April 11, 2017

Hola Fam and friends!! 

Well  we had another really great week and it is finally starting to cool down!! 

We had changes and Hermana Chadwick and I were both sure that she would be leaving, and no!!! Hermana Chadwick will be staying with me for my last change and I am SUPER  stoked!  

Something way fun that happened this week is that I got to go back to Toldeo! 

Man, that place will forever hold a piece of my heart! There were so many people there that I thought would not even recognize me!! But they recognized me and knew who I was!! I felt right at home, again!! What happened is when I was with Hermana Mesa we found the cutest little family! They were soo ready to receive the gospel from the moment the Lord guided us to them! But what happened is they had to get married and that is a really really long process! Well, they finally tied the knot and a week later were baptized!! It was AMAZING!! Once, again to see a family enter into the waters of baptism, there isn't anything better as a missionary!!  

This week Hermana Chadwick and I have been contacting a lot of our futuros se llama! Those are people that we contacted in the street and they gave us their information to get a hold of them later! We have been seeing a lot of success and are super excited to see what this upcoming weeks brings! 

We also had the opportunity to go to the temple today! I really took for granted the opportunity I had to go to the temple more often when I was at home! I have truly developed such a love for the temple over the last 16 months! I haven't been able to go as much as I would like but every time I do I learn something new and the peace and love that I feel from my Heavenly Father IS amazing!! I love the temple soo much and I am so grateful for the sacerdocio here on the earth that makes it possible to have temples and to do those saving ordenanzas! I hope that as we continue to follow the Lord's commandments that we will always strive to stay worthy and have a living temple recommend!! I love you all! Have a great week!!

Love,

Hermana Rich

Hermana Chadwick and Hermana Rich are doing great things!

More of Hermana Chadwick and Rich in town

This is what it looks like when you are doing wavy hair! 

Love these girls!

April 3, 2017

Hello fam!!

Man, what a great week!! I have to say, general conference is better than Christmas when you are on the mission!! I absolutely loved it!!! There were sooo many amazing talks and things to take away from this conference!! We watched conference in the stake center! Hardly any of the members came but we ended up having four investigators come! Two of which it was their first time and they loved it!! We just kept inviting everyone to the conference because you can always count on the prophet to bring the spirit into the room!! I just love President Monson and our leaders so much! I was talking with Hermana Chadwick and every time I hear just one of them speak, doesn't matter what it is, I just get such a strong sense of peace! I truly know that these men are called of God! 

So we have two investigators, Raquel and Alicia! Raquel has Parkinsons disease and can't walk very much and Alicia is her sister who lives with her and helps take care of her! They both had agreed to go to conference but we had to find people to take them and bring them back because Raquel can't go on a bus! It is too dangerous and difficult for her. So we had the job of hunting down members! We found a member in the grocery store one day and she agreed to take them, Heaven inspired!! But we could NOT find anyone to bring them back. We called every member that we could think of that had a car and they either weren't going or did not respond. So we really didn't know what to do. But Hermana Chadwick said we were just going to go with faith and there would be someone there that could take them back! Of course, I was really nervous but I knew that if we went Heavenly Father would help us. When we got to the church there wasn't a single member there with a car, not one. So naturally Hermana Chadwick and I started to freak out a little. So before the session started we went outside and said a prayer. In the middle of the session in walks a member from our ward who just happens to have a car!! At the end of the session we ran over and asked if he was going home and he said yes! He agreed to take Raquel and Alicia home!! It was such a huge answer to our prayers!!
This past conference I felt like they talked a lot about how we need to have faith inquebrantable. In this world where everything is changing and the adversary is working harder than ever we cannot let down our defenses. Just like in the conference, we have to act sometimes even if we don't fully understand or  even if we can't see the full picture. I couldn't see the full picture in taking our two investigators to the church but in the end it worked out great!! I know that as we do the small and simple things that we will be able to have the faith sufficient to overcome whatever trial or temptation that the world may throw at us. Will it be difficult? More than likely, but we have the Lord's promises that as we do as we are asked and act with faith that we will be venciadores de nuestros enemigos, o sea, we will triumph over our enemies. I know this promise to be true. I have seen it in my own life and in the lives of others. I know that this gospel is true and that we are the only church upon the face of the earth to have a living prophet who leads and guides us today. I know that his words are the words that our heavenly father wants us to hear and it is our job to act upon them! I love you all and I hope that you have a fantastic week! 

Love,

Hermana Rich

Kim here....  :( no pictures this week!  hopefully there are pictures this week!

March 27, 2017

Hola Familia!!

