Family!!
Can you believe it is already Monday?? Time is seriously flying by on the mission! And this week has been SO much easier!! Yes, I still can´t really speak Spanish but I know that it will come! I ´m finally starting to adapt to the culture. Their culture is not the cleanest and I like clean, but I think Heavenly Father has blessed me to not be very OCD here, because there is garbage everywhere! But I´m starting to see the beauty on this island!
My week has been much easier, because I have looked deep into my heart and found my faith! I need to believe that all of this will work out! I need to have faith that I will learn Spanish, I need to have faith that my simple testimony and truths I can bear will help these people. So I have prayed long and hard this week to find my faith and put it to action. The morning I sat down and decided to have faith, it became easier, and everyday I decide to have faith, that day seems to be just a little bit easier! Because I have had faith, I am able to open my mouth more and speak with the people and Heavenly Father has blessed me with people who have been patient enough to listen to me. I don´t think those people realize what a blessing they were to me. Our ward is so awesome and show so much love towards me, and I am so thankful for each and every one of them! Through my faith, I have been able to participate more in lessons and actually semi understand what they are saying. Every day it slowly becomes easier to forget myself and work for Heavenly Father´s investigators. I am developing a love for these people that gives me motivation to wake up every morning and get to work. I have learned that if we just put our trust in the Lord, it will all work out! As long as I do everything I can, the Lord will make up the rest. How grateful I am for the Atonement this week, for the hope and belief it gives my heart every day! Without Christ we are truly nothing. I have never felt so humbled until I served a mission. When I try to rely on my own skills, I fail so badly!! But when I rely on the Lord, it all seems to work out. When I say the things that come to my mind in a lesson and not worry about the Spanish, it somehow seems to make sense to whoever we´re teaching and the spirit testifies of what I bore witness to. We have some very promising investigators, and they are my motivation to keep the faith. So I ask all of you to look deep inside your heart and find your faith, find something that is holding you back from coming unto Christ and find the faith to let go. Let go of what you think you need and put your faith in Christ! I leave you with a scripture from D&C 90:24:
Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and call things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another.
I pray you all feel Heavenly Father´s love for you everyday and you can all find the faith to believe that it will all work out! I love you all and pray for you everyday!!
Hermana Pasley
Friday, February 28, 2014
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Glory in Tribulation
¡Hola Familia y Amigos!
How are we all? How is America?? Everyday it becomes just a little bit easier to cope with. Yes it´s so darn hot here, yes it´s hard to communicate, yet I can´t think of being anywhere else. Everytime I get discouraged or frustrated, I know I can always turn to a loving Heavenly Father who is never far away from me. So know I am very happy and loving my mission!! I know that through hardships and trials is when we truly find who we are and what we need to do. The mission is doing exactly that! I am finding myself in Christ and it´s the happiest I´ve ever been!
So I have an adventure to share! Me and Hna. Aguirre met this couple (Ana y Yeremi) that sells DELICOUS tamales on the corner by our house and they are GOLDEN!! They are the sweetest most humble people I´ve ever met! Anyways, we offered to help them make their tamales one morning (they start making their tamales at 6 in the morning and finish at around 4 in the afternoon) to help make their work go a little bit faster. As we showed up to their house, it was so sad! Their house was a whole bunch of piled cinder block bricks covered in metal sheeting. There were a million mosquitoes everywhere and like 10 malnourished chickens running loose! But we got right to work, I ground the grain to make the breaded part and kneaded the dough and it was so so so HARD!! I was working up a sweat! So as we´re working we´re sharing bits and pieces of the gospel about families. Ana y Yeremi live with 8 other people in their tiny little house, but family is what they care about most. As we´re talking the grandma comes up and asked if I wanted to try the liver of the chicken, ha good thing I took anatomy...I could spot that liver a mile away! Luckily there was another choice of something that looked much better than a liver. So I said I was would try "that something else"...well that something else was called a chacha...come to find out, I ate the chicken colon pretty much!!!! How gross, it actually was pretty good, but after my companion told me what it really was, my stomach was churning all day long! But needless to say, I´d do it again if thats what it takes to bring Ana y Yeremi to baptism! I love those two so much, I don´t really understand much of what they´re saying, but I can feel it and that´s all I need for now! So word to the wise, you can live this life and be perfectly happy without ever eating a chicken chacha!!
