“The Standard of Truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame. But the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and dependent till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, until the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah will say, THE WORK IS DONE

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

11/30/2011

Oh...  my.... goodness.... I just don't know where to start or what to say. I want to just scream, but the email doesn't capture it. AHHHHHHHHH BEAR DIO LA LUZ!!!!!!! ohhh myyy goodness. He is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I HAVE EVER SEEN. Can I just say I have literally 5 min left on email cause I just spent the last half hour just looking at pics of the luke in awe. I am just so confused cause I never have fully grasped that Bear was pregnant cause I just see pics and I can't fully grasp it and all of a sudden she has this CHILD this little MAN! I am so in awe there are no words. And aren;t newborns not supposed to be cute cause he is BEAUTIFUL!!!! I am so happy he has beautiful dark hair! HE is such a stud! Bear I need to hear a very detailed account of your 14 hours of labor and what it feels like and itf its scary anbd why you shouldn't brush your  hair? I am dying to hear details!!!! OH my goodness. there are no words. I wish so bad I was there to meet this little man. This email just doewsn't capture what I feel right now. AHHHHH!!!!!! I LOVE HIM ALREADY!!!!!!

Well, I literally am out of time already. I guess I will just write a couple words. We found the most golden man I have about met on my mission this past week. He walked in on an appointment with his roommate and we didn't really think much of him but we gave him a Book of Mormon anyway and he was just quiet. We came back for his appointment and the roommate wasn't there, but he was and he came out with his Book of Mormon and said he read all of Alma 5. And I asked him how he decided to read Alma 5 (it's long and was PERFECT for his situation) and he said he just prayed and turned right to it. So he recently had a deathly surgery and like wasn't supposed to live and said he was not close to God at all before that and was really prideful. He he was looking at the Book thinking that he wanted to know where he stood with God and how to assure He can pretty much go to Heaven when he dies. If i knew that was his question, I would have honestly assigned him Alma 5. and he said he said a pray and opened right to Alma 5 and he said he just felt the spirit so strong and he knows it is all true. He is getting baptized on Dec 18th. He is SO GOLDEN we asked when he hwas the happiest in his life in a lesson and he said, "honestly right now just learning abou tthe word of God". AH! We also met many other golden people and a man just called us last night that we have never met in our life and said he got our number from a friend and wanrts to meet with us. Tonight we have 250 ambassadors from all over the world and The Marriots and senators and L Tom Perry coming on to turn on the Christmas lights for festival and a fancy dinner. Coolest mission ever? 

HAd some sad news as my companion had to return home on medical release. I love and miss her, but I know her situation needs to be worked out at home. Pray for her.

Welp, Sara had baby Luke. and I aam SO HAPPPPPPYYYYYYYY ANd I already love him sooooo muchhhhhhhh!!!!!! And I still don't really believe it I think they just borrowed a baby and took a picture. oh my goodness
love you all

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

11/22/2011

Querida familia,
So my heart hurts a little that Thanksgiving is this week and I am not dancing or playing the flute in our annual thanksgiving dinner. Okay well, I don't miss that that much. Don't worry we definitely had our ward thanksgiving dinner and it was just like our family talent shows I loved it. They even announced that we were singing a musical number without us knowing about it. I don't know why, but that reminded me of, "This year has been a little hard with Tawnee's candida"- But it will be grand. We are going to Eliana's, la familia escobar's, and Julio's for thanksgiving dinner (now I feel how married people do when they have to eat 2 huge dinners) and watching church christmas movies at the vc. I down wit dat. So how are Carolyn and her family and Cami's family? I have not been able to stop thinking about them. They are in every thought and prayer. And unfortunately we had another tragedy in the ward this past week. Our ward secretary/pres of high priests was killed in an automobile accident. The whole ward together esta de luto because he was SUCH a good man. His wife is young women's president and he has a beautiful young teenage daughter. It's hard to see all these children lose their fathers :( And Sunday someone came cause they were going to give him a new calling. He was also going to confirm Shirley on Sunday. He was always so sweet and involved in every baptism and always willing to help. So all day today we have been helping at  the funeral and oh wow it was the most incredible thing I have ever seen. The room was full of hundreds of non member latinos and every single talk given they were just preaching about the gospel and the plan of salvation. At first I kind of wondered if the wife maybe was thinking "oh this is about my husband let's talk about him"- but no when she got up she just testified and taught the plan of Salvation just as you would in a missionary lesson. They were teaching about the Book of Mormon and wow it was incredible. I was translating to a bunch of nonmebers who didn't speak Spanish and it was a really powerful experience. Anyway the Plan of Salvation is SO REAL. And just fyi I want that same thing at my funeral. Don't talk about me just about the plan and God and how great He is. thanks.

