Monday, May 28, 2012

Hola de Hermana, 28/5/12


Hola mi familia asombrosa!

Solo blastima is that this computor won't let me send photos this week... so next week will have to do.  

Tuesday morning the APs called us and told us that Hna N had an emergency transfer the following day.  So Wed she left and Hna G de Honduras became part of our trio.  She is great, and I love our trio.  

Last Friday we had a fun multizone conference where after some awesome spiritually empowering messages we GOT TO WATCH TANGLED!!!!  Oh I was in 7th heaven!!!  Drue, if you could send me the lyrics for the songs when she gets out of the tower for the first time and when they're with all the floating lanterns, that would be awesome.  Amazing how many gospel related messages we can learn from Pixar and Disney when we look for them.  ;) Funniest part was when the electricity cut out right at the end when she meets up with her parents.  

I love Jose and his family.  I never thought, NEVER, that I would meet people here in the mission that reminded me SO MUCH of MY family.  After we taught Hose about prayer, and I promised him that if he read the scriptures and prayed WITH his family to get an answer, because God loves families, He would bless them with a beautiful answer, Jose looked at Hna S after she asked him to pray, got up and left the room, AND WENT INTO THE KITCHEN TO ASK HIS WIFE TO" COME PRAY WITH US!!!  I nearly started bawling.  

I testify that God calls his missionaries to where they need to be.  I testify there really are meant people whose lives we are meant to touch and by whom we are touched.  I testify that how we love and serve in our respective callings is what matters.  I testify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ LIVES and that through, and only through, Him, we can be saved and exalted and become gods and goddesses.  

I love you!  I know YOU are my family, and I am so grateful we can be together forever!!!

--Hermana Ivy [-]

Monday, May 21, 2012

Hola de Hermana, 21/5/12


Hola mi familia asombrosa!  :)

Today is my 8 month mark!!!  Gah!!!!  I've only got 10 months left, and I think it's way unfair elders get two whole years.  By the time I feel like I've almost got the hang of it I'll have to leave...  So I'm trying to pull up the bootstraps and get the hang of this as fast as I can.  :)

I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip to Florida with Science Olympiad!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the photos, and am going to show your totem pole to EVERYBODY once I get it printed out.  :)  I love you all so much!  And I am also thrilled to pieces you actually ALL 1 TRIED a rollercoaster and 2 LOVED IT!  Good grief!!!  

Some amazing experiences this week.  Yesterday one of our investigators came to church for the first time in three weeks, and the RM Maco motioned to us during sacrament meeting, with a huge mischievous grin, moving his arm from an upright position and then laying it down...  and then motioned with his finger pointing towards the ground...   And Hna N turned to me and said, "Debemos bautizarle hoy?" so we taught her ALL the commandments, part of the Plan of Salvation, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ in less than two hours during Sunday school and relief society, and the zone leaders were able to come and interview her, and she was baptized at 6 pm!  So many details just fell into place, and she will be confirmed next Sunday.  So yeah, it was a mini "what every missionary dreams about" experience.   :) 

We are also teaching a father of a family with three kids.    His name is Jose, wife is Concepcion, with Lincy, Jose Jr, and Etan.  Jose told us he'll be baptized when he knows the Libro de Mormon is true and he is "muy seguro" it's the right thing to do.  And that when he does, his whole familyl will be baptized.  Please Please Please pray that he will keep his commitments, pray, and receive his answer.  I want so much for his family to be baptized, and we're goign to coordinate with the ward leaders to help us.  Please also pray that Alex, the father of the other family, will receive time and desires to let us teach him and his family.  We're going to ask the ward leaders to fast with us for them.  A member introduced us to Johni, a joven, and another couple Alejandra y Manuel.  Please pray for them.

Hannah, I read Julie B Becks talk "You Have a Noble Birthright" and thought of you.  Please read it.  It might also be good for other cousins.  

I also read President Benson's "Beware of Pride" and President Üchtdorf's "Pride and the Priesthood." I hope each of you take the time to read and reread these two talks.  I felt very humbled, and testify that pride really does come before every fall.  My pride felled me over the last months, and if there is one thing I want to learn from this mission, it is how to not be prideful by being filled with charity.  

Hna S has been teaching us, trying to teach me, how to dance Hawaiian dances.  Drue, you would fall out of your chair laughing, and maybe have to take a walk too.  :)  But I'm determined to get at least one of them down before cambios.  And I want to learn from Hna N how to do salsa.    

Hna N told me the other day that before cambios, she, Hna A y Hna M heard me talking in my sleep.  FLUIDLY.  Teaching a lesson.  Assertively.  I was THRILLED to learn that.  So it's all in my head, it just needs to come out during the day...   But several members commented on Sunday that I'm speaking much quicker than I used to.  :)

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!  I testify our Lord and Savior LIVES and we are preparing for His return.  Please do all you can to help the missionaries and our brothers and sisters prepare for that glorious day and for life eternal.  Each of our baptisms have been because of members, and I know you can be saviors for your brothers and sisters too!

I LOVE YOU TONS!

--Hermana Ivy [-]

Monday, May 14, 2012

Hola de Hermana, 14/5/12


Hola mi famila asombrosa!  :)

I am so happy!  It was WONDERFUL to talk with you yesterday, to hear your voices, and to end hearing my big brother say good-bye.  :)  I love and look up to you all so much, and am grateful you are witnesses of God and all times and in all places.  I'm confident you'll have amazing opportunities to share the glad tidings of the gospel in Orlando, and shine like lights to everyone you meet!  And I can't wait to hear how this trip goes!  And please find a Mars bar to eat for me!  ;)   

I LOVE LOVE being in a trio with Hermana N and Hermana S.  They are amazing.  I feel so comfortable, safe, and confident.  I am really looking forward to see what miracles happen this transfer.  

