Right back at you.... Happy Thanksgiving!! (Week 55)

Dear Family,

Well how have you been? Sounds like a pretty good week huh?! Lots of BYU things and the family! I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving!!

I am looking for a nativity set! No worries but keep telling me every email!

This will be my fourth change here, and like you guys said, yes, this is the longest I have ever been in an area, and we and the other hermanas are all staying so that will be really fun, I love our apartment. 

Not too much is going on, it is was a pretty normal week for us, work work work:) and things are going good.

This week we didn't have any lunches with members and as we were walking to go home, CL(husband of SA, read below..) was cleaning outside so we helped him and went inside to say hi to Santa and then they invited us to eat with them! It's little tender mercies of the Lord that really help me and keep me going because I can see his hand in the work, or better put, we are here to his will and he his guiding us.

So the day before Sunday I was feeling pretty excited because we had met with a convert and her husband that are 84 and 91 years old and they were wanting to come to church because she just got her wheel chair and then we had talked to C that night and we talked about the Book of Mormon and it went pretty well, and he is praying about it...... So we were really excited for all for all of them to come....

Miracle Sunday: Sunday came! And we had decided that we were going to have about 4 investigators in Church, C, CE (his friend), Gabriel (his neighbor that is 12 but doesn't understand very much), and CL (the husband of our convert Santa). And then also SA and another less active that is in a wheel chair, Teresita, and we were going to go pass by for a couple of them. So we passed by for T and she was all ready and the lady that watches over her also came and she isn't a member P, and so it was just starting the day out good. We were sitting in relief society and there we see right as church had begun C and CE pass by, and we thought G wasn't with them, but it turns out he was there, he's just a little shorter so we couldn't see him.  Then we went with a member to go pick up SA and CL!! And that was amazing! So cute to see them, and in church, and then right as Sacrament meeting was starting A the less active and her boy friend V walked in ( they really have a hard time getting up, if you didn't notice it seems like I always say and they walked into Sacrament meeting). So that was really amazing, but now we are working on trying to visit all of them, and that they can progress to be able to return to God's presence.  They are all willing to come to church, now they just need to complete with the over commitments and gain a testimony.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving this week everyone! and enjoy the turkey for me! I love you all so much, keep going strong!

Love,

Hermana Louder

The self timer picture didn't work out so then we just decided that the to take pictures with our converts ...

Ah the scarf is covering my plaque!... So cute one of our converts here, she is 86 and she gave me that scarf and that purse! :)

TOGETHER (Week 54)

Dear Family,

Well another change has come and gone and we will be staying! 

How was this past week for you all? I see there was... SNOW?! Thank you for the emails and for sharing everything that is happening and that you are learning.

Well C and S were not baptized this week, but it is ok. S just has so many things that he couldn't ever meet this week and is really feeling alot of pressure, maybe from his mom, he said he could listen but maybe something changed.  C still is praying to know if this is the Church of Christ, and he came to church this Sunday, we are still working with him and even though the lessons came be a bit tough in english we have some really good ideas. Actually we were trying to find C one day and we couldn't but we needed to have daily contact and he wasn't answering the phone, so we went to where he usually was and we prayed.  Right after that we felt like we should go to the cyber (And we have never seen him except in his house so we don't know where he usually is)... and we went and lo and behold when we walked in, he was right there, it was a miracle and were able to talk to him after that.

The 2 mission conference was amazing! We left at 2 in the morning and got back at 7. First hna Cook talked about the sacrament and the atonement and how we learn for our selves through the Spirit the importance of the sacrament and Pres. Cook how we need to follow the impressions of the Spirit and teach people and not lessons. Hna Smith about the doctrine of crhist and starting from the beginning of each day doing the will of the Lord, Pres Smith teaching with power.

Elder Chirstensen, he talked about how even before this life we were called to serve and that we need to sacrifice our lives or will to to the will of god and we will be strengthened and he said that quote that you sent to me a while back dad... about not having 2 months of experience repeated for 18 months but always growing, and then talked about DYC 4:5 faith hope charity and love.  And Emily.. I like what he said about charity that we cannot have it with out sacrifce.... and at the very end of it all did a question like you guys said about Pres Hughes ¿Qué quiere el Señor de yo? or like Pres. Hughes “What am I to learn from this”.

Things are going great here, the mission is flying by way to fast, but I love it so much and am learning alot but there is still soooooo much to learn. I love you all so much, thank you for your wonderful examples and love and support, you really are the best!!!

Love,

Hermana Louder

foto de la zona

FHE with our recent converts haha

FAM BAM (Week 53)

Dear Family,

Bueno, how are you all doing?! Thank you for the emails and the pictures :) and for all that you do for me. I love you!

This week has been getting interesting.... so first things first. Chidi and Silver are preparing for baptism for the 15... this Saturday! But they are both still waiting for their answers, so we have been praying that Heavenly Father will help them to feel and that he will answer their prayers. We still have a lot to teach them but we are visiting them everyday and trying to teach them. But I know that they are ready!