Besides that this week has been filled with miracles. One ofmy fav things on the mission and in the world is to see someone feel the spirit and like it says in the bible how it "passeth all understanding" and to see people feel it and understand it for the first time. It's SO incredible and makes the spirit seem much more real. Some people cry, some touch their chest and say "wow I can't describe what I am feeling right now"- Julio shared with us a very sacred experience that probably wouldn't be appropriate to share over email that happened in one of our lessons the other day and that is what has kept him going. He he soo solid he just will rave for hours on how great God is, but not in the typical latino way, but in that God put us in his path because we represent the true church. Eliana the other day- JA- I wish you were there. We were praying together to know if she should be baptized the 11th of Dec and we were silent for a moment and asked how she felt. And then she went on to sing two verses of a song that I don't know if it exists or not called "El espiritu de Dios este aqui" jaja it was great. So since that moment she has been so solid on her  bdate! Ah, I just love the mission. And this mission happens to be the best in the world, for real though. In which mission do you get to have a night at the VC with 250 ambassadors from around the world? Where L Tom Perry and the Marriotts (of Marriot hotel) turns on the Christmas lights? Or get to teach busfuls of nonmember soldiers on the base about the gospel? We are SO blessed. And I am SO excited for festival of lights!! ahhhhh.

Ps I had a dream Bear had her lil babe. Did that happen my chance? I wish I could tell you the deets it was funny. I love you all! What's new? Please tell. I miss you?


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

11/16/2011

Oh my goodness my dearrrressttt family. I love and miss you all so much. I would have given anything to be at Uncle Frank's funeral. I wish so bad I could be there for Aunt Carolyn and the cousins. Please send me their addresses so I can write them. Also please send me Cami's address. I just expressed my feelings in Sara's email, but Wally truly was one of my favorite people not just in the family, but that I have about ever met. He took all of my friends and I in Ghana to eat and to a movie and it was really expensive there and just was hilarious my friends LOVED him. My heart is completely broken for his beautiful children and wife, please send them my love and address cause I want to send them a letter. I literally gasped and then cried reading about the horrible news. But always combined with the gospel (the GOOD NEWS!), that the Plan of Salvation just becomes so much more real. He was a wonderful man and I don't doubt where he is and what he is doing.

To answer all your questions, Mom Eliana is actually doing really good and has a new baptismal date for Dec 11th. She has had a lot of pruebas lately but she has stayed solid despite her challenges. Beny (Shirley's mom) finally chose a date for Dec 18th!!!!! Let me just say I am so glad my brithday is on a Sunday. Cause as of right now three are on date for the 18th. JUst pray they go down! It was really cool cause we taught them a lesson about prayer, and then shirley lost her cell phone. We looked for it for a long time and then we were like "WHAT are we doing?" and prayed and found it like right after! And she was super against choosing her own baptismal date and always changed the subject and now she is really excited about it! And Beni, like shirley doesn't waver when they set their own date so that one is for sure happening :) Everyone else is doing good. We are starting festival soon so we will be at VC every day for the 1000s of people who come for the lights and I am stressed cause we are working with AMAZING people that deserve our time! I just love the mission so. And if you really are gonna send me a package... I just want a couple things. CALLI! anddd that tape that you have been talking about forever! porrrrffaavoorrr. That's it! And if you throw in sweaters and long sleeve shirts I will not be opposed. I love you guys so so  much I can't wait for zabear to have her lil BABE!!!!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

11/10/2011

El tiempo me acaba, but I will write very quickly some milagritos of this week! First off, I have been so heart broken this whole past week thinking of Aunt Carolyn and the cousins. I love them and have been praying for them incessantly. Please send me their addresses cause I have letters for them. They are in every single one of my prayers. Mesa just won't ever be the same without Uncle Frank, it's times like these when the Plan of Salvation becomes so real. Send them my love and My comp and I always pray for them

So just some quick miracles this week cause mom I know you look forward to them:) First.. this young man daniel comes into the VC kind of without purpose. That morning in our prayer meeting I remember praying that whoever The Lord has prepared would be lead into the VC. Kind of a typical prayer, but I felt that someone was coming in who was more than prepared. I was outlining a kiosk in the back and supposedly according to him humming a song and we ran into each other and it was awkward for a second, but then he was like asking all these very deep questions. He was an alcoholic who tried to commit suicide and just felt very lost and he said he was supposed to go to work that day, but just felt like something dragged him to that big white castle off the 495. We had an incredible converstion about the atonement and of course was more than thrilled to learn more from the missionaries. Just saw him again yesterday he came into the VC, shared another incredible experience and he is getting baptized!! And his countenance is SOOO different already. He has had a dramatic change and it makes every single hard part of the mission completely worth it. He was just glowing it was unreal. Ugh you jjust gotta meet him. I am comforted this week that God will place people in our paths that we are meant to meet. If we miss a subtle prompting, he makes it happen. For example, We're riding our bikes and Hermana Shannon runs into the fence and falls over. It was funny to the point that we almost missed the latin workers in construction inside the fence. We talked to them, got their info set an appointment, no big deal. But he (Juio) is one of the elect we have been looking for! And I don't know if we would have any other way found him. But it all worked out cause God is just sooo good at what He does. He said he used to meet with missionaries but they just disappeared and now he has this sincere desire to learn. He wants to meet with us every day and he says "I'm so sorry if I am being a pain, but ocould you come tomorrow too?" jaja he is soo good. He is preparing to be baptozed the 4th of december :) Keep him in your prayers. He just keeps talking about how he feels every word we say is as if it's coming from Jesus Christ, it's really cool to see how people can recognize that although we are weak, that we are representatives of Jesus Christ. And he keeps saying how it wasn't chance that Hermana Shannon ran into the fence jaja. Shirley got baptized this past SUnday and it was the most beautiful thing I have every seen!!!!!! oh my word. She was just GLOWING! and she couldn't stop talking about how she wants to serve a mission and get married in the temple. And there were like 80 people there, it was amazing to see the ward step up and support. Soo we had intercambios this week and maybe I rode my bike past the railraod tracks and the train went by and I lost my comp (for the day) for like 10 min. I was running up and down the streets screaming her name. It was funny. Okay anyway I love you all so much. Your lives are way too exciting it thrills me that you are being so blessed<<33333333 MWUAH!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

