Ups and Downs

Titi (Maria Isabel)

So Titi, our golden investigator, is still progressing and rapdily. Honestly I feel like my companion and I arent doing anything at all, we are just teaching the lessons but she already knows them and understands. She has had a lot of friends who are members and has been able to learn from them. So this just goes to show how important our examples are to all those around us! We honestly, never know who is watching!

So this week we got things a little more planned out for her baptism, she was eager to know everything! The time, place and what she needed to bring and wear! She is so sweet and just has a amazing spirit! The Lord really has prepared her to receive the gospel! She told us this week that her family, her mom especially is starting to soften up a bit, although she still doesnt want anything to do with the church. Titi invited her to the baptism but her mom told her that she would not be attending anything that had to do with the church, her baptism or wedding. Nothing! Her dad, who lives in the states, is supporting her and even has the desire to read the Book of Mormon as well!

But Titi is just great! She is basically a member! Inviting everyone to her baptism yesterday, and for her to attend church we dont have to call her and remind her or anything like that. She just comes! I know that the Lord is pushing forth His work and that He is preparing people all around us! Titi was a reference from a member, so I encourge all of you to look at the people that surround you and pray to know who is ready and waiting to receive the gospel!

Ya me enferme...

So this week, i unfortunately got sick. I think that this new change of being in an area where we get fed everyday is doing some weird things to my stomach. I mean for a year i was basically used to eating eggs and beans everyday and being on a forced diet. But it was just awful! I had chills, wanted to throw up, body aches and a major headache. 

So Tuesday and Wednesday in the afternoon we went to the house so that i could sleep it off. I am feeling way better now and dont feel sick at all! my companion told me that i was like a bear in hibernation because I just slept all afternoon and didnt get up or out of bed until the next morning, that is how awful i felt.

its raining, its pouring

Okay, so the rainy season now has offically start. Everyday around 2 or 3 it starts pouring down rain! and I mean pouring! Huge drops of rain and lately is has also been hailing! Just another lovely part of being in the mission, is being used to being soaking wet all day and just going with it!

It was funny though, because one day we ran into the elders, who were on divisions with the zone leaders, and the zone leader that was with the elder from my area goes home in December with me. Well, about the time that we start walking, it starts pouring, and like typical elders they are not prepared, without jackets or umbrellas, so they just get soaked. This elder only looks at me, smiles and says only four more months jajajaja crazy!

So this week i learnt that there are a lot of ups and downs in the mission as well as in life. Ups and downs that we may not understand but that are all a part of our personal and spiritual progress. A lot of times we may not understand why we are going through all that we are going through, but we do have to just trust in the Lord. Keep our eye on Him and push through, knowing that the Lord knows us better then we know ourselves and that we are to learn and to grow from everything that we experience. Know that Christ himself is right along side us, carrying us in those times of difficulty. And when we push through and perservere we will be able to look back, smile and thank the Lord for everything that He has done to help us reach our divine potential! We should not let a day go by when we are not progressing spiritually!

I love you all so much! Thank you for your love and support! It means the world to me!

have a great week, know that I am thinking and praying for you all always!

Les quiero mucho!

Hermana Loo

sorry... no photos, need to get better at taking them! 

Golden!

Familia Saenz (or signs)

This is the giant family of 10 kids, who moved here from the states like 3 years ago...

Last Monday we had a FHE with them all, and it was in English jajaja so that was a lot different then anything that I have been used to for a year or so jajaja but it was a very interesting lesson. Mostly because the dad was giving the lesson and basically to us, my companion and I.

And the topic was marriage and family, he basicallyt ended up telling us that we need to go home after the mission, get married and have a lot of kids jajajaja umm ok.. it was interesting to say the least.

But the family came to church again this Sunday, everyone except the dad so we still have a lot of work to do with him. Slowly but surely! We will get him back to church!

Rejections

This week, as is usual on the mission, we also had a lot of investigators reject us. Telling us that they are fine in their churches and dont want to change or even pray to find out of the message we share or the church is true. So that was sad, but just means that we got to find more people who the Lord has prepared, which requires a lot of work. But work that I am ready and willing to do!

Maria Isabel (Titi)

So, I dont know if you guys remember but at the end of my blog letter last week I talked about a chick who had called us while we were writing, telling us taht she wanted to meet with us. Well, this week we had two lessons with her and she came to church and honestly she is just pilas!

