Miracles on Minarcles

HOLA :)

Every day this week felt like it was actually two days because so much happened...but that's why it was such a GOOD WEEK! Oh and I didn't get transferred, Hermana Bliss and I are still together in Bella Vista and loving it :) I just want to share some little miracles that happened.

 Ok so miracle one: On Wednesday we got permission to go to court with Denis, one of our recent converts to help translate for immigration, yes...it's pretty common here...but it was super cool! Court started at 1 and it was in Arlington, right next to DC in the city. Well, we couldn't find parking until 12:54 and we were about a mile away. Now keep in mind we don't have smart phones, so we tried to memorize the map on our GPS real quick before full on sprinting down the Main Street weaving in and between crowds in our skirts in 90 degrees :) everyone was looking at us like we were crazies, but we had no shame...we were not going to be late! But then....we ended up lost, no worries though, we just prayed real quick and literally two seconds later a lady driving by rolled down her window and asked if she could give us a ride! She ended up being a BYU Law Student (shoutout to my cousin Katie, she knows and loves you) who is here for the summer doing an internship. She looked up the address on her iphone and gave us a ride! And miraculously, we got there on time! Court went great, they could see how hard he is working and trying to learn English and now he has some more time to figure some more things out before he goes back again next year. Denis is one of the best people I've met so this made for a happy day.

Miracle two: After a dinner appointment, we had a little bit of time before our ward party so we went to visit the Rios Family. They have been going through some family problems, like all of us do at some point or time in our lives, so we went to see what we could do to help. As we were opening the door to leave, we saw the ORELLANA family! So this is where it gets good. The Orellana's are a less active family who hate the Hermanas. Apparently in the past, one of the Hermanas offended them and they have not wanted anything to do with any other sister missionaries, or really any missionaries at all. When we saw them, you could tell they were a little hesitant talking to us as they started walking quicker and quicker to their apartment, but we were absolutely ecstatic to see them so introduced ourselves, clarified that we were NEW missionaries in the area and we would love to get to know their family. They were carrying in groceries so we asked if we could help them. After carrying in everything, we were able to talk to them for a little bit and the mom told us she wants her 9 year old daughter to be baptized! And THEN, we couldn't believe it but they invited us over to come teach their family and to EAT DINNER! This is a big deal everyone. So yes, this was definitely classified as a miracle of the week :) God led us to Hna Rios's house so that we could be in that moment at that very time. God is good! :)

Miracle three: Parallel parking. I thought parking in Provo was crazy, and then I moved here. We have to be very careful of where we park because towing is pretty popular. Streets are pretty much the safest place to park, so as you can imagine the streets are pretty full! We were about to be late to an appointment so we had to take advantage of whatever spot we found which happened to be a pretty small spot! "Best thing about having a constant companion" #43, you have someone to help you park! With lots of inching back and forth, we were able to fit! And miracle of that day....our white car doesn't have one scratch. ;)

These were just some of the miracles I saw this week, but there were many more! I was able to see how some people are really having a change of heart this week. We had a lot of really wonderful lessons and ran into some really cool people who I know we were meant to find.  Every time we leave our apartment and car, we pray and ask for help to find the people that are ready for the Gospel. "Ask and ye shall receive" was pretty obvious this week for me. I am pretty sure I brought this point up in a letter home not too long ago but I can't say it enough that God wants to help us in our life, we just have to humble ourselves and ask Him.

Les quiero,

Hermana Harley

Pictures

-Miracle three

-We helped some youth in our ward get ready for prom!

-I managed to get a zoomed in picture of one of the animalitos I told you about in my letter last week

ONE FULL TRANSFER

Well I've officially been out almost one full transfer! I blink and then I'm already typing up my next email! Some things from this week:

I had "Return and Report" this last week, it's where all the new missionaries get together with President, Sister Huntsman and the APs to talk about how everything is going. It was so fun seeing the people I was in the MTC with, they are fam for life! Everyone is changing so much, I'm so proud of them all and can't wait to see what we are all like at the end. :)

