Being prepared

TEMPERLEY, Argentina —  Well, it’s the last week of May and I can hardly believe it! It’s a really nice day here in Temperley. Lots of sun, but it's pretty cold. Good thing I have warm clothes and boots to go out with :) 

Sara's best friend in an Argentine fall

This week has been pretty great. We had an activity on Saturday that turned out awesome. We had Family Home Evening and about 60 people more or less came! WAHOOO! We even had two investigators and a less active member there. It was a lot of fun.

We had an ice breaker activity and  got to know each other. Then we had a spiritual thought about prayer and ended with refreshments and a game. I was very impressed with how it turned out. Even better — we had two investigators at church the next day and the less active member is coming next week! :) I love it! So great is the work of God!

Cool story real quick: We have a new investigator this week. His name is Pablo. We found him through another investigator. We met him on Wednesday, he agreed to come to the activity Saturday, came to church Sunday. We had a lesson on Sunday, have a lesson on Wednesday and he is coming to the temple with us on Saturday this week. WOW!!! 

Sara and her companion get ready for the rain

I love how God prepares people. Seriously, we can’t do anything as missionaries unless the people are prepared. Just another testimony to me of how involved God is in our lives. 

I am so grateful that we were able to meet Pablo. He told us he is searching for God and for an answer. He told us he got down on his knees for the first time last night and prayed. I was so humbled to hear that experience and I know that God will answer and that we can help him find what he is looking for!

Our other investigators are doing great. We are working hard every day with them. I truly feel blessed to know the people I do here in Argentina. They are my friends and my family. I am sooo lucky to be here and am blessed every day. We have seen many miracles this week and I am excited to see even more in this next week!

A few of you have asked about the nursing side of my mission. Let me fill you in real quick. I am first and foremost a full-time missionary. And lucky me, I get to be a nurse on the side. I don’t really do much hands-on nursing because our mission is spread out. But I get to take phone calls from the missionaries every day. It’s pretty interesting. Sometimes, there are not many phone calls and other days I don’t know even how to keep up. 

The coolest thing I have learned from it all is that our Heavenly Father helps us in all aspects of life. He helps me daily in the Gospel, but also as a nurse here. There are times that I don’t know how to say medical words in Spanish and I find myself just talking and understanding everything. I know that I can only do this part of my calling with my Heavenly Father. I cannot be a nurse or a missionary without him! :) I LOVE being a missionary and a nurse. The best ever! What more could I ask for? :)

I truly feel blessed in every aspect. I do have hard times still, and sometimes I just have to push through, but I do know that every trial or hard time we have is to make us stronger and become more like our Heavenly Father. We just have to make sure we are doing everything we can to grow from these experiences. Remember to live life and be happy. Give it your all and choose the right! 

Love you all! Hope you have a great week. I better get to the district activity. Mmmmmm Brazilian food and Soccer! :)

-Hermana Newman

Nursing and missionary work

TEMPERLEY, Argentina — Hola mi famila querida! :)

Hello and happy Monday again. I hope you are all doing super great. I heard the good news about Natalie and her mission call. Wahoo congrats cousin! Yeah 3 Newmans Spanish speaking right now. That’s pretty cool!!

This week seemed forever and a day long, but short at the same time. I don’t understand time. But hey, all is well, so it doesn’t matter.  This week was super interesting because everyone was stressed about transfers. I have never had to think about transfers before, because in Maryland, I stayed in the same area. But here I have to think about them now. But... good news... I am staying here in Banfield 1 with Hermana Calderon! I am very excited because we have a lot of work still left to do here together.

This week was great and filled with miracles. We had some visitors (Sister Missionaries) come stay with us for a couple days because they live on the coast, but it is like 6 hours away from where we have transfers. Anyways, long story short, we had to divide the area between us 4 and do splits for two days. It was great, but a little bit stressful all at the same time. The best part was we were able to find some new people to teach and some of our other investigators started progressing, felt the Spirit and are on date to be baptized :) It's fun working with other missionaries, too, because you can learn new ways to teach or explain things. 

Sara's district in Argentina

I love my calling! It is so great to be a missionary and a nurse.

Funny story about nursing: I get lots of calls and so I get to help lots of missionaries every day. Sometimes in Castellano and sometimes in English, depending on who the missionary is. My favorite calls are from the elders because they are just so funny. 

Anyways, an elder called and first thing I hear is, ¨Hi hermana, do you speak English?" Why yes, yes I do, elder. They are always relieved to find that part out. I knew he had a question, but he was avoiding it, so finally I just asked him what he needed. 

I heard him sigh and say, "Well, it's a little embarrassing." 

Then, in the background, I hear an elder yell ¨Oh come on elder! She is a nurse, she can handle it just tell her!¨ 

I seriously about died laughing. Oh I love my life. So great, so fun! Hee hee good old elders. I had lots of stories that are funny this week, but me with my good brain forgot them! :( I need to figure out how to get my brain and memory working better because it is awful!

The work here is great. There are people who don’t want anything to do with us. and then some who are really excited to talk to us and learn more. It’s hard when people don’t want to listen. It breaks my heart when people yell at us, throw rocks and tell us they don’t want to listen, but all I can do is keep on working and pray for these people to soften their hearts so they can be ready for what God has in store for them. 

I love reading in the scriptures about the sons of Mosiah and the things they went through as missionaries. Before my mission, I thought I understood, but being a missionary now I can definitely understand. They were the best missionaries ever no matter what trials came to them. They were hard working, selfless, Christlike, truly full of desire to bring people unto Christ. That is something I am working on daily. One day I want to be a missionary like Alma, Amulek or the sons of Mosiah. :) Yep... new goal of mine! 

Well family, sorry this email is a little short this week, but I can't think of much to write. I hope you all are doing well. My prayers are with you. I love this Gospel. I know it is true and it is truer and truer every day. Have a good one and go tear it up!

Chau,

Hermana Newman :)

Pressing on

COLUMBIA, Md. — I don’t even know where to start. I am sitting here trying to write with lots of thoughts and emotions. I am leaving my mission here in Baltimore... my family. But I am going to my other family who is waiting for me in Argentina.

How incredible.

