Hello again,
Ahhhh it was so good to be able to talk to you all on Christmas!! I loved hearing everyone's voices and being able to still feel part of the family even though I'm so far away. Although I can see now why they only let us call twice a year beause after we talked I was distracted thinking about you all for the rest of the morning.
Lots of things have changed in the last few days since we talked. My trainer and first companion left to go home on Sunday and I stayed with one of the sisters in the nearby city of David. Our companions got in from Panama City late last night and all the buses for Volcan were long gone so we had to stay in David last night. We stayed for the district meeting, we're using the internet now as a district and then we're headed back to Volcan finally. Oh yeah, and one of my good friends from the CCM, Hermana Bloomfield, is the companion of the sister I was staying with. It's awesome to see her again.
My new companion is named Hermana Garcia and she's from Nicaragua. She trained one of the sisters who came in with me. She is beautiful and elegant and I'm excited she's my companion. She seems very sweet and I think we're going to have fun. She goes home in June, and I'm grateful that I don't have to see another sister go home because it's hard to watch them go around saying bye to everyone for a week and making plans for what they're going to be doing after when I'm just starting and feel like that day is so far away. Everybody says time passes fast but last week was probably the longest week of my life, second to my first week in the MTC haha.
I'm stoked to start a new transfer and a new year with Hermana Garcia and to learn from her. Lots of times as a junior companion/newbie I feel like I don't have much to offer, but thanks for your advice dad. I will do all I can to make sure we learn and grow together.
When I got here I remember thinking that I should make a list of how I want to be as a trainer but I never did it so thanks for the reminder. Oh yeah, and you never sent me your "And my father dwelt in a tent" talk. I want to read it!! I think the mail's been backed up for quite a while but I'm assuming they'll bring it when they come for zone conferences in a couple weeks. I hope so at least...
Hmmm, what else to tell you....Mom and Dad, did you get the Christmas card I sent? I think I sent it out kinda late so I'm not sure when it'll arrive. Oh yeah, and did you come up with any insights about that scripture in Ecclesiastes?
Welp, I'm almost out of time but thanks for you emails and support. I'm so lucky to have such an awesome family. So many of the Latino missionaries come from crazy sad family situations, or they are the only member in their family. I'm so lucky to have a strong, unified family who love and support me and send me good letters that motivate me and and help me to be a better missionary. And I know I'm being blessed by your service as mission presidents :)
Love you all!
Love,
Hermana Dance
Mosiah 27:25-26 new creatures in Christ (the scripture I meant to send with the last email)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Happy Christmas!
Thanks for the news and the updates. I'm happy to hear you are all together celebrating Christmas. It's weird not to be there with everyone but I just keep reminding myself that there will be more Christmases to come :)
I was thinking about how we went to see the missionaries sing last year and remembering how I loved watching the people dance around in their reindeer-ish costumes. On Friday we had a district Christmas concert and I was lucky to hear some really great music. (Latinos don't have as much of a culture of choirs and musical learning so it was a nice surprise).
Monday for our Pday we got to leave our zone and go the big city of David to eat as a district and go shopping because in November we had 11 baptisms when our goal was 6. We are the smallest zone (we only have 5 companionships and all the others have 10 or more) but we are third in the number of baptisms each month. Woot. The Lord has definitely blessed us with success and opened the hearts of the people here in Chiriqui (the province/state our zone covers).
As far as Christmas goes, we're spending Christmas Eve with the Martinez family (the ones that have the daughters our age who we're friends with, one of whom is my long lost sister Charlyn :). It will be fun because they are starting to feel like family too :) They've also invited us for New Years to burn the doll of the Año Viejo. It's this scarecrow looking thing they make and stuff with an article each person adds from the year and then they fill the rest with fireworks. I think it's sort of like a Guy Fox Day but with New Years. There's also a parade on Christmas night so we're going to watch that (I'm not a big parade person but might as well see what Panama has to offer..I think it will be a ghetto version of Holidazzle).
They changed our Pday to Christmas Day so today we're only using the internet and then working after. I'm not exactly sure what else we're going to do on Christmas day because everything will be closed and everyone will be together with their families. Maybe we'll do something as a zone but I'm not sure.
