Bitter sweet!

This week I got transferred to a new area in Reu called Pedregal. I'm going to be serving in the office in a trio with...... HERMANA RALPH! that's right, the party is back together!! And with her sweet trainer, Hermana de los Santos!! We're so happy and I couldn't be more excited! But at the same time SOOOO stinking sad because Hermana Carlile and Hermana Taylor are still in San Pancho. As i said before, so bitter sweet!

Hermana Assistants plus one:)

President and Sister Goodman

We had a couple happys this week because Joseph (a man I taught a few times with Hermana Taylor got baptized!!) and the wife of Edgar accepted her baptism date and is getting baptized this Saturday!!! Also Valeri, Carlos, and hopefully another boy named Anthony.....or in other words a Noche Blanca in San Pancho!! So sad because I won't be there:( but so happy for these people that are choosing to change their lives and follow the example of our Savior Jesus Christ. There isn't a better gift that they could be giving Him.

Joseph's baptism

I'm so grateful for the time that I had there, but now I'm excited for the journeys in Pedregal!!! I hope that everyone is doing well in their Book of Mormon reading and are doing the light the world challenge from the church. I know with all my heart that this is the Lord's work and that He loves us! Christ is the light of the world and through him sadness can't prevail. We can always be happy and have hope in this life if we are focused on Him.

I love my savior and I'm so grateful for all that He has done for me. I couldn't imagine my life without my knowledge of Him. I love to be a missionary and can't believe how fast the time is going. We have such a privilege to be members of the church and we need to share it with everyone. I love Christmas and Guatemala!!!

I love you all and wish a merry merry Christmas to all!! That we may remember the REAL spirit of Christmas and focus ourselves in our Savior Jesus Christ and do all the things that we should.

Love you all!!! 

Hermana Bracha

A quick little update on good old San Pancho!!!

VALERI accepted fecha!!! She is the cutest girl ever and we were so happy because when she got there she said that a friend had given her a Book of Mormon and she had already been reading it for like a week! So happy and she was so excited to get baptized and is progressing so well.

Mario also accepted fecha for the 23rrd!!! We're going to have lots of little Christmas miracles around here:)

Ayleen--she is amazing! Even though she is super far away, we talk to her every night on the phone and she's reading the Book of Mormon and progressing. We're hoping that she can get baptized on the 30th of December. 

This week we had the CLM of the mission and I got to see all my faves and finally got to take a picture with my mission presidents!!! (only 15 months afterwards) that's right friends! We're about to hit the last 3 months of the mission. Still cant believe how fast the time is going by and how my mission is almost coming to a close. SCARY! I'm praying that I don't get transferred from San Pancho. I don't want to leave, we have too many amazing people here progressing and it would be so hard to leave, but I know that the Lord knows what's best for me. So whatever happens, I'm excited!:)

I hope that everyone is staying active on the Light the World campaign through the church, it is changing lives here in Guatemala!! I love my savior with all my heart. He is the light, hope, and way in this life to happiness!!

I love you all and hope everyone is well!!! More next week. 

Love, Hermana Bracha

Hiiiii!!!

S

All of us from the CCM

Sorry that I have literally been the worst in writing the blog recently .. but today I'm going to give an update on EVERYTHING that has happened!! Bueno, so I was in the hospital here in Mazate and then they transferred me to xela because the medicine and everything is better there and it was cool to see another part of Guatemala! I was there from Saturday to Thursday receiving treatments because I had parasites (Clarence) a stomach bacterial infection, intestinal infection, and a colon infection.. WAHOO! But now everything is gone and I'm feeling totally better! Only on a couple medications and we're almost done with those so I'm happy and healthy. REALLY, because I know that no one believes me:)

Nothing like a nice Guatemalan ambulance ride!

My welcome home from the hospital!

So we got back from the hospital and Camila (the bishop's daughter-in-law that we had been teaching for the past two months) GOT BAPTIZED!!! WAHOOO! So much joy there and so happy that I still was here to be able to see her:) she is so cute and one of the few people that have told me that she was 100% sure that she was ready to get baptized and couldn't wait to do it.

