Week 60: Miracles in San Se

What stories I have this week!

The Convert

He arrived at his baptism before us. A lot before us. We arrived, panting, hair falling out, but with investigators in tow, and he was sitting there calmly chatting with the other members, light in his eyes, awaiting the moment.

His name is Gaspar, he's 25, and he's pretty much going to be a bishop.

Between his baptism on Friday night (which was a beautiful service, the whole ward came out to support with a lot of less actives and recent converts there too) and his confirmation Sunday morning, he went to the temple to support two couples from the ward who got sealed, and he want to a YSA dance. It's his second weekend in a row dedicated solely to church things. He's the already converted convert that every missionary dreams to have.

The Incest

He was sitting in institute class on Sunday night when we arrived looking for priesthood holders. A wild-eyed crooked-handed old man accompanied by three silent children had come up to us asking for a prayer for his sick wife. We thought a blessing would be better.

So after institute, Gaspar, the teacher, and four other youth came with us to the house of the old man, whose name is Adan. He goes to another church but was desperate because his wife, who's 30 years younger than him, had been sick for six days and nobody from his church had come to prayer for her. He'd taken her to the hospital but they just have her a shot and sent her home.

The members came in and took action. Gaspar, who's a certified nurse, started checking the woman's symptoms, while my companion pulled medicine out of her backpack and another sister looked for a towel to cool her fever. The woman was very, very sick - and what's worse - had gotten to the point of hopelessness and was crying and coughing and gagging. The brothers gave her a blessing and ended up calling the Red Cross to come and get her in an ambulance.

The old man watched helplessly. His kids huddled in a corner, running away if anyone tried to approach them. Their level of poverty isn't uncommon in Guatemala, but somehow it felt different - worse - than any other house I'd been in. When all was taken care of and we left, the institute teacher told us why it had been so hard to feel the Spirit there: the old man's wife is also his niece.

I don't know how God can stand all the sins his children can commit. I don't know how he can look down on things like this without being repulsed, but I know that last night he let us feel and borrow a little bit of his love. Because instead of wanting to run away and throw up, all I wanted to do is wrap those children up in a big blanket and take them to a place with lots of light and give them stuffed animals and tell them stories of Jesus. Even the poor desperate old man merited a bit of pity.

The point is, I don't know why people make horrible decisions. Or why God sends innocent spirits to broken homes. But I do know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ covers everything.

The Reflection of the Week

The suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is something so big, so incomprehensible, that I always shy away from writing about it.

But the fact of the matter is: a God descended from heaven.

¨And the angel said unto me again: Look and behold thea condescension of God!

And I looked and a beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken;...

And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people, in a power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them.

And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again,saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was a taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.

And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.¨

That's from 1 Nephi 11: 26-33 in the Book of Mormon. And I know it's true.

It was not a perfect man who suffered for our sins. It was a perfect GOD.

Who still lives. Who loves us.

Everything unfair in this life is made right by the Atonement. The next life is made possible by the Atonement.

I love my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Week 59: Full Circle

Hey all,

Conference Recap

I just want to say I hope you're having a great week! If you watched General Conference, you will agree with me that it was awesome, as always. I especially liked Elder Ballard's talk inviting us to verify our commitments to call the church by its proper name and invite people to learn about the restored gospel. I don't know why we're so shy about it! There's a phrase here they say to kids in school when they're afraid to go up in front of the class: ´Shame is for if you've stolen something' meaning that we shouldn't be embarrassed or shy to do good things. And I can't think of any better invitation than one that helps someone work out their salvation and find peace and happiness in this life! :)

If you listened to Carlos H. Amado during the Sunday morning session, you might have noticed a thick Spanish accent... it's because he's from Guatemala! And he did a special training with our mission in November. I feel like I know him! It was so cool to see him up there talking... and I absolutely loved his message about Jesus Christ. There is no other theme more important. 

Transfers

So I've got some surprises to announce. 

