Modesto - Week 32

This week I started off with a new bike- Katy Perry.  Snoop Dogg died.  Katy is a lot better and the seat even has shocks so comfy riding is definitely a new pleasure of mine. No complaints from me about biking.  

Crazy story-we went on exchanges and I stayed with Hermana Alcaraz and Hermana Zapata went to Turlock with Hermana Robison.  Hermana Zapata had put her bike on their car rack and had gone to a lesson. She forgot to bring her key to the big U lock so she used the one on the bike rack to seal it as they went into a lesson. When she came out, the cord was cut and her bike was gone.  Someone had stolen it.  Well they looked for it and couldn't find it but told all the members and missionaries in the area aobut it. Well one of the spanish members has a friend that is a bike thief and asked him if he'd seen her bike.  He said, 'well my friend got a new bike today' then he pointed to the porch of his friend with the bike on it and said 'that's his new bike'  The member recognized it from the description and her friend stole the bike back! This all happened just before our curfew (including our phone calls) so we were thrilled to get the news just minutes before we fell asleep.  It was missing the basket she'd just bought and the front and rear lights but still together!  miracles.

This past week we had a humbling experience of teaching a current investigator named Javier. He is 80 years old and currently assisting with the Jehovah Witnesses. He is not baptized because he hasn't felt right about it. We were talking with him about the Book of Mormon and he told us, 'when you come, I want to read from the Book of Mormon more.' We instantly reflected back on the past 2 lessons and realized that we used the Book of Mormon but not enough of what this man craved. We have started to use the Book of Mormon more and we can tell the difference. His prayers all of the sudden became more sincere. It was beautiful. He has great fellow shippers and we hope he just keeps continuing to grow. 

Today I was studying in when Jesus came to the Americas because that is where I am in my spanish Libro De Mormon, and I love how it says it in spanish best so here, 'toda la multitud se fijaron en el y no se atrevieron a abrir la boca ni siquiera el uno al otro'  When they saw Jesus coming down from heaven, there was no talking, no wandering eyes.  They were fixed on him. They were still.  I related this to how I act in the lessons and in church.  Are my eyes fixed on Jesus Christ-the scriptures, my prayers, and church teachings?   I know that often times I find my thoughts wandering or elsewhere.  We all do.  I invite you this week to 'fix' your eyes on him.  Whether it be in improving your church attendance or your attention when you are there.  Are you looking to grow closer to him.  I can promise that as we fix our eyes on Jesus Christ and forget the outside world we will find our lives happier.  We will realize that God loves us more than we can imagine and that our challenges are small.  Life was meant to not only be lived but to be enjoyed.  

Fix your eyes on the fixer of all.

Love you all.

Hermana Waters

xoxo

Modesto - Week 31

HAPPY (belated) MOTHER'S DAY

I hope you all took time to appreciate and serve your mom.  

I had another bike accident.  We think our bikes are possessed. This time it was scary. I found myself in the middle of the road and my face up against the asphalt. Thank heavens for a helmet.  

We have been focusing a lot of our efforts in downtown in the humbler parts.  I love seeing the miracle of the gospel in these people's lives and want to share it with everyone.

This morning I was studying Helaman 15:3 which says  "Yea, wo unto this people who are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and alsohath he chastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them."

I don't think we recognize the full extent of Love and what it really is.  It's through love that we learn.  I thought about how we are in training.  He is in charge of all the consequences.  I drew a little picture I don't know if you can see it but I love that we have the comfort of knowing God is in charge of the consequences and the blessings.  The only thing we have control over is if we want to be blessed or consequenced (for further training).  We are promised that even the results are from God and that they are good for us.  All good comes from God.  I have learned to appreciate more and more the consequences.  Change your view from that one of anger at God or at thyself.  See it as an opportunity to be trained and experience the things God needs you to experience.  It has changed how I see my time here.  It's part of shaping me into what God wants me to be.  I invite you all to look at your own lives and ask what God wants and needs you to learn right now.  Will you do that? I promise as you do the burdens or troubles will become lighter and seen more as blessings.  

I love you. I pray for you. I hope all is well 

xoxo

Hermana Waters

Week 30 - Modesto

Hola mi familia,

This week it was a little chilly with the wind but I believe it's because I am used to the Cali weather.  I think I will freeze when I come back. 

This week we found new people to teach by going to the areas of former investigators. We found a former investigator who we still had in our area book that had an incorrect phone number and address! His name is Giovanni and he was going to church for a whole year but seemed to disappear off the face of the earth.  

We also met a man named Javier outside who instantly pulled us out seats so we could sit and share our message with him. We will be visiting him this week!

I've been reading from the time when Jesus Christ was in the Americas and thinking about what God asks of us.  It really isn't hard what he has asked of us. 

14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

 15 Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;

 16 Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

I think we need to remember discipleship isn't hard.

"Be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don’t live it at all.

And therein lies a message for every young man and young woman in this Church. You may wonder if it is worth it to take a courageous moral stand in high school or to go on a mission only to have your most cherished beliefs reviled or to strive against much in society that sometimes ridicules a life of religious devotion. Yes, it is worth it, because the alternative is to have our “houses” left unto us “desolate”—desolate individuals, desolate families, desolate neighborhoods, and desolate nations." -Jeffrey Holland

I am looking forward to the next year here.  Time is flying and there is not time to mess around.  I hope you are all looking for ways to share the gospel this week.  It's a great blessing to participate in his work. 

I love you all xoxo

Hermana Waters

Week 29 Modesto

Wind was crazy this week,and that makes for interesting times to be biking in a skirt.  Pretty sure I'm flashing everybody.  Thank heavens for biking shorts!