Camilla's baptism

Hermana Carlile and I are still together and happy here in San Pancho! We had the coolest experience the other day in an activity. We got like 8 references in one night and they are ALL progressing now! We had a woman that straight up told us that she has been to just about every single church and feels that she is still missing something in her life. She doesn't know what it is, but she is excited for this new path she is on. Yesterday she went to the Christmas devotional with us and she loved it!! She said that she felt so much peace and comfort in her life and she knows that this church is different and she is going to learn many new things here. Her name is Ayleen and she is the coolest!! I love her so much and am so excited for her to receive her testimony of the Book of Mormon. She's already in Mosiah and we met her on Friday!! She's the best!! 

A huge Guatemalan Christmas tree

The Christmas devotional was AMAZING!!! I hope everyone listened to it! if not, listen to it or read the talks!! Elder Duncan and Presidents Uchtdorfs were amazing! So spiritual and inspirational! In this Christmas season we need to give three things!!

1. love

2. service

3. forgiveness

Kindness is powerful and isn't hard. There are so many things that we can do to iluminar el mundo and there are so many opportunities each day we just need to take them. I love my savior and everything that he has done for me. I encourage everyone to take up the challenge of iluminar el mundo and do an act of service everyday!! But not only in December, make it a way of LIVING so that we can all be more like Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate example and without him we aren't anything. If we strive to be more like him the world will be a better place. God doesn't ask us to be rich! he just asks us to love and serve his children. I love that so much. I love to be a missionary and help my brothers and sisters know more about our savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father.

I love you all and hope everyone has a great week!!

Hermana Bracha

Beautiful Country!

Hospital stay

Hermana Bracha didn't send an official email to be put on this blog, but she did send some pictures and the following information. Hopefully we will hear more from her next week.

Hermana Bracha and Hermana Goodman

I'm doing LOTS better, so it turned out to be a zillion things...

-stomach bacterial infection

-amoebas

-intestinal infection

-urinary infection which then lead to a freaking fungus growing in my colon:)

In terms of pain I am doing a hundred times better. I'm still super tired and terrified to eat anything or drink anything. I have officially lost 15 pounds... hahahah and I'm doing good because I've already gained like 5 back so we're good there.

You're never going to believe who came to my ward on Sunday!!! Hermana Lanuza, my teacher from the CCM!!! She came to visit and she's also going to go to Idaho in April. WHAT THE HECK, I'M SO STOKED, so so so happy to have been here.

Hermana Lanuza

We also got to go to the temple and take a couple pics outside so I'm a sad/happy camper. Don't worry,  I'm doing lots better and I think we're finally on the uphill of all the junk.

Hola!!

This week was cool! Me and my new comp are working like CRAZY trying to find new investigators and yesterday there was a transmission from Elder Duncan and President Ballard. IT WAS SO AMAZING!! He said the most amazing thing, okay ready, "what are you waiting for? You cannot wait until you're in the spirit world to be a missionary. Now is the time. I invite every single person that is listening right now to invite someone to meet with the missionaries or hear the gospel from today until Christmas." It was SOOO spiritual and I just thought even more than ever that there is urgency!! God is calling His people to come back to Him and we HAVE to help. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a missionary of the true and restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We have such a blessing and we need to share it!

We have the coolest story ever!!! This kid named Obed came to church yesterday with our mission leader and in the afternoon we had a lesson with him and he accepted a baptism date for the second of Dec. The lord prepares his children!! Also, Camila (the girl I was teaching with Hermana Taylor) is getting baptized on the 25th. WAHOO! So excited for the ward of San Pancho, we're seeing so many miracles! Even though Hermana Taylor and I aren't together anymore, were seeing the miracles:)

Hermana Carlile is the best and we're working hard!!! I hope I will get to stay here the next transfer though because transfers are 5 days before Christmas!! If I get transferred I'm pretty sure I will cry for like 2 days. haha, I love it here!!!!!!! Hermano Byron always buys me cinnamon bread when he knows there's an activity and he's the best. I also live with members now and it's awesome because they are literally like my moms and when I was sick they took such good care of me. I love them!

