Monday February 16th 2015

What a crazy awesome week it has been!! I can't say that it was without trials though! As you all know, Moises was progressing towards baptism!! Well, this past week he wasn't answering our calls or messages. We talked with him on the phone once but he wouldn't meet with us. It's been super hard because we know that Satan is working so hard on him right now and he is falling into those temptations. I just want to take him and lead him back, but I have to let him make his own decisions and so it is rough. Please pray for him that he will desire to continue following Gods path for him :) Also, thank you for all of your emails today. They were exactly what I needed to hear about keeping the positivity and not being upset when things don't work out the way we planned. You guys are truly inspired :D 

Well, now for the good stuff! :) An Elder in my mission is Elder Hansen and I guess Grandpa Doney sealed his parents in the temple!!! Super cool right? They knew that I was going to be in this mission and so they told me about it. Also! I had the opportunity to go to the temple again! 2 weeks in a row, I am so blessed right?!? We had such an amazing experience there. I can truthfully say that I haven't felt the spirit so strong as I did there. We took our investigator Ramona! She was questioning before whether or not she should be baptized on Feb. 28th! So we told her to keep praying and the deciding factor would be how she felt in the temple ;) haha. 

We watched the full-length Joseph Smith movie with her and she told all of us after. "I don't want to be a friend to the church, I want to be a member." It was so cute! We were all so happy and so proud of her. She's gonna be a fantastic member!!! Also, our investigator Arthur had his baptismal interview yesterday and he passed! He will be baptized this Saturday at 9 am :) He is 75 years old and just amazing!! After his interview he told us that we should start teaching his wife, that when she hears about eternal families, "she'll be sold." haha. I have never seen someone so excited about the temple and family history work!! 

There was also a really cool experience where we were trying to heart attack our new investigators door. She showed up to her house though so it wasn't really a surprise, haha ;) Anyway we started asking her about what she believed. She told us how "the bible was passed through many hands and that it was like telephone how the truth was changed. However, that somewhere out there is the truth, but we don't know where to find it." Does that sound familiar?? haha My companion and I about died because that is exactly how I teach the Restoration to people :) So as you all can see, she is super prepared!!!  I will have to update you how all of that goes!!! 

This week was just a huge learning experience for me and I am just so happy here!!  I love the people here and I am trying to make the best of my (probably) my last transfer here :( Love and miss all of you!! And I hit my 6 month mark on Friday!!! :D 

Les amo!!!

Monday February 9th 2015

Well I have to say that so many things happened last week..and I can't remember all of them. haha. Sorry!! So, I figure I will just share some of my highlights!! As you can see we went to the temple!!! We got our investigator Moises, his son, and his mom Ofelia to go to the temple. I have never felt the spirit so strong there! It was fantastic! It's super funny going to the temple with an investigator vs. going by yourself. They have other missionaries teach your investigator and it's just like wait what? haha. It's nice though :) 

We had such a neat experience when we went and watched the videos about families. By the end we were all crying and it was a tender experience. It's neat to see how important the family is to Moises and that is something he can connect with the church super well! We also saw Meet the Mormons and I think he really enjoyed that too! Of course they all wanted to actually go in the temple and were saddened that they couldn't enter at the time. But! now they have a goal to get there!!! And I can't wait for that day! 

After the temple was completely opposite of the experience we had inside. We went to go get food and Moises confessed to us some things he had been doing. That he hadn't kept the commandments..so we tried explaining the commandments but he wouldn't really listen. My comp. and I went home that night feeling good but a little sad at the same time. 

Well, we went to church the next day and the talks were on faith and obedience!! They talked about all of Moises's needs and his worries. He leaned over to my comp. and said "You told her what I'm going through didn't you?" haha. It was soooo cool!!! It is such a huge testimony to me that God really does care about our investigators! That he is there to help them find his path, to find the road to happiness! He knows what they need!!

I think the biggest thing that I realized this week is that the family really is central to Gods plan. We are so blessed with temples!! The process doesn't end after baptism. We are able to be married with our families for eternity! Isn't that amazing?? How can you pass that up or prolong it just so you can have some momentary fun?!? haha. The temple is where we should be focused on! I just want you all to remember that this week :) Remember the purpose of this life. I know that when we realize that we will truly know who we are and what true happiness is! 

I love you all!! I wish you a happy valentines day!! You bring me so much happiness and joy!

