Alright family!!! I am sorry that this email is going to be short......I don’t know how but my time is almost up.....But dun duh duh duhhhhhh guess where I am STILL in Chimaltenango!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! bahahhahhahahah!!!!!!!! When I found that out, I started laughing and crying at the same time, didn’t really know what to think!!!! I am happy, but felt ready to leave, but love the people, but.......I don’t know!!!!!!!! I guess this really is where the Lord wanted me to be!!!! Up in Chimal, where things get CRAZY!!!!!! Well 6 more weeks of fun, fun adventures should be coming our way!!!!!!! Oh and I am still with Hermana Guaranda.....3 changes juntas!!!!! Hermana Guaranda every week writes president and tells him to leave us together and in our nightly prayers prays that this companionship will last forever......bahhahahahha its kinda funny so when we found out we were together again she said my prayers were answered!!!!!! And I started to laugh and cry, but I told her that she is no longer allowed to pray or write to president!! haha. But it was funny!!!
We are excited to see what this change will bring!! The elders had to buy us ice creams because everybody said that I was out for sure. But Hermana Guaranda said no way!!! Hermana g is staying in chimal!!! doesn’t matter how much time we’ve had here. So the elders had to buy us ice cream because they said if Hermana G stays in chimal, it would be a miracle and ice-cream for us both!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So at least I got ice-cream out of it!!!!!! Ohhhh chimmmallllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well all is well for us. We had people last week that I thought were going to be more positive but then I started hearing about the life stories and it will be harder than I thought. 10 different partners.....just craziness. That is probably my favorite thing about being in Guate....just listening to these life stories. they will BLOW your mind!!! Sometimes I just question my Spanish....I think am I understanding all of this right_____ YEP!!! You’rej ust in Chimal!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its sooooooooo fun!!!!!! But all is well!!
The mission definitely is an adventure!!!!!! Sorry this email will be so short. Don’t know where the time went so I am just babbling!!!!! But ohhhh. are you ready for this weeks Guatemala moment?? Ok so in my area there are cows everywhere. Just cows cruising on these dirty dirt roads. Hermana Guaranda and I were walking and there was a cow in the middle of the street. Didn’t faze me, I’m used to it. But Hermana Guarnada told me, Hermana!! The cow is mad!!! Let’s not go down this road!!! But I was like naaaahhh don’t be crazy, its fine!!! But we kept walking and then, the cow started mooing like crazy and started charging after us!!!! And I just screamed and Hermana Guaranda and I turned around and started running!!!!!!! Screaming and running like crazy people down this muddy dirt road. On the side of us were these little kids in corte cheering and screaming Gringa!! Gringa!! Gringa!!! It was the funniest craziest thing!!!!! Luckily, some guy with a machete sword was there to scare the cow away!! But daaaaaannngngngn!!!!!!!!!!! this mission is just crazy!!!! never ever know what’s going to happen!!!!!
After Hermana Guaranda and I just died laughing for a good 2 hours!!!!! Just thinking did that really just happen????? Craziness!!!!!! How will I ever leave this place??? Well, my time is up....I’m sorry I didn’t have a lot of time to write!!! But just know that I looooooooooooooveeeeee you all with all my heart and that I am sooooooooooooo grateful for all that you do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The church is true!!!!! That is why I’m still here getting peed on by dogs and chased by wild cows and crazy evangelicals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guatemala city central.....BEST mission ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love you all with all my heart!!!!!! Thank you for EVERYTHING!!! prestos todos prestos....the church is TRUE!!!!!!!
Hermana Alise Rei Kahululani Garcia served in the Guatemala City Central Mission March 2010 - September 2011 for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
First Companion MTC and CCM, Hermana Williams
Tortillas For Sale
Hola!!!!!! Thank you everyone for all your love and support!!!! I feel it all the way in Guatemala!!! This really was a great week! We experienced a lot of miracles!!! I have sooooo much I want to write, but sooo little time. Hopefully, I can get across some of my thoughts!!!!
We had another baptism this week! Don’t ask me how, Heavenly Father is amazing!!!! One of our families, the mom had a dream about President Monson and Joseph Smith and said I know its all true!! When can I get baptized!!! whattttt theeeeeeee????? We were ecstatic!!!!! The Lord is turning this area around and we are soooo excited!!!!!!! The funny thing is I think now I’m going to be transferred!!! But, the work is starting to progress. We met a lot of positive people these weeks and were also able to set fechas with them. Chimaltenango is waking up from a far toooo long sleep!!!!!! Miracles! Miracles! We are soooo excited!!!! Do not lower your expectations, Increase your faith!!!!! It’s working!!!!!
This week we really experienced miracles. I am soooo scatter brained right now I am going to try and just write some. Ok soooo Angelina.....You know how much I looooove her!! We had the BEST experience! Ok soooo you all know about Angelina and how she is really humble and they took Pablito away because she’s not able to support her kids.....Sooo sad!!!! Heartbreaking!! And so what the church did is they lent her a stove and she is starting to make tortillas because she needs to show that she has some sort of constant income to get her son back. So on Friday, she started this little tortilla stand out of one of the member’s home. We promised her that if she had faith and was obedient to the commandments that God would help her sell all her tortillas. It’s kinda hard because there are tortillerias everywhere and on both sides of this member’s home, but it was the only thing that we could think of doing.