I have been having many advetures and many experiences I know I won´t forget, some good and some bad. But I have had my testimony strengthened as I have prayed to Heavenly Father and received strength! I have found great strength in D&C 127:
1 Forasmuch as the Lord has revealed unto me that my enemies, both in Missouri and this State, were again in the pursuit of me; and inasmuch as they pursue me without a acause, and have not the least shadow or coloring of justice or right on their side in the getting up of their prosecutions against me; and inasmuch as their pretensions are all founded in falsehood of the blackest dye, I have thought it expedient and wisdom in me to leave the place for a short season, for my own safety and the safety of this people. I would say to all those with whom I have business, that I have left my baffairs with agents and clerks who will transact all business in a prompt and proper manner, and will see that all my debts are canceled in due time, by turning out property, or otherwise, as the case may require, or as the circumstances may admit of. When I learn that the storm is fully blown over, then I will return to you again.
2 And as for the aperils which I am called to pass through, they seem but a small thing to me, as the benvy and wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my life; and for what cause it seems mysterious, unless I was cordained from before the foundation of the world for some good end, or bad, as you may choose to call it. Judge ye for yourselves. God dknoweth all these things, whether it be good or bad. But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a second nature to me; and I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation; for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth; for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it.
3 Let all the saints rejoice, therefore, and be exceedingly glad; for Israel’s God is their God, and he will mete out a just recompense of breward upon the heads of all their oppressors.
4 And again, verily thus saith the Lord: Let the work of my atemple, and all the works which I have appointed unto you, be continued on and not cease; and let your bdiligence, and your perseverance, and patience, and your works be redoubled, and you shall in nowise lose your reward, saith the Lord of Hosts. And if they persecute you, so persecuted they the prophets and righteous men that were before you. For all this there is a reward in heaven.
After everything our prophet Joseph Smith went through, he still could glory in tribulation! So that has been my goal this week and I have seen many blessing because of it. The days that I truly try to be happy and positive about myself, are the days I can get the gist of what people are saying and my spanish seems to be just a little bit better. I have felt the spirit prompt me countless times in a lesson when I have no clue what to say, but my mouth is filled with words to say. Little by little, day by day, the spanish is becoming just a little bit easier. The way of life here is becoming little by little, day by day, just a little bit more enjoyable! There are ups and downs, but isn´t that life? We don´t become better by staying in our comfort zone, we must travel out of our comfort zone to find growth and empowerment! So I encourage all of you this week to do something outside of your comfort zone, do something that will make you stretch, go talk to someone about the gospel. *hint* It doesn´t have to be a formal lesson, just share what you feel that person needs to hear! I promise you´ll feel the strength of the Lord on your side! Through your trials, the Savior is with you every step of the way. He´s walked your path, trust him and glory in your tribulation, becausee your reward will be great! I hope we all can find this mentality in everything we do! I love you all and pray for you all everyday! xoxo
Hermana Pasley
How are we all? How is America?? Everyday it becomes just a little bit easier to cope with. Yes it´s so darn hot here, yes it´s hard to communicate, yet I can´t think of being anywhere else. Everytime I get discouraged or frustrated, I know I can always turn to a loving Heavenly Father who is never far away from me. So know I am very happy and loving my mission!! I know that through hardships and trials is when we truly find who we are and what we need to do. The mission is doing exactly that! I am finding myself in Christ and it´s the happiest I´ve ever been!
