6/30/2014 - Los Pinos Letter & Pics

Rivers in the Streets, Investigadores in Church

Hola!

   This week has been amazing and incredible at the same time. First, my companion is hilarious, and she is really patient and helps me a lot with my Spanish. I love her so much. I really think that when you love the person that you are with you can have the change of heart and mind that will help you both succeed in life and really get to know who you are and what you can become in life! I definitely can say that through trials and problems that i have, are a ton more easier with someone that can help and is at your side supporting you and encouraging you all along the way.  

   We had a lot of rain this week enough that there were rivers in the streets, we would walk in them and the water would come up above my ankles and we would be soaking wet and then be laughing and having fun. oh so i have this bag that came with my pillow when i first started and i remember hearing an elder say to keep the bag and when it rains you can put your stuff in side and everything is dry. I am so grateful that i listened to what he said, we would literally walk from one street to the next and we would be soaked through. 

   We have four investigadores and we went by their houses this Sunday to see if they would come to church, the first woman said yes and she was ready to go. Her name is Trinidad and is about 65 years old, her left foot has an infection and is about the size of a softball maybe bigger but she wanted to walk the whole way to the church building, (which is on top of a hill) and it was about 12 blocks away, really far. We started walking to church and we stopped by another house and the man was ready to go as well, my companion and i were so excited. His name is Marco and he is really excited and ready for everything and wants to know more. we continued walking and Trinidad was walking really slow because her foot was huge and hurt a little.

   We started at the base of the hill with 4 blocks left and about midway she was tired and we were all sweating and just exhausted. Anyway, a member drove by and gave her a ride to the church and we walked the rest of the way.  We had two investigadores in church, it was a miracle, and the ward was so nice they all stopped and said hi to them and talked with them for a bit and really just opened their arms up and let them come in i really hope that they want to come back the next time and continue to know more about Jesus Christ. 

    So happy this week, we have transfers this coming week as well and i am not sure if i will stay here or my companion and we will find out Sunday, anyway, don't let the little things bother you so that you lose focus of what is really important. I love you all and i hope that everything is going great!! 

Always Happy,

Hermana Newmeyer

Mission Home Office

From the Rooftop

Disney Land in Mexico

River Streets

Cloudy Weather

World Cup Soccer - Hermana Newmeyer Style

Sunrise in Culiacan

6/23/2014 - Los Pinos Letter & Pics

Hey Everyone,

    This week has been amazing!! I received a letter from my dear friend Alicia Carter and she is serving her mission in San Jose California!!!!! how exciting, and my cousin Jordan is leaving for his mission soon! oh this is joy to my heart, this missionary work moves forward and all because the people want to serve the Lord and help him in every way possible.  i am smiling from ear to ear right now.

   So there were some clouds in the distance and my heart was like "please please please let it rain, please" my prayers were answered. One day my companion and i were walking and it was hot and sweaty like usual and we had just checked out an apartment for new missionaries in our area. And then it started to get windy, so windy it was hard to walk with out my skirt blowing up every few seconds. Then we felt raindrops, now i'm not talking about the nice pitter patter of Arizona rain, mixed with lights and sound. The raindrops were literally the size of the palms of my hands. I now know the meaning its raining cats and dogs. My companion and i ran for a tree and started to take pictures we then walked home to grab bags for books so they wouldn't get wet.

    We were so soaked it was crazy, my companion had a rain poncho and i didn't, so i found a large plastic bag, ripped three holes in the end for my head and my arms and went out to work, it was great! but we were a little wet. We found a really great family that were nice and accepted everything that we had said and would like us to come back and share some more! we were excited despite being very wet, my companion sat by the air fan and she was cold, we headed home made sopa and heated water for our feet! It was great. There were also small rivers in the street we could have gone swimming, we had fun working in the rain.

    This week has been wonderful, sometimes i wonder if i will ever find anyone and teach them the gospel and they want to accept it with all their hearts. Its really hard to teach them that they accept. I am brought to remembrance a video that we watched here in the mission. Its called the Missionary Work, if you have a chance look it up in youtube and watch it. Elder Henry B. Eyring and Elder Holland give their testimonies about the Missionary Work.

