Spare it a little longer

¡Hola Familia y Amigos!

I am now halfway through my first transfer in Argentina. I can hardly believe it! The work is hard, but soo rewarding. I thank the Lord every day for the opportunity I have to serve Him and His children here in Pigüé.

I told you a little about "V" (name withheld) last week. She's the investigator we're really focusing on right now because she is progressing a lot. Guess what? SHE HAS A FECHA! (A baptismal date: November 26th!) We are so excited for her. Her testimony is growing and she is truly "hungry" to learn more about the gospel. After our first lesson with her we committed her to read the Introduction to el Libro de Mormón, and then at least the first chapter. We went back three days later and she had read clear until 2 Nephi 30! That's like over thirty pages! We were shocked, speechless, and SO happy for her.

It has been a hard week for her because she and her boyfriend are separated now, but she specifically said that reading el Libro de Mormón has given her "the strength to stand." :) She started reading it the first day we gave it to her, and she said the ancient writing style, the stories and the underlying morals really intrigued her, so she couldn't put it down! It's incredible to be able to watch the power of el Libro de Mormón already blessing her life. She and her two older kids came to church yesterday, and we hope to get fechas for her three oldest kids who are baptismal age.

The rest of the week was hard because we weren't able to have very many people let us in to teach. But it's moments like teaching "V" that make it all worth it. Mom, it's like what you said in your last e-mail, you have to focus on what you DO have. Yeah, our number of lessons isn't very high, but the investigators that we do have are gold mines.

My scripture study this week has been a great strength for me--as always. Like "V", there were moments when it "kept me standing." My favorite chapter I read this week (surprisingly) was Jacob 5. That's the famous account where Jacob quotes Zenos about the allegory of the wild and the tame olive trees. I've always hated that chapter because I never understood it. This time, however, I took the time to read the foot notes, and I learned so much! It really is a beautiful allegory, and is very similar to the way Christ teaches in parables.

I got a lot of strength from it because it talks a little bit about missionary work. The Lord weeps because the trees are dying and withering away, but He lovingly says: "Spare it a little longer." He nourishes them, and then He calls servants (missionaries, prophets, apostles, visiting teachers, home teachers, bishops, etc.) to labor diligently with all of their might that they may prepare the way. That is why I am here! To labor with all of my might and to prepare the way. I know that the Lord has many things planned for me while I am here in Pigüé, even if it takes me awhile to see the "fruit." The same goes for all of you! When life is hard, and you don't understand why you are not having success when you are giving it all you have--KEEP GOING! The Lord has something planned. It will get better. It will end, and you will reap that fruit. :) All we can do is keep working hard and trust Him!

I love you all! Have a great week!

-Hermana Vawdrey

NOTHING is impossible with the Lord!

¡Hola otra vez!

I can´t believe it´s already Monday, the week went by so fast! To be completely honest, the first few weeks here in Pigüé have been a little bit rough since we are both new to the area. We have to take the time to get to know all the members, investigators, recent converts...and then gain their trust. It´s going to take time. The first 6 days here we did a lot of contacting and set up a lot of appointments, but every single one fell through. We´d show up to their house and either they wouldn´t be home or the would be "busy". Ugh. However, our first lesson was absolutely incredible!

The investigator´s name is V, and she has a pretty interesting story. She and her boyfriend have 5 kids. Her boyfriend´s sister is a recent convert in our branch, so that´s kinda how she found out about the church. When they came to church last Sunday she flat out said that she wasn´t really interested, she was only their for her kids and her boyfriend. But then when we went to go teach her, her perspective was completely different! They recently moved to Pigüé because it´s a better, more safer place to raise their kids. Before they moved here life was pretty rough. They were starting to do better financially so they got a car, but the day after they got all the insurance stuff squared away with it, it was lit on fire!! It was one awful thing after the next, but she said ever since they moved to Pigüé life has been better. The first day they were able to find a house to move into, her boyfriend got a job...they went to church...la vida esta buena! We went to her house planning on teaching the first lesson, but she and her 12 year old son had a lot of questions that we ended up answering. They are very ready for the gospel, and I am very excited to teach them. :)

Earlier this week our mission president called us and said he will be sending 2 more hermanas to Pigüé soon! (Probably next transfer or something) We´re very excited. Our branch is very small, but very strong. On Sunday we only had about 20 people that attended church. We could use more missionaries here.

