May 21, 2012

Hey everyone- So this last week has really been incredible. We have just been super blessed with a lot of miracles. Man, I feel so humbled everyday to be a part of this work, the Lord's work, a spiritual work, an eternal work. To see peoples lives change and to be able to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. What a humbling experience and what a blessing. This last week I got to go on an exchange back to Bella Vista and see my former investigators who I have missed so much. It was a really sweet experience. First we went and see the Family Arguetta. Oh how I love this family. They are a family of 6 from El Salvador and Marta makes the best pupusas ever! Well I guess the last couple of transfers they have been kinda stuck, Marta has been waiting for an answer from God. So me and Hna Thompson we went in to go and teach them and we talked with her about how she expected to receive her answer. She said through prayer and the feelings she received. We then asked her if she had prayed specifically, to know if these things were true, to which she replied she didn't have to, she already knew. She said that she just wasn't sure about baptism. In that moment, I remembered her telling us(me and hna moya) about a dream she had the first night she met us about 6 months ago. That night, after we taught her the first lesson, we invited her to pray for guidance. Well, she did it. That night she got on her knees and prayed and asked God for guidance, for where she should go with her kids, where he wanted her to be. She had a dream, that she was in the church with me and Hna Moya. She received an answer from God the first night she met us. The Spirit was able to remind me of her telling us of that dream and and it testified to her that that was her answer. She said that it was right and that she didn't want to go to church anywhere else. Right now, they are preparing for baptism the 15th of June! The second sweet experience I had that day was when we went to see Carmen...Carmen is the best, she came up to me and Hna Moya in church back in Dec and asked to learn from us. Unfortunately she has also been stuck lately because she is living with her boyfriend and has had a fear of leaving him over something she wasn't sure was true. As she has been taught she has seen so many people progress to baptism and change, for example her boyfriend's nephew Rudy was baptized the 5th of May. She went to his baptism and was moved to tears. So that night we went to see her. She said the opening prayer and the spirit was in the room so strongly. We talked a little about Rudy's baptism and how much he had changed and how he had a full testimony of the gospel. We then talked to her about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how much He loved her. She expressed her feelings of how she wished the past could be wiped away and then we read with her Alma 7:10-15. The Spirit was so strong in the room. We explained to her that through the gospel of Jesus Christ, through faith in Him, repentance and baptism, all can be washed away, erased. We asked her how she would feel to be completely clean from her past? She began to cry and we asked her how she was feeling. With tears rolling down her face she said that she had gone to the catholic church growing up and she liked it, but it never made her feel the way she felt, it never made her cry...she said she knew the church was true. We invited her to come unto Christ and be baptized the 15th of June to which she excepted. I love my mission, I love all that it has given me. In this time, I feel like I have come to see things and people with a different perspective, I see them now as my brothers and sisters, and I love them so much! I only want the best for them, I only want to help them be the happiest they can be. I know from experience that the truest happiness you can receive is by living the gospel of Jesus Christ and I feel so grateful to my Heavenly Father to have had the chance to go back to Bella Vista that day, to see my people haha, the ones that I have grown to love with all my heart and to see the moment where they felt the truth and accepted it. The Holy Ghost testified to them the truth, It testified to them the eternal truth, that God loves them and that He wants to see them again. The gospel is so true. God's hand is in our lives everyday. I am a witness of it. I love you all so much. Cubo RR

May 7, 2012

Hello dear family: How I love you all so much. So this week out here in the mission was really awesome. We got to hear from President Bednar and the spirit in the room was so incredible. After we walked out I remember feeling so physically, mentally and spiritually drained. He talked so much about faith and so much about how we had to act in order to truly learn and to truly gain a testimony. He also talked a lot about humility, about being the instrument that the Lord needs you to be so that He can work through you. I have come to realize on my mission, that all of this work has absolutely nothing to do with me. All the success, the miracles I have seen have all been because the Lord gave them to me, so that I could learn more and be more grateful to Him. And I am. I am so grateful to my Savior, to my Best Friend. Cubo, RR

Bowling

SISTERS ACTIVITY - MARCH 5, 2012

The whole beautiful group

Sisters Sorenson, Hardt, Ahokava, Raynor, and Dezzeo

Pres with Sis Yoon, Moses, Crockett, Ferrin, and Murray

Sisters Mecham, Rozsa, Anderson , Hanson, Ferrin, Sister Albright, Sorenson, Crockett, Moses, Smith, Barnes, Raynor, and Ganbaatar

Wash DC Missionary Fun Day

SPANISH MISSIONARY FUN On March 19, 2012 we had all the Spanish Speaking missionaries come to the mission home for a P-day activity and barbecue. It was lots of fun. What a wonderful group of young men and women. They had a great time. They love to get together and visit because they are spread all over the mission and don't see each other alot.