So I have an adventure to share! Me and Hna. Aguirre met this couple (Ana y Yeremi) that sells DELICOUS tamales on the corner by our house and they are GOLDEN!! They are the sweetest most humble people I´ve ever met! Anyways, we offered to help them make their tamales one morning (they start making their tamales at 6 in the morning and finish at around 4 in the afternoon) to help make their work go a little bit faster. As we showed up to their house, it was so sad! Their house was a whole bunch of piled cinder block bricks covered in metal sheeting. There were a million mosquitoes everywhere and like 10 malnourished chickens running loose! But we got right to work, I ground the grain to make the breaded part and kneaded the dough and it was so so so HARD!! I was working up a sweat! So as we´re working we´re sharing bits and pieces of the gospel about families. Ana y Yeremi live with 8 other people in their tiny little house, but family is what they care about most. As we´re talking the grandma comes up and asked if I wanted to try the liver of the chicken, ha good thing I took anatomy...I could spot that liver a mile away! Luckily there was another choice of something that looked much better than a liver. So I said I was would try "that something else"...well that something else was called a chacha...come to find out, I ate the chicken colon pretty much!!!! How gross, it actually was pretty good, but after my companion told me what it really was, my stomach was churning all day long! But needless to say, I´d do it again if thats what it takes to bring Ana y Yeremi to baptism! I love those two so much, I don´t really understand much of what they´re saying, but I can feel it and that´s all I need for now! So word to the wise, you can live this life and be perfectly happy without ever eating a chicken chacha!!
I have been having many advetures and many experiences I know I won´t forget, some good and some bad. But I have had my testimony strengthened as I have prayed to Heavenly Father and received strength! I have found great strength in D&C 127:
1 Forasmuch as the Lord has revealed unto me that my enemies, both in Missouri and this State, were again in the pursuit of me; and inasmuch as they pursue me without a acause, and have not the least shadow or coloring of justice or right on their side in the getting up of their prosecutions against me; and inasmuch as their pretensions are all founded in falsehood of the blackest dye, I have thought it expedient and wisdom in me to leave the place for a short season, for my own safety and the safety of this people. I would say to all those with whom I have business, that I have left my baffairs with agents and clerks who will transact all business in a prompt and proper manner, and will see that all my debts are canceled in due time, by turning out property, or otherwise, as the case may require, or as the circumstances may admit of. When I learn that the storm is fully blown over, then I will return to you again.
2 And as for the aperils which I am called to pass through, they seem but a small thing to me, as the benvy and wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my life; and for what cause it seems mysterious, unless I was cordained from before the foundation of the world for some good end, or bad, as you may choose to call it. Judge ye for yourselves. God dknoweth all these things, whether it be good or bad. But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a second nature to me; and I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation; for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth; for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it.
3 Let all the saints rejoice, therefore, and be exceedingly glad; for Israel’s God is their God, and he will mete out a just recompense of breward upon the heads of all their oppressors.
4 And again, verily thus saith the Lord: Let the work of my atemple, and all the works which I have appointed unto you, be continued on and not cease; and let your bdiligence, and your perseverance, and patience, and your works be redoubled, and you shall in nowise lose your reward, saith the Lord of Hosts. And if they persecute you, so persecuted they the prophets and righteous men that were before you. For all this there is a reward in heaven.
After everything our prophet Joseph Smith went through, he still could glory in tribulation! So that has been my goal this week and I have seen many blessing because of it. The days that I truly try to be happy and positive about myself, are the days I can get the gist of what people are saying and my spanish seems to be just a little bit better. I have felt the spirit prompt me countless times in a lesson when I have no clue what to say, but my mouth is filled with words to say. Little by little, day by day, the spanish is becoming just a little bit easier. The way of life here is becoming little by little, day by day, just a little bit more enjoyable! There are ups and downs, but isn´t that life? We don´t become better by staying in our comfort zone, we must travel out of our comfort zone to find growth and empowerment! So I encourage all of you this week to do something outside of your comfort zone, do something that will make you stretch, go talk to someone about the gospel. *hint* It doesn´t have to be a formal lesson, just share what you feel that person needs to hear! I promise you´ll feel the strength of the Lord on your side! Through your trials, the Savior is with you every step of the way. He´s walked your path, trust him and glory in your tribulation, becausee your reward will be great! I hope we all can find this mentality in everything we do! I love you all and pray for you all everyday! xoxo
Hermana Pasley
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Hola From Mexico!
Hola from Mexico!!
