When in Orlando

 Large Plates

Being a tourist in a tourist town and some of my thoughts about my favorite people:)

This week was a busy one! We had so. many. lessons. 

Pday was a day well spent! We went over to Universal CityWalk, which is just right outside of Universal Studios! We walked around and got some fun pictures and yummy donuts! We pretty much spent the rest of the day at the church hanging out, which I was content with because I got to spend some quality time with my friends:)

The next day we had Zone conference! Of course I saw lots of old friends which has good. And our training was very beneficial. We talked a lot about the power of role plays. They're so awkward and inconvenient sometimes, but I feel like I definitely learn a lot when I do them consistently with my companion. Me and Hermana Jackson have really been cracking down on role plays, which has been super good for her because it has helped her learn how to teach!

Which leads me to my next point. 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. 

We have lots of really golden people right now. Rocio and her daughter Victoria are the CUTEST. I don't even know how to explain the love I have for them. They're so sweet and open hearted and Rocio had a friend in her country who was a member of the church so she's familiar with a lot of the things we're teaching. And she quit drinking coffee years ago so, in her own words, she's "ready to be a Mormon!" And her daughter really loves us and gets excited every time we're coming over. Some of my favorite people in all of Orlando.

Liduvi has also been progressing! She should be really close to committing to a baptismal date here soon. She has so much faith and she said she doesn't want to commit to a baptismal date until after she bears her testimony on fast Sunday because she knows God has a plan for her and she wants to thank Him publicly first. She's so sweet!

Also! Wendy, Andres, and Carmen are all preparing this week to go to the temple! That means we'll get to go do baptisms for the dead with our recent converts very soon. I'm really excited!

We had ward conference this week too! Our stake president, president Scherer is INCREDIBLE. I want to be like him. He's just so full of love and so well spoken and inspiring. Elder Amato, our area seventy was also there! We got to be a part of the ward leadership meeting before sacrament and it's so baffling to see everything that goes into keeping a ward functioning. Especially in a place like Orlando. I don't know how our Stake President does it. There's members who speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, Creole, etc. And not only are there members from other states moving in. There are members who are refugees moving into Orlando from other countries! I have so much respect for the leadership of the church.

Small Plates 

Why the Atonement is like a good steak.

I've always loved studying the Atonement, but I've never dove very deep into the topic before. It's just such an abstract concept and it is literally impossible for our human mind to understand.

But in preparation for Easter, and as a response to counsel from my leaders, both mission-wide and church-wide, I've tried to increase my understanding and application of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

I've been reading a couple of books (thanks, mom!) in addition to my regular scripture study in an attempt to better understand what the Atonement is and what it should mean to me. I've learned a lot! But one of the things I've come to realize is that the more I understand about the Atonement, the more I will understand that there is so much I will never understand. Because 1) I'm human. I'm imperfect and relatively unintelligent in comparison to an exalted being like our Heavenly Father or His Son. And 2) because I will never perform the Atonement. Christ already did all He could do. And all He could do was everything. 

Everything you have and love and cherish exists and has meaning because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Nothing in this world would be worth anything without His Sacrifice. Every birth would just be a reminder of yet another person who was destined to an infinite death. Every sunrise would just be a reminder that we have one day less left to exist. Every beautiful thing would just be a reminder of the indeterminable end of all beautiful things. 

But it isn't so. 

Because of Him, no death is permanent.

Because of Him, every sunrise is a reminder of the chance we have to try again.

Because of Him, every beautiful thing is a sign of the love God has for His children. 

As poetic as all that is, it still doesn't even come close to illustrating the magnitude and the magnificence of the Atonement. 

Today in church, Bishop Cajas shared his take on the Atonement in a way I had definitely never heard or thought of before. Though funny, it touched my heart.

Bishop loves grilling. He's always trying new ways of cooking meat, because he wants to perfect the craft. 

He's spent a lot of time learning how to do it. And when he grills up some steak, it can be quite the process. He never knows how a steak is going to take to the seasonings he uses. He never knows how the grill is going to behave. And when you live in Florida, trying to plan according to the weather is frivolous. Sometimes he feels like it isn't worth it. It's just so much work. 

