Week 44! "Spiderman"

From 11/10/14

Hola Family and Friends,

How are all of you? How did your week go?

We had a good week here! Hermana C had her 9 month mission birthday!! WOO! It's crazy how fast the time goes by! This week we've also found a few new investigators this past week who are great!

We went looking for an investigator but he wasn't home so we talked to the neighbor instead. His name is A and is about 30 years old. We spoke with him for a minute at the door and invited him to be baptized. He accepted and we set an appointment to return to teach him. We invited him to church and left.

Yesterday at our branch council, the President came in and said, "Sisters, A came! He is waiting in the sacrament room."

At first we were a little confused of who he was because we had only spoken with him for ten minutes days before. We weren't expecting to see him at church, but he came! We immediately had a member sit with him and he took care of A all three hours. So cool!

Later we passed by his house to try to teach him at home. His brother came out and told us that he wasn't home. We spoke with him about the church and he said, "Oh, you're from the church that he went to today? He was in a hurry to go this morning but I didn't know where he went to."

We set a return appointment to come and teach him. What a champ! We are excited to start teaching A soon. After church, Hna C and I were talking about how that showed us that the Lord is in charge of this work. He knows who's ready, and we are just a small part of helping them understand the gospel.

We met another man this week who is the best. O was sweeping outside his house and we were close by, waiting to meet up with a member. We felt like we should talk to him.

We asked if we could help him sweep up, and he said (almost without break), No thank you, who are you? We introduced the church to him and that we are missionaries. He told us that about 10 years before, two elders gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon, but that he didn't have it any more. We gave him a copy right then and invited him to read from the beginning. He asked many questions about it.

Omar then sat down right next to us and told us about how he is struggling currently with a lot of anxiety. It was a problem that he struggled with for a few years. He sought treatment from psychiatrists and had controlled it for some time. A little while ago, he was let go from work without reason. That triggered his anxiety again to the point where he is constantly restless. He can't rest, and he says that he hasn't been able to find peace. He wants to learn more about God. He has heard much from many different religions throughout these years and he says that they have all left him confused. His biggest question has been about God.

I really felt for him. And I am so excited that we can begin teaching him soon!

L [the investigator that was hesitant to marry her boyfriend in last week's email] is progressing, but we have run into this divorcing problem. Her boyfriend has to get a divorce before she can marry him. We talked about her situation with a few ward members, two of which are lawyers; one is a judge. They have all said the same thing. R and his separated wife have to be in agreement to get a divorce, and it is expensive to do so.

Normally, the absolute lowest rate someone can get to start and complete the divorce is 20,000 pesos. That is a LOT of money. And it takes a lot of time. :(

This is beginning to seem really complicated and this is hard for us because L is so ready for baptism. Her next decision would be to separate from her boyfriend and live alone - but they have a child together and she doesn't work. That is also extremely complicated. I was just wondering if you could all keep her in your prayers so that this situation can work out. IT IS POSSIBLE! :)

When we were talking about this whole situation, I remembered what Laman and Lemuel said after seeing the angel in 1 Nephi. How can we get the plates from Laban? He can command 50 and can slay 50, then why not us? Then Nephi replied  "And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands? Therefore let us go up."

It's just cool. With faith and a little effort, this divorce isn't impossible even if everyone says it is. If L really does need to get baptized, it's possible. The Lord will provide a way.

And J is just the greatest kid ever. We taught him this week and he told us that he is currently in 2 Nephi. 2 Nephi people. Only after two weeks of teaching him. He told us that he prays three times a day: once before reading the Book of Mormon, once after reading, and just before going to bed at night. He's had several dreams at night that explain to him what he doesn't understand while he's reading. He came to church again on his own. He's going to be baptized the 29th of November. :')

He has a nose ring too that the elders were concerned about. The very next lesson they wanted to tell J before they were transferred was about removing it. But they didn't. They were special changed and had to leave asap. Well, when we went to see J this week he said, "I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but I have a nose ring. Well, every night when I pray, I promise the Lord that on the day of my baptism I will take it out."

Whhaaaa? We didn't even say anything about it. He already knew. It was something really small and maybe insignificant, but it showed his faith and desire to change.

We had a great week!

Sorry this letter is short. I tried to send a few photos to make up for it. Life is well! Please keep our investigators in your prayers and also Sister Guevara and Sister Salazar. We love you all and pray for you everyday. Thank you for your prayers and love and support.

Con Mucho Amor,

Hermana Fernelius

See! The bread is so special that I took another photo with it at a members house for comida.

This photo is one of my favorites. Hermana C was looking at my scriptures one morning during our studies and asked how long I have had my scriptures. If I remember right, I think I was about 10 or 11 years old. She was surprised that when I was younger I took pretty good care of it. She then went to pull out her scriptures. When she was younger, Hna C thought that Joseph Smith's first vision was the cat's meow, so she decided it would be important to highlight THE ENTIRE SECTION. heehee. Then she showed me some other priceless side notes she's included through the years. Her scriptures are truly awesome.

This is around the time of the day of the dead. They are serious about this holiday!

This is a special bread that they only make this time of year.

Got pictures with some of my favorites!! And no, I don't know what's on my skirt either [in the next photo].

Meet Hermana Guevara and Hermana Salazar! They are currently living with us in our home and are supporting us here. They are awesome! We are grateful to have them here in our area. They make a difference.

...then we have another beautiful reaction after seeing a softball sized spider. Not really. But it seemed that big. 

Funny story. So Hermana C and I are fascinated by all things creepy crawly slimy and weird (if you couldn't already tell). Yesterday we met a very nice gentleman in the street who presented us to his grandchildren so that we could share the gospel with them. Well, they weren't interested, so we left them with a folleto and walked back out of the alleyway. Where HE AQUÍ [BEHOLD] we found a gorgeous spider on the way out. Okay, that spider was seriously pretty and scary at the same time.

 

We decided to check it's "Spidey" reflexes, and we put a leaf in it's super strong web. It lightning fast ran and attacked it, and it gave us the chills. haha.

