Elise at temple

Elise at temple
Hermana Moser

Monday, December 15, 2014

Another Week Bites the Dust

This week went by so fast. Seriously. Anyone else feel like time is rushing by faster than a speeding bullet? No? Just me? Alright then. 

This week was awesome because we found a lot of SUPER prepared people. Por ejemplo: The mom of Jorge does not really want much to do with our lessons.. but she has been giving us references like it is her job. Everyone she meets that has a problem she says, "These two muchachas have been visiting my son and they have helped him a lot! Can they come visit you?" Boom. References. It is the best. She gave us a reference of a couple a week ago that we never got around to visiting, but then they found us! Wait. Let me start the story over again so that it makes more sense.

Last tuesday we were going to District class. We were halfway there, when I realized that I had forgotten the phone. Surprise surprise. Some things never change. So we went back to get the phone and when we left the house again, this random couple was standing there. They said, "Excuse me.. are you the missionaries?" And we said "yes, we certainly are. Can we help you?" And they said, "Yes. Jorge´s mom said you were going to come see us, but then you never did. We saw you walking this way and we thought ´¨maybe that´s them¨. Do you think you could come talk to us?" WHAT?! Things like that don´t just happen. So we went to see them the next day. They have a lot of problems. They are very poor because two months ago the hermano fell off a roof and broke his foot in a big way. He has three screws keeping his foot together until it heals. They had to sell everything to pay the medical expenses. They live in this tiny wooden shack that is big enough for only a bed and a garbage can full of their clothes. We teach standing up because they do not have chairs. They fully recognize the need to change from the people they were before, and they want to do it. The hermana has a baptism date for the 27th and he has a date for when he heals and can get his foot wet. :) They are awesome. 

The other guy I think I told you about last week. His name is Jose, and he has started bringing all of his friends to church with him! And this after only one week! He told us that he feels like we were brought into his life at the perfect time. He is SO ready to be baptized... except for the tiny detail of not being married. Ugh. No  one here is married. We are waiting for his wife to get back to town so that se casen and luego se bauticen. :) 

President Morales was here this weekend because we had district conference. There were so many people in the church! Everyone from the district was there. They even had a seventy there. He came with the president to check our house. Don´t worry... everything was clean. Whew. 

The best part of the conference was when one hermana mentioned that they had never had the opportunity to have sister missionaries in Tenosique while bearing her testimony. President Morales was the next speaker. He had all the missionaries go up to recite our purpose, but before that he had to make one little announcment. "Hermana," he says, " I am sorry, but I have to make a correction to something you said. You said that Tenosique has never had sister missionaries, but you most certainly have. Where is sister Moser?" I was in the back of all the missionaries, but I was forcefully pushed to the front. "Here is the missionary that had a problem with migration and went to Tenosique. She did quite a bit of proselyting there in the jail." hahaha. ha. He will never let me live that down. 

My poor baby Jesse! HE IS hUGE! I can´t get over how long his legs are. Maybe this happened to stunt his growth? haha. What happened, exactly? 

All right.. pues, creo que es todo. I hope you are all happy and well and singing christmas carols. I am sure excited to see your smiling faces in 10 days! (Nooo I am not counting). haha 

I love you I love you I love you! 

Hermana Moser

Thanksgiving Attempt Pictures


This is a tick by where we wash clothes. I squished one. Never again. It was disgusting.



                    Thanksgiving breakfast! 
French toast, mashed potatoes, hot chocolate...and the rest.



                   This was our Thanksgiving pie! 
(It is not really pie.. it is a cookie. But it looks like pie, right?)



Things got a little intense during companionship inventory.

The puzzle letter!

Hellobye

December 1, 2014

Sorry I have like zero time to write right now. We have to go to Palenque to meet with the zone leaders to go to villahermosa for a leadership conference. I am a nervous wreck. And we have to go catch a combie and so that is why I have approximately 5 minutes to write ya´ll.
 
I saw the Whytes!!! THEY CAME AND IT WAS AWESOME! I will write more next week.
 
I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU! If they give me more time in Villa, I will write later tonight.
 
Thanks for your love and prayers!
 
HAPPY THANKSGIVING that was last week and I forgot! My bad.
 
Hermana Moser

Monday, November 24, 2014

Hello family! 

I just saw the time and then I panicked and LITERALLY all of my thoughts left me. I have not as much time to write as I thought I did. I apologize. 

