Week 37 Another Day, We Don´t Use Dollars

Hello Friends. Family, and Avid Readers alike.

We had a great week here in El Salvador. Although there were two days or so that I thought I literally might melt into a puddle in the street. It was very hot this week. Apperantly it will start cooling down around the middle of March. So looking forward to that day. 

We have a little family here that is progressing rather well. We were able to set them up with a baptismal goal and we are going to have a Family Night tonight at our recent convert Mauricio´s house. We also have another investigator with a baptismal date, and she came to church yesterday! We are so excited for the progress that she is making, and we know that with the desire that she has to chnage her life she really can do it. 

The Sacrament meeting yesterday was certainly somthing super weird to experience. Our Branch President is out of town, the 1st counselor doesnt exist because he moved, and the 2nd counselor had to work today.... So the two people who have the Melquisidek (cant spell that word)  Priesthood werent there..... So we couldnt have Sacrament meeting until 9:00PM when the 2nd counselor got off of work. So there we were 9 at night, partaking of the sacrament and listening to talks. It felt like a really special fireside or something. 

Also big news. I have been moderatly successful in playing the piano here since Hermana Handley abandoned me (that´s right Hermana. Lookin at you.). The only problem is that the people here are so used to just making up the tune they dont really listen to the piano. And then I mess up super bad because they arent singing the right notes, and then I just screw everything up and feel like a failure.  BUT, I give a warning to all! IF  YOU USED TO TAKE PIANO AND THEN JUST STOPPED. PLAY AGAIN. THERE IS GOING TO BE SOME RANDOM TIME IN YOU LIFE WHEN SOMEONE IS GOING TO ASK IF ANYONE PLAYS PIANO AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO STEP FORWARD AND SAY YES! HERE I AM! SEND ME!

Rant over.

But little by little I am remembering things and learning to play the piano again. Probably more for my benefit than for the benefit of the branch.....

But that is basically the week here. We have been getting a long really well as companions, we have been finding new pwople to teach through references and members, working with our recent converts (Mauricio is doing REALLY well! They are goin gto the temple this week to do baptisms for the dead! They even have researched and found their own names to take to the temple!)

I love this work. I love my companions. I love my family. I love my friends. If I have learned any thing from the mission, it is the principle of love. I knew of love before the mission, and now I am learning how really TO love. To love as Christ loves. This type of love is a gift from God. I invite you all the read Moroni 7:45-48, and ponder what this type of love really means for you. FOr your mission. For your life. Your family. Friends. Etc... This is my invitation for the week. Study what it truley means to love someone. And what it truly means to know that God is your Heavely Father and that he LOVES you. 

I love you all as well. And I am humbled by the amount of people I know love me. Thank you all for your prayers and your emails. I am constantly amazed by how my mission is not only changing my life, but the lives of everyone I love.

Dios les bendiga,

Hermana Randall

 

Week 36 New Transfer, New Companion, New Adventures.

Hello World!

I hope that you all had a very Happy Valentine´s Day! Which is something that is celebrated here in Chile, but a super watered down version. SUPER WATERED DOWN. Which made it easier for the missionaries, but still is super fumé. (Lame, boring, not cool.) We have so many holidays in the States, never realized that. But we really do. Here each of the saints have a day though, and people get out of school sometimes, so that is an interesting cultural difference as well.

This week has been a pretty good week. I was able to collect my new companion Monday night around midnight, and then we left for our apartment on another two hour bus ride at 2:00 the next day. It was supposed to leave at 12:00 but that so did not happen. I got burned pretty bad waiting for the bus for two hours in the sun. It was horrible. There was no shade, and no where to sit. It was about 89 degrees outside with about 80 percent humidity.

NEVER WILL I LIVE IN A PLACE WITH HUMIDITY. 

Anyways. Hna D´Angelo is super great. She is from Argentina, just like my trainer! She is 22 years old and has a month less than me in the mission because she was only in the CCM for 2 weeks instead of 6. She is funny and loves to talk, especially about all the crap Elders pull. Thats sort of fun to listen to. She is determined to make this Transfer super great because in her own words (translated) ¨I have been a super lazy missionary, I know that. My trainer never did anything, and I didnt understand what it was to be a missionary. Then when I was with someone else that did everything the way that they were supposed to, I rebelled because I thought it was all too hard and too strict. But now I understand why and I want to be better.¨

Turns out President Dalton had a very strict interview with her about a month ago and told her to straighten up and fly right, and to not waste her mission. And now she says that she has finally caught the message. So we are working really hard. I feel a little like I am training though. She has the same time in the field as me, but less experience, and I´m helping to teach her how to be a missionary again. So as long as things keep going the way that they are going. I dont forsee any problems. I like her. And she likes me. :) And we both are here to work. 