I'm not in Pajapita anymore. Since Wednesday, I've been back in the department of Retalhuleu, in a place called San Sebastian, only about 20 minutes from my second area. SanSe (for short) is a regular sized ward with two sets of sister missionaries.

I'm currently living in the same house as Hermana Avendano, the sister missionary I trained and the companion I was with for the longest. It is so nice to be back together!

And, you'll never guess who my companion is!

We were companions two weeks in the CCM. She was the fiery little Latin girl who had me running around organizing musical numbers and helping me speak Spanish. We told everyone we were twins and daydreamed about what it would be like if we were companions again in the mission field...

And now... we are :)

Her name's Hermana Betancourth and we are set to change the world. Or at least our little corner of it. 

They've made us sister training leader leaders, which is an assignment specific to our mission. We're in charge of doing divisions with the other sister training leaders in the mission, and any sisters who need extra help. They're 8 sister leaders, and only 6 weeks in the change... we've got a full schedule. But it's going to be AMAZING.

Keeping it Grounded

But I'm a big fan of the small and simple things, so admidst everything we have to do to help the 60 sisters that now are a part of our mission, plus the random assignments President gives us (like planning the schedule for a mission-wide activity we're doing during Holy Week), we're determined to make waves in our area. The best way to teach is by example, right? 

And if I'm being honest, plain old mission work is what I like best :)

So this week we hit the ground running and brought 10 investigators to church. We're teaching all kinds of people, a cocaine-addict dad, a family of 14 kids, parents of a child with a water-inflated head, a white guy from Kansas living with his deported Guatemalan wife and their three kids. He went to the priesthood session of conference, actually, and loved it.

But the best part of all is Gaspar, our amazing investigator. He's getting baptized on Friday, and went to four or the five sessions of General Conference this weekend, finishing the last two out in a white shirt and tie.

God is so great. That's really all I can say.

I just invite us all to stay humble and never forget to listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, who will guide us in all that we do. Personal prayer is the key to having a fulfilling spiritual life, and life can't be fulfilling without the spiritual side.

Please take good care of every part of yourselves. 

Love,

Tori/Victoria/Hermana Ison

P.S. Half the women in my area use the traditional Guatemalan corte (wrap around and tie skirt with beautiful weaving) and this week I ate a traditional dish composed of cow ear, cheeks, and eyes. That one was thanks to my spunky little comp. Fortunately, no parasites yet!

Week 58: It's the Living Who're Harder to Preach to.

Hey everybody,

Today I lived an episode of How It's Made! One of the counselor's in the stake presidency is head of giant banana plantation. He took us around and gave us a tour and it was SO COOL. Pictures will be coming in a couple weeks :)

Also President right out told me in his email this week that I'll have changes on Wednesday. Stay tuned to know next week where the Lord sends me to finish my mission! 

And a reminder: WATCH GENERAL CONFERENCE. All the sessions. It's not everyday that a prophet speaks to us. It's gonna be so good!!! :)

Baptisms for the Dead

Yesterday during church the speakers talked about family history and temple work. Or, in clearer terms, the practice of being baptized and confirmed (recieving the Holy Ghost) for those who have passed on.

Everybody knows that we, as Latter-day Saints, do this. And everybody thinks it's wierd. 

Which, frankly, says a lot about the religious beliefs of 'everybody'.

Let me explain.

The most common complaint that we as missionaries hear about baptisms for the dead is that the salvation is individual: how presumptous to think that we can be baptized for someone else and they'll be saved.

People who say that don't understand that the ordinance doesn't automatically save the soul who recieves it. The person (maybe somebody who lived their whole life out on earth without hearing about Jesus Christ) has to learn about him, accept him, and repent. Then they accept the baptismal ordinance. In the temple, we just share our bodies for a few seconds so that that ordinance can be done for them. Obviously, a spirit can't be baptized for itself. 

(1 Peter 4:6 talks about how the gospel is preached to the spirits that have passed on, in case you think that conscience life ends with death.)

The other complaint that people make is that it's just not necessary. If somebody didn't get baptized, oh well. God will have mercy on them.

