Making it Worth It

Can you believe that we have finished February?! That is INCREDIBLE!!! Time is going by way too fast. But Rabits!!! I win! :) 

you said it, mom, it is getting super toasty here right now. We are coming into the hottest time of Nicaragua!! Woot!!! But my companion says that where she is from....it is even hotter (but I can't imagine that!). It is raining a little bit, which just makes things hotter. Also, don't worry. I still make a lot of mistakes when I talk, I just have to make sure everyone gets a good laugh. I am still the same me whether I am speaking English or Spanish :) 

This week has been pretty normal!! We are contacting a bunch and really trying to meet the goals of excelence that President has put for us (140 contacts in the week, 41 lessons, 21 with less actives and converts). It is really hard, but we are working on it!! This week a BUNCH of lessons fell through (the mission, right?) and we have been unusually tired, but we keep working! Even on those really hard days, I notice that something good ALWAYS happens (maybe we contacted someone really positive, had a really good lesson, etc). And I feel the Lord at times really guiding us. We were able to pass by a convert of ours when she really needed it. She wanted to stop going to church because she thought she commited the unforgivable sin (where it says that it would have been better not to have been born) and felt very sad very distraught. But we were able to help her feel better. the more time I have in the mission the more I am convinced that the miracles aren't that someone impossible decided to get baptized, but more the little moments. The times when we pass someone in the moment they needed it. When we are able to lift them up. when they feel the spirit and can recognize their answer. And although I would love to do incredible things like the stories everyone tells forever about those missionaries who do the impossible, I know that I am me, and the Lord will use me how he needs me best. Be it dropping everything to help someone iin distress. A good life lesson!!! 

And I also know that we pass through all the hard times to appreciate the good and to make us stronger. One week Hailey told me that if it wasn't hard it wouldn't be worht it. And I really believe that and understand that now. how boring would life be if it were all easy, what would we learn? what would be the purpose of life? We come here to be refined and purified. And if we do it well, we will be glorified in the end. But we have to demonstrate that we are worthy and really can be Gods. I remember being so confused when people said they were grateful for the trials, but now I understand!! That is why we came here!! (2 nephi 2)

Thank you all for sending emails about the fact that we are lazy missionaries!! I love you guys and am grateful for your support and love!!! Thank you for praying for me!!! This week will by awesome!! Just waith and see :) 

Keep up the great work!!! Keep doing good things!! So exciting about all the missionaries we are having in the family!! I love it!!! Have a WONDERFUL week!!! 

Love, Hermanita Morey

Exclamation Point!

Happy Valentines Day!!! Or as they say here, day of love and friendship. For us, day of friendship :) 

It sounds like everyone is doing well!! Still can't beleive Clair went through the temple!! She is a big girl now!! No short skirts or shorts for her :) Can't wait to be able to see the new temple movie....I miss the temple ;( But today marks my 10 months....so only 8 more months!! Crazy!!! 

We were able to have a baptism this past Saturday. It was SO good. Her name is Inginia and she got baptized even though she felt so sick. Not many members came but ALL the missionaries came to help us out. And to help us eat the 3 pound cake we accidently bought for it ;) It was very spiritual and she is very happy. I love her. One of those people that I know it was not an accident that we met her and started talking to her when we did. She had been prepared  by the Lord. Don't feel like I did too much, just helped her feel the Lord's love and find the right path and she started going!!!! 

This week I was reading the conference talks (love those!) and reading the talk by I can't remember who, but it talks about exclamation point! And he quoted Elder Perry from the mission president conference who said taht this time that we are in right now, witht he hastening of the work, is as incredible as if we were there when Joseph Smith saw Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, or when he translated the BOM. So how cool is that?! We are in an incredible time. Seeing incredible things. The time to prepare is coming to an end. And I want, when that day comes for my Heavenly Father to tell me that I did everything that I could, to enter his kingdom like he did with Enos. I work hard daily to improve the little things I do wrong. To contact when I don't want to, teach with a little more love, have more patience, have more faith. I do my best and I KNOW my heavenlty father helps make up for ther rest!!!

I know he loves us all!!! He is so mindful of us all and all that we struggle with. One of my favortie scriptures is in Alma 7: 11y 12 where Alma teaches us that Jesus suffered for EVERYTHING. not just our sins. I don't fully comprehend it, nor will I. But I feel his love for us all. Don't you ever forget that!!!! 

It is getting a lot hotter here in Nicaragua!! Burning up!!! But we are surviving ;) Do you know how hot? Because I don't. 

P.s. I got the letter from the ladies in the ward!! Thank you!! I will try this week to write more letters home!! I have a LOT to write!! Sorry for not writing back!!! 

Have a WONDERFUL week!! I love you all!!! Keep reading your BOM and learning ltos!! Good luck in everthing you have to do!!!!! LOVe seeing your fotos!!!! 

Love, Hna Gatita (AKA Morey) 

Changes!

Hello!!! A new week has gone by and we went to changes!! My companion got the call that she did indeed have changes, she was going to leave Juigalpa and I was going to........train again!! Woot!! I was shocked. I thought that I was for sure going to leave but we got a curveball thrown our way. She was REALLY sad to leave and I was sad to see her go, too. We had a great time together! But That means I will most likely have about 8 months here in Juigalpa with those Chontalanians!! 

So my new companion is Hermana Ordoñez. She is 19 and from Nicaragua (a department called Leon). She is pretty quiet but willing to work hard and has a big testimony. Like me she has curly hair (that turned curly when she was 12 and only she has curly hair). And her parents are separated. Weird. But I think I will really love my time with her! 