I know the Lord needs me there, too, so I am also very excited to get down there. :)

We have been letting our branch know we are leaving, and it kills me every time. Everyone has such a sad face on, but then after they take a picture with us, give us some hugs and kisses, they are fine and wish us well. We were asked to bear our testimonies at church yesterday. It was a fun opportunity for sure. There was a twist as well: two of our investigators were there who we hadn’t told we were leaving. They were quite surprised I think. Whoops :) Our schedules are quite booked for the next two days because everyone wants to feed us and say goodbye.

This week was great, weird as well knowing it was my last here in Maryland for a while. But Hermana Crotzer and I were working hard to leave with a bang! We had lots of miracles and crazy moments too. 

The weather here is crazy and we get lots of ice, so sometimes the cars are "grounded" and we have to walk. Which is fine by me. But we are located centrally and our area is the entire stake so nobody lives close. We make it work and make the best out of it and have quite the adventures. 

I want to tell you about one of the small miracles we saw. It was one of the days we were grounded because of an ice storm. Hermana Crotzer and I grabbed our boots and rain jackets and started walking up the road a few miles. We stopped at a less-active member's house (Long story short she is not in our branch but is Spanish and so the other ward asked us to work with her). When we first met her, she was very grumpy and not warm and fuzzy at all. She said we Mormons just visited her and she was just a statistic. It made me want to cry. Hermana Crotzer and I decided to visit her every other week so she didn’t feel like a statistic and that she knew we loved her and cared. She is not a warm person to begin with, but slowly and surely she has warmed up to us. Well, she let us in her house (I think because we were soaking wet and cold) but we just talked for a bit. 

When it was time to leave, she offered us a ride home (first miracle!) then after she dropped us off she said, "Hermanas, thanks for not giving up on me. I know I can be snappy sometimes. But I appreciate your visits."

WOAH! Miracle number two! I hope the missionaries keep working with her and slowly and surely I know she can come back to the church. I LOVE seeing miracles. They are all around us. Keep your eyes out... open... whatever that saying is because you can find miracles all over the place.

I am not sure what else to say today except that I love you! I am praying for you. I will talk to you next week except this time.... from Argentina!! :) Have a great week

Con Amor,

Hermana Newman :)

Wet, crying and clean: my first baptism

COLUMBIA, Md. — Hola, mi querida familia!! Feliz Diciembre!

Holy Smokes.... December? Since when? Craziness. 

How was everyone’s Thanksgiving? I hope SO good. Mine was excellent! We did service in the morning, then I got to go help cook at a member's house and we ate at our branch mission leader's home. They are awesome! Then, a family gave us some papusas later. Needless to say, I had a lot of food. 

We weren’t allowed to proselyte on Thanksgiving, so we had a lot of plans with the members. Unfortunately, many of them called and canceled. :/ So what do you do as a missionary who cannot go talk to people on Thanksgiving? Volleyball at the church! :) Turns out a few other missionaries in our area had people cancel too, so we had a little activity at the church. It will be interesting this month because we cannot proselyte on Christmas or New Years Eve/Day. 

This week was fabulous. Many reasons why it was so fabulous, but at the top of the list, JENNIFER GOT BAPTIZED AND CONFIRMED :) Wahooooooooooooooooooo! 

She was baptized on Saturday and confirmed Sunday in church. It was a great baptism. Weird because it was my first, so we weren’t exactly sure how it would go. But the Spirit was very strong. It was awesome, too, because it was all in Spanish! :) Man, I love Spanish, have I mentioned that before? ;) Let me tell you a little about the baptism:

Jennifer had a lot of support from the branch. Quite a few people came, which was great, especially the young women. (She is 15) Hermana Crotzer and I had a lunch appointment in Elkridge that day, so we drove there to visit and eat with a family. Then we had to rush back to Ellicott City to start filling the font. Quite the new experience for me — never done that before. After a while of playing and messing around with water temperatures, we got it down and the font was filling up. It takes about 2-3 hours to fill, so we were there early. We got everything set up, made some cutesy stuff (I love being a sister) for Jennifer and waited for everyone to arrive. 

Remember, we are in a Spanish branch, so everything is on "Hispanic timing". Our branch mission leader and the Riveras said they would meet us at the church 30 minutes before the service to get ready and take pictures and such. Well 30 minutes before and it was me, Hermana Crotzer, a bunch of empty chairs, a full font, and an empty church parking lot. Talk about scary! 

I was a little nervous, but everyone ensured us they were on their way. Sure enough, about 5 minutes before the service was supposed to start, everyone showed up. They about gave me a heart attack, but no worries, I survived. 

The service was beautiful. I loved watching her go under the water and come back out with a big smile on her face. But my favorite part was "behind the scenes". We took her back into the bathroom to change and she had the biggest grin on her face. She started squealing so I gave her a great big hug. She started crying and would not let go. I stood there, in the bathroom of the church, with a soaking wet teenager hugging me. I pondered for a second how special this day was for her and how it will change her life forever.

Finally, she looked up at me and said, "Hermana Newman, I feel amazing. Why do I feel this way? Why am I so happy?" It took me everything not to cry. So of course me being me, I laughed instead of crying and replied with a big grin, "Why do you think, you silly girl?! You are feeling the Spirit!" She smiled and just kept squealing, "I feel so good, I love this feeling. I am baptized!" This simple moment between this young girl and me made such an impact on me. I want to feel this way all the time. I want to be squealing jumping for joy, saying how great I feel because I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!! 

The service was ended with a musical number on the violin, and Jennifer giving her testimony. Her testimony was short and sweet but POWERFUL. Wow. I can’t even describe the Spirit that was felt in the room. I am so glad that I have this opportunity to be her missionary now and forever. What a great blessing that is. Her journey has just begun. I am excited to work with her family more and get them all active and members of the church. We need more strong families in our branch, and they have great potential to be one! :)

We are working hard to find new investigators and work with the members. It’s a little hard because we haven’t found a new investigator for quite some time. But we are still looking! We visited with one of our other investigators this week and she informed me that she has been off coffee for more than 15 days. Woo! Gotta love La Palabra de Sabiduria! 