This week we put up our Christmas tree :) I know Dad says "thou shalt not have Christmas before Thanksgiving" but... Well, I am in Mexico and so those rules don`t apply. They do not have Thanksgiving. It was rainy last week, too, so we were all in blankets and sweatshirts with hot chocolate...A Christmas tree just seemed the perfect thing. And yes, it is the Christmas tree that ya`ll sent me last year. Since my package got here late, we didn`t have the chance to use it last year. I have saved it all of this time... And it was worth it. :) 

This week we also went to help some lovely old people dig up some yucca. I actually thought we were going to just help COOK the yucca, but we participated in the entire process. We dug up the yucca, we watched hermano Rosio wash the yucca, we peeled the yucca, we cut up the yucca, we ground the yucca, and then we fried that yucca right up. It is delicious. And also a lot of work. We ended by singing them a hymn, and they said "I think we`ll try your church this week." WHAT?! Solitos they said that... we did not even ask them. The best part is they fulfilled their committment! We went to get them sunday morning and they were there ready to go! They are precious. We took them to church. They loved sacrement meeting so much they decided to stay for gospel principles. They loved gospel principles too, so they decided to stay the third hour. Afterward, we showed all the investigatores the baptismal font. One hermana said, "I am going to get baptized here... First I have to get married, and then I am going to get baptized." And then our investigador, named Haida, said,, "ME TOO! I am going to get married, and then I am going to be baptized." IT WAS THE BEST! The church is true. I love church. Of course, now we have another wedding to plan... and she did say something about another husband in Chiapas... but it`s fine. We have faith. CHRISTMAS BAPTISMS BABY!!!!

Something else totally random happened this week: We had cambios again, and now we have a new district leader. Do you want to know who it is? Elder Kohl Bingham.. from Blackfoot, Idaho. Super weird. hahaha.. It`ll be a good time. 

Wow. I am sorry this was lame. I will do better next week. This time it is a PROMISE.

I love you I love you I love you!

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Hermana Moser
My sweet Christmas Tree!  I waited all year for this!

Overlooking Zapata.

Pulling up the yucca.

Washing the yucca.

Peeling the yucca.

Grinding the yucca.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Sister Solis and Me






Soaking Wet!


This is the cemetery I told you about.


I Told Ya So!

November 17, 2014

BueNAS querida familia que adoro... 

Como están? Good? Great. I am so GLAD to hear that. Things are going great for us too! I TOLD you it would be a great week! 

I never remember what I have already told you, so I guess I will just start a the beginning: We met Matilde and Pablo a couple weeks ago because Matilde wanted me to come to her house and translate some Christian Music that she had in English. So... we went. It turned into a gospel conversation and a cita to return. She then introduced us to her husband, Pablo, who is awesome. He is so hilarious. He worked in Arizona when he was younger so he knows a little English... but very little. And when I start talking in English he gets a little overwhelmed. hahaha I wish you could meet him. When we invited them to be baptized he said, "Sure! Why not?" It was Matilde who felt like she needed more preparation. Long story short, Pablo had to work on Sunday, so he couldn`t come... but Matilde came! We did not even see her come in until half-way through sacrament meeting! We were SO HAPPY! She did say something about not enjoying the catter of all of the children.... But I am choosing to overlook that. SHE CAME TO CHURCH! WHOOOO!!!!!!

I have been so proud of the missionary-work type things y'all have been doing! It is so exciting, isn`t it? When people really accept.. when they study and pray and want to learn... it is the best feeling in the world. There is nothing like it. OH there is nothing like being a missionary. 

Speaking of.. Today in comp study we read some really awesome quotes from church presidents. They are found in Preach my Gospel...

"Let the Saints remember that great things depend on their individual exertion, and that they are called to be co-workers with us and the Holy spirit in accomplishing the great work of the last days."  Jose Smith

"There is neither man or woman in this Church who is not on a mission.  That mission will last as long as they live, and it is to do good, to promote righteousness, to teach the principles of truth that they may obtain eternal life."  Brigham Young

“We have mission in the world: each man, each woman, each child who has grown to understanding or to the years of accountability, ought … to be qualified to preach the truth, to bear testimony of the truth” -George Albert Smith

You should go read the rest of them. they are POWERFUL.

Oh... I am almost out of time, but I feel like you should probably be aware that I have been called as the lider capacitadora. It means "sister training leader" in English. I did not remember that, and it was embarrassing when the president extended the assignment in English and I did not understand him. In my defense, he DOES have an accent. I don't really know what it means, but I am excited and super nervous to find out. Good thing we all know that God is in charge of this work. If I wasn`t 100% sure of that, I would think the president had lost his mind.


Sorry this email was lame and didn't make sense. I´ll try better next week.

I love you I love you I love you! 

Hermana Moser


12 months later... Wait, what?

November 10, 2014
Hellooooo familia mía

Remember that time I didn´t see you for 12 months? Weird. I was thinking about that today. I have had so many experiences and have met so many people and it kind of freaks me out that ya´ll do not know them. Does that make any sense? I mean.. it also freaks me out that I know next to nothing about your lives from the last year. And then at the same time it feels like I have been gone maybe one month. Time is the weirdest. 

