Testimony

HOLAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! COME ESTAN MI FAMILIA! QUE NOTICIAS!!! LUKE SE BAUTIZO!!!  I cried like a foool when I say that cute boy all in white!! Congrats my little child of light. :) What a big step in your life!

Oh boy I sure am growing a ton. Ya know I see that God has blessed us with some challenges .. but also so many miracles. ERICA WENT TO THE TEMPLE this Saturday!! Im so proud of her. Antonio was gonna go.. but had to work!  How cool he sent a message to you guys! He cracks me up.

I feel like I need to share my testimony for you guys. SORRY Ill try to keep it short and simple. But today my heart is full.

I´m grateful to know that we are all sons and daughters of God. That Gods love for us never changes. I´m grateful for my best friend, Jesus Christ. He´s been there every step of my mission. Sometimes when I feel like I cant do it anymore.. I close my eyes and  I can see him with his hands on my face whispering words of love. I dont know what hes saying.. but I know hes proud of me. I know he LIVES. I know he is closer to us than we think he is. And we have a father who is amazed by us. :) He watches us as we serve his children and I just know hes smiling down on us. I know he gives us hard things so we can become stronger. I was telling my comp the other day, every time I cry I feel like I receive more light. Its so true. I KNOW that when we break our spirits  and give our hearts to God, we receive more power, more light. There is power in my calling. I feel it. Sometimes when I talk about Christs sacrifice I feel light growing inside of my eyes. When I testify of Jesus.. Nothing fills my heart with so much love. When I find people who are sad or mad with God I just wanna hug them and tell them HE WILL NOT LEAVE US COMFORTLESS. He always comes to us in the end. I know that I am no different than they are, we are all one.  But everyone is different. His time is different for all. Thats something I´ve learned. is to not judge. We met a family who are less actives. We´ve been visting them for a while and the more I get to know them, the more I understand their story. How sad it is for friends or members to judge them. They dont know them, they dont know what theyve been through. Only God does. And we really had no idea how much this family loves us. Theyre moving this week and we visited them for the last time yesterday. The dad had tears in his eyes and thanked us for changing his family. The mission is strange sometimes. Sometimes you feel like youre not helping anyone, not having any success. But in reality we are doing a lot! God wants it like that. It helps us to be humble. :) He moves in a mysterious way.

Singing about the Savior is one of the greatest blessings I have on this mission. I feel pure power come out when I sing about the one person who sacrified for us. I also feel power when we promise blessings to people who are in deep need of them. Its a feeling indescribable when one can feel the pure love of Christ for the other person. God really is watching out for his children. Sometimes I think I learn more from the people than they learn from me. Their stories of how they found God just blow my mind. Whether they are from a different religion.. it doesnt matter! We can all learn from each other. Whats most important is how we are going to get back to Heavenly Father. God is soo powerful. He can do the impossible. He makes a way where there is absolutely no way!  I will never doubt it. I´´m grateful for the mercy and the grace Christ has for ALL of us. Never ever ever forget that we have so much worth. This spirit we have here on this earth is the same spirit that lived with God and will live with God again. There is power within us. Dig deep, because you always know what you should be doing.  It lies within you.  More than we realize. Use it. Use it to help others. I´m grateful for this mission. I dont wanna leave. I want to serve my whole life. Nothing brings me greater joy. I testify with all of my heart that God is our father, Jesus Christ is our brother and that they loves us sooooos oooos sosososoooooo much. En el nombre de Jesucristo,  amen. :)

happy birthday mommy. :) 

LOVE,

HERMANA TERRY!!

Good works are Gods gift to you

FAMILY!! HOW IS EVERYONE DOIN?!!

LUKE LACHONEUS TERRY you are getting baptized this Satuday! You look like a stud in your pics! Wow. Im so proud of you my little child of light. :)

Before I forget I wanted to INFORM yall that our converts.. Erica and Antonio BOTH HAVE INTERVIEWS THIS THURSDAY TO GO THROUGH THE TEMPLE THIS SATURDAY.Ummm WHAT?! IM SO PROUD MY HEAD COULD BUST!! Ahhh God seriously just took over control and is taking care of them. Ahh. Im so so so so so proud. I feel like their MOM! Proudest mom on the planet!

This week we had splits!  I went to LA BOCA (holla. everyone missed meeee. :)) and when I was there I got sick! AHH I WAS SO MAD. I have no idea how I got sick? But whatever. YA FUE. I learned a lot of awesome things with Hermana Jensen. During personal study I felt like I needed to read a talk that was sitting on her desk, called the fourth missionary.

