Week 16: Faith

Hola familia,

         As a missionary I think about faith a lot. Do I have enough faith? Do my investigators have faith? How can I grow their faith? How can I grow my own. Also recently we have been talking a lot about specific prayers. For example my district leader and his comp said a prayer in the that they would find a family all dressed in blue that day. Well lo and behold because of series of events they ended up walking in a street they don't normally take and around the corner comes Mom, Dad, and several kids all dressed in blue. They contacted them and passed their reference to the missionaries who live near them. There are just so many stories like that. I believe that Heavenly father really can answer specific prayers but I don't like testing God like that and maybe part of it is that I don't see an answer to my prayer it was because I did not have enough faith. But if I am having this whole debate and I don't even have enough faith to ask then I need to grow my testimony in the first place-. Don't get me wrong I'm not having a crisis of faith or loosing my testimony. I just want more faith. I was reading in Jacob 4:6 and it says basically that as we study the scriptures we will receive revelation and the spirit of prophecy and so when we have these 2 testimonies combined with the testimonies of the prophets our faith will become unbreakable even that we will be able to command the trees and mountains in the name of Jesus Christ and they will move. I want faith like that and now I know how to get it :)

        I have so many funny experiences but I don't know if they will be funny if i type them. I am a better storyteller than story writer. But Ill give it a try I was walking down the street and we see this tiny old lady and she is really old (we found out later she was 92 or something) and she can barely walk. She is just leaning and grabbing on to the wall shuffling along. Hna Viallobos and I went over to her and asked if she needed help and she told us that she was walking home and that she thought that she lived just up the street. We each took a hand and started to help her walk. Hna Villalobos told her it was dangerous in the street and that she should stay inside. She told us she knew and that she had escaped from her house to go for a walk. That her family didn't know she was gone. We took about 15 min to walk 20 feet, I have never seen anyone go so slow. Hna Villobos eventually went down and started knocking doors because this lady wasn't sure where she lived and at one door she knocked and this deep loud scary man voice bellowed "QUIEN!" "hola" "QUIEN!" "buenas tardes" when he opened the door she said " Disculpe, pues ella vive aqui?" and pointed down the road to where I was walking with Maria de Jesus Laura and he shouts "MAMA!!! QUE ESTAS HACIENDO!" He tried to explain he thought she was in her room ect. WE actually came back and taught them later so we will see how that goes. But just picture us.  Sister missionaries trying to help this super old tiny lady walk as she tells us about what a rebel she is because she escaped from her house and ran away for a walk.
well I am out of time. love you lots :)
Hna Lambert

Week 15: 3 Companions in 3 Months!!

Here I am with my "baby" Sis. Villalobos and my new companion, Sis. Crichton!

Haha!  We took this picture long before we knew about the changes!!

Sept 7 and Pictures from Mexico

Sept. 7

Hola Familia *sniff*sniff*

You know you are sick (or maybe just a missionary) when you can't even remember your own first name. I don't know, maybe I'm sick because I have probably kissed over a thousand people this past month. Or maybe it was the whole shaking hands thing, I'm not really sure. Plus, almost all the sisters in our mission have been sick with this cold thing and we are all crammed in a tiny combi for hours everyday. yuck! If I never get in another combi it will be too soon. Well I could feel it coming on this whole week but I was hoping it wouldn't hit until after the temple open house. Nope. The last day we were supposed to work at the temple it hit so bad that I could barely stay up in my chair during the 5 baptisms we had this Saturday (all from english class!). 

So I asked for a blessing. I felt the spirit really strongly but I didn't necessarily feel a whole lot better. Then we were out walking around in the sun for about an hour and I just held on to the promise in my blessing that I would have the strength to work according to the desire of my heart. That kind of hit me because a not so small part of me didn't want to work. I wanted to go home and take a nap! Anyways, I started to feel a lot better and after lying down in that terrible combi I felt even better. By the time we got to the temple I felt fantastic! I was full of energy and I was happy. It really was a miracle for me.  We worked really late that night and didn't get back until almost 11, but I was fine. The next day was good too, now I'm starting to feel gross again but maybe that's just because its p-day and I don't have any good work to do. Still, I'm nowhere near where I was Saturday. I sent a lot of pictures I hope at least some of them end up on the blog. Also, I have been sending a lot of photos via other people to you mom and if those could get on the blog i would really appreciate it. Love you lots!

Hna Lambert

Link to an article about the open house!

