Serious Joy !

Week 25                                    Serious Joy                           October 13, 2013

It´s a rainy day and the weather is perfect.  I love rainy days.  I want to play some oldies music like Frank Sinatra oh por favor and curl up with a good movie... ha who am i kidding.  Life couldn´t get better. I´m todavía en Loma Pyta, Paraguay.  I´m enjoy my usual caramels as I write my weekly email :)  I´m TRAINING!  the cutest Bolivian sister. I am living with 3 latinas... ya I am stoked my spanish is going to sky rocket! (I hope)  I´m preaching the gospel EVERYDAY. I am bringing the world his truth. :)   

This week has been a little crazy but we are getting a handle on things.  Shout out to Faith Goimarac!!! Hope you returned and hope safely as well wonderful Hermana Homer!!  So Monday and Tuesday I was a little uptight/worried just of what was comin (a few tears were shed), so Tuesday I asked my zone leader (Elder Oharra-awesome, just finished his mission with elder bredsguard)  for a blessing (my first one recieved in Spanish!) and seriously I haven´t been stressed or sad or worried since.  I seriously am loving this change so far.

 My comp is awesome.  She is from Cochabamba Bolivia!  Hermana Silva se llama. She is beautiful... looks almost hawaiian or polynesian.  She is wonderful!!!  A little timid, a sweet heart, super chillax, and patient :)  We have had a rough start (as in our part of the area the people never let you in their houses) but we are praying a lot together and we set some awesome goals this week in weekly planning I have no doubt in my mind the work is gonna pick up.  

My favorite part of this week was probably our lesson with Kristian and Celia Duarte.  We taught them about baptism and confirmacion. It was probably one of the neatest lessons.  I was studying a ton for them cuz seriously they are SOOO close to baptism and I didn´t want one lesson to go wrong just cuz I am a weak teacher or can´t speak spanish very well.   All I can say, is that the spirit took over.  Hermana Silva and I were workin like gold.  The spirit was so strong.  We had Celia read Mosiah 18:8-10, and then I asked Kristian to read  verses 12-14 putting his name where Alma´s is and Celia´s or Jasmine´s (his daughter) where Helam´s is. It was so powerful!! I have never seen bigger smiles on their faces, especially Celia´s. They were practically begging us to get baptized at that point.  So Kristian will be getting baptized the 26th of this month (A DAY BEFORE  HOMECOMING TALK, FAITH!!) and wants to then receive the priesthood to baptize Celia and Jasmine!!!!!! Ahhhhh I just wanted to just for joy as they couldn’t back smiling and looked at each other serious joy my friends.  Oh I love this work.  It is truth.  It is freedom.  It is joy.  It is life. Hermana Silva gave each other the biggest hug (where hna Goimarac and i always would) by the big tree down their street.  

It has been a little tough otherwise to be accepted into homes and teach. We split our are down the transchaco and the side we have I hardly ever visited before.  Although, it is a tougher area it´s kinda like startin a new area because I haven´t really work that much over there.  Maybe I´ll send ya a map fam so you can see what a monster of an area I have bee working in. It´s huge, such a blessing we have 4 hermanas now.  It is super exciting!    

Anyway that´s about it.  Oh and this Saturday is my comps birthday!! I am going to attempt to make mountains or pancakes and buttermilk syrup! :)  If you want send some letters for her.  She would love that!! I would love that (family :) love you ALL so so much!!!! Go to work!

Some good words of wisdom from Elder Bednar this week in the Liahona, ¨You can do this! The Lord you represent and serve knows you can do this. I know you can do this.¨ It´s true, if the Lord trusts me, I will put my trust in him.  :)  

xoxo,

con cariño, 

Hermana Owen

P.S. didn´t see kenzie freeman´s sister at stake conference slash didn´t have much time to look but  hopefully i will one day.

P.S.S.  THE MANGOS ARE BLOOMING!!!! AND They are THE best mangos I have every eaten in my life!!!!  creamy and super juicy!

--

yaya"!! can´t wait i love you mom!!!! :)  it´s hna silva´s birthday THIS WEEK!