She is 20 years old and a medical student, but she is just soaking everything in! She is one of those golden or dream investigators! SO far, we have taught her The Restoration and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and she understood it all perfectly! At the end of the lesson she was asking what she had to do in order to be baptized and at the end said, "oh okay, then the 1st of August I am going to get baptized" (in Spanish of course jajaja) WHAT! She set her own baptismal date!

In our second lesson, when asking her if she was reading the Book of Mormon she just laughed and said yes, and then we asked her if she was praying to know if it was true and she talked about the feelings that she gets when she reads and prays and that she knows it is true! ahhh! well, that was fast! The Lord has definitely prepared her!

We have talked about the temple a lot with her and everytime we do her eyes litteraly just light up! I swear, sometimes I think that she is going to cry! She loves the fact that one day she will be able to enter into the temple and that she can have an eternal family!

She also asked us about music and if she could have a copy of the church music that we listen to as missionaries and if she could take us out to lunch jajajaja she is so sweet and has such a special and tender spirit!

Her family isnt very happy with her that she is listening to us and coming to church. And so they have taken away her car, and wont allow her to use it if she is coming to meet with us! But you know what! She came to our second lesson walking! And she lives far away! and came to church too, walking! Chose coming to church over a birthday party in her family! She is amazing, did i say that already??

We also ended up talking a lot about the mission with her and she was asking us when we would probably be leaving the area, and when my companion told her the 4th of August all she said was "well then that is good that I am getting baptzied the first of August!" jajajaja

I was so sad to leave Chichi and all the work that I did there behind, but the Lord sent me here for a reason and because we were able to find Titi it has all been worth it!

I just want to let you all know how much I love you! How grateful I am for each of you and for what a blessing it is to have you in my life. Thank your for you support and prayers! THey are felt!

Les quiero mucho!

Hermana Loo

Xela

So, this week was a lot better. We had interviews with President Smith on Wednesday, which always make me so nervous. But it was good, and I left the interview with a lot more energy to go out and teach. We contacted a lot of people this week and as a result we have a lot of return appointments for this week. So we are progressing and the work is picking up! 

...And that is a crazy lady

So we contacted this one lady on the street who is probably in her mid 50´s and she told us to come and visit her so we did Thursday afternoon. We had planned to teach lesson 1, the Restoration, but as we met with her and started getting to know her she talked about her brother who passed away earlier this year. So we decided to change the subject and talk about the Plan of Salvation.

Well, as we start talking about the Plan of Salvation we talk about the premortal life, and my companion asks her if she remebers it and she says that she does... umm what! Actually no one remembers it. and so I then ask her what it is like. and she just starts to close her eyes and lift up her hands and talk about how it is beautiful and no one wants to come to the earth once they have lived there.. umm, yeah exactly the reason as to why we go through a veil and dont remember the premortal life.. crazy lady

Then as we are talking with her about Adam and Eve she talks about how it was good that they ate of the fruit because if not we would all be walking around here naked and there would be a lot more babies in the world jajaja she was litteraly so crazy! The people you meet in Guatemala...

Fam. Poroj

So as you know, I am finally in an area where i have lunches. But there is this one family here who always wants to have us over for lunch. Even though they dont have very much money at all. Like they are poor, like sometimes they dont have any food in there house, not a single egg!

But, they always love to have us over for lunch. And the Hermana was explaining to us that it is because whenever we come over for lunch there house is always filled with food, and then next day, there is nothing. But when they feed the missionaries there is always plenty of food. It was a cool thing to hear!

Also, they have this daughter who is like 15 years old, half my size, but thinks that she could beat me up jajajaja and just because she has grown up with brothers. It made me laugh and all I could think was.. umm you dont even know! jajaja

Fam. Signs

So this famly is actually from the states, they moved here to Guatemala 3 years ago, so they all speak perfect english. Anyways, are a family of 12 but inactive. Apparently they dont like the way that the bishop directs the ward so they dont come to church. And whenever anyone goes over to visit them or try to talk with them they dont let anyone in! Elders, the missionaries that were here before me, members of the bishopric, no one!

My companion and I were the first ones ever! So we had a small lesson with them, and when we went back to visit them the hermana told us that she would like to have us over for lunch! What! Miracle! I was in shock, and they even invited us to have a FHE with them tonight! It was just so crazy! And you know what, on Sunday... they ALL came to church! For the first time in years! It was a miracle! 

