Hola Familia y Amigos! Como han estado? Hope you are all well. I am doing great..other than the fact the cucarachas are coming out. Last night this HUGE Cockroach came crawling out...we named her Fanny. I tried to catch her but it didn't work. It's okay we will get her soon enough. So the transfer news is...Hna Batchkoff and I are staying!!! Otra Vez wohoo! We must have lots to learn from eachother and lots to do here :) We are excited. We are working with some incredible families...
Primeramente...La Familia Loya. Last Tuesday we were planning on having a Noche de Hogar/Family Night. We brought our famous cookies..the Mexicans love American Cookies. About the only thing we can make they like :) And we were planning to teach a lesson and play a game. We got there and they had just watched the movie about the Plan of Salvation~My Heavenly Father's Plan. There was this beautiful salad on the table and I could tell something INCREDIBLE cooking in the oven. They love to show love through food! So we went with it. Answered the little girls questions about where we go when we die and talked about what we thought from the movie..then ate A LOT. They were suddenly so nice to us...not in a literal way but by how they acted. We have tried to teach the family together so many times but their schedules don't quite permit. It has been a bit all over the place but what I saw that night was that they were beginning to recognize the blessings that can come to their family and were showing their gratitude. They served us the most incredible dinner then at the end Hna Loya brought out 2 little black boxes for us...matching Jewelry. They are so cute and all they want to do is serve you. It is a lesson we can all learn from. We are trying to be creative with the girls and use lots of object lessons to get them interested. They are so cute! The Dad is a member but has been inactive ever since he married his wife who is Catholic but appears somewhat open to learn and wants her girls to choose for themselves what they believe is right. Nothing like a family that feels like your family away from home :)
La Familia Ramirez. Abraham. Abraham is the little boy with brain cancer who miraculously came to church last week. Last night we brought over scripture Jenga and played it with him and his Mom. Super fun. You right scriptures on each block and as you pick them you read the scripture. (You guys should do it for family night) Anyways he was so excited to play a game he could actually play. He can't see or read all that well but still he got out his glasses and I helped him read slowly. It was so cool. Moments like that you live for as a missionary. He was telling us how he is doing better. The Doctor's had told him he was going to die in the hospital or at home, but he said...No, I am not dying yet. I am keep'in on! So after the lesson I showed him the picture of when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and we explained baptism and the Holy Ghost. He said he wants to be baptized. So we are going to do every thing we can to help him do that. His parents are baptized but very inactive. Miracles happen when we have the faith. So we will do our best to keep the faith! I just remember how cool it was to explain to an innocent kid with so much faith and desire to live a normal life how much help he can receive from the Holy Ghost. I cannot relate to what this kid has been through in any way. But Mom...remember the time I was getting checked for apendicidis and you were pregnant and we were a mess and we said a prayer before we went in. I remember laying on the bed getting the ultra sound and feeling completely at peace. Feeling the Holy Ghost. And I was so young..and I didn' t totally understand...but Heavenly Father can touch the hearts of kids. In fact we can learn so much from kids..I am convinced. They have so much faith, so much innocence..we are supposed to become like little children again. Innocent, quick to forgive, quick to love...full of hope!
We successfully pulled off the Joseph Smith Movie activity this weeked! Wohoo! We showed the movie(the long one they show in the Visitors Centers) in Spanish and invited EVERYONE we could. I had organized it in my last area but was transferred the week before it happened. So we did here...and lots of people came. It is so powerful. It is one crazy story..that makes sense if you do what the Book of Mormon says. Read it. Pray about it. And most of all have a desire to know if it is true. No person can carry your testimony. Only the Holy Ghost/the Spirit can. You guys should get your hands on the movie.
Well on Saturday everyone was thinking the world might end at 6pm. But it didn't. At about 6:30 a group of boys about connors age flagged us down in an apt complex. They started asking us if the world was going to end...they were seriously scared. One of the little boys especially was almost in tears. It got me thinking. Will I be afraid? I hope not. Because if we are honestly living how our Heavenly Father wants us to, we have nothing to fear when that day comes. We will know what is coming..and we will be excited. To be able to see my Savior Jesus Christ and say...I did my best. That is worth everything that is the hard thing but the right thing right now.
Man oh man the world is messed up. Probably because I live every day in everyones problems, yet we somehow keep a smile on our faces and continue to share our testimonies. That is because WE KNOW it is true. I am convinced I couldn't do this if I didn't know. The Savior carries us along. My weaknesses are many...many...but it doesn't matter what people think. I am trying to really believe that because I already know it. It matters what my Heavenly Father thinks. I remind myself of that every day.
I am reading the New Testament and Jesus was so clever. So clever. He always had an answer. And when he was asked what is the greatest of all the commandments...He answered, Love me with all you heart, might, mind and strength. We show Him we love Him when we obey all his commandments. That one commandment encompasses all others! He loves you so he wants us to learn to show Him how much we love Him. Becoming like Him isn't easy. But it's possible with his help.
No hay nada que puede quitar lo que yo creo o lo que yo se. Solamente mis acciones pueden quitar mi propia testimonio. Cuando nosotros las dejamos...las cosas importantes como las escrituras, la oracion, las cosas sencillas...eso es cuando nuestro testimonio o nuestra fe puede faltar. Se que cada persona puede saber la verdad si el quiere.
Les quiero. I love you all!
Have a great week.
Con Amor,
Hermana Holland
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