December 11, 2016

Merry Finals Week---When you feel bad, just remember we are all taking finals this week, and that the mission is the place to be right now!!

This week I went to the MoTab concert.  And it was so funny, because the guest artist sings opera.  Also because he looks just like Mr. Bean.  So if you can imagine Mr. Bean singing opera with the MoTab, you will laugh.  It was great!

I don't know why I don't know what to write this week.  I usually have no problem writing long letters. 

I guess I will tell you about some of my #iluminaelmundo moments this week.

1. I went over to Katie and Trents house and Katie was sick (she's been having stomach problems for about 2 months now and she gets nauseous all the time and has stomach pain.  The doctors can't figure out what is wrong with her.)  And I started watching Planet Earth with them and then I went over to  eat a little bit of salad (I hadn't eaten all day), and I saw that their kitchen was a mess, so I cleaned it and did the dishes.  And I think it helped them.

2. I tried to donate blood, but since I had just been in Mexico I couldn't.

3. Last Sunday there was a goal of praying to heavenly father more, and so I wrote a prayer template that would help me have more meaningful prayers this week and you would be amazed by the help that it has been.  I wake up, say my morning prayers, and just feel so much more motivated to do what I need to do that day, and just more confident that the Lord would help and guide me throughout the day.  Also, I know that I always say that I pray for you, and I do a lot of time, but sometimes it is hard to always remember, but this week I prayed for you everyday.

Speaking of praying for others, I was talking with Cassi today about this and we were talking about why we think that we are commanded and encouraged to pray for others.  This is what we came up with.

-- Because it increases out mindfulness of these other people, so that we are reminded to do what WE can do to help the person.  Christ is a perfect example of this because he prayer for the Nephites in 3 Nephi and then he ministers to them, teaching them, healing their sick, etc.  Doing all HE can to help them as well as asking His father to bless them.

--Because it increases our faith.  Not only do you remember to do what you can do for them, but then, when the help is received, the blessing comes down, we attribute this to God.  We remember that God is the one in charge, and He is the one who really helps them.  This can work on the flip side too.  If the miracle does not occur for the person we are praying for, we remember that God has not forgotten our loved one, but rather, is perfectly mindful of them, and has his own timing.

-- Because it gives us charity for all men.  This is why we must pray for our enemies.  The first great commandment is to love God, and the second is to love (have charity for) our neighbors.

Anyway, keep working hard.  If you have any questions of doubts, just go to God.  I think that a lot of times we waste time focussing on the problem, when if we instead pondered on the goodness of God we would be happier and our problems would seem less like trials.

Love ya,

Liza

Mr. Bean, the opera star.

December 4, 2016

I was thinking today about my missionary christmases, and I think that sometimes they can make you start to think more about home, but the things that helped me so much was the video campaigns of the church and just forgetting myself.  #illuminaelmundo is the perfect combination of these two things!!  So definitely do it, and it will help you turn outward and also make Christmas so special.  Seriously, the two Christmas videos I had for my missionary christmases will always be seared into my mind.  I have such clear memories and feelings associated with these two videos, and even know when I watch them I feel the spirit way strong.  So make this Christmas video special and you will remember this special Christmas for the rest of your life!

One thing I was reading about it my studies today was about more miracles from Christ in Mark.  These two are my favorites . . . . 

Luke 5:12 ¶And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

 13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

I love this.  He is just so kind to the man, and so so so willing to heal him.

The second one: 

Luke 7: 6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:

 7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

Somehow I never had realized that Jesus, amidst getting mocked by the scribes for maybe going to enter the unclean house on the centurion, went with them.  He was fully planning on breaking social code to heal this man's servant.  It only was the faith and insistence of the centurion that he healed him with his word and didn't go to actually see him.  Christ was so willing to heal others, even when it put him in a bad situation.

The last experience was a personal one.  I always hear that you hit a point after your mission when you realize that you aren't as spiritual as you were on the mission.  And I was like, no, I will read my scriptures everyday, I will do everything I can, that won't happen to me.  But then this week I realized that a weakness I had had, that had really become a strength during the mission, had again become a weakness.  And it was especially clear this week that this weakness was going to be hard to get rid of.   And I was sitting at the first presidency xmas devotional and there was a part where it just hit me how many times I had slipped up that week, and I realized with perfect clarity this weakness and I felt so frustrated that I still had it, and that it was probably going to be between a strength and a weakness my whole life . .  that it would be the thing to keep me humble.  And I was so so so so so frustrated. I closed my eyes as I teared up with frustration with myself and a lack of hope that maybe this weakness I would deal with for the rest of my life and how I did not want to do that.  Oh, how I wanted my weakness to just have to be overcome once and then be done with it for forever.  I sat there praying silently in the middle of a talk, lost in my own pleadings that I did not want be this kind of person, I didn't want this weakness.  And right as I again focused on the words of the speaker, he testified that the Lord came down as a little babe to the Earth so he could perform the atonement, because the atonement has the power to dry all tears.  And as I sat there with tears in my eyes, the spirit testified that the atonement was the answer. I can do all things through the atonement.   And as long as I used it, I would not be overcome.  I would progress and be ok.  

I know that the atonement changes lives.  Our investigators lives, but even more than this, our lives.  There may be weaknesses that we will have for the rest of our lives, but the atonement is infinite.  There is no end to its mercy.  So use it, and learn to love it, because a day won't go by, especially after the mission, that you won't need it.

Love,

Liza

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!