Nothing super eventful happened this week so I am just going to write about some spiritual things I learned this week. I am going to compose it to my mom because she is the only person I fully open up to and everything comes straight from the heart. Hopefully someone will benefit form my ramblings.:)
Mom,
It´s been so long since I have gotten to just talk. I feel comfortable with my companion, but there isn't any time to just sit and think and talk with someone. One experience I had was running through the down pour yesterday. Like within minutes the streets and sidewalks were flooded.
As we were running to our class, I almost got my foot stuck in a grate. At first I thought that my ankle was going to be a goner, but I had this crazy experience where I felt lifted up from out of the grate and out of this deep puddle. I think it is one of the most memorable encounters with angels that I have had. I didn't get hurt at all. There was a missionary that fell and broke his tooth though.
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| Dripping Hermanas! Loca!! |
I know you are all worried about us down here and there was a day where we felt a little unsafe, but we watched a recorded devotional that night by Jeffery R. Holland. What a winner! It was when he was dedicating some buildings at the Provo MTC. During the prayer he blessed the walls, the floors, the ceilings, the furnishings, everything in the buildings. He prayed that no act of violence would come within the walls. He prayed that angels would protect and watch over the missionaries. A similar blessing was given here in Mexico. And I know that we are being protected here.
Something that was totally incredible in that same talk was he told us about how when the Lord needs something done, He calls on His youth. For a while there I felt inadequate teaching people that are so much older and more experienced than me. Then Elder Holland, in his way, talked about how the stripping warriors were younger than us and look what they were able to do. He said no other institution, government or company would rely on 18 and 19 year olds to be leaders and change the world.
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| Yup, we are going to change the world. |
Mom, this work is literally changing people. Elder Holland said to "cause earthquakes and astonish people. Speak with thunder with the gospel engraved on my soul." He said we are inviting people to come to the Sacred Grove. First, we have to take them by the hand as they go through the Garden of Gethsemane and the hills of Golgotha. We each have to have a moment at Gethsemane to understand the Atonement and the love that Christ has for us. As missionaries we must have the spirit and teach with the tongue of angels. On Sunday we watched a talk by Uchtdorf about learning the language of love. Oh, it's the best! He explains it so well, so you will have to go and watch it.
I just had the thought this week that we really have a great family that is strong in the gospel, but there is so much more we can be doing. We are so privileged and we are only a few that have the gospel. We have been commanded to share it with our brothers and sisters. Please, please, please if there is anything that you guys can do to help less active families or reconnect with non member friends, do it. In heaven, they will ask you why you didn't help them. And that´s why personal revelation is so important.
So I have always known that I could receive personal revelation, but I didn't know how to apply it. We talk about it everyday here. So this is my next challenge. Pray specifically, with the spirit, with pure intent. Pray for specific people that aren't in the gospel and for specific missionary opportunities. They are putting so much pressure on us here to be better than any other generation. We don´t have any other options but to be the best. We have to invite the world to come unto Christ because He is going to come again, soon. I guess I realized the urgency of the work this week. Here are some good scriptures on Revelation: Mormon 9: 7-8, D&C 42:61 and D&C 50:24.
I have seen miracles here. For example, one Elder in my district struggles with English and was struggling hard core with Spanish. Now, he is rapidly catching up to everyone in Spanish. We are doing incredible things here, but we can´t do it unworthily because we have to have the Lord´s help.
Sorry if this email seems really heavy, but I have had learned so much and have had a lot on my mind lately. I hope it can be an answer to someones prayers though. Heavenly Father needs you and loves you. I need you and love you more than you could ever dream of. I hope everyone has a fabulous week.
Week 4 Challenge:
Con Amor,
Hermana Stoddard
So on the lighter side:
Time is so weird here! I feel like I have lived here forever, but I can´t believe that I am leaving soon. It really isn´t humid here at all if you were wondering. In fact, my skin was struggling because it´s been dry. It just rains pretty much every afternoon and night. We have only had 2 major blow out down pours though.
We also have so much fun in our classes. We make up lots of Spanish play on words like "lechuga orar" in direct traslation that means "lettuce pray" you know like "let..us pray"! haha and we say "¡que pasa, calabaza?" which is like "What´s happening?" or "What´s up, pumpkin?" Pretty much our teachers think we are hilarious. But we think their broken English is hilarious. This week they said "move forwards and background" and "that is a very wide wind".
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| The random Mayan head that I obviously love! |
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| Photobombing Elder Munson |
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| The Elders think I make the cutest faces! Jajaja! Actually they are amazed that I can make such ugly faces! |
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| This describes our companionship...me doing all the heavy lifting. Jajaja! Isn´t that the ugliest face? |
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| I promise not to make these faces when I am out in the real world preaching the good word. This is just us being us. There is no other explanation;) |
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| This is the big hill/mountain we live under. All those houses have fiestas on Saturday nights and their music is loud! Like it sounds like it's in 'our house' loud. But that´s how we are getting a piece of Mexican culture into our routine! |
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