But at the end, he chops up his masterpiece and gives it to everyone to try. And then it becomes worth it. He sees the light in the eyes of his friends. He sees the joy it brings them. 

Christ feels the same way when we taste the fruits of repentance. When we partake of the joy that comes in and through His Atonement. The difference is that he never felt like it wasn't worth it. 

You were worth every second of agony, pain, despair. 

Because He knew of the joy it would bring you. And He loves you so much that He would have suffered all of the pain He endured in the Garden of Gethsemane just for you. He loves you so much. 

Although I still have much to learn about the Atonement, this I do know: Christ did it because He loves us. He loves us more than we can even begin to comprehend. 

The doctrine of the Atonement is mind-boggling and arguably incomprehensible. So rather than inviting you to understand the ununderstandable, my invitation to you is to come unto Christ and partake of the joy of the Atonement. Let Him heal you. Let Him change you. Understand what the Atonement means for you. 

Blueberries and Sunsets

Large Plates

Transfers! Mine and Carmen's dream of opening an arepa truck: part two. Service at the Salvation Army and so many blueberries.

I know I say this every week but wow this week FLEW by. I don't know where the time goes. 

Pday was fun of course. It was the last pday of the transfer, which was extra sad because our district has been the same for 2 transfers, so we're all really good friends. Sister Storms went home, Elder Means went to France, Elder Boatman got transferred to a different area, and we lost the Portuguese Elders, Bell and Seeley, because their area got closed down. But! Me & Hermana Morris are sticking around! And the new missionaries are awesome. Elder Mortensen (Jensen's new comp) is super nice, Elder Murray (the greenie! Harmer's training again) is our new district baby, and Sister Carter is an ANGEL. It's going to be a good transfer:)

One of the highlights of this week was that we were able to go see Carmen! Of course we had a very spiritual lesson because she's a SPIRITUAL GIANT. But then! She made us arepas!!! Her arepas are literally the best I have ever had. She was a chef back in Venezuela before moving here so she knows how to cook super well. And the best part is she has made a different kind of arepa every time we've come, because she wants me to be able to try as many kinds as possible. She wants me to know everything there is to know about arepas so I can help decide what's going on the menu on our food truck when I get home. She's 100% serious about doing it. And I'm 101% down to do it with her. I'm seriously so excited haha. She says she's gonna go on a vacation this year so she can know if she likes it, and then if she does like it she'll move there when my mission's over. I love her so stinkin much.

We also got to do service with the Salvation Army this week! They had a Valentine's dinner for people in a low-income old folks home. It was so cute to watch all the old folks from all around the world get to know each other and dance! Some of those old ladies can party hard haha. Also, they got a donation of two pallets of blueberries so they sent us away with more blueberries than we knew what to do with. And they sent the High Counselor that was with us away with even more.

That's pretty much it for the highlights this week! We were super busy and I honestly don't remember much else about what happened...

Small Plates 

Sunrises, sunsets, and your loving Heavenly Father.

This week we've had some really beautiful sunrises and sunsets (and my missionary schedule means I get to be awake, and normally outside, for both! Yay!). Sometimes Hermana Morris and I just stop our conversation for a second just to point it out and say "nice!" Other times, we drop everything we're doing to get a picture before it's gone. If you've ever seen my mom at sunset you'd notice we're very similar in that aspect haha. 

But my favorite thing that Hermana Morris did this week when we saw a really good sunset was say "Wow. Heavenly Father really loves us so much, doesn't he?!"

Yes, he does. 

We had a family home evening with Bishop Cajas' family a while back and we listened to the Primary song I Feel My Savior's Love and shared things in our life that remind us of His love for us. We all wrote down the thing we were going to share before we went around. I wanted to be original, so I didn't write down the normal missionary answers: my mission, my companion, the Book of Mormon. I'm thankful for all of those of course. I also didn't want to cry with gratitude cause that would have been awkward. So I didn't write down any of your names, although I'm eternally grateful for each one of you! 

