God Speaks.

My dad has been super worried about the lice. They´re long gone. :)

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!! I hope it was wonderful. :)

I love being a missionary.

I know that I complain a lot. I always tell you how hard it is. But I also hope you know how rewarding it is. The mission tough. But if it weren´t tough, it wouldn´t be worth it.

I have been loving reading April conference talks in ENGLISH. I didn´t get to watch conference and I just barely got the Liahona in English. General Conference is one of the ways the Lord lets us know that He loves us.

This week some funny things happened. Our ward mission leader is so great. I really do love him but he just doesn´t know when to shut his mouth. He testified of the Restoration and when we asked him what Joseph Smith did with the priesthood, instead of testifying of the 12 apostles, he explained the organization of the quorom of the 70. Thank you.

One of the 10 commandments says to not take the Lord´s name in vain. And that has something to do with Prayer.

And after AMEN, instead of the prayer, we talk about the war in heaven. :)

This week was also full of the spirit. Basically, no one is progressing. But Richard is going to receive a calling next week. And Christain Rojas has started helping us. He even wanted to go contacting one day. So we took him out in the rain and we contacted. And he came to church yesterday. Juan Almada is now coming for sacrament as well. BY HIMSELF.

I got to give the lesson in Young Womens yesterday. I was reminded of the beauty of the YW program and how it shaped me to be who I am today. Many of the experiences that I had while in Young Womens have gotten me to where I am. It was in the YWs that I first had the slightest desire to serve a mission and to give a part of myself to help in the work of the Lord. 

"When our time in mortality is complete, what experiences will we be able to share about our own contribution to this significant period of our lives and to the furthering of the Lord’s work? Will we be able to say that we rolled up our sleeves and labored with all our heart, might, mind, and strength? Or will we have to admit that our role was mostly that of an observer?"

I talked to President LaPierre today. We had interviews with him. And as always, I left a better person. He is so inspired and I love what he shared with me. He says that sometimes he thinks about the Pioneers. And all that they suffered for the Gospel and for the Church. He thinks about all of the people that have given their lives for the cause that we are fighting for and he fights just a little bit harder.

I am going to fight just a little bit harder.

I love the spirit. And I love seeing it work through me. We have a new investigator named Hugo. He is great and he LOVES learning about God. He is a little too worried about the end of the world and he studies Revelations a little TOO much. But as he learns, I can see a little part of him starting to fit all of the puzzle pieces together. He is always one step ahead of us. While we were teaching the Restoration, he asked us why God doesn´t keep sending us revelations through prophets. Guess what Hugo, He does. :)

And we have the incredible opportunity to listen to the Prophet´s voice this weekend. I am so grateful for the LOVE of our Savior Jesus Christ and for our Father in Heaven. They love us so much that they will never leave us alone here in this crazy world. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. Called to guide us and to lead us and to help us find our way closer to Christ. The Apostles are inspired men. We must listen to them. And follow them. Because they are following the Lord. May we all prepare for this weekend. :) Ask a question. Write it down.. PRAY FOR guidance and answers... I hope that we might be able to be sensitive to the teachings of the spirit. And to know what the Lord wants to say to us. I promise that He is preparing someone to say something for each and every one of us. May we understand what a marvelous blessing that it is. God speaks to us. I know He does.

He loves us

Hermana Rupe

Prepare for General Conference
Are You Sleeping Through the Restoration?

ONE DAY MORE IS ONE DAY LESS

I guess some people read my shout out for more friend updates... MY FAMILY.

But I love hearing from you all thank you for the inspiring motivational emails. This week was lots better.. I´m experiencing lots of anxiety. If you remember the 5.5 months before I left to come on this crazy ride, I was a mess. I didn´t want to leave and I was scared to death. The same thing is happening to me. I´m a mess. I miss home but I´m scared to death and I don´t know if I can leave. But prayer works and the Lord is helping me everyday.