Me, Hermana Silva con Presidente

                                           

                                             the "moms" (trainers) and all the "decendants"... down the line.... 
                                                                   from trainer to daughter, trainer to daughter etc. :)

Hermana Silva and I in front of house, arrival day

This morning, working out on our roof top

"The morning sky"

"We ate at Pizza Hut-Yah you heard that right and all you can eat."

Best Roller Coaster Ride Yet to Come

Week 24                           Flame your Faith                  October 7^th 2013

So everyone tells me the missionary just gets better with time, but seriously I don´t know if anything could surmount this past week. It was... for lack of better words, off the charts.  Sooo mayber I take that back, cuz our numbers were really low and there weren´t any baptisms, BUT I practically did everything a missionary doesn´t have the priviledge of doing. 

So let´s begin... Tuesday we recieved a call from President McMullin, bueno our phone wasn´t working for a day so the Elders in San Jorge walked all the way to our house cuz it was urgent that president needed to talk to us.  Hermana Goimarac was goin home early.  Bueno we practically had a half week cuz of packing and doing recuerdo shopping/imigration stuff and conference.  The office elders also brought furniture to our house cuz we will now have 4 sisters serving in Loma.  Ya I am splitting and organizing the area!! AHHHH!! So much to do so little time! Pray for me! Can I do this??

Friday I was priviledged to go with the Hermana Goimarac and Hermana Homer to immigrations and then recuerdo shopping.  Got some fun stuff but I won´t say cuz i want it to be a surprise.  Also I am sending stuff home with Elder Bredguard on Wednesday. Sent a Christmas gift home with Hermana Goimarac.  So ya she left last night. It was hard to see her go and I am a little nervous cuz today I recieved notice that I, yes I Hermana Hillary Owen will now be training!!! Who knows if it will be a latino or norte americano pero vamos a saber en miercoles.  Me voy a las 8 en la mañana.  There are apparantly more north americans than latinos.  Hermana Toctaquiza is with me until then here in Loma otra vez :)  and she will be training as well!!   She´s now a grandma (cuz I will be training- mi primera hija).   

Anyway, Friday was like a free day, right?   I went to the distribution center with them, and out to eat (got a yummy hummus plate) and the best part... GOT TO DO A TEMPLE SESSION WITH THEM!!! It was so perfect cuz it was hermana goimarac, hermana homer (other hna goin home), hermana mcmullin (pres. wife), hermana fuller (the nurse), and I ... well along with other paraguayans.  But seriously I am VERY lucky that I got this opportunity. Cuz we only get to go to the temple once a year and at the end of our missions.  The spirit was so incredible.  It was such a boost, especially before conference.  

Cool story, we were in the temple in the waiting room studying from 2 to 3:30 until sessions started and hna fuller and mcmullin came.  Anyway the electrical power was out in the area. The temple president came and sat down to tell us the sad news that we might not be able to do a session cuz the movie and lights keep goin out.  Hna Goimarac was a little heart broken.  It had to happen.  I took all the faith I had and hoped with high expectations that of course it would work :)  As we were sitting and waiting I went into the room next door (bueno the shower in the bathroom haha) knelt down and prayed.  I prayed in faith, asking for this session to work and believing that it would.  IT DID. :)  Oh it was such a treat to be there again.  A lady in our ward, Hna Suarrez (LOVE HER!!) helped me is the session.  It was a  little tender mercy cuz we are really close with her family. Seriously I was so lucky that I got to do that, I don´t think you guys realize.

Conference was awesome wasn´t it.  There were so many good talks.  I got to watch one in English and the rest in Spanish.  It was hard to pay attention to the ones in Spanish.  

Also after Conference,  I had el gran privilegio a comer en la casa del Presidente McMullin. One, their house is a mansion.  I definitely did not feel like I was in Paraguay.  It was so fun.  They made us feel like family.  We were treated to salad, delicious chicken, mash potatoes, and BROCCOLI!! Tambien Erin their cute 15 yr old made donut muffins (with cinnamon sugar on top) and Hermana Mcmullin made us cake with homemade whip cream for dessert. Afterward, we sat down on CLEAN soft COUCHES and shared testimonies.  Then their family skyped in and we said a quick hello and then it was off to Hermana Fuller´s house where I said goodbye to Hermana Goimarac (tear) and sweet Hermana Homer.   We picked up the infamous Hermana Toctaquiza!!! and Presidente brought us back here to Loma.  

