Life in a Nutshell

Friends! Good news- A Savior is Born! Isn't this the most wonderful holiday to celebrate?! What a fun past week this has been with getting more excited with the Christmas Spirit and helping and seeing others grow in this Christmas Spirit! But with this has come more challenges and stresses too, but it's a gift to help us realize that we really need Christ's strength and come to know in a real sense how grand the gift of a Savior was to us. This morning in my personal study I was reading in the end Omni (verse 26) about how God asks of us our whole soul. It reminded me of a lesson from seminary of the meaning of soul- body and spirit (D&C 88:15). That's a lot that He asks from us, but then He did give us everything, it makes sense that he would ask for our everything back because He gave it to us! God is perfect and He perfectly wants us to have true joy, be able to return to live with Him and know exactly what we need to do to do that. He asks that we offer u...

Hola, Hola friends! This week has been a journey to say the least- a wonderful, delightful journey at least! I've been sick this past week and so I decided to be smart and sleep when I could so I wouldn't be sick for two weeks again! I'm feeling better enough to not have it effect my missionary work now and so that's great! But we've also come to realize some parts of our area that we shouldn't go to at all (at least at night or without a member). We got pulled over next to the freeway by May and 27th street after going to find a less-active member near there. We were trying to find which house was there and a cop had been watching us but since we had our bike rack on our car he couldn't see the license plate to look up our car (I guess we had seemed kind of suspicious). Then when we went up to the house when Hermana Gubler stopped because she didn't see any lights on so she thought we should go, I told her I could see lights. Then while I was proceed...

Friends! So transfer doctrine was last night and Hermana Gubler and I were totally thinking our area would be staying the same and then Elder Schwartz dropped the bomb on us. Someone was leaving... I definitely decided that we would boot Hermana Gubler off the island. haha but it's actually our car that is leaving. Round 2 with Hna. Gubler We are going to a car-share area! Holla holla! Haha I'm actually pretty excited to start biking more (I kind of need it)! But it's going to be harder to visit all 4 of our investigators! This past week we dropped almost all of our investigators. None of them were keeping commitments or progressing so we went on a dropping spree and it feels so good! We are going to be able to really teach those who are prepared to hear the gospel! Our few investigators are Marcela and Gabriela (they are the aunt's of one of the Elder's investigating families- Carlos and Adriana who just need to get married before they can be baptized which...

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! But now it's Christmas time!! Holla holla! The Christmas video #ASaviorIsBorn is now here! Check it out! It's amazing! (: The youth had already left for dinner, but this  is when we went to the temple for baptisms for the  dead and we got to do initiatories! One of our investigators, Alfredo, we found a couple of weeks ago tracting and we shared a Book of Mormon with him and he talked to his friend, Humberto, about it and they both came to church yesterday! It was super exciting and several of the members just came up and introduced themselves! It was just fantastic! I've been studying a lot from Jesus the Christ and trying to find ways that it applies to my life. I must say, I've been rebuked several times, but it's great! It helps me to know what I need to improve on! The hard part is just knowing what I need to do to improve. With patience and prayer though, answers come. So I totally had a Spanish dream la...

My friends! Tomorrow is my 5 month mark! My mission is going by much to fast! AH!!! Haha but I'm still learning to enjoy every moment! Speaking of which, Hermana Gubler and I had a lesson with our investigators, Eily (13) and Katzumy (10) this past week and we had a recently returned missionary, Xavier, come out with us. Oh, and there also happened to be the uncle of the kids, Reymundo, who lives there with them who actually served in this mission, but moved back to work who was at the lesson. Super confusing, I know. But after this lesson, Xavier mentioned to Reymundo how much he misses this- being a missionary and teaching. And that comment really struck me because I've been having some rough moments and at times I just don't want to do anything and wonder why I am even out here. I had many friends before my mission and other returned missionaries tell me how much they miss their mission and being able to be a missionary and I think of the difficult moments and wonder ...

Friends and Family! Wow! I just really love the Hispanic people! I cannot even explain how much I ABSOLUTELY LOVE them!!! Haha seriously though. They are amazing! Wow, they are just amazing. I went on exchanges last Friday and I had to go to Englishland. It was alright. Haha seriously though. I was missing not being able to understand everything and be around my hispanic people. Haha I'm not joking though. So, our area has 7 investigators with baptismal dates right now- but none of them are solid... YET! We have 2 other investigators, Marcela and Gabriela, who seem super solid, we just have to have to get in their house while they are actually home and not working at one of their jobs! The work is continuing though! So... one thing about hispanics is that they are ALWAYS coming up with excuses and not keeping commitments. But I still love them. Which has lead me to learn that I'm super not patient and super prideful. Haha like why can't these people just test out some f...

Amigos! Wow! I'm just so grateful for the opportunity to serve in this area and branch! I asked a few of the other missionaries this week if I could just stay as a missionary forever and always in the branch here!! and they said, no. They dashed my hopes alright. haha no seriously though- I absolutely love my new area so much! This week has been one of the hardest of my mission so far, but thanks to the atonement, Sister Training Leaders, and many Christlike attributes that have been really tried, I have thrived (mas o menos- a veces)! Haha really though, it really has been an amazing week with lots of strength from my Savior, Jesus Christ. We got to bake some desserts for the Halloween party  because Presidente Martinez asked us to! (: Brownies, scotcheroos and a pumpkin pie bar pie thingy!  One of the times this week was yesterday! In the past TWO days, I have had two different members who I have tried talking to Spanish with on the phone and each of them couldn't u...

