Tuesday, November 25, 2014

¡Soy Muy Bendecida!

Hola Familia!!

Hi how are you?? I miss you all like crazy and hope you are all getting settled for the holiday season. It sure doesn´t feel like the holiday season here!! I´ve been sweating like crazy!! So I don´t know if you´ve seen on the news but Villahermosa had really bad flooding this last week. It rained really hard for a straight 24 hours. A lot of houses were full of water up to the second floor, it was INSANE!!! Luckily we are in one of the highest areas of Villahermosa and our area didn´t flood at all. But some other areas were really bad. Some people are still homeless and have lost the little amount of things they had. Its so sad to see these people suffer. Keep Villahermosa in your prayers. On a crazy note. We live by the laguna in Villa and it rose huge!!! It was overflowing everywhere. And the CROCODILES left the laguna and were just chilling out in the streets and in the park!!! It scared me SO bad. I was just walking down the street looking at the water up to my mid calfes and my companion yells at me and there was a huge crocodile just hanging out on this bridge by the laguna...I almost died! These reptiles just never leave me alone!! So scary!!

So as Thanksgiving is this week I thought I would share a few things I have become very grateful for while being here in Mexico.

Temporal things:
1. Air Conditioning...no one has it.
2. Hot Water...again, no one has it.
3. Road Laws...no one has it...it is a death trap in the streets!
4. Garbage Men...thank you to all men who have that job, it is a stinky world without you!

Spiritual Things(the things that matter)
1. The Atonement of my Savior. I have never known my Savior more than I do now. I have never known of the one who is mighty to save. Both physically and spiritually. I have never felt so much strength nor so much love. I still don´t understand it perfectly, but I know understand of its importance in my life!
2.Having the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I have never felt the influence of the spirit as I have in my mission. It guides and directs me each and everyday and it is the one who brings success on the mission. This last week I saw the power that the Holy Ghost can have on the hearts of men. This last week, I saw a once Atheist say his first prayer. The spirit has never been stronger and I have never felt my soul so full of its happiness. It brought a tears to my eyes as I heard him plead that he may receive an answer so that he may have his family for eternity and as he put his trust in the Lord and asked for the strength to accept our message. It was a day I will never forget. The spirit is real and it softens hearts and people.
3.My family. I have seen the best and worst in the mission. I know they say that love grows fonder with distance, but I have never felt such a connection with my family. I love each and everyone of you and am so happy for all that you do for me. For your support and words of encouragement that come at the exact time that I need it. I love you all so much!
4.The knowledge I have. I have never known with more surety that this gospel is true. That we have the only truth upon the earth. That Joseph Smith is and was a Prophet called of God and that he has restored the truth in its fullness. I know that we have the evidence of the Restoration through the BOM and we can come to know our Savior in greater depth through the words which it contains. I have never been so at peace. I love this gospel.

The list could go on and on, I can´t believe I was so ungrateful before. Don´t take for granted all that you are blessed with both temporally and spiritually. I invite you this week to say a prayer, but in this prayer don´t ask for anything. Just thank the Lord for all that he has given you and I promise you, your eyes will be opened to a new kind of love. One that it is desirable above all things!

I love you all and hope you have a great Thanksgiving! Eat lots and enjoy the company! Stay strong and keep the faith! I´m so thankful for each and everyone of you.

with all my love,
Hermana Pasley

Monday, November 17, 2014

Hi!

Hi Everyone,

I´m so sorry but I don´t have any time to write! We went to La Venta (the museum with the Olmec heads) today and it took a lot of time out of the day! It was so awesome! One of the members took us there today and they were telling us that they believe that the Olmecs are possibly the Jaredites!!! How cool is that??? I literally live in BOM land! The BOM just becomes more and more true with every minute I´m on my mission. I have so many cool experiences to tell you, but they´re just going to have to wait until next week! Know that I love you all and pray for you each and every day. I hope you had a good birthday mom! Know I love you so much :) Stay strong and keep the faith!

Hermana Pasley

P.S. I did hold a snake and it almost killed me. That is a smile of pure fear. I didn´t know if I should laugh or cry, by the end it turned into hysterical laughter...never again!! I HATE SNAKES!!! But its cool to say I´ve held a snake!

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Lights, Camera...Action!

Dearest Family,

How are ya all?? I sure do miss you guys so much!! But first and foremost I have to say...ESTOS SON LAS MAÑANITAS QUE CANTABA EL REY DAVID, HOY POR SER SU CUMPLIAÑOS DE LAS CANTAMOS A TI. ¡DESPIERTA MAMÁ DESPIERTA MAMÁ! FELICIDADES MOM, TE AMO MUCHO!! I hope you have a great birthday and you get a day to actually rest from everything you do! Thank you so much for being the best Mom in the whole wide world and the best example I have in my life of what a woman in the gospel should be like! You´re perfect and I can´t even begin to tell you how much I love you :) ¡Disfruta su dia!

