Home Sweet Malacatán

hello familia!! 

well i have some news for you all, 

IM STILL IN MALACATAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :))))))))))))

yay!!! changes were this past week and i didnt have them! neither did my comp!!! so she goes to win the award (so far) of my comp that i have been with for the longest time!!! :))) i was really surprised when i didnt have changes! but also so happy bc we are seeing miracles in malacatan right now!! i just want to share a few with you all!! :)))

#1 Fernando

he is a friend of one the members in our ward and has been coming to church for almost 2 months! and he has a fecha for this weekend! he is super shy but is really great and a really big desire to be baptized!!! :))) 

#2 José Antonio

HE PASSED THE SACRAMENT IN CHURCH YESTERDAY AND CAME TO VISIT WITH US AFTER CHURCH!!!!!! :)))) (maria ines came too!! there are our recent converts!!!) 

#3 Zila, Alexandra, and Analouisa

Zila is the mom of alex and ana! and we met them like 2 weeks ago contacting! (we started talking about her purse!! :P) and they are super positive!!!!! them came with us to church yesterday and had so many questions and wanted to learn practically everything!! it was great! also the members helped so much with them to sit by them and answer questions!! its was really cool!!! :))))) 

#4 Sandra and her children (5)

we met her this week and they came to church yesterday!!!! :)))))))) sandra is the mom and she has 6 kids!!!! only 3 are older than 8 but she came yesterday with 5 of them!!! it was great to see! and she really enjoyed church as did her daughters!!!!! 

#5 Brandon

he is a little niño of 10 yrs that has come to church 2 times! it was so cute bc yesterday he came with a white shirt and dress pants! and he was helping the other investigators we had sing and was sharing his hymn book and everything! lol 

we had 8 investigators in church yesterday....thats like a RECORD! (not that numbers matter at all!) but it was great to see how they all loved the church and how happy they were there! a while ago hna leon and i were having some troubles with the work! but just like the rainbow that comes after the rain, so do the miracles come after some time!!! i know that my heavenly father is helping these people! i can feel it everytime i visit them and every time i see them progress!

i felt the love of heavnely father so strong this week!!! one time in particular was when we were in a lesson with an investigator named Karina! we have taught her for a while and she is not progressing very much! we talked about the importance of doing the prayer to know if its true. we asked her that if she recieved her answer that the church is true if she would be baptized and she said, idk maybe! and in this moment i started to cry as i bore my testimony to her! i dont remember everything i said but i do remember that i told her that if she recieved her answer and didnt act on it than it would be a very sad day. everyone of us with stand before our heavenly father and give an account of what we did with the opportunties he gave us. and how sad it willl be when those who HAVE the opportunity to join this church dont act on it and have to stand in front and say that. i just cried and told her i didnt want that for her! i seriously feel such a strong love for these people that it almost breaks my heart into 2 pieces when they dont progress! but ialso kow tht heavenyl father has a time for everything!!!! 

i am so grateful to be a missionary and to feel the love of heavenly father everyday!!! i hope you all can try everyday to feel his love stronger! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR EXAMPLES!!!!! i love you all so much and i konw that you are doing great!!! be safe and pray hard!!!!!!!! HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!!!:))) 

con mucho amor,

Hermana Canty

Pictures!

Rainbows Come After Rain

Buenas Tardes Familia Canty!!! :))))

thank you all so much for the emails and prayers and fastings and EVERYTHING!! i really felt your love! well last week i was a little sick (and friday was the worst day) but other than that i have been great and i feel great right now! its true that Heavenly Father protects the missionaries!! THANK YOU ALL!!! :)))))

well this week lots of things happened! we started reading the Book of Mormon as a mission, we are reading it in 1 month!!!!!! and let me tell you, we need to always read this book i have already learned so many news things that i didnt before!!! i am so grateful for the book of mormon! this week i really saw that the questions and concerns taht the investigators had could be answered with the reading i did that morning..super crazy but a huge testimony to me! we also had the oportunity to testify A LOT of the book of mormon! and the thing i have learned is this: 

if the book of mormon is true, than joseph smith is a prophet, if he is a prophet than the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints is the true church, and if the church is true than the people should be baptized. so what does that mean for all of us? READ THE BOOK OF MORMON!!!!! its that simple, read, ponder, pray!! 3 things is all we have to do to know that this book is true! and i have really seen the difference in the investigators when they actually do these things, THEY GET BAPTIZED!!!!!!! 

