8/17/15- Go Give 'Em Heaven

What a week! The sign we have on our door as we walk out says "Go Give 'Em Heaven". :) so that is our daily goal! 

Wow. Well on Monday we went to lunch with some of the missionaries.  We went to a restaurant called Santos & Diabolitos (Saints & Devils). We then went with a companionship of elders. The elder needed his wisdom teeth removed. (we bought him ice cream, don't worry) It was so sad to see him in pain. His body flinched for the amount of pain and discomfort he was in. We then went with the taxi to get the elders home to rest. The area that these two elders are serving is really quite sketchy. As we drove in that part of town I just kept thinking about how important it is to be obedient so that we as missionaries are protected. The poor guy didnt talk at all coming home but when we made it to the house he tells us "if they stop you, tell them you are missionaries and they will leave you alone". Even though he was in pain, he was stilled worried about us. We left  that area fine and without any problems but they still called us to check in and made sure we were fine.  I know that I am being protected. And all of us as missionaries take good care of each other.  Our family away from home. 

Tuesday we went to the office to get money. We then had to pay a few doctor bills and fees. We made it there fine, paid fine, and then we got LOST. We weren't lost lost but we weren't on the right bus. We went on  like 5 different buses and all were going in a dIfferent route than what we needed.  We were definitely on a long quest but finally made it back. We got in one good lesson and then had to go with a few sister missionaries to the ER. The part I loved was when President Spjut called some elders so they could give the sister a priesthood blessing. There was a special spirit there. The Priesthood power really is here in the earth. I loved how we all turned to the Lord before heading to the hosptial. We spent our afternoon there with them helping get things figured out.  

Wednesday was weekly planning. We had three of the best lessons. Each one of the investigators are completely prepared. Rosa and Antonio are a couple who accepted the invitation to be married and then baptized. It was all thanks to the Holy Ghost that was there. Zuliema had a lot of good questions- showing that she really is intetested and searching for the truth. 

Thursday we had our zone meeting. We watched a video of how the Atonement applies to missionary work. Our district leader, Elder Vasquez,  visited our investigators with us. We had one of the funniest (and awkward) lessons. We went with a young Catholic guy. He haf a lot of questions and then he asked us if he could invite a friend to attend church with him. We said "of course, everyone can come!" He then asked if  it was allowed to have a relationship.  So there were four of us and we all sat there for a second thinking of how to respond.  My companion then blurts out "is he your boyfriend?" It was the most awkward moment of my whole life. Brandon responds "NO". The poor kid just wanted to know if we could have relationships as members of the church. Well...glad we got that cleared up.

Friday we went to a women's conference with President and Sister Spjut. We helped translate for Hermana Spjut so she could understand and enjoy the whole meeting in English. I then helped some of the sick missionaries. I had about 3 or 4 elders with their shoes off showing me their feet problems. A really funny elder, Elder Stephens, then ran over to the group and saying he had a problem too. He took his shoe off and showed us the hole in his sock. Haha it was so funny. We had companion exchanges. I worked with Sister Barrios. 

Saturday we had a spiritual experience with our investigator, Alicia. We invited her to be baptized. She asked if she could be baptized the next day. She has a lot of health problems and she told us that she knew the church was true and that she can die whenever because of her health so she wanted to do it. We talked about baptism and she said "I can die anyday now" My sweet companion then says "well we can plan your service" (meaning baptism service). I quickly whispered baptism so she could clarify which type of service. It was so funny. We had a stake activity in the afternoon, soccer tournament and pupusas party. We had a good time,  as usual. I am laughing nonstop with this crazy companion of mine. 

Sunday we had a surprise (quickly planned baptism!! The members and elders did great helping us to pull it off. We had great team work. She had to sit on a chair while in the font and basically lay backwards. She was then confirmed as a member! We talked to sooo many families in the street. Every time that I see a family in the street I immediately think of "families can be together forever...through Heavenly Fathers plan". 

Funny Moments with Sister MacDonald:

1. "That's why I love community pools" (who says that?!) 

