BUEENAAASS!!! Hey everyone!! Hope this was a great week for everyone!! Grandma and Grandpa thank you for putting my name on the temple prayer list!! Prayer works and as missionaries we need all the prayers we can get!! I got really sick this week. Was horrible, BUT IM ALIVE and happy and life is good!!! Now I just feel like I have a little cold, but I just woke up this morning and dropped to my knees because I feel a lot a lot better!!!! Ummm oh yeah, I got the letters from the Devinishes. HOLLALAAAA from Guatemala to Africa!! I am SOOOOO excited for Candice because the Lord needs powerful sisters like her to go out there and change this world!!!! I know Candice will be such a great missionary and don’t worry, Uganda IS the place!!!!!!!! If anything, my mission has taught me that Heavenly Father is in charge, the greatest blessing of the mission is, just knowing that you are in the Lord’s hands and you will literally feel that!!! I testify to love and that the reason I’m still out here is because of all your love and prayers and that through them the Lord has been carrying me. The mission is a CRAZY adventure, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world!!!! Oh man and wooohoooo Andrew, Jon, and Kamana.....CONGRATULATIONSSS!!! I started crying when I read my mom’s email today, I just feel so overwhelmed right now, really don’t know how to express why but I just got soooo happy when I heard that you three were preparing to serve!!!!!! Oh man, looooooveee!!!!!!! The Lord needs you and it just makes me so happy to know that the army is growing!!!!!! SIGAN ADELANTE!!!!!!
Ok wow....what happened this week? Well, it started off really rough but turned out to be a great week. Like I said, was sick and that never is fun in the mission. Last week one of our families got baptized, miracle and were so happy and then this week one of our single mothers was scheduled to be baptized. I don’t think I have talked about this Maria....different Maria....she is a single mom with two kids, one with special needs. She is extremely humble, lives in a little tin and wooden house that only fits one bed. No electricity, lights, furniture, her bed only is a wooden board, doesn’t even have a mattress. When it rains everything gets soaked because the tin and wood don’t hold out the rain. Its soooo sad but we’ve had some of the most powerful lessons ever with her. SHE IS AMAZING!!!!!! She left her husband well partner because he wouldn’t get married so now is living in these circumstances. She sells radishes for a living for another lady and told her that she refused to work on Sundays. The lady told her, don’t you want to have food to eat on Sunday and she said NO!! Because if I work on Sunday, Heavenly Father is not going to bless me the rest of the week!! Her husband told her to come back and that she could never make it on her own. She asked if they’d get married, He still refused to so she said psshhhs “Get thee hence, Satan. You’re not going to save me!!! I’m going to follow Christ!!”
AMAMAMMAAZZZZINNGG!! This woman truly inspires me. Really though, she has taught me just pure faith!! I just sit in her lessons and just clap my hands and say yeah, yeah, yeah, “DASS MY GIRL!!!!!!” She is just a freak here in Guatemala and such a tender mercy. But anyways, she was scheduled to get baptized this Sunday so we knew that this was going to be a hard week because, “Satan sucks”.and oh yes it was. We passed by her house Monday in our normal time, not there. Passed by like two more times that day, not there. Tuesday, not there. Wednesday, passed by pretty much every hour, not there!!! We started to FREAK OUT because we could not lose her!! And on top of that, I was sick. BAD WEEK!!!!!! I seriously just cried. Thursday, same thing….horrible. So Hermana Guaranda and I not knowing what else to do, just prayed our brains out and we just told Heavenly father we know that you know where Maria is and we asked Heavenly father to help us find Maria TODAY. Went out again to her house, not there....we were so sad. But later on when we were walking I all of the sudden had to go to the bathroom, really bad, but this time thank goodness we were close to a members home. So we changed plans and started walking to a member’s house and as we were walking down this little callejon lo and behold....lalalalla....IT WAS MARIAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I screamed and just almost fainted of shock. We were like, “MARIA, MARIA and we started running!!!!” She started crying when she saw us and it just turned out that this had been the week of hell for her. She got kicked out of her house, didn’t have money to call us, and her husband was trying to file some kind of report against her to take her little girl, but doesn’t want anything to do with the special needs child and claims that it is not his. He brainwashed Ana and even she doesn’t want anything to do with her mom, I think it’s because of just the living circumstances...but its sooo sad. But Maria has been with different friends and been praying to find us and it was just such a beautiful moment!!!!!! She kept saying, PURO DIABLO!! PURO DIABLO!! And just said, Hermanas I can’t wait! I want to be baptized NOW, because I know that the Lord will help me!!!! It was a crazy weekend, trying to get her settled, and figure everything out, but she was baptized and it was one of the most powerful baptisms ever. She came out of the water, literally glowing and just broke out in tears. I ran out to greet her and just started screaming, “wahahahhahha” and she just hugged me and just cried and cried and cried, which of course made me cry too. It’s weird I usually don’t cry until I see them cry and then I just lose it!!! But anyways, she just cried and cried and said that despite everything that’s gone down in her life, this is the happiest she has ever been