Monday, August 31, 2015

I just can't get enough of these trios.....‏


Well this week has been loco! I am (technically) in a trio again! WOHO! Don't listen to that anyone says, trios are the best. Hermana Heaton is finishing up her training with me and Hermana Prettyman and her trainer left to be an Hermana Leader in another Sector. So for this next week until cambios we will be together again. With the challenge of managing both her investigators, and ours we have been running around all over the place this week. It has been such a blur I really can't remember half of what happened. It has been a challenge to make time to find new people. Hopefully in a weeks we will have 4 of us again in Hualqui and all will be restored to a normal amount of crazy.Yesterday, as usual we saw so many miracles. Sundays are the most incredible days of the week. A less active that has not been to church in 30 years came! She told us that she wants her life to change and she has come back to be active again. Let me tell you this is not something that happens every day. I am so excited to visit her this week. Without fail you can find a miracles everyday on the mission- but Sundays somehow the blessings are multiplied.

I have learned a lot in this companionship. It is something that I just can't rap my mind around some days, but you are ALWAYS learning on the mission. There really is never a dull moment. You think once you can communicate with people all challenges will vanish you will suddenly be the perfect missionary. I am learning that it doesn't matter how much time I am going to have- I will never be the perfect missionary. And that is okay :) The most important thing I have learned is that you are always trying your best and trying to please the Lord. He is always happy if you are doing your best.

Besos

Hermana Saunders

Monday, August 24, 2015

Exito en Hualqui



The week in Fast-forward
We had a killer Family home evening with our investigators. It was so fun! We watched a little video about the church and our beliefs, then played games and ate. We brought brownies and they were a hit. (They don’t have a lot of stuff like that here) We have a lot more confidence with them now and the mother and daughter came to church again. We will be inviting them to baptism again this week. I think they are ready to accept this time.
Went to the doctor on Friday (calm down mom) my feet have been bugging me and my companion dragged me there to get them checked out. It was a good idea. My arches aren’t doing to good and the doctor says I have the feet of an old lady. He said if we didn’t get them fixed up I would need surgery in the next 10 years. But we are good now. We will be going in another time this week so he can mold some inserts to my feet and then they should be fine.
The other Hermanas in our ward had a baptism and our other investigators, 2 children of a less active, came and saw it. It was great. We will be inviting them again to baptism this week. We are really seeing progress.
We had interviews with President this week and it was so good to chat with him. I am so blessed to have him and Hermana Arrington as my leaders. He gave me some really great advice about not being so hard on myself and about how we can apply the Atonement in all aspects of our lives. It helped a whole lot.
Well some crazy stuff is happening in our house. Hermana Lance, another Hermana in Hualqui is leaving early this cambio to go be an Hermana leader in another sector. She is leaving behind her 'daughter' in the mission, Hermana Heaton, to be alone for 2 weeks. Everyday she has to leave with members in the ward to work! The craziest part is that she is still in her training. When she can’t get a member to come out with her she will be coming out with Hermana Prettyman and I in a trio. The poor girl. But I have so much faith in her and her Spanish is incredible for how little time she has.


So those are the most exciting this happening around hualqui. I am still in love with the sector.


le quiero
Besos
Hermana Saunders

Six Months




Monday, August 10, 2015

adventures with hermana prettyman






Raining down the blessings of Heaven‏


Wow how the time does fly! Tomorrow is my 6 month mark!!!! What? Am I supposed to be mature now? Well I am still not. I guess I have a whole other year to work. J

This week was raining cats and dogs! (Literally I have never seen so many dead cats and dogs) We had a special conference Wednesday with all the sectors 'inside' (not in the country) and we came all pretty dressed up to see our friends. We left the house with the sun in the sky. When we left it was a different world. Without umbrellas and boots and anything else for the rain, we got SOAKED! It was an adventure. Just glad I brought a plastic bag to keep my scriptures dry.

We have been having a good time here in Hualqui B this week. I might even dare say that it is again one of the most successful weeks of my mission this far! We have so many awesome investigators right now! I feel so blessed.

We are teaching a family of 4 right now that we were just about to 'kill' they weren’t showing progress and then when we tried to call them this transfer they had changed their number and we couldn’t get ahold of them- We were thinking 'CHOW NO MAS, call us when you want salvation, but guess what THEY CALLED woho! They asked “Where are you? Why, have you stopped coming by? We want to learn more!” They came to church for the first time yesterday and seemed to enjoy themselves. We will be visiting them more this week and preparing them to set a goal for baptism date. It is incredible to see the progress of the mother of the family. Originally she was so cold to us. She didn’t even want to touch the Book of Mormon. Now she is participating in the lessons, looking up scriptures and asking questions. What is even greater is that she can see her progress. She recognizes she feels different when we come. I pray so hard for them every day.