2.  "Tomorrow I am going to clean this pork fest" (pig sty) 

3. We normally switch off cooking breakfast.  She cooked and then went to shower. I came downstairs and found my french toast and a drink. So I ate and then I tried the drink. It was nasty!! I drank about half of it just to be kind.  She comes downstairs and started looking around for her drink. Haha it wasn't for me to begin with. How awkward is that! 

Well it was a great week. I absolutely love my mission, every minute of it. Love you all :) 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Ferre 

8/19/15

Hello to all! 

Well pday was another relax day! We ate ice cream and we went on a quick Santa Ana tour. I was in a trio because one sister was sick. Well she has to go home for  her health and then my companion was going home because she finished her mission. So we went with Oswaldo to take pictures with some of the main tourist sites. It was a lot of fun to be a tourist for a second. My two companions then packed and got themselves ready to head back to their countries. We had a lesson with Jorge. He told us that he believes in recarnation and he believes that God is everything (wind, plants, etc.) and not a being. It made me feel so blessed for my knowledge of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and the restored gospel. Jorge needs to know that God does exsist, that he (Jorge) is a son of God, and that God has a plan for him. We had a quick FHE with the Bishop and his family and then headed for the house. A new sister missionary came to the house around 1030pm from the MTC. We got to welcome her and then it was time to sleep :) 

Tuesday was an office day. We were there all day with the new missionaries. We welcomed them into the mission! Happily greeted them and then helped them fill out paperwork and do a few health related things.  It made me remember my first day in the mission, good times. We went to the mutual that night. It was SO much fun. I know I am a missionary and I am not here to have "fun" but it was such a good time. It was like an outdoor party. They had tables set up, music playing, and they were making pupusas. It was the last day in the mission field for Hermana Gonzalez so we got to spend a little extra time with the members. We ate pupusas with the elders and seriously enjoyed ourselves. We rushed home to welcome the new sister missionaries into our home (all of the sisters coming and going sleep in our house for a night or two).  

Wednesday was our day full of changes. In our changes meeting, there was such a special spirit in the room. President Spjut got up and in his talk he got emotional, expressing how grateful he was to be here serving with us. THEN my sweet companion had to go in front of all of us with the other returning missionaries and we all sang God Be With You Till We Meet Again. It was the saddest thing of my life. She was my first companion who went home and I felt like she was abandoning me. What I learned though is that it is sad to go home so I am not really looking forward to it.I got my new companion. Hermana MacDonald from Arizona. She has 13 months in the mission. We both got called up in front of the missionaries to have it announced that we were taking over. No pressure! My new companion and I worked and then we had all of the leaving missionaries in our house to sleep. 10 sisters in oone house. Just imagine how many suitcases we had! All of the sisters left at different hours. Hermanaa Gonzalez left at 3am and she came in our room, turned on the light, and began to iron her clothes. It was a crazy night! 

Thursday we had our zone meeting. They taught us that we need 3 things in this new change to have success. 1. Obedience 2. Visit / keep active the converts 3. faith. With those 3 things, the Lord will bless us with the success. We had an office meeting to plan the temple trip and then we all ate lunch together. My companion and I had a good day. I love this gospel and I love being a missionary. 

Friday was the absolute BEST day. It was our temple trip. All of us in the office had to be on the road at 5am. President picked us a little bit before 5 and then we all met at a gas station to head to San Salvador following one another. We got to the temple and began to set up the church. This temple trip is to teach our investigators about the gospel and let them experience the Spirit that is in the temple grounds. We had different rotations (mini classes) on plan of Salvation, Baptism, Priesthood, Angel Moroni, and the Book of Mormon. My companion and I helped Sister Spjut with a lot of the back stage work. We were in charge of the refreshments. We had a head count of each bus and that had to have enough snacks and DVDs divided out for each group. Once all of the people had left, we cleaned the church and then went out to eat all together as the office team. We went to... CHILIS. It was so much fun to be with President and Sister Spjut and the

elders. We seriously have so much fun together. The best part of my day was when I got to see KEZLYN. We are in El Salvador and serving as missionaries and we got to run into each other. The temple is in her mission so we pulled a few strings and she got to come and visit me. It was so good to see her and chat for a bit. It was a rare opportunity but miracles do happen. :) As my companion and I got home, two funny things happened. 1. she fell going up the stairs. 2. We had left the window open and sometime throughout the day, a bird flew in and pooped on her bed. hahaha 