I hope everyone is doing well and that you ALL take the invitation to keep reading the Book of Mormon, EVERYDAY for at least 20 minutes, and to share the gospel with a friend BEFORE Christmas. I know that everyone can do it and we can all be missionaries. I love this gospel with all my heart and I will never be able to describe how much joy that it gives me. I hope that everyone feels this joy that I feel!!! I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and I love to read it.

Guatemala is my favorite place in the whole wide world and I never want to leave it behind. haha, today we got to push our taxi up a hill cause we weighed to much!!! Tortillas and bread are good I guess:) 

Love, Hermana Bracha

Parasites, hospitals, and new comp!!!

Well let's just say these past 2 weeks have been a rollercoaster. I found out last Thursday that I had a couple friends (parasites and a stomach bacterial infection) and I started to take a BUNCH of medications, hence the picture haha.

And then in our interviews Hermana Taylor and I found out we we're going to have transfers and we were SOOOO sad! sad sad sad (but don't worry the new comp is a cutie) anyways, last Sunday in the morning at like 4:00 I started to get super sick and I was throwing up many many times (gross) and then the whole morning on pday I was feeling super yucky. We went to a members to do facials and a hair treatment so I literally had guacamole, mayo, and olive oil in my hair, with honey and sugar on my face, and I just starting throwing up at the members house as well. I started to not feel my hands nor my feet and so Hermana Taylor got super scared and called the nurse and she wanted us to run to the hospital to see what was going on. BUT, little did I know that they were going to keep me in the hospital all of Monday and Tuesday hahahha. We got to the doctor and he instantly rushed me into a private room to get me on IV and they ended up giving me 6 bottles of IV:) I was so dehydrated. I had vomited a total of 28 times in a 10 hour period, so fun. Anyways, Hermana Taylor and I were in the hospital all of pday and Tuesday until the elders came from the office to break us out because we weren't able to leave until we had paid.

What happened was I was taking a bunch of antibiotics and I ate something infected so it gave me an intestinal infection on top of all the other things and my body was just so upset and trying to get rid of everything inside and it did! haha. So now I'm also on a ton of antibiotics but I'm doing a lot better! I've been able to work everyday this last 4 days and just drinking lots of water. I'm pretty sure I've lost a lot of weight and I'm like super white now because I can't be in the sun. Hermana Taylor told me I was as white as a ghost when we got to the hospital. I'm doing better and sorry I scared everyone!! I'm really healthy now. The parasites and the intestinal infection are gone and we're working on the stomach bacteria right now:)

And sadly I had transfers... just to the other area in the ward! So Hermana Taylor and I will still see each other lots because we're still both Hermana leaders just in different areas. I'm sad I had to switch areas just when we were starting to get Edgar's wife (the recent convert) to church!!!!!!! She prayed and believes that the church is true. AAAAHHHH!!! So happy for them and we'll see what happens.

My new comp is Hermana Carlile, she's from Payson Utah and has 6 months in the mission! She's a cutie and I love her to death. I still feel so weird talking in English and being with another white person, but that's how the cookie falls sometimes haha.

Sorry I scared the fan club, but I'm doing good and healthy and happy!!! This picture with Hermana Carlile and is a place in Guatemala that historians believe are the Waters of Mormon. HOW COOL!

I love Guatemala and I love to be a missionary!!! Read the Book or Mormon friends and your life will be happy like mine!! Love you all,

Hermana Bracha

My sweet Hermana Taylor

My Zone

Worms and Conference

Short email this week but we had THE best conference with Elder Zeballos who is the general authority here in Guatemala. It seriously was the best thing ever and I learned so much. I don't think I have ever felt the spirit so strongly before in my life, other than when the apostle was here. It was amazing. Some super cool things he shared with us that impacted me a lot where these:

--"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Literally every person on this earth is a divine child of God and has the potential to be like Him!!!"

-- as missionaries we invite people to "come unto Christ" because we need to already be converted to Him. That got me thinking about how much my savior means to me and how much I love Him. I am SO grateful for the sacrifice that my savior made for me and love Him dearly. 

--prayer is a time for us to actually talk, conversate, and tell our Heavenly Father about ourselves. Sometimes there aren't people who WANT to listen to us, but HE DOES! That is the beautiful thing, is that he ALWAYS listens to what we have to say, and WANTS to help us with our problems. He's the best!!! 

