HOOLLLAAAA best family in the world!! I hope all is well back at home. I really do think and pray for all of you everyday and just thinking about you all at home makes me start crying because my heart is just filled with so much love and happiness......I seriously cannot express sufficiently in words how much I LOVE you all and how much your love and support means to me!!! The world!! Mom, dad, Grandma, grandpa, Auntie Reenie, everyone I read your letters daily and although we pass through some really interesting things here in Guate, just knowing that I have a family who loves and supports me gives me all the strength I need to just keep going!!! Chin up!!! Its only a year and a half, but the blessings are eternal!!! The church is true....I do have a purpose of being here in Guatemala!!!!!
This week, hmmmm, what happened? Nothing really crazy!!! Hermana Guaranda and I just sat down and really talked, took a deep breath, offered our hearts in prayer to God for help and guidance on how we can change things in our area. Things are not the best, but I seriously am so set on the fact that I only have 1 and a half years....well now one year to do this mission thing and I just don’t want to come home with regrets or feeling like it wasn’t worth it!! Sooo, I am just trying, trying, trying to just keep going!! But talk about a stretch!!! haha.
Sooooo, this week Hermana Guaranda and I have been brainstorming things we can do to help the work to grow. Right now, we are planning an activity a noche de matrimonios. Pretty much it is a big wedding!! Food, dancing, big cake, and extremely elegant. And what’s going to happen is that its free for all the members in the ward... well really its for the married couples...the kids are going to be in another room with the jovenes doing something else....the catch is that they have to bring a non-member MARRIED couple or they cannot come!! And the purpose is just to like grandpa said....fall in love with the church.
It’s going to be a formal so people are going to dress up and yeah....the activity passed with the obispado, soooo ,we are just now trying to excite all the members to DO SOMETHING!!! Free food, and they can dress up and get all cute, and we can find MARRIED people!! Oh haha also there is going to be a lawyer there so our investigators who want to marry can marry there for FREE!!!!! That may sound crazy to all you, but here people are soooo excited for that because they cannot get married because of the money deal.
SOOO, hopefully this will bring in some positive people. We are seriously trying to do whatever the heck we can!!! Also yesterday, we started something else. We invited all the youth and young single adults in the ward to come eat breakfast in the church at like 7 in the morning. We cooked everyone breakfast and the catch was that after breakfast we wrote the names of all the people we were teaching, less actives etc who we wanted to come to church and we did divisions and sent all the youth out to get these people.....it was semi successful! only like 6 youth actually showed up...not very good...I think because it was sooo early in the morning and we can advertise better but we are going to use it and try to just get AS MANY PEOPLE as we can involved in missionary work and to help us.....because something has got to change!! The question....HOW?? More ideas....let me know!! Seriously willing to try anything!!!
But ahahahahahahahh, sometimes, it is just so hard and frustrating! Probably the most frustrating thing when you just try and try, pray and pray and just do all you can in your power to love people and help them, but they throw rocks at you, and just trample your heart....Its hard, but just think of how the Savior felt? So we are holding on and relying on the Lord!! It’s funny because recently I have just been reading my patriarchal blessing, my setting apart blessing that grandma sent me, and Joseph Smith history to find comfort and it seriously has been so eye opening. But haha I dont know how I wasnt scared after Uncle Bode set me apart.....Were you all there??? Its crazy!! haha!!
Seriously, I read it and just started laughing thinking The Church is TRUE yo!!!!! UNCLE BODE knew!!!! It just talks and talks about being COMFORTED and about the trials I will pass through for the Lord and that the Lord will give me the strength to overcome the harsh weather and climate conditions, sicknesses, and will help me to love the people that I have been sent to teach. I seriously thought, WOW!!!! How crazy is that??? Honestly it was way cool!! But seriously DO NOT worry about me, because I am okay!! The Lord really does help me!! And your prayers and letters help a ton too!!! Me, and my companion, love each other and that is a HUGE blessing!!
Despite everything, I honestly do love my mission and am so grateful for it!! I am learning so much each day and just feel overwhelmingly grateful for all the blessings the Lord has given me. My life has been sooo blessed. I cannot believe it so whenever people reject us or do stupid things, I just think....I have been soooo blessed I can afford to love you! haha. Mom taught me that. I honestly couldn’t imagine living in these circumstances!! And when I think of things in those terms...it works!! I feel love!!!! haha. Sometimes, I honestly am just in shock when I hear of the trials of these people. Their struggles, their worries.....To feed their kids, that their house wont fall down with the rain, that they can buy medicine so their children don’t die, that their husbands wont get drunk and kill them at night....CRAZINESS!! And seriously it is just so humbling.....I mean All I got to say is....Well one time, my parents took me on a vacation to AFRICA and I got pimples on my face and it hurt and I looked ugly.....what you got??? haha!!
Seriously it blows my mind, but honestly I just feel so, so, so, SOOO blessed. I can hardly believe it so each day I just wake up and testify to love, and just try to love people and do my very best!!! I am just so grateful really for everyone and for all your love, support and PRAYERS!!!!!!! Seriously, I cannot even say enough how much it means. Dad, go to sleep I am fine! You really are the best father in the entire world!! And Heavenly Father really does hear your prayers....promise! MOMMY, I cannot say enough how much I love you. All my comps want to meet you! David, Andrew and Chris, be good! Grandma, grandpa, aunties, uncles......Love you all SOOOOO much!!! The church is true.....PROMISE and THAT is what makes everything worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With all my heart, prestos todos prestos....I gotta go, but the church is true!!!!!! Until next Monday.........sending all my love!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hermana G!!!!
First Companion MTC and CCM, Hermana Williams