April 23, 2012

April 23, 2012 Hey everyone, This week has been a week I will never forget. Let me start of by saying I am still serving in Alexandria but now I am with Hermana Dezzeo, from Venezuela. Alright, so the Lord has been blessing us insurmountably. As of right now we have 5 people preparing to be baptized el Cinco de Mayo! That's right, we know how to celebrate Cinco de Mayo...well the Lord does. So let me just tell you about a little miracle that happened yesterday.... We went on an exchange so Hermana Dezzeo could go see a former investigator get baptized, I stayed here and went to go see Carolina and her family (from Mexico). As we were about to start, Angel, the best friend of Carolina's husband knocked the door, came in and sat down. -Side note: Angel is a former investigator who has had a really rough past- We started to read with them from the book of Mormon, 3 Nefi 27. As we read there was an overwhelming peace that entered in the room. We started talking about how our purpose here in this life is to do the things the Savior did, to follow him, to repent, be baptized, and endure to the end. I then asked Angel what he could do to follow his Savior...his reply was, 'be baptized, change my life, and do what i know is right.' In that moment, the spirit was so strong, and so I invited him to follow the footsteps of his Savior and be baptized the 13 of May...he said sure, and then I said actually, how about el Cinco de Mayo? He replied, “that sounds like a way better date.” Last night he came to a baptism with us and was telling everyone he was getting baptized the 5th of May. Angel was lost, he was struggling, but the Lord has been preparing him. I know the Spirit testified to every person in that room, in that moment, of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, of the importance of following the Savior and doing what was right. Someone said that 'when we invite people to come unto Christ, the gates of hell tremble'...I know the gates of hell were trembling, I know that this gospel is true. I know that this is the way back to eternal peace and happiness...it is so so sweet. I love you all. Miss you. Cubo RR 


March 26, 2012

March 26, 2012 HOLA FAMILIA, WELP, ANOTHER WEEK HAS COME AND GONE HERE IN ALEXANDRIA VIRGINIA (I THINK THATS HOW IT’S SPELLED...STILL HAVEN’T FIGURED OUT HOW TO SPELL VIRIGINIA). WE HAVE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD THIS WEEK, KNOCKING A LOT OF APARTMENT BUILDINGS TRYING TO FIND SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE READY TO LISTEN TO THE GOSPEL AND WE HAD A MIRACLE. TWO SUNDAYS AGO AT ABOUT 8:55, A MAN OPENS THE DOOR, HE IS FROM HONDURAS. I START TALKING TO HIM AND TELLING HIM WHO WE ARE AND HE TELLS US TO COME IN. AS WE WALK IN HE GOES AND GETS HIS WIFE AND BROTHER. TURNS OUT, ALL THREE HAD HEARD MISSIONARIES IN HONDURAS AND ALL THREE WERE INTERESTED IN KNOWING MORE. WE HAVE TAUGHT THEM A FEW LESSONS AND THIS SUNDAY THEY CAME TO CHURCH! ITS THE BEST FEELING WHEN YOU FIND SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN SEARCHING FOR THE GOSPEL, JUST LOOKING FOR IT, AND YOU GET TO HELP THEM FIND IT! i WAS SO STOKED. THEY ARE SUCH GOOD PEOPLE. ANYWAYS, I’M SURE I HAVE TOLD YOU ALL THIS BEFORE, BUT I LOVE MY MISSION. I HAVE JUST BEEN THINKING ABOUT HOW MUCH I HAVE LEARNED THE LAST 9 MONTHS AND IT BLOWS MY MIND. MY PERSPECTIVE, MY VALUES, THE PERSON I WANT TO BE HAVE ALL CHANGED AND IT’S BECAUSE OF MY MISSION. IT’S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WERE I AM SO GRATEFUL I DECIDED TO COME OUT HERE. THE THOUGHT OF MISSING OUT ON THIS LEARNING AND GROWING EXPERIENCE - I WOULD HAVE BEEN SO NAIVE. I KNOW THAT THIS IS WHERE I NEEDED TO BE. I KNOW NOW, THAT THE GOSPEL IS TRUE AND THAT IS ENOUGH FOR ME. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND MISS YOU. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING ME. CUBO RR

