Me encanta el Evangelio!

Dear everyone,

This week was absolutely amazing! The best part was celebrating the wonderful birth of our Savior by seeing the people that I will get to be with forever and always: my family! It was so much fun talking to all my siblings and seeing Élder Zubeldia through a confusing 3 way Skype call. Everyone has gotten so big! I have pictures of my family here on the mission, but I have realized that they are very outdated. I have a feeling that everyone is taller than me now, except for 5 year old Soraya. I am so thankful that we have all been sealed together for time and all eternity.

Here are our goodie bags wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

We spent Christmas Eve as a P-day, so we decided to be creative in that we would start working at 6pm. Hna. García and I made goodie bags of cookies and marshmallows, along with cards of "Él es la Dádiva" ("He is the Gift") and passed them out to members, investigators, and people on the streets. We found some awesome references and even a new investigator! I love knowing that the Lord blesses us in our efforts to help others learn about the Gospel. Everyone learns about the gospel in their own way, in their own time. It's so much fun finding new and creative ways to reach out to others, discovering if it is their time to embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Yesterday was probably the best way to end the last week of the year! Hna García and I were asked to give last minute talks in Sacrament meeting because it seemed that the designated speakers were not coming (they ended up making it to church, but we were still asked to speak along with them). After sacrament meeting, we were then asked to teach the single adults because their teacher was on vacation. We were able to give a lesson about missionary work (oh yes!), the light of Christ, and the power the single adults have as missionaries. Everyone participated, which was fantastic! I love this gospel!

But it was after church that was the amazing part. I've had a little cold and sore throat this week due to the cold weather (After getting used to 120 degrees, 60 degrees is super cold, trust me!) and my blanket isn't the best help in the world. After finding more blankets for our home and discovering that I wasn't getting any better, my companion and a woman in the ward suggested a priesthood blessing. We called the Elders, who were about 2 minutes away from where we were, and they were able to come to the sister's home to give me a blessing. I love the power of the priesthood! I know that this power is real and that it heals. I know this power comes from God and that the Elders, my dad, our leaders, and many others have the privilege of holding this power. The Priesthood is an ancient, yet timeless, power that God gives those who are worthy so that all can enjoy it's blessings. It was so amazing to understand this power a bit more as I was receiving the blessing and discovered that my throat no longer hurt. Again, I love being a missionary!

Wow, this letter is long! I'm almost done....

It was awesome! We put vanilla pudding, then cookies, then chocolate pudding, then crunch bar! What a wonderful way to feel good about the day!

Fun moments of the week: We made a pie! All by ourselves! It was probably the best pudding pie I have ever tasted ;). Also, we made cookies! Real ones! We helped the bishop's wife on Saturday learn how to make soft chocolate chip cookies. My grandma side came out as I was finally able to use the measuring cups that I brought with me on the mission (one can never know when they might need measuring cups). Needless to say, I was super excited!

Okay, no more pictures of food... except this last one! We made cookies that I have been craving ever since I left the states. And they tasted the same! That was the tastiest service project I have ever done :)

Also, we officially caught Nehor/Korihor! We bought a mouse trap, finally, and the poor guy was caught within a few hours. Hna García felt super bad about the whole scenario, but neither her nor I want him scuttling around our house any longer....... he died an "ignanimous death."

I love you all!

Hermana Zubeldia

Merry Christmas Picture

​Haha okay, all I'm sending are pictures of us with food, but we actually do work! To celebrate our last week of the transfer, Christmas, New Years, my 7 month mark, and P-day, we bought a Little Ceasar's pizza. We didn't know where to eat it, so we sat down on the curb by a school and ate it on the street :) Hooray for the sister missionary hobos!

Feliz Navidad!!!!!

¡¡¡Felíz Navidad a todos!!!

Last week was such an amazing week! I don't even know where to start!

We were able to help two great youth, Claudia (16 yrs) and José (12 yrs) get baptized on Saturday (happy birthday, Élder Zubeldia!) and I have never seen so many ward members and investigators come to a baptism! The Spirit was so strong. Claudia and José are going to remember Saturday night for the rest of their lives, and it was amazing helping them make it a spiritual experience.

We helped a member in our ward make a piñata. I might make piñatas for a living!

After the baptism, we had the ward posada (Christmas party). Maybe that's why there were so many people at the baptism.... :) We plan well :D. One of the families we are teaching even came to the baptism and posada, which was fantastic! We're planning on working hard to help all of the people in our area to help this ward grow and become strong. !Poco a poco, todos están progresando!

At our missionary posada, we had to make the prettiest and tallest temple. Ours might not have been the tallest, but our "Provo temple" was definitely the coolest!

My companion and I with our newspaper Provo temple

To celebrate Christmas, Hna. García and I are going to try and make a pie (we have no oven, so I am super excited to see how this plays out). We had our missionary posada yesterday to celebrate with all the other missionaries in Mochis and Guasave. I got to see my sweet "mom", Hna. Shiraki! She's still as short as can be and we were thrilled to be to some moments together.

Presidente Munive, su esposa, y nosotras

Before our missionary posada yesterday, we had an amazing training meeting. Wow! I love being a missionary! I don't even know how to describe how wonderful the training meeting was, helping us all focus on the reason we are in México. I am here to serve my Savior. I am here to represent my loving brother who suffered what no human can/could suffer. My Savior and Redeemer paid the price to save the souls of man, and I have been called to help in his efforts and invite others to come unto him. I know that this is a marvelous work and a wonder. I know that my obedience and willingness to serve not only blesses my life, but blesses the lives of everyone else who depend on the missionaries to understand this Gospel. I am so happy that I still have much time to serve and dedicate my efforts to this cause.

This morning, I was reading Elder Uchtdorf's talk during the October Conference Priesthood session, "Lord, is it I?" Wow! I invite everyone to read this amazing talk! I would share snippets in this email, but there are too many snippets to share.

I love you all! See you tomorrow on Skype!

Hermana Zubeldia

ps- we found Korihor/Nehor!!! Turns out, he was hiding underneath our stove, eating our cupboard top. We put the stove on top of the fridge, and he hasn't come back. He sadly did not fulfill his name and is still somewhere in Los Mochis, but he no longer enters our home.

