Humor, and Surprises.

Mon 1/26/2015 12:23 PM

One of the biggest things I've learned on the mission is that the Lord has a GOOD sense of humor. Let me tell you why.

 Well, I gave you all my "false prophecies". We were so convinced that was happening. We were convinced that there was no way i would sweep an area again after I had done so just last transfer. I had just redecorated our place and completely unpacked all my stuff. We were all super convinced that I would stay in my area. This is where the Lord's humor comes into play.

We got transfer calls last night, and guess what. I'M SWEEPING A NEW AREA, AGAIN. Hahahahah I know, knee slapper!

 

 

So I'm officially making my way up to the North. Oh it gets better. I'm having a baby!

 

 

Okay. Let me explain this mission lingo. When you train a new missionary, you become a parent. So yes. I'm training a new missionary fresh off the MTC. I get to meet her tomorrow morning at a new missionary and trainers' meeting. I'm excited, but nervous. I hope I don't corrupt her with my awkwardness. 

It's funny. Every new area I've gone into, I've swept. Swept my 1st as a greenie, swept the Southwest, and now the North. Oh, and now I have to repack. This is all funny to me. i'm so stressed, but I feel so privileged that the Lord trusts me so much with all these areas, and with a new missionary. I really am honored, and cannot wait to bring more souls back home!

It seriously feels like just yesterday I was at that trainer and trainee meeting meeting Hermana Walton for the first time. It was honestly one of the happiest days of my mission. I'll never forget our first moment together. Driving in the car, and seeing a HUGE cockroach crawl down her back as she drove.. The rest was history. You can imagine how that panned out. She's on her way back home right now. It was so hard to have to say "bye", but she has another mission back home to fulfill. She became a sister to me. Never a dull moment in our companionship. i love her so much. She's great. 

 

Someone pointed out to Sister Boman that her and I are the "oldest" Spanish hermanas in the mission, so that was weird.

 

Okay, so guess what people decided to do yesterday? Use their agency and come to church (: We finally had investigators at church! (: 3 of them! We got texts from them telling us they were outside, and we did the greatest little victory dance. We were so happy! But really. SO HAPPY! Sacrament meeting was super spiritual yesterday. The spirit was so strong, so we're so glad our investigators attended. 

 
One of our Investigators Maria went and did Fam History with us this past week. She's a pastor at another church, but she was interested in this. She felt the Spirit so strong when she found a missing relative from Italy and found all her info from online sources. Especially as she put her family's information in to Family Search. We will be teaching her about temples and how it plays into Genealogy and why we as LDS members care so much for it. Sadly I won't be there for the lesson, but hna Boman will. She's great. I was also able to find birth documents from our own family. It was super neat!

 Steve receives the Melchizedek Priesthood this upcoming Sunday during Stake Conference! He's come a long way. He is so dedicated. Fully converted to the Lord and his will. He's made a complete 360 in his life. It's such a miracle to witness. We get to be there to watch him get sustained. We're stoked on life!

 

So not only is Sunday Stake Conference, but a little Seahawk told me it's also the Superbowl. Spokane is completely decked out in Seahawk stuff. People here are die hard fans. We're even gonna buy little Seahawk t shirts today cause we'e cool like that. Sorry dad. i know you're a Pats fan, but I'm kinda obligated to jump on the Seahawks' bandwagon out here. Yeah, so go 'Merica. That's all i have to say about the game.

 
We get to clean the inside of the temple this upcoming Friday. We got permission to do so, and I know it's going to be a fulfilling experience. We're excited to do that with our members!

 President sent out an email to the mission, and I invite you all to jump on board with what we're gonna do. "This coming transfer, we are going to have a great experience with the Book of Mormon.  As a Mission, we are going to read the entire Book of Mormon in one transfer beginning on January 27^th.  You will need to read 13 pages each day to finish.  This way of studying the Book of Mormon will give you new insights and inspiration about the Book of Mormon.  It will also bring great power into our Mission (and in building our ship) as we unitedly read the Book of Mormon this transfer.  This is very doable.  The Mission has done it before and had a phenomenal experience.  I invite each of you to start at the beginning of the Book of Mormon on January 27^th no matter where you are today in your study of the Book of Mormon.

 Please invite your families, friends, ward members and non-members to join in with us. Email them today to invite them.  I promise you will feel the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon as your read it.  We will read it in 42 days.  Joseph Smith translated it in about 65 working days.  Ask yourself – could a man have written this book?  I testify that a man could not.  It is a gift from God.  I promise you will feel the power and truthfulness of the Book of Mormon as you read it and put Moroni’s promise to the test."