Our mission president has promised us that if we work hard to baptize people, the one stake in Bahía Blanca will grow till we have 6 stakes. And he promised us that if we do that, one day we will get a temple in Bahía Blanca! I feel very privileged to be one of those that the Lord is trusting in to help build the church strong enough to have another temple. :)

I´m still loving Argentina! I can feel myself already getting absorbed into the culture and traditions of Argentines. They are a wonderful people. Most of the people here are Catholic...but they don´t really even know what that means. haha When we go to talk to people they recognize us as missionaries and pretty much always say something to the effect of: "I´m very catholic, I just don´t go to church." uhhh...? Argentines are big talkers though, so sometimes if we talk to them long enough we can talk them into sharing a message with them. :)

My Castellano can still use a lot of work, but I get better every day. It´s still hard to discern one word from another because they speak so fast! I just keep reminding myself that if Heavenly Father said Nephi could build a boat--I can learn Castellano! :) NOTHING is impossible with the Lord!

• Argentines always have to greet every person and say good-bye to every one

• It´s pretty much always windy in Pigüé  (I have to wear glasses most of the time)

• When a car is for sale, they put an empty (or water filled) pop bottle on top of the car

• Argentines always sing very loud, and very off key

• Most common foods: meat, empanadas, Dulce de Leche, helado, mashed potatoes, pan! (bread)

• I feel very tall

• My apartment is very small and simple! "Very Argentine," my companion says. She also said this is the nicest apartment she´s had on her whole mission...hmm...not sure what I think about that! haha

• Oh! I had this goal to use up all of the ink in a pen, because it would be proof of all of my hard work studying. :) I started using it in the MTC and it finally ran out this week so I had to get a picture with it. ha!

• The first few nights in our apartment I didn´t sleep very well because I felt like I was sleeping on a bar. The second night I decided that I´d look under the mattress to see what was under there and I found a little ladder!! (Like for a bunk bed) I don´t know if the elders put it there for support or if it was like a prank they pulled on us like the story of the princess and the pea? Ha I guess I´m a princess!

 

I love you all!
-Hermana Vawdrey

Hola from ARGENTINA!

¡Familia y Amigos!

¡HOLA FROM ARGENTINA! Yes, I did arrive safely. Family, I´m sorry you never got an email from my mission president. I´m not sure what happened there...he took a picture of our travel group and all of us with our new companions, so I´m not sure what happened. But, I am doing great! I love Argentina!

The Elders and Hermanas that arrived with me to Bahía Blanca (with our Mission President and his wife)

It turns out that our flight from Atlanta to Buenos Aires was pretty much a miracle flight. A volcano erupted in Chile a few days previous, so all flights to Buenos Aires had been canceled. Our flight was the first one that was allowed to go. I guess the Lord really needs us in Argentina right now! :) The traveling itself was crazy. (Family, I was sad our phone call ended unexpectedly! What a rip! I was sad too that we didn´t get to have a real good-bye or a chance to bear my testimony in Español...but I just got word that for Christmas I am allowed to SKYPE! How awesome will that be? I´m already looking forward to it. :)

Okay, so the flight to Buenos Aires was ridiculously long. I didn´t really sleep much because I was so excited that I was finally going to Argentina! And those planes are never comfortable anyway... But, I lucked out and got to have a window seat.  My favorite was when we flew over Jamaica :) It popped out of nowhere and was just covered in lights. It was really cool to see from above. Anyway... so we landed safely in Buenos Aires, and we all got through customs without any problems. All of our luggage arrived too, so we were pretty excited. There was a man waiting for us as we were leaving the airport to help us with our next travels. We loaded up all our luggage into a van with windows covered up with cardboard (Awesome?) and then rode a bus to another airport where we would catch a plane to Bahía Blanca. We arrived at that airport and the travel guy helped us all get tickets. The only problem was that we barely missed our flight so we had another four hour layover. Uh! When we arrived at the airport in Bahía Blanca, our mission president, his wife, his daughter and the two zone leaders were waiting for us. They took us to the mission home, fed us dinner, and then gave us a place to stay for the night. (The hermanas stayed at Mission President´s house, and the elders stayed at a house down the street.) The only problem was that we didn´t have any of our stuff! It was all in that van on the way to Bahía Blanca! Ha. So we had to wear the same pair of clothes for 3 days! No bueno. The sweet mission president´s wife spoiled us though and got us a new pair of garments and let us shower and get all cleaned up. Finally!

The next day (Wednesday) we got our new companions and area assignments. My companion´s name is Hermana Freeman. She is from Arizona, is the second of 6 kids, and has been in Argentina for a year now. We get along great and I am excited to serve with her. She is a hard worker and I have already learned a lot from her.

