Two weeks of blogposts

This week  March 17:

Subject: mountains to climb.

There is an EFY song that we listen to a lot that says something like, "Give me mountains to climb, give me rivers to cross, give me something that's gonna make me better than I was"  Let's just say that I'm climbing the mountain right now. I can't exactly see how this is all going to make me better than I was, but I know the Lord knows. 

Goodbye sun.  Sunsets in Mazate are orange.  I love it!!!

Needless to say, this was one of the hardest weeks of my mission. 

But, looking back on it, I sure learned a lot.  I was on divisions one day this week with Hermana Castro from Honduras, San Pedro Sula.  Homegirl is one of my best friends.  

divisions with my favorite Hermana Castro....model shot....hahaha!

Truly!  So I was having a hard time and she told me to read D&C 31.  It talks a lot about family problems.  I'm not having family problems so I just substituted my prueba for that.  I especially love verses 9 and 13.

9  Ten ^apaciencia en las ^btribulaciones; no ultrajes a los que ultrajan. Gobierna tu ^ccasa con mansedumbre y sé constante.

13  Sé ^afiel hasta el fin y, he aquí, estoy ^bcontigo. Estas palabras no son de hombre ni de hombres, sino mías, sí, de Jesucristo, tu Redentor, por la ^cvoluntad del Padre. Amén.

So basically it helped me to remember that the Lord is watching out for me and more trials means He loves me enough to try me. 

This week my precious baby girls got baptized.  Highlight of the baptism was when cute Yesenia, the littlest, came out of the water and I asked,  "How do you feel?"   She said,  "Well, me?  Happy!!!"   It was beyond adorable!!!!  It was a lovely little baptism.  I truly couldn't be happier for them!  Our ward baptized 6 people this week!  We are certainly echarin fuego here in Las Flores!  I'm telling you these people are PREPARED!

I hit my 9 month mark this week!  Half way and it's only downhill from here?  Haha!  Hermana Merrill and I celebrated by burning skirts :)  Enjoy the hilar pics. :) 

Also this week it rained a ton, but like more than ever.  I guess the rainy season came 2 months early! Hooray!  We spent the whole week just drenched!  So wet!  Ha there was this one point where we had to cross a street but it was super flooded and I was like, we have a cita and we will NOT miss it!!  So I, very valiantly, tried to cross the street.  I am like walking very slowly and then when the water was up to my knees!  I lost my footing and almost fell and got swept away in the river!  So I backed out and we waited, missed our cita, but most importantly didn't die.  Rain is like nothing you can even imagine here. 

Got some wicked blisters this week and the only shoes that didn't rub them were my super cute (eek!) shoes from mom, haha.  So I had duck feet for a day;)  Thanks mommy.

Well, I think that's it.  This week has been full of a lot of kneeling by my bed and praying, reading in the Book of Mormon and eating with the members. 

noche de hogar!

noche de hermanamiento in my convert's yard :) so fun!

Know that I'm okay and working hard.  Love all of you and hope that you can be ward missionaries like Jesus commands us to. 

flowers from my girlie girl :) Yesenia

love love love,

hermana moore 

Last Week March 10:

Subject: ch-ch-ch-changes round 3

Haha no don't worry, I didn't have changes this time, but my comp did!  I'm so sick of emergency changes... but every time it really provides such an opportunity to grow!  Here I thought I'd never have them.  I guess the Lord has other plans for us :)

My new companion is Hermana Beckstrand from Orem, Utah! Its pretty funny because she has been in all the same areas and has had all the same companions as me.  She was in San Marcos with Hermana Lopez and just left Coatepeque with Hermana Fusi!   We have a lot to talk about because we know all the same people! :)  Now we are together here in Las Flores!  Ah, I love Mazate. :)   But Hermana Cadavieco, mi hija tan chula, is now in Esperanza Coatepeque!  My area!  With Hermana Fusi!  Those two are going to echar fuego alli!  I'm so stoked for them.  Miss them, but I know that's where the Lord needs them both. And I know that the Lord needs Hermana Beckstrand and I here! :) 

What it's like to do tra

this is one of 30 outtakes. I adore my compita!

choco bananas with mi hija tan chula :)

SO this week was a crazy one!  We were in Reu and in divisions and then my comp has emergency changes and now I'm here in an internet cafe again, super fast and strange week. I didn't even have time to journal this week so I literally don't remember what happened. . . 

