I'm really sorry for last week's email. I really didn't have any time to collect my thoughts or write much. I hope my thoughts this week make up for it.
This week we had a huge miracle! So we contacted a college student and her little sister the first day of the last transfer and we went to visit them but haven't been able to come to church because the college student just barely finished her final exams and graduated and her parents work the night shift on Saturdays. Well we've kept trying. We're always passing by to see how they're doing and to schedule an appointment. Well we passed by on Sunday to talk to them and they told us that they found out that their dad was baptized 20 years ago! We were so excited! It was such a huge miracle.
We know that Heavenly Father helped us contact his daughter so we could not only help them come to know of the Gospel but also so that he could be found and come back to church! We are so excited for them and they don't even know it! Haha! Our dream is that we can get him active in church again so that he can baptize his entire family. We´re praying for miracles!
We have a hammock in our back porch area where we do our laundry. But we never ever have time to use it, even on P Days. It's hard to find time to relax when we're always doing something. Well today after cleaning a mountain of clothes I realized I had about 5 minutes to spare. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and relax in the hammock. Now many of you are probably guessing that this story is going to end with a broken hammock. You might be thinking "oh man, she´s eating so much rice down there that the hammocks don´t even hold her up anymore!" And while yes, we get fed rice daily, it hasn´t gotten that bad yet, plus my companion and I run and exercise every morning.
But anyways, this story isn´t quite that exciting. I layed down in the hammock and looked up towards a big gap we have between the roof and the neighbors wall. I'm not quite sure how to explain it but its like a big window where you can only see the sky. It took some time for my eyes to adjust to the brightness of the clouds but I began to watch as they flew by.
When I was little, I loved looking up at the clouds to see how many animals or shaped I could find. That was back when I had more of an imagination. Now that my imagination isn't all that exciting like it was when I was five and there aren't any rabbits, dinosaurs, or rubber ducks, what really amazes me is the speed at which the clouds move. They're always changing and moving as the light of the sun shifts through, changing what they look like every second. Fund fact about South America, the clouds are always moving, and they're gigantic and glorious. The way the sun hits the clouds at sunset in the middle of a long and rough day makes everything feel worth it because they're SO beautiful.
If you look up the picture of the temple in Guayaquil you'll see an amazing sunset in the backdrop. As I watched the clouds and thought about that picture I realized that the photographer didn't have to wait months or years to capture that moment. Sights like that happen everyday in all of our surroundings. And as I am sure you can imagine, one of those special moments happened this weekend as President Monson announced that we´ll have a temple in Quito!
I will never in my life forget that moment, to hear the gasps of joy of every single person in the stake center as we heard those two special words, QUITO, ECUADOR! So many prayers answered, personally, and those of so many faithful members of the Lord's church. It was and is such an indescribable feeling. This conference for me was unlike any other. I've received several emails regarding the news and I thank each and every one of you for your words and support! I love hearing from you all! And as many of you asked, no, I wasn't jumping on my bed until 11PM, my curfew is 10:30. :) Haha. But still, there is no greater feeling in the world than to have the restored Gospel in your life and be able to see the fruits of the labor of so many who have come and gone before me. With such little time in the mission I can't say that I've played any part in this grand blessing but I know without a doubt that I will work with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength to prepare the families that will go to the temple in Quito to seal their families for time and all eternity!
As I continued looking up in the clouds I remembered President Uchtdorf's talk. he spoke briefly yet directly to those who are unsure if our Heavenly Father really exists, if we really are children of God. I'd like to add my thoughts to this and speak to those of you who have had or have these doubts as well.
When I saw the clouds today, there was no doubt in my mind that God is our loving Heavenly Father, that His Son Jesus Christ lives, that God loves us SO much that He has blessed us with the Restored Gospel. As President Uchtdorf said "you can have the desire to believe." And all we have to do is look up at the clouds and see the beauty that is truly there. And if there aren't any clouds in the sky, don't worry! The trees are pretty too! :) What´s really important is that the answer is there. It´s everywhere! That God exists! He lives! He loves us!
I invite you all to take some time to find or strengthen that answer. We live busy lives, always running from one thing to the next, and we forget that we have a hammock in the back waiting for us to sit down and relax! Well, maybe we don't always have that...BUT..we do need to take some time for our Heavenly Father. We need to allow ourselves to have the spiritual experiences that He is waiting to grant us. Whether it be 5 minutes or an hour this week, I invite you to take some time to look at the nature, spend more time with your family, or play your favorite hymns in the car instead of turning on the radio. And during this time take a minute to say a prayer in your heart and ask God if He is there. I promis you that He will answer.
I know God lives. I know Jesus Christ lives. I know Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ and received and answer to his prayers. I know he was later called as the Prophet of the Restoration of the true church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I love the Gospel and I love that we can all find new ways everyday to come to love it more through the words of our living Prophet and the Apostles. I love being a missionary and even though it is really really really hard, and I mean really hard, it is so so worth it!
Thanks for all sending me advice to remember my mosquito repelent! You're all the best! I hope you all have an amazing week! I love you all!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Beutler
P.S. I love the story of Alma and Amulek! My ponderizing scripture this week is in Alma 16:14-17! What´s yours?! :)
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| Santo Domingo Zone with cornflakes |
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