Monday, January 26, 2015

What I wish I knew…….

What I Wish I Knew Before the Mission:

- how to speak Spanish
- how to cook
- the scriptures
- Preach My Gospel
- how to kill spiders in a more effective way
- plumbing
- that English makes absolutely no sense when you try to explain it
- how much I would miss spicy foods
- that cockroaches actually DO die
- that the whole Latin America world loves the movie "Cellular" starring Chris Evans
- that Brazilian soap operas are fantastic
- that I CAN live without a phone
- that I CAN´T live without music
- that I should´ve appreciated removable shower heads, washing machines, and working toilets           more
- how hot the sun really can get
- that missionaries really DO walk all day
- that people really DO yell at you and slam their doors on your face
- how heartbreaking it is to be transfered away from an area
- just how much I would miss my family
- how much I would learn to love the people here 

What I Know Now:

- that I knew absolutely nothing before my mission (and I still know nothing) 
- that I am so, so blessed
- how much of a blessing it is to have the temple so close and available to me
- that the single-most important things to me in my life are the gospel and my family
- how powerful and true the scriptures are 
- that Joseph Smith IS a true prophet and he restored the gospel to the earth
- that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God and holds all of the necessary priesthood keys to     direct Christ´s church
- that Christ´s Atonement is real. That He really, truly did suffer and die for every single one of us
- that repentance is real
- that God communicates with His children through prayer
- that God loves me and I am his child. And so are each and every one of you
- I KNOW that this is the true church. Like Joseph Smith, I can say that "I know it, and I know       that God knows it, and I can not deny it."

What I Will Do According to What I Know Now:

- spend less time on my phone and more time with my family
- always study the scriptures and doctrines of the church
- pray on my knees every day, morning and night, and as a family
- HAPPILY take part in Family Home Evening every week
- go to the temple as often as possible. Not everyone has the pleasure of living within 20 minutes   from it. 
- Do family history to help my ancestors who are eagerly waiting on the other side to partake in       sacred covenants
- help the missionaries. Give them referrals, bring my friends to them, accompany them. Be the     kind of member that every missionary so wishes that they had in their ward.
- always look for ways to serve others
- never doubt myself and always trust in the Lord
- be organized and responsible. Make life easy for my family, employers, teachers, and those       around me
- Prioritize better. The gospel ALWAYS comes first. No excuses.
- Be an example of the believers- live the gospel, even when nobody else does

"Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all thy heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day."- D&C 4:2

Con Amor,
 Hermana Edwards


Monday, January 5, 2015

New Year Happenings!

Seeing as I forgot to explain exactly what happened during the
Holidays, here is a brief summary of fun things that went down:

*Christmas P-Day!!!
 -we sang Christmas carols. It was marvelous. Frosty the Snowman and
Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer were among them:)
 -I received my first hijita (daughter) in the mission!! Her name is
Hermana Frogget!!! I love training!!:)
 -I sang with the Christmas Choir for our program! We sang Mary´s
Lullaby, If the Savior Stood Beside Me, How Great the Wisdom and the
Love, Silent Night, and more!! It was a very spiritual experience, and
all the P-days practicing in the offices paid off!
 -We watched Ephraim´s Rescue (shout out to my cousin Kelsey Hanks who
is actually Eprhaim Hanks´s great-granddaughter) Amazing movie!

*Christmas Day
 -We ate carne asado. YUM!!!
 -We skyped our families!! (Best part of the day)
 -Fireworks all night long



*New Year´s Eve/Day
 -FIREWORKS (never ending story)



It´s been a busy, wonderful past couple of weeks!! I wish you all a
Happy New Year!!! 2015, I can´t even believe it!! See you this year!!!

Con amor,
Hermana Edwards