Here are some pictures of the missionaries in our Christmas party. The first picture is the serious one, the others are just goofy.

I saw the mouse!

Dear family,

Hello everyone!!! I hope that  your week  went amazing because you all deserve it! My week was so great! Hna. García and I are working hard on protecting everyone so that we help all the people in our area come unto Christ. The Lord has been so good to us this past week, which makes me just want to work harder and continue helping the wonderful people here in Los Mochis.

Our good friend, José, is doing excellent! José is a 12 year old who is a Nephi at heart. We have been teaching him these past 3 weeks and he has been reading the Book of Mormon faithfully, then helping his 16 year old sister, Claudia, do the same. He also found a study book about the gospel principles and the life of Joseph Smith, and has been reading it the past week. This guy is a future Moroni! We taught him the importance of tithing, fasting, and the word of wisdom yesterday during church, and accompanied him to the youth Sunday School and a class with the bishop. The class with the bishop was about tithing (I love how the Lord works) and José blew everyone away with all the answers. Really, he is such a spiritual giant! It has been so humbling to work with him! He is very excited for his baptism this Saturday.

Alex is also progressing tons! We have finally become one of his friends, which is fantastic. His friends on the block have also started coming up to us, too, which is even better! It was so much fun yesterday to go get Alex for church and to have all his 15 or more buddies come running over to shake our hand :). We'll be having a fun family home evening with him and his friends to teach them all the 10 commandments :D.

Hna. García is so amazing! She taught me a way to share the scriptures that she learned at the MTC that is awe-inspiring! She is such a great missionary and has so much energy to serve and to love those around her. We have both learned so much since we've been together and we plan on learning even more.

I found the mouse that has been hiding in our house :) All we have to do is find a way for it to stop coming in.... we named it Korihor because Korihor was trampled in the scriptures..... we hope to find a mouse trap soon. Can someone please tell me who was the antiChrist who died the "ignanimous death"? I've been looking for that scripture for days now because I want to change the mouse's name.

I know this Church is true. Anyone who doesn't know can read the book of Mormon, a testament that tells the world that Christ lives, he loves us, and our salvation depends on him. The Book of Mormon is the key to our mission efforts, the key to knowing that what the missionaries are saying is true, and the keystone of our religion. I am so grateful that God loves us so much that he gave us this book. I know that anyone who chooses to read it, with real intent, will discover of it's truthfulness through the promptings they receive from the Holy Ghost. Read this book! Then, share this book with others! The Book of Mormon changes lives. If you don't believe me, read it! Find out for yourself!

I love you guys! See you on Christmas!

Hermana Zubeldia

¡Todo está bien en Sión!

What a week!

Dear family,

What a week! Hna. Garcia and I worked like crazy !!! We made sure that we had members present in as many lessons as we could, and we kept on working as if our lives depended on it (and they kind of do :) ). But really, this week was so productive! We are going to make sure every week is like the one we just had.

So, I have great news from my 2 siblings! 1) My sister,  Sister Susana Zubeldia, is going home from her mission next week! She has faithfully served the Lord the past 18 months and it  is now time for her to go home. She has been such a great example to me while I have been serving. Her letters, her advice, and her love have helped me every single week of my mission. 2) My brother was able to teach my family in Spain!!!!! After 25 years of my dad being a member, his family finally went to church, in the same church building where my dad met the missionaries for the first time. Even though my brother Pablo received transfers soon after, I know that his work in Bilbao (where the family is) has changed the lives of our loved ones forever. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for the Zubeldia family.

We're teaching a little boy named Alex, and it has been such a cool experience. He's 10, so we've had to change our teaching methods to primary-style. Wow! It is so much fun! We've been drawing pictures,  making 3D demonstrations, and all kinds of stuff to help him learn during companionship study. Great stuff!

Our bathroom is finally clean!!!

We finally finished cleaning up the disaster of a house we had! We tackled the bathroom, bought a new shower curtain (if you could call what we had before a shower curtain,  it's now in the trash) and we finally feel like we have a house of order where the spirit can dwell. It's so much fun fixing things! Two weeks ago, we were ready to find a new house... Now, after cleaning and adding a woman's touch (haha which is kind of ironic, seeing that Sister missionaries have lived there for a while) we are very happy to stay in our home for as long as the Lord allows. 

I love this Gospel! It has been an honor and a privilege to share what I know to be true with others. As we embrace this Christmas season, I invite you all to watch the video "He is the Gift."  The true gift of Christmas is our Savior, Jesus Christ. Watch the gift, love the gift, and SHARE the gift. I love you! John 3:16

Hermana Zubeldia

 

Our Nativity

Feliz Navidad!

 

We found a Christmas tree in our house and a Nativity scene. I love Christmas!

 

 

Los Mochis!

Wow oh wow! I love you guys!

This week has been crazy and full of fun! Really, I am so excited to work in Los Mochis! The atmosphere is completely different from Obregón, but my companion and I have enjoyed every second we have had here.

Hna. García and me, ready to take on the world! :)

Speaking of my companion, her name is Hermana García. She's a 19 year old from Payson, Utah, and she is a joy to be with. Her parents are from México DF, so she came to the field with perfect Spanish, ready to baptize the world. She is full of energy, has an amazing attitude, and we are having so much fun! The members and investigators just love her, and she has already met some people she knows because they have family that are in her home ward. The Lord knew what He was doing when He sent her to the Macapule ward. She's practically training me!