But the scriptures clearly state (John 3:5) that nobody can enter into the kingdom of heaven without being baptized. If it wasn't absolutely necessary, why would we bother with it? All those trips to rivers or lakes, and the pain of getting yourself wet...

No! We do this beautiful, simple, humbling ordinance because God has commanded it. Because even Jesus Christ, being absolutely perfect, did it, to show us the way. It is incredibly necessary.

And if somebody dies without being baptized, they can't go to heaven.

So the goal of the Mormon church, incredible as it is, is to perform the baptismal ordinance for every single person that has lived. Ever. Because God loves every single one of his children and commands them all to come unto him. (2 Nephi 26: 24-28, 33) What doesn't get done now will be done in the Millenium. 

I know it sound ridiculous. But it also sounds ridiculous to some that some person who walked around Jerusalem in dusty sandals 2000 years ago could be the Savior of the world. 

God works miracles. And his ways are not our ways. We have to look at things with spritual eyes. 

Ahora, applied

Little did we know that the little brother of one of our investigators hasn't been wanting to listen to our lessons because of something he heard in another church a few weeks ago.

Their mom died about a month ago, and she was never baptized. It seems like he heard some Evangelist preacher in the neighborhood declare that everybody has to accept Christ right now because we never know when we'll die. Then he pointed out our investigator's mom as an example.

Needless to say, the poor, motherless, 15-year-old boy went away crying. 

We didn't know any of this until Sunday, when Darwin (Luis' older brother, who has a baptismal date for April 12th) listened to the talks about baptisms for the dead. He walked out of Sacramente meeting with light in his eyes, full of questions, asking about the temple.

I know he will share this glorious news with his brother, and they will rejoice together in the fulness of this restored gospel.

I testify that this is the true church, with the authority of God to bind on earth what will be bound in Heaven. I testify that temples are truly holy ground.

And I testify that we are baptized not because it is a pretty tradition, but because it is a commandment of a living God whose son, Jesus Christ, is the Savior of your soul and mine.

I love you all, and hope you have a great General Conference weekend. 

Sister Ison

Week 57: Coming at You from Tecun Uman

Hey guys,

This week was amazing! And, to top it off, today we went to the Mexican border for P-day! It's a wonderful life. 

Here's three experiences. 

Distractions

Last night, we were walking toward an appointment when we saw this guy sitting on his front step holding a new born baby in his arms. I make a point of contacting all men who demonstrate interest and love for their families in public, so we went over to meet him.

Turns out Mynor Sr. is a member; he was baptized with his grandma when we was 13 but stopped going to church four years later because he started working on Sundays. Mynor Jr. was born 24 days ago and is the first boy in a family of two older girls. 

While we were talking, the wife came out, plus their two daughters and her sister. We talked about the Book of Mormon and had a really nice little lesson, except for when everyone stopped paying attention to what my companion was saying because a dog and a pig passed by, growling and screaming, respectively. I didn't know dogs torture pigs, but this one does, and the mean hound chased a huge, black, muddy big right through the middle of our lesson! Seriously, they ran in between the investigators and us! I think the pigs touched my knees! It was an experience.

That lesson was also interrupted twice by a stray soccer ball, and one other time by a car that sped super fast right by us on the dusty, rocky driveway road where we were sitting. But in the end the family agreed to a return appointment and accepted their Book of Mormon. All's well that ends well :) 

Conformism 

For a few weeks, we've been teaching on and off a large extended family. All the members live in bamboo and tarp shacks in the same plot of land. They're very, very poor, but good people.

When we first taught them the doctrine of Christ, they refused to accept it because they are afraid of the endure to the end part. They expressed sincere concerns that if they chose to come to church and be baptized, they wouldn't be able to keep it up for long - that it wouldn't be a real change, or that their carnal natures would get the best of them again in the end. 