So what was my answer to the question "How do you know He loves you?"

He makes sunrises and sunsets beautiful even though they don't have to be.

I still have the paper I wrote that down on. 

Yeah yeah, it's cheesy, I know. But think about it! Does he really have to make them that BEAUTIFUL? Is that necessary?? Not even a little bit. The world would still go on day to day if we never had pretty sunsets.

But He loves us SO MUCH. More than we can even comprehend. But we can catch a glimpse of that love if we just take a second to look at the world around us. 

For those of you back home in Utah, look at those mountains you are surrounded by! You lucky ducks. Look at how majestic they are! 

I love mountains, and I honestly missed them a lot when I first got out here. But now I've come to appreciate just how much of the sky I can see. There are so many clouds and they just keep on going! 

I have friends all over the world right now on their own missions. The climate and the landscape are different in every one. But I can guarantee there's beauty in every place. 

Alma said "all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." 

All things denote there is a Creator. There is too much order in the universe for there not to be a Creator. But better yet, the beauty of all of these things denotes that this Creator of whom we speak is more than just a creator. He is a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to know and to see and to feel of the love that He has for us.

How cool is that??

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.

Pics:

•My turtle friend!

•Morning walks with Sister Scott & some really beautiful sunrises  

•Mirror selfie in a ghetto mirror

•Last pics of the best district there ever was

•So many blueberries (good thing ColdStone trained me to carry my weight in fruit )

•So much blueberry crepe filling

-Me and my cute comp:))

God Opens doors.... Carmen was Baptized!

 Large Plates

Good week! Baptisms and trios and unprofessional house painting and dreams of opening an arepa truck.

Surprise surprise this week went by in the blink of an eye haha. 

Pday was good as always! We had a nerf war, but bishop let us borrow his kid's nerf guns and they had like 20 rounds in each one so we absolutely wrecked everyone else haha. We also had a BBQ with the senior couple and played some beach volleyball at our apartment complex:)

We also were in a trio for a day! Hermana Cummings flew out to her original assignment in Argentina this week so she was with us for a day before we dropped her off at the airport. To be honest it was kind of awkward being in a trio haha.

We also helped paint a house this week! No one there was qualified and the members whose house we were painting had no game plan whatsoever. So we just kind of sent it haha. It was fun but it ended up taking way longer than the members thought it would. We had to leave so the members finished it on their own. But… it turns out the color they picked was only approved by the HOA for doors or trim, not the whole house. So they're gonna have to do it again. Oops haha. 

The highlight of this week though was for sure Carmen! When she came to church on Sunday she told us she had a whole week without work and she wanted to take advantage of it. She wanted us to come over every day and teach her! So we went over Tuesday-Friday:) on Wednesday we got to talking about what a miracle it is that she has this week off of work especially when we had all been praying for a way for her to come to church and have time for the lessons again. She said God gave her this week for a reason and she was determined to make the most of it. So we actually ended up moving her baptismal date to Saturday! So we finished all the lessons this week and we had a baptism! It was seriously such a special day. Carmen is elect you guys. I'm so excited to see her keep growing and progressing in the church. I'm not kidding when I say she's General Authority material. 

Also a while back Carmen told us she really wants to move somewhere where there's more English so she'll be forced to learn it. We jokingly mentioned she should move to Utah. The joke has evolved and now we talk about it all the time. I've shown her pictures of how pretty it is and told her about all the things there is to do. She's also so excited to go to the temple so the fact that there's so many temples in Utah is really appealing to her too haha. There's lots of options for her but right now it's looking like the dream we've come up with is for her to move there after I get home and then I'll finish my business degree. Then we're gonna open a food truck together and just make the best arepas ever because her arepas are so. good. We'll see if that ever happens but it's now documented here just in case haha.

Small Plates 

The parable of the automatic door. God opens doors we don't even know exist. 

Okay so I talk about this in pretty much every email but WOW YOU GUYS. Heavenly Father is so in control. He has a plan and it is perfect. 

