As a mission, this week we have been studying the faith and how it is much more than something that we believe in but that we don't see. We have been able to talk with a lot of missionaries, and it is such a privilege to hear the different things that they have been learning this past week about faith and how it has changed their perspective.
Here in the mission, we have the opportunity to exercise our faith in a unique way: finding people who will accept the baptismal covenant and the restored gospel. We have to look at the people with the eyes of faith, as people who have eternal potential, and as people who the Lord loves very, very much. After studying about the Atonement last week, and how he suffered for EVERYONE, because he loves everyone without exception, I have been able to see a change in my attitude towards the people, because sometimes you just want to not love them and punch a tree or something...haha, not really, but it is interesting sometimes. If we look at people how the Lord does, they will be able to feel our love and if they choose, they will want to always feel that. Looking at them with eyes of faith makes a big difference.
Haha, my comp and I were talking about how using faith in the mission as compared to real life is kind of different. But...to not be too trunky....we will just leave it at that;)
The scripture that we all ponderized this week was Alma 32:40:
40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.
I really like it because it makes faith into an action word, and becomes something that we live every moment, not just in the bad ones. I love this gospel, and really, from what I have been able to learn in the past yearish, faith is what sustains us and is a precious gift from God that we receive according to our desires and works (1 Nephi 2:16):
16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.
Nephi didn't rebel against his father like his brothers did because he had gained the necessary faith. He wanted it, and did what was needed to be able to get it. I have a lot of work to do in this area!!!
I do have to tell you the most awkward moment of my week. I was so just like....what....? We went to an investigator's house, but she wasn't there so we contacted the house in front and they let us in. The lady told me, "I've seen you walking in front of my house for a while now, you have lost a lot of weight!! You were a little fat before, and now not so much!!!" I was like...well, at least someone is noticing #onlyinlatinamerica. I am going to miss these people. And then she told us that she is lesbian...we were like...WHAT...yeah, Atonement much.
But anyways, I love you all so much and I am grateful for your good examples!!! Have a wonderful week!!
Love,
Hermana Farish
Monday, November 23, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Life Is Good
Life with an American comp is interesting, I speak a lot more English, that is for sure, but the member's attitude about the missionaries has changed a lot for the better and we are working like crazy to keep everything going okay. Hermana Fardos will be heading home in March, one transfer after me, so she will kill me and then DIE:)
I am doing great, learning a lot, and just going and going. One thing that was really hard for me this week was yesterday, we went to go get a less active family to bring them to church. But when we entered in the house, there was a really gucky feeling, dark, and they said they wouldn't be going to church. We left there and were talking about it. The dad and the two teenage sons have problems with pornography and drinking. They have an 8 year old sister there who is really kind of strange. When you go to say hi and to give her a kiss on each cheek, she doesn't want it, but she does want to be touched...I don't know how to explain it but we are pretty sure that she is being sexually abused. That feeling was so dark and yucky, it makes me so sad. It just made me think more about the atonement and how it is all powerful, and even in cases like this, this little girl will be okay. So many of these people are living in a nightmare, and have been for so long, and you just want to help them but...ahah I walked out of there thinking "I am too young for this!!! What in the flipping world, I am so traumatized." But seriously, that darkness was really bothering us, and then we went to church to take the sacrament. It was there when the darkness left and the light of Christ came back. We are planning an interview with the bishop so that he can take over, because that is WAY out of our league. Blech.
To answer your questions, I am good. I know what I am doing at least half the time, which is huge, and I think that I am getting to the point where I am realizing what I have been able to do thanks to the Lord and His help. The parents of one of my converts will be baptized this Saturday in Palma Loma, and Eduardo was just called as the ward secretary and now has the Melchizedek Priesthood. and his stepmom and sister are going to be baptized...life is good. It is interesting to watch the chain of events. Even if we aren't there to witness them, it is awesome to just hear about them and to know that you had a small part in making it happen:)
My goals for the next 3 months are to just keep going, to reach my potential as a missionary and as a servant of God. Every six months I have made new goals and written myself a letter to start the new goals, and 3 months ago I wrote those goals and to finish strong with no regrets:) I love the people of Paraguay and I want them to know it, and that their Heavenly Father also loves them, even more than they can imagine:)
One thing that I am really enjoying at this point of my mission is the new study guide of Preach My Gospel. This last week we have been able to study the atonement as a mission and it has made such a difference in our teaching and our contacts. We made a goal to talk about the atonement in every one of our contacts. Yesterday, we were making visits and we passed a house of a really active member who hadn't gone to church yesterday, and we decided to see why. We entered, and it turns out that last Wednesday a guy with a machete broke into her daughter's house and tried to kill them. We were like "oh my heck", but then we talked about the atonement, and we used the scripture Alma 7:11-12 to kind of explain what we wanted to say. This week of studying just the atonement has really helped me to understand it better, and how it can help us to keep going and keep enduring. We also read a talk by Elder Bednar, called, "The Atonement and Our Journey Of Mortality". Near the end it said something really awesome that I just loved. Something that we can apply to our daily lives. Enjoy, and I highly suggest reading the rest of the talk.