I found two quotes that changed my life:

Jesus said: "The kingdom of God is within you." It is in your head and in your heart. It starts in your head and then your heart follows. You only need say to the Lord in your head, "I give up. I surrender. I won't fight anymore. Here it is. Here are my desires. Here is my will. I want only to do what you want me to do. That's enough for me. That's all I want, because it is the only intelligent thing to do." 

Isnt that soooo beautiful?!!! :) OKay last one:

 

" I am doing my best. I have a lot of weaknesses and a lot to learn. But I am withholding nothing from the Lord. I am serving with all of my might, mind, heart and strength. I am faithful and giving it all I have to give."

I really hope I can say that by the end of my mission. Theres nothing more beautiful than giving your life to the Lord. ITS SO MUCH EASIER THAT WAY!

So I had another really good study that Id like to share with you guys. I wrote it all down so I wouldnt forget it:))

18 de Septiembre:

Today I studied in Mormon 9. Its such a great chapter to bajar la cana with people who dont believe in Christ. Lately Ive been pondering on the Book of Mormon and MY OWN testimony on it. I think the number 1 reason why me encanta el libro de mormon is that the words are always ALWAYS pleading to COME UNTO CHRIST. And in Mormon Chapter 9:27 says: ¨come unto the Lord with ALL YOUR HEART, AND WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION with fear and trembling before him.¨How weird is that? Work out your own salvation. We always hear we are saved by our works and from the grace of God. SO what really IS our works? So then I read in Philippians 2:13: ¨FOR IT IS GOD THAT WORKETH IN YOU both to will and to do his good pleasure.¨ UMMM PEOPLE ARE WE FORGETTING that our own works comes from GOD?! HEEEE is the one that influences us to do GOOD. as we COME unto God with all of our heart.. .. We will begin to understand that all of the wonderful works we do comes from our MASTER who created us. God is truly amazing. The plan of Salvation is a plan that is FAIR FOR ALL. IT IS A PLAN OF SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH, SIXTH, SEVENTH, EIGHTH, NINTH, TENTH, ELEVENTH CHANCES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS WHY IM HERE IN ARGENTINA. ONe more scripture:

Jesus read this scripture to the people in Nazereth:

¨The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath annointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,¨

THIS VERSE SCREAMED OUT TO ME. Im doing the same thing what Jesus came to do! EVen if I feel like no one notices my work.. No importa. I came here to do what my Father wants me to do. And to all you missionaries out there, keep preaching, keep loving, keep healing the broken hearts of the world. God loves us and notices our work. Right down to the little things we do for him. As a team we will accomplish what this scripture asks of us.

CHAU FAM!!!

HERMANA TERRYBLEMENTE FELIZ. Carry On!

All you need is love

OH MY HECK FAMILY!!! WHAT A GOOD WEEK MY FRIENDS!!!! :):):)

Antonio Rojas got freakin BAPTIZED!!!! OH my heavens he is our miracle!!! Goodness I almost passed out and died when he came out after his baptism and yelled IN ENGLISH, ¨¨IM A NEW MAN!!!¨¨ HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA he kills me. Hes sooo beyond happy. Yesterday me and BABY V came late to sacrament meeting and THERE HE WAS on the front row. He came 20 minutes early cause he didnt wanna miss his confirmacion.  Im dying IM so happy.

ERICA is already talking about her misison! shes doing sooo good! Shes coming with us on citas and bearing her testimony. Ahhh everything is just coming together so perfectly. Her membership in the church is changing her entire world.  I could not be more proud of this girl.  By the way she looks like she hates me in this picture, but she hates pictures not me!

OKay what else?! Yesterday we left suuuper early to go pick up the investigators that we found this week... so we went into a casa tomada ( mom if you saw this place you would die. ahaha un poquiiiito peligroso.:)) and guess what? NONE OF OUR INVESTIGATORS are home.. or made up excuses on why they couldnt go. As we were walking down the stairs I saw this man.. Freeeeeeezing cold, no shoes. He was doing drugs. And then he tried to stand up and couldnt. He fell all the way down the stairs. It was so shocking to watch him fall like that. I was surprised at my instinct. I couldnt move. I just felt this fire come over me. I felt God was trying to call out to him with perfect love. He got up and sat back down on the stairs and I just felt this pain in my heart. This man is a son of God. The worth of his soul is the same as mine. God loves this broken man in a broken moment just as much as he loves me. It made me think of Les Mis when the bishop took in Jean Val Jean when he was at his lowest point. It was a moment Ill never forget. I felt a love out of this world for this man who doesnt know God was watching him and completely aware of him in that moment. I walked over to him and knelt down at his eye level. All I could say to him was Que Dios le bendiga (God bless you).  The mission is incredible. There are moments where God lets us feel a tiny slice of love he has for his children. Ive learned to love his children in ways I didnt think was possible. 

