Another week in the vineyard. I love being a missionary. This week we had so much rain! We were soaked almost all week long, but we kept a sunshine in our heart and smiles on our faces.

We had quite the surprise this week too! We were bringing an investigator to church when the Elders ran out to meet us and said, President is here! Our mission President had stopped by to give us a surprise visit. I love my Mission President and his wife. They are such amazing people. It just so happened that Hermana Judd and I had a confirmation that day, so that was pretty cool.

I love how the Lord works! We had a baptism this last Friday and it was so beautiful. We have only been working with this girl for about two weeks and she wanted to be baptized so badly. I love her so much!

This last week we also went and did a service project for a less active in the word, helping him clean out his house. He had over twenty years of trash and decay piled up… It was super gross but we had so much fun. Some of my favorite memories have been from serving others.

Sorry, super short this week but I love you all and I know the church is true!

Hurrah for Israel!

Hermana Hipol

I love this family so much! They are such a miracle. We contacted this family through the brother and doing some service. We helped them build their house and have only been teaching them for about two weeks. This past friday their daughter Marisol was baptized! She looked so beautiful and it was such a beautiful day! She is such a miracle.

Another amazing week and more and more miracles. It is crazy to see the Lords hand in literally every aspect of life.  I love being a missionary. It is so hard. But it is beautiful and epic!

I love Hermana Judd. I really cannot imagine doing the work with anyone else. We have been trying to be healthier and really we have way too much fun being missionaries! She is the epitome of hard work. She is so dedicated to Zion’s cause and she inspires me to be better in every aspect. She tries her hardest to be exactly obedient in all things, and is quick to repent, even when she has done nothing wrong. She is an example of a consecrated missionary. I love her so much. She teaches with so much love.

This week we found so many new people. I really do love the people here. They are so simple and so humble, and often so hilarious! We met with a Brother Juan Cien Fuegos this week for the first time…. I love this man. He lives alone, is 70+ years old and extremely autistic. He was our last lesson for the day and it was way too much fun! He had so many stories and so many things to share. He has a really lonely life and was so excited to visit with us. Well, we finished the lesson and we were getting ready to go back to our house… only he insisted walking us home to make sure that we were safe. It gets dark around six here and we are always really cautious and obedient, but people often freak out that we walk home in the dark…. So, Juan walked us almost all the way back home. It was so sweet and so kind.

This week Hermana Judd and I have been working hard with this miracle family that we found. We had left them 3 Nephi to read and we invited them to pray about the Book of Mormon and to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet. Well, when we followed up their responses were nothing short of miraculous! The Brother looked at us and said “I prayed, I know that it is all true.” The mothers answer was the same. And then, we turned to their daughter. She told us that a couple nights before she had a dream. She was looking out her front door and there were people walking past in white tunics with white horses. As they passes she saw that they all, horses and people, had wings. They walked off a short way and “ascended” heavenward. She and her Mom said that they knew God sent us to their family and that they knew our message was true. We set a date with their daughter for this upcoming Saturday. I love this family so much! It was amazing!

Another thing I loved this week was our Principios del Evangelio class this week. We were talking about the priesthood and we had five investigators, all who had severe doubts about priesthood authority. It was awesome, the teacher explained it really well and calmed any doubts or fears. But the best part was when the teacher asked one of the Elders to share his lineage. The spirit was so strong. How amazing that priesthood authority can be traced literally to the Savior. I know that the priesthood was restored through Joseph Smith, that this is the true church. We are so blessed to have the Priesthood in our lives. I am so grateful to have worthy priesthood holders in my home. To all my brethren out there, HONOR YOUR PRIESTHOOD!

I love you all so much. This is the Lords work. Always make sure to do your part, that you serve others and forget yourself. I am trying harder to forget myself and go to work and it is crazy to see the Lords hand.

I love you all! Hurrah for Israel!

P.S. It rained a lot this week… hence, lots of puddles. I totally took an epic fall… but I caught myself in midair… IT WAS CRAZY! I was so dirty, so very dirty. But I didn’t hit the ground!

I love being a missionary. It is so hard, a lot harder than I could have ever imagined. And yet, it is so beautiful. There are so many tender mercies all around me, so many blessings, so many lessons to be learned. This week was amazing. Time flies so fast, sometimes I wish I could have another day in the week, or even another hour or two in the day.

I love my companion. Hermana Judd is the biggest miracle. She is so compassionate, so selfless, and such a hard worker. We work our hardest, and every day pray that we can work harder. The hardest part of this week was not being able to really truly see the fruits of our labors, but I hope and pray that we can cause some person to come a little closer to the Savior. This week was also my first intercambio! For twenty four hours I was on exchanges with the Hermana Training Leader, Hermana Garbett in Molino. It was so much fun, and really quite the adventure, She taught me some great lessons, and I hope that I can apply them and make my teaching better. Intercambios were fun, but I truly recognized how much I love my companion. I dunno what I am going to do without her!