On friday her and her daughter started to work and make these tortillas. We passed by in the afternoon and were soooo happy to see them working! But anyways, the day passes by and we return at like 7:00pm to see how the progress went and I was DEVASTATED because they weren’t able to sell ANY tortillas!!!!!! Oh man, when we passed by Angelina was soooo sad and it just broke my heart!!! I felt soooo sad because I had promised her that Heavenly father would help her. She just needed to have faith! It was the end of the day, and not ANY!!!! NOTHING!!! They lost money on the tortillas they made!! And just seeing their faces made me soooo sad!!! We went in the house and we gave a lesson straight from the heart on faith!!! What faith really is!!! I felt so discouraged and sad but when we were talking to her, I just felt NOOOOO!!!!!! I know that God lives!! That the Book of Mormon is TRUE and that He ALWAYS fulfills His promises!! I have to admit I still felt fear but I just with everything I could looked her in the eyes and told her that if she got on her knees pleading with the Lord to help her and if she committed herself and promised Heavenly Father that if He helped her, she would pay her tithing and be 100 percent obedient to all his commandments, He would help her sale her tortillas!!!
It was one of those moments were the spirit was just blazing and my companion and I from the heart promised these crazy blessings, but no doubt the Spirit was sooo strong!! We left the house and it was already really late so we had to run to the house. But that night I felt so sad because they weren’t able to sell ANYTHING!! But we passed by the next day, it was the craziest thing! Sometimes I forget what I say, what I tell people, or just things that happen because I’m bombarded with crazineess each day!! But we passed by her house the next day and Hermana Angelina had the biggest smile on her face! She told us that after we left last night. She did what we said. She prayed and promised the lord she would be obedient to His commandments and after that she got up and heard a knock on the door!! The people came. They started flooding to the house and she in a manner of probably an hour sold ALLLLLL her tortillas for that day!! Not only that, she had to make MORE!!! Hermana Hernandez, the member who is there had to help her make more tortillas because there wasn’t enough!!!!!!!!!! whahahahhhahahhaahah!!!!!!!!
We started to cry we were sooooooooooooooooooooooo happy!! Everyday since then she has been able to sell all her tortillas!!!!! Oh man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The church is TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How do I even doubt sometimes!!!!!!!! It honestly is the coolest thing to be a missionary, to promise these people blessings that you don’t even think are possible and that through their obedience and faith, miracles happen!!!!!!!!!! Oh myyyyy goooodnesss!! It seriously was a miracle in front of my eyes!!!!!!!!! Indescribable!!!!!! The church is SOOOOO true!!! That’s all I got to say but the miracles don’t come until AFTER the trial of your faith!!!!!!!! God lives! Loves US and has established again His church!!!! We are children of Him! For this NEVER decrease your expectations!! Always increase your faith!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Man happiness!!! This week, we had zone conference and our mission president really spoke to my heart!! Usually our mission president is just really straight forward, direct drill sergeant and gives us chicote because our mission doesn’t baptize like other Central American missions, but this week was different!! He told us that he knows that our areas are a lot more difficult than other areas and that its a lot harder to have success, but he told us that we are here to love. That our mission is to love!!!!! To strengthen the feeble knees and the hands that hang and that if we LOVED we would be successful!!!!! This really hit me hard!!! I’ve really been trying to do this just LOOOOOVEEEE EVERYONE and I honestly have FELT just such a difference!!!! Even though people still do stupid things, I just am trying my best to looooove them!!! It’s crazy to think what these people have had to go through in their lives! Just 10 years ago here in the mountains where we serve in Guatemala the native people were exterminated, killed by corrupt government, lined up and shot!!! Just 10 years ago!! People suffer from abuse, drugs, hunger, extreme, extreme poverty.....THEY NEEEEDDDD LLOOOOOVEEEE!!!
When President was speaking I felt sooo humbled and just thought geeeezzz how blessed am I!! I felt bad for all the crazy things I have said or thought and am just really trying to commit myself to love and learn from them!!!! It is incredible and I really do feel such a difference!!!! I believe in love and that our happiness in this life depends on our ability to love!!!!!! not going to lie sometimes I feel like it is so hard to love people when they throw rocks at you, yell at you in the streets, throw you out of their homes for telling them the truth.....that in the eyes of God they weren’t baptized (happened to me this week...haha said it with allll thelove of my heart!! ) and just are straight up rude.....But if you just try to put yourself in their situation and just love them, you will be happy!!! The mission really is something else!!!!! I am learning so much each day and really I feel like the weakest missionary ever but can honestly say I am trying to love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I feel a difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love! LOVE! LOVE!!!!!!!!!! Is the answer to life’s problem!!! And the biggest evidence or demonstration of love that we have is the atonement of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ and the restoration of His gospel!!!!!!!! you cannot get more love than that!!!!! For that I will forever testify to loooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvveeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love you all with every fiber of my being!!!!!!!!! Please know that!!! And sorry for now showing it more!!!!!! I loooooooooooooooooveeeeeee you all!!!!!!!!!! prestos todos prestos the church is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Hemana Ali
We had another baptism this week! Don’t ask me how, Heavenly Father is amazing!!!! One of our families, the mom had a dream about President Monson and Joseph Smith and said I know its all true!! When can I get baptized!!! whattttt theeeeeeee????? We were ecstatic!!!!! The Lord is turning this area around and we are soooo excited!!!!!!! The funny thing is I think now I’m going to be transferred!!! But, the work is starting to progress. We met a lot of positive people these weeks and were also able to set fechas with them. Chimaltenango is waking up from a far toooo long sleep!!!!!! Miracles! Miracles! We are soooo excited!!!! Do not lower your expectations, Increase your faith!!!!! It’s working!!!!!
