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Sunday, February 1, 2015

Mexico Week 47 -- Finding Joy in the Journey

How are y’all??!! Super happy I hope!

Today makes the start of another transfer! Hermana Gonzalez and I are going strong!  But really, I love her to pieces. I have been so blessed as her companion! She is a dork and super funny and we just have a good time even with the stress and ups and downs of missionary work. She is so strong and we work hard. Our district leader was training too and his companion finished his training today and was transferred. They both about cried saying goodbye and Hermana Gonzalez says, “Oh no!  I am about to cry! Oh no!  The day they change us I will cry so much!”  She is a doll and it has been so fun working with her.

Okay so the pictures! I am a terrible piano player but I don’t love how the simplified hymns sound, I like hearing all the cords so I started playing with the Children’s Hymnbook. I just really feel like it is something that I need to learn. I love the Spirit I feel when I play even if I play like a turtle and mess up a lot!  One day, right??


 It was stake conference this past weekend.  Our favorite grandpa told us the bus would take about 30 minutes but we arrived in about 10, so we had time to take some pictures!  Ha! Ha! 





Also, I dyed my hair this week. Sometimes when you feel a little sad, you do fun things like dye your hair. I have the best stylist! Ha! Ha! 



Please enjoy the Creysi Donas.  It made me laugh so hard! Get it, like Crazy? But you have to write it like Creysi so that in Spanish they pronounce it like that. 



This week we went to ward FHE! The elders planned it and it was so great!! We had plans to bring some families but pretty much all of the plans fell through. We got to the church feeling pretty bummed and the elders asked us to put music in the chapel. As we were sitting in the chapel and listened to some Paul Cardall piano hymns, Hermana Gonzalez says, “We’re going to hug and cry right?”  That’s exactly what happened. The elders set up an awesome activity where they blindfolded everyone and were leading them all around the church and through obstacles but they couldn’t talk. The objective was to make it to the chapel where there was light, they took off their blindfolds, and we read them a scriptures in Luke 22:32 that talks about once we’re strengthened, we go out and strengthen the rest, and then people left and helped others make it to the chapel. First of all because none of our people made it to the activity, we were a little bummed.  The stronger we felt the Spirit, the more we cried a bit.  One of the Elders jokes, “Well I think Hermana Rawe really enjoyed this activity.  What do you feel Hermana Rawe?!  Insert more tears. Ha! Ha!

In the middle of all this, our kids show up in the activity. The 10 year old says she wants to talk to me. She tells me, “I want to be a missionary like you and Hermana Gonzalez. You’re just good people and I’ve learned a lot from you both. I know I need to get baptized and learn lots more, but I want to be a missionary and teach people too!”  She gives me a huge hug and well then I cry some more. Hermano Oscar was there too, by himself because his family was sick, but he comes to visit us and says, “I know you!  You’re literally my sister.  What’s going on?”  Ha! Ha! Well we chatted a bit and he tells me that Heavenly Father called me to find and work with his most difficult kids and then says that he’ll be receiving the Melchizedek priesthood next week! How awesome is that?! He says, “Don’t you see?  We are just working and working and next is temple sealing! If you’re not there I will go to your house and pick you up and bring you here!”  It is so incredible to see people progress so much in the gospel. He is literally the big brother I always wanted! 

This week we had interviews with our mission president. We talked about how sometimes we just have to stop teaching people that are keeping their commitments and look for the people that are truly prepared by the Lord. This has always been so hard for me in the mission. I always feel like maybe I didn’t put my whole part in and that’s why they are not progressing.  I hate to stop teaching people. This week I realized that my time is really short. This could be my last transfer here. I just felt like there truly are prepared people here. As we were walking one day just looking for people to teach I felt the Spirit so strongly as the Lord told me, this is what I want. I need you in other houses.  I’ll show you where to go. My President mentioned how much faith it takes to look for chosen, prepared people. This hit home as I realized we have stopped teaching about everybody and we are looking for new people all day every day, and visiting some less active members and recent converts. We have the faith and we’re going to find them! 

Hermana Rubi called us one morning so excited!! Her husband received a sentence of one year 2 months in jail, but he is applying for libertad condicional (I forget what that’s called in English). Basically, he could be home really soon. She says that he has changed so much and wants to marry her and get baptized, and pay his tithing, and “be somebody” at church. He says, “I’m trying to get out because I want the “guerita” to teach me!”  The “guerita” or “white girl” is pretty much me!  Ha! Ha!  Rubi told him he better hurry up and pray a lot because Hermana Malacara already left and who knows how much time they’re going to give to Hermana Rawe! I would die if I got to teach him again and see him progress! Ahh! 

This week I was studying a lot in the January Liahona. There were so many things that I liked! First of all, the article about President Benson and his wife just melted my heart! I realized so much about what our Heavenly Father really wants for marriages and families. We, well I, need somebody that supports me in the gospel and I support him and we put the Lord first and overcome challenges and serve and just do good things! I read about how the Savior wants us to teach and his model for teaching. As missionaries this is so important, but it’s also incredibly important in Sunday School classes! We have to teach better and more like the Savior in our church meetings. Then because I’m a nerd, I read “Family Councils for Couples.” I thought about all of the family councils we had and I imagine, although I never imagined it before, that you, mom and dad, also had couple councils and tried to, with the help of the Lord, lead us and teach us toward good things. I just want, well need, a family that receives the Lord’s guidance and help. We can’t do it without Him. 

With it being January and everything, I started thinking a lot about my goals, but not just for this year, really for my life. It’s so important to me that we just joyfully live the gospel, that we share what we know, that we put the Lord first, that we are truly happy, that we are always honest and repent when it’s necessary. I just want to be so prepared to be able to raise and teach a family centered on the Lord and a mom and wife that truly represents the Lord in how I do pretty much everything.

This week I felt like the world was really heavy. Like we live in a world filled with problems, filled with people with truly big sins and little desire to make things right, in a world where people have lost the concept of what is a family. The gospel truths are not regularly taught and practiced. We saw a lot of things this week, a lot of truly sad things relating to the family. We want to help people be happy but we have to live the gospel to be happy! I promised myself this week to never be a selfish mom, to do everything in my power to put others before myself. 

Love you all to the moon and back! Be good! 

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