Hey family,
I forget that other seasons exist outside of Panama because here it's only hot and rainy or hot and sunny so it's weird hearing about weather changes in Latvia and Utah...
Everything is going well here. My companion and I get along well and spend the whole day laughing and joking around. She's super forward and blunt and sometimes scary but I'm happy we're together haha. This week we've found a ton of new people but every single person or family we've visited has tons of problems and intense trials-divorce after 25 years together, an unfaithful boyfriend 5 days before the birth of their first child, the death of a father, a family member in the hospital waiting for a 4bypass surgery....lots of crazy stuff. We've felt like the Lord has led us to people who desperately need the gospel in their lives right now.
I've also seen how the Spirit has guided us to help the members. Friday night we finished an appointment and our investigator told us that the little bus stopped running by that hour and since my companion and I are both broke right now we were going to have to walk an hour and fifteen minutes just to get to the main road where the buses pass. Then we'd have to take the bus and walk more to get home and we probably would've gotten to the house around 10:00 P.M. We walked part of the way and then decided to stop to ask a member family for a ride to the main road. They weren't home so we went to another member's house as a last resort.
We got there and the hermana opened the door looking all tired and sad, and from the moment we entered the house I decided we weren't going to ask anything, just listen to her and share a scripture, pray with her and sing with her. She started to tell us about everything that was going on in her family and I felt like I didn't know what to say but when I said the opening prayer 2 Nefi 1:15 came to my mind and we talked about the love of God and the atonement. She cried and said that she was so grateful that we came, that she needed us that night and she didn't feel so alone and we felt like we were able to be an answer to her prayers. When we finished it was 9:30 P.M. and she answered our prayers because she called a taxi and payed for it to take us all the way home. The Spirit works in interesting ways... :)
Welp I'm out of time but I love you all and I'm happy to hear from you and that you all get a chance to spend some time together. You're in my prayers :)
Love,
Natalie
3 Nefi 9:13 Christ and his atonement can heal us
Monday, June 28, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
tender mercies...:)
Hey family!
Uhhh, story of my life-I don't have any time. Sorry! But I'm happy because por fin por fin God sent me a companion that I can be best friends with. *angels singing* Ahhh seriously, we have so much fun and we talk about everything. It's sort of hard to focus sometimes because she's going home soon but it's worth it because the time goes by sooo much faster. :)
This week we went to a poorish area that we've never contacted in a found a ton of people to teach. The field is white and ready to harvest. We found a family that almost didn't let us in but once we got in and started teaching the dad told us that a couple years ago he'd been praying to know which wahe true church and he dreamed of two LDS missionaries walking towards him and he heard a voice say "This is the my true church." He told us he felt better with us teaching than he felt when one of his good Jehova's Witnesses friends comes to teach him every week. Wow, definitely prepared. We found another woman who told us 2 years ago when the new chapel was finishd she'd felt curious and looked up things on the internet to find out about us. She came to church yesterday and we taught her for the first time on Saturday. I love my life.
Hermmm, what else to tell you. I also love my companion because she helps me discover my weaknesses. She has lots of talents and helps me realize where I need to improve. One of the things she's really good at is listening to and recognizing the spirit. I feel like I always recognize it when it's testifying in a lesson or in church or something but that I still don't have the skill that she does to be able to listen to it and recognize right away that we should go here or there, teach this or that, talk to this person, etc. Soooo that's one of my goals for this transfer. Eekk, no time!
Sorry, love you all and hope you're having a fantastic week!!!
Hermana Dance
Mormon 9 .....uh, verse 20? the part where he talks about how God is a God of miracles and if miracles cease it's for our own unbelief
I didn't proofread!! :P
Uhhh, story of my life-I don't have any time. Sorry! But I'm happy because por fin por fin God sent me a companion that I can be best friends with. *angels singing* Ahhh seriously, we have so much fun and we talk about everything. It's sort of hard to focus sometimes because she's going home soon but it's worth it because the time goes by sooo much faster. :)
This week we went to a poorish area that we've never contacted in a found a ton of people to teach. The field is white and ready to harvest. We found a family that almost didn't let us in but once we got in and started teaching the dad told us that a couple years ago he'd been praying to know which wahe true church and he dreamed of two LDS missionaries walking towards him and he heard a voice say "This is the my true church." He told us he felt better with us teaching than he felt when one of his good Jehova's Witnesses friends comes to teach him every week. Wow, definitely prepared. We found another woman who told us 2 years ago when the new chapel was finishd she'd felt curious and looked up things on the internet to find out about us. She came to church yesterday and we taught her for the first time on Saturday. I love my life.
Hermmm, what else to tell you. I also love my companion because she helps me discover my weaknesses. She has lots of talents and helps me realize where I need to improve. One of the things she's really good at is listening to and recognizing the spirit. I feel like I always recognize it when it's testifying in a lesson or in church or something but that I still don't have the skill that she does to be able to listen to it and recognize right away that we should go here or there, teach this or that, talk to this person, etc. Soooo that's one of my goals for this transfer. Eekk, no time!
