Hola! Mba'echepa?
Iporaitereri?
To start out, this week was the last week of winter and it felt like the middle of summer. Let me just tell you: SO HOT. But no worries, The people here are really friendly and offer us water all the time. So, we are still living! I had forgotten what this heat feels like.
This week was pretty good. The last week before changes. So tomorrow we will find out if Hermana Jones and I will be together still or split up. We are thinking we are going to be split up but she only has 6 weeks here in Limpio and I only have 3. So we'll see what happens!
We had a few divisions with some Hermanas. Its always interesting doing divisions and trying to help them out. All of the sisters here are so wonderful but sometimes for me its so hard to know how to help. I feel like they are helping me out the whole time. Change is always good. To see different perspectives, learn new things, and work in new ways. They are always a challenge, but something is to be learned from every one of them.
This week we had the opportunity to help out a woman, Elizabeth, 22, and teach her. The first 2 visits were with Hermana Jones and so I just got to know her the other night for the first time. But she explained to us that she's had things happen in her life that she has ended up being a cold hard person. She's had her heart broken too many times with different life problems, but she told us that since we've been visiting her, she has felt that slowly she has been able to change. And get a bit softer and warmer to people. That's what I love about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not only does it change people, but it gives them hope so that they can change what they want to. It was a good lesson we had with her about the atonement of Jesus Christ. And guess who cam to church with us Sunday? She did :) With her 3 year old son. He didn’t behave all that well, but she stuck it out and stayed for the 3 meetings. Sometimes I feel as missionaries we get into the habit of almost begging people to go to church or to change. But if they don’t want to, we cant make them. But when they do act in faith, its amazing to be a part of helping them with their desires.
So everyday we contact a lot of people and usually they are people of maybe have heard of the church, or nothing at all. And then sometimes we get responses like, "you know, I was baptized in your church." The other night we ran into Milagros and we got to have a lesson with her. She was baptized 7 years ago when she was 8. She's only 15 and she has experienced way too much that a 15 year old should have. She told us that she wants to change and go to church again. Its interesting because she lives with her aunt and you can tell that there are no rules or anything in her house and its kind of sad. Because not only is she getting into trouble, but she is being that kind of example to her siblings and cousins. It builds my testimony on the commandments of God. I know that our loving Heavenly Father gives us commandments to keep us out of trouble. To give us the happiest life possible. And I am so grateful for those. But also again, for the hope that Jesus Christ gives us to change. To be somebody completely different than we've been in the past.
One more story from the week. So here it is super catholic and even though people don’t participate in their church, "they are catholic." So on Saturday we contacted a family in the morning and they were kind of busy so they told us to come back later. So we cam back later that day and they let us in. But when we walked in I noticed her catholic necklace. We started talking to them and I couldn’t tell if they wanted us to be there or not. But then my companion asked if we could say a prayer. And without answering, the lady said ,"you guys don’t believe in Mary." And she said it in a way that right after I thought to myself, is she trying to scare us off? So we explained some things, said the prayer, and started from the basics- the godhead and Jesus Christ. Something so simple but so important. But some people here don’t understand and don’t know. So we started talking and teaching using Matthew 3. It was a pretty good lesson. We will see if we can go back and if they have desires to learn more. But its interesting to see that sometimes they just say things. That their church says. And they don’t know too much more than that. I love being able to help people. We aren’t here to prove we are right or to argue but we are here to teach about Jesus Christ and his gospel that they don’t know yet.
Something from the Book of Mormon that I would like to share this week is a chapter I read yesterday that I love. Its in the end of Alma - so the ward chapters- Alma 53. But from every part of the Book of Mormon we can learn something! In this chapter the Nephites have a covenant with God to not kill that they made many years before. But I love how in verse 10 it says that they were in the most dangerous circumstances. And even though their desires were good, to take up their arms again and protect their families, they still had this covenant with God that they couldn’t break. And I know that God gives no commandments save he shall provide a way to keep them. So they found a way to keep their covenant with God even at first it seemed hopeless with their circumstances. I know that in whatever aspect of our lives we can apply this. There is always a way to complete with what God has commanded us!
Well, onto a new week and new adventures! I hope you all have a wonderful week and learn from everyday!
Talk to you soon!