This week was hard because the whole world left Zapata. Or maybe just our investigators. And they actually only left Sunday. But that is a huge deal when church attendance is effected! We have not had anyone at church for 3 weeks now, and it has been hard to not be discouraged. We are doing our best because, as PME says, when your... animo .. (como se dice en Ingles? haha whoops) goes down, so does your faith and therefore your effectiveness. But, there ya go. A hard week for the mission, Pero bueno.

Then today I was reading in Alma 8. (This story is significant because my ENTIRE mission I have been looking for how to be a super missionary like Alma or Amulek or Aaron or Ammon..... maybe I should spell my name A-lise? hahaha.. joking). In this chapter Alma was really discouraged because all of the people would rather stay with the wicked traditions of their fathers than hear the truth. Luego, as Alma is dejectedly leaving the city that he worked so hard to help, and angel appears and tells him to rejoice! He says (in vs 15.. I do not have English scriptures right now) "Lavanta la cabeza y regocíjate, pues tienes mucho por que alegrarte; pues ha sido fiel en guardar los mandamientos de Dios.." I felt like he was talking to me. Lift up your head and REJOICE! We have so much to be grateful for! We have seen so many blessings and tender mercies and miracles! It is AWESOME TO BE A MISSIONARY! Afterward, the angel sends Alma right back into that city. It is only then that he finds Amulek and they begin to have success. It was awesome because even missionaries like Alma had hard weeks. Even missionaries like Alma were tempted to feel discouraged. Missionaries like Alma were exactly obedient. Missionaries like Alma had success in the end. Did that make sense? It made sense to me. Ah.. I love the Book of Mormon. 

You asked for a funny story. Aqui esta: 

We had a conference with President Morales this week. Apparently there have been gas leaks in apartments of missionaries somewhere in the world, and he gave us all gas detectors. That´s right, Mom... you bet he started with the gas jokes. "Maybe we shouldn´t plug it in right now. That would be embarrassing for some people." "Just don´t put it in the bathroom, okay?" etcetera. hahaha He is hilarious. I am so glad he is my mission president! 

The conferences was really awesome, though. We talked about how to work more with the members and how to contact and how to edify the church. We are not here to baptize people just so they can go inactive. We are here so that someday the little rama Zapata will be a thriving and wonderful stake of zion. We were all inspired. I love Presidente Morales y su esposa :) 

This week is gonna be awesome.

I love you I love you i love you!

Hermana Moser

Monday, November 3, 2014

It´s the MOST wonderful time of the yeaaarrrr....

I know that I should not be singing Christmas songs... buuut I actually can´t help it. The weather has cooled off and it is November and there are Christmas decorations in the store. If I ever bring you to Tabasco, we are coming in November. It is perfect right now.

I was hoping for some Hallaween photos... pero bueno. Here in Mexico they do not celebrate Halloween. They think it is creepy and weird to dress up and ask for candy. Only the children in the local English clases enjoy that kind of tradition. I saw exactly 1 kid dressed up. And his costume was just face paint. Instead of stuffing their faces full of sugar for no reason, they have what is called El Dia de Muertos. It is kind of like memorial day, only different. They go to the graves of their loved ones, clean up (literally sweeping and moping because their tombs are like mini houses), light a candle, and sit there with them all day. And some all night. #creepy. The whole world makes tamalles and sets them out as an offering for the spirits that are going to come visit. It is an interesting tradition. We went to the cemetary to offer our services and we got a lot of references. They didn´t really want to listen to our message, but they sure liked our hymns :) 

Last... Wednesday? we got caught in a freak rain storm. It came out of nowhere and we were very unprepared. We found ourselves a little overhang to protect ourselves from the flooded, river-like streets and ended up meeting a whole lot of people. The best one was when Hermana Solis wanted a plastic bag to protect her books. I said, "Why don´t we ask this man who is watching the rain from his window?" So we went and asked him, and her literally immediately opened the door and invited us in. He was really excited. It turns out that his primo lives in BARRIO DEPORTIVA and is the counselor in the stake presidency there. YES, I KNOW HIM! Crazy. He has always wanted to go to our church, but he has never had the opportunity. He has to work this Sunday, so unfortunately that means he still has to wait a little bit longer, but he is so prepared it is unreal. We went last night to teach them, and when we extended the baptismal invitation he just said, "Yes. Of course! And I am not just saying that, eh? I am saying that with my whole heart. I want to be baptized. I want to congregate myself with this church." It was incredible. And his wife said the same. We are VERY EXCITED TO TEACH THEM! When he was talking I just kept thinking "Is this real? This doesn´t happen. This only happens in Mormon movies." Nope. Real life. Ah., Zapata is the best. 

What else what else.... Oh. Sewer situation is fixed. I mean.. it happened again a little.. but we fixed it. We are super missionaries. But really.. my gag reflex has never been so tested. 

I love you I love you I love you!

Remember who you are and what you stand for. 

Hermana Moser

Thursday, October 30, 2014

It´s the most stressful p-day of allll....

Monday, Oct. 28, 2014
HOLA!

