Monday, May 23, 2016

Happy last week of May!!!

Hi to all!
    June really is coming up, can't really believe it, time speeds up and so does the work! Sister Hibbard and I have had too many awesome/fun experiences this week, we've loved every second! Like I mentioned last week, we have been working a ton with part member families and it was so precious because with one of the PMF we've been visiting lately, the mom Diana has a five-year old son named David, it was so funny because on Saturday we felt like we needed to see her so we called her and she said that David had actually asked her that morning if "the Sisters of God" were gonna come over. He is the cutest!! We're working hard to get her non-member husband to come to a lesson whenever we're there but he hasn't had much interest but we are trying to help her to strengthen her faith and to become active again to be able to be an example for her husband! 
       Breaking news this week, our recent convert Jose Dany has finished the book of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon and for some reason it has been the most difficult thing for him but on Thursday night when we went for our lesson, he had literally purchased a cake that he had written "Mosiah 1-29" to celebrate his accomplishment and then the next day we also shared the Mosiah cake with the other missionaries in our district. Lol I wish everyone had the excitement and joy that he does about the Book of Mormon!!!!!!
     This week we also had a way fun mini exchange with our STL's all about learning Spanish to help Sister Hibbard, the real struggle is that because I have grown up speaking it, sometimes I can't exactly explain why something is the way it is, especially when it comes to grammar. So it was nice to have Sister Moli and Risenmay to help Sis. Hibbard learn and get some good advice. Plus, it was the last time I was going to see Sister Moli, I may or may not have shed some tears GAH ;) 
         We've found a lot of cool new people this week and we have a lot of great things planned for the last week of the transfer. As I have been continuing to look back, being a trainer a couple of times, I have truly been able to see evidence of the Atonement working in my life. Training is hard and can be lonely a lot of times but in the end I feel like I have been able to trust so much more in my Savior. I am SO weak but He is so strong through Him, our investigators and also I have been able to be more converted to the gospel and to be made strong. I know His atoning power is real!!! 
I love you all!!! I hope you are doing well and have a great week!! Enjoy it!! 
Love, 
-Hermana Abreu 

P.S. Today has been good, we decided we were going to take a 2 hr. nap so we did haha, it was actually pretty hard to nap because we had never really slept that long for a nap. #missionaryproblems. And then one of the recent converts who works at a Korean market in Koreatown gave us a couple of giftcards so he helped us choose the best snacks, so we got a bunch of delicious Korean snacks, and then tonight one of the other recent converts, Erika who is around our age is going to take us to eat Korean bbq after emailing! :) Its a Korean-kind of day haha 

1. Mosiah cake
2. Our dinner one night, we had back to back lessons and we were running late so this was our dinner one night. #missionarylife #applejuiceandcrackers
3. Us standing in front of the famous Korean Market!



Monday, May 16, 2016

What an edifying week!

Hope you all had a fantastic week!!!!!! I have been thinking about all of your end-of the year activities, I always remembered the craziness of testing, class parties etc. I hope you are all enjoying it!! Summer is approaching, can you believe it?! It's been surprisingly cloudy most of the week with hot days here and there, I'll take it!!! Trying to hold on to the cool weather before the Cali summer hits :) 

What an edifying week!!! We have had a lot of really special mission-wide "focuses" this week, such as Charity Week, where we have focused on setting bold, loving baptismal dates everyday and we have been re-watching the missionary broadcast in segments, that we had back in January, where general authorities spoke to all the missionaries in the world and we have been setting goals to apply the things that were said to our areas! The results all over have been so cool! Something me and my comp have been doing is focusing more on the Doctrine of Christ, bringing all our teaching back to the pure, simple doctrine, faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the holy ghost and enduring to the end. No matter what we have been teaching, whether its Word of Wisdom or the Plan of Salvation we have been helping our investigators understand that all the things we are inviting them to do is to build their faith in the Savior.

We have had several solid lessons with solid people that have fallen through day after day this week but our faith hasn't dwindled, we just went out day after day and worked hard! We have been working a lot with PMF(part member families), and we will have many new investigators and this week more baptismal dates with these families. Actually on Sunday a PMF, Besi Cordona and Nelson Ramos came to church for the first time in about 10 years. We found them last transfer while contacting and right in that moment, Besi has told us that they still love the gospel but they haven't been able to go to church as a family because Besi has had to work on Sunday for many many years but right when we contacted them they said that after many prayers, she finally has Sundays off!!! The Lord's timing is incredible. They LOVED church on Sunday and they have a daughter who is 10 years old that we are going to start teaching. We also got a referral last transfer of a less-active that we've been working with, of more than 10 years as well and she wants to come back. She hasn't gone to church in the United States but was an active member in Mexico, but also because of her busy life as a stay at home mom and going to school, with three children she hasn't been able to go. We have a family home evening planned with them this evening, with her non-member husband, David. We are so excited to start teaching him!!! We also have had a lot of success with working with recent converts, when I arrived here there was a recent convert who had almost instantly become less active, Jose Manuel, but as we have been focusing on helping him to understand the Doctrine of Christ, the basics and the fundamentals of the gospel, we can't believe the change he has had. He came to church again for the first time since, January! And he is taking those small steps like prayer, scripture study to exercise his faith. We also are so close to getting Jose Dany, another recent convert to go to baptisms for the dead. He is continuing to work on his family history and his desire to get to the temple has grown so much. We are so happy!!!!!!!!! 
Favorite quotes of the week
"El Espiritu Santo es el sabor de la vida"
-Jose Manuel
"Jesuscristo is the real MVP"
-Jose Dany
I invite you all to do as President Uchdorf says in his talk, "It Works Wonderfully, if the gospel isn't working in your life simplify and start where you are. I love you allllllllllll! Have a great week!!!
-Hermana Abreu
Us and our abuelita, Hna. Arias (Ramon's (RC) mom)