I love being a missionary and being able to testify everyday of this gospel!! i had this oportunity to teach a lesson in english this week!! and wow...im super awkward doing it!!! but it was amazing to see how the spirit spoke through me (i have no idea how to teach in english and i was able to do it) i am Hermana Canty, missionary for the CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS! i love being able to say that!!! 

this week we had the oportunity to have some mini missionaries with us! the stake did a mini mission and we got 2 hermanas for the stake! it was really cool! it was fun to help them learn more about the life of a missionary!! 

also!! JOSE ANTONIO WAS CONFIRMED YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!! whoooo!!!!! he is super pilas and even came to teach menos activos with us this week!!! its so true that the joy of a missionary really is seeing people enter the celestial kingdom!!!! i am so blessed!! this week is the week of cambios (transfers) and i think im leaving malacatan :( but we will see!!! i love malacatan so much!!! but the will of the lord is what i will follow!!!

well sorry my letter is a little all over the place but thats me for ya!! ;) i love you all so much!!!!!!!! have a great week and be safe!!! good luck with everything!!!!!

CON AMOR!!

Hermana Canty

Muy Buenas Tardes

Muy buenas tardes!! :))) espero que todos estén felices y saludables!! :)))))

well this week was a good one!! for starters, we have another meeting with Presidente Ruiz on wednesday! and he talked to us about the Divine Law and Repentance!! (SUPER GREAT!!!) he said something that i REALLY liked, he said, we will all experience our personal Gethsemane. and it is in THAT moment that we come to appriciate the saviors sacrifice more fully!" he also told us, "if you ever think, ´how would i have acted in the times of Jesus´ look at how you are now, ITS THE SAME!" wow!! how i love Presidente Ruiz! those two phrases just hit me! its true, every one of us will at some point in our lives have our "personal Gethsemane" and it is in that moment that we need to turn to the Lord and TRUST in him and USE his atonement!! im sure you all can think of at least a small Gethsemane that you have had to suffer, i invite you all to look at how you reacted, did you turn to the lord or turn away from him!? either way, how can you better prepare yourselves for the NEXT Gethsemane that you will have to do!?

This week has been a week of miracles and small trials. trial and miracle #1 JOSE ANTONIO was baptized!!!!!!! :))))) the service was so spiritual and so beautiful!! but he came late to sacrament meeting and wasnt confirmed.... so we will wait til this sunday!! trial and miracle #2 im a little sick, but the lord is STRENGTHENING THE WEAK!!!! and i have been able to work!!! :))))

but i want to share a quick story with you!! so i hope you all remember Alba (the reference that the elders gave us who is REALLY positive!!) well we went with her yesterday (she didnt come to church again....) and i asked her if she knew that hte church adn the book of mormon were true. and she said, YES! i have prayed and i have even cried bc ive been so happy! and i had a dream!! well she began to tell us the dream she had it goes like this:

we were in her internet, and we were talking, but i was crying. and she asked me why i was crying and i told her that i was so happy that i didnt have words! but that i was also sad. and i just cried, laughed, and cried again! 

and then she woke up! but as she was telling us this dream, i just felt so full of love for this sister!!!! i am so happy that she has recieved an answer to her prayers and knows its true! but also sad bc she hasnt physically showed that faith (by coming to church) and so now that is her challenge, to come to church and forget the fears!! :))) 

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!! its the greatest thing i have ever done! and it makes me sad to think that i have so little time left, but also makes me work harder so that when i finish i have no "what ifs" I KNOW THIS CHURCH IS TRUE!!!! i know that Jesus Christ is my savior and the savior of ALL of us!! i love you all so much and hope you continue to press forward and be strong!! :) I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hermana Canty