Hermanas Vawdrey y Freeman

My area is called Pigüé (pronounced peeg-way). It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! There are a lot of trees and parks, and the people are wonderful. Our apartment is on the top floor of the highest building in the city haha (Dad, It´s on Casey Ave if you want to try to find it on Google maps or whatever)

Inside our apartment

Our kitchen

When I first got to Argentina, everything felt very "baby" (as Kate Norma Beckstrand would say). You see LOTS of little cars and lots of old trucks. I love it! Nothing is any bigger than it needs to be. Most houses are only one story, and everything is very simple. Most of the streets here in Pigüé are cobblestone. :)

I´m definitely not in Kansas anymore. Or Utah, or the United States for that matter! But I love Argentina!! I absolutely love the people...just not how fast they speak. haha I think they speak 1,000 miles per hour. Actually, probably 5,000 miles per hour :) I don´t understand much, but each day I make improvement. Pigüé has about 15,000 people. Our mission president refers to Pigüé as 15,000 potential baptisms. :) Our weekly mission standard is one baptism a week! I am really excited about that. It will take a lot of hard work, but the people are very ready for the gospel. We are the first hermanas to serve here in 20 years! I´m honored for the opportunity to serve here. The area is small. There is a small branch in Pigüé, but the members are strong, and we have many potential investigators. It will take a while to get going since we are going in "blind" (both of us are new to this area). My favorite though is our view from the balcony in our apartment. Since we are on the tenth floor we can pretty much see all of Pigüé! :) Every time I look out there I think of all the people that need the gospel. I can´t wait to give it to them!

View from apartment

 

View from apartment

View from apartment

 

View from apartment

Well my time is short. I´m so sorry. We have an hour on the computers every Monday from 5-6. Email is probably the best form of communication, but it´s only for immediate family...then it takes up my email time too. :s But other than that the pouch mail and dearelder.com is a great way to send mail. (Only dearelder has a 2 week delay. I guess that´s the price I pay for being in another country!) Packages are expensive to pick up I guess, but if they are 4lbs or less you avoid the extra fee.

I hope all is well! The church is true! It´s true in Argentina, in the United States, and everywhere else!

Mucho amor,

Hermana Vawdrey

Knowledge comes from "time to time"

Hola Amigos!

Last Thursday I got my travel plans!! It seriously felt like Navidad. It's definitely down to wire now because I'll be leaving the country in CUATRO DIAS! I don't think I could be more excited. I'm trying not to get "trunky" because my last days here are important. I want to make sure that I am prepared. I don't want to have any regrets.

As a district we are striving to speak todo Español all day long. It's really hard, but it helps me realize how much Español I really do know. Now it's up to me to practice it so that I can conjugate everything correctly into the different tenses. We have now covered all of the grammar lessons that are expected to be taught at the MTC, so we are starting to teach each other during class to further engrain the principles into our heads. I have been reminded time and time again that it is such a miracle that missionaries can leave the MTC after only 9 weeks of studying a language...and be ready enough to go out into the world to teach the gospel! I know my Español is far from perfect and it will take awhile to get there, but I know the Lord doesn't expect us to be perfect all at once. Like it says in D&C 1:28:

"And inasmuch as they were humble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive knowledge from time to time."

-Notice that it doesn't say that we will receive knowledge all at once. It says we will receive it from "time to time!" I need to be humble. We need to be humble! I know that as we are humble the Lord has promised us that He will bless us and help us become strong. The catch is that this will happen on the Lord's time: from "time to time", not on our time when we think it's right.

I've thought about this a lot this week. I am no perfect missionary, I am no perfect teacher, and my Español is definitely not perfect...but I am trying. I've realized that the people of Argentina don't need a perfect missionary to teach them. They need a real person. They need someone who is also struggling to try to do their best. Life is the exact same way. If we were perfect, if everything in our lives were perfect, there would be no reason in being here on Earth! The Lord sent us here to learn and grow, to struggle and to succeed--and to have the opportunity to turn to Him for help and guidance. I know He is always there to help us. He wants to help us, we just need to let him.

On Tuesday Julie B. Beck spoke at the devotional! She is such a wonderful speaker. I love her, and what she has done for the women of the world and for the other members of the church. She talked about how important it is to love your companion, to love your mission president, and to love the people. I'm realizing that more and more every day. Love is the answer to everything! Charity: the pure love of Christ can solve every problem. If we could only view each person as the Lord does, as his precious sons and daughters, our thoughts, our words and our actions would be completely different.

