La Mano del Señor esta conmigo

Bolivian weddings. Rainy days outdoors and out with a few members of the church :)

they had always warned me that the emails would stop coming and be getting shorter over time...lol its about that time right now

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-07-006-the-hope-of-gods-light?category=mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2014&lang=eng

We had the wonderful priviledge and opportunity to have a training conference with one of the seventy of the church, Elder Wadell. It was exactly what I needed this week. And at the same time we got to hear from our mission president and mission president wife. I learned so much from a 7 hour conference....it was pretty long but I wanted more. I have never felt the spirit so strong in a conference until that very day. Oh I love it. One of the things that I learned is the convenant which we had made when we accepted this calling as missionaries. We made a convenant to God that we would live according to the mission rules and live a higher law as disciples of Christ. Everything that we do is an act of faith. To wake up at 6:30 in the morning is an act of faith. To be obedient in general is an act of faith. Everything we do shows our faith in Christ. It was such a beautiful conference that I will never forget. Hermana Hansen the mission president wife was saying how she was in the new mission president conference before with all the apostles and how she saw Elder Hale mouth the words of the song being played on the piano and having tears in his eyes. When we sang the opening hymn, she just bawled in tears. It touched my heart so much...the spirit was there with us. 

 It was the opportunity to put into practice of what we have learned this week and we had so many miracles. I mentioned before how we fasted and prayed with so much faith that we would be able to find a way to receive permission from one of the father of our investigator. The day after the conference we went to her house and lo and behold, he was home. HE WAS HOME. HE IS NEVER HOME. and we talked to him....not knowing what would happen...and I was soooooo nervous. But we did it. We talked to him and explained to him all that we were feeling...I trusted in the spirit to guide me to help me say something that would bring the spirit and help him feel that his daughter is ready to be baptized...but still we don´t have permission....but we do have permission to continue teaching her. He wants her to have a perfect knowledge of the bible...we have a lot of people who want perfect knowledge and so we really work hard with teaching them about faith. But I am so amazed at how the Lord has given us a way to bring more souls unto Christ. But that is not it...he will be home these two weeks. The Lord has given us two weeks to teach him and his family the gospel and two weeks to bring the spirit into their home to help them feel the need of the gospel. Its a miracle and I am so happy to see the Lord´s hand in this work. And when it comes to when things don´t go the way I wanted to, I just have to remember that there is a time and place for everything in the will of the Lord. 

I have one week left in this transfer exchange and I have no idea if I will be leaving this area. But I will know next sunday night...and I am so nervous...hahaha. We also had another miracle last night. We did not have any set appointments after two set appointments in the late afternoon and I had such a strong feeling to go and visit one of the sisters that is a single mother and has 5 kids. I told my companion, hey I think we should visit this sister...I feel that we need to. And so we went. She needed us. She cried so much saying how much she was struggling. Two jobs, 5 kids, no husband, no money, an incomplete house....it broke my heart. And there we were teaching about the importance of tithing...but one of the things that we learned in the conference with Elder Wadell is that when we teach about tithing, we need to teach it with power and the spirit. I explained to her that right there and right then, I finally knew why we needed to visit her, but before I had no clue why, but the spirit guided me. I said how I know that sometimes we don´t have absolutely nothing...nothing nothing nothing to give with it comes to tithing, but we must have faith and that God will provide a way and it is because He loves us. In John 15 it talks about being surrounded in His love. We can be filled of His love when we keep His commandments. She cried...and it was just amazing how the Lord guides us through the spirit. 

I talked to the bishop in our ward here and I asked if I could buy a new medallion from the ward. He said he is looking into it, but as of now he only has the silver ones, but its all good. Hahaha we will see. 

I am really enjoying my time here. I learn so much. So much patience and love. I am really learning that this was never my mission, but the Lord´s mission. At the conference, Elder Wadell made me think so much about the Atonement. In such a way I had never thought or seen it as before. The mission teaches you about the Atonement and you literally walk through the life of the Lord here. You go through all sorts of emotions of sadness, joy, and all types...and its the same as the Lord has done...but we are not perfect. But we are to be perfected in Christ. 

I am so grateful for the calling that I have to be a representative of Christ. I enjoy it so much. I had never wanted to be so obedient and worthy as much as I do now...well I want to be EXTRA obedient and worthy now. hahaha you all know me...miss goody two shoes. But really. I cannot go back to the old Marisa that I was because if so, I would not be applying what I had learn in the mission to the rest of my life. The mission trains you to face the trials and to face them with faith.

I hope you are all enjoying your time at home. I miss you soooo much and I love you all too. I send all my love to the ward and the beautiful 808 state of Hawaii. 

Until next Pday,

Con mucho amor,

Hna Santeco

PS: Papayas here are HUGEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!