 

So we let it hang out and we were about to leave when all of a sudden we hear someone come out of the house right behind us. There was a very angry man that told us to leave the spider alone. He said, "Can't you see that it's special?!"

 

Us.... O.O

 

"THAT is not from around here. It's Japanese."

 

We felt very very uncomfortable. We apologized and tried to soften the blow by asking him questions about it. Like, "wow, that's amazing. Sorry we didn't know, how did it get here from Japan?"

 

"I dunno".

 

"It seems like you take interest in this kind of thing, have you studied a little bit about it?"

 

We made him a little more defensive: "I have taken the initiative to care for it myself, and I have cared for it for a while y lo cuido BASTANTE." 

 

.....

 

I still feel bad about the whole thing. As we left, he said, "and if you couldn't tell, its spider web is golden."

 

It was. It was beautiful. Every time we pass that alleyway, we have a moment of silence to remember the day we offended Spiderman. Seriously. When we're back home from our missions, if you ever want us to squirm a bit, remind us of this story. haha

 

Before getting my hair cut - the after isn't so great, so we'll just leave it at that. :)

Week 43! "Halloween is Spooky Here Too!"

From 11/3/14

HOLA FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!

Feliz Día de Muertos! And Halloween too! Mi gente aquí celebran los dos. So that basically means that we celebrated Halloween for three days straight. My companion and I both agree that the best time to visit Mexico is from Sept to November. There are beautiful traditions that they celebrate here in Mexico. We have yet to see how a Mexican Christmas is, but I'm sure that it is another holiday rich with traditions.

From what I understand, here is a run down of how Día de Muertos goes:

One Catholic Church tradition here is that they encourage their members to create an altar for their deceased ancestors where they place an offering for the dead. Normally the offering is flowers, candles, pan (bread) de muertos, and the favorite food/drink of the dead laid out. Many create a pathway of flowers from the door outside to the altar for the dead to find their way to the offering inside. In the cemeteries on November 2nd, people place more offerings on the headstones and play music, eat and party there. :) Party is also called pachanga. Children dress up in costumes of skulls and the dead and go house to house. People give them fruit, candy, and bread as a treat. It's different [than what we do] but the same. It's really cool.

Halloween was the first night here that it actually felt like Autumn back home. Seasons don't exist here, it's summer or spring year round. But Halloween was spooky :) It was dark, windy, cold, and the moon was out. It felt like just like Fall!

Other random tidbits:

• A less active member gave us a drink called Ponche. You pronounce it just like it's written. Ponche is Punch. Homemade fruit punch. It's probably not very healthy. She told us that she made it by caramelizing fruit, pineapple, apple, pear, cranberries, oranges, guayaba, and raisins, in sugar. Then she added juice from those fruits, and I think some more sugar. BUT IT WAS REALLY GOOD. 
• Enchiladas are super easy to make and happen to be my favorite. I will make it when I return!! That and pozole. That stuff is REAL good. 
• I have eaten chicken feet. Once, and never again. Put that on the list of fried pig skin, cow stomach, cow head, and I think I ate goat one time too. YUMMY
• We contacted a reference from the mission offices. When we received the reference of this man, the elders told us, "P is super escogido! He's going to accept a baptismal date and be a great investigator! Go visit him, he's excited to learn more." We went to the address of this man's house 2 times and he was never there. We went again this week and a bunch of awkwardness went down. We enter the business and a woman addresses us. "What do you need?" A man was sitting behind her and I assumed that it was P. "Hi we are missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We received a reference for someone named P who lives here and wants to know more about our message." Then, from behind the woman, the man straight up tells his wife, "digales que no estoy" or "tell them I'm not here". My face--> :O It was really awkward from there because I guess he thought that we didn't understand Spanish that well. Buuut.. we do, so it was weird getting out of that situation. It was the equivalent of knocking on someone's door, then hearing them say 'go away, no one's home'...but in person....right in front of him. Joy! 
• Tuesday all the missionaries in our stake got together for our seasonal shots to prevent the flu! Yay. I am currently dealing with sickness right now as a result from the shot. Ironic right?

Truth be told, Hermana C and I had a really awesome week. Like awesome. It was exhausting, but when we look back, we are super happy. We've been working with the missionaries in our area and have had a blast! The companionships here have been working hard and we see changes in the branch because of their efforts. This Sunday we had 6 investigators in church and we were missing 4! It was so wonderful to see these individuals at church because it means that they really are repenting and preparing for their baptisms. It was especially awesome because L and her husband came!! :) I will write a little more about them below:

Monday night we went to L's house to teach her the next commandment of the law of chastity. As we began our lesson with a prayer, the first comment she said to us was, "I'm not getting married! That's what is going to keep me from getting baptized. I accept everything. I will follow every commandment. I will do everything, but I can't get married."

She commented to us in past lessons that she's afraid of marriage because every marriage she knows has fallen apart and ended in divorce. Even in her own family with her sisters. On the other hand, her friends that are unmarried live happily and don't fight or have strong challenges in their relationships. She really loves her boyfriend and she loves her family. She's expressed great interest and a strong testimony in eternal families, she really wants that too. So it was kind of funny because she said no to it and then told us, I know I need to. I know it's the right way to live. I know that God will bless me for be married to my boyfriend. He actually wants to marry her too.

Hermana C and I knew that we might have to teach this commandment a little more clearly to L in order for her to make a clear decision too. 

The morning before her lesson, as companions we talked about the real reason why we obey the law of chastity. We do that a lot.  We prayerfully try to answer the why? to commandments as if we were investigators too. Hermana C said some awesomeness that I probably won't write correctly. She said, it's not just a temporal law on physical chastity. God has given each one of us a part of His procreative power that enables us to work with Him and our spouse to bring spirits into this world. We reverence and protect this gift from God by keeping His divine laws that govern it. This is a part of who we can be and what we can do in the Celestial Kingdom with the blessings of eternal families there. It really is so much more than a 'rule' in the church.