Saturday we witnessed a miracle. Friday night, one of the other missionaries called us to give a reference of someone we could visit. She told us "he wants to be baptized and he will be waiting for you tomorrow". So we called him and made an appointment. We found his house and sure enough he was waiting. He explained to us that he hasnt been attending a church and that he has always wanted to enter into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We then asked him well why this church of all the churches? He said for two reasons. 1. Because it is the church of JESUS CHRIST. 2. Because there are missionaries in every part, serving and showing their love for the people around them and searching for souls to save. And that regardless of the part they are serving in, they are always protected. Those were his two reasons for wanting to attend church.  I seriously got teary eyed as he was talking and the Spirit was there testifying of everything he was saying. We then invited him to pray so that he could recieve his answer. He stopped us in the middle of the sentence and said, "I know that these things are true, I know this is the truth". 

Sunday was a good day. We worked hard and I got to see a lot of members from my other wards. The hermano Jorge showed up to church today on his own and he loved every minute of it. 

It was a really good week. Heres to a new one :) I love you all. 

Hermana Ferre 

8/3/15

PHello to all! 

Well pday was a relax day! We ate ice cream with some elders in our district and then we just did things around the house. Did I sleep? No. However I used the Gospel Library and got to listen to the scriptures, so that was fun!

Tuesday was district meeting. Hermana Gonzalez and I gave the class. We talked about our vision to baptize. We are here as missionaries and all of us say that we want to baptize. We then asked what it is that we are doing to accomplish this vision that we all supposedly have. What are we thinking about while walking down the street? What are we talking about as companions as we go from house to house? We need to leave our nets behind and fully give ourselves to the Lord and His work. It was a good little class and it got everyone thinking. After we finished the class, we had to run to the Centro Medico to pay a $850 medical bill in cash. No pressure! A sister left the hosptial and had to come to our house. Well we left to work normal and around 6 at night I got a call from Hermana Spjut asking why this sister missionary was alone. I dont know what happened along the way, but the member never showed up and her companions left her so she was all alone! She never called us to tell us that small detail so we had to rush home to be with her. It was an eventful day. On the bright side, we bought corn on the cob from a little place (Mister Elote) that only sells corn.

Wednesday was our office day this week! Hermana Gonzalez had her final mission interview with President Spjut. We made a few medical kits for the new missionaries coming this week. A few of the elders went on a "Dew Run" to the gas station. We had a spiritual lesson with a lady named Rosa. We explained that it was for a reason that we had found her in our path. She said the closing prayer and began to cry. I love this gospel!

Thursday we visited an old investigator. Well come to find out, he lives with his grandpa who is 106 YEARS OLD. He was out working in the yard with the plants, how great is that! Then we had a spiritual lesson with one of our investigators, Manuel. He has a calm lifestyle and has a baptism goal. Well a few days ago, we came across him in the street talking on the phone with a beer in his hand. We had to leave for a different appointment so we couldnt talk with him that day. Well in our lesson on Thursday he told us how ashamed he was and how bad he felt that we saw him with a beer. 

A funny experience. There was a group of old, and I think drunk, guys standing in the street. As we walked pass them they tried to take pictures of us. Well about 30 minutes later we had to walk by them again.  Well this time we were smarter about the situation. We had our umbrellas in hand and as we passed the guys, we opened our umbrellas to block ourselves. Our umbrellas are good for many things haha. :)

Friday was a great day! We went to a doctor appointment with one of the missionaries. We then got to each lunch with President and Hermana Spjut and the office elders in the mission home. It was so much fun. The elders didnt want Sister Spjut to have to cook so we ordered take-out. It was funny because there was fancy china dishes and then we had take out drinks. Hermana Spjut baked brownies and we got to eat brownies and ice cream for dessert. My first brownie in the mission, and it was delightful! As we waited for the elders to get there, President played a few hymns on their piano. The whole house echoed. It was fun to just have some relax time with President and Hermana Spjut.

