November 27, 2016

Stephen---

This week was so fun to be with the family again.  There was a point when we were all sitting in the car on Thanksgiving day and I had moms jacket on my head (I felt pretty carsick--that's why) and I was just kind of relaxing and thinking and then this popular song came up and Anna and Lina and Katie and Trent started singing it.  It was not even a meaningful song at all . . . and I just had this wave of love come over me.  Like a realization, a confirmation from Heavenly Father really, that he gave me that family because he loved me so much.  That I had been so blessed to be born in the family I was born into because He loved me, and wanted me to have joy.  So this thanksgiving I am extremely grateful for the family, and for God's blessings.  Sorry if this makes you trunky.  I don't mean it to, I just am exited for the day that we can all be together.

Also, Becky Jarman is pregnant with number 9.  Christina won't meet her little sibling until after her mission. 

Also, Ben Vance just got his mission call to Taiwan, Mandarin speaking, leaving April 12th. 

This week I read one thing that I want to share with you that I learned from my reading the New Testament looking for Christlike attributes.

The first is in Matthew 26.  Jesus Christ is talking to his disciples and the woman came up to anoint him with the really expensive ointments, and then the disciples get frustrated, and then it says "When Jesus understood it he said unto them Why trouble ye with the woman."  As in, here is this woman giving him maybe not the most practical gift, doing it a little out of place, maybe a little awkward that here she was making this oddly public display of love and remorse and worship, wiping his dirty feet with her hair and tears and it didn't even occur to Him that maybe there was a better way that she could have done it.  He didn't understand at first why anyone would think any of these things.  He was just grateful and appreciative of what she was giving him.

This teaches us two lessons.  One from the place of Jesus Christ.  Here he is so charitable and virtuous that he does not judge the worship of others.  There are not those who are better fulfilling the commandments than others, He only sees who is trying as hard as they can to continually repent.  We too can strive to be like Him, not judging the small baby steps of investigators, friends, and family (even if they take 2 steps forward, and one step back each week).  We can strive to just see their effort and the ways that they are trying to show their love and commitment to God, just like Christ did when the adultrous woman came to rub extremely expensive ointment on His dirty feet.

The other lesson to be learned is the lesson of the woman.  God does not judge our sacrifices as worthy or not.  As better and worse.  He does not compare our sacrifices to the sacrifices of others.  He simply looks us into our eyes like he must have done to the impure woman and smiles with gratitude and amazement at our kindness to Him and our (if not a little awkward) manifestations of worship and love to Him. It reminds me of the many times when I have knelt in dirty bathrooms in the middle of Paraguay and expressed my gratitude for being a missionary and my love Him, and then pleaded that he accept my sacrifice, and give me his spirit so that I can better teach and help the people I was serving.  A little dumb, maybe I could have thought to just have made my post personal study prayer a little more sincere, or studied a little harder in comp study so that I wouldn't find myself without the spirit I felt I needed at the investigators home, but nevertheless, there I was, awkwardly kneeling in their bathroom, or sweating and exhausted making silent pleas to the heavens as my comp starts the lesson.  But the point is, God doesn't care.  The secret is that he accepts ALL sacrifices.  And that fills me with so much hope. 

You know what is so interesting.  The word I write most often in the new testament as I mark it for Christlike attributes, like I find many more examples of it that any other attribute . . . .  it is hope.  Christ came into the world to give us hope. And his life as recorded in the 4 gospels testifies of this.

Anyway, I Love you Lots!

November 21, 2016

Hey Stephen--

I was just thinking today of how busy I have become.  If you ever think, ah man, after the mish I will have so much time!  know that is true for your first month, after that, I think you are even busier than before.

So there was this guy sitting by dad on the plane, and he had like 15 immigration forms for Mexico that he was filling out, etc.  And I went back to ask dad something, and I got talking to them.  And I asked him if he was a tour guide or something.  He kind of looked at me weird and then laughed and said no, but i probably looked like that.  He just had a big family and was bringing his friends kids with him or something like that..  Anyway, we kept on talking and talking and talking, and I was telling dad about my dating life and then this guy offered to set me up with someone at qualitrics who had gone to Harvard, but now is working to for qualtrics. and this whole time I didn't think anything of it.  Untill I sat back down and Trent leaned over and said, that guy is the CEO of qualirics!

Haha, I'd asked him if he was a tour guide?!  Also, I may be being set up with like the COO of qualtrics or something, if he's not like 35 that is.

On a more spiritual note, I am reading the first 4 gospels by Christmas and I am marking any mentions of examples of the christlike attributes in PME. And it really is helping me see finite examples of when Christ was humble, or patient, or showed large amounts of love.  It helps me understand better the situations I am in, and if I show that same attribute in those situations.

Love, 

Liza

P.S. how is training.  I was exhausted at this point.  But it is so cool becacuse you can kind of catch the new hope and new ideas and new exitement of the little one.  They still have that MTC type hope. Also, dad shared that with everyone yesterday.  So your time for being the spiritual powerhouse of the family has come.  Actually, he has been studying that topic a lot because of you.  So great job babe!