So Erin is so cute and reminds me a ton of Ellie in her mannerisms and the way she talks.  She asked me if she could come on splits with me one time.  That´s just where she comes out with my comp and I.  Well that sums up the amazing week.  My heart is full and seriously I have so many emotions running through me right now.  Am I really going to train?!!   If the Lord trusts me, hey I trust him.  It´s kinda like hiking the first climb of a roller coaster.  I just want to close my eyes and get rid of the anxiety that is building in my stomach.  But hey who knows this might be the best roller coaster ride yet!  I'll hold on tight.   Work my hardest.  I know I´m going to learn a lot.  I am pretty much organizing two new areas cuz two new sisters are comin (already said that).  So got a big climb ahead. I will keep you all updated. For now, I am puttin my faith in the Lord.  I loved the talk, ¨Lord, I Believe¨ by Jeferey R. Holland in conference on Saturday.  first and forever fan the flame of your faith, because all things are possible to them that believe.

Sorry that coppied a little  large :) but he is awesome.  Love you all so so much.  This gospel is incredible. Remember the Lord hears your prayers, and is aware of every tiny little thing or concern in your life.  He loves us so much.  

xoxox

Con Cariña y animos :)

Hermana Owen

           Sister Goimarac, her last companion who just got home on the 9th - and their Green Juice - Yum

Tea Time

Week 23                  Tea Time with Hermana Guillen                           Sept 30^th

Wow! One week left with Hermana Goimarac!  Where has time gone! I feel like she just got here.  This week felt like a month but flew by unbelievably fast at the same time.  Time is just weird in the mission.  My knee is recovering well.  It really was a miracle.  I was limping all Sunday night, rested and took it easy/icing it all Monday and seriously by Tuesday I was able to kneel down and pray on it and walk sin problema.  Un Milagro. So thank you for those who were praying... I know someone was cuz it was a straight up miracle. When the Lord needs work done, he always provides the means for us to accomplish it.

We had a wonderful Christmas this week! We got lucky and it was a cold Christmas Eve... we read that Christmas story you sent me mom by President Eyring.  SO GOOD.  We sang Christmas songs in Spanish, English, and Guarani all day.  Christmas morning we woke up to presents :) and made cinnamon rolls while listening to Christmas music. Oh I wish you all could be here to share these fun moments with me. We also had some beautiful runs this week.  The weather has been so nice.  

Okay so church yesterday was AMAZING!  We had Kristian Duarte and his two little girls again.  I swear that man is going to get baptized and instantly be made stake president.  He is awesome.  Read half of the Liahon (with last April´s conference talks in it) on Saturday! Unreal right.  As a family they are watching less tv cuz he says it distracts from the spirit they feel when they come to church and when we visit.  They are learning and improving so much.  They are so accepting of all the principles we teach and… holy life, Celia (his wife) is like a master on Alma already.  Ya! the book in the Book of Mormon.  She was commenting to us the other day about how much she loves the books and all the war chapters.  What!?  I know, I am amazed too. She said she signed up on the Mormon facebook page haha.  We just need to get her to church, but Kristian really enjoys coming and the girls as well.  The ward was so good this Sunday about sitting by him and making him feel welcome.   I have really seen a difference as we have learned to first set the example.   The missionary work in our ward is picking up so much with the members it is incredible.  We had 17 lessons this week just with less actives or nuevos conversos and holy powerful.  

