53: A Donde Me Mandes Iré

This week's highlights are: our devotional with Elder Cook, our YSA FHE, ONE YEAR, and our last divisions of this change.

First - Elder Cook! This conference was incredible. Elder Cook, Elder Gong (presidency of the seventy), and Elder Ochoa (seventy area president) came. We got there at 7:45 to practice our sing for the choir, eat breakfast, and be ready to shake their hands at 10:15 along with the Comayaguela mission.

The song we sang was "A donde me mandes iré", which is now one of my favorite hymns. We had practiced a million times before, but that last time the words, "Adonde me mandes iré Señor, a montañas o islas del mar. Diré lo que quieras que diga Señor, y lo que Tú quieras seré" really became my testimony. Ill go where He wants me to go. Ill say what he wants me to say. Ill be what he wants me to be. This conference was incredible for many reasons, more just for the inspiriation received during. I know that he is an apostle of the Lord, I know he has seen His face and heard His voice. I know that he is an inspired servant of God.

We also had a YSA FHE last night. Our waqrd is right next to the university, so we have a big YSA group and lots of YSA investigators. The bishop gave a message, we played some games, ate some nachos, got some references. It was awesome!

Our last divisions of this change are done, we were with the Hermanas from Santa Maria, me in our area with Hna Itzep. It was so fun because she is from my group! We even stayed in the same room in the CCM, so it was fun being her companion for a day and learning from her. But now we are done! We are hoping Hermana Bissell and I are together for one more change because the time flies so fast doing divisions, pero a ver si Dios quiere :)

And ONE YEAR! Ya estoy viejita. Jaja son bromas. But it is weird, Im in the older group, all my companions are gone or also in the older group. Taking advantage of the time, its flying!

1-2. Divisions with Santa Maria

3-9. ONE YEAR

10-11. Elder Cook conference

12. NOCHE DE HOGAR JAS 

52: RRRRRRR

I have the biggest news ever this week, I am celebrating one year rrrrrrrrrrrolling my Rs! This has been such a challenge for me since the CCM, but I can do it! I may not be pura catracha yet but Im getting closer.

Also, I hit one year this week! That is insane! I think until I had about 9 months I still felt pretty new in the mission, but now everyone sees me as one of the old ones. It is weird! Im still denying it. 

We had lots of successes this week, prouncing my Rs, Karla, Ivon, Yonis, and Angelica in church, lots of divisions, more progressing baptismal dates. It is an exciting time for the hermanas in Prados!

Karla will be baptized next week, and she is ready! She was an investigator from La Joya before she went home for vacations, and wasnt baptized because her parents didnt approve it. But now they do, and now is her time! She has a friend that we started teaching this week whose name is Ivon. She is also very prepared to receive us, in our first lesson we had with he, she cried as she said the last prayer. She had been waiting for something like this to teach her about her divine potencial and worth. She doesnt have a date, but we are hoping to put one this week.

Yonis and Angelica are progressing a little slower, but reading the Book of Mormon and have a lot of interest. Yonis has a baptismal date for the 17th of this month, so we are preparing him to be ready for that.

Right now all the college students are returning from their pueblos to study, so our area is really alive. Almost all our investigators are YSA, and we are trying to plan Family Home Evenings for all of them to get to know each other. It is a lot of fun teaching them because we are their age, and its easier to relate to their problems. They are our most positive investigators.

I thought I would share an experience we had a week ago with one of the Young Women in our ward. Her family is very inactive, but she goes to church and activities on her own. We helped her do a Personal Progress experience the other day, and after I realized how important that program is. I remember doing it, and I liked it, but I testify now that I know why it is so important. This young woman, Yanina, will be a light to her family and her future family for her faith and desire to be a godly woman. After that appointment we went home to eat lunch and I put on my medallion, I now wear it frequently and proudly. Thank you to all my YW leaders! You are incredible!

Feliz semana a todos! Lean las escrituras, oren, compartan sus testimonios, sean luces para aquellos que no tienen esa luz en sus vidas!

1-2. Family History with the Davila Family

3. The view from the sisters house in Miraflores

4-5. Divisions with Miraflores

6-7. Divisions with Valle de Angeles

51: Hagamos Divisiones y Encontremos Nuevos

It has been a short week! We had two divisions this week, with La Esperanza and Girasoles. All of the city Hermanas are incredible! I loved being with Hermana Brisso, she just finished her training and is training and opening area. And calm as ever! Then with Girasoles was so fun because Hermana Bissell also served there and we love talking about the members and the investigators they have. I wish I could go back, they are on fire!

