sorry i havent written in two weeks

sorry i havent written in two weeks but i expirienced a miracle with my brother writting me, thats been fun.

 

so lets see whats new. this week we found 7 new investigators! one family of three, a pair of brothers, a young mom, and the husband of an investigator. yesterday we were packed with lessons all day it was a miracle.

so we are still teaching the martinez girls and they are not going to be ready for the 9th so we pushed their date back to the 23rd, we asked them why and it is because they dont understand the book of mormon, even thou we read with htem everythime we go see them, it is not hte same because they need a guide at home teaching them how to lkive the gospel, os we had a little heart ot heart with the mother, about the importance of daily scripture study and family prayer, and bearing tesrimony to them of the truths of the gospel. she agreed. the girls are so smart and ready we did a re run fo rthe interview for batism and they believe everything they even talked about the importance of everthing like having a prophet and living hte commandments. We need to send y'all a picture of them, they are so cute! Their mom told them to pay more attention to the lessons and not be so giggly because the gospel is serioius stuff and they shouldnt be laughing so much when we teach them. then the girls told us that it is our fault because we make them laugh too much and  so we jokingly started acting serious, then they sat up straight and leaned in towards us, and were stroking their chins as if they were thinking and had straight faces on trying not to laugh, and we tried to teach them more seriously but it didn't work the whole situation was too funny.

 

so the women we are teaching who stays at home with her kids is reallly cool she is our age, and she grew up cathholic but she doesnt know anything about Christ or even how to pray. so its kinda cool because then as sh does those simple things like pray and read she will feel a big differenec in her life and her mind will be filled with understanding and she will feel the need to come unto Christ more fully. we taugh her the restoration and committed her to pray about it and she said she would, she gave a beautiful closing prayer and she thanked us for teaching her and resolved some of her concerns and for showing her how to pray , because now she will do it more often. she is very sincere.

 

next family was a family that i tti'd on the street once and went to try to teach htem a few times but were never home, so one night we had no planns and we had former investigators on our back up planns, so we decided to go visit, it was around 8:20 pm and we knocked and no one was home, but as we were about to leave they showed up back from their walk, so they invited us in, at first, not gonna lie it was sort of aquward, but then we just asked them questions and then the mom started telling us the issues she is having with her concieted son, who thinks he doesn't have to lift a finger because he is too handsome, and  he is only 11!! haha anyway more towards the end of our How to begin TEaching we started talking about church and all the fun things that the kids  will learn. He and his little 6 year old sister were super excited and begged their parents if they can go to church and they were totally fine with it, it was such a cool lesson because we got to ask them about what they want to learn about and we learned about their doubts and why they dont go ot a church, so now we know what to study for them for our next  lesson. our plan is to have the kids go, they will love it and this will then persuade their parents to come to church, it's brilliant!

 

if i sound like a TEXAN its not my fault it was sister Vargas :)

we are also teaching an amazing women who was a refferral from a member and thanks to her rightoeous example she wanted to learn more about the book of mormon, we  had a fantastic lesson at the members house and wow. the member taught her the ministry of christ the resroaraiton of the prieshood the book of mormon, the church's history, the first vision emma smith a whole bunch of stuff and even re comitted  her to pray about the lessons to see if they are true, so she said she will this was all after the lesson about the gospel, but becaue she made the comment about "it doesnt matter what churhc you go to as long as you have faith and live it its ok" my companion ans i were just so impressed and were glad she did in a beautiful confident was. it was amazing!! so we are hoping that she can feel better and recover from her lupus so she can come to church

Storm in Arizona

 flooded the whole poark and the parking lot and the palm tree snapped in half!!!!!