I have said this soooo many times before, but I LOVE watching people change their lives and follow the example of Jesus Christ. We are still working through some stuff back in Honduras, which can be tricky, but I know this sweet little lady will be baptized no doubt! She always tells me how much she loves The Book of Mormon. She knows it is true and loves to read it. The difficulty now is she is having eye problems and eye pain, but can't go see a doctor :/ Let me tell you, working with these people has made me seen all the things I have and take for granted. I am SO blessed. I have had quite a lot of humbling experiences out here and she is one of them. She has so many trials, but yet she doesn’t let it get her down and she has enough faith to realize this message is the truth and she wants it in her life. I will be thrilled the day I hear she is baptized! :) She is so solid.

Well, this week has been great! Looking forward to another one! :) How is Utah, by the way? Cold? Any snow? I miss my snow!!!!!!!! It's cold here, but no snow. Lame. I love it here. Every second of it. Have a wonderful week and remember who you are, and whom you represent. Go find those people who need the gospel! There are so many out there who are waiting for all of us to do our work and spread the gospel! I love you with all my heart. 

Con amor,

Hermana Newman :)

"Don't second-guess"

COLUMBIA, Md. — Another Speedy week gone by! November already? When did that happen? Before I know it, it is going to be January 2014... don’t want to even think about it. I am enjoying this mission too much; don’t need time to keep slipping by ;)

Well, fam bam, How are you all? I hope SOOOOO good! I am doing great here in good ol' Maryland. Still loving every second. This week has flown by and as usual my brain is not working the best, so I can’t remember everything that went on, but I will try and remember some highlights for sure.

Trees are ablaze in Maryland

 First off, I cannot believe another transfer is almost over. Only 2 more weeks. Yikes!

Tomorrow we have a mission conference with Elder Carlson of the 70. I am pretty excited about it. I will let ya know how it goes next week. 

I told you last week about our investigator with the baptismal date. She is still doing great, but we have to postpone the date a little due to some prior marriage issues in Honduras. Prayers are definitely welcome! :) She is solid, though, so I have complete faith Heavenly Father will help everything work out how it is supposed to. 

Halloween here as a missionary was interesting. We were asked not to proselyte at night, so our zone gathered and played volleyball from 6-9 at the church. It was awesome but sooo weird not to be outside. They wanted us to be super careful with all of the kids outside and drunk people so, we all stayed in for the night. 

Another interesting happening of the week: guess who was on bikes this week? Yep ... Hermana Newman and Hermana Crotzer! WOOOOO! I actually have never seen sister missionaries ride bikes before. But I definitely got some firsthand experience this week! People were looking at us like we were crazy people. But I can imagine why. Bikes and skirts don’t seem to go together very well ;) 

Something you don't see every day: Sisters on bikes

 It was a blast, but I was definitely sore afterwards. The first day, we went about 9 miles. Not too bad, but I haven’t ridden a bike in a while so my bum was sore! For morning studies I had to sit on a pillow.  Anything for the Lord, though, right? We are not on bikes any more. As much as I liked the bikes, our area is much too big and I am thankful for cars. 

We also went on Exchanges again this week. Hermana Crotzer stayed in our area and I went to the YSA branch. It was great fun! And it was my first time going to church in English for over 6 months! So weird. But it was great. I learned so much on exchanges as always. The biggest lesson I learned was talk to EVERYONE and act on EVERY prompting. Never second-guess the Spirit. Just do it! Be like Nephi... Go and Do, no matter what. Even if you don’t know why. God knows why and that is good enough. He will explain later. When we obey, He will bless us. And who doesn’t want or need more blessings in life?

We put it into practice this morning when we were vacuuming and washing the car. I almost drove away but couldn’t because the Spirit told me to look around and see who was there at the gas station. I looked around. Hispanic people galore! I was able to speak with a few and learn more about them and their families, share a brief message and now we have return appointments this week! The Spirit won't let you down — ever! I promise.

This week in my studies I have been learning a lot about prayer. Prayer is sooo important! After all, it is our communication with our Father. But sometimes I think we forget the purpose of prayer. I was reading in the Bible Dictionary about Prayer. If you haven’t read it before... DO IT! So good.  I want to share a little part of it with you all today. 

"The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant." 

God loves us all SO much. He wants to hear from us daily. He wants to help us and is always willing to bless us. All it takes it to get down on your knees and pray. He loves us more than we can imagine. We are His children — He wants the best for us. 

I want to commit you all this week to study a little more on prayer. Evaluate how your prayers are. There is always room to improve. I am learning that every day out here. Take this opportunity to make that closer relationship with your Heavenly Father. Take the time, to stop and think. It is worth it and will bless your life for eternity!

I love you all with all my heart! Have a great week. Keep smiling and working hard!

Con Amor,

Hermana Newman :)

Chicken hearts and stalkers

COLUMBIA, Md. — Happy Tuesday everyone :) I hope your week is all doing great so far. I know mine is. This past week has been great as well and crazy, too. Lots of fun stories to tell. I sent a bunch of pictures home to Dad to share some of my 'lil adventures out here in Maryland.

I hope you all find these as funny as I do.  If not, smile anyways for me and pretend. ;)

Hermanas Crotzer y Newman at the Baltimore Aquarium

 First story:

Well, my Spanish is getting better for sure, but yes, we all still makes mistakes. Especially Hermana Newman. For some reason, I am known for my cookies here. I make cookies quite often for my investigators, less actives and active families in the branch. They LOVE them! One of the little ladies asked me for the recipe, so I was trying to think of the ingredients to tell her. I told her they were really simple and just like any other cookie, but she insisted I tell her what was in them.

I began to tell her, "Chocolate, huevos, azucar, mantequilla y orina." (Speaking with a silent h)

She looked at me with a face that I can’t even describe to you and began to smile and chuckle. That is when I knew I had said something wrong. Yes, I told her that in my cookies were chocolate chips, eggs, sugar, butter and... 

Drum roll... 

Pee. 

Oh dear me. Yep, I meant to say harina (flour) but instead said pee. Amazing what one letter difference can do to the word. She sure got a kick out of it though.

Next:

Hermana Crotzer and I had quite the adventure this week during exercise in the morning. Usually, we go out for a run and then come home to do sit-ups, pushups and stretching. Well, we were out for our run like usual, and were on the way home. On the way home, we walk for the last stretch to cool down. We were just talking and enjoying the crisp fall air when suddenly in the creepiest voice ever, we hear someone scream "Good Morning Suya!" 