Our apartment has been having lots of "visitors"....Google "Silver Fish" and then you can see what these visitors looked like before becoming bug juice. Basically they're like spiders on steroids...instead of having 8 legs, they have like 24 legs so it's like a mixture of a centipede and a spider and they are known to crawl in your vents and drains. Ohhh and they range in size from a quarter to the size of your palm! We've been averaging on 3 a day now so I'm getting really good at overcoming my fear of killing creepy crawly things. I kill them, Hermana Bliss cleans up the mess 😏😎 #dreamteam 

Saturday we went to the temple with The Rocho Reyes family. They are a returning family after being inactive for 9 years. Percy and Lizbet are members and they have two kids, Katarine (she likes to be called Tiny Hermana) and Justin who are 9 and 5. Lizbet and Percy are married, but have been separated for a while. They are now trying to work on things for children so Lizbet asked us if we could go to the Temple Visitors center with them! We watched Meet the Mormons and had a wonderful time. Lizbet reeeaaalllyy wants to receive her endowments, so we talked to her about preparing for that and I loved seeing her desire to enter into the House of the Lord. I'm so proud of this family, I loved seeing them learn more about the sacred ordinances and covenants we can make in the temple that make it possible for us to return to the presence of God and for families to be together forever! 

English classes are going great! Everyone has such a desire to learn English, and let me tell ya....English is so confusing and the rules make no sense sometimes so props to these people! Teaching it has really made my appreciate learning Spanish for a second language. Hermana Bliss and I split up and teach the different levels. We have lots of members, non members and less actives show up each Thursday so it's a great opportunity for everyone to meet new people and a great way for us to do missionary work and serve others. 

I just wanna say being a missionary is SO FUN and I love being here with all these people. Have an awesome week everyone!

Hermana Harley

Funny word I learned this week:

Fire hydrant in Spanish is la bomba de agua which directly translates to bomb of water☺️ hehehe 

Today for Pday we went to Arlington Cemetery, sooo neat! Oh and we barely missed Obama nbd 

MAY!!!

I can't believe its already MAY! Time just flies! I'm so excited for Cinco De MAYO! Wooooo its gonna be a fiesta here! 

I don't have much time, so I'll just share a few things.. I apologize if this doesn't make any sense :) 

This week had its ups and downs - I'm still adjusting a lot, and learning Spanish isn't easy. But it's all good, I'm doing pretty well :) There's a lot I need to improve on, but I realize that the biggest thing is time and just working hard every moment to try to be better. 

They already have me speaking in church! I was approached by the first counselor in church yesterday and he asked me to speak this coming Sunday...for twenty minutes....in espanol. For those of you that know me, I am not too fond of public speaking in English, much less Spanish ;)  Fortunately, I am speaking about two of my favorite things....my sweet mother and my mission! 

This week I invited someone to be baptized! His name is Luis, he's 22 years old and just the absolute best! He is keeping his commitments and loves everything we've taught him. We were going over the Plan Of Salvation again and we shared some of our favorite scriptures and THEN , for my first time ever, recited the statement I've been practicing for the last two months...."seguira el ejemplo de Jesucristo y se bautizara?" :) :) :) I don't have words for how awesome it was, I choked up saying it because I felt so much love for him. I didn't understand everything he said in response, but he said wants to be baptized, he just wants to make sure he is completely ready and that he is 100% serious about making a covenant with God. I couldn't be sad he didn't say a definite yes because HOW COOL is that! He values the covenant he is going to make with God so much! He is going back to El Savador because of his visa and wants to make sure he stays good. I have so much respect for him and his desire to come unto Christ. 

Every Saturday we invite everyone to play soccer. Hermana Bliss and I have almost all of our investigators and other people there and its so great to hang out with them and show them that we are real people, not just missionaries who wear skirts every day. Now, these people know how to play and I never played soccer before the mission so I need some practice for sure, but I am obsessed! IT IS SO FUN!! I even scored a goal!! They're all so nice and want to help me learn!

This Thursday, Hermana Bliss and I start teaching English classes! We think it will be a fun way to do some service and get to know more people! 

It's been pretty cold & rainy here but today was perfect and actually kind of hot. We went on a hike at Great Falls with all of the DC South hermanas - so I got to see my old companions!!! It was SO good to see them!!! :) 

Can't wait to speak to my fam!!