Saturday was a good one. We are searching to find new people to teach and to find those who want to progress. We went to a baptism and then it began to rain on the way home. We got home and decided why not so we ran and out and played in the rain for a few minutes. We got soaked and then we changed into warm and comfy clothes. 

Sunday was a good day! It was testimony meeting and the last Sunday in the mission for my companion. It was a teary day! There is a member in this ward who cant see. With help, he stood up and bore his testimony. He talked a lot about the Book of Mormon., he recently got it in brail. He began to cry, expresssing his gratitude for the opportunity he has to continue reading it. We had lunch with the Bishop and his family as a goodbye party for Hermana Gonzalez. 

"And my prayer to God is concerning my bretheren, that they may once again come to the knowledge of God;yea, the redemption of Christ, that they may once again be a delightsome people"

Have a great week everyone! 

Hermana Ferre 

7/27/15

Hello to all :) 

So on pday we had a heart to heart as a district. It got us all thinking about what we need to do to improve. We are missionaries but we still have lots of things to change! We then went to lunch as sisters. It was lots of fun to get us all together for a little bit! 

Tuesday we had our real district meeting. We did practices and learned how we can better ourselves as missionaries and how we can help our investigators to do the same. Our investigator, David, told us that he no longer wanted to recieve us, he doesnt want to be baptized, and he isnt willing to change. He was completely shut off, he didnt even want to hear us out. My companion and I literally stood outside of his door and we began to cry. Someone I have come to love, has chosen not to continue in the gospel. But that is life, people have their agency. All we can do is pray and wait for it to be the Lords time and His will. We then visited some members. I walked into their house and I remembered that I had been there before in companion exchanges. It was strange but fun to be back! Some fun facts from their house: 1. we got to teach the lesson while sitting in hammocks. 2. The toilet doesnt have a handle to flush it. We just have to pour water in the bowel and it "flushes".  

Wednesday we visited Anglea. She knows about the Word of Wisdom. Well all morning before going with her, I kept feeling like we should teach the Word of Wisdom. We finally got to her house and we began to teach the Word of Wisdom.She got stressed out and then confessed that she drank tea. We explained that it was fine and she told us she had been stressing for two days thinking she was breaking this commandment. She is striving to live the right way and to follow Christ. And that is why I had the prompting over and over again to talk about the good ol Word of Wisdom. 

The best part was our last lesson of the day. We visited a recent convert and her son said the closing prayer (he is 7 years old). It was the most sincere and beautiful prayer. He prayed for the plants and animals, he prayed for his dads health (his head and kidneys), and for all of the human beings. I learned a lot from this 7 year old. A prayer so simple, yet so powerful. He also gave us a great big hug so that was a plus. :)

Thursday was the office day! We did all sorts of things in the office.There are rules in the office that if we talk in slang in either English or Spanish, we have to pay .25 cents. Well the jar is filling quickly! One of the elders is a talker and I think he has contributed that majority of the "pisto" (money in El Salvador spanish).  

Friday we had companion exchanges. It was a good day. Two americans serving together, kinda fun! We walked around the world and back. A less active family gave us chocolate covered bananas, so yummy! 

Saturday I was back with my crazy companion. She is the best! We had a successful day. The sun was so stinking strong. We were walking down a dirt road and my companion started walking toward a house. Well we talked to them, and they are completely prepared for this gospel. It was a miracle moment. My companion and I were beat under the sun and Heavenly Father placed this family in our path. 

Sunday Funday! Well yesterday we went to church. I felt the Spirit and learned a lot. We talked about the importance of prayer and why we pray. Why do we pray?? I learned that we pray for three reasons: 1. to give thanks 2. to ask for forgiveness 3. to better our realtionship with Heavely Father. I had an experience with prayer yesterday. My companion and I were struggling to find someone who would listen and recieve us. So I suggested we should pray. We prayed specifically for an open door with a family in the next street. We ended the prayer and then headed toward the next street.And sure enough, there was an open door. It was a couple with their teenage son. They didnt recieve us right then but we have an appointment to go back. It strengthened my testimony! Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers! We ended our day by listening to fireworks and talking to missionaries headed to the hospital for an "emergency" (she was dehydrated and passed out).