Okay, well Mexico is way different than the United States, but I´m so excited to start my adventure! When I got off the plane I new how the Elder felt when he said, "Elder, thats not the language I learned in the MTC!" Man, I can´t understand a thing!! Ha its really hard honestly and really frustrating, but I know I am being blessed with the gift of tongues because everyday it becomes just a teeny tiny bit easier to understand and be understood. So we arrived in Villahermosa late Monday night and then Tuesday morning we went to the mission office and wrote a letter to our trainer, but we didn´t know who our trainer is...so I was a little confused. Come to find out we have a devotional where we read our letter to the group of trainers and the trainers pick the missionary they want to train...pressure say what?? But my trainers name is Hermana Aguirre, and she is seriously THE BEST trainer in the whole world! She has only been out for 4 1/2 months but she´s solid! She´s a native from Tijuana Mexico and speaks next to no english, but it´s good because my spanish needs a lot of help! She is so patient and so willing to help me with anything! I feel bad because I feel like she does everything, it´s probably like she has a 3 year old child, but she is still so kind to me! We actually are really similar, from the few things I can talk with her about, we have come to find we have many of the same interests and goals in life! AND we got transfered to the Ciudad de Carmen! It´s the only island in our mission. It´s beautiful in its own way, but it´s definitley not paradise! Ha Mexico is VERY dirty...there is garbage everywhere which is taking a lot to get use to and there are a MILLION dogs on the street. It´s very hot and the sun is super powerful, I´ve managed to already fry my neck and face, but I hope my skin will be able to adjust. We live in an area called the Reforma. Its full of very very poor people and very wealthy people. Of course we live in a poor area, but I always feel safe and protected! There are definitely a lot of borrachos walking around, but they´re actually pretty funny to talk to cause they just mumble and stumble along! I get a lot of stares and whistles...that makes me a little uncomfortable, but that´s just their culture. I constantly get cat called and check out but its only because I´m white, cause that definitely didn´t happen in the states!! But the scariest part that I´ve had to adjust to is the streets. They are SO scary!! There are no lanes painted on the street, no laws at all it seems. We ride in these little volkswagon vans and they are so scary and we´re flying across seats as the driver swerves in and out of traffic, but this is life in Mexico! The showers are freezing and a salamander lives in our shower, so me and him just stare at each other daring each other to move as I shower...ha I´m having to overcome my fear of insects and reptiles really fast!! Ha its taking a lot of adjusting and it definitly is pretty hard, but I´m positive it will be a good experience and I will see a lot of miracles here!
I want to share one experience we had Friday. We went to a the Zavala Family´s house to visit them and we asked them for referals. When we asked, there little 6 year old daughter Caren stood up put on her shoes and said, I´ll show you where all of my friends live! So she led us from house to house in her neighborhood and we got a few appointments set up, when we thought she was done, she told us she wanted to go to the next neighborhood, but in order to get to the next neighborhood, you have to go past a lot of industry parks and there aren´t any lights, so we tried talking her out of it because the road is pretty dangerous. But she wouldn´t drop it, so we finally gave in and walked to the next neighborhood. As she walked us up the front path of this house me and my companion looked at each other because the spirit was so strong as we approached the door. Little Caren rang the door bell and a man answered the door. As we explained that his friends, the Zavala Family, had refered us to them he looked confused. Come to find our Caren had never met this family in her life, she just chose a house at random and rang their doorbell! But as we talked to him about the Book of Mormon and how the gospel can bless familys the spirit was so strong! Caren then led us to one more house that she had no clue who is was, but as we talked to the lady who lived in the house, the spirit was there as well. Little Caren saved the day!!! That little girl is so amazing and just follows her heart for everything! She is definitley spunky and knows what she wants, but I love her!! The Lord works in mysterious ways and Caren is one of them! I can´t wait until I can finally have a grasp on the language and culture and dig deep into the work that needs to be done in this city. I love you all and I can´t wait to see what adventures Carmen has in store for me! Please pray that I may continue to receive the gift of tongues..I need all the help I can get! Stay strong and keep the faith!!
