A 10-day sprint

Large Plates 

A 10-day sprint 

Hello everyone!! It's been a while--this week was 10 days long instead of 7. And what an eventful 10 days these have been! I apologize in advance for how long this email is about to be. My roommate is letting me borrow her keyboard, which is giving me access to some untapped potential. 

The reason our week was 10 days long is because we switched our pday to be able to go to the temple as a zone! The temple was wonderful and it was honestly exactly what I needed. The session brought tears to my eyes, as usual, and the Celestial Room really is my favorite place in the world. I love just soaking in the spirit while I’m at the temple. There’s nothing quite like it. I got to see some of my favorite people in the whole word in my favorite place in the whole world. Even President Holladay, the temple president, who is a good friend of mine, came over to sit by me in the Celestial room. We had a good chat about life and about God:)

Last Saturday we basically spent the entire day coordinating missionary work, before any missionary work was actually able to take place. Now that there are 6 missionaries in the ward instead of 4, we had to draw different boundaries and reassign a lot of the people in our teaching pools. It took about 4 hours on Saturday alone! 

Spending all day on Saturday preparing ourselves for the coming week ended up being a good thing, though. It helped us get our feet underneath us and our heads straight. We set a goal as a ward to teach 100 lessons in 1 week, because all of us were so pumped for the new challenge. 

Church on Sunday was tons of fun! The ward was so excited (and so confused) to see all 6 of us there. Bishop Perez asked those of us who were new to go up and bear our testimonies. Also! When I got there I saw a friend from my first ward--she moved here! Her name is Naomy and she was actually at the first member meal I went to over a year ago. I sat by her for Sacrament Meeting:) We also had some friends come to church! Nicole brought her cute 4 year old boy Sebastian and he was so scared to go to primary, but by the end he colored so many pictures of Jesus and he didn't want to leave. 

After church, Bishop asked all of us to meet him in his office to talk a bit about the missionary work in the Valencia ward. This was randomly one of the highlights of my week haha. We were in there with him talking about missionary work and all that good stuff for over an hour. It was a very chaotic hour, too. Some favorite quotes of mine are, "remember Elders: in the Valencia Ward, we don't follow the rules," and "you should try to find someone to teach who wants to be baptized in the ocean– we'll make a trip out of it!"

Those two quotes are a pretty accurate representation of what that jou of my life was like. But that's not all. Here's my favorite part:

Bishop asked me how long I've been out on my mission, so I told him how long, and pointed to one of the Elders in the room and said "the same as him." Because we got to Florida on the same day. Here's the kicker. He, the Elder, chimed in to say, "Ella salió conmigo," in an effort to say "we came out to the mission field together." 

Those of you who speak Spanish might already be cracking a smile. "Ella salió conmigo" translates to "she went out with me." Yes, as in, "we dated." 

So the bishop said, in Spanish, "don't worry Elder, she'll wait for you." 

This poor Elder, you guys!! It went right over his head and I certainly didn't want to be the one to explain to him what had just happened! 

Anywho, that's how my first Sunday in the Valencia ward went. All is well though, it was significantly less awkward afterward than I thought it would be. It has become quite the joke among us missionaries though. I’m never going to let that Elder forget it, and neither are any of the other missionaries who were there. 

We also had a fun lesson with Maurilio and his family after church! They are a family that sister Peterson taught when she was here in this area, so it was tons of fun to get to know them and hear about their conversion story. 

We had a couple more lessons and weekly planning and wrapped up our first sunday together! Because we weren’t going to have a pday on monday, we decided as full time missionaries in the Valencia ward to set a goal to teach 100 lessons total! Our mission as a whole has been trying to stretch ourselves and teach 30 lessons in each area every week, and many have hit that goal! It’s been cool to see the mission overcome false limitations and strive for excellence! We decided to push ourselves just a little bit further and get 100 lessons between the 3 companionships. I wish I could tell you about all of the awesome lessons we had this week, but I don’t have time for that and neither do you. Here’s some o my favorite new friends and miracle stories for the week, though:

Juan and Violeta are so great! We met Juan because he was on a walk while we were riding our bikes. We talked to him a little bit about the Book of Mormon and he was mildly interested, but not interested enough to take a book right then and there. We set up a time to come back to visit him and his wife! We went back, and read a little bit in the first chapter of the Book of Mormon with the, and taught them the story of the restoration. Violeta’s sister is a member of the church, so they were familiar with the story but had a few things wrong haha. Their interest definitely grew, but not a lot in that visit. They didn’t even want a Book of Mormon at the end because they said they already knew they weren’t going to read it. I walked away from that lesson a bit disappointed because they seemed really cool, and them rejecing he free book was a bit of a shock to me. 

We went back again later in the week (as per their request) and read a bit about the fall of Adam with the. Our discussion very obviously opened their eyes to the idea that aybe there really is more to know about God and His gospel than what is written in the Bible. Needless to say, this time they took a copy of the Book of Mormon.

Juan is always very nice and sends us a message after our visit thanking us for our visit and for helping them understand more. He even invited us over for tacos!! We went over Sunday afternoon and got to know them a bit better as we shared some mediocre tacos haha. They’re from Ecuador, so they're really cool people, but their tacos simply just aren’t as good as mexican tacos, I’ll be honest haha. Their daughter even joined us for the conversation! Her name is Kyra and she’s in high school right now, so she seemed to really enjoy having us around. We started telling her about the Book of Mormon too, and it really interested her to know that Christ visited the American continent. We watched the Book of Mormon video about it for the spiritual message at the end of the meal and they were all pretty impacted by it. We could tell that the message and the spirit really opened their eyes and their hearts. I’m really excited to see how teaching them goes. 

