Hazme Andar en La Luz

HELLO FAMILY!!!! :)))) happy leap year!!! :D 

well so many amazing miracles happened this week so we will get started!!

WE REACHED LEVEL TWO!!! level two means that the investigators get thier SECOND asistence at church...Hno José came to church yesterday!!! we were really happy because we have a lot of investigators who have only one asistence and yesterday we left level one!!! :))) we were super happy to see him!! (yesterday was just a great day in church!!!!) 

also remember the family we found last sunday!? well the wife came to church yesterday! her name in Janeth and she is SO positive!!!!! we went with her and her family a few times this week and everytime she was so great and expressed her big desires to come to church..and she did!! and she stayed for all of the classes!!!!!! :)))) we went with her last night to challenge them to baptism..and she was a little hesitant but i know with some work she can do it. we had 2 lessons in one. one of which was WAY great!!and the other..was not. to make a very long story short lets just say that i am so greatful for the restoration. last night the husband of janeth was expressing a lot of doubts he had and wasnt too willing to accept the invitation to pray. after a long time of him expressing some of his beliefs and doubts about the church we just felt prompted to TESTIFY. (in short..) we do not ask people to throw away what they know, we ask them to ADD to the light they already have and strengthen it. we invite them to clear the darkness away and find the TRUE light. i KNOW that joseph smith saw God and Jesus Christ and that they restored the church through him. i KNOW that the book of mormon is the only way to know the truth and if we really read it with real intent and not doubting..god WILL answer. i KNOW this church is the ONLY church that has the authority to act in God´s name and perform saving ordinances. after testifying to him we left them the invitation to pray..and something that has always broken my heart in the mission is when the people FEEL the spirit and dont accept it. like it says in 2 Nephi 33:1-2 " the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men...but behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit.." its so true. the spirit brings the words UNTO our hearts..but if we harden our hearts it wont have an effect. i am so grateful to have felt the spirit. i felt it so strongly and so did hermana gunderson and so i KNOW they felt it. we cant harden our hearts. but i know that if he really does pray about the things we said..he can feel it to. 

but the most amazing thing that happened this week...THE FAMILIA CARDENAS GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we hadnt seen them for almost 2 weeks and on monday we were really worried bc Jimmy had a fecha for the 27 so we decided to pass by their house and we saw them! but we were there for like 5 minutes when jimmy told us, "so hermanas we are still good for the 27 right!?" we were was surprised but of course super happy!! he then whispered.."mildred is also getting baptized!" now that REALLY shocked us!! the last time we had talked to her she said no. well then mildred came and jimmy told us she was getting baptized..and she was like, "NO." we were kinda surprised..and didnt want to make the situation weird so we just sat there like...uhhh okay :) but then on tuesday morning we get a call from jimmy telling us to call mildred. and so we did..and she told us, really quietly, "hermanas im getting baptized on saturday too!" and we had to ask her to repeat it! but she was so excited! and of course so were we!! we made all of the preparations and on saturday we had one of hte most spiritual and beautiful baptismal services EVER!!! there were some speed bumps on the way...(as they were pulling into the church they hit a car and were a little flustered by that) but it turned out great. a bunch of members came to support and hermana gunderson and i did a special musical number, to mildred´s (and my) favorite hymn! "teach me to walk in the light" it was super pretty!! and to make the baptism complte...on sunday we showed up to church like 5 mintues before and they were already sitting there...IN SUNDAY DRESS!!! like he had a white shirt and tie..WITH A TIE PIN, and she was in the cutest shirt and skirt...with sleeves and the skirt was long!!! I ALMOST CRIED WHEN I SAW THEM!!!! they were confirmed and we have a FHE with them tonight to help them start that habit!! i seriously love this fmaily and am so grateful to be apart of their lives. 