Con amor,
Hermana Pasley
Okay, well Mexico is way different than the United States, but I´m so excited to start my adventure! When I got off the plane I new how the Elder felt when he said, "Elder, thats not the language I learned in the MTC!" Man, I can´t understand a thing!! Ha its really hard honestly and really frustrating, but I know I am being blessed with the gift of tongues because everyday it becomes just a teeny tiny bit easier to understand and be understood. So we arrived in Villahermosa late Monday night and then Tuesday morning we went to the mission office and wrote a letter to our trainer, but we didn´t know who our trainer is...so I was a little confused. Come to find out we have a devotional where we read our letter to the group of trainers and the trainers pick the missionary they want to train...pressure say what?? But my trainers name is Hermana Aguirre, and she is seriously THE BEST trainer in the whole world! She has only been out for 4 1/2 months but she´s solid! She´s a native from Tijuana Mexico and speaks next to no english, but it´s good because my spanish needs a lot of help! She is so patient and so willing to help me with anything! I feel bad because I feel like she does everything, it´s probably like she has a 3 year old child, but she is still so kind to me! We actually are really similar, from the few things I can talk with her about, we have come to find we have many of the same interests and goals in life! AND we got transfered to the Ciudad de Carmen! It´s the only island in our mission. It´s beautiful in its own way, but it´s definitley not paradise! Ha Mexico is VERY dirty...there is garbage everywhere which is taking a lot to get use to and there are a MILLION dogs on the street. It´s very hot and the sun is super powerful, I´ve managed to already fry my neck and face, but I hope my skin will be able to adjust. We live in an area called the Reforma. Its full of very very poor people and very wealthy people. Of course we live in a poor area, but I always feel safe and protected! There are definitely a lot of borrachos walking around, but they´re actually pretty funny to talk to cause they just mumble and stumble along! I get a lot of stares and whistles...that makes me a little uncomfortable, but that´s just their culture. I constantly get cat called and check out but its only because I´m white, cause that definitely didn´t happen in the states!! But the scariest part that I´ve had to adjust to is the streets. They are SO scary!! There are no lanes painted on the street, no laws at all it seems. We ride in these little volkswagon vans and they are so scary and we´re flying across seats as the driver swerves in and out of traffic, but this is life in Mexico! The showers are freezing and a salamander lives in our shower, so me and him just stare at each other daring each other to move as I shower...ha I´m having to overcome my fear of insects and reptiles really fast!! Ha its taking a lot of adjusting and it definitly is pretty hard, but I´m positive it will be a good experience and I will see a lot of miracles here!
I want to share one experience we had Friday. We went to a the Zavala Family´s house to visit them and we asked them for referals. When we asked, there little 6 year old daughter Caren stood up put on her shoes and said, I´ll show you where all of my friends live! So she led us from house to house in her neighborhood and we got a few appointments set up, when we thought she was done, she told us she wanted to go to the next neighborhood, but in order to get to the next neighborhood, you have to go past a lot of industry parks and there aren´t any lights, so we tried talking her out of it because the road is pretty dangerous. But she wouldn´t drop it, so we finally gave in and walked to the next neighborhood. As she walked us up the front path of this house me and my companion looked at each other because the spirit was so strong as we approached the door. Little Caren rang the door bell and a man answered the door. As we explained that his friends, the Zavala Family, had refered us to them he looked confused. Come to find our Caren had never met this family in her life, she just chose a house at random and rang their doorbell! But as we talked to him about the Book of Mormon and how the gospel can bless familys the spirit was so strong! Caren then led us to one more house that she had no clue who is was, but as we talked to the lady who lived in the house, the spirit was there as well. Little Caren saved the day!!! That little girl is so amazing and just follows her heart for everything! She is definitley spunky and knows what she wants, but I love her!! The Lord works in mysterious ways and Caren is one of them! I can´t wait until I can finally have a grasp on the language and culture and dig deep into the work that needs to be done in this city. I love you all and I can´t wait to see what adventures Carmen has in store for me! Please pray that I may continue to receive the gift of tongues..I need all the help I can get! Stay strong and keep the faith!!
Con amor,
Hermana Pasley
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
This is Home!
Emma left the MTC yesterday and flew to Villahermosa to start her adventure in the mission field. The family got a chance to visit with her on the phone during her layover in Houston before the final leg of her journey. She sounded great! She was full of energy and happiness and excited to get to finally teach the people of Mexico. After her journey she emailed us this morning to report in:
Family!!
I made it to Mexico safe and sound! I am finally home :) After about 13 hours of travel I met my misson president and his family and they are the sweetest people I have ever met! His family is so sweet and accepting and thank the heavens they speak english!!