So, I am slowly but surely getting used to being here in Xela. It is a big change but I am getting to know the area and members better. But I am excited for this week, excited to see what we can get going here. In fact, just a few minutes ago a friend of a member who came to church last week called us and told us that she wants to visit with us! So that was super exciting!

Thank you all so much for you support and prayers! It means the world to me that I have such a strong support system of people who have such strong testimonies of this gospel. I love being a missionary and love the things that I have learnt!

Les quiero mucho!

Hermana Loo

p.s. sorry, there are no photos this week because i left the cord for my camera in the house.. until the next! lo siento.

New Area and New Adventures

So, everyone has just been asking about where I am and who i am with that this weeks blog post is going to be basically dedicated to just that. Also because I feel like not to many eventuful things happened this week besides getting a new companion and area. Anyways...

Las Americas

So this is the name of my new area, I am in Xela, so I am in the city and it is 100% different then the last two areas that I have been in.

For on, we get fed lunch everyday. And this is just totally new and different for me. Now I am just hoping that I dont get fat jajajaja because we just cant have any of that! Also, I will now be able to go to Walmart once a month jajaja sorry dad...

The temple is in my area. And before the Hnas in Xela were assigned a day to go and work in the temple every week. Which I was super excited for, since we only get to go to the temple every 6 months, i was excited to just be able to be on temple grounds. But of course, as my luck would have it, as soon as I get to an area in Xela Pte. Smith changes the rule and now Hnas will no longer be allowed to work in the temple... puchica!

But the people here in my area are just made of money! Like I think that I am in one of the richest areas here in Xela! The houses here are giant and so nice. Definitely different from Chichi or San Cris where a lot of the house that we entered in were dirt floor. Here in Las Americas it is totally different! In fact, most houses here have intercoms as doorbells, which makes contacting nearly impossible. Because the people ALWAYS just hang up on us or tell us that they are busy and dont want or need us to come and visit them. Puchica!

I feel like here I am starting from scratch. Especially because we dont have any investigators progressing or with baptismal dates. So we have a lot of work ahead of us.

I am also in a Ward, with a sacrament meeting attendance of around 210 people. So not Chichi at all with only 70. Bu the attendence at church neither goes up or down. But just stays the same, what I could see yesterday is that the members are pretty set in their ways. The bishop doesnt really work with the missionaries and doesnt want us wokring with less actives or recent converts. Which I am sorry, i will just not be doing. ALso, the members here dont really have much motivation to go and do visits with us or give us references. But I think that this also has to do with the fact that a lot of them dont know their neighbors... which is weird. Anyway, there is a lot of work to do here!

If there is anything else you want to something that I missed let me know!

Mi Compañera

My companion is Hermana Garcia. She is from Mexico D.F. and has 11 months here on the mission, she is about to complete a year. But we actually came in the same group but because I was in the CCM for 6 weeks and she was only there for 2 I have a month more then here. She is a convert to the church, her mom was a less active member when she was baptized and her dad isnt a member.

SHe has been in this area since January so she knows the members and the area pretty well. She wants to work and I feel like she has the desire to. She is great. But definitely not as crazy or as fun as Hna. Aguilar, but we are getting used to eachother and I am excited to see what we can accomplish here!

Xela Oeste

So I am always in a new zone, and on Wednesday we had our distrcit meeting but it was just to funny because all of the Hnas that are in my district were just saying things like, "no way you are hna Loo, I have heard so much about you" and " everyone loves you" and "so you are the famous Hna. Loo" jajaja it was just to funny. and then when i got up to bear my testimony everyone was just shocked at my spanish and one Hna even asked her companion if I was a Gringa or Latina jajaja woohooo 100% chapina! jajaja

Well, that pretty much sums up everything. If there is anything that I missed or anything that I missed or any additional information that you want le me know! 

I love you all! I wouldnt be able to do any of this without you guys!

Les quiero mucho!

Hermana Loo

La ultima semana en Chichi....

Cleaning Checks

So, the mission has this new thing that every Monday before changes or like a week before the last Monday of the chages we have "Super Lunes Limpio" were we have to deep clean the houses that we are in. And so last monday was super lunes limpio and on tuesday one of the older couples came to check the house.

To say that they were amazed would be an understatement, they were just shocked at how clean it was and how organized everything was jajajaja it was just to funny. In fact the elder even went so far as to say that is was the cleanest apartment that he had ever seen in his entire life jajaja to funny...