"The Savior has suffered not just for our iniquities but also for the inequality, the unfairness, the pain, the anguish, and the emotional distresses that so frequently beset us. There is no physical pain, no anguish of soul, no suffering of spirit, no infirmity or weakness that you or I ever experience during our mortal journey that the Savior did not experience first. You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, 'No one understands. No one knows'. No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burden before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can reach out, touch, succor—literally run to us—and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying upon only our own power."
When we feel like no one else understands what we are going through, when we feel like we are 100% alone, we have someone who had to go beneath everything and everyone so that He can lift us up again and give us that push that we need to start up. I love the Atonement, and I love the effects that it has on our lives and on the lives of everyone. It is pretty shweet:) I love you all and hope that you have a good week!!!
Love,
Hermana Farish
To answer your questions, I am good. I know what I am doing at least half the time, which is huge, and I think that I am getting to the point where I am realizing what I have been able to do thanks to the Lord and His help. The parents of one of my converts will be baptized this Saturday in Palma Loma, and Eduardo was just called as the ward secretary and now has the Melchizedek Priesthood. and his stepmom and sister are going to be baptized...life is good. It is interesting to watch the chain of events. Even if we aren't there to witness them, it is awesome to just hear about them and to know that you had a small part in making it happen:)
My goals for the next 3 months are to just keep going, to reach my potential as a missionary and as a servant of God. Every six months I have made new goals and written myself a letter to start the new goals, and 3 months ago I wrote those goals and to finish strong with no regrets:) I love the people of Paraguay and I want them to know it, and that their Heavenly Father also loves them, even more than they can imagine:)
One thing that I am really enjoying at this point of my mission is the new study guide of Preach My Gospel. This last week we have been able to study the atonement as a mission and it has made such a difference in our teaching and our contacts. We made a goal to talk about the atonement in every one of our contacts. Yesterday, we were making visits and we passed a house of a really active member who hadn't gone to church yesterday, and we decided to see why. We entered, and it turns out that last Wednesday a guy with a machete broke into her daughter's house and tried to kill them. We were like "oh my heck", but then we talked about the atonement, and we used the scripture Alma 7:11-12 to kind of explain what we wanted to say. This week of studying just the atonement has really helped me to understand it better, and how it can help us to keep going and keep enduring. We also read a talk by Elder Bednar, called, "The Atonement and Our Journey Of Mortality". Near the end it said something really awesome that I just loved. Something that we can apply to our daily lives. Enjoy, and I highly suggest reading the rest of the talk.
"The Savior has suffered not just for our iniquities but also for the inequality, the unfairness, the pain, the anguish, and the emotional distresses that so frequently beset us. There is no physical pain, no anguish of soul, no suffering of spirit, no infirmity or weakness that you or I ever experience during our mortal journey that the Savior did not experience first. You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, 'No one understands. No one knows'. No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burden before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can reach out, touch, succor—literally run to us—and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying upon only our own power."
When we feel like no one else understands what we are going through, when we feel like we are 100% alone, we have someone who had to go beneath everything and everyone so that He can lift us up again and give us that push that we need to start up. I love the Atonement, and I love the effects that it has on our lives and on the lives of everyone. It is pretty shweet:) I love you all and hope that you have a good week!!!
Love,
Hermana Farish
Monday, November 9, 2015
The Word "Comfortable"
The word "comfortable" is a very, very dangerous word, one that should never be mentioned when you are near transfer week, because Heavenly Father then makes the decision to make you less comfortable. Unfortunately, I think that is normal, so we will see what happens throughout the eternities.
We had transfers, and I stayed here in Salado!!! WOHOO!!! and the Hermana Cordova went next door to Juan de Salazar, same zone, so we will see each other a lot. She was so awesome and I am so excited to see her grow and change.