Les quiero 

Hermana Harley 

General Conference is like Christmas!

Hola! 

This last week went by extremely fast, I feel like I was just writing an email to everyone. I hope everyone had a lovely Easter and that you were able to feel your Saviors love as much as I did. 

I always have so many things I want to share with you all, but when it comes to actually sitting down and typing up my letter, I never know what to say. So I hope my letters don't bore you too much and that I can convey how much I am enjoying my missionary experience in my letters. :)

This last week was incredible. I was able to host again, I love being a "mission mom" for an hour! I feel so much love for those new sisters coming in, I love being a part of their first interaction with the MTC and I am so proud of them and their decision to serve. I feel like I have learned so much this week, not only about myself but of my Savior, the Book of Mormon and how I want to be as a missionary. 

La Pascua (Easter) was amazing! It was a nonstop, all day lesson of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. We did not hear from Elder Holland but we were fortunate enough to hear from Elder Ballard. I love him, I went to a BYU devotional about a year ago and he became one of my favorite apostles. He's just so genuine and I love his sense of humor. Also, fun fact, Elder Ballard has 7 children, 45 grandchildren, and 75 great grandchildren! Imagine remembering all those names ;) In his talk, Elder Ballard said "Mormonism is obsessed with Christ." I loved this, because it is so true! We are so obsessed with Jesus, and I am proud to say that! he is the center of our beliefs! He is everything for us. We have the Book of Mormon, which is another testimonio of Christ! We have the most correct book and it is the keystone of our religion. AND I get to share that special gift with the world for the next 18 months! :) Also, something way cool....Elder Ballard bestowed a blessing of good health and strength to all the missionaries! After the devotional I listened to the song "This is the Christ" again by James E. Faust, if you haven't heard it, I recommend going to Youtube right now and listening to it. It is so powerful. One of the lyrics is "How many drops of blood were spilled for me?" I love how we can be reminded through hymns and other songs that Christ is our Savior. We finished our Easter Devotional with "He is Risen" and some words that really touched me were "Death is conquered, man is free. Christ has won the victory." I love my Savior, I know He lives. I know that Jesus Christ can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled with joy and peace! All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Christ. Mé encanta. 

Spanish mess up of the week: We had just finished a lesson and we were discussing how we thought it went. I had a hard time with the spanish, and I ended up saying "La leche es real" instead of "la lucha es real." Basically, I said the milk is real, instead of the struggle is real. Haha yay for learning a new language, literally the STRUGGLE is real. I also am at the awkward stage of struggling with english now too. I sometimes forget how to spell words or how to even say words because I always want to pronounce the vowels the spanish way, I have terrible grammar and I talk like a hick. Its great!

I also never fully announced that I am in a trio, but yes I am in a trio! I was added to a companionship in my district. I struggled in the beginning getting used to the change of having two companions instead of just one but I love them. Their names are Hermana Kump and Hermana Rasmussen. Hermana Kump is from Washington. She is a little younger than me but she is so smart and knows so much about the book of mormon. She also knew some spanish before the MTC so she is pretty good with the language! She is so kind to always help Hermana Rasmussen and I. Hermana K loves the Lord immensely and sets such a great example for our companionship. Hermana Rasmussen reminds me of Anne of Green Gables :) Not just because of her beautiful red hair, but because she is so caring about others. She can also be a little sassy, I love it hahah. Hermana Rasmussen will always go out of her way to help someone, she is always thinking about others before herself. We are all just a perfect mix of personalities, AND we are all going to the same mission so we will be able to fly over to DC together! 

One last thing, we went to the temple yesterday because of conference. My companions and I did sealings. I felt the spirit so strongly! All I could think about was my future investigadors, That is where I want to see them. Baptism is incredibly important, it is our first covenant with God, but it shouldn;t stop there. I want to seem them in white at the temple. The promised blessings you receive in the temple are so beautiful. I couldn't get the song "Families can be together forever" out of my head yesterday. I am so grateful for God's plan for us and that this life isn't the end. God loves us, he made an indiviudal plan for each of us. I really studied 2 Nephi Chapter 2 this week, where it talks about the Plan of Salvation. I know this life was meant to be enjoyed. "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy" God knew we wouldn't be perfect, that is why he gave his only begotten son. Christ loves us so much that he was willing to sacrifice for us, and feel so much pain so that we don't have to. 