and just well cried. But daaaaaaaang it was a crazy week but just ended so happy!!!! I LOOOOVE THIIISSSSSSS GOSSSPPPEEEELLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is just pure happiness seeing how happy the gospel can make others. The mission is the ride of the life. It has the highest highs and highest lows, but the experiences that you have and seeing the faith in others is just what makes it SO worth it!!!!!! I just can’t express enough how real this gospel is and how much Heavenly Father loves us!!! I know that He is there!!! I have never cried so much in my life just feeling so completely overwhelmed, but each time I do, Heavenly Father is right there and has just poured out His tender mercies and has blessed me to meet just people like Maria!!! THe Church is true and I LOOOOOOVVVVEE it!!! No matter where you are in the world, the gospel is true and that’s what makes the mission so worth it!!!! Love you all with all my heart!!!! Prestos todos prestos!!!!!!!!
Loves and kisses
Oh and please tell sister park that I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE her daughter. Had divisions again and it was the best!!! Never will forget my ninja sistah!!!!!
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
Breathe. When Things Get Hard, Don't Get Sad: Choose Gratitude!
Hooollllllllaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Another week has come and gone!! Craziness!! Hope everything is going well. I pray for your happiness each day!! As for Guate, things are going good! This week was another interesting one. We had a baptism of Maria Salazar. Don’t know if I told you about her. Maria is the wife of a less active, well was less active member. She actually doesn’t live in our ward, but she was one of those eternal investigators. She’s been taking the lessons in another ward with different elders for 9 months, been going to church, everything, but never wanted to get baptized. Well the elders didn’t know what to do with her so it was the stake president’s idea, he said, well we have hermanas in the stake, why don’t they teach her!!
We started to teach her about a month ago, and yesterday she got baptized and cried like a baby!! haha. When we first showed up at her house and asked her why she didn’t want to get baptized she said because once I get baptized, I’m not going anywhere so I need to KNOW!! And to me, that’s a good thing!! So we just said that’s GREAT!! Let’s make it happen!!! I don’t know we just hit if off and had some girl time...taught her, became great friends and really focused on helping her to see that she already knew and after months and months accepted a fecha and her husband was shocked!!
Yesterday, she got baptized and it was such a powerful service. The spirit was so strong. Ah man, I just loooove Maria because she’s so pure and sincere. She made our district leader cry when she bore her testimony to him in the interview about how she knows and isn’t going anywhere. But after the she came out of the water, she seriously was glowing and we were in the bathroom waiting for her, she just gave us the biggest hug and wouldn’t let go. She was crying and crying and this made me cry. It was so beautiful and she just hugged us, I would say for a good 10 minutes and just said, “Thank you Hermanas! I always knew I needed to do this, and I couldn’t have done this without you”. It really was just so beautiful to experience and see the joy of the gospel and the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. It’s the most powerful thing in the whole world!! So anyways, good day! It makes the 99 not so good ones, TOTALLY worth it!!!!
What else happened this week......Oh! Well this week I had the opportunity to preach in a bus! haha. That was fun!! So I think I already explained a little about the crazy Guatemala magic school buses. They are crazy. Well every time I have to get on these crazy buses, I always talk and contact the person sitting next to me and this is ALWAYS an interesting experience. Sometimes I honestly feel like I have a disease or something because the people will do everything in their power to try to ignore me, pretend their sleeping, or curl up on the wall....It’s so sad sometimes....I feel like Elle Woods. Why don’t these people love me? Everybody loves me!! hahahaha. It’s sad sometimes, but wearing the tag, being a gringa and well at least in my experience here, not so much! But, anyways- not important. I got off the bus with my comp and I was expressing frustration to her telling her urrrrrrr there has to be somebody who rides those buses who wants the gospel. Why dont these people want anything? I don’t understand. And she started to laugh at me and said, yeah maybe there’s someone, why don’t you stand up in front of the whole bus and contact. And I was like, hey not a bad idea!! Let’s do it!! Hermana Guranda didn’t know she was joking, but the next time we got on the bus, I was like Hermana, are you ready? She was like what? I was like let’s contact in the front! She was like what? You are you crazy!! Heeeckkk no!! I was like Hermana! Serious!! There could be an escogido, chosen, here!! Lets go!! Hermana Guranda was just like no way!! So I was like fine, so I just stood up, didn’t know what to say, so just said Hooollllllaaa!!! Bueeeennnnnaaaas Tarrrrdddeeesss!!!!!!!!!! May I have your attention!! haha and just started talking! And Hermana Guaranda was just sitting there laughing at me. But it was kinda cool because the bus driver turned off the music when I started talking and the whole bus went silent. haha. I was like wow, so I shared a message about Jesus Christ and just invited everyone to hear about the restored gospel....but here’s the sad part, after I shared the message, I walked down the aisle to talk to every person with my pamphlets to see if anyone wanted one, and absolutely nobody did....haha.