Carmen's baptism this week caused me to reflect a lot on how God guides each of His children to be where they need to be when they need to be there. She is seriously such an amazing person and it has been a privilege to be able to see her grow, and to see how God is providing the way for her to do the things He wants her to do.

It's so interesting as a missionary to observe the way God works in the lives of his children. Because ultimately, the goal is the same, but his method is different every time. 

Sometimes, we're going to see a transition coming up in our lives and know we can't avoid it. Those times are when we have to move forward with faith, working diligently, trusting that by the time we get there, God will have given us enough strength and courage to face that challenge. These challenges are things like school, missions, and marriage. They require preparation and, depending on the person, they are things we aren't going to be able to avoid experiencing. 

These times in our lives are like walking through a locked door. We know we need to do the necessary preparation (in this case, get a key) before we are going to be capable of passing through. 

Other times, we don't see the change coming, but we recognize it when it comes. This can be anything from medical emergencies to changes in friendships or work. There's endless examples of these types of transitions in our lives. 

These times are like walking through an unlocked door. You don't think about it until you get there. And when you get there, that's when you take the step to turn the knob and open the door. There's no way to prepare, it's just something we have to do when the time comes. But the minute we try to open the door, we recognize that we do have enough strength to move it.

Other times, we need to transition from one phase to another, but God guides us gently and gracefully from one chapter to the next. We might not even notice his hand in our lives during these times. Things are going to feel like a convenient coincidence, or luck. Or maybe we won't even notice the things that happened around us that permitted us to get to the place we're at.

 

These times are like walking through an automatic door. We're still transitioning from one place to another. We're still experiencing a change. But God's hand in our lives is so subtle we won't notice it until we look for it. And even then it might be hard to see. 

Sometimes God brings us to a door and gives us the strength and the will and the ability to open that door. Other times, he guides us to an automatic door and opens it for us before we get there. 

I think we're probably walking through more automatic doors than anything else. God is sending little miracles and blessings to us every second of every day. His timing is perfect. He's guiding us so gently and He's opening doors for us the second we need to step through them. 

And 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:)

Twas the Week before Christmas

 Large Plates

A very fast week. Latinos know how to party. Our Heavenly Father answered our prayers and Carmen made it to church.

Wow okay this week was actually such a blur. Also Pday this week is on Tuesday cause we had some Christmas service at bishops storehouse yesterday. So that put my brain in an even weirder spot cause I feel like I have no idea what day it is haha.

So here's the summary: 

The first part of the week consisted of a lot of meetings and a lot of contacting. I also got to practice piano for the first time in a while because Hermana Morris is singing in our Christmas devotional tomorrow. (Pretty sure my piano is going to be a train wreck but oh well haha)

One of the biggest highlights of the week was the ward Christmas party! Not to diss on Utah ward parties, but Latinos just do it better. Basically it starts out the same: everyone grabs food and eats and talks, and then there's a Christmas program. But then the guys they hired to play the marimba start putting on a show, everyone gets excited, and then the DJ comes in with the latin music and everyone starts salsa dancing and shaking maracas and just having a grand old time. You just had to be there. I will forever be disappointed by Utah ward parties from this point forward haha.

Also! Church! We had our Christmas Service & we got a bunch of interested people at church! Including my best friend Carmen! She had a miracle happen this week and for some reason (ahem… God's hand) she didn't have work on Sunday which NEVER happens. All the people who came loved it. I think most of them are planning on coming back next week. Also, English class is going super well and lots of the people who are learning English are also really interested in learning about the church too!

Small Plates 

Erick. God is aware of our needs and He provides how and when we need Him to. He has a plan and a purpose for you.