So, it's been pretty crazy trying to find our way around, but the Lord and the ward have helped us so much. The first day, we were completely lost, but we managed to find the bishop's home and talk to him about where he needs the missionaries. Then, it was work, work, work! A ward member, Hna. Hilde, has been by our side all week, helping us visit less actives, members, investigators.... everyone! She has been heaven sent! We plan on visiting with her as often as we can to help bring people to this Gospel :)

There are 2 investigators here ready for baptism, José and Claudia, and we are preparing them to be baptized on the 20th. They are a cute brother and sister, ages 12 and 16, who are eagerly accepting the truth. It was so much fun to talk to José yesterday about Nephi! He has read the first two chapters, and I told him to let me know when he read the part where the lion eats Nephi..... he said he'll keep on reading until he finds it..... ;)

Crazy moments of the week:
1. Our house was in crazy need of a deep clean! I can't believe that sister missionaries lived in our home! We spent a good portion of our P-Day cleaning up, and we can finally breathe in peace and feel the Spirit. We also put up a mini Christmas tree! Merry Christmas, everyone!
2. Our house doesn't really like me..... in the past two nights, my contact lenses case fell in the trash can.... and my glasses fell in the toilet.... ya.... it's the house, not me....
3. "You better watch out, Santa Claus is coming!" but seriously! Friday night, Hna. García and I were walking down the road, admiring a big blowup Santa, when I tripped on one of the strings holding Santa in place, and went crashing down to the floor.... Yes, I have battle wounds :D But I'm still alive!

I love this Gospel! I know that what I am sharing with others is true and I am so humbled to know that the Lord has asked that I serve here in Los Mochis. I know that the Lord has miracles in store for us to witness this month. I love you all! Have a great week!

Alma 13:24

Hermana Zubeldia

¡Todo está bien en Sión!

Goodbye Mayo! Hello Macapule!

Dear loved ones,

I'm heading off to Los Mochis to open up an area! Ahhh! This is going to be so fun and so crazy! I'm way excited! I also get to welcome a fellow Americana (at least, I think she's American, I haven't been told yet) into the field and help her ease into missionary life! I'm picking her up tomorrow in the missionary office. Until then, I am in a trio with Hna. Rojas and her new companion, Hna. Nielson. Hna. Nielson seems like a hipster, so I know that Hna. Rojas and her are going to have the time of their lives!

It's really bittersweet to be leaving my first home out here, but I'm very excited to find out what Sinaloa is like. I've heard it's very different from Sonora, so get ready to hear some crazy stories!

We finished off this transfer with so many miracles! This beginning of this transfer was crazy hard, but, "porque tras muchas tribulaciones vienen las bendiciones." We ended up the transfer with a missionary activity in the ward and almost 50 people came! With many of our investigators there! Then, all our investigators with baptismal dates all came to church as well as many of the less actives we have been working with! We have been so humbled and blessed to see the Lord work miracles in our area! Maria Teresa will hopefully be getting baptized this Saturday, and Francisco Javier will be getting baptized the week after :) I won't be here for their baptisms, but I am so happy that I got to help teach such wonderful people and help them on their road to Christ, entering the Kingdom of God.

I don't know how to express how much I have loved this ward! When we found out I was leaving, we quickly went to visit the people who have impacted our lives here in Mayo. We visited our recent converts and I got to share my testimony with Cesar, the husband of Maria Jesus, who has still not accepted to be baptized. There will hopefully come a day when I receive news that he has finally decided to join his family in the church. Until then, I will continue to pray daily that he will receive his testimony, strengthening his life and his family forever.

I love you all! You are all in my prayers :)

DyC 58:2-4

Hermana Zubeldia

¡Todo está bien en Sión!

Quiero ser honesta :)

Hola familia! ¿Como están todos?

We received some fantastic news this week! Barrio Mayo will be receiving 2 new missionaries! There will soon be 3 areas in this ward! I love how this work is progressing so much. I remember wishing for this moment many months ago, and it has finally happened! We're not sure if the new missionaries will be elders or sisters, but all 4 of us have been on the lookout for a place for them to stay.

Okay, I love how the Lord helps us with this work! Our dear friend, Maria Teresa, was having some doubts about being baptized and wasn't coming to church because she would go to the cemetery every Sunday morning. Knowing that the last thing we could do was kidnap her, Hna. Rojas and I prayed and prayed to know what to do. We decided that if she didn't come to church yesterday, we would sadly have to stop teaching her to find other peoples. Well, guess who came to church yesterday! Maria Teresa! I know that they Lord is preparing her to make such an important decision in her life and I am very happy that the Lord wants us to continue teaching her :)

Francisco Javier is progressing very nicely :)

Yesterday at church was absolutely fantastic. We were sitting in the Gospel Doctrine class, talking about the importance of honesty, and we were all having a blast. One of the members decided to join us in the class and kept on asking questions to see if he was being honest in his work. He sells water, candy, chips, and such in the street, and he kept on asking business questions to see if he was selling the right way and we got into a funny discussion about cost and demand. Great stuff! Then, halfway through the lesson, an 83 year old convert blurted out, "I'll be honest: I'm hungry! So I'm going home now." It was absolutely hilarious! If only every week could be as funny as yesterday!

I know this church is true. We we have the desire to discover the truth and we nourish this desire, we will discover that we have incredible faith in our Savior and in his teachings. I know that the Savior is rooting for us as we bring others unto Him, and it is an honor and a privilege to be a missionary, helping people discover the truth.

Alma 32:28-31

Love you!

Hermana Zubeldia

¡Todo está bien en Sión!

This one is a couple weeks old, but here are some of the amazing missionaries in my zone :)

Hermana Rojas and me

I'm so sorry I haven't sent many pictures! I haven't been carrying my camera around while proselyting... But here's one! My companion and I decided to straighten our hair today because it hasn't been so hot lately. Hna. Rojas is so fantastic!

Really, she and I have had such a blast! It has been so fun training her :) Week 12 of her 12 week training, here we come!

Todo su Corazón!

Dear loved ones,

Crazy things happened this week! The craziest thing that happened was that I contacted a bus! My companion had a training meeting in a different church building and, when I dropped her off, I went with two other missionaries to study and work until her meeting was over. While waiting for the bus, my Zone Leader called me for some information. When he discovered we were waiting for a bus, he challenged us to contact it (I guess he does this a lot) and to call him afterwards. The three of us were at a loss of how to do this, but I was designated to stand up front and talk to the bus passengers in general while the others would talk to individuals and get references. We did it! It was done! And wow! What an experience! It made me realize that, yes, new things can be scary. Yes, we oftentimes have to leave our comfort zones, but it's all worth it if we are working for our Savior. By the end of the experience, we came to the conclusion that there are too many things to worry about in this world than to worry about being scared. Fear drives away faith, but through faith, comes power. I am so grateful that the Lord is on our side!