Baby Girl Funeral

Hello Amigos !!

well this week was a great one we had a lot of miracles and also a hard trial.

good news first or bad news?

 bad news: I got a call from the Zone Leaders from Papago they told me about my recent convert Genaro, well after church last Sunday they were coming home and I am not sure if they had been home for a while but his two year old princess was walking around in the  parking lot and a big truck made a fast sharp turn into the apartments and ran her over, and killed her. My former companion which lives with me and I were invited to attend the funeral. It was this last Saturday it was my first funeral I've ever been to, it was sad to see everyone crying, most of them weren't members of the church, therefore I feel that they probably didn't have the hope we do that they will one day see her again. I know that even for us it is still sad, even if we have this knowledge. It is a huge trial of our faith, but as President Uchdorf reminds us that this is only a mere interruption, for we weren't meant for endings, but death is the portal to the next life, and that later we will understand why things happen and these trials won't seem as long compared to all eternity we have  to share our lives with them. I am so grateful for the Plan God has for us.

As we stepped into the relief society room I saw her little light pink coffin, with her in it, she wore a white little dress and looked so pale. She was so cute and sassy, we know she is having the best life up there with heavenly Father.

I will  be writing him more often letters of comfort and of encouragement.

Good news: We have a family who hasn't been coming to church as much, but this month they decided to not sleep in and get up and go to church! so we asked if we can start teaching her unbaptized daughters, ages 9 and 12. The younger one seems more prepared. she pays more attention and actually reads and prays, the other is more difficult so we have to ask a lot of inspired questions, and  we have them explain what they understood, also we make the scriptures fun by applying it to their lives! we made all of our families a calendar for Scriptures that are 2 verses long with a theme, so they spend some time in the scriptures every  day. We are preparing them to be baptized on the 26th of this month.

This member also has a sister who is not a member and sometimes comes to church with them, she said she likes church, so afterwards I hunted her down and mingled with all of her family and then received the courage to ask her id she will be willing to learn more about the church. She said yes, but works everyday in the evenings so we scheduled an appointment for the morning. She is so funny and so pretty that she sort of intimidates me. She literally looks like Princess Jasmine, but prettier, goodness.  We have high hopes for this one.

We had a really fun Family home evening last night with our favorite less active family the Munizes, who is ironically the most loving, amazingly spiritual and sincerest family that I've ever met who were already members of the church. (sincere investigators are usually far more spiritual than most members) But they are always sharing their testimonies with their friends and were talking about faith and how much it helps their lives. Well we had the lesson on "Loving People Into the Gospel" they had tons of experiences to share and even referred a family to us and offered their home for the lessons!:D HURRAH! if you want to know why they are less active, to put it simply they have a hard time forgiving others and accepting that everyone makes mistakes, and revenge is necessary and also if they don't like you they cant stand being around you and rather not be in the same room as you because they will hurt you, well especially the wife.  So beware of pride and forgive people and pray for your enemies and ask for Charity and Patience during your prayers.

LOVE YOU!

thanks for the prayers!

fun apartment bonding photos

yes we look like a hunchbacked three headed beast

this other photo was a fun homemade egg white exfoliation treatment ;)

Happy 4th of July Weekend!!

HElLo Everyone!!! how was everyones fourth of july weekend? cool story we got to stay out and watch fireworks till 10:30 and talk to people as we watched them! it was the best!! that day we also had a zone BBQ at the apartment  complex we all live at.  here are some pictures: and don't make fun of how much heavier I've gotten





hey sorry I didn't have time to write ya'll but here is what I wrote to our Mission President

the good thing is that it was only 100 degress outside

hey President

this week has been rough. I am not as happy because people keep letting us down. We have been doing our best to bring members out with us to confirmed appointments and we show up and people aren't home. WE had this referral that we contacted and she had a baby who died after being a month old and so we thought of the Canales family who is going through a very difficult trial, their 12 year old daughter has cancer and so we thought they would be the perfect family for them. but they weren't home. and so it has happened a few times this week with different members and potentials. WE have been talking to everyone and even teaching on the spot if they aren't to busy, but when we go back they aren't home. We honestly feel like we are working so hard and yet we aren't seeing any fruits. I know love plus patience will bring about miracles, I don't mean to be a downer President but I just don't want you to think we aren't working as hard because of what our numbers show. I know that Heavenly Father is aware of me and my efforts and I pray that he can let me know what more I can do in his vineyard, I just need a bit more faith and trust in the lords promises. We've also been doing facebook finding, I wish you can be there for some of those getting our members to do it is so hard and we literally have to ask the same question about if we can look at their page several times in less than a minute. Because before they even look at their page they automatically say they don't know anyone, and all you know all the classic excuses. But we are being persistent.