 

I know this will enhance your testimonies. I am so excited to do this challenge and see the results. It'll be so great! So I invite you all to do this. Read prayerfully (: I promise blessings will come from this. Put God first. (:

 I hope you all have a great week. I love you all! Siguan adelante!

 

Con amor,

 

Hermana Robles

 

The last week of the transfer!

Tue 1/20/2015 12:32 PM

We get transfer calls this upcoming Sunday, and here's our "false prophecies":

 We have Hnas Walton and Phipps going home. So 2 new Spanish missionaries are coming into the field. So bittersweet. Here, missionaries train for 12 weeks. Hna Walton is leaving her "baby" Hna Santiago who has only been out 6 weeks ( 1 transfer). She still has another transfer to train. So, Hnas Boman, McDougal and I are training regardless. Unless, we get some sort of crazy plot twist. One of us will just train for one transfer rather than 2. We just don't know who yet. It'll be crazy. We think I'm staying in the South West area, and Hna. Boman is going to the blessed Valley. We'll find out Sunday night though (:

 

Since I last wrote Thursday not much has gone on to be honest. so this will be super short.

We've done a ton of finding and trying formers. We're not "catching" anything, but we are trying so hard. We found someone who asked us to come back tomorrow so we're praying we could help her feel the Spirit and recognize how important our message is!

 

We have a Recent Convert left by the old sisters. his name is Steve! We're working with him a lot and he's working to get the Melchizedek priesthood. Steve is a man whose heart is fully changed and converted. We are so proud of him, and excited to help him. Plus, he always feeds us. His family is great.

 

 

 Well, I'll report next week! Love you all!

 

Con amor, 

Hermana Robles

Strengthening Week

Thu 1/15/2015 4:18 PM

I thought this past week would DRAG on since I had to wait out over a week until P-day, but it flew! Missionary time flies. 

This past week was honestly so great. We had so much go on though.

 
Something we do after Weekly Planning is "Comp inventory". Hna Boman and I decided that we were going to list each other's strengths. I loved taht we did this so much. I realized all the million reasons she is so great, and why I love her. I felt more love towards her as I shared her strengths with her. I constantly pray to love each of my companions more each day, and it happens.

 

That afternoon, she got super sick. She was throwing up all afternoon and night. We had to cancel our plans, and I stayed behind to take care of her. We couldn't go on splits because we didn't have anyone available. As she was sick, I updated our Area Book, and made a ton of calls and did those little things that would help out with bigger tasks. I realized that it's tough to do things on our own without a companion. That's why the Lord gives them to us (: that night, i had an hour left until we had to plan for the next day, and I was caught up on everything, so guess what I decided to do while hna Boman slept? Exercise! Yay. I did workout videos for that hour, and I've been doing them each night since. Well, after we plan for the next day that is. It's nice to be able to take some time to do something that relieves your stress. 

 

 

So, Kristina's kids got baptized! President gave me permission to go to the valley and be at the baptism. It was the greatest thing! I was so happy! It was nice to see the old branch, my investigators, and members. One of the hermanas in the branch told me that her and her sister have this nickname for me. It's "the doll". Apparently I have porcelain skin. The funny thing about that was that I got an ugly zit the next day, soo that was funny.

 
I realized that even though my current area may not be progressing, I did good things in the valley. If we didn't find Kristina, she wouldn't have come back to the church, progressed, and been that example to her kids that gave them the desire to be baptized. She told me how much of a difference hermana Walton and i had made in her life. She calls us her missionaries. It touched my heart, and made me know that I can and will do the same in this area even if I don't see the progress quick. I need to keep working hard and being diligent, and obedient.

 President received inspiration to change our goals for the mission. As a mission, we're trying to get 70 baptisms a month. It requires much hard work, and we're working so hard. 

 

We invited so many people to church, and they all agreed to go. Once Sunday came around, no one did. People's agency...

 

We have a family of investigators. The Bautistas. Missionaries have been working with them for so long, but it's just not clicking. They're LDS minus the baptism. They are so great. We love them so much. We had a lesson with Pres McCombie's family, and he told Ernesto the dad that he knows he'll be baptized one day. That he's meant to get a calling to be a leader in the church. We taught them such a good lesson the other day, and the Spirit was ridiculously strong. We want them to have the gospel so bad. Like, SO BAD. This had been possibly the greatest lesson we had ever taught on our missions, and when we invited them to be baptized, they said no because they feel they have a mission in their Catholic church. I had never been so heartbroken before. I love this family so much, and I want this for them.I know how much the gospel will bless their lives, but they just need to realize it. I tried so hard to hold back the tears when they said no to baptism. We're going to keep working hard with them though. It's amazing the amount of charity i've gained for each of the people I've worked with.