Thursday night Hna Goimarac and I were headed home and all we needed was one lesson more, but lessons with less actives or new converts don´t count in the ¨lesson¨ category.   I thought we should really pass by for Dilce, but I kinda brushed off the thought... I kept thinking how selfish of me to just want to reach our goals when maybe Dilce is the one who really needs our visit.  Then as we were passing Dilce´s street I thought of another investigator that maybe we could go to with Dilce and told Hna Goimarac.  We decided to pass by and to my humbling surprise we found Dilce outside her house just in tears. She hasn´t been to church in 2 weeks.  The neat thing was she realized and told us that´s why she is not happy.  She said she has just felt solo and like Satan is really working on her.  She recognized our visit as an answer to her prayers.  We talked about the Savior and sang ¨Where Can I Turn For Peace.¨  It was such a blessing the Lord helped me think of that other investigator otherwise we probably wouldn´t have stopped by for her, and she probably wouldn´t have come to church, etc. etc.  But I am so grateful for the little thoughts of good we have. Those really are promptings of the spirit. Dilce came to church yesterday and she was happier than ever. Also familia Salas and Ruis Diaz (a big family)  They ALL came.  Lili this cute 20 year old and Dilce would be great friends so we are gonna have a lesson with those 2 this week.  That will be really good for both of them to have a friend in the church.  Hno Ruis Diaz has always had work on Sundays so he doesn´t usually come.  Stinkin Super Seis (everyone works on Sundays).   Anyway to our sad yet exciting surprise we found out (Friday afrternoon) that he quit his job there.  We had had a lesson with them the week before about sacrificing for the Lord.  He says it´s cuz he was having problems with his boss, but I think he kind of did for his family as well.  They are all baptized, but now they will have the chanced to be SEALED in the TEMPLE!!! That´s our next goal.  :)

Last night we had an awesome NDH in el hogar de familia Bogado and then cute Hermano Guillen (not sure if I have told you about him) invited us over for a little goodbye party for Hna Goimarac.  He really loves our visits, cuz his daughter is really changed (Laura Guillen) since we have been coming over.  She hasn´t gone to church since she was 13 when her mom died. She lives with her dad and compañero (they´re not married) and her 6 month old baby Ernesto.  Anyway she gets so excited and lights up everytime we come over now.  I love watching the spirit of this gospel change people.  It is the Spirit of Christ... the spirit of Christmas.  They are adorable.  We had hot cocoa in Hno Guillen´s tea set, with galletitas and scones. I love them.  I want to draw Hno Guillen. He is the most darling old man.  He almost looks Italian... a bald head and patches of hair on either side with his cool little stache.

Anyway, lots happened this week and oh I painted!! got a water color set for Christmas!  We have changes next week.  Hermana Goimarac goes home (I am sad for her to leave, but excited for what the Lord has in store.  I´m afriad that may be training!? :)  Wish me luck and wish us luck this last week together.  We´re endin with a bang.  Seriously a bang though... a big talent show Friday night for all and GENERAL CONFERENCE!! I am SOOOOO excited!!! Seriously I am craving it and can´t wait.  Know that I´ll be watchin it with ya´ll.  Love you all so so much. 

This week was fabulous hope you all are well!

Con mucho cariño,

Hermana Owen

p.s. natalia´s baptism is on hold for another week or so. but she is continually progressing it is amazing to watch the atonement take effect in her life. 

OTHER EMAILS:

hey i am comin back in a few to write but i was wonderin in the mean time if any of ya had some fun/funny skit ideas hna goimarac and i could do for the talent show we have for this friday! we feel super pressured cuz everyone expects the misionaries to do the funniest biggest act! yikes! haha love you all so much! hope your week is goin well! my knee is tons better! it was a miracle it got better in like two days!!

Teresa Tejada, Hillary’s reply –“ya they are seriously the cutest. they write EVERY WEEK ??!!! I LOVE them and i feel so bad i don´t always reply :) send them my love for me”   :)

and tamara larsen :) she always writes me dear elders, she is so sweet

Feliz Navidad - I Could Live Here Forever

WEEK 22

This came early in the morning... "i will write later today, but i got some gnarly news for ya´ll... stay tuned ;) be excited!"  See paragraph 4 below for details

Some comments and replies to our emails to her:

Elder Bredsguard and Hna Goimarac are coming home in like 3 weeks and said they would bring stuff home for you guys.  Anything you want specifically?  I might just send letters and caramels or alfajors :)

Nate - !! Jr came to church ?!  So awesome!! Get him taking the discussions!! If he goes to church and has all the discussions he can get baptized!! That´s just so fast to me, i never really knew that before the mish. keep it up i am so proud of you :)

Kate it sounds like you had a flippin’ blast at the dance.  Oh I am so happy.  Wish I could have been there to listen and share the magic with ya.  Know that I was listening as you told it through the letter.  I could hear your voice telling me every word.  I love you. Your dress was darling! Tell fern i love her and congrats on the call! where is she going?  Way to go on the missionary work!  Who is Belle?? Taking the discussions with Isabel Huish? And Miranda came to church! Awesome!