We found an amazing new investigator this week! His name is Francisco Javier. He uses a wheelchair and loves everything that we have taught him thus far. He insists that all our lessons take place in the church and the brothers in our ward have rallied around to help him out, especially when it comes with helping him go home after church. I am very excited to continue teaching him as long as we can! Transfers are in 2 weeks and, even though we have no idea what's going to happen with transfers, I want to have this area full of people who are progressing :)

I love you guys! Stay strong, stay true, and work with "todo su corazón!" Eso es lo que el Señor requiere de nosotros. No la mitad, pero todo su corazón! DyC 24:12

Hermana Zubeldia

Every day gets sweeter :)

Hello everyone!

Another hard week of work has come and gone, and I am ever so grateful that I have many more weeks to work and see miracles. The weather has finally calmed down and we are no longer dying of heat. It's a tender mercy of the Lord that will continue to bless us the next few months...

I have no idea what kind of bug this is, but you're only in the mission field once! :D

Fun moment of the week: Hna. Munive, the mission president's wife, had a bunch of dried(?) crickets(?)...I'm not sure what they were.... but I ate one! She was so excited when she waved me over to eat whatever bug she had. I still can't believe it I ate it! I actually ate two! And I'm not dead, so all is well :)

Miracle of miracles, we were able to meet with César, the husband of Maria Jesús, and talked to him about the plan of salvation.... he accepted to be baptized! After our lesson, we ran to the church to tell Maria Jesús the good news. We're preparing him to be baptized at the end of the month, but I think we (by "we" I mean his wife, us, and maybe the bishop) will have to kidnap him Sunday morning to have him come to church this week. Haha I'm kidding. We're planning on visiting him many times this week with more of the brothers in the ward so that he can have a group of friends that have good standards, instead of his drinking buddies who come around every weekend.

Our good friend, Maria Teresa, came home from being out of town! Which means we can continue preparing her for her baptism! The downside of this is that she has dengue fever (I think this is translated into Dengue, or whatever virus mosquitoes here carry). She wasn't able to go to church yesterday because she's sick in bed, so we're going to go over this week and talk to her about receiving a priesthood blessing.

Yesterday was a crazy day of discovering that none of our investigators could come to church because it was Día de los Muertos and everyone was at the cemetery :/. After the sacrament, as Hna. Rojas and I were getting ready to leave to find our investigators, we talked to Bernardo (our bud who got baptized a few weeks ago). He told Hna. Rojas that he's preparing to serve a mission!!!! Ya!!! Hna. Rojas and I were happy as could be as we walked out of the church. Yes, we have hard weeks, but they are totally worth it. The Lord blesses us in other ways.

I love this work! I am so grateful that I can be out in the field with my two siblings! Life is so great :D Talk to you all soon!

Alma 30:34

Love,

Hermana Zubeldia

¡Todo está bien en Sión!

Here's my awesome zone! The members were getting ready for a Halloween party, so after our Zone Conference, we got to help blow balloons.

Felíz Dia de los Muertos

Hello everyone I love!

Happy Halloween everyone! And happy Día de los Muertos on the 1st and 2nd of November! We've heard that everyone leaves to visit the cemeteries these two days... pray for us that we find people in their homes! I have a feeling that we will be teaching the Plan of Salvation quite a bit this week :D

Nothing super out of the ordinary happened this week, besides the amazingness of serving the Lord, every single day! We spent the week trying to visit a list of inactives... Of the 20 or so names on the list, we found a 3 new families that we have appointments to visit this week. The other families either do not exist or have been abducted by aliens. We got to know our area VERY well trying to find all these people:)  Because of all the time in the sun, my mind is super fuzzy as to specifics that happened this week, so I have decided to dedicate this email to all the goof moments I have had on my mission.  Hopefully you get some laughs on this fine Monday!

• One time, after a District Meeting, I was with all the other sister missionaries, having innocent fun by sitting in a spinning chair and not hurting a fly. All of the sudden, I found myself on the floor, underneath the spinning chair. I still have no idea how this happened or how I fell....
• I usually trip on the side walk at least once or twice a day. I can usually catch myself and Hna. Rojas gets a good laugh every time. Someday, maybe not now, I will learn to walk 100 steps without tripping once :D
• Last week, we had just contacted a family when we walked into the Bishop's wife and Maria Jesús. I have no idea what happened, but I fell (again!) Both the sisters were flabbergasted and tried to help me, after I had already fallen, of course. My companion just laughed and I couldn't help it but laugh with her, making the sisters even more confused :) She's getting used to me falling. Who would have thought that 6(?) years of ballet would leave someone as clumsy as me?
• Spicy things. Enough said! I ate a Mexican hamburger one time, with spicy Mexican sauce. Wow! I couldn't feel my mouth for about an hour!
• My companion, Hna. Rojas, has made it a goal to get me to eat spicy things. Who knew that after so much chile, I would finally get used to a little bit of spice! I think she has made this her goal because she loves seeing the kind of faces I make when things are too hot to stand.

I am so grateful that the Lord gives us moments where we can truly laugh and enjoy life. We are out in the mission field to enjoy every second, the good and the bad. I know that Heavenly Father smiles every time we laugh, every time we help others laugh. As said in 2 Nephi 9:39, "Spiritually Minded is Life Eternal." In other words, SMILE! Smile your hearts out this week. Happy Halloween!

Love you!

Hermana Zubeldia

¡Todo está bien en Sión!

Burros! We had a little party today before writing and ate some massive burritos. I am sooo fulll!

​Can I share with you a message about this wonderful book? Haha the best part about this is that I tried smiling underneath the helmet :D

I love Mayo!

Queridos hermanos,

¿Como están? How is everyone? This week was a great week to really have the idea sink in that I get to be with my family, FOREVER! We went to visit Maria Jesús (she got baptized 2 months ago) and we were blessed with the miracle of having her husband, César, stay and join our discussion. He talked about how he has noticed how much happier his wife is and he has liked everything he has seen in our church so far. He told us that he has seriously considered being baptized and has accepted to be taught by us. You should have seen how happy Maria Jesús was when he was telling us this! He doesn't have a baptismal date yet, but I am so excited to help this family get ready for the wonderful changes and miracles that are about to take place in their lives.