The other day I was writing in my journal and I remembered another story Hermana Madrigal told me when I was waiting for my interview. She told about a type of bird that lives high in the mountains. When it gets old (like 20 years) it flies up to the top of the mountain and goes through a very painful process where it has to remove it's own beak by pounding it against the rocks. Some don't do it because it's so painful, and they die pretty soon after. But if they DO go through the process to remove it, and pull out all their feathers as well, new ones grow in and they can live another 20 years. On our missions (or other times in life) we are like the birds. It's painful sometimes, but it's a growth process and we need it. Deep down, I want this. I didn't have plans to serve a mission, I didn't really want to come, but my spirit needs to shed it's old skin and experience a rebirth. And right now I'm going through the process of pounding out the vices to purge my spirit and help it grow. I keep reminding myself of my old motto: "I can do big things."This is probably the biggest things I've ever done, and I can do it. Even though it's hard and hurts sometimes. BUT. I also need to have more faith that I can do this and be happy doing it. I need to let go of the little bits of my old self and my old life that I'm still holding onto. I need to give everything, all of me, my whole self to Christ. I need to turn myself inside out for Him and let Him in. Only then will I be able to live again. I need to lose my life in His work, and then I will find it.
Welp, those are my thoughts of late. My time is up but have a happy happy Christmas and I'll talk to you Friday!
Love, Natalie
Alma 31:35
I was thinking about how we went to see the missionaries sing last year and remembering how I loved watching the people dance around in their reindeer-ish costumes. On Friday we had a district Christmas concert and I was lucky to hear some really great music. (Latinos don't have as much of a culture of choirs and musical learning so it was a nice surprise).
Monday for our Pday we got to leave our zone and go the big city of David to eat as a district and go shopping because in November we had 11 baptisms when our goal was 6. We are the smallest zone (we only have 5 companionships and all the others have 10 or more) but we are third in the number of baptisms each month. Woot. The Lord has definitely blessed us with success and opened the hearts of the people here in Chiriqui (the province/state our zone covers).
As far as Christmas goes, we're spending Christmas Eve with the Martinez family (the ones that have the daughters our age who we're friends with, one of whom is my long lost sister Charlyn :). It will be fun because they are starting to feel like family too :) They've also invited us for New Years to burn the doll of the Año Viejo. It's this scarecrow looking thing they make and stuff with an article each person adds from the year and then they fill the rest with fireworks. I think it's sort of like a Guy Fox Day but with New Years. There's also a parade on Christmas night so we're going to watch that (I'm not a big parade person but might as well see what Panama has to offer..I think it will be a ghetto version of Holidazzle).
They changed our Pday to Christmas Day so today we're only using the internet and then working after. I'm not exactly sure what else we're going to do on Christmas day because everything will be closed and everyone will be together with their families. Maybe we'll do something as a zone but I'm not sure.
The other day I was writing in my journal and I remembered another story Hermana Madrigal told me when I was waiting for my interview. She told about a type of bird that lives high in the mountains. When it gets old (like 20 years) it flies up to the top of the mountain and goes through a very painful process where it has to remove it's own beak by pounding it against the rocks. Some don't do it because it's so painful, and they die pretty soon after. But if they DO go through the process to remove it, and pull out all their feathers as well, new ones grow in and they can live another 20 years. On our missions (or other times in life) we are like the birds. It's painful sometimes, but it's a growth process and we need it. Deep down, I want this. I didn't have plans to serve a mission, I didn't really want to come, but my spirit needs to shed it's old skin and experience a rebirth. And right now I'm going through the process of pounding out the vices to purge my spirit and help it grow. I keep reminding myself of my old motto: "I can do big things."This is probably the biggest things I've ever done, and I can do it. Even though it's hard and hurts sometimes. BUT. I also need to have more faith that I can do this and be happy doing it. I need to let go of the little bits of my old self and my old life that I'm still holding onto. I need to give everything, all of me, my whole self to Christ. I need to turn myself inside out for Him and let Him in. Only then will I be able to live again. I need to lose my life in His work, and then I will find it.
Welp, those are my thoughts of late. My time is up but have a happy happy Christmas and I'll talk to you Friday!
Love, Natalie
Alma 31:35
Monday, December 14, 2009
Today's forecast: 80 degrees, windy, with a 97% probability of hering salsa-techno on the bus
Hey family
!It's good to hear from you all. This week we had Christmas Zone conference and Christmas lunch/dinner with the missionaries in our part of the mission and the president. It was fun to be all together and exchange gifts (my district did secret santas). Plus it's always awesome to hear from President and Sister Madrigal. They are amazing. I love when SIster Madrigal speaks, because she gets all animated and firey. This time she started by asking us to raise our hands if we believe our calls came from the Lord, and if we believe we've been set apart and have authority to teach, and then she asked if we believe we can have 100 baptisms in a month as a mission (we've been having between 50-90) and some of the missionaries didn't raise their hands. She talked about fear and how it's a tool of Satan and then she got louder and pounded on the pulpit and pointed at us and said "If you don't believe you can have 100 or more baptisms in a month, arrepientense! (Repent!)" It was awesome.