Graciela and her pet turtle that we named Gwen (p.s. the mug that Graciela is holding is full of coffee...have to re-teach the Word of Wisdom...) lol

My picture of you all for Skype 

Me and Daniel, the cutest little boy of a less active, Diana we have been teaching.

The beautiful sunset over downtown LA





Monday, May 9, 2016

Happy Mother's Day!

Como les va?
Hola a todos!!!! I am also still super happy from seeing you guys! It made my heart so full and joyful, knowing that you're all well and happy!  :) 
Here we are on Mother's day!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers Day! We sure did. This week has been good, don't have much time today to write but this week we were able to go on exchanges. Sister Moli came to our area with me and Sister Hibbard went over to Hollywood with Sister Risenmay. It was so good being with her, it was the boost I needed.
Sister Moli came to our area for exchanges!

Sister Moli goes home in a few weeks which makes me sad but if there is anything I have learned from her (and I have learned many things from her) is how to endure to the end and consecrate every ounce of energy to the work even at the very end of the mission, where the temptation is harder to lose energy or fire. I love her for her example and the miracles we were able to see while she was here in our area. With Sister Moli we had an awesome lesson with Graciela, it was so powerful. We have been praying a lot for Graciela, and helping her to recognize the answer to her prayer to know if the Book of Mormon is true and during the lesson she actually told us a dream that she had had just a couple weeks before we had knocked on her door for the first. It was so cool as she told us about the dream she was able to realize that it might be the answer to her prayer. There have been several tender mercies and miracles this week and its always my favorite to notice and see the Lord's hand in the work.

This work is divine!!!! Sister Hibbard and I are looking forward to see what miracles are in store this week. Have a wondrous week! Love you all!!!
-Hermana Abreu 

Monday, May 2, 2016

"Hi, do you sell CHURROS?

Hola everyone!!!!
Como estan?! All is good over here!!! This week has been great, we have been doing a lot of finding this week and are trying to find some new investigators! Ramon got confirmed this week and it was so great :) :) We have plans to have an FHE with them tonight. 
   Sister Hibbard and I have had some crazy experiences with crazy people on the streets of Los Angeles, definitely un-forgettable experiences. Sister Hibbard continues to study and is learning el espanol mucho! The other day we were both craving some churros and so we were looking everywhere for some churros. We found a taco stand and she went up to the stand, and said "Hi, do you sell churros?" and the latino worker replied "Que?" so she repeated and said "do you have CHURROS?" "Que?" she said again and then I, asked her, understanding that the worker had no idea what we were asking for and I said " tienen CHURRRRRRROS?" with a accent on the R and she said "Ohhhhhh, no, no tenemos churros" hahaha Sister Hibbard and I died laughing because she apparently wasn't saying the word churros in Spanish by adding the rolled r, therefore the worker didn't understand her. I continue to tell her to have patience and it'll come! Hahaha she is doing great. We are teaching Graciela still and today we have plans to teach her the Word of Wisdom so wish us luck! She loves her Cuban coffee :) :) 
      I also had a cool experience this week, as we went to the family history library up by the mission office this week to go help our recent convert, Jose Dany start his family history to have names to take to the temple. As we were there, I learned so much and gained such a stronger testimony of the work that we do with genealogy. It's something I really want to do more with when I get home from my mission. Families are eternal and as we as missionaries help people be baptized,  and help them do family history and complete those saving ordinances we are literally gathering the house of Israel. How cool is it!? I love the mission because it has opened my eyes to things I never really thought much about. 
   We have exchanges this week with our STL's and interviews with President Weidman so it shall be a week filled with great things and miracles. I continue to LOVE the people here, LA 3rd is the best. I cannot wait to talk to you all on Sunday! It shall be great! Happy early Mothers Day to all the wonderful mothers in my family and friends. You truly are amazing. Thank you so much for raising us, we wouldn't be the people we are now without you, and I wouldn't be on a mission without the love and support from my mother. Like Jeffrey R. Holland shared, in the General Conference last October, "...that no love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child." I love you all!!!!
-Hermana Abreu 
Us and Graciela 

Us at the VC with Jose Dany, Hna. Chicas and some VC sisters