Mercedes and Nicole are also progressing really well! They both love reading the Book of Mormon and learning more about the Church. Nicole has come to church 3 weeks in a row, and people have started asking her if she’s a member haha. They have both said they would like to be baptized, they just want to learn more first. So, that’s what we’ll do!! 

There was also one day where me and Hermana Madsen decided to go try a Colombian restaurant in our area, and it went SO WELL!! No only was the food delicious, but we got it for free in exchange for a Book of Mormon, hehe. Okay, that’s not exactly how it went, but that’s the gist of the story. We came to the restaurant with full intentions of paying for our food, but then this very nice couple sat by us and they started talking about our name tags amongst one another (in spanish). I overheard their conversation, so I moved the hair off of my shoulder so they could see, and I introduced ourselves! We had a very delightful conversation about God and about what we believe for our entire lunch block. They then got up to pay for their food and told the cashier that our food was on them as well. They are sweethearts and we’re hoping to meet with them again this week!

Also!! Euro!! We love him so much. He is someone that the sisters had been teaching before I got here, and he is on date for baptism. We drew new boundaries, now that there are 6 missionaries in the ward, so he actually belongs to the Elder’s area. Me and Hermana Madsen have taught him a couple of lessons with the Elders so we can make the transition. One of those lessons was one of my favorites of the whole mission.The main plan for that lesson was for the Elders to give him a priesthood blessing to help him have the strength he needs to continue to progress towards baptism, even though he has some tough hurdles in his life he needs to jump over.  

We all went to his apartment complex and sat outside in the beautiful weather and just talked about how wonerful Heavenly Father is, and how wonderful Jesus Christ is, and how wonderful repentance is. I loved every second of that lesson. I also loves co-teaching with the Elders, because I got to watch missionary work happen from a third person perspective. The Elders are both incredible teachers and Euro is a fanastic human being. After the lesson, the Elders gave Euro a priesthood blessing. The spirit was so strong and so sweet. I'm grateful to have been a part of that experience. I don’t think I’ll forget it anytime soon. 

The last friend I want to tell you guys about is my bestie Oscar!!!! He’s actually a recent convert from when I was in the Buena Ventura ward. He’s always lived in the Valencia ward boundaries, but he preferred going to the Buena Ventura ward, so that’s where he was baptized. He lives up here in my area with his non-member family, which can be tough sometimes. We called him last night and had a tender conversation about how to keep the influence of the spirit in our lives, even in tough circumstances and even after we mess up. Repentance truly is a joy and I’m so grateful to have learned a bit of that joy as I’ve been out here in the Happiest Place on Earth. 

Wow, I have so much more I could write about. But I’ll spare you the novel. Life is really good, even if imperfect, here in the Valencia ward. When we first started the transfer with 6 missionaries, everyone feared there wouldn’t be enough work for the 6 of us to do. We all hustled hard and tried our best, and proved ourselves wrong. Last night, we totaled it up and we taught 104 lessons as a ward. 

It’s been so fun to let my desire to teach the gospel be what gets me out of bed in the morning and out the door for the day. We’ve biked a lot (my legs are getting stronger!!) and we’ve met so many wonderful people. This is a good life, my friends.

Small Plates 

I will go before thee

We've been biking a lot this week. That’s what happens when you share a car with another companionship and you don’t cover the same area. 

Since Hermana Madsen has been in the area longer than I have, she normally bikes in front, and leads the way. 

I was reading in Ether 1 this week, and I noticed a similar pattern. The Lord explains the plan He has for the Jaredites, i. e. their travel to the promised land via boat. It doesn’t sound like a walk in the park, but it was ultimately intended for their benefit. 

Even though their travel was a good thing, it was a hard thing. But the Lord promised them one thing: “I will go before thee.”

He was going to take them down a bumpy road. It wasn't going to be easy. But He promised them that he was going to go before them, He was going to lead them by the hand. 

That’s how our lives are too. Life can be kind of a bumpy road, but we, too, can have the promise that the Lord will lead us by the hand. He will go before us. 

Just as my companion has guided me around Orlando, treacherous as the way may be at times, I can trust that the Savior has been there before. No matter where “there” is. Anything we will ever go through, anything we will ever have to overcome, He’s gone through it. He has overcome it. We can trust that He has been there before, and that He knows how to lead us along. 

Transfer Week!

Hey everyone! Sorry I didn't write an email last week. It was such a busy week, and I got transferred!

I won't go into the details of all the business and craziness that happened last week, because I also need to write about this week haha. But it would be accurate to say that it was one of the busiest and most joyous and most exhausting weeks of my life. I'll send pictures and you'll have a good idea of what was going on.

As for this week it was also both joyous and exhausting! I don't know how to portray to you the chaos that it has been but here's a list of some highlights:

• I went on my first blitz as an STL and Sister Theurer (from Ridgeline!) is so incredible! 

• I met so many people from so many places! So many states, England, Jamaica, and of course every Latin American country

• Sister Rowell is an awesome companion and I'm already learning so much from her

• I spoke in church again! 

• My new district is awesome!

• Sister McMullin is in my district again! 

• MLC was so motivating and I got to see some of my favorite missionaries there!

• I feel like I'm figuring out who the people we are teaching are and who the members of our ward are!

• We did yard work at the temple and I got really sweaty and I stepped on the white concrete with my muddy chacos

• I got to account directly to the mission President which is so awesome because I feel like I got to make a good personal connection with him!

• Carried a large couch down 3 flights of stairs

• I no longer have a couch

• I went on my first exchange as an STL!