Other than that we had a miracle happen my recent convert Rey Dominguez is being the best member missionary I have met. He has been sharing the gospel with all his friends and acquaintances, he even took us to a family that said would like to learn more and he set up the appointment for us, and he was present for the lesson and bore a sincere humble testimony on how the gospel has changed his perspective on life and is now a much more positive person, and treat others with more kindness and patience especially his own family, he also talks about how The Book of Mormon helps him get nearer to God. They looked fascinated by his testimony. We told you that we fell in love with them. then the elders called us and apparently changed their mind and asked us if they can teach them. I did express my feelings in how I felt that we had put in the work by teaching the importance of sharing the gospel, even though it was natural for him, and how I wanted to be a part of his missionary efforts. and how we felt it was a blessing for us for all the work we've done, to be able to teach this family. But my companion and I talked about it, and since he really wanted to teach them we decided it was better to let them, since all we really do care about is that this family progresses in the gospel and find the joy therein. We know the Lord will bless us for it and continue to help the other members do the same.

Thank you so much for all you both do for all of us! we love you!

 

Church News!

President Sweeney:

this makes me angry, which means I wont be able to use an I-pad  as a missionary. it would've been so much easier. everything else makes me happy tho :)

SALT LAKE CITY — Though the record number of LDS missionaries serving around the world will peak in the fall and then recede somewhat, convert baptisms are increasing and more missionaries soon will be using digital devices to help with their work.

A pilot program has shown that use of iPad Minis by missionaries improved their work and study, and the devices will be used in all missions in North America, Japan and western Europe beginning this fall, the executive director of the LDS Missionary Department said Wednesday in a wide-ranging, videotaped interview released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elder David F. Evans, also a member of the faith's First Quorum of the Seventy, said the devices will be used by about 32,000 Mormon missionaries in 162 of the church's 405 missions.

The church will ask missionaries in those areas to pay for their iPads, which will be their property during and after their missions, at a cost of $400 apiece.

Evans said the church, as of Wednesday, had 85,593 missionaries serving, up from the previously publicized record of 85,039 in April.

He said the missionary department anticipates the number to rise to 88,000 this fall before starting to decrease.

LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson precipitated the dramatic two-year surge in missionary numbers when in October 2012 he lowered the age requirement from 19 to 18 years old for male missionaries and from 21 to 19 for women

Elder Evans, who called the surge "one of the greatest faith-inspiring things I've ever seen," said the church expects the number of missionaries will eventually settle somewhere in the high 70,000s, well above the 58,000 serving at the time of President Monson's announcement.

"We don't believe we're ever going back to the 50,000s," Elder Evans said.

About 64 percent of the church's full-time missionaries are young adult men, 28 percent are women and 8 percent are senior missionaries.

"We believe the young people of this church will continue to say yes to missionary service, and they'll continue to choose to become young disciples of Christ," Elder Evans said. "For them it's an absolute free-will offering to the Lord and to their fellow man."

He also spoke about convert baptisms and missionary safety.

"Every month, if you compare month over month, the baptisms are up," Elder Evans said. "Right now for this year, there's about an overall 15 percent increase in the number of convert baptisms this year compared to a comparable period last year."

Elder Evans said missionaries now are being asked to have a "safety moment" at the beginning of each day, an effort to increase their sensitivity to safety issues after several injuries and deaths among missionaries made news, particularly last year.

Those incidents remain few compared to the general U.S. population of 18- to 21-year-olds.

"It is by far the safest place for any young single adult to be that I'm aware of," Elder Evans said. "I've read statistics that suggest being on a mission may be as many as 20 times safer than being generally out in the population."

A pilot program put iPad Minis in the hands of about 6,500 missionaries in 30 missions in the United States and Japan, as well as with sister missionaries in most LDS visitors centers. Elder Evans described four lessons learned by church leaders.