I felt like a little beggar just walking down the aisles....you...you...you...no! Okay! So I thanked everyone for their time, sat down and the bus driver started blasting the music again. But my companion just looked at me and just started laughing at me and was just like, “ ohhh hermana garcia I was kidding, but good job”. She said she never thought in a million years to do that. But now that’s what we’re going to do. She just laughs and says alright you speak and I’ll stand there and smile. haha. ok. Although we haven’t sacked references from it, I at least get off the buses feeling like alright....you know what...we tried!!! And sometimes that is all we can do and all that Heavenly Father expects.
I am learning each day to just make the best out of everything and just be happy. Seriously, I tell Hermana all I want is to be happy and have been realizing that if you just do all you can, obviously, we’re not perfect and there’s so many things I’m trying to improve on, but if we just try, Heavenly Father will bless you and you will be able to feel happiness despite discouragements. Honestly my favorite scripture, well one of them is in Doctrine and Covenants 123: 17. When I look back at these past 8 months, yeah I have faced a lot A LOT of discouragements and you know me, It killllsssss sometimes, I feel like such a failure at times but I can honestly say that I am learning to just be happy. I breathe, and when things get hard, I remind myself, don’t get sad; choose gratitude!!! Another one of my quotes or life lessons that the mission has taught me.
Honestly I can’t express it enough how much I loooooove all of you and just how grateful I feel. My life is a dream. The mission; and acne a close second has been the hardest things I have ever had to do. everyday i just look at these people and the lives they’ve had to live and I just drop on my knees and literally cry and testify to love because I cant believe how blessed I’ve been. i have everything any girl could ever ask for, and that’s why I just love my daddy!! Both the one in Heaven and on Earth!!! I feel so blessed and I feel only an experience like this could really make me see that. Still don’t understand, but have learned to just be grateful!!! We are soooo blessed and when we honestly remember that, we will ALWAYS, ALWAYS be happy, even in the midst of floating poo and hurtful rocks!!!! Life is beautiful!!! Loooooooooveeee you all with all my heart!!!! And i really mean that!! God lives and loves!!! `He’s blessed us beyond belief, for that I will forever testify to loooooooooooovvvvvveeeee!!!! Love you all!! Prestos todos prestos....the church is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We started to teach her about a month ago, and yesterday she got baptized and cried like a baby!! haha. When we first showed up at her house and asked her why she didn’t want to get baptized she said because once I get baptized, I’m not going anywhere so I need to KNOW!! And to me, that’s a good thing!! So we just said that’s GREAT!! Let’s make it happen!!! I don’t know we just hit if off and had some girl time...taught her, became great friends and really focused on helping her to see that she already knew and after months and months accepted a fecha and her husband was shocked!!
Yesterday, she got baptized and it was such a powerful service. The spirit was so strong. Ah man, I just loooove Maria because she’s so pure and sincere. She made our district leader cry when she bore her testimony to him in the interview about how she knows and isn’t going anywhere. But after the she came out of the water, she seriously was glowing and we were in the bathroom waiting for her, she just gave us the biggest hug and wouldn’t let go. She was crying and crying and this made me cry. It was so beautiful and she just hugged us, I would say for a good 10 minutes and just said, “Thank you Hermanas! I always knew I needed to do this, and I couldn’t have done this without you”. It really was just so beautiful to experience and see the joy of the gospel and the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. It’s the most powerful thing in the whole world!! So anyways, good day! It makes the 99 not so good ones, TOTALLY worth it!!!!
