Live up to our name

Fam.

So happy you're all having fun over in Arizona! It would be a lie if I said that I didn't miss that place a LOT, but it's hot and sunny here too, and we are constantly drinking freshly-squeezed orange juice, so almost the same right? 

It's been a pretty tough week - The "Holy Week." EVERYONE left on vacation! There are some pretty interesting traditions for Holy Week, and one day we saw about 3 different processions with someone dressed like Jesus carrying a cross with a huge parade of people following behind singing and wearing red. Mary went to visit her mom, Humberto went to visit his dad, Alexia and Moroni went on vacation, Max and Aida had visitors from Chihuahua and haven't been home all week, and our new people Renata and Diaow left on vacation as well. Never have I seen San Isidro so deserted, even at night! Everything was closed down except for the chicken stands, because the meat fast the Catholics do during Holy Week doesn't include chicken... We had a list of about 15 people who we were planning on bringing to conference at the beginning of the week, but as you can imagine we were a bit disappointed. What I DID love this week was this: I wrote down a number of questions to answer during conference, questions for ME and MY LIFE. What I received during conference (first session especially) were answers for my INVESTIGATORS. I started writing the names of my investigators next to certain points and talks, they seemed as if they were meant just for them. I was a bit bummed because I only got to watch one session in English, and we had technical problems and missed half of Holland and Uchtdorf's talks. But, in a month I'll get to read them all in the Liahona, and I am SO excited!! The night before conference I literally felt like it was Christmas Eve, and that is no joke...the prospect of hearing from our living prophet, what he knows we need to hear...so exciting! Here were some of my favorite points:

"Love comes from you, marriage from above."

Help them hear the music - have personal spiritual experiences - a lasting conversion

The thing I AM and the thing I'm BECOMING - this is what matters

"Compared to me, the two of you aren't all that different."

Latter-day Sinners

Latter-day Quitters

Latter-day Hypocrites

LIVE UP TO OUR NAME.

The service that counts most is usually only recognized by God alone. 

Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today.

Don't let something you don't understand unravel everything you do know.

HIS words are the IMPORTANT words. Everything else is just WORDS.

Ordinances and Covenants = strength and stability

Godly Fear: Awe and Anticipation

Worldly Fear: Alarm and Anxiety

Be sensitive enough to recognize and give thanks for every miracle.

We had interviews with President this week, they helped a lot and I know President loves me and has a lot of confidence in me and my ability to direct Palmas 2. It was a very needed interview! Also, MOMMA I got my package in time, thank you so much! My dress was PERFECT and doesn't even need to be shortened! We took lots of pictures yesterday with the camera of my companion, we'll try to send them before 6. PS, my companion now wants to come to the US only to buy Pez, haha...she loves that thing...

Well, exactly 8 months since I stepped into the MTC and got the name badge I'm wearing right now. One week from now and I could possibly be in another area!

Just a little reminder that God loves you: 

Yesterday started out good, an awesome Christ-centered personal/companion study, taking pictures with the stuff from my package... but soon, I got extremely discouraged, rejection after rejection, people forgetting their commitments... especially know how special and important going to conference is. For the first time, I inched closer and closer to wanting to just give up on completing our daily and weekly goals, to be totally honest. After the second session, I really just felt that my efforts were coming to nothing, that every person was just going to reject us or lie to us, so why try? Awful, awful, destructive pessimism. Well, my district leader called us and said that the zone wanted us all to do area switches within our districts for a night. Honestly, in this moment I didn't know how I was going to do it - area switches are a lot of pressure! I just said a little prayer and vowed to try hard. I forced myself to begin talking to everyone I saw again in the Elders' area, forcing a smile and forcing my heavy legs to walk faster. Heavenly Father placed in our path a guy named Saul who immediately accepted all of our invitations and gave us his number and direction and is coming on Sunday, and later a family of 7 who all accepted our invitation to church, then we had a great lesson about Jesus Christ and HOPE. I went home that night excited about the work once again, confident that God hadn't forgotten me. We only worked there about an hour and a half, but it was needed. Just like we see over and over again in the Book of Mormon, the Lord doesn't take away our burdens...he helps us have a better attitude in the midst of them.
I've been watching the church vid "Finding Faith in Christ" lately, we've showed it to a few people and sometimes we watch it before bed. Yesterday meant something different for me. For me, it was truly the day in which the mouthpiece of God spoke to us and a day to rejoice that we'll all live forever because the only perfect person who ever lived loved us, His imperfect brothers and sisters, enough to DIE. It's something I've always heard and believed, but never understood. And I still don't. I don't think any of us do. But for what I've lived on my mission thus far, I stand a lot more amazed this year than any of the years past. Sometimes I feel as if the mission is a whole lot of "cliche" phrases I always let slip in one ear and out the other taking on real meaning. I love reading Preach My Gospel for that reason. I want to challenge you guys - my fam especially - to use Preach My Gospel in FHE! Read, discuss, and practice! 

I'm so grateful for this Easter weekend, and that #BecauseHeLives I too shall live. 

Love you all, HAPPY EASTER!

Beeeeg Keeeeees, Leeeeeetle Keeeeeees

Hermana LeSueur

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