20 years old :D and GENERAL CONFERENCE (Week 47)

Dear Family,

THANK YOU!!! Thank you for the wonderful birthday wishes and emails, I love you all lots! You are the best! 

Are you all so excited for General Conference!?! Will anyone be going up? Save me a cinnamon roll ;)

The weeks are going by so fast! And I can't believe that changes are next week... just so you know I will be writing next tuesday!

YEAH!!! Congragulations Nathan and Andrea.  Welcome to the world little guy! So cute!!

Wow, Dad thank you for the advice, I have actually been learning that recently too.  Sometimes to start a contact in the street we go up and ask for referrals, also using the four questions I think from President Hinckley, do you know someone who has had a new baby, moved here recenlty, someone passed away, or is sick? But I keep be wrong and we also ask for families also haha. And now we have a FHE with bishop tonight so I will be asking for that list.  It is so interesting, because this week more than ever we have found SO MANY less activies.

Mom, actually, Hermana Elena Figueredo, works in the temple and our ward went this past week and she was telling the whole ward that it was my birthday! so then on sunday lots of people were telling me happy birthday ha.  I still have not gotten anything.. but we have changes next week so I think they are waiting.

This week we invited A. to be baptized again but at first he didn't accept and then at the end he did! But he didn't come to church because he wasn't feeling well :( but he is doing good and we are putting goals with him to stop smoking.

Not too much is going on.. but yeah! That's all I can think about haha.  But I hope you all enjoy GC and that it is wonderful, we'll be watching it together. Thank you for everything, I love you all!!!

Love,

Hermana Louder

Birthday!! (Week 46)

Dear Family,

How are you all doing?!?! Thank you for the emails and the birthday wishes :) love you!!

Wow, thank you for sharing your experiences with me and also about the temple dedication. And wow, dad and mom you went to two session? How cool!!

Well today I want to share a couple of experiences I had this past week.

Monday I read the new era sept 2013 and then we went out to work and we had this very interesting experience.  We went to contact a reference at about 7:30 and this woman comes out and starts screaming and why were we here so late and that they were trying to sleep and so many things, I was pretty scared.  We were like oh we're so sorry we'll come back another time.  And after we finished I well basically wanted to cry but then I remembered what I had read about Charity earlier that day...

10 secrets of true popularity: Charity is not easily provoked. Once, a teacher made a comment that hurt my feelings. Rather than reacting, I asked her if she was having a hard day. She admitted that she was and then apologized. Those comments had come from her personal problems and had nothing to do with me.

And I was so grateful that I had read that earlier that day to prepare me for that night. Charity is not easily provoked. And maybe that woman had a bad day and like she said she had to get up early.... but really a couple days later the other hermanas told us that a lady was talking to them and told them this experience and how the lady that day had lost a relative close to her.  Really we never know what is happening in the lives of other people. Though I am no where close to having Charity I am so grateful for little and big experiences that help me to become a better person, and really Heavenly Father is watching out for each one of us.

This past week we found a couple news and we had an appointment with one, Andres, on Saturday.  So we went to his house and I could not remember anything about him, but he answered the door and said we could pass but there wasn't another woman, so we went to the church and a sister accompanied us and we talking about the gospel of Christ, and he was so open to everything! Though he did not accept a date :( he.... came to church the next day!!! And we have a cita with him tomorrow! He is so great!

And yesterday we were walking to contact a reference and in the mission, if you don't have a set appointment... talk to everyone! And I have seen so many miracles with this! And we saw this family outside and started to talk to them. At first they weren't very open and didn't want to talk but if felt like I knew them, and my companion too, so we kept talking to them and teaching them, and by the end they accept that we could pass by again, and it really was amazing! I am so grateful for all the many things that are happening and strengthening my testimony that this really is the Lords work and we are here helping him, he is with us!!

The weeks are going by so fast, and really I am so grateful to be here and to be serving my Savior.  Thank you family for all that you do for me! I love you all soooooooo much!!! Have a great week!!!

Love,

Hermana Louder

MELO (Week 45)

Dear Family,

You are the greatest.  I love you all so much. How is everyone doing?? Wow it sounds like many things are going on? and I hope you enjoyed the stake/regional conference. Thank you so much for your emails and for the thoughts and advice you have given me, really thank you.

Really JanaLee is getting married? That is awesome!! And there are sooooo many people moving, it is going to be a change.

NATALIE!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! Can you believe it 27?!?! I hope you enoy it and go out to eat :) and that you can also receive my letter:) Love you! Have a wonderful day!!

Random question but today I was reading in the GC ensign aboud firm in the faith and how we should know the conversion of our ancestors... well I don't know any of it, of my ancestors or of you guys, my family, so yeah. If you get the chance I would love to know about your conversions stories and share them with other people!