It's moments like these when I really see the impact of missionary work. We are helping families so that they can be sealed together for now and all eternity. Really, I don't know how much greater this work can get. I have been blessed to be sealed to a wonderful family, and we are now helping Maria Jesús, César, and there 3 children get ready for this covenant as well.

What other exciting things happened this week....hmmm...I ate menudo! I'm still not sure how this happened, but we went to a member's home yesterday with the other sister missionaries in our ward before eating lunch, and they fed us lunch as well, for some reason or another. Hna. Rojas and I arrived a bit late, so it was never fully explained to me as to why we ate twice. The first meal, menudo, is a soup of cow(?) intestine (look up some pictures! it's white). It's not that bad, but the intestine is a weird looking thing that can't be chewed. Fun, right? Afterward, we had ceviche with a recent convert (whose family has also decided that they all want to be baptized!). Ceviche is shrimp that is cooked (actually, just marinated), without heat, in lemon juice. After the shrimp has been "cooked," veggies are added and it turns into a delicious meal.  All in all, I am learning some great recipes!

Matthew 23:20-22

Love you!

Hermana Zubeldia

¡Todo está bien en Sión!

Mayo para siempre!!!!

Dear kindred spirits,

I'm staying in Barrio Mayo for another transfer! I'm so excited to be able to finish training Hna. Rojas and to be in this ward for 6 months (or more! the Lord knows). We have so many goals for the next 6 weeks in improving the way we teach, the way we learn, and helping all the less actives in our area. We're ready to see and make miracles happen!

So, this week was full of miracles! My favorite was Bernardo! The background story with him is that 2 weeks ago, when he was supposed to be baptized, he backed out and we lost contact with him for a week. Of course, my companion and I were sad and confused, so we turned to the Lord and prayed for him day and night. Every single prayer was for him. Well, last Monday, we talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, watched a movie about Christ, and told him that we had taught him everything that we could, but it was now up to him to decide if he wanted to continue learning more. He then said to us, "Hermanas, I think it's about time that I get baptized." OH YES! Prayers work! They work, they work, they work!

Bernardo's baptism was this past Saturday and it was amazing! Everything went just the way he wanted it to be. Again, prayers work! Baptisms can get pretty crazy on the missionary's end because we sometimes forget let people know what's up until the last second. But no! This time, we got everything in order and it all ran smooth and spiritual. The best part about it (well, there are three best parts) is that it was his birthday! We had a cake to celebrate his 22 years of age. The second best part is that his mom was there! She was so interested in learning more, came to church yesterday, and we'll be seeing her later this week! The third best part was that our other fantastic investigator, Maria Teresa, came! She was so happy to be there and had a wonderful time talking to the Bishop's wife. Yesterday, Bernardo received the Aaronic Priesthood as well as the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and we're hoping that he decides to serve a mission at some point in the near future.

All in all, I want to say that I love this work! This ward is great, my companion is great, and the work of the Lord is progressing. See you all next week!

3 Nephi 14:9-11

Todo está bien en Sión!

Hermana Zubeldia

Happy birthday baptism, Bernardo! Some people never forget their 22nd birthday. I hope he remembers this day forever! It was so crazy/fun teaching someone my age, we all had a lot of laughs along the way.

Conference!

To start off, HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY SISTER SUSANA ZUBELDIA! I realized this week that I have missed two of her birthdays and will miss her 23rd as well, but hey, we've got eternity! I'll be the first one to celebrate her 1000th birthday :D

Now...

Dear everyone,

This whole transfer, I have been counting down the days till conference. My fantastic companion, Hna. Rojas, would be constantly saying, "Hermana! 5 (4, 3, etc) días más!" Now that it's over, I feel like it's the day after Christmas: I'm trying to treasure every sentiment I felt over the past two days.

Conference was so amazing! I loved how the talks were focused on people who don't know much about the Church. Our prophets and apostles know what's up. They know that many people are joining the Church rapidly, making a need for basic and wonderful doctrine to be discussed and explained. They also know that we, as members for many years, need to be reminded of the beautiful simplicity of this Gospel and this Church. I know that this work is real! Our prophet, President Monson, was called of God. And now... 6 months till we get to hear him again!

Maria Teresa is progressing nicely and is so self-efficient! I loved watching her this week help a less active get to church and encouraging her to go to Conference. She is going to make a wonderful member when she get's baptized on the 25th. We had an FHE with her, Lourdes (less active) and Pedro, a very receptive investigator. It was such a great feeling knowing that they are all beginning to understand God and His plan in a different light. I love this Gospel!

As Hna. Rojas and I enter our last week of this transfer, we are excited to work hard and work with the Spirit. We have both learned so much this transfer! I can't wait to see what else the Lord has in store for us this week and with the transfer to come :)

Mosiah 18:8-10 (this is the scripture I'm hoping to share with Bernardo tonight when we see him. He is completely ready to be baptized!)

Love you!

Hna Zubeldia

Four Months!

Dear family,

Yesterday was my four month mark and I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate my cumplemés! We got to eat with Maria Jesús (she was baptized at the end of August) and we discovered that she has been called to serve as first counselor in the Primary! She is such an amazing woman. We're still trying to get through to her husband (why can't everyone be receptive to the Gospel?) and she has given us a reference to visit her inlaws. I feel that a FHE is about to take place sometime soon :)

Another great experience we had yesterday was with Bernardo. This 21 year old is a fantastic person, but he is all over the place when it comes to make a decision about being baptized. Two weeks ago, he was ready and willing to be baptized, but due to his busy schedule, he had no time to have a baptismal interview. We taught him last Sunday and he said that he didn't feel good and he didn't know how to explain to us why. Sadly, primary kids were trying to use the room we were in and he was able to slip out without explanation. We tried contacting him all week but he never responded, until Friday when he said he would see us at church. Hna. Rojas and I were so grateful when he said he would be at church! All of our prayers have been for him this week, and they will continue to be for him for a long while. Yesterday, he met us with all smiles! After the 3rd hour, he asked us if he could choose who baptized him. What?!? Prayers work! I testify to that! He also wrote his name down to help feed us poor missionaries :D. I'm kind of exploding with happiness! He said he would let us know if he can meet with us this week, but he said that he would for sure have time Saturday evening after he's done watching the Priesthood session. !!!

