ALTO [HIGH] Potosi‏

11 Enero 2016

I don't have any time to write this week. I will be sending a bunch of pictures to explain what happened this week!

We ended up going to the Casa de la Moneda de Bolivia (Bolivia National Mint), in Potosi. We went on a tour that we thought would take 30 minutes and it took 2 hours, so I'm going to make this short.

Enjoy the pictures!

Hermana Mather

The streets in our area turn into rivers when it rains!

...and they have hail here!

We went to the VERY top of our area yesterday to find out that our area is HUGE!!!!
It has a bottom part and then the upper part of the mountain!
Its GINORMAS  (is that how you spell that?)!!!
[Actually, I like the Spanish version of "more ginormous" ; ^ ) ]

Helping weave a handmade shawl

The rainbows that we get to see! Beautiful!

The third part of our area that is behind the mountain

Dakar is held in Bolivia in the salt flats

Drinking from a coconut! Yum!

Casa de los Moneras (House of Coins)

My Will is in Thy Hands‏

4 Enero 2016

Wow! This week has felt like sooooooooooooo much time! It has been AMAZING! Wow, where to start? Well, my area is Centeral 2 and it is the second most inclined area in the zone. We live here above tree line and then it’s like hiking a 14er [14,000 foot tall mountain] every day to get to our lessons and it is FREEZING cold in the morning and the evening and the sun is SO strong during the day when it is out... I LOVE IT ;D hehe  Really, it’s great!

I love the people here, they are SO HUMBLE, they live in such humble circumstances, and yet they give so much. My new compi is Hermana Males. SHE IS AMAZING! I am blessed to be with her! She has such an amazing spirit and love for the people here. She is from Otavalo Ecuador and is a very down to earth, hardworking, obedient missionary.

There are a few of our investigators that speak only the Quechua language here... thankfully my companion knows a little bit of Quechua- so she is holding up a lot of the lessons but I hopefully will learn. It’s HARD, but I will learn!

We have seen such amazing miracles of working hard- just like our new investigator Teressa. There was one day that we were passing by a house and my companion said that she always wanted to talk to whoever lived there. So, long story short, we started talking to her and made and appointment for the next day. The next day was raining in sheets and was FREEZING cold, but we had to get to her house. The lesson that we had was so special. Life changing actually. I hope that we can continue teaching her and help her to make her goals of helping her family go to church possible.

SOOOOOO, my goal this year is very special (I hope you guys have thought about yours ;D) my goal is to loose myself in the work of the Lord. In Matthew 10:39, we find a very special scripture that says, “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” While talking with my family on Christmas day, my brother asked me if I have lost myself in the work of the lord. I was unsure when I answered him, but now I am certain that I will be fully lost in this work and not holding back anything. I have put my will in the hands of the Lord and let His will be done and not mine.

Well... this email is super long and I don’t have time left, but I love you all! Until next Monday!

Love,

Hermana Mather

Potosi at night...

Me and my compi, Hermana Males! Ain't she cute?!!! ;D

Us hiding from the rain ;D

Año Viejo [Old Year]: one of the traditions from Ecuador is to burn mannequins that you make to represent all the bad that happened during the past year and to look forward to the good in the New Year.

 So, the elders did just that. They made an Elder Viejo (Old Elder) and burnt it for New Year ’s Day. ;d

We were just there cause it was in our pension ;D

The incline of part of our area... wow!!

I was cold one morning for our studies.

We went to church as Cholitas.
One of the members here let us use her polleras (skirts) and shirts to go to church and it was great!

The funny thing is that the people here have never seen a white skinned cholita (not to be racist, but it is true) so everyone was saying (from the sides of the road when we were headed to church) cholita linda (beautiful cholita ;D) It was great!

The members here can now see that we really love the culture here.

New Year, New Goals, New Me‏

28 Deciembre 2015

WELL, news for all: We have transfers! Ahhhhh! I am leaving this beautiful ward that I have come to know and love... and I’m off to Potosi! Wooo! Tomorrow I head off in plane to Sucre and then in a bus to this amazing traditional miner town of Potosi! I´ll have to send you pictures next week of my new area and my new compi! Today has been full of walking around the area and saying goodbye to just a few of the amazing people that I have come to love here.

As this new year is coming up, I have been thinking a lot about the goals that we make as we start a new year. How many times have we started with a goal but never finished? Something that I loved that our mission President (President Hansen) said this week is that the new year is an amazing point to look back on what we have been able to accomplish this year and what we want to accomplish for the next year. As well as what we wait for from God this coming year and how we will help him to bring it to pass.

I have been thinking and pondering about how we can make goals that we can follow through with. I feel like there are a few steps that we can take to be able to follow through with the goals that we make:

1. Find your goal!
2. Make it simple. Don’t make it so complicated that you can’t have the hopes to follow through. Or, make smaller bullet points that you can complete along the way.
3. Write down your goal.
4. Pick a goal that you WANT to follow through with and motivate yourself with this goal.
5. Keep track of your progress and see how you are doing with it every day.
6. Be FRIM in your decision that you will do it, but be flexible enough that you can pick it back up or make changes with the stresses of life.
7. MAKE TIME. Schedule it out.
8. Be positive about your goal.
9. PRAY about it! HE WILL HELP YOU!

I am going to be applying this goal for this new year and I hope that you guys can too! I can’t wait to see how far we can get in our goals for this year of 2016!

Love you all! Have a great week!

Hermana Mather

Decorating for Christmas with our landlady.

Christmas morning- we pulled the mattresses out into the kitchen where we had our little Christmas tree!

Saying goodbye today with the members and investigators today.

Feliz Navidad‏

21 Deciembre 2015

In this amazing time of Christmas, I have been thinking so much about 'Who is Christ for me?' I would love all of you to stop and think for a minute or so. Stop reading and just think, poder... why is Christ important to you?

Okay, now that you have thought about it a little bit, I think that you can agree that Christ is SO important! He is my Friend, my elder Brother, my Savior, my Comforter, my Redeemer, my Example, my Lord, my Master, my Help -- through Him I can be better. Through Him I can return to the Father. Through Him I can overcome my challenges. Through Him I can feel peace and calm in the midst of the storm. THROUGH Him I am whole.

In my mission, I feel like I have become so much closer to Christ because I have chosen to follow Him and every day I choose to preach of Him and follow Him and put my trust in Him. I have put my trust and faith in Him in all times -- not just when times are good or when times are bad. As I have been able to better my relationship with Christ I have been transformed. I have developed the desire to become more like Him and to build up my relationship with Him stronger and stronger. Through talking to Him, becoming more like Him, following in his footsteps, and using His atonement I have been healed.

'For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.' Isaiah 9:6

Feliz navidad a todos! Les amo mucho! [Merry Christmas to all! I love you very much!]

Hermana Amber Mather

Doing service for the Bishop and his wife making earrings for the Relief Society :D

Picking limes to make key lime pie :DD

Making key lime pie with a recent convert in our ward :D 

A Christmas wreath door decoration that we made out of newspaper with one of our converts.

The mini Christmas tree that our landlady gave to us! Isn't it cute?

Me and my compi with President and Sister Hansen after the Christmas Devotional!