Baltimore Harbor on a P-Day

No idea what the last word meant, but his voice really creeped me out and gave me a weird feeling. It was a man on a bike that had been circling the complex for a bit that morning. We just walked past and kept on our way. 

I couldn’t stop thinking about it and how weird it was, so I decided to look behind me. Much to my surprise, he was there as well. I looked to my companion, "Walk fast hermana, he is following us." 

We walked very briskly and he kept following. I don’t know who he is or what he was doing, but I looked back again, still there. I had this bad feeling and suddenly Hermana Crotzer and I looked at each other and had the same impression... RUN! SO we did. 

We ran and he started yelling after us. We didn’t want to show him where we lived to we ran to another apartment building and found somewhere to hide. Long story short: we lost him and everything was okay. We haven’t had any more problems since,  but it was quite an adrenaline rush. 

Makes me wonder what my Argentina experience is going to be like ;) The lesson I learned from the adventure is listen to the Spirit no matter what. Even if you don’t know why just do it. We were protected and able to hide. Matter of fact, quite the tender mercy — we chose the only apartment that happened to have an extra panel to hide behind. 

Coincidence? Nope. Thank you Holy Ghost! We will be helped and protected if we are willing to listen to the spirit. Testimony builder for me. And MOM, don’t worry, that doesn’t usually happen and we are doing great :) No more weirdies!

Last story for today:

This is also quite the adventure. On Sunday, we were invited over to a member’s house for dinner. We sat down with the family and started to eat. We were having soup and tacos. Yumm! I am so good with that. As I sat down I looked into my soup to see 5 very big chunks of brownish gray meat. "Oh no, its some sort of organ I thought, but what?" 

 

My fears were confirmed when I turned a piece of mystery meat over and was able to identify the 3 branches of the aortic stem (Oh the joys of being a nurse). Yep, 5 chicken hearts floating in my soup. Lucky hermana right here, not. But, ya gotta do what you gotta do so yes, I ate them! Just in case you are every curious and wondering, not my choice of meat! Very chewy and weird texture. Stick with beef, chicken and pork! Hermana Crotzer only had to eat one but she was scarred for life. You should have seen her poor little face when she realized what was in her soup. 

To make it even better, after dinner we found out that the tacos we ate were "Taco de lengua" Or in English... Tongue tacos! Hahahahahaha OH I love the adventures we have! Eating weird foods, meeting awesome people, crazy stories, spiritual experience... all part of being a missionary and I love every second of it.

This is already a really long email sorry and I don’t have much time, but I want to share with you a quick thought I read this morning in personal study. I was reading in the Book of Mormon in Helaman chapter 15. I love the whole chapter is fantastic but I especially loved verse 6.

 Yea, I say unto you, that the more part of them are doing this, and they are striving with unwearied diligence that they may bring the remainder of their brethren to the knowledge of the truth; therefore there are many who do add to their numbers daily.

Why were the Lamanites doing better than the Nephites? Because of their unwearied diligence and faith. They were converted to the Gospel and stuck with what they knew to be true. They knew the gospel was true and real and acted upon it. And they shared it! 

It says that they added to their numbers daily. That’s the part that hit me. Think about it....  80,000 missionaries out right now serving and preaching the gospel. How cool! That’s a lot of people being taught. But then add that number with the members of the church we have 15 million? Outstanding! 

The Ellicott City sisters with Sara and her companion

Imagine if everyone worked together like the Lamanites did and shared the Gospel with their friends. How amazing would that be? Our numbers are growing daily! This is the true church and I know it without a doubt! You do too, and if not, go pray about it and find out! And then, share with those who need it too! This work is all of our duty. We are disciples of Jesus Christ. Let's help with the work and bring it to the world! Have a wonderful week! I sure love you!

Give 'em Heaven!

Con Amor,

Hermana Newman :)

Finding the lost sheep

COLUMBIA, Md. — How are you this fine Monday? Another week has flown by! How is Utah? It is fall here and I love every second of it! The leaves, the fresh air — all wonderful! And the humidity has dropped quite a bit... at least for now. What’s new with you?

This week was great. We had some miracles with less actives again! I love working with less actives! I am sure I have said that sooo many times, but it is true! I love working with ALL people here, but working with less actives and showing them love is very fun and something I am good at. People change when they feel loved. That is why it is so important we help people to know that they are loved — by us, and more importantly, by our Heavenly Father!

A family in the branch. The girls found their boots to match Hermana Newman

We went for a return visit to a less active lady in our branch. It has been pretty hard to get a hold of her, so we were hoping and praying she would be there. I was a little doubtful, but said a little prayer to help me have some faith. I knocked on the door, and it was her. She answered the door with a big smile and invited us in! 

She invited us to sit down while she went down stairs to grab something. When she returned she had two books in her hands. She began to dust them off. I looked at what she was holding and had a big Hermana Newman grin on my face. It was the Book of Mormon and the Bible :) She went and grabbed them, without us even asking and wanted to show us them. We got to know her better, talked about her family, work, and of course the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her and her son are the only members of their family and have been less active for quite some time. 

Before I knew it, our time was up, and it was time to go to our next visit. I am excited for this week because she invited us back this Wednesday for another visit... and to learn how to make Tacos. Mmmm! Win-win situation. Gospel and food! What more can you ask for? ;)

We also had some great lessons with our investigators. It just so happened that most of the lessons we taught to them were about the Plan of Salvation. What a wonderful plan. I love teaching people about it. 

Some people have an idea of what was before this life and what they hope is after. But this week, I have realized that A LOT of people have no idea where they came from, and where they are going. It is sad to me, but it makes me happy to see their faces when I tell them there is more to life. I tell them they do have a purpose and that one day they can live with their families and God again. I know I always say it, but we are so blessed to have the Gospel in our lives and know what we know. 

Don’t ever take it for granted! So many people don’t know what you do. Share the happiness of the Gospel with someone this week! It will be the best part of your week, no doubt!

Well, I don’t have too much more to say but before I get off, I just wanted to say a quick thing to you specifically, Mom and Dad. THANK YOU! THANK YOU THANK YOU! MUCHISIMAS GRACIAS :) 

I think about you often, of course, but this week during Relief Society, you especially came to my mind. We were talking about families and how to be better parents (Which does not directly apply to me since I am not one). But it made me think of what awesome parents I have! I have two parents who love each other very much, who raised their children in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, taught me how to work hard, to have high standards, to get a good education, never failed to tell me they loved me or give me kisses and hugs. 