Well... have a great week!  I love you all! 

Hermana Ferre 

7/20/15

Hello to all :) 

Well last Monday for pday the elders cooked lunch for us. Hot dogs! Hermana Gonzalez and I had a relax day. We cleaned, did our laundry, and wrote some letters. We also ordered food to have delivered to our house, kinda fun! It showed up on the back of a motorcycle. 

Tuesday we had our district meeting. My district leader was guided by the Spirit. We did practices and talked about investigators. We all talked openly about our strengths and weaknesses as missionaries. Elder Calero then told each of us individully one of our talents and something we could improve on. I felt the Spirit so strong. We all felt loved and we learned a lot from him. Hermana Gonzalez and I then put the things we learned into practice. We changed a few things in our lessons and had success!It was also my 9 MONTHS mark! I am halfway done. I am halfway home ;) We went for ice cream to celebrate! 

Wednesday we worked with Elder Calero. He visited our investigators with us. The best lesson of the day was with David. David opened up to us because the Spirit was present. We talked things out with him and he accepted a baptism date. I am seeing the changes in him and it is the greatest thing to witness. 

Thursday we went to visit a sick missionary and we put an IV in to give her fluids. We got to take a nice stroll in the park and I also got to see some members from my old ward. We then headed to the office. We were there almost the whole day. We organized the medications, typed phone numbers and addresses of the doctors, and we did a 3 month report. We didnt have a super successful day but we found a guy at the very end of our day. Jorge, a guy in his 20s, he likes music and art. We talked to him in the street and I felt like we were friends from the very beginning. One thing I have learned is that it all happens for a reason. God always places the people who are prepared for the gospel in our paths. 

Friday we had a small "goodbye party" for my companion and we ate pupusas with some members and the elders.We also passed David. He was with his friends and he had a beer in his hand. We talked with all of them for a minute then we went on our way. I was obviously bummed because he was drinking. We got home and he had sent us a message saying that it wasnt what we thought. He only drank 1 beer that night. That is progress! He told us that this gospel is what is motivating him to stay away from the alcohol. 

Saturday was our best working day. It was also lots of fun. We started our day by going to a big stadium to exercise. It has a giant race slide too so Hna Gonzalez and I went down it (I won). Our cook couldnt cook for us so we went to a Mexican restuarant and it was the highlight of my week. I finally got to eat chips and salsa! El Salvador is celebrating their July festivals so as we ate our lunch, we got to watch the horse parade go down "main street". It was lots of fun! We had 2 of our investigators tell us that they werent going to continue to recieve us. THEN we came across a family of 5 people who are completely prepared for the gospel. They dont live in our area but it was a little ray of hope to find them. We are here to invite and give people the opportunity to accept the gospel. In the end, we all have our agency.The great thing is that there are people ready and waiting for the gospel and that is the beauty of missionary work. We had a lesson with David. His drunk friend was there again. He sat quietly and then as we finished the lesson, he began to ask questions and say some of the funniest things. We were laughing so hard. We ended our day by swinging on swings for 5 minutes while we talked to a guy who was working there. Gotta enjoy the little things :)

Sunday two of our investigators changed their minds last minute and chose not to go to church. I was bummed and I kept praying that we would witness a miracle in sacrament meeting. We got to church and there was a girl sitting there waiting for me. She needed to talk with an american and a different missionary had told her which ward I was in. We got to know her and we put an appointment to meet with her and her family a different day. Everything happens according to Gods time. 

Well I hope you all have a great week! Life is good & God is great. LOVE YOU ALL. 

Hermana Ferre 

7/13/14- 9 Months!

This week went by so fast. Also I have 9 months in the mission. 9 months down. 9 to go!! 