This week we really experienced miracles. I am soooo scatter brained right now I am going to try and just write some. Ok soooo Angelina.....You know how much I looooove her!! We had the BEST experience! Ok soooo you all know about Angelina and how she is really humble and they took Pablito away because she’s not able to support her kids.....Sooo sad!!!! Heartbreaking!! And so what the church did is they lent her a stove and she is starting to make tortillas because she needs to show that she has some sort of constant income to get her son back. So on Friday, she started this little tortilla stand out of one of the member’s home. We promised her that if she had faith and was obedient to the commandments that God would help her sell all her tortillas. It’s kinda hard because there are tortillerias everywhere and on both sides of this member’s home, but it was the only thing that we could think of doing.
On friday her and her daughter started to work and make these tortillas. We passed by in the afternoon and were soooo happy to see them working! But anyways, the day passes by and we return at like 7:00pm to see how the progress went and I was DEVASTATED because they weren’t able to sell ANY tortillas!!!!!! Oh man, when we passed by Angelina was soooo sad and it just broke my heart!!! I felt soooo sad because I had promised her that Heavenly father would help her. She just needed to have faith! It was the end of the day, and not ANY!!!! NOTHING!!! They lost money on the tortillas they made!! And just seeing their faces made me soooo sad!!! We went in the house and we gave a lesson straight from the heart on faith!!! What faith really is!!! I felt so discouraged and sad but when we were talking to her, I just felt NOOOOO!!!!!! I know that God lives!! That the Book of Mormon is TRUE and that He ALWAYS fulfills His promises!! I have to admit I still felt fear but I just with everything I could looked her in the eyes and told her that if she got on her knees pleading with the Lord to help her and if she committed herself and promised Heavenly Father that if He helped her, she would pay her tithing and be 100 percent obedient to all his commandments, He would help her sale her tortillas!!!
It was one of those moments were the spirit was just blazing and my companion and I from the heart promised these crazy blessings, but no doubt the Spirit was sooo strong!! We left the house and it was already really late so we had to run to the house. But that night I felt so sad because they weren’t able to sell ANYTHING!! But we passed by the next day, it was the craziest thing! Sometimes I forget what I say, what I tell people, or just things that happen because I’m bombarded with crazineess each day!! But we passed by her house the next day and Hermana Angelina had the biggest smile on her face! She told us that after we left last night. She did what we said. She prayed and promised the lord she would be obedient to His commandments and after that she got up and heard a knock on the door!! The people came. They started flooding to the house and she in a manner of probably an hour sold ALLLLLL her tortillas for that day!! Not only that, she had to make MORE!!! Hermana Hernandez, the member who is there had to help her make more tortillas because there wasn’t enough!!!!!!!!!! whahahahhhahahhaahah!!!!!!!!
We started to cry we were sooooooooooooooooooooooo happy!! Everyday since then she has been able to sell all her tortillas!!!!! Oh man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The church is TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How do I even doubt sometimes!!!!!!!! It honestly is the coolest thing to be a missionary, to promise these people blessings that you don’t even think are possible and that through their obedience and faith, miracles happen!!!!!!!!!! Oh myyyyy goooodnesss!! It seriously was a miracle in front of my eyes!!!!!!!!! Indescribable!!!!!! The church is SOOOOO true!!! That’s all I got to say but the miracles don’t come until AFTER the trial of your faith!!!!!!!! God lives! Loves US and has established again His church!!!! We are children of Him! For this NEVER decrease your expectations!! Always increase your faith!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Man happiness!!! This week, we had zone conference and our mission president really spoke to my heart!! Usually our mission president is just really straight forward, direct drill sergeant and gives us chicote because our mission doesn’t baptize like other Central American missions, but this week was different!! He told us that he knows that our areas are a lot more difficult than other areas and that its a lot harder to have success, but he told us that we are here to love. That our mission is to love!!!!! To strengthen the feeble knees and the hands that hang and that if we LOVED we would be successful!!!!! This really hit me hard!!! I’ve really been trying to do this just LOOOOOVEEEE EVERYONE and I honestly have FELT just such a difference!!!! Even though people still do stupid things, I just am trying my best to looooove them!!! It’s crazy to think what these people have had to go through in their lives! Just 10 years ago here in the mountains where we serve in Guatemala the native people were exterminated, killed by corrupt government, lined up and shot!!! Just 10 years ago!! People suffer from abuse, drugs, hunger, extreme, extreme poverty.....THEY NEEEEDDDD LLOOOOOVEEEE!!!
