Transfers!

Us and Pedro Alvarez (member) and Julio Cesar (his friend who we´re currently teaching)

  Hola Todos!

I have officially completed my third transfer in the field! I have a strange mix of emotions, feeling like I just barely got here, but also like I've been here for years. I can definitely say that I have become a new person in the last 5 months, which is cool and really weird, but all for the better!

Our district :)

This was my last week with my trainer! Hermana Hernandez has been with me all 3 transfers that I´ve been in the field, but flies home Wednesday morning! I am incredibly sad to lose her.  Tomorrow I get to meet my new companion, Hermana Sanchez from Honduras. I have never met her and have no idea what she is like, but I´m hoping for the best! 

An awesome family (la familia Vidaña)

Milagros de la semana:  (miracles of the week)

We had two of the people we´ve been teaching come to church for the first time this week! We've been teaching them both for about a month, but for some reason or another they kept not being able to come, but this week they both came!! They´re Hermana Angela and Hermano Jose Alfredo. They are both fantastic. Angela is the sister who I talked about in an earlier email who was super excited to hear we had a prophet today. 

Jose Alfredo is a brother who we teach sporadically, because his work hours are unpredictable and he's almost never there for the appointments when we set them, but is so incredibly in tune with the spirit. One day we found him sitting in his car out in front of his house reading the Book of Mormon, and he started telling us everything he had learned and understood and felt. For a long time he's struggled with an addiction to alcohol, but while he was reading he told us he had this strong impression that we needed to protect and take care of our bodies. He started telling us all about how they are gifts for us from God, perfect and beautiful, but with all that we do to them we are destroying His beautiful creations. He has since stopped drinking completely.

I love and miss you all!

Hermana Naatjes

Crepe Party With Jorge (recent convert) and Grecia (member)

BAPTISM!!!!

The Miede Bueno  family (who are preparing to enter the temple)

Hola Todos!

This week was truly a week of miracles! 

1) This week we were teaching a family who haven't been going to church much, and stopped pretty quickly after they joined the church. They had many questions, as they always do, but were very willing and had a desire to learn and start to do what's right. We had a lesson where we taught about the word of wisdom and the law of chastity, which are two sacred and very important commandments. We were a bit worried about how they would respond, but felt that it was what they needed. 

At the end of the lesson we asked them if they had any other questions. At first they told us no and that they were ready and willing to keep these commandments, but then the husband said he had one that wasn't really related to the lesson. We told him he could ask whatever questions he had, and he asked us what they needed to do to be sealed in the temple. They have progressed so much in the months we've been teaching them (at the beginning they actually hid from us occasionally), and they now have the desire to prepare to enter the temple so they can have the guarantee that the line that is so sadly said in many wedding "til death do us part" (or something like that) no longer applies--that their family will be together in the life after this one.

2) Jorge (one of the people who recently got baptized) went to the temple! He went to help those who didn't have the opportunity to be baptized in this life, and he even baptized for others! 

3) HECTOR WAS BAPTIZED!!!!!! Hector, who I talked about a little bit last week, was baptized and confirmed this weekend! He has changed so much since we started teaching him 2 months ago. He is a completely different person. He has found freedom from his many burdens which he had carried for many years, through the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He now has a confidence, and hope, even a light that he didn't before. He has found new meaning to his life, and we couldn't be happier.

Hector (and his friend Marco) Angel, Hermana Candy, and us 

4) Angel Martinez (who was baptized about 4 months ago) baptized him! Angel has worked hard to always be worthy and do the right, and because of this, and the priesthood authority that he received, he had the opportunity to help Hector make this covenant with God. 

This church, this gospel, is so incredibly true. Through these teachings, which are teachings from Jesus Christ, lives can and do change. Through Him we have the opportunity to change who we are. He gives us this invitation, that we should "come unto [Him], all ye who are heavy laden, and [He] shall give thee rest." (or something like that, my memory of the scriptures in English is definitely weakening). I invite you all to turn to Him, to trust in Him. At times we feel like our lives are too heavy for us to bear, but He has offered and promised to help us, if we are only willing to follow Him. 

I love and miss you all like crazy!

Hermana Naatjes

5 months!!!

awful picture but us with Hermana Grecia (an awesome and very helpful member) on her bday

Hola Todos!