I guess I can start with today... today we went on a run!  Yay for exercise! Then we cleaned a bit and got ready to go to the market!  I made my first big souvenir purchase today!  I bought corte!!!!! ahhh it's so beautiful and I got the best price!  It's the woven authentic clothing that the natives wear here! I was joking with another Hermana that we would wear it on the plane ride home but I'm pretty sure you guys would think I was super weird if I did that, haha; but it's lovely and colorful and I just love it!

So I can't remember anything else so I'll just go on with my investigators.   Remember the three little girls that we have been teaching...... I DONT WANT TO SAY ANYTHING NOW BUT LET'S JUST SAY NEXT SATURDAY SHOULD BE A GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!  I had to talk to their dad on the phone to ask permission and it was so weird talking to someone in the states!  I wanted to be like, "ehhh call my mom and say hi!" hahaha. :) 

This week we also started eating with the members!  It's so fun!  I had so many cool foods that I've never had before!  Like this one type of chili called chile de arbol.  Normally they ask us if we want chile and I'm just like ehh I'll try just un poquito!  And so I did but I guess I wasn't supposed to use the same spoon I was using to eat to put the chile in... because about 3 seconds later I was on FIRE.  Not my mouth but it was more like my nose and my upper lip!  I'm dripping with sweat and chugging water and soda and just crying because it felt like actual fire.  The family thought it was so funny that they gave me one.  They are super rare and only grow in tierras frias, so I can dry it and bring it home for my family to try.  Don't you worry you'll all have the opportunity to try it in 9 months!  Hahahahaha. :) But I also got to try a dish that is super tipico aqui, Chojin!  It's basically the same as caldo de res but with a tomato base.  At least I can say I've tried it now!  Guatemalans and their soups.... it's like they don't realize that it's 100 degrees outside with 90 percent humidity.  Soup is for winter, you crazy chapines!!! 

This week I learned so much about companionship unity.  Someone told me once that if we want things to work in a companionship, marriages too, we need to give our ALL to the other person.  That way if we are both giving 100 percent to each other, if one of us falls a little bit one day and can only give like 50, there isn't any gap.  We still are 100 percent working with each other.  I truly think the mission should be required for everyone, it's like the test drive for marriage, not saying it's easy or fun all the time, but you learn so much.  I've found that I'm happier when I'm serving my companion.  If I'm sitting around like, "Ugh why won't she wash the dishes?  Why won't she listen to me?  Why won't?"... blah bla blah... nothing happens.  I've only seen change when I take the initiative and swallow my pride and start serving her.  Truly it makes me think of the scripture in the biblia that says, "Si no son uno, no son mios", or "if you are not one, you are not mine".  Simple as that, unity people! :)

Oh and just a side note, if any of you guys wanted me to bring home specific souvenirs, I'm in a great souvenir area,  I'm taking requests :) 

With that I'm gonna end this super short lame email!  Sorry!  Out of time and not much to talk about, but next week, there will be more :)

Keep doing what your doing and choosing the right always!  Love you all so much!

love love love,

hermana moore :)

"Mormon. Salvo."

What an incredible, miraculous week this was!  This week we had the baptism of the most prepared person I have met my entire life! the first time we met with this man he told us he had been searching for a church to pay his tithings to!  Yeah that is a once in a life time kind of person here.  So his name is Mariano Mesa.  I have talked about him before but he is just incredible.  So prepared.  His baptism was incredible!  He was all fancy in his white shirt and we even found him a white tie to wear too!  It's pretty funny because Elder Yergensen had originally contacted him but could never find where he lived to teach him... but one day Mariano offered us a ride to Santo Domingo, there were other people in the truck don't worry, and we ended up teaching him!  It's pretty funny because we share an area with the elders and there is no separation, so we always have to ask if the elders are already teaching them or not.  So of course we asked Mariano that and he was like well yeah I did meet Hermano Yergensen but he never stopped by to bring me to church... and I was like good never talk to him again... WE are teaching you now! (haha)  So we ended up teaching him and getting him baptized, well technically Elder Yergensen DID baptize him, but we got to teach him... friendly competition ;)  So it was a beautiful service and I couldn't be happier.  

