Happy New Year!

So I stumbled upon the coolest quote this week it is from the January Liahona.

It is from Parly P. Pratt:

“The gift of the Holy Ghost … quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates, and matures all the fine toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form, and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.”

Okay, so like how important is it to have the spirit??? It makes us PRETTY!  I thought it was pretty slick, and it is SOOO true, all the blessings that we receive from doing such simple, everyday things! 

I sent over a timeline of my mission, three areas and 8 companions including my  newest Amiga, Hermana Burgos. They just made a change and right now we are in a trio, we just received a new sister for the last two weeks of the transfer for emergency transfers! The truth is, is that she is a sister that has had problems with all her companions’.  I  want to be her friend but sometimes I don’t have a lot of patience with her and its only been like 4 days. But whatever, I am working hard to love her.

Also the new president is changing a whole bunch of rules, lots of little rules that are strict.  Things like only listen to pure hymns, we cannot go out in groups of sister missionaries, we cannot be eating with members (like the only time we eat during the day) for more than 30 mins. Little things.  They will be good, I can’t imagine the weight that comes with a calling like that, I am trying to be obedient and sustain him as much as possible in my final weeks.

Quick note after Christmas and so pictures

After we spoke our night was great, it turns out that a whole bunch of members brought us a lot of food and we ended talking at like 830, and so they just took us home! We have the zone conference this week and the leadership council meeting and two companion exchanges!

They were spraying graffiti and I asked if
they would take a pic with us...

Did I tell you guys that last night we locked our keys in our house?? oops it was a test of my patience....Well it was actually in the morning, and we were going to church and we were speaking and then accidentally my comp shut the door and then it was bad and so we just went to church and we broke a wooden part of the door to get in later this afternoon.

It was so fun to see you and I am just glad that I didn’t cry too much. It always puts things a lot in perspective for me and I am really just so blessed to have you and all of the support that you give to me. Thank you so much. It was soooo good to see you last night!

I have to hop off now, but wish me luck this week! I think it is going to be a very long busy one, but I am ready for it! We are going to go home and do crafts. My favorrriteeee!!!!:) I will send you pics of what we end up doing!!

Baptism before Christmas

Hey all, I am doing really well. We had TWO baptisms on Saturday, it was a MIRICLE!!

Abinadi, on the far left is an investigator that joined the
Church last December, he baptized both of them

They are the couple that got married, and then they got baptized. They are so prepared. They both got up to bare their testimonies yesterday because they wanted to and asked the bishop if they could. We love them so much! It is a little hard because my companion being new to the area really hasn’t had the opportunity to like get to know them or really love them but I am happy because they both changed so much! I will send pics over right now!! This week we are tying to get things put together to make a trip down to the visitors Center for Christmas!

I think it will be a good Christmas, and I am happy and i really love the area that I am in. I hope that they don't change me for my last transfer in the mission.... I really love the people here!!

Also, our new president got here this week!! President Urrea.  I haven’t met him yet, but I am happy and I think that he is going to do many great things. I am happy because I think that the changes are for the good of all of us and I trust a lot that we are going to progress a lot her!

For Christmas Eve we have to be in early at like 7 but the members love us here and so I think that they are going to probably bring us food to our house to eat and then on Sunday, well, we are going to eat and then we are going to talk and probably and visit people!

YES!!!! The package got here, but I can’t open it till our Christmas devotional which is on the 23rd. I was thinking more in the evening, like last year! Like at 6 we are going to hop on and we have 45 minutes to talk! 

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Transfers before the Holidays

How is everyone doing???

We have transfers tomorrow, and I am going to have a new companion!! Changes are always good, but I am sad to see my comp leave to another area. We are sad that we are not going to be together for Christmas, but the good thing is, is t hat we can see each other every month!

I think that I am going to end my mission in Bosques. I really love this ward. I have made a lot of friends here and the people are great. This week was the ward christmas party and we brought lots of investigadors!!!

Maddi and her soon to be transferred companion

We have NEW INVESTIGADORS!!! Really, it makes me so happy when we find the ones who have been searching for the peace of The Gospel in their lives. 

Also, we have a couple that have been investigating the church for about 3 months, and they are going to get married this Saturday to be able to be baptized the 17th!! We are very happy for them and because they are super converted. We also this week had a great week.  I am trying my best. It has been amazing here, and I love it a lot. There are great people and I am happy to be a missionary!!

We will be getting our new Mission President in two weeks.  He is from Mexico!! His name is President Urrea. He is from Monterrey and is young, I think. They say that he is bishop there and is leaving his own company to come out!! Big sacrifice!!

            Quick note – each week we pick a chapter or section from the scriptures with Madison and read that same chapter each day for 7 seven days.  It is       a fun way to connect and see what stands out.  This past week we read    Section 93 in the D&C.

From Section 93 this week, one of my favorite parts is in verse 45:

Verily, I say unto my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., or in other words, I will call you friends, for you are my friends, and ye shall have an inheritance with me—

I love that he calls us his friends. HIS friends. What a great honor!! I cannot believe that really we can qualify for such an intimate title. It made me think of a talk from the Oct conference that talks about the same thing... it is called

'Am I good enough, Will I make it???  Elder Holland

Not sure what this is, but it is funny to see her
wardrobe evolve the longer she is in Mexico

In this talk it talks about the great questions that I think all flies ttrhough all of our minds,  how sometimes we feel like our best efforts sometimes are not going to be good enough to get to the highest kingdom. And it is true!! We cannot do it alone. It says that we must recognize our weaknesses, and when we do so, we permit ourselves to draw nearer unto Him. And through His grace, we will make the goal!! I think that it is such a comforting thought that He sees us as friends. He loves us and is rooting for us to make it back to him. I sometimes think that the plan is hard or that I am not giving enough, but as I read that verse each day, I think that I understood more that He just asks us to keep on trying. To repent, and He, as our Friend will support us!

Also, I love in 2 Ne 32:4:

4 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.

It is a verse we missionaries call a “plancha”. It speaks strong. I have taken it to heart a lot in the mission. If I do not understand something, I gotta ask for the understanding and comprehension....if I don’t ask or look, of course we are not going to find!

It is so great to share such an incredible message!!

Have a great week!!

Zone Conference - the shirts have their names and the Spanish phrase:
"Adelante Sin Miedo" - Go Ahead Without Fear - google translate :-)