The work is progressing rapidly here in El Salvador. We are finding new people and teaching lessons. Our shining stars for the moment are Javiera and Daniela. They are sisters, and both have children. Javiera is 16 years old and as a 12 month old. And Daniel is 22 with a 3 year old. They have had a lot of problems in thier life, and the thing that is really getting them the most is that they can be an eternal family, and that God loves them. We invited Javiera to say one prayer and Daniela to say another. Both broke down and began crying during thier prayers. They asked if they were crazy, and we were able to bear testimony of the Holy Ghost, how he helps us to feel when things are true. They both know that these things are true. Now we are just here to help them understand what to do with that feeling. They are both super cute, and progressing very well. We love them very much and I am so glad to have met them. 

In other news, we will be having another conference with an Apostle next week. Elder David A. Bednar is coming to our section of South America, and they are doing a special broadcast for all of the missionaries in our Area. We are all very excited to hear more of what we can be doing to help our area of the world progress even further. 

Love you all. I know that the work that I am doing is something precious and unique. I am so grateful to be a part of the Gathering of Israel. The time is approaching that the Savior will come again, and Im here in Chile to help our Brothers and Sisters be prepared for that great day. I love you all, and I invite you all to find one thing this week that you would like to improve on. Write it down, write the things that you are going to do to improve that thing. Stick it somewhere you will see it all the time. Then get down on your knees and take that problem, that weakness to God. He will help make ¨weak things to become strong¨ (Ether 12:27).

Thank you for all of the support and love I feel from all of you. For your prayers and for your emails. I love you very much. All of you. And I know that this gospel is something amazing and true.

Love,

Hermana Randall

Week 35 8 Months.....

That´s right. The title is correct. I now have 8 months in the mission. How scary is that?

Time was something that I was really worried about when I first left for the mission, but that is not the problem. The problem is not having too much time. But not enough! 

This week I killed off my companion. Hermana Handley officially is just Eliza again. I had a really hard time letting her go. She´s off on another great adventure though. And I will be companions with Hermana D´Angelo. She is from Argentina and has the same amount of time in the mission as me. We left the MTC together. So I guess that I have 4 weeks more than she does. But that doesnt really matter. Im excited to get to know her better. As I type she is sittin gon a bus and heading my direction. She is coming from Arica, just like I did. 18 hours in a bus is a great way to start the transfer!

Also this Sunday, our recent convert Mauricio blessed the sacrament during sacrament meeting. It was such a beautiful experience to watch him set everything up and break the bread. And then with obvious faith and humility, bless the bread and water. I will forever be eternally grateful to have been a part of his story. 

Our water was also turned back on Monday night. So we werent without water for too long. But now another pipe has burst on the OTHER side of the yard. And that means it isnt clean water.... The sewer is spilling.... We are having tons of interesting smells at all times of the day. We are working on getting it fixed though. Here´s hoping its soon. 

There isnt much more to say. Things are progressing day to day, and the work is really moving forward here in El Salvador. I feel so blessed to have been a part of the progress here. 

Next week I will write and tell all about my new companion! Love you all and I hope this email finds you well. Let me know if I can ever do anything for you all.

Dios les bendiga,

Hna Randall

Week 34 Priesthood Holders and New Callings

Hey there World! It´s me again!

This week there both is and isn´t a lot of things to report.

Monday was a normal day. 

Tuesday and Wednesday we did Companion Exchanges with the Hermanas in Chañaral, which meant we lost two full days in our sector. But that we were able to walk around in a hot and sticky city learning new things. It was a two days of ups and downs for sure.

Thursday we did our weekly planning for the last week of the transfer. That threw Hermana Handley a little bit, because it is her last week in the Mission Field. She freaked out just a little bit. But she really has been holding together quite well. Im very proud of her. We also did a surprise birthday party for a member and it was a huge success.

Friday was a normal day and we acutally got some work done and were able to teach a lesson to a girl named Javiera. She is 16 years old and very mature for her age. She would have to be though, considering she is the mother of a 1 year old. She has a lot of questions and is really interested in the idea of the Plan of Salvation. We have another appointment with her on Tuesday to follow up and get to know her more. 

Saturday another normal day.