So a nice miracle/blessing.  Sunday came and went again and we were waiting for a couple investigators in the church, Chidi and we knew Silver wasn't going to be here this Sunday but we had invited some other people. So we go by to pass for a recent convert and her little sister is all ready and was like lets go, and she isn't a member, and her sister was still sleeping! And she is 8, so we waiting and then her sister woke up and we all went.  Chidi came! And he was able to stay after to see a baptism. And as Sacrament meeting was starting I see two people walking in and was thinking, who is that? An investigator for the hermanas? Wait no. they are from our area! It's Ana a menos activa and Valentino her boyfriend! and they said the were going to come earlier but slept. So it ended up being a really good Sunday and we weren't even planning on having them all there, but God was, he works in mysterious ways.

Yesterday we had a charla with a young man and so we invited a recent convert to go with us, well we went and he wasn't there so we started going to a reference and talking with everyone when we see a man walking in the street and I told Nazzareno (the convert) that we were going to go talk to him and that he was going to get baptized, and he was like are you sure?... and we get a little closer and come to find out it was Chidi! And I was like yes, a 100% sure. And then he was able to share his testimony with him, because when Nazzareno was baptized he didn't want to at first and so it was perfect beause Chidi is still a little unsure, but I know he was able to feel the Spirit. 

Well our area is slowing progressing, we are finding lots and lots of people, and many ready for the gospel.

This past week, we have been talking to a lot of members that feel really lonely, they tell us they feel so alone, and that no one cares about them, and it is exactly when we go that they tell us this, one of them was a lunch appointment, the other we felt like we needed to go by and they express this to us, ah and it just breaks my heart, but I feel good at the same time because Heavenly Father trusts us enough to put them into our hands and now we really need to help them, they are all so wonderful.

The oro conference was good, we slept on the bus there at two in the morning and went to the mission home and were able to do lots of practices and all the new missionaries could be with there friends from the CCM and, and then we left for melo again at 6:30.

This week we will be going to Montevideo again! For a two mission conference with Elder Christensen, and then the coming week we have changes so I will be writing on Tuesday.

I love you all so much and are the best! What can I do to help you? Let me know and know that you are all in my prayers.

Love,

Hermana Louder

The four!

The bus ride to montevideo, they gave us little bears!

Found Hermana Gines, from Pando.

1 YEAR.

I LOVE YOU (Week 52)

Dear FAMILY!!!!

How are you all doing?! Is it getting cold, send me a picture when there is snow :) Oh and sorry I just tell you all up front I don't have any pictures today   :( Lo siento! Oh and just to let you know, I can't believe it... but my rain boots have a hole! This happened about three weeks ago so I won't be bringing them home, but we just all stick bags in our shoes :) So they will hold out!

Thank you for the emails, and for updating me with all that is happening and for sharing what you are learning and your experiences, I appreciate it and love to hear about it all!

This week well only S came to church because C is moving but only like a block so he will still be in our area, but it was good, we were able to talk to both of them this week, and they both have a baptismal date for the 15, so we are going to do everything we can to help them reach that, to visit them everyday or a member can, to teach them all the lessons, focus on their needs, EVERYTHING!! So we are really working on that.

S is 17 and he came to church one day after we invited him and we hadn't even talked to him, and he doesn't have much time but every time we see him we teach him a little more so we are going to do our best to keep in contact with him.

C is 30 from Nigeria and he told us last time that he is still thinking about baptism but really that anyone can return to god if they have faith, so we have been studying and we are preparing to teach him the gospel of Jesus Christ and share some scriptures from 2 Nephi 31 and 3 Nephi 11.  Our lessons with him get pretty interesting because we teach in English and my companion who is latina and knows english has to remind me what some of the words are in my own language! 

This past week was a little different, so as a zone we have a newsletter and we had a challenge to meet 4/7 days of our key indicators at the end of each day, and it was not easy but we were able to do it.  We could really see a difference in each day as we tried our hardest to complete our goals, and really behind each number is really a person, that we are helping and it is amazing that we are able to help more and more people everyday.  We want them to be able to feel the Spirit to accept the message and we also always invite people to do something, because it is through inviting them that they can repent and change and come unto Christ.

We also have three members that love to accompany us, a recent convert, and member, and a now member (was less active) and they always want to go with us so that is great! They are always so willing and no matter how hot or if there is rain, or don't have that much time, they sacrife to be able to go with us and each of them are pretty young too (19, 26, and 20, years old).

Question of the week for next email: What is your favorite story in the Book of Mormon and/or bible and why?

Random thought, as I was writing the email I went to lds.org (yes we have permission) and I saw a thing that said ¨the first step toward potential is acknowledging weakness¨ and the talk is called ¨Lord, is it I?¨ by President Uchtdorf, and it is super good.

Well family, I love you all so much and thank you for the love and support and prayers, that you all do and help, I know that the Lord is blessing us.  Keep going! and be the happy family I know you are :) Though we may not be perfect we can always change and be better, and I love that about you all, though I am no where near perfect you still love me! I love you!!

Love,

Hermana Louder