April 20, 2015

¿COMO ESTAN, Americanites!?

I am sure everyone is really good as the weather starts to get warmer and warmer each day...but I highly doubt it is as hot as it is here! Haha!

 

I can´t remember if I told you guys but April is the rainy season in Ecuador...it rains all through the night and up until the morning...at about 11ish the rain stops and the sun comes out. It comes out so hard! That Ecuadorian sun don´t play games! We get cooked! Haha!

Way too much fun!

 

Another car story...we were in a taxi and the same deal passed again...

he took a corner WAAAAYYY to sharp and the door swung open and I was pinned up against the door that flung open...nearly lost my life again...

I am going to stick to walking now ;)

 

An experience a little interesting to say the least...

We were teaching a Hermana...and she is super super tough! Like a miracle if she let´s us come into her house...but she has so much potential so we just can´t give up on here...anyway...she went into the kitchen to go finish frying the bananas and we were sitting on the couch...I could only see her head because the counter was covering her body...suddenly her head strait up disappears...like magic...not long after I heard a huge crash and a scream!

We rushed over to the kitchen and the Hermana literally fell through the floor. I thought she died! We ran out side to see where she fell to but by the time we got out there she had already crawled out of the dungeon from whence she fell...with spatula in hand...running to make sure her bananas didn´t burn...pretty impressive right!? ;) I guess she landed on her feet and everything....

It took me every fiber of my soul not to laugh...but we are going to help her out with rebuilding her kitchen.

Other than those two stories...not a whole lot of craziness has been passing!

 

We are finding the most incredible people!

We found one woman...she is so awesome!!! We taught her ONCE...she went to church the next day...and is already pretty far along in the Book of Mormon! We are so excited and feel so blessed to have found her. It is so amazing how our Heavenly Father is preparing so many to hear the true and restored gospel...it is just up to us to find them and save them.

 

There is another woman...who gave me so much fear when I first met her! Just a stern, grumpy, banana selling, mean lady (bless her heart). We tried to teach her one time but she completely rejected us and told us never to come back. The other day we passed by her little store and she told us to stop and come over. A little hesitantly we went over. She told us that she was sorry and that she wants to learn more. She wants to change. And that she had a dream in the which she saw her deceased parents in a state of happiness...everything was white...and she saw a tree with fruit. Her parents were begging her to partake of the fruit and be happy like they were. She didn´t know what the fruit was...what the tree meant...or why they were all so happy...but it sounds a heck of a lot like a dream that a Book of Mormon prophet had. We shared Lehi´s vision of the tree of life with her and she instantly BEAMED! Needless to say...she is pretty excited for our next visit. ANOTHER miracle from our loving Heavenly Father.

 

Hmmm...what else?

I got attacked from some type of creature...some bug...idk really. But it destroyed my arms. It started out as just little mosquito bites but has turned into flesh wounds! As if it is eating my skin or something...it itches really bad. But life itches sometimes! ;) Just something we gotta deal with, right?!

 

Ate another chicken foot!

 

I became a seamstress...I sewed most of my white shirts by hand because they are really big now...I felt pretty good about myself! ;)

 

That pretty much sums up this week!

Listos por lo mas chevere parte de la semana?

How can we have peace with God?

´´Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God...´´

How are we justified by faith?

´´...through Jesus Christ:´´

How are we justified through faith in The Lord?

´´By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand.´´

We are justified by faith in and of our Savior Jesus Christ.

It is only in and through Him that we have access to faith.

But how do we rejoice? When does the peace come? How do we access the faith?

´´...and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulation also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.´´

I am here today to testify that peace, joy, success, and love don´t come easy. Tribulation is a required prerequisite.

So let´s brake down these verses a little...

GLORY IN TRIBULATION: How on earth could we ever do that? Why would we do that? To glory in tribulation is to face your tribulation; Don´t fear it, don´t shy from it, don´t avoid it! Whether is be physical, mental, or spiritual, our Heavenly Father is trying to teach you something to help you become a better you. Every trial we will ever face in this life is God lovingly and carefully helping us become the God that we were meant to be. Glory in God´s way of glorifying you!

TRIBULATION WORKETH PATIENCE: The majority of our trials don´t just come and go. Heavenly Father did not sent His Son to earth just for a brief moment...He sent our Savior here 33 years. 33 years to be ridiculed, judged, denied, bruised, beaten, and killed...a 33 year trial and tribulation with a divine purpose: to save the children of men and to live again so that we might live again. Our loving Heavenly Father always has and always have a purpose behind every difficult thing that we go through. What ever difficulty you are facing...there is a divine purpose behind it...

Our Heavenly Father would NEVER give you a test if you didn´t have the capacity to achieve a high score. The high score will come! Just have patience until then.

We will obtain experience...through experience hope will come...and when you have hope, the love of God will penetrate your heart...it will steal your heart.

There is no better blessing in this life than to let Him who created your heart steal it back.

Let our Heavenly Father steal your heart.

I will close up with one last verse...

´´For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.´´

Notice the phrase...IN DUE TIME.

When you are without strength, without confidence, and feel without purpose...TRIUMPH IN TRIAL. We all need to pay our time...that´s a given...but in due time...you are promised to be delivered from your struggles. In due time the love of God will be shed abroad. In due time you will be relieved. In due time you will be lifted. But during this due time...access your faith.

 

My amazing mother sent me an amazing quote...

´´He is not waiting to love you until after you have overcome your weaknesses. He loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles.´´

Access your faith in Christ though hope. Through patience. Through leaning on Him that knows you and feels you...Him who descended from a glorious thrown to a garden and a cross. Him who descended from the presence of our Heavenly Father to the presence of murderers and sinners...Him who descended below all ungodliness to give us ungodly people a chance to overcome our ungodliness and become a God.

Let thy soul be still...

Elder Noll