Mom hope your tennis match went well today!  Sorry you didn´t win last week.  Real success is how you face adversity. :)

That´s what I have come to learn.  And the neighbor family is inactive?!  I know all about that!  Get over there with the missionaries (IT IS SO AWESOME WHEN MEMBERS GO WITH THE MISSIONARIES TO INACTIVES)  and talk to the about their covenant they made. Find out their reason for not coming.  We have a formula we are following as missionaries cuz we are really focusing on the less actives because PResident Hinckley said, Ïf they are worth baptizing, they are worth saving.¨  

There are 7 steps in the formula:

1. Teach a doctrine

2.  Help them remember their conversion

3. What changed for them to be baptized or after their baptism

4. Evaluate their spiritual state

5. Preach repentance

6. Testify

7. Invite (do something like read the BOM cada día (every day) or come to church :)

                                                      Feliz Navidad

 ¡Feliz Navidad! Hermana Goimarac and I are celebrating Christmas, the 25th of Septiembre!  I am so excited. We are playing my Christmas music on my ipod (obviously church Christmas music) and we are doing presents and everything.  The best part is, we are gonna make cinnamon rolls and take them to people.  Plus familia Flor invited us to dinner Christmas night!  It´s really like Christmas!  I love it.  Sometimes you gotta make the most of things.  Sister Goimarac said it´s a good idea to be celebrating it, cuz Christmas here doesn´t feel like Christmas cuz it´s so hot and you work.  We got lucky and it´s been cold the past couple days hopefully Christmas day will be too.

Any way this week has been awesome.  Thursday we were fasting with Hno Flor for his wife in honor as well for the 40 day fast.  Did I even tell you guys?  Our ward is doing a 40 day fast... everyday for 40 days one member is fasting in honor of missionary work, with someone in mind or to have an experience.  So Thursday we went and taught Yeny and Hno Flor about the Book of Mormon.  We had her read 1 NE 10:19 and as she was reading she slowed to a stop and you could tell the words were starting to take effect on her.  She didn´t look up at us but kept reading it.  I looked up at Hno Flor.  Everything was silent and the spirit was so strong.  Hna Goimarac, Hno Flor, and I all exchanged smiles of excitement and anticipation.  She looked up expressing her feeling of the verse and she committed to read it everyday.  We gave her her own copy, which she was so excited about and acted as though it were a treasure (shouldn´t we all).   What an answer to ayuno (fast).

Also, Natalia Rivarola is doing wonderful!  Just not going to church :(  We are fasting with her today and going to visit her today (I hope I can walk all the way there).  She was hoping to be baptized this Saturday, but she needs one more asistencia a la Iglesia (visit to church).  BUT! She is reading the Book of Mormon intently everyday, prays with her husband, her kids, and separately, like all day everyday.  She is such a strength and has the most incredible faith and desire to change that I have ever seen.  She is also keeping a journal that she is going to let us read after her baptism so we can see the change this gospel has had on her life. She cries with us every time and tells us how grateful she is for us.  She is doing really well giving up the smoking and drinking and today we are all fasting.  I love her so much and am SOO excited for her baptism.  I love her family as well.  I feel like she is my second mom.  We had a family night last night in the house of her father in law´s (who lives behind them) and we were laughing, talking, crying, and singing together. I just felt the spirit so strong. Wish you all could have been at the family night. I must say Hna Goimarac and I planned a pretty stellar one. :)  Anyway afterward, Sofia and Natalaiah and Hna Goimarac gave me the biggest hug.  I felt like I was surrounded by family and seriously my heart was so full it was as though I really was with you guys. I told them I wish I could live in Paraguay forever. They laughed and then begged me to.  Sofia is so cute.  She is like another little sister. I also need to get her coming to church.

