Monday, December 31, 2012

Hola de Hermana, 31-12-12


Feliz Año Nuevo, mi familia asombrosa!

It was so much fun to talk with you all on Christmas!!!  You all sounded so good, and I cant wait to give you all hugs!  Can you believe I’ll be home in just 3.5 months!!!  AGH!  I’ve told Hna W that before I felt stressed because I didn’t feel satisfied, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to finish everything I needed to do before coming home.  And now Hna W just inspires me to use every minute.  And I feel so happy!  And I believe we will be seeing miracles!  And when I come home, I believe I’ll be coming home very very happy for what we will have accomplished.  

This week we had LESSONS with COMPLETE FAMILIES and MEMBERS.  Our fist lesson with Sandra and Javi, we were in a member’s house, their next-door members, and their two little boys Erickson and Diego and baby were on the couch with them.  And I could see the member family.  And I just about started crying.  I’ve dreamed my whole mission baptizing  families.  And seeing us and them there, a picture perfect memory exactly like those in Preach My Gospel, just about brought out tears.  

I testify this is the work of the Lord.  We have 21 investigators right now that I feel like we could bring to the covenant of baptism.  I’m not telling you this to boast, but you know how I have longed to help people my whole mission, and now I feel like we can.  Please pray for these people and their families, and that we will be worthy enough to fully realize powerful and authoritative and love-filled missionaries worthy of miracles.  Please pray we will continue to find people prepared to receive us.  Pray that the members will work with and support us.

Families
Bertha and Rudy with two young adult children Yaime and Grinsmar and grandkid Emilio  we have a big lesson with them Wed and need your prayers
Sandra Javi Erickson Diego and Masurret
Viktor and Erlinda with Estefani
Eusevio Elvira and Andres
La Familia Gonzalez Martinez, mother and father Maria and Antonio with 7 children.  They are so golden but they need morethangold missionaries

Partmember families
Prax and Ana
Oscar and Andreina
Mellisa and Daniel
Billy y Sheny

And Carmencita, Kevin, Anthony and Marcos.

Cleidy will be baptized this Saturday!  Please pray her families hearts will be softened and that they will want to support her by coming to her baptism.  

I LOVE YOU FAMILY!  You are amazing!  Know that you are children of a loving and perfect Heavenly Father who knows and loves us!  

LOVE YOU!  

Hermana Ivy [-]

Ps Dad, a new elder, Elder T, came up to me and said, My dad knows your dad!  They wrote a paper together and they got an award!  He said his dad’s name is David?  

Mom, can you send me sheet music of Come thou fount in Spanish?  Its called Fuentes de mis bendiciones

Monday, December 24, 2012

Hola de Hermana, 24-12-12


FELIZ NAVIDAD MI FAMILIA ASOMBROSA!

I love you so much!  This week has been so good.  We are working and improving both our teaching skills and striving to be exactly obedient.  Another reason this email will be shorter than normal. 

Today is our pday and we have our Christmas activities as a zone today.  Tomorrow I think is a normal work day and we work until 930 pm today too.  Several families have invited us over, and we are grateful for their love and support.  We are also excited to go caroling.  And we found out that we are goign to watch the Pixar movie Brave!!!  I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

I´m even more excited to talk with you!  I want to hear all about what´s going on.  How you´re doing.  What your plans are.  Drue, I WANT to hear what you´re thinking about for USU.  And am so excited for you! 

We are content.  All this week I have just felt that in the Premortal life and war Hna W and I did something awesome together, and that we truly are here in this time to work miracles together.  And right now we´are making our ¨battle preparations¨ in order to work miracles.  I testify we truly are fighting a war for the salvation of the souls of men, and we need all your prayers that are possible. 


One photo to send.  Here many families put beautiful Nativity sets underneath their Christmas trees instead of their presents.  Hermana E´s nativity is the biggest, most beautiful, and playfully creative I´ve seen, with turtles made from sea shells  and wedding figures, and a little Christmas village, along with the Kings, Joseph and Mary.  I can TOTALLY picture Grandma Jan having something like this at the ranch, and I want to do this for my future family too. 

Random Christmas Culture''many of the lights that people use here come with music.  It´s the kind of clanky repetitive jingles that would drive dad to take an ax to the cable.  jeje  But I like it.  Though it ISNT a culture bit I´ll use as a tradition for my family.  jaja

I LOVE YOU TONS! 

Hermana Ivy [-]

Monday, December 17, 2012

Hola de Hermana, 17/12/12


Hola mi familia asombrosa!

