Week #35 * March 30, 2015

Hey Everyone,

So this week has been a great week.  We have just been really busy working and loving missionary life. As this transfer is coming to an end.  This last transfer has just flown by it has been crazy.

This week we had an Ward activity and it was our turn to plan it and we had been planing it for a long time and inviting everyone and we had many people tell us that they were going to go.  When it came time for the ward activity hardly anyone showed up and everyone was a little discourage especially our mission leader, as he had a huge goal and planned so many things.  The young women’s was having their new beginnings at the same time and so we decided to first go to their activity and then do just part of ours with the people that couldn’t go because they had to go to the Young Women’s.  The activity was amazing and the spirit was so strong and I realized why everything had fallen through with our activity.  The people who did show up were a couple investigators and less actives with young girls.  I know that the reason it turned out the way it did was because they needed to be there in that activity so that they could see the young women program.  The spirit was so strong and it made me think back to young women’s.  I am so grateful for the young women’s program, as it has has such a huge impact on my life and prepared me better than any other thing I have done to be a missionary. At the end it ended up being a beautiful night, although it did not nearly as many as we had hoped. It turned out how it needed to be.  Sometimes we can’t see why things happen the way they do, but in the end the Lord always has a plan and He knows best.  In Spanish there is a phrase that we see as missionaries that it is not porque but Para que.  It doesnt really work as well in English but it means; it is not why but for what.  When things don’t happen the way we would like them too we normally find ourself asking why. But if we put our trust in the Lord and look for the for “what”.  We will find that there is always a reason for the things that happen there is always something to be learned.

This week we have continued working with a lot of less actives.  It has been a huge testimony builder for me to work with them.  Many of them have had things happen to them inside or outside of the church that cause them to leave, but now they want to return. After sitting and talking with one sister for a good amount of time, I finally understood why it was so hard for her to return to the church. She shared with me several stories of things that happened with other members and her daughter that made me want to cry. But it touched my heart as this Mom and daughter told me that even with all that had happened, that they wanted to return because they know that the church is true and it is were they need to be.  A lot of the less actives we are working with are making huge sacrifices to return and having to forgive somethings that are really hard to forget, but it is because they know that it is all worth it and the Lord is on their side. I know that this church is true.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect, but as the people we are near from perfect.  It is amazing to see the changes that this people are making as the accept Christ again in their lives again.

Maria Olga didn’t go to church this week and we aren’t sure why. Please pray for her and also another investigator name Jaqueline that we are working with who attended the church for a year and then quit going after having marriage problems. We have been working with her as she wants to start to investigate the church again, but she also didn’t go to church and we haven’t been able to talk to her yet either.  Other than that we have just been working with a lot of people that we are starting to teach or trying to help them to progress a little more and as always looking for new people to teach. 

My last companion that is still in my old sector wrote me and told me that Javier blessed the Sacrament. I am so excited for him it sounds like he is doing so good, but she also told me that he is beginning to have a lot of chest pain again and they aren’t sure what is wrong so please pray for him!

This past weekend we went to watch the women’s conference. It was so good and I loved the focus it had on the families.  Today the family is being attacked a lot it is our responsibility to defend it.  I am so grateful for my family I know that the purpose of this life is to prepare and work hard to live with God and our families for all eternity, but it is not something that we can do alone we have to work for it together.  I know that the families can be together forever.  As missionary we focus a lot on families as we want to help people gain this goal together.

I am so excited for conference this weekend I hope you all enjoy it and remember to go with a question in mind it is a powerful time to receive the answers to the questions that we have!

I love you all so much,

Hermana Stringham

Another Question & Answer:

Are you getting sunburned?

No. All the people here think so, but thats because they aren't used to white people who look red in the heat. It is actually cooling down. It was a lot hotter before, then Tuesday it was really cold and rained a lot.  Now it is hot again.