My poor companion. She has not had a normal p-day in all of her mission. I mean.. she still hasn´t been out for a whole month yet, but still... 

The Presidente, o sea, Presidente Morales, called us at 10:40 last Monday night, and about scared the jelly right out of me. What he was doing up at that late hour I will never know... haha. He told us that we were going to need to move. What happened was that we lived really close to the river, and now entering the rainy season... well, it has raised substantially and he was worried about us. :) sooo that translates to having to move and that translates to a lot of stress because moving is generally stressful. We had to pack everything, and now we live in a little apartment with Hermana Ayala and Hermana Thompson. They are great, and we are going to have a wonderful time. It is just a little hard still because we have SO MANY THINGS: 2 microwaves, 6 beds, 2 parillas, 6 tables, 100000 folletos.... I am stressed out just thinking about having to go home and organize everything. 

Also stressing me out: the, um... how do I put this delicately? Our.. plumbing system has had a bit of a problem. Long story short, the things that should have been "flushed away" are currently sitting on the back patio. We do not know what to do. It is going to be a GREAT night.

My companion is the greatest! She is so sweet. She loves to sing REALLY loud and at all times. It is really entertaining. She is really excited to help, and she knows a lot already. I feel really silly when we have to do the 12 semana program. I seriously do not feel qualified to teach someone how to be a missionary. haha... Oh well. Ni modo. The best is when she gets really excited and starts to contact someone, and then she gets scared halfway through and looks at me like "HELP." hahaha She is precious. 

We had a date set for Itzigari this last saturday, and her interview was scheduled for Thursday. When we called her that morning she said that someone had told her super-Catholic mom that she was hanging out with the Mormons, and that she had gotten really upset. She basically told us that she did not want to get baptized anymore, but she still wanted to listen, read the Book of Mormon, and go to church. Well... that is not actually okay, so we ran over there as fast as our little water-logged shoes could carry us. We went there and we read 3 Nefi 11. We read slowly and analyzed and applied and learned and the spirit was awesome. And then we had her pray about what we had read. Her prayer was so sweet. So simple and so perfect. When we stood up she just said, "I know it´s true. I want to be baptized." BOOM! YES! It was awesome. I just wanted to do a fist pump in the air because the Spirit is REAL and Heavenly Father works miracles!!! It is something I am seeing again and again and again. It does not get old.

And so Itzigari was baptized on Saturday! Unfortunately, she was not confirmed on Sunday because of the time change. We had day-light savings again and she had thought she was too late for church. haha.. Next week. 

OH! That same Thursday, we took a field trip mid-study to see our landlady about moving out. I just took the phone and my planner, because I did not want to carry around my 1000 pound bag. Besides... what more could I need? OH. That´s right... KEYS. And the best part is I didn´t realize I didn´t have the keys until we had walked all the way home. In the rain. So then we had to walk all the way back to the nice land lady and explain to her that I am a bit of an air head... Luckily she had the key. She also was pretty entertained. It was so embarrassing. Did I mention I feel underqualified to train? hahaha... My life is so exciting. 

Well.. I love you I love you I love you! I am SO GLAD that you are all well. Keep safe, especially from this scary ebola thing. Who knows what that is? 

Paz y bendiciones, 

Hermana Moser

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

PALENQUE


Hola,

I do not have a lot of time to write today because we actually still have a whole lot to do today that we have not done. Why have we not done our normal P-day activities, you ask? Well, because we went to PALENQUE to see the RUINS!!!!!!

It was the best. I am not even joking. Maybe it is because I love history... but I don´t think so. I am pretty sure anybody would love the ruins of Palenque because they are awesome. Especially because we had the coolest tour guide in the world. She was a 27 year old recent convert/ returned missionary that grew up playing hide and seek in the ruins. She owns one of the little stores there, too. Long story short: She knows everything. She knows all the stories and all the secrets AND she also relates everything to the Book of Mormon. 

Por ejemplo: There was this great governor that the Mayan people had named Pacán (or something like that) who had a really huge temple built for himself as a tomb. The cover of his coffin has this weird design on it, but our guide showed us how the top part represented a type of heaven, and the bottom part a type of hell. In the middle was Pacán... in some sort of waiting place in between. There was also a cross on it. She said that the members there believe that this cover shows his understanding of the spirit world, that he knew he was going to be in a place of waiting, and that he also knew of Jesus Christ. They think he was a Nephite or a Lamanite and it was SO COOL. Wow. My words do not make sense. I apologize. But there was also a tower like the tower of King Benjamin. I AM LIVING IN BOOK OF MORMON COUNTRY. My mission is so cool. 

It is for this precise reason that I love testifying of the Book of Mormon. Hermana Solis (my new companion.. who is from Morelos Mexico and is the most adorable thing ever) and I have decided to start contacting with the Book of Mormon, and it has been a wonderful thing. I love talking about it, because these people are literally the descendents of Lehi and that blows my mind. I just want them to understand so badly! "THEY WROTE THIS FOR YOU!"