So I´ve only been here for like 12 hours, but I know I´m going to love it here! It´s super hot and muggy but I totally prefer this over the freezing cold in Provo. So after we got off the plane President Morales took us to go get REAL tacos and horchata and it is so good!! it puts Cafe Rio to shame!! Then we spent the night at the Hermana´s house. They live in a very small humble house, but I loved it. The shower is just a spout from the wall and the water is freezing, but it feels good cause its so hot everywhere. You can´t flush toilet paper, so they just have a garbage can next to the toilet which is kind of gross, but oh well this is my life for next 16 months! I wish I had time to tell you more, but I have to go! I loved being able to finally hear your voices and chat with you! I´m glad everything is well at home! Know I love you all and I hope you have a great week!! Love you :)
con amor,
Hermana Pasley
We are glad she made it safe and sound!
This is a picture of Emma and few of the other Sisters traveling to Villahermosa in the SLC Airport.
Family!!
I made it to Mexico safe and sound! I am finally home :) After about 13 hours of travel I met my misson president and his family and they are the sweetest people I have ever met! His family is so sweet and accepting and thank the heavens they speak english!!
So I´ve only been here for like 12 hours, but I know I´m going to love it here! It´s super hot and muggy but I totally prefer this over the freezing cold in Provo. So after we got off the plane President Morales took us to go get REAL tacos and horchata and it is so good!! it puts Cafe Rio to shame!! Then we spent the night at the Hermana´s house. They live in a very small humble house, but I loved it. The shower is just a spout from the wall and the water is freezing, but it feels good cause its so hot everywhere. You can´t flush toilet paper, so they just have a garbage can next to the toilet which is kind of gross, but oh well this is my life for next 16 months! I wish I had time to tell you more, but I have to go! I loved being able to finally hear your voices and chat with you! I´m glad everything is well at home! Know I love you all and I hope you have a great week!! Love you :)
con amor,
Hermana Pasley
We are glad she made it safe and sound!
Saturday, February 1, 2014
20/20
Hi Family and Friends!!
This is the last letter I will be writing from the MTC...how crazy is this?? Time is starting to FLY by!! I'm so excited to finally get to Villahermosa, nervous because I feel like I don't know very much Spanish still, and sad cause I'll be leaving friends. But these are all temporal feelings and I'm so excited to get out in the field and meet the amazing people of Mexico!! So I'm practicing my Spanish like crazy and am praying that I'll be blessed with the gift of tongues! But I am seriously so excited to go start my adventure!!
As I've been thinking of what to write you guys, I just want to share everything with you, but I can't! I wish that every member could go through the MTC, just the MTC. Because this place is amazing and nothing has built my faith so much! But I really want to share with you what I've learned about love this week! As time has been quickly ticking away, I'm starting to realize that my time is limited with these amazing people I have been able to become friends with. And it makes me SO sad, but I know I'll see them again! But why do I feel so attached to these people that I've known from 1-7 weeks? Love. Pure and simple love. But the love I feel for these people is different than any kind of love I have felt before. Don't worry...I'm not saying I'm in love :) I'm saying that I feel a true kind of love for these people. I feel like the quote from Les Mis is coming alive for me: "To love another person is to see the face of God"
What is this kind of love? As I've been studying this week, I have been trying to study love. Pure and conditional love, the kind of love that Christ possesses. And I think I feel this love because I know these people spiritually. I don't just scrape the surface with them. We discuss doctrine, we help each other feel the spirit, and this love that Christ possesses. I don't just intellectually understand these friends, I understand them with my heart. I feel and experience this love as the spirit speaks to me how to love these people. It is a deep kind of friendship with is so special! As I strive everyday to get to know Christ just a little bit more, he gives me just a little bit more of his sight. He helps me see people through "new" eyes. I am able to see past peoples outward appearance or their bad attitudes. In a devotional the other night, we were told that if we try to love others as Christ does, we will only see people by their willingness to change. How awesome is that? Christ sat and spoke with the sinners. He loves EVERYONE and suffered for us one by one and sees us with a perfect love. Don't you wish you could have that kind of vision? A 20/20 vision of love?? As you come to love your Savior and your faith grows in Christ it motivates us to love, and then act upon that love. When we act, we find ourselves becoming truly converted! As you come to feel God's love, you cannot deny that this gospel is exactly what you want and what you need for this life and for eternity! As I learn to love these people of Mexico, I hope the can see the love God has for them through my love for them. I hope that with my love, the Holy Ghost can testify of the truthfulness of the love that God and our Savior has for them.