• I had an impromptu lesson in a brunch cafe

• I got fed so much pasta 

• I learned Jamaican slang

• I learned some ASL

• I ate a ton of brownies

• President Schmiel spoke to me in Spanish which threw me for a loop

• I could go on and on, but basically I was super busy but super happy:)

Large Plates 

I'll go where you want me to go

Last week was stressful because of the anticipation of transfers. It's the first time we have had transfers since president Schmeil got to the mission. No one knew what to expect.

I've been in my first area for 9 months, which is a very long time. Everyone talks about how crazy it is, whether I'm there or not. Anyone who knows me knew it was time for me to leave. Not because I didn't want to be there anymore but because honestly my time was up. Someone else needed a turn in that area. I had kind of accepted that. 

But the thing is, I had no idea where I was headed. I had heard about a hundred rumors or ideas that people had and I had zero clue which one was true. 

Fortunately, we were blessed to be able to go to the temple on the Thursday before transfers! Some of my very favorite members, Boris and Yerika, went to get their endowments!

During the session, I learned a little bit about the law of consecration. The thought came to my mind: that's what you need to study in the Celestial Room. So, when the session was over and we entered the Celestial room, that's what I did (after hugging all of my favorite people ever). I opened up to D&C 42 and I immediately felt like it was speaking to me.

And then I got to this verse. And it hit me.

"And from this place ye shall go forth into the regions westward; and inasmuch as ye shall find them that will receive you ye shall build up my church in every region."

The first half of my mission has been in the Orlando South Stake. But at that moment, I knew God had plans for me in the Orlando West Stake, in the area of Horizon West.

It was really hard to leave the Buena Ventura area. I miss it every day. But I know without a doubt that I am exactly where I need to be. And I know without a doubt that my mission president is called of God and he is inspired by Him in every aspect of his work. 

I'm really excited to see what Heavenly Father has in store for me in this area. I'm already feeling really good about it. 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. 

I know I'm supposed to be in the west, and to build up the regions round about. Next week we are starting a Spanish group in a chapel 45 minutes away, and I know the Lord needs me to help build up Zion there. I know the Lord needs me to help build up Zion in my ward, and in my district and zone, and in each of the respective areas within this zone. 

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!!

Where are your priorities?

Large Plates 

A few highlights 

I was sick for the first half of the week so I'll be honest I don't really remember what we did haha. Here's some highlights from the week:

We helped a member move and now she's roomies with another member of the ward!! It was a solid workout because she was moving from a 3rd floor apartment to a 2nd floor apartment in a different complex haha. They can't come to church every Sunday because of work but we're trying to get them to read the Book of Mormon together and strengthen each other! 

We had an incredible lesson with one of my new favorite people ever! I've mentioned her before– Maria Belén. She is an absolute angel and she made us super yummy flautas and we got to chat with her about her job and her family. Her boyfriend and one of her best friends were there with us too. We sat down after the meal and talked about the Atonement for a literal hour and it was so good. Maria has a lot of questions and a lot of faith and it's so fun to talk to her! That was one of my favorite lessons I've ever been a part of. We just talked about the power of the Atonement and how it applies in our lives and the spirit was so strong! I'm so excited to watch Maria progress:)

We also got to go to the temple again this week!! We didn't do any ordinances but we walked around outside and taught Ktheleim about what goes on inside! She also has a lot of questions and a lot of faith. She's just so willing to learn and grow! Please keep her in your prayers as she keeps progressing!

Small Plates 

Where are your priorities?

I'm writing this after getting home from the Cajas' house for FHE. Bishop Cajas was in charge of the spiritual thought and he shared a video about priorities.

The video depicts a girl in High School who was involved in a lot of school activities, etc. and she got so busy and caught up in all of her hobbies that she stopped having time to pray. Or more accurately, she stopped making time to pray. 

As she stopped making her relationship with Heavenly Father a priority, her grades started slipping and she started falling behind in her sports practices. 

She got to the point where she recognized that she had her priorities all mixed up and that she was burning herself out. She was trying to control and navigate her life all on her own, and it worked for a while, but it wasn't a lasting solution. 

She realized she needed to put faith and family first.

Watching this video made me think of a lot of the people I have taught throughout my mission. I feel like people in Orlando are extra busy. Everyone works 7 days a week for 10-12+ hours a day, or so it seems. Free time isn't really a thing people have here. 

It's a stressful way to live! People barely have time to take care of themselves, let alone for serious scripture study.

But that's what sets my friends apart. They know where they're priorities are. Sure, they still work. A lot. But they are very intentional with their free time. This week, our friend Elizabeth called us during her 30 minute break at work because she knew she wouldn't be able to talk to us otherwise. She didn't wait until the work day was over to find time for the Lord. She thought ahead, anticipated time where she could learn more about her Savior, and she planned accordingly. 

She made time for the Lord.

Our prophet has urged us: "My brothers and sisters, I plead with you to make time for the Lord! Make your own spiritual foundation firm and able to stand the test of time by doing those things that allow the Holy Ghost to be with you always."

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.

But we need to put ourselves in places and situations where we are capable of speaking to our Father in Heaven. Where we are capable of hearing Him. Where He can strengthen us.

It's in the simple things. It's in our daily prayers. It's in our scripture study. It's in going to church on Sunday, and to the temple when we can. 

To whomever may be reading this: if you are not making time for those simple things, make time today. 

Our loving Heavenly Father wants to bless us. He could bless us with everything we could ever need right this instant. But because He loves us so much, he gives us commandments upon which some of His blessings are predicated. The commandments in and of themselves are blessings. He asks us to read, study, pray, and worship because He knows those things will bless our lives.

