Missionary moment

Hello Riverton 17th ward!

I am doing so well here in Puerto Rico. I am living 1 mile from where the temple is being built and it is wonderful. We had the opportunity to meet with Elder Renlund of the quorum of the 12 apostles , Bishop Waddell of the Presiding bishopric, Jorge M. Alvarado of the seventy, and  Elder Carlos Goday of the seventy. We were taught from on high. It was amazing! They talked about the importance of personal commitment to serve the Lord. Elder Renlund promised many blessings for the Saints here in Puerto Rico and for us as missionaries. We were promised to see miracles according to our obedience and faith. Something that I loved that Elder Renlund talked about is that we need to be obedient to the commandments of the Lord with a happy and willing attitude. I love being a missionary and I have been able to make some amazing friends who are now basically my family. 

I have found that the most important thing as a missionary is your willingness to study and love the doctrine in the scriptures. The scriptures brings such spiritual power and we have such an amazing opportunity to study the Book of Mormon through Come Follow Me. 

I would like to invite the youth to read the Book of Mormon and really focus on asking God if it is true. I Know that the Book of Mormon is true and one of my favorite moments on my mission is when an eleven year old boy received his answer that the Book of Mormon was true. He read the children's book and prayed to know if it was true and when we came back the next day he was so excited to tell us what it is like to feel the Holy Ghost. He was baptized just a few weeks later and has read all the way to Alma in the Book of Mormon. I know the Book of Mormon works miracles. I love you all so much and I love being a missionary. God loves you all!!

Have a wonderful week!

Truijillo Alto

This week has been a wonderful week with a lot of ups and downs but we will keep moving forward. My new companion is From Uruguay and she is such and amazing missionary who works hard. She has 9 month in the mission. Her name is Hermana Aguiar.

I am now in Truijillo Alto which is the city where the temple will be built. I am so excited to serve here and help these people

The ward is so much bigger than I am used too and it is a lot more city than my other areas. We are growing out teaching pool and learning to have more Christlike love for the people here.

Goodbye Humacao

Humacao has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I have seen the hand of God work miracles in the people here and I will always look back on this time with fond memories and a stronger testimony of the blessings of God for his children. It was a short time of only 2 transfers but it was full of Miracles. 

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Julian, Ian, y Liliana in our last lesson with them :) They have changes my life and watch Julian be the next general authority at the age of 13. 

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The Youngs who live out here. We are eating in a restaurant where the church building used to be when Hno. Young served his mission here in Puerto Rico. They help so much with the mission work . I love them so much and they are wonderful examples to me about consecrating their lives for the Lord and doing so with so much style. 

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Fuimos para comer como un districto después... Wait... english... We went and got sushi. Goodbye hermana Plumb. 

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This is pinchofongo. SO GOOD

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Christie has blessed my life by helping me know that God still heals people of every sickness and problem

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Jaileen is the best person in the world and my new big sister. Sorry Paige. you have been replaced. 

BUT HERE I COME TRUJILLO ALTO!!!!!

I AM SO EXCITED!! 

1 YEAR

One Year in the mission and I get to celebrate it with some of the most amazing missionaries. These are some of the missionaries that were in the CCM with me not shown: Hermana Melhoff, Hermana Nelson, Elder Hill, Elder Cuthbertson, Elder Leemaster, Elder Stellway (Kibarabari), and Elder Makaafi, HAPPY ONE YEAR SINCE WE ALL MET IN MEXICO! (On Wednesday)  

After our ultimate frisbee and volleyball zone activity we went and got some good Frappes (Just the name for smoothies in Puerto Rico)

Everything is relaxing a lot now that the earthquakes have mostly stopped and are less often. 

It has been amazing to see the growth of the people and the church as a whole as people join together for the greater good. We are still teaching some amazing people and the Lord is blessing us with finding a lot of people and then having a lot of them keep commitments. We had 7 people at church on Sunday and the Ward members are bringing a lot of their friends to church so that we can get to know them. I love my mission so much and it has changed my life. 

I am so excited to keep pushing hard and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me in next 6 months! Thank you everyone for all of your wonderful emails that I got last week! I am working on replying and I love hearing how everyone is! I love you all so much!