Not a lot of new news from our area, we spent the majority of the week finding new people. The problem we are running into a lot is that our positive investigators are college kids living away from their families, and their families have strong catholic or gospel traditions, so when they tell them they want to go to church or get baptized their family rejects the idea. We have some that are really progressing, but it is hard for them to get that support from their family. But theyre really positive! Hoping for the best with them.

We go and visit a lot with a missionary in our wartd that just got home from Panama. His mision was insane, their excellency standards were 100 new investigators every week per companionship and 1 baptism every week. He said at the beginning it was hard to get to that goal, but toward the end of their mission they were hitting that goal every week without fail. He said it was possible for a lot of reasons, and were trying to apply some of those principle here in our area. Hoping for the best! Because we are here to call everyone to repentance and BAPTIZE.

And were also in a choir that will sing on the 3rd when Elder Cook from the 12 will come and speak to our mission and Comayaguela! Pretty excited. We will be singing 'A Donde Me Mandes Iré'.

Time is flying! Have a great week!

1-2: Divisions with La Joya, I was with Hermana Brisso in her area

3. Okay Hermana Bissell might kill me but I thought this was funny, some members gifted us honey, but they bought it from someone else who had put it in a liquor bottle. We sware, its honey!

4-6. Divisions with Girasoles, we all stayed in our area and I was with Hermana Avila

7. The Bissell. We have both fallen and wiped out a lot this week! Me twice a few days ago, and hermana Bissell right now. This was just a few minuntes ago in front of a bus

50: Bautizar. Confirmar

It has been a crazy week! I wasnt in the area for the majority of it but we ended up with lots of new really positive investigators and references. They are coming out of nowhere it seems like! We are really excited for Prados.

Tuesday we had leadership council and it was a really neat experience, my first time as an invited guest! We used to go as nurses too but we wouldnt be present the whole time, just to announce things and fill first aid kits. Then Wednesday was our Zone Conference with Zonas Villa Olympica y Esperanza.

Meetings like this are always a big boost for me, I leave so excited to get back to work. I think my favorite part was when we finished our workshop as a zone and walked in on the workshop from Zona Esperanza. They changed the words to "Mirad reales huestes" or "Behold a royal army" to say:

(Chorus)

Bautizar, confirmar por el que nos salva

Bautizar, confirmar por Cristo Rey Jesus 

Encontrar, enseñar, bautizar por Cristo Rey Jesus!

That is a powerful song, you could feel that spirit listening from the hallway. It was playing through my head all week. Me da ganas de bautizar!

Speaking of bautizar, we are close! When we were in divisions this week we contacted an investigator from La Joya that moved just a week ago to our area. She is already ready for baptism, she knows everything! With all the assistances she has we are hoping she can be baptized in two weeks. Her name is Karla, and she has a friend named Itzel who lives with her and has the same story. Really excited for them!

In church we had just one investigator, her name is Joshira. The missionaries here had left her for a while I think because she was hard to find. But we found her! And we took her to church! Then in Principios del Evangelio the teacher challeneged everyone there to baptism and Joshira said yes. So we are really happy! Just need to put a date.

Divisions were great this week, I was in La Joya with Hermana Vega. She is still in her training, so it was fun to get to know her and anser her questions. At one point she asked me "what is your favorite part about the mission?" I took a second to think about it, but the most pure, honest, and helpful answer I could give her was "I love the person I am". Simple as that!

And writing this just now Veronica, one of the investigators from Girasoles, came into our Cyber to surprise me and say hi. A little teary now. I love the mission!

1-3. Divisions with La Joya

4-5. I forgot to add this a while ago, this is what Esteban and Veronica gave me as a gift before I left! On the back it says "Para hna Morgan de Esteban y Veronica"

6-7. Some members from Hna Bissells ward in the south came to go to the temple and invited us to lunch today. Suyapa and Hno Cesar from Cabañas, Porvenir.

49: Los Prados Universitarios

Lots of goodbyes this week:

1. To Girasoles, the area of miracles

2. To Hermana Gonzalez as my companion

3. To my trainer Hermana Ordoñez, who went home to Ecuador

4. To the best ward, ward mission leader, converts, and investigators in the whole mission

Goodyes are the worst! Especially these goodbyes. The good thing is on Tuesday my last day I got to see almost everyone in the ward before leaving, get new investigators, and spend the day with my mom Hermana Ordoñez! She came up early to take an English test before leaving so we were in divisions all day together. She raised me and I got to kill her. 