When President was speaking I felt sooo humbled and just thought geeeezzz how blessed am I!! I felt bad for all the crazy things I have said or thought and am just really trying to commit myself to love and learn from them!!!! It is incredible and I really do feel such a difference!!!! I believe in love and that our happiness in this life depends on our ability to love!!!!!! not going to lie sometimes I feel like it is so hard to love people when they throw rocks at you, yell at you in the streets, throw you out of their homes for telling them the truth.....that in the eyes of God they weren’t baptized (happened to me this week...haha said it with allll thelove of my heart!! ) and just are straight up rude.....But if you just try to put yourself in their situation and just love them, you will be happy!!! The mission really is something else!!!!! I am learning so much each day and really I feel like the weakest missionary ever but can honestly say I am trying to love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I feel a difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love! LOVE! LOVE!!!!!!!!!! Is the answer to life’s problem!!! And the biggest evidence or demonstration of love that we have is the atonement of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ and the restoration of His gospel!!!!!!!! you cannot get more love than that!!!!! For that I will forever testify to loooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvveeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love you all with every fiber of my being!!!!!!!!! Please know that!!! And sorry for now showing it more!!!!!! I loooooooooooooooooveeeeeee you all!!!!!!!!!! prestos todos prestos the church is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Hemana Ali
Never Expect Anything Less But Happiness and Miracles!
Holllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope everything has been GREAT at home. The mission this week has been going great!! You will think I’m crazy. My comp thinks I am, but I’ve been starting this new psychological program for myself. I talk to myself in the mirrors, showers, in the street just to pump myself up. I’ve got my quotes posted. It’s actually really funny, but you really gotta do what you gotta do to pull through!!!!!!! Remember that cheer? haha. Now that I’m here on the mission I really do feel like everything in my life has just been a preparation to be able to do this whole mission thing!!!! The mission is CRAZZZYYY....surely an adventure of a lifetime. I really didn’t expect it or was fully prepared before. But I looooooove it and each day just trying to make it the best!!!!
I’ve really come to realize that it really is the Lords work. So I can’t lower my expectations, just increase the faith!!!!!!!!!! I got to admit for a while I felt so discouraged and just straight up tired physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But seriously, like a Kahi Mohala crazy person just talk to myself everyday and before leaving the house I just do all I can to pump myself up and sing a lot of Selena (its the coolest thing because I understand what she’s saying and that makes me soooooooo happy) and Natasha Bedingfield, because you never ever know what is going to happen here. But it seems to be working. I feel a lot better, happier, and yeah!!!!! I loooove Guatemala!!!!!!
So this week...............We had a baptism!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hooray!!!!!! I was so happy and it was a miracle.....really..... didn’t think it was possible but she was an EVANGELICAL!!! babhahhahhahhhaaa!!!!!!! That seriously should count for 100 baptisms!!!!! They are impossible!!! But ok she is the daughter of Angelina, has a baby and pretty much was the devil to us when we were working with Angelina!!!! haha. It was horrible. She would just tell her mom crazy, craaaazzy things and did all she could in her power to convince her mom to not get baptized. When we’d go over to visit Angelina she would just be really rude and call us brujas.....which is like witches. hahahaha. But we just did all w could to just ignore her, and yesterday she was baptized!!! Wow..... God is AMAZING!!!!!! I seriously could not believe my eyes!!!!
What happened was one day we were over with Angelina and Karla was there laughing, mocking, just being obnoxious. With all my love, I just told her to come and sit down with us and talk with us. She looked at me like I was crazy so, I just asked her flat out, “Karla what’s your problem?” My comp just started laughing because I guess it came out pretty rude. I thought I said it in a nice way but who knows. I just asked her because I really was curious WHAT her problem with the church was because I really don’t understand. It was an honest question. She kinda was like wha? Wha? Wha?..and she started saying stupid things about how her pastor told them that our church practiced witchcraft and was the most false of any church on the earth. If evangelicals even talk to Mormons it is trouble. They will get yelled at and the evangelicals have to go SAVE them. It’s just ridiculous.
I just started laughing and told her that was the craziest thing I ever heard and told her she couldn’t say ANYTHING about the church until she read the Book of Mormon and came to church and I told her YOU KNOW the church is true and that the members are good people because you have seen the blessings your mother has received. I remember that day all my frustration just started coming out and I started going on my rants because I was just so angry with people saying bad things about the church, Joseph Smith and the members of our church. lñkjafkljfkkffjiejk. It honestly makes me so mad.
My comp just put her head down in the lesson and started laughing at me but I think it made her think because that week she came to church!! It was a shock of my life to see her at the chapel, but ever since then we’ve been visiting her and yesterday she was baptized. Her husband still doesn’t want anything to do with us but hopefully that will change. But it was a cool experience because in these short weeks daaaanannng we’ve seen her grow so much!!! Of course, her church came chasing after us and her. She got fired from her job because she said she wasn’t going to work on sunday!!! And the evangelicals came to talk to us and told us horrible things about Karla and that she was only joining the church because we were paying her and giving her money!!!!