Sorry, love you all and hope you're having a fantastic week!!!
Hermana Dance
Mormon 9 .....uh, verse 20? the part where he talks about how God is a God of miracles and if miracles cease it's for our own unbelief
I didn't proofread!! :P
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Goooooooooooaaallllll!
Hey family!
Thanks for the pics and updates. I like how I can tell without reading the titles which picture is of the nuevos and which picture is of the group of returning missionaries...haha. The hermana on the right I recognize from when I've visited. And that's awesome you've been able to see some of you ex missionaries who've come back to visit. I hope to be able to do the same :)
I don't have cambios.
Mas bien they sent me an hermana who's finishing this transfer but she wanted to finish as the compañera menor (junior companion..) I guess she's been training for the last 5 transfers so she asked the president to be lowered her last transfer, haha. The only thing is that since she's finishing this transfer, I'm not going to leave this area until September because I'll have to teach the area to another hermana next transfer. I'll have 7 months here by the time I leave! Eek! But at the same time I'm happy because I love the people, my house rocks, and I'm not the best at adjusting to new areas, wards, etc. And since I'm going to be here for a long time I'm stoked to see what kind of activities and iniciatives I can start in the area/the ward to get things moving. Our mission leader is recently called and just got home from his mission a month or two ago so he's stoked and I know he'll help me. I'm excited to be creative, and to be with a new companion who will run with me (in a figurative sense-I'm still waiting for the compañera that will literally go running with me..jaja).
Hermmm what else to tell you all. I feel old. All my friends are going home! It makes me nervous thinking about how someday I'll go home too....Thinking about everything I've learned and how much I've grown and changed makes me so grateful that God was patient enough with me to keep sending me promptings to go on the mission even when I couldn't/didn't want to recognize them. I can say without a doubt that the mission is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm soooo lucky. and happy. Everything happens for a reason, every area, ward, companion, zone teaches us something and helps us develope atributos de Cristo. Someday I hope to be able to tell you all or show you all everything I've learned and document it for my future childrens tambien.
My brain feels mushy from lack of sleep and I don't feel like I have any inspiring stories to share-sorry. Since the world cup started this weekend our neighbors had all night parties with music blasting and lots of alcohol and crazyness so we haven't been able to sleep well. Since all the houses are made of concrete and have lots of open spaces and windows all the sounds bounce around and ehco and keep us awake. Next week I'll be more inspiring, I promise!
Miss yo faces!
Nat
D&C 45:62 (I think...it talks about how great things await us..)
Thanks for the pics and updates. I like how I can tell without reading the titles which picture is of the nuevos and which picture is of the group of returning missionaries...haha. The hermana on the right I recognize from when I've visited. And that's awesome you've been able to see some of you ex missionaries who've come back to visit. I hope to be able to do the same :)
I don't have cambios.
Mas bien they sent me an hermana who's finishing this transfer but she wanted to finish as the compañera menor (junior companion..) I guess she's been training for the last 5 transfers so she asked the president to be lowered her last transfer, haha. The only thing is that since she's finishing this transfer, I'm not going to leave this area until September because I'll have to teach the area to another hermana next transfer. I'll have 7 months here by the time I leave! Eek! But at the same time I'm happy because I love the people, my house rocks, and I'm not the best at adjusting to new areas, wards, etc. And since I'm going to be here for a long time I'm stoked to see what kind of activities and iniciatives I can start in the area/the ward to get things moving. Our mission leader is recently called and just got home from his mission a month or two ago so he's stoked and I know he'll help me. I'm excited to be creative, and to be with a new companion who will run with me (in a figurative sense-I'm still waiting for the compañera that will literally go running with me..jaja).
Hermmm what else to tell you all. I feel old. All my friends are going home! It makes me nervous thinking about how someday I'll go home too....Thinking about everything I've learned and how much I've grown and changed makes me so grateful that God was patient enough with me to keep sending me promptings to go on the mission even when I couldn't/didn't want to recognize them. I can say without a doubt that the mission is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm soooo lucky. and happy. Everything happens for a reason, every area, ward, companion, zone teaches us something and helps us develope atributos de Cristo. Someday I hope to be able to tell you all or show you all everything I've learned and document it for my future childrens tambien.
My brain feels mushy from lack of sleep and I don't feel like I have any inspiring stories to share-sorry. Since the world cup started this weekend our neighbors had all night parties with music blasting and lots of alcohol and crazyness so we haven't been able to sleep well. Since all the houses are made of concrete and have lots of open spaces and windows all the sounds bounce around and ehco and keep us awake. Next week I'll be more inspiring, I promise!
Miss yo faces!
Nat
D&C 45:62 (I think...it talks about how great things await us..)
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