Pics: 

The first one is when Anna got black rice with seafood. What they didn't include on the menu was that the rice was black from squid ink, and they had fully formed little baby squid in there. Gross.

The second one is when nobody wanted to get in the pool, and their excuse was they didn't have sunscreen on yet, so Spencer applied sunscreen on everyone so then they would get in the pool with him.

November 14, 2016

I feel like I learned so much this week.  I really was trying to better my scripture study this week and I feel like I learned so much!

These are some of my highlights: 

You think when Jesus enters a city, he has a plan, he knows what he wants to teach, he has people following him, he needs to teach them now. Then a centurion approaches him, and asks for a blessing for his servant. And Christ immediately stops what he is doing, changes his plans, and says "I will come and heal Him." (Matt 8:7). The coolest thing is that Christ is interrupted his teaching to serve, and then his service leads to an excellent teaching moment. The man shows such faith by saying that he doesn't need him to go to him, but rather just say the word, and Christ is able to teach the multitude a much more powerful lesson. He knew that if he was willing to serve, his Father would magnify his efforts.

This week was also stake conference, and in stake conference they talked about the importance of praying each day to be an instrument in the hands of God. That we must pray each day to have an opportunity to serve others and trust that the Lord will expand our labors.

Anyway, I just loved that story, and the applications.  This week I am going to try to find one way to be an instrument in the Lord's hands everyday! That is how we will be happy.  Also, another kid gave a talk about how we must always listen to the prophet when he speaks.   Then he specifically talked about how Pres Monson walked about the word of wisdom, and how we must live this principle better.  He ended with inviting us all to start or keep on exercising to gain spiritual strength. And I know that that is so true.  The missionaries that have good exercising seemly did everything more productively!! 

-Liza

Anyway, I love you lots!

November 6, 2016

Hey Stephen--

It is officially after Halloween so it is christmas time.  It just is.  So start getting ready to see miracles because the world will soon decide to put out their nativities, and if the nativities in Chile are anything like Paraguay, they are crazy big.  And sometimes have creepy badly painted faces.  Just sayin.

I think the biggest thing I learned this week was about not judging the judgemental.  I went to go hang out with Jess Church and she had this friend who just was a little fake/judegemental, and I felt bad becasue she was just kind of trashing everyone, and we went hot tubbing in the Villiage I just felt like I was in the middle of mean girls a little teeny bit.  And I just didn't like how a little mean she seemed to be, so then every comment she made I was a little bit like, well that wasn't very nice.

Anyway, I got home at the end of the night and I didn't feel good at all.  And as I pondered and told Cassi all about how self absorbed a little bit she was, and how she said this and that, I realized that I didn't feel good because I had spent the whole night judging others.  I was not only sinning, but I was also being super hypocritical, so how did I expect the holy ghost to be with me if I was not doing things conducive to the spirit.  

Anyway, I was talking to Cassi and Cassi said that its hard not to judge others, especially when we view ourselves as clearly more righteous than them.  But she read a book, and it talked about how we only villanize/become judgemental or others when we betray ourselves.  When we chose to not do that act of service all the sudden we see everyone around us as dumb becasue why aren't THEY doing something about the situation, why arent they doing the needed act of service.  But really, it was us that could have taken the opportunity, and should have taken the opportunity.  I think this could have halped me a lot if I had realized this on my missison.  It doesn't matter if our comp won't contact someone on the bus, or on the street.  We just have to do it ourselves before we go along justifying our sins of omission.  Anyway, My goal this week is to not think about the negative as much.

Love, Liza

Oct 30, 2016

I always was surprised when people emailed me and reminded me of minor holidays.  I always thought "Oh ya, I forgot!  It is that time of year!"  But I have actually heard that they kind of trick or treat in Chile!  Is that true?

Announcements from this week:

I am going to start doing nerve regeneration research on rats, so pray that they do not bite me because I have a great fear of that.

 

We are now about half way through the semester

Me and Jordan aren't dating anymore as of like a week. It was good though, and I definitely felt inspired that it was time to move on.  I really haven't felt sad at all, just exited to meet new people and make new friends (I really hadn't gotten to know my ward hardly at all because I was always driving an hour to salt lake on the weekends).

Spiritual experience of the week:

Yesterday night I got home late from a murder mystery date and I hadn't read my scriptures.  I was super tired and was tempted to go to bed but then I saw Cassi reading her scriptures and I knew what I needed to do.  I was on Jacob 4, which I really never considered a chapter of much importance, but then I started reading it and the words hit me so hard.  Jacob 4 is filled with so much good stuff.  I think my favorite scripture I read was Jacob 4:7   Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weaknessthat we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.

 That we are weak so we are reminded that God is the one who makes us able to do anything anyway.  So as long as we remember this, then it is very much ok to be weak.  I have been learning this week that humility isn't thinking less of yourself, but thinking less about yourself. You just have to go out and serve others, and in the process you realize that God is helping you do so much more good than you ever could have done yourself.