Mis amigos! Wow, can I just say that the gift of tongues is so real! Somehow, someway, I am super confident in my Spanish and there are several times that I catch myself speakin' a some Spanish and not evening taking much thought for it! Like, God is there and he is a helpin' me! Oh! Also, I just finished reading 1 Nephi out loud in Spanish yesterday!! So exciting! (: As for my new companion, Hermana Gubler is her name! And her energy and excitement at times just wears me out. But it's all good. She's from Orem, Utah and this is her 2nd to last transfer in the mission and our Spanish is almost about the same. She has served for a total of 2-4 transfers in Spanish! So it's great! Haha like I said, the gift of tongues is real. (: So... I get to play piano for sacrament also! No one plays and then Elder Schwartz (the new district leader) and I came in and we both play! (Well... I actually haven't heard him play but he's not very confident in his playing ...

Friends! We had a Specialized Training Meeting out in the city last p-day which was fantastic! Wow! Our leaders are amazing! We had an incredible meeting on Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. During the meeting we focused on the General Conference training from last April General Conference and Doctrine and Covenants 59 and there was a thought that really struck me and I thought I would share it. We think of the Sabbath as a day to rest from our labors. And that is exactly it! But I thought of those Bishops, Stake Presidents, General Authorities, Auxiliary Presidencies and wonder how are they getting any rest from their labors when Sunday is probably one of their busiest days! The key word is the Sabbath day is a day to rest from OUR labors. God has many labors that we are required to do on the Sabbath. But when we do keep the Sabbath day holy, God is going to bless us with so much, including the strength we need to do all that is required from us outside of His labors. Serving a mission...

1st day on a bike and I accidentally wore my only pencil skirt.  I about died when we started riding, from laughter.  Seriously, I was laughing at our plight about the first 5 minutes. I love riding bikes!!!! (: Mis amigos! This week I was studying in 1 Nephi chapter 4. It was amazing! There were three things that stood out to me that I wanted to share. 1. When we put our trust in God, we have no need to fear. 2. Don't let excuses of hardship let us slacken in our testimonies or faith. Doubt not, fear not. 3. God will ALWAYS give us a way to follow and keep his commandments. Christ is perfect. God's plan is perfect. We will be blessed and happy as we follow God's commandments! It's so great and so comforting! While life never is perfect in all aspects, we will find so much joy through following Christ's example and God's commandments! (: I feel like the luckiest person to be able to be serving a mission right now! It's hard- incredibly hard ...

Hello Friends! This week has been up and down. While it wasn't as full as last week, we were able to have some great lessons with investigators and meetings with getting to know the members. One highlight of this past week happened only last night! We drove out to deliver a bible to a media referral, Shaina (our third one in the last month! I've heard media referrals are pretty uncommon so that is pretty exciting that we have three!). Shaina came out and we talked to her a bit about how she came across  mormon.org  for a free Bible and she said how God has really made himself known in her life through the Holy Ghost recently. As we continued talking to her we asked if we could share a Book of Mormon with her too and guess what? She said "A Mormon bible? I've already got one of them. Do you want me to go get it?" And so she went and got it and it was a pretty old edition of the Book of Mormon (okay, it was only around 20 years or so old). She had received it a yea...

Hola amigos! In the Weatherford area, we are blooming with so many investigators that we do not even know what to do with all of them each week! It is a good problem to have but frustrating since there is no possible way that we can meet with all of them each week since there is almost 20! Plus the less active members and few recent converts. However, we begun this past Thursday doing a daily scriptural text message to contact them each day and that has been going really well! We are really working hard with two college students, Ryan and Nicholas, as well as a new investigator, Zulema, because they seem to have the most potential and are the best at communicating back with us! Ryan and Nicholas are quite open to our message but like most college students they have so many questions that may or may not be pertinent to their eternal salvation. (And I may or may not have accidentally slipped up and said that for an answer to one of their questions! Thank goodness for companions who ...

Mis amigos! Our area feels like it picking up finally and it exciting because we are working with two investigators who are really solid and that we have baptismal dates for October 24th. Ryan Taylor and Alex (the Guatemalan who we unfortunately don't have his last name yet) but neither of them have come to church, yet. Alex works everyday except Mondays and has tried asking his boss to get work off to go to church but she won't let him. Ryan, on the other hand, slept through our member knocking on his door to give him a ride. We are going to be teaching them next about the importance of coming to church though, and we will see what they will do to change this. The Relief Society President asked us this past week to come out with her and her counselors on splits every other Wednesday night to visit teach less active Sisters so that we can reactivate and strengthen the ward and visiting teaching program. This was such an exciting invite for her to extend to us because it show...

Mis amigos! This past week was fantastic! We have two new investigators who are SOLID and so prepared! I am so excited to continue working with them with Sister Christensen! Hermana Pine's last Sunday! EEK! One is Alex, who I think I actually told you about last week, he's a 22 year old Guatemalan that we met while at dinner at a Hibatchi grill/buffet with some members, Sister Chasteen, and her grandbaby, Emily. He works at the grill and so when I went to have my food cooked, he asked me where I was from and so it was perfect to lead into what I was doing here in Oklahoma! I told him about what I was doing here and he knew I was learning Spanish and he began talking to me in Spanish... I had no idea what he was saying! But I knew he wanted to learn more and so I got him a card with our number on it and we contacted him the following Monday since that's his only day off. We reminded him of church on Saturday night and said that he would need to find a new job to be a...