We really felt that as we taught L, and she herself expressed her desire to be married to her husband. AHH :)) She has accepted every commandment we have taught her. She is the COOLEST.

Our lesson with her this week on tithing and fasting was also really awesome. Then this Sunday-yesterday- she came to church! With her boyfriend, R! And her son! Ahhh!! She is a tom boy, but she got all slicked up and her boyfriend too. It was so cool to see their family altogether. J, her son, had a fun time in nursery. He's 3 years old and had a blast which made his parents very happy. [All the stuff you do in nursery matters dad! :) It helped a family feel more welcome at church!]. We taught them all together later Sunday afternoon and invited R to be baptized. He accepted also. L was so happy! :)

We've also started teaching a less active family, and they came to church this Sunday!! The first time I saw the brother of this family, I freaked out a little. He looks JUST like Matthew. Yup, so I've found Amy here (hna P), Benjamin, and now Matthew. Just about every companion reminds me of Tiffany, entonces there's that. We are going to teach this family again tonight in about an hour. His wife is not a member of the church but came yesterday with their baby! We are really excited to teach them!

What else...there's so much I don't know what to say. We went to teach an investigator, Ml and his mom, Mm on Saturday. Ml had a few friends over when we came by who were drinking and smoking. We spoke with his mom for a minute until Ml could come in and talk with us. Hermana C said, I think that we should teach him about the Word of Wisdom (which is a commandment on physical and spiritual health), but I wasn't sure how we would do that because this was the second formal lesson with them.

The first lesson, we try to introduce the gospel, our purpose as missionaries and invite them to be baptized. The next lesson usually focuses on the message of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. BUT we rolled with it according to our plan that morning. We talked about the commitment we had left with them before and shared the video of the restoration. Then we talked about how they felt. In not so many words, Ml told us that he knew the church was true and his mom also. The Spirit was present in that room and it was so neat to hear how their testimonies are growing. We then introduced the word of wisdom. Because they recognized their own testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, they committed to obeying this law of health.

It was neat to hear them make goals themselves of how to stop drinking coffee, tea, alcohol and smoking. The mom said, wow, I drink coffee in the morning, at lunch, and at night, but I think I can reduce it to 1 cup a day. After that I can go without drinking. I'll just tell myself that my headaches aren't from not drinking coffee. I'll just tell myself that I'm fine, and I'll be okay. :)

This week I've been able to see how the gospel truly changed lives. Knowing who and whose we are changes our lives. Maybe I wasn't the best missionary back home to my friends and family, but I hope that maybe one person will have the desire and courage to talk to the missionaries of the church and open their hearts to hear the good news of the gospel.

I know that my Redeemer lives. I know the church has been restored through the prophet Jospeh Smith. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is the Lord's authorized servant and representative on the earth today and that he leads and directs us through revelation from the Lord.

I am grateful for prayer. We can know for ourselves of the truthfulness of these things by offering a sincere prayer, just like Joseph Smith did. And like him, our prayers will also be answered. Our lives can improve, our happiness can be enduring, our faith can be strengthened and the love of our Heavenly Father has for us can abound in our hearts.

I love my Savior and I will forever be grateful for His atoning sacrifice for me. Alma 29:10 is what I feel when others accept the gospel, and I felt that this week as I watched many partake of the sacrament for the first time:

"And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me."

I hope you all have a wonderful week. LOVE YOU ALL :)

Con Amor,

Hermana Fernelius

Week 42! "A Week of Many Blessings!"

From 10/27/14

Hola Family and Friends!!!!

:D <<<---- This is how I feel!!! I'm so happy about everything this week. Don't even know where to begin. Sorry if this is scrambled.

We went to a member’s house and asked about less active members that we could visit. She mentioned a sister named A de la Caña. She’s relatively young and hasn’t come for some time. We decided to stop by her house during the week and get to know her. Well, later that day we went out with a member of the church named G. We were on our way to an appointment and had to walk down a HUGE bajada. That word is just to say going downhill. I wrote it in Spanish so I wouldn’t have to write it in English, and now I just wrote a lot more to explain that. But now you all know that when I write bajada, it means descent or down hill. AHEM.

So we walked down a HUGE bajada with G and passed a young lady and her son. G turned to us and said, she’s a member go talk to her! Hurry before she leaves. We inconspicuously ran back up the hill to talk to her. (uphill-subida)

We introduced ourselves and said, “Sorry, we are new and are trying to get to know the area. G said that you are a member! What is your name?”

She said “I’m L. I’ve been a member for most of my life, but I just haven’t gone in a while.”

We asked if we could go to her home and talk more later in the week. She passed us her information. Her name was very familiar…de la caña. Turns out she is A’s sister. UH. WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT YOU!!... incredible! Two members subconsciously helped us to meet a member who is ready to come back to church. For 6 weeks I have never heard about her then the same day two members helped us find her. Our lesson with her was great! She has a powerful testimony and really desires to be sealed with her husband and baby boy. Way too cool.

Mm and Ml are also super cool. When I come home I will have to tell the story because there’s not much time today and I always forget to write the next week. But they are just so prepared. I included a little bit below.

Also, fun fact. Hermana C and I are in the largest Colonia in all of this area. It's super dangerous. At least that's what we've heard. But nothing ever really happens to us. Just creepy men and religious fanatics that don't really like us. We get the occasional borracho, but things are just normal. There's only ever danger for sister missionaries, if 1) we are disobedient or 2) we don't pay attention to the Spirit. (There is a 3) and that is that we are supposed to learn something). But what I've learned is that there are a lot of angels that protect us.

The case is a little different for elders. Because they have the Priesthood, I feel like they really face darkness head on. The elders that have been working in our area have had a lot of crazy experiences. Like. CRAZY. (<--Dad's comment about using excess periods in his email really made me laugh. . . . . . ) They have had some pretty close encounters this week---and let me be clear. These elders are awesome, hard workers, obedient. That shows that even when we are doing the best we can, we still face opposition.