I KNOW that there are prepared people, especially in Mazate.  The most fertile land of converts in the country!  I'm serious though, these people are prepared! :) 

The Elders baptism last week.  She isn't my investigator but I love her so much!  It was a miracle that we went to her baptism because the elders got her an 80's dress for some busty 20 year old and she is 12!  So we bought some safety pins and fixed her up! 

As for the title of this email... I guess after Mariano's baptism and right before they were about to come back in the room one of the elders heard him say.... "Mormón. Salvo."  So cute!  He has such a strong testimony in this church!  Oh and that means like.... I´m Mormon.  I´m Saved. :) :) :) :) :)

So another hugely amazing thing that happened this week was that I DREAMED IN SPANISH.  Dad told me that I know I've got the language down when I dream in Spanish... CHECK!!!!!!!  It made me oh so ridiculously happy! >:) 

So have I mentioned how hot it is here before?  IT'S HOT.  Everyday I'm like I don't think it can get hotter, and then it does!  

The definition of my life here in Guatemala....it only gets hotter from here.  As if I think it can get any hotter when I'm dripping sweat from my upper lip, neck...I'm even sweating behind my knees now.  But yep, everyone says Semana Santa is the hottest and that's in 3 weeks.  If I survive till then....

On Sunday I was sprinting through the streets to try and catch the last bus up to where the church was with the 6 menos activos we had with us and mind you its 8 in the morning but it's already like 2000 degrees outside... so I showed up to church dripping with sweat and with lioness hair because we rode in the back of a pickup truck to get to church.  It looked like I got electrocuted!  But, the people in the ward somehow still love me :) haha! 

clean!

Thanks for the matching comfy jammies!  We love them!

So yesterday we had a meeting with the member of the 70 for our area and he was talking to us about the plan of the area for Guatemala and how it is to have every family in the ward pick one less active family and help them get reactivated throughout the year and then to pick one non member family and help them join the church throughout the year.  Isn't that the most simple and amazing plan ever!  I was thinking oh my gosh!  I want my family and friends to do this!  So I know we are already in March but I'm officially challenging ALL of you... go pick a less active person and pick a non member person and help them get to know or re get to know the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Missionary work is SO rewarding and I KNOW that you all can partake of these blessings :)  I am so grateful for my opportunity to be on a mission, everyday is a new adventure.  It's hard but its worth it.  As they say here, "vale la pena". :) 

Went on divisions with Hermana Merrill.  She came in my group and is a hermana lider now!  She is incredible and so much fun!
(editor's note, yes that is how she spelled leader, haha)

Oh P.S., even though it's summer here, we get SNOW!  Well its not actually snow, but it is something that falls from the sky like snow, turns out though its ash from the burning cane fields ALL OVER THE PLACE.  So when you see snow and think, wow this is so pretty, wrong... there is something much prettier!  Falling ash from the sky!  It happens all day every day and I was trying to be funny!  It's not pretty it's disgusting.  Oh well I guess that's how we get sugar right? :)  Well I'm off!  Gotta go! Love you all so much!  Thanks for all the support and prayers!  Don't worry about me, I'm doing wonderfully :) 

love love love,

hermana moore :)

17 Candles - a beautiful story!

What in the world, fastest week of my life!!!  I seriously cant believe I am writing again, this week went by in the blink of an eye!  Probably because my comp and I were each sick like the whole week, but we still worked and wow, we definitely saw the fruits of our labors! 

Thanks ma for the package and the "ugly shoes"

jumping pictures with my comp cause I live with my best friend!

So remember how last week I got bit by a dog, turns out that comes with some pretty ridiculous emotional stress, yeah I am officially terrified of dogs.  Which is kind of a huge problem since there are THOUSANDS of dogs in the streets here, and they sense fear and they charge at you.  It got to the point where I was literally scared to leave the house, what with the 5 dogs that patrol the street we live on... but we did a few things to fix that situation.  So my advice for if you ever get bitten by a dog in Guatemala which results in an intense dog-a-phobia do this...