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mexico-city-temple-opens-to-the-public

Sister Jones and I

some old pictures from when I was with Sis. Wong

 The view from our apartment

I am getting tan!

Hermana Wolferts deep-cleaning the fridge!

 All the sisters in the combi!

Baptisms are great!

I love the sisters!

Here we are with our Mission Mom, Sis. Stutznegger!

Meeting an Apostle of the Lord!!

Here's the whole mission!

We got to sing for Elder Christofferson!

LoL I found this letter in my "drafts" folder!

Hola!

So I’m sitting here staring at this screen thinking ‘What in the world happened this week?’ Don’t know why I always get temporary amnesia on Mondays! But then I flipped open my planner to get some ideas and realized I forgot to tell you that for the past month and a bit I have been practicing with 5 other missionaries, 2x a week, to prepare a special musical number for (drum roll please) ... ... ... ... Elder D. Todd Christofferson! An  Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ and a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. It was amazing! The music went off without a hitch and he told us when he gets back to Salt Lake he is going to call Mack Wilberg and tell him he has 6 more people to add to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He also told our mission President that the music really touched his heart and that he felt the spirit as we sang. I mean, since he is an apostle, he probably feels the spirit all the time, but it was still nice to hear.

I was sitting in the front row almost exactly in front of him. When he got up to talk to us he said a few thank-you’s then immediately turned the time over to us for questions. It was amazing. At one point he got down from behind the pulpit and grabbed a white board and marker to explain someone’s question. As all of my classmates and friends know I have plenty of questions, so about half-way through I stood up and asked mine. 

I explained that the biggest reason I came on a mission was 1) I received revelation telling me I should, and 2) Because I wanted to dedicate everything I have to the Lord. In our normal lives there are so many options. We have work, family, school, recreational activities, friends and more. All these things are good things but how can we know we are giving enough to the Lord when we are involved in so much. We can always give more, so how can we know where to strike the balance? I decided to go on a mission because every minute of everyday I can know exactly what I should be doing to give everything to the Lord. I know my missionary purpose and I can evaluate everything I do by whether or not I am inviting others to come unto Christ and receive his restored Gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the end. Also, we have a lot of rules here in the mission that only apply to mission life.  It feels kind of like it is the Law of Moses for this day and age. And with these strict and precise rules exact obedience is easier. I can look at my day and know in a flash if I got up at 6:30, if I started my study at 8, comp study at 9, if we spent more than an hour in a lesson, if we contacted people in the street, and the list goes on and on. I can know that I am being exactly obedient when I follow these rules. And I know that we receive blessings when we are obedien--I have seen the waves of success come and go with my obedience.

But what about after the mission?  What about when there are no rules for when to get up or go to bed? WhenI have other things that I really need to do besides look for people to teach 24/7? My question is how can I be exactly obedient when so many of my options are left to my own discretion? After my mission I want to continue to receive the blessings of exact obedience but how can I know when I am being exactly obedient or when I need to give more? I have seen so many people here who are return missionaries who have strong testimonies, who loved their missions! Who tell me about the blessings of obedience and remind me to get home on time or not stay to long--BUT THEY ARE INACTIVE! They are missing out on so many blessings! And they know it! And they know they need to be better and they don't! I don't want to go home and turn out like that.

When I finished my question Elder Christofferson looked me in the eyes and said, "That is a very good question. One my companion Elder  Valenzuela (area 70) would like to answer." So he got up and talked a bit about obedience and the blessings thereof but he didn't really answer me. When he sat down Elder Christofferson got up again and answered me for real. He said a lot and I’m out of time but 3 things stuck with me the most.

1. Here in the mission learn how to have the Holy Ghost as a constant companion and  how to RECOGNIZE his presence and promptings- If I do this when I get back from mission I can keep this constant companionship, or recognize when it leaves which is a perfect measure of obedience because the Holy Ghost can not dwell in unholy temples

2. have deep fervent prayers often with Heavenly Father. If we can have that deep honest contact we can’t be far from the path

3. Keep a schedule, just like I do here in the mission, and pray as I plan and consecrate that time. I will receive revelation for how to use my time as I plan. Then as I finish planning, pray over my schedule again to have help in meeting my goals but also to have the inspiration to change my plans if I need to just like we do here.

Dad you are going to laugh and say I told you so, but when I get home I will finally make a schedule and agenda my life just like you always wanted me to. That last piece of advice from an apostle gave me the most comfort. I feel like if I can evaluate all my plans in prayer I will know how much I need to be doing and If I am giving enough. 

I love you guys, till next week

Hermana Lambert :)