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. 

And 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!!

Today is the day to actively decide to play on God's team, to pick Israel instead of picking flowers

 Large plates

The 4th of July, and so many miracles. I got baptized by a recent convert, and I spoke in church!

Hey!

This week was incredible. It's pretty hard to have a bad week when you start it off with the 4th of July in Orlando haha. We can already see the SeaWorld fireworks from our apartment, but the 4th of July means there were fireworks shows everywhere . For the day of the fourth of July, we played sand volleyball, had a barbecue, and played lots of basketball. Now, those of you who knew me well before the mission might say that sounds like something I wouldn't enjoy. You would have been right. But as of lately that has been all I have wanted to do. We don't get a lot of exercise throughout the week, so pday is my chance to get my heart pumping, and that's what I do haha. It was such a good day though. The whole zone just felt like one big, happy, family, and the Scott's were so kind to host us for lunch.

The next day was full of miracles!! We went to have a lesson with our neighbor Ktheleim, and her dad was there and ready to talk to us, too! He has been taught by missionaries twice before and has loved everything they have had to share. He said his only problem is that he doesn't want to make a big decision like baptism in ignorance. Ktheleim said she felt the same. They both love everything we have been teaching and they are really willing to learn. Please keep them in your prayers this week as we help teach them everything they need to know before being baptized. They are so close to being ready, they just need open hearts and willing minds to do it!

That night, we also went over to an inactive member's house for dinner. His name is Norberto! He is super nice (even though I didn't really like the fish he made me…). He had family and friends over to introduce them to us and we met his cute daughter! She's in her 20s and I literally just want to be best friends with her. My heart is full just thinking about her. She's that nice! Her name is Maria Belén, which I absolutely LOVE and I might name my future daughter that haha. She had been taught by missionaries before as well. She felt pressured by them and they said some things that put a bad taste in her mouth. But she was so happy to see us and asked us for a Book of Mormon and the church information!

We had District Council on Wednesday and holy cow I am so proud of my district. We've all grown so much in the last 10 weeks that we have been together. I don't know how to explain it to you, either. But at the beginning of last transfer, we had like 20% of our lessons with a member present, and we thought that was pretty good. The mission standard/goal is 100% members in lessons. No one has ever really strived for that because it's really hard to do. But we've been setting goals and helping each other out and we've had 100% of our lessons with a member present for almost a month now. And we have seen so many miracles come from that! Seriously, so many miracles. This district is on fire and all of the wards and so incredible.

The highlight of Thursday was going to the Temple!! It was such a special experience we worked really hard to get as many recent converts there as possible, and we had such a good turnout! Alba, Lucero, Oscar, Rene, Ana, Cristina, Carmen, Boris, and Yerika all came! We were missing a few that I would have loved to have had there. Nexttime! It was the first time doing baptisms for the dead for many of them and they worked with the family history consultants in our ward to prepare names to bring. Our relief society president asked me to be baptized for her mom! She said she's been wanting to bring that name to the temple for a long time. She wasn't going to be doing baptisms with us, because she was going to an endowment session with Jonathan Cedeño, who was getting endowed in preparation for his mission in a few weeks! Exciting! Anyway, she said she thought of me when she was wondering who could be baptized for her mom. Her mom's name is Ana Maria. It was seriously such a tender mercy to have Anita ask me to do that baptism because it was like a reaffirmation that I am exactly where I need to be. And even better yet, Oscar was able to baptize me! Bishop was coordinating everyone who was going to be baptized and who was going to do it. It was Oscar and Rene's first time baptizing because they just got the priesthood! Bishop said he trusted me to show them how and to be patient with them while they figured it out so he decided to volunteer me as the guinea pig. Oscar did so well!! He even pronounced my name right haha. I think Oscar is going to be able to baptize some of his friends here soon and that's going to be so special. Temple days are the best days. That was for sure one of the top 3 days of my entire mission, if not of my entire life.

There's tons more that I would love to share, but for the sake of your time and mine, I'll try to wrap it up. Sunday was INCREDIBLE. We had so many really golden people come to church! I also got to speak! Somehow, it was my first time speaking in my whole mission, but it went well! Although, when I got to the stand the bishopric told me the second speaker wouldn't be coming, so if I could expound a little more on my talk, that would be great. When it was my turn to speak, we still had almost 30 minutes left in the meeting. Bishop said he would get up and share a testimony at the end, so I should just talk for as long as the spirit indicated and then leave it up to him. It went really well! And we started seeing miracles literally right after.

I spoke about missionary work and how members can do it too! After sacrament meeting, the members just rallied around all the people we brought and made them all feel at home. Even a family who I've been trying to work with for 8 months made a huge effort to help the family we are teaching. It was a tender mercy.

Maria Belén came all by herself and she was so happy to be there. She knows the relief society president! She got a little emotional upon seeing her. Afterward I talked to her and it sounded like she had such a good experience.

Recyi was also able to eat! We've been praying for him to be able to make it to church for so long and it finally happened! We're going to try to have his baptism next week, so please pray for that!

That was my week! I wish I could write more but I simply don't have the vocabulary to articulate how magnificent this week was haha.

Small Plates

My talk!

I wrote my talk for church this week and the members all really liked it, so I thought it would be good to share with you guys too! This isn't what I said word for word, or even close to it (I added like 7 minutes onto my talk as I spoke on Sunday.) And yes, I am the kind of person to write my whole talk down. One might say I'm mighty in writing, but not as much in speech. But this was the gist of what I shared on Sunday! Sorry its long. Believe it or not this is the condensed version of what I said haha. I'm leaving it in Spanish for my Spanish speaking friends, but if you want to read it in English, you're welcome to see how well Google translate works!