1. Get a blessing. I know it might seem silly, but I'm like the opposite of stingy when it comes to blessings now.

2. Read the scriptures. I received in an email from the mission president:  2 Timothy 1:7 which changed how I felt completely.  It says: "For God hath not given us the spirit of FEAR but of POWER and of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND."

3. Say a prayer and sing a hymn every time you pass by a dog.  Basically this means I'm praying all day every day, but hey that's what we are supposed to do, right?

4. Buy a sling shot.  When it comes down to it, I've gotta defend myself.  So now I have a slingshot, called here a "honda", and rocks in my hands every where I go.  I'm getting pretty good aim now! 

So for all of you that have gone through, are going through, or will go through a similar experience, you're welcome. :)

But really, let's just kill all the dogs, I mean it got a little ridiculous when I was sitting in sacrament meeting yesterday and a dog walked in to the chapel. I thought I was going to die!  Big white husky just waltzed in!  But that's why I have my sling shot. :)

trip to McDonald's while we waited for my comp's parasite exam results, yay!

So as for the title of this email, it's one of the coolest things that has happened in my mission.  SO here in Central America they have this thing called Noche de Hermanamiento, which means like brotherhood night?  Haha it's like a ward activity once a week where someone teaches a lesson and there's an activity and food!  It's like mutual for the whole ward!  It's super fun.  So my area is split up into two parts, Las Flores which is where the chapel is, and Santo Domingo which is a bus ride away and kinda far.  So one of our investigators has been the answer to our prayers and offered to drive everyone to church every Sunday and then even offered to have a separate noche de hermanamiento in Santo Domingo in his huge house!  So we did!  It was so awesome, we were helping him get ready and sweep and such when everyone started showing up!  There were around 40 people there, investigators and members and it was just so happy!  When everyone sat down and we were ready to start all of a sudden the power went out!  Mind you we are in this courtyard outside and it's 7:00 so it's already dark! So we are like oh no what are we going to do!  Then I thought, CANDLES.  Every tienda sells candles so we ran to a tienda to buy as many candles as we could before they sold out.  We used all of our money, which was only 17 quetzales... we are poor, and bought 17 candles.  We then had the most beautiful fireside lit by candles!  We had them on the walls, in the dirt, hanging from the trees.  It was one of the most magical experiences, just absolutely beautiful!  I remember when they were giving the lesson I was just sitting there and just overwhelmed with my blessings.  Mind you this was all happening in the house of my investigator!!!  Ah it was so cool!  I just looked up at the stars and knew that Heavenly Father was smiling down at us. such a beautiful night. :) 

Oh so this investigator that I was talking about, he speaks English.  He lived in Chicago for 40 years.  We went and taught him last night about tithing and I had him read a scripture in Malaki?  What is it Malaquias, who knows, it's in the Bible.  Anyway he was reading it and afterwards he just pauses and goes, "Es true." It was a sweet funny moment. I am so excited for this Saturday, like I said, I've never met someone more prepared in my life!!! :) 

So I'm pretty sure that I'm serving in the mosworld.  (editor's note: Not sure if this is a misspelling or what?)   We now have 6 missionaries in this ward, so working with them is super fun!  We just have so much support from the leaders and ward members.  On the way to church yesterday we had so many people coming from Santo Domingo.  We had 28 people in the back of a pick up truck!  Hahahaha you Americans can't even imagine that, I bet. Guatemalan style, we can make anything happen.  It's just so beautiful pulling up to church with all these people that you just love!  We all got out of the truck and then all the menos activo families we had worked with this week walked in!  I was like wait is this real life?  YAY!!  One of the menos active families hasn't been able to come because their mom suffered a stroke recently; but we arranged a car to bring them and BAM!  They came!  This woman is one of the sweetest people ever!  She is so little and just has these big happy cheeks and a toothless smile, I adore her!  Sweet Rosa :) 

Basically this week was a miracle, even though I was constantly racked with fear, haha, okay too dramatic.  But even though I was scared my comp was sick and we had to keep going to the doctors or taking breaks, we saw MIRACLES this week!  I just can't say it enough, God is just so good.  I am truly in love with this work.  I hope you all have just the most wonderful week.  Don't waste any time being sad ever.  My motto lately has been "lift where you stand".  Whether you're in a tuk tuk, doctors office, home, or with the members or in the street, do what you can to help those that are around you! Spread sunshine with your smile! :)

Love you all so much,

love love love,

Hermana Moore :) 

New Nickname: Hermana Mordida

Subject: new nickname: Hermana Mordida.