My new area is Los Prados Universitarios in La Villa Olympica, we share the ward with some elders. But it is huge! One half of the area is all city/stacked houses and the other half is really poor and up in the mountains. It will be a change from Girasoles which is all city, but it will be fun. And I love Hermana Bissell! We are going to have a great time together.

We only have one investigator with a baptismal date, her name is Elda, and she could possibly get baptized this weekend, but it might be until the next week just to make sure that shes ready. It is funny, Hermana Ordoñez taught this investigator too when she was in this area, Elda has been an investigator and going to church for an eternity! 

There arent a lot of solid investigators here right now, theres a lot of work to get done. But the first day I was there we found six new investigators! So we are going to work hard and work smart to get this area up to the level that it should be at.

My studies this week have been pure fire. I spent a long time reading "The Mystery of Godliness" by Bruce R McConckie and that has really helped me to understand the doctrine of the Godhead and think about the answers I still need to search for. And I love at the end of Enos when he says:

"Ven a mí, tú, que bendito eres; hay un lugar preparado para ti en las mansiones de mi Padre."

That is what we all want! There is nothing more that I want than to end my life hearing those words. It is posibile for me, and it is posibile for everyone who will experience the redeeming power of Jesus Christ.

1. The Cruz family Family Home Evening. They are pilas! We got Girasoles a lot of references this night.

2. Last dinner with Pati :)

3. Dilcia

4. Ricardo and Andrea

5. Esteban, Veronica, and Gabriel, they were a really hard goodbye! I love them so much! I cant wait to hear about their baptism

6. Enchiladas catrachas, toppped with ketchup and lots of love from Hermana Alejandrina

7.Hermana Alejandrina

8. Crashed the relief society activity

9. Hardest goodbyes go to the familia Tercero :(

10-11. Also crashed the young womens activity - MUJERES JOVENES 

12. Dennis Tercero - BEST WARD MISSION LEADER! More hard goodbyes with him and Poppe

13. Familia Peralta

14. Adalid

15. Mama O 

16. Hermana Gonzalez :')

17. The Crew at Dennys during changes

18. We didnt take any pictures in Prados this week so this is a picture form right now in the cyber - COMPAS

48: Ya Me Voy

Ya me voy, that phrase has two different meanings this week:

1. After 6 months, Im leaving Girasoles to be a sister training leader in Los Prados Universitarios

2. With almost 11 months, people started to tell me that Im "almost going home"

About the second one, its not true! I still have 7 months! Im going strong! Theres still a lot of repentance to teach and people to baptize!

And the first, I cant even begin to talk about how much I love this ward and this area. The members are incredible and I have come to love so many investigators and neighbors. And my companions have been incredible! Hermana Gonzalez is staying and will be training this next change since our nurse work is hardly anything now. I am so happy for her!

This sunday the bishopbric had me give a final testimony before going. During the week we had shared the story of the Iron Rod in Lehi's vision, and the verse that has stood out to me the most has been 1 Nefi 8:15  where Lehi says he backoned to his family and spoke loudly to encourage them on their way. I said in my testimony that Im not at the end participating of the fruit yet, but I hope my voice and testimony can encourage this ward and area along the way. I will do anything to help anyone at this point, I have never wanted anything so bad than to help people find the peace that comes from finding the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Im grateful for Hermana Gonzalez and I know she and her new companion will continue with that beckoning voice after I leave.

Esteban and Veronica are still going strong, they are closer to getting married! Hermana Baca from the ward is going to help them with their papers. They practically have their feet already in the baptismal font, they are so ready! I am very sad to be leaving them.

Saturday was a crazy day, we were on fire. That day we werent sure if we were going to be able to leave the house with political stuff going on, so we didnt have a lot of set appointments. We ended the day with 12 lessons! Contacting, finding investigators at the right time in their houses.

Area Girasoles: best ward, best oreo popsicles, best street popcorn, best quesadillas catrachas (theyre a cinnamon/cheese bread), BEST TIME AS ENFERMACIZA, an  the best of the best companions.

1. Hermana Bissell, my new companion! This picture is from divisions a couple months ago. We are going to set Los Prados and all of the sister areas of the city on fire!

2-5. A normal visit with the Familia Gonzalez, one of our 5 priority families

6. Ricardo, also part of one of our five families

7. Hermana Elwin, she has let us use her washer every week for 6 months, love her a lot!