This week was fantastic. I have officially completed 5 months on my mission, and though it took a bit, I can testify that I have truly grown to love this work and these people. I have almost always liked it (there are always hard days) but this like and appreciation has truly transformed into a love and a gratitude that I have the opportunity to serve the Lord by serving His children. The key to happiness is truly to lose yourself in the service of your God.

On Saturday we were teaching a man named Hector. He is a fantastic person. He is relatively young but has gone through a lot in his life, and in the time that we have been teaching him I have truly seen a change in him. During this lesson we were teaching in a park near his house. We decided to teach him about the power of fasting. We invited him to fast with the purpose of asking for God's help in his journey of overcoming his addictions. He told us that he was willing to fast but that he didn't feel worthy to fast for that. He told us that God had more important things to do than help him stop smoking, something that he should have the power to do himself. That this little thing was too silly for the Lord. 

Hermana Hernandez stopped him and invited him to look around, and then to look at the sky for a moment. He agreed and silently stared up at the sky. She began to describe to him how big the world is and how small we are. That God created all of this. The stars in the sky, the earth on which we stood, each and every plant, insect, animal, everything. "Makes you feel small doesn't it?" she asked, and he silently nodded his head. She told him that it is true. In comparison to all of this creation, to God in all His glory, we are nothing, but that to Him, we are everything. All of this He created for us. She testified to him that he was truly a child of God. She told him, "and if you think for one second that this is too small for Him, you are wrong." 

Hector is a person who is always moving. During our lessons he talks incredibly fast,he paces back and forth, speaks expressively with his hands, acts out his stories...never stops moving and doing, but in this moment, he was still. He agreed to fast, to ask for His help, and to work with all his might to never smoke again. The spirit was incredibly strong.

La familia Lecanda

I want to testify to all of you that God lives. That He loves us. That He has done, is doing, and will continue doing everything to help us. There is no struggle, no worry, no trial too small for Him. We are His children, and His work and glory is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life. Turn to Him, pray to Him, trust in Him, and love Him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, and He will work miracles in your life.

I love and miss you all, and hope you have a fantastic week.

Hermana Naatjes

 An awesome meal from an awesome family (la familia Lecanda)

First week of a new year

 I flee the country but still can't escape these summer sales boys

Hola todos!

I don't have a ton to report this week, but it was a good one! We have investigators who are progressing, the members are starting to like us (we were struggling to find help in lessons earlier, but now people pull over in the street to give us rides and such), and me and Hermana Hernandez are having a blast through it all! There are hard days like always, but we're doing our best to find the good and hope in them all! We're doing our best to make the most out of the last three weeks of her mission!

We've starting teaching a woman named Angela in the last few weeks. We contacted her son in front of their house and set an appointment, but when we came he wasn't home. Instead, his mom answered the door, and when we introduced ourselves and said we were there to share a message about Jesus Christ, she invited us in without hesitation (that rarely happens). We started teaching her and throughout the lesson, as we spoke about the Restoration (idk how to spell this in English anymore...oops) of The Church of Jesus Christ she visibly lit up. When we told her that today, like in times of old, we have a living Prophet her jaw dropped. She looked at me wide eyed and asked to confirm, "A living Prophet? A real person? A person like me??" When we confirmed that yes, there is a living prophet today named Russell M Nelson, we could see and feel her joy. We are very excited to continue teaching her. 

What a blessing it is to have a prophet. Someone who can give us direction, warnings, and guidance directly from our Heavenly Father for our day. Like Noah, Abraham, Isaiah, He has not left us. He has continued communicating with us through them. Listen to Him, follow His guidance, and receive the blessing that he has waiting for you.

Exchanges with hermana Trejo

I've been thinking a lot this week about hope. It is truly the key to happiness. No matter what is happening in our lives, if we have hope we will always see the light in every day. I have many hopes for this new year, the only year of my life in which I will have the opportunity to dedicate each and every moment to Him and serving His children here in Ciudad Juarez. I am determined to become the missionary, disciple, and person that He wants me to be. He always sees us with eyes filled with hope. He sees us for the people we can become, not for the the things that we've done or the people we used to be. I invite you all to see yourselves and those around you with His eyes.We are truly children of the King, and He hopes for the best for us. Turn to Him, and let Him transform you into the person who you hope to someday be. 

Love and miss you all!

Hermana Naatjes