It is basically Christmas here at the MTC this weekend! I am so excited to listen to conference, I know that the words shared today and tomorrow are words of God. I encourage all of you to listen to conference (you can watch it on LDS.org), and to go into it with a question(s) in mind because I know your question will be answered! 

Tenga buen semena! 

Much Love, 

Hermana Harley

Sorry, all of my pictures are the same. Hahah the only time we really have to take pictures are at the temple... These pictures are all from Easter, the group picture is of our zone before they all left! 

HAPPY EASTER!

Hola Familia and friends! I have been at the MTC only 18 days... so crazy! The first week felt like a month long, and then the weeks just seem to go by quicker and quicker. I literally feel like it was just Pday for me. Time here just feels so surreal and weird, haha I can't even explain it. But I love the MTC! I am finally in the habit of putting my name tag on every day, I know what foods to definitely stay away from, and I can tell the buildings apart from one another and I even know what each building is... Woohoo! My district had the opportunity to host the new incoming missionaries! I ended up hosting this cute girl from Hong Kong who didn't speak any english, so it was a little tough. And of course since she didn't speak any english, my mind automatically assumed she spoke spanish so I kept saying things to her in espanol. She was very nice, but probably thought I was crazy. Hahaha 

over half of my zone is leaving on monday and I am so sad! I was blessed to have the opportunity to meet them all and I know without a doubt that they will all be incredible missionaries. Also, a couple of Elders in my district just found out that there are leaving on wednesday to finish their MTC time in Argentina....estoy muy triste! 

My zone is hilarious. The newest thing during lunch is to play "Real Life Fruit Ninja." The object of the game is to go up to someone eating a banana, and right after they peel it and are about to take a bite...you just slice it in half with a butter knife. Its hilarious. Its the little things in life, ya know. 

so if we are ever late to class, our "punishment" is to do a door approach in front of the whole class, in spanish of course. So, my companions and I were late one day and had to do this. We knocked, our teacher acting the role, peaked out through the door and asked us what we wanted. i began talking and said that we were missionaries of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints, she was hesitant to let us in because she said she was catholic. I began to say that we have a "mesaje" for her....her eyes lit up, and she opened the door right away! The class was laughing, I didn't understand why. Instead of saying we have a message for you, I said "we have a massage for you." Ha whoops. 

I now have 3 investigators! I love them all so much, even if they aren't "real" investigaTors. I am learning so much. I am learning that everything is centered on the Atonement and Jesus Christ. Its so great.

The spanish is coming along! I memorized my missionary purpose, the invitation to baptism and the whole first vision in spanish! Its hard to not let the language be a barrier when teaching. I always feel like I can never be myself in lessons or express my real feelings about something I am so passionate about. But, I look back at where I started the first week and I know I am getting better! I just can't wait for the day that I will be able to talk to people and really get to know them and their needs and share all my feelings :) 

Tomorrow is Easter and a general authority is coming to speak! I don't know who but I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is Holland ;)

 Its amazing how quick our hour of time goes by, but I want to share a quick scripture with you that I found this week in my scripture study. Alma 26:12. "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." I am so grateful for the sacrifice of my Savior. Because I Him, I can be freed of sadness, pains and afflictions. Because of Him, I can be happy and do all things. I love being a missionary. I love putting my nametag on everyday knowing that I am a representative of Christ. I can't wait to share the message of Christ with the people in my mission. 

If you haven't had the opportunity to watch the new #hallelujah mormon message video for Easter, PLEASE take the time to watch it at mormon.org. I am left speechless when I think of the sacrifice that He made for me. I can't even begin to express my gratitude. :)

Have a wonderful Easter, Christ loves you! 

♥Hermana Harley

The Singing Zone

This week has been great. Last pday (my pday is saturday by the way) I was able to go to the temple with my Zone and it was incredible, just what I needed. The temple just brings so much happiness, it was weird to leave the gates of the MTC and go out into the real world but I loved it so much. 