Man, this week was a great one!! It was super busy but that is definitely how the mission should be!! It was filled with getting off the bus at the wrong place therefore getting lost. Filled with capllas abiertas, and lots of new investigators and baptismal dates!! The Lord truly does prepare people to receive his restored gospel!!

This week Hermana Chadwick and I had to go up to Salinas and pick up some stuff from the hermanas there...well it was definitely an adventure because we didn't know how to get there and as a result got off the bus about forty minutes early. We were then stranded on the side of the road until another bus came, which was about 20 minutes.  Well that bus then broke down! Third time is a charm right?  But in the end we got there just a lot later than we had expected!! 

We also had a capilla abierta in el bosque, which is a part of our zone! It was amazing we had one guy come in off the street and we gave him the tour and in the room with the baptismal font he asked if all of this was just tradition. When we talk about baptism in a capilla abierta the elders teach that part and it was really cool to work with the elders along side with the members and testify to him that it isn't just a tradition that we follow from our parents, but rather something that we all had to come to know was true for ourselves! The spirit was so strong in that room and he promised to come to church the next day!!

Hermana Chadwick and I have been working our tails off!! We have been putting goals to find new people to teach and as a result in the last two weeks we have found 11 new investigators, five of which have a baptismal date! Our agenda is filled every hour with a set charla and we just don't have time for anything!! But it is so amazing! The Lord is truly preparing people to receive his gospel and for the second coming of our Savior! I have truly felt the presence of my Heavenly Father guiding us to those that are ready to receive the restored gospel! 

But the best part is that we have evidence of all that we do and say which is the Book of Mormon that truly testifies that we have a living profeta on the earth today!! I know that if we will truly ponder and think of a question that this weekend we will receive the answer to that question through our prophet and his apostles! I know that this is the true church of Christ here on the Earth and that Thomas S. Monson is his living prophet on the Earth today. He is receiving revelation fro our Heavenly Father specifically for us and if we will listen to him and apply it we will draw unto our savior and feel of his presence eve more in our lives! I love you all and I hope you have a great week! 

Love,

Hermana Rich

March 20, 2017

Hello family!!

Another great week! Man, I just cannot get enough of the miracles that are going on in our area all because of the fast that we did!! This week we found a bunch of new investigators and all have been soo prepared to receive the gospel! It is truly amazing how the Lord hears and answers our prayers!
This week we had a miracle happen that I wanted to share with you! So, the ward that I am currently serving in has been struggling for a little while and us as Hermanas have been trying to think of what we could do to help them! The idea that we had was to do an activity with all the youth in our ward. We have a lot of jovenes that have the edad to go on the mission but don't have a desire to go. Then as we were planning and brainstorming we received a strong impression that we needed to make it an activity for the entire ward. But we had some doubts about it on such short notice with Easter and general conference and another capilla abierta that we wouldn't get the time to do it. The other doubt was that it is impossible to get an activity going. We have a hermana that has been asking to have a ward activity here since she got here and it hasn't happened. (she has been here for six months!) So we decided to say a prayer and confirm the feeling that we had felt and that if it was really what Heavenly Father wanted, that he would help us know how we could get it to work.  After we prayed we knew that we needed to make it a ward activity. Hermana Chadwick and I decided that we needed to do something different and not just talk so we went and typed up papers with all of the activity imformation, what we would need, the purpose, everything!  At consejo that night we decided to plant the idea and at first they wanted to wait and see when we could do the activity but we were determined to leave with a date and all of a sudden  when we passed around these papers the attitude totally changed. We now have a date for the 7 of Abril to do this activity!

I know this sounds like no big deal but this was a HUGE success for us! When we walked out of consejo we were sooo surprised. I know that everything worked out because we turned to the Lord for help and we followed the promptings we received, even though we didn't understand them fully at the time. I promise you that as you do the small and simple things that the Lord asks of each and everyone of you that you too will be able to see the fruits of your efforts! Heavenly Father wants to help us and if we turn to him he will give us the way to be able to do all things. I love you all and I hope you will all search more frequently for the guide of the Holy Ghost in your lives!

Have a great week!

Love,
Hermana Rich

March 13, 2017

Heyy familia!!!

Como andan?

This week has been a week of MIRACLES!!! Last Sunday as a country we fasted for missionary work! I have such a strong testimony of the power from ayuno! It has been soo amazing to see that when we show Heavenly Father we are willing to work to bring about blessings He blesses us with even more than we can imagine!! We have a couple, Cristina and Adan. We had a charla with them on Saturday night and had invited them to be baptized and they completely turned us down, completely. The Tuesday after the fast we decided to just read the Book of Mormon with them and at the end we invited them to be baptized and they accepted full heartedly! As I was looking back on this charla it was amazing to see how the spirit guided that charla! We, the missionaries did not even bring up the subject of baptism. Cristina and Adan started asking questions about it and now have a baptismal date to be baptized and later be sealed with their son who is already a member! We are soo excited for them!
 