We also had 2 other investigators at church yesterday. They are both the children of a less active women that we found when another family of less actives invited them to a Family Home evening (talk about Milagros). When we came by for the first lesson, the mother of the family set up chairs all around us and dragged her kids in to listen. They have a baptism date but first we really want to focus on reactivating the mother. She says the father really isn’t interested in religion and doesn’t want to do anything with 'Mormons' but we are going to try and meet him this week, at least to gain his confidence so that he can support his children in their decision.

I feel like the Lord is blessing us so much. I love Hualqui. We have also had the chance to get to know more members this week and it has been so fun. They are incredible.

I am finally starting to feel a little more comfortable with Spanish too. Something that Hermana Prettyman is teaching me is that maybe we won’t be able to say EXACTLY what we want, but we can still express ourselves and teach effectively if you just change your way of thinking into the words you CAN say. It has been a real adventure with her. She is a wonderful companion.

That's all for now!

Le quiero mucho!Chow!

Besos

Hermana Saunders

Monday, August 3, 2015

my new comp- hermana prettyman



43.3 Miles Walked this Week‏


So this week was the first week with Hermana Prettyman, my second greenga companion. She is from New York and is a photography major at BYU (she is currently in the process from transferring from BYU- I to Provo). I LOVE her I have already learned so much from her. She just had her one year mark in the mission and I really want to be just like her when I have her time. I know that the Lord has put us together for a reason.

Despite the fact that we got EXTREAMLY lost just about every 5 minutes this week we had (what I would call) the most exitoso semana(most successful) in my mission! WOHO! We did so much finding and now have several new progressing investigators! It has just felt like all my prayers are being answered. It is a little disappointing none of them made it to church yesterday but we have lots of faith that with some more preparation they will be able to make it this week. They are at least doing there reading and praying.

A difficulty we have been having is getting the members come out with us. This is a super important element to our work, because really we (the missionaries) are only here for a few months and then Chow no mas! It is important that our investigators and less actives have relationships with the members to help them keep coming to church. The reason we haven’t been leaving with many members is because we don’t KNOW many members. It is funny how huge this ward is but I still haven’t actually gotten to know many of them. We have it in our weekly goals to get to know at least 2 families every day. I am looking forward to developing a stronger relationship with them and working together :)

Something I really love about Hermana Prettyman is that she loves to look for the fun in our days. This week we played with some kids in the street as they twirled ribbons and danced, we had a 10 min 'date' where we ate cheese sandwiches and talked about girl stuff, we found a new part of or sector that looks like muddy St. George and took lots of fun pictures. She is teaching me that in order to give all of our heart might mind and strength to God we have got to love ourselves, we have got to enjoy ourselves and feel comfortable where we are. We are not robots. If that were in effective method of teaching, God wouldn’t send people! This Gospel is about happiness not just endurance. They are things that work together! My goal this week to you guys in to find some happiness in your journey. We are most effective in our work when we are happy. Remember that your happiness is your choice. I want to promise that through the Gospel of Jesus Christ we can find happiness in every moment of our life. Even during trials and difficulties we can find a way to look on the bright side.

I Love you guy!

Besos!

Chow

Hermana Saunders

A NORMAL Cambios... Pretty sure they don't exist.‏





CAMBIOS THIS WEEK! And boy are things changing. As I have previously mentioned I am in a trio currently with 2 beautiful, wonderful Argentines. With Cambios we expected Hermana Ovando to leave and Hermana Tejarena to stay with me and work in Hualqui... but these things never turn out as we expect hehe- they are both leaving me!  I get to lead or sector with only 3 weeks in the area! yikes! BUT the good news is I will be with Hermana Prettymen! I adore her! We were in the same group of Hermanas when I was is Barrio Norte (We had the same Hermana Leaders and had activities together) I can't wait to work with her.

This week we were able to find a ton of new people to teach!

It started out super slow Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We were knocking doors all day with no exito (wa-wa) but after Zone class and mini cambios with our Hermana Leaders on Thursday we had new energy to work! On Saturday we found 4 news and also have even more promising appointments for the coming week! It only shows that with faith the Lord will fulfil his promises. Sometimes he lets us squirm a little. He lets us have hard days but the blessings always outweigh the cost.

Hermana Lance and Hermana Heaton are both staying in Hualqui with me and it will be really great to have their help with this Cambio. We will be living with all greengas, and I have to say I am a little worried for my Spanish. I promise I will be continuing to work hard on improving :)

A funny thing with the Spanish is that I really can understand what is important. Somehow, when things really matter, when we are in a lesson or contacting someone good- I can understand super clear. I have really been learning that relying on the spirit is the key is all things. Something that is becoming very clear to me is that the Spirit can't be with us to full capacity when we are afraid. It works much better when we have the faith to not fear. When we depend on the Lord and know that he will help us on all things, he will come through. There is no such thing as coincidences, every milagro (miracle) is from Him. This is my invitation to you this week (Sorry I am a missionary and we always leave behind and invitation)- Be brave, have faith that the Lord can take care of you and help fix whatever you might be facing right now. I want to testify that God is real and he really knows your challenges and your trials. Through him we don't have to feel the stress of this world. Through him all is possible.

I love you!

Besos Chow!
Hermana Saunders