Natalie October 26, 2015

The Thorns in the Roses 

Happy Monday it's Preparation Day! Haha maybe not happy Monday for you since the weekend is now over but for us it's a bit of a breather.

A few weeks ago as we were walking to an appointment the thought popped into my mind.. Why did Heavenly Father create Roses with thorns? Honestly I cannot tell you why I had been thinking of such a peculiar thought, sort of random out of nowhere but nevertheless it was an interesting thought and I decided to ask my companion what she thought. She said didn't know, clearly but I kept thinking and then we talked about possibilities for the why. I mentioned that maybe it's because if there weren't any thorns, we couldn't appreciate the effort it took to grow nor the beauty of the rose. 

This new perspective made me remember of the reason in general why there is opposition in all things, because we would not be able to appreciate the good from the bad and we wouldn't rely on the Lord if we always have ''good times'' because even though we should remember Him in the good we somehow always seem to remember Him more in the bad.

Well these last few weeks we have, seen those thorns amonst the roses. Our ''awesome'' and who we thought was ''super prepared'' investigator Adriana stopped talking to us and we have no idea why. She doesn't answer our calls and when she did say two times she would be home to visit her she wasn't present. Her husband however Jaime is so so great! He is interested in listening and yesterday went to church for the second time wahoo! We have the hope that as we teach him, Adriana will want to listen again or at least tell us why she got ''cold feet'' on us. 😕

Other ''thorns'' that have come our way is other recent converts having difficulty assisting church regularly for various reasons, including Mauro, Carlos and Sandra. But not because of their lack of testimony, I hope, but more because of things that take them away from being consistent in keeping their baptismal covenants. Also, the rain from the hurricane that was close to the state of Quintana Roo. And many other little things. 

I think mainly too I still lack a little... a lot of faith. But every day is another chance, another oportunity to keep going, keep trying and doing all that is in my power to increase my faith. While I am working on my faith, I am coming to know and remember that Heavenly Father loves me, He is aware of me, and as I pray and plead to Him for His help, He helps me calm my fears. 

This week was a little tough, or better yet these last two weeks, because we have to find new investigators. When we were finding new investigators after the baptism of Carlitos and Mauro, they weren't progressing quickly enough for baptism so we decided to keep finding new investigators but in the process of doing so, satan decided to come and swoop in with discouragement and doubt so they began to not be progressing again. With the investigators we do have more or less progressing, they have accepted baptism but not a baptismal date. So that's where we are right now, and I feel bad because as STL's we are supposed to be setting the example but we don't have any ''baptism canditates'' right now :( That is one part of why I say I think I still lack a lot of faith, like my mission President wrote me this week, faith to find, faith to baptize. So we keep the hope, we keep on praying and keep on striving to change and become like Christ. 

I hope that you all have a great week! And remember to be greatful for the thorns because with out them we wouln't have the roses. I will do my best to do so as well. 

Lots of Love,

Hermana Newman

Jason October 26, 2015

A more spiritual week. :)

This week was a great week!! first of all, i want to thank all for the birthday wishes! i love being 21...even though i have only been it for a day, it feels good. Im grateful to be here on the earth, and that Heavenly Father sllows me to be here to participate in this great work of salvation. 

So, i learned a lot this week. its crazy how much one learns at the end of the misison, and especially from my companion who is at the beginning of his mission. This week, i learned an extremely valuable lesson, and it has to do with regognizing weaknesses. so, ever since about may or so, i had asked myself for the first time "what are my weaknesses?", and i couldnt answer that question. but this week i was ablw to answer it, and now i know that if i Go unto heavenly father in prayer with that said weakeness, he will help me turn it into a strength and i will be able to be humbled and my faith in him will increase. the weakness, though hard to explain, is this: Feeling sorrow and sadness from the unfavorable choices of others, and not thinking i can be happy until the situation is how i want it to be. for example, amaris, the girl who got baptized about a week ago, for lots of complicated reasons, still hasnt gotten confirmed, and so i felt A not only sad about that, but B felt that i could never be happy again until she did et confirmed. but i know thats wrong--we cannot base our happiness or unhappiness solely upon the choices of others. because though it was my will for her to get confirmed ASAP, out of desire for her to progress espiritually, perhaps thats not what the Lord ewanted, and in the end, my will really doesnt matter. ever. i learned that true happiness only comes from doing the will of him who has called me to be a missionary: the Lord Jesus Christ.

the hardest part of the mission, i learned, is not the leaving the family or home or friends, or the trials in the two year time lapse, rather its the departure of the field. in short, the hardest part of the mission is leaving it. I know that in these next 2 weeks I am gonna work hard and am going to focus in on the Lords will and not so much the will of the Zone Leaders or the Assistants, to be sure that the Lords Kingdom is edified. i love the mission so much, and i have never learned so much in such a short time before. 