First, missionaries were very comfortable and capable using the devices. Second, the devices increased the reading and studying done by the missionaries. Third, they were effective planning tools. Fourth, they helped missionaries communicate better with local church leaders, mission leaders and investigators. 

first week of the new Transfer

hello everyone. well we've had a pretty good week we have two new investigators. the first is Pola she is from Mexico, she lives with a member and she took her to church one day and she liked the classes more than sacrament meeting, well because that day was fast and testimony meeting and she didn't enjoy it because she affirms the same conviction for her church being true. It didn't make much sense to her in that manner. Anyway she only goes to church when she is in Mexico, she is of some branch of Christianity. We think since we are Christian too she should come to our church because it is closer. However, she likes to go visit her family on the weekends since she works all day 5 times a week as a maid for the member., even though it means that she is slowly distancing herself from God. We taught her the restoration and it was great except she went off on a lot of tangents, but we didn't want to interrupt her, and tried the best we could to relate it to what we wanted her to understand like Joseph smith being a Prophet and how much God loves us that he will give us a guide in these days as in the days of old and asked her to meditate on that that knowledge can mean to her in her life. Since we know that reading and gaining a testimony of the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon to be the word of God is essential in knowing if everything else about the church is also true, we tried to have her know what it is and how it can help her in her life. She doesn't want to read anything else but the bible, and believes we "praise" Joseph Smith even after we explained that he was only an instrument in the lords hands to bring His  complete church back on earth. We decided that our next lesson would be to show her how the Bible and The Book of Mormon work together, and also answer her list of questions so we can research them together. It'll be fun we are excited :D They are both really sweet ladies they even gave us fresh eggs from their chickens and offered to show us how to cook tamales and homemade flour tortillas!!! yum

we also did service for the Muniz family wow they are splendid!! her here are some pictures

we taught a women named Beatriz she is a sweet sweet lady about late fifties. we went over to visit her and she told  us to come in so we came in and she told us to wait, so we were in the living room waiting awkwardly while she was being shown a presentation from a Cutco Rep in her kitchen. I took a peek to see who she was talking to. at first I didn't know it was for kitchen knives I thought she was buying a  weapon and planning a savage murder attack, so I thought this lady is probable a psycho and what have we gotten ourselves into?! but then after waiting and waiting some more I asked my companion if we should leave, she told me perhaps so I asked sister how long will you take, would you like us to come back a different day? she said yes I will probably be done in about 45minutes,so yes come back a different day please. weird right? if I didn't ask her she would've just had us waiting, haha people are so funny. so we went back a different day and did a get to know you /how to begin teaching. She loves Mormons because one time she was invited to go to a baptism and everybody went out of their way to introduce themselves to her and we so friendly, she said that that is the way we all need to love one another. She lost a 24 year old son and so we told her how this message will fill her with hope. she seems happier when we left, she said she will get baptized only if she gets a confirmation that it is true. Hurrah for Israel!! 

then we got feed a feast for break fast conchas( Mexican sweet bread) and pizza and tortas aka big Mexican grilled sandwhiches,,, so yum!

Transfer News and Some Fun in the Sun!

 You will never guess what President called me to do! I just got training a missionary for three months, now Sister Baros is off to train herself and becoming a sister training leader, oh I'm so proud of my baby! that same day she also had a heat flash and was so thirsty but she only had to go to the bathroom tons of times and still l couldn't quench her thirst, then I had her lay down and put some peppermint on her and another sister put her wrists in ice cold water, then we asked her if she was ok but she started crying, haha I remember that feeling you just sort of get a bit delusional and have emotional waves, but don't worry this happened a bit before she got her new assignments. then president told me that I would be training a new missionary as well, crazy. Im excited tho, although I wanted to be with an experienced missionary but I also see the benefits from training, especially to continue to put into extra practice all the awesome stuff ive learned with my last with a fresh new moldable companion. Plus I know this is a sacred trust from the Lord, he knew that I would do my best and that I will help her become a powerful missionary, which then will be beneficial to the whole mission because we all influence on each other and learn from one another, I know that as I do my best just as I did with Hermana baros they will become great leaders and be great examples of humility and love for others. The lord has so much in mind for me, I cant wait to see the trails that await us these next few transfers, because although they are hard and at times not pleasing they are learned from and we are more converted as we rely on the saviors teachings.

hello my friends these are some pictures of the last sisterhood night with all my house mates, the really gorgeous one is sister Garrett, I also trained her.