We have met a lot of wonderful people that way, but there are still some that don´t understand. The other day we went to visit this lady we have been teaching, but only her husband was there. He was "sleeping." So we left a note and went away. We passed by again about 10 minutes later to go to another appointment, and when we came within sight of the house we heard "DAD! THEY´RE COMING AGAIN!!" haha. We literally watched him JUMP back into the hammock and start "sleeping" again. It hurt my feelings, but it was also hilarious. I don´t think we´ll be going back.

Itzigari came to church on Sunday! AND she said her husband has stopped drinking! She loved church. I will tell you why: Church is the best. haha.. Especially this Sunday because it was the primary program! I played the piano, and one of the primary children directed the singing! It was precious. And then in principios del evangelio a recent convert talked about the gathering of Israel, and it was also awesome. She´s knows how to explain things in a way that everyone will understand, and she testifies like she has been a member all her life. She is awesome. And then in relief society we had this amazing lesson on love and charity and being a friend to those in need. It was perfect. They ended the lesson with everybody giving hugs and notes of love to everybody else. I LOVE CHURCH!

The Church is true. It has been restored. It is the church Christ would have us be a part of. The Book of Mormon is SO TRUE. It is awesome. I love it. 

Read your scriptures, say your prayers, spread the gospel.

I love you I love you I love you!

Hermana Moser

Shout out to Aunt Becky, Katie, Julian, and Amber for the dearelders! LOVE YOU GUYS! :)

Monday, October 20, 2014

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

October 15, 2014
Hey fam!

I apologize for the yelling. It´s just, well, we have had ourselves some cambios, and DESPITE the shameless hints we have been putting in our emails to the president about how much we wanted to stay together....Hermana Pasley and I have been separated. It. Is. Devastating. 

But that is not actually the reason that I was yelling like that. No, that would be from the part that came next. Says the lider capacitadora: "Es que.. Hermana Moser va a entrenar." 

I´m sorry... What?

Yep. This girl is about to become a trainer, which is a good joke because suddenly I feel like I got here yesterday and that I am the one that needs a trainer. 

So I am super nervous but it is awesome because I get to hang out here in DEPORTIVA! until tomorrow when we have the special devotional where we meet our new companions. It is really weird to be here again, but I am super excited because we are about to have a noche de hogar en la capilla and I am hoping that Matilde and Nancy and Leudy will be there! 

Wow. All that excitement about cambios has literally pushed from my brain everything else that happened this week. I am serious. I am here trying and I cannot focus. I sincerely apologize for the lameness of this email. 

Yesterday was fast and testimony meeting. It was awesome, because on Saturday they had a recent convert famiy go to the temple to get sealed. They were so precious as the went up to bear their testimonies. One of their kids, who is probably 6, could not see over the stand even with the little stool thing! He was the cutest. I especially liked something that the hermana said. She was talking about how everyone asks here why there are no crosses or images of stuff on our churches. She talked about how we do not have the crosses because we believe in a LIVING Christ. So what would be our symbol that proves our status as Christians? "..The pure love of a living Christ that we can share with those around us." It really struck a cord with me. Charity is literally the thing that sets us apart. We just need to all be a little bit better about it. 


Well.. I know that a lot of awesome things happened this week... I just cannot remember them. Please remember me and my poor little companion in your prayers this week. We are going to need them even more than before. 

I love you I love you I love you

Hermana Moser

Monday, October 6, 2014

Fair Week is NOT FUN in Mexico

HEY FAMILY!

Guess what! The fair is in town! And it is RUINING OUR LIVES. haha.. I am joking. But also kind of not, because everyone is always there and not in their houses where they should be. It has made teaching become a bit of a joke. Either they are not there, or they are about to leave. Or they are there and just completely drunk. The past three days have been a lot of "Are you KIDDING me?!" But don`t you worry about it. We are strong and we have faith.. and after that conference we are UNSTOPPABLE.

Seriously, though. Wasn`t conference the best thing ever? I LOVE CONFERENCE! It is better than any holiday in the mission. The entire time I sat there I just kept thinking, "This is so true. This is SO TRUE!!! IT is not even a little bit not true!" It was the best to just be able to sit there and listen to people that know the doctrine. They know it and they live it and they can cite and defend it. Sometimes I just want Elder Holland to be my mission companion, ya know? 

I especially loved Elder Ballard's talk. STAY IN THE BOAT. It is not hard to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. What is hard is to get over the laziness.. o sea, the natural man...that is so inherent in each one of us. It requires effort to stay in the boat, keep your life jacket on, and hold on with both hands. (2 Nefi 25:23) But as a missionary, you see who the people are that make the effort, and what a true and lasting change it brings to their lives. It is so important to do the small things!!! It is the only way that any of us will ever obtain a real and lasting testimony of the truth. 