Nevertheless, one of the dad's brought his son and two nieces to church one time, so we kept teaching them. As we got to know them more, and the lessons got more profound, my companion and I probed to find what it is that really keeps them from accepting the commitments we invited them to do. The majority don't have any vices, they simply don't go to church or pray or anything. We were puzzled as to why they are were resistant to our invitations that they try to change, even when we promised and tried to show them all of the blessings of developing your spirituality and putting Christ in your life.

On Saturday, we had an excruciating, heart-wounding lesson in which we found out why.

I will not tell you all the details, because there's not time and you'd have to have been there and been listening in Spanish to really get it. But I learned something there, and this is something I will share, because it applies to all of us. 

When people told me I was going to Guatemala and be teaching humble people, they always said it with a soft smile, implying that people who live in humble circumstances are also, as the scriptures say, ´poor in Spirit´ and rejoicingly receive the gospel. I have often admired elements of the Guatemalan culture, where many people who are very poor don't seem to feel the weight of their poverty. At times because it's all they know and at times because they learn to be content and happy living as they are. We should all try to be happy, no matter what are circumstances are.

But we should never, ever, settle. And that is what this family we were teaching had done: settled. Settled for the worst of the worst, physically, emotionally, and spiritually too. The matriarch of the family voiced some of the harshest words I had ever heard. She said she knows they're going to hell because they're sinners, that we are better people than them and shouldn't waste our time.

Believe me, we fought a verbal war there, with our hearts and testimonies, trying so hard to get those ideas out of her head. We testified and taught that they are children of God, that he knows and loves them, that He is always aware of them. That they are of huge worth to Him. That he gave up His only child for their sake. The Spirit was present, but the listening hearts weren't prepared. We left on cordial terms, promising them that one day God will send missionaries to them again, because they CAN change, and they are of great worth to them. 

What gets to me the most are the kids, 10, 11, 12 years old. They always run up to us grinning, asking when we're going to take them to church. We had to tell them yesterday that it'll be awhile, because their parents aren't ready yet. I hate to think of the time that is being wasted in these kids' lives, kids whose eyes are so bright. They haven't inherited yet the hopelessness of their parents, people who have become comfortable with failure, who have lost so entirely their sense of self-worth that they view any change as impossible. 

It makes me scared, frankly.

Heavenly Father blessed me with a huge desire to keep fighting, to work for the best, to make goals and meet them. As I've grown, I've learned to loosen up a bit, to be happy where I am. But it's a continual balance to keep.

The warning I want to give now is against conformism. If you're not happy, change. It's that simple. Pray; God really will help you. There is no reason to be satisfied with less than you deserve. Have hope. Things change, and people do too. Even ourselves. 

Anything is possible!

Tears Rolling Down Teenage Cheeks

I think I told you about Luis, the boy whose mom died in a tragic car accident a few weeks ago. He didn't actually progress; I don't know why he doesn't want to go to church.

But his older brother, Darwin, is 18 and will be getting baptized in two weeks, if everything goes well. We had a powerful and humbling first lesson with him in which we testified that Christ isn't just a pretty name. He's a resurrected being who made it possible that families can reunite again. I KNOW that this is true.

And Darwin knows it too. He accepted the invitation to be baptized without hesitation, and when we asked him why, he simply said, ¨Because I want to be with my mom again.¨ 

Conclusion

I don't really have one. 

A conclusion, that is. The mission is an amazing thing. I just want to be God's hands on the Earth, however imperfect a tool I may be, for as long as possible. He lives, and he loves us, and everyone has to come to know that.

And not just know it, but FEEL it.

I've been thinking about my brother, who is straying from the path my family and the church has laid out for him. 

It breaks my heart, because I know how lucky we are to have been born where and when we were. We are so blessed. 

But I understand that coming out here has helped me a whole bunch to know, with 100 percent certainty, that the church is true and the path we're supposed to follow is the only one that leads to happiness. Because it's the path that Jesus Christ has set. The straight and narrow, as the scriptures say. 

To realize this, I had to lose my family, friends, culture, language, pastimes, everything. Sure I was replacing it with something better: being a missionary. But I lost those things, my identity, frankly, in the process.

