but I can feel when they really say yes - that they really desire it and they are not just seeking knowledge but want to follow Jesus Christ's example and be baptized by someone holding the Priesthood Authority of God. So truly amazing!   On a less concentrated note - I WENT TO WASHINGTON DC today!!! We live about 35 mins on the Metro (subway) from DC and we got up at 4, left at 5, and ran to the Lincoln Memorial to be there by 6.15...tad far from the Metro. To be able to see the sunrise behind the WA monument....except it was a tad cloudy but that's totally okay - just plugged along in nice weather.   Little notes of LOVE - -Danielle - you are wonderful!! thank you for your wonderful little letter! You are the best pen pal! -Timmy Hodges - I'm waiting for this "timmy hodges" knowledge that you are going to bestow upon me...letters please! **all who want to write letters, it goes to the DC mission home - my mom has the address** :) -SMash - didn't get a dear elder from you but mom says i should have - send it again please :) -Popsicle and B-man - I got both of yours and have letters to come back to you but working on one for mom as well :) -Richard's Family - How are you all?? Brielle you're married now right!? Congrats!! and Hailee how is school! I'd love to hear from you all!   tried to attach pictures but I'm way out of time and it's too slow - next week.. maybe I can send my card home and someone can put some on facebook :). I LOVE YOU ALL SOO MUCH!!! This work is amazing!! Keep up your missionary work! -Hermana Word (2)