AÑO NUEVO!! 2016

Wow!!! it was so great to talk to you all on Christmas Day!! and look what this week brings, A NEW YEAR!!! i cant believe another year has passed!!!! its crazy how many things happen in a year! 

well i dont have too much to share because we talked about most of it on christmas, so i will give you guys some challenges!!! ;))) with the new year we always like to make goals..and many times we dont complete them for MANY reasons, but this year i want you all to think about a goal, but a SPIRITUAL goal!!! we always want to be much better than we currently are, and that is a process we need to start now! but we also need to keep in mind that we must start with ONE THING AT A TIME. so i hope you can all make at least one spiritual goal for the year of 2016. it can be anything; read the book of mormon everyday, pray morning and night, fast every month, go to all meetings in church, whatever it is..PLEASE MAKE THE GOAL!!!! the thing i have learned most on the mission is that the spritiual goals matter more!!! its so weird because i will have to think about life goals too this year, but the spiritual goals are the most important because they will help acheive all other goals we have. so that is my challenge to you all!! make a spiritual goal and keep it!! :D

also, la familia mejia is doing great!! unfortuantely their little boy got really sick this sunday and couldnt come, but they were so sad they couldnt come. i know that satan is putting lots of trials in their way but i also know that heavenly father is helping them. they read the book of mormon and hermana karla is so excited and loves learning more and more each time we visit them. i know that they are a miracle family and i am so excited to be able to know them and help them. please keep them in your prayers too that they will be able to overcome the trials that they are having right now!! 

i know that this is the work of the lord, if it wasnt, we as missionaries would have already destroyed it, but i am SO THANKFUL for the oportunity that i have to be a representative of jesus christ and to be able to testify every day of his life and his power. like i said when we talked...if you have doubts of that READ THE LIVING CHRIST!!! keep a copy close by so that you can read it anytime. I KNOW he lives and that he is our savior. he truly is the LIVING CHRIST. 

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!:)))) HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! :)))) 

con amor,

Hermana Canty

FELIZ NAVIDAD Y PROSPERO AÑO

WOW!!!! ITS ALREADY CHRISTMAS TIME!!! it feels like just last year it was this time!!!! ;)) but either way MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!! :))))) well this letter will be a little short..because WE ARE GONNA TALK ON CHRISTMAS DAY and i dont want to ruin all of the surprises, but here was a little about my week 

When i got here to Lincon we didnt have too many investigators, and even though we are still trying to find more, last week we found a FAMILY!!! :))) its a couple and they are so cute. there name is the la Familia Mejia (Karla and Gilberto) we me Karla first and Gilberto this week. well we talked to them about the Book of Mormon and left them an assignment in it to read. well when we went back 2 days later we were GREATLY surprised. *one of the challenges here is that the people dont read very often so when they do its a BIG thing!!* well Karla told us that she was waiting for Gilberto to get home from work to read it, but that she was curious and wanted to read it sooner. but when she picked up the book she felt something tell her, "wait for Gilberto..this is for the 2 of you." and so she waited until he got home and then they READ IT TOGETHER!! she said they were a little scared to read it because they werent sure how they were going to feel or what would happen..but they said a prayer first and felt better and then started reading. and as they read she said they felt more confident in reading it and felt the spirit. I TESTIFY THAT THEY DID FEEL THE SPIRIT!!!!! i was so happy when she told us that. they are so great!!! i know that the lord is working in their lives and that they will continue to progress!! #christmasmiracle

we also had a christmas devotional with Presidente Ruiz and it was so great!! can i just say that i love christmas!!!! i am so grateful that our salvador loved us sufficiently to WILLINGLY leave the presence of our heavenly father and be born HUMBLY in a stable. the king of all the world was born in the most humble way, and he lived his life like that too. HE is the reason for christmas, HE is the life of the world, HE is the hope of the world, HE is the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD! and we must always remember that!!!:))

well thats about all i have today! i love you all so much!!!! have a great christmas eve and day and we will see each other at 6:00 pm mountain standard time and we will talk more!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!! dont forget to think of 2 gifts that you have received from christ, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)))))

con amor,

Hermana Canty

Have I Been Here Before!?

