March 24, 2015

Hi family!  And you will never guess... I was transferred and I am back in Parana right now!  I was given the assignment to be an  Hermana Capacitadora (which means sister training leader) so I will be doing divisions and I am really excited to do it.

March 16, 2015

Hola!

Oookay... humility is such an important thing in conversion!  I believe that pride is literally the only thing that stands in our way between us and Eternal Life.  It gets in the way of EVERYTHING.

  C.S. Lewis says “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes youproud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.”Mere Christianity

I have had the opportunity of meeting people who are truly humble.  They fear God more than they fear man.  They give everything they have, even when blessings for their sacrifices cannot be seen.  People who place TEN PESOS in a tithing slip... meaning they earn ten dollars a month for a family of 5.  People who work all night long on Saturday, come to church and fulfil their callings on Sunday, and thank God for the opportunity they have to be there.  I want to cry just thinking about these amazing people.

But I also have met very prideful people.  It is something that everyone has a little bit of. I have a TON of it and seem to find more and more each day.  But, I have seen that it is what stands between almost all of our investigators, and baptism.  Therefore, our investigators, and Eternal Life.  We often ask people to imagine their Eternal Life and what it will be like.  We discuss how we think it may be... colors, animals, food, people, music. And then ask the question, "And what are you willing to do to achieve this?" I am thinking right now of an investigator in specific, and we will call him Juan. Juan has a family that are all members... His wive is the primary president and she is amazing.  He is not a member, and does not know how to read.  We have a family home evening with them every week, and work with him little by little.  We have had some very beautiful and amazing spiritual experiences together.  He even had an interview with Presidente Zanni, the mission president, and in which he cried the entire time for strength of the spirit and said that he knew this was the true and everlasting church.... only to deny everything afterwards.

This is just one example of many.  But I hope that we can all CHOOSE to be humble.  They are such an amazing family... we will keep working and searching for new people. We have yet to find those chosen... but we are working on it!

March 9, 2015

Hola familia!

We had a great and exhausting week!  But, I am learning a good lesson.

Never complain about an oportunity to serve.

I am trying to get better at this in life. That`s what Satan did... complained about helping others and tried to hurry and get up the mountain by himself.  But, Jesus Christ took His time and helped EVERY ONE OF US

up the mountain.  We need to help Him in His work.

Okay... an experience from this week.  Well, it was a bit rough because we ended up losing all of our investigators that we had.  No one really wants us to come back... so we are working a lot on finding new people.  But, one of the people we are working with is Luciana.  She is a member that hasn`t gone to church in many years and is 30 years old with the world`s cutest seven year old girl named Sofia.  They are so amazing, and want us to come over everyday hahah.  But we have been able to establish many good relationships between her and the other members... so now she has lots of friends and church and is making a lot of drastic changes in her life.  I will snap a picture and send it next week.

It is always in the slower times when you find the littlest things to be greatful for, and I am so grateful for that!

Love you all!

Hermana Eleanor Briggs

March 2, 2015

Okay so I had an amazing week and I will share a sweet experience with you!  

On Saturday we went to visit Fabiana and Daniela, two girls that are in the Young Womens.  They were recently baptized but haven`t been going to church.  There parents are not baptized, and we have been teaching there mom, Soldedad, lately.   When we walked into their house, we entered into a very long conversation with the godfather who had been drinking a lot lately.  Easy to say it was very interesting and I may have burst out laughing during it as he tried to talk to Hermana Strong, who-- being new-- couldn`t understand much.  It can be really hard to understand drunk people!  

Once we removed the disected pig that was laying out on table, waiting to be made into an Argentine Asado (so yummy... but I like chicken not chancho) we sat down and talked to Soledad.  We told them that if they didn`t come to church in the first hour, we were going to look for them.  Because Jesus Christ is sad when we don`t come to Him and renew our covenants that we have made, because we are not using the amazing grace and gift of the Atonement, and we cannot have His spirit to be with us.

They said they would be there.

Fast forward to church, and they aren`t there.  We call and they say that they will just review with us later what happened.

So we left to go and look for them.

 

And it began to rain.  HARD.  Argentine Rain!!  And it was pouring as we walked to there house on the far side of town, and we look at each other and have WHITE shirts on.  hahahah it was so funny... we were drenched.

We finally get to their house.  And they answer.  "Hola, can we come in?" we politely asked as it poured over our heads and we stood in puddles in our shoes.  They just stood there with their jaws dropped open.  Hahah it was so much fun.  I LOVE BRINGING PEOPLE TO CHURCH.

We called a taxi to come and bring us to church, and together we all entered the Sacrament Room.  Drenched and cold but so happy and warm with the spirit.  Outside the streets were flooding, but we sat and listened to the beautiful testimonies that were born and were so grateful for the gospel in our lives.

After, Fabiana hugged us tight.  And she said, "That was huge sacrifice you did for us.  Thank you so much."  It was a beautiful moment.  I LOVE THE WORK OF SALVATION.  I am going to do it my whole life.  So look out any future friends our neighbors that think they won`t be going to church.  We are all going to enter into the Celestial Kingdom TOGETHER.  Because alone, it wouldn`t be heaven.

I am so grateful for the things I am learning here, and that Heavenly Father shows me the true beauty and also true sadness in the world.  So I can better know how to cleave unto Him and love.

GO OUT AND LOOK FOR THOSE THAT AREN`T AT  CHURCH.