There is also a scripture in 2 nefi 26 that I LOVE and that reminds me of conference. It says, "He doesn`t do anything unless that it be for the benefit of the world. Because he loves the world, so that he gave his own life to bring all men unto him.." As we walked around yesterday...  and walked... and walked... (because again.. LITERaLLY no one was home).. we just kept talking about how awesome it was to have the prophet of God speak to us. Everything that was said was 100% true and was ONLY for our benefit. Over and over they said we need to repent, we need to pray, we need to follow the prophet, we need to love. IT IS SO COOL! IT IS SO TRUE!!! AND I CANNOT express my thoughts sufficiently via email. I can`t wait to see you at Christmas so that I can semi-expresarme in person! 

Well. I think that`s probably it. I am serious, nothing really happened this week. 

OH wait! I forgot something I have been wanting to tell Dad: I have eaten catfish. Twice. And you are right.. those things are freaky. The skin does not cut like normal fish skin. It tastes alright.. but it gives me the shudders. 

I love you I love you I love you!

Hermana Moser

Monday, September 29, 2014

There can be MIRACLES when you BELIEVE

My dearest family,

WOW. WHAT A WEEK. I know that I probably mention that the mission is an emotional roller coaster like every week, but this was the craziest week I have ever had. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually. 

It all started with these two ridiculously hard baptisms that we had planned for the same Saturday. If they hadn´t been planned according to answers to prayers, I can assure you we would have pushed one of them back. But, like Nephi, we were determined to GO and DO what the Lord hath commanded. It just turns out sometimes the acting part is exhausting. 

We first had Gloria, who had to get married before she could be baptized. The only problem was that the registro civil here in Zapata wanted some paper that was evidence that she was single. So that is lame because she is obviously not with anyone else. She has been with her current boyfriend for a while, and they have 8 month old triplets. HELLO. But, the law is the law and we are all about respecting it and stuff, so we tried to get the paper. The only problem with this paper is that it is super hard to obtain, and it was going to take too long to do all the paperwork. So we all went to Palenque (in another state) to get those two married. Why? Because the registro civil in Chiapas is WAY less annoying than the registros civiles here in Tabasco. So they got married and they are beautiful and perfect and Hermana Pasley and I are coming back in a year to see them all get sealed :) 
Wedding

Baptism

Future eternal family with darling triplets!
 
LUEGO (Then) we had good ole Jorge, who has the faith like unto Enos. (Enos is his favorite. He relates EVERYTHING back to Enos. I love it). As before mentioned, Jorge cannot move his lower body due to a nasty fall and a spinal injury. His preparations were even MORE complicated than the wedding. First we had to find a camilla, then we had to find an ambulance to transport him... Then he had a health scare and had to go to Villahermosa. Luckily, there are elders in Villahermosa that were willing to go give him a blessing. The whole week was just one big stress monster. Hermana Pasley and I just laughed all the time because we literally did not know what else to do.  WHAT are two super American sisters doing planning the baptism of a boy that cannot walk?! haha.. 
 
 
 It was quite the adventure, I tell you what. Long story short, Saturday there were still problems with our plans.. but thanks to some super supportive rama members, everything turned out fine. Jorge se bautizo, and it was the most beautiful moment I have ever experienced in my mission. 

 
Although it was really funny when they got him in the water.. Jorge on his blue camilla with like five priesthood holders surrounding him ready to push it all under... only to find that camillas float! haha... So the actual baptism was a little bit more challenging than we had anticipated. It took them four tries, but they eventually got him under the water. He was confirmed immediately after in the hallway. The point is he is BAPTIZED and miracles happen and it was the COOLEST EVER. 
 
Mom had a lot of questions this week. Ahem:
1,  The thing I miss most about America is the cleanliness. ALSO that the bathrooms are 1) free and 2) have toilet paper AND soap. I know dad complains about all the laws and stuff.. but I am starting to feel real grateful for how regulated the states are. 
2.  No. people are terrible with time. We told everyone the baptism would start at 5 so that it would really start at 6. 
3.  Our new apartment is really simple. Maybe I´ll take some pictures next week. There are lots of lizard like creatures, but it is WAY cooler.. literally.. than either Frontier or Deportiva. Love it. 
4.  Toilet is fine. Washer is weird, and it is at a members house. There are no dryers. 
5.  YES. The churches and the temples feel the same as anywhere else. EXCEPT for the part where there are no benches. Just cushioned chairs. And also there is no carpet. OH! That is another thing I miss about America!!!... carpet. And couches. I just want to lay on a nice, cushy couch once in a while, ya know?
I love you I love you I love you!
Hermana Moser

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

"He is trying to FIGHT me, sir!"

These first three pictures go with my story about being detained because I was not carrying my visa.  This was our blessed  post-"prison" meal.