Handler´s Miracle Piece

BUENAS TARDES FAMILIA CANTY!!! :))))))

it sounds like you are all doing great...which is what i like to hear!! :) staying busy with all of the camps and trips and everything...whooo hooo!!!! :)) 

well this week was a good one!! :) we are preparing José Antonio for his baptism this weekend!! its also his birthday that day so we are trying to make it super special!! :))) he is really pilas and has such a desire to learn and grow in this gospel!!! :))) also we have had to put in pause some of our investigators, which is sad, but the time of the Lord is precious, and he knows when they will be prepared!! :) speaking of prepared, the Lord has placed PREPARED people in our path! we met like 3 different people this week who are SUPER postive. and i am super excited to see how the gospel helps them!! :)))

but today i want to focus my email on Thursday. we had interviews with Presidente Ruiz that day and so it was a spiritual powerhouse for sure!! :))) he is truly an inspired man, called of God. he knows exactly what to say and share to help each one of us!! (espeically Hermana Canty lol) but also during the interviews we have different workshops! well this week my comp and i were in charge of giving a workshop..SCARY lol but it was about the importance of the holy ghost in conversion! and wow!!! how much i learned from this!! we found a scripture as we were studying that i love!! its in 2 Nephi 33:1

 1 And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty inwriting, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh bythe power of the Holy Ghost the  power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.

i love this scripture bc its like us as missionaries, we arent always the most powerful in speaking and writing, but if we have the Holy Ghost, WE CAN DO EVERYTHING!!! i have a HUGE testimony of this, not just with not knowing spanish, but the lord can speak through us if we have the spirit. well that was the basis of our workshop!! :) 

but like the title of my email says, the assistants shared a GREAT story with us!!! it is about Handler (a great musician from a long time ago) and the story is really long but to sum it he was really famous and then got paralysed in half of his body. he tried a lot of things, and a lot of reading in the bible (especially in Isaiah 53) and after some time he was healed. he wasnt as famous as before and was really poor, but had such a testimony in the healing power of the atonement! and so he wrote a new piece, called Messiah! (he wrote this piece in 13 days, and normally to write such a piece takes more than 1 year!!!!!!) and it is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! and anyway the story goes on and he still doesnt have money, but to earn some money and help people in a debters prision (prision for people who cant pay of their debts) he does a concert to raise money to help free this people from their debts. well he raised so much money that he was able to free 152 people!!!! (we were watching a video of this and listening to Messiah!!) and then in the video they compare it to Jesus Christ. and how he saved all of us from our own personal "debter´s prision" Elder Russell M. Nelson said, (and i love this by the way) "The Lord Jesus Christ paid a debt he didn´t owe because we owed a debt we couldn´t pay." how true that is!!!!! bc of the atonement we are all free from our debts and can be saved!!!!!! handler saved 152 people, while christ saved ALL people!!!! i wish i could send you the video bc its so amazing but hopefully you can look up on youtube the music and see how beautiful it is!!!! 

Presidente talked more about this and the atonement! and we watched a great video from bruce r mckonkie (spelling check...) about his testimony of jesus christ, and wow!!!! HE KNOWS CHRIST!!!!! i hope to one day have a testimony just as strong as his!!! i know that my savior jesus christ loves me and is there to help me 100% of the way!! he truly is the SAVIOR and REDEEMER of the world!! how lucky we are to know this truth!! i know that only through this church we can recieve ALL the blessings that God has for us. and i know that the Lord LOVES US SO MUCH MORE THAN WE CAN IMAGINE!!!!!! 

thank you all for everything!!!!! have a great and enjoy your summer and the trips and everything!! :)))) I LOVE YOU!!!! :))) 

Hermana Canty

And Again I Am Reminded

HELLO FAMILY!!! :)))) oh how are you wonderful people!! :))))))

well i am a REALLY bad daughter because i have been so busy here in Guatemala that i forgot to wish the WORLDS GREATEST DAD EVER a happy Fathers Day! (im so sorry dad, i promise i do love you lol) so in honor of the worlds greatest dad, and the worlds greatest dad-to-be, 

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!!! (dad and jeff!!!)