The missionaries here are awesome. I've learned a lot from each one of them. Especially from my own companion. I LOVE HERMANA C. Sister and Brother C, thank you for sending your daughter on a mission. I wish you could see and hear how powerfully she teaches. Her love and testimony of the Lord is evident in all that she does. She talks so highly of her family and is a big example to me. But really. Her testimony is incredible. She's brought a life and energy to this area. I have learned so much from her these past few days together, but really I've looked up to her since we knew each other in one of my previous areas. I'm so blessed with each companion. Every one is so different and AWESOME.

"We seriously had a wonderful week!! Every day was full of blessings and tender mercies. I’m going to jump right to the good stuff. Our branch president is so happy. He is so excited about the work that we are doing! It’s the first time I’ve seen him a little relieved during my time here. All the branch members are noticing a special spirit and energy of missionary work. I think that for a long while our members have been sleeping a bit. There are many who have let their testimonies weaken and have put other things before God. We’ve seen less active members get excited about coming to church again. They might be few, but that is significant!

Since I arrived here with Hermana H, I’ve been praying for a miracle. Something that would wake the members up. Something that would reignite the light and excitement in our branch leadership. Something different that would kick start the work again. Having even more wonderful missionaries in our area was a direct answer to those prayers. Heavenly Father has a plan for everything. Men can’t frustrate His work and glory. It’s so awesome. I know that the Lord must have a miraculous plan for the instant that those missionaries return to their areas. He is preparing the people, the members, and us too to work there. I love it.

An assignment our branch president has given us is to ‘clean’ the ward lists. There are roughly 400 members on those lists and there is little follow up that the ward has made with those members; so we’ve all been working on locating each member and on finding and teaching in the process. One day all of our appointments fell through (you know what I’ve learned? Those days actually turn out to be the best :)) and we decided to go looking for members on that street from our list.

The hunt began! We walked past a house. It sounded familiar, so we stopped and said to each other, 'check your list, I think #52 is on there.' We returned to that house and knocked on the door. A young man came to the door and asked who we were looking for. We asked if the family O lived there. He told us that no one by that name lived there. He presented himself and said that his name was actually J O [same last name] too, but that he had no relation with the members we mentioned. We asked him if he had heard about the church before. He was unfamiliar at first but then recognized the word ‘Mormon’.

He said, ‘I have a copy of that book.’

How did you receive a copy? We had asked. Through friends, family, or other missionaries?

He said that before his mom passed away, she gave him a video on the life of Jesus Christ. From watching that video from the church, he looked up more about it on the internet. From there, he found the Book of Mormon online Wikipedia and began to read.

He said, I’ve never gone to your church before because I didn’t know where it was.

Hermana C gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and we asked if we could return that same day to teach him. He committed to read the Restoration pamphlet before our first appointment.

That afternoon we were on divisions, so Hna S and C went to see him. He had read the pamphlet, started reading the Book of Mormon, and was waiting anxiously by the door for them to arrive. He accepted the Restoration completely, accepted baptism, committed to come to church, and even commented to the sisters that he wants to serve a mission!!!! YAY! We asked the elders to pass by for him during the week and they really got him excited too. A recent convert/less active member who lives close by is really excited to go with the missionaries to meet J. They are the same age too. It’s such a miracle.

Last Sunday, a member family from one of my old wards came to church with their non-member mom and brother [Mm and Ml previously referred to]. Running into them is a miracle in itself. We took photos with them because we all recognized that it was no coincidence running into them. We met their family and scheduled to teach them Saturday.

Saturday came, we went to our appointment with them. They are so humble and prepared to hear the gospel. They accepted a baptismal date, committed to come to church and especially to pray. We read from Moroni 10:4& 5 and the brother, Ml, paused after reading the scripture. He sat pondering on it and said,  'That’s exactly how I feel, I guess I need to ask God to know if it’s really true'.

It was SO amazing! They both came to church and so did J. Another superstar couple came to church yesterday. They are also investigating. During our Principles of the Gospel class, all four of them participated, shared their testimonies and asked questions. Their responses left us without words. They are so prepared.

It has been a week of many blessings. We are excited to continue to find and teach and hope to truly catch the vision of why our Heavenly Father has called all the missionaries in our mission to labor for a time in Morelos. We are grateful for this opportunity to serve!"

LOVE YOU ALL. Have a wonderful week. Count your blessings each day. There are so many reasons to be happy and smile.

Con Amor,

Hermana Fernelius

P.S. Tiffany: My comp and I were planning on doing the SAME thing in concrete on the cement outside our apartment. We wanted to leave our hand prints in Mexico. P.P.S. We gave a piñata as a gift to a sister missionary that just had her birthday this week. Stop taking our ideas. haha just joking. :)

Week 41! "Civil Unrest and Transfers"

From 10/20/14

Hola Family and Friends!!!

 

So many crazy and exciting events happened this week:

 

Last Monday was the scheduled transfers, but they were postponed because of unusual events happening in the state of Guerrero in our mission. Maybe you've heard of what's going on, but if not, don't worry about it! We are all fine in our mission. All of the missionaries in the state of Guerrero have been emergency evacuated from their areas. All 90+ missionaries there have been moved into empty apartments/empty rooms/spare mattresses in the stakes and wards in Cuernavaca....where I'm at.

 

I was with Hermana "H" for almost another complete week, and we picked up my "new" companion on Wednesday. My companion is HERMANA "C"!!!! AHHHHH!!!! We used to serve in the same ward. This was my last area and while I served with Hermana "N", she served with Hermana "M".

 

We are so excited to be together and it was SO exciting to see her at the bus terminal! She thought I was there by coincidence to wait for another missionary...she didn't know that I knew that we were a new companionship. So that was kind of fun! :) We actually were a trio for a couple of days.

 

We were informed that Hermana H was going to be transferred, but for her security, they could not disclose when or where she would be transferred. Not even the day she would go. We decided to work like normal on Thursday, then we got a phone call from the mission president's assistants at about 6 in the evening. They told us to take Hermana H immediately to the bus station because she was going to leave in 30 minutes to her new area. JUST like that. Boom. We didn't even have time to be sad about saying goodbye.