HELLO BEAUTIFUL FAMILY!!! :))

well the big news of the week... HERMANA CANTY HAD CHANGES!! AND IS AGAIN IN MAZATENANGO!!!!!! :D

but other than that this week was good! like i said im in mazate again. but not it the same zone...there are 2 zones here and now im in zona lincoln. its the zone that covers more of the city part of mazate...its kinda weird to be in the city city but i love it. i work a lot in an area thats called San Gabriel, and its really big actually!! im still learning the area, but i love it. my new companion is hermana chan. she is 24 and is from CANCUN MEXICO!! she is super short and a little shy..so we are opposites but she is so great!! she keeps wild hermana canty under control!! ;) she is a great missionary, she is a convert and has such a strong testimony!!!!! i am very lucky and happy to be her companion!! :) i dont know too many member yet bc this weekend was stake conference, but the ones i have met are great!! :)

well we saw some miracles this week!!! 

1) on Saturday we received a reference of a guy named Jorge, and we called him and invited him to the conference sunday morning. well he couldnt come in the morning, but at 5 pm there was a missionary/musical devotional and we invited him to that...AND HE CAME!!! he really liked it! we are gonna meet with him this week to actually teach him but he is really great!! :)

2) the choir last night was from stakes in malacatan and coatepeque...and guess who i saw...PEOPLE I KNOW FROM MALACATAN!!!!!!! i saw my favorite family and members from malacatan!! i was so happy to see them i was jumping around like tiny when we get home!!! ;) these people really are my family!!!! also the choir/orchestra was AMAZING!!!!!!!! there is such a spirit in music!!!!! :)

also just wanted to share somehting with you all...SHARE THE GOSPEL!!! we have the truth and should not be afraid or ashamed to share it!!! :))) but if you are afraid to open your mouth and share it...FIND OTHER WAYS!!! there are so many ways you can share the gospel...use them and share it!! :))))) 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! i love hearing your stories and experiences and i love being able to share mine!! the mission is the BEST! there is nothing better than being a missionary. I TESTIFY OF THAT!!!!!! :)))) have a great week and be safe! enjoy the snow and we will be seeing each other soon!! :)

CON AMOR,

Hermana Canty

Soy la Luz Del Mundo

HELLO BEAUTIFUL FAMILY!! :)))

thank you all so much for the letters and updates and everything!!! it sounds like your week was full and that everyone had a fun time with all the activities!! :))

well just a little update of the work here in GUATEMALA!! :)

1) Franklin is doing great!! we went to visit him this week and he was super happy from church!! he really liked it. we taught him about the book of mormon..even though he had already read all the way up to nephi 1, he read all the intro including the testimonies of the witnesses and joseph smith!!! :) (i dont know who the member is in malacatan who he worked with..but i want to thank him for being such a GREAT member missionary. he taught a lot of things to franklin and it has really helped move the teaching on our part along!!) we also watched the video of the restoration with him!! he is super pilas and wants to learn!! he is reading the book of mormon..even the 3 chapters we left him bc he wanted more to read...! but when we asked him if he had prayed he said yes, but that he hasnt asked specifically if the church is true. and we asked him if he was afraid of the answer..and he said yes! he knows its true but is afraid of receiving the answer..bc when he receives it, he will have to act! his family is SUPER evangelical!!!! but they are really nice to us, and they are glad he is listening to us bc before he wasnt going to a church..and that worried them. i think he is just nervous about changing and being the only one in his family, but i know lots of people (mom included for many years..) who have done it..and i know he can too!!! ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE!! dont be afraid of the answer....the answers god gives are ALWAYS what we need!! :)))))))

2) our district leader saw the hand of the lord really big in his area last week!! they had 38 people in church..INVESTIGATORS..and the normal attendance for their branch is 25.... these people came from a finca (farm) that is in their area. well needlesstosay they were very surprised and have LOTS of work to do! so as a zone we went to their area on friday on to help them visit these people..in the farm. now just to give a little idea of where this place is...we went 30-40 minutes in bus to get to the area of the elders..and then we walked for 20 min until a truck gave us a ride about 7 more minutes up the road. and then we got off and entered into a FOREST and walked about 40 minutes to get to the finca. AND WE WALKED THE ENTIRE WAY!!!! well we got their and started talking to the people who came to church. and they all wanted to learn more. so we put citas for the elders and on sunday they went and gave a big combined lesson to everyone. it was a super far walk..even farther in the dark lol but it was so cool to see these people. i have no idea how they got to the church, other than the hand of the lord taking them there!!! i am super excited to see how these people progress..and who knows..maybe they can start a branch their in the finca!! :P it was so beautiful too!! my testimony of the creation grew!!!!

