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Tuesday, February 10, 2015
pics
Note from Mariah's mom: Some Pictures from Mariah's awesome companion Hermana Lovell
I love this girl so much!
update
Note from Jana, Mariah's mom: Mariah hasn't written a separate weekly email for her blog lately so I'm just taking parts from her email's to me and updating her blog.
January 7th
our new transfer just started yesterday, we didn't have changes....I'm still with hermana Lovell in valle and we´re still sister training leaders. That's why we had pday today and not Monday though because of transfers.
any new stories....hmm
well they moved our ward to a new chapel which is way further away so that's hard for getting investigators to come to church. But I like the new chapel because its a little bit bigger, well there's more rooms, and the sacramental is a little smaller and they have pews instead of just chairs so everyone is a little more close and cozy which is nice. But there were a few less people because of the change, so people are mad according to the bishop and refuse to come to the new chapel.
This area has been hard just because no one seems to be progressing and its exhausting. But we have a couple potential progressors, and we are going to try and visit more members and less actives.
One young girl we are teaching named Johanna was going to be baptized this week. But she went and stayed with her gma for the new years for 3 days and her gma told her a bunch of lies about Mormons and that she is catholic and isn't going to change. And now she is just confused and well shes only 9, so we don't want to pressure her of course, because she's very impressionable but we don't want her to do it either if she isn't going to have the support of her family, her mom isn't married so she still cant get baptized although we are teaching her, but we may have to stop visiting them.
And on Sunday we sang I am a child of god in sacrament with a less active girl who is 16 named Vianey. She is so cute and we found out she likes to sing so we jumped on the chance to sing with her and her whole family came to church including her non member dad, who we are going to start teaching.
I feel like we have a lot of work to do, and that's probably why we didn't have transfers, so after all the trials I hope some big blessings happen this transfer.
January 26th
Oh how great, sounds like you had a good bday week :) And I'm so excited about the Seahawks! That's so crazy haha.
Well these past few days have been terrible. My companion and I have been really sick.
On friday night my companion started feeling sick, and had a fever and everything. Then On Saturday it hit me as well. I just felt sooo tired and achy and also had a fever of 101.2, all i wanted to do was sleep. Then on sunday at church, I was just shivering and I guess it was really obvious that I was sick, because everyone was like omgosh are you ok? I think I just looked really pale and sickly. But I got a blessing, and I actually felt much better for the rest of that day, that we were able to work and everything, but last night felt sick again and I still had a fever. So we finally called the misión presidents wife today and she said we needed to go to the doctors. And we live really far from the misión doctor and basically the only way to get there is mexibus, metro, and another small bus, but our bishop called in the morning to check on us and offered us a ride to the doctors...we were so grateful!
And anyway, turns out we have a stomach infection and we have antibiotics and a diet to follow for a few days.
What fun :(
but anyways, looks like Jill's fam had a fun time in Hawaii, Lexi is so cute haha. And That's great that Angelina's getting baptized.
February 9th,
Hello darling Mother, :)
My week was good, we had exchanges twice. It was great fun, and this week we have exchanges, I get to go to zaragoza and see my converts, Yipee! We haven't had any baptisms since the family in nov, but the elders had a baptism this last Sunday, so that was exciting. And our investigator Carlos went and brought his friend. We've been finding a lot of new people lately, like ones that just come up to us and say ¨hey, where´s your church?¨ haha I love it when that happens.
Well, the story with our investigator Carlos, is that he has been to church a lot and we've been teaching him for a while, but he doesn't want to commit to baptism. So we left him, we talked with him this week and agreed that we weren't going to visit him anymore but he was still invited to come to church and that he should pray to find his answer, but more sincerely. And this we just sent him a text on saturday inviting him to the baptism, and he went! we were so happy, so hopefully a miracle will happen there and he will get baptized this week. But yeah it was a good week. this week is our last before transfers, but I hope we don't have transfers because we are now starting to see so many miracles.
And yes I got the package from the high priest group, Lots and Lots of candy, haha my companion and I were very happy. Tell them all I say THANK YOU and GRACIAS!
I still haven't gotten the package from Jill.
For Jayda¨:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jayda bear! I love you and miss you. I realized that you were turning fifteen and that makes me feel really old. I hope you have wonderful day!! LOVE Mariah
Also, can you change my facebook so that people can find me and add me as friends, so many members and converts have searched for me but I have a block on it that wont let anyone add me or find me haha
Love you and miss you too!
Have a good week
Mariah
Monday, December 29, 2014
Christmas
This Christmas was really great! My companion and I went caroling to everyone and they all gave us food haha and let us in their houses to share a message about Christ.
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and also Have a Happy New Year!!
Here are some pictures of my week...because pictures are worth a thousand words....
Johanna the one in the middle is 9 and she is a star investigator, she´s going to baptized on the 11th of January
A birthday party for Hermana Wilkinson
The Gutierrez Family, we´ve been teaching for about 2 months
The Torres family, Vianey and Diego, they´re so cute
opening our presents on christmas morning, Thanks Mom and Grandma!
The rodriguez family, let us all skype at their house and made a delicious christmas dinner!
Monday, December 1, 2014
Bautismo!!! :)
So this week was good.
The Fragoza family got baptized yesterday :D it all went really well. stress free, warm water, clothes that fit, haha, and it was a very nice service. Afterwards we asked Emiliano, who is 8, how he felt and he said ¨limpiocito, aún sin joboncito¨ which means really clean even without soap, how cute is he. And Abigail´s (the mom) mom who isn't a member came, so that was really good too.
