A Labor of Love: November 2014

HOLA!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I truly am so grateful to be here during this special time of year!

This week has been stellar, SO much to do. SO many people to visit and help!

This week we found two more less active families. Heavenly Father just keeps putting people in our path that need our help! It's crazy how many less actives there are here! One family we visited this week were among the very first members here in Malargue, and unfortunately have all gone inactive. As we got talking to the mom she told us of how she still knows that her Savior loves her and that she still loves Him. Then she showed us a canister stuffed full of bills, that contained all the tithing from all these years she has been inactive. How precious is that? That. Is a testimony of tithing. Now we just got to get her those blessings eh?

This week we had another lesson with Karen, she´s 17 and has a month old baby, and she´s so sweet. We taught her about the Book of Mormon and after we asked her if she thought it was true and she said, yeah I know its true. What? Haha she´s never read it. But how´s that for faith. I have no doubt that pretty soon she´ll know for sure that it's true!

With Thanksgiving coming this week I have been thinking a lot about Gratitude! I have truly realized the meaning of Gratitude, Not to see what is lacking, but to rejoice in what we have! It´s SO easy to think of all the things we are lacking, and think of all the things that we need or desire. I feel like many times the culprit is comparison."Comparison truly is the thief of Gratitude." When we are focusing on what others have we are forgetting the many blessings that we have received!

I LOVE the scripture in D&C 78:19: "And he who receiveth ALL things with thankfulness shall be made glorious..." I love that it says ALL things.. Not, just your blessings or just your strengths, but ALL things. There truly is Gratitude to be found in every aspect of life. I have truly learned to become grateful for every single one of my weaknesses and trials, because I know my Heavenly Father knows me personally and every one of my trials and weaknesses are part of the personal plan HE has for me to become the person he wants me to be. For this we cannot compare; our blessings and trials are individual and we have them for a reason! He knows us personally! What a blessing!

I truly love this time of year! As much as I would love to spend Thanksgiving with the people I am most thankful for, I am SO grateful for this opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father, and to give back even just a slightest portion of the blessings and love He has shown me :) What a BLESSING this gospel is! I am so grateful for all the love and support and the people in my life!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Con Amor, Hermana Matheson

This week the Andher´s daughter and son-in-law came to visit! So fun :)

Hola!

The weeks keep getting shorter and life just keeps getting better! Everyday I am learning to truly love the mission more and more. I am finally getting used to the mission and beginning to feel like I am making a little progress! I love improving with every day! And little by little I know I am becoming the person my Savior wants me to become!

The work is coming along, slowly but surely! This week we found some new people, which I always am a fan of! One day we were walking in the street and talked to a 15 yr old girl, she gave us her address and we went to go find it. Of course it didn´t exist, but while we were looking for her house we found a 17 year old girl with a 17 month old baby. She is precious and so sweet, we have another lesson with her this week, so I´m all about fake addresses, bring it on ;)

Also this week we have been trying to comply with the ALB norm of excellence which is 10 people a day, and wow, I have truly seen the blessings from it. The best way to learn of the truth of something is to live it eh? (John 7:17) One day we were ALBing and we ran into a less active, that I have never heard of or met, and she was more than willing to let us come by. We came by this week and her husband who is a non-member told us that he knows he has to join the church, just not yet. I just wanted to drill him with scriptures..."ye shall not procrastinate the day of your repentence" eh? But sometimes you just have to give it time. Patience is a virtue. But he told us that they have been together for some 10 years but just got married last month...HOLLA. Music to my ears. To me that sounds like they are being prepared without even knowing it. :)

This week we also had the opportunity to do some service for a new investigator and I learned how truly important service is in the mission. Because after only one lesson and some service we have gained her confidence, and developed more love for her, because we LOVE those we serve! And what can we do without love? Nada.

This week was Zone conference! Yay! So we got to spend another 6 hours on a bus this week! Love me some quality time on a bus. ( But really I do) I love having zone conference and finding something that I can improve. This month we talked about "Mental Toughness". We read a talk given by M. Russell Ballard. I know its long, but I wanted to share my favorite parts!

As we examine the mission field we see that some missionaries are very successful while others simply wish to be. While we examine the habits of the different missions we do not find that it is the area, the people, nor the time of year. It is the attitude of the missionaries and their ability to use and apply the talents which they have.

Don´t be a missionary who complains about the unreceptive people, the rejections, his companions, his leaders, nor his own heavy load. Instead, be a missionary who can be put into any circumstance or situation and still have success. Be a CREATOR of circumstances not a creature of circumstances.

We are able to control what we put in our minds, we determine the results of our lives, and "we harvest what we plant". Our mind can only occupy a single thought at a time. Therefore, our destiny can be determined with a single thought, it is your responsibility to make it a positive or to make it a negative. "

I LOVE this. I have had a difficult time trying to figure out why none of our investigators are progressing; why I feel like we´re not having success but everyone else is, and as I thought of all the reasons of maybe why we don´t have any progressing investigators, I thought of pretty much EVERYTHING (maybe the ward, time of year, siesta, leaders, etc.) but I never once thought of my attitude. I am the creator of my circumstances, I choose to make this area successful, I CHOOSE to have success. Granted everything is to the will of the Lord, but If I don´t even believe that people will follow through or progress, who will? As I started to begin to change my attitude a little this week I saw how much I can really do! Attitude truly is everything. And we truly do harvest what we plant in our minds. So let’s plant some positive thoughts eh? I Love being a missionary and I love this work!

Con Amor, Hermana Matheson