Besides that, everyone we talk to it seems like is just a golden investigator, they are just sooo prepared to receive the gospel!! 

So I have never really shared this but when I first came in the mission our mission was really really struggling. We had a goal as a MISSION to have 30 baptisms in a month. This week we had our mission leader council reunion and we talked about how our goals have changed over this time. Our goal last month was to baptize 75 and the last week with our ayuno we reached a number of 85 BAPTISMS!!! More than triple the number we had the year before at this time of month. SO we had a kneeling prayer in this reunion to only thank our Heavenly Father for the success that he has blessed us with as a mission. The spirit filled the room soooo strongly. I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. I know that everything we have he has given unto us. He wants to bless us and for that reason he has given us so many ways to receive those blessings. We have the fast, the commandments, repentance, soo many ways!! I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father and  my Savior that makes it possible for me to repent and be worthy of those blessings once again after having made a mistake! I love this gospel and I love you all!

Also, fun fact! About six months ago I was a witness for a couple to take a date to get married to get baptized. Last night my companion and I had to go help out with an open church (it is where everyone is welcome to come see the church and we teach the first two lessons in like five minutes). Well at this cappilla abierta in walked this couple and we recognized each other right away!! I never heard what happened and come to find out they got married and have been baptized for over three months now!! There are no coincedencias in the gospel!!!

Have a great weeek!!

Love,
Hermana Rich

March 6, 2017

Hey Fammm!! 

This has been a crazy week! Changes were on Wednesday and I am really loving my area! I live in a house of four! We have a super cute hermana, Hermana Lagos from Chile with six months in the mission. Then Hermana Sandoval, she is a little fire ball and she is from Peru! She just started her mission last change! Then my companion is Hermana Chadwick! She is the most amazing Hermana ever! She is 22 and from Heber, Utah! I have been learning so much fro her! 

Our ward is huge and we have a TON of young single adults and youth in our ward! Our leaders seem to be a little burnt out as far as missionary work goes so I am super excited for the challenge and I know that with the other hermanas that we can totally have some amazing things happen here! We have right now four people with a baptismal date! We are really excited!! 

I wish I had more to say but my life has been a lot of unpacking and trying to figure out where I am in my area haha. 

But I want you to know that I am so grateful for my mission and all of the things that I have learned here! I know that all of my changes have been directed by my Heavenly Father! He leads us and guides us in all we do and he wants us to be happy! I know that The Book of Mormon is true and if we will do the little things like pray daily, study daily, and go to church that we will be blessed with the strength to keep going everyday! 

But I love you all and I hope you have a great week!!

Love,

Hermana Rich

She will miss Hermana Backstein and this area!

What a small world we live in!  This is Hermana Ortega and her family is in the same ward in Spain with Austin Miller!

February 28, 2017

Hola Familia!

This week has been the greatest!! First off we went and milked cows on Monday, walked horses and ate armadillo like real cowboys here in Uruguay!! It was awesome! I can't lie, I am not the greatest at milking but it comes with practice apparently! It was seriously the greatest experience! 

Then on Friday Julia got baptized and Leandro, her son baptized her!! She has changed completely and has this amazing new spirit about her!! I love her so much. She is 74 and a big old fire ball!! 
Then on Sunday, Omar blessed the sacrament, Ruben S. passed the sacrament, Ximena gave the opening prayer, Silvia bore her testimony, Julia got baptized, AND Leandro and Dardo received their mission calls! It was a super great last Sunday in Sarandi Del Yi! It broke my heart but I loved being able to see all of these amazing people come unto Christ!! Leandro is going to Argentina Buenos Aires Sur. Dardo is waiting until next week to open his mission call! 

This week has also probably been the hardest week for me by far in Sarandi Del Yi saying good bye to everyone. It is amazing the love that you feel for these people and how close you become. Everyone here truly has been like my family for the last four and a half months and it was extremely hard to say goodbye. But I have now been given a new assignment and will be working my last two changes as a sister training leader in San Jose de Carrasco! I am really nervous for the call seeing as I have NO idea what I am doing but the Lord called me for a reason. I am also really excited to see what the Lord has in store for me and another opportunity to serve! My house is about eight minutes from the beach and is really great!

But I love you all and I hope you have a great week!!

Love,
Hermana Rich