 

i'm doing all i possibly can in order to reach out to people. I know this gospel blesses lives and families. i want to testify of that. I believe it with all my heart. 

I hope you all have a great week.

 

I won't have P-day 'til Tues due to MLK day. On holidays, we work. So I'll hear from ya Tues!

This upcoming week is the last week of the transfer. so crazy!!

 

Love you all!

 

Con amor,

 

Hermana Robles

Sliding Into Trials

This past week was one of the toughest, yet most gratifying weeks I've had on the field thus far.

Many of my weaknesses have been exposed to me, yet I still managed to learn from each one of them.

 

I've struggled physically and emotionally, but I've seen my relationship with my Father in Heaven grow from that. It's such a blessing, and he hasn't failed me nor abandoned me. I felt his love stronger in my life that ever before, and I never want that to disappear nor diminish.

 

Prayer is such an instrument that we have that I wish I had used in my life beforehand. Something huge I've come to learn is that our Father in Heaven ALWAYS answers prayers. It may not be the way we want them, or when we want them to be answered, but it will always happen in His due time. That is something I had always struggled with before, but I now understand, and i wish those who  we work with would understand as well. I know that our Heavenly Father knows what's best for us and when. He will help us when we ask him to. He has a plan for us, and I wish I had a stronger testimony of that before I went on a mission. It is so gratifying, and knowing that I am a child of God means everything to me and more. My Father in heaven has made my weaknesses strong as I have humbled myself before him. Ether 12:26 is my favorite scripture because it has helped me remember what to do when I struggle. 

 

I have a strong testimony that we have people in our lives for a reason. That they are used as instruments to teach us and help us feel of our Heavenly Father's love. This past week was tough like I mentioned, and I remember specifically praying on the day I needed His love especially. A few hours later, I received a letter from someone I hold so dear to my heart. This person told me exactly what I needed to hear. Exactly what my father in heaven wanted me to know. I was left speechless, and in tears of joy. He wanted me to feel of his love, so he used someone to radiate that through to me. Thus, making this scripture one of my new favorites. 3 Ne 12:14-16. It touched my heart so profoundly, and it made me know that I am doing what I need to be doing. That despite what I may have gone through, the Lord is still pleased with the work and hard efforts I'm putting in to his mission. My companion and I haven't seen much progress in this area yet, and we are struggling with it, but we know that our efforts will be paid off in the long run. She bore her testimony in sacrament meeting yesterday, and it was what I needed. She has helped me so much, and I love her so much for doing so. She knows what I had been going through, and I know the Lord has also used her as an instrument in my life to help me. 

 

The Priesthood is such a huge blessing we have on Earth. i wish more people would recognize that. The Elders in our branch gave me a blessing yesterday, and it made all the difference. I feel so blessed to have the Priesthood restored.

 Satan is working so hard, but I know that my Heavenly Father and Christ are on my side. Sometimes, bad things have to happen in order for us to appreciate the good. I know good things are on their way, and I'm excited for that. I've received so many tender mercies to reveal that to me (:

 I love my mission so much. It's such a privilege to be here. I've learned many new things about myself that I didn't expect to know before. I've seen myself grow and seen the love of Christ and the hand of the Lord each day. I love that I've been able to serve others and help me feel of that love and care. We got to volunteer at a food bank run by a baptist church this weekend. It was such a great experience, and I loved it!! (:

 You may be wondering what I did for New Years. Well, We watched How to Train Your Dragon 2 at the Torres' home. It was so weird watching a movie! I felt that I was breaking a rule! Especially seeing romance in the movie. We seriously kept applying everything that went on to the gospel. However, it was the cutest movie ever! I loved it, and we all enjoyed each other's company. I also learned how to make Wontons, so that was cool! New Years day we went and did Zumba! A less active teaches it, and Pres. Mullen allows us to do it. Beauties of being a Spanish missionary in this mission (: 

 

 

 

So you won't be hearing from me until Thursday of next week. That'll be our next P-day. We're going to the temple that day. Sorry mom I'll leaving you waiting so long to hear from me, but es okay (:

 Oh yeah. It snowed A TON yesterday. We kept getting stuck on hills, so that was fun.

 Have a great week! I love you all! Turn to your father in heaven for everything and anything!

 

Con amor,