Heaven sent rainbows appear in Argentina

Oh my sweet familia- 

:) The office received your package on Wednesday and an elder is coming to to Lima to drop it off this week!!  IM GONNA OPEN IT the minute I get it!! Cant wait for Christmas, sorry folks! Honestly you didnt have to send me anything!!   Its funny, I dont want presents or anything for Christmas, I just want to be with the people we are teaching and spend the day loving them.  Heavenly Father is making it so easy for me.  IM SO EXCITED TO SKYPE YOU GUYS ON CHRISTMAS!  HOLY SMOKES!! :) No se si es la 24 o la 25?? Hmmm. And i think its for only 35 minutes so ya. I know Im gonna cry. :) And.. TRANSFERS are next week. IMMM SOOO HAPPY because I will stay in Lima. :) But I dont know if me and Hermana Q will be together. :( WAA. That breaks my heart. I need to tell you a story about my sweet companion.

So last Sunday Hermana Quintana was up alll night because she felt like God was telling her that we needed to knock on doors on this one specific street. When she told me in the morning I told her that what she was feeling and thinking was TRUE. And I KNOW THAT GOD was telling her to do it. She is so connected and in tune with the people of this area.  So she shared that story  last week in our zone meeting.  People were not very nice to her telling her they doubted that was God telling her that because we have not yet been given permission to knock on doors there. They treated her like she was making trouble as opposed to trying to act on a prompting. We held our cool. And then we came home and we both turned into two dramatic, fiery Whitney Houstons. Ive never seen HQ cry in my life. But that day I saw her in so much pain. All because she feels like she can never trust if she feels the spirit but and in my head im like.. Girl-  To thine own heart be true!. So then HQ told me that she feels like she doesnt have enough faith. She KNOWS God loves our investigators... but she doesnt know if God loves her. In that moment  I prayed in my head sooo hard. Heavenly Father HELP me know what to say. And I waited and waited. I was trying to comfort her... but she just couldnt take it. She NEVER cries. I dont think shes ever cried until then. Everything started to make sense..

And then I heard Dios in my head.  I need to tell someone this because it was truly amazing. He told me in mi mente," Rita, Rita, Rita (hermana Quintanas name) Come to me, Im right here". So much love filled my whole body from God for her. I prayed and asked if I should tell her what I was feeling. I already knew the answer. I held my broken companions hand and told her that Dios is calling for you. Rita, Rita, Rita, Venid a mi, Venid a mi, Venid a mi. I TESTIFIED that God is happy with her. That she doesnt need to worry about anything because shes working SO HARD. Mom remember how you always said," Do your best forget the rest?"  Your best is more than good enough and I told her that.  And that if she feels we need to knock on doors, we will set up an appointment with the mission president and get permission to do it because she needs to knock on those doors. I then told her say a prayer FOR HERSELF. Oh mom, it was so beautiful. She poured her soul out to God. She said she feels mad at him sometimes. She said she needed help. She said she wants to know if she is gonna be okay. I couldnt believe I could speak and understand her fully in Spanish. That has been the only time where I fully understood everything. And whats sooo beautiful about God is that even though my sweet comp needed love from God, I GOT TO HEAR AND FEEL IT FROM HIM FOR ME AS WELL. I felt him tell me that this is why your parents told you that you're gonna love your comps as much as the people you teach. I felt him tell me that this is another reason why I need to be in Lima. And even though I cant speak the language fluently, that God was gonna use me to show Rita Mariel Quintana that she is a precious beloved daughter of God who he adores.  I learned something that day. Yes... we need to pray for the people in Lima. Thats soooo important. BUT WE AS MISSIONARIES are important. WE NEED to be fully converted to God and filled up with love from him in order to preach his gospel to his children. We need to be fed the words of Christ and fed in prayer of his love cada dia in order for us to be filled with the spirit. God loves all of his children. His missionaries are just as important.  On Saturday we met with our mission President, President Ayre.  He was so incredibly kind to us.  He told us he loves us together as a companionship and he loved Hermana Quintanas promptings.  He had the opposite reaction to her feelings, than the reaction she got at the zone conference.  Its ok, we as missionaries are all very young and learning, especially me. I read my patriarchal belssing every day because I remembered in one of your letters you said to fill my mind with positive thoughts and love! And thats what I do. All because of you. I have that thing memorized. :) One of my favorite parts, is that it says I was called on an earthly mission.  It gets me that I am on a mission in a foreign country on earth, but I also received a call to come to earth and serve a life mission.  It just touches me now for some reason.  

