Un Ano en la Mision!!

Hola Familia!

FELIZ NAVIDAD Y ANO NUEVO!

Well this week was pure joy! So first of all the day before Christmas eve we found out that Vicky had a court case go bad and her and her kids had to be out of the house by Sunday. It was so sad because Christmas was right around the corner. I was so grateful then that we were helping them out. We got together with the Silva family and they purchased a bunch of food for them. The next day we went over to Vicky's house for a Christmas dinner. When we got there we had all of there presents and food set up behind our car. We had them all come out to "help us bring in the food". There were speechless and so happy. It was amazing to see there joy. It was such a special day with them and sad at the same time because we were packing at the same time. I know that we were definitely put into there lives though at that specific time to help them through all they're going through. After that we got to spend the night over at our mission president's house! It was super fun and then we had a great Christmas morning over there as well. Thank you everyone for all you sent me I am so blessed with the best family!!! It was so great to Skype, of course the time went so fast but I was so grateful to see you all :)

 I had an experience this week that I will never forget. We were going into an appointment and saw a Hispanic family unloading things from there car. I had the thought to go and help them but we were already running a little behind so we just went on to the appointment. Our investigator wasn't there for the appointment and so we headed back to our car. Luckily the family was still loading things into there apartment. So we walked up and offered our help and of course they said no so we started helping anyways. It was two young boys and when we got to the apartment we talked to the mom and dad for a bit and set up a return appointment. The dad made it very clear to us that he doesn't believe in god. When we went back for our appointment we were able to just be with the mom for a minute. She told us of her frustration how her husband has lead all the kids to not believing in God and how she is even questioning it herself. Her husband not too later walked in (surprised we came back:)) and started asking us tons of questions and trying to prove us wrong or make us look dumb. We kept very cool and spiritual and just bore strong testimony. That was one of the strongest times I have felt the spirit working through me on my mission. After it all he looked us straight in the eyes and said I know there is no God. I have never had anyone look me in the eyes and say that! It was surprising but only helped my sure testimony that there is a God.  After that he got up and left. It was back to just us and the mother and her kids. We talked some more and asked if we could end with a prayer after committing her to pray to know if there was a God. She was reluctant but decided to say the prayer. She hadn't wanted to because she hadn't said a prayer for 11 years. Immediately as she started to pray she was overcome by the spirit and started crying. The spirit filled the whole room. I have never felt like I did then. It felt as if we were with angles and there loved ones on the other side of the veil were there cheering her on. She thanked God for an answer to her prayer to know that he was real. I learned in a very real sense that light always drives out darkness. And the Spirit of God will always win and over power Satan. I felt nothing when the husband was talking but when she started praying it was so strong! That family will forever be blessed because of that humbled mother who received a confirming witness of our Heavenly Father. It also answered my prayers about the love and awareness our Father has for us. He was very aware of exactly what she needed and it is the same for you and I.

This week I hit my year mark! I can not believe I have been out here that long! I couldn't love it anymore though and am so grateful for all of the things I have learned! My comp made it  a really special day. We went to Chevy's because I had been wanting to go forever because they used to have one in Provo and I haven't seen one since. They sang to me for my "1 year birthday" and I got the sweet sombrero. Then later that night we went to a members for dinner and they surprised me with a cake and flowers! I was so happy. They even made me bite it and shoved my face in (tradition)..now I am a true Hispanic. At least I think so!

With the New Year coming in we have such a great oppourtunity to evaluate where we stand what we have accomplished and where we want to go. I encourage you all to prayerfully set some goals and think of how you can accept the invitation to "come unto christ" this year. 

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxox
Hermana Pentelute

Feliz Navidad :)

Hola Familia,

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!

This week we had our huge Christmas Celebration "venid a belen"!! It was so great we had more than 500 people come through. So what we did was like a live nativity. All the members participated and when I say they went full out they went FULL OUT. English and Spanish members and non-members came from all over our stake boundaries. We were the guides. (I dressed up like Mary) It was so fun seeing all the youth and everyone singing and acting out the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. When the tour was finished we went to the chapel and watched a testimony from an apostle and the spirit was very strong. So many people got to know who we are as missionaries and who we are as the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

I love this Christmas season. We were able to get 17 new investigators this week. That is insane! We found so many prepared families. 2 of which came to Venid a Belen :) Yesterday we were knocking in an apartment building and we found a family with 3 little girls and a brand new baby boy. They said they were just barley talking before we knocked on the door about how they were going to celebrate Christmas this year to make it different from all the rest. They used to be catholic and worship Mary and they took all of their old stuff down and refocused themselves in Christ, they wanted to worship in a different way. They just need a little bit of help and direction. So they were very excited to hear our message. We were able to sing some Christmas songs with them and read Christ's birth story form Luke 2. I am so happy I am here because if I wasn't maybe that family would never had found out the real meaning of Christmas..or the true church..haha but its just amazing to be his instrument and I wouldn't rather be anywhere else than here and now. It has helped me so much to come closer to my Savior.