We are also working with Maria Teresa, who will be baptized in mid October. She is a joy and a thrill who hopes to enter the Temple to do temple work for her son who passed away. She, like Bernardo, is also very excited for Conference :)

I am so excited for Conference! I have been talking about Conference all month and I am so happy that it is finally here! This morning, doing personal study, I was reading a talk given by Elder Uchtdorf in last years general conference. He says,

The Church is designed to nourish the imperfect, the struggling, and the exhausted. It is filled with people who desire with all their heart to keep the commandments, even if they haven't mastered them yet.

Many people, investigators, less-actives, and members alike, are oftentimes discouraged when they feel they are not perfect members or perfect disciples of Christ. There is no way we will ever be perfect. This is the reason we have this Gospel! To help us imperfect people know that there is a hope and a light. This hope is in Christ. He is literally our Savior, the one who will help us with all our imperfections. The desire we have to do what is right will guide us to the truth. I hope that as we all prepare for this General Conference, we may remember that this is a weekend where many imperfect people come together to understand how perfect the Gospel is. I love this Gospel. I am so thankful to be an imperfect representative of our perfect Savior in bringing my brothers and sisters into the flock.

I love you all! Enjoy Conference!

Hermana Zubeldia

Chiles en Nogades. Delicious!

We also had mac and cheese.

Hurricane!

Dear everyone,

This week was pretty crazy. There was a hurricane running around which allowed us to enjoy some nice cool weather and some rain. We were very appreciative to be able to walk with clouds in the sky, but sadly the drastic weather change left us a bit sick. To add to weather changes, we ate a lot of seafood that didn't sit well with the heat that would come and go. All of us missionaries in the ward were sick on Wednesday, but with the help of the priesthood and some rest, we all got better and were able to work on Thursday. I love the power of God!

My companion, Hermana Rojas, on her first day :)

One thing my companion, Hermana Rojas, learned this week is that you can truly love a person before you meet them. I want to testify that this is true. The people I have met on my mission so far have truly changed my life. I love the people here! I love being able to share the gospel with them and helping them change their lives. This is a marvelous work and a wonder. To be able to help a soul is a life changing experience.

I love you all! keep on following the Lord and listening to the spirit. If there's anything I learned this week, it's that the spirit is key to missionary work. If the Lord is testifying something to us through the Holy Ghost, then we must do all we can to follow what He says. He knows what's best, no matter what.

Moroni 10:6-7

Love you!

Hermana Zubeldia

¡Todo está bien en Sión!

Time is flying!

Dear everyone,

Time is flying by so fast! And I hear it's only going to start flying faster! My sister, Hermana Zubeldia, sent me a great letter explaining time on the mission. We spend 42% of the mission outside of the home, preaching the gospel. 33% of the mission is spent sleeping, and 25% of the mission is spend studying and planning. If we correctly spend the 25% of the mission in sincere study and planning, the 42% spent out in the field will be more productive, allowing us to better enjoy the 33% we have to recharge.

This week was full of fun and full of miracles. Hermana Rojas is progressing nicely and we are both excited to start week 3 of her training. She has a profound testimony that is helping us find the golden people ready to receive the gospel.

Miracle moment: Bernardo is so ready! It's amazing to see someone preparing themselves to make covenants with the Lord. Bernardo was out of town last week and was not able to get baptized on Saturday. We talked with him yesterday about his baptism (for this Saturday) and it was amazing to see him feel the spirit in saying that he was ready to get baptized. He is so happy! Just watching him letting the idea sink in, that he is ready, is something I never want to forget. I also won't ever forget when he asked he if he had to buy the baptismal suit :) We told him we got that one covered.

The crazy moment of the week was when I ate Camarones a la Diabla. It's shrimp covered in a salsa made of pure chile. We helped make the salsa and shrimp and stuff, all of us coughing because the chile was in the air. Wow! That suff is hot!

I love you all so much! Thank you for being such great examples to me!

Moroni 8:3

Talk to you all next week!

Hermana Zubeldia

​ ​Baptism of Maria Jesus. She is just amazing! This is a woman that I will never forget.

The missionaries in my ward, the last day we were together before transfers. Good times!.

In the month of September...

Hello friends and family!

I want to let you know that I love you and I hope you are all doing fantastic. This past week was my parents 23rd wedding anniversary, so throw them a congratulations if you see them! Families are so important, and I am more than blessed to be sealed to mine and my two wonderful parents.

This week, Hna. Rojas and I have gotten to know each other more and she has gotten to know the ward a bit more. We have finished week one of her 12 week training program and I am excited to help her learn more on how to be a hard working missionary, how to contact people, how to help people with our lessons, and how to magnify our sacred calling to help the people in Obregon. She's a bit of a goofball, so I'm also helping her learn how to channel all her energy in positive ways.

It`s weird to think that I have been in this ward longer than most of the other missionaries have been in our district. This ward is full of people waiting to help us find their friends and family.  We are excited to work hard with the members this week to find and to teach. Wish us luck!

Maria Jesús is loving being a member of the church! She and her kids feel so at home in the ward and it''s wonderful to know that the members have all rallied around her to befriend her and to bring her husband into the fold. Cesar (husband) was sick this week, so we weren't able to see him, but we shall be talking with him tomorrow :D. We also will have a Noche de Hogar with their family and the Bishop's family. I am so excited to help Cesar see how this Gospel is going to bless his life! He can already see that in his wife and kids.

We're helping Bernardo, a 21 year old, prepare for baptism this Saturday (hopefully! he feels a bit worried that he won't be ready, but he has been reading, praying, going to church, and we have been working with him a lot. Have faith, everyone!)  We're going to be talking about the 10 commandments tonight. It dawned on me that we're going to be teaching the Law of Chastity and such (I knew that, but for some reason I didn't think about it). This is going to be fun with having two 19 year olds talking to a 21 year old about such a great law :)

Well, I love you all so much and I wish you the best week ever! Remember who you are, what you stand for, return with honor, and all that jazz.

