3/10/14

Okay this week has been amazing!

So first of all we started out the week with an absolutely amazing mission conference on tuesday. Its where half of the mission meets in one place and we just get spiritually fed by our amazing mission president and his wife. I got to see Hermana Davidson, my old comp from the CCM in Mexico! So that was super cool. But this conference was absolutely unforgettable. Our mission president is a convert himself, and I will never forget the moment when after he was telling us about how much influence the two missionaries who knocked on his door have had on his life (obviously-since he is a mission president now!) and then he called two men to come up on the stage. The second they both got up there next to him the spirit hit me so strongly, they were HIS missionaries. It brought everyone to tears. They spirit was so strong in that moment, and I just came a little more closer to understanding the impact of our work as missionaries. One was from the states, and the other from Bolivia. I can't even imagine what they were thinking in that moment, seeing the amount of lives they have changed because they found Pres. Martinez when he was just 18 years old. I made a goal from that moment on to always view my investigators as their full potential, not just baptized, but strong faithful members!!

So this whole training thing has just been a huge learning experience for me! Probably more for me then for Hermana Hawkins! ha But I have been trying to live off of the advice that my brother Devan gave me, "Dont be afraid to laugh, and say I dont know!" haha so thats been our modo this cambio! I cant even count the times we have walked away from a contact saying to each other, "do you have any idea what he just said?" haha its been great.

But I have to tell you about our milagros (miracles) this week! So Hermana Hawkins and I were walking down the street when there was a Señora and her daughter walking on the opposite side of the street. After she smiled at us I got a feeling to go and talk to her, even though it was pretty awkward and obvious, but I just chased her down for a bit and started talking to her. Come to find out, her and her family used to be members, and super active members, but ever since they moved here, almost two years ago, they haven't gone to church. Long story short, we got there address and they ended up going to church with us this sunday! She told us that she knew that Heavenly Father put us in her path for a reason, and she told us that she knows that this is her chance to come back. It was a super awesome experience to be tool in Gods hands this week. We didn't do anything... we were just in the right place at the right time, Heavenly Father has been watching over this family and waiting for there chance to come back! I am so grateful that we found them!

Milagro #2 Madeline! So on wednesday this week, it was 9 and we still had to work for another hour. ALL of our lessons fell through... ALL OF THEM. But we knew that our day wasn't over! So we decided to just "keep on keepin on" and knock houses to find someone. After 45 minutes of being denied we came to a house where the cutest 16 year old girl answered. She wouldn't let us in the house or open the gate, but she listened while we gave her a short lesson and handed her a copy of the book of Mormon. We asked if we could return another day and she told us to return on Saturday. When we stoped by on Saturday she had told us that she has been reading el Libro do Mormon and is very interested! She ended up coming to church with us on Sunday too! After church we taught her later last night and she now has a date to be baptized on the 29 of March!! Can we just stop here for a minute and realize how amazing this is! This 16 year old girl couldn't be more perfect! She told us that she wants to be baptized. God has just placed her in our hands, ready to go! Poor thing can't understand all of what Hermana Hawkins and I are saying but I know that she can feel the Holy Ghost! I am living proof that what we are and the talents that we have are enough. Christ will make up for the rest, we just have to be willing! Just be willing to give him our all!

I love you all! And hope you all have a fantastic week!

Con mucho mucho amor!

Hermana Lamb

3/3/14

Hola!

So Im still in LA, I didn't change, I am just training now and I already love my hija:) She is awesome! Her name is Hermana Hawkins, and she is from Texas. She is adorable! And knows no spanish....which is alright because neither did I! ha This is definately going to be a challenge, because both of us are going to have to rely on my spanish (poor thing) but the Lord must really trust me! She just came from the Mexico MTC too so we already have a lot in common! ha Im just trying my best to get her super excited about this awesome work! 

So this week we planned a ward activity "Show de Talentos" and it went great! We were really worried that no one would show up, but they did, and they all had a ton of talents to share! They went all out. We as the missionaries planned a little skit about the "day in the life of a missionary" which ended with me having food and makeup all over my face because I couldn't use my arms, and my comp. did everything for me behind my back. But the ward members all came with awesome acts. One of the Young Men even brought his band, it was pretty sweet!