It is RIDICULOUS!!!!!! It really does open your eyes to how real Satan is. It’s crazy!! But really what did it were three things!!! 1....Karla was really able to see the example of her mom.....and yesterday Angelina was beside herself with joy because even she said she NEVER THOUGT THIS DAY WOULD COME!!!! haha. I remember the first time we had her pray she just broke down in tears because she thanked the Lord for sending the gospel to her mom because it’s the first time she’s seen her mom happy!!!!!!!! And the blessings of tithing really are real. Before, this family never had all three meals, but things are getting better. The Lord literally has opened the windows of heaven and that is the coolest thing to be able to actually witness those promises fulfilled before your eyes. And 2......the members!!!!!!! I seriously looooove the members in our ward. They honestly are just so willing to give, give, give. Ladies in the ward went through their wardrobe and gave Karla a couple of skirts and a pair of shoes so she could have something to wear to church and when Karla saw that she started to cry and just said I don’t know what to say because no one has ever done that before!!! Just a couple of skirts and blouses and a pair of shoes made her the happiest person in the world!!!!!! It touches my heart every time the examples of these people who themselves don’t have much but are just willing to give!!!!!! It really is amazing and is what made all the difference!!!!!! And 3.....conference!! After conference she decided to be baptized because it finally made sense to her and she knew that Thomas S. Monson was a prophet!!!
Yesterday, we were just overjoyed when she finally got baptized. It really was a miracle of the Lord!!!!!!!!!! Yesterday, we started laughing when we were talking to here because I told her I seriously never thought this would ever happen....you were like the devil to us!!! She started laughing and then said yeah but then you did your brujuria....or bewitched me!!!! haha. That was really funny!!!! Really it just strengthened my testimony of the power of positive thinking!!!! The church is true!!!! We are children of God and He loves us and is always with us!!!! For this never lower your expectations on life or expect anything else but happiness and miracles, because that is the type of God Heavenly Father is!!!!!I seriously loooooove Heavenly Father. This mission is the hardest thing I have EVER, EVER had to do. Guatemala has kicked my butt sometimes but I am here and am happy to be here because it really is the work of the Lord!!!!!!!!!! It is sometimes hard, but always worth it!!!!!!! Thank you for all your prayers, love, and positive thoughts you send my way!!!!!!!!! I’m pretty sure I would be back at home if it weren’t for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! loooooove you all with all my heart and I really do mean that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Prestos todos prestos.............the church is true!!!!!!
Love,
Hermana G.
I’ve really come to realize that it really is the Lords work. So I can’t lower my expectations, just increase the faith!!!!!!!!!! I got to admit for a while I felt so discouraged and just straight up tired physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But seriously, like a Kahi Mohala crazy person just talk to myself everyday and before leaving the house I just do all I can to pump myself up and sing a lot of Selena (its the coolest thing because I understand what she’s saying and that makes me soooooooo happy) and Natasha Bedingfield, because you never ever know what is going to happen here. But it seems to be working. I feel a lot better, happier, and yeah!!!!! I loooove Guatemala!!!!!!
So this week...............We had a baptism!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hooray!!!!!! I was so happy and it was a miracle.....really..... didn’t think it was possible but she was an EVANGELICAL!!! babhahhahhahhhaaa!!!!!!! That seriously should count for 100 baptisms!!!!! They are impossible!!! But ok she is the daughter of Angelina, has a baby and pretty much was the devil to us when we were working with Angelina!!!! haha. It was horrible. She would just tell her mom crazy, craaaazzy things and did all she could in her power to convince her mom to not get baptized. When we’d go over to visit Angelina she would just be really rude and call us brujas.....which is like witches. hahahaha. But we just did all w could to just ignore her, and yesterday she was baptized!!! Wow..... God is AMAZING!!!!!! I seriously could not believe my eyes!!!!
What happened was one day we were over with Angelina and Karla was there laughing, mocking, just being obnoxious. With all my love, I just told her to come and sit down with us and talk with us. She looked at me like I was crazy so, I just asked her flat out, “Karla what’s your problem?” My comp just started laughing because I guess it came out pretty rude. I thought I said it in a nice way but who knows. I just asked her because I really was curious WHAT her problem with the church was because I really don’t understand. It was an honest question. She kinda was like wha? Wha? Wha?..and she started saying stupid things about how her pastor told them that our church practiced witchcraft and was the most false of any church on the earth. If evangelicals even talk to Mormons it is trouble. They will get yelled at and the evangelicals have to go SAVE them. It’s just ridiculous.
I just started laughing and told her that was the craziest thing I ever heard and told her she couldn’t say ANYTHING about the church until she read the Book of Mormon and came to church and I told her YOU KNOW the church is true and that the members are good people because you have seen the blessings your mother has received. I remember that day all my frustration just started coming out and I started going on my rants because I was just so angry with people saying bad things about the church, Joseph Smith and the members of our church. lñkjafkljfkkffjiejk. It honestly makes me so mad.