 

Wellll......we finally got to the bus station with all her luggage, and saw some friendly faces of other missionaries who helped us with her luggage and to buy a ticket to her new area. When LO AND BEHOLD..... I see Hermana "P"!!!!!! My trainer!!!!!! It was the sweetest feeling! It felt like seeing one of you at home. She's always reminded me of Amy, so it felt like I was coming home in a way.  She said that I looked grown up. haha. I guess she really does feel like a 'mom' to me.

 

It was all a whirlwind in saying goodbye to Hermana H, and then we were off. (I felt like a ninja all that night..haha). We then went to the offices of the mission where all the missionaries from Guerrero were waiting to be reassigned to an area. In the offices, I saw Hermana "C"!!!! :') Ahhh so many happy moments.

 

We were given instructions to take a companionship back to our house where they would be staying with us for an undisclosed amount of time. It is SO COOL!!!! The next day, we randomly found Elders working in our area too. There are 6 of us!!! What's fun is that a week before transfers, I had a dream where 6 elders arrived in the area. They were all new in the dream and one companionship commented, 'okay, someone has to go. There is not enough work for all six of us to be here'.. so... haha. It came to pass!

 

I have about 6 weeks here in the area, so I still feel pretty new too. But Hermana C is "the BOSS" [that means super cool and highly capable], so she has already learned so much of the area and the members.

 

She has an incredible testimony. But really!! I have met very very very few people that can teach so well as she does. It's a huge blessing to be in a companionship together. I'm already learning so much. And it's all a lot of fun.

 

Sorry if this is a little bit rambled. There are so many things that went on this week I don't even know where to begin! It was a huge blessing to be able to see so many missionaries that we've gotten to know throughout the mission. It's strengthening and exciting to see how missionaries have developed, grown, and strengthened their testimonies.

 

We are all doing well here. There is a LOT of work to do. And now we have a LOT more help to get it done. President Kusch mentioned to us that the brethren of the church in Salt Lake City are monitoring the situation of our mission to see what changes and growth we see in the mission from having this unusual and drastic change.

 

"Another wonderful week! We are SO happy here. I can't believe I'm companions with Hermana C!!! These past few days have been surreal! Just about every night, we comment on how it feels like we are on temporary divisions and that in a couple of days we'll get a phone call saying, 'okay, just kidding, you two can go to different areas now' :)

 

We are having a wonderful time working with the missionaries from Guerrero. Hermanas G and S went to work immediately and have helped many investigators progress well. My companion and I have asked them to work in an area where it has been untouched by missionaries for some time, and they are already finding a few interested families.

 

The same morning that we went to work in our temporarily divided area, we ran into Elders V and C. They are serious troopers! We did not know that they would be in our area as well. If we hadn't run into them, I don't think we would have known that they were here. The Elders went to work right away, without knowing members, investigators, or the area. We were both REALLY impressed with their attitude and diligence. They have not complained once about being here. They are currently working on assignments from our branch president to work with members, less actives and to find new investigators through their own efforts.

 

So, you can say that we are blessed. This change is what we have been praying for for this branch and the members. The members needed to feel excited about missionary work again. For the members to see 6 missionaries in Sacrament meeting made a huge difference. They are aware that it is a temporary change but that makes them more appreciative to have the other companionships here. Our little branch has members who are ready to reactivate and investigators who are progressing to baptism. The work is beginning to roll.

 

These past few weeks have been special because I think I've been praying with more sincerity. It's the first time in my mission that my companion and I pray for a specific blessing we need, and that prayer is answered directly and recognizably--sometimes even immediately. I need to pray in faith and work in faith. The Lord wants us to progress, He wants these areas to progress, He wants us to find, teach, retain, rescue and hasten this work. He wants us to have miracles. But WE have to ask, WE have to work diligently. We have to have faith and exercise our agency with that faith.

 

'And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith.'

 

D&C 10:47, 52 : 'And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith in their prayers; And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which they have received, but to build it up.'

 

This work is true and I'm grateful to be a missionary. I love that there is a lot of work to do to build up Zion here. We are excited for another week here in this area."

 

The investigators that we are working with are SUPER awesome!! They are progressing! They know that the church is true. It is so amazing to watch them grow. They are progressing towards baptism. We are also teaching a few investigators that are beginning to progress. Some are new, others were are just beginning to teach. 

 

"R" came to church on Sunday! His wife would have come, but some unexpected things took place so she couldn't go, but she sent her husband. "L" didn't go, but we were so sure that we would see her there. In the afternoon on Sunday we passed by her house. She said that she and her husband were both ready to come, but then some unexpected visits came by too, just like "P", so they couldn't come. "L" and her family also couldn't come last week because their bedroom caught on fire.

 

I think that there is a common theme here with the progressing investigators. There are unplanned, uncontrollable situations that arise that kept them from coming. We were able to see these individuals grow in their faith this week. That's everything to us! We are happy, we are working. Life is good. :)

 

Hope each one of you have a wonderful week. I know that the Lord loves us. I have a testimony of the power of prayer. I feel much more calm and assured when I talk to Heavenly Father sincerely.

 

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

 

Con Amor,

 

Hermana Fernelius

Week 40! "Milagroso Mexico‏"

From 10/13/14

Hola Family and Friends!!

We had a great week here! :) Thank you family for the emails and letters. I appreciate the time you take to let me know how you all are at home.

I think I'll start the week off with a few hearty quotes that have made me laugh every single time I read them. They are a compilation of the past two weeks from members and mission leaders:

 

"Dios es muy buena onda!" - member.

 

"The people around here are now Satanized" - same member's 70 year old mom.

 

"Y cuando yo veía mi hijo recién nacido por primera vez, me pensé, 'wow, esa pedacito de gente estuvo en mi panza.'" - Hna Isabel (member) explaining birth story of her son.

 

"Cada vez que suene las campanas Catolicas, estan diciendo: VEN! VEN! VEN!" - Hna Bustos (member) one sunday afternoon, (the best part? When she said ven, she actually made the sound of a church bell. it's possible).