So at changes our mission received 23 new missionaries.....wow!!! ALL of the zone leaders are in trios training and everyone in our district is training. Woot!! We got a new AP and 2 elders were called to go around training missionaries. LOTS of changes!! In our district on elder was in a gang in Guatemala...yikes. And the older elder with the Zone leaders is from Costa Rica. 

But at changes President got up and told us that Elder Amado told him we are a lazy group of missionaries....ouch. So we had a goal for 1500 baptisms this year but uped it to 1800. So we are feeling the pressure a bit. He pulled all the trainers aside and told us we have a HUGE responsibility and we have to do it right. So here it goes!!!! 

This week we went by Inginia and she told us she wants to be baptized this week!! She was oing to be baptized this past Saturday but how astute is Satan that her daughter in law got sick and she had to go to her farm. Now she got sick. But we are hoping and praying all goes well for a baptism this Saturday!! Pray for us!! 

We have been finding some great people! And having great experiences! Just sad that hardly anyone came to churhc on Sunday. I hate that. They just had a bunch of lies and excueses. But we will pass by this week and promise blessings and commit and see if they will take the chance to go to church and receive the blessings the Lord has in store for them!!! 

This week I was reading In D&C 121, 122, and 123. I really love those sections. If Joseph Smith had a hard time....then I cannot expect to have an easy time. It will take a lot of effort on my part!! But I will keep enduring and working to help people receive the blessings of salvation. Because we KNOW they can't receive it without the Gospel. Just keep praying hard for us out here, please!!! Put Inginia Rodriguez and Naomi and Nora Castor on the temple role!! 

I love you all!!! And Happy Birthday Clair!!! 19!! Woot!!! Have a GREAT week!!!! 

A talk a love from Elder Holland 

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2001/03/missionary-work-and-the-atonement?lang=eng

The Lord Provides a Way

Hello!!! I hope you are all having a great week! Sounds like school is rolling and everyone is having fun!! I love the pictures you send me. It is fun to see your faces! And thank you for all the letters you send me! I love to get them! 

This week we had the INCREDIBLE experience of hearing from another general authority. Elder Amado came to talk to us on Wednesday. It was incredibly powerful. The spirit so strong. He taught of us not being afraid to tell people that they need to repent that their salvation is at stake!! To really use the power and authority taht we have. Tell them why we are here, that we left a lot of things to come here because we KNOW it is true. I have really been working on that this week. We sat with him for about 5 hours. It was an experience to remember! I took a lot of notes, but as he told us, the real good stuff comes when we really put it into action and change the things that need to be changed! So I am working on changing and becoming the tool that the Lord needs me to be. I am grateful for these servents of the Lord and all that they teach me. 

I believe with all my heart taht God really does call prophets in these days!! how sad if he didn't!!! they are such a blessing to us. I have started telling people that our message is a message of good news! As Elder Amado said, a message that will bring them the blessings of eternity and salvation. It isn't a small matter. It is incredibly important and huge!! I just wish more people were willing to change and really join in this greatness that we have. Well, if they don't join in now, I hope that they can later. It makes me sad when they seem so happy to receive us at first, but then hide from us. But we keep pushing forward!!! Trying to find the chosen people here!!! 

This week we were able to see some success in finding some new people. Those moments when you really feel like your contacts were guided by the spirit. Just really sad that none of them came to church. But we have hope for next Sunday!! One of our invesitators told us that her mom will kick her out of the house if she keeps receiving us and if she goes to church. She is 40 but it is the house of her mom. That was a hard lesson. We can't tell her that this isn't important that she shouldn't come to chruch, but I felt like we couldn't tell her to drop her family. I shared the story of Grandma Freida and we promised blessing and showed her that the Lord provides a way to complete his commandments (1 nefi 3:7). It was a very hard lesson but I felt like the spirit was with us. She said she would come yesterday, even if it was going behind her mom's back. She ended up not coming and we can¡t go by to see her....I just hope that she can feel the power of the words and promises we made her and will choose salvation. 

This week we had the chance to work like Elders or men and haul dirt in buckets on our shoulders to fill the house of a less active. That was pretty cool even though we really hurt the next day!! But the fruits of that work did show off!! The wife (who told us she just got baptized for her husband) came to church on Sunday!! Woot! Reactivation! I just hope that the whole family can get rolling again. 

It has been starting to get really really hot here. I forgot all the heat. But we keep working regardless!!! I love Juigalpa!! I hope I don't get changed tomorow! But we will see!! Maybe you will hear from me in a different part of Nicaragua!!! 

Sorry if the email is a little jumbled, don't have time to write all of my feelings and thoughts. And it has beena CRAZY day! But just know that I know without a doubt that the Gospel is true. It makes sense andthe spirit testifies to me many times taht it is true. I am so happy for the sacrifices that my ancestors made so that I can have the blessings of eternity and my own salvation!!! If you have doubts.....all you ahve to do is ask!!! God promises over and over again that it if we have questions we just have to sincerely ask and he will help us find the answer. And I know that He answers our prayers. I know that He loves us, and I know hat He does not leave us to suffer alone. he suffered temptations and sickness, and pain. Everything that we have to go through, He already passed through it. 

So remember: This is a Gospel of Good News!!! Who wouldn't want to be part of it?! :) 

I love you all!! Good luck in everything that you have to do this week!!! You are great examples to me!!!! 

Love, Always and Forever,

                 Hermana Morey