I just want to say that I have literally seen a miracle in this past week. I have been blessed with the gift of tongues. I can't explain it, only that I know that the Lord has been with me ever since I had my little freak out last week when I found out I would be training! I have been able to understand just about every conversation I have been in. My spanish is miles ahead then what it was just last week. Without any doubt in my mind, I have been blessed. I just want to thank you all for your prayers. I have felt them all! I'm not fluent or any where close to it yet. But I have improved a TON, and I know that it has just been a stright gift from God. I just want to bare my testimony that I know that God does not give us any task that he isn't going to prepare a way to accomplish them. Just. Have. Faith. Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. As scared as I am right now, to be responsible to help my hija into this missionary world, I am so comforted with the fact that I know who I worship. I know who is backing me up right now. And with Him, I can do all things. I am no confident in myself or in my abilities. But I am confident in my God. (Alma 26:12) Im excited for this opportunity to show what I'm made of:) I know that I am probably going to make a lot of mistakes, but thats why I have the atonement! Im excited to show Hermana Hawkins how awesome and beautiful this work is! I am so proud to be a missionary, and honored to share it with the people here in Chile!

I hope you all have an amazing week! Thank you for everything! I pray for you all!

Con amor,

Hermana Lamb

2/24/14

Okay, so this cambio just ended and I just found out that my comp is leaving and going to another town more south. And I just found out that I am going to be training!!! Um.. waaaattttt?! Prayers are definately going to be needed for this poor child! She is going to have a "mother" who only has 3 months in the mission! What am I going to do? Please pray for me okay?? haha So I'm sort of freaking out right now, I go to pick her up in Concepcion this miercoles (wednesday). So I have two days to calm myself down.

But besides that, this week has been good! Our ward had a "paseo" which is like a mini ward campout. It was alot of fun. And we (the missionaries) luckily left right before they were about to slaugher a goat, so that was good timing on our part. I would say it was like a normal ward activity in the states minus the animal killing part.

I don't have much time to write today, but please pray for me and my poor child!

I hope you all had a wonderful week!

Love and miss you all!

2/17/14

This week has been a little rough for us. Two of the people we have been teaching and had a date to be baptized fell through. It is so sad when that happens! Sometimes I just want to shake them at the shoulders and just tell them how important this is! I just want to through them in the font because I love them so much! ha But I'm learning how beautiful and important our free agency is. And how if we just submit our will to His, thats when the miracles can happen!

Also, this week, we were able to have lunch in "el campo". Which is a pretty rare experience. Where we live and work is kind of a city. But when we meet people and they seem interested but they say "I live in the campo" its always so sad because we can't teach them out there, we can only invite them to come here and listen to our message. But I never understood why so many people live out in the campo. Its just super far away, and once you get out to the campo each house is seperated by miles. But one of the members in our ward who was feeding us lunch drove us out to their house in the campo. This family, mind you, lives in the smallest apartment, and when we arrived to their house in el campo my mouth literally droped. It was absolutely beautiful! I can't even explain it but I understand why so many people live out in the campo now. They have their own pool, garden, corn field, animals....everything! I want to live in the campo too someday! ha Chilenos are just a bunch of farmers too! 

haha anywho... so that pretty much sums up this week.

Oh! I hope you all had a beautiful San Valentin, full of mucho amor!

Mine was just full of lots of sweat and walking a ton. But don't worry I bought myself a little valentine treat....:)

I love and miss you all!

Hermana Lamb

2/10/14

Hola!

Como esta?? So another week has come and gone. And everyday I'm starting to love this work more and more. I think it might be because I am able to contribute a little more, and teach a little more each day. Its starting to get exciting because I think I can understand just about 80% of what is being said. Which is huge progress for me! I get super excited every time I understand part of a conversation. I used to just get super stressed whenever someone asked me a question but now I just take it as a challenge and if I can answer back, its like my own personal victory for the day! So I like to look forward to those moments. 

I would like to give a shout out to my awesome home ward in Virginia! I recieved the cutest Christmas letters this week! The mail here in Chile is a little slow, I just got it this week. But it still made my day nonetheless! Also! I recieved a beautiful Christmas card from the Anderson Family in New York! So another shout out to them! Thank you for thinking about me:) It means more then you know!