So my pday last was good. We went shopping! Then we cleaned and had a relax day. 

Tuesday was a CRAZY day. We did our weekly planning in the morning and as we were about to leave, Hna Spjut called and told us that one of the sister missionaries was really sick. So that changed all of our plans for the day. We went to her house to pick her up and then to the hospital for tests. As we left, she fell asleep and wouldnt respond to anything. Nothing. So we took her back and admitted her to the ER. She finally came to and told us she hurted in her ear lobes and her chest which is where my companion was pinching to try and wake her up... oops. She couldnt remember anything. Nothing about the car ride, the wheelchair, the IV. We waited in the ER for about 4 hours until the doctor came to see her. Her then told us that she has something more going on than we thought so he sent for an ambulance and wanted her sent to San Salvador. We then did divisions. I went with President and Hermana Spjut and Hermana Gonzalez went in the ambulance with the missionary. It comes to find out that she has a rare disease with her nervous system so it was a good call on the doctors part. 

Wednesday I worked with two other sisters because my companion was in the hospital with the sick missionary. Hermana Gonzalez called and told me that she was alone in the hospital because the other sister is in the ICU and Hna Gonzalez cant be with her. She said she felt like a sinner haha I told her it was just preparing her for the real world in less than a month. I missed her though. I was so happy to see her again and have her with me. 

Thursday we went to the office again. The office elders are hilarious. We laughed and laughed. We asked them for help with a project to print out a sheet with a picture and the name of each missionary so we can keep better track of their sicknesses. Well the elders went above and beyond and they put the cards in alphabetical order and had it delivered to our house. How great are they? We got caught in the rain... again. And this time we were freezing. A family gave us each a small blanket to use because we were so cold and soaked. There are great people who are willing to give a helping hand and I am grateful for them. 

On Friday during companionship study my companion shared with me an experience she had with the missionary who is sick. She told me how she felt like she loved people before the mission but now has come to learn how to really love those around her. She had been murmurring a little bit that this sister (sister Gamarra)  was always sick. She has gone home from the mission once already for health and has only been back 3 weeks when this happend. Anyway, Hna Gonzalez told me that as she watched Sister Gamarra enter into the ICU alone, scared, and in pain she was brought to tears and filled with a deeper love for Sister Gamarra. It helped me understand a little bit better how I need to love those around me and how I should view the sick missionaries. My companion and I have been praying to find a family of 5 people. We prayed and prayed. Then we went to work! We found a girl, asked a few questions, and then she told us that 5 people live in her house. It was an answer to our prayers! God placed 4 or 5 families in our path who all had 5 people in their family. Each time I heard "5" I was reminded that God really does hear and answer prayers. 

Saturday was the BEST day. My companion has never left Santa Ana because she is the nurse and has to be close to the hospital. Anyway, President invited us to go to a baptism in Juayua so that she could experience outside of Santa Ana. So we went on a roadtrip with President and Hermana Spjut for the afternoon. We were tourists and it was so much fun! We actually felt really strange and a little bit like sinners haha. We finally made it to the baptism in Juayua (where I started the mission). That was when the real miracle happened. The baptism was in my old ward and I got to see a few of the members. They commented on how I can actually speak Spanish now and made me feel right back at home. Then I went around the corner and I saw a family dressed in white. The Aguilar family. A family that I have come to love so much. A family that I experienced many things with. I taught them while I was there and now 7 months later, they were taking this step of baptism. They had their obstacles but they made it. They did it! I was on cloud 9 to be there at their baptism. Erasmo told me that he will send me a picture of their family in one year when they are sealed for time and all eternity. I wanted to cry tears of pure joy. It was a complete surprise for all of us there. Nobody knew that I was going to be there and I didnt know who was going to be baptized. I had a goal to have a baptism on July 11th because it is my moms birthday but nobody accepted the invitation.This whole journey happened last minute and God allowed me to be apart of a baptism. The special day for this family who have such a special place in my heart. I know that it was all inspired. That kind of an experience doesnt happen every day in the mission. 