So for the exciting news Mom... yesterday Hna Goimarac and I were running to drop some treats off for our family night cuz we had to get/find a new investigator in one hour to meet our goal, but I´ve told you guys how the Paraguayan streets are right? Ya not pretty.  Took a hard spill and I swear I could have caught myself but my flipping backpack is so heavy it just took me down.  I skidded a bit on my hands and then took a hard hit to the knee.  It all swelled a little bit. (I have been icing it and resting with it above my heart.  But all is swell.)  I only have a tiny gimp when I walk and I am taking IB profen to kill the pain.  I made a mini cast for my pinky finger cuz the top got slice like the scalp of Zarahemna (was that his name).  Anyway, some blood and tears never hurt anyone.  I am just glad I have gone a good 4 months without getting hurt.  The funny thing is when something like that happens EVERYONE knows.  We were walking back up that street after Sofia´s uncle cleaned up my hands and knee with hydrogen poroxide and iodine, and like 15 men were whistling over this wall asking hey ¨Que Paso?¨  ¨Esta Bien?¨ ¨Se Cao!¨  haha yep Me Caí (I fell) big time, but seriously you don´t need to worry everyone is so awesome here.  Everyone like dropped everything to make sure I was okay.  Two young men ran as fast as they could to help me up, Sofia´s uncle quickly got out his little doctor kit to clean me up, Sweet Gloria (my recent convert) was telling me everything I need to do to treat it and she was rubbing my knee to make it feel better.  She is a sweet heart.  The Rivarola Familia (Natalia and Ricardo) drove us to our next lesson.  Hno Guillen went and bought me IBprofen! He reminds me of Grandpa Dougie.  I told him not to though cuz it was Sunday.  Then familia Adorno came and picked us up to take us home.  I was in a lot more pain yesterday than I am today.  I love IBprofen.  Oh and I am please to announce that my fall did NOT keep us from finishing our work. We still got 3 lessons after that completing this week with 78 contacts each and 7x7!!! Yippee!!

Wanted to comment about our family nights.  We talked about the light of Christ and we demonstrated it by using candles.  We also incorporated lesson one about the restoration and how the light came back into the world through a prophet. Blowing out the candles represented the apostasy and when we relit the candles we held one next to the pìcture of Joseph Smith´s vision and recited his own words.  We talked about how we have personal apostasies in our lives and how we have to turn back to Christ to come out of the darkness (our personal apostasies).  Seriously I have never felt the spirit so strong on my mission.   I could tell the members felt it too.  The less actives that were present in the lessons... it hit them. I could tell. Especially with Griselda Rivarola (Sofia´s aunt).  It was so powerful.  And then with the candles lit, we sang, ¨Abide with Me Tis´ Eventide.¨ Precious moments.  I fall in love with my mission more and more each day.  Love you all and wish you the best. 

xoxo

Con Cariño,

Hermana Owen

Stellar Moments

First off to catch up with thank you´s :)

   Thank you Grandpa Dougie and Nana for your recent letter, thank you Grandma Rhead for your letter and fun newspaper insert about the Paraguayan orchestra, Amy and Sara for your letters AND CONGRATS AMY I was so excited to find out you are pregnant!!! Thanks to Katie, Kyle, Sweeney´s, Wrights, and fam for the letters, Thanks Lizzie and kids... so fun to see pics and all.  I love my family.  Thank you Megan and kids for you fun letters and drawings. I think that´s it for the past few months... letter wise.  Love you all so much, your letters seriously make my life! It´s like Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas, this week has felt like Christmas a little bit.  Just been playing Christmas (church focused don´t flip) music and it has been a little chilly and over cast the past couple days I LOVE these days. 

But let´s get down to the good stuff... this week was unreal.  To start out, we visited a family (a reference from Hno Flor) whose 7 year old daughter just died from an accident about 2 weeks ago.  Famila Reyes is their name (Alberto and Ramona).  Everytime we meet someone named Alberto I already feel like I have a special connection with them Dad. :)  (Steve baptized Alberto Medina when he was on his mission in Argentina, and Alberto is an American citizen now and is part of our family)  Anyway this family is taking the death of their daughter really hard and it is hard to give someone faith when they are just bawling their eyes out hopelessly saying, ¨I don´t want to have faith or believe there is a God.¨ Hermana Goimarac and I bore testimony of the Plan and tried to comfort them through testimony of the Savior and how he knows exactly what they are going through.  Our first visit with them Hno Flor (whose kids are all inactive and struggling right now) and his daughter Gabriella came with us.  It was so neat cuz she shared a bit of testimony and I could tell the strings that use to be torn were being mended in such sensative moment.  It is so powerful for those with weak testimonies to bear testimony because you feel it being strengthened.  She said she will try and come back to church.  Anyway back to the Reyes family, at the end of our first visit with them Alberto shook my hand with tears streaming down his face and said that I remind him (or have the same smile) as his daughter.  My heart ached for them.  To think about losing one of my family members (KAte or Nick or Nate) I couldn´t bear it.  I admired their strength to at least listen to us.  I know it brought them peace and I have no doubt in my mind that what ever trial we are facing in this life it´s nothing the Savio doesn´t already know.  He overcame the world.  (John 16:33)