What else happened this week......Oh! Well this week I had the opportunity to preach in a bus! haha. That was fun!! So I think I already explained a little about the crazy Guatemala magic school buses. They are crazy. Well every time I have to get on these crazy buses, I always talk and contact the person sitting next to me and this is ALWAYS an interesting experience. Sometimes I honestly feel like I have a disease or something because the people will do everything in their power to try to ignore me, pretend their sleeping, or curl up on the wall....It’s so sad sometimes....I feel like Elle Woods. Why don’t these people love me? Everybody loves me!! hahahaha. It’s sad sometimes, but wearing the tag, being a gringa and well at least in my experience here, not so much! But, anyways- not important. I got off the bus with my comp and I was expressing frustration to her telling her urrrrrrr there has to be somebody who rides those buses who wants the gospel. Why dont these people want anything? I don’t understand. And she started to laugh at me and said, yeah maybe there’s someone, why don’t you stand up in front of the whole bus and contact. And I was like, hey not a bad idea!! Let’s do it!! Hermana Guranda didn’t know she was joking, but the next time we got on the bus, I was like Hermana, are you ready? She was like what? I was like let’s contact in the front! She was like what? You are you crazy!! Heeeckkk no!! I was like Hermana! Serious!! There could be an escogido, chosen, here!! Lets go!! Hermana Guranda was just like no way!! So I was like fine, so I just stood up, didn’t know what to say, so just said Hooollllllaaa!!! Bueeeennnnnaaaas Tarrrrdddeeesss!!!!!!!!!! May I have your attention!! haha and just started talking! And Hermana Guaranda was just sitting there laughing at me. But it was kinda cool because the bus driver turned off the music when I started talking and the whole bus went silent. haha. I was like wow, so I shared a message about Jesus Christ and just invited everyone to hear about the restored gospel....but here’s the sad part, after I shared the message, I walked down the aisle to talk to every person with my pamphlets to see if anyone wanted one, and absolutely nobody did....haha.
I felt like a little beggar just walking down the aisles....you...you...you...no! Okay! So I thanked everyone for their time, sat down and the bus driver started blasting the music again. But my companion just looked at me and just started laughing at me and was just like, “ ohhh hermana garcia I was kidding, but good job”. She said she never thought in a million years to do that. But now that’s what we’re going to do. She just laughs and says alright you speak and I’ll stand there and smile. haha. ok. Although we haven’t sacked references from it, I at least get off the buses feeling like alright....you know what...we tried!!! And sometimes that is all we can do and all that Heavenly Father expects.
I am learning each day to just make the best out of everything and just be happy. Seriously, I tell Hermana all I want is to be happy and have been realizing that if you just do all you can, obviously, we’re not perfect and there’s so many things I’m trying to improve on, but if we just try, Heavenly Father will bless you and you will be able to feel happiness despite discouragements. Honestly my favorite scripture, well one of them is in Doctrine and Covenants 123: 17. When I look back at these past 8 months, yeah I have faced a lot A LOT of discouragements and you know me, It killllsssss sometimes, I feel like such a failure at times but I can honestly say that I am learning to just be happy. I breathe, and when things get hard, I remind myself, don’t get sad; choose gratitude!!! Another one of my quotes or life lessons that the mission has taught me.
Honestly I can’t express it enough how much I loooooove all of you and just how grateful I feel. My life is a dream. The mission; and acne a close second has been the hardest things I have ever had to do. everyday i just look at these people and the lives they’ve had to live and I just drop on my knees and literally cry and testify to love because I cant believe how blessed I’ve been. i have everything any girl could ever ask for, and that’s why I just love my daddy!! Both the one in Heaven and on Earth!!! I feel so blessed and I feel only an experience like this could really make me see that. Still don’t understand, but have learned to just be grateful!!! We are soooo blessed and when we honestly remember that, we will ALWAYS, ALWAYS be happy, even in the midst of floating poo and hurtful rocks!!!! Life is beautiful!!! Loooooooooveeee you all with all my heart!!!! And i really mean that!! God lives and loves!!! `He’s blessed us beyond belief, for that I will forever testify to loooooooooooovvvvvveeeee!!!! Love you all!! Prestos todos prestos....the church is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
True Guatemalan: Straight up Chapina Fo Sho!!!
BUENAS!!!! First of all, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! FELIZ ANIVERSARIO ABUELITOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW 50 years!!! That is something to celebrate!! I hope everyone had the best time in Hawaii!! I was a little sad that I couldn’t be there with everyone, but I thanked Heavenly Father for just the best family in all the world!!! I really do love you all with all my heart!! And if my mission has taught me anything, it is just how blessed I am to have the family that I do!! LOOOOOVEEEE!!! Love you all!!!