Yeah go google translate that one. . . 

Did it?  Alright, story time....

Saturday I was walking down the street on the way to lunch with my comp, we were talking about investigators and such, when she goes,

"Woah look at that dog, its huge!"

So I look over and see a huge dog... but it's running at me. Next thing I know its latched on to my leg and I'm screaming and kicking and giving a nice little show to all the people on the street.  Finally it let go and I just started limping away. 

Moral of the story a pregnant, hostile dog bit me. 

Don't worry, I'm okay, no rabies or anything.  The bite is healing quite nicely thanks to the treatment a woman gave me right after it happened.  You see, here in Guatemala instead of neosporin or soap or water, they use LEMON to clean out dog bites.  So after it happened this lady came up and brought us into her house where she starts cutting up lemons and I'm like oh hecccckkkkk no homegirl.   Then my comp, who is Mexican but from the states, is like no you have to do it!  So I'm like screaming when this woman starts RUBBING a lemon on my open wound.  Remember how they said the mission builds character?  Yep, it does.

So then we are like what do we do... so we decide to take a tuk tuk and go to the hospital to get stitches or have them clean the lemon off my leg or give me a shot or something. BAD IDEA.  Guatemalan hospitals are cess pools of disease and death.  If I wasn't already in shock when I walked in, I most definitely was after 5 minutes in there!  Between the drops of blood on the floor and the man screaming his head off in the room next to me, I thought I wasn't coming out alive.  But in the end I didn't get any shots, against mission rules I guess, but they cleaned me out and gave me a ton of pills.  Oh and that nurse that dealt with me is the devil's nurse, I've decided.  She cleaned my leg with alcohol and it was like she was sand papering. I am trying not to harbor hard feelings against her.  So the AP´s drove us home and we rested the rest of the day because I was told to not put pressure on it.  It was a pretty deep bite, my comp said she saw a lot of flesh.  I didn't really look at it too much, but it's healing quite nicely now and best part is I'm gonna have a sick scar to show my kids!

getting my bite cleaned out

haha this is a joke!

yummy

There is a reason behind every trial we go through, we ended up meeting a lady that is less active, or inactive.  She was the one who helped me clean it out with lemon.  Now we are visiting them and helping them come back to church.  Isn't it funny how there really is a purpose to everything?  Now the only problem is that I'm terrified of all dogs, and there are hundreds here in the streets and they sense fear... so I've been charged at by like 6 dogs the past 2 days.  Pray for me?   I just end up singing I Know That My Redeemer Lives every time I walk by one.  Let's hope it starts working soon!

Other news this week, happy Valentines Day!  Best place to celebrate the day of love!  It rained super hard that day, surprise rainy season has begun again, and we got drenched.  On the way back to the house we found out that the power was out, and when you are a sister missionary that means to the house.  So we went home and studied and had dinner by candle light.  How romantic! 

hahahahahahhahahahahahaahaha we made pink, heart-shaped pancakes. :) 

pink heart shaped pancakes of course, love you momma!

This week also we had a mutli zone conference where we talked about the doctrine of Christ! I also got to see a ton of sisters!  I saw my comps from the MTC!  Ah those girls will be my life long friends! :)

And I saw my MOM - my trainer, Hermana Morris who goes home this week! I can't believe the time has gone by so fast!  I'm so excited for her though!  Really, when I got here she only had 10 months and now she's going home!  This whole mission thing goes by much too fast!

My "mom" Hermana Morris and my comp and me

But the conference was incredible.  We watched this awesome video of two talks by President Eyring and Elder Holland called, la obra misional y la expiacion.  It has changed my mission.  Elder Holland talks about how in the mission the atonement will carry the missionaries sometimes more than it will carry the investigators.  Something I never realized about the mission is that it's not easy but it doesn't matter!  I'm here to serve, not be served.  I'm here to give my all in every moment and to help people to come to Christ!  How great is my calling!

