Love Them Fiercely

January 16^th, 2016

One of the things that has been a struggle for me is that I've gotten so used to people rejecting us that it's hard to be motivated to talk to them, 'cause it's like "They're just going to say no, so what's the point?" But I know that the Lord will put those prepared people in our path, and whether the people we talk to want to accept the truth or not is up to them, but whether they will be invited to come closer to Christ is up to me. 

This week we had a zone dinner (with all the missionaries) with one of the members of the stake presidency, Brother Bxxx. He talked about how Elder Clayton mentioned during stake conference that we need to love people "fiercely." That's such an intense choice of words. Brother Bxxx talked about how we need to plant seeds in people and have the faith that they are out there. He spoke so powerfully, and even though I feel like I've heard all of that before, it was just a super great reminder and the Spirit really touched me. 

One night when it was really cold, we knocked on a door of a former investigators house, and the lady who answered was just like, "Come in!" She didn't even ask who we were or anything, so that was a shock. Like, I literally didn't know what to do now that someone had actually let us into their home. We talked to her daughter and granddaughter, who seemed OK with us going back, so we're going to try to see them again soon.

We just heard that the boyfriend of our investigator just left her and her son. They were living together. That came as such a shock since he seemed like such a nice, solid guy. We're going to stop by to see her tonight and I truly hope we can help her understand the Atonement and apply it to her life.

This week we were talking to this 18-year-old member who doesn't plan on serving a mission. We decided to talk about scripture study with him, and how the scriptures have helped us with any questions or trials that we have. I talked with him about how serving a mission was never in my plans, and how when I got the prompting that I should go on a mission, I was really scared and didn't think that I could do it. But one day I read Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." That scripture gave me the confidence that I could do anything that God asked me to, since He's always going to be there with me. I don't even know how much we were able to help this kid out, but I'm glad that I was able to share my experience with him, and even remind myself of the trust I have in God.

So Hna Maya and I have this game of word association, where we just will randomly shout out these words that have to do with our experiences that are inside jokes. Sometimes we'll do it in front of members, and they have no idea what we're talking about. There's one member, Hno Rxxx, who is super hilarious, and he was watching us say words back and forth, and even though he didn't understand what we were doing, he wanted to play too! So he started saying "Cowboy" and "Buzz Lightyear" to us, randomly. It was so funny! He's probably my favorite person to visit, since he's always so sweet and gives us any food that he has. 

Do you remember that book, You are Special about the puppets who judge each other? I was thinking about that book, and how when the puppet met his creator Eli, Eli tells him "You are perfect because I created you. And I don't make mistakes." I remembered that yesterday and it just hit me so hard because that's how God sees us. 

Love you,

Hermana Aburto

Stake Conference

January 9th, 2017

It was a really good week!

This week we contacted a referral given to us by our district leader. It's a young couple named Exxx and Rxxx. We had a really good lesson with them! They had a lot of good questions, and some of their beliefs are really similar to ours. I could really feel the Spirit testifying through both my companion and I. We invited them to read the Book of Mormon and they accepted. I'm so excited to visit them again this week!

We didn't have people sign up to feed us dinner this week, so we called some less-active/part-member families and scored dinner with them. Hna. Maya was amused because when I called a less-active family I said, "No one signed up to feed us, and...we're hungry!" I totally played the pity card and it worked! They had us over for dinner that day, and they are a super nice family, but they honestly kind of drive me crazy! They have these questions about the Bible and Book of Mormon, which frankly, are really nit-picky and not really important. They have felt the Spirit testify of the truth of the gospel, but they overthink things too much. I truly testify that our faith is not blind, that my faith is based both on feelings and logic. We're going to visit them again this week, and hopefully our visit goes well.

I totally forgot to tell you this, but last week as we were riding our bikes one night, someone drove past us and threw some pudding at Hna Maya. I felt so bad, I wished that I had been the one to get covered in pudding. But it was all good. Truthfully those kind of things don't bother us too much. Recently we've been asked by members, "What is the hardest part about your mission?" I don't think those types of experiences are hard, rather, the most devastating is when the people you teach know that the gospel is true, but don't want to accept it. I can take the rejection, the name-calling, and stuff like that, but it's hard to see someone you care about, turn away from the greatest source of peace and happiness. 