My Zone at the MTC is a singing Zone, meaning Choir is a must according to President :) In choir we are singing "This is the Christ" which is a perfect song as Easter gets closer. Hearing everyone sing the sweet words of that song is so powerful. The spirit is just so strong when we sing that song. The idea of Christ sacrificing himself for me and all my pains, afflictions and sins just leaves me speechless. I am so excited for Easter in the MTC. 

I love my district so much, they are family. Everyone just really wants to be here, and we have all worked so hard to be where we are. We are all so different, yet so alike at the same time. I am constantly laughing with them! I am meeting so many people at the MTC, it's just awesome. I'm so proud of all the missionaries here, the sacrifices they made to be here and the desire they have to be a servant of the Lord. 

I've taught 4 more lessons with Leo! Also, Leo is a pretend investigador I forgot to mention that in my last letter. He is actually one of my teachers (Hermano Blake) an is awesome. But I learned so much teaching him as an investigador. My companion and I had a couple bad lessons but I would say that those were the lessons that we learned from the most!  have learned that I need to keep the lessons simple, speak from the heart and always follow up and see how they are feeling because this is about them. My spanish is coming along, it is pretty difficult not being able to express my feelings when I feel so passionately about something but I look back to week one and I know I am progressing! 

This week my companion went home to work on some things for herself, it was really sad to see her leave because I love her so so much and we got along so great, but I know she needs to be home right now. I was so blessed to have her as my first comp, I know she is where she needs to be now. She is such a loving, charitable and overall Christlike person, it was such a privilege serving with her. 

Thank you everyone for all the sweet letters and packages! Shoutout to The Breakfast Club ♥ They mean so much to me. 

Have a great week, 

I Love you all,

Hermana Harley

Si Se Puede

I have made it through 3.5 days at the MTC! I still can't believe I'm here but I know that I am right where the Lord wants me. The first day was incredible! My companion is Hermana WEBSTER! She is from Washington State and I actually knew her before the mission! I had the opportunity of meeting Hermana Webster through one of my old roommates so it has been a huge blessing having her by my side. We get along great, we have a lot of things in common. We both love exercising and peanut butter. So we are a perfect match. Her and I are both called to serve in Washington DC South Spanish speaking so I have a feeling we will be serving again together when we can actually understand spanish. :) 

The language has been hard but el don de lengues (the gift of tongues) is a real thing! I feel like Elder Calhoun in Best Two Years, when he heard dutch for the first time--I have that same blank stare pretty much all the time in class. But, its only the first week, and my spanish can only get better! :) My teacher is Hermana Imbler and she is awesome. She only speaks spanish to us, which is hard, but I have seriously learned so much that way. I feel like all I hear and think is spanish. At night, when I'm trying to fall asleep all I can think about is my teacher speaking spanish.  Its so cool, whenever I write I find myself writing words in spanish. I know the Lord is helping me. 

"Si se puede" is my companion and I's motto! It means "We can do it." This week we had the opportunity to teach our first lesson to an investigador....en espanol!!! His name is Leo. He is an 18 year old from California, his family means a lot to him and he is interested in learning more about the gospel. So Hermana and I prepared a lesson on families We began with a prayer and went right into the lesson. It was so hard understanding him but he was very patient with us. We asked him more about his family and if he believed in God. It was very obvious that he cared a lot about his family. I asked Leo if he believed in God, and he said kind of. I began tesifying to Leo that he was a child of God and how the gospel blesses families. The spirit in the room was so strong! Hahaha and yes of course I started crying while testifying to Leo. Hermana Webster and I could barely understand anything Leo was saying, but the Lord made it possible for Leo to understand our broken spanish. The gift of tongues is so so real! We shared Alma 26:37 with him and he said he loved that scripture. We taught Leo how to pray and we challenged him to Pray to God to feel his love for him. He prayed right then and there and said he felt the spirit so strong. AND that he felt God's love! It was beautiful.  

I have definitely been humbled this week. I have never prayed so much in one day, but I know I can only do this with the Lord' help. I don't have much time, but a scripture that really helped me this week is D&C 50:13-20. I know the Spirit is the only way I will be able to teach people. This is the Lord's work and I am just his pencil. 

I love you all, have a great week! 

Hermana Harley