H
i Everyone!!
SO.....Kate,you are so beautiful!!!!!! I hope you are enjoying being home and I am so glad that you had such a successful mission! Ah I love you so much! And what?? McCall is SO big!!! HA the Clove Family is beautiful as always!! WELCOME HOME SISTER CLOVE!!!
So this week,was a little rough, not filled with a lot of success, which of course is when Satan gets inside of your head and makes you doubt yourself. But do you know what we did?? We kicked Satan in the face and had a baptism this week!!! Yep, you can´t slow the work in Villahermosa!! The baptism made all of the bad fade away and we were able to see SUCH an amazing boy part the mist that had settled around me and my companion and had clouded our vision. Fernando is 16 and a powerhouse. The only member in his immediate family and he´s already talked his whole family into taking the lessons and coming to church. Yeah,he´s pretty awesome!! His baptism had a special spirit. Us missionaries sang Called to Serve with all of the youth at his baptism and it was so powerful. All of the members couldn´t even control themselves and all joined in the verse. IT WAS SO AMAZING!!!
So as I was thinking of this last week, we were walking in a mist covered path. Both literally and spiritually. It was a rainy gloomy week and we seemed to be down on ourselves. But a scripture came to my mind that I love so much! Mosiah16:9:
He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.
Once I read this I knew there was no reason to walk in the darkness anymore. I carry the light which is endless. We have the message that all can be clean in order to obtain eternal life. Have we not great reason to rejoice?? With that I have gone out sharing the light which is endless. Eternal peace. Eternal life. The Atonement of Christ is so amazing, and I seem to learn something new each and every time I study it. There is a video we use a lot to contact that I LOVE!! It explains the Atonement in a nutshell. Get ready to feel the power of Christ!!
https://www.lds.org/youth/video/because-of-him?lang=eng
I hope you all carry this light and shine it bright. It is endless and only shines brighter in darkness. Trust in your Savior. He is there for you. He knows you. He loves you. He lives.
Have a great week. Stay strong and keep the faith! Oh and Happy Halloween!! Hope its spooktacular!!! :) haha I´m so original!
Hermana Pasley
Hi Family!!!
How are you all doing?? I hope you are all doing so well and know how much I absolutely love you all! This week, I have felt so much love and gratitude for my family...I don´t know why...but I love all you so much and I don´t think I could have been blessed with a greater family. Thank you so much for your love and support you have shown me throughout this whole mission. The love helps :)
So I LOVE my new area. The members here are seriously the strongest members ever and so willing to drop everything and help the missionaries. And its not too bad being in the ward with the assistants. They´re awesome!! We have only one progressing investigator who will be baptized this week on Friday, so we have been searching like crazy for new people this week. And we had a pretty cool experience this week. We have received a model way to teach the members in our ward to ask for references. It starts with teaching them the story of Joseph Smith and we end with praying together for references. One of the members we did this model with put her nonmember husband down as a reference and prayed for him...as he was sitting right in front of her. This had never happened before...I was kind of scared, but I knew it was an inspired reference because the spirit was so strong in that room! As we kneeled down together and prayed to know if her references were ready to accept the missionaries, she couldn´t even get her husbands name out. The spirit confirmed to each and every one of us that he is prepared to listen. So after the prayer, I invited her husband to be baptized and HE ACCEPTED!!! Her atheist husband has FINALLY accepted to listen and is progressing SO well!! This is how powerful the spirit is. It is such a blessing in this work I know that it is the real teacher! He is going to baptized with his daughter on her 8th birthday! I am so excited!!! Even though I´ve been a little discouraged with this area because there aren´t many people to teach, that made up for it all!!
I know that we are in the only true church upon the earth. I know it because the spirit had testified to me that it is true and I cannot deny it. I love this gospel with all of my heart and know that I would be nothing without it!
I love you all and give Kate a HUGE hug for me!! How could she already be home! Help her not get married either until I get home :) AH tell Kate I love her so much!!! ahhhhhhh!!!! Okay, have a good week! Stay strong and keep the faith!