Second of all, we have an investigator Natalia Rivarola, WHO IS INCREDIBLE! She is the mom of Ale y Sofia (I think I have told you about her before).  Anyway, she has had an addiction to drugs and drinking for the past 15 years and the past couple months we have been teaching her on and off.  It was unreal the lesson we had with her the other day.  She has had such a change of heart.  We set goals in the Palabra de Sabiduria folleto al otra semana and she has only drunk like two times and has been cutting back a TON on cigarettes.  She said right before we came she was headed to buy some but then she saw us walking up to her house.  We taught her about the power of the atonement and using D&C 58:2-4.  The Lord gives us tribulation to better us.  He can see the outcome when we can´t.  She has been reading so much in the Book of Mormon and is LOVING it.  She marks it and the other night was writing en su diario.  She said I am writing my testimony... what I want to share at my baptism, because my heart is so full.  How cute is that!  Oh seriously my heart was brim with joy.  Then she tells us (and she cries all the time... so sensitive to the spirit)with tears in her eyes that she wants more than anything, and not for anyone else but for her sake, to be clean.  She said, I don´t want to be before Heavenly Father after this life and stand guilty at the judgement day.  She gets it.  She gets the purpose of this life, of the atonement, of this gospel, baptism.  Salvation is personal and will always be, but the Savior is our advocate.  She expressed to us how grateful she is for our help in helping her.  I never though I (of all people) would be able to help someone overcome the addiction of drugs.  The atonement is incredible. I know it isn´t me but that I am only a small tool by which the Lord is able to accomplish his work.

Third, now THIS was probably the sweetest part of my mission yet. We are teaching a cute couple and their two little girls (Cristian and Celia, Ema (3, reminds me of Boo from Monsters Inc.) and Jasmine (7, brilliant... read like half the intro to el Libro de Mormon).  Anyway, they are progressing faster than I have EVER seen anyone progress.  They are so open to listen and accept what we have to teach and fulfill commitments.  Cristian says it is unreal that his wife is getting interested in something spiritual, he said she has been reading the Book of Mormon at night.  Celia says Cristian has always been the religious one in the relationship.  Anyway, our lesson the other day was off the charts!!! I wish I could have recorded it somehow, Hna Goimarac and I joked that we would listen to it over and over again for the rest of our lives.  That´s how good it was.  The spirit was just incredible.  During the lesson is when I had the sweetest moment of my mission.  He was expressing to us that right before we came he was reading the Book of Mormon and contemplating the fact that this Book could be true.  He said, ¨ I feel something incredible inside that is hard to describe.¨ I had the thought to share Alma 32:28.   The moment we did he sat in silence, then looked up at me and asked, ¨Did you prepare that before hand?¨ ... no!  oh it was the most satisfying, gratifying, and joyous moment yet in my mission.  It was such a small thought but I knew it was good and followed it.  He said it was EXACTLY how he is feeling. I am learning to just follow those good instincts and learning that it really is the Spirit.  It is the companionship of the Holy Ghost.  Hna Goimarac and I read a talk in the August Liahona by Elder Dallin H. Oaks on the spirit and recieving revelation.  He said, ¨We pray continuously for guidance, but we shouldn´t expect continuous revelation.¨ Hna Goimarac had written in the side, ¨We have the constant companionship, not revelationship of the Holy Ghost.¨ It is so true.  We need to trust that those good feelings/thoughts that we think are us are us and they are influenced by the Holy Ghost because we are living righteously. Follow them!

Also, we called them yesterday morning to see if they were still planning on coming to church, only to find they were in the midst of reading the Book of Mormon together.  What! Who does that!  Seriously they are like already members! Plus you should have heard Cristian after church.  Someone gave a talk on Family Home Everning and so afterward, Cristian was telling us his plan of how is going to plan a FHE and surprise his wife, and then Tuesday we are going to pass by and they´ll tell us how it went.  So awesome!!  It is so cute how in love Cristian and Celia are.  Their little girls are really miracles in their lives cuz it was almost impossible for them to have kids.  I just love their little family.