11/02

Did Sara happen to have her baby today? I feel like she did! I know that would be early, but Luke is anxious. And oh my word, I can not believe all the crazy tragedies turning out to be miracles happening in the family right now, with the roll over car accident, Uncle Frank's heart attack, Britt have a big glass fall over her head? I need that one better explained to me. WOW Just know you are all in my prayers ALWAYS! Also fasting for Frank here. That's so crazy. How is Aunt Carolyn coping? Will he not need a transplant anymore? Wow, he will be in every one of my prayers.

This week was filled with miracles over here too. It almost got funny the end of the weekend to have the less active who hasn't been to church since he was baptized in his country come to church with his whole nonmember family, or to have emerson who hasn't talked to us in weeks call us cause he was at the VC and wanted us to come teach him. He fasted with us yesterday to find a new job so that he can come to church Sundays and get baptized on Nov 20th (Latinos are NEVER willing to look for another job, that's a miracle), or when we just met the most golden people ever!!! Seriously, it was funny. I was just in shock at how miraculous this last week has been. I have been praying to find this certain elegido that for the past 2 transfers I just feel like there was someone out there who was SO READY and we finally found her this past week. Her name is Patricia (MOM!) and she is no less than GOLDEN. She ate up every word of the lesson and the day after we met her already talked to her boss so she will never have to work on Sundays. When we invited her to be baptized the 20th is what kept coming to my mind, and she said, "That's my birthday!" and she thought it was so inspired haha and will no doubt be baptized on that day. And SHIRLEY is getting baptized this weekend! Por fin! She is so excited. Oh ps Halloween is THE BEST here. It's creepy and it's just like in the movies. The cute cottagey houses with trees everywhere, poorly lit streets, dead leaves all over the place. We had to be in by 6:30 so we got pizza. Twas fun. I just love this whole mission thing. Way too much. A sister this week told me the amount I love it is annoying. WOOPS. Sorry. I love you all and I miss you so. Plz be :) n safe olwayZ

Tawn- yes we only teach Hispanos so we only speak Spanish and both at da VC, and we run every morning and ride our bikes every day, so yes we exercise and I should  have a rockin body but I don't. And yes I love you so much and miss you and I am happy you finally wrote me. And I hope you had da best birthday. I will write you segun tus experiencias. <3 u SO!

10/26/2011

I HAVE 0 0 0 TIEM BUT I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU I LOVE YOU ALL. Whao caps. Remember how Bear's baby shower is the cutest thing I have ever seen?!!!!!! AHH I can't believe I was not at Bear's baby shower nor bridal shower nor will I be at Britt's. Maybe that makes me want to cry. But I just so happy that my familee has so y babies!!!!!!!

I do not have any tiiime but this week was rough. SO GOOD but rough too just cause Eliana. We had this huge latino festival in the VC and it was heaven for me. Dancing and tons of musica latina and I just have come to find my latin roots. I am convinced that part of me is latin cause there is no way I could enjoy and love it so much if it weren't the case. Anyway and one of the 70 came that just spoke in conference (Alonzo) and Eliana went up to him and was like "I am getting baptized Saturday!!" and she was inviting her whole family and we bought her invitations and everything was set. Baptismal dates falling through isn't super out of the norm, but when they are this set it is the most depressing thing ever when they let the adversary get to them just days before. It is a long story but it ended up with her storming out of our lesson and just being really weird. No time mas but we really did see so many miracles this week and found 10 new investigators even though we have planned appts every second, but God makes it work! And we found families and yeah... it was great. And Juan and Jose are SO GOOD they just love reading and learning and they both are progressing towards baptism. Shirley as well is getting baptized next Sunday. Little milagro- even though things aren't currently working out with ELiana, we were meant to find her to find ANGELICA! She is so golden. Her son died and we taught her the plan of salvation and it was really powerful. She is really great. When we invited her to be baptized (you always first get a ohh I am catolic o OO I was already baptized and then you solve the duda) and she said "OHH How do I get baptzed!?" haha. SHe is good. OKay no time love you all so much please keep receiveing blessings!!!!!!