Hermana Liesel Wiscombe
Iporaitereri?
To start out, this week was the last week of winter and it felt like the middle of summer. Let me just tell you: SO HOT. But no worries, The people here are really friendly and offer us water all the time. So, we are still living! I had forgotten what this heat feels like.
This week was pretty good. The last week before changes. So tomorrow we will find out if Hermana Jones and I will be together still or split up. We are thinking we are going to be split up but she only has 6 weeks here in Limpio and I only have 3. So we'll see what happens!
We had a few divisions with some Hermanas. Its always interesting doing divisions and trying to help them out. All of the sisters here are so wonderful but sometimes for me its so hard to know how to help. I feel like they are helping me out the whole time. Change is always good. To see different perspectives, learn new things, and work in new ways. They are always a challenge, but something is to be learned from every one of them.
This week we had the opportunity to help out a woman, Elizabeth, 22, and teach her. The first 2 visits were with Hermana Jones and so I just got to know her the other night for the first time. But she explained to us that she's had things happen in her life that she has ended up being a cold hard person. She's had her heart broken too many times with different life problems, but she told us that since we've been visiting her, she has felt that slowly she has been able to change. And get a bit softer and warmer to people. That's what I love about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not only does it change people, but it gives them hope so that they can change what they want to. It was a good lesson we had with her about the atonement of Jesus Christ. And guess who cam to church with us Sunday? She did :) With her 3 year old son. He didn’t behave all that well, but she stuck it out and stayed for the 3 meetings. Sometimes I feel as missionaries we get into the habit of almost begging people to go to church or to change. But if they don’t want to, we cant make them. But when they do act in faith, its amazing to be a part of helping them with their desires.
So everyday we contact a lot of people and usually they are people of maybe have heard of the church, or nothing at all. And then sometimes we get responses like, "you know, I was baptized in your church." The other night we ran into Milagros and we got to have a lesson with her. She was baptized 7 years ago when she was 8. She's only 15 and she has experienced way too much that a 15 year old should have. She told us that she wants to change and go to church again. Its interesting because she lives with her aunt and you can tell that there are no rules or anything in her house and its kind of sad. Because not only is she getting into trouble, but she is being that kind of example to her siblings and cousins. It builds my testimony on the commandments of God. I know that our loving Heavenly Father gives us commandments to keep us out of trouble. To give us the happiest life possible. And I am so grateful for those. But also again, for the hope that Jesus Christ gives us to change. To be somebody completely different than we've been in the past.
One more story from the week. So here it is super catholic and even though people don’t participate in their church, "they are catholic." So on Saturday we contacted a family in the morning and they were kind of busy so they told us to come back later. So we cam back later that day and they let us in. But when we walked in I noticed her catholic necklace. We started talking to them and I couldn’t tell if they wanted us to be there or not. But then my companion asked if we could say a prayer. And without answering, the lady said ,"you guys don’t believe in Mary." And she said it in a way that right after I thought to myself, is she trying to scare us off? So we explained some things, said the prayer, and started from the basics- the godhead and Jesus Christ. Something so simple but so important. But some people here don’t understand and don’t know. So we started talking and teaching using Matthew 3. It was a pretty good lesson. We will see if we can go back and if they have desires to learn more. But its interesting to see that sometimes they just say things. That their church says. And they don’t know too much more than that. I love being able to help people. We aren’t here to prove we are right or to argue but we are here to teach about Jesus Christ and his gospel that they don’t know yet.
Something from the Book of Mormon that I would like to share this week is a chapter I read yesterday that I love. Its in the end of Alma - so the ward chapters- Alma 53. But from every part of the Book of Mormon we can learn something! In this chapter the Nephites have a covenant with God to not kill that they made many years before. But I love how in verse 10 it says that they were in the most dangerous circumstances. And even though their desires were good, to take up their arms again and protect their families, they still had this covenant with God that they couldn’t break. And I know that God gives no commandments save he shall provide a way to keep them. So they found a way to keep their covenant with God even at first it seemed hopeless with their circumstances. I know that in whatever aspect of our lives we can apply this. There is always a way to complete with what God has commanded us!
Well, onto a new week and new adventures! I hope you all have a wonderful week and learn from everyday!
Talk to you soon!
Hermana Liesel Wiscombe