Now I see that my brother may just be on the path to losing those things too, but in a very different way. I hope that his journey doesn't hurt him too much, and that it leads him back to the same conclusion that this life always leads us to: God lives. And we must obey him. 

I love you, Sam. No matter what.

Week 56: Where Can I Turn for Peace?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

This holiday is definitively not celebrated in Guatemala, but at least in my district of missionaries we're sporting green today.

 

This week was special. It involved another fiesty ward council meeting, a trip to the most rural of Guatemala's ruralness, hitchiking again (but always with the elders), four more brand new people in church, talk of brownies, some kneeling family prayers, and my companion's birthday.

 

Here's just one highlight:

 

Luis

 

When someone dies in a country without obituaries, they use a pick-up truck outfitted with loudspeakers. You'll be eating dinner or sitting down to watch TV, and suddenly 'Ave Maria' will start playing down the street and you'll stick your head out the street to see the moving annoucement pass by: So-and-so has died and all are invited to the funeral at this time in this place.

 

This happens for or five times a week, but about two weeks ago a message even sadder than normal was heard: a mother had died in a tragic accident, leaving behind several children ages 5-17. The family lives in our area and we pass by their house everyday, but we didn't visit them until last Tuesday, when one of the young women in the ward was accompanying us and asked if we couldn't stop by with her friend, Luis.

 

Luis is 15 and when I was met him he was sitting on a rubber tire watching his friends play soccer. He can't join them just yet; he got a little beat up in the car accident - in which his dad was driving and swerved to miss a drunk man that wandered out in the street, leaving the road and causing the death of his mom - and his body needs time to heal.

 

His soul needs even more time to heal, but we'll get around to that.

 

We started talking to him about Jesus Christ, but he didn't know very much. We taught him about the miracles the Savior performed, his teachings of peace and tolerance. Then we asked him if he's heard of the Book of Mormon.

 

Turns out he goes to the school where we gave out the 800 Books of Mormon, and recieved his copy that day. He started trying to think about where it was, when was the last time he had it. Then he remembered, and the cover of a kid who seemed so untouched by a tragedy slid off and suddenly we were seeing a bruised little boy who needs a lot of hugs.

 

The book was in his backpack the day of the accident. His backpack that was thrown out of the car onto the Guatemalan roadside, at ten o-clock on what should have been any other late night coming back from work with his parents.

 

I watched the youth playing soccer in the field, but my mind and heart and soul was with Luis, trying to convey to his heart, without words or tears or gestures, that God understands, that everything will be alright, that one day it will stop hurting so much. ¨

 

¨For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl, for it shall not a be a human sacrifice, but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice...And this is the whole meaning of the law...Thus mercy can sacrifice the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety.¨ -Alma 34: 10, 14, 16 in the Book of Mormon

 

Jesus Christ is a God. But he descended from the incomprehensible presence of his Father to come to Earth and suffer every single pain, emotional and physical, that can be suffered. We can not comprehend the Atonement, but in that moment with Luis, I could comprehend that it is the only hope, the only solace when one if faced with terrors and tragedies so horrible.

 

I don't know exactly how we're going to show Luis that Christ is where he can turn for peace. When you're 15 and have never really belonged to any church, you tend to look for the answers in other places. (For example, yesterday he went to the beach with his girlfriend's family instead of coming to church.) But that's where we come in, as missionaries, I suppose. To help him feel the Spirit of God and grow the pocket of faith that he has.

 

Everything really will be alright. That's what we promised him.

 

And that's what God promises every single one of us, when we choose to come unto Christ and take advantage of the infinte and eternal sacrifice that has been made for us.

 

Bueno pues,

 

Lots of love from Guatemala! Hope it's thawing out over there. I would love some lovely letters... :)

 

Please take care!

 

Victoria/Hermana Ison

Week 55: Repent Ye, Repent Ye

Hey all,

How's life in the States?