Overall a great week that went by much too fast.  I'm so happy to be here in Mazate with my companion.  She is like the same person as me.  So funny. 

me and my comp at zone conference

We are currently teaching the most incredible investigator right now.  He is 72 years old and so.... I don't know how to say it.... suave?  He is amazing.  He came to church for the first time this week and drove there all the way from a far part of our area called Santo Domingo.  It's 8 km away.  Then he volunteered to drive all the members from there home from church every Sunday!   Which is a miracle because that has been such a dispute in the ward trying to figure out who would be bringing those people!  And bam, sent from heaven we have Hermano Mesa!  He wants to get baptized in March.  I feel like I'm not even teaching him, he is teaching US!  I've never met someone so incredibly prepared for the gospel.  It's been such a priveledge being able to work with him!  I'm so excited for the coming month! :) 

Well I'm over time and I gotta run!  I'm sorry I didn't get to email like anyone back!  Running out of time!  Love you all so much.

Learn your duty and do it! 

another picture from our trip to the cascades last week from Elder Yergensen

love love love,

hermana moore! 

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES

Sooooooooooo, hola from MAZATENANGO!  Yep, I am no longer cold, now I'm just sweating my brains out in the coast again!  Bug bites, ants, and sweat stains, welcome back to my life. 

Basically there is this sad and wonderful opportunity in the mission known as emergency changes. What that means is that your zone leaders call you at 10 pm after you set a baptismal date with a family and tell you to pack your stuff because your leaving your favorite area and companion tomorrow, at 6 am. 

Yeah. but I'm not bitter. 

No actually being serious I am so grateful for the amazing 4 weeks I had in San Marcos. It changed my mission. I will always look back on that time and smile.  But it's onwards and upwards now. Now I am in Las Flores, Maztenango (otherwise known as mazate or mashahtay) in the departmento of Suchitepequez. 

I am in the coast in an area that is bigger than my last zone.  Seriously this area goes all the way to the beach, like a four plus hour bus ride to get to the end.  It's HUGE.  I'm in the area with 3 elders and my comp, and they are bringing in more elders to our area soon.  We are in a huge developing ward that has so much life in it!  For the first time in my mission, I'm not in the city!  I am in the boonies!  Ha seriously everyday we walk through a cane field and a cemetery to get to a part of our area. it's pretty exciting! :)  

the day this man died, i was born!  What a special connection ;)  hahahaha

And my companion,  I am TRAINING!  Well finishing the training of my hija, Hermana Cadavieco!  She is a brunette bombshell from Palmdale California.  I adore her!  She is a firecracker so I just spend most of the time cracking up!  We both want to work really hard so I'm just excited.

Really I am so grateful for this opportunity to have had changes. Someone told me that there is no comfort in the growth zone and no growth in the comfort zone.  I'm DEFINITELY in the growth zone again.  How incredible is it that the Lord loves me enough to challenge me?  Truly I have nothing to be sad about.  I am living the dream, just now I'm living it in Mazate :) 

So this whole week I've been dousing myself in bug spray and spending all my money on tuk tuks! Yep, this area has tuk tuks!  It's pretty fun. but its 10 quetz every ride, so I'm basically broke. if you guys want to start an Erica´s tuk tuk fund, that would make my year. :)

This week we traveled a ton because we are working in a huge town that is not in Mazate but is in my area.  It's called Santo Domingo and it's 8 km from my house.   Everyday we get on a bus and ride down there and work our butts off, we talk to everyone that smiles at us and we teach all day long!  I feel kind of like I'm opening an area because my comp didn't really know much about the area, she's a new missionary I don't blame her, so we are trying new things and just working really hard.  The elders in our ward are having a ton of baptisms right now so we are.,.. supporting them?  Haha, no I'm not worried, I know that I am being a successful missionary as long as I am happy and serving others. :) 

Remember when I swore off pan?  If you didn't know that then now you do, I stopped eating pan because I was getting a little tubby, but then my comp is like hey I'm gonna buy you pan all the time so uh.... we started working out.  You are all probably sick of hearing me say that time and time again but yes, I've gotten back on the horse and we are gonna work out! :) 

dirty feet.  Sweat and dust turns into muddy, nasty feet!

(Editor's note:  I'm scheduling a pedicure the day she gets back, yikes!)

