Partake of the Fruit‏

26 Octubre 2015

This week was one of those weeks in the mission to figure out why we are really are in the mission. This week has been harder than usual, but we have been able to draw closer to Heavenly Father and recognize what is our true purpose as missionaries here in Bolivia. This week was full of difficulties -- lessons falling through, investigators falling through, and confronting personal weaknesses -- but I have to say that it is a privilege to be here in the mission. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, it says that there is a time and place for everything under the heavens -- this is my time to be working here -- to be learning, growing, laughing, be challenged, smiling, crying, teaching, helping, and progressing along with those who we are helping here.

Something that I loved about this week was the opportunity to learn more about the vision of the tree of life (which is found in The Book of Mormon, First Nephi chapter 8 and 11). Through studying this, I could really see the purpose we have as missionaries and as members. We have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life -- which is the love of God or the path to eternal life -- and having tasted of the fruit we naturally will want others to be able to taste of the sweetness and greatness of this fruit. As a missionary, I feel like I am inviting others to come unto the iron rod, helping them to hold on. People still have the choice to follow the rod and to taste of the fruit or to choose other paths, but as a missionary (and members :D) we can help them to feel the importance to continue through. I know without a doubt that through following the iron rod (the guidance of the gospel) and through reading our scriptures, praying, going to the church, opening our hearts to the spirit, and turning our will over to the Father we can partake of this fruit more sweet and delicious above all other.

Sorry, but I don’t have much more time to talk, but I love you all! Keep up the great work and keep sharing the joys that have been brought into your lives with those around you!

Love ya!

Hermana Mather

How we get home every night -- exhausted and climbing up the stairs ;D

We didn't have water in the house for a few days - and my hair as a result ;D

We played futbol today! wooooo

Christ is the Center of Our Message

19 Octubre 2015

This week has been an amazing, exhausting, full, miracle of a week. Hermana Monteza (mi hijita! [my “daughter”!]) is such an amazing missionary who I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to teach with, help out and learn from!

I don’t have that much time to write this week but I just wanted to share something with you guys that I have been studying about is about Christ! I love reading and learning about Christ, because he is the center of our message here in the mission! Everything that we teach about includes Christ. Something that I was studying is that through His atonement Jesus Christ really can help every single person and every child of God because he suffered it ALL. He suffered all of our pains and sorrows and sins. He can and will help us in every single situation. He can comfort us and carry us and keep us going and at times he can bring us back to the right path. I love that He is a part of all of our lives.

There was a story that one of our recent converts told us about a church video about our journey here on earth. We all have our own crosses to carry in our lives. There was a man that was carrying his cross through the journey of life, but at times the cross got heavy so the man thought, “I can cut a little bit off here and a little off there.” So, he cut a little bit here and there along the way so that it was easy to carry. However, at the end, there was a precipice that they had to cross by way of putting their cross over the cliff, he could cross over to the other side. I love that through Christ and through the hard times that we go through in this life. We can get over harder times and we can really see that through this we can learn and grow and become better!

Well, that is all the time that I have this week! I´ll write more next week!

Love you guys!

Hermana Mather

My area from the Cristo de la Concordia statue!

In between citas! eating a pear from our recent convert!!!

Going to the temple as a zone.
Picture with my hijita, Hermana Monteza!

The view from one of our investigator's house.

Intercambios at the temple!

Me and my compi, Hermana Monteza!

Making tacos today in our pension!

Mi Hijita!‏ [My Daughter!]

12 Octubre 2015

I officially have a daughter in the mission (we say that when we are training a new missionary- that we have kiddos in the mission) and she is AMAZING! Her name is Hermana Monteza and she is from Chiclayo, Peru and is such a blessing to me and to our area! We have only had a few days together, but I already just love her and we have been having such amazing lessons together! I know that this is a change for me, but it is going to be so good for us and that we are going to learn soooooo much together!

I don’t have much time today to write, but in the spirit of training another missionary (and being so scared to do such -- having a good or bad effect as their first companion @.@) I wanted to talk about being a consecrated missionary, because that is what I truly am trying to become. To be consecrated in your life, in your calling, your marriage, your family -- whatever and however you can apply the word consecrate -- you have to work for it. It takes your focus every moment you can. It takes real desire. It takes sacrifice. but, in the end, it is so worth it. It is as if your efforts have been doubled. If you will be able to see the results here or in the heavens -- they come.

As missionaries, sometimes we don’t know why a rule is there or why we specifically have to follow that rule, but God knows. He knows what is best for us and that is why he gives us commandments and advice to do what we need to do.

