Monday, September 29, 2014

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.

Monday, September 22, 2014

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!

Monday, September 15, 2014

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!.

Monday, September 8, 2014

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!

Monday, September 1, 2014

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!