Sunday we enjoyed our sabbath day visiting the people. We seriously have so much fun. There is a lot of teasing and joking around. We also had a spiritual lesson with Angela and Daniel. They have been back and forth in their decision with the church. He is now making plans to attend church and to begin preparing to be baptized. We will see what happens with him. I also found my first person who is athiest so that was interesting. 

Have a great week! Haz lo justo :)

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Ferre 

7/6/15

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!! I am proud to be an american :) Happy Pday to all. Kind moment this morning.. I got on the bus and went to pay and the bus driver told me I didnt have to pay. Kind people! I also went to the Centro Medico which is the mini hospital here in Santa Ana. Hermana Gonzalez gave me a tour so I will know where to go and what to do. And guess what? The nurses really do have white scrubs AND they have nurse hats like in the olden days. 

This week went by very fast. Our pday last week was really fun. All of the sisters cooked lunch for the elders. We paid and we cooked. It was really quite fun. We made do with what we had and we enjoyed cooking together. And the elders enjoyed eating.

On Tuesday we had a fun ward activity. It was called "be a kid again". We all played fun games and had a pinata as adults. The part I liked the most was a game with ice cream. Two people were blindfolded and had to feed the other person the ice cream cone. It basically turned into an ice cream fight but it was fun to watch. The purpose was for everyone, adults and kids, to enjoy and live a little. And it was a success :) 

Wednesday we had our district meeting and interviews with President. Hermana Spjut being the mom of the mission made us homemade cookies. We had plans to leave with a member to visit an investigator so he could help us put a baptism date. Well at the last minute, he couldnt so my companion and I said "Well then we can do it oursleves". And we did! We visited Angela and she accepted a baptism date. Her boyfriend is willing to marry her so that she can be baptized. We had fasted and prayed for her and our prayers were answered. She is going to be married and then baptized on the 24th. My companion and I were so happy. We got back to the house and gave each other a great big hug! When we do our part and it is the Lords will, it will happen.  

On Thursday we spent almost the whole day in the office. The office life is definitely different than the street life. It was a nice change though and we got to cool off with the AC. The real nurse (my companion) is going home in one month so now Hermana Spjut will be in charge of the missionaries health and I will be her helper. We had a meeting to plan how all of it is going to work out and... we will see how it goes :) 

Friday was good. We waited and waited for it to rain but no. I guess we are in a drought here. 

Saturday...Fourth of July! Well two people called me to tell me happy fourth of July but its not a big thing here. I got woke up at 5 in the morning because an elder was in a lot of pain. (the sad/funny part is that he had been calling and sending messages since 330am...I may or may not sleep like a log) We had an interesting lesson with David, who has a problem with drinking. He was washing his car so we went to visit him. Well a different guy came up to us and was asking a bunch of questions. He was drunk and was saying some really funny things. He told us he wanted to hear the word of God so we let him stay. I had to do the hush sign a few times and he repeated the motion and then listened quietly as we taught David. I felt like I was with a little kid. If we make the decision, the gospel will and can change us. It can change anyone if we let it. Once we got back to the house and finished planning, my companion was asleep on the couch within 5 minutes, then I went to talk to the other companionship and Hermana Gutierrez was asleep with her head on the desk. I think we were all a little bit worn out. 

Sunday was fast and testimony meeting. We took a bus to pick up one of our investigators, Anglea. We got there, knocked, and her husband came outside. We were chatted while we waited for Angela (thats what we thought anyway) But about 10 minutes later he says, "well Angela already left". hahah it was so funny, we were waiting for nothing. We also gave the Sunday school class...first time in the mission. We talked about the Sabbath day. We visited members and investigators in the afternoon and we did a few FHE with some families. The people here are so great. Oh I also ate a piece of corn on the cob for the first time in my mission so that made me happy. 

Fun facts: 1. My companion is 31 years old. 2. I have a dryer (I feel like I am in the states) 3. One year ago from tomorrow is when this journey began. I opened my mission call (7-7-2014) and read that El Salvador is where the Lord needed me to go. It is crazy how fast time flies. 