To really consecrate yourself to something, you have to make sacrifices. To become a consecrated missionary I am putting 18 months of my life, my obediencia, my faith, my might, my heart, my repentance, charity, my will, my strength, my hope, my mind, my knowledge, my energy and everything that I can to the `work of salvation`. I truly am not perfect and surely won’t be for a very long time, but I am getting better every day through the enabling powers of the atonement. Through Christ I can be consecrated!

Well, no more time for this week, but I love you all and just think about what you can do to better use the enabling power of the atonement to consecrate yourselves!

Love you all!

Hermana Mather

New missionaries' meeting at the Cristo de la Concordia (Christ of Peace)
statue of Jesus Christ located atop San Pedro Hill, to the east of Cochabamba, Bolivia

At the Center of It All‏

5 Octubre 2015

Wow... How can I even begin? Can I just tell you guys something crazy? I`m going to train [a new Hermana/Sister missionary] .... AH!!!!

These past few days have been a whirlwind of things... and now that I know that I will be training, I have to tell you the truth... I am very nervous. I am humbled that the Lord has the confidence in me that I can help to train a new missionary. I know that it is so important to have a good trainer. I just hope to do all that I can to help this new missionary to fill her potential and really know her purpose here in the mission. If I have learned anything from General Conference this week, I know that through Christ all things are possible and that this work really isn’t my work, it is His. So, if I follow His spirit and His will, pressing forward with faith, I really can do this and help a new missionary to adjust to missionary life.

With leaving Hermana Vara, I just have to say that I am so grateful for her and the difference that she has made for me and for my mission. I have learned more Spanish (which I hope to do for my entire mission), to show my love for people in different forms, and to really help people draw nearer to Christ. I have really learned what true friendship is where you worry and care for other people not just when you are happy with them or when it is convenient for you, it is showing the true love of Christ. I don’t just have a companionship with her I have a best friendship. I know that she will LOVE being in Sucre and will be able to help many other people and missionaries in her time there as a Sister Training Leader. I am so grateful for the time that I have been able to spend with her and learn from her!

In the spirit of General Conference (where we got to hear from our living prophet and apostles this weekend), I just wanted to share a talk that I LOVED. The talk by Elder Richard J Maynes really touched my heart. First of all, I love with all of my heart making pottery and he told a wonderful story that relates to pottery when making ceramics on the potter’s wheel, the clay must be perfectly centered to be able to make something beautiful and fulfill the full potential of the clay. The same is with us! We have to be centered in Christ in our lives and balanced to bring out the best results. I know that through Christ, we can be perfectly centered and we can truly be shaped by the Master’s hands to fulfill our full potential.

Through Faith in Christ 'it will all work out'.

Thank you for reading my ginormous email this week! I love you all! Take care and enjoy the autumn weather for me!

Hermana Mather

Arroz Chaufa (a Peruvian dish) woooo!
Its like Peruvian fried rice ;D 

I was playing around with some glasses the other night... thought you would appreciate it ;D

Me and my lovely companion, Hermana Vara!
I love her and will miss her!

Are There Comfort Zones in the Mission?‏

28 Septiembre 2015

Honestly, I came to internet today without knowing what to say. I’m still asking myself what I could say to help those of you that read my emails and give you an idea about my week. ;D I just hope and pray that this will help those of you out there at home and other parts of the world.

This week we were able to go to the temple with our recent converts the familia Sandoval for their first time! It was so amazing to be able to be there for their first time and to really feel the strength of the Spirit. I am so grateful for the temple that we have and for the amazing Spirit that you can feel within the walls. It is amazing to think of other places around the world that don’t have a temple within their countries and can’t enjoy the amazing opportunity to go to the temple. Enjoy the temples that you have close to you! Go and walk around the temple or go inside and partake of the amazing covenants inside if you can! The temple can bless your life and the life of others when you go.

Something that has come to my mind a lot in this experience of the mission is the quote ´there is no growing in a comfort zone and no comfort in a growing zone´. There are definitely times in the mission where it is hard, where there are choices that you can make every single day to grow or to stay right where you are: in the language, in teaching, in finding people, in staying connected with the Spirit, in really becoming a better missionary and person every day. All of the little things add up to big things. In the scriptures it says “that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” (Alma 37:6-7) Through all of the little things that we do every single day we are able to take a few more little steps towards our final goal. All the small little things make a difference and add up to something bigger! I know that when we jump out of our comfort zones, we really are able to find more growth, and we are able to put more of our faith in the hand of God -- to mold us and shape us into what He knows that we can become.

I am so grateful for all of you that help and support me and other missionaries around the world! The little things that you do really do add up to so much more!

Thanks for reading this week!