Introducción 

Hoy, he sido asignada a discursar sobre un discurso llamado "Alza tu corazón y regocíjate" por el Élder Aidukaitis de la conferencia general de abril de este año. El título del discurso viene de un versículo en Doctrina y Convenios 31. En esta sección del libro de Doctrina y Convenios, el Señor llama a un nuevo converso, Thomas B Marsh, para servir una misión. 

¡Me encanta este versículo! No hay mejores palabras para describir lo que uno debe hacer al recibir una oportunidad de servir. "Alza tu corazón y regocíjate." Servir una misión no fue parte de mis planes para mi vida. Pero estoy tan contenta que decidí hacerlo. Este año ha sido el mejor año de mi vida. No cambiaría mi experiencia para nada. Nunca he sentido más amor, felicidad o esperanza en mi vida. Y yo sé que estos sentimientos que siento son bendiciones que recibo al servir a nuestro Padre Celestial y a Sus hijos. 

No hay una causa más importante ni más bonita sobre la faz de la tierra. Y estas bendiciones y privilegios son accesibles para todos.

Quiero regresar a la historia del Hermano Thomas B Marsh. El Hermano Marsh había sido bautizado unas pocas semanas antes de su llamamiento misional. Este nos enseña algo. No tenemos que ser miembros de muchos años para poder servir en la iglesia. Si él, un converso de unas semanas, pudo dejar todo para servir una misión de tiempo completo, seguramente nosotros en este tiempo podemos contribuir a la obra misional en una forma u otra. 

En nuestra misión, acabamos de tener un cambio de presidente de la misión. Nos reunimos con él hace unas semanas y él compartió algo que me impactó mucho. Él ha tenido varios llamamientos en la iglesia en su vida. Estos llamamientos han requerido mucho de Él. El tuvo que mudarse desde Brasil, a los Estados Unidos, a África del Sur, y a muchos otros lugares. Ninguna vez fue fácil. Sus hijos cambiaron de escuela, y cambiaron continentes, en sus últimos años de High School. Eso fue un sacrificio. Eso fue muy inconveniente. Y aunque a veces no fue fácil ni divertido, ellos aprendieron algo:

"Nunca habrá un tiempo conveniente para servir al Señor."

Ustedes saben eso. La vida es ocupada. Siempre ha sido así y siempre será así.

No quiero llamar la atención al Obispo, pero voy a hacerlo de todos modos. ¿Ustedes ven lo que hace él? Seguramente no es conveniente para él servir al Señor. Él tiene 3 niños y un millón de cosas que hacer en cualquier momento. ¿Pero qué hace él? 

Él sirve con todo de su alma, mente, y corazón, por el amor que él siente por el Señor y por cada uno de ustedes. Quiero testificar del poder de su llamamiento. Él ha sido elegido por Dios para servir en esta capacidad. 

Y cada uno de ustedes ha sido elegido por Dios también. No tenemos que ser llamados a un llamamiento específico para poder servir. De hecho, al ser bautizado, nosotros prometemos que tomamos sobre nosotros el nombre de Jesucristo, "y somos testigos de Dios en todo tiempo, y en todas las cosas y en todo lugar en que estemos, aun hasta la muerte." 

Nuestro profeta viviente dijo, "Nuestro Padre Celestial ha reservado a muchos de Sus espíritus más nobles–quizás Su mejor equipo– para esta fase final. Esos nobles espíritus– esos excelentes jugadores, esos héroes– ¡son ustedes!"

Si están pensando, "Cuál será el propósito de mi vida?" Tengo buenas noticias. Hay una respuesta a esa pregunta. El élder Aidukaitis compartió: 

"Ustedes han sido preparados antes de esta vida y han nacido ahora para participar en la gran obra del recogimiento de Israel a ambos lados del velo en estos últimos días."

Nuestro Padre Celestial preparó su mejor equipo para esta fase final. Somos nosotros. Y este es el propósito de nuestras vidas. 

No soy muy deportista. Pero cuando estoy parte de un equipo, llego a ser muy competitiva. Puedan preguntar a los otros misioneros, o a los miembros del barrio que me conocen bien. Hay algo sobre el ser parte de un equipo que me anima. No sé si será que no quiero fallar de contribuir, y hacer que mi equipo pierda. Puede ser. 

Puede decir que no quiero ser la jugadora que se encuentra recogiendo flores en el campo cuando mi equipo me necesita. 

Eso puede ser parte de por qué juego tan fuerte cuando soy parte del equipo. Pero no es la razón principal. La razón por la cual me gusta jugar deportes de equipo es porque me encanta ganar juntos. Me encanta el sentimiento de que hice algo para ayudar a mis amigos y a mi equipo. 

Me encanta como me siento cuando me encuentro con mi equipo al final de un partido y nos abrazamos porque estamos tan contentos por haber ganado. Encuentro gozo al poder decir que yo y mis amigos trabajamos juntos e hicimos algo espectacular. 

Y es lo mismo en nuestras vidas. Hemos sido llamados, elegidos, por ser parte del equipo de Dios. El hecho mismo de ser bautizado nos une al equipo de Dios.

Ya estamos aqui. Ya somos parte del equipo. Ahora es el tiempo de decidir si vamos a ser el jugador recogiendo flores o si vamos a trabajar con nuestra fuerza para participar en la victoria. 

Esto puede parecer un ultimátum fuerte. Pero no debería ser interpretado así. 

No es sobre si vamos a ganar o no. El equipo de Dios gana. Ya sabemos eso. 