I received my new comp, Hermana Fardos. She is my first American comp, so it is really weird to speak English all of the time. My English is getting better though, so don't worry:) She came about a month after I did, and so she and I will be finishing at almost the same time. She is AWESOME and is so energetic, she will keep me running until the end;)
This week, our whole entire mission began to study a Preach My Gospel with a personalized study guide, made by President McMullin and his wife. It is so awesome. This week we have been studying chapter one, and the power of our callings. It helped me to realize how it is that I can change and teach by the Spirit, with the Lord supporting me in every way. I have been able to feel like that on my mission, and I know that it is possible. By reading your emails and letters, I have also been able to see the ways in which the Lord is supporting and helping you. I know that He is always here, and that even though it seems like we are alone, that is so never true. never never never.
One thing that I thought was interesting this week was that it was just different. I had so gotten used to just giving 100% and focusing on my area, and my companion was admitted to the hospital on Thursday until Saturday, with bed rest Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It was interesting to see the trials that the Lord sometimes gives us, especially if we are "comfortable". If you look at your life right now and you see yourself as comfortable...hold on about a week and then look again. It is how we grow and progress towards exaltation. For example, the church put out the policy this week on gay marriage, and I read the interview, and it looks like they did it because there were a lot of people who were comfortable, kind of in the gray area. Well, from what I hear, this new policy has made a lot of people UNcomfortable, because they need to choose which side they are on. They can't be comfortable in the middle. That is definitely something I have learned in the past year. If you have a comfort zone, you need to look at what is included and see if the Lord could be in there too. Kind of interesting to think about.
Our ward is doing fine, the elders had transfers and the new district leader that came is AWESome, so I hope that things will continue to progress. Our investigators are doing okay, Luis is going strong, but we do have an investigator that only comes to church for the economic help. He is blind, and his mom is totally using him to get more help from the church. We know it is wrong, and we will see what happens when the batpismal interview comes around. The district leader will have to be the one to tell him the bad news. que pucha.
Also, a huge miracle was that Hermano Arrua came to church!!! His wife was SOOO happy, (she is a recent convert). She has been trying and trying and TRYING to get him to at least try, and he came!! We are going to work with them so that in one year this family can get to the temple and get sealed!!! AAAHHHHH #familiaseternas.
I love you all so much and I hope that you have a good week!!
Love,
Hermana Farish
We had transfers, and I stayed here in Salado!!! WOHOO!!! and the Hermana Cordova went next door to Juan de Salazar, same zone, so we will see each other a lot. She was so awesome and I am so excited to see her grow and change.
I received my new comp, Hermana Fardos. She is my first American comp, so it is really weird to speak English all of the time. My English is getting better though, so don't worry:) She came about a month after I did, and so she and I will be finishing at almost the same time. She is AWESOME and is so energetic, she will keep me running until the end;)
This week, our whole entire mission began to study a Preach My Gospel with a personalized study guide, made by President McMullin and his wife. It is so awesome. This week we have been studying chapter one, and the power of our callings. It helped me to realize how it is that I can change and teach by the Spirit, with the Lord supporting me in every way. I have been able to feel like that on my mission, and I know that it is possible. By reading your emails and letters, I have also been able to see the ways in which the Lord is supporting and helping you. I know that He is always here, and that even though it seems like we are alone, that is so never true. never never never.
One thing that I thought was interesting this week was that it was just different. I had so gotten used to just giving 100% and focusing on my area, and my companion was admitted to the hospital on Thursday until Saturday, with bed rest Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It was interesting to see the trials that the Lord sometimes gives us, especially if we are "comfortable". If you look at your life right now and you see yourself as comfortable...hold on about a week and then look again. It is how we grow and progress towards exaltation. For example, the church put out the policy this week on gay marriage, and I read the interview, and it looks like they did it because there were a lot of people who were comfortable, kind of in the gray area. Well, from what I hear, this new policy has made a lot of people UNcomfortable, because they need to choose which side they are on. They can't be comfortable in the middle. That is definitely something I have learned in the past year. If you have a comfort zone, you need to look at what is included and see if the Lord could be in there too. Kind of interesting to think about.