Yesterday my companionship was asked to demonstrate teaching in front of all the new missionaries. I felt so honored to receive the invitation because we were selected out of lots of missionaries! There have been many moments over the past week when I have felt very inadequate to go to a completely different country, speaking a new language...but then the Lord keeps giving me opportunities like this that make me realize that I am completely capable. Our lesson went pretty well. Our instructions before we went in were to get to know the person and start teaching a lesson--and he would stop us whenever we got to a point where they were starting to grasp the principle we were teaching, and then he would turn it over to the new missionaries to teach. Well...we got to know her, said a prayer and then they stopped us! I was so sad because I wanted to teach her more so bad! (She's from Guatemala...and it turns out that she was a REAL investigator!) BUT! The fact that he stopped our teaching so quick was a huge compliment because we got to a good teaching point really quickly!  :)

Hermanas Vawdrey, Griffin, and Baker

It's interesting that even though it's been 8/9ish weeks in the MTC, our trio still struggles with having a balance of who's teaching. I think that's just the curse of trios. However, I'm SO grateful for both of my companions! I'm so grateful for their patience with me. They have taught me so much. It's going to be hard to start over with a new companionship, but I guess I better get used to that!

I'm so grateful to be a part of God's Army spreading the gospel. I know it's true.

Mucho amor!
-Hermana Vawdrey

It's black or it's white. It's wrong or it's right.

Hola! Hola!

Dad, you ran a marathon this past weekend, but I feel like I have just ran a spiritual marathon! It has been the greatest week. I'm exhausted, but I have so much joy right now. I have learned so much. General Conference was awesome, wasn't it? I loved each and every talk. I think I took like 15 pages of notes in my little notebook :) I felt like every speaker was talking specifically to me, and there was so much that was said that I want to teach to my future investigators in Argentina. After one of the sessions on Saturday, there was a prayer said that really touched me. He specifically blessed those who had not yet heard the messages of the prophet and the apostles. He blessed them to be touched by the spirit and that they would feel of the truthfulness of the message. I immediately thought of my investigators that I will teach. That blessing includes them! It's neat to think that others are already praying for them. The Lord truly is constantly preparing his children to be ready to receive the gospel.

General Conference - October 2011

L. Tom Perry's talk was one of my favorites. I loved the warnings and counsel he gave to us. He is truly a powerful speaker. During his talk I was sitting in the bleachers of the big gym here at the MTC, and the floor was literally shaking from his words! I know prophets are called of God, and in that moment I knew that was the Lord's voice coming out of his mouthpiece--an apostle. He talked about how important it is to share our testimony. We should never be ashamed to tell others about Jesus Christ's church. So often people learn from our examples of the testimonies that we live, but when they are ready to hear more we need to be prepared to teach them! When we bear our testimonies they will feel the spirit and it will testify of the truthfulness of your words. It's important to be bold. The gospel is either completely true or completely not. It's black or it's white. It's wrong or it's right. It's of God or it's of Satan. I know it's completely true. I know it's "white." It know it's right, and I know it's of God. I wouldn't go all the way down to Argentina for 18 months to preach a lie!

Speaking of Argentina, I get my travel plans TODAY! I'm freaking out. I'm so excited. I only have 11 more days left at the MTC--which is absolutely terrifying since I have so much more to learn, but I am so excited to leave and go in to the field! We celebrated our eighth week at the MTC yesterday, and I can hardly believe it has been that long already.

Sorry that my email is a little short this week, but I hope you all are doing well! Thanks for all of the prayers and support. Have a wonderful week :)

-Hermana Vawdrey

PS:

-Carrie Helland & Sister Shannon Carlston: I hope you both had a wonderful birthday! I love you :)

-Jessica Garlick DYER! Congrats on your wedding on Saturday! I wish you the best. And thanks SO much for sending me an announcement. I loved it. It was funny because a few weeks ago I was thinking how I needed to contact you somehow to request an announcement, and then the next day it came in the mail!

-Randy, thanks for that email you shared this week. It's great to hear that you're doing missionary work out there in Pokey. Oh by the way, I met a sister here the other day who you had helped before at your clinic. I don't remember her name, only that she is going somewhere Korean speaking. She has short brown hair and black rimmed glasses. I don't know if you'll even remember her by that, but she sure had some great things to say about you! Whether you're talking about the gospel or not, you're doing a lot of good :)

-To those of you thinking about serving a mission...stop thinking! Do it! I promise you that you won't regret it. It has the possibility of being the hardest two years (or 18 months) of you life, but I promise you that it will be the best two years (or 18 months) for your life.

