8/22/16 See you on the other side

Well here it comes. I just got out of my last interview with President Catala. It has been a wild week. I´ll be seeing you all in just a few days but I just wanted to say thank you to all who have had me in there prayers during this last year and a half. I will never ever be able to express in words all that this experience has meant to me. It has absolutely changed my life. I am so grateful to have learned more about my Savior Jesus Christ and the roles that he plays in our lives. I know that God lives and loves us and blesses us always. Even just for trying. I feel grateful to my Father in Heaven and my Savior and the opportunity they have given me to know of the Restored Gospel and to teach and testify of it. I know that this church is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and I know the Thomas S Monson is a living prophet on earth today. Love ya! Keep being bakánes.

Besitos

Hermana Saunders

''Meet you there''

Just your typical best week ever

Another wonderful week has come and gone. I sure do love my sector, my
comp etc. The mission really is the best place on earth.
We saw MANY miracles this week. It was incredible. We set some pretty
high goals and were running all over the place to complete them. Not
sure I have ever been more stressed, but it was totally worth it. God
blessed us so much.
The members were such a support for us. It was a struggle at first
getting them to come out with us when I got here, but we have found
the more often they come, they more the want to leave with us again.
It is incredible how missionary work is like that. It is hard. It is
tiring but you can just never get enough of it. I sure do love being
able to share the gospel everyday.
Beistos!
Hermana Saunders
TODO LA FUERZA

Zone Conference and Mini Combos and New Vision

Herman Tesch and Hermana Briggs (My gurs)

Great week! Sorry I don't have pictures again- you will just have to wait another week... or two.

I am so pumped about these new ideas our mission president is having. I'll admit I was pretty skeptical about the changes but we have been able to see lots more excitement in the members to work with us and a lot of miracles when it comes to finding too. I really miss the Arringtons but it is clear to see the Catalas are here to give it their all.

We had zone conference/Tesch Class and interviews all on Wednesday. Me, my comp and the sister leaders of Penco put on a class... It was a bit of a disaster but we had fun doing it. I got to say goodbye to the Tesch couple- it was sad- until Sister Tesch told started lecturing me about how I had to be actively looking to get married (¡Chau no mas!). It was a crazy day and at the end we only had a few hours to work but it was something that had us all motivated to take on the new vision the Lord has for the mission. 

I also had my last mini-cambio :,( But it was a lot of fun. I was with Hermana Farnsworth again- she is my 'sister' in the mission because we were trained by the same people. I sure have learn a lot from her. She has grown a lot too the the time I have known her. I think Mini-cambios are the thing that I have liked most about being a HTL- because I grow from them more than they do usually.

We had a ward activity- a 'Matiada' were everyone drank 'Mate' (except us) and we made this yummy fried food called sopipillas (Basically Chilean Paradise). We had a blast. I promise I will send pictures next week.

We are in Chillan right now to buy some souvenirs. It is way beautiful.

This week we had a Sunday centered on Charity. We talked about how charity is much more than actions of service but a way of mind. I invite you to read 1 Corinthians 13. I know you have read it but it will do you some good, like it did me this week.

I Love you!

Besitos

Hermana Saunders

Trabajemos hoy el la obra del Señor‏

What a great week! We saw many blessings with finding new people to teach and working with members. I know that the Lord has seen our efforts and I know that he always blesses us for trying.

Something cool we got to do this week was help a recent convert get ready for the day. She is in a wheel chair and can do very little on her own. Working with her has really helped me come to realize how many people need us. As missionaries, as members of the church and as children of God. There is ALWAYS someone who needs your help. 

I was reading the women's session of conference once again this week and I was once again impressed with the call to serve our fellow man. Elder Eyring quoted King Benjamin in Mosiah 4:26

 “And now, for the sake of these things which Ihave spoken unto you that is, for the sake of retaining a remissionof your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, everyman according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry,clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief,both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants” 

I know that to retain a remission of our sins it is necessary to serve others. In our quest for perfection and to be constantly improving we can not over look charity. 

I invite you to look around and serve this week.