Ok so this week, hmmmm what happened?? Oh, we had zone conference!!! Which means.........MAILLLL!!!!!! woohooo!! Thank you so much for all your letters. I gotta tell you, I started straight up crying when I read the letter from Auntie Reenie and about Kristen Vidinhar’s baptism! Oh man!! That was so special!! It made me cry and cry and cry. What an angel!! Must be the Rei!!! Kidding! But it sounds like everyone is doing well!! I will try to write everyone. But please know that the mail here is etcha sketch!!!! It makes me sooo mad sometimes but I just gotta love!!! If you’ve written me, I promise I have written you back. Don’t know if you got it, but please know that I truly do appreciate ALL your love and support!!
In this time of my life, it literally means the world!! So besides the mail, haha the Zone Conference was probably the highlight of this week. We had a general authority come, Elder Martino of the 70 and it was SO good!!! He pretty much just gave us all chicote, but it felt so good, because it was just so powerful!!! He started by writing some numbers on the board, didn’t know what it was, but it was the numbers of baptisms our mission has had and how much we have per month and he just said THIS IS UNNACCEPTABLE!! And just started going crazy, I was sitting in the front row right in front of him and I was just like wow, wow, wowww! It was crazy!! But I just loved it because you could just feel the power of his testimony and how much love he had for the Savior and this work. In my notes, I have written in bold like 100 times, I BELIEVE!!!!! haha. But it was so cool!! Yeah, so our mission has a problem with baptizing. Our mission president always gives chicote and talks about this, but still don’t know why but in comparison to other Central American missions we are slacking! Pres Baldwin set a goal at the beginning of the year 2010 Almas...souls...in 2010. Well it’s November and we reached 800!! Yikes!! Don’t know how that compares to other missions in the world, but Elder Martino just gave chicote!! UNNACCEPTABLE!!! In Central America that is really low. how were going to change this.....don’t know I try not to stress myself out but just trying each day to do survive and do my best!!! I just want to leave my mission happy, alive, just saying that I DID IT!!! But yeah!! I know that I can improve. It is overwhelming at times, sometimes I just cry and cry because I feel so overwhelmed, but the Lord has a lot of patience and mercy with us and I know that He loves us. We just need to do our best! But it really was a cool experience to have a general authority come and give you chicote!!! There was no doubt in my mind that he knows!! He bore the most powerful testimony ever. Loooved it!!
What else.....as far as the work goes, we’ve been working hard with a couple of investigators. We have a mommy getting baptized this Sunday which is good. Sometimes we have to be really patient because it is hard for these people to understand. the majority of the people you teach don’t know how to read, their brains are just extremely, extremely simple, never have studied and just their whole life have grown up believing in false doctrines so it can get a little hard teaching wise, but haha! My elementary-ed training has come in handy! Here in the mountains, it seriously is like your teaching five year old kids sometimes. My comp always laughs at me because, David’s going to be disgusted, but yes I’m such a sister missionary bringing out all my puzzles, and playing crazy games, drawing pics, doing all I can to just get them to understand simple, simple principles. The lack of understanding really does make it harder sometimes. If anyone has any ideas that can help, let me know!!!!! But it is fun!!!!
Ohhhh and for the Guatemala moment of the week.....I’ve become a true Guatemalan. So I have a fear. I don’t like drinking a lot of water or eating tooo much because heaven for bid, what am I going to do if I have to use the bathroom!!! But this week, it hit me! We were sitting in a lesson and all of the sudden, Guatemala called and I had to use the bathroom!! I looked around and was like mmm mmm!! No way!! I will just wait and well just run after this lesson to the closest member’s house!! But we were in the middle of nowhere. Hermana B, way pass the colegio melody....just way out there and there is seriously NOTHING but cows, dogs, tin shacks, and corn fields. I was like Hermana we need to run, I HAVE TO GO!!! And started to panic a little, and Hermana Guaranda was just dying laughing. We started running, but there was no way I was going to be able to hold it in, so I just chose a bush, told Hermana to watch out for the cows and dogs, thank goodness no one was around, took a squat and like a true Guatemalan did mah thang!!!!! Oh mannnn it was horrible!!!!!!!! But I had to go and Hermana Guaranda was seriously dying!!! But I seriously thought! WOW!! I can know say I am a true chapina!!!! That’s how the people in Guatemala do it!!! When people here need to use the bathroom, there’s no shame, you just pull down your pants and go. At first I seriously thought that was just so disgusting, but now I’m a straight up chapina fo sho!!!! hahahahah!!!!!