   Elder Holland says something like this "when it is hard, and when you don't have anyone to teach remember that Salvation was never a Cheap experience, we have to feel something for the people here to bring them to salvation, why would it be easy for us when it was never ever easy for Him." we have to work everyday, teach everyday, lead by example every day of our lives, not just the missionary two years or 18 months, every day of our lives we represent Christ and what he did for us. Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to remember him. That's all, he loves us so much! I know he loves each and everyone of us. Remember Him!

   I love you all and thank you for everything!

Always Happy,

Hermana Newmeyer

View of the City or the Tree in the Driveway

Just me and My Hermana

Look at the Rain

Dancing in the Rain

Plastic Garbage Bag, Poncho, Umbrella, Go

Warming the Feet

6/9/2014 - Los Pinos Letter

Hey Everyone,

   This week has been hard if not difficult at some times. The desire to work and to go out and teach the people hear about the gospel is amazing, but its hard.  I love that before the mission everyone talks about how wonderful it is and the spiritual experiences you will have, what they don't tell you is how sleepy you are after every meal so the next lesson that you have you sleep through and its literally impossible to stay awake. I've probably studied Lehi's dream at least a couple times during the week. One time we were talking with a lady and she started talking and continued talking for quite a while, the temperature was perfect and it was right after we ate, so i started to doze and then nod and completely fell asleep, the next thing i remember was she asked me to say the prayer i said thank you, and started to pray and i really don't remember the prayer as well, so probably fell asleep in that part too. I just remember that oh i am giving the prayer, and i closed really fast. 

    It was crazy, anyway, my companion couldn't leave the house at all and so that was really hard to sit all day waiting to do something but couldn't. We had the members help us out and give us rides or come with me and help me out  in the lessons. That has been amazing, i definitely learned more Spanish when i start the lessons and take the lead in them. The members are great we have about 10 women in relief society and only 4 or 5 of them can help because they are not the grand women of the ward.  Anyway, it has been amazing that they are here to help. The Members of the ward play a great key in keeping investigators in the church and becoming friends and sharing the gospel in their lives.

    So i have my English hymn book and my Spanish hymn book and the words are different most of the time, but i really like the Spanish for clear and direct, and English for explaining and almost a poem. One song stood out to me, its number 140 ´'did you think to pray' and in Spanish its 81, ¿pensaste orar? the first phrase in Spanish is something like this, (with fervor did you think to pray this dawn). i love the first couple of words, - with fervor did i pray? I was also thinking about the missionaries in the Book of Mormon, Ammon and Alma and when they returned and saw each other again, in Alma 17:3 it says they had dedicated with much prayer and fasting, therefore they had the spirit of prophecy and revelation and when they taught they taught with the power and authority of God. I love this, because when we truly pray with Heavenly Father he answers our prayers with love and wants to help us with everything. I know that when we have the intentions to do good and to follow the example of Jesus Christ that we in turn will have miracles in our lives and we will see the light of Christ shine through our eyes and we will come to know a little bit more about what we need to do here and prepare to meet our Heavenly Father again. 

  I love you all and i know that it will just be a short time to serve the lord but oh what joy and happiness fills my heart when i have the opportunity to share the gospel and help other people. All i want to do is Smile the whole time ha i love the one scripture in 2 Nefi i think, (Spiritually Minded Is Life Eternal) Smile! 


Always Happy and Smiling,

Hermana Newmeyer
  
Ronald Dahl "if you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely." 

Sister Brande in my home ward shared this quote with me and i love it!! So i had to share it again! thank you Sister Brande.

6/16/2014 - Los Pinos Letter & Pics

Faith Hill and Hard Work Hill

Hey Everyone,

  This week has been great! my companion can walk now!! but very little, so we bring her wheelchair and when she gets tired or her foot hurts more she rides and i push.  We have two very steep hills in our area, I call them Faith and Hard Work. One day, i was pushing my companion and we headed to an appointment and we started up Hard Work Hill/baby mountain and it was okay we started and the incline of the hill was really steep and it was really really really hot. The humidity was thick and sticky and the air was muggy and a little hard to breath sometimes, we got about half way and my legs were cramping and my back started to hurt. In my mind i said ' i can do this, a little hard but i can do this' we made it to the top and my whole face was red and wet, i think i sweated from every pore there was a nice little stream running down my face.  We knocked on our investigators door and she wasn't home, not to worry we would come back another time in the day. We descended and looked for other people.

