October 30, 2021
If we can become just 1% better each day, the results at the end of a week will be encouraging. The results at the end of a year will be astounding. The results at the end of a lifetime will be a witness of our diligent and successful efforts to become more like Christ. ~Elder Gilbert
"Poco a poco, or little by little. I'm growing. Steadily and surely. Every ounce of growth needs to be celebrated and that joy can then be used to strengthen us for the next 1% of our growth. "
November 6, 2021
Those of you who know me well know I'm nearly incapable of sharing a heartfelt testimony without crying. Let's just say my district can now also say they know me well. Also, I saw what it looks like when I cry, because I did it on a video call, and I would just like to apologize to anyone who has ever had to witness that- haha.
November 13, 2021
One of the things they teach the most is that your best companion will always be the Spirit. I couldn't agree more.
November 15, 2021
I have like 20 new friends!
November 23, 2021
They asked me to pray at the end "so I could practice." I prayed & after they said amen they just went crazy. One of them shouted "Wait, so is your mom Latina then??
November 29, 2021
This church is true, my friends.
December 6, 2021
Give yourself grace. You aren't perfect yet, nor will you be at any point in our mortal existence. So do the best you can with what you have and who you are. You've got this.
December 13, 2021
I don't care if my future husband speaks Spanish. I'm teaching my kids Spanish.
December 21, 2021
Not to diss on Utah ward parties, but Latinos just do it better.
December 28, 2021
Every day I'm able to literally bear the name of the man who literally bore our sins. There's nothing like it.
January 3, 2022
Our Heavenly Father loves you so much. You'll never be able to understand or quantify His love. All we can do is be grateful for it, and do our best to share it with those around us.
January 10, 2022
Our Heavenly Father is so aware of each of his children. Don't forget that. He is opening doors for you the moment He knows they need to be opened. And maybe He's leaving some shut because He knows you're not ready to walk through them. Or maybe whatever is on the other side of that door isn't ready for you yet. Trust in Him. Trust in His timing and in His methods. He knows everything. He knows you. And He loves you.
January 17, 2022
Tough mornings give us the emotional traction to jump into joyful days."
"I'm so grateful for the Fall of Adam and Eve, and more importantly, for the plan our Heavenly Father has for each of us, individually and collectively. He knows exactly what we need to feel in order to experience the things we need to, in the way we need to, in order for us to become the people we are destined to be. All we have to do is trust in Him and let him be the author of our story.
January 24, 2022
We can't even see just how much He really is doing. But just know. He loves you so completely and so individually. Even if you can't see Him opening doors, just know He is. He has a plan and a purpose for YOU. Press forward with faith and trust in the plan He has for you.
January 31, 2022
"If ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do."
All things.
Let the power of that promise sink in, and then go and do what the Holy Ghost guides you to do.
February 7, 2022
When all is said and done, and this life is over, not much will matter. It really comes down to who you are.
So who do you want to become?
February 14, 2022
You are so loved. Please never forget that. And if you do forget, I hope the next sunrise or sunset helps you remember again. Because God's love for you is even more constant and sure than the rising and setting sun. It is infinite and complete and personal and powerful. And it will never go away.
February 21, 2022
They cooked up some wacky meat and it was yucky. I'm still not sure what it was but from what I understand it is a gland from a cows neck? Idk. But it was squishy and jiggly and pretty much every bad adjective I could think of. I wouldn't recommend it.
February 28, 2022
Some miracles feel like you're living in a movie and it seems there's just no way they're real. They're almost too good to be true. And other miracles come with a lot of hard work. And sometimes you don't recognize them until you sit down to write your weekly email for your mom to read, and it hits you.
God gives us miracles in every moment of every day. Big and small. But every single one is a miracle.
March 7, 2022
If you're disappointed by unmet expectations, and feeling like something is missing, my best advice for you is to make a little more time in your life for Jesus. He always has and always will be the most constant source of joy in our lives. And all the other sources of joy we have ultimately come from Him too. Christ heals all wounds and all sorrows. He knows how we feel in any and every moment. And he knows how to help us through the tough stuff. We just need to turn to Him and allow Him to help us.
March 14, 2022
I've already tasted of the joy that comes from the work of gathering Israel. And I know the joy I feel is nothing compared to that joy I will feel in the presence of my Father. And my only wish would be for each of you to be able to feel of this joy. I love missionary work so much. I have genuinely never been happier in my entire life. And I know there is no greater cause on this earth today.
March 21, 2022
There's so many things in this life that testify of the most important absolute truth there is.
God loves you. And that will never change.
March 28, 2022
One thing I've definitely learned out here in Orlando is that if God wants me to learn something, He will find a way to teach me.
This week, He taught me that I am capable if I am willing.
The lesson He's been teaching me can best be summarized by a line from the concluding hymn at Stake Conference. A line which anyone who knows me well would know moved me to tears:
"I believe in Christ, so come what may."
April 4, 2022
I love missionary work so so much
I want you to know that I have never in my entire life been happier than I am right now. And I am a happy person. I've had it good. I have the best family ever, and the best friends, I had a fun job and good opportunities at school. But missionary work is better. So much better.
April 11, 2022
We had so many lessons this week. I loved it. Lessons are my favorite part of missionary work. I love talking to the people I love and helping them progress and understand God's plan.
April 18, 2022
I love to see the temple
One thing I love about missionary work is the unapologetic love the other missionaries have for this gospel. It's so heartwarming to hear my friends tell me how the temple made them feel. I love being in this chapter of my life. I was reminded today that I have less than a year left and I'll be honest, that kind of put me in a bit of a crisis. I never want to leave.
April 25, 2022
Remembering God. It's a conscious decision. We have to choose to remember.