Well looooooooooove you all with all my heart!!! Thank you soooo much for all your love, support, and prayers!!! It really does mean the world!!!!!!
Love,
Hermana Ali
Ok so this week, hmmmm what happened?? Oh, we had zone conference!!! Which means.........MAILLLL!!!!!! woohooo!! Thank you so much for all your letters. I gotta tell you, I started straight up crying when I read the letter from Auntie Reenie and about Kristen Vidinhar’s baptism! Oh man!! That was so special!! It made me cry and cry and cry. What an angel!! Must be the Rei!!! Kidding! But it sounds like everyone is doing well!! I will try to write everyone. But please know that the mail here is etcha sketch!!!! It makes me sooo mad sometimes but I just gotta love!!! If you’ve written me, I promise I have written you back. Don’t know if you got it, but please know that I truly do appreciate ALL your love and support!!
In this time of my life, it literally means the world!! So besides the mail, haha the Zone Conference was probably the highlight of this week. We had a general authority come, Elder Martino of the 70 and it was SO good!!! He pretty much just gave us all chicote, but it felt so good, because it was just so powerful!!! He started by writing some numbers on the board, didn’t know what it was, but it was the numbers of baptisms our mission has had and how much we have per month and he just said THIS IS UNNACCEPTABLE!! And just started going crazy, I was sitting in the front row right in front of him and I was just like wow, wow, wowww! It was crazy!! But I just loved it because you could just feel the power of his testimony and how much love he had for the Savior and this work. In my notes, I have written in bold like 100 times, I BELIEVE!!!!! haha. But it was so cool!! Yeah, so our mission has a problem with baptizing. Our mission president always gives chicote and talks about this, but still don’t know why but in comparison to other Central American missions we are slacking! Pres Baldwin set a goal at the beginning of the year 2010 Almas...souls...in 2010. Well it’s November and we reached 800!! Yikes!! Don’t know how that compares to other missions in the world, but Elder Martino just gave chicote!! UNNACCEPTABLE!!! In Central America that is really low. how were going to change this.....don’t know I try not to stress myself out but just trying each day to do survive and do my best!!! I just want to leave my mission happy, alive, just saying that I DID IT!!! But yeah!! I know that I can improve. It is overwhelming at times, sometimes I just cry and cry because I feel so overwhelmed, but the Lord has a lot of patience and mercy with us and I know that He loves us. We just need to do our best! But it really was a cool experience to have a general authority come and give you chicote!!! There was no doubt in my mind that he knows!! He bore the most powerful testimony ever. Loooved it!!
What else.....as far as the work goes, we’ve been working hard with a couple of investigators. We have a mommy getting baptized this Sunday which is good. Sometimes we have to be really patient because it is hard for these people to understand. the majority of the people you teach don’t know how to read, their brains are just extremely, extremely simple, never have studied and just their whole life have grown up believing in false doctrines so it can get a little hard teaching wise, but haha! My elementary-ed training has come in handy! Here in the mountains, it seriously is like your teaching five year old kids sometimes. My comp always laughs at me because, David’s going to be disgusted, but yes I’m such a sister missionary bringing out all my puzzles, and playing crazy games, drawing pics, doing all I can to just get them to understand simple, simple principles. The lack of understanding really does make it harder sometimes. If anyone has any ideas that can help, let me know!!!!! But it is fun!!!!
Ohhhh and for the Guatemala moment of the week.....I’ve become a true Guatemalan. So I have a fear. I don’t like drinking a lot of water or eating tooo much because heaven for bid, what am I going to do if I have to use the bathroom!!! But this week, it hit me! We were sitting in a lesson and all of the sudden, Guatemala called and I had to use the bathroom!! I looked around and was like mmm mmm!! No way!! I will just wait and well just run after this lesson to the closest member’s house!! But we were in the middle of nowhere. Hermana B, way pass the colegio melody....just way out there and there is seriously NOTHING but cows, dogs, tin shacks, and corn fields. I was like Hermana we need to run, I HAVE TO GO!!! And started to panic a little, and Hermana Guaranda was just dying laughing. We started running, but there was no way I was going to be able to hold it in, so I just chose a bush, told Hermana to watch out for the cows and dogs, thank goodness no one was around, took a squat and like a true Guatemalan did mah thang!!!!! Oh mannnn it was horrible!!!!!!!! But I had to go and Hermana Guaranda was seriously dying!!! But I seriously thought! WOW!! I can know say I am a true chapina!!!! That’s how the people in Guatemala do it!!! When people here need to use the bathroom, there’s no shame, you just pull down your pants and go. At first I seriously thought that was just so disgusting, but now I’m a straight up chapina fo sho!!!! hahahahah!!!!!