With so much love,
Hermana Pasley
Dear Family,
My time has ended in Zapata. Last night was a hard night to say goodbye to all of my converts, the members, and my companion. I had come to love those people of Emiliano Zapata more than I had ever thought possible. I didn´t think it was going to be so hard. I held myself together pretty good, until I had to say goodbye to Gloria and the triplets. That was rough, but I know I´ll see them again!! Of course me and Hermana Moser couldn´t stop crying saying goodbye to each other, but we were so grateful for the time we had together, even though it was for a short time, we enjoyed every minute and shared lots of laughs.
So now....I´m in the great Villahermosa. The worst part...I´m in the ward with the assistants...yeah no pressure!! I´ll be companions with Hermana Gietzen from my generation. She´s from North Dakota and full of spunk! I´m excited to work with her and excited to see what coming our way in good old Villa. I´m sorry I don´t have a lot of time to write today, but I love you all and I hope you have a good week!! Know I´m thinking and praying about you always. Stay strong and keep the faith :)
Hermana Pasley
Helloo Fam!!!
Well, first off I have to say to my dearest Hannah...YOU`RE SO CUTE!!!!!! Ha I`m just kidding :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETS!!!!!! I hope you have a wonderful day and don`t go to crazy with the whole being legal thing. But I sure do love ya!!!
Anyways...I`m sitting here in the computer lab and I literally don`t know what to tell you all. Ha not a lot has happened that is too exciting or too interesting. The fair came into town, so it was literally another pioneer week as we walked and walked and walked and walked only to find everyone gone and at the fair. What? Who wants to go to the fair when you can listen to me and hermana moser?? We`re the best! (and really humble) So we got really good at inviting everyone on the streets to come and here a living prophet speak!
And was conference not he BEST thing EVER???!!!!! I haven`t felt a spirit like the one that was in the conference in a while. It was full of moments of...man, I`ve got a long way to go, yet so full of hope!!! Ah I love our leaders and how completely and totally inspired their words are! They are literally the words of the Lord! And didn`t that seem to be brought up in EVERY SINGLE talk?? Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, listen to EVERY counsel of the prophet. So I`m thinking we should probably follow the prophet if we want to make it to the end. As my mission goes on, I realize more and more the importance of a prophet. There are so many things I wish I could tell you, but I have so little time. But a prophet is essential, without a prophet we are completely and utterly lost in this world. How lucky are we to have Thomas S. Monson in our lives and his 15 apostles. If we do not give head to their words...we literally will not make it. So that oldie but goodie we always sang in primary was SO true and has never rung truer. FOLLOW THE PROPHET!!! WE ARE SO BLESSED to be a part of the truthfulness and to have a prophet on the earth once again!
We came walking out of conference doing a fist pump. Ah its so TRUE!!! How in the world is it not true?? I literally can`t get over how TRUE it is. I love this church. Us Latter-day Saints rock! So we must share this light with all those inside our reach. We must let others feel this same way of how true it is. So I invite you all to find someone this week who you could share one of the conference talks with. Whether it be a less active, family, or a non-member. Help someone come to know the truth for the first time or for the millionth. Every single one of God`s children deserve the chance to except the truth!
I also invite you to go back and watch the talks you missed. EVERY single one is AMAZING!!!
I know that this church is true. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a true and living prophet and in fact the Lord`s mouthpiece. I know that we are the ONLY church who has the power and authority to let us return and live with our heavenly father. I know that Christ lives and is indeed the head of this church. I know it is true with all of my heart and I cannot deny it. Stay strong and hold true to the faith!
I love you all so much and Hanners...eat an extra piece of cake for me. The cake here is not so delicious! So don`t take it for granted, we are blessed in more ways than one, especially in cake :) I love you all!!
Hermana Pasley
P.S. For all your questions, yes it is a rule. We aren`t allowed to hold babies on the mission...lame!!! So it literally made my whole mission to hold those little ones :) they`re so sweet!!!
IT HAPPENED!!!! IT REALLY REALLY HAPPENED!!!! WE HAD TWO BAPTISMS ON SATURDAY!!!!! Oh my word, I`ve never been so tired and completely exhausted in my life, but I`ve never loved this work more. I have never known so surely that God listens to our prayers and if we have faith, we will see miracles. We literally saw miracles in front of our eyes this week. Thank you so much for every one of your faithful prayers in our behalf. I know that those thoughtful prayers made the difference in this week.