Our ward is doing fine, the elders had transfers and the new district leader that came is AWESome, so I hope that things will continue to progress. Our investigators are doing okay, Luis is going strong, but we do have an investigator that only comes to church for the economic help. He is blind, and his mom is totally using him to get more help from the church. We know it is wrong, and we will see what happens when the batpismal interview comes around. The district leader will have to be the one to tell him the bad news. que pucha.
I love you all so much and I hope that you have a good week!!
Love,
Hermana Farish
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| Erin's District |
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| Erin with her companion in the hospital |
Monday, November 2, 2015
Craziness of my life...
This week was crazy. Now that I think about it, I say that a lot. Like every email. But that is because it is true.
This week it rained almost every day, which was wonderful, because we don't have air conditioning.
We also had divisions, and I went to Limpio with Hermana Wiscombe, and Hermana Cordova stayed in Salado. She was really nervous, because Thursdays are our more heavy duty days, but she did great. I learned so much in my division with Hermana Wiscombe. She is a wonderful example of a consecrated missionary. I have a lot to improve. I also got FRIED. Like a lobster. Seriously, I think I am going to come home a different race at the rate I am going.
We also had an open house in the church, and it went really well, apart from the fact that it rained, so there wasn't a whole lot of people, but one woman came that the hermanas contacted in the street, and she said that she came because she wanted to know why it was called the Church of Jesus Christ. She had a lot of amazing questions but she lives in the area of the elders, so they have the privilege of talking with her again.
You asked about the temple. I miss it A LOT. Once a year is not nearly enough for me. I miss the peace that we can feel when we are inside. Two of my converts entered the temple to do baptisms for the first time, and it was so fun to hear them talk about how they felt and how they want their whole entire family to enter and feel and see for themselves. I miss it, I need a recharge...the temple always helped me to keep going.
It hasn't been so hot this week, it has stayed in the 80s, low 90s, so it has been really nice.
Last week I was so scatterbrained. I didn't ever think that my brain would be split like it was into like 10,000,000 pieces...our p-days are pretty low key, especially today, because there is a huge strike with the buses, so we are pretty limited as to where we can go.
That is fun about Jake and his new job, and about the dating thing, although that is slightly scary. Okay, like a lot scary. I hope that Abby plays volleyball, I want to be able to play with her when I get back.
The changes in the people here are sometimes so small that you don't notice. But they are there. And sometimes they don't want to push themselves to be able to get into exaltation, but at least they improved a little. I am having some weird deja vu moments...like what was I doing last year at this time..we are almost to Christmas!! Less than two months until I can see your face, and I am so excited!
Here they don't celebrate Halloween, because there is a lot of dark, weird Satanic stuff that happens, so they don't send their kids around to trick or treat.
This Sunday was really good for me. It was one of the most spiritual testimony meetings that I have experienced in all of my mission. All of the missionaries gave their testimonies, and the Spirit was so incredibly strong. Afterwards, we were waiting for ward council to start and I thought about how much I love these people. They aren't perfect, none of us are, but I love them so much. I thought about that moment in 3ish months and was like...this is going to be a struggle, and I started to cry a little...(yeah, shocker). But hey, that is how it needs to be. Dangit.
I love you all so much and I hope that you have a good week!
Love,
Hermana Farish
This week it rained almost every day, which was wonderful, because we don't have air conditioning.
We also had divisions, and I went to Limpio with Hermana Wiscombe, and Hermana Cordova stayed in Salado. She was really nervous, because Thursdays are our more heavy duty days, but she did great. I learned so much in my division with Hermana Wiscombe. She is a wonderful example of a consecrated missionary. I have a lot to improve. I also got FRIED. Like a lobster. Seriously, I think I am going to come home a different race at the rate I am going.
We also had an open house in the church, and it went really well, apart from the fact that it rained, so there wasn't a whole lot of people, but one woman came that the hermanas contacted in the street, and she said that she came because she wanted to know why it was called the Church of Jesus Christ. She had a lot of amazing questions but she lives in the area of the elders, so they have the privilege of talking with her again.
You asked about the temple. I miss it A LOT. Once a year is not nearly enough for me. I miss the peace that we can feel when we are inside. Two of my converts entered the temple to do baptisms for the first time, and it was so fun to hear them talk about how they felt and how they want their whole entire family to enter and feel and see for themselves. I miss it, I need a recharge...the temple always helped me to keep going.
It hasn't been so hot this week, it has stayed in the 80s, low 90s, so it has been really nice.
