´Aqui tiene su casa´ - Here you have a home....

My dear friends and family, the hour is nigh!

I cannot believe that this is my last big sign off as a missionary. How grateful I am to have served The Lord during these last 18 months. I am truly grateful to be His missionary and His representative. I can truly testify of the white fields that the Lord has prepared for every one of His children that are willing to serve and put in the work. 

I have a confession, when I was about to leave on the mission, I packed a nice pair of pants and a cute shirt to wear just in case we would go out to eat one night or somethign like that (what in the world was I thinking?!). When I got out into the field, I quickly realized that I was crazy wrong. Looking back at that actually makes me smile cause now that I look at my clothes, I can understand taht I was sooo wrong and had such skewed views of what a mission was.

A mission for me has meant work, hard work, very hard work!  We walk everywhere, we find people to teach ourselves, we call to remind people to come to church, and then we go pick them up, and we also shed tears as we hear that not all want to recieve this great gospel in their lives. It has been the most amazing experience.

I believe that the most powerful phrase that people have said to me as we say good bye is... ´Aqui tiene su casa´ meaning, here you have a home. The warmness of the Mexican culture has greatly impacted me and really has helped me become a more refined, better person. I think on the many many times that we knocked doors, looking for a referreal or a street contact and we don't find their house, or they are not home, or they had given us a false direction, but the people who were there,  have welcomed us in and recieved our message.

In Bosques, we went to an appointment, looking for a couple that we had contacted in the street. When we knocked on the door, a little boy answered and asked us who we were, we told him, ´las hermanas´ - the sisters He dissappeared inside to tell his family. After that, he told us to come in, and as we met the family, they reluctantly listened. 

The second visit went better, and we taught about The Family, a Proclamation for the World, it was a powerful and spiritual lesson, all had tears in our eyes and we left that house with a very special feeling. As we progressed along with this family, they decided to be baptized, and were the most perepared, humble, and converted... well converts that I have seen on my mission. As the baptismal date was getting closer, one day they began talking to us about that first day that we had gotten there. They began to tell us that when thier nephew had told them that the sisters were at the door, they thought that it was just their family.  They were very suprised to see us in their living room! They then told us about the strong feelings of the spirit that accompanied us in that second lesson, and because they had seen those feelings, they had decieded to be baptized. How greatful I am for the guidence of the spirit, and I know that missionary work brings great blessings into so many lives.

I have met so many amazing, humble and really just loving people here during my mission, and I know that this work will keep moving on. We are simple intstruments in the hands of The Lord, and He will do great things with our lives if we let Him. May we carry on in faith.

I am nervous and excited to return back home, but I do so knowing that I served The Lord with all my heart. I testify that The Lord Jesus Christ lives. He loves us and knows us personally. His infinite sacrifies is something that we may never come to understand in its fullness, but I know that He did it for pure love for us. May we always honor his name with our actiones. 

Family and friends, it has been an amazing 18 months, and I have come out the greatest convert of all here!

I share this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

I will see you soon!

Hermana B


eardall

Travel Plans!!

Final week!!!

Hi cute family, I am doing so well. I love being here and we had a great week, it seems as if I am not going to be having baptisms my last transfer, but I am actually really pleased with my work and the work of The Lord here in Tepeji.

I am really happy, I twisted my ankle yesterday pretty bad, but then I walked almost all day and I felt a lot better. I also got a lot better during the week from my brief stomach blast. I was dying last week exactly on Monday it started and I was throwing up until like Thursday.... but I decided to take a bunch of fiber drink to flush my stomach out, so that was really rough going but now I feel lots better. 

We are teaching a lot of young adults, like always. I really like the environment, and as I have been especially reflective lately, I was thinking about the baptism of Adrian, who was a super convert and his baptism was one of my happiest moments in my mission. He literally jumped out of the water after he was baptized (maybe cause the water was cold ooopppssss) But truly I know that the Lord loves those who accept the need for commandments. I know that young vibrant people are totally waiting for the Gospel to come and guide their lives. WHAT A BLESSING. 

I really like feel so so so blessed to be a missionary. To be honest, it took me a little while to truly love the work. There are a lot of hard things, and it’s not like those hard things have gradually gotten a lot easier for me, but I think that I have changed my attitude about life and really I am grateful to be here. 

 

So really, I feel really excited to be home, but also like a big responsibility. It is hard to explain it well, but I think that it is just leaving things that you love, but even more so here. I mean leaving home is really hard, and adjusting to things is really difficult at times, but really I am so happy to have served and I think that the bitter sweet feeling is evidence. It is really cool but it’s like jumping into cold water. But, everything is going to be fine.

I really want to be different, and I want to change. I think that I have changed a lot in the mission, but I think that one thing that I would like to change is not worrying. It is definitely not the easiest sometimes, but I don’t want to be like that anymore. 

I have been giving away my clothes... That sounds weirdJ!! I have been giving away all things that I am not using anymore. Thank you. I think that the only love that is greater than that I have for Mexicans is for my parents. I love u so much. I will really take that into account about the clothes. I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU GUYS TO SEE THE THINGS I HAVE AQUIRED FOR YOU. You will love them. They are really just little things, but they are beautiful!!