My companion helped me through my anxiety attack... so we are better friends now. She´s still selfish. Which was causing me to be a little more selfish but I learned this week that my behavior shouldn´t depend on the behavior of others... So I am just going to try teaching her by example. And it´s working. She washed my dishes today. AND she didn´t take all of her laundry to Hermana Vega. Selflessness. :)

I almost went to Brazil today. LIES. It´´s out of the boundaries so we can´t go. But I did get pretty close. :) Lourdes took us to el centro. Holy it´s how I picture New York. Only instead of hearing Chinese and Spanish.. It´s Portugese and Guarani.

I couldn´t find any helium this week. So I didn´t send any balloons to heaven. BUT I did find our favorite Mark scripture randomly. I had forgotten where it was.

¨Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.¨ psalm 37:37.

I hope that you all had a stupendous week.

The ward is struggling. They are SUPER LAZY. But we worked our bums off getting people to church yesterday and we saw success!!

We had 6 investigators come to church and a million menos activos. Basically we woke up early and begged Andres to take us around to pick everyone up in his big van. And it worked!! Ward converence was a success and everyone felt the spirit. Our ward missionaries are stepping up to the plate and teaching principios so that we can run around and look for everyone. Will came and he loved it!! He is the greatest little 15 year old ever. He has so many questions about life and he loves His Heavenly Father.

I love his little sister Rita. She says the best prayers.

Richard comes on his own now. There has been a complete change with him. 

We have lots of fun plans to get people to do their visiting teaching. I never understood how important that was before. MOM don´t hide from your home teachers anymore. They are important. Even for active families.

Yesterday, the stake president talked a lot about how we must be truly converted. Honestly, I wasn´t before... But I feel like it´s coming. :) I have greater desires to be a better desciple of Christ.

Some important qualties of a true convert

1. Always desire to do good

2. Don´t rebel against the Lord or His church.

3. Share the Gospel

4. Be full of Love

Some scripture study: 

Enos 1:26

Alma 5:46

1 COR 2:3

Mosiah 5:2

4 Nephi 1:2, 15-16

Mosiah 5:15

Mosiah 27; 25-26

Romanos 8: 6-8

May we be truly converted!! If we were all truly converted, there wouldn´t be so many members that don´t go to church!!

I love that now we are eating with a different family every day. Instead of the same ones every week. Only, I´m getting fat. REALLY FAT. So long six months to sexy.

I know that the Lord hears our prayers. He has sent me lots of little reminders this week that He is very aware of me and of every little struggle that I am passing through.

Meet Aida. Mother of 6. Member of 15 years. Recently lost her daughter in a freak accident. Basically her doctors killed her.

We´ve been visiting Hermana Aida for a while now. Her husband is SUPER anti anything. He is mad a God. They all are.. for taking their daughter. Her name was Milagros.

And Miracles are what we have seen with Aida. 

When I first met her, she was SUPER iffy about receiving us. Like she didn´t want anything to do with us because her husband had kicked the missionaries out before. But she let us in and she told us her story. She keeps going because she has to for her family. They go visit Milagros every Saturday. And even though, deep down inside, Aida knows that she will see her daughter again, she can´t help but be a little frusterated with the Lord for taking her so soon.

As we have taught her. And helped her to remember more about the Plan of Salvation, She has been striving more and more to acercarse more to Christ. She struggles praying but she knows that Heavenly Father listens.

Her earthly father lives right around the corner. It literally takes 5 seconds to walk to his house. He is Andrea´s dad too.. and we asked him if he had visited Aida lately. But sad thing, he never goes to visit Aida. Ever since her daughter passed away, basically no one visits her.

Until this week.

The highlight of my week was walking past Hermana Aida´s house and seeing her dad sitting with her chatting away. My heart melted.

In that moment, I realized that although I am not doing much here, the spirit is, through me. It is honestly so wonderful that the Lord loves me enough to have sent me here to only be a small tool in His hands in bringing His children closer to Him.

And I am so happy to be here doing it.

Hermana Rupe

Strengthening the Less Active
The Divine Call of a Missionary

Gloria

Dare to be a Mormon.
Dare to stand alone.
Dare to have a purpose firm
And Dare to make it known.

Yesterday I was freezing. today I am sweaty. Utah weather is normal compared to this. It rained one day and we died of heat the next.