"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come unto you."

Hola!!

Ohh missionary work is great! It's been such a good week. Yesterday was awesome because our two investigators had their final interview before their baptisms (which will be on Saturday) to see if they are ready--and they both passed! WHOO! I've never been so excited for a pretend baptism. :) They have been wonderful investigators. I have grown so attached. By teaching them I think I am starting to grasp the love that Heavenly Father has for each and every one of his children. He doesn't love one more than another, and all he wants is what is best for us and what will make us happy! I'm praying that I will get to teach both of those investigators at least one more time, because if not I am going to be heartbroken! I have grown to love Rueben and Serio so much. I can hardly wait to teach my real "Rueben" and "Sergio" in the mission field. 

My Spanish is still getting better and better every day. Some elders in our zone came up with a test to prove whether or not you speak Spanish well. What they do is they come up to you and say "Say Jesus Christ." If you speak Spanish well, you'll reply with "JesuCristo," and if you're still stuck in English mode you'll say "Jesus Christ." haha Well I passed the test because I replied with "JesuCristo!" I don't think that necessarily means that I speak Spanish well, but it still makes me feel good that Spanish is starting to become my "native language" like I was promised in my setting apart blessing.

This week I have really grown to love scripture study. I have always loved reading my scriptures, but now I am truly understanding the meaning of "feasting" upon the scriptures. I crave it. I want it. I need it! Not just for me, but I need it for my investigators, for my companionship, for answers --> it's my passageway to receive revelation! I've come to learn that simply feeling the spirit is receiving revelation! Revelation isn't necessarily knowing which scripture to share with your investigator, or what to say to another missionary when they're feeling discouraged--it's feeling the love of God and our Savior! 

I wear the name of JesuCristo every day!

Since I wear the name of JesuCristo on my name tag every day, I have strived to get to know Him better so that I can be a better example of Him. I am so humbled to know of the love that Christ has for me. He died for me because I am not perfect--and He wants me to be! He loves me that much! He loves you that much! While He suffered all that pain he thought about me specifically. He thought about you! And He didn't quit. We are that important to Him. He will never forget us because we are written on His hands and His feet! John 14:18 "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come unto you." I know my savior lives. I know He loves us. Yo se que Dios siempre tiene un proposito por cada cosa en nuestro vidas.

I love you all!

-Hermana Vawdrey

Obedience brings blessings, but exact blessings bring MIRACLES!

Hola otra vez!

This week has been a big week for many reasons. I passed my one month mark here at the MTC, and I now have only one month left! For that I am really excited, but also a little bit worried. The first month went by so fast, and it's scary to think how much more I need to learn in a month. However, I know this is the Lord's way! If he says we will be ready after 9 weeks of being at the MTC, then we will!

My companionship has made leaps and bounds this week. Our amount of CPI's (companionship inventories) has lowered--which I am extremely grateful for. We've learned the importance of being completely honest with what is going through our heads so that we can have more unity. I feel very blessed and humbled to be in a trio because of the opportunity it gives me to turn to the Lord for comfort and advice when we have our differences. This week Hermana Griffin was called as the Senior Companion, so it's been interesting to see a new way of leadership. Our teaching is also improving each day, and our investigators are still doing great. We have really bonded with our district this week also, which has been so great. They feel like my second family! 

Sister Britter's MTC District

Probably one of the hardest rules for me to keep here at the MTC is no dancing. Ah! It's such a big part of me, it's hard to just turn that "off!" After sitting in class for 8 hours straight, I get the wiggles and all these clogging rhythms get stuck in my head and I just need to get them out! I'll be completely honest with you, if ever I was alone in the bathroom I would clog :) However! We have been counselled many times lately that "obedience brings blessing, but exact blessings bring MIRACLES!" I felt like that was really directed at me, and so I set some new goals to allow exact obedience to bring miracles into my life. I mean, who doesn't want to see miracles in their life? I decided to commit to the Lord that I wouldn't clog again while I am here at the MTC. So far so good! It's been stinkin' hard, but I have felt the support of my Savior each and every time I am tempted to dance. I know it seems so simple, but I truly have seen miracles each day since I have given that up. I now have to run at least a mile or two every gym time to get my energy out, but I know the Lord ALWAYS provides a way for you to accomplish what He has commanded you to. (1 Nephi 3:7) One of my favorite scriptures this week is found in Romans 5: 3-6. The Lord has some interesting ways to teach us lessons, but I know He knows exactly what He is doing, and He will never let us down.