 Anyway, I love you lots.

Liza

This is a picture of my succelant plant that Katie gave to me.  Isn't it cute!

October 23, 2016

Stephen--

I got your letter yesterday about all the success people had in Chile 20 years ago.  And sometimes how we wonder why we are not having the same success.  Oh Stephen, I just wish you could hear me asking my district and zone leaders the same questions just a year ago.  

Paraguay was once called the promised land, where people were baptized by the thousands, and the chapels were brimming with people that they had to keep building new ones, and dividing into Branches so that everybody could fit into the sacrament building.  Then little by little, most fell away, and now we have big chapels only half full, a reminder of how things used to be.  I know that some things had to do with the welfare system.  Many were converted, I don't think that any of them (well maybe a very select few . . . but very few) only joined because they wanted food and viveres, but their testimonies were weak.  And when additional storms and temptations came in their life (unfortunately some came in the form of unfaithful church leaders or bishops that stole from the church, etc), they fell away.  So now here we are, with 1000 member lists and 50 active members.  It made me feel sad sometimes.  And then I got a hard companion, and things just seemed to get worse.  I felt like she was sometimes pushy with people, and I feared that she would obligated them or manipulate them into getting baptized, and I knew that that was not right.  Sometimes in the mornings I would exercise alone.  One time I kindly reminded her again and again what time it was, that she needed to get up, and she didn't.  So I let her sleep until 8 AM, when I told her that I was going to go study scriptures if she wanted to join me.  She jolted awake, mad that I had not woken her up earlier.  I told her that one day she would have a little comp and if she did not get up, her comp would not get up either, and then they would lose the spirit, and that it would help her to be independent.  She didn't really believe me then, but 6 months later when I saw her and she was training, she laughed and said I was right when I had said that.

And there were some days when I just couldn't do it anymore.  I felt like all my efforts were for naught.  I remember sometimes I would take my camera, and video tape myself talking in english. I told myself it was to journal, but really it was because I felt so alone.  But then during that time, I learned about the atonement even more.  I yearned to study it, to learn about how it changed people.  Because there was always the rare case of the convert who joined the church and never left.  Usually it was the branch president, and their life had been so blessed because of the gospel. I wanted to know why they made it, why the atonement empowered them while so many more refused to use the atonement in their lives.  

I started feeling this irrational joy enter into me.  I was happy.  I had no reason to be.  I still was struggling with the same problems with my area, with my comp, but I just felt happy.  I talked to people, got rejected mostly, got lied to, but I would not stop being happy.  That is when I found one of my favorite scriptures of all time.  Alma  31:38 And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.

I felt all my trials being swallowed up in the joy of Christ.  It is just like the talk that Nelson just gave that says . . . . That is why our missionaries leave their homes to preach His gospel. Their goal is not to increase the number of Church members. Rather, our missionaries teach and baptize to bring joy to the people of the world!  

And when I thought like that, I loved being happy, I loved preaching and I didn't mind the rejection, because every person I talked to, I helped, whether they accepted it or not. My happy demeanor maybe even bugged some, but then they were left questioning why, why I was so happy, and they were not.  And I now look back at that time in my mission with such happiness.  It was one of the best times of my mission.

Anyway, I love you lots,

Liza

October 16, 2016

This week was so fun.

In answer to your question this one boy came back from Indonesia and now although i still blush a little saying it, I am dating someone.

So he worked all the beginning of this week and then on Thursday we went to the temple to do a session together.  Then on Friday we hung out with Cassi and Brian Felt and the family in Salt Lake, watched the BYU game (their homecoming game, which they won in double overtime), and played foosball (he won twice but I won once) and played this hilarious card game and at the end, we grabbed a caldron and threw cards into it to see who could flip the most cards into the bucket.  Then Saturday, we went hiking in Bells canyon, went to grab some Greek food for dinner, and then went on this really pretty moonlight tram ride at Sundance.  And today he is going to eat dinner with our family.  So it has been a good weekend so far.  He is a good guy, and I like hanging out with him, so we'll see where it goes.  Haha, I would say more, but then, I am sure that mom will include stuff about him in her email, so you can just read her email.

On the spiritual side, I was talking to Jordan yesterday and he was saying that there are a lot of vain repetitions in the gospel, and a lot of times, prayer can be one of them.  I mean, what do you say when you pray over your food?  That it can bless and strengthen you.  Why?  Because that is what everyone else says.  And the next question is, how could you change that?  I think that one thing that can make my food prayers more meaningful is to think one of things that I had seen God do in my life that morning, one thing I was grateful for.  

Anyway, I love you.  And I hope that everything is going well in your mission, and that you are applying all the cool General Conference talks to your investigators as best you can.  I always had so many ideas for investigators after conference, but then I didn't have access to the talks for months.  It always frustrated me.  So if you ever need us to send you a talk in Spanish you can print out and use untill you can get the real Spanish ensign, let me know, ok?!

Love,

Liza