Hermana Hougaard is doing awesome! She is taking the lead and making things happen! I love watching her grow and wow I am learning probably more than she is right now. I am being tested and tried but I am learning and growing and I am grateful for that so I can become who Heavenly Father wants me to be. I also got to go to the temple for the first time on my whole mission! It was a wonderful experience. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in the Lord's house. I encourage you to go often!!

I hope you all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a happy New Year!!! Make sure to remember Christ always-in the words of dad-the gift that keeps on giving. The reason for all. 

xoxox

Hermana Pentelute

Milagro de la Navidad (Gracias Familia:))

Hola Familia! 

Where do I begin? Well to start with the small talk...there is no snow! IT ALL MELTED!! So i am not complaining about putting away the clunker boots and huge chamara. (coat)
Hermana Anahi Castro and Willy are doing wonderfully!! They attended church with us again yesterday and are really feeling the spirit of the Lord enter into their lives. As we taught Willy we found out the change that has been happening in him. Just from going to church and reading in the Book of Mormon his desires to do good are over powering the natural man! We love that! Anahi is still a little worried about being baptized and falling after the baptism but that's the beautiful thing about the atonement is that we can fall and aren't expected to be perfect but we are just expected to keep trying. :)

One miracle this week was teaching and finding a woman named Maricarmen. We contacted her as we were both waiting to get into an apartment building. We didn't have anyone to let us in so luckily she let us in! We were able to teach the Restoration and share he is the gift with her!! She is a mother who wants to be able to answer her children's questions. We were able to explain to her that this is her answer and with the gospel of Jesus Christ in her home, all their questions can be answered.

We had our Christmas Conference and it was so great! We had an awesome lunch and got to watch it's a wonderful life! It was so weird watching a movie but I enjoyed it! We have the best Mission President and Wife. They are very comical haha and loving. I felt the spirit of Christmas! This week we are preparing for an event called "Venid a Belen" We are expecting at least 500 people. We get to be the tour guides and take them through to see the life of Christ acted out by the members along with some other stuff. Everyone dresses from that era. I am so excited, it is a great missionary tool too!

Hermano Edgar is doing good. He's having a tough fight without smoking. He's been really sick and has fallen a couple of times but still going strong!

One of the high lights this week was receiving a letter from my mom. She said that the fam sacrificed most of their Christmas so that we could use the money to give Vicky and her kids a Christmas. I was speechless. Thank you sooooooooooo much I know they will never forget it. Also there is an awesome family in our ward who decided they wanted to get them a tree and decorate and suprise them. So we got their keys and went in and decorated the house for them while they were gone. The manager came up to us and was like what are you doing? We said setting up a tree bringing some christmas joy and he's all like...that doesn't make any sense. HAHAHA we just left and then laughed. It doesn't make sense to be bringing Christmas joy this time of year. 

Well I love you all and hope you can receive the spirit of Christ in your heart. The spirit of service and of giving. He is the reason and we will be filled with that one and most important gift as we share and give it to others. 

Make it a great week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo 
hermana pentelute

Pictures: Last week we went shopping in the city. It was so fun :) and huge!!!!!!!

El Poder de Arrepentimiento

Hola Familia!

Things have been going good out here in Minnesota! This week was a bit of a challenge because I have been pretty sick but we were still able to see lots of miracles and to stay positive!

Last Sunday we saw a man who we had never seen at church before so we went up and said hi. His name is Edgar Martinez! We learned that he was a member but has been inactive for a very long time. He also was on none of our lists so we didn't know him or never stopped by. He decided he wanted to come to church and change his life so he came all on his own. So we set up an appointment with him during the week and in lesson we learned that he has not been keeping the commandments (we'll put it softly). The spirit was very strong and he was brought to a very humble  point. He had tears in his eyes as he read from Alma 36. There is power in what the book of Mormon can teach us. I felt a strong prompting to commit him to stop smoking (he had been smoking cigarettes his biggest vice with the word of wisdom) starting then. I was very nervous because we hadn't even taught the Word of Wisdom and had no clue how to bring it up! So I just prayed in my heart to know what to say and we were able to commit him to stop smoking right then and there. We told him that we would give up sweets if he gave up his smoking...that's SUPER hard for me! But he gave us his last cigarette that he had and hasn't smoked since then. He's been eating our candy we gave to him hahah. It is amazing the power that comes from God the moment we choose to change, repent and get back on the path. We are so excited for this journey he is ready to take!

We also had another miracle this week of finding Anahi. Her sisters are both members of the church. They introduced us to her at church last Sunday as well. When we taught her she immediately opened up to us and told us she needed and wanted to change. She has a lot of pain. (its sad to me to see all the pain in these people's lives from choices they have made. Most of the time if not every time the pain comes from choosing to break one or more of God's commandments. It always starts out small too. Don't get stuck in the trap!) We didn't commit her to a baptismal date because when we were with her she said she was baptized into the church when she was a young girl. So obviously we believed her and told her she didn't have to be baptized she just needs to talk to the bishop. Well we later found out she was baptized into the reformed church....awkward!  She has a friend named willy who she brought with her to church and is very interested. He started reading the Book of Mormon on his own!!! It is so exciting that these people were put into our path they are prepared for the gospel. Anahi has 3 kids and her, willy and her 2 kids all came to church with us this Sunday!