The list goes on and on. 

It reminds me of the first words we read from Nephi in the Book of Mormon. 

"I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents..." 

Well, I, Hermana Newman, having been born of goodly parents... am very blessed to say the least! Mom, Popi, thank you for all you do and all you have taught me. Sometimes I have taken it for granted. But I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! You are amazing examples to me.

I don’t know who all reads my letters, but those of you who are reading this right now, think about the things your parents have done for you. Make sure you tell them thank you! Make sure they know how much you love them.

This also applies especially to our Heavenly Father. Offer a prayer of pure gratitude sometime this week! Don’t ask for anything, just give thanks. After all, He has given us everything we have!

We are so very blessed! Keep smiling. Be good and have a wonderful week!

Con Amor,

-Hermana Newman :)

Gospel, gratitude and giggles

COLUMBIA, Md. — This week is the start of transfer #3 for me here in Maryland. President told me they shredded my visa and that I wasn’t allowed to go to Argentina anymore. So no visa, and I am staying here for the 18 months.

Just kidding!

I am sure I will make it to Buenos Aires, the question is when? But I am not worried about it, just doing my best and working hard here in Columbia, Maryland.

Well Fam Bam, what is new? Are you all thinking it's weird that summer is pretty much over? I cannot believe it! That flew by! Mom, how was your birthday? Labor Day is almost here. What are you all doing for Labor Day? For us, it is another P-day, but our branch is having a picnic as well so that should be fun.

Papusas... be very jealous!

I think I told you this last week but we got a Lider de Obra Misional (ward mission leader). He is awesome! And helping the missionary work so much. We are trying to get our little branch excited and more involved in the work. This transfer is going to be awesome with lots of miracles, I know it! We had a pretty awesome turnout at church on Sunday. Between the Spanish elders and us, we had 13 less actives at church and 1 investigator! :) WAHOOOO!

Usually, the weeks fly by here, but for some reason, this week has seemed pretty slow. Not bad at all, but I can't even remember what went on because there were so many things and my crazy mind keeps getting weeks confused.

We were able to get some investigators progressing and hopefully this next week we can get a few on date to be baptized.

Funny experience of my week: I swear it was Law of Chastity Week with everyone! Funny thing is I have never taught it before in English let alone in Spanish. But... it all went well... I think ;) Nothing is awkward unless you make it awkward, right?!? I read a scripture with one of our investigators, who has been living with his girlfriend for 8 years and has 2 kids. I was nervous to read the scripture but I did it anyway, because the Spirit told me to. He looked at me and told me that he knew he was sinning and needed to change. With a big Hermana Newman grin, I turned to him and his girlfriend smiled and said, "Si! Entonces, ustedes piensen es una buena idea ser casarse?" (Yes, so, do you think it’s a good idea to be married then?)

He busted up laughing and said, "Yes Sister Newman that would be a good idea."  Made me so happy. Now this week we have to work with them and get a date set.

I love every moment. Yes we have hard times, sad times, awkward, fun, happy ... all of the above! Every time is worthwhile. I am learning and growing a lot. And it is my hope that I am helping other people learn and grow as well.

Hermana Newman's district right before transfers

Nothing too big going on here this week. Just little miracles all around. I love seeing people learning about the Gospel and changing. To see the Gospel changing lives here as a missionary is pretty amazing. I love it! It is really hard to see people turn down the truth and walk away, but I know that with time, they will be ready for the truth as well. It’s all about timing. Who is ready and who needs a little more time.

I have learned so much here in Maryland and seen a lot of things that I never have before. It makes me really grateful for what we have. A lot of times we take things for granted. Every time we go to an apartment and there are 3 or 4 families crammed into a rundown apartment, my heart breaks.

We are so blessed to have the things we do. We are so blessed to have the Gospel in our lives. We were chosen to have the Gospel and share it with others. I admire those who don’t have the Gospel for so long and then find it and are able and willing to make that change!  Heavenly Father's plan is perfect and He wants nothing more than to have us all choose the right path and be able to return to Him again.

Brittany always used to say this and it kind of made me chuckle but now I understand. "I am a little homesick for heaven." I can't wait until we all get to be together in Heaven and be with our Savior and Father in Heaven. What a great day that will be. For now... keep the work moving. Go out and find those who need to be found.

Love you! Have a great week! You are always in my prayers.

Con Amor,

Hermana Newman :)

Going and doing

COLUMBIA, Md.  — Another wonderful week in Maryland has passed. I can’t believe I have been in Maryland for 2 months. It’s not very long, but time is flying for sure! The weather here is still hot, but thankfully not as hot as a couple weeks ago. It is bearable and I don’t mind it at all.

I would now just love to get rid of the yucky mosquitoes. I don’t have eczema on my legs anymore, but they are infested with mosquito bites. Dumb bugs! All is well, though, as long as I don’t get mosquitoes in Argentina and get dengue, I think I will be good.


This week has been great. Guess where I got to go?!? Don’t be too jealous.

Yes, got to go to the DC Visitor Center. The temple is beautiful just like everyone has told me :) I wish we could have gone inside! I miss going to the temple. I haven’t been in 2 months, which is the longest time I have ever been without going to the temple. It is killing me. But it’s okay because I am a missionary and get to help the people here in Maryland instead. But one day, I am coming back to Maryland and going to the DC temple. It is way pretty! We went with a member in the branch and a family from Mexico. It was really nice, and I think they liked it a lot. They were really shy and didn’t talk too much, but we are going to start teaching them this week. I am really excited!

It has been a little hard to find new investigators and visit members and less actives because it is summer. And apparently, people like to leave and go on vacation in the summer. What? Who do they think they are? Don’t they know that we need them here and we have a message to change their lives? ;)

I can't think of a particular story to tell this week, but I have definitely learned a few things. One big lesson I have learned again this week was the easiest and best way to do things is just by following the Spirit. We found one family and two ladies this week to teach because we went by the Spirit and were not afraid to open our mouths. I Love it!