So I challenge you all to come to know Christ even better than you already do. To pray to see through the eyes of Christ. To work towards having a 20/20 vision of love. Don't judge someone by their appearance, just talk to them and you never know what will come out of that conversation. Love is a GIFT from God that he gifts to everyone. EVERYONE is capable to love and Christ can make up the difference. So pray to receive this love and then you must act upon this gift in order to realize how much this gift can mean to you others. Remember, everywhere you go, there is someone to love! Look for people to love and you will be blessed!
I love you all so much! Thank you so much for your support and for your prayers! I can literally feel the strength from your prayers! I wish you all the best of luck with whatever you may be doing this week! I LOVE YOU!! xoxo
Con amor,
Hermana Pasley
This is the last letter I will be writing from the MTC...how crazy is this?? Time is starting to FLY by!! I'm so excited to finally get to Villahermosa, nervous because I feel like I don't know very much Spanish still, and sad cause I'll be leaving friends. But these are all temporal feelings and I'm so excited to get out in the field and meet the amazing people of Mexico!! So I'm practicing my Spanish like crazy and am praying that I'll be blessed with the gift of tongues! But I am seriously so excited to go start my adventure!!
As I've been thinking of what to write you guys, I just want to share everything with you, but I can't! I wish that every member could go through the MTC, just the MTC. Because this place is amazing and nothing has built my faith so much! But I really want to share with you what I've learned about love this week! As time has been quickly ticking away, I'm starting to realize that my time is limited with these amazing people I have been able to become friends with. And it makes me SO sad, but I know I'll see them again! But why do I feel so attached to these people that I've known from 1-7 weeks? Love. Pure and simple love. But the love I feel for these people is different than any kind of love I have felt before. Don't worry...I'm not saying I'm in love :) I'm saying that I feel a true kind of love for these people. I feel like the quote from Les Mis is coming alive for me: "To love another person is to see the face of God"
What is this kind of love? As I've been studying this week, I have been trying to study love. Pure and conditional love, the kind of love that Christ possesses. And I think I feel this love because I know these people spiritually. I don't just scrape the surface with them. We discuss doctrine, we help each other feel the spirit, and this love that Christ possesses. I don't just intellectually understand these friends, I understand them with my heart. I feel and experience this love as the spirit speaks to me how to love these people. It is a deep kind of friendship with is so special! As I strive everyday to get to know Christ just a little bit more, he gives me just a little bit more of his sight. He helps me see people through "new" eyes. I am able to see past peoples outward appearance or their bad attitudes. In a devotional the other night, we were told that if we try to love others as Christ does, we will only see people by their willingness to change. How awesome is that? Christ sat and spoke with the sinners. He loves EVERYONE and suffered for us one by one and sees us with a perfect love. Don't you wish you could have that kind of vision? A 20/20 vision of love?? As you come to love your Savior and your faith grows in Christ it motivates us to love, and then act upon that love. When we act, we find ourselves becoming truly converted! As you come to feel God's love, you cannot deny that this gospel is exactly what you want and what you need for this life and for eternity! As I learn to love these people of Mexico, I hope the can see the love God has for them through my love for them. I hope that with my love, the Holy Ghost can testify of the truthfulness of the love that God and our Savior has for them.
So I challenge you all to come to know Christ even better than you already do. To pray to see through the eyes of Christ. To work towards having a 20/20 vision of love. Don't judge someone by their appearance, just talk to them and you never know what will come out of that conversation. Love is a GIFT from God that he gifts to everyone. EVERYONE is capable to love and Christ can make up the difference. So pray to receive this love and then you must act upon this gift in order to realize how much this gift can mean to you others. Remember, everywhere you go, there is someone to love! Look for people to love and you will be blessed!
I love you all so much! Thank you so much for your support and for your prayers! I can literally feel the strength from your prayers! I wish you all the best of luck with whatever you may be doing this week! I LOVE YOU!! xoxo
Con amor,
Hermana Pasley
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