3) i hope you all had the chance to watch the christmas devotional last night...if not..PLEASE WATCH IT!!!! it was amazing!!! but the things that stood out most are the talks by elder bednar and president uchtdorf!! Elder Bednar seems to have taken my personal study journal and used it as his talk! i have been studying exactly the chapters that he talked about..it was cool. but he talked about how christ is the light of the world. well the signs of christs birth were signs of LIGHT (the day, night, and day without darkness and the new star!!) its because CHRIST BRINGS LIGHT INTO HE LIVES OF THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM!!!!!! one of my favorite lines in the living christ is "He is the LIGHT, the LIFE, and the HOPE of the world" without christ this world would be dark and sad and terrible. i am so thankful that more than 2000 years ago he was born so that all of us could live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if you havent seen the new videos of the church please watch them!!! christmas.mormon.org is the website...WATCH THEM AND SHARE THEM PLEASE!!! :)) i love the savior and i love this time of year!!! :)))

well thats about all i got today!! i just want you all to know that i love you and that this work is the work of the SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!!!! he is our hope and our reason in everything!!!!! i love you!!

con amor,Hermana Canty

Its the Most Wonderful time of the year

HELLO CANTY FAMILY!!! :))))

how are all of you wonderful people doing today!? well i hope your thanksgiving day was full of turkey and stuffing and rolls
and pie!! (mine was too!!!...weird!! :))) 

well as i was thinking this week on Thanksgiving Day i realized that i have LOTS to be grateful for!!! for you all as my family, for my health, for the chance to be a missionary, for the people i have met here, for the church, but most of all, FOR MY SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!!!!!  without him all of the other blessings i have would not exist. i am beyond grateful for him and everything he did/does/will do for me!!!! that is why i LOVE this time of year!!!!! its the time where the entire world can focus on him! there is a new video out from the church, PLEASE WATCH IT AND SHARE IT!!!! we are so blessed to have the gospel and we must share it!!!! :))))

well just a few updates for the week...

carlos came to church this week!!! :)))) he has been hot and cold but he really like the classes yesterday and is progressing really well!! :))) also lorena came too!!!! she had to leave early to see her family (she only sees them on weekends...) but we werent even sure if she was gonna come!!! :)))))))) and we also met a really cool guy this week! his name is franklin. he was studying MALACATAN for 4 months and just got back!!! and he was working with a member who talked to him a lot about the church, and then BAM we showed up to his house. he is super cool and really positive. we told him we would call him sunday in the morning for church, but when we did he didnt answer. we were kinda bummed but also really happy because carlos was there. well when we walked into the church one of the elders asked, "hermana is that guy in the green shirt your investigator!?" i thought he was talking about carlos (who had a red shirt lol) and i said "no.." but as i looked at him i shouted..."YES!! FRANKLIN!!!" i was so happy to see him!! he had gotten to church early and was sitting there. luckily the members were pilas and immediately starting talking to him and one even sat by him :))) it was a great surprise!!! :))))

also this week as a zone we went to a nursing home to visit the elderly. and it was so fun!!! :)))) first...the nursing homes here are a bit different then at home...but still cool! :P we met some really cool people from lots of religions and lots of places but it was great to sing for them and share some juice and cookies!! it really made there day better. but i had a great experience. we walked in and we were saying hi to all of them but there was this one lady sitting on a chair in the hallway and as we said hi to her she just stood up and wrapped him arms around my stomach and hugged me!!! she has some mental disorder, and couldnt talk, but as we stood there hugging i knew our spirits were talking...i couldnt tell waht they were saying but i know they were talking!!! and i just let the tears flow. i will probably never see that lady again but i know we will be friends in the next life! and i look forward to getting to know her more personally!! it was a super cool experience visting the elderly.