Contacting druggies

So we went to go and visit this family that we had contacted last week, and who do we find standing in front of their door, none other then this middle aged dude drunked up and drugged up. It was scary at first but afterwards looking back it was actually kind of funny! 

He was standing in front of the door and we asked him if the family we were looking for was home and all he says is " I am the family" and then starts pointing to the wall telling us that this is family and his name.. umm what! 

Always a fun experience contacting jajaja

Edwin Monson

So we also had another great story while contacting this week. In fact it was the last door we contacted where we found this guy who is super prepared to receive the gospel. Not only was it great to meet this guy but it was also great lesson for me in learning about diligence. Because we found Edwin knocking on the last door of the street that we were contacting!

We talked to him for quite a long time and without us teaching him anythinga about the Restoration he tell s us that is there was and is only one Christ that there should only be one true church, that the fact that there are so many churches preaching so many different things is of the devil.. umm are you kidding me! And that the true church that Christ established was lost after He and His aposotles died! Puchica!

He also proceeded to tell us that it is a lie when people say that they dont have time to hear us or for us to visit them. That if it is something important to them that they will always make time! ugh! This guys was just plain pilas! And I was so excited to be able to teach him, but I guess Hna. Aguilar will have to start and finish it!

Gloria!!!

So, Gloria is an investigator that we have who is 100% progressing. She is the cutest thing and is 14 years old, so obviously we need permission from the mom to baptize her. The challenge is that Gloria´s mom only understands and speaks Quiche, and unfortunately I do not speak it. 

But this week we went with our Branch President, since he can speak Quiche, to talk to the mom. and as they are talking my companion and I are not understanding anything! But all we can see is a smile start to spread across Gloria´s face and her character totally change! And then the Branch president turns to us and says, "ya esta hnas..." jajajaja

WE GOT PERMISSION FROM THE MOM TO BAPTIZE GLORIA! And so her baptize is set for the 24th of July, of course, just as I am about to leave! But it was such a cool experience to see that spirit work within the mom and to see the light in Gloria´s eyes just shine when the mom gave us permission! 

The mom then proceeded to tell us that this is the first church that Gloria has attended where she feels comfortable. And on Sunday as we were heading to the church all she wanted to talk about was her baptism and when she could be baptized! It was amazing! And on Tuesday she is going to go on visits with the Young Women, to visit Less actives and she isnt even a memebr! ugh! Puchica! I am so excited for her, and although I will not be here for her baptism I know that the Lord has so much planned for her!

Well, yesterday I got the phone call that I have changes and will be leaving Chichi. I am so sad to be leaving and dont think that I will ever find an area or members quite like the ones that I have come to love here in Chichi. The news about leaving Chichi even brought me to tears! Yeah I know... I have changed jajajaja As hard as it has been and will be to say goodbye to the people here in Chichi I am also excited to see where my new area will be and meet the people there.

I love you all so much and am so thankful to have each of you in my life!

Les quiero mucho!

Hermana Loo

Move on and Move forward

So this week was another hard one. Really this entire transfer has just been really hard. My companion and I have been having a lot of ups and downs, although it seems like a lot more downs then ups. But I also know that this is part of the mission and life. And that the work that I am doing is the Lords and in His way and His time.

Fogata!

On a fun note, the elders, my companion and I with recent converts had a bonfire this week. Where we had hot dogs and s´mores. Although the s´mores werent traditional s´mores because graham crakcers dont exist here so we had to use different crackers that just werent the same jajaja but it was a lot of fun and good to just relax and joke around with all of them! Take my mind off of the struggles that we are having.

One year!

So, this week I hit my one year mark! WHich was exciting and the time has passed by super fast! To celebrate i thought that I would eat real food jajaja so we went over to a members house and ate BBQ ribs, rice and salad which was so good! Oh how I miss food jajaja

The elders bought a cake, and even though it wasnt my birthday they sang to me and then as is tradition hear in Guatemala, as I went to take a bite out of the cake they smashed my face into the cake jajajaja awesome!

Contacting

Always a new and funny story with contacting, something always happens that just cracks me up! For example, this week while we were contacting we contacted this old lady who barely spoke Spanish mostly Quiche and so we were attempting to talk to and understand her. We were asking her questions about her life and then we in turn were asking questions to get to know her! But it was just to funny! She was asking us where we were from and when I went to tell her that I was from the states she just said, "Mentirosa" which means liar jajaja she didnt believe me! And then her grandson came and actually believed that I spoke Quiche jajaja ya no... I wish! But it was just to funny! At almost everything we said she responded "mentirosa" jajaja I dont know if she just didnt understand us at all or if she really did think that we were lying. Whatever it was it was just to funny.

