Thursday, March 31, 2016

Week 32: Hallelujah

Hi family and friends!

Happy Easter!!! So good to hear that you guys enjoyed it, This week it was especially exciting to share with people about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ because the day of his resurrection was already on everyone¨¨s minds! While contacting we have been sharing cards that have a video that is really beautiful to remind us of the gift that all of us are blessed to have- the gift to be able to live again after this life. And if we have done well, we¨ll be living with our families for the rest of eternity. I attached a link of the video :)

The past couple of weeks we¨ve been teaching three youngsters who¨s families are members and have been preparing to be baptized. Saturday they were baptized, and the morning of their confirmation we went to pick up one of the boys, named Bryan with 10 years, to wait for the bus that takes us to the church building. We arrive, knock on their door, and hear nothing until his mom responds ¨¨he{s sick, hes not going¨¨... This was incredibly unsettling because as Paul taught in Acts, a baptism without the reception of the gift of the Holy Ghost is incomplete, and if he couldn¨t go his baptism wouldn¨t count! Frustrated, we went back to the bus stop to wait until we both felt prompted to return to the house and try once more. This time as we knocked on the door his mom didn¨t even answer, and Hermana Avila and I decided it would be best for us to pray. We prayed that he might wake up, that he might remember this special day of his confirmation and open his little eyes to make it to church on time. After calling his name a couple more times with no answer, we called up a mototaxi to take us to church because at this point the bus had already passed and we were going to miss the Sacrament. We waited a good 10 minutes until finally it came, and took us a different route than usual and all of a sudden we see pass by a boy dressed in his white shirt and sure enough it was Bryan!! Seeing him was one of the most exciting moments, and we arrived in perfect timing at church not only for him to be confirmed, but also for him to be able to take the Sacrament. It made me so grateful to know that God had carefully prepared the means and timing for us to fulfill his work. It really was a miracle, and all because of one prayer! I know that there are no coincidences, and everyday we have the choice to see the blessings in our life as miracles or as casualities.

Also, today we had changes and I found out that I¨m leaving my beloved little town of Marcovia, now off to a more developed area called San Lorenzo where I won¨t get to see as many pigs, horses and cows everywhere, but the work is the same and I¨m so grateful the opportunity to be able to train an hermana from Peru! Tomorrow we meet, next week I¨ll send photos!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=12&v=p2wdMwpYByI


Hermana Bernal

Week 31: Happy Father's Day

Hey family and friends!

This past Saturday was Father's day here in Honduras and so we decided to plan an activity in the church building and it was such a fun time! Attached are the photos of the event. 85 people arrived and it was so great to allow our investigators to see that Mormons have fun too!

My companion Hermana Avila is in the last stretch of her mission with only 3 months left... Something that I have learned from her is that we can more loyally follow the example of Jesus Christ when we stand for what is right no matter what others are doing around us. Sometimes we let things slide around us that we know are incorrect, but we must remember that the day we made a covenant with our Heavenly Father, we promised to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. As a missionary I have plaque with His name to remind me everyday of this covenant, but as members we don't need a plaque to have His name written on our hearts.

Love you so much, till next week!! Here are a couple of fun photos from this week!

Hermana Bernal


Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Week 30: Baptism of "Joven" the orphan child

Hey all,

This week we had the great blessing to see the baptism of a joven named Eduardo. It has been really awesome to see the change in this boy, because he comes from a pretty tough family situation- orphaned as a child, passed around by various families who couldn´t handle his behavior, and now living with an uncle in law and their family who are members of the church. As we have taught him the worth that he has as a child of God, and the plans that our father in Heaven have prepared for him to have a happy and successful life, bit by bit we have noticed a change in his composure and brighter countenance, and it just makes me feel so grateful to know that no matter what home situation we come from, the gospel brings light and hope. Even the simple knowledge that we are children of God was something he had been missing and it reminded me of a quote of one of the leaders in the church Boyd K Packer when he said ¨The study of doctrines of the gospel will change behavior better than study of behavior." Eduardo is living evidence!

Till next week! 

 

Hna Bernal

Week 28: White As Snow

Hey familia!

This week was a great week. My companion Hermana Avila and I have been continuing to work with many of the members who have forgotten their testimonies, and with the help of many visits with members we are reminding them that like our bodies need food and water everyday to be nourished physically, our spirits as well are in constant need of nourishment. This week our lessons were centered on how after we are baptized and confirmed, we are washed completely clean of our sins, and the weight of any past guilt or shame may be lifted because we are now able to start anew. But how long does that last? How long after baptism are we perfectly clean, without sin? Our Heavenly Father has created us with weaknesses, and as humans we are bound to make mistakes, but we have been blessed with the opportunity every week to partake of the Sacrament- the symbol of the body and blood of Christ that renews this covenant of and allows us to become as white and pure as the day we were baptized. I love the scripture in Isaiah:18 that says Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Right now in Marcovia we are in the super windy season and its pretty funny because by the end of the day I have a very attractive layer of dirt on my skin, reminding me that every day we have the need to be washed physically and spiritually. What would our bodies look like if we bathed only once a week? What must our spirit look like if we haven´t given it a nice deep clean when Sunday comes around? I am so grateful for the opportunity that we have to have fresh starts and new beginnings. I am grateful for this gospel, and for the one that makes it all possible, our Savior Jesus Christ.

Hermana Bernal