AND I ALMOST FORGOT!!! AFTER THE EARTHQUAKES THE TEMPLE OOOFFFIICIIAALLLYYYY STARTED CONSTRUCTION!!!!!!!!!!! They got the permission and everything and I am so excited to be here as it is finally moving towards construction!

 

I love Hermana Hahne so much! We have grown so much from when we first met in the CCM and I am so happy to be her companion! A spiritual Giant !! 

GO FIGHT WIN!! We are fighting a battle out here and it is just part of the battle we fought before (Go to Revelations 12 for more information on how to fight ;) ) 

Happy 1 year mark !!!

Shook

Hello Family and Friends! 

We are doing well in Puerto Rico. This week we have been experiencing some major earthquakes but all missionaries are accounted for and my companion and I are safe and sound in Humacao.  We were out of power for 3 days after the 6.4 earthquake on Tuesday. We have been working on the relief efforts for the south with food, water, and hygiene products. The mission always makes us keep and emergency bag and 72 hrs of food and water in case of earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes.  We have everything packed inside the car in case we need to leave. To learn more about the mission and how we are doing we invite you to look up the church news room article....https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/missionaries-latter-day-saints-reported-safe-following-early-morning-quake-in-puerto-rico?lang=eng 

I have learned a lot on my mission and it seems I keep learning about the importance of emergency preparedness.  I sat in ward Council listening to the testimonies of our ward leaders and their experiences during Hurricane Maria. One of the testimonies that touched me the most is when our ward mission leader mentioned how important it is to be spiritually prepared for emergencies too. I know that each person is on their own spiritual journey but we all have the same goal. We are here on earth to repent and to prepare ourselves to dwell with God again. Alma 34:32 32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

Elder Christopherson in the world Wide young adult broadcast spoke about how this life is to also meant to be a time to make connections with others. To spend the time with loved ones and to help our brothers and sisters grow in their journey towards our mutual Father in Heaven. I have made friends, nearly family, here in Puerto Rico and it hurts me to see my friends and family here suffering and going through similar fears from Hurricane Maria. I know that God is looking out for this Island and He, the almighty and All knowing, is preparing more than just the island but the people for a Temple. I know all things point to a God that exists and He is moving forward with His great work. 

"Alma 26:5 Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted.

6 Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.

7 But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day.

8 Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever."

I hope you are able to ponder about about how Good God really is and how Good our fellow men are. Slow Down and wait on the Spirit of the Lord. Be still and Know that God is God. 

And our Beautiful Julian was able to pass the sacrament with his fellow Deacons this week :) #ProudMissionary 

Blessings Come in God's Time But They Come

Hello Family and Friends,

I hope everyone knows that I love them and that God is Good. I know during this Christmas season there can be hard times for many people. I know that each of us go through our own trials but I know that God will never give us more than what we can handle. While on the mission I have been able to put myself in many different types of homes and situations and I am really grateful for the perspective that comes from looking through another persons eyes. These last couple of weeks have been some of the most rewarding times in my mission. I have been able to cry, pray, and perform miracles through the grace and power of Jesus Christ. I know that God is real and that he loves his Children. 

This is Liliana, Julian (11) and Ian (8 years old). Hermana Allred and I were able to start teaching them. With their permission they said that I could share a little bit of their conversion story. 

We first met Julian (11 years old)  at a members house and were able to teach him the 10 commandments with a hand game. He was so excited to show his mom what he had learned that we all had to walk over to his house to show his mom. After a month of teaching them we were able to help them take the steps necessary toward baptism. Julian and Lililina were always so ready to be baptized but Ian was having a harder time praying, reading and getting answers to his questions and therefore did not have a desire to be baptized. 

One day when we were stopping by to talk about the baptismal interview questions with Liliana and Julian I was able to sit in the kitchen with Ian (Still able to see my companion and Liliana)  who was having a hard time. I got to ask him what was going on as we sat on the kitchen floor and why he did not want to be baptized with his family.  He just told me that he didn't feel ready and was scared of messing up after baptism and that he didn't know if God wanted him to be baptized. After listening to his cute 8 year old concerns I invited him to kneel down with me to ask God what he wanted him to do. Kneeling with a young child as he asks God for an answer to a prayer was the most sacred opportunity that I have had on my mission. He quietly whispered the simplest prayer and would stop everyone once in a while to ask me what he should say next. The spirit was so strong and so peaceful. At the end of the prayer he pauses and says, "HE DIDNT ANSWER!!"' 