All of the zone leaders and sister training leaders had the opportunity to sing in a choir for a fireside for the area seventies and stake presidents for the encendido de luces (lighting of Christmas lights) at the temple and the visitors center. And we sang and there were some really good talks, on that was really interesting about the light of Christ and how it is the power by which everything functions. Then they lit all the lights and it looks soo beautiful! Also if you haven´t watched the video ¨He is the Gift¨ on lds.org , you should :).
En la encendido de luces
So, I forgot to mention last week.. this week was transfers, so they changed p-day to Wednesday. We didn't have transfers...whew! :) Still with Hermana Lovell here in Valle for another cycle!
Well this week was jolly good. We had exchanges with Hermana Burrola and Wilkinson, I stayed in my area, the first day hermana burrola and I had a really good day. we set a baptismal goal with a woman named Isabel. And then we also had the baptismal interviews with the Fragoza family :) They all passed, Abigail is the mom, and Sara, Alí, and Emiliano are the kids. I love them so much! They are just really cool people. The dad Luis, still hasn't come to church and he says he doesn't want to get baptized....yet. But he says the most beautiful prayers, and I know he feels that this is something really good for his family. Their baptism is this Sunday after church. :) yay
Well, in other news the mission presidents wife, hermana Anaya was concerned about the missionaries getting good quality sleep and our health and sha la la. So we all got new mattress cushion cover things and they are soooo comfortable, I didn't have problems sleeping before, but now I sleep like a...a person that sleeps really well. So that's good. Especially because missionaries work really hard, haha. At the end of the day I am so tired, but then we still plan and study Spanish, and all that good stuff. So I'm glad I have a comfy bed.
Well now that I've written a whole paragraph about my comfy bed I guess I should end with something spiritual.
Well my companion shared with me a quote that says,
¨Our weaknesses are divinely destined to become our strengths¨
And I really like that, I know that God has a plan for each of us and has given us certain talents and strengths for a reason. But our weaknesses are also for a purpose. I have learned a lot on my mission. One thing that I have gained a stronger testimony of is obedience, if we are obedient to all of the commandments, including studying the scriptures daily, personal prayer, and sincere service to others, we will be empowered to resist temptation, and to have more hope during trials. And we will also develop more and more of the attributes of Christ. Like in
Ether 12:27 in The Book of Mormon: ¨And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.¨
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
This week was very good. Elder Valenzuela came for our zone conference, it was cool, he is a Seventy. One thing he talked about that stuck with me was about Christ´s life...how we served and performed miracles one by one, he took the time to serve individually. And when he suffered for our sins, our trials, our temptations...it was individual. We are all different people, with different strengths and weaknesses, and different personalities. But each one of us individually are important to our Heavenly Father and Christ loved each one of us enough to suffer the punishment for our sins and personal pains. And I know that as a missionary we represent Christ, we should also serve and love each investigator and pray for them individually.
Hey, I don´t know about you but I'm feeling 22...
SO I turned the big 22 this week. I feel the same. But It was a great birthday. In the morning we had another leaders meeting with Elder Valenzuela and talked about how we can help the other missionaries (hermanas) better. And then, on the way home on the mexibus, my companion announced to the entire bus that it was my birthday and the whole bus sang Las Mañanitas to me! haha and then some people gave me hugs (they were all women...its an all women's bus..cool huh) And of course I was slightly embarrassed but mostly I thought it was really nice and cool to be sung too by a whole bus of strangers. One family of investigators that are going to get baptized gave me a little gift, and another family in our ward gave me a gift too. And the Regino family in our ward surprised us with a little party with pizza and ice cream! And the Miranda family also made us cake (I say us because it was also Elder Treu´s Bday on the 7th...one of the elders in our ward). Although I was far from home and of course missed my friends and family on my bday, it was definitely one of my best bdays because several people that don't even know me that well took the time to do something nice for me, and that means a lot.
And today, we had a zone activity, we played volleyball and the zone leaders and a few hermanas from their ward surprised us all with a thanksgiving dinner....well it wasn't thanksgiving food but its the thought that counts. :)
Miranda just turned 8! and she had her baptism! Our investigator family, the Fragoza family went and the mom and daughter Ali were already sure they wanted to get baptized...but Emiliano and Sara the other two kids still weren't sure. Miranda was kind of nervous and the water was a little cold for her, and she started crying and shaking in the water...I was worried that the kids were going to change their mind about wanting to be baptized. But after Emiliano said yes he wanted to and Sara´s only concern was that she doesn't have white clothes haha.
Hermana Bright and I ...as Indians. Happy Early Thanksgiving !
Our Zone
These women sacrificed their whole morning to prepare a thanksgiving dinner for our zone :)
The Fragoza Family...I love them!
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Well, this week was another great one...we had lots of lessons and set a few baptismal dates. But...only one investigator came to church :( but that's okay we are just going to work harder this week and tell them that they have to come to church haha.
my companion and I match...we are so unified haha
Our area isn't is so pretty?
Little Birthday celebration with the hermanas who have birthdays in nov y oct
Exchanges with Hermanas Bright and Cole :)
As you probably know the day of the dead was this week. In Mexico they celebrate Halloween too, its kind of a mix of the two traditions. Except that many people are against the mixture of traditions. The day of the dead is two days the first and second of November and they make an altar with pictures of their loved ones who've passed away and candles and their favorite food, and the kids also go door to door and ask for candy. But the Halloween influence is all the ugly things like monsters and lots of scary things...so that was kind of interesting to see the two traditions mixed like that. My companion and I switched name tags for Halloween...but no one even noticed haha.
So as you know, my companion is one of the sister training leaders, but they changed it so we both are together. So I went to my first leaders council meeting. It was good, I liked it. I'll attach a pic.
And this week we have our zone conference and have the opportunity to listen to Elder Valenzuela of the Seventy. So that's cool.
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