   Later on in the day, much later when the sun is at its peak, we decide to go up another side Faith Hill, and still pushing my companion in her wheelchair, we headed up. The sun was hot and burning the back of my neck and arms. I started to sweat again and this time i could feel it running down my back and my forearms were sticky. We got about half way and my breathing was harder and i now was walking slower, in my mind i was thinking ' can i do this? this is harder the second time.' we made it to the top, my whole body was shaking and i was thinking i couldn't do that again. Then my companion looked up at me and said two words that i will always remember, 'thank you.' 

   I don't think i ever felt such a sweeter or more tender experience in my whole life. I was overwhelmed with an immense love for her and remember thinking, that I have a brother who did something for me, something that i couldn't even begin to imagine the pain or suffering he did. He died for me. He took my sins, my own selfish sins, He paid for them. And then he did something more, He took all the sins of every person that has lived, is living and will yet live in this earth. Why? Because he loves us. There is a small video that just came out from the Church, its - 'Because of Him' - in Spanish its 'Gracias a El'  (thank you for Him). Thank you. Two words. 

   I have learned so much this transfer, I have never been so tired, or worn out even more than dancing, but i have also never been so happy, so filled with joy and peace. The light and truth is real. I can see it growing in me and in the people that we teach. Look for the light, look for it in other people and serve them, serve them with all your heart, with all your might mind and soul. Put aside your wants and worries and focus on theirs. there is a quote from this general Conference i love, its from our dear beloved prophet Thomas S. Monson. he quoted Dale Carnegie as saying, “Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.”

  I love you all, i love receiving letters and email from you, I hope that you all are doing great! Thank you so much. Thank you.

Always Happy, 

Hermana Newmeyer

6/2/2014 - Los Pinos Letter

Wheelchair Crisis, Sweat, Tree's

Hey Everybody,

  This is going to be short again, we looked for a computer place for about an hour and i can't upload fotos sorry. Anyway, my companion sprained her foot really bad and at first she had a cane and hobbled around for a day or two. Then we visited the Doctor and he gave her some medicine for the pain and for her tendons and muscles to heal. The next day she was throwing up constantly, anything she ate it came back up. So we headed to the hospital and she received more medicine and a shot to stop her throwing up. We then had the blessing of having someone give us their Wheelchair. So now i am pushing my companion everywhere to our lunches and lessons. 

   Its great, however, in Culiacan it is way hotter and humid, your clothes are wet or feel wet and sticky and its impossible to get dressed with dry clothes. So this week has been pretty crazy, oh also i crashed my companion. on accidente. Anyway, we were going down a really steep hill and this dog came out of nowhere barking at us and i freaked out so i pushed my companion into the street more so we could get away and there was a section of the road that was really a huge gaping hole, how i didn't see this is incredible. So we collided with the huge hole and my companion went flying and i fell on the chair so i have bruises on my legs, but my companion thankfully was not hurt, besides her sprained ankle. 

  It was hilarious and we got together and ran down the street with the dog following us. I don't know why, but dogs don't like mailmen and missionaries. We have a great ward and there is this one sister who wants to teach me how to make food! oh i am so excited! The work is moving forward we had 4 investigators in church!!!!! ha ha and i never saw them before during the week, so i am excited to be able to get to know them, they wanted to go to church on Sunday but didn't know what church so they prayed as a family and they decided to go to the Mormons! ha ha who would of known, anyway, we have a great ward, 45 members in church! and we have a little bit of the little ones 0-30 and then the young ones from 30-70 years old and the older folks from 80-100, its amazing! I love it

  So this week has been amazing. I love it here and excited for the challenges in front of me and know that Heavenly Father is looking out for me. My District Leader, Elder Serna, in San Jose, said that this is our time, we don't have the opportunity to return again to serve like this, with our spouse yes, but solo never. Take every moment and know that if we work hard and obey the commandments of the lord, we will be blessed (D&C 130, the last verses, i think)  I know that its hard and if we focus on why we are really here and think more of a tree, we are firm and have Jesus Christ in our lives and can have the potential to grow outward and be beautiful, where as the ocean is just there it doesn't grow and tho it is beautiful to look at, it has no potential to grow, i know we are like a trees, i can be a tree! we have so much potential and all we have to do is rely on the lord and know that he is there for us. 

  I love you all, thanks for your support and love. 

Always Happy,

Hermana Newmeyer