Alma 32:3-14

Hermana Zubeldia

Todo está bien en Sión!

I love you all!

Hello everyone!

I love you all so much and I apologize once more, but I have no time to write today. We went to the mission office to pick up  our new companions and such, and when we got to the cyber café, there were only 3 computers. I have around 15 or so minutes to write to you all and to my mission president because I just got on. I'm planning on printing out emails and reading them later.

Maria Jesús has been baptized! And the greatest part is that her husband came to church yesterday to see her confirmed! You could tell by his face that he felt the Spirit very strongly. I am so excited to visit them on Wednesday! We are going to help this whole family accept the gospel. As we say to everyone, the gospel blesses families. This is probably on of my favorite things to say to people. My family has been so blessed by the gospel; I love helping other families see that.

Guess who is training this transfer...me! We have a plethora of sister missionaries in this mission, and I get the honor to train Hna. Rojas, from Mexico. I am very excited to get to know her and help her start her 12 week program. Any advice is more than welcome! Really!

Okay, well, I love you all! Thank you for being such a support to me out here in Mexico. Keep on reading your scriptures and praying. Be obedient and the Lord will bless you!

Scripture for you all, try to memorize D y C 20:37. It's fantastic!
Love you!

Hna Zubeldia

PS- We had some Jehovah Witnesses knock on our door the other day. It was great giving them a pamphlet and watching their faces when they realized who we were. An hour later, another JW stopped us in his truck. They sure work hard on Saturdays!

It`s a Wonderful Life :)

Dear wonderful people in my life,

This email is going to be short because we went to the Laguna today, cutting some writing time. It's crazy to think that I've been here three months (my companion has been here for almost 5) and we haven't made time to visit until today.

This week was a good one in finding a golden investigator and helping our other investigators learn to love the gospel more. Maria Jesus is excited for her baptism and was very excited to tell us that her husband has been reading the Book of Mormon without her knowing about it. He says that he will eventually join the church when he feels ready and plans to be at her baptism.  We are excited to help him follow her example.

Sadly, we weren't able to get in touch with la Familia Castro Morales. We stopped by their house every day and would call and such, but they never answered. This often happens here in Obregon because everyone is hiding in their homes to escape the heat, with the AC on full blast. No matter how many times you knock, some people just don't answer. We have yelled "Buenas tardes" into windows many times :)

Yesterday, we went with a sister (Hna Olivia, Laurita's mom) to pick up an investigador, Maria Teresa, to go to church. Sadly, she was not home... Happily, we arrived at the church with her sitting there, waiting for us! It was a wonderful experience, and a great reminder that the Lord knows what He's doing.

Like I might have mentioned before, I love seeing how the gospel touches peoples lives. We missionaries are put in the right place at the right time to touch the lives of people who have already been preparing themselves to receive the gospel. Even then, it's the Spirit that converts these people, not the missionaries. Alma 26:12

I love you all!

Hermana Zubeldia

Here is my fantastic district. Also, my hair is being bleached by the sun. I might come home a blond!.. Well, what the people here consider blond.

Onward, ever onward!

Dear wonderful family and friends,

How is everyone? I hope that you are all safe, sound, and enjoying the blessings you have. I know that the Lord is blessing you because he loves you dearly. He loves you more than I do, and that is saying a lot!

Laurita came back this week and I heard that she loved seeing everyone in Utah. I haven't been able to talk to her a lot about you all, but her mom has been telling me how much Laurita loves you guys every time she sees me. Who wouldn't love the Zubeldias, right? You are all fantastic! Also, we're hopefully going to be able to do another FHE with her family soon. Pray that her dad participates!

This week was a pretty interesting week. My dear companion, Hna. Shiraki, got sick. She wasn't super happy, poor thing. Out of the four sister missionaries in my ward, 3 got sick this past week. Laurita's mom found out and made us a wonderful caldo de pollo. I love people! Everyone has been asking how the sicklings have been doing. The church is a second family, that's for sure. I love how the gospel brings people together. Luckily, I evaded the diseases in the air, and I thank my lucky stars that I was raised in a family of many siblings where I could build up my immune system. Also, I want to counsel everyone to take their vitamins every day (they actually work! It's not a joke!) :)

Even though everyone was sick, we had wonderful lessons. I realized that I haven't been super specific on who we are teaching, but I want to share 3 amazing people with y'all. We are preparing Maria Jesus and la Familia Castro Morales for their baptisms in 2 weeks and I am more than excited to see them this week. Maria Jesus is a gem! She has wonderful questions for us at the beginning of every lesson, and she has a strong desire to learn more. The ward is really welcoming her in and her little kids are loving coming to church. Her little boy is Soraya's age and he just started kindergarten today, too! It's so cute to see him not want to leave his mom to go to primary, just like Soraya. We're going to go with them to a Primary activity this week, so we'll see if he becomes more comfortable with the new people he meets. All we have to do now is get her husband to listen to us! He hasn't wanted to participate yet, but Maria Jesus keeps on telling us that she has faith that he will accept the gospel in the Lord's time.

La Familia Castro Morales is a chosen couple! La Hermana Aida is so ready to be baptized, it's almost like we're teaching with a member present! She has a cousin who is a member of the church, and they have been talking about the church and all. This gospel is reaching everyone! I love seeing how the truth is spreading throughout the world. El Hermano Patricio is also building his testimony. The Spirit really worked with him this week because he readily accepted the need for a prophet (something that did not happen last week). Last time we met, they were talking about temples (her cousin brought it up with her), and la hermana was very animated about the idea of being sealed to her husband for eternity. It was so tender! Then they said that they want us to be there! Hermana Shiraki could probably be there because she goes home in a year, but I might miss it. That's okay; I'll be there in spirit!

Recently, I've been studying about the importance of obedience and keeping the commandments. A scripture I found and loved was John 7:17 (El que quiera hacer la voluntad de Él conocerá si la doctrina es de Dios o si yo hablo por mí mismo). We must remain obedient to the Lord if we want to know whether or not the commandments given to us are from him or made up by man. I want to testify that I know we have been given commandments for a reason. If we stay true to the Lord, we remain true to ourselves.