My comp just put her head down in the lesson and started laughing at me but I think it made her think because that week she came to church!! It was a shock of my life to see her at the chapel, but ever since then we’ve been visiting her and yesterday she was baptized. Her husband still doesn’t want anything to do with us but hopefully that will change. But it was a cool experience because in these short weeks daaaanannng we’ve seen her grow so much!!! Of course, her church came chasing after us and her. She got fired from her job because she said she wasn’t going to work on sunday!!! And the evangelicals came to talk to us and told us horrible things about Karla and that she was only joining the church because we were paying her and giving her money!!!!
It is RIDICULOUS!!!!!! It really does open your eyes to how real Satan is. It’s crazy!! But really what did it were three things!!! 1....Karla was really able to see the example of her mom.....and yesterday Angelina was beside herself with joy because even she said she NEVER THOUGT THIS DAY WOULD COME!!!! haha. I remember the first time we had her pray she just broke down in tears because she thanked the Lord for sending the gospel to her mom because it’s the first time she’s seen her mom happy!!!!!!!! And the blessings of tithing really are real. Before, this family never had all three meals, but things are getting better. The Lord literally has opened the windows of heaven and that is the coolest thing to be able to actually witness those promises fulfilled before your eyes. And 2......the members!!!!!!! I seriously looooove the members in our ward. They honestly are just so willing to give, give, give. Ladies in the ward went through their wardrobe and gave Karla a couple of skirts and a pair of shoes so she could have something to wear to church and when Karla saw that she started to cry and just said I don’t know what to say because no one has ever done that before!!! Just a couple of skirts and blouses and a pair of shoes made her the happiest person in the world!!!!!! It touches my heart every time the examples of these people who themselves don’t have much but are just willing to give!!!!!! It really is amazing and is what made all the difference!!!!!! And 3.....conference!! After conference she decided to be baptized because it finally made sense to her and she knew that Thomas S. Monson was a prophet!!!
Yesterday, we were just overjoyed when she finally got baptized. It really was a miracle of the Lord!!!!!!!!!! Yesterday, we started laughing when we were talking to here because I told her I seriously never thought this would ever happen....you were like the devil to us!!! She started laughing and then said yeah but then you did your brujuria....or bewitched me!!!! haha. That was really funny!!!! Really it just strengthened my testimony of the power of positive thinking!!!! The church is true!!!! We are children of God and He loves us and is always with us!!!! For this never lower your expectations on life or expect anything else but happiness and miracles, because that is the type of God Heavenly Father is!!!!!I seriously loooooove Heavenly Father. This mission is the hardest thing I have EVER, EVER had to do. Guatemala has kicked my butt sometimes but I am here and am happy to be here because it really is the work of the Lord!!!!!!!!!! It is sometimes hard, but always worth it!!!!!!! Thank you for all your prayers, love, and positive thoughts you send my way!!!!!!!!! I’m pretty sure I would be back at home if it weren’t for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! loooooove you all with all my heart and I really do mean that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Prestos todos prestos.............the church is true!!!!!!
Love,
Hermana G.
October 6, 2010 Don't Lower Your Expectations; Increase Your Faith
Hooollllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! I am sooo happy to hear that everyone is doing well!! Thank you for all your love, letters of encouragement and prayers!! They are heard!!!!!!!!!!!!! waaawwaaa!!!!! well this week has been a great one!!! I have truly felt your prayers pushing me through and have gained a stronger appreciation and testimony of the reality of this! First of all, wasn't conference amaaazing! Seriously, it was like crab legs to the soul. Aaaaah man I don't know but I think conference on the mission is like 100 times better on the mission. When I heard the prophet and president Eyring speak it just seriously pierced me and I literally screamed, "The church is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shall we not go on in such a great cause sistttttttter!!!!!" haha.
Seriously, I cried so many tears of happiness and felt soooo grateful to be here in Guatemala just to try help others to see, feel, and looooove this gospel!!! I felt a little sad though because I got to watch it in English and I felt really sad for my comp and the other people, because unless they learn English they will never be able to hear the prophet's voice!! I seriously told my comp she HAD to learn English; one to get a better job but daaaaaang so she could listen to the prophet!!! Honestly it was the first time that I really thought about that!!!!!
Conference really was a spiritual feast and I still feel uplifted. I thought to myself; really daaaaaaang the church is true. soooo true!!! I came on the mission knowing that and for that had such high, high expectations for the mission. and I have to admit for a while I felt tempted to believe that maybe it was just that my expectations were too high or that I was just trying too hard and wont reach these goals, BUT seriously during the conference I had to repent and I was reminded; NOOOO, the church IS TRUE!! DONT LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS, but INCREASE YOUR FAITH!!!
That is exactly what came to my mind and again I wrote this big on my wall so everyday I can just wake up and go loco for missionary work.....so I just feel so empowered and have more determination to just do this thaaaannngg!!!!! So far hmmmmm......haha; for me its a miracle in how I feel hopefully well be able to do miracles for the Lord in this area.....I'm still trying. its been three days gotta give it some time. but as for us miracles......