So we had intervistas with our mission president this last week. At first I was so nervous to meet with him, since he only knows Spanish as well. I was freaking out that he was going to be super disappointed with my Spanish but it ended up being amazing. I know that he is truely an inspired man. I could understand everything that he was telling me. And I felt like he answered every question, and gave me the most perfect advice that I needed. He also gave me the challenge to "fast from English" for two weeks!! Um... its been rough. I can only talk in Spanish with the other gringas in our house. Its been frustrating but I can see my spanish improving so I guess he might know whats best for me...

I want to wish you all a beautiful Happy Valentines Day! I hope its filled with lots of love:) Because for me its just another day, but I might just have to buy myself a little chocolate or something.

les quiero mucho!

Hermana Lamb

2/3/14

Hey Everyone!

So this week has been great! I got a package from mom which totally made my week! So thank you mom! And my companion says thanks for her gifts too! :)

I got to experience my first earthquake here! So that was interesting. Apparently they are super normal here, so I was the only one freaking out! It was only for a couple of seconds but it was still pretty cool:)

We found out that Jules doesn't live in our sector.. so we were pretty sad about that but we handed over his information to the other missionaries and I hope that they take good care of him! It was hard to let him go, I was so excited to see him progress but I just have to trust in the other missionaries.

This week we were all challenged to invite 10 people to be baptized. It was a little daunting but because of it we have 4 people who agreed to be baptized in feburary! Its kind of a miracle! I'm super stoked to be working with our new investiagadores and I hope and pray that they will progress!

I love and miss you all! I wish you all the best this week!

I have an amazing quote that Hermana Lattin (an hermana that lives in our apartment with us gave me.) And I am in love with it! I hope that you guys will like it as much as I do.

I am a disciple of Christ

"I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down or be still. My heart is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. Im finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tainted visions, worldly talking, cheap living and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I dont have to be right, first recognized, praised regaurded or rewarded. I now live by Faith lean on His presence, walk with patience, am lifted by praper and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable. My mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured lured away divided or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I wont give up, shut ip, or let up, until Ive stayed up, stored up and paid for the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know and work till He stops me. And when He returns for He own He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear."

1/27/14

When this super friendly black guy walks by and just smiles and waves at us. Immediately my companion and I look at each other and just felt the same thing, that we needed to talk to him. But he was already a couple of yards ahead of us, it was a little bit of an awkward distance. We probably seemed really creepy. It got to the point where he was looking over his shoulder and could totally tell we were following him so I just yelled "excuse me!" (in spanish of course) and we started talking to him. Turns out he speaks English! I was sooo happy I literally screamed! FINALLY! I told him that I have been teaching an English class every saturday and that he should come and help me teach it (cuz to be honest half of the time I dont know what I'm teaching anyway) So he agreed to meet us at the supermarket an hour before the class on Saturday. A couple of days past and we hadnt heard from him, (his name is Jules) so when saturday rolled around we waited for him at the Supermarket but he never showed up. I was sooo disappointed! But as we got to the church a car pulled over next to us and Jules yelled, "Hey! Ive been looking for you two all over the place! I figured this was your church!" ha so he is basically amazing. He helped me with my class, we invited him to church on Sunday. He came. IN A SUIT. Like can he just be baptized already? ha then after church we invited him to a Family Home evening with another family in our ward and it was absolutely amazing. The testimonies of the members was exactly what he needed to hear. I felt so strongly to ask if he would be baptized in Feburary and he said YES!! So moral of the story is don't be afraid to creepily stalk people down the street because they might end up being the perfect investigadors! Also I learned the power that members have. I seriously encourage all of you to work with the missionaries and be available to help them teach an investigador! It brings such a stronger spirit then you could ever imagine!

Well, thats all....Oh! Also I experinced my first Chile rainstorm. And it was nothing like I have ever experienced in my entire life! When it rains here... it pours. literally. Buckets! It was sooo fun! I loved it! Also it was an excuse to wear my super cute rain boots so my day was made!

I love and miss you all!

Ciao!

Hermana Lamb