By Wednesday, it seemed just about impossible that we were going to have either of the baptisms. Gloria still didn't have her papers and we still didn`t know how we were going to baptize Jorge. But Wednesday our STL called us and told us they don`t ask for all of those papers in Palenque and that she had scheduled an appointment for us to be in Palenque the next morning. It was such a miracle and we some how found a way to pay for them to get married. Gloria literally doesn`t have a penny to her name, a jobless husband and triplets. So it got a little more than tricky, but we saw miracles and found the funds necessary to pay for it all. And I got permission to hold their babies--best day ever!!! So by Thursday we were all ready to go with Gloria. By Friday we were still scrambling to find a way to baptize Jorge. But when we had prayed for the date for Jorge to be baptized, we felt so strongly for the 27th of September. So we were determined to make it happen. Luckily the people at Red Cross are the nicest people on this planet!!!!! They went with their ambulance to pick up Jorge, let us use their gurney to baptize him and took him home for us. We had finally found a safe way to baptize him!!! Oh it was such a special day! It was so beautiful to see him in the font with the 6 priesthood holders it took to baptize him! Ha and it only took 4 tries to get him under the water (no one told us that their mattresses float!). But after, Jorge was so happy and he went home and for one of the first nights in his life, he slept with little pain. Was that not a MIRACLE??? Did I not just see how powerful God is and that nothing stands in the way of this work. I have felt so much love and gratitude to my Heavenly Father this week. So much love for my Savior, who made all of this possible and kept us going without breaking down (although there were a few times we just wanted to sit down and give up). I can`t express the gratitude that I have in my heart. It is literally overflowing this week and I want to share it with everyone!!!
With the baptism of Jorge, the branch has been inspired and have actually started to pull together again to move the work forward. God works in such mysterious ways, but why do we ever doubt?? HE IS A GOD OF MIRACLES!! We sometimes just have to pass through our trials of faith before we see the miracles. I am so grateful to be here and I am so grateful for the experiences that my Heavenly Father has given me to help my testimony grow. I love this work and I love my Savior with all of my heart. I know he lives!
I hope you all have a good week and take the time to see all the little miracles that happen in our lives each and every day. I love you all!!!
With so much love,
Hermana Pasley
Hi Family!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE QUEEN!!!! Bekah...I miss you like crazy :) I miss you bossing everyone around and always making me laugh! I hope you get to rule your throne just a little bit more today!! Have a good one beks!!
Well this week has had its ups and down, and had thrown us every which way, but me and Hermana Moser have grown a lot from this week. This week, we went with a young m om who we have been teaching for a little while and we went to do the same exact thing with her as we did with Jorge. We went to ask with her if the BOM is true. But as the lesson went on, we finally asked her if she had the chance to pray and know if the BOM is true. She then got a huge smile on her face and got really happy and told us she couldn´t explain what she felt, but she KNOWS its true. We have a baptism date with her the 11th of October!! We are so excited for her and the change it will have on the life of her little baby :) We are still hoping to have 2 baptisms this Saturday. Of Jorge (the paralyzed investigator) and Gloria (the young mom with triplets). They both have big hurdles to jump this week to make it happen, but we just know that its going to happen :)
This week we have encountered many people also questioning and doubting the truth, which was pretty rough. We went into a lesson with a couple that were very...I don´t remember the name of their church, but all I know is that they pray by pretty much yelling and chanting...yeah it was kind of creepy! But we taught a lesson with a spirit that was really strong and there was a moment where the spirit was in there testifying the TRUTH. After we paused and then asked them what they felt, and they denied it, they denied it all, and we know that they felt it! Hermana Moser is fiery and she was getting pretty upset, luckily I stayed pretty calm and asked to end with a prayer because it was time for us to leave. The woman offered the last prayer and during the prayer, Hermana Moser began to cry. As we left, she was so upset and said she was embarrassed for crying. But I was thinking the exact opposite. I sat in awe of the emotion she has for this work and the firmness she has in the truth. Our faith was tested that day, but we now know with more firmness that it´s true, that we so much success because we are the only ones with the truth. It sets us free. I know that this is the only true church upon the face of the earth. None other has the authority to be the true church. No body has the truthfulness in whole, for this very reason alone, we are set free and we know because the Holy Ghost has witnessed of its truth! How blessed we are to be apart of this church!