Erick! We met him yesterday and it was such a blessing. He couldn't make it to English class on Sunday but he really wants to learn English because his daughter speaks English and Spanish, and he wants to be able to progress here in America. Basically we had our first little English class, where we taught him the alphabet and a couple phrases, and all of a sudden we were sitting down hearing his whole life story. He went through some really rough stuff and made some poor choices, but found God through rehab, where missionaries in Ecuador would help him learn more about God so he could feel like he had God with him through his rehabilitation. He knows who the missionaries are, and regrets not letting them into his home back in the day. His sister's a member and she's a good example to him. He talked for so long and at one point he said "I don't normally open up about all this, but I know you two are people of God and that you'll hear what I need to say." At the end he said "sorry, I got distracted. I don't know if I was supposed to be here to learn English or to talk about God." It was just a super cool experience because there was so much evidence of God's hand in his story, and in our crossing paths. When we messaged him on Facebook, we told him we knew God had a plan and a purpose for him. Apparently one of the things he's been told before is "God has a purpose for you." And that's what has kept him from going back to drugs during some really hard experiences he's had the last year. So when we said that, he knew we were inspired. He'll be at English class and church on Sunday with his daughter. He has so much faith and I'm excited to get to know him better and teach him more. 

Our Heavenly Father really loves each of His children so much. I know he's looking out for me, and for the people I serve with, and for the people we teach. And I know he's looking out for you. He loves you. And I love you all too! Merry Christmas!!

Carmen's Miracle

Okay you guys this week was INCREDIBLE. 

Large Plates

A busy week. Facebook finding. Empanadas, arepas, and reggatón. Teaching the law of chastity in adventure pants and chacos. Exchanges. Powerful lessons and a mountain of miracles at church.

Tuesday was honestly just such a good day. We're really starting to figure out Facebook finding. When we follow the spirit and use the most effective ways of finding, we seriously see so much success. Technology & social media work is such a blessing. It's so easy to find the people who need our message. It takes all day to knock enough doors to find 1 person who is interested in the gospel. It takes 1 hour to find 20 people who are ready to hear the message of the restored gospel. I don't know how to explain how thrilling that is. The gathering of Israel is real and it's happening so fast. I'm so thankful to be such an active part of it.

We also had a member meal for dinner and this sweet little old lady made us empanadas which were super yummy of course. 

Right after that, we went over to our best friend Carmen's house! It was one of the best experiences of my mission. (See small plates haha) she also made us arepas and they were very very tasty. We even made tuna ones and I liked them very much. You should all be proud of me for eating and enjoying tuna haha. Also when we left her apartment we heard someone blasting reggatón music. So basically that was the most stereotypical "Spanish missionary in Florida" night I've experienced haha. Empanadas, arepas an hour later, and loud reggatón in the distance.

A different day, our friend Fernando came to the volleyball activity at the church one night and he had a ton of questions for us. Hermana Morris was talking with someone else, cause that's normally how these activities go, so he was just drilling me with all the questions. He wanted to learn more about the church so he Googled it and came across a bunch of AntiMormon stuff. So basically I answered a bunch of questions about polygamy, and then singlehandedly taught Him the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity lessons there in the church gym. Hermana Morris came over a bit later and he still had questions, so we talked a lot about the Book of Mormon & also answered his questions about missions cause he was a bit confused about why we do this whole thing haha. It went well though. It's kinda funny cause we taught everything while wearing our volleyball clothes. (Aka a t shirt, my adventure pants (if you know you know) and my chacos ) 

We also had exchanges this week! There's not much to say about them other than me and Sister Oto got to sleep until our normal wake up time while our companions had to wake up early to drive to a service activity. Also we played pickle ball for our exercise which was fun. We ended exchanges early so they could be together for a service project and we could be together for our lessons. 

We taught one of our best friends Wendy that night and it went so so good! We brought a member along with us, and we love this member. She was converted to the church a long time ago and now she teaches Sunday school. She's incredibly smart and super sweet and she knew how to answer our friends questions perfectly. That's one of the best lessons we've ever had.

We also stopped by Elizabeth's house out of the blue and wow wow wow I just love her. We chatted for a bit and she said she's been reading from the Book of Mormon! She said its been hard to read much cause she has a 2 year old and he's a handful. So we read part of 1 Nephi 1 with her and it went super well. Her daughter also came over to us to say hi! She's 9 and she was really shy, but she warmed up really quick! She speaks both Spanish and English which is so awesome. Before we left, she ran over and gave us big hugs :)

And Sunday was amazing!! We held a free English class at the church right before sacrament meeting. It was fun to teach, and then most of them came to church after! Wendy also came with her mom, son, and friend!! She's such a miracle. 

