Aug. 31, 2015

Hola! (: 

This week has not been super exciting. It´s been a really good week but just not a whole lot that is new.

Valeria do Santos, an 8 year old member, was baptized Saturday. They are an amazing family. We are working a lot with them because they have two less active children. I have found out since I’ve been here on the mission that I really want to concentrate on the Youth. They are the future and when they don´t have testimonies the church cannot progress. So, we are working with a lot of less active youth. They are amazing!

Valeria do Santos, center

 

 

Do Santos family

Oh, we had an amazing experience this week. Hermana Menez told us about a woman and her husband that she met while visiting her sister in the hospital. She said they really needed consuelo [comfort].

The husband, Hugo Juan, was really sick. So that afternoon we went to the Hospital and we met Margarita and Hugo Juan. We talked with them both. Hugo Juan was very sick with a lung problem and he didn’t think he was going to live any longer. Margarita was so sure that he would live. She had so much faith. She knew that God could heal him if He wanted to.

We said a prayer together with them in the hospital. As Hermana Martinez prayed she and I both felt that Hugo wasn´t going to make it much longer. So in the prayer Hermana Martinez prayed more for the consuelo [comfort] of Margarita. When we said Amen, Margarita was crying. She was so thankful and her faith was so strong!  I hugged her for a long time and we both cried. 

As we left we felt impressed to give her a Book of Mormon. She said that she would read it. The next day the Elders went to see Hugo and Margarita to give Hugo a blessing. And then the day after Hermana Martinez and I went by. The hospital bed was empty. We asked what had happened and they said that that morning Hugo and Margarita both went back home! 

We are not sure if they went home because Hugo was healed or if they went home because they couldn't do anything more to help him. We´re not sure what happened but we feel that the blessing really worked and that Hugo at least was able to pass, if that was what needed to happen, in peace.

God works miracles, he love us and knows the destiny of each of us. We have to trust him and especially have that faith that God can heal.

It was a testimony builder for me! 

Making bollos rellenos. They are like fried dough, bread, with dulce de leche, dulce de batata o membrillo inside! I am with Hermana Menez and Aldana her daughter!

Yesterday was stake, well, actually, district conference. We heard from Elder Quentin Cook and Elder Jeffrey Holland; it was amazing as ever. (:

Today we go to Obera. We weren't able to go last week. So I will see a new place!

I love you all and I know that God lives and that this is His work! (: 

Hermana Newell

Lots of Visitors and Mexican Food!

Changes are something that I love; I always have, so it is great to have them here on the mission as well. Hermana Martinez is amazing. I am learning a ton from her. I am having to work on my patience; I realize that I don’t have much of it, but we get along really well! Our characters are a little bit different and the patience is needed but I honestly can’t complain because she is amazing!

 

This past week was one heck of a week! Every night when we got home we were hecha perchas [worn out, hung out to dry]. I like honestly have never been more tired here on the mission than I have been this past week. I’m not exactly sure why but Hermana Martinez and I both felt it. We were both putting our best into the work and in the end, like God promises, it paid off (: At Church yesterday we had 81 people (normally we have like 65-70). We had like 7 less actives and 4 investigators!!! It was amazing. PLUS, Leo Sosa, our converso reciente [recent convert], gave a talk on Faith and it was amazing! God always blesses when we do our part; we might be tired but yesterday sitting in that sacrament meeting made it all worth it!

Two of our new investigators from this week and that also went to church are Patricia and Teodoro. They are a couple and are both VERY excited about the church. They both accepted to be baptized but have not accepted a date yet; we will put it this week. They are not married because Teodoro is already married with another lady but they have not been able to get a divorce [extremely difficult and expensive in Catholic nations] so we are looking into divorce express (Haha) and trying to get that figured out because Patricia and Teodoro want to get married as well so that they can be baptized!

The other investigator that we have is Gladys. She is the mom of Silvana and Yaquelin, who are menos activos that we are reactivating; they are both amazing and Gladys really likes the church. Her husband doesn’t tho, so we are working poco a poco.