1 John 4:7-8 

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love

 If we love one another,God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

I sure hope the love of God can be perfected in all of us. :) ITS THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING. LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!! ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE!!! CARRY ON CARRY ON CARRY ON!

Give your two mites

Mi familia muchas gracias for your sweet birthday wishes!!! It was a good birthday!!!! :)  LUKE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BOY!!! I CANT BELIEVE YOU ARE 8 YEARS OLD!! YOU ARE GONNA GET BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I´m so happy I can scream!! Luke is going to make covenants with God people!! WOW!! Luke youre now a big boy!!

God is soo good my friends. Antonio is a gem. He is sooo beyond ready to make covenants with God. He is a miracle! He reads the Book of Mormon like CRAZAY.  Every part we mark in the Book of Mormon he reads!! We taught about the restoration and that same day he watched the movie of Joseph Smith. Hes always like.. I WANNA BE  LIKE JOSE SMITH. Ahh what a cool dude. Hes so great. AND LADIES AND GENTS HES GETTING BAPTIZED THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!! This Saturday!! :) Please pray for Antonio!!

What else. Oh so just so yall know im pretty sure were baptizing Lamanites. BECAUSE ERICA AND ANTONIO ARE BOTH FROM PERU. HOLLA.

YESTERDAY we had the most aaamazing spiritual experience. It was at 7 pm and we HAD NO IDEA where to go. We had been feeling down cause all of our investigators weren't really progressing. So we prayed and we felt like we needed to go to THE PLAZA. (park:)) So weird. So were walking through this plaza and in my head i was just like.. were wasting ttiiiimmmee. I have developed a serious problem with going crazy if I think we are wasting time, because my time here is ticking so loudly, I dont have time to waste people.  But just then, my amazing little daughter opens her mouth and starts talking to this guy sitting on the bench. His name is Marcelo. 26 years old. He told us that he was just listening to music about God and felt like God was going to put two angels in his path.

WHAT?! What did he just say?  So we start talking to him. He tells us a little about his life. Hes a model.. he lives with his mom and his siblings. He IS SOOO HAPPY. It was sooo weird. Almost to good to be true to see an Argentine smile from ear to ear. THERE WAS LITERAL LIGHT coming of out his eyes. They usually look grumpy or upset here.  He told us that he had been recently praying to God and felt the desire to BE BAPTIZED. He pulled out this little note that he had written to God. Tears, tears and more tears. He told God that throughout his whole life he drank and partied and did all kinds of bad things.. but repented and wants to live his life for Jesus....but doesnt know how. He told us he trusts God that God will make a way for him to serve Jesus. He wants to be a missionary!! AND HE ACCEPTED TO BE BAPTIZED!Me and Baby V were blown away by this guy. He told us that he knew God answered his prayers because he recognized us as servants of God. He told my comp that she speaks with power and that I have the eyes of Jesus. It was so cute! The excitement he had to talk about God was so awesome. Just a good guy. 

We found out he doesnt live here he lives in San Martin so it looks like we wont be able to teach him. ;( BUT can I just say.. Gods children blow me away sometimes. The faith that this guy had.. was incredible. Ive never seen anyone love God sooo much than Marcelo. It really motivated us to keep going, that there are people out there ready and wanting what we have to offer.

Ive been pondering a lot about the passage in Mark 12 about how the poor woman gave all of her life for Jesus. 

Ive been thinking about Antonio and little Lukie today and how they are like this woman. They are promising to give their all for our Savior. 

They are beginning out young, and innocent and it may seem like they dont have all the knowledege in the world.. but thats what I LOVE. This woman was poor.. And everyone judged her for it. But Jesus told him shes giving more than they gave! It just goes to show thay he accpets EVERYONE. EVERYONE has the chance to be baptized. EVERY ONE IS A CHILD OF LIGHT. WE ARE ALL EQUAL IN GODS EYES!! Love you all. 

 41 ¶And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her wantdid cast in all that she had, even all her living.

LES AMO UN MON TON!! SIGAN CON SUS SONRISAS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD AND LUKE!!!!

loves!! CARRY ON CARRY ON CARRY ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Birthday Miracles!

Dear sweet family,

Man I just have to tell you guys this week we´ve seen so many miracles. I now have an incredible testimony of the law of the harvest. GOD DOES NOT FORGET all of the things we do to help build his kingdom. Even if its the little things. I got thinking about it, its so much better to go through hard hard hard times to get the miracles because it makes us realize that it WAS NEVER US who did it.. It was God. My heart is so full of gratitude.

So here I go with the miracles.