We were walking around trying to find a potential investigator's house. That’s when we happened upon a lady named Sara. I had the impression to say hello and talk to her. I was scared for some reason though. I kept fighting with myself while we were walking up to her what I would do. Finally we caught up and it was go time. What am I going to do? Talk to her or just smile, say hi and keep walking?

What kind of question is that, Hermana Newman? 

Luckily, I had my head on straight and I listened and I talked and walked with her for a bit. Asked her how she was doing and who we were etc. I asked if she lived close and if we could share a message with her and her family. She smiled and me and said, "Claro, Hermana. Pasen." (Of course sister, come in) My heart stopped for a split second.

What? Did she really just say yes? That doesn’t usually happen. 

A lot of times they are not interested, too busy or ask us to come back a different day. I was so happy. We met with her family and got to know them better and started teaching them about the Restoration. Long story short, we have a new family to teach. I know it is not because of me: totally the Spirit guiding two 'lil sister missionaries. I know that when we forget ourselves, not worry about it and just go and do what Heavenly Father needs us to, we can see miracles and have blessings.

Another cool blessing I have noticed this week was my Spanish. Trust me, I am nowhere near fluent. I have quite a ways to go, but I can definitely get around and talk to people. I mess up sometimes and people love to help me. A lot of the times I am so scared and just have to pretend I am not. But this week, as I put my fear aside, the Lord helped me open my mouth and speak.

My Spanish is slowly increasing and getting better. I love leaving appointments and thinking back, "Wow, we just taught that whole thing in Spanish."  Or just walking around outside talking to everyone and having conversations in Spanish. I really do love these people already. They are awesome! 

By the time they get to Argentina, they might not need these coats.

My absolute favorite thing is when people look at us with weird faces and are just staring. It’s the best. They are staring because they see two lil white girls speaking to them in Spanish. I love when people ask, "Where did you learn to speak Spanish?" Or "How long have you known Spanish?" It’s the best! Testimony to me of how much God really can help us. I have only been out 3 months and my language still needs a lot of improvement, but from going from zero Spanish to where I am now? I am grateful to my Heavenly Father every day! What a blessing.

The cool thing is that Heavenly Father wants to bless us all every day, but we just have to ask. This week, ask for specific blessings — do your part and I know that God can bless you with what you need if it is His will. God is so loving and wants to help us. Don’t think if you don’t get it right away that He doesn’t care. I absolutely know 100% He does care! God is a God of miracles and blessings. He loves me and He definitely loves you. Be good, do what you are supposed to, strive everyday to be a little better and you will see blessings, and your life will change for the better.

I love you with all my heart!  Have a fabulous week! Until next time: Give em Heaven!

Con Amor,
Hermana Newman :)

Little things build the Kingdom

COLUMBIA, Md. — HellloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOO!!!!!!

How are you?!?! I don’t know why, but today I am super excited to email today. I wish I could see your faces and give you all a great big hug. But, since that’s not gonna happen, just imagine me giving you a great big cheesy grin.

Holy cow, I was spoiled this week. I got a letter from Grandma, Aunt Lisa, Brittany, Nick, Juli and then birthday packages from Erianne and Juli and the Girls! Thank you thank you! I love hearing how everyone is doing. Sounds like everyone seems to be doing well. I have been praying for Chris with his test. How did it go? That smarty-pants probably aced it like a boss! Thank you for all your love and support! I have the best family and friends ever! Lucky me! Thanks for putting up with me for so long! ;)

This week was great. Lots of miracles again. One being the weather. We had 2 whole days of beautiful weather. Low humidity and not hot. I was in heaven! Now, the weather has returned to the normal hot and humid but it's okay, I definitely enjoyed it while it lasted.

Sara finds her favorite dog: a Boxer!

I am not fluent by any means, but my Spanish has improved, which makes me so happy. I was nervous when Hermana Brown left, but the Lord won't let you fail if you try. I hadn’t really noticed my Spanish until all the branch members kept telling me I had improved. And then I realized.... wow. I am talking to people in Spanish. HA! That sounds weird. I can’t even explain. It is definitely a blessing to be able to speak and understand a different language. And of course there are those awesome times when you and your companion look at each other with "that face" and neither of you know what' s going on. Gotta love it. My accent and pronunciation is getting a lot better, too. Just need to keep working on the grammar rules and conjugation. Okay, I will stop rambling about that because I am sure you have better things to read about than how my Spanish is.

Hermana Newman learns how to make tortillas from scratch

This week was full of all sorts of different kinds of days. My companion is still getting used to being out here, so days that are not super awesome are hard for her. We had one day this week where we talked to a lot of people, but taught zero lessons. Yes, zero. Those days are hard because you wonder what you are doing wrong. I could tell my companion was concerned so I just smiled at her and said "It's all for a reason."

It is true. If we are being exactly obedient, then it is all for a reason. I don’t know why we weren’t able to sit down and teach people. But what I do know is that we were doing what the Lord wanted of us that day. We were meeting people, learning, getting practice; the list goes on and on. It doesn’t matter what part of the work we are doing, just as long as we are willing to do the part that God needs us to do. So, when He asks you to do something, don’t hesitate and wonder why, just do it!

Getting those Argentine sleeping bags ready

This week we were able to meet with five families that we have been trying to meet with for the whole last transfer. I don’t know why this week they finally opened their doors, but they did. God's timing is perfect. I know I say that every week but it is true! Several times we would show up to people's houses, just as they were getting home, or they would be outside in their yards or they didn’t want to talk to us but would let us in to use the bathroom or get some water and then start talking about the church. A lot of these people we met with have been less active for years. Their hearts are hurt, or hardened but our job is to love them. Love them like Christ would love them. Let them know that we care about them and they are missed. It is amazing what can change with a little bit of love.

Okay, I feel like I am rambling again. So, I will get off. Sorry there was not a big story or happening this week, but the little things make the big things happen. This week for your missionary moment, go out and find someone to love. Choose a person and be their friend, love them like Jesus Christ would! Let them know you care. You will make a difference in their lives, and I promise you will notice a difference in yours! I know because I have noticed it in my life. I have been trying to develop the Christlike characteristics in Preach My Gospel. I am working on Christlike love. Seeing people like He does changes your perspective and changes you. Let the change happen!