I love you all!

Hermana Zubeldia

Todo está bien en Sión!

This church is so true!

Hello wonderful people!

Here I am, in a fantastic cyber-café in Obregón, writing all of you people in the States. It's so weird to think that I left before school ended for my siblings and the summer is almost over for them now. Enjoy learning new things!

Speaking of new things, I feel that I have learned many new things this week. The first one is that they people here lied about the weather. They told us that it would only rain at the end of June. It has been pouring here in Obregón, something that should not be happening in August. We have welcomed every drop! We have been caught time and time again in the rain and it has been great having a week of cooler weather.

The picture on the right... Oh yes. We were soaking wet and the water was at our ankles (we didn't test many places to see how deep it could get). Thank goodness we have some fantastic ward members who helped us get back to our house that night! Blessing sure do come with the rain!

Something I already knew, but I feel should be repeated, is that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God and Joseph Smith was called of God to restore Christ's church. We are teaching an older couple that have a baptismal date set for the end of the month, and the Hermano has a few problems with accepting the Restauration and our beloved prophet. We, including his wife, have told him time and time again that the best way to understand Joseph Smith and his role as prophet in our church is to read the Book of Mormon. Dear loved ones, read the Book of Mormon! If the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet who received revelation from God. This is the true Church of Jesus Christ and I am so happy to be helping others understand that!

This letter is short and very much all over the place. Let me just say that I love this gospel, I love this work, I love you all, and I hope you all have a wonderful week of miracles!

Alma 34:8-10. Here is one of my favorite scriptures of the week. La expiación es un sacrificio infinito y eterno.

Hermana Zubeldia

We came home one night to find couches in our house! Our house is owned by the ward members who live next door and I guess they decided that we needed couches. And a coffee table. And a fireplace :)

We made a great fruit salad for breakfast today. Mango has definitely become one of my favorite fruits!

It`s already August!

Dear everyone,

I can't believe it's already August! That means that there are only two more months of intense heat! It has been a pretty great summer of serving the Lord. I feel like my motto has been, "Dios nos protege" because that is my common answer to people asking how we "survive." Really, Heavenly Father has blessed us more that I think I can imagine. I am so grateful to be doing the right thing by serving a mission right now. It will be amazing to see how the Lord continues to bless us.

La Laguna del Nainari

This week, I realized that I have not said anything to my family about my area. Here in Obregón, there is only one tourist attraction: La Laguna. My companion and I are the lucky ones who have this man-made lake in our are area. I don't really know how to describe the rest of my area, so the lake will have to suffice.

I feel that I have learned the true importance of reading the Book of Mormon in becoming converted to the gospel. We are teaching a older married couple who have enjoyed their past two Sundays in the ward. It's amazing to see how the wife, who has been reading the Book of Mormon, has fully accepted what she has learned, desires to learn more, and feels good about a baptism. The Book of Mormon changes lives! It's such a testimony builder to me to hear people say that they feel God speaking to them when they read the Book of Mormon. Every answer to any question can be found in The Book of Mormon. We need to read this book everyday!

I love you all!

Hna. Zubeldia

2 Nephi 33:10

People love to go strolling around the park in La Laguna.

There are some towers like these and a couple of zip-lines.

Can you see the zip-lines?

And there are paddle boats to relax in La Laguna.

At the entrance of the park there is a Discobolus. El Discóbolo.

Two months!

Hola Queridos!!!
 
Today has been a great day for two reasons: I entered the MTC exactly 2 months ago and it's my two adorable little sisters' birthday today! Happy birthday Sofía and Soraya!!! I love you two so much! Eat a good homemade cake for me!
 
We saw so many miracles this week! Eight of them is that eight of our investigators came to church!!! O my goodness gracious! The Lord has blessed this area more than I can even imagine. One of them, María Jesus, came for the second time even though we weren't able to teach her at all last week. She and her kids are loving going to church and we are going to be working on getting her husband to accompany her this Sunday. She tells us that he'll come around. I love seeing her faith!
 
Another investigator, the great guy with the Word of Wisdom problems, also came :). La Famila Castro Morales came with three friends from out of town. La Familia Castro Morales is an elderly (well, not really elderly... late 60s...) couple who saved us from a rainstorm two weeks ago. They were very interested in the church because they have family who are members. They asked if someone could bless their home and we went with a member of the bishopbric this week. When we arrived, they had their three guests there. The Spirit was super strong and la Hna. Shiraki and I discovered that all five of them are "escogidos". Sadly, their guests are not from Obregon, but I have no doubt that they will accept the Gospel as soon as they go home and we pass their references on. Like I have been telling my ward here for the past two Sundays, some plant the seeds, some nourish the seeds, and some reap the fruit. I feel so blessed that the Lord has allowed me to help plant and nourish the seeds in this family!
 
A funny moment of the week was yesterday when a sketchy black car stopped by us. The driver, a guy in his early 20s, rolled down his window and started talking to us in English. The first thing he said was, "You're from SLC! Me too! Fistbump!" He told us that he had attended SLCC, had lived in Utah for two years, and that he had bought a car in Kaysville. He then asked Hna. Shiraki if she was a Mexican because she is insanely tan right now. Hna. Shiraki and I had a good laugh about it after. I feel like we're going to be fistbumping each other for the rest of our missions.
 
So, we totally condemned a woman and her son this week. They were lively Catholics and were interested in hearing out words. We gave them the first lesson and they believed what we were saying, but they happily rejected the Book of Mormon. They accepted the truths, but rejected knowing more or try to gain their own testimonies. It was so weird. They were so happy to invite us in and deny the true church. Oh well, I guess we will see what happens on judgment day... I feel that 2 Nephi 33:10-15 explains how I felt.
 
Love you!
Hna. Zubeldia

Carne asada! It's steak in a taco! Genius!

This is the one and only day on my mission that I had my hair down. A member of the 70 came to speak with us and all of us sisters got dressed up. Hna. Shiraki and I enjoyed our only glamour shot of the mission.