Sunday however began with quite an adventure. We have been having issues with the plumbing for awhile in our apartment, and we´d had some people in to look at it. But nothing really was done, because they really couldnt find a problem. Well..... We found the problem. We woke up Sunday at the normal time, to a weird rushing noise. I opened the curtains and BOOM. The basketball court inbetween us and the church was flooded.There was a large break in a pipe somewhere underground and everything was covered. We quickly called everyone that we could and turned off the water... We were abel to have sacrament meeting, but we had to cancel the rest of church because there arent any bathrooms. Which also means..... We dont have a bathroom in our house..... No shower, sinks, toilet. Nada. Today I showered at the Relief Society President´s house. Hopefully someone will get out to fix it soon, we´ve had to cancel all further activities and such until it is fixed... And we dont have any water in the house. With the exception of the few bottles and buckets we filled. Super fun adventures!

But the best part about the whole week, and definetly the best part of Sunday. Was after sacrament meeting when our Recent Converts Mauricio and José were ordained and set apart as Priests and were given the Aaronic Priesthood. Their blessings were beautiful, and I was crying. At the same time, both of thier wives were given callings and set apart. These two little families have already increased the branch so much. The excitment and love for the work is back in the hearts of the members. We are so happy with the miracles both big and small that we are seeing every single day. 

I love you all so much. I want to thank personally all of the worthy Priesthood Holders that have been a part of my life. Especially my Daddy. I am so grateful to have grown up in a home that had this amazing unifying power. With parents who work together as a team and love with all thier hearts. Thank you for everything Mom and Dad. I love you more than you know. 

Love you all! Write you next week!

Hermana Randall

Week 33 TWO Baptisms and ONE Conference to Rule Them All

Hey there ravid readers and rabid fans!

This week was certainly one that will go down in not only my own personal history, but the family history of two families, and the world!

I say the world, because on Wednesday we had a worldwide missionary training broadcast from Salt Lake city to every missionary! Over 75,000 of us! It was the first time that they had ever done this, and it was amazing to see it and realize that we were all there as a huge army of God, learning to help our fellow brothers and sisters know that Jesus lived and died just for them. It was a great experience. 

Then we came home that night, making out trip total to see the conference over 9 hours in a bus....

But the next day was amazing! We started filing the font at 5:00PM so that it would be ready. And setting everything up in the church. Practicing the specail musical number, making programs, etc... It was a very full day. We almost didnt have time to eat anything. WE eventually had lunch with Karen and Mauricio (one of the men who was going to be baptized that night). Karen, his wife had as a surprise flown in two of thier best friends fro Santiago, and they are both members, Hugo, the husband flew in so that he could baptize Mauricio. It was a really cool experience for both of them.

Everyone started arriving at about 8:15PM, and that is when we knew all the stress was worth it. It was a beautiful little moment. We took a mountain of photos (the best three are attatched, and I will send another email with the ¨after¨ photos), and the the baptism began. 

The wives of José and Mauricio, (Viviana and Karen) gave beautiful talks about the principle of baptism and the Holy Ghost that made everyone cry, including the Branch President. And then we did our special musical number. Karen couldnt even sing through some of it because she was crying so hard. But after that moment, we all adjorned to the teeny room where the font was and prepared to watch baptisms.

Mauricio went first and he was super nervous. But as soon as he was in the font, all of that seemed to melt away. Hugo said the prayer, and he went under the water and back up without a hiccup. We quickly ran to meet him as he came out of the font, and he was just smiling from ear to ear. He didnt really know what he was feeling though. When we asked him how he felt, he just looked kind of dumbfounded, and said, ¨Wet¨. It was pretty funny. 

And then it was José´s turn. President Santelices is sort of short, and José is pretty tall. So the image at first was a teeny bit funny. But when he started praying, you could almost see the authority that he held. And then José went down as well. And when he came out he was smiling more than I had ever seen him smile before (and he is a smiley person). President only told him one thinge before they got out of the font, ¨Now is the time to be happy¨. And boy did he tak that to heart. I couldnt even get a good picture of him because he was moving around so much and crying and kissing his wife and crying some more. It was also very special. 

And when everyone was dried off and the font was draining, we went back and listened to them bear a quick testimony. Mauricio spoke of how he was very skeptical about everything church related before one of the lessons that we had with him. We had gone over and watched the Joseph Smith movie. The full length one. And then right after the dramatic ending with his death in Carthage, we watched Jeffery R. Holland bear his testimony of Joseph and Hyrum. We stopped after that, and we gave two very simple testimonies that we knew all of this was true, and we left. He said that after that moment he knew that it must be true. Because two men would not blaspheme before God in the very hour of thier deaths. It was a very humble telling of how a man of science and logic, learned to trust his own feelings a little more. 

José also bore a beautiful testimony about how his whole world was his wife. How she was not only someone that he loved deeply. But how she was the person who brought him the gospel.  He was crying, and his wife was crying, and we were just all crying. It looked like we all had been baptized. 