In this ward, it's very rare to have investigators come to church. Everyone works on Sunday for the most part. And those who don't, still flake out most of the time. So having these 4 people there was incredible. But that's not all. We ward share with some Elders, and combined, we brought 22 new people to church!!! I don't know how to explain how mind blowing that is. For the past month, we've had somewhere from 0 to 3 people in church every week, most of the time it's 0. So to have 22?! This ward caught on fire. All the members are so excited to help out and so kind and inviting to those we brought. 

Also it was the primary program and it was super awesome because the kids all speak English and Spanish, so they sang in both languages, and had sign language to go along with it. I don't care if my future husband speaks Spanish. I'm teaching my kids Spanish haha.

The relief society lesson was perfect for Wendy, it answered a lot of the questions she had asked the day before. Her mom also seemed apprehensive at first, but made a point of coming up to be after class and thanking us for giving her the chance to come to church. She said everything was just so beautiful. 

This week has been a week full of miracles and its making me feel like I never want to go home. I love the people we're teaching and I love the members we work with and I love my companion and my district. Missions are the best thing ever.

P.s. I have been informed that my last email seemed kind of down-in-the-dumps. That was not my intention nor was that how I was feeling. We did a good job at laughing at all of our misfortune. Next time I have a week like that I'll be sure to include more "hahas" throughout the email ;)

Small Plates

Carmen's miracle. 

Carmen!! I seriously love her so much. She's been progressing really well this last month and we've been praying for her to be able to come to church. It's pretty much impossible for her to have Sundays free (or any day, as a matter of fact) because she is a recent immigrant and doesn't have as many workers rights, which means her boss can schedule her for every waking hour of her life and not have any consequences. It's super sad. She works in housekeeping at a hotel. We've asked if she can change her schedule, or have an hour break to come to church or anything. And she has had no luck.

We've been praying all the time that she can come to church. Every time I prayed about this I thought to myself "I honestly have no idea what He's even going to do. She's stuck in this situation and if she wants to keep her job, which she needs if she wants to eat and pay rent, she has to do what they tell her to. There's no way around it." But the important thing is we kept praying. And she kept praying. 

And our loving Heavenly Father heard us. She got her workers license. She's looking for a new job right now, and we know she'll find one. She's an incredible person and such a hard worker. It has broken my heart to see her so tired, and to see how easily they take advantage of her because of her status. This is going to be a huge weight lifted off of her shoulders. I don't know how to describe how much joy I felt when she told us. 

If I had to work as hard as I have for the last month, just to receive this miracle, I would do it 1000 times again. Just to help this one person find friendship, and find God and learn how to ask Him for help, and see His hand so obviously in her life. There's no doubt in my mind that I would do it again. 

And the best part is, we've seen so much more come from our labors. Mini miracles happen all day every day and it's such a pleasure to be a part of this work. We've helped so many people take time steps closer to the covenant path. We've planted more seeds than we even know. 

God's hand really is in His work. We see it everywhere we go. Nothing is coincidence, and He's guiding each individual to the people they need to know and the places they need to be. He knows you and loves you infinitely and personally.

• my district on the roof of the bishops storehouse
• also yes we got Coldstone and yes we're excited about it
• I found a green sprinkle in my ice cream. This isn't relevant for most of you but those of you who work at Coldstone will know: if there's a stray sprinkle in an ice cream, its ALWAYS green for some reason  
• service at Icon Park!
• another picture from service! They did "giving machines" and raised a ton of money for local charities :)
• the huge tree at icon park. Also we got to hand out those light up snowflake wands to the kids and we felt like Disney princesses the whole time.

P.S. bonus points go to whoever can guess what I got at Coldstone haha. If you know me well you'll get it right first try;)