Week 46 - "I love Mondays. It is a chance to start over. A new beginning, fresh start, an opportunity to prove to God that we are worthy and willing to follow Him through His Son."

June 16, 2014

Bowling with the Zone. Don't worry, I didn't hurt myself. My arm 
just hurt that morning, so I put a sling on it so I couldn't move
it and hurt myself worse...;)

Do you like our hats? Gorritos are the best

I love Mondays. It is a chance to start over. A new beginning, fresh start, an opportunity to prove to God that we are worthy and willing to follow Him through His Son. I love when I have effective study sessions. Sometimes the mind of a ten year old I have distracts me, but today I learned a whole lot of new things. I have begun a study of the New Testament. I have been reading purely the Old Testament, but wasn't really gaining anything from it, so decided I needed a change in my studies. I figure if I read 4 pages each day from each of the books, OT, NT, BOM, DyC and Pearl of Great Price, I will finish the entire library before the end of my mision. Mish. Now I just pray for the strength, endurance and capacity to be able to. Can't miss a day. Today I read in Matthew 21. Very interesting, that chapter. I found a parable that I have never read (just so you know, I have never actually read the Bible. I know I am not really a Christian... oops) about a man who had two sons. Jesus in this instance is speaking to the Pharases. The father tells the first son to go out and work in the field. The son first says no, but repents and goes to work. The father then instructs the second to go and work. He tells his father he will, but doesn't go. I don't know what he did instead, but he didn't go out to work. Jesus tells us that in this instance, the publicans and harlots will enter before the Pharases into the kingdom of God because they have humbled themselves before their Father and have realized the work the Father asked of them. Very interesting. I found myself very humbled. How many times has Father asked me to do it, I have promised to do it and then found myself busy with other things? I realized the necessity of obedience. It may not be easy, but really, what else is there to do apart from the things the world calls us to do? There is nothing apart from the will and plan of God.

Here I am

La Gran Avenida the day 
of the rainstorm

La Cordillera (the Andes mountains), the
view from our apartment balcony 

The pizza, handmade, deliciousness that we ate and

Chocolate chip cookies we bought in memory of my dad

What is better than Dr Pepper, popcorn and a 2 hour long planning session?

Hermanita Jerez, Maria Jackson, y Hermana Castleton, Whitney Houston

This week was hard. Elder Bermeo is at his worst. He just is a terror. I have lost the ganas to smack him, but the urge to scream in his face never leaves me. Yesterday I had the lovely pleasure of talking to him for over half an hour while Tamara prepared almuerzo. I needed to entertain him for that time and all he did was tell me how I needed to improve, what I needed to do to be better, etc. I am getting really good at not saying anything to him. He probably thinks I was a mute in the premortal existence, but I just don't know what to do apart from ignore him. Because I know that if I say something, I will regret what I tell him. Even if it is the truth. I would appreciate advice, help and lots of prayers for my patience and his lovely attitud to change.

I love you all. The work is true, Christ lives and the priesthood is really the power of God. I love you!

Chao, Hermana Castleton