Aloha!
Hey family! Happy birthday, Ross! And happy birthday, Jake! And Happy Thanksgiving!
It sounds like you are having a great time in Hawaii! I would love to
be there, but ''I am busy in a great work, and I cannot go.'' (see
Nehemiah 6:3, though it sounds cooler in Spanish.) Also, I'd like to
see some pictures and hear some more stories!
But really, I love this work, and I know the Lord wants me to be here. To be honest, this week has been TOUGH. There have been tears and frustration, but there have also been great miracles and tender mercies of the Lord.
I don't tell you these things to complain, or so that you worry or feel bad for me, just to share a little more about the mission life, which I think is what you want.
So, we didn't have any baptisms this week. On Monday evening we called
R to see if we could go see them and they said they weren't
ready for their kids to be baptized either, that her husband wasn't
okay with it, and that J didn't feel ready either. They said they
would call us in the week to tell us when we could go visit them, but
they never called. They didn't make it to church yesterday either. We
were confused because they were so excited before. They need their
space right now, but we are still willing to help them with whatever
they need and we love them a lot.
So that was hard. Then on Tuesday we visited G. He said he's not
ready either. He realizes that God isn't really a priority in his life
right now; he feels stressed with work and everything; and he doesn't
think he's "good enough" to be a Mormon. We tried to help him realize
that this gospel will bless his life, and he's already seen the
blessings, and that Heavenly Father will answer his prayers when is
ready to ask sincerely. But everyone has their agency and we can't
force him to do anything. He said he also wants time. He didn't come
to church either, and we don't want to pressure him a lot, so we'll
see what happens with that...
Oh. And on Wednesday, I got bit by a dog. (Don't worry, Mom, I'm fine.
I already talked to the mission doctor and everything's fine :) ) More
than anything it was a funny experience that my companion and I keep
laughing about and helped us distract ourselves a little from the
challenges. In our pray that night we were laughing as we thanked the
Lord for that experience. It sounds crazy, but it was kind of a
blessing. :)
Another HUGE blessing and tender mercy this week was that we had
interviews with Presidente Garcia. It was great timing. I love my
mission president so much. He loves us and he listens to us. He has
more than 200 "children" he looks after and yet he makes me feel
special and important to him and very loved. He helped me have a
better perspective and keep working hard, no matter what. He reminded
me that the Lord sees our efforts. People have their agency, and have
to decide what they want to do with the knowledge we share with them.
If they aren't baptized, it is not our fault. And if we worked hard
and gave it our all, the Lord counts our efforts as good as if we were
baptizing. I'm so grateful for such a wise and loving president.
That day I also received a little package from the Oregon City 4th
Ward Young Women, which was much appreciated. :)
Another miracle: the E family (V, B and their
kids). They are all so wonderful, and so ready for this gospel. They
all came to church and we were so happy to see them there. They
enjoyed it as well. :) They are progressing well and loving learning
about this gospel, and we are loving teaching them!
Today is transfer day, but gratefully, Hermana M and I are staying
together! I am so excited for this transfer, and to spend
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's with her. I love her so much
and I am looking forward to even more miracles we will see here in
Paraíso.
Please keep her and her family in your prayers, as one last struggle
of the week was that last night Hermana M received a phone call
from her family saying that her grandma was not doing well and was
likely going to pass away soon. She was able to say goodbye and
express her love for her, but it was very hard. I am so grateful for
this great plan of happiness!
I love you so much family! Thanks for everything! Have an amazing week
and enjoy Hawaii! I know this is the Lord's work and that He has some
huge miracles in store for us. I know this will be a wonderful week
and we will keep working hard and trusting in the Lord!
Love, Hermana Loveland
Grandma- Thanks so much for the emails! Sorry I don't always write
back, but I do appreciate them! You should know, I made crepes for
breakfast one day this week! They didn't turn out super great, and
were definitely missing your magic touch, but they were all right. I
love you lots!