This week we saw so many miracles. We found some new investigators that are so prepared. We got to work alongside two sisters, Paty and Miriam as our missionary family for the week. They are so amazing! We went with them and met with a sister that we had contacted earlier in the week. This sister, Hermana Marta, is so amazing. Hermana Judd and I had been looking for someone else when we knocked her door and we asked to come by and visit with her another day. Well turns out, she had visited with some elders years before but they had left the area and she had not heard from them since… Well she is so ready to recieve the message now. We have been changing how we have our first lesson, and emphazised more on the importance of prophets and Joseph Smith. When we shared the first vision, Hermana Marta started to cry. We invited her to be baptized and she said yes!!! I love being a missionary!

Okay, conference. I LOVE GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! I learned so many wonderful things and I hope and challenge all of you to take the time to go back and study the messages that were shared. Now is the time to do the Lords work, to gather the harvest! The hour is very near at hand, it is so crazy! So many prophecies in the scriptures were fulfilled.  I love the prophet. Because of some technical difficulties I listened to the first session in spanish. I was able to understand a lot of it… but the spanish that they speak here and the spanish used by the translators is very much not the same language… remotelly. But, no worries, thanks to the Lords Tender Mercies, I was able to listen to all the other sessions in English.

This week I have focused my personal studies on mercy, and as always, the Lord never ceases to fill my cup to overflowing. Throughout my personal studies, companionship studies and even General Conference (which was completely amazing) I have learned so much about my Saviors atonement for me, and his endless compassion and mercy. In my studies I was also struck by the emphasis on repentance, of change, of drawing nearer to the Savior. Really, it is our purpose as missionaries, to invite people to come. Come and repent, come and partake, come and see, come and rejoice. This is my fathers work. It is a noble and glorious cause. IT IS EPIC!

I love you all so much… Thank you for your love and support!

P.S. One day this week this stray cat somehow made it into our house…. It was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen in my life… It was almost completely bald, skeletal, and had these deep, sunken eyes that pierced the soul….We somehow got it out the front door but it just mewed there for about fifteen minutes… Oh El Salvador…

Wow what an amazing week. I have learned so much again. Time seems to pass so fast, my goal is to always be keeping up with the pace and use my time the best that I can.

This week was very challenging in a lot of ways. I have plateaued a little in my spanish and I am using it as much as I can, though I struggle at times. The miraculous thing is that without fail, I am blessed with an amazing tender mercy cada dia that reminds me of my purpose and rejuvinates me for the next day. I am taking the council of President Hinkley to “forget myself and go to work” and Hermana Judd and I have been working hard. We cannot always directly see the fruits of our labors but we keep working. We have found some beautiful families and some other people that the lord has definitely prepared to recieve us. I also have the blessing of a great companion. Hermana Judd is so awesome!

This past Saturday we had a massive Ward Activity se llamó Destino Final that simulated a plane crash and we walked through the plan of Salvation post la muerte física.  Each room in la capilla was dedicated and decorated to represent each lugar: el mundo de los espiritus, and los tres reinos de gloria. We had been working on this with the ward council for about a month and it turned out a great success. We had a family of investigators come down and it was a very positive experience for them. It was so amazing. In all of our preparation we felt like something was missing, but we werent sure what. Hermana Judd and I were sitting at lunch the day before when she turned to me and said, “Hermana! We do not have anything about the savior!” We had forgotten the biggest part of the entire plan… so, we grabbed an extra room in la capilla and showed each group that came through the movie Gracias a él or “Because of Him·. You should all take time to see it today and share ti with someone else! It is beautiful. It was the final destination of the activity and the coolest room. Hermana Judd and I had the opprotunity to work in this room for a couple of the groups and after we shared the movie we shared our testimony of the Savior and his role in the Plan of Salvation. The spirit was so strong and it was very humbling. This is his work, we are his messengers, and it is only through faith and endurance in Him that we can return to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

This week we have had a lot of rain…. as in a lot… as in flood. It was soooo cool! This past tuesday we were soaked all day. At one point we were up to midthigh in water. It was really surreal, but after about six hours of being soaking wet, I was a little ready to go home… but we kept going and it was mazing!