We had stake conference this weekend. Elder Weatherford T. Clayton of the Seventy came to speak. He was amazing! The Saturday evening session was mostly about conversion, and a couple people shared their conversion stories. At one point, Elder Clayton had all of the full-time missionaries come up and sing "Called To Serve." That hymn brings such a powerful spirit. President Palmer also spoke, and I really liked that he said that the Savior sought to be friends with the people who needed friends, not just with the people He wanted to be friends with. Elder Clayton mentioned that we need to come to church to give comments that uplift other people and be answers to someone's prayers. The way that I see those two principles is that, the people that you meet in your life are meant to touch your life in some way, and you're meant to touch their lives, so it's important to be friendly to everyone you meet. 

I also saw Brother Robinson from Tracy at stake conference, and he said he had met you a few weeks ago when he went to Orem. That's super cool!

Have a great week. 

Love,

Hermana Aburto

These are pictures from the MTC, and from when we first arrived to the Oakland airport.

Happy 2017!

January 2nd, 2017

Well last night we got our transfer calls, and I'm staying here in Manteca with Hna Maya! So that's pretty cool! I'm excited for this transfer; we'll get lots of things done!

It's hard to believe that we are in the year 2017! The year I come home! What?! This is my second-to-last transfer! And yeah as much as I don't like to think about going home, I know it's coming up soon, and I really want to do as much work as possible before my mission comes to an end.

But once I get home you better believe that I will watch movies, listen to Adele's new album, and catch up with the rest of the world! It'll be like when Captain America wakes up in the modern world and has a list of things he has to catch up on.

Anyways this week was great! We found a couple of new investigators, so that is exciting! We also found a couple people with the potential to become investigators soon, so hopefully that goes well.

We had another zone training this week. We were asked to work with prospective elders in our wards. Those are the males ages 19 and older that haven't been ordained to the higher priesthood, or any priesthood for that matter. So we've chosen a few prospective elders and we're excited to start helping them out!

It was interesting because there was one time where we were going to contact one of these prospective elders, and all the information we had on him and his family was that they could possibly be "anti-Mormon," but when we knocked on their door, they were super nice and willing to meet with us again. Just because someone was not receptive in the past, doesn't mean they'll never come around. You just never know when people's hearts will be softened!

Well, sorry but I don't have much else to report this week. Life is good, the work is rolling, I'm doing awesome.

Have a good week!

Love,

Hernana Aburto

Merry Christmas!

December 26^th, 2016

So I don't really have much to say since I spoke to you just yesterday!

But I do know without a shadow of a doubt that my Savior lives! I know that He is infinite, that His work and ministry did not begin in Bethlehem nor ended on Calvary. I know that the Atonement is real. I am so grateful to be able to witness the many miracles He brings about every day in the lives of so many people. I'm so grateful that I've been able to develop my personal relationship with Christ as a missionary, and I'll continue to grow in that relationship for the rest of my life. He is my everything and I love Him so dearly!

Oh and during the mission devotional President Palmer spoke about how there are about 150 missionaries in this mission, and I don't know how many millions of people that live within the boundaries of this mission. So he did the math and each missionary has to reach out to about 10,000 people during our time serving here. That's a ton! He spoke about how we are like the shepherds from the nativity story, that we should make "haste" in order to take care of the people that the Lord has given us to share the gospel with. Great stuff!

Love you!

Sister Elena Aburto

I got these socks for Christmas from some members. They have space-ships abducting dinosaurs. I'm planning on wearing these under my wedding dress when I get married some day.

These are the elders that are serving in our same ward!

Left to right: Elders Baker, Gifford, Little, Orgill, and me with Hna Maya

With Elder Sitani and Elder Feltman!

With Sister Talbot!

With Hna Gundersen and Hna Pimentel!

With Elder Simms and Elder Owens!

The Time is Far Spent

December 19th, 2016

I'm so excited to talk to you on Christmas!

This was a good week, although the work is slower than ever. We haven't been able to meet with our investigators. But we did have interviews with President and Sister Palmer this week, and she assured us that this time of the year tends to be slow in missionary work, with the holidays and what not.