We are very excited about Rosy and Rodolfo, who finally after 4 years of waiting are now able to get married and baptized!! the plan is that they get married this friday, i believe, and that saturday they will be baptized. I love them, though i wasnt really there for the time of teaching them, and i desire their happiness and spiritual progression. more details and hopefully next week, pictures, to follow. 

I wanted to share, also, my favorite personal study of this week. In Mosiah 15, we read about how Christ is both the Father and the Son. there is a lot of confusion in regards to who is god, and lots of churches believe that there is only one physical supreme being. we know that there are three, the father, the son, and the holy Ghost, and we know that Christ is the son of the Living god. but, how is Christ also our father? 

1. He is the creator of all things and is therefore referred to in many scriptural passages as "the very eternal father of heaven and of earth" (mosiah 15:4, Mosiah 16:15, ether 4:7, alma 11: 38-39)

2. He is the father of all who accept his atonong sacrifice and covenant with him to obey his everlasting gospel, or in other words, those who are baptized (Mosiah 5:7, mosiah 15: 10-13)

3. He is the Father by "divine investiture of Authority". this means that the savior is a fully authorized and commissioned representative of his Father, that whatever he does as executor of the fathers will has permanent and binding effect since its performed by the fathers agent.

I hope that we can all look to follow the savior better in al things, and that he may always be our example. I know that He lives and is my father, because i belong to him by covenant, yet he is the Son of the Living God, our Heavenly Father. I testify that they live, and that the only way to eternal happiness is living the restored gospel and partaking of the ordinances thereof by the proper authority. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. I love you all and have a great week!!!

love, 

jason 

Elder newman

-- 

*Elder Newman*

Misión México Chihuahua

November 2013 - 2015

Alma 26:12

Jason October 19, 2015

The nitty gritty 

hey everyone!! sorry this one will be really short, but i had to email some church leaders back home and what not. 

wow, this week my companion and i really learned what it meant to get things done, and that that has a lot to do with being a leader. simultaneously, however, none of that was us, rather the Lord provided the way(s) for us to be able to find her, visit her, and he ultimately provided the way for her to get baptized on saturday. i know that as we humble ourselves and recognize his hand in Everything that we do, we will have a greater love for him and our desire to serve him will grow! that was by far the biggest portion of news this last week, and in addition, we are hopefully gonna have 2 more this week: rosy and Rodolfo. we love them and are excited to be witnesses for their wedding!! more details to come. 

well, please everyone know that i love you all and that i know that this church is true, being the same one that Christ himself established whilst being here upon the earth. have a great week and dont forget to say your prayers!! 

love, 

Jason 

-- 

*Elder Newman*

Misión México Chihuahua

November 2013 - 2015

Alma 26:12

Natalie October 19, 2015

Natalie sends her love she apologizes that she did not have a chance to really do a letter today.  She says....."not much new happened this week anyway lol actually it was raining all week almost again, since like Thursday but everyday all day since then :( And we have some investigators who are having difficulties progressing:( Other than that, things are fine, I have felt some discouragement but maybe in part its the rain's fault."

Jason October 12, 2015

quintas carolinas!!

Hey everyone!!

ok, so this week was fun...well, kind of. ok, just to get it out of the way, i had a terrible headache, but im all bettter now. BUT, the cool part was, well...my new area!! im still trying to figure out why the Lord has put me here in the area that i am in (quintas carolinas 2), but im sure there are various souls that need to hear something from my and elder sanchezs mouths, so we are working hard here. oh my goodness, I LOVE my companion, elder sanchez! he is from another state here in la republica, (hidalgo), and he has only 2 months in the mission. we are on week 9 of 12 of his training, which means i am training him as well as district leader. but its so funny, i am the one who feels like the greenie because he has come so prepared and knows so much already, that i often times dont even know what to theach the guy cause...well, he knows exactly what hes doing! i love it though because he is always saying things that make me laugh uncontrollably! lol.