Es sobre si nosotros queremos ser parte del abrazo grupal al fin de este partido que llamamos la vida. Esto es lo que el Señor habló cuando llamó a Thomas B Marsh como misionero. Él dijo "alza tu corazón y regocíjate" porque al invitar a Thomas B Marsh a participar en la obra misional, el Señor le dio una oportunidad de ser parte de esta celebración. 

Yo sé que la obra misional es gozo. Yo lo sé porque es mi vida. Y sí, entiendo que tengo la bendición de ser apartada para hacerlo. Y es una bendición poder vivir en una manera que me permite servir sin preocuparme mucho por dinero, o un trabajo, o escuela, o hijos, o lo que sea. Entiendo que ustedes tienen cosas que hacer. Y Dios entiende también. Pero, como dijo mi presidente de misión, "nunca habrá un tiempo conveniente para servir al Señor."

Es nuestra propia decisión de servir a Él y a los demás. Pero puedo prometerles que valdrá la pena. El gozo que se encuentra en la obra misional no se puede comparar a nada. 

Y no tienen que preocuparse demasiado por el tiempo que tienen o no. Nadie puede hacer todo. Pero todos pueden hacer algo. Y eso es lo bonito de la obra misional. ¡Es un deporte de equipo! Estamos en eso juntos. Y cada uno de nosotros podemos contribuir. 

El Presente Nelson dijo: "cada vez que hacen algo que ayuda a cualquiera, a ambos lados del velo, a dar un paso hacia hacer convenios con Dios y recibir sus ordenanzas esenciales del bautismo y del templo, están ayudando a recoger a Israel. Es así de sencillo."

Es verdad! La obra misional no tiene que ser algo complicada o aterradora. En Su revelación a Thomas B Marsh por medio de José Smith, el Señor da consejo y palabras de consuelo que podemos aplicar a nosotros mismos. Él dice: "sigue tu camino, doquier que sea mi voluntad, y el Consolador te indicará lo que has de hacer y a dónde has de ir. Ora siempre, para que no entres en tentación y pierdas tu galardón. Sé fiel hasta el fin y, he aquí, estoy contigo. Estas palabras no son de hombre ni de hombres, sino mías, sí, de Jesucristo, tu Redentor, por la voluntad del Padre."

Que promesa! No tenemos que ser expertos ya. Nunca tenemos que ser expertos. Es que necesitamos vivir nuestras vidas normales intencionadamente. Lo que necesitamos hacer es orar para una oportunidad de servir a alguien más, y esperar nuestra respuesta! 

Nuestro profeta, Russell M. Nelson nos exhortó, "Hagan el esfuerzo espiritual para procurar milagros; oren pidiendo a Dios que los ayude a ejercer ese tipo de fe."

Una oportunidad de servir a alguien es una bendición y un milagro. Y si oran con fe, recibirán esa misma bendición y milagro. 

A veces es fácil decir que no tenemos las oportunidades de compartir el Evangelio. Pero quizás la cosa es que no reconocemos las oportunidades que nuestro Padre Celesial ya está proveyendo. 

Esa será mi invitación para ustedes. Oren. Oren que tendrán la oportunidad y bendición de ayudar a otra persona a sentir el amor de Dios y aprender sobre Su evangelio. Y no ignoren las respuestas que recibirán! Si un nombre o una idea viene a su mente ahorita, o más tarde hoy, o en cualquier momento, actúen de acuerdo con esa impresión!

La impresión puede ser grande o sencilla. Puede ser que necesite llamar a un ser querido y ver como está. Quizás están teniendo un desafío personal y están en necesidad de tu apoyo. Puede ser que necesite hacer una caminata solo o con un amigo. Quizás hay alguien en el parque que necesite que tú sonrisas a él. Puede ser que necesite invitar a un amigo a la iglesia. El espíritu que hay aquí cambia vidas. 

La obra misional es diferente para cada persona, porque cada persona es diferente. Pero no importa que lo que tú estás haciendo es algo diferente de lo que la persona sentada a su lado hace. Lo importante es que sí estás haciendo algo. 

La idea aquí es que necesitamos vivir en una manera por la cual los demás puedan ver que somos diferentes. Que somos felices. Porque tenemos el evangelio. Necesitamos vivir nuestras vidas, siempre haciendo lo bueno. Es lo que hizo Jesucristo! Y lo que Él quiere que hagamos es ser aún como Él es. 

Él no tuvo miedo de hacer lo bueno. Él no tuvo miedo de ofrecer servicio a los que lo necesitaron. Él no tuvo miedo de compartir el Evangelio. 

Por qué? Porque Él sabía que esas mismas cosas cambian vidas. Y Él quería cambiar vidas porque él ama a cada uno de nosotros. 

Él nos ha mandado: "Alzad, pues, vuestra luz para que brille ante el mundo. He aquí, yo soy la luz que debéis sostener en alto." 

Hermanos y hermanas, vivimos en un mundo de tinieblas. Este mundo necesita desesperadamente de la luz que tenemos, aun Jesucristo. Y hemos sido mandados por Jesucristo mismo a compartir esa luz! Es así de sencillo. 

Yo sé que hay milagros en compartir nuestra luz, en vivir para ser un ejemplo de los creyentes, y en invitar a los que conocemos y amamos a participar en el gozo que tenemos. 