I always love talking to President Palmer! He is amazing. He encouraged each of us to read the book Jesus the Christ (which I still have not done since it gives me a headache every time I try). I will give it another shot. He also encouraged us to continue to try to teach the Savior's way. It's always good to remember that it's all about Him.

Yesterday I gave a talk during sacrament meeting about missionary work. The whole sacrament meeting had us missionaries on the program to try to get the members involved in missionary work. That is my dream here in this area: to get the members to be missionaries. 

One of my new favorite hymns is "The Time is Far Spent (El Fin Se Acerca)." It's not a hymn we sing very often but I feel like it's describing my life.

The time is far spent; there is little remaining

To publish glad tidings by sea and by land.

Then hasten, ye heralds; go forward proclaiming:

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven's at hand,

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven's at hand.

Shrink not from your duty, however unpleasant,

But follow the Savior, your pattern and friend.

Our little afflictions, tho painful at present,

Ere long, with the righteous, in glory will end,

Ere long, with the righteous, in glory will end.

What, tho, if the favor of Ahman possessing,

This world's bitter hate you are called to endure?

The angels are waiting to crown you with blessings!

Go forward, be faithful, the promise is sure.

Go forward, be faithful, the promise is sure.

Be fixed in your purpose, for Satan will try you;

The weight of your calling he perfectly knows.

Your path may be thorny, but Jesus is nigh you;

His arm is sufficient, tho demons oppose.

His arm is sufficient, tho demons oppose.

I love the way it describes missionary work with the trials and blessings that come from it; it's just absolutely beautiful.

I forgot to write about this last week, but one time Hna Maya and I were in Manteca decided to walk instead of bike to an address of a former investigator on a major main street close by. (Sometimes we walk at night so that we don't have to feel the cold wind in our face, and I personally don't love biking in the dark.) So we walked and walked and didn't realize how far the address was. We literally walked into the next town over (Lathrop). We were so tired and were like..."Remember when we thought this was a good idea?" Haha, good times.

There was one time where we decided to go visit a member since we hadn't seen her at church for a while. Her name is Hna Mxxx. We had a nice chat with her, and then her friend came over. Her friend has gone to the Catholic and Jehovah Witnesses churches, but she felt curious as to which church is the right one. Of course we seized the opportunity to talk about our church, and left her with a Book of Mormon. The way that Hna Mxxx shared the gospel with her though, was so awesome. She was so bold in inviting her to come to church on Sunday. She told her to come to church for a few months and see how she likes it. And she was basically like, "Why do you go to that church if it's so confusing to you?" This friend came to church yesterday and she seemed to really enjoy it! That's super cool! Member missionary work for the win!

We also had our ward Christmas party on Saturday. All six of us missionaries in the ward sang Regocijad Jesus Nació with me on the ukulele. It was great! These elders are amazing. Three of them have only been here for two transfers, with one of them training a new missionary. They all speak Spanish pretty well for being newbies.

K so I don't know if you remember the TV Show from the 90's "Pinky and the Brain." I actually didn't really watch it as a kid, but as an adult, 'cause I'm cool like that. Anyways Hna Maya and I decided that our companionship is like Pinky and the Brain, one is a genius, the other's insane. Who is Pinky and who is the Brain? Trick question: most people would look at us thinking she is the insane one and I'm the Brain, but lots of times Hna Maya tells me "I used to be normal until I was your companion!" So maybe I'm the insane one!

  We're Pinky and the Brain brain brain brain brain!

Have a good week! Love you!

-Hermana Aburto

The Po-lice man, the Michael Jordi-an, the Pizza MA-AN!

So this week we went to see a former investigator named Cxxx. She is so nice and she gave us atole which was like rice-flavored. It was so good; it tasted like arroz con leche. Anyways as we visited her she opened up about how her son had passed away not too long ago. We are going to see her again this week and I'm really excited to teach her about the Plan of Salvation in more detail. 

This week we visited Mxxx again, and we brought some members, the Bxxx with us. It was super cool for these members to testify about how they got their answer from God that the church is true. It's always helpful to have converts come with us to teach lessons. Mxxx is still so awesome and she's been reading the Book of Mormon. She really yearns for peace in her life and I know that she can find it through the gospel!