what i learned this week is that baptism truly does set people free. my testimony in the priesthood and revelation grew so much this week. as missionaries we walk around in the middle of people who are trapped by sin and sorrow...but as we teach them and they get baptized they drop those chains and are FREE!!!! :DDD i love being amisisonary. i love you all too!! and good luck with everything this weekend! i hope it goes well and that we get some good wins!! ;) LOVE YOU!!!

con amor

Hermana Canty

Blessings and Fruits

GOOD MORNING!!!! :D

well a little about this week:

on tuesday i had the opportunity to see Cristian get set apart. (do you remember Cristian!? he was my first convert in the mission...he got baptized last january!) he is going to Honduras San Pedro Sula West!! and he left last wednesday. when he got baptized i KNEW he would be so pilas. and he has just done that always! i so wanted to be able to see him get set apart, but wasnt sure if i would ever come back to mazate. but the hand of the lord made it possible and i was able to see him. he is so ready and will be a great missionary. i felt kinda like a mom sitting there (proud, worried, happy!) i kept telling my comp, "i hope he has____" (fill that blank in with lots of things from ointment to his scriptures lol) but i was SO HAPPY to see it. i could hardly speak spanish when i met him and i know there were times where he couldnt understand me. but the SPIRIT was there in the lessons and he knew it was true!! i was reading in the book of mormon this week and i came arcoss a scripture that speaks PERFECTLY of how i feel with Cristian. its in Alma 36:24-25,

 

24 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

25 Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors;

everytime i think of the mission and cristian this scripture comes to mind. i cried with joy as i saw him go from Cristian to Elder Cifuentes. :))) i am so grateful that i was able to be part of his life and he part of mine. we will now have a little over a month to write each other as missionaries..its super weird and cool!! :)))

also yesterday we saw a huge miracle. after church we had ward council and they invited us. so we went and for the majority of time we didnt do too much but we were able to put a cita with the Elders Quorum president to visit hermano Jimi. and then they were talking about a family that the relief society was going to visit because the sister is sick. and they invited us to visit her with them and told us that she also has a daughter that isnt a member. so that afternoon we went to visit hte family. we were there for about 20 minutes and the daughter wasnt there so we began to think that it would just be a normal visit to an hermana in need (something that is great to do anyway!!) but then the relief society president (who is SO PILAS) asked wehre the daughter was, and then we hear, "im in here, im coming right now." we were very shocked! but then she came and we met her. her name is Janeth. and she "goes" to an evangelical church but told us that she has always wanted to go to the mormon church with her family! and she loved the message we shared with her. and she told us that normally she has the meeting of church at 4 pm..we were there at like 5:20..and that she was running late that day and decided not to go. we testified to her that coincidences dont exist and that heavenly father was preparing her. also we met her husband and her 2 kids!! they are so great!! we have a cita tonight with them to do a small FHE!! hermana gunderson and i walked out of the house with our mouths wide open. THE LORD IS SO MERCIFUL IN LETTING US SEE THESE GRAND MIRACLES!!!!!!!

also we (hermana gunderson and i) talked in church yesterday. Hna Gunderson talked about loving the people and i talked about conversion. lets just say the spirit was really great in the meeting, and the gift of tongues was present :))) i love testifying of the saviors love, its the thing i love doing most. and since being here in guatemala the words of a hymn hit me differently. "I Feel My Savior´s love, in all the world around me. his spirit warms my soul through everything i see...he knows i will follow him, give all my life to him." i came up with a thought on the mission. the savior´s love is so intense and so warm that we can literally feel it as it fills our hearts. the sun here is SO hot that it sometimes literally burns through you. but to help me appreciate the heat more i compare it to the savior´s love. so instead of complaining all the time because its hot..i thank heavenly father for the heat because its his way of showing me that he and his son love me. I LOVE THE SAVIOR AND I KNOW HE LOVES US! John 15:10-12 says, "

 

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in mylove; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

 

" how true is that!!! i love the scriptures and i love the gospel. i love being a missionary.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!! have a great week!!! :))) good luck with everything!!!