i love this work and i love my savior. he is the reason for everything! and as december comes in i hope we can focus on him!!! have a great week and keep up all the good work! enjoy the snow and cold!! :)))  I LOVE YOU!!!!! 

con amor,

Hermana Canty

* Bonus : Just to make you smile

well a funny experience for you all this wonderful monday, and it goes like this:

two hermanas (hermana canty and hermana aguilar) were hungry one thursday afternoon, and decided to go to Asado Franca (a place they had been to before) to eat RamboPan (a very large sandwhich with 5 different meats.) the pan was delicious..until the end when hermana canty saw a meat she didnt recognize...white..squishy..gross..after eating almost the entire sandwich she took out the gross meat she had just found and finished calmly. however as they were leaving said hermana felt REALLY full...to the point she was a little sick to her stomach. but they went to work. after getting off a bus she mentioned to her companion that she felt the need to throw up..not very strong but lightly. while in the lesson with an investigator the stomach of hermana canty was swing dancing, so much so that she couldnt speak, for fear of puking on the feet of the wonderful investigator. she was pulling a "BRAVE" moment and tried to wait it out..but couldnt and had to ask for the bathroom and had to RUN to it before puking all of RamboPan up. to make it worse...the bathroom is RIGHT next to where the lesson was. so instead of feeling the spirit..she smelled lunch. it was very emabarrassing...but it doesnt end there.

after going with a member..and MISTAKINGLY drinking some grape soda..the two hermanas got in a taxi...they didnt drive but 20 feet when hermana canty had to scream "PULL OVER, PULL OVER!" and jumped out of the taxi..and began..again..to puke up all that was in her stomach. IN THE SIDE OF A BARDITCH!! she had lots of spectators (the people in the taxi...the people in the small restaruant..and the people in the streets) after concluding, the hermanas got in a different taxi and headed home. and that is the story of when hermana canty ate INTESTINE!!!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :p


Hermana Canty

Agradecidos En Todas Las Cosas

WELL WELL WELL HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :))))))

eventhough they dont celebrate it here...we are going to this year. so thats definitely something to be grateful for!! :))) i hope this week we can all remember the things we are truly grateful for and the MANY BLESSINGS our heavenly father gives us each day!!!! :))) 

this week was good and wet!! we got soaked everyday and it was GREAT!! :))) the people think we are crazy walking and working in the rain storms that happen here..but we are in the work of salvation and a little water cant stop us!! ;) but on a serious note this week was really good. 

we had some great lessons with our investigators, we have this lady named Amarilis (we contacted her in a bus a few weeks ago and she is really great!) she is a single mom and is way great! we taught her a lot about prayer and the holy ghost this week. she has been reading every assignment we have given her and is praying to know if the church is true...she just hasnt recieved her answer yet. hermana aguilar and i were thinking a lot about that this week and decided that maybe she wasnt praying in the right way. (here is guatemala almost EVERYONE goes to a church..mostly evangelical, and so they know how to pray...in some way or another. but as we know..God has instructed us how we should do it. so we decided to have a lesson with her about that and how we need to KNEEL to our father and ask specifically for the things we want. it was a great lesson..and to make it better we went with Hermana Johana...she is the super pilas ex-missionary in the ward!! :) it was great to have her because she was able to bear STRONG testimony to Amarilis.

also we have another investigator whos name is carlos. he is the son of another investigator...elizabeth (she and her partner..hector cant get married for a BUNCH of complicated reasons that are personal and long so just remember that they can get baptized right now lol) anywho with carlos. he is super great!! really pilas and like amarilis, reads and prays!!!! but still is hestitant about accepting a fecha for baptism! but i know that heavenly father is working in him!! we have some super lessons planned for him this week and we hope to help him accept a fecha for december!! :))) 

one thing i learned this week is that we can lead a horse to water but cant make him drink!! we can do all we can for people, but its up to them to decide, but we MUST DO ALL WE CAN!!!!!!! :)))) I LOVE MISISONARY WORK!!!! its the best work and we are all members of it!!! just want you all to know how GRATEFUL i am for each one of you and the blessings you are in my life!!! i am the luckiest person in the world to have a family like you!!!!!! please eat LOTS of food for me this week..and even more pie!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!

CON AMOR Y GRATITUD

Hermana Canty