So I've noticed that President Palmer seems to want every missionary to know at least a little bit of Spanish, so that everyone can give the Spanish missionaries some referrals. Well, this week the Spanish elders in our ward were saying that they received some referrals from English missionaries. The English missionaries must have had a conversation like this with Hispanic people they met: "Hi! Would you like to speak to someone who speaks more Spanish than we do?" And the response would be like, "Yes." So then the Spanish elders go over there and are like, "Hi! We're here to talk about the gospel and we heard you have recently met some missionaries." And the people will be like, "Oh, we didn't know you wanted to talk about church. We thought you were with the police and you just wanted to talk to us, so we couldn't say no." Oh my gosh I thought that was hilarious! But really though, I think it's awesome that everyone is trying to learn a little Spanish to try to help us Spanish missionaries out.

We visited a recent convert Lxxx this week. A year ago, when I was on exchanges with the sisters here in Manteca, I had actually visited her with them while she was still an investigator. It's super cool to see how far she has come. She gave the lesson in Relief Society yesterday, and it was a beautiful lesson. I asked her about her conversion story and she said that it was through some members who were really nice to her without expecting anything in return, that she first got introduced into the church. At first, her husband was really against the church, since he thought it would be like other churches where they just yell at you to repent. But when he went to an activity he realized the members of our church are very kind.  That's amazing! The work we do really is so much more fruitful when the members are involved. 

Hope you have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Aburto

Teaching the Savior's way

December 5^th, 2016

It was a good week!

We met with some new investigators, Mxxx and Mxxx. They are a super cute couple and they have a young daughter who was a miracle; they tried having kids for a long time, and after they had given up on trying to have kids, she miraculously got pregnant. They have been looking for a church and haven't been satisfied anywhere yet. They are so willing to listen to us! The first time that we met with both of them they had some really good questions, and we even talked about baptism and the Word of Wisdom. The husband warned us to be patient with him when it comes to the Word of Wisdom, but so far they look pretty promising. We are so excited to work with them!

This week we had a zone training which I really enjoyed a lot. One of my zone leaders, Elder Ahau, spoke really powerfully about how important it is for us to learn our mission language. He told the story of Elder Groberg from the film The Other Side of Heaven where Elder Groberg spent a lot of time learning the language, and at one point it really paid off when a man took his dying child to him to ask him for a priesthood blessing. He was able to give the blessing in their language, and because of that he was a major influence on this family's conversion. Elder Ahau revealed that this man with the dying child was his grandfather. 

There is also a sister in our zone who is a convert of a few years, and she is the only member in her family. It was mentioned that her family is currently meeting with missionaries and as I heard this it just really hit me how important it is for us missionaries to be prepared to share the gospel with the Spirit, to do what's right, to realize how sacred and important our calling is. 

Our zone training was mostly about teaching the Savior's way. Each of us in the zone had to come up with a scriptural example of how to teach the Savior's way. I really learned a lot and felt the Spirit so strong. It's so important for us to be like Jesus Christ in that he was so invested in people's lives, He taught with love, He taught with the Spirit, He taught by example, He extended bold invitations, He taught everyone, He taught according to people's needs, etc. 

Yesterday Hna Maya had me listen to Bill Carpenter's story, titled Conversion of a Catholic Priest. I highly recommend it; it's an amazing story. What really hit me the most was when he mentioned that missionaries are not sent into a mission just because that particular mission needs more missionaries (for example, Oh hey the Salt Lake City mission needs more missionaries so we'll send more over there). In reality, we are sent to our particular missions because our individual personalities and talents are needed for the people that the Lord will put in our path in our assigned areas. I just absolutely love that concept. I have definitely seen that to be true in my mission, and even also in all the different areas within my mission. There are no coincidences in Heavenly Father's plan!

I am also so in love with the Light the World video and initiative. I never get tired of watching that video. The music is so good! Don't you love how the piano portrays a message of hope? We've been sharing the video with everyone that we talk to. And the idea of doing a small act of service every day in December is simply brilliant. I've learned that really everyone we come across will agree that doing service is good, and you feel good doing it.

I hope Leíto has a happy birthday! I love him to death and I haven't even met him.

Love you!

-Hermana Aburto

Pictures!

Christmas tree!

Worst name for a day care center ever! Haha