Last week I was so scatterbrained. I didn't ever think that my brain would be split like it was into like 10,000,000 pieces...our p-days are pretty low key, especially today, because there is a huge strike with the buses, so we are pretty limited as to where we can go.
That is fun about Jake and his new job, and about the dating thing, although that is slightly scary. Okay, like a lot scary. I hope that Abby plays volleyball, I want to be able to play with her when I get back.
The changes in the people here are sometimes so small that you don't notice. But they are there. And sometimes they don't want to push themselves to be able to get into exaltation, but at least they improved a little. I am having some weird deja vu moments...like what was I doing last year at this time..we are almost to Christmas!! Less than two months until I can see your face, and I am so excited!
Here they don't celebrate Halloween, because there is a lot of dark, weird Satanic stuff that happens, so they don't send their kids around to trick or treat.
This Sunday was really good for me. It was one of the most spiritual testimony meetings that I have experienced in all of my mission. All of the missionaries gave their testimonies, and the Spirit was so incredibly strong. Afterwards, we were waiting for ward council to start and I thought about how much I love these people. They aren't perfect, none of us are, but I love them so much. I thought about that moment in 3ish months and was like...this is going to be a struggle, and I started to cry a little...(yeah, shocker). But hey, that is how it needs to be. Dangit.
I love you all so much and I hope that you have a good week!
Love,
Hermana Farish
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| Fresh bread and dulce de leche...hmmm! |
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| Halloween witches in Paraguay. |
Monday, October 26, 2015
Short
This week slightly...was interesting.
Again we had to drop a few people, it turns out that they weren't going for the right reasons.
Y...eso no mas. We are working, it rained like crazy today and it was wonderfully cool. Apart from that we had a pretty normal, slightly odd week.
Short but shweet!! I love you all and have a good week!!
Love,
Hermana Farish
Again we had to drop a few people, it turns out that they weren't going for the right reasons.
Y...eso no mas. We are working, it rained like crazy today and it was wonderfully cool. Apart from that we had a pretty normal, slightly odd week.
Short but shweet!! I love you all and have a good week!!
Love,
Hermana Farish
Monday, October 19, 2015
Still In Shock...
So, this week was nuts. With a capital NUTS. We had a lot of miracles happen, and we were able to kind of recharge.
To start off, we have weekly planning every Friday, and last Friday (1 week ago) we decided to call and set times for the members to make visits with us. We were able to go out with a member every single day this week, and let me tell you, it made the difference. We were able to go and visit a sister called Margarita. Margarita has a 19 year old daughter with severe special needs, and has been wanting to go to church, but we haven't been able to find transport. This last week we were able to go there with the RS president, who saw the needs of Margarita and this week the two of them were able to come to church. She was so happy, and I love talking with her daughter. She hasn't been able to receive treatments, and her spine is basically doubling in half. She understands basically everything that you tell her, but is shut up in her body. She is so innocent and special, and I know that Heavenly Father loves her so much.
This last weekend we were fasting, and I don't know what made this fast different or what...but it was great. The huge unexpected shocking heart attack of my life was when we were told the attendance on Sunday was 127 people, 44 people more than usual. Seriously, after last week we were surprised to see so many people. We knew that member involvement was going to help, but wow, mucho:) Our companionship attendance goal since July has been 120, and we finally got it. And the best part was that everyone was involved, and we now have 80 more missionaries to help us out. I was thinking the other day, sometimes we are trying to do things right, and we don't see the effects right away, but we were able to see the effects of 3 months of work, and I am so happy to finally see them:)
We have a really special investigator named Danny. He is the son of an inactive and is 25 years old. A few years ago, he didn't want anything to do with the church. But 2 years ago he had an awful motorcycle accident, and his forehead was literally caved in and now he is blind. He couldn't walk and about 3 months ago he took his first step. We went to this home for the first time with a member (he was a reference) and his mom (inactive) let us in. His mom is really kind of..a...bitter lady, but, when Danny said the last prayer, his mom just began to cry. Danny has some problems with autism now, but he remembers every single thing that we teach him. On Sunday his mom told us that Danny had woken up that morning and told his mom, we need to go to church. So, he, with his mom, walked to a member's home and from there the members took them. #miraclenumbertwo.
