A week full of experiences, Week # 3

Mum and Papi thank you so much for more of your packages haha!!! I loved the photos of T's quincienera and the happy lab chocolates! Oh my goodness they are good! Sister C. and I now have a stash of lollies and chocolates that we have stored in a cupboard and we are slowly eating them haha! Sister C. has to say that those tahitian gold pearls are amazing!

And thank you for sending my setting apart blessing! When I saw it I was so excited to read and when I did the spirit was with me the whole time! All over again I felt the feelings I did that very same day I recieved it!

Aaah that's so exciting that L. is talking now!(L. is the little daughter of our friends M and C, she is three years old and it has taken a long time for her to say any words ) and the B's call is coming any moment now!!!! I can't wait to find out! 

But most of all, C AND A ARE ENGAGED!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS YOU TWO!!!!!! WOW I couldn't stop smiling when I saw that in mum's letter! i'm so excited for you both but i am a little sad too that I wont be there for the wedding! C., Sister C. has the best idea though, that you could make a cardboard cut out of me and take pictures at the wedding with it to make it seem as if i was there haha!!! Well i'm so very happy and i truly love you both so much!!! 

Okay so now for what has happened this past week! Well on Monday my highlight was at the dinner we had with a member family from K2 ward. Their little boy is so cute! And he told us the funniest story ever about eating Fruit loops! So for a period of about a month his mum gave him this cereal everyday to eat for breakfast and when we were telling him that Sister C. bought some for her own breakfast just that day he got really anxious and told us that she shouldn't eat it! of course we asked him why and he said that because he ate it for a long length of time every morning, it actually gave him, and in his own words, "green poop!". Sister C. and I looked at each other and starting laughing! Best moment ever!

On Tuesday we had a long, fun day giving service to ________. The elders in our district kept on telling stories about how big his house was and how it could literally resemble a 5-star resort. Well you could bet that it was very hard to imagine this but they were absolutely right! ________ has an enormous house with everything in it! A tennis and squash court, a huge swimming pool and the house it self is a mansion with a big entrance! Currently he is in the middle of moving house though so for our service we were asked to help clean out the house in preparation for the people who were going to come in. Sister C. and I vacuumed the carpets, scrubbed the walls, clean the bathrooms and all done of course with the spirit of singing hymns at the top of our lungs to make it fun! All of the zone sister we all close together cleaning thus when one sister starting singing a hymn we all followed! It was pretty cool i must say haha!

On Friday was a pretty big day too! because I have been out for around 3 weeks in the mission field president H. has a 3 week training for all the trainers and trainees to help out with any concerns we have and more counsel on how we can be great missionaries! I loved every single moment of it. And my love grew even more for president and Sister H.! they are such amazing people and definitely a couple who had been truly inspired from the prophet to be called as our mission mum and dad! 

Mum, i would love to answer all your questions but i left the sheet of them behind at our flat and i don't have much time to read through your email to answer them. Sorry! 

But I hope everyone is doing fine!! I love you heaps!!!!

Lots of love, 

Sister Valdes 

P.S at the moment i think i am fine with all that you have sent me, thank-you so much!

Letter to the President 

Hello President H,

I would have to say that this week has been a week full of some good experiences. My core experience with God this week would have to on thursday when I was on exchange with Sister M. We were finding at the bus stop and i was talking to this man who was from Iran. He asked some really good questions such as what was my aim in life and what things matter most to me. I answered his questions saying that i am a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints and my purpose is to help others come closer to Jesus Christ he was a very firm man in his own beliefs and was rejecting all of my answers saying that i was wrong and was explaining what he really thought my purpose is. I was getting pretty frustrated with him knowing that he was rejecting my testimony and the beliefs that I hold dear, but I still tried to be nice and not offend him in any way. At one point though he kept on telling me that he could somehow feel that i had this sort of energy about me, that he couldn't explain where i was getting from. I knew it was the Holy ghost and i tried to explain to him that it was but he still turned it away. I was glad though that he could feel of it's presence and it strengthened my testimony to know that the Holy Ghost is always by my side when i am testifying of truth and to protect me in any way.

My best practice for the week as teaching as Jesus taught would be when Sister C. and I taught our investigator O. on Friday night. We taught about the Godhead and prayer and drew pictures to help explain. Because she is only still young, i thought it would be a challenge to help her stay focused on our lesson but with the help of the holy Ghost we were able to engage her and help her understand the importance of these principles. 

What really touched my heart the past weekend during conference was the talk president Uchtdorf gave on Sunday morning. I was taught that what makes our lives be filled more with peace and joy is if we strive to develop a spirit of gratitude. Knowing this, my mission will change in the way i will look at things. That no matter what challenges or circumstances come in my way that i will always stay grateful for all that i have and that by having gratitude, it will be a catalyst for me to try to develop more chirst-like attributes that will help me serve better in this calling that i have from the Lord.

Con mucho amor,

Sister Valdes

PS. FINALLY the SD card with all her photos so far have arrived! so look back at the previous posts where I would have attached the relevant photos to the email!!.....Including the one with the Missionary's ripped pants!!