This week we received a reference of this 15 year old girl, come to find out she is the oldest taking care of her 4 younger siblings because her parents went to the United States 3 years ago.  It's one of the saddest things I've ever seen.  It breaks my heart to see all these families separated just because they all want to go to the states.  Can I just tell you all to appreciate your country?  It doesn't matter who is in charge, we live in an amazing place and so many people only dream of going there, others leave their 5 kids and go... but really, appreciate it.  It's a big blessing.   Anyway we are teaching them and they just have so much faith it is so inspiring! 

Can I just tell you how fun and worthwhile it is to train ?  My daughter is the best.- she is so full of cool good ideas and wants to work so hard!  She told me, we are going to talk to every person that smiles at us when we say buenos tardes.  So we did it!   We met so many people, a few menos activos that have been waiting for an invitation to go back to church, a man that was disappointed when the missionaries didn't pass by to bring him to church, and so many more!  I love her! and I love being her half or quarter mom, since she doesn't have that much of her training left.  She calls me her hot, young, cool, half mom.  Ha, she's a riot.  She's actually older than me by a month but she's awesome!

Today we went to a waterfall!  It was by far the prettiest waterfall I've ever seen. I felt like I was in Hawaii!  I'm just so blessed to be here! :) 

Well I'm off now, sorry there wasn't much this week, basically it was a lot of contacting and sitting on buses this week.  But know that I'm working really hard and praying even harder.

Something my comp told me this week,  "When life gets hard get on your knees to pray, then get on your feet and WORK".

I'm off to Taco Bell, I love Mazate because it's so developed!  Burger King, Taco Bell, Subway, paiz! Hallelujah! :)

love love love,

hermana moore

p.s. biggest blessing of this new area, my house has a couch.  A COUCH!!!!!!!!! tender mercies. :)

Misionando!

the hermanas de las montanas!

HOLA HOLA!   Another week of miracles here in San Marcos! 

First off, to explain the title, we were teaching someone this week and I asked her, why do you think we are here right now?  What do you think we are doing as missionaries?  And she answered: misionando? ha!  People here make up words all the time.  I've heard, evangelizando, predincando (which is actually a word) but my favorite is misionando!  That literally means missionary-ing.  So yeah I'm just doing my thing missionarying here.  And I'm loving it!

Me in front of the namesake for our ward, the Palacio Maya :) It's so cool!

So this week was incredible, calm after the storm they say?  We were just flooded with blessings this week!  This week we had a few area attacks, where you all go to an area and contact to help the other missionaries, and we didn't really want to go, but we did and the Lord blessed us!  On Tuesday we met this sweet girl who is going on her mission to Costa Rica in April!  She isn't working or studying so she was like hey can I go to citas with you everyday?  Um, heck yeah you can!  It has been so fun teaching her!  She is incredible!  We told her when we were going to our first cita that she would be doing all the baptismal challenges, which is exactly what our mom told us- hard love right?- and she was incredible! Challenging everyone to baptism!  Best part, her name is ERICKA!  Basically she is my soul sister! Cutest girl ever!  She will be an incredible missionary!

Speaking of teaching things, I'm teaching my companion English.  It's a riot.  She is awesome but sometimes we have some hilarious word switching going on.  Like when I taught her head lights and she can only say head lice?  Ha, I adore her!  The same with some expressions.  I taught her a few, like "are you kidding me?" and "you're killing me!"  But she has combined them together into, "are you killing me??" HA!!  I'm trying to explain the difference but eh... it not working.  One thing we do have down is "lets cross!"  That's for every time we cross the street!  She's cute.  Have I mentioned that I love my companion yet?? I LOVE MY COMPANION!!!!!!!

Other thing I taught this week: cinnamon rolls!  Yeah!  My comp was sick so I was with  hermana Betancourth and we taught all the ladies in Sociedad de Socorro how to make my fave thing ever!  It was so fun!  We have some professional bread makers in that group too, so they insisted on kneading the masa for like 30 minutes!  Hilarious!  These women are tough and so strong!  I was like what in the world, this is kneading! more like murdering!  But it was so good!

