Hola de Hermana, 19/12/12

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!  I love you all so much!  Thank you for your prayers!  After Monday I felt a LOT of peace.  Stability.   I have hope.  And I know your counsel and the scriptures are going to help me know how to teach.  

Yesterday Carlos (an abuelo) attended all of church with us, and we're excited he knows an older gentleman in the ward, who is going to start attending lessons with us.  I'm grateful we could meet with the barrio consejo yesterday, and they gave us additional names of members for our other investigators.  I'm very very grateful for Hermano Coyoy, our lider misional de barrio: he and his wife are totally amazing and dedicated to the work of the Lord.  Obispo Paz y Hermano Coyoy feel like the members need to understand the Atonement and the law of sacrifice to be more dedicated to the work of the Lord, and I'm thrilled about working with them to accomplish that objective.

And I've been very grateful for tender mercies throughout this week.  Such as a new investigator, Nicole.  She is about the same age as mis abuelos, and I love her.  I love the little girl I spotted in a bus with a sweet smile looking out the window.  I love the young man Luis who called us after finding a pamphlet Hermana S had given his abuela, and Luis asked if he could buy a Book of Mormon.  Hermana S said out of the thousands of pamphlets she has given out, he is the first to call.  

I have been astounded at how much love I have felt.  If I've felt love like this in the four weeks I've been here, what will 15 months be like?  What will being a mother feel like?  What love does our Heavenly Father and His Son, have for us???!!!  

And God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son...

I testify that Jesus Christ came to this world and lived and died for us, His children whom He created, and in whom His Light resides.  Joy to the world that He came, that He fulfilled the Atonement and broke the bands of death through His Resurrection.  Glory be to the Father and the Son that they have provided a way for us to return to live with Them and our loved ones forever as we follow the example of the Son.  Glory be to the Father, and the Son.  I am so grateful.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  

--Hermana Ivy [-]

Hola from Hermana, 12/12/11

Hola mi familia!

I love you so much!  I'm so sorry not to write more in email--it takes so much time to copy and paste and write the President.  I've mailed at least two letters to you, maybe three.  So you should be getting some mail. 

I don't know what to write, except that this week was really hard.  REally hard.  I was more homesick then I've ever been, and I wanted your hugs and to talk with you.  But there were always tender mercies to help me.  Yet please pray for me, that I can receive understanding for how to share my testimony and also how to teach it.  That has been, perhaps more than anything, what is most difficult. 

The temple dedications were beautiful.  We attended all three sessions, and the Spirit of the Lord was strong and sweet.  Elder Anderson accompanied President Uchtdorf, and I loved hearing them.  Elder Andersen spoke in Espanol, and while he knew more vocab and grammer, his accent wasn't any better than mine.  :)  hehe  :)  And Pres Uchtdorf, bless him, struggled speaking with an interpreter.  He wanted so much to speak and declare that often he started speaking again before the interpreter had finished, which didn't do much good because most Guatemalans do not speak NEARLY as loud as Pres Uchtdorf.  :) 

…

Jesus Christ LIVES!  He is our Redeemer and our Savior!  Because of Him we can have happiness here in this life and forever!  And I know each of you fought a war in the premortal life and succeeded, and you can succeed now as you do the work of the Lord and bless His children!  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I invite you to pray for inspiration how you can invite others to come unto Him this Christmas season.  :)

I LOVE YOU TONS!!!

--Hermana Ivy [-]

Hola de Hermana, 5/12/11

Hola mi familia! 

First, Thank you for your emails!  I'm able to copy and paste them into a word doc and print them, and love reading them!  Even if I don't respond to the details!  Thank you!  Also, Mom, I got your letter from the MTC Nov 29th, and Jane's letter she sent Oct 9 on Nov 29th, and please tell cousin Hazel I got her picture and love it!  (I got it Dec 3).

Thank you for your iPod!  I didn't realize how much I'm grateful for it until yesterday morning when it froze for a bit and we didn't have music.  Thank you!  I can imagine how crazy your power outage for three days was!!!  Way to go to all of you for your service!  And I'm so grateful you are all safe!

Email time is great--I just didn't realize how much time it takes to write to Pres Bautista and copy and paste other stuff...  So I'll copy and paste some from his email and to Mom.  I also am not able to mail my letters to you consistently--when we pass by the national mail office.  I did email a letter to you either Wed or Thurs, and hope to get todays in the mail today or tomorrow.

Candi wasn't able to attend church yesterday, and as such we need to move her baptism date.  Saturday night we called to check up on her and she said her mother's brother had died two hours previously.  We bought some flowers and booked it to her apartment where we were able to meet with her and her mother and her mother's sister (a member).  We sang Families Can Be Together Forever, read Alma 40:11, and sang Mas Cerca Dios a Ti.  Candi was really happy to see us and has kept her reading commitments.  We're excited to meet with her this week and hope more of her family will want to listen.  I'm excited for her.  :)

Usually members feed us for lunch (and then usually meat and no beans :(  ) and we fix dinner.  I've grown to love yogurt and fruit to combat all the white carbs we're fed and also love fast tomato pepper and egg stir frys for dinner.  The blessing was finding that a local bakery chain, Xelapan, ACTUALLY MAKES DELICIOUS CORNBREAD!  I found it about two days after Thanksgiving and couldn't be happier.  I was craving cornbread on Thanksgiving.  :)  We have portable two-burner electric stovetop we use to cook on.  I'm grateful I did so much of my own cooking at college, that's made it much easier. 

Last night we were able to watch the Christmas Devotional broadcast, and I thought about you watching your broadcast too.  And in Dad's email when he talked about you all decorating the Christmas tree, I can hear Peggy Lee singing in my head.  :)  I think my favorite quote from last night was "God doesn't expect us to commit to move mountains, but He does expect us to present to Him our very best." I don't remember if that was from President Eyring or President Uchtdorf, but I loved it.  I also felt touched while watching the wise men make their journey to see the Newborn Jesus.  I felt touched that I too must be willing to make the journey back to Jesus the Christ, no matter how long the way, and be willing to give Him my all. 

I testify that Jesus Christ LIVES!  Glory be to the Father for giving His Only Begotten Son for us!  That through Him we might be saved!  I testify that through Him we may have peace and joy here and now and forever!  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

I love you TONS!

-Hermana Ivy [-]