27 July 2015
Wow! This week has been CRAZY!!! We have been working so hard meeting, working, teaching, working, learning, working, and loving! This area is so much more different than my other area! My first area was so much bigger and had lots of cows and animals and a wide rage of living conditions whereas here there are much better living conditions and a LOT more houses. When we first got here we kept feeling like we were walking through a labyrinth. This week we feel a lot more on top of where everything which is such a tender mercy!
My companion, Hermana Vara, is SOOOOO funny! All throughout the day we are joking and laughing and smiling while at the same time we are working SUPER hard! She is the first of 10 kids and has somewhat of a magic with kids (for good reasons ;D) She is SO great to work with and I just hope that we can stay together forever! She is teaching me so much and has amazing desires to fulfill her mission call! Wow!
We are teaching several people, but this week we have our first baptism here in the ward! There is this family that we have been teaching that is SO special! The dad of this family, Familia Mandonado, was a menos [less] active member in the church but his wife and 3 kids never heard of the church before until the death of one of their close family members. THEN, the mom was so interested in knowing the real meaning of life and how she can help herself, her kids and her family in general, to follow the right path. The faith of this woman is unbelievable! I love being able to teach this family and to see the true desire they have to choose the right things and to draw closer to our Heavenly Father.
Well, that is all I have time for today, but have a great week, keep smiling, eat some watermelon and cantaloupe for me and keep pressing forward!
Love,
Hermana Mather
Follow along with my journey as I serve a church mission trip for a year and a half in the Cochabamba Bolivia Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!
Monday, July 27, 2015
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Vamos a Conquistar el Mundo... o Villa Graciela [We Will Conquer the World ... or Villa Graciela]
20 Julio 2015
Hello again this week! For those of you that are still reading these emails that are coming to you... ;D I´m doing GREAT in my new area! I love it here! This IS where I am supposed to be! I can feel it whenever we are walking in the streets, when we are taking to the people here... I feel like I am breathing in reassurance that this is where I am needed in this point in time and this is where people are WAITING to hear the amazing word of the gospel. I am so ready to get to work here and help more people come unto Christ, with.... Hermana Vara!
Hna Vara, Hermana Vara, Harmana Vara! Wow, she is teaching me SO much already! She is from Lima Peru, is CRAZY and I am so bessed to be with her! I am so happy to be learning more Spanish and to be learning how to truly teach with love, fitting every lesson individually to the person we are teaching! I can’t wait for the time that I get to learn from her and work hard here in this ward! (I hope that I stay with her for forever!)
We have been going crazy in this ward trying to get to know people, get to know where everything is (including our house... we sometimes get a little lost ;D) and trying to figure out how we can best get to work ;D
This week I have learned that there are changes in this life for a reason... without changes, we wouldn’t learn, we wouldn’t grow, we would just be standing in the same place in life, expecting our surroundings to change.
WELL, that is all I have time for this week, but take care, be safe, and keep me updated!
Love,
Hermana Mather
Hello again this week! For those of you that are still reading these emails that are coming to you... ;D I´m doing GREAT in my new area! I love it here! This IS where I am supposed to be! I can feel it whenever we are walking in the streets, when we are taking to the people here... I feel like I am breathing in reassurance that this is where I am needed in this point in time and this is where people are WAITING to hear the amazing word of the gospel. I am so ready to get to work here and help more people come unto Christ, with.... Hermana Vara!
Hna Vara, Hermana Vara, Harmana Vara! Wow, she is teaching me SO much already! She is from Lima Peru, is CRAZY and I am so bessed to be with her! I am so happy to be learning more Spanish and to be learning how to truly teach with love, fitting every lesson individually to the person we are teaching! I can’t wait for the time that I get to learn from her and work hard here in this ward! (I hope that I stay with her for forever!)
We have been going crazy in this ward trying to get to know people, get to know where everything is (including our house... we sometimes get a little lost ;D) and trying to figure out how we can best get to work ;D
This week I have learned that there are changes in this life for a reason... without changes, we wouldn’t learn, we wouldn’t grow, we would just be standing in the same place in life, expecting our surroundings to change.
WELL, that is all I have time for this week, but take care, be safe, and keep me updated!
Love,
Hermana Mather
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| This is my new area, Villa Graciela! Beautiful, no? |
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| Estudio [Study] in the mornings! LOVE IT! |
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| It was my companion`s birthday :) |
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| We found a monkey in our area! |
Monday, July 13, 2015
Noticias [News] for Everyone
13 Julio 2015
WELLLLLLL... some news for everyone.... We got the call for cambios [transfers] yesterday to see if we were going to change areas or stay! We were nervously waiting all day and this week we have been sitting on the edge of our seats just WAITING to know. The week of cambios is always so crazy because people are always telling you that you’re going or you’re staying or guessing on everything of where you are going and EVERYTHING! aaannnnnnnnnnnddddddddd we have good and bad news! My companion is going to train this cambio! And I am going to be opening an area in Sacaba (called Villa Graciela)! The sad news is that I am going to be leaving my first area... my area that I have gotten to know the people and come to love everyone here! Am I ever going to miss everyone here... the members, the investigators and converts that we have here... BUT I know that I am going to a new area where I will be needed as well and I am leaving my area in good hands!
