Week #52 *July 27, 2015 *1 Year!

1 Year !

Hey Everyone,

This week has been really great.  We are continuing to work really hard and we have seen lot of blessing this week.  

So we have a new investigator, Marjorie. She is 17 years old.  She actually asked for the lessons as she is the girlfriend of our branch president’s son, who is inactive but his mom has been sharing the gospel a lot with her and she asked to receive us.  So we started teaching her and it has been awesome.  She has such a strong desire to learn.  She isn’t really sure in what she believes in, as is looking for answers.  She is already going to all the youth activities and is planning to go to the temple with the branch to see it and visit the gardens outside.  We are so excited to work with her because she is so open and want it so badly. We are so excited to work with her.

We are continuing to work with the Familia Huerta.  It has been kind of hard as they still haven’t gone to church yet, but we had a family home evening with them and our Missionary leader and his wife and we watched the video of the restoration and they told us that they really want to receive their answer and are praying. But we are trying to help them to understand that they have to act as well.  I think more than anything they are scared because they know all of the changes they have to make to join the church.  Please pray for them that they will be able to receive and recognize their answer.

This week we found another new investigator named Johanna. She has three little kids and was actually looking for a church to take her kids too.  The other day one of the Hermanas in our ward met her in the hospital and told her about the church and gave her a card.  Later that week when we were headed to lunch I got the impression that we should contact one of the houses, even though we didn’t really have time.  I am so glad I did, as we were able to go back the next day and teach her.  We taught her about the plan of salvation and she loved it.  We are going to go back this week with the hermana who met her in the hospital and I am so excited.

I feel like we are finally starting to get a lot of great people this week and the members are starting to give us some references which is awesome.  It makes a huge difference when we teach references.  I am so grateful for the members here and their desire to share the gospel.  That is really how the work should be and it makes a huge difference when the members are involved.  When have been working more with our missionary leader as well, who is so awesome he has so much excitement for the work and it has truly made a huge difference!

This week I complete One year in the mission.  I feel like it was forever ago that I was packing my bags getting ready to head of to a foreign land, scared to death having no idea just what was a head of me.  Sitting here today looking back it seems like forever ago, but at the same time it has passed by so fast.  I feel like the mission is just passing in front of my eyes and I just want to embrace every moment.  I truly love being a missionary.  This year has been incredible, amazing, and difficult.  I have learned so much and I am so so grateful for the decision that I made to serve a mission.  It was the best decision I have ever made.  I love being a missionary with all my heart for all of the amazing moments I have had and for the hard ones as well, that have shaped me into who I am today.  My testimony has grown so much.  I love this gospel with all my heart.  I love the chileans and I couldn’t be happier than I am now with the opportunity that I have to share this incredible message with them and see their lives change.  I know that this church is true! I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for entrusting me this this opportunity to serve his children here in Chile and for the eternal perspective that it has given me.  This life is so short and it is nothing compared to eternity.  More than anything I want to work as hard as I can so that I can have my family for eternity, because that is really what it is all about.  I love you all so Much and I am so very grateful for all the support you give me.  

Love ya,

Hermana Stringham