CON AMOR,

Hermana Canty

The Greatest Love of All

hello family!

i hope you all had a great week!! and that Valentine´s Day was fun, here it was great! i spent it will the people i have come to love..my other family! :D

but just a little about the week!!

we went with la familia cardenas this week and we had challenged them for the 20 of Feb and they said they would pray. well when we went with them we asked them if they were able to pray, and without hestitation hermano jimi answered, "yes hermanas i have prayed and i will be baptized on the 20th!" we about screamed we were so happy!!! i love them! hermana mildred is still not sure because she wants to recieve her own answer and do it because she feels it and not just because jimi does it. but i know she will do it soon!!! unfortunately some things came up and he wont be able to be baptized the 20th but the 27th yes!! so please pray for him! im serious these people are SO AMAZING!!

we also had some really great lessons with Kerin and her husband (another family we are teaching) with José (a guy we met last week) and various others. i love being a missionary. its so special to see how the gospel changes the lives of everyone so differently. for example..kerin and bartolo so easily believe in the book of mormon and José loved church yesterday!! we teach the same gospel to them.. but it depends on what part THEY need specifically! sometimes we go to the lesson with one thing planned..and the spirit completely changes it! its amazing to see!!!

but yesterday one of the talks in church was about the atonement. and as i sat there listening to it i was reminded of how IMENSE is the atonement and even more is the love of god for all of us. yesterday was valentines day, a day where we but gifts and chocolates for the ones we love dearly, but really everyday sunday is like a valentines day for our heavenly father to us. he gives us the gift of the sacrament to take in rememberance of his son and the life he gave for us. i have always known that god loves us, but being here in the mission has helped me amplify that knowledge. as a missionary we see everyone as a possibility, but not just a statistical number for a baptism, but as a CANDIDATE FOR THE CELESTIAL KINGDOM! we see people through god´s eyes! thats why we are here...to help these people become like him! and we can only do that throught the atonement of jesus christ and baptism in THIS church. the atonement of jesus christ really truly is the greatest love of all! and how grateful i am for it!

i love you all so much and am so grateful for you all and your love and prayers always! good luck this week with everything!! and remember that we are in a process of bettering ourselves ALWAYS! I LOVE YOU!!!!

con mucho amor,

Hermana Canty

Casa De Gringas y Cucarachas

HELLO FAMILY!!!

boy do i have lots to tell you all, so lets get started..

FIRST, changes were this week...and guess what. I HAVE MY FIRST GRINGA (WHITE) COMP IN 15 MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!! its so wierd and i love it. her name is hermana gunderson. she is from chicago and has like 4 1/2 months in the mission. also fun fact..she read my blog before the mission so we were basically already friends lol she is so pilas!! this is the first comp ive had in a LONG time that has tried hard so to be obedient. its a LOT funner to do it with your companion. ive tried all my mission, but its like 2 cows pulling a wagon..when only one pulls hard and the other doesnt it makes it kinda difficult. well now the 2 cows are pulling together and the wagon is beginning to roll!! :DDDDD its really weird to walk around with another white girl..we draw a lot of attention... lol

SECOND..we had a lesson with la familia cardenas this week that could have been filmed for the district videos. (it was THAT powerful) we went with our district leader and wow was the spirit so strong. Hermana Jimi told us that he wants to get baptized now, and hermana mildred just wants to recieve an answer. they have a fecha for the 20 of Feb so keep them in your prayers please. this family is SO special to me!!!