I don’t know how to explain all of my emotions right now... I´m sad to leave, but at the same time, I feel such a peace to know that were I am going is inspired and that these people will really need me and my companion to help them! I have to say I am super nervous... opening an area isn’t a small deal O.O but at the same time I just know that this is what I need to be doing right now! Hopefully I will be able to send you guys pictures of my new area next week and let you know how it is going (I go to my new area TOMORROW)
Something that I learned this week: the worth of a soul is GREAT in the sight of God. You. Me. everyone is worth SO much to our Heavenly Father and he wants all of us to come back to him one day, but it does depend on what we do here on Earth. Just one soul. Just one soul is worth more than all that you could be offered here in the earth. THAT is why missionary work is so important, because everyone can make a difference. EVERYONE can help other souls come closer to heaven. When we see the effect one person can have on the lives of so many, it perhaps is no wonder that the Lord reminded us, “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” (D&C 18:10)
I hope that all of you can remember how important you are to our Heavenly Father and even if you bring just one soul, yourself, to God, how great will be your joy and then if you bring more than one soul to God (the people around you), then your joy will be tenfold!
That is all I have time for this week, but I hope that you are all doing amazingly and enjoying life because ´man is that he might have joy´ (2 Nephi 2:25)
Love you guys! Take care!
Hermana Mather
WELLLLLLL... some news for everyone.... We got the call for cambios [transfers] yesterday to see if we were going to change areas or stay! We were nervously waiting all day and this week we have been sitting on the edge of our seats just WAITING to know. The week of cambios is always so crazy because people are always telling you that you’re going or you’re staying or guessing on everything of where you are going and EVERYTHING! aaannnnnnnnnnnddddddddd we have good and bad news! My companion is going to train this cambio! And I am going to be opening an area in Sacaba (called Villa Graciela)! The sad news is that I am going to be leaving my first area... my area that I have gotten to know the people and come to love everyone here! Am I ever going to miss everyone here... the members, the investigators and converts that we have here... BUT I know that I am going to a new area where I will be needed as well and I am leaving my area in good hands!
I don’t know how to explain all of my emotions right now... I´m sad to leave, but at the same time, I feel such a peace to know that were I am going is inspired and that these people will really need me and my companion to help them! I have to say I am super nervous... opening an area isn’t a small deal O.O but at the same time I just know that this is what I need to be doing right now! Hopefully I will be able to send you guys pictures of my new area next week and let you know how it is going (I go to my new area TOMORROW)
Something that I learned this week: the worth of a soul is GREAT in the sight of God. You. Me. everyone is worth SO much to our Heavenly Father and he wants all of us to come back to him one day, but it does depend on what we do here on Earth. Just one soul. Just one soul is worth more than all that you could be offered here in the earth. THAT is why missionary work is so important, because everyone can make a difference. EVERYONE can help other souls come closer to heaven. When we see the effect one person can have on the lives of so many, it perhaps is no wonder that the Lord reminded us, “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” (D&C 18:10)
I hope that all of you can remember how important you are to our Heavenly Father and even if you bring just one soul, yourself, to God, how great will be your joy and then if you bring more than one soul to God (the people around you), then your joy will be tenfold!
That is all I have time for this week, but I hope that you are all doing amazingly and enjoying life because ´man is that he might have joy´ (2 Nephi 2:25)
Love you guys! Take care!
Hermana Mather
Monday, July 6, 2015
Progression, and Not Letting Down
6 Julio 2015
I have been trying to think about what to share for this email to know what could help anyone who reads it...and after a while of thinking, I finally know what I can share from my week :)
This week is the week leading up to cambios [transfers] and that is always a very scary feeling because there are always surprises. But, I know that whether I stay or I leave that I will be where the Lord needs me and where I will be able to grow as a missionary the most. If I change areas or if I don’t, I head into this week with hope!
Something that I learned more this week and have learned many times over in my mission is that we always have to be getting better and progressing! We are here in the earth for a purpose, to learn and grow and to prepare for something so much grander and so much more important that waits for us after this life. One of my loved ones who has affected me so much in my life once told me that when we are progressing spiritually (or emotionally or physically in this life) it is like walking up a “down escalator”. It’s hard and sometimes we can feel like we are going nowhere but if we let down or stop to rest, we start going down. We have to keep walking and keep going! We have to keep the motivation up, we have to keep doing the ‘small and simple things’ every day so that we can progress.
I realized this week that I am not fulfilling my full potential as a missionary at the moment and I have been revitalized in my motivation to get better and not to let down. The time here in the mission, and in life in general, is too short to not make the best use of it! It’s too short to: not enjoy the moments that we are given, not progress in every way possible (even when it is hard), not make connections with the people who are around us (everywhere! at school, work, church, in the street, everywhere!). We should be: loving, enjoying, and making the most of ever moment that we can!
That's all for now folks! Love you guys!
Hermana Mather
I have been trying to think about what to share for this email to know what could help anyone who reads it...and after a while of thinking, I finally know what I can share from my week :)
This week is the week leading up to cambios [transfers] and that is always a very scary feeling because there are always surprises. But, I know that whether I stay or I leave that I will be where the Lord needs me and where I will be able to grow as a missionary the most. If I change areas or if I don’t, I head into this week with hope!
Something that I learned more this week and have learned many times over in my mission is that we always have to be getting better and progressing! We are here in the earth for a purpose, to learn and grow and to prepare for something so much grander and so much more important that waits for us after this life. One of my loved ones who has affected me so much in my life once told me that when we are progressing spiritually (or emotionally or physically in this life) it is like walking up a “down escalator”. It’s hard and sometimes we can feel like we are going nowhere but if we let down or stop to rest, we start going down. We have to keep walking and keep going! We have to keep the motivation up, we have to keep doing the ‘small and simple things’ every day so that we can progress.
I realized this week that I am not fulfilling my full potential as a missionary at the moment and I have been revitalized in my motivation to get better and not to let down. The time here in the mission, and in life in general, is too short to not make the best use of it! It’s too short to: not enjoy the moments that we are given, not progress in every way possible (even when it is hard), not make connections with the people who are around us (everywhere! at school, work, church, in the street, everywhere!). We should be: loving, enjoying, and making the most of ever moment that we can!
That's all for now folks! Love you guys!
Hermana Mather
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