The Rodriguez family was at church this week but Manuel choose not to come. We are still working on him slowly but surely. I had an experience this week I will never forget! So this past week was Jazmin's birthday. She is the now 15 year old daughter of Vicky. Vicky called us this week to thank us for the turkey we brought her and told us that it was jazmins birthday but she didn't have anything for her not even a cake! So we said we would take care of it. We were able to make her the cake that mom sent me for my birthday. We gave her some candy we had some nail polish and a used necklace that was in good shape. That's all she got for her birthday is what we brought with us! We had a great time together and were able to bring some joy. We shared a Christmas message and Jazmin said the last prayer. As she started to pray she started to cry. She was so thankful for us being put in her life and what God is doing for her. It was very tender. I love being able to serve its the best ever. There are so many people in need out here I just wish I could help them all! She was so thrilled with a gift of a used necklace. (that's all we had) It is helping me to be more selfless and have more gratitude to see these people's examples of gratitude.

I encourage you all to discover the gift, embrace the gift and #sharethegift christmas.mormon.org this Christmas season. It really can help and make a difference. Get out of your comfort zone. Out of your comfort zone miracles are waiting!!

I love you all! Have a great week! 

xoxox 

hermana Pentelute

Pictures:
1. Our christmas tree..we had to get creative
2. jazmins bday
3. hna cataneda "curing my illness"
4. taking edgars ciggs 

Mejor Tiempo del Ano!

Hola familia! 

Como estan?! I love the holiday season!! It is filled with such a special peace! So I know you all are wanting to know what happened Thanksgiving day! So first off we woke up early got some stuff done in the house studied and then we went and played futbol! (soccer) with the 2 spanish congregations over here. It was really fun and I even scored a goal :) I love playing sports and using a small portion of my competitive side haha. After that we went and delivered a turkey to Vicky's family but we were wanting to surprise here so we didn't call before. Her building is a lock out so we probably walked around the building for 15 minutes in 5 degrees because she wasn't answering her phone! But finally her little girls came and opened the door. They were very grateful :) After that we got ready to go and cook for a less active/part member family! We cooked mashed potatoes and gravy..which I messed up a little and a nuts about berries salad and rolls! Heidi the wife of Less active member Alex made pasole and it was a very different and humble thanksgiving meal but I have never been more grateful I think before in my life. It was super fun cooking and then after that we went to our second families house the Rodriguez's. I LOVE that family. Angela and Oliver always run up to us and give us hugs screaming HERMANAS!!! Its so cute. Hermana Erika made a pavo-turkey and some other food and it was great we stuffed ourselves again. Then we had tres leches cake for dannies birthday their daughter :) One of the best Thanksgivings by far. I will never forget it!!! Hermana Hougaard and I are trying to keep up our gratitude and each morning first thing we do is we say 10 things we are grateful for. You should all try it at least for a week and seek how much happier you are in the day.

This week we had an amazing lesson with Manuel Rodriguez. The dad of our favorite family. We were able to help him understand his role as a father figure and the support he needs to be giving to his family. They are all members and he is hanging on to things of the world, that temporary happiness. Hermana Erika bore very powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon and they are going to start reading it daily as a family. He is praying about a baptismal date. I want this family to have the blessings of the priesthood so bad!!

Heavenly Father never fails to amaze me with his timing. I sometimes get impatient or want things to happen in my own timing but I continue to learn how explicitly better his timing is. We had an appointment set up with a member coming and everything this week and about 40 minutes before, our investigator canceled. We were pretty disappointed but we kept going with our plan. We talked to this young lady as she was leaving an apartment building. We stayed inside for a few more minutes because we had some calls to make. All of the sudden she walked back in through the back and came up and asked us what we were doing. We started to talk and taught her the restoration! Her name is Takhari and unfortunately we cant teach her cause she speaks English...(yes I am only teaching spanish now and speak it all day everyday dad! :)) but she accepted a baptismal date and is very prepared. The english sisters will teach her. I am so so so excited for her. She said I just felt like I needed to come back in and stop what I was doing. If we wouldn't have been in that building and at our other appointment we wouldn't have found her. I love the tender mercies of the Lord and the opportunity to be an instrument. I am learning I am just the instrument. If I do just that I will help Heavenly Father in his plan. That's what I want!!

One last awesome story. So this morning at 5:30 we went to wash our clothes and a homeless man was sleeping inside. Our laundry soap had frozen so we were buying some there and her offered to give us some of his! So we used it and started talking. We actually were able to teach him about the restoration right then and there at 6:00 am! We were able to give him a gift card for food and hopefully some more joy this Christmas season. If we constantly open our mouth and share what brings us peace God will bless us with more opportunities to bring forth the Gospel. The cool thing is you can all do that too. With the new he is the gift initiative you can all show it to those you love. Never wait to share happiness with others because you never know when you will get the opportunity back.

Well I love you!! I hope you have a great week!!

xoxox
Hermana Pentelute