.......ok so as you know this whole change my poor comp has been sicker than a dog. Everyday its the same routine. Barf, diarrhea, nausea, extreme body aches, more barf......ugliness!! It honestly is so sad and just depressing. But this Monday it hit the peak. the whole night Hermana Guaranda couldn't sleep because she was just throwing up and had fever, pain, the whole bit. I woke up and Hermana Guaranda was just lying in her bed crying. Crying. and seriously I thought this was going to be it....she was just going to call president and say, "No Mas!!! no more!!!" She told me that she didn't know what to do. We've been to the doctors, received priesthood blessings, medicine, prayers but nothing!!!! She told me this was the sickest she's felt and that she couldn't open her eyes and was just crying. So I just went to her bed to hug her like I always do and she asked me if I would massage her head because that's what her mom always does. So I went over and started massaging her head and she was just crying and crying and I started to tear too just because I felt soooo bad for her. It seriously was so heart breaking.
Hermana Guaranda really has been through SOOOO much this change. It was hard for me, but really for her it just seemed like the crap hit the fan. Poor thing. But she was just crying, crying, and was talking about how just she cant, no more. She was saying how sick she felt and how tired and weak she was because she can't go to sleep and it was sooo sad. I seriously looked at my companion and didn't know what to do but get down on my knees and just pray. I left her on her bed and just went to my bed, dropped down and offered the most simple but heart felt prayer pleading and begging the Lord to help my companion. It was one of those times I really felt myself praying and pleading the Lord with everything I had.
I got up sat on my bed and looked at my companion and she was just lying there, still looking so weak and still crying. I then just decided to go on with the normal activities studying and preparing for the day. I was sad and thought again we were going to miss a lot of our citas. I even called people that I could to cancel because from the morning I thought there was no way we were going to be able to go out. But, as I was studying in the other room at 10:30am my comp wakes up and tells me, " alright, let's go out and work!" I was in shock. I looked at her and asked her, "are you ok?" She told me, "don't worry about it we've got to go." So really I thought nothing about it and just thought she got better!!
We went out worked the rest of the day and came home at night as planned, the normal!! I said my prayer and was about to go to sleep and I wont ever forget this....Hermana Guaranda said, "Hermana Garcia, thank you!!!" I was confused and asked her, for what? She started to tear up and told me, "I know you prayed for me." I was like what are you talking about? She told me this morning I know you prayed for me!! She told me that she remembers I was massaging her head and she felt so weak honestly thinking she was going to go home and she said she remembers me leaving and it was silent and all of a sudden, she literally felt a pillar of light something come across her body literally just sweep her body starting with her face and she had no idea what was happening she said. she said she couldn't open her eyes and see me but she saw me praying and said Hermana Garcia is praying for me. Then she said she was just knocked out....completely and just was able to sleeeeep, for the first time in how long!!!!! She woke up and we worked and since then has not felt sick!! and she didn't cry but was tearing up and told me "thank you, hermana!!!" I was filled with sooooo much joy and I started crying because I felt so grateful to Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father really does hear and answer prayers!!!!!!
What a testimony booster to me!!!!! This change was so difficult for me. Sometimes I really did feel like when I prayed I couldn't feel that assurance that my prayers were really heard just because there were so many discouragements. Heavenly Father helped me to know that SI!!!!! He really is there and He really does hear and answer every Childs prayer!"!!! Sometimes it takes time or it may not be what He wants us to learn but I feel so grateful to know that HE is there!!!!! So my job is just to hang in there......siga adelante and just do my best!!! That's ALL I can do!!!!!!! Just pure love!!!!! The gospel is TRUE!!!!!! I am SOOOOOO grateful to know that!!!! For that I just gotta keep swimming....literally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Prestos todos prestos....the Church is true!!!!!!!!! Looooooove you alllllllll with all my heart!!!! Wouldn't be here if it weren't for you!!!!!! Loooove you!!! and I mean it!!!
Love,
Hermana G!!!
ps........okkkkkkk ready for the Guatemala moment of this week...haha. Something crazy always happens. This week, okkkk so my comp and I were talking to this family. we were standing outside they were in their house and we were talking through the window. It was windy cold, rainy and all of a sudden I felt something warm. it was like slow motion I thought, why is my leg warm? I look down and a dog is peeing on me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! whahahhahahahhahah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I SCREAMEEEEEEEDDDDDD!!!!! chucho feo fuera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And my comp looked and just started laughing. Dying of laughter. I was wet with dog peee and it was seriously soooo disgusting but soooooo funny and soooooooooo Guatemala!!!! Seriously it was nuts but soooo funny I must say!!! Can you believe that????? Ay aya yayay!!!!! Guatemala.......best mission ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love you all!!!!!!!
Seriously, I cried so many tears of happiness and felt soooo grateful to be here in Guatemala just to try help others to see, feel, and looooove this gospel!!! I felt a little sad though because I got to watch it in English and I felt really sad for my comp and the other people, because unless they learn English they will never be able to hear the prophet's voice!! I seriously told my comp she HAD to learn English; one to get a better job but daaaaaang so she could listen to the prophet!!! Honestly it was the first time that I really thought about that!!!!!
Conference really was a spiritual feast and I still feel uplifted. I thought to myself; really daaaaaaang the church is true. soooo true!!! I came on the mission knowing that and for that had such high, high expectations for the mission. and I have to admit for a while I felt tempted to believe that maybe it was just that my expectations were too high or that I was just trying too hard and wont reach these goals, BUT seriously during the conference I had to repent and I was reminded; NOOOO, the church IS TRUE!! DONT LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS, but INCREASE YOUR FAITH!!!