Te amo!!!!!!!

Hermana Buys

Monday February 2nd 2015

As with other weeks this past week was filled with many miracles!! Among the miracles is that I get to stay here in Santa Clara! :D It was also great to receive a package from the family as well as Kent and Anna. Thank you so much guys!!!!! 

Well, I am pretty sure that everyday I am reminded what a blessing it is to be learning Spanish. Last week we were going to eat at a taco truck with our district and we were ordering our food when we realized that it had to be cash. However, we didn't have any. Instead of going somewhere else this couple gave us 5 dollars. Then the taco truck gave us 2 dollars and we payed with our 2 dollars. It was such a tender mercy. We also were able to talk about them about the church! Even if it was embarrassing a little, it's nice to know there's people out there trying to help us :)

It's been really cool to see our investigators progressing! We had 3 of them come to church on Sunday! Not only did they come, but they loved it!! It's been really neat to see them come closer and closer to God. We were teaching Moses how to pray and at the end of his prayer he didn't know how to close, so he just said," God bless America." We were laughing so hard!! haha. 

Our other investigator Arthur just always is shocking us! He studied the Book of Mormon and when we came to visit him he showed us his discoveries. He calculated that time that it took Joseph Smith to see the plates and he wrote in his journal. The Book of Mormon and Bible are truth! He's been talking to everybody about his baptism and that after he's baptized he can go there! He proudly says, " I'm getting baptized February 28th!! haha!

Great news concerning my comp. is that she was called as an STL!!! And.. my old companion is engaged and will be getting married June 27th!! So there are big changes going on!! Above all I think the thing that was the neatest experience for me was last night. I decided to pray out loud for my nightly prayers. At first it was a huge struggle and I felt nervous and awkward. I thought of how our investigators must feel. As I continued praying though I didn't feel that way anymore. It was the best prayer I've ever had in my life. I haven't felt God's presence so near. I want to make all of my prayers like that :) And so...that is my challenge for all of you this week! To try and have more sincere prayers. Not just pray, but also try like I did to do it out loud. It makes a huge difference!! 

I love you all and I thank you for your support and all that you've done for me!! Continue sharing the gospel and looking for ways to serve your family and God every day :D 

Hermana Buys

Monday January 26th

This past week was certainly one of the best weeks I've had on the mission!! It was so great. Before I talk about the great stuff I figure I should mention the bad stuff first haha.

So! I do have a diviated septom and will need surgery. However, the mission wants me to get it when I go home and not right now. Also! We went over to Olivia(an investigator) house and were teaching her. She takes care of Jane and Jane's visiting teacher came over at the same time we were teaching. Instead of the visiting teacher just coming and saying hi she interrupted our lesson and was telling our investigator she is a bad person. She told her that she goes to the wrong church and needs to be baptized. Then she was trying to argue with us on if Olivia and Jane would go to the Spanish or English ward. Olivia only speaks Spanish so of course they would come with us! This wasn't the full extent of her craziness haha. Lets just say it was a bad visit. Sometimes it's better to not have a member present lol. So we left that lesson and prayed that we wouldn't have to have that situation, it was BAD. ha. 

On the bright side! We continue to see miracles with the new method of teaching the first three lessons! We had Ramona pray about a baptismal date in front of us and we just sat there after the prayer and listened. The spirit was very strong and I felt as if I had a heating pad on my chest. After the prayer she said that she would keep it in mind, yay!!

We also had the baptism of Nicole Chavez! Her parents joined in August this past year. Before the baptism it was all crazy and hardly anyone was there. Then our mission president showed up and it all worked out!! There was a lovely spirit there and we were blessed to hear the testimonies of her parents! Baptism truly is a blessing to see!

That same day we went and taught Arthur Ochoa a lesson. We were worried that he was pushing away from us. Before the lesson we felt like we should talk about temples. So we did! Turns out that his daughter died long ago and he wondered what would happen to her! When we told him how she will have the opportunity to accept the message like him he was soo happy! He prayed to know if he should be baptized and his answer is yes!! Temple work is soooo amazing!! He will be getting baptized on February 28th!!

It's so cool to see God working through my companion and I. We don't know how all of these blessings just come to us, haha. We are learning though that when we work hard and work smart, it opens the pathway for God to be there :) I have a testimony that this is his work! And there is no greater work than that :D 

Con AMor,

Hermana Buys