Moving forward and growing

So like I said, my companion and I have just been having a really hard time this transfer in finding people to teach who really want to hear what our message or that are going to follow through with there commitments. It has just been really hard.

As my companion and I were talking about this yesterday we realized that our success may be in a different way. For example. when I first got here to Chichi the sacrament meeting attendance was like 30 people or less and now we are seeing more members coming to church more frequently and the church attendance has gone up. Where there are now 50 to 70 people coming to church every Sunday! And this Sunday 4 of the less active/inactive members we visited came to church. Although I would love to see baptisms I guess, if nothing else, I am coming to realize that this is the Lords work and in His way and that the Lord works in different ways through different people.

I hope that everyone had a great week! Know that you are all always in my thoughts and prayers! I cannot thank each and everyone of you for your support and love! It means the world to me! 

Les quiero mucho!

Hermana Loo

The Power of the Fast

Random Acts of Service

So, This week we had kind of an interesting experience providing service for an elderly lady in a wheelchair...

So my companion and I had just left the house after lunch and were walking up to go to the center of town, when we see this lady just parked on the side of the street in her wheelchair. SHe waves us down and asks us to go and buy her tortillas, and gives us the money to do so. So we go and buy the tortillas and come back to give them to her and shen then proceedes to ask her if we can push her to the center of town.

The thing about the streets here is that they are anything but level and to get to the center of town from where we were requires us to walk up and somewhat steep hill. My companion pushes her throughout the flat part of the hill and then asks me if I can push her up the hill jajaja of course.... as soon as I start pushing this little old lady only says " you are really strong, a lot stronger then the other one" jajaja

So, while I am pushing her up the hill, Hna. Aguilar goes to contact another lady that is walking besides us and this lady tells us that this lady who we are helping to push up the hill in her wheel chair can walk! jajaja are you kidding me! jajaj here I am dying pushing her up this hill jajaja Gotta love Guatemala!

Chabela

So Chabela is an investigator that we have had for some time now. She is really active in the church that she attends but always accepts us and listens to us. Not to long ago we taught her the Restoration and she was so interested in everything we were saying, asking a ton of questions, and at the end she gave the prayer, asking God to help her to know what path she should be on.

Well, we went to go and visit her this week and she told us that she is not ready and that she cannot leave the calling that she has in her church. It was so sad! Especially because my companion and I both felt that she knew that what we were sharing and teaching is the truth. And she basically said herself that she knows that it is true but doesnt want to or is just not ready to accept it... 

Fasting!!!

So this week has been one of the hardest weeks of my mission! At the end of the week my companion and I were just feeling a little frustrated and a little disanimated with everything that was going on here. Mostly because we are working our butts off, working with the members, contacting every person we see on the street and are just not seeing the results that we desire. This week we had a TON of people reject us, a ton of people cancel their appointments with us and are just not having a lot of people that are progressing or coming to church! So it has been a little frustrating! 

As you know, this week was fast sunday. And my companion and I both dedicated in praying to know what is haltering our success. The things that we are doing that are not allowing us to see the fruits of our labors. And you know what your prayer was 100% answered!

On Sunday, i asked our ward mission leader what we could do and he asked if we wanted to have our correlation meeting and of course my companion and I both responded YES!

Well during this meeting we got talking about the things that we were doing and what he though that we could change. And litterally everything he said spoke to us! And there are some things that we need to change. For example, we dont need to be so worried about numbers, but focus more on people! And try to gain a little bit more of their confidence! 

If anything, Sunday I was able to really gaina a testimony of the power of the fast and that God really does hear and answer our prayers! And although this week was hard I am looking forward to this new week and putting into practice the revelation I received and things that I learned Sunday!

Les quiero mucho!

Hermana Loo

lunch with my zone 

Wow!!! Thats a BIG care package...

Suprise dinner for the president of the Branches birthday Friday! 

This is the way that almost all the people here carry heavy things. putting a strap around the object and then fastening it to their head. If this makes any sense.. i will try to take better pictures. But this little old lady is litterally like 80 years old! 

And... my novio Alfredo jajajaja