--sacrifices are "sacred doings"

Those are just a couple of the super cool things I learned this week that I have been pondering a ton and studying.

Hermana Taylor and I had a funny experience this week. It was raining super hard and we went to go visit a member and when we sat down to talk with them they gave each of us a cup of hot chocolate. We were sitting there and Hermana Taylor said to me, "Bracha, there's a worm in my cup" and I said, "that's impossible" and then she showed me this super tiny white worm. Then I look in my cup and I see one too!! So I scoop it out with my spoon and then I see ANOTHER one hahah. I scooped that one out to but the member saw me and was like, "HERMANA I'm so sorry and took it away from me and gave me another cup. However in my new cup there was still a worm. aaah, it was funny and I know this doesn't really make that much sense, but there were worms in my chocolate and we drank it:) it was yummy and I'm pretty sure I have parasites. WAHOOOO!!

I love to be a missionary and I know that this is the true church of God. Hope everyone is reading the Book of Mormon and I love you all!!!!! 

Hermana Bracha

Scorpions, appendix, and baptisms!

Guatemala is Beautiful!

This week was crazy yet amazing!!!! We share a ward with two other sisters, Hermana Maddock and Hermana Martinez and Thursday night Hermana Martinez got really sick so she went to the doctor and they told her that she had parasites. When she had another test they actually told her that she had appendicitis and that they had to rush her off to the hospital in Xela (which is like 2 hours away) and they had to take her away in no less than an hour. YIKES! So we were scrambling to find her a member with a car that could drive her there because it just happened to be a holiday and so there were NO ambulances! It was so crazy, so we finally got Hermana Martinez (Hermana Taylor went with her) and Hermana Taylor out the door like an hour and a half later on there way to Xela. They were probably about 20 minutes away from the hospital when THE CAR BROKE DOWN! So they said a prayer really fast and they got the car going for about 2 miles that just got them to the only lamppost in like 15 miles. SO blessings and they are so lucky!!! Somehow Hermana Taylor got a hold of the temple president in Xela to come get them and take them to the hospital. So Hermana Martinez could have her surgery at like 12 in the morning. It was so crazy!

And then Friday night Edgar told us that he didn't want to get baptized and didn't want to go to church anymore EITHER! I was so sad and honestly didn't know what to do. So we called the bishop and canceled everything, but Saturday morning we went to visit him and he was not very positive in terms of progressing. BUT THEN at 3 in the afternoon he called me and said, "Hermana Bracha, today I'm getting baptized, but its today or never!" hahah, I went into panic mode and called the elders so they could come at 5 to give him his interview and if he passed then right after he could get baptized. So he ended up passing the interview and 30 minutes later he got baptized. That was such a testimony building moment for me to recognize that as missionaries we can never give up and we need to ALWAYS have the spirit to be with us so that they can feel the need to be baptized and keep covenants with our heavenly father!!

Edgar's Baptism

Yesterday we went to go visit a less active and we helped her wash her clothes in the river and it was so fun! I actually really enjoy hand washing clothes and we were washing when all of a sudden Hermana Maddock just screams, "SCORPION!" hahah, she had flung a scorpion up onto the rock! I was nervous because I remembered that you like had to burn them or something, but here they don't follow those rules so the little kid just took his sandal off and killed it with his shoe. After that I was a little nervous that we were going to find another scorpion, but we survived:) haha. 

The Scorpion!!

I LOVE TO BE A MISSIONARY AND TO BE IN GUATEMALA! Guatemala is such a promised land and I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to serve my mission here and help my brothers and sisters! I was thinking a lot the night when Edgar said he didn't want to get baptized like "what did I do wrong? why now all of a sudden doesn't he want to get baptized?" And I thought, "the only person that can take care of him right now is God", and he did it. He helped his son come into the waters of baptism and be so incredibly happy. Edgar called us later that night and told us JUST how happy he was. I love this gospel and I love the church. I love the Book of Mormon and the happiness that it gives us. I am so grateful for my savior and everything that he has done for me.

Love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you all have a great week!

Love, Hermana Bracha