Durante mi tiempo en este barrio, he podido escuchar muchos de los testimonios de los miembros sentados en frente de mi. Muchos de las personas en esta capilla son conversos. Ustedes saben cómo es vivir sin la plenitud del evangelio. Y ahora saben cómo es vivir una vida llena y gozosa gracias al evangelio. ¡No tienen por qué temer compartir el evangelio! Sus testimonios son poderosos. No estoy hablando generalmente tampoco. Estoy diciendo esto porque yo sé sin ninguna duda que los testimonios que tienen cada uno de ustedes tendrán el poder de cambiar vidas. Han cambiado la mía. 

Y eso es lo bonito de todo eso. Me encanta escuchar los testimonios de las personas de Orlando, sean los de miembros o no. Cada persona tiene una historia diferente, pero Dios está en toda historia. Él está guiándonos a cada uno de nosotros. Y honestamente, yo no tendría este testimonio sin haber tenido la oportunidad de hablar con personas cada día sobre Jesucristo. Por eso comparto todo eso. Por eso nuestros líderes comparten la importancia de participar en la obra misional. Es porque no hay mejor manera de aumentar su fe que el ayudar a otros a hacer lo mismo. 

Para mí, el caminar mano a mano con un amigo hasta las aguas de bautismo y adelante me fortalece también. Es como aprender de nuevo todas las cosas que ya sé, pero con una perspectiva nueva. En su discurso, el Élder Aidukaitis compartió algo, con el cual estoy completamente de acuerdo. El dice: "Entre las muchas bendiciones que Él me ha dado por servirle como misionero de tiempo completo están una mayor fe en Jesucristo y en Su expiación, y un conocimiento y testimonio más fuertes de sus enseñanzas." 

Lo dije antes y lo voy a decir de nuevo: no hay mejor manera de aumentar su fe que el ayudar a otros a hacer lo mismo. No tiene que ser perfecto en su propia fe para compartirla con alguien. No existe fe perfecta. Así que, como el Señor dijo a Thomas B Marsh, "Comenzarás desde ahora a predicar, sí, a cosechar en el campo que ya está blanco."

Hoy es el día de empezar. Dios estará contigo. Hoy es el día de "alzar tu corazón y regocíjate, porque la hora de tu misión ha llegado."  Hoy es el día de decidir ser no solo un miembro activo, sino también ser un miembro proactivo. Hoy es el día de activamente decidir jugar en el equipo de Dios, de recoger Israel en vez de recoger flores. 

Yo sé que no hay mejor manera de encontrar gozo duradero. Y yo sé que es lo que Dios quiere que hagamos. Y yo sé que las bendiciones superan nuestros esfuerzos. 

Testimonio!

________________________________________________

English Version: 

Introduction

Today, I have been assigned to speak on a talk called "Lift Up Your Heart and Rejoice" by Elder Aidukaitis from this year's April general conference. The title of the talk comes from a verse in Doctrine and Covenants 31. In this section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord calls a new convert, Thomas B Marsh, to serve a mission.

I love this verse! There are no better words to describe what one should do when given an opportunity to serve. "Lift up your heart and rejoice." Serving a mission was not part of my plans for my life. But I'm so glad I decided to do it. This year has been the best year of my life. I wouldn't change my experience at all. I have never felt more love, happiness or hope in my life. And I know that these feelings that I feel are blessings that come from serving Heavenly Father and His children.

There is no more important or more beautiful cause on the face of the earth. And these blessings and privileges are accessible to all.

I want to go back to the story of Brother Thomas B Marsh. Brother Marsh had been baptized a few weeks before his mission call. This teaches us something. We don't have to be members for many years to be able to serve in the church. If he, a convert of a few weeks, was able to drop everything to serve a full-time mission, surely we at this time can contribute to missionary work in one way or another.

In our mission, we just had a change of mission president. We met with him a few weeks ago and he shared something that really hit me. He has had several church callings in his life. These callings have required a lot of Him. He had to move from Brazil, to the United States, to South Africa, and to many other places. It was never easy. His children changed schools, and changed continents, in their last years of High School. That was a sacrifice. That was very inconvenient. And although sometimes it wasn't easy or fun, they learned something:

"There will never be a convenient time to serve the Lord."

You know that. Life is busy. It has always been so and always will be so.

I don't want to call the Bishop's attention, but I'm going to do it anyway. Do you see what he does? Surely it is not convenient for him to serve the Lord. He has 3 kids and a million things to do at any given time. But what does he do?

He serves with all of his soul, mind, and heart, because of the love he has for the Lord and for each one of you. I want to testify to the power of his calling. He has been chosen by God to serve in this capacity.

And each of you has been chosen by God as well. We do not have to be called to a specific calling in order to serve. In fact, by being baptized, we promise that we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, "and are witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places that we are, even unto death."

Our living prophet said, "Our Heavenly Father has reserved many of His noblest spirits–perhaps His best team–for this final phase. Those noble spirits–those excellent players, those heroes–are you!"

If you are thinking, "What will be the purpose of my life?" I have good news. There is an answer to that question. Elder Aidukaitis shared:

"You have been prepared before this life and have been born now to participate in the great work of the gathering of Israel on both sides of the veil in these last days."

Our Heavenly Father prepared his best team for this final phase. We are. And this is the purpose of our lives.

I am not very athletic. But when I'm part of a team, I get to be very competitive. You can ask the other missionaries, or the members of the ward who know me well. There's something about being part of a team that lifts me up. I don't know if I don't want to fail to contribute, and make my team lose. Can be.

You can say I don't want to be the player picking flowers on the field when my team needs me.

That may be part of why I play so hard when I'm part of the team. But it is not the main reason. The reason I like to play team sports is because I love to win together. I love the feeling that I did something to help my friends and my team.

I love how I feel when I meet my team at the end of a match and we hug each other because we're so happy we won. I find joy in being able to say that me and my friends worked together and did something spectacular.