She talked about a lot more but I don't have time to write it all. Pretty much it was amazing. Mom, you definitely have the power to change the lives of the missionaries and motivate them. I can't really imagine you pounding on the pulpit, but you have your ways too :)
One of the sisters who is going home bore her testimony in zone conference and talked about how much she loved the people here. I want to be like that. I love the ones I know, but it's not the same as that pure, Christ-like love where you can love complete strangers even while they're rejecting you. I'm still working on that.
Dad, your spirit/passport experience was awesome to read. It definitely motivates me to pray to be able to be sensative to spiritual promptings and to have the courage to act on them immediately. I am always inspired by your example.
These days we're still working with Juan Aruaz and his daughters to prepare them to get baptized. THey had a baptismal date for Dec 19 but yesterday he said he didn't feel ready and we moved it to the 26th. He is a single father and has been fighting for the custody of his daughters for over 2 years and finally has them. I think having them live with him is definitely helping to soften him and motivate him to live accoring to Christ's teachings to be able to give them the best.
Ok before I forget. Hermana Madgrial said if you said packages, send them with only "N Dance" for my name, not Hermana Dance or anything that lets them know it's for a missionary. Also, decorate it with pictures of the virgin mary and the pope because then they don't open it. They've learned that when things come for North American missionaries, they're nice or expensive. So if it's decorated with Catholic stuff they're either more afraid to open it because of God or they know it only has bibles, rosaries, etc.
Welp I'm out of time but I love you all and I'm stoked to talk to you soon! I think I'll probably call on Christmas morning, but I don't know the time difference. I think you all are 7 hours ahead. So I guess sometime in the night of Dec 25.
Love you!
Love,Hermana Dance
D & C 61:36
!It's good to hear from you all. This week we had Christmas Zone conference and Christmas lunch/dinner with the missionaries in our part of the mission and the president. It was fun to be all together and exchange gifts (my district did secret santas). Plus it's always awesome to hear from President and Sister Madrigal. They are amazing. I love when SIster Madrigal speaks, because she gets all animated and firey. This time she started by asking us to raise our hands if we believe our calls came from the Lord, and if we believe we've been set apart and have authority to teach, and then she asked if we believe we can have 100 baptisms in a month as a mission (we've been having between 50-90) and some of the missionaries didn't raise their hands. She talked about fear and how it's a tool of Satan and then she got louder and pounded on the pulpit and pointed at us and said "If you don't believe you can have 100 or more baptisms in a month, arrepientense! (Repent!)" It was awesome.
She talked about a lot more but I don't have time to write it all. Pretty much it was amazing. Mom, you definitely have the power to change the lives of the missionaries and motivate them. I can't really imagine you pounding on the pulpit, but you have your ways too :)
One of the sisters who is going home bore her testimony in zone conference and talked about how much she loved the people here. I want to be like that. I love the ones I know, but it's not the same as that pure, Christ-like love where you can love complete strangers even while they're rejecting you. I'm still working on that.
Dad, your spirit/passport experience was awesome to read. It definitely motivates me to pray to be able to be sensative to spiritual promptings and to have the courage to act on them immediately. I am always inspired by your example.
These days we're still working with Juan Aruaz and his daughters to prepare them to get baptized. THey had a baptismal date for Dec 19 but yesterday he said he didn't feel ready and we moved it to the 26th. He is a single father and has been fighting for the custody of his daughters for over 2 years and finally has them. I think having them live with him is definitely helping to soften him and motivate him to live accoring to Christ's teachings to be able to give them the best.
Ok before I forget. Hermana Madgrial said if you said packages, send them with only "N Dance" for my name, not Hermana Dance or anything that lets them know it's for a missionary. Also, decorate it with pictures of the virgin mary and the pope because then they don't open it. They've learned that when things come for North American missionaries, they're nice or expensive. So if it's decorated with Catholic stuff they're either more afraid to open it because of God or they know it only has bibles, rosaries, etc.
Welp I'm out of time but I love you all and I'm stoked to talk to you soon! I think I'll probably call on Christmas morning, but I don't know the time difference. I think you all are 7 hours ahead. So I guess sometime in the night of Dec 25.
Love you!
Love,Hermana Dance
D & C 61:36
Monday, December 7, 2009
Hello all!