While studying one day I came across this scripture and I thought it was funny and applied. "...and behold, sleep had overpowered them because of their much fatigue, which was caused by the labors and heat of the day". Alma 51:33 #missionarywork :) 

I hope you all have a great week. Lots of love!

6/29/15- Hello Espana

Hello everyone :) 

Last Monday we studied and played games as a zone and then went out to eat lunch. Our zone leaders bought our meal because our district baptized the most in our zone. Like they say at Cafe Rio.... "FREEE MEAL!" 

Tuesday was such a good day. It was full of goodbyes. I went with a family. We were chatting and then out of nowhere they surprised me with a note and a drawing. It made my day. We ate lunch with them, took pictures, and enjoyed time together. I feel like I am at home when I am with them. We ended our day as a district eating pancakes with a few members. I love this ward and the people in PARAISO! 

On Wednesday, we had our changes meeting. We all gather together and every new companionship goes on the big projecter with our pictures, our areas, and if we have another role. I am the new nurse of the mission. The real nurse, and my companion, is Hermana Gonzalez. This is her last 6 weeks in the mission and then she will head back to Mexico. She is teaching me the ropes and all that I have to do. The first thing she told me is  "this is your new companion" and handed me my cell phone. And I kid you not, it rings so much. I have a new life now, which means now I dont have a life. haha 

My first day we had to go to the medical clinic  with a sister to get different tests. Sister Craner finished her mission on Wednesday but was sick and they werent going to let her back into the states that way so she had to stay here to recover. So sad but she got to leave on Friday! I really love being able to help with the missionaries health, it is fun :)

My new area is good. I already knew a lot of the members and streets because we always do companion exchanges here. Now it is time to find those who are prepared for this gospel! My new house is really big because it is where all of the sistes have to sleep if they are sick. We have like 3 bathrooms and a washer machine! There are 2 other sisters who live with us, Hna Cole and Hna Gutierrez. It is fun to have more people with us. 

On Friday we had our zone and district meeting. It was Presidents 1 year mark in the mission and his birthday! Our leaders taught us that we know what we need to do to fulfil our calling as a missionary. They talked about how our future depends on how well we serve and give ourselves to the Lord and His work. 

We also had a fun experience. A member here in this ward is blind. We visited him and he told us that he finally has the Book of Mormon in brail. He started to read it for us and it was exactly the same, word for word. I actually got the chills while he was reading. He may not be able to see or read with his eyes but he doesnt have limitations. It just goes to show that we can do anything!! 

Saturday we had a good day. We had two lessons that were very spiritual. David is a 55 year old man who has a drinking problem. He said the opening prayer and it was so simple and sincere. As he finished, he began to cry. A grown man crying. He told us that he wants to change his life around. 

Then we were in a different part of our area. We didnt have plans to go to this house but Hna Gonzalez said that old investigators live there. Anyway, we knocked and a girl answered. We began to talk with her. Oother sistere missionaries had passed a few months earlier. The lesson went well and then we asked her to say the closing prayer. During her prayer, she too began to cry. After she finished praying she began to open up and tell us that a long time again the family was having problems and the other missionaries showed up. Now they have other things going on in their family and we showed up. She felt the Spirit and I know that everything has a time and this is the second opportunity for Cindy to accept this gospel.

Sunday was a good day! We had stake conference and a member from the 70 came to speak. He talked about the importance of family prayer and family scripture study. 

Sunday in the afternoon we had a spiritual lesson with Anglea. We talked about baptism and she told us that she feels good when she is at church with us and that she wants to be baptized. She has the vision and the goal of an eternal family and to raise her daughter in the gospel. We asked if she felt like the church was true and she told us yes. As we left her house, we got POURED on. We didnt have an umbrella nor poncho. I looked like I had just showered. My companion and I had to cross a river together so we held hands and stepped into the crazy thing together. We survived but I am sure we are going to both get sick for playing out in the cold rain. 

Well a scripture for your week. "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they may have everlasting life." I may have the name tag but all of us have the truths, so go share the good word. :) 

Have a great week everyone, I love you all! 

Hermana Ferre