 Last week in our zone conference Elder R talked about examples in the scriptures where the children of Isreal were often led through deserts.   He focused on the "we're going through a desert" part, but I remembered Ïsaiah 35:1-2 where the desert will blossom as the rose.  And how this was literally fulfilled with the pioneers in Utah.    In my agriculture classes we learned how, in general, desert blossoms are the most brilliantly colored flowers found naturally in the states.  I feel like while we've maybe been working in a desert, we are about to find those brilliant blossoms...  I am so excited.  I feel like my faith is up and running again.  :)

An experience for the diary yesterday.  Hermana N and Hermana A had been working with a recent convert, Edgar, of a year who has been really struggling with alcoholism.  Saturday we had a good lesson with him and a reactivated member, Juan, who is full of fire and going to start a program for addicts.  Sunday morning we went and picked up Edgar for church, but left him at the chapel with another recent convert while we left to see if we could bring one more investigator.  In those five minutes, Edgar escaped the chapel and we didn't know where he went.  I remembered Pres Bautista exhorting us "do NOT return without the plates!", and we left the chapel to go find Edgar.  30 minutes later after checking out all the local cantinas we could think of, and praying, we were on our way back to the chapel with Juan when we saw Edgar chatting with friends in the park.  He was SO insistent he wasn't going to go to the church, and Hermana N was so angry that even his family said things like he'll never change, but we were able to get him back to the chapel for the closing prayer.  Instead of sitting in principles of the gospel, we went outside and tried to have a lesson on the Atonement and his potential as a literal son of God, but he just wanted to leave.  We left with him to escort him home, and he insisted on buying 5 quetzals of liqour.  I admit I tried to exercise unrighteous dominion by attempting to escort  him out of two tiendas...  but then I felt so dumbfounded as I watched him practically run to some "friends" drinking in a bar, and CHUG a glass they gave him.  

It was so interesting.  I'm still trying to process what I would do differently.  I know every child of God has their agency.  But those who struggle with addictions have lost so much of their agency and become captives of the Adversary through their disobedience.  And I CANNOT force anyone, and I cannot always teach with power that will always change the desires of someone else because they have their agency.  But I know it's not me that is the Converter.  The only real converter is the Holy Ghost, and the ONLY being who has the real power to save is our Savior. 

And yet I never felt angry with Edgar.  I felt angry his family had no faith.  I testify that those who have faith, hope and charity love their brothers and sisters, their grandparents, their neighbors, their parents, their friends, and believe that through the atoning power of Jesus Christ natures and hearts can be changed.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  

I LOVE YOU TONS!!!

--Hermana Ivy [-]

Monday, May 7, 2012

Hola de Hermana, 7/5/12


Hola mi familia!  

Crazy crazy crazy cambios.  I have one more cambio here in calvario, and I'll be the senior comp for Hermana N, who Hma A just finished training here.  Hma M is one of the three oldest Nortes hermanas in the mission, and she is going to be the companion for the new mission nurse who only has one cambio and still has a difficult time with the Spanish.  And Hma A is going to Momos, the most poor and rural area in the mission, to open an area...  And instead of completely closing the second companionship/area I've served in, a companionship of elders are going to come!  The first elders in about eight or nine months.  That will be a shock for the sisters who have signed up to give the four of us lunches....

I've felt really interesting.  I had thought up until last night I've done what I've needed to here.  In part because I typed up my testimony to give to investigators and ward members...  But last night as I was praying I felt like, "Okay, there is still something I need to do here, and I will do it."  I think it's teaching about the Atonement. 

Hermana N and I are both excited to be comps.   We have our differences, but we expect we'll be friends. :)  I want to set worthy high and inspired goals with her for this cambio, and expect we'll see some miracles.  Please pray we'll be able to find families and potential sacerdocio to teach and baptize.  And that we'll be able to receive inspiration for and improve our abilities for how to contact and teach them.  

Last week Huck asked me about earthquakes.  I have felt several itty bitties, but when I was with Hma S we were in the house studying and one strong enough that our chairs and plastic tables shook.  She got a laugh at how surprised I was.  :)  I'm really glad you are preparing our family emergency plans.  :)  :)  :)

Also, we had another amazing testimony meeting yesterday.  I love how here, couples go to the pulpit together, and stand with each other as they bear their testimonies.  It's like an unconscious "two witnesses" or "two supports".  :)  

And I actually understood a joke from Hermana A.  :)  I've thought from the first that I'll look forward to the day when I'm fluent enough to understand and participate in jokes.  And while this one was easy and it took an Ivy moment to understand, I still understood it in time to laugh.  :)  When we found out Hermana M is going to be the nurse's comp, Hma A dijo, "Ella es paciente y ella va a atender mas pacientes."    Drue, this bit from Hma A reminds me of you.  :)  

I've attached my testimony (in spanish) and the scripture list I've made.  If you could put the testimony on my blog I would appreciate it.  :)  It'd be awesome for the scripture list too, but I don't know how you can attach documents onto blogs...  

I love you all so much!  I'm so excited to talk with you this week (probably Sunday night).

I testify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ LIVES!  He knows and loves us!  And this work is the most important work we can do, to save the children of men!

LOVE YOU TONS!

--Hermana Ivy [-]