The confirmations yesterday were just as beautiful. THey both showed up a little early and they were wearing white shirts, ties, slacks, and dress shoes. And then after songs and prayer, they both were confirmed members of the church, recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost, and were also given beautiful blessings. They both walked away from church yesterday as the newest members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I am so blessed and privledged to be a missionary. To be a part of the lifes of these wonderful people. I know that I am right where I am supposed to be doing what I need to be doing. Life if beautiful, and i am so glad that I had the opportunity to be a part of José and Mauricio´s lives. 

I love you all. I know that this church is the only church that has all of the restored gospel and I know that God loves each and every one of his children. That´s right. Even you. 

Thanks for everything!

Hermana Randall

Week 32 Interviews, Smiles, and a Whole lot of Faith

Hello there World and Beyond! 

I hope that things are just going well with all of you, because things are heading uphill here. It means, yes we are working hard to wak all the way up to the top. But up here the sight really is something beautiful to behold.

We are seeing a lot of miracles in El Salvador right now. It really just goes to show that as long as you have faith and are working hard, you really can find prepared people in any sector of the world. Even if they tell us that we will never baptize in this sector. Fatih and hard work really bring miracles!

Because we are going to have TWO baptisms on Thursday! Our Mission President, President Dalton, came on Sunday, and he interviewed our investigator Mauricio. They talked for over two hours. And when they both left the room, the Spirit was incredibly strong. Mauricio told us that he knows that he is making the right decsion and cant wait to be baptized. José is basically a member at this point too. He offered the prayer in Sunday School and it was just a really great experience for both of our investigators to meet the Mission President. He even addressed them directly in his talk and then in the Sunday School class that he was teaching. His testimony and instruction were amazing and the Spirit was there the whole time. 

Long story short, this week was an amazing week of miracles and love. We are excited for this next week. Wednesday we are traveling to Copiapó for a world-wide missionary training that will be broadcast all over the world. And then on Thursday two baptisms. The first baptisms here in El Salvador for over 2 years. Miracles really do happen. 

Also we are getting a new Mission President in July. He is a member of the 70 right now, and he will be released in order to be my mission president! AND his wife actually served her mission here in Chile Antofagasta! How cool is that? :) He and his wife are also both Chilean, and I am super glad that I speak Spanish now. Haha. 

Many good things are happening here. I hope that these things are just as good for all of you where-ever you are. Love you all! 

Hermana Randall

PS. Go watch this video about the new Provo Temple. It is super gorgeous and a wonderful story. 

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/provo-city-center-temple-public-tours?cid=HP_TH_1-14-2016_dPAD_fMNWS_xLIDyL2-2_

Week 31 The Vision to Baptize

Hello there World!

This week has been one adveture after another.... I wish that I had time to tell every single detail... But I dont. So a rundown will have to do!

So first of all our investigator José finished taking all the lessons and is now married! He has overcome all of his trials and is ready to be baptized! We did have to change the date to next week though, because he suddenly was called into work this week (he is an EMT, we understand different situations). But is is more than ready! And we are so happy!

An investigator Mauricio, progressed leaps and bounds this last week. He went from being really sort of rational and scientific about invstigating the gospel, to having a fight with his wife (who is a faithful member) and realizing that there really are things in the universe that are more than you can actually measure in a test tube. So he took the plunge and read the Book of Mormon a little and prayed about it..... He told us, ¨I cant explain it. It isnt something logical or rational. But I know that it is true.¨ It was an amazing answer to so many prayers. 

He is set to be baptized on the same day as José! He has come to church a lot, and we are finishing the last lesson in the next few days. We are so happy to be here in El Salvador. Everyone was telling us that the work would be really slow over summer. And it really has. But it just proves that if you leave and work as hard as you can anyways. Even if all you do is walk in the sun, you are doing your job and the Lord is going to help you in your dedication. And as a reward for the years of hardwork by faithful sisters and elders here in El Salvador we are seeing the fruit. Next week we are planning on TWO baptisms. 

I love being a missionary and I know that the church is true. What I am sharing in the true doctine of Christ as a whole. Not only a couple parts. But the whole thing. I am so gratful as well that I have been called to serve in a Spanish speaking mission where I have to learn a lot more about myself, my faith, and my Heavenly Father, before I can ever communicate something clearly. 

I love this gospel. I have literally been a witness to the types of happiness and love that it brings into the hearts of the people. Seeing that change in their eyes make all of the ups and downs and heartaches worth it! Thank you all for supporting me. I love you so much. 

Until next week,

Hermana Randall