Life is going well here in Paraguay. So crazy. Haha, last Monday I received a call from the mission secretary...his question was "What will be your final destination?" I was slightly confused (dork that I am) and asked...em...eternally or what? And then I realized what he was asking - flipping St. George, Utah. Time is going by so so so so fast, and it is slightly freaky. But whatever, I'm cool with that. I think I will finish here in Salado, which I am totally fine with. There is so much work to be done. Something that I am finding, though, is that I am tired. This week I got super sunburned, and that took me down a notch. I was just weary. But then we fasted and all was well.
But, you know, life goes on, and we are going to see if we can maintain it. But it was a good week, transfers in two weeks...si o si we are going to have transfers, so we will see what happens:) I love you and hope that you have a good week!
Love,
Hermana Farish
To start off, we have weekly planning every Friday, and last Friday (1 week ago) we decided to call and set times for the members to make visits with us. We were able to go out with a member every single day this week, and let me tell you, it made the difference. We were able to go and visit a sister called Margarita. Margarita has a 19 year old daughter with severe special needs, and has been wanting to go to church, but we haven't been able to find transport. This last week we were able to go there with the RS president, who saw the needs of Margarita and this week the two of them were able to come to church. She was so happy, and I love talking with her daughter. She hasn't been able to receive treatments, and her spine is basically doubling in half. She understands basically everything that you tell her, but is shut up in her body. She is so innocent and special, and I know that Heavenly Father loves her so much.
This last weekend we were fasting, and I don't know what made this fast different or what...but it was great. The huge unexpected shocking heart attack of my life was when we were told the attendance on Sunday was 127 people, 44 people more than usual. Seriously, after last week we were surprised to see so many people. We knew that member involvement was going to help, but wow, mucho:) Our companionship attendance goal since July has been 120, and we finally got it. And the best part was that everyone was involved, and we now have 80 more missionaries to help us out. I was thinking the other day, sometimes we are trying to do things right, and we don't see the effects right away, but we were able to see the effects of 3 months of work, and I am so happy to finally see them:)
We have a really special investigator named Danny. He is the son of an inactive and is 25 years old. A few years ago, he didn't want anything to do with the church. But 2 years ago he had an awful motorcycle accident, and his forehead was literally caved in and now he is blind. He couldn't walk and about 3 months ago he took his first step. We went to this home for the first time with a member (he was a reference) and his mom (inactive) let us in. His mom is really kind of..a...bitter lady, but, when Danny said the last prayer, his mom just began to cry. Danny has some problems with autism now, but he remembers every single thing that we teach him. On Sunday his mom told us that Danny had woken up that morning and told his mom, we need to go to church. So, he, with his mom, walked to a member's home and from there the members took them. #miraclenumbertwo.
Life is going well here in Paraguay. So crazy. Haha, last Monday I received a call from the mission secretary...his question was "What will be your final destination?" I was slightly confused (dork that I am) and asked...em...eternally or what? And then I realized what he was asking - flipping St. George, Utah. Time is going by so so so so fast, and it is slightly freaky. But whatever, I'm cool with that. I think I will finish here in Salado, which I am totally fine with. There is so much work to be done. Something that I am finding, though, is that I am tired. This week I got super sunburned, and that took me down a notch. I was just weary. But then we fasted and all was well.
But, you know, life goes on, and we are going to see if we can maintain it. But it was a good week, transfers in two weeks...si o si we are going to have transfers, so we will see what happens:) I love you and hope that you have a good week!
Love,
Hermana Farish
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| Really, Really Tired |
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| I Love Empanadas! |
Monday, October 12, 2015
The Sweetest Moments
This week, to be downright honest, was one of the hardest weeks of my mission. For the first half of the week, it was 100ish degrees, and since Thursday it has been raining, and we have to have raincoats and sweaters. Bipolar, seriously.
We were kind of bummed, there were a lot of people this week that we had to drop, and at one point we just looked at each other and were like...??? What the heck are we supposed to say to that?? For example:
We contacted a lady named Emilce like 3 weeks ago, and we have been talking with her ever since, she just doesn't go to church. We went to her house again on Thursday and she answered the door with huge purple bruises all over her body. We were like...oh flip. She let us in and then promptly told us that she doesn't believe in God anymore, because what kind of God would let her husband abuse her like that? If He is all powerful and all knowing, why didn't He do anything? She said that she has decided that if her husband comes back, she won't be responsible for what she is going to do to him. I honestly thought to myself, "I got nothing." Its like I know that He loves us, and sometimes we don't understand why we have to go through some trials, but she didn't want any of it. It made us so sad, and we can't let it get us down, but just the same. We will go back next week after it dies down a little and see what we can do.
