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.