Have a great week. Be good, make good friends, don’t let South Jordan get ya ;)

Te Amo,

Hermana Newman :)

Miracles and the Lord's timing

COLUMBIA, Md. — They definitely don’t celebrate Pioneer Day here in Maryland, but I was reading this morning in the Ensign and read about pioneers and it reminded me that it is in 2 days. Are you all doing anything fun to celebrate or just chillin'?

I am SO grateful for the pioneers. Holy smokes, they are amazing! This week, if you haven’t already, go read the Ensign. The stories about the pioneers are pretty awesome and helped me to be more thankful for the Saints who came before me. Though the things they had to go through and the things I have to go through are much different, we all have one purpose — to build up God's Kingdom on Earth! We are all pioneers in a sense! :)

How are you all doing? What is new in Utah, Idaho, Kentucky, and Texas... everywhere else? I hope you all know I LOVE YOU SO STINKIN' much. I am so lucky to have the best family in the world :)

I am still loving Maryland. No complaints here. Just funny, this week we have had record heat in the Columbia area and severe heat warnings. We get texts almost every day telling us to be careful, be smart and drink lots of water. So far so good :) I am healthy as can be.

This week has been a little bit crazy, but good. Training is going well. Sometimes it is hard, because I don’t feel like I know what I am doing, but with Heavenly Father's help, it all turns out okay. I got my new companion on Wednesday. Let me tell you a little bit about her. She is 19 years old, from Los Alamos, New Mexico. Her name is Hermana Crotzer (Hispanic people have a super hard time saying it. SO glad my name is easy. Thanks Popi :) ) She went to BYU-I for a few semesters before she came here and she is the oldest in her family. She is a little bit shy, but spending a few weeks with me, I will break her ;) I think she might think I am a little crazy because I am always laughing and smiling but, life is good, got to make the most of it right?

Hermana Crotzer and Hermana Newman

Let me tell you a little bit about this week. I don’t have enough space or time to tell you everything that I want to, but let me first tell you, WOW... MIRACLES THIS WEEK! I have seen so  many miracles that I can’t even remember them all. I will tell you about two this week.

One happened while I was in an English area, and the other when I was here with Hermana Crotzer in Columbia.  I was with the English sisters one night, and it was just about time to head home, but we had time for one more visit. We decided to visit Robert, a referral from the Salt Lake Visitors Center. We all were a bit nervous, but excited to see Robert and learn more about him. We said a prayer and then knocked at the door. No answer. One more knock. No answer. We knew someone was home, so we gave it one last knock. As my hand left the door I heard footsteps coming to the door. Suddenly the door swung open. I looked up to see a middle aged man smiling at us. It was Robert. :)

We talked about him, family, church, and Salt Lake — lots of things. But  the miracle happened when we asked Robert a question, he smiled and looked us in the eyes and said, "I am looking for faith. I am a Catholic. I believe in God, but I am looking to have more faith in my life." With tears in his eyes he looked down and said, "I want great faith like you sisters have, I just haven’t found it yet."

I was amazed by how soft his heart is and how ready Robert is to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ in his life. We left with a prayer, and the Spirit was so strong I can’t even describe it to you. Standing there in a hot Maryland evening on Robert's porch, the Holy Ghost testified to all of us of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though Robert is not my investigator, and I probably won't know what happens with him here, I know with out a doubt he will be baptized. He is ready — he just doesn’t know yet what it is that he is ready for. I love seeing miracles.

The next is the miracle of timing. I have grown a huge testimony of the Lord's timing. Nothing happens just by coincidence, and this week, we had a lot of "perfect timing situations."

We went to visit our investigators Sulema, Angel and their 2 kids, Angie and Dominique. When we arrived, we found that they were not home. I was a little disappointed of course, but I looked on the stairs to see another lady sitting there with her children. I started talking to her and come to find out, she "happens" to be a referral I have been trying to get a hold of for a few weeks. We found her!

Coincidence? No.

She was there and God knew we would find her. We talked with her and got her information and set up a return visit. We were about to leave when another investigator drove up. Perfect timing! William got out of his car with a big smile on his face. "Hermanas, how you be? How you day? Come, sit. What you have for me today?"

This man is one of the most humble people I have met. He cannot read but listens to the Book of Mormon on Spanish CD's. As we were reading him some of the Book of Mormon, some of William's neighbors stopped by to see what we were doing. He invited them to sit down with us. You should have seen their faces when they see two 'lil white girls speaking Spanish. Priceless.

Before you knew it, we had William, his neighbor Domingo, Elder and Norma sitting on the steps outside listening to stories in the Book of Mormon. What a sight to behold. I couldn’t stop smiling the rest of the night. This may seem just a little miracle, but wow, it touched my heart. The Lord has perfect timing in all that he does. Sometimes it takes patience, but in the end, it is worth the wait.

Sorry this email is sooo long. I could just keep going and going but I know you all have other things to do, as do I. I hope you all know how much I love this Gospel. I love being a missionary and spreading the word to these people that do not have it. What a blessing it is to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. :)

What miracles have you seen this week? Pray for them and I know you will find them! Have a good one!

Te Amo

-Hermana Newman :)

Maryland for a reason

COLUMBIA, Md. — It sounds like you are all doing well. I haven’t heard from my family in Ohio or Texas. My prayers are being sent to you. I know you're busy with stuff, but if you get a chance, send me a quick email or letter so I know how you are doing. Love you all soo much!

Dad, the Burns' are doing an Argentina day, huh? Lucky! Are you going to try some food? Let me know how it is. Everyone tells me it is delicious and that I am gonna be a "gordita" or fatty when I come home.  My Relief Society president keeps saying if you don’t remember any Spanish just remember "yo quiero empenadas". Made me chuckle.

Wahoooo! Yay for Sister Missionaries! Sister Christensen, Sister Thompson, Sister Newman, Hermana Newman, Sister Yates, Sister Watko and Sister Rawlings. Wahoo for the 3rd Ward! And yeah for the Elders too! :) Happy day! AND Erianne got home?!? I love that girl! Best Missionary ever! Send her my love please :) I am sure her talk was great.

Holy smokes,  does time fly. I cannot believe I am done with my first transfer already. Has it already been 6 weeks? I guess so. I dropped my companion off this afternoon at the mission office, she is heading to Argentina. Bittersweet. We were a good companionship but I am happy for her!