I could write like five more pages to tell you about this week but those were the stellar moments that I will never forget.  Love you all and don´t forget how much the Lord loves you.  xoxo Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Con Cariña,

Hermana Owen

P.S. Hermana Toctaquiza says thank you thank you thank you for everything and she loves you tons(I´m thinking she got other mail from you guys)  Not sure if she got Bro. Johnson´s letter (she might have but I wouldn´t know cuz we are comps anymore)  But tell him thank you so much.  I really appreciated everyones effort in helping me make her birthday special. :) xoxo

Small and Simple Things

(this came early in the morning on p-day - then we had to wait 6 hours for the rest):

SO this week was OUT OF THIS WORLD INCREDIBLE... 

We are going to clean the temple today for pday.  I couldn´t sleep last night it was like Christmas!! I am so STOKED to enter the temple :) I will write and send pics later.  xoxo

love you ton tons tons,

hermana owen

¨Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself, it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly.  Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all.  Then looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us- not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed. This can be our experience if we move forward with faith and do not wait too long on the Road to Damascus.

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf  -“Waiting on the Road to Damascus”.

Brianne sent me this quote in a letter a while back and I was reading over it today.  It is so true.  I feel like this describes my mission so much.  My mission has been so much like this.  Altogether, I look back and my heart is filled with joy, completely filled.

Highlights of this week: 

-I had 3 of my investigators get baptized and confirmed!!! (Gloria Moreco, Milagros (her daughter-14) and Malena (14 as well)  I have never seen them happier.  It was just the sweetest most perfect moment to see them dressed in white.  I´m calling them my first baptism cuz I found em and taught them up to their baptism.  P.S. Mom Milagros friended ¨me¨on facebook and is waiting for you to accept her request and she sent a message ¨hola¨no mas haha  I love her.  I want you all to meet them all.  You should see Melena´s smile in the pics I have never seen that cute girl happier!!

 Melena is the one laughing, Milagros is in the dress and Gloria is her mom with the short hair.  Luis, our friend from the ward baptized for his first time (melena). awesome kid.  goes to visits with us on Monday nights.

-President McMullin came to interview one of our investigators and I felt like we were in the presence of one of the brethren (apostles or seventy) The spirit just radiates from him.  He is incredible.  I love him so much.

-Hna Goimarac and I made green smoothies and have been running in the morning it is just beautiful!!

-Today we cleaned the temple.  I have never done that before but it was so wonderful.  Hna Sanchez (the lady who has chickens living on her shelves and in her dishes in her house) invited us to come clean with her and her daughter Mercedez.  There was only about a total of 20 people or so.  It was such a pleasure and so perfect.  After cleaning Hna Goimarac ran back to go visit the Celestial Room for a sec.  Oh I am so grateful we went today cuz we are only aloud to do one session once a year (mission rule).  It was so quiet, so perfect, so white, so where I want to be someday... sealed for time and all eternity, and work there, and paint forever .  I love the temple.

con cariña,

Hermana Owen

(Then a third email came asnswering questions about her companion who is from Sedona - didn't include it all but sharing this... )

She is like my sister already. Tell kate i now know how it feels to have an older sister.  :) She is amazing in every single way.  The definition of a 4th missionary (read that talk with the family by  lawrence e. corbridge).  We made armor of god to teach a cute family (with tons of kids) about the armor of god tonight. we used cereal boxes, my packages haha stuff to make armor.  I am super excited.  They are a wonderful less active family (familia Pavón)  GOT my card btdubs!! Thank you soo soo much!  hna Goimarac says thank you for the peanut butter (I gave her one of my small ones I have been saving) and the fruit snacks!!! MY heart JUMPED out of my chest when I opened that package!! THANK YOU!!!!!  love you all dearly.

 xoxo

love hill 

Hermana Owen

                                                 Our Jerry the mouse we killed.  So sad

                                               Some Chinese food that was actually pretty good

                                                       Wallace and Gromit vehicle :)

                                                             A view from our patio

                            I love the flowers blooming here and the trees are beautiful as well

                                                    The Temple, with my comp