Elder Russell M. Nelson

So two weeks ago I was asked to say the closing prayer at the devotional on September 20th. Of course I said yes, but I was freakin' out because, what do you pray for with the entire MTC listening to you?! Well Tuesday came and then I started worrying that I wouldn't be able to say the prayer in English! I have pretty much stopped praying in English, so when I practiced earlier in the morning it was like this war in my head between English and Spanish words. haha I guess that's a good sign because I'm forgetting my English, but I still spent most of the day praying that I would be able to say the prayer without any accidental Spanish words. After dinner was incredible because the spirit here at the MTC was SOOO strong. You could literally feel the presence of a servant of God. It was the neatest feeling! Come to find out, the choir was going to sing "Consider the Lilies" (President Monson's favorite song,) so then I my companions had me getting nervous that I would be praying for the prophet! Well it turned out that Elder Russell M. Nelson came to speak to us! (I was super excited since I know his Grandkids: Lindsay & Russell). It was incredible. He talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon, and how it is THE tool we need to convert God's children to the church. He showed us the October issue of the Ensign and the incredible words said there. The entire magazine is dedicated to the importance of the Book of Mormon. I highly recommend that you read it, because it is so good! When the time came, I went up to say the prayer, and I DID IT! I did it in complete English! I was so happy. I was shaking really bad because of nervousness, but I did it! It was absolutely incredible to have the privilege of saying the last words after an apostle. I selfishly made eye contact with him when I turned around to walk back to my seat, hoping that I could shake his hand or something...haha but he didn't. At least I made eye contact though, right!

Well time is short when you're serving the Lord. I hope all is well! 

Love you! 

-Hermana Vawdrey

Ps. Ellie, CONGRATS on being married! I'm so happy for you.

Pss. Brother Nadauld-thanks for teaching me how to do a good handshake (back in like 2005-ish when you were our home teacher) because people compliment me on it all the time!

Psss. Chantelle Lyman, I see your brother here all the time :) Hope you're doing well!

Pssss. BYU 50th ward, thank you for the letters you sent me last week! It's so great to hear from you.

I am weak, but with the Lord I am STRONG!

Sister Britter

Brittni's companions

Hola!

 

It's been another great week here at the MTC! This week starts my fourth week. That means I'm almost half way through. I'm totally in denial, time has flown by so fast!

 

My Spanish is really coming along. As a companionship we're getting a lot more confident in lessons, so we can now focus more on our teaching methods rather than our Spanish. :) One day this week we had a substitute teacher and he had us teach him as a new investigator. When we first went to go talk to him it took a few tries for him to let us in. Dude. That rejection is not a good feeling! I'm not really excited for that in the mission field, but I guess I better start preparing myself for that now! There were definitely lots of highs and lows this week, but the Lord is teaching me so much. I'm realizing that sharing the gospel is way more important that any trial I am faced with. In many ways I am "weak," but with the Lord I can do anything! (Alma 36? Sorry, I don't have my scriptures with me.)

 

Estudiando el Espanol!

 

With Sergio this week we went over the baptismal interview questions to help him prepare and be fully ready for baptism. We had two elders in our district go in and act as a ward member and another as someone who is also getting baptized soon. They insisted that their names were Mario and Luigi. We had a hard time being serious at first :) It went so well though! It was a big testimony builder for me that missionary work doesn't end once they get baptized. New converts need a good support system of friends and church members to keep them strong in the faith.

 

If ever we have a tough lesson, my companions and I go visit some of our favorite elders. They all have a physical disability of some sort so they are all serving an "internet mission." They share the gospel over g-chat, Facebook, and other ways online. Isn't that so cool! Technology is such a powerful tool. One of the elders introduced himself to us as "the happiest man on the world." I love it! He said he's never had a bad day because once he starts feeling down he chooses to be happy and tries to learn from the challenge. I hope I can keep that kind of attitude throughout my mission. :)

 

The 3 "senior hermanas" in our zone left for the mission field yesterday. (Which makes us the old, "experienced" ones.) It was hard to say good bye, and I'm realizing that those goodbyes are going to be one of the toughest parts of serving a mission because you get to know them so well! You get to know them spiritually, so the friendship runs deep. The MTC is very efficient because they left first thing in the morning, and then a couple hours later we got 3 new hermanas! They are all going state-side, but they will also be going spanish speaking. One of them actually went to AF High and another one was in my Food Science class at BYU last semester. It's fun to see familiar faces. As the coordinating sister I was able to help give them orientation and show them around the MTC. It's crazy because it seems like it was just yesterday that I was the one getting lost every day. :)