I have been thinking about the whole attributes of Christ thing, I think we are sent to different areas to learn, develop, and strengthen certain attributes. For example, in Palma Loma I learned humility, patience, and love. In Salado, faith, diligence, and obedience. The hard part is keeping the other ones strong while we are developing new ones...dangit. But that is just how it goes, I think.
We finally got to the end of this week, and it ended so wonderfully with Alejandro's baptism. Seriously, this kid is going to do something awesome, like reactivate his whole family. We taught them about tithing on Wednesday, and his mom told us on Friday that Alejandro asked her if he could wash the dishes, but that she would have to pay him so that he could pay his tithing:) We giggled a little:) It was freezing cold and raining buckets Saturday night, but we still had like 30 people at the baptism, with the entire family of Alejandro. The spirit was so strong, and the mom was so happy. She told us that we were "una grande bendicion para su familia." Sincere compliments like that don't come very often, so that was really nice. It was such a good feeling to see them all there for the first time in 15ish years.
After Alejandro was baptized, we were waiting outside the bathroom with his mom, and she just started to cry. It kind of shocked us a little bit, because she is someone who is really closed, she doesn't really ever show her emotions. We gave her a hug, and she told us that Alejandro had told her that his new goal is to get his dad to go back to church. SO....then WE started to cry, and I can honestly say that this moment was one of the sweetest of my mission. It made this whole last week worth it. I can't express how grateful I am to be here and witness the changes of heart that the Atonement can bring. It is so wonderful, and I am so happy. It stinks sometimes, but these sweet moments are what make it all worth it. I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, and I know that what we have will help whoever wants to receive it have a better life, full of sweet moments and tender mercies. I love you all and I hope that you have a good week!
Love,
Hermana Farish
We were kind of bummed, there were a lot of people this week that we had to drop, and at one point we just looked at each other and were like...??? What the heck are we supposed to say to that?? For example:
We contacted a lady named Emilce like 3 weeks ago, and we have been talking with her ever since, she just doesn't go to church. We went to her house again on Thursday and she answered the door with huge purple bruises all over her body. We were like...oh flip. She let us in and then promptly told us that she doesn't believe in God anymore, because what kind of God would let her husband abuse her like that? If He is all powerful and all knowing, why didn't He do anything? She said that she has decided that if her husband comes back, she won't be responsible for what she is going to do to him. I honestly thought to myself, "I got nothing." Its like I know that He loves us, and sometimes we don't understand why we have to go through some trials, but she didn't want any of it. It made us so sad, and we can't let it get us down, but just the same. We will go back next week after it dies down a little and see what we can do.
I have been thinking about the whole attributes of Christ thing, I think we are sent to different areas to learn, develop, and strengthen certain attributes. For example, in Palma Loma I learned humility, patience, and love. In Salado, faith, diligence, and obedience. The hard part is keeping the other ones strong while we are developing new ones...dangit. But that is just how it goes, I think.
We finally got to the end of this week, and it ended so wonderfully with Alejandro's baptism. Seriously, this kid is going to do something awesome, like reactivate his whole family. We taught them about tithing on Wednesday, and his mom told us on Friday that Alejandro asked her if he could wash the dishes, but that she would have to pay him so that he could pay his tithing:) We giggled a little:) It was freezing cold and raining buckets Saturday night, but we still had like 30 people at the baptism, with the entire family of Alejandro. The spirit was so strong, and the mom was so happy. She told us that we were "una grande bendicion para su familia." Sincere compliments like that don't come very often, so that was really nice. It was such a good feeling to see them all there for the first time in 15ish years.
After Alejandro was baptized, we were waiting outside the bathroom with his mom, and she just started to cry. It kind of shocked us a little bit, because she is someone who is really closed, she doesn't really ever show her emotions. We gave her a hug, and she told us that Alejandro had told her that his new goal is to get his dad to go back to church. SO....then WE started to cry, and I can honestly say that this moment was one of the sweetest of my mission. It made this whole last week worth it. I can't express how grateful I am to be here and witness the changes of heart that the Atonement can bring. It is so wonderful, and I am so happy. It stinks sometimes, but these sweet moments are what make it all worth it. I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, and I know that what we have will help whoever wants to receive it have a better life, full of sweet moments and tender mercies. I love you all and I hope that you have a good week!
Love,
Hermana Farish
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| Alejandro with his family at his baptism |
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