Hermana Mather

Our new amazing family that we are teaching!
Their mom is from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and they are so amazing
Prepared just to hear the gospel!

Service: breaking off dried corn. 

Sisters Conference in the mission home!

We had a zone activity today - Fútbol y Parrilla-da (BBQ-ing!!!) 

Why I Am Here!‏

21 Septiembre 2015

This week has been so full of miracles. I feel like I am always looking to all sides of me trying to see the angel that is looking out for us and helping us to find amazing new people to teach and helping our investigators to feel the spirit -- to FEEL the truth of this message that we are teaching.

We have seen so many miracles and tender mercies in our area this week that have been as if Heavenly Father is putting his hand on our shoulders saying ´good job, just keep going, keep bringing forth my work and I will help you´. One of the miracles that I was able to see this week was that the members here have helped us more by giving us references of their friends that are having a hard time in life, who don’t know what to do, and who really need the gospel to fill that little empty space in their lives. So, we have 3 new amazing families to teach from this week of working with the members in our ward.

I am so grateful for every single minute that I have in this mission. I was thinking about it today and I will have 8 months in the mission this Sunday! In the mission, time flies like you wouldn’t believe. I feel like everyone has their divine plans from God for what He wants and needs us to do. For me, I knew from the moment that I opened my mission call that Heavenly Father needed me to come serve Him in Cochabamba Bolivia, spreading the joy of the gospel that He has for all languages, nations, and people. Thanks to my mission I have been able to learn so many amazing things. I have learned to work hard, to grow closer to my Heavenly Father, to love everyone, to see people for who they can become, to keep pushing on and God will do the rest, to study, teach, play, preach, laugh, smile, cry, love, stay silent, and to really consecrate my all to the Lord in all that I do.

I still am not perfect... I’m not perfect at all... but I am getting better every day. Every day I am picking myself back up and becoming stronger through Christ and His atonement. The atonement of Christ is amazing to me. That not only through Him we can be clean and pure and free every day of our lives, but as well we can receive the enabling power of the atonement to become better, to change our hearts, and to align our will with God’s will. We will always make mistakes -- we aren’t put here on this earth to be perfect -- we are here to make mistakes and learn and that is why we have a Savior that can bring us back and pick us up every time that we fall. I am so grateful for my Savior and every single chance that I have to become better!

Thanks for reading this week! I hope that you all can see the tender mercies of the Lord in your lives -- especially in the week!

I love you all!

Hermana Mather

We bbq-ed with our pensionista yesterday for lunch
because it was voting day for everyone in Bolivia

I helped grill! Woooo!

Healing Is a Journey, Not a Destination

14 Septiembre 2015

This week we have been able to see more miracles in this area! Wow, we were able to find two amazing new families to help and teach and love. One family is in very, very humble conditions and we have mostly had the opportunity to talk to their kids... wow, I can feel such a love for this family. I know through this love that Heavenly Father wants the best for them and that is why He is bringing the gospel into their lives at this time.

The other family that we found is a dad and son (Johnny and Pedro) that truly have such an amazing spirit about them! They got to come to church this week and it was as if they have been members for forever. A lot of the members were able to meet them and Pedro got to offer the closing prayer in one of the classes that was so heartfelt and pure. I am so blessed to get the opportunity to teach these amazing families and the amazing people here in this area!

As you can probably tell already, this week’s letter is about healing. Whether this healing is for the weaknesses that we have, the things that we have done and learned from, the things that others have done to us -- anything that we really need to make better. The definition of heal is: ´to make healthy, whole, restore, settle, or reconcile.

I started to think about healing because of a talk that my dad sent me (if you have time, read, listen to, or watch the video of the talk `Healing = Courage + Action + Grace, by Jonathan G. Sandberg) and it made me think a lot about how all of us need healing in this life.

• Healing: We need to heal from our own personal struggles in this life.
• Courage: It really does take courage. Its hard to heal sometimes... it is hard to face that we are imperfect and it humbles us to realize that we are not invincible.
• Action: We can't just sit back and wait to heal- we actually have to take the proper steps to heal.
• Grace: I can testify that we can’t truly heal all the way without our loving Heavenly Father and our brother Jesus Christ.

I love the word “Healing”. I feel like it carries such a weight to it where we can imagine it. We can feel its power and faith. I testify that we really can heal from the things that we face in this life and from the hard times that we have, being strengthened through the atonement of Jesus Christ, becoming stronger, and learning from the healing process that we go through. Healing really is a privilege and a tender mercy that we have in our lives.

Thank you for reading as always! I hope that you get the change to read this talk (and if you have read it already, read it again and apply it in a different way!) I love you guys and pray for you every day!

Love,

Hermana Mather