Love you!

Hermana Saunders

Come what may and and LOVE them.

The first week of this transfer went really fast. I'm praying that the time will slow down before it ends.

We got so. much. rain. It was really incredible I don't think I have ever been in a storm so strong than what we had on Wednesday. It has been relatively dry, but we got soak to out covenants this week. I thought the wind was going to pick us up. We walk out the door to work after lunch and within less then 30 seconds my umbrella had bent into 30 different angles. It was an adventure for sure. I love my mission.

We had leadership council with President Catala this week and lets just say everything is getting flipped up side down... but it is all for the better and we are excited to see the changes. It was really fun to see some mission friends that I haven't seen for sometime.

Friday we had Mini-missionaries come to our sector and work with us. I was in a trio with a Hermana Novoa from Concepcion who is preparing for the mission and a Hermana Medina who just got baptized 3 months ago and is in a small branch in our stake. It was a lot of fun, although I felt bad we didn't get to teach many people and knocked doors all day. Hermana Novoa said it was a little bit out a wake up call to what the mission was really like. I hope it didn't scare her too much. 

Sunday we had a great class in Principios del Evangelio about sacrifice. It was just what I needed to hear. I had a really sweet impression from the spirit that truly the biggest sacrifice that we can make is to love others. Even though no one opened there doors to us in the rain and cold this week I realized the Lord has called me to love them. So that is what I will do. 

We are in the middle of a zone activity. We have been playing games all morning and we are just waiting for the pizza to cook. Better go snag a piece before it is all gone. Sure do love you!

Besitos

Hermana Saunders

Short cuts to cambios

We had transfers this week! But nothing has changed for us. I will be staying with Hermana Dominguez. I am happy.

Well it was a great week with a lots of miracles. First off. We got LOST.

This sector so so small but there is a little forest area in the middle of it all so sometimes we have to walk a while to get around. Well the other day we got really sick of it and decided we were going to find a short cut.... bad idea. basically we barely got out before dark and had to run past a group of drunk men. It was a dumb idea. The Lord is teaching me patients.

BUT the same day we saw a bug miracle...

We told our district leader to fast for us- as a joke- because we haven't been finding progressing investigators. Well, he loves us so much that he really did it and you know what happened? We went to visit some old investigators that stopped progressing and they were begging us to come in and teach them. We taught the restoration and they deeply thanked us as we left. They said they had been waiting to hear it and that they FELT the spirit very strong that they hadn't felt before. It was the most incredible lesson I have had her in 18. We will see if it was enough to have them keep there commitments this week.

It has been very cold here and strangely without rain. We burned our heater into the wall by accident because we have been using it so much... Whoops. We will be calling the office elders about that today. 

I am loving 18 excited to meet the new Hermana that is coming to live with us. 

Have a great week!

Besitos!

Hermana Saunders

Good bye President and Hermana Arrington

So it has been a great and an amazingly fast week. While we are still on the search, we have had a little more luck ;) Heavenly Father sure takes his time but the blessings always come.

We had a really amazing conference on Friday where we said goodbye to President and Sister Arrington :( I have to say it came really 'full circle.'

Because it was one of my last conferences in the mission they made me and the others that are leaving in the next 2 cambios bare their testimony in front of the whole mission. I wanted to die. The funny thing is I have absolutely no shame in teaching angry evangelico preachers but something about speaking in front of other missionaries absolutely terrifies me. Some how the words came out and I sat down. The zone Linares sang a musical number that my first zone sang in my first zone conference. It was really beautiful. President gave his testimony and I cried the whole time. I love the mission so much. It was so awesome to see all my friends that are in far sectors. We had a really powerful moment when, after lunch, one missionary started to sing 'the spirit of God' and than we all came in. I am going to miss the Arringtons so much.

We had a mini-cambio with Frutillares this week and it made me really sad that I am not traninng anymore. I want more hijas. Oh well it was good to see the one I have this week in the conference. She is still killing it in Linares. I am so proud of her.

Well those are the highlights of the week.

Love ya!

Besitos 

Hermana Saunders