Elder, I am Giving My Life for the Church - An Apostle's Admonition

Luis Guillon, Argentina -   HEY THERE FAMILY!

-Playing in the makeup. Gotta love having a girly companion ;) 

Another great week here in Luis Guillon! :) Today is Hermana Mills Birthday so we are partying it up. She is now 21! Oldie moldie ;) ha just kidding. I think she is my second companion who is not 19! I always have the youngies. Anyways, I cant believe we are starting the last week of the transfer again. Crazy!  It was a slower week but we still saw lots of miracles and had great experiences. I think this week was a week to feel the spirit and strengthen my testimony even more :) I don’t know what to share so just as a warning this week’s letter is going to be the best ever.... Straight from the Apostles :) haha yep lots of quotes to share this week. I hope you enjoy. 

-I was thinking of Karma and Sylvia...
Yep my little twinner friends here in Argentina

But first I will give you a quick run down of my week. Like I said, lots of spirit this week. We talked about Jesus and the Atonement a lot this week. It helped me really focus on my Savior and all He has done for me and is willing to do to help me. I got to help out at an open house of a church near by and do tours like in a visitor’s center. It was awesome! I would love to be a visitors center sister. You get to feel the spirit sooo strong and different in every tour. haha We got to see a lot of tender mercies this week and some of our investigators are progressing well. A family now is living the word of wisdom completely and is preparing to be baptized in August! I am so excited for this lil family! They are changing everything to come closer unto Christ! That’s really what it takes sometimes... give up everything to get everything! It’s always worth it in the end. 

Service activity for the people up north in Argentina.
 (they are having lots of flooding

When Elder Viñas came to tour our mission, he really focused on the Atonement and asked a lot of us how the Atonement has helped us in our mission. I have been thinking about it for the last couple weeks. Really, the Atonement is everything! Only through the atonement could I become the missionary I am today. I was shy, timid and awkward before the mission. I didn’t feel like I knew very much but I had a strong testimony it was true. Well, using the Atonement of Jesus Christ I have been able to get through some hard times, to enjoy the best times of my life so far. I love being a missionary with all of my heart. Only through Jesus Christ was I able to become a confident, outgoing, bold and loving disciple of Christ. I am nowhere near perfect but I am trying daily to become more like Him. After all that is our goal... to become like Him.

My companion shared a talk of Elder Holland with me and I would like to share a little part with you all. It is about missionary work. But I know that we can apply it to everyone... ¨every member a missionary right?¨

This is a missionary talk he gave in the MTC in Brazil:

His thoughts in Italics

My thoughts in bold

Learning to crochet

You look like future leaders of the Church, to testify of the divinity of this Church, of this work, and of God´s love, of His reality and His appearance to the Prophet Joseph Smith. And if there is anyone in the room who’s struggling with a testimony, you have one- mine! I´m giving my life to this, You’re giving two years. I´m giving my life! Everything I own, everything I possess is on the line. I would not come to Sao Paulo to tell you a fairy tale. I wouldn’t wear myself into the ground, nor would President HInckley do the same for something we did not know beyond a shadow of a doubt was God’s almighty truth! Give me a little more credit that that! I´m not an absolutely stupid man. This is the truth! And I´m giving everything that I know to give for that declaration.

-Yeah mom... dont be too ashamed...
I wear things that dont match...
 polkadots and stripes! :) WOOO!

I hope we can all be like him. Give our LIFE to the gospel. Do people know we are members? Do we stand out? Do we help others? Are we representatives of Him? 

I had a missionary ask me once if I would give my life for the Church. I said, Elder I am giving my life for the Church.¨I know what he meant. What he meant was, ¨Would you die for it?¨Well, that’s the easy part. That’s a snap! On some days it looks really appealing. That’s the easy part, to die for it. Well, what God needs is people who will live for it, people who will go the distance, people who are in this race we´re talking about that will go all the way to the tape. And some may die along the way and that’s wonderful, what He needs people who will finish the work. He needs people who will wrap this up, and that’s the pledge I make to you, and that’s the pledge He asked. We´re in this together

I believe that with all my heart! We are in this together! We are here to help our brothers and sisters. We are here to finish this work so that we can return back to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. If you don’t know what your part is in the work, I beg you to get down on your knees and ask God. HE NEEDS YOU and will help you  be part of the work. You just have to pray, have faith and ACT on that faith. Get the work done :) 

Twinner (opposites) dresses!

¨You can’t do it your own way. Don´t even try. That’s part of the worry- you dont have to do it, you cant do it, you shouldn’t do it. Stop worrying that you have to do this. This is Gods work! He will watch you! He will answer your prayers! He has legions of angels and teams of chariots to run to your aid this very hour. He will bless you! This is His work, but you have to do it His way! That’s the contract. 

We need to remember just that. It is HIS work. Not ours. So obviously we need to ask how and what He needs done and then do just that... His work in His way and in His timing. All it comes down to is a lot of obedience and faith. :) He needs our help, and we need His. Trust me... He is more than willing to help us out. He loves us more than we can even imagine. 

This last quote is not from Elder Holland but from his Friend..... another apostle... drum rolll.... Elder Scott:

With all of my capacity I encourage you to discover who you really are. I invite you to look beyond the daily routine of life. I urge you to discern through the Spirit your divinely given capacities. I exhort you to prayerfully make worthy choices that will lead you to realize your full potential.  

Capilla Abierta with some of the missionareis in the zon

I will share one sure way you can begin to accomplish such growth. I have seen valiant missionaries brave icy wind, resist torrential rains, slosh through slippery, muddy streets, and conquer fear. Often they bear a powerful testimony, only to be rejected and soundly criticized. I have seen them struggle to communicate truth in a new language. Sometimes the listener stares in puzzled silence. Then there dawns the shattering realization that the message is not understood. But I wouldn´t change any of it, even if I could, because there are those golden moments of success that makes all of the hardships worthwhile. Such rewards come when the Spirit touches a heart for eternal good because someone like you was there. To share truth in difficult circumstances is to treasure it more. When you push against the boundaries of experience into the twilight of the unknown, the Lord will strengthen you. The beauty of your eternal soul will begin to unfold. The challenges are greater now than ever. That is why the Lord needs more capable, better-prepared missionaries. He needs those who are clean and pure so that they can be guided by the Spirit and can testify with converting power. Qualify to be one of those missionaries. It will not be easy...

No visitors center here in Argentina? ..
no problem! We will make one ;)

But when was anything really worthwhile easy?

I´ve made this a long letter this week. Sorry. But I really hope we can take a minute to stop and think about our Savior and all He has done for us. There are many things we can do to help HIm, but I promise one thing that everyone can and needs to do is help with Missionary Work! I know this gospel is true with all my heart. I may not be the smartest person in the world but I am smart enough to know how I feel and I have felt the Spirit waaay too many times to deny any of this. I know Thomas S. Monson is the living Prophet today. He lives and leads us today in this crazy world. The family is the most important thing in the world. I love my family and am sooo grateful for them. I feel so blessed to be a missionary. I know this is the Lords work. I better go but I hope you all have a great week! Look for those miracles and give it all you’ve got and of course.... Don’t forget to smile! Life is good! Love you lots!

Besos!

-Hermana Newman