I love you all so much!  We are doing so well, are very happy, and are seeing so many many blessings.  I can hardly believe all the good that is happening in just the two past weeks.  I miss you, and seeing Christmas lights and hearing Christmas songs are big temptations to be baggy (I got homesick thinking about Peggy Lee and Bing Crosby).  But I am counting my many many blessings that I'm in a ward I love with a companion I love for Christmas.  And soon I'll be with you all sitting around the warm stone fire in WY!!!  AGH!  And even sooner than that Ill be TALKING WITH YOU ON THE PHONE!!!  WOW!

We had some tender moments this week.  One night we were very hungry and had bought some cheese and sliced ham to eat with some bread.  The store owner heard us debating if we should eat in the street or try to find a semisecluded corner.  And without hesistating she told us to come right in her home.  She threw open her door, welcomed us into her kitchen, gave us juice boxes and told us to eat in peace.  I wept.   We were so grateful.  

We are talking with as many people as we can in the street.  I'm learning that to find people prepared for us we really do have to talk with everyone. Light does not pour down from Heaven with angels singing when we start talking with golden investigators.   Sometimes it's just an unexplainable whisper that you should talk to someone.  We talked with a middle-aged couple Saturday night and for the first time in my mission we went to visit them on a pday morning.  They welcomed us in their home for an hour.  And after we explained that God has always called a prophet to guide and protect our families, Viktor gasped, "Hay un profeta viviente hoy?" And I testified that yes, God has once again called a prophet on the earth to lead and guide us.  Viktor and Erlinda have an adorable little girl, Estefami.  Please pray for them.  Pray for them, for Eusevio  Elvira and Andres.  Pray for Jaime and Eli.  Pray for our part member couples Oscar and Andreina, Mellisa and Daniel, and Juan and Adilia.  

Our Stake President called us last Tuesday morning to tell us he had a reference for us.  That has NEVER EVER EVER happened before.  Not even a bishopric member has called us to give a reference.  In all my mission.  But Pres Matias arranged to present us to a family, Rudy and Bertha.  They are Catholic and aren't assisting right now.  But we met with them, we have a return visit, and I received very specific impressions for a certain trial they are dealing with that means they need a lot of help.  Pray for them, and that we'll be able to work with the key members to help them progress.  

Family, I LOVE YOU!  I am so grateful for you! Another tender moments was when we were talking with Daniel and Mellisa and their two year old son Joseph walked stumbling to me, put his tiny little hands on my knees, and pushed me backwards.  I didn't understand why until Mellisa told me he wanted to play football with me.  So he kicked his ball to me and I kicked it to him, and know every time we come he puts his tiny hands on my knees and I step back to play football.  :)

I LOVE YOU!  I'm praying for you!  I testify angels are all around us watching over us!  And they are also helping us be in the right places at the right times.  This truly is the work of the Lord.

Hermana Ivy [-]

Monday, December 3, 2012

Hola de Hermana, 3-12-12


Hola mi familia asombrosa!

I AM GOING TO TRAIN AN INCOMING MISSIONARY!!!!  AGHHHHHH!!!!  I dont
know why but I was really surprised that it is this transfer, and that
I´m staying here in PRado.  So I´ll either have nine months in this
area too or just one transfer in my last area.  That will be
interesting.  But the cool thing is that both Hna Sm and Hna
Su, my best friends that entered the MTC with me, are ALSO
training!!!  And there is just one other Norte who is training!  So
tomorrow, EVERYTHING changes.  Someone told me today that they felt
like if you can train, you can do anything in the mission.  I thought
that I´ve needed my entire mission to prepare me to train.

Thursday I was able to go to the EçXela temple!!!  I felt so much
peace.  But I had the beautiful thought that even though I felt peace,
it was the same peace that I feel in our home in Kaysville.  What a
beautiful gift that you have given to us, Mom, and nurtured by all the
rest of you!  THANK YOU for truly making our home a sacred and
beautiful refuge!

One the three hour bus ride back to Huehue, an Englishman sat next to
us and we talked for two hours.  He doesn´t believe in Christ, and we
had a really nice discussion.  And the miracle of all is that he
actually LIVES RIGHT NEXT TO OUR CHAPEL!  God is a god of miracles!
Lucas said we can come back and visit him and we need your prayers!

Family, I love you!  I pray for you!  I´m praying not only for your success but the inspiration and blessings the entire family needs. And I need your prayers for these next three months.  I´m praying I´ll have the strength to be a good example and help God train a powerful missionary.

I am so proud of all of you, and wish I had more time to write.  Know
that I love you!  I pray for you!  Always remember you are sons and
daughters of Heavenly Father!

Hermana Ivy [-]