Good bye to Hermana Brown

I will get my new companion on Wednesday, so for now, I am with the Sister Training Leaders in an English area.

I am sure most of you know, but for those of you who don’t:  I am training this transfer. BAHHHHH! What?!? Me training, in Spanish? Ha. Wow, Heavenly Father must be testing me or something. I know I can do it, but it still scares me half to death. I haven’t even completed my full training yet. Oh well. Guess we will both finish learning together, right?

This week has been great. Pretty busy, but awesome. We had 24 lessons, which is so good for our area, AND 3 investigators at church and 15 less actives! There sure are miracles happening in Columbia 3rd Spanish Branch! Gotta love it :)  Hermana Brown was speaking on Sunday, so lucky me, I got to coordinate all the other things and make sure everyone felt welcome and had someone to sit with, etc. Not too hard, right? Well, when your stress level goes up and you are nervous, turns out that your Spanish declines! I figured it all out, but man, it was funny trying to speak and help our investigators out during sacrament meeting. Good memory, for sure.

The Sanchez Family

It's crazy to think just 6 weeks ago, Hermana Brown and I opened up this area. It’s doing pretty well right now and hopefully it keeps progressing. I am the only missionary staying in the branch. We are getting new elders and sisters in the Spanish branch, so I am the one who has been in the area the longest, which is really funny.

Our Branch President told us something really neat today. He said he has been praying for Spanish sisters for this area for a long time, and now here we are. He said that he has never seen so many people excited and coming back to church before. Sometimes we don’t see the miracles but he reminded us that just because we don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t happening. It made me feel great and that I really am here for a reason. I know that I need to go to Argentina, but I also know people need me here in Maryland right now, so I am happy to be in this little branch!

We have had a lot of fun happy times this week, and of course, some bummer times as well. It is so hard for me to see people choose to not listen. We had to drop one investigator this week, and the Rivera Family that we have been working so hard with are on a decline right now. We are still working with them and hoping for the best, but for some reason they have stopped progressing. :( I have faith they can turn around but there is only so much we can do as missionaries, they have to use agency and choose for themselves.

The Rivera Family

 Can I just say Satan is ridiculous! He always seems to get in the way. I always know when something "randomly" goes wrong, I know who to blame. He is very sneaky. I have learned that just as real as Heavenly Father is, Satan is real, too, and he definitely is out to stop the work from progressing. But the cool thing is that he will not win, he will not conquer!

I love the happiness the Gospel brings to families. I love the light in people's eyes when we teach them lessons. This mission is changing many people’s lives, including my own. Not a day goes by that I don’t learn something new. It’s amazing what can happen when you devote your whole self to God and the Gospel. I wish I had done it more at home! Life is so much better when you have your priorities in line. :)

Soledad, their investigator

Well, family, my time is up again. I don’t know if my letters make sense or anything. Hopefully they can help someone, but if not, the most important part is I LOVE YOU! I am sooooo happy and grateful to be a missionary! I am very needed here in Maryland and I am grateful for your support.

Have an awesome week! Keep me updated. Do some missionary work.

Stay Classy ;)  Love ya!

-Hermana Newman :)

"Get over yourself"

COLUMBIA, Md. — HELLOOOOOO again. Another week, Already?!? Crazy business. 

Thank you thank you thank you for the birthday wishes, letters and package. Loved it! You all are the best. Thanks, Mom and Dad for the package, you sure spoil me :)  I had a great birthday. Hard to believe I am actually 21! Where did the time go?

I am not even out of the country yet and they already have me eating weird foods. I can’t remember what I have or haven’t told you already, but if I repeat, sorry just pretend I didn’t.

Fish, anyone?

This week,  I ate chicken intestines (yum) and some mystery organ meat (gross). But don’t worry, I made it through like a champ. To be honest, chicken intestines, not so bad. Mystery organs? Almost gagged but I managed to get it down with some rice and beans and hid the rest in my napkin. Missionaries gotta do what a missionaries gotta do, right? Hopefully the food this week is a little more normal.

Maryland and Latino meet in a crab tostada

The past two weeks were a little rough with finding people to teach and such. It’s hard because you do everything you can, but then you just don’t see the results. Well my big sis wrote me the best letter ever. She told me to "continue doing the little things, obey exactly and do what the Lord asks. If the Lord wants you to walk around in the hot sun for hours — do it! Do everything he asks because he knows best." 

I am here to tell you that God definitely knows what he is doing. Even though we may not understand, He has got everything under control. This week was FABULOUS! We taught sooooo many families, did a lot of service and were able to find new investigators to teach. Our mission president always reminds us: "Get over yourself" — how true that is: forget yourself and get to work! As missionaries, there is much work to do all around us. We just have to forget ourselves and listen to what the Lord has in store.

We had our first investigator come to church this week! :) I might have written about her last week as Maria, turns out she likes to be called Soledad. Anyways, she came to church and enjoyed it a lot. It’s hard, because we have a tiny branch, but they all worked together to welcome her and be her friend. We are continuing to teach her and hopefully everything goes well. She has a lot of potential, just needs a little bit of help.

Hermana Newman y Hermana Casas

I also went on my first set of exchanges this week. I went to an English area, which was definitely new for me. I could speak English and people understood me... what?!! It was really fun and a great experience. I met a family that has been less active for 40 years and is now coming back. God loves his children and wants us ALL to return back to him. Miracles all over the place if you just look!

"Sé lo que el Señor me ha mandado, y en ello me glorío. Y no me glorío en mí mismo, sino en lo que el Señor me ha mandado; sí, y ésta es mi gloria, que quizá sea un instrumento en las manos de Dios para conducir a algún alma al arrepentimiento; y éste es mi gozo." Alma 29:9

There is SO much work to be done. And the cool thing is, we all get to be a part in it! We are all working for the same cause: to bring others unto Christ. What a wonderful thing! We are servants of God! I love this work! The Gospel changes lives! Go out this week and help the work move forward. Be instruments in God's hands. Ask for missionary moments and I know you will find them!

I love you! Be safe, smile and laugh lots. Life is good! Give 'em Heaven!

Con Amor,

Hermana Newman :)