Well there's not a lot going on in the front lines of Villahermosa. Its finally started to cool down at night and at about 3 I wake up and have to actually pull the sheet over me...geez lets hope I don´t freeze down here! The work is moving along slowly but surely. It´s kind of frustrating at times and easy to get down on yourself when you don´t see results. I have felt the power of self doubt play its role on me this week. Making me question my abilities as a missionary and teacher. Wondering why can´t I just be good enough to make these people feel. But this week I have also felt the power of the Atonement play a role in the last week. There were times where it would have been easier to just stop and give up on these people, but then I felt almost as if my head was being lifted for me. Making me see the difference we were having on these people.

As I was thinking about the Atonement, I realized at this moment in the mission I´m the "shining star" that everyone can see. I seem to be in the spot light at all times. But what people don´t see is that I´m comletely reliant on my co-stars, the light crew and techies, the makeup and hair crew, and all of my sponsors. Christ seems to really be the one that is singing behind the curtain, the director who maps out my every move. He´s the one I rely upon and he puts all of my crew members around me to lift me up, to make me a better missionary, make me shine. I have scenes that are better than others, but by the end of the play, I seem to finally hear the applause. I finally hear the shouts of praise. He makes me the star. I owe him everything, everything. My heart, my might, my mind and strength. I know if I do that, I can become a star, not for the glory of men, but for my Heavenly Father who got me this job. I am coming to rely upon my Savior more than I ever have before and he is lifting me higher than ever as well. I know that if we give our life to our savior we will get it back, but in tenfold! I know my Savior lives!

I love you all so much! Mom, seriously on Saturday, please sit down and let them take care of you for once! I love you more than I can write! Stay strong and keep the faith!


Hermana Pasley

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Jesus Christ Lives!!

Hi Family!!

Happy Late Halloween!! I hope it was great and you all had a great week and ate lots of candy!! We couldn´t find a pumpkin so we carved a papaya...Happy Halloween!! Halloween is definately different here, but it was still a pretty cool experience!

So to give you some background. They don´t really celebrate Halloween here in Mexico. They celebrate...well I should say the Catholics celebrate Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) On Nov 1 is when they commemorate the kids and on Nov 2 is when they commemorate (spelling?) all of the adults who have passed away. To be honest it is kind of a weird tradition. They believe that their spirits come back for just that night. So they set up their alters and put out their favorite foods, which is normally beer and tamales...classic, believing that their spirits will come and enjoy the smell of the food. They say all their prayers and what not to help them find peace and that they can be forgiven. Its kind of weird, but we its a great day to go to the huge cemeteries and contact people. We are so blessed to have the knowledge we have.

I came into contact with so many people who had no idea where their loved ones are. They believed they are lost spirits wandering. But how glad I was to be able to tell them exactly where their family members are and that they are far from lost. How glad I am to have had this knowledge my whole life. It hit me hardest when Grandad died. I remember the first time I saw him in the ICU I couldn´t stop crying. But with time, my soul was filled with peace and when he passed away I knew that he was in a special place surrounded by dear family and friends who love him. I don´t know how people live without this gospel. I really don´t. It was such a blessing to be able to bear my testimony to the heart broken, that their Father in Heaven loves them so much, that he has a perfect plan for us. They need not mourn the loss of their loved ones, for they will live. We all will live. Because Jesus Christ lives. I don´t think my testimony has ever been stronger about the Plan of Salvation. How grateful I am for this perfect plan.

I encourage all of you to study out this plan in minds and then ask God if it really is his plan for you. This knowledge can help you through many trials in this life. Today as we went to lunch, they told us a lady in our ward died suddenly this morning. She fell in the bathroom and when her mom went to check on her, she found her daughter had died. The part that broke my heart the most is that she is a single mom and her only son just left on his mission a month ago. My heart broke when she told me that sister had died. Her poor son. But her family has hardly shed a tear. When we asked them how they could be so strong, she just looked at us with a smile and said because the knows that Jesus Christ lives. That hit me hard. How glad I am to know that my Redeemer lives. He has broken the bands of death and through him we will live again. I know that Jesus Christ lives. How thankful I am for that.

I love you all so much and hope you all have a great week!! I pray for you all each and everyday. Stay strong and keep the faith.

Hermana Pasley