THIRD..we had an investigator Giovani in church yesterday! we met him like 2 weeks ago and then he kinda disappeared but yesterday morning we were passing for some investigators and no one was home or was gonna come and we thought of him and after waking him up...he came to church with us! and he loved it!! he also accepted fecha for 20 of Feb!! he is so believing. like he doesnt have a ton of knowledge of churchy things but he believes so easily and wants to know the truth! :D

FOURTH..i realized something yesterday in church. it was testimony meeting and every person who went up but 1 was a sister. as i realized that i remembered the talk from general conference in octuber from elder nelson when he talked about the importance of the women in the church and how we need women who can testify with CONVICTION and POWER to help build the church. that made me so grateful for the testimony i have obtained in my life, and especially on the mission. but something else i realized that made me sad is that ONLY ONE brother shared his testimony. the men of the church hold the power of god and should share their testimonies always!!!! i think lots of times we take for granted the testimonies that we have. so dad and chance..share your testimonies!!!!! :))) and everyone else too!! THE POWER OF A SIMPLE TESTIMONY CHANGES LIVES!!!!

i love this work. it is truly the greatest work that their is in the world and we are all a part of it. i know my savior lives and loves me and that these guatemaltecos are his children. I LOVE THE CHAPINES!!!!!!!!!!!! i hope this week goes great for all of you and that you know how much i love you. :))))

con amor,

Hermana Canty

I Stand All Amazed

i hope everyone is doing well and that you arent freezing your toes off!! :)) im just sitting here..baking like a vanilla cake in the oven!! :) but its all worth it!!

well about my week...KAREN GARCIA GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!! :DDDD it was the craziest experience i have had on the mission...she came to church last sunday, we had our first lesson on tuesday, interview on wednesday, she was baptized saturday, and she was confirmed sunday!!! WOW!!!! (it happened like that because she had already had attendences and SHE WAS PREPARED BY THE HAND OF THE LORD!!!) the whole week i just stood in shock because i couldnt beleive what was happening. everything fit so perfectly together..that there is NO doubt that this is GOD´S work and not ours. She would not have been able to be baptized without the lord´s help. but like always satan tries to come in. we were in her baptism and she had changed into her clothes and we were about to start but she started feeling really sick and looked like she was going to pass out. (she has a small problem with convulsing and she felt the same symptoms that she feels right before she usually does it so we were a little worried...) but then a thought came to my mind..."give her a blessing." so we asked out district leader to give her a blessing...and in the blessing he promised that the lord wanted her to do this and that she would be able to complete this ordenance. it was really a special blessing. almost immediately after the blessing she felt and looked a lot better! and the rest of the baptism was great!!!! also she was confirmed on sunday and even brought her little girl to church. i still dont really beleive that it happened because like i said...it was a true miracle..and they usually blow your mind...so just know that the lord is working in the vineyard of Mazatenango.

he is also working in the ENTIRE vineyard of the Mission Retalhuleu!! this month the theme was 200+++! and that was our goal as a mission. MORE THAN 200 BAPTISMS!! in Novemeber Elder Alonso, the 2nd counselor in the area presidency, came to the mission and told us that we "are a mission of 200 or more every month." and it took us 2 months to fulfill that promise, but we did it. we finished the month of January with 203 new converts, and SOULS saved!!! it is so amazing to be apart of the lords work. i know with out a doubt that hte lord is wokring here...presidente and all of us missionaries have been working so hard to eliminate the bad things in our lives and trust in the lord more throught FASTING AND PRAYING! and to see the lords words fulfilled...is somethign so amazing. that again...i dont quite understand.

i love being a missionary, i know that hte lord has always worked in my life and has truly performed MANY miracles throught it, but as a missionary i see miracles in a different way. they are the SMALL miracles everyday that make the difference. in like in basketball...the last 3 piont shot in the last 5 seconds doesnt win the game...even though most people like to think so...its the CONSTANT effort throughout the entire 32 mintues..every pass..every play..every point..that truly win the game. thats the miracles in the mission...the miracle we saw this week of karen is one that is so big i dont understand...but the constant small miracles that i see everyday (when someone lets us into their house..when the investigator keeps his committments..when we eat our favorite food) that have truly converted me. i know with all my heart that this is the work of the lord...and i am just a small simple missionary and instrument in his hands. like the song says, "I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, confused at his grace that so fully he profers me," the lord loves me, and he loves these people and THATS why we do his work.

I LOVE YOU!!!! have a great week!!! :))))

con amor,

Hermana Canty