Well looooooooooove you all with all my heart!!! Thank you soooo much for all your love, support, and prayers!!! It really does mean the world!!!!!!
Love,
Hermana Ali
Susy and Tender Mercies
Hola!!! Another week has come and gone!! In two days I will be hitting 8 months!!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE that!!!! Craziness!!! In one month I am hitting my hump! It’s so crazy!!!!! The mission is so weird. It is the fastest slowest craziest time of your life!! STILL haven’t waken up from my dream!! It really is weird. But anyways this week we have just been trying to get people we are working with to progress. Gotta be patient; These are big changes, but I KNOW the blessings are real!!!!!!!! We’re trying!!!! We got faith, but they got agency!!!!!! haha. Patience! Love! Charity! It is the key!
But, this week was a lot of just the dirty work. I really hope that soon we will be able to see more results. It gets hard sometimes but you really just gotta believe that there is someone who wants to change. Everyone here needs the help, is crying for the gospel....really. I think that’s what makes it more depressing. It is how lost some of these people are and you just KNOW that what you have can help them and is what they need, but......yeah! The trick really is finding someone who wants the help and wants to change and figuring out how you can help them. But each day is a learning experience for me and am just trying to soak it all up and looooooooooooooove it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This week I had a really beautiful experience. Too bad it didn’t happen in my area Soooooo, a lot of areas in our zone have been suffering. There are a lot of areas in Chimal where the missionaries don’t have investigators so what our zone has been doing is what we call attack on the areas....where ALL the missionaries in the zone go to one area and just contact every person in sight for two hours to get references. We’ve done two already and got another one coming up this week. We went to a different area called Parramos and we started just contacting like locos. Didn’t really have much success at first was a little sad so my comp and I changed directions and started going the other way. There wasn’t a lot of people but we still kept going. We saw this lady walking towards us and she was smiling so we said perfect lets go get her.
We started talking to her and we just hit it off!! It was like wowokakhakddkdkd!!! Where did you come from! It was one of those moments where you just seriously felt a connection with someone and it was really beautiful. Invited her to church, accepted and it was just beautiful!! We were all soo happy and then we were about to leave and Susy....that’s her name just started bawling....uncontrollably crying. Hermana Guaranda and I looked at each other not really understanding what was happening. So I was just like Susy!! What going on!! Come here!! And I just gave her the biggest hug and she was just crying and crying and crying even more. We didn’t know what was going on but she just looked at us and said thank you!! God bless you, you are the Lords angels! She told us that a week ago her husband just completely abandoned her with her kids and just left them with absolutely nothing!! The rent for her apartment is past due and she has absolutely no way of paying for it so the owner said that she has until tomorrow to pay or they are kicking her out and she is going to have to sleep on the street. She has nothing to eat. She went to Jocotenango to visit her parents but she didn’t even know that her parents moved houses don’t have cell phones so she has no way of getting in touch with them. So her entire family and her husband completely abandoned her and she told us I literally have nothing!!!!!!!
She said that she for the first time got on her knees earlier that day to plead with God to let her know if He was really there. And then randomly in the street we started talking with her and she just told us....Just by talking to you and meeting you I know that God is there!! OHH man....tearssssssssssss!!! It was so beautiful Hermana Guaranda and I just started crying with her. All of us just standing in a little humble dirt road crying. I seriously felt Heavenly Fathers love wrap around us. It was so powerful!! And I had to repent for my bad attitude and my lack of faith! It all and it just hit me. THIS is why we go on missions. Sometimes it gets so hard for me to have the faith to just believe because we get rejected all day so it’s hard that this really is where I need to be because I can’t feel that sometimes. I feel just helpless like I can’t help these people, but I will forever remember Susy because she was such a tender mercy to me because I too needed to know that Heavenly Father is here!!!!! And that really is why I am here so that everyone can know that. I’ve realized that There comes a point in everyone’s life where you need God, because there is nothing else. Life isn’t easy, and everyone will reach that point where they just need to know that God is there because they have is nothing else. And our job as missionaries, the great privilege and blessing that we have is that when that time comes for whoever it may be, that we are right there so they know that God is. The mission is hard. But it is worst it and at the same time just beautiful!!! I’m sad I wont be able to teach Susy but the elders are working with her now and I just never will forget that when she told us that!! That is why I am here!!!!!! I looooooooooooove you all with alll my heart!!!!!!! Thank you because through your love I know that God is there and that He loves me!!! I just hope I can help others know that too!!!!!!! Love you forever!!! prestos todos prestos.....the church is true!!!!!