Hermana Cabrera, who was good enough to speak up when border agents had not asked to see her papers, thus providing me with a companion during my detainment for 8 hours. She didn't have hers either.
   
President and his family....our rescuers!


Holaa ya´ll!

This week was... interesting. Like an emotional roller coaster the likes of which I have never seen. I laughed.. I cried... I was shocked AND appalled.. I was tired..Well, I am literally always tired, so that one is not really surprising. 

It all started with this lovely couple that we contacted about two weeks ago. Hermana Pasley had gone with Hermana Briseño (our sister training leader) to see them when we had divisions. Apparently, they had taught the entire first lesson and saw little to no acceptance from the lovely investigatores heretofore mentioned. The hermano didn´t want to read the Book of Mormon, but the hermana was willing to try it out. They left a Book of Mormon there for them, and set an appointment for this week.

Well, we went with the intention of helping them understand why the Book of Mormon is so important. However, this man was very very closed. He would not.. Oh dear....no me hizo caso.  How do you say that? haha.. whoops.  [ignored me] The point is, every scripture we had he would either 1) Disregard it completely or 2) interpret in a different form. It was more than a little frustrating. We showed him the video of Elder Hollands testimony. We bore our testimonies with all the strength of a gringa spanish vocabulary. We challenged him to read and to pray. And he said no. He did not even want an answer from God. He is just 100% content with the Bible.

 I felt terrible. I am not joking. The only thing I want here is for people to accept the gospel and all the happiness that it brings us! And when they don´t want it at all it just breaks my heart into a thousand tiny little pieces. I tried to keep it together, but during the closing prayer I just could not stop the tears. WHY can´t they feel the spirit? WHY is this so hard for them to accept? Am I doing something wrong? Am I not good enough? WHY can´t we just be Alma and Amulek already??

The next day I was reading in 1st Nefi where it says... in a rough English translation: "Because the things that some men consider to be of great importance, for the body as well for the soul, others will take for nothing and with trample them under their feet; yea, even the God of Israel do men trample under their feet...they count him for nothing, and don´t hearken to the voice of his counsel." (1 Nefi 19:7) 

I remembered the youtube video we watched in mission prep called "The Atonement and Missionary Work" where Elder Holland is talking about why the mission can be so difficult. It is so difficult because we are representatives of Christ, and it was NEVER easy for Him. If people rejected the very Son of God, who am I to expect that every person will accept what I have to say? It was a very humbling moment for me, and also a very direct and wonderful answer from the Book  of Mormon. I just KNOW that book is true! 

Hermana Pasley and I have actually had a lot of interesting moments like that this week. Moments of "Get away, drunk man... ya bug me." and "Why is this guy singing a hymn that nobody knows?" and "It is just so TRUE!!" Sometimes we just look at each other like, "It is so true. This church is SO TRUE!" Like, not even a little bit not. We are so blessed.  

But seriously.. it was such an interesting week. Someday you´ll have to ask me about Jose Fancisco´s American Idol audition... It was a great time. 

We also have a miracle baptism happening this weekend! I mean... Estamos esperando, verdad? jaja.. It is the young man that had an accident and is paralyzed from the waist down. We still don´t know how he will be baptized.. but when we challenged him he said yes immediately. He did not even have to think about it. It was the best feeling in the whole world to have someone SO prepared and so willing! We love him. We also love Gloria, who will be getting baptized this weekend too, as long as everything works out with her papers and she gets married this week :)

Love the Lord. Love the work. Love all of you.
I love you I love you I love you
Peace an blessin´s. 

Hermana Moser

Hermana Pasley and I

This is Chikis, who reminded me so much of my brother Jesse, on his baptism day.  I wrote about him a couple of weeks ago, waiting at the bottom of the hill in his church clothes, all smiles.


Monday, September 15, 2014

VIVA MÉXICO!!!! *cue mexican laugh*

Mí quierdo familia,

This week was wonderful! We had the baptism of Chikis, who turned 8 on sunday and was SO excited to be baptized he just couldn´t wait until Saturday. So we woke up before the crack of dawn so that he could be baptized and confirmed the same day. He was the most precious little child ever. We went to pick him and his mom up, and he was just standing at the bottom of the hill in his little white shirt and suit with a HUGE grin on his face. And then when he entered the water he just could not stop smiling! HE was the cutest! He reminds me SO Much of Jesse. I am not joking. Just picture a little Mexican Jesse, and there you have Chikis. (His real name is José Miguel, just by the way. All the kids in this familiy have fun nicknames. Poncho is the next on the list to get baptized :)) 

We also went with Gloria this week to check on her papers so that she can get married on Friday, buuuttt she is from Chiapas, and apparently she has to go to there to get her papel de solteria. (something that says she is not already married). This is silly, because she has been with the same guy for a long time, she is only 23, and they have triplets... but rules are rules. The only problem is that the offices won´t open again until wednesday, because today and tomorrow they are celebrating independence day, mexican style, and so all the official places are closed. We still have faith that it will all work out! 