And it is the same in our lives. We have been called, chosen, to be part of God's team. The very fact of being baptized joins us to God's team.

We are already here. We are already part of the team. Now is the time to decide if we are going to be the player picking flowers or if we are going to work with our strength to participate in the victory.

This may seem like a strong ultimatum. But it shouldn't be interpreted that way.

It's not about whether we're going to win or not. God's team wins. We already know that.

It's about whether we want to be part of the group hug at the end of this game we call life. This is what the Lord spoke when he called Thomas B Marsh as a missionary. He said "lift up your hearts and rejoice" because by inviting Thomas B Marsh to participate in missionary work, the Lord gave him an opportunity to be a part of this celebration.

I know that missionary work is joy. I know because it is my life. And yes, I understand that I am blessed to be set apart to do so. And it's a blessing to be able to live in a way that allows me to serve without worrying too much about money, or a job, or school, or kids, or whatever. I understand that you have things to do. And God understands too. But, as my mission president said, "there will never be a convenient time to serve the Lord."

It is our own decision to serve Him and others. But I can promise you it will be worth it. The joy found in missionary work cannot be compared to anything.

And they don't have to worry too much about how much time they have or not. Nobody can do everything. But everyone can do something. And that's the beauty of missionary work. It is a team sport! We are in it together. And each of us can contribute.

Present Nelson said, “Any time you do something that helps anyone, on both sides of the veil, take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. as simple as that."

It is true! Missionary work does not have to be something complicated or scary. In His revelation to Thomas B Marsh through Joseph Smith, the Lord gives counsel and words of comfort that we can apply to ourselves. He says: "Follow your path, wherever my will may be, and the Comforter will tell you what to do and where to go. Pray always, so that you do not enter into temptation and lose your reward. Be faithful to the end and Behold, I am with you. These words are not of man or men, but mine, yes, of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, by the will of the Father."

What a promise! We don't have to be experts anymore. We never have to be experts. It's that we need to live our normal lives intentionally. What we need to do is pray for an opportunity to serve someone else, and wait for our response!

Our prophet, Russell M. Nelson exhorted us, "Make the spiritual effort to seek miracles; pray asking God to help you exercise that kind of faith."

An opportunity to serve someone is a blessing and a miracle. And if you pray with faith, you will receive that same blessing and miracle.

Sometimes it's easy to say that we don't have the opportunities to share the Gospel. But perhaps the thing is that we do not recognize the opportunities that our Heavenly Father is already providing.

That will be my invitation to you. Pray. Pray that they will have the opportunity and blessing to help another person feel God's love and learn about His gospel. And don't ignore the answers you will receive! If a name or an idea comes to mind now, or later today, or at any time, act on that impression!

The print can be large or simple. You may need to call a loved one and see how they are doing. Perhaps they are having a personal challenge and are in need of your support. You may need to take a walk alone or with a friend. Perhaps there is someone in the park who needs you to smile at him. It may be that you need to invite a friend to church. The spirit here changes lives.

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.

The idea here is that we need to live in a way that others can see that we are different. That we are happy. Because we have the gospel. We need to live our lives, always doing good. It is what Jesus Christ did! And what He wants us to do is still be as He is.

He was not afraid to do good. He was not afraid to offer service to those in need. He was not afraid to share the Gospel.

Why? Because He knew that those very things change lives. And he wanted to change lives because he loves each one of us.

He has commanded us: "Lift up your light to shine before the world. Behold, I am the light that you must hold high."

Brothers and sisters, we live in a world of darkness. This world desperately needs the light we have, even Jesus Christ. And we have been commanded by Jesus Christ Himself to share that light! It's that simple.

I know there are miracles in sharing our light, living to be an example to believers, and inviting those we know and love to share in the joy we have.

During my time in this neighborhood, I have been able to listen to many of the testimonies of the members sitting in front of me. Many of the people in this chapel are converts. You know what it is like to live without the fullness of the gospel. And now they know what it is like to live a full and joyful life because of the gospel. You need not be afraid to share the gospel! Your testimonials are powerful. I'm not talking generally either. I am saying this because I know without a doubt that the testimonies each of you have will have the power to change lives. They have changed mine.

And that's the beauty of it all. I love hearing testimonials from people in Orlando, whether they are members or not. Each person has a different story, but God is in every story. He is guiding each of us. And honestly, I wouldn't have this testimony without having the opportunity to talk to people every day about Jesus Christ. That's why I share all that. That's why our leaders share the importance of participating in missionary work. It's because there is no better way to increase your faith than to help others do the same.

For me, walking hand-in-hand with a friend to the waters of baptism and onward strengthens me as well. It's like learning all over again all the things I already know, but with a new perspective. In his talk, Elder Aidukaitis shared something, with which I completely agree. He says, "Among the many blessings He has given me from serving Him as a full-time missionary are a greater faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement and a stronger knowledge and testimony of His teachings."

I've said it before and I'll say it again: There is no better way to increase your faith than to help others do the same. You don't have to be perfect in your own faith to share it with someone. There is no perfect faith. So, as the Lord said to Thomas B Marsh, "You will begin now to preach, yes, to harvest in the field that is already white."

Today is the day to start. God will be with you. Today is the day to "lift up your hearts and rejoice, because the hour of your mission has come." Today is the day to decide to be not only an active member, but also to be a proactive member. Today is the day to actively decide to play on God's team, to pick Israel instead of picking flowers.

I know there is no better way to find lasting joy. And I know that's what God wants us to do. And I know that the blessings exceed our efforts.

Testimony!

Lucero at the Temple to do Baptisms