 

 

 Russell M. Ballard came and spoke to us during the devotional on Tuesday. It was awesome! Normally they only have one general authority come every couple months...but since I've been here he's the second one!! He had a wonderful message. He talked about the importance of always standing up for the gospel. He talked about the importance of goals. He said "you can be good. You can be excellent. If you set the goal to do it." I love that! Success as a missionary only comes through persistent hard work and dedication.

 

Life is great when you're serving the Lord! I love you all. Have a great week!

 

-Hermana Vawdrey

 

We Are Children of God

Hola! Hola!

 

Como estan? Thank you everyone for your letters this week. Because of the holiday on Monday I didn't get any mail for a few days, but then I got a JACKPOT on Tuesday so that was sweet! Me gusta! The MTC is still great, I love it. Each week I see more and more missionaries I know from home. It's great to see the sacrifices people are making to serve the Lord.

 

This week has been really busy. We now teach at least one investigator every day. As a trio we're still trying to figure out the best teaching style to use to make sure that each of us have the chance to say everything we want to. I'm understanding more and more everyday why the Lord put us together as a trio. Hermana Griffin and Hermana Baker both have strengths & weaknesses that I don't have, and I have some strengths and weaknesses that they don't have--so it's neat to see how everything evens out when we work together. :)

 

One of our investigators, Sergio is seriously kicking our trash!! He's soo ready to receive the gospel, I love it! He's the one I was telling you about last week, who committed to baptism the first visit. :) Well good news, he still wants to be baptized! We invited him to read the first chapter of el Libro de Mormon, and by the next visit he had read through Mosiah! YEAAAAH! Then two days later he had finished the whole thing! What a stud. We were so excited. He's really pushing us to study harder so that we can meet his needs and answer his questions. One of our weaknesses is that we talk a lot. haha Imagine that! Our appointments almost always go over time, so yesterday he told us he only had five minutes. (We think he did that as a test to see if we really can talk for only five minutes... haha) So I had the idea to bring my alarm clock with me and set a timer so that we would know when we had one minute left. He laughed at us, but we did a lot better at finishing on time.

 

Being on time is definitely a skill a missionary needs. We are learning this more and more each day. If we're late, that means we're missing out on personal study, or it may put us late for our next appointment. This is the Lord's time, and like it says in every missionary's mission call letter, we are "to devote" ourselves, our time, and everything really to the Lord so that we can achieve everything the Lord wants of us. My companion reads us this quote each day as a pep-talk before we go teach our investigators:

"I am a child of God. My authortiy is above that of the kings of the Earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my master and he has chosen me to represent him. To stand in his place, to say and do what he himself would say and do if he personally were ministering to the very people to whom he has sent me. My voice is his voice, and my acts are his acts; my words are his words and my doctrine is his doctrine. My commission is to do what he wants done. To say what he wants said. To be a living modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of his great and marvelous latter-day work. -Elder Bruce R. McConkie

Don't you love that! I think it's so inspiring. Not only that, but look at the first part: "I am a child of God..." It doesn't say "I am a missionary," it says I am a child of God! We don't have to be missionaries to be an example of Christ. As grateful as I am to put my best friend's name on my chest everyday, it's not necessary to be a representative of Jesus Christ.

 

Elder Vawdrey! Remember how you said it was your goal to bear your testimony in church one time while you were in the MTC? Well this past Sunday was fast sunday, and I thought about you often and the courage you had to bear your testimony, and how I should do that too! It was crazy because the second I walked into the room for Sacrament Meeting, I knew that for some reason the Lord wanted me to bear my testimony. Most of the missionaries that bore their testimonies spoke great Espanol, (which is intimidating) but somehow I worked up the courage to get up there and bear my testimony. It was short and sweet, but I said the whole thing in Espanol except for one sentence! :) I know for a surety that when you put in the effort, the Lord will too. The Lord wants to reward us, and the Lord wants to bless us, but we need to ask him for the help and the blessings. That is the whole objective of prayer!

 

Oh! I've been called as the next Coordinating Sister! It's kind of like a zone leader I think, except that I am just over the sisters. I'm still getting the hang of the responsibilities, but  I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to serve my zone and the Lord.