Alright Mom, it´s FINE. I´ll tell you the story! 

Once upon a time we went to Palenque for zone conference. Except for we didn´t actually make it to the zone conference because we got stopped at the border by the immigration police. When they saw that it was full of Americanas, they asked for our visas. Pues, President Morales had forgotten to give me my real visa when I left Villahermosa, and all I had was a copy of the original. The immigration guy was really nice, and was going to let it go with a warning, but his boss-lady was like, "NO! TIENE QUE TENER SUS PAPELES! BAJALA! BAJALA!" So me bajé. But all of the other missionaries got off with me, because HELLO we are missionaries and we are all in this together. (*cue dance routine*). This made the lady even more upset. So she sent me to the prison van with the other foreigners that didn´t have papers. 

Meanwhile, my companion is freaking out, and all of them are fighting with the lady to just let me leave.. They´re calling the presidente.. Er´rything. None of them could come with me because they all had their papers. So lame. But then Hermana Cabrera, who hadn´t been asked for her papers because she looks Mexican, spoke up and said, "Pues, I´m from Peru and I don´t have my papers either.. So I have to go with her." She is a hero and I have NEVER been more relieved in my whole life than when I saw her board the van.

We actually had a great day. We sang hymns to the other inmates, placed a book of mormon and some pamphlets, got a reference... We also played with all the poor little kids that are stuck in there. They have got to be so bored. We were only there for like 8 hours and I thought we were going to die. But in the end President Morales and his family came, got us out, and took us out to eat. It is just one of those stories, ya know? Maybe you had to have been there.. 

So I was reading in a Liahona the other day when I came across a quote by elder Uctdorf that I like a lot. I am not really sure how to make it effective in English.. but I will give it a shot:

"We do not achieve humility by thinking less OF ourselves; we achieve humility when we think less IN ourselves." It made me think of the devotional we watched by Elder Bednar in the CCM called "The Character of Christ." Christ spent his entire life looking outward, and that was what made him the perfect example. We are not made humble by not recognizing our divine potential and the gifts and talents that God has given us-- we are made humble as we use and dedicate 100% of these blessings to the benefit of others. That is what Jesus did; that is what Jesus would do. Changed my perspective on some things, this quote. Gotta love that Elder Uctdorf.

Pues... I love you I love you I love you!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! YOU DA GREATEST MOM IN THE WHOLE WORLD!

Hermana Moser
 
Also: Shout out to Mom for the PACKAGE!!!! (I am in LOVE with the hot tamalles found therein. And I also like the half-ts you sent better than the ones we got from the missionary mall.. Just saying). And the dearelders from Mom, Jesse, Amanda, and Hermana Howell. Ya´ll are the best :) 
 

Friday, September 12, 2014

"The Immigration Adventure"

September 8, 2014
Thanks for writing me!

..Got lots to read, so this will probably be a short-ish email. Too bad, because a lot happened this week.

First of all, this is like magic-investigator land or something because the people here are AMAZING! I am in love with all of them. They´re just like "YES you can come to my house and leave me compromisos that I will fulfill." And "YES I would like to be baptized as soon as possible, please." It is the beesst.

Por ejemplo: We are teaching this family that has TRIPLETS. (No, you did not read that wrong. There are three babies). The hermano is menos activo since he was like 9 years old, and his... the hermana is investigating. She is perfect. Her answers and her questions are always exactly right. It is like clockwork teaching her. It is such a miracle that she even understands us since, well.. We are both very much American. Bless our hearts. But I love that family so much!!

We also have another investigator that is paralyzed from the waist down because he had a nasty fall of about 3 stories. The lessons with him are SO powerful. Yesterday we read Enos with him, and he loved it. He was applying it to his life like a pro. Afterwards, we prayed there with him. (That was funny, because we said we.. meaning Hermana Pasley and I... were going to kneel down, and he just looked at us like "Hermanas. I can't kneel down"."And looked at his legs all pointedly. He is hilarious). We prayed, and after he said he felt something like indescribable joy and peace in his heart. We asked him what he thought it was, and he just said, The Spirit, right? YES! It was amazing. He wants to get baptized soo bad, but the doctors say that if he bends like that it could make the damage permanent. We are all praying for a miracle.

I suppose you are now wondering about the Great Immigration Adventure of 2014. I think you[ll have to wait til Christmas for all the details... But I will tell you that I spent Saturday in immigration detention and President and Sister Morales had to come rescue me. And by me I mean us, because Hermana Cabrera was a superhero and came with me. I DO NOT want you to worry. It was just a Little mix up with my papers. Everything is fine now, and it will be a great story. "Remember that time they took me to Tenosique...?" haha.. Good times.

Pues... I love you I love you I love you!

Remember who you are and what you stand for!

Enos 1:8

Con amor,
Hermana Moser