1 miracle: Friday. Friday Im convinced we walked a marathon. Like I dont remember stopping. I felt like crying. But its like the cry of help, cry of pain, cry of I cant do this anymore. So many times where I just wanted to scream and run away. Haha. But hold on to your seats cause we had to use a restroom. And in la capital the only place where someone can go pee is in Mcdonalds or Burger King. so we walk into Mcdonalds and I put this goal in my head.. WE WILL FIND SOMEONE WHO WILL WANT TO LISTEN TO US.  So I felt this little prompting to tell me to turn around and talk to this man who was sitting alone. And we start talking to him and he told us how did you know I was crying? And were like.. no we had no idea. And then he looks me us in the eyes and starts crying. Ahh man my heart couldnt take it. He told us he doesnt know what do with his life cause he lost his house.. He doesnt have anything. He told us he had been praying and praying to God to help him. And then he called us his angels. :) In that moment I realized everything that happened in that day didnt matter. God led us to a broken man in Mcdonalds. WELL he accepted una fecha to be baptized on my BIRTHDAY. But we´ll see! He needs a lot of help.. but I feel like out of anyone.. ME AND HERMANA VARGAS can help him. :) Oh his name is Julio and hes like the twin of JUAN!!!

2 miracle: WE HAD 3 investigators come to church! WHAT? YA IM SERIOUS. Okay so youre probs thinkin.. whaaat 3 is nothing. no let me tell ya. 3 is EVERYTHING. 3 souls taking the sacrament.. What can get better than that?! One was Julio, the other was this other man named Juan. haha. He lives alone. Hes rich. He knows a lot about the bible and other religions. But for some miracle he came to church. Everyone seemed to be really impressed with him cause he was giving comments super profound and quoting the bible. AND I JUST WANTED TO SCREAM for joy for him! This goes to show WE ARE WORKING and were not just two little pretty faced hermanas. NO. WE WORK HARDCORE. Haha.  Juan didnt accept to be baptized so we dont really know what to do to really help him. In this mission we try to baptize in 3 weeks or less. So we´ll see if he can make it to 3 weeks and be baptized. :) Cause man.. He is leader status. Anyone reading this, please please pray for Juan.  If nothing else just that he can follow Gods will for his life and come close to him.

3 miracle. SATURDAY we gave out un mon ton de invitaciones and we gave one to this man and hes like.. Ya for sure Ill come to church tomorrow! BUT WHEN PEOPLE SAY THIS 99.9% of the time its a lie. So ya we completely forgot about this guy. And then.. oh my heart.. After sacrament, this guy  in the back is almost yelling.. HERMANA TERRY AQUI ESTOY( I AM HERE)!! With his hands waving in the air. How cute is that? I wish I could do that every Sunday. But to God. PADRE PADRE AQUI ESTOY EN TU CAPILLA!!(HEAVENLY FATHER I AM HERE AT CHURCH!):) Haha but anyway.. His name is Antonio from Peru. Hes 26 years old and his brother got baptized in Peru. So he knows a little bit about the church. He accepted una fecha para el 13 de september!!!! :) Yay. :) 

Well these are only some of the miracles that weve seen this week. Another thing I learned this week is to BE HAPPY NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS. I read a talk from Elder Uchtdorf that changed everything.Its amazing what one little talk, one little scripture can do for someone. He says, ¨¨Sometimes in life we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey.¨¨

Oh my gosh---- this is sooo true. I feel like Juncal is teaching me to learn to be happy no matter what. Ive given most of my stress to God and Im putting my trust in his plan for us. And man does it feel good. The days are so much better. Me and Baby V get along so well. Too many jokes, too many laughs in one day. And I just know God is smiling down on us. There are tooo many missionaries that focus so much on the finish line that they forget to enjoy the day! Enjoy the good! Enjoy the bad! Because this mission is FLASHING past my eyes and theres just no time left. Im trying to give it my best every day AND ENJOY DOING IT. I had a profound thought the other day.. As missionaries we study and study and practice to preach the gospel. Weve mastered and memorized how to teach it. BUT IF WE DONT KNOW HOW TO LIVE THE GOSPEL... well thats half the battle of the mission. LIVE THE GOSPEL FRIENDS! LIFE IS BETTER THAT WAY! :)

Well God has blessed me with tooo many gifts for my birthday. I feel spoiled! I think its cause I feel this happiness that I cant describe?! Im so grateful for my family that has given me everything. Not one Monday has passed where my mom and dad havent written me the most loving encouraging words you could dream of. THAT IS LOVE YA'LL. And this week for my birthday I will work hard and share this love that Ive received through out my life. Peace and blessings. Happy Labor day. :)

HERMANA TERRYBLEMENTE FELIZ. carry on carry on carrrrry ooooooooooon!!!!!!!