I wanted to laugh because I realized there that he didn't understand what it meant to feel the spirit. After asking a few questions about how he felt and if his mind was a little clearer he was able to understand what God wanted him to do. He told me that God wanted him to be baptized but to wait until his mom and brother were baptized so that he could see how it is and so he could have his own baptismal service. 

So this weekend 

  

  

Liliana and Julian were baptized, Julian received the Aaronic priesthood and this is him with the two other deacons.  and Ian will be moving toward baptism this next weekend. Thanks to God and his mercy this family has been able to make huge changes and become united in Christ through the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to be apart of this moment with them. Thanks to the members and family that has been helping me on my mission God is able to work his best work in the hearts and lives of the individuals. 

#WatchJulianbeanapostleoneday

#SpiritualGiant

#Hestayedupuntil2AMtofinishthebookofmormonforkidsbeforehisconfirmation

#ILOVELILIANA

Baptism and Boxing

Hello Friends and Family!!! We have had an amazing week in Humacao as we prepare for the Christmas 

season :) Christmas is Puerto Rico is still very hot and sticky. But we are seeing some amazing miracles in 

Humacao. The Lord is always keeping his promises. We are still working hard on our boxing skills with 

Nelson and he is killing it on his Book of Mormon Reading. Jaileen is working on her Family history now.

One of the best experiences I had this week was listening to an 11 year old boy receive how Heavenly 

Father let him know the Book of Mormon was true and that he needed to be baptized:) he couldn't fully 

describe the warm fuzzies and chills and love that you feel when you feel the spirit but he tried acting it 

out with hand motions as to what it is like to feel the spirit.  It was the most amazing thing. Him and his 

family have accepted the invitation to be a disciple of Christ through the waters of Baptism and I am 

very excited to continue working with them.

Sadly, Hermana Allred is leaving me this transfer but HERMANA HAHNE is coming to Puerto Rico! I love 

her so much and it will be so hard to let Hermana Allred go to Bayamon but Transfers are a great way to 

grow and trust in the Lord. The Lord needs me to be in Humacao and I AM SO PUMPED TO BE HERE!!! 

We are still working hard and the best part of being a missionary is the friendships that you get to make 

that can change the eternities. I LOVE YOU ALL AND HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!!

ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY STINKING CUTE LITTLE SISTER AVERY!!!!!!

Attachments area

This week was such an amazing week full of Miracles. Jaileen was baptized and is was such a wonderful experience. Jaileen is such a wonderful sweet spirit and has left a lot of things to accept the gospel in her life. She has started a new beginning here and I am so excited to keep teaching her and learning from her. I am very grateful that I have been apart of her life in this moment and in this time of my mission. 

I am also learning how to do some boxing from our friend Nelson who is a spiritual Giant. We teach him how to be spiritually strong and he is helping us be physically strong through some amazing boxing drills for our exercise hour! WHOOT!! We ask him 

  

Everything is going well in Humacao though :) A wonderful people and a wonderful Companion. With some amazing people that we are teaching! I LOVE THIS AREA!!  This has been one of the most busy and rewarding times of my mission and it is all because the Lord cannot lie and keeps his promises. I love my Heavenly Father

A WONDERFUL WEEK

This week was full of so many miracles and tender mercies. We are teaching a woman named Jaileen who will be baptized this next Saturday and she has become one of my best friends here in Humacao :)  She Recently went to New York to visit the visitor center for the Temple :) She has such a strong testimony and is one of the sweetest people in the world. I LOVE JAILEEN!!

 

I also got to go down to Guayama last week to do an exchange with the amazing Hermana Blackhurst and that was such a fun experience because Guayama was my first area and we got to walk around with Luis that I got to teach one lesson to before I was transferred who was baptized!!  

I feel incredibly blessed to be serving a mission and being a missionary at this time and in Puerto Rico. I have never felt so close to my Heavenly Father and felt so much joy before and it just keeps getting better! Also look at this cool thing we found

      

My companion is still just a wonderful human being and we are working on being exactly obedient in everything and it is flooding us with miracles. We had a very food filled thanksgiving and ate 4 meals in 4 hours... it was just painful... But my father decided to send me a picture of their scorpion turkey and i have no words.. #whoiscraig