DECEMBER 2015

DECEMBER 7TH

Well this week went by soooo fast I literally can't remember anything ha ha. I'm sorry! The good thing though is that we are getting more used to being a three-some and we are actually able to teach and work together quite well. We have continued to find new investigators and are trying to find even more that are actually solid ones.

I was able to go on exchanges with Sis. Hughes and it was awesome! I was able to learn a few things from her on how to plan in a different way and how to teach. I really do enjoy exchanges because it introduces you to many different techniques and things that you can change.

We also had MLC mission leadership council! Before going to the meeting we read a talk from Elder Hamula that was almost exactly the same things that he told our MLC a few weeks prior! Our mission has been focusing a lot on helping us realize who we are and how we can better apply that to the work! I am excited to be able to share that with my zone next week because I feel like it is something we are all lacking and that we need help with! On addition to that we talked about raising things up to the extra degree! They showed us the video on how it makes a huge difference when water boils at 211 verses 212 degrees. Or you could even relate it to the Olympics and the tiny difference that it makes whether they win a metal at all.

I really think that all of the things they shared about going the extra mile and taking the extra step is true. God doesn't ask for perfection but he just asks that we do our best. He wants us to try harder because that effort will increase our performance and help us to do even better! I also know that this is true. Sometimes it just takes a while for us to really apply it to ourselves and not give up during the process haha.

This weekend was fantastic and at the same time really sad for our companionship because 2 of our investigators left to Mexico. So the last time we saw them was on Sunday :( We know that Paloma will be coming back for sure in January but we have no clue when Rosa will be returning. So we are praying that they will keep the faith and continue to do scripture studies while they are gone on their vacations.

Well this week should be exciting because we will be helping with a Creche service and also be having Zone Conference with President Mella so I'm sure that I will be coming away with a lot of things to share in my next email :) I hope that you were all able to see the First Presidency Christmas Devotional! If not, go back and watch it! It has really helped me understand more of the reason that we celebrate Christmas! I love you all soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!

Les AMO!!!

Hermana Buys


DECEMBER 14TH

Hello everyone!! Well here is another week come and gone ha. We sure kept ourselves super busy this past week. One of the activities was our branch Christmas party! We had an amazing turn out and we sure had a lot of fun. It was looking like it wasn't going to work out, but it did! So we were all super happy about that! There was plenty of food and entertainment so it was great!

My old companion Sister Gilvarry came on Friday night till Saturday and I was able to have a great visit with her! She even came to 2 of our lessons so it was awesome. My companions actually were both sick and so it was just her and I teaching like old times, that sure was amazing!!

I would say that those were definitley part of the highlight of my week! I think the best day was Friday though! We had our Zone Conference which is 3 zones combined in a meeting with the mission president. Our conference was focused on faith and even more specifically teaching with faith, planning in faith, and finding with faith! Of course I have always left these meetings feeling inspired but this meeting I feel like it was 2x the amount of how I normally feel. And I think that it partially is because it was my last zone conference and I just wanted to soak it all up,haha.

We started the conference talking about faith and then by the end of the conference we went into 3 different smaller groups and discussed the finding, teaching, and planning. I've really loved that our mission has been putting more emphasis on these 3 things because if you sum everything up those are the 3 words that you would come up with! haha. I could go on and on about what we discussed, but I'm not going to do that to you! haha ;) What really stuck out to me was that in everything we do we need to focus it on baptism. We can talk about baptism with the members, investigators, and whoever we find on the street. We don't have to only ask them to get baptized but just make it a part of our conversations and really help them understand that that's the first step for them receiving exaltation. So yes, it is REALLY important!! When they see how much we love it then they are going to love it too!!

So in order to put what I learned to practice we went ahead and invited 3 people to be baptized!! One of them whose name is Dona said yes right away and the other 2 we committed them to praying about a specific date and we will follow up with them this week! It's so amazing to see that the things we talk about in these conferences are inspired. They are there to help us be motivated and go out into the field with a stronger determination than ever!!