 

We were talking to an investigator and she said that after she prayed she felt "un vientecito bien fresco"............................us.....-->"Espiritu Santo?"

 

"He's about to die. I want to baptize him here in the ward, not in the temple." - Elder Ortiz talking about an investigator in his area who is verrrryyyy old.

 

THAT SAME DAY: A companionship shared how their investigators are doing. One sister missionary (talking about an investigator) said in Spanish: "She had a c-section and something dangerous happened. They perforated her lungs or something like that." "No creo que sean sus pulmones. Los pulmones son bien fetching lejos!!!" - Elder Ortiz (again).

 

"Cuando Moroni termino el Libro de Mormón, no. esta. planchando. El dice 'Os exhorto leer', no 'flojos LEAN!'"- (Guess who? That's right-->) Elder Ortiz

 

I think that's good for now. :) We've had a few challenging weeks in our area, but what I've realized is that little things with righteous efforts make a difference in the lives of others. After reading Tiffany's email, I wanted to copy and paste her email in mine.

 

Several weeks ago, when I first met a less active family in this area, we decided to find some way to serve them right away. We shared a message with them after they expressed their concerns and challenges health wise, financially and in their family. Then my companion started to help pick up around the house and swept their home for them, and I helped their daughter with her math homework. We built a relationship of confidence and trust with them.

 

Then they moved to another neighborhood in our area. One day, we went by to visit them and see if we could help in some way. As we left their house, this sister told us, "My next door neighbors are members too, but they stopped going to church for the past couple of years." Wow! It was an unexpected blessing to find another family that is a part of our branch.

 

We immediately went to see them, but they seemed uninterested and only greeted us at their doorstep. It was a brief visit, and we left. We came back for this family on several occasions and for one reason or another, we were never able to speak more then 5 minutes or sometimes even find them home. But through our 5 minute visits, our hope was that they felt the love we had for them. Then one day the mom of the family invited us to come back and see her. We went to see her and it was a wonderful visit! We met her husband and her children. Through many small but meaningful efforts, last Friday we were able to speak with her and her husband about coming back to church.

 

Yesterday, my companion and I were so happy to see them come to church on their own. Seeing them in our Branch made me realize that consistent service matters and makes a difference. And finding them actually came through serving another less active family. It's just all really special to think about.

 

The Lord loves us so much and wants to help us. I love that when we are baptized we promise to always remember and strive to be like He is. We promise to do our best to "help succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees". In doing so, we show not only our brothers and sisters the love that we have for them, but we show our Heavenly Father that we love Him.

 

We had a most beautiful visit with a less active member. We saw her this past Tuesday for our food cita. I felt the Spirit so strongly when we spoke with her about her testimony and what personally keeps her from being active.

 

You know what? Sometimes people just need a hug. They just need to hear that they are doing a good job, that they are loved, and appreciated, and that they need to keep going forward. Think about how many people you see in a single day. Every one of those people is a son or daughter of God. Sometimes people forget that. And sometimes we should be the ones to remind them. Find ways to serve. Pray for opportunities to help others. There are so many in need. A loving Father in Heaven never forgets us, especially in our times of need, but oftentimes He answers the prayers of His children through the service of someone else. This week, be the person to answer a prayer! There is nothing more rewarding or worth laboring for!!

 

On Thursday, my companion and I went to an appointment with a progressing investigator of ours named "L". She's awesome. She reminds me so much of one of my friends at home, by her facial expressions and her personality. She's about 20 years old and has a 3 year old son with her boyfriend.  Her little son is my favorite!!!  He's such an obedient and happy little kid.

 

We've taught her now for two weeks. She has kept her commitments to read the chapters of the Book of Mormon we leave, she has been praying, and she is excited for her baptism. Thursday, we felt that we should review the lesson of the Restoration and watch the video presentation from the church on the Restoration. We started with a prayer, read from the introduction of the Book of Mormon, and went to watch the film. As I watched and listened, I felt the Spirit testify to me that the Church is true! I also felt a strong impression that "L" has a pure heart. Her desires are sincere, and that is why she has been blessed with a testimony.

 

I can't explain it in an email, I am not very good and writing, but I wish with all my heart that each investigator, less active and even active members could always have that purity of heart and humility to find truth. In a humble home of a daughter of God, we felt the Spirit of the Lord present.

 

We asked her shortly after the film how she felt. "Do you feel like you have received an answer to your prayers?" She smiled and immediately responded, "I know that the church is true!" I almost cried with joy!! I was filled with SO much gratitude and so much joy to hear her declare her simple but true testimony.

 

I can't explain it. Every hour possible in our day we spend sharing what matters most to us to everyone we can find. We share our hearts, what brings us peace and joy and purpose. To hear someone feel the same joy and direction is unreal. To share your testimony and for someone to accept it is the BEST FEELING EVER! 

And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! 

And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me! (D&C 18:15-16)

 :D The week before this visit, we asked her pretty directly how she felt about her baptism. She replied "Happy". Me too "L", me too.

 

There is another couple that Hermana H and I are pretty sure are secretly already baptized. It's because they are SO AMAZINGLY AWESOME.  You should hear their prayers. They have already read the Book of Mormon. The Hermana accepted a baptismal date. They watched General Conference on their laptop like they promised they would. LITTLE MIRACLE PEOPLE: They make missionaries happy!!!

 

I love you all. I hope that the emails that Tiffy and I send reflect how happy we really are to be serving. It's hard to write out our testimonies in an email. I hope that our emails might help others to see the miracles we see everyday of just how much the Lord loves us. He loves us SO MÚCH.

 

Picture enough love to fill the universe, then multiply that by infinity and that gives you an idea of how much our Heavenly Father loves us and what He is willing to do for us.

 

I am grateful for another beautiful week in Mexico. It is a great privilege to be able to serve the people here and especially to serve the Lord. :)

 

CON AMOR,

 

Hermana Fernelius <3

 

 

Week 39! "Lupita (Our Giant Pet Moth)"

From 10/6/14

Hola Family and Friends,

This week waaas something special. I don't have much to say, but here is the weekly letter!!

"We had a good week! This has been another week of appreciating little daily blessings. For example, Hermana H and I made of list of old investigators and contacts that we planned to revisit and teach, many of whom we do not know. On the way, we contacted a man named 'B', and actually he was the man that we were on the way to see!

We also revisited a couple that we contacted two weeks ago. They were not home the day we had originally set our appointment, so we arrived unexpected at their home again, hoping to find them there.

Friday we found no one home. It was another day when every single appointment and back up was not home. Neither were old investigators or the members that we went to see. It felt a little strange! It was like the Colonia was on vacation, or sick, or out shopping at the same time. It was difficult. It felt like we were doing something wrong or wasting the day. It was a little discouraging.

At about 5:30 pm, we decided to recontact a couple that we met two weeks ago. The day we had scheduled an appointment with them, they were not there. So we went to their home in a part of our area a little out of the way, in the mud and rain. All day the only thing I kept saying to myself is, everything’s going wrong… that must mean something good is about to happen!! And it was that way truly.

We found 'P' in her home. She received us into her home and we began to get to know her. She is someone special!! It was like teaching an active member of the church. When we invited her to be baptized, she said, 'but I already am. Does that mean that my baptism was invalid?'

We explained the priesthood, then she said, 'I guess I should be baptized again then.'

She told us that she knew baptism is sacred and a promise made with God. Her husband had just come home when we said the final prayer. He came in and talked about how he wants to learn more of the principles and ordinances of the gospel. He actually used those words too. It was interesting to hear him use terms that normally only members know.

They committed to watch General Conference on their computers the past weekend. They really surprised us of how prepared they are to receive the gospel and make covenants with our Heavenly Father. I am grateful for that experience and that we will begin teaching them this week.

We are doing the best we can in this area. I know there is much improvement to be done personally, but that as we trust in the Lord, He will direct our paths. :)"

Con Amor,

Hermana Fernelius

Other fun tidbits... One night as my companion was reporting our daily datos to our District Leader, I was busy making pancakes which are called hotcakes here. He asked my companion if I would come over to listen to the phone call too because he asks us about the area and it requires participation from the two of us. I told him no (hahaha) because I was supremely busy and could not be interrupted. "what are you doing?" Makin hotcakes. haha. Since that night my first week here and ever since, I have been called Hermana Hotcakes.

Also, there have been about 4 witnesses that say that I look like Lea Michelle from Glee. And yes, I find that offensive. I get called that on the daily.

I have a photo of the wedding of mom and dad on my planner. Everyone comments on it. The members and my companion say that dad looks like brad pitt (not true) in the photo and that now he looks like Bruce Willis. Lol.

Turns out that Tiffany and I have the same experiences at the same time in our mission. If you could read our conversation from today. It was great. There are way too many things in common!

Love you all have a great week!!

Meet Lupita our giant pet moth. She appeared in our apartment and we named her Virgencita de Guadalupe, but for short Lupita. She is muy enojona. She attacked me actually. haha

Outside of our casa de oracion after limpieza

AND one for fun!

Favorite Pastime: Eating

We made fun of mannequins today. We were really bored and these fascinated us. 

We also found this really awesome slug in the street. Feast your eyes. 

Week 38! "Magico Mexico‏"

From 9/29/14

Hola Family and Friends!!!!

Amy: Bless you for the photos. I stared at each photo for a solid 2 minutes. Solid. Your little ones are such dolls. Love you sister.

Jamison: I literally laughed out loud with your email!! I loved that story!!! Thank you for taking the time to email. I hope you are doing well with EVERYTHING. Yesterday I was with a member and it reminded me of you and Amy. Your girls are precious! I hope you and Amy and Emma and Kylie have an awesome week! Love you!!!

Matthew: I loved your email! Thanks for writing this week. I know there's a million things to do. But hearing the testimonies of my siblings impacts me. I'm glad to hear that you are doing well. I know that God has a special plan for you. Last night as I read my blessing, I opened my scriptures and it was opened to Proverbs 3: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. The end of your email sounded just like that. I think that's awesome!

Benjamin; I love you little one!! You will always be a little one in my head, even though you are a lot taller than me. I think of you every day for one reason or another. I hope you recognize how special you are. I hope you keep looking up to mom and dad and to the living prophets. I love the counsel from the scriptures to stand in holy places and be not moved until the day of the Lord comes. I know that you are wise to the promptings of the Spirit and hope you always will be. Just remember to keep your sights on the temple and on your future mission. It's important to prepare for that day today. It is imperative to be worthy and pure today and to remember the great blessing our Brother, Jesus Christ has given us, His Atonement. We can be clean every single day. There is cleansing, strengthening power of His Sacrifice. It's not only for us when we make mistakes, it's EVERYTHING: We need it everyday. Keep your head up and remember to be a good example to your family and friends. You influence others even when you don't notice it.

Mom and Dad: Your letters made me cry. Thank you for being such wonderful parents. I appreciate you much more than you can imagine. I was thinking of you two especially this week and again today as I talked about our family to Hermana H:

Her parents are only about 50 years old but very sick. Her mom has had recurring cancer for many years, osteoporosis and diabetes. Hna H had to be a CNA without even wanting to. She has done everything for her mom, from bathing to changing to dressing. Her dad is also sick although he doesn't like to talk about it because he's more worried about his wife. One of her brothers is deaf and mute. He suffered an accident when he was a child that left him deaf and mute. Hna H has learned how to sign language to communicate with him and talks so highly about him and her other brother. She's gone through a lot in her life, but always comes back to the family even though they have had serious trials.

I am so grateful for our family. I am so grateful for the blessings the Lord has given us. I am so grateful for the testimony you both have always helped me cultivate and for letting me rely on you two for anything and everything. The culture of the world in regards to family is broken. There are broken families, there are hopeless homes, there are broken hearts. I wish with all my heart that the youth and children could have the blessing of having loving parents and a complete home. I just want you to know how much I love and appreciate you and that I always pray for you. LOVE you with all my heart.

"We had a week full of small miracles and blessings. We were blessed to find many former investigators who are willing to hear the gospel again. Sunday we had an appointment to meet a new 14 year investigator named 'L'. As we approached their street we saw her with her family outside their home. They welcomed us over and allowed us to teach right then and there. One member of the family, 'A', told us that elders used to teach her a few years ago. She began to learn more of the gospel and even went to church for six months. 'A', 'L', 'J' and 'G' accepted the invitation to be baptized. We are excited that the Lord helped us to find them. I think that L is really special. The two times we have seen her, she receives us with enthusiasm and she really tries hard to listen and pay attention to what we teach. I love that she is humble and willing to hear more. 

One of the goals that Hermana H and I committed to do this week is contact at least four businesses on our street and throughout our area each day. The owners of these business have been contacted several times over the months and years that missionaries have been here. We desire and want to be sure that everyone knows of our purpose as missionaries and has the opportunity to hear the gospel.

The street that we live on is heavy with traffic and full of negocios. In a single day we probably pass by them 10 times. So, yesterday we entered a clothing shop and began conversing with the owner, 'A M'. She mentioned to us that she knew of our church because she rented an apartment to elders for over 7 years. Her daughter decided to be baptized many years ago in our branch and continues to be active in another Mexican state. She also mentioned that her mom owns a similar clothing shop in our neighborhood.

'Wait, is your mom 'C'??'... It just so happens that A M's mom is an investigator we have been teaching with a baptismal date! In that moment I had many thoughts run through my mind. One, I need to talk to everyone...but really. Two, people are always observing members of the church and missionaries and our example truly does make a difference (for good or for bad). Another thought I had was a reconfirming feeling that Heavenly Father always labors to bring His children to Him at all times, circumstances, and every day. A M has had good exposure to the church not for one month, or a couple of years. It has been eight years.

Small and simple, but diligent efforts to preach the gospel MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

Sometimes in lessons with members we share a comparison with them of how important our simple efforts make. We ask, how much water is in the ocean? How many pools could you fill with that water? How many buckets does it take to fill a pool? How many cups does it take to fill a bucket? How many drops does it take to fill a cup? The ocean is comprised of those infinite drops of water.

I felt the Spirit remind me not to doubt or complain because immediate results aren't seen when we share the gospel. I am not called to preach the gospel my way, it's the Lord's. The promise is sure that if we are worthy, have faith in Him, have righteous desires, and exert diligent effort we can be made instruments in the Lord's hand for the salvation of many souls. What a marvelous promise and blessing. I forget that all too often. I think sometimes I get trapped in going through the motions or thinking of numbers more than doing God's will. This week has been a call to change and to repent.

Later on in the day, we contacted a video store owner. He remembers seeing missionaries pass by every day through the years. He told us that the Hermanas before us would always ask how they could offer help or service. He was very open and gracious to us and committed to read the pamphlet we left with him. I felt grateful for the kindness of each one of those sisters because they made a difference to him.

Then we met another woman named 'E'. She let us into her business and asked us to sit and explain the Restoration to her. She once received lessons from elders. She always had the question to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet and why baptism. She opened up to us and gave us the opportunity to teach her in that moment. She is going to move her business tomorrow and will be out of work and without a place to live. Had we not spoken to her, maybe we, personally, would not have found her again. She did not invite us to come back and teach her for that reason. She doesn't know where to go, but we promised her that when she puts the Lord first, everything important will fall into place and the unimportant will fall out of place. I felt really uplifted last night when reflecting on the special experiences we've had with many people this week.

The branch is going! However small it may be, we see progression. We desire to work more closely with the Branch President to help him see the good in the area and re-ignite his excitement for missionary work.

Hermana H is an amazing companion. She really loves the gospel, and I can feel it each time she shares her testimony and teaches. She has a gift to love and to understand others. I am grateful to be her companion because I have learned a lot from her about the gospel, missionary work, and more about myself too. We are going to keep doing the best we can and have faith in the Lord."

Con Amor,

Hermana Fernelius

She's too cute! This is at the house of a member who invites us to lunch every Wednesday. Hna "L" is really special and I am grateful that she takes good care of us.

I hope this isn't inappropriate. I took this especially for Tiffy!! haha :)

Our area is made up of "callejones". That literally means little streets. It's basically alleyways. And it's the only way to go. There are a few that are very narrow like this one, so I decided to take a breather and read for a bit. 

We have a huge crisis in Mexico that the houses are numbered badly. The numeration in a single street is as follows: 3, 5, 7, 145 (??), 27, 84, 15..... and our faces as we walk down the street looking for number 20: o.O*?

This picture made me giggle. I think people pick their house number when they construct it, then re-number it as often as they feel the need for change :)

I tried taking this picture 3 times...the kitty would turn away every single time I took the photo. So our little friend took the initiative of making the cat look and smile. the result? This precious photo that makes me laugh every single time :)

This is "A"!! We love him and his family. His family truly are angels. They have lived hard lives and face challenges every day, but they don't let that slow them down. They serve and love, and smile and laugh. They are an example to me. His sister is "N", the young woman that Hna C and I ran into many months ago. His mom is "I", and we ran into her this morning buying groceries :)

We took this picture in our 'casa de oracion' or house of prayer. When branches or wards anywhere in the world meet in a building/house that is not a chapel, it is still dedicated and set apart as a meeting house that we call a house of prayer. I'll try to send pictures of our beautiful casa as soon as I can. 



This is a wall that is made up of pure grains and legumes. It is really incredible! I included another photo more up close so you can see!

My least favorite activity. I let Hermana H do all the phone calls. haha. I have never liked phone calls that much and it's in Spanish too. Nope, no thanks. It's funny because I carry the phone with me and Hna H carries the keys. Every time the phone starts ringing, I either say "Here, it's for you" or "I don't know who it is". This is a daily thing and although this is my response everyday, I don't think she's caught on yet. Tee Hee