our branch is a little tough, though. the leadership is pretty new, and there are a TON of less actives to work with, but we maintain a good attitude and love being here. i just hope i dont get transfers again!! haha.

so there is this one couple, rosy and rodolfo, and after a loooong process of helping the hermano with a divorce from the us, blah blah blah, we are just waiting for a few papers from an attourney who is helping them out, and they are gonna then get married asap and get baptized!! there are lots of opportunities here, we just have to help the investigators understand the purpose of it all.

i am very grateful for the time we have here to serve the Lord in this formal way of being his authorized representatives, and though for me that time grows thin, i know that it is al real and i love waking up everymorning here in méxico, knowing that i am at the Lords complete disposition. loves to all, and know that i am alive, healthy, and happy!! 

con cariño,

Jason

Elder Newman

Natalie October 12, 2015

The Work of the Lord requires everyone's help!

Hello everyone! How was your week? Ours was pretty good! Aside from the fact that I came down with a cold and my throat kind of swollen so it's been a bothersome to talk at times and even sing (the hymns when we're in lessons), also with a bit of a headache yesterday, after all was said and done, we said our prayers, I took two Ibuprofen, put the sheet over my face and was out in my hammock. However today I have thankfully been feeling better just with a little cough still. So aside from that we have been just fine!

This week we have found so many new people and I'm so excited to teach all of them! 2 of the new investigators we have are named Adriana and Jaime. They have a daughter of 7 who is super cute and this little family is just perfect. They are so excited to listen and learn especially because they said not too long ago is when they started talking about finding a religion but didn't know how or where to start. They both have a background of being Catholic but don't practice it and aren't in agreeance with some things. So thankfully one night, a member who lives in our area started talking with Adriana's mom at their little food stand while ordering 'Carnitas'. Well her mom wasn't too interested but Adriana kept chatting with this sweet member who is just 18! Her name is Adela and so ready to be a full-time missionary but has to wait until March! haha anyway so they kept talking and well long story short, we had two visits with them and they have both been to church and they love it.

I know miracles happen and are happening! The work of the Lord never ceases, especially when all are involved and not just us and full time missionaries but everyone including members. Because if it wasn't for Adela who opened her mouth and wasn't afraid to share the truths she treasures dear, we would have never met her. I know he blesses us according to our humility, obedience and need. I love you all, and wish you the best and as always hope that you be safe and smart in all you do and reach out to those who need you in however small or grand way! I know the Lord loves you and me and is always there. I know it's true in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Sincerely,

Hermana Newman 😊

P.S. This photo is just a picture of me and another sister misisonary good friend of mine who now has gone home :( Hermana Garcia

Jason October 5, 2015

a wedding, a baptism, a really high fever, g. conference, and transfers!!

ok, so everyone always says "wow that was a crazy week!", but i now have seen the true meaning of that expression. in the email subject, i will explain each one of these events. 

a wedding: so, on tuesday, we were finally able to get marcelino and lola married!! as a reminder, the whole family is already member, except the husband, so we had been working on all the hassle of the government and papers and what not, and we finally got them married on tuesday at 11:00 am. their family was there, as well as Elder loreto, my comp, elder perez and vivanco (the Zone leaders), and I we all got to be witnesses!! it wasnt my first wedding in the mission, but the first one was at the investigators (converts) house, so it didnt feel as legit. but yep, they are now legally married and living the law of chastity, just as the Lord would have it. yay!

a baptism: the following day, wednesday, marcelino was baptized, and i had the blessing to baptize him, but our Father in Heaven truly has all the honor and glory in that miracle, because, well...its his child! i love marcelino sanchez bañuelos and i know their family, being as humble and faithful as they are, will definitely have a bright future. 

a really high fever: ...and later that same night, actually during the whole baptism, i had a really high fever and felt so weak and exhausted. not gonna lie, it was hard to baptize him because i was sweating and my eyes were apparently red, yet the water felt cold to me (it wasnt cold water)....long story short, had to go to the hospital that night, and we got home at like 11:15pm. we rested the next day. 