Did you know that Isaiah saw airplanes. And he was trying to explain them a million years ago. That´s why he´s so hard to understand.

Does Rice make you fatter? Or Pasta? And do bananas make you fat? someone let me know...

You get pictures this week. You´re welcome.

Sorry my letter last week was so lame. I was a little stressed. As I am right now so forgive me for this one as well.

Let me be honest for a second. This is HARD STUFF. Can you tell I´ve been having a hard time?? I realized it this week when I actually cried for a second on my own. Without a fight with a companion or someone apostasizing. I cried. It´s been hard.

I miss my home.

BUT the Lord loves me. I know He does and I know that He hears and answers prayers even when we feel that He is far away.

Yesterday I met Cristain Vera. He goes to some weird church that is something like the Masons and it scares me a little bit. But he asked me what my horiscope is.

Aries. And then he went off. about how amazing I am and how loving and kind and selfless... and on and on. And I was like yep keep it coming. And he told me I´m going to be a good mom and that everyone just loves me because I´m the best person ever.

I needed that honestly. I´ve learned humilty.. I needed a little boost.

And then he got to my companion and said that she´s selfish. She totally is and I needed to hear it from someone else. Like she totally took someone´s phone away the other day and told them to listen because we were talking about something important... Okay teacher. But I am trying soooo hard to love and love her because I need to for at least 6 more weeks. she really is great. and we don´t even have problems. She just never talks and I am so lonely. I have the problems. Haha.. Pray for me.

I love that I have talks on my ipod. President Monson was talking to me this week and He changed my life.

"All that is not ETERNAL is too short and all that is not INFINITE is too small."

This mission is eternal. It will give me infinite blessings. It´s so worth the hard times. I promise!! :)

"A man without purpose in life is as a ship without a rutter, a wave of nothing, a nobody."

So what is my purpose? I thought. Think think think. STUDY Mi proposito in Preach my Gospel. That explains everything. :)

Matt 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

and the explaination....

 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
I learned that we have to find investigators that can be planted in good earth so that we can grow.
Like Gloria. She´s our miracle for the week. We had divisiones this week and Hermana Juarez went with Hermana Percival to visit our friend Rita. But they ended up talking to her brother Will and he wanted to come to church. So we went to go pick him up yesterday but no one answered. So we kept clapping and clapping and finally, Melanie came out of the neighbor´s house. And something told us to invite her to church instead. So she went to ask her mom and they both ended up coming.
In Sunday School, we talked about the Holy Ghost and how he influences us and Gloria shared her testimony. She got out of jail on Friday. But while she was in jail, she promised God that she would change her life and that she would go to church. But she didn´t know where to go. No one had invited her to church until we showed up on Sunday Morning. And the spirit told her, andate andate andata. Go go go. Go with them. So she came.
And she´s going to come back. She said that she knows that the Lord lead us to her so that she could keep her promise with him.
And these are the rewards of continuing forward.

I was reading lots in the New Testament this week. I love Jesus. I think that He was sad when John the baptist died. So He wanted to go away for a minute. But when the multitude followed Him, He put them first. He loved them and spent time with them and took the opportunity to serve them and to heal their sick. And only after He had helped others did He take a little time for Himself. And He went to the mountains to pray. Probably to express His saddness and to ask for comfort and strength to carry on. And He kept going. Strong enough to walk on water and to keep teaching and to continue serving.

Oh how I want to be more like my Savior.

And that is what I am trying to do. I know that He loves me and that He is with me always. That He knows that the mission is hard but that He is giving me the strength that I need to keep going. The church is true.

I know it.

Hermana Rupe

p.s. look up the word fish in the bible dictionary. You´ll love it. I did.

2. HEY! You that I send emails to that aren´t missionaries. I have 1 hour to email everyone I know. you have 168 hours in the week to send your favorite missionary something small. You know who you are. :)

Decisiones Determine Destiny

pictures: Some from the baptism. She´s perfect

Teaching with Jenga in the street

And our trip today to Itapu!! The biggest energy dam in the world. super cool..