but anyway, a little about this week!!! so do you remember José Antonio, the joven i talked about last week! well he is our miracle of the week!! :) all week we went with him and tried to put a firm baptism date, but he was a little unsure still. but i knew that we needed to invite him on a sunday, after church! we planned to do that. well sunday came and we called him in the morning and he was already getting ready to go to church. and we showed up at 7:50 (church starts at 8) and he was already there!!!!! and he stayed for all the classes and participated in them too!! well we went to the relief society and he went to the young mens. and i guess there were only 5 young men (1 of which was José Antonio) and so for the batallon mormon that we do every sunday we went to look for the young men who havent been coming! well after church we didnt see jose...he left really fast! and we tried to call him, and nothing! so we were a little worried bc we didnt have a firm cita with him. but we went to the activity, and when we walked in, guess who was sitting the front row, JOSE ANTONIO!!!! our investigator came to visit less active members!!!!! wow!! and he really liked it!! 

and we challenged him with the baptism date, AND HE ACCEPTED!!!! :)))))) i was so happy! ALSO! (sorry so many things happened yesterday!) our ward is going to the temple on saturday, and jose is going with them too!!!!!!!! wow!! how amazing is that! i have really seen the truthfulness of the words of President Hinckley when he said, "every {investigator} needs 3 things, a friend, an asignment, and be nourished by the good word of god." WOW!!! friends (the young men making jose feel at home) the asignment (the batallon mormon) and the word of god (church and the temple) THE WORDS OF THE PROPHETS ARE TRUE!!!! :))) i am so excited for jose antonio!!! :)))}

this week i learned a lot about elevating our spirituality (we had a sisters conference monday and tuesday and that was the theme) and how my eyes have changed! i am half way through my mission, and that terrifies me!!!! but i also still have a lot of time to work in this marvellous work we call missionary work!!! :) i know that our Heavenly Father loves us and is waiting to pour ALL of his blessings on us, if we obey him and let him! he loves all of his children, and how blessed are we to KNOW that we are his children! Keep working hard and TRUSTING in the lord!!! he is aware of each and every one of us!! i love you all so much and am so blessed to have you as my family!!! thank you for everything! have a great week and be safe!!! :)))) I LOVE YOU!!!! :)))))

con mucho amor,

Hermana Canty 

Meet the Mormones, Malacatan

Buenas Tardes Familia!! :)

well first off...sorry for not sending fotos. its just a lot of the computers have virsuses and i have lost a lot of pics. so i will try to print more off and send them to you, or wait!!:)

but i dont have too much time this week so i will give a brief overview of the week (dont worry im writing in my journal again so i will have all the details there!! :P) but where to start???

1: Hermana Alba

we did an area attack this past week and two of the elders contacted her in her house and she said we could visit her! well we went back and visited her! she is SO PILAS!!!! we taught the restoration and gave her a book of mormon and she is reading it!!! we also challenged her with the date of the 20 of June to get baptized and she accepted it!! and said she was coming to church!!! (#golden investigator) but like a lot of them here...they have family from other churches. sunday morning we called her to tell her we were gonna pass by, and she said that her dad had yelled at her for agreeing to come to church and a bunch of other really bad things. i was so sad for her, bc this lady has seriously felt the spirit!!!!! she has!! and its just the fears of the family that are preventing her! but i nkow that if it is her time to be baptized heavenly father will help!!! we are going to pass by this week to see how we can help! bc when someone has felt somehting like she has...you cannot deny it!! please keep her in your prayers.

2: José Antonio

he is a teenager and is really cool! we met him like 2 weeks ago and he has been super pilas since then! he is having a little trouble with reading his book of mormon! but he is more animated to do it now! and also he came to church!!!! :)))))) its been a while since we have had a positive investigator in church and so we were SUPER happy!!! :))))) we are going to put a fecha with him this week! :) i will keep you posted!

well lots of other things happened, but they can be summed up with, HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES US!!! i have felt his love so much this week! even when the work is hard, when the temptations and trials come, HE LOVES US!!! he never forgets about us and he knows our personal challenges!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please trust in him and PRAY to him! talk with him and he will help you! 

i love you all so much and know that i have the greatest family in the whole world!! :))))) thank you all for everything!

Hermana Canty