Another funny story. We went to teach a guy from the same church that prays really loud...yeah that church :) Well we were kind of nervous going in thinking it might turn to a bible bash again...but our nerves were put at ease. He taught us about the Holy Ghost, how ironic!!! Ha he asked if he could sing a song about the holy ghost to start the lesson...it was very interesting!!! He sang like it was his American Idol tryout and we´re pretty sure he made up the song as he went. Ha but don´t worry we didn´t laugh until we were a street over, but oh my word he was crazy!!! After everything he´d say he´d look at us and say, "Amen?" and we would just look at him, because it was not an "amen" statement. And he would go right back into his weird sermon. So long story short, we aren´t going to go back to teach Mr. American Idol, but maybe someday he will. Ha we have a really good time in Zapata!!
Well family, I hope you have a really good week and that you realize how lucky you are to have the truth in your life. If you give into the truth, I promise you it will only make you free from whatever you may be feeling! I love you all so much and pray for you each and everyday!! And Bekah...try not to go too crazy with the dating, okay?? We all know you´re kind of really pretty and kind of a hit with the boys, but take it easy!! If you listen really close, me and Hermana Moser will be singing at 10:15 tonight, really loud!! I love you so much beks!! Stay strong and keep the faith!
Hermana Pasley
¡Hola Familia!
¡¡Feliz 15 de Septiembre!! Today is the independence day of Mexico, so to make a long story short, we´ve seen lots of drunks, ha but none the less its fun to see everyone walking around in red and green. Today me and Hermana Moser were walking down the street, and it struck us how weird it is how much we have adapted to this culture and how we can understand now what these people are saying...soy mexicana!! Everyone eat a taco or something today for me :)
Well yesterday we had...THE BAPTISM OF CHIQUIS!!! He is the youngest son of Marino and Olga. He is such a sweet little boy. Normally we have our baptisms on Saturday, but Chiquis turned 8 on Sunday and he has been planning his baptism ever since he first met the missionaries in February. So his baptism was really special for him, because he got baptized on his birthday. As we pulled up in the Taxi to pick him up yesterday, he was waiting on the bottom of his mountain that he lives on in a suit...it was the cutest thing I´ve ever seen!!! And then seeing him in the water, with a huge smile on his face...I thought my heart was going to explode it was so happy!! So this last Sunday was such a great day, even though his baptism was at 7:30 in the morning, it was so worth it to see his excitement to finally become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He´s been waiting forever to take this step in his life. It was such a good day! Ah I wish you all could have seen him in the font...I will never forget that day!
I remember the first day in the mission, President Morales asked me what my purpose was here and I stated the usual..."invite others to come unto Christ...", but he looked at me really scarily like and said, "No, you´re here to baptize. Now go baptize!" Next a member of the Seventy came and promised us if we were exactly obedient we could have a baptism every week in this mission. We´re not quite up to one every week, but we have 2 or 3 others planned for this transfer. I am here to invite others to come unto Christ, which they cannot do without baptism. For this very reason we invite all to be baptized in the first lesson, and put a date no later than the second. At first, I was scared. What?? The first lesson. But I now know how important baptism is and after this baptism, I cannot deny the power of baptism.
In a Special Conference, President Morales shared a scripture to help us have faith to baptize every week. D&C 58:31:
Who am I, saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled?
With this in mind me and Hna Moser have gone out with the goal to BAPTIZE. Look out Emiliano Zapata!!! Remember this scripture in whatever you may be facing right now. We have the promise of eternal life, if we follow through with our promise. Keep going, even in the face of adversity.
I love you all and hope you all have a wonderful week. Remember that I love you all so much and your Savior loves you even more. Stay strong and keep the faith!
Hermana Pasley