This week we worked a lot with less actives. We teach a lot of older people and there were so many tender moments and cultural shocks that I had this week. We met with one elderly couple. He is mostly deaf and she is blind and mentally gone. But there were so many times when I would see them and he would be holding her hand, buttoning her dress for her or feeding her. It is so tender and reminds me of what is really important. They are so poor. They have two goats that they share with their children that live next door and one of the goats had babies this past week. They were soo cute! We passed by the next day to find out that one of the babies had died that morning. It was so sad, but as we left we saw this hermano. HE WAS EATING THE BABY GOAT THAT HAD DIED!!! It was a little traumatizing…. Yesterday we visited another older Hermano. He is extremely poor, he has nothing and his living conditions are terrible, and yet he faithfully comes to church every week and is nothing but happiness. When we passed by he pulled out the dirtiest, saddest looking guitar that I had ever seen in my life that I had ever seen. He began to play “How Great Thou Art”. It was beautiful…. I was reminded of the poem “Touch of the Masters Hand”.

I love this work so much… My Heavenly Father is a God of tender mercies… This week I have found so much strength that is not my own. I have seen miracles. I have learned so much about trusting in the Lord and learning to rely on his timing.

I am so excited for General Conference! I hope that you all have plans to watch it and to listen to the prophet.

I love you all! Thank you for your love and support!

What a week of miracles! Learned so much, and my eyes were opened as to how strong the Lords hand is in the work.

At the beginning of this week we had a lesson with Hermano Luis, an Athiest. He was trying so hard to catch us in our own words and tease us, I felt like the Book of Mormon Prophets combating with the antichrists. He was intrigued by our message but it was clear that he didn’t really want to learn. He shut down Hermana Judd midsentence, saying that she lacked conviction and a true testimony that our message was true. I felt the spirit so strong…. Its funny, had I been the person I was before my mission I would have argued with him and gotten furious, I mean, I love my companion! But instead I felt the spirit so strong and was overcome with such a strong feeling of love for this man. It filled me up, so much so that I was shaking. In my broken Spanish I looked at him and said that I may not know much, and I might just be a young girl with little experience in this world, but that I am a special witness of the Living God, that there is a God, and that nothing will change or diminish my conviction. The words just sort of came out…. and I don’t really remember everything I said, but I was using Spanish that I had not learned. It was cool. But I told him that we did not know why he let us into his house, but I knew that a part of him wanted to know if our message was true and I promised him as a Missionary of Almighty God that if he prayed aloud, simply asking if there was a God, having even the slightest desire to know if the Lord was there, that he would have an experience that he could not explain with any logic or worldly knowledge. The spirit was so powerful…. I felt so humbled. I do not think that he will take that challenge but I know without a shred of doubt, that there is a God, that he is all powerful, that he is all loving, and that we are representatives of him.

The largest miracle of this week was when we met with our eternal investigators, the Lopez family. Hermana Elizabeth has been struggling so hard to act in faith and pray, having studied with another church for fourteen years. We have helped them get married and their daughter Katherine was baptized. Hermano Armando wants to be baptized but the Hermana tiene muchas desafios… We had them read 3 Nephi 11 and this lesson we were going to review it and try to commit them to a date… When we arrived, Hermana Elizabeth was so excited to see us, she asked if we could read the chapter together, since she was the only one who had read. After we read we asked her if she had read and prayed. She got so quiet. I was a little nervous. She told us that she wasn’t going to read but she could not sleep. So she got out her scriptures and prayed before reading. She read the chapter heading and suddenly felt the spirit so strong… She started to read and when she got to Christ’s appearance she felt physical arms wrap around her in a hug. She felt the marks in the Saviors hands. When she read about the Doctrine of Christ she cried…. Hermana Judd looked at her and asked her if she would be baptized. The spirit was so strong…. She nodded yes. I love this family!! But it was so amazing. I had no words to say in English or Spanish, but I was filled with so much love. We continue to work with them, but I love this family.

We had an incredible zone conference this week with Elder Ochoa. He really pepped us up and we decided to open up our mouths and talk with everyone…. So on our way home Hermana Judd and I also contacted two buses! We stood up in front and said, Hey we are missionaries and we have a message that will change your life! Most of the people just stared but we found two people that were so ready to hear the message of salvation. I am strengthening my confidence in my ability to open my mouth and talk to people and we are trying to find people to teach. As we have put our faith in the Lord we have contacted so many wonderful people. Every house we approach is willing to hear more. It is amazing!

The funniest thing happened yesterday! We went to pick up one of our investigators, Lito, for church. He is about eighty five and has bronchitis… and is a little crazy… but he has the sweetest heart and wants to be baptized. Anyways we went to pick him up and he answered the door in…. true story, women’s boxer shorts…. it was so funny!! He said that his kids had taken all of his clothes to wash them and hadn’t brought them back but when they came he would join us at church… he didn’t come… so after church we went back and he was still there in his boxers… he invited us in and he finally found some pants. Oh dear…. On a side note…. before we came he had been watching Lord of the Rings. Love him!!

Anyways… I love the work, I love my companion, I love my Savior!