Generations

For a while now, I've been wanting to train another new missionary, but they haven't given me a second ´hija.´ It's probably for the better though, because I think I've become so accustomed to being in Guatemala that I'm turning into a 'chapina'. I would probably freak out a new American missionary too much.

I've been thinking about this in part because my 'mom', or the sister missionary who trained me when I first got to the field, finishes her mission this transfer. I literally can not believe that so much time has passed... I remember our first days together as if they were yesterday.

But it's true, and I bet if I could stand face to face with the thought-she-knew-it-all Hoosier girl who got here a year ago, I would see how much I've changed.

And not just me: this week, the convert, Yosselin, that I always talk about, was passing through Pajapita and stopped by to visit me. She radiates light and hope and is thouroughly happy. Her grandma got baptized last week and her brother has been going to church. She's working hard in the Young Women organization with her calling as second counselor and gave a talk in church a couple weeks ago. She told me straight out: she's never been as happy as she is now.

I think about how all this came about because one dark night when my companion's back was hurting we decided to rest on a rock and I got up to talk to a man that passed by. He was Yosselin's dad. Now, six months later, his daughter has found her individual worth and is working her own miracles there in San Martin.

The worth of souls is great. Every action has a reaction. And God is so good.

The Second Principle of the Gospel

So I've been thinking a lot about repentance lately, because it seems to be the biggest challenge for all our investigators, and for us as people and missionaries.

We usually think about repentance in really simple terms, like how we teach it to kids: ¨Oops, I yelled at my mom. I should probably tell her I'm sorry and try not to do it again.¨ We repent from having been dishonest or made a work mistake, little things, errors that we don't want to committ again but pretty much keep committing anyway.

But repentance also has to do with big things: recognizing that moving in with your boyfriend isn't the best choice and choosing to move out or get married. Forgiving someone who you've held a grudge against for years and years. Starting the habit of praying everyday when you've never done it before.

Those examples represent the kind of repentance that is more than simply avoiding committing sins or mistakes that everybody recognizes as such.

I like how the Gospel Dictionary puts it, ¨Repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without this there can be no progress in the things of the soul’s salvation, for all accountable persons are stained by sin and must be cleansed in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.¨

There are a ton of people who repent for their daily sins (getting angry, sleeping in too much, eating unhealthily) but who are super resistent to making any major change in their lives.

That's why, I think, it's so important to grow faith in Christ first.

The Role of the Atonement

My companion and I have noted two prominent reasons why people don't repent:

- pride
- lack of faith in themselves

People who don't want to repent for the first reason simply don't want to admit that they're wrong. They were afraid to commit to marriage so they just moved in with the guy next door because it was easy and it's true that everyone is doing it. They got offended when they were victims of other peoples' sins and stopped coming to church when those around them didn't handle it right. It makes me sad to write more examples.

But these are people who really need to learn about the nature of God. They need to know - and FEEL - that God is their Father. Who loves them. Who has given commandments to help guide us through this confusing life and get back to his presence. They need to know that living life as He has instructed us is the very best way to be happy. They need to know - and, again, FEEL - that it doesn't matter what we've been through, or what we've suffered, we're not better than the Son of God, who suffered it all. If we humble ourselves and do His will, he will bless us. (See Mosiah 2: 17-26, the scripture that most helped me to figure this out and feel the endless love of God, even if it is a little harsh, it's beautiful and true.)

People who don't want to repent for the second reason are scared. They fear God and know that he lives but maybe aren't familiar with his mercy. They don't want to start going to church or commit to being baptized because they worry that the change wouldn't be permanent in their lives. They feel like the ´natural man´ will get the better of them in the end, that they'd be too lazy to get up and go to church after a few months of being a member, that they'd start drinking again, or that they'd get distracted by Satan's flashy temptations and lose the ground they'd won in terms of their spiritual progress.

I love teaching these kinds of people a lot more, because they just need to know and feel how inclined the Savior is to forgive. He is endlessly merciful with us while we're living in this life. He gives us so many chances, and never holds a grudge. (See Moroni 6:8). I think about the Sacrament, the church's disciplinary process, how even excommunication can be a way to receive perdon and forgiveness from the Lord, in some special cases.