It is up to us. It's up to you. To choose God. Whatever helps you remember Him, I invite you to raise it high. Let the things that remind you of Him surround you. Actively make Him a part of your life.
Don't forget God.
May 2, 2022
God is in charge of His work.
I have apparently developed this mentality in the last few weeks that if I'm not in a lesson every possible moment of the day, I am not a successful missionary.
I thought my life was in my hands. I thought the progress of my people was in my hands. I got so worried that the momentum in this area was going to fall flat because I wasn't doing enough. I couldn't control the uncontrollable.
So I didn't.
I was forced to live with exactly what I had been given (which is actually how it always is and always has been).
And guess what?
God's work carried on.
May 9, 2022
Choosing to dedicate every free moment of my day to understand Savior and His role in my life opened my mind. In no way do I dare to claim I am some scriptural mastermind, but I will say I was thrilled to see an increase in my capacity to understand the infinite.
May 16, 2022
Wow, ok. I don't even know where to begin. This entire week felt like the best dream ever. It was so incredible that it literally doesn't feel real.
I don't even have words to describe how many miracles we saw this week. I wish I could write all of them down, but there just aren't words to describe it all.
The crazy thing is all we had to do was ask.
Hope for something better.
Seek and expect miracles, just as our dear prophet has instructed.
And then wait. They'll come.
May 23, 2022
Mission life is weird. It's so good and so fun and so full of change. Change can be hard but if I've learned anything out here in Florida, it's that change is good. God always has something better in store for His children.
May 30, 2022
Normally, I'm not a huge fan of weekly planning, but this week was really refreshing! We had a bit of a dry patch for finding and teaching, and our motivation was going down. But this week in weekly planning we set some solid goals for having more spirit-led missionary work. We wanted to fall in love with every moment of the day again. And let me tell you. This weekend was incredible.
June 6, 2022
I don't even know how to explain to you just how happy I am. The spirit is so strong. My heart is so full. Life is so good. God is so good.
June 13, 2022
I'M STAYING IN BUENA VENTURA!!!
That means I will serve half of my mission in my first area, and I couldn't be more happy about it. I love this ward with all my heart and frankly, I never want to leave it.
Miracles are happening in this area and all over the world. If you're feeling weighed down, this is my one piece of advice: look for a miracle today. Write it down. And thank your Heavenly Father for it. As we recognize more miracles, more miracles enter into our lives. I know it's true. Let Him bless you!
June 20, 2022
Although I don't know everything about this Church, I know it's true. Because the Spirit has told me so. And that is enough for me.
June 27, 2022
The miracle is in the mangos
I don't even know how to explain how big of a miracle that was for us. We were so stressed and worried for both of our friends and if they were going to be able to get baptized. God works in mysterious ways!
July 4, 2022
As a missionary, and just as a nice human being, I've been trying really hard to help these people carry all of these burdens. But the fact of the matter is that I am not strong enough for that.
No matter how much people trust me with their burdens, if it's too heavy, it's too heavy. You could say you trust me, you could genuinely believe you trust me, with a 500 pound weight. But if you handed it over to me I would drop it immediately.
So what am I trying to say here?
Christ carried them all.
He carried all of those burdens and more, multiplied by billions. He felt all that pain. All that sorrow. All that grief. He felt it all.It doesn't matter how hard the battle you're fighting is. It doesn't matter how heavy the weight is. You could throw a 500 pound burden and Christ would catch it with ease. Because he already carried that and more. He's equipped to help. And more than anything else, He loves us with a pure and immeasurable love. That love is His motivating factor in all of this, in everything He's done.
So all we have to do is trust in Him. Nothing happens that isn't for our benefit. Nothing is too heavy for Him to help us carry. And there is never, ever, going to be a day when He decides He's done helping us get through our trials.
July 11, 2022
Sunday was INCREDIBLE. We had so many really golden people come to church! I also got to speak!
Missionary work is different for each person, because each person is different. But it doesn't matter that what you are doing is something different from what the person sitting next to you is doing. The important thing is that you are doing something.
July 18, 2022
Life is busy. I know. Trust me.
But I also know that God wants to hear from us. He wants to speak to us. He wants to strengthen us. That's just what I'm asking you to do. Give a few minutes to your Heavenly Father. Pray to Him, or read about Him. As you do so, you will be blessed!!
I know I have been blessed by doing these things, and I'm sure I could do a better job. But that's the joy of daily repentance! We can always try a little harder and be a little better.
August 1, 2022
It hasn't been an easy week by any means but I have never once felt like this isn't where I need to be. Time and time again Heavenly Father keeps showing me signs that I am exactly where I need to be. Miracles are everywhere and I am just so grateful that my Heavenly Father allows me to see the miracles, and in some cases, to be the miracle. Here's to the second half of my mission!!
August 8, 2022
On Tuesday I went on an exchange with Sister Clough in the YSA area! Our zone is right by DisneyWorld, so a lot of the young single adults in the area are in the Disney college program. A side note: I would not recommend that anyone do the Disney College Program. It sounds awful.
August 15, 2022
I learned so many valuable life lessons.
One of my favorites, though, is that obedience brings blessings! I don't know if I've already mentioned this, but our mission (and every mission in the world, if they're following the council of our church leaders in Salt Lake) is getting rid of our couches.
I know. It's kind of odd. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's just something we have been asked to do.
August 22, 2022
Understanding just how wise, powerful, and LOVING our Heavenly Father is helps us have so much more faith, hope and trust in His plan.
It's weird, being a missionary.
You stand out like no one else.
It feels like your every move is being watched, measured, and analyzed.
Yet, at times it feels that you couldn't be more invisible.
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