 

I love you all!

 

-Hermana Vawdrey

Give Him your heart!

Hola Familia!

I have been in the MTC for 2 weeks now and it has already been one of the best and one of the hardest two weeks in my life. Yesterday in particular...I think I felt every emotion in the world all in one day! Happiness, frustration, joy, anger, inadequacy, contentment, confidence, sadness, exhaustion...etc. Esta bien! I love how much I am growing. Thank you all for all of your love, support and prayers. I can testify to you that prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have been given on this Earth.

I forgot to tell you last semana, pero yo soy in a beginning Español clase, and am doing well. I am making progress every día. I talk like a gringo, y I´m proud of it! Mom, (and every one else) you said you wanted to learn Español! Well...our teacher taught us the trick to learn Español quickly:

1. Lift your right foot off of the floor.

2. Extend your arms out like a T.

3. Touch your left ear to your left shoulder.

4. Move your right foot forward and back.

5. Stick your tongue out and reapeatedly say arrepentimiento.

hahaha Kidding! There´s no trick. The only trick is persistant diligence.It's hard, but when we put in the effort the Lord will reward us. This applies to anything! Bad habits, school, etc.

Our branch president told us that if we want to be fluent in the language, then we need to read the whole Libro de Mormon en Espanol while on our mission. If we do, he promised that we will be fluent in the language by the time we go home! That made me so excited! I'm gonna do it, no questions asked. Right now I don't understand everything, but the power of the spirit is the best good teacher.

As missioneras, nuestro objectivo is to invitar a las personas a venir a Christo. In order to do that I have put a lot of studying in to learning about Christ so that I can become more like Him--so that I can be able to know how to invite others unto Christ. The journey has been incredible! Christo es muy amoroso...to the point that we can't even comprehend how much he and the Lord loves each and every one of his hijos! I love being at the MTC because each day when I leave my room to go get ready for the day, there's a picture of Christ right there. :)

Ah! Jeffrey R. Holland came and spoke to us in the devotional on Tuesday and it was absolutely INCREDIBLE! I wish I had time to repeat everything he said. He is such an incredible apostle. He is such a powerful speaker! He told us that if the LDS church were to have an icon, it would be two missionaries! He got very serious and told us to remember what our forefathers have given for the church, and to make sure that we don't damage that reputation. This is the generation that ancient prophets have talked about for many generations. It is now that we are spreading the gospel to every "nation, kindred, & tongue." I feel so privileged to serve!

He did a little Q&A towards the end of his talk, and one of the quesitons was, "What is the greatest gift you can give to the Savior?" He said without hesitation, "Give Him your heart!" I love that! I know that is the greatest gift we can give Him, because he gave everything for us! God gave his only begotten son, his only perfect son, for all of the imperfect ones! I know as we give our hearts to Christ, we will in return recieve the greatest gift. We will become closer to our Savior and we will gain eternal happiness.

Yesterday I decided to truly put this into practice. We had an appointment to teach an investigator for 30 minutes. THIRTY MINUTES! And I hardly speak squat! I was slightly terrified during my preparation but then I remembered that the Lord trusts me and knows that I can do this. He called me to serve! I gave Him my whole heart during my preparation, and I think for the first time...truly forgot myself. We were preparing to teach him about the love of Christo, and I kept getting the impression to ask him if he would be baptized. Uhh...what?! We only met him for about 3 minutes previously, and to ask him to be baptized? It seemed like crazy talk! We knew he was thirty, not married, not going to school, not working, and living in his parents house. Some life, huh! We were ready to kinda scold him and explain to him that he has a purpose in this life! Well we went in there and the spirit was so strong! I kept thinking, "what would Christ want to tell Serjio if he could talk to him for just thirty minutes." My heart is already beating again just thinking about it. As we talked to him we found out that our first impression of him was completely wrong. His parents had died, and he is really struggling to cope with that and to find a job. I honestly don't take credit for what I said because I honestly don't really remember what was said. I'm sure my grammar was horrendous, but I know the spirit is the real teacher...not my ability to speak the language. But I felt prompted again to ask him if he wanted to be baptized, and he didn't even studder, HE SAID YES!!! Ohhhh the absolute joy I felt was so incredible. I was so happy! We have a long ways to go to prepare him for baptism, but I really learned the importance of relying on the Lord to know what to say, because He knows us better than we will ever know ourselves.

Well my time is almost up, but know that Yo se que la iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias es verdadero! TE AMO!!

-Hermana Vawdrey