This past week was amazing with the spirit and I really could feel him leading our steps.

Last night, Sunday, we rode the bus to Posadas and stayed the night with some other Hermanas, because this morning at 7a.m. I had tramites [legal paperwork; probably for working in Paraguay], so from 7 - 1:30 I was sitting in tramites just waiting for everything. It wasn’t the greatest thing in the world, but then we went to a Mexican restaurant!!! It was Awesome!!! I ate two big cheese and veggie quesadillas with black beans and SALSA! It was really good and I missed Mexican food, and anything other than pasta and bread and pizza, sooo much!

Hermana Martinez and I then went and walked along the waterway and ate helado [ice cream] that was super rico [delicious]! Posadas reminds me of San Francisco in a way and it makes me miss the city so much!

Tomorrow we have a zone meeting with President LaPierre, and then we have splits so I am going to the city of Obera (you can google it if you want). I have no idea what to expect but I am super excited!

On Saturday we have a movie night where we are showing Meet the Mormons and then we have a baptism for Valeria do Santos who is 8 and getting baptized, part of a member family.

Life is going great, lots of work and I’m dead but it’s going well.

Keep up the faith. Life doesn’t always work out how we have planned. Sometimes God is testing us to see if we are really willing to leave everything and follow him, and once we have shown our diligence, that is when he will bless us with the real blessing. He has a plan and we don’t know what it is, and it will happen in his timing. Have faith! Sorry if that sounds really missionaryish!

I love you all! and I will send photos next week, sorry!

 

Hermana Newell

Hermana Martinez

August 17, 2015

Photos from our trip to Paraguay the week previous.

                             Staying in Apóstoles!

Hermana Martinez is amazing!!! She is a lot different from Hermana Maya. She is a little bit stricter and to the point but that is a really good thing for me. I am learning a ton and getting better at the work. She is from Monterrey Mexico. She is great. Honestly, I am super excited to be working with her! She is the Sister Training Leader so we will be doing a lot more traveling which will be different!

This week was weird because the whole week we were saying goodbye to people, getting ready for transfers; transfers were on Thursday, and then I was showing Hermana Martinez around the area.

Elder Arevelo was transferred and Elder Duke is the new Elder here in Apostoles. He is really cool, from Sandy, Utah and finishes his mission in September. He is 6´8 or something, like SUPER tall. So now he and Elder Madder are two really tall, white, really skinny gringos together. It´s kind of funny. haha 

Vanesa, our investigator, painted our nails last P-day.

Actual missionary work has been weird so I’m super ready to get back to it this week!

Lara´s baptism. They are a family in the ward. Like 70 people came. The baptisms here in Apostoles are incredible. 

Some of our menos activos [less active members] are starting to become active again. It is SUPER exciting to see them at church and the activities. It is a feeling that is super cool. (: 

Hermana Martinez and I with Yaquelin, a returning member who is 19 and very cool.

Hermano Almada is 80 and went to the Temple two weeks ago for his endowments. He is amazing (: 

Hermana Maya, Hermano Almada and me

I was reading in Alma 23 about when and how Ammon is teaching King Lamoni. It applies so much to missionary work and how we should teach and what we need to be able to teach with the spirit. It was amazing and I loved it. I love personal study in the morning.

Yesterday we went with Milton (a member) and Silvia, our investigator, to help out at the very humble neighborhood here in Apostoles. We gave panes [sweet rolls] and hot chocolate and played a lot of games with the little kids. I loved it. It made me remember sooo much about Project Amigo with the same sort of activities. It was amazing to be able to serve in that way!

 

Con su chocolatada! 

Today for P-day there was an activity in the capilla [ward building]. We played sports, volleyball and ate pizza with the members and the Elders. It was a lot of fun. (: 

God is amazing. Honestly I can say that in these three months I have come so close to him, so much closer than I was. It´s an amazing feeling. I can honestly say that I know without a doubt in my mind that this church is the only true church and that Jesus Christ is my Savior! 

Con amor,

Hermana Newell