This week Gloria had her baby girl Sophia and she's a doll! We swung by the day after at the hospital and it's too bad we can't hold babies because she is precious.  As Hermana Maribel Martinez, Gloria and I gathered around the baby we couldn't help but talk about the miracle of life and love of God.  We counted her 10 toes (my idea because ever since Ellie I have to) and beheld her little hands.  It reminded me of a talk from October 'Discovering the Divinity Within' by Rosemary M. Wixom.  As I have been finding myself in moments of despair, I remember the moment with Gloria's baby.  I remembered of the beautiful invitation made by her.  

Looking out through a window, not just into a mirror, allows us to see ourselves as His. We naturally turn to Him in prayer, and we are eager to read His words and to do His will. We are able to take our validation vertically from Him, not horizontally from the world around us or from those on Facebook or Instagram.

If you ever question that spark of divinity within you, kneel in prayer and ask Heavenly Father, “Am I really Thy daughter, and dost Thou love me?” Elder M. Russell Ballard said, “One of the sweetest messages the Spirit will relay is how the Lord feels about you."

And how Jeffrey R. Holland  said, 'Don't give up... Don't you quit.  You keep walking. You keep trying.  There is help and happiness ahead...It will be all right in the end.  Trust God and believe in good things  to come.

Right now Gloria has a new baby and holds in her arms one of God's beloved daughters that just left his presence. But it's important that not only are babies children of God.  Let us not forget ourselves.  All the hopes we have for the babies, God has for us.  We still are babies and like Gloria has Sophia in her arms, God has us in his.  Let him craddle you.  

'Because you are His child, you not only need Him, but He also needs you'

Though a challenging week, one full of recognizing that divine identity we have within us. 

Love you all and have a great week.  you are in my extremely fervent prayers right now.

xoxo Hermana Waters

Week 28 Modesto

This week I learned a lot about why I am on a mission.

I thought I was here to only Preach the Gospel.  But something clicked with me this week that I would like to share.  

The past couple of weeks having a really loving companion has led me to think a lot about how she can love how she loves.  The first day she was serving me by making me whatever she made for herself.  Gave me half of whatever she had.

At first I rejected it.  I felt like she was over the top, and a little to lovey with me.  It freaked me out.  Up to this point I had felt loved but I cannot describe what begin to happen.

That is when I realized that I don't know how to love as deep as I want to.  I am learning more about myself and learning to accept the our pouring love.

To think someone can just love so quick is crazy.  At first it was weird but now I'm trying to follow in her footsteps.  At first, what was hers was hers and what was mine was mine but now mine is hers and hers is mine. At first, we were put together because it's what the Lord wanted but now it's because it's what we want.  

We went from roommates who were assigned to friends who wanted to be roommates.  

The difference was letting the Savior into our relationship.  As we seek to include the Savior we will find a greater love and peace.  Working together to strengthen our weaknesses is a blessing that we have as humans.  We have families and friends to help and support one another.

May we take full advantage of this opportunity.

In our search for happiness, we learn about the fruits of the gospel and how blessed we are.  In closing I'm going to share a quote from it. 

'We don't claim to have a corner on the goodness market.  Nor would we pretend to profess that Latter-day Saints live lives free of worldly care and concern. But we honestly and sincerely feel that God has given us something special, something infinitely worth sharing.'

Love you all,

Hermana Waters

Week 27 Modesto

Hola, 

This week was definitely una semana loca.   We received tons of water (it rained for 2 days straight) and got a little road rash on my leg but hey, they never said missionary work was easy. lol  It is definitely worth it.  Yesterday the chapel was full with people it was amazing.  I have never seen such a full chapel.  Less actives as well as investigators.   It was amazing.  

Luz, an investigator we had that we gave to the other Hermanas since we divided the boundaries  is doing amazing.  The hermanas swang by her house and she's been reading her Libro de Mormon and praying EVERY day since we last met with her!  That amazed me.  She is all the way in Mosiah.  She knows that the church is true and has a baptism coming up.  

We are now teaching Lupe (the recent convert) 's brother, Jorge.  We hope that he will keep acting in faith.  

We are teaching tons and finding ourselves lost more and more.  The work goes a lot easier when that happens.  

Yesterday I was reading in Helaman 11 and in this chapter we can see the whole Pride circle. How God blesses his people, he lets them prosper.  But as we prosper we draw farther away from him.  We rely no more on himself but on our own strength.  

7 And it came to pass that the people saw that they were about to perish by famine, and they began to remember the Lord their God

The whole first part of this chapter talks about how Nephi just prays and pleads with God that he will forgive this people of wicked but his words are not enough, they begin to see it.  They recognize that they are in the wrong and through verses 8-16 we see these people are pleading asking for forgiveness because it took them so long to recognize they were in the wrong. 

17 And it came to pass that in the seventy and sixth year the Lord did turn away his anger from the people, and caused that rain should fall upon the earth, insomuch that it did bring forth her fruit in the season of her fruit. And it came to pass that it did bring forth her grain in the season of her grain.

Yet God is beautiful.  He is bound to his word. He promises us that when we repent he will forgive us.  He will release his anger and let the blessings pour out. How loving is that.  We put ourselves in the misery and he just waits angered and frustrated.  

God really wants us to be happy. Sometimes our hard human hearts have to see the punishments and consequences to recognize we are the are in the wrong.  Trust in God.  Trust in his plan for you. In verse 23 And in the seventy and ninth year there began to be much strife. But it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi, and many of their brethren who knew concerning the true points of doctrine, having many revelations daily,therefore they did preach unto the people, insomuch that they did put an end to their strife in that same year.

We learn we too can have daily revelations.  I can promise that as we seek to correct ourselves and follow God's plan, we too will receive many revelations daily. 

May you all be safe this week and remember your divine identity.

xoxo

Love,

Hermana Waters