It was awesome because we had an investigator there so to use all the time we watched the movie the Testaments while the masa was rising.  It was incredible!  Our investigator felt the spirit so strongly!  Then after everyone left we had a mini lesson with her and it was just incredible!  I love finding people that are so prepared!

So Hermana Betancourth and Hermana Morris (my mom!) came to visit us for 4 days this week!  They are the hermana lideres in the mission so they come and do divisions with us!  It was so fun!  We really learned a lot about challenging people to baptsim and being more effective in our lessons.  Basically now we challenge every body to baptism when we contact them and challenge them with a  a baptismal date before we leave!  It's nuts!  But it helps us find those who are truly prepared!

Our mom, Hermana Morris

the six of us this week.  We love it when the hermana lideres come to visit!

We went to help out the elders this week with an investigator to help her have more confidence or trust in the missionaries.  We went and taught her how to make these french toast sandwiches that we learned how to make on Monday!  So fun!  But I wasn't expecting to be cooking over a fire.  So that was new.  And I definitely know the the Lord blesses his missionaries because that place was anything but sanitary, cats were being born under the stove!  But I survived and now she's getting baptized!  Yay for working together in the ward!   We went to their area and its this place called Piedra Grande, or big rock.  It's way the monkey up the mountain, my calves can testify to that!  Such a hike!  We now know why its called piedra grande!  There are HUGE rocks everywhere!  They are from a volcano that exploded forever ago and it threw big boulders everywhere.  It was so beauitful!  We could see all of San Marcos.  Such a beautiful place. I live in the most beautiful place in the world!

Today we went to a Quetzal reservation and it's where the national bird of Guatemala , the Quetzal, can live in peace. :)  It was kinda the coolest thing ever because people told me when I got to the mission that I would never see one because they're all in the north but HA!  I saw one! It's so beautiful!  

(editor's note: she said she sent a picture of the bird but it was a duplicate of a picture of her and her companion.  Hopefully we'll get it next week.)

There were waterfalls and bridges and beautiful views and pure water to drink!  Then the hermanas and I went to a fancy restaurant in a hotel because we are sick of janky street food!  I love good food.  That will never change! :)

Drinking water from a stream. Pray I don't die!  No, they say it's pure.  Let's hope at least!

Waterfall!

yummmmmmmy

I have been reading from the Book of Mormon a lot lately.  Every time I need comfort or am having a hard time I just open that book.  I've got a pocket sized one in English, and I just start to read.  It always brings me such comfort.  Last night I read 3 nefi 18:21.  It's exactly what I needed!  The other day, 2 nefi 31:10.  I just love this!  If people really want to follow Jesus Christ, like everyone and their mom says here, they need to follow the commandments!  So I just thought, hey all you people here,  I'm not making this up!  You have to be obedient! 

Fast Sundays in any ward are beautiful, but I think yesterday was one of my favorite fast Sundays ever. The highlight was when a 3 year old girl went up and said, "I love Jesus because I can get married in the temple and have eternal life!"  Amen to that sister! :)

Really I have been incredibly blessed this week. The members have really stepped it up.  We had more lessons that I have ever had with members before!  We had quadruple the amount of lessons with members than without!  I'd like to call that hastening the work of salvation.  I've just felt so happy lately.  Something my district leader said really explains it well, something like, "Keep walking on sunshine Hermana Moore."  Gladly. :)

I recieved an amazing package from home this week! THANK YOU! I NEEDED those tights so badly!  Now I'm not gonna die!  The scarves are beautiful!  A cold front has moved in and I'm basically dying, but less so with the amazing scarves and tights and sweaters, thank you mommy!  It smelled like the house, (baggy moment!).

My lucky penny!  I found a centavo in the street! First time I've ever seen one, they don't make them anymore because they'e worth nothing.  But I was so happy. Lucky!

Oh and I would just like to take a moment to freak the heck out that 

MY BROTHER IS ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I couldn't be happier for him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh my gosh!  Tim and Katie,  I'm so pumped for your wedding!  You'll be able to feel my excitement from Guatemala! :) Such a cute couple! 

Love you two! :)

Alright.  Well I'd better go!  But I love you all!  Choose to be happy this week!  No matter what situation we are in, it's up to us to decide how we react!  Choose HAPPINESS! :)

love love love,

hermana moore