By the way.....just got of divisions with herm park.....love her. She is an AMAZING super missionary. I learned so much. Please tell her mom hi and that she should be proud!!!! Hermana Park really is amazing.
But, this week was a lot of just the dirty work. I really hope that soon we will be able to see more results. It gets hard sometimes but you really just gotta believe that there is someone who wants to change. Everyone here needs the help, is crying for the gospel....really. I think that’s what makes it more depressing. It is how lost some of these people are and you just KNOW that what you have can help them and is what they need, but......yeah! The trick really is finding someone who wants the help and wants to change and figuring out how you can help them. But each day is a learning experience for me and am just trying to soak it all up and looooooooooooooove it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This week I had a really beautiful experience. Too bad it didn’t happen in my area Soooooo, a lot of areas in our zone have been suffering. There are a lot of areas in Chimal where the missionaries don’t have investigators so what our zone has been doing is what we call attack on the areas....where ALL the missionaries in the zone go to one area and just contact every person in sight for two hours to get references. We’ve done two already and got another one coming up this week. We went to a different area called Parramos and we started just contacting like locos. Didn’t really have much success at first was a little sad so my comp and I changed directions and started going the other way. There wasn’t a lot of people but we still kept going. We saw this lady walking towards us and she was smiling so we said perfect lets go get her.
We started talking to her and we just hit it off!! It was like wowokakhakddkdkd!!! Where did you come from! It was one of those moments where you just seriously felt a connection with someone and it was really beautiful. Invited her to church, accepted and it was just beautiful!! We were all soo happy and then we were about to leave and Susy....that’s her name just started bawling....uncontrollably crying. Hermana Guaranda and I looked at each other not really understanding what was happening. So I was just like Susy!! What going on!! Come here!! And I just gave her the biggest hug and she was just crying and crying and crying even more. We didn’t know what was going on but she just looked at us and said thank you!! God bless you, you are the Lords angels! She told us that a week ago her husband just completely abandoned her with her kids and just left them with absolutely nothing!! The rent for her apartment is past due and she has absolutely no way of paying for it so the owner said that she has until tomorrow to pay or they are kicking her out and she is going to have to sleep on the street. She has nothing to eat. She went to Jocotenango to visit her parents but she didn’t even know that her parents moved houses don’t have cell phones so she has no way of getting in touch with them. So her entire family and her husband completely abandoned her and she told us I literally have nothing!!!!!!!
She said that she for the first time got on her knees earlier that day to plead with God to let her know if He was really there. And then randomly in the street we started talking with her and she just told us....Just by talking to you and meeting you I know that God is there!! OHH man....tearssssssssssss!!! It was so beautiful Hermana Guaranda and I just started crying with her. All of us just standing in a little humble dirt road crying. I seriously felt Heavenly Fathers love wrap around us. It was so powerful!! And I had to repent for my bad attitude and my lack of faith! It all and it just hit me. THIS is why we go on missions. Sometimes it gets so hard for me to have the faith to just believe because we get rejected all day so it’s hard that this really is where I need to be because I can’t feel that sometimes. I feel just helpless like I can’t help these people, but I will forever remember Susy because she was such a tender mercy to me because I too needed to know that Heavenly Father is here!!!!! And that really is why I am here so that everyone can know that. I’ve realized that There comes a point in everyone’s life where you need God, because there is nothing else. Life isn’t easy, and everyone will reach that point where they just need to know that God is there because they have is nothing else. And our job as missionaries, the great privilege and blessing that we have is that when that time comes for whoever it may be, that we are right there so they know that God is. The mission is hard. But it is worst it and at the same time just beautiful!!! I’m sad I wont be able to teach Susy but the elders are working with her now and I just never will forget that when she told us that!! That is why I am here!!!!!! I looooooooooooove you all with alll my heart!!!!!!! Thank you because through your love I know that God is there and that He loves me!!! I just hope I can help others know that too!!!!!!! Love you forever!!! prestos todos prestos.....the church is true!!!!!
By the way.....just got of divisions with herm park.....love her. She is an AMAZING super missionary. I learned so much. Please tell her mom hi and that she should be proud!!!! Hermana Park really is amazing.
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