That is exactly what came to my mind and again I wrote this big on my wall so everyday I can just wake up and go loco for missionary work.....so I just feel so empowered and have more determination to just do this thaaaannngg!!!!! So far hmmmmm......haha; for me its a miracle in how I feel hopefully well be able to do miracles for the Lord in this area.....I'm still trying. its been three days gotta give it some time. but as for us miracles......
.......ok so as you know this whole change my poor comp has been sicker than a dog. Everyday its the same routine. Barf, diarrhea, nausea, extreme body aches, more barf......ugliness!! It honestly is so sad and just depressing. But this Monday it hit the peak. the whole night Hermana Guaranda couldn't sleep because she was just throwing up and had fever, pain, the whole bit. I woke up and Hermana Guaranda was just lying in her bed crying. Crying. and seriously I thought this was going to be it....she was just going to call president and say, "No Mas!!! no more!!!" She told me that she didn't know what to do. We've been to the doctors, received priesthood blessings, medicine, prayers but nothing!!!! She told me this was the sickest she's felt and that she couldn't open her eyes and was just crying. So I just went to her bed to hug her like I always do and she asked me if I would massage her head because that's what her mom always does. So I went over and started massaging her head and she was just crying and crying and I started to tear too just because I felt soooo bad for her. It seriously was so heart breaking.
Hermana Guaranda really has been through SOOOO much this change. It was hard for me, but really for her it just seemed like the crap hit the fan. Poor thing. But she was just crying, crying, and was talking about how just she cant, no more. She was saying how sick she felt and how tired and weak she was because she can't go to sleep and it was sooo sad. I seriously looked at my companion and didn't know what to do but get down on my knees and just pray. I left her on her bed and just went to my bed, dropped down and offered the most simple but heart felt prayer pleading and begging the Lord to help my companion. It was one of those times I really felt myself praying and pleading the Lord with everything I had.
I got up sat on my bed and looked at my companion and she was just lying there, still looking so weak and still crying. I then just decided to go on with the normal activities studying and preparing for the day. I was sad and thought again we were going to miss a lot of our citas. I even called people that I could to cancel because from the morning I thought there was no way we were going to be able to go out. But, as I was studying in the other room at 10:30am my comp wakes up and tells me, " alright, let's go out and work!" I was in shock. I looked at her and asked her, "are you ok?" She told me, "don't worry about it we've got to go." So really I thought nothing about it and just thought she got better!!
We went out worked the rest of the day and came home at night as planned, the normal!! I said my prayer and was about to go to sleep and I wont ever forget this....Hermana Guaranda said, "Hermana Garcia, thank you!!!" I was confused and asked her, for what? She started to tear up and told me, "I know you prayed for me." I was like what are you talking about? She told me this morning I know you prayed for me!! She told me that she remembers I was massaging her head and she felt so weak honestly thinking she was going to go home and she said she remembers me leaving and it was silent and all of a sudden, she literally felt a pillar of light something come across her body literally just sweep her body starting with her face and she had no idea what was happening she said. she said she couldn't open her eyes and see me but she saw me praying and said Hermana Garcia is praying for me. Then she said she was just knocked out....completely and just was able to sleeeeep, for the first time in how long!!!!! She woke up and we worked and since then has not felt sick!! and she didn't cry but was tearing up and told me "thank you, hermana!!!" I was filled with sooooo much joy and I started crying because I felt so grateful to Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father really does hear and answer prayers!!!!!!
What a testimony booster to me!!!!! This change was so difficult for me. Sometimes I really did feel like when I prayed I couldn't feel that assurance that my prayers were really heard just because there were so many discouragements. Heavenly Father helped me to know that SI!!!!! He really is there and He really does hear and answer every Childs prayer!"!!! Sometimes it takes time or it may not be what He wants us to learn but I feel so grateful to know that HE is there!!!!! So my job is just to hang in there......siga adelante and just do my best!!! That's ALL I can do!!!!!!! Just pure love!!!!! The gospel is TRUE!!!!!! I am SOOOOOO grateful to know that!!!! For that I just gotta keep swimming....literally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Prestos todos prestos....the Church is true!!!!!!!!! Looooooove you alllllllll with all my heart!!!! Wouldn't be here if it weren't for you!!!!!! Loooove you!!! and I mean it!!!
Love,
Hermana G!!!
ps........okkkkkkk ready for the Guatemala moment of this week...haha. Something crazy always happens. This week, okkkk so my comp and I were talking to this family. we were standing outside they were in their house and we were talking through the window. It was windy cold, rainy and all of a sudden I felt something warm. it was like slow motion I thought, why is my leg warm? I look down and a dog is peeing on me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! whahahhahahahhahah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I SCREAMEEEEEEEDDDDDD!!!!! chucho feo fuera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And my comp looked and just started laughing. Dying of laughter. I was wet with dog peee and it was seriously soooo disgusting but soooooo funny and soooooooooo Guatemala!!!! Seriously it was nuts but soooo funny I must say!!! Can you believe that????? Ay aya yayay!!!!! Guatemala.......best mission ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love you all!!!!!!!
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