So, I already forgot what I wrote about last week and what happened this week. Everything seems to blur together and then I get all anxious when I get here because of the time limit and I can't think of anything intersting, cool, or inspiring to tell you. Kerble snoff boffit.
Here we are in December. It's weird to think it's Christmas season when there's no snow or cold, but I don't really mind :) I like the warm.
Winter here is pretty much over so now it's sunny and windy windy windy all day. It's pretty perfect actually.
Sorry I probably won't be able to send you guys anything for Christmas. I wanted to try to make something but I don't think I'll have the time or the money to do it or send it. I think you all understand though.
So this week the district president, Presidente Espinosa, went out to teach the recent converts about the priesthood with us. He's really young (29 I think) and was already the bishop of Volcan for 4ish years until they called him to be the district president in August.
I learned a lot more about the priesthood and how awesome it is listening to him. BUT what I really wanted to tell you all about him is what he does when he reads the scriptures. He has his mission Book of Mormon that he uses when he teaches lessons at church or to other people, but when he reads at night, he uses a blank Book of Mormon. If he finds something he wants to take notes on or underline, he writes it in his used scriptures.
When we have things marked and notes written, when we go back and read, we tend to look at the scriptures the same way. But when we start again with a completely new book, it's a new experience and we learn a lot more.
I've definitely had this experience as I've been reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish, because I've had to dig in deeper to understand the words, plus there weren't any notes from before. I've gained so many new insights.
Presidente Espinosa said that on his mission he would read and blank one, mark as he went, give it away when he finished, and start over. Now he doesn't do that because he doesn't have the money to keep buying new books. But his example inspired me and gave me an idea for a goal for our family.
We are six, and if we each made the goal to read a new Book of Mormon this year, marking as we go, we could give away six marked Books of Mormon with strong testimonies at the end of 3-6 months (depending on how fast we go).
I decided that's what I want for Christmas. I guess it'd be for Christmas next year, but think of how awesome that would be. And if all our extended family did it as well--man, the western U.S. would be rocked :)
I know we will receive blessings for sharing and also for looking at the scriptures with a new eye.
Ok I'm out of time but I love you all and I'm excited to talk to you soon.
Love,
Natalie
Will Liz and Jamison be in Latvia for Christmas too?
So, I already forgot what I wrote about last week and what happened this week. Everything seems to blur together and then I get all anxious when I get here because of the time limit and I can't think of anything intersting, cool, or inspiring to tell you. Kerble snoff boffit.
Here we are in December. It's weird to think it's Christmas season when there's no snow or cold, but I don't really mind :) I like the warm.
Winter here is pretty much over so now it's sunny and windy windy windy all day. It's pretty perfect actually.
Sorry I probably won't be able to send you guys anything for Christmas. I wanted to try to make something but I don't think I'll have the time or the money to do it or send it. I think you all understand though.
So this week the district president, Presidente Espinosa, went out to teach the recent converts about the priesthood with us. He's really young (29 I think) and was already the bishop of Volcan for 4ish years until they called him to be the district president in August.
I learned a lot more about the priesthood and how awesome it is listening to him. BUT what I really wanted to tell you all about him is what he does when he reads the scriptures. He has his mission Book of Mormon that he uses when he teaches lessons at church or to other people, but when he reads at night, he uses a blank Book of Mormon. If he finds something he wants to take notes on or underline, he writes it in his used scriptures.
When we have things marked and notes written, when we go back and read, we tend to look at the scriptures the same way. But when we start again with a completely new book, it's a new experience and we learn a lot more.
I've definitely had this experience as I've been reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish, because I've had to dig in deeper to understand the words, plus there weren't any notes from before. I've gained so many new insights.
Presidente Espinosa said that on his mission he would read and blank one, mark as he went, give it away when he finished, and start over. Now he doesn't do that because he doesn't have the money to keep buying new books. But his example inspired me and gave me an idea for a goal for our family.
We are six, and if we each made the goal to read a new Book of Mormon this year, marking as we go, we could give away six marked Books of Mormon with strong testimonies at the end of 3-6 months (depending on how fast we go).
I decided that's what I want for Christmas. I guess it'd be for Christmas next year, but think of how awesome that would be. And if all our extended family did it as well--man, the western U.S. would be rocked :)
I know we will receive blessings for sharing and also for looking at the scriptures with a new eye.
Ok I'm out of time but I love you all and I'm excited to talk to you soon.
Love,
Natalie
Will Liz and Jamison be in Latvia for Christmas too?
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