Well we went and visited the family that came to church this past saturday and it was interesting.... they are way nice and believe that every church is true or has truths.. I think the part that they don't understand is the restoration and the priesthood, which we taught and the husband that is less active doesn't believe in the prophets because he doesn't believe in mad... so I have been studying about that lately.

This week has been a little rough, the people we were waiting for in church didn't come and we went to there houses and called them, and nothing happened which can be so frustraiting.. and all in this I forgot all about what my Savior has done for me and the talk I love and that you have sent me aboud Salvation is not a cheap experience and it was never easy for Christ so why would it ever be easy for us. And it was so interesting this morning because I was doing an activity in PMG in ch 6 about patience and how we need to suffer patiently and we can be instruments in his hands and he will give us success and it was exactly what I needed to hear, you should all read it and study it because it was really good.  I know with time it will all work out, we just need to continue doing everything he has asked and doing his will. Giving all that we can and being exactly obedient.

I love you all sooooo much and really am so grateful for you. Keep going forward and trust in the Lord!! 

Love,

Hermana Louder

Our sweet convert made us dinner and they are sooo great, though she can barely walk she does so much!

We had a FHE

Dressed up and had to cut chocolate to eat it haha

FAMILY!!! (Week 44)

Dear Family,

YEAH!! How are things going for everyone, school and work and life and family??

Montevideo was great! We had interviews with President and that was nice, and we had like a mini conference with the assitentes and they talked about the plan of salvation and how our goal really isn't that people get baptized but that they go to the temple because without the temple convenants they gain exahltation. And then we went to the temple ahhhh and I watched it in Spanish and it was sooooooo good, ah I miss the temple but it was nice to go and to remember and fill the Spirit so strong there.  It was the second time being the the montevideo temple.

While I was in the temple I decided that I also wanted to pray about the Book of Mormon because I was going to finish it in Spanish for the first time and though I couldn't be in the Celestial room long enough to read the last chapter I prayed.  And it was amazing.  The Spirit that I felt and the peace that I had my whole heart was just pounding and I felt a warm feeling come over. I know that the Book of Mormon is true.  I have loved being able to read it in Spanish and though I knew that the Book of Mormon was true already we always need to be doing the promise made by Moroni and pray, so that we can have a living testimony.

This week we decided that we wanted to fast that our investigators and especially those with a baptismal date could come to the church.  So Saturdaywe go out and we try to contact all of our dates and then we went to Rio Branco for another open house which was a little more than an hour away. And thenSunday we got up and we and a member passed by for all of them, and nobody came.  So then we went again about an hour before sacrament meeting and nobody came, and we called and nothing.  So we went back to the church and couple walked in and nobody knew who they were so we talked to them and they are in our area, he is a less active the son of a member and she isn't a member and they just decided to come today, and it really was a miracle, Heavenly Father is listening and this is the Lords work, it will move forward, and we need to be ready. But I am so grateful that he is always helping us and that we are trying to do his will.

I am so grateful for all that you do for me and for each and every single one of you. I love you and hope that everything is going great, have an amazing week!

Love,

Hermana Louder

Ah also really quick, I have been thinking about the spirit alot lately and this verse I have read it so many times and I love it, because yes sometimes I worry about what I will say or what they need to hear but this verse is perfect DYC11:21

LOVE YOU (Week 43)

Dear Family!!!!

WOOOH!! How are you all doing?? So many things happening.... ohhh peachers. I hope they were good. And random but this past week we were walking and I smelled something that was so familiar... remember those tortilla bowls you used to buy mom for chili? Yep, I smelt that ha.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON!!! WOW!! 25.... yeah! And you should be receiving a letter!

I am still here in Melo! My companion is Hermana Herrera de Peru and she is 21, we are from the same group but because she came to the mtc later because is latina she is about to have 9 months in the mission. She is great! Very very sweet.

So you all had dinner..... haha! Well I hope you all enjoyed it and that it was fun and of course played games!!

I am doing really good, B was baptized!! And our convert baptized him and his mom that is not a member came and it was really good. Good way to end our cambio together. I think I don't need anything else but contact solution because it hasn't been too cold here and I still have a good amount of stamps.

Wow this week my new companion and I have been praying to find prepared people and families.... and it has been so interesting. We have so many people that are married, legally, than every before! Though not all want to listen, I know Heavenly Father is listening and preparing many people for us. It is going to be another good change! like all of my changes!

Oh and guess what?! This week.... we get to go the temple!!! YES!! and we will be having interviews with president for two days this week.. wednesday and thursday? But I think our zone goes on wednesday, so that'll be good!

I hope you are all doing great! It sounds like it from the emails, I love you all so much and am so grateful to have well, the best family! I love you!

Love,

Hermana Louder

Ahh!! I don't know how I could forget to tell you all but President Cook came all the way up to Melo and he wanted to go with us to visit JL and get to know him, and we went! and President Cook talked and we all bore testimony  and it ws really good but JL is still really closed.