I love you all!

So many amazing miracles and here we are at the end of my time here at the CCM…. I leave in six days! I am so nervous and so excited… I cannot wait to see what El Salvador Has in store for me.

This week was filled with so many awesome adventures. The CCM President, President Cox finally made it back to us after a surgery. What a homecoming! It was his birthday the next day and we had a band come play music and we celebrated with some delicious cake! I do love some good cake.

Our fake investigator, Oscar, was baptized this past weekend! My companions and I were so excited and I think that it was just the motivation that we needed to finish off our CCM experience with a bang! Our other investigator, Miguel, also wants to be baptized! So cool! My greatest teaching tool has definitely been the spirit. He is the real teacher. There is a new rule here at the CCM…. NO MAS INGLES! It is a little hard to communicate but I have mastered talking with my hands and absurd noises. I think that the Latina Hermanas think I am crazy.

This week I also met my goal to finish the Book of Mormon before I enter the field. It was as if I had read it for the first time. I know that it is the word of God and I encourage you all to read it.

This week was a week of “lasts.” I cannot believe that I am leaving next week to enter the field and be a “real missionary.” This morning was my last opportunity to go to the Guatemala temple and I am having my Last Leadership training this weekend as Hermana Cacipadador. It has been amazing to serve the sisters here. They have such strong spirits and desires to serve the Lord.

In this crazy missionary limbo it has been really easy to feel overwhelmed and to focus on all the things I cannot control. But, I was watching a devotional by Jeffrey R. Holland and he said. “When the days are hard and when you cannot go any further, when you feel that it is too hard, just realize that you are standing shoulder to shoulder with the greatest missionary the world has ever known. I am so grateful for the example of my savior and for the peace that comes from the knowledge that I never have to be alone or struggle because he is with me every step. I love my savior. I love this work. I am so excited to be a missionary.

Stay strong. I know that with our trust in the Lord, we can overcome all things with glory and valor. May God Bless and Keep you. I am so grateful for your example and your love!

Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Hermana Hipol

Hola mis amigos! Wow, another week already and I am starting the final stretch of my CCM experience. Time has literally sprouted wings and flown by. I cannot believe that I have already been here four weeks. It is strange to be considered the “oldies” when in reality, we are finally starting to figure things out. I still don’t really know what I am doing but when I look back on these past few weeks I hardly recognize the sister that stepped onto the plane. The CCM has been such an amazing experience.

This week was a week of miracles. I cannot even begin to describe the things I have seen, the spirit that I have felt and the powerful lessons that I have learned. This past week there was a lot of contention amongst the Latina sisters in my zone. As the Hermana Cacipadador, I sat in on a lot of meetings, a lot of counsel and did lots of begging for peace and charity (in very poor Spanglish). It was very hard for me, and humbling, since I am still working on Spanish. One night, after lights out, a hermana knocked on my door. One of the tiny Latina hermanas, who was under a lot of stress, was having an anxiety attack. It had quickly escalated to the point where her joints had locked up from lack of oxygen and panic because of her poor breathing. I quickly called the CCM President and asked him to give her a blessing. She would not respond to us, she wouldn’t even open her eyes. I kneeled at the foot of her bed, and was wiping her face with a cool rag, but nothing was working and her breathing was getting worse. Presidente Pitcher walked around to me and kneeled down beside me. He placed his hands on her head and gave her a short but powerful priesthood blessing.  As soon as he ended, she opened her eyes. I was in their room until almost one to make sure she was okay and that the other sisters were helping her… I know that the priesthood is the power of god. That sister was in a bad spot, and it was such a blessing to be there and witness that miracle.

Another miracle, we have our first “baptism!” We had been really struggling with our fake investigator Oscar and didn’t know where to go. We prepared a deep lesson on “repent lest ye perish” and “if ye have a desire why not be baptized” but he totally blindsided us. We sat down ready to call to repentance when he said “I prayed and I know this is true. I want to be baptized.” We were so shocked. We set a date and he said “Do I have to wait? I am ready now.” Holy Cow! His baptism is this Saturday. How amazing! We have also been teaching all of our lessons in total Spanish too. The gift of tongues is real!

Finally, last night was our goodbye with almost all the sisters. At orracion we sang a Spanish hymn and God Be with you til We Meet Again. Some hermanas shared their testimonies and we all kneeled together in prayer. The spirit was so powerful we could not stand. There were tears shed but the miracle was watching those companionships who I had seen struggle so hard for two weeks share a tearful embrace and express love and forgiveness. The Saviors love changes us and I witnessed that change in myself and the hermanas this week.

I know that my Redeemer lives. This is his church. I am his missionary. We are all enlisted. I know that the Atonement changes us.

I love you all!

Hurrah for Israel!