March 12, 2012

March 12, 2012 Alexandria!! I love this place! Its so crazy here, so historical, so sweet. Papa Wally would love it here, haha. There is a George Washington monument and its a Masonic Temple.... its sick, every time I see it I think of Papa. Another reason why I like it here is because its ghetto haha. The other day we were teaching a lesson and I get bit by a 4 year old black child with an afro haha...he then proceeded to cuss me out! I loved it! So anyways, there is a place here called Chileagua. Named after a province in El Salvador, its a bunch of really ghetto broken down apartment buildings where all the Hispanics live and we cant go there at night, but man, it’s here where they need the gospel the most. They are so sad, so lost and so blinded. All you can do is try to share with them a little but of peace and hope that they have the faith to accept it...sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. It’s crazy. I remember reading somewhere that the greatest thing to cure the sadness in the world is the gospel of Jesus Christ and I know it is true. Because it is a gospel of love and light and of happiness. There is no greater thing that we as human beings can do than share with people the love that Jesus Christ has. We have to, everyone needs it, we have to radiate is love and we have to give it. I Love you all so much. Cubo RR

March 5, 2012

March 5, 2012 Hey Everyone, Sorry it’s been a while. So its official, I have been transferred for the first time in my mission...I am now serving in Alexandria VA, and it is awesome. I love being able to serve in the city, there are so many different people that we come in contact with. That’s one of my favorite parts about the mission, all the people I have come to meet. It’s super interesting, they all come from different places, and have different stories and yet, when you ask them about God or start talking about him, they all seem to be searching for him, wanting to know more about him. I have been thinking a lot about that, about how we are all searching for that something that seems to be missing, for that peace, for that happiness, the peace of truth...and what it all comes down to is we are searching for GOD! He is all of those things. He brings us the truth and joy that we as human beings search for. I can’t tell you how many people here (especially the Hispanic people) search for that, they will let anyone in who is talking about God because they are searching for that hope, that little bit of light. I know, that God is truth, that He is happiness. I know that He loves us and has given us this gospel, this light that we can follow in the dark world. We are so blessed. I love you all and think of you always. Cubo, RR

January 23, 2012

Hey everyone!

So drum roll......I am staying in Bella Vista...Arlington Virginia for at least another 6 weeks. Cheeeeeyup! Im not gonna lie, I was shocked, but also really stoked. By the end of this transfer I will have officially spent basically half of my mission in this ward. I feel so blessed and so humbled because I have gotten to know some of the best people in my life. The members are so faithful, and truly understand the beauty and truthfulness of the gospel. They love the savior and they are always ready to go out and share the gospel. The last months of my life have been so crazy, I have learned more out here, in the last 8 months than I did the last 4 years and I am grateful for it. I was thinking about it and I never knew what the gospel was until I came out on my mission. I feel so blessed to be able to say now, that I know what it is. It is truth, it is the light along the pathway back to our heavenly father. it is our guide out here in this world. Because of the gospel, I know what my purpose is, who I am and who I want to be. I know what is most important and it is loving others as God does, it is serving others and doing the best that i can to be like Jesus. I love it! How blessed am I everyday. How blessed are we to be able to have this knowledge and to be able to share it with others! I love you all so much.
Cubo
RR

ps..shout out to:

The barnes family! you are all the best. Love you tons.
Petersons! I cant believe how big everyone is. Miss you all.
Ashley- HAPPY BIRTHDAY>>>LOVE YOU LIKE NONE OTHER
GrannyJO-get well, love you.

January 17, 2012

So last week we had a baptism and it was incredible.

His name is Roy (de mexico). This guy is sweet, we met him on December 8th and he was baptized on January 8th. The crazy thing is that in October he was baptized in a Chrisitian church. Roy's whole life he has been searching for the truth, searching for God and the way he could be closer to him. I have never met someone who has wanted so badly to know the will of God and to do what God wanted him to do. I asked him once why he liked reading the scriptures and he told me because he likes knowing what God wants him to do and he likes feeling close to him. He then asked us if it was normal for someone to just barely meet the missionaries and want to be baptized so quickly, its crazy but we were able to tell him yes...because it is true. People are converted so quickly to this message because it is the truth, because they feel the holy ghost and they know and Roy was no exception. He was looking for the truth and because he was looking and willing to accept it, he recieved his answer. January 8th was the best, Roy was so stoked and happy because he finally felt right, he finally found the place where he could be happy and feel the love that his heavenly father has for him. I am so humbled to have been able to meet him and share with him this gospel...man, its sweet. The gospel is true. I love you all.

Cubo
RR