 Guess what? Me and Hermana Quintana  had the sweetest lesson with Jorge and Carla. Carla was feeling so mad at her rebellious teenage daughter. She asked both of us what did our moms do that made us who we are today. OUCH. What ME?  I was never rebellious or difficult???? Ok so truth I started crying because I know I was a challenge at times. I told Carla about how the armies of Helamen had theses mothers of STEEL. Who never doubted their sons to triumph in the end, who loved them and taught them about Jesus. And I told her that was Mi madre.  My mom loved me no matter what or how I was acting. Even when I was a complete stinker she still loved me. She gave me confidence every day that I was a good person and I would always triumph in the end. She told me she loved me and that God loves me all the time. I am who am today because of that. AND I said it all in espanol. :)  I hope you guys can feel me. I feel you all the time near me. I feel confident and loved.  HAHA. WHY??? Because you gave me the confidence, that I am unique and worthwhile, and even my weaknesses will bring me closer to God. That lesson is so sacred and so important to me. I think its why I am in Lima.  So I can teach what I was taught. 

The other day I couldnt remember the English word for Ingles.  I know its completely ridiculous, but the languages are mixing up in my head, and the frustration of not being able to say exactly what I want to say is nearly driving me mad!  I lost it the other day and started yelling, I CANT SAY ANYTHING I WANT TO SAY in English at my poor companion who cant speak one word of English.  I think she sensed what I was saying because she said in Spanish, BE CALM HERMANA TERRY.  You are doing so much better with the language than you think you are"  She is so warm and kind to me, like an argentine mother.  President Ayre said I was very very lucky to come to Argentina with no waiting on a visa. I was one of a small group who got to come with no waiting.  He said they aren't doing that anymore and missionaries are being reassigned again.  I think I was supposed to come straight here for a reason, and I need to walk by faith that the language will come, and my best is good enough. 

 I gotta tell you. I share D&C 6:36 with all of Lima. All my little kiddos have it memorized in Primary and its all thanks to you.  They even scream it a little the way the Springville primary did! My goal is to get all of Lima to memorize this scripture. Seriously memorized scriptures have changed my life. HQ loves my idea. She helps me when I cant explain it perfectly in Spanish. :) She has totally caught the vision of the"doubt not fear not" movement.  And every time I teach it I always think of you! :) ELEVAD HACIA MI TODO PENSAMIENTO; NO DUDEIS, NO TEMAIS! Memorize it! Repeat it!  It will change your whole outlook on life and come to you when you least expect it!  :)

So last Monday after emails, we came home to take a nap. HAHA our apartment is sooo stinkin small- like width of your arms small. But I love it. Its homey. :) I got in my bed and I started to cry- just a little. I needed my mom. I needed someone to give me a hug and tell me that Im gonna be okay. I pulled out my dear elder letters and read your letter about your BEAUTIFUL story about the Rainbow. And when we give Christ our pain (rain) He gives us light and strength (sun) And it creates this rainbow in our life and heart and on rare occasions, actually in the sky. So I gave Dios (Dios is God in espanol. Its honestly so much better than God. The name Dios feels like home to me. Dios is my friend.;))all of  my rain. And asked him for a rainbow. I asked him for light. I asked him for strength. And then I fell asleep. My dream was sooo comforting. I cant remember  what I was dreaming... but I woke up with a smile on my face. And I felt so much better.  ANGELS come to missionaries living spaces.  I know this.

Anyways we walk outside and GUESS WHAT.The most beautiful rainbow Ive ever seen is beaming in the Argentine sky.  And so I took a picture of it because it was a miracle to me.   Im eternally grateful for you guys sharing your experiences with Dios, because you taught me that I can talk to God and ask him for anything. :) I cant prove it, but Im just sayin, I think he put the rainbow there because I asked to hear from him, and a reminder that we are still so connected.  LOVE YOU GUYS!  CARRY ON CARRY ON CARRY ON!!!!!!!!!!!