In conclusion, I know that we are infinitely happy when we repent. The Lord loves us and wants us to return to live with him. He gave everything he had for us.

We all need to repent in one way or another. And we will all be happier for having done it - of that, I testify. (Because I've lived it too - missionaries make lots of mistakes, or harbor bad attitudes, etc.)

So I invite you and me, with all the energy of my heart: Let's repent, and let's please not let Christ's loving sacrifice go to waste.

Love you lots! (He loves you more.)

Until next week,

Hermana Victoria Ison
Guatemala Retalhuleu Mission

Week 54: Book of Mormon Stories

Epic P-Day

Today we went to a Mayan Ruin site about an hour and a half from our area, and it was very interesting. We learned that there are still people who practice some of the Mayan rituales (nothing violent, just ceremonial fires and prayers) and that, in 2012 when everyone thought the world was going to end, those people came to this site (part tourist museum, part acheological work site, part hallowed ground) and watched the sun rise and thanked their version of God for a new millenium. It was peaceful to put my feet there for a little while.

858 Books

Last Tuesday was the activity where we gave Books of Mormon to every student in a giant high school-like institution in our town. Going classroom by classroom. we showed them all the five-minute video that can be found at the following link:

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-11-018-a-book-of-mormon-story?lang=eng

I would like to invite everyone who reads this to watch it, because it's beautiful and accurate. Also, it has London in it. :)

Then, for the last 40-minute block of the day, all the 800-some students were assembled in the basketball court of the school. Our mission president spoke, made everybody laugh, and committed them all to be like Nefi, not murmur, and read four pages a day. It was marvelous.

I got assigned to write the article we're going to submit to the Liahona about it, so that afternoon was even more of a whirlwhind for me. It was a combination of all the things I love: being a missionary, being a student and teacher, being a journalist. Oh, and singing in the choir! But I'm not sure yet if that goes in the list of things I love :)

Anyway, with all those things going on and all those identities in that moment, I didn't really know how to act or what to think. But I remember, in a moment when President was talking, looking out on the crowd, seeing the kids laugh and page through their scriptures, and just looking up at the open sky, seeing the rays of the setting sun through the clouds, and know God was looking down on Pajapita.

Maybe it's not how the Lord would have gone about making his restored gospel known to today's youth, but we are his imperfect hands here on this earth. And he was with us in this project, just like he is in ever lesson we teach or step we take if, that is, we look for him.

I know that God is a real being, with a glorified and perfect body of flesh and bone. Jesus Christ is his son, an equally perfect ressurrected being. They live far away, in a place inaccessible to us right now, but they love us and take care of us, guiding us with the influence of their Holy Spirit and the prophet they have called to prepare the world for Christ's second coming. It is by that same Holy Spirit that we come to know that Thomas S. Monson and the other men who have served in this dispensation are NOT false prophets, but are called of God and are fulfilling ancient prophesies. Prophesies that are found in the Bible, and weren't written just to be pretty words.

To Be Continued

There are so many things I would like to say to you: how the picture of Christ's Atonement was painted on my eyelids all Sunday morning, how two back-to-back testimony meetings made for a Spirit so strong it's impossible to describe, how a child in a tree guided us to a glowing family really excited to come to church, how a less active member named Hope spontaneously invited us to lunch, how I threw up in the street with four other missionaries and the stake president and his wife as witnesses and then laughed about it, how I got to divisiones with a sister from Peru and we talked about Christ all day, how we taught a woman who had never heard of the Trinity before, and mostly, how I just so much do love being a missionary...!

But today there wasn't even time to eat lunch or buy groceries. We hitchhiked in two trucks, one that sells water and one that was painted purple. (But you don't have to worry, Dad, I was respectively with 27 and 7 other missionaries.) Anyway, we have to go because we will be teaching a family about the repentance process in just a few minutes!

Please make the best choices, the ones that will make you eternally happy!

Love,

Sister Ison