Well.. it is going to be a pretty normal week, I am really excited to work actually, I packed a bunch today, so we are doing all really well so far!

I know, I am really just excited to finish strong. I think that everything will go really well. 

Really, thank you so much for your love and support. I think that the Lord really blesses us so much when we give ourselves over to him

Also, mom if you want to invite your family (tyler and jae) I would love to have them too. If not, well that is fine but if would be good to see everyone. I think that just being with you guys is going to be amazinggg. I am going to wear Mexican clothes off the plane, and that is all that is going to be said in regards to my clothing that day. 

I am really excited to be home and really just happy with life. Remember that poem that I sent to you guys a long time ago...? I think its still one of my favorite things it says: Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be. So true, and I think better things are a coming!

BESITOS

Hermana Beardall

Contacting on the combis

Helloooo cute family and friends,

I really hope all are found well this week. We had a fantastic week because well, we are missionaries. We have had so many blessings, and I would love to tell just one that happened to us this week.

Soo, one mission goal is to schedule appointments of 10 new people every day. It is sometimes really hard to do that, but to he to has faith, anything is possible... But to help us complete with the task every day we usually contact every single person on public transports. I remember that my mom and dad went to Tijuana before I left on my mission as they came home they told me that they had gotten into a big van and it scared them.. 

I think that is they best way to discribe combis. They are basically huge vans that tons of people get into to go short distances. We usually hand out cards about Christ, and then talk a little bit about our message and then we ask them if we can visit them. 

We had contacted a young family last week and we went to the appointment on Saturday evening. We spoke about the Preisthood and the Book of Mormon, when they showed us a copy that a family had given to them years earlier. It was amazing to see their faces as they understood in part what the true Gospel of Jesus Christ is. They accepted the invitation to be baptized on March 13, and I am so happy to have been able to be an instrument in the hands of The Lord so many times. 

I have a personal testimony of the scripture found in D&C 24:12 that if we open our mouthes in ever moment, we will be blessed with the words and The Spirit.

The best decision that I have made is coming on a Mission!! It is the best, and I know that we recieve so many blessings as we loose ourselves in the service of others.

Be well, 

Hermana Beardall

P Day in the Temple

I am doing really well. We went to the temple today, it was literally the best and I love being there. I have been a little worried about things getting home, I have been praying a lot and basically I went to the temple with 3 questions today.

I felt a really strong impression of the hymn of The Lord is my Shepard. It says NO WANT SHALL I KNOW. I loved that and had the very distinct thought that the Lord will take care of me, He always has. 

My gringa companion - love her!

I hope you are all doing so well. I think that so many miracles happen every week, and I really am liking my area a lot. To tell you guys the truth, it has been hard being here, but I have found the good in everything I think. My companion is really sweet, but looses everything, so we get along super well..hehe I am happy to hear from you guys too. We got back super late from the Temple, and left at like 5 this morning, but we are safe and sound here again.

I am just happy and healthy and working hard. I am really worried still a little bit for those things when I get home. That is the honest truth but I know that I shouldn’t worry about it. I gotta go, but I LOVE YOU HAVE A GOOD WEEK!

Surprise.....Transferred!!

I am doing so good, we had a great week!  Last night, with transfers coming up this week, I got a call and I am being transferred tomorrow!  I was really surprised because I thought for sure I would finish up here, but I am going  to TEPEJI DEL RIO, in Hildago, this is where I will end my mission.:(

Honestly, I am a little sad because I really love it here! But, it will be good not to be in a comfort zone.  There are just so many people here that I love. The bishop’s family is my very favorite and I love them lots. I think that when we come back to visit they will be our tour guides. I LOVE THEM. So I am sad because I love love it here.

I really think that it will be good. Really today I just feel so grateful for everything. I love the missionaries that I serve with. I love our mission, and I love my ward.

I also feel so much peace today because I know that I have worked really hard for my entire mission. And the new area is like a commercial area and they say that the people there are really receptive and it is a cool area. It is about like 30 away from Conejos, where I was earlier in the mission.

Buying street tacos with the brand new sisters!!

But the great thing is THAT MY COMPANION IS AMERICAN!!  My very first of the entire mission!!  Her name is Sister Rivera. She is from Idaho. She is cute and I am excited to be ending the mission on a high note. I have met her in the leadership conferences that we have every month. She is sweet, and she is going to end the mission two transfers. But I am sure that everything is going to be awesome there. It is only hard to get pulled out of the comfort zone sometimes. But I am really excited. I want to work super hard and I am going to do it!

Also, today we got to pick some newbies sisters from the offices. They are just brand new form the CCM here in Mexico City.  I don’t know if you guys remember my first p-day in the field I went out with some sisters, but today we got to pick some new ones up! It always blows me away to see the great difference and the progress I have made. Today we were going back to our area in public transport, and the sisters were like super scared. They don’t know how to use pesos, and they are fascinated with the street bread we bought them:).  It was a lot of fun, I love my time here!!

I am really ready to just hit the ground running, what a great opportunity to start fresh in a new area with just one transfer left!!