g. conference: i loved conference! there was a bit of stress in regards to pressure from the leaders to bring people, but nothing i couldnt handle. even though we only brought 6, i felt really good and can feel the good relationship with the Lord. i am especially happy because erick, a 20 year old, was able to come, and also the parents of a recent convert who accepted a baptismal date (october 24) after a family home evening of watching the movie "the testaments" on monday. the hermano, jose luis, called me and hes like "hey, we dont have a ride and are ready." if that doesnt scream to you "well, elder, get in a taxi and go get them!", then i dont know what will. lol, following the spirit and making a quick leadership decision, we quickly zoomed over in taxi and got them. they loved it and i know they too will get baptized. 

transfers: well, to be brief, i had transfers and they were so unexpected. i guess there were some elders having problems, and so they switched me out and i am now in chihuahua. it was hard to say goodbye to a few families, but i have an even clearer vision of what i am to do in these last 5 weeks: finish training elder sanchez and do all i can here in my new area. i love transfers! so, i am back in chihuahua, (aaah, good to be home :) ), and my companion is elder sanchez. he only has 7 weeks in the mission, so i will be very focused the next few weeks making sure he knows well. i am in the same zone that i was in with elder meyer in july, and so in this zone of tec 2, that now makes it 4 out of 7 areas in the zone that i have worked in throughout my mission. i think i know the zone kinda well, and that helps me really like the cambios cause i feel comfortable. 

well, lets go to work! love you all and lets keep preaching the gospel! have a great week. 

love, 

Jason 

ELder Newman

--

*Elder Newman*

Misión México Chihuahua

November 2013 - 2015

Alma 26:12

Natalie October 5, 2015

Singing in the Rain

Hello all! I know everyone's talking about it but I truly hope you had an amazing conference weekend as did I. I went with questions and I testify that they were answered through the words of the Lord's loving servants and the Holy Spirit that whispers to us exactly what we need. 

This week was a little difficult for us because it was raining so so much. We didn't get too wet though because we bought little disposable plastic ponchos for less than a dollar! But they are awesome. I'll have to take a picture because they are super fun, I feel like a mix between little red riding hood and some sort of super hero because it's like wearing a cape haha. So we didn't have too many lessons this week because like I said it was literally raining all week. Or at least a good majority of the time. 

At one point the rain was so strong it was pouring buckets of water and we had to stop under a staircase of apartments for what seemed like an eternity. I said to my companion I felt weird because in the entire time I've been serving a mission, I had never stopped for so long because of weather impedment. 

There we stood with our umbrellas and our ponchos looking at one another waiting for the rain to pass. I thought to myself, how can I be productive just standing here? What could I possible do? So I did what everyone does when there is nothing left to do. I decided we should pray. I know it sounds like something obvious but I thought, well supposedly if miracles exist then Heavenly Father could cause the rain to pass right? And then I doubted I had enough faith for a miracle like that but I decided to do it anyway. I asked my companion if she wanted to pray and agreed but what was interesting is that I felt I needed to be the one to say the prayer. 

As I said the prayer I knew the Spirit guided my words as in one part in particular I felt impressed to say something along the lines of, ''We ask that the rain can please pass so that we can find someone to teach, we have desires to serve thee..'' Well, a few minutes more passed and by this time it had been almost 20 to half an hour waiting. It didn't stop but as we discovered, it was a little lighter and we could at least be walking. 

I felt an impression that we should return back to Carlitos' house and offer our help to escort him to school because we had been there an hour earlier before the rain hit but was nervous he wouldn't be able to go. So naturally when we got there he opened the door with a nervous look on his face and with just one or two comments/questions he starting crying saying he wanted to go to school and was scared and nervous what his aunt would say that he didn't go. We called his aunt, Alejandra (who was working) and she said she had been looking for a way to communicate with him that it was okay he didn't go to school and to stay home. 

But just to help even more, I felt the impression that we could sing a hymn to calm him down. I asked him if he wanted to sing his favorite hymn, ''I am a Child of God'' and he said yes. So there we were, outside his apartment door singing the beautiful words to calm his fears and that he was okay. 

I knew that it was Heavenly Father who sent us back because in my prayer I remembered saying ''we have desires to serve thee'' but the intended service he wanted us to give was not what I was expecting. I was expecting to find someone new to find and teach to ''bring to the fold'' but sometimes we need to remember to focus those that are already ''in the fold'' too. This small experience touched my heart this week and it reminds me of several things but to share a few that one, Heavenly Father knows His children and that two, He definitely sends His tender mercies and three, the Spirit whispers to us exactly what we need to do if we only but listen and follow His counsel. Of this I testify and share my testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Lovingly,

Hermana Newman ☺