Temple Trip!!

yesterday after our lunch break we received a call from a man who got our number from a member that he is staying with. He asked us if he can get a priesthood blessing because he wasn't very good and was about to give up on his faith. He told us that he was baptized as a Mormon and hasn't come to church in a rally long time. He said Ill try o be here when you get here. So we rushed and picked up the elders and went over to his house. he wasn't there and so we waited for like 40 minutes we were talking to the member and she told us that he might be drinking with her husband and when she went out we were came to a conclusion that we cant give a drunk man  a priesthood blessing. He walked in the door and  introduced himself and I thought for a second to tell him to sit down and talk with us, but I dint take action. The elders told him that we would like to comeback a different day when he was sober. He said that "well if that is the way it works alright then." and walked out the door. we all left the house and walked by him while he was siting outside and said bye and took off, all five of us without offering to help him or listen.  We all felt bad about it but it didn't even cross our minds to just listen to him before we judged him and turned him away. Well he called us as soon as we parked out side of our apartments. He expressed his feelings on how sad and how much it hurt him to see  that we didn't even show that we cared. As  missionaries we are not going to turn away from people just because they have family problems, addictions, or broken hearts . You will listen to them and show compassion and try to help them. I don't even care about me, but I just wanted to tell you that you just cant do that to people, they need your help. As he was telling us all this it cut us all to the very core. he went on to say that I never ask anyone for anything  ever and  this was a huge step for me to want to ask for help from the church and I feel that God hasn't answered my prayers and when I saw that you left it confirmed to me that God isn't there. So we repented and apologized to him and told him that we are imperfect humans and missionaries and we shouldn't have judged you without getting to know you first and if Christ himself would've visited you, he wouldn't have turned you away but would've listened to you and loved you regardless. We, as his representatives, didn't live up to that name we wear on our badge. Nevertheless, we thanked him for showing his faith and humbling himself enough that he asked for help and for loving us enough to want to teach us this great life lesson about compassion. We asked if he can give us another opportunity to come back and show to him that we care about him. He was so happy to hear that and gladly accepted. We went back and opened up to us and we all shared personal experiences with him about faith and how God is always there and how he has helped us in our difficulties.  He really appreciated the tears we shed to express how God has helped us and to do it in front of others because that showed him that we cared. He talked about how ever since he left the church no one even cared and it would be nice if when I died someone will remember me and wanted to cry. No one in this world he said wants to be alone, no one to talk to and to not feel loved, all I can ask for is to have someone care about me. Then an elder offered him a hug and he said of coarse and they hugged, he was overcome by so much love and started to cry, even said that his heart skipped a beat. I was right next to them as this happened, so I tried to avoid the situation and walked away quickly, with my head tilted to the side, to the other side of the living room and my companion acted as a magnet right behind me and asked: "where are you going"

"we can't hug him I'm just trying to get away."

so she sat down and he came towards her with his arms extended and she extended her hand to shake his and said "sorry I can't hug you." and one of his arms came down to his side as he gracefully kept his other arm up to shake her hand and said "I know". Then we all shook his hand, but the love in that room was so strong and all I wanted to do was hug him and cry with him. Which would've been appropriate, but I wimped out.

we taught my mommy this week about the importance of setting goals in life and ponder about the things that you do now and how it effects your future. also shared 2 nefi 4 and related nefi's experience with hers. WE are going to teach her again in a month or so just to let her ponder on what we've been teaching her, and let her make the choice on her own.

we have learned so much this week about love and I had the best companionship inventory in the history of my mission on Friday it was so edifying and we recognize how far we have come, and how she was an answer to my prayers of wanting to be more converted unto Christ, and how together we've been able to learn effective communication and unity. Its was a very sacred moment we shared together and I love her.