Lessons Learned- Nov 18, 2013

Hola Familia y amigos, 

     I hope all is well with everyone at home or on your missions wherever you may be! This week was another great one and thankfully it is warming up here! It`s usually pretty sunny in the day and warm, but we are by the coast and so there is a nice constant cooling wind. I`m still getting used to the fact that we are just starting summer time in November. 

     So this week was definitely one for learning. Since my comp only has two weeks left in the mission now, she`s been helping out a lot of the other sisters going on mini cambios (where we switch companions). In fact, this week she was gone for 3 days straight leaving me in charge with other Hermana`s that have less time than me in the mission. (Fun fact: our mission is super young and about 2/3 of the missionaries haven`t hit their half way mark yet.) We refer to ourselves as New and Newer, kinda like Dumb and Dumber, but hopefully not as bad. Haha. Anyways, it was quite interesting having to plan everything for 3 days when only one companion (me) knows the sector, but I am so glad that the Lord is on our side, otherwise, we would`ve been lost. Okay so it actually wasn`t bad, but I definitely learned so much! Especially when Hna Lovell came back and I got to see her role in a new light. 

     I am so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost that we have to really be guided and comforted. I know that there is no way I could be doing this all alone and I am so glad that I don`t have to. For our whole entire life we are entitled to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost as long as we are worthy of it. How great a gift we are promised. 

     Investigator time: so we just started teaching Karen this week who is 25 and is so cool. She used to go with her mom to church for about a year until 6 months ago when she stopped. Well last week she decided to come again because something inside of her moved her to do so and she`s pumped to learn more. Anita is the mom of two recent converts and she is super stubborn and sassy, but we love her and with the gospel she opens up more and more everyday.  Roxana and her two kids Sebastian and Mauricio are working towards their baptismal date coming up. The father Ricardo is a new convert of 2 months and now we just have to help Roxana and her kids. We talked about getting sealed in the temple with Ricardo and he is so motivated to help his family and I just love them all so much. They have seen countless miracles happen in their lives as soon as they joined the church and their family changed completely. They used to hardly talk to one another and would fight all the time. However, since Ricardo got baptized, they have seen a complete change in everyone and they are so much happier now. This gospel really is meant for families. 

      I have been SOOO incredibly blessed to be born into my family. Mom and Dad I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me and siblings you are the best!!!! I know the gospel has been a HUGE factor in the way we were raised and I am eternally grateful. I am working as hard as I can so that every family in Chile can have the same, as I expect all of you to be doing the same in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you all!!! 

con mucho amor, 

Hermana Romney 

Pictures are from the zone activity we had today. Chile is so beautiful!!!!!

Nov 11, 2013

Hello!

    Alright so I don`t have much time today, so this week`s letter is going to be a little short. Luckily nothing too crazy happened this week like the last one, but it has still been eventful as always. I learned to never assume that a nasty couch belongs outside. Otherwise if you put it outside to make room for two new Hermanas in your house, the old evangelical lady who owns the house will yell at you for an hour and make you clean all day (Yes this did happen to us). Speaking of our apartment, the picture below is of an actual fugus mushroom type mold that was growing in our shower that we found. Other than that, our week was really good and I feel a lot more comfortable in our new area. Actually Elder Holland had a meeting here with all of the bishops and stake presidents in our mission, but we didn`t get to see him....bummer. However, we did get to have a meeting with the bishop afterwards and he is excited to change things up and we are super pumped as well!  

         So my trainer didn`t want to admit this to me at first, but we are in a much harder sector and the people are a lot more reserved and not as willing to accept the gospel. It`s all good though because we have just been finding new ways to work and really concentrating on working with the members. Actually we had a super sweet family home evening with a family of 5 (the father is a new convert and the rest of the family is not), who we are teaching and another young family in the ward who the husband is a return missionary and hasn`t been to church in a while who came for the first time yesterday! The family home evening went super well too and we as missionaries hardly had to do anything, the members did it all which is definitely much better. Hna Lovell and I like to call ourselves the catalysts. We are here to help members do missionary work and to help reactivate and retain other members. And why not do all three at the same time? I know that the Lord really does work through us as missionaries. It`s incredible.

 

      Actually this week I have really been working on trying to follow the promptings of the spirit. It`s hard! However, I have seen miracles happen and I know that it is definitely not me that`s making it happen. I know God loves each and everyone of us so much and knows us individually. He cares about us and wants us to be happy. I love you all as well and hope you have a good week!

con mucho amor, 

Hermana Romney

Nov. 4, 2013

Familia! 

    Wowzass I`m beginning to think that there will never be a normal week here in the mission. Transfers were today and I will be staying in Santa Sabina with my comp Hna Lovell, but she leaves early in 4 weeks so we`ll see what happens then! Also 2 more Hnas are coming to live with us though and share the ward and I am super pumped about that. The ward boundaries are HUGE and there is so much potential. Also I found out that we have about 15 new pet slugs that like to just chill in our bathroom and kitchen every night at about 3 am. One night I woke up to use the bathroom and just about woke up the neighbors when I saw them all. The next night of course I had to see if it was a normal habit for the slugs and so I set an alarm to wake up at the same time and sure enough there they were just hanging in our shower. We have still yet to cure the problem, but we`re working on it. 

     So Santa Sabina is such a great ward. My comp says she has never seen a ward like this ever outside of the US and I am pretty pumped to be working here! Since we didn`t know anyone or how to get anywhere, we decided to work with the members and the investigators of the Elders. I think the members trust us a lot now and we got tons of great references! We even had a baptism this Sunday! Pedro was baptized and he`s a champ. He`s got Parkinson`s Disease and so mentally he`s all there, but physically not too much. He`s niece is on a mission and he loves reading the scriptures. We were mostly excited about Mariana`s baptism yesterday though!!! I love her sooo much and she is super cool. Reminds me a ton of my friends in Monterrey. We were bummed we had an emergency transfer the week right before, but all of her nonmember family came! The president even gave us special permission to call her right after and she just seemed soooo happy!! Ahh moments I`ll never forget. 

     It really is so true that when we follow the commandments, we will be happy. Heavenly Father loves us so much that he has given us guidelines that we should follow for our own happiness in this life and in the one to come. He only asks us to be obedient and we are promised eternal life and everlasting happiness. What more could you ever want? Who knows better God? I am so grateful for the sacred scriptures that we have and especially the Book of Mormon. I have gained such an appreciation for the Book of Mormon and it brings an incredible spirit. It is so important to read it everyday!! But really! 

   Well I love you all and am so glad that everyone is doing well and having a good time together. Cuidanse muchisimo y les quiero tanto! 

Hermana Romney 

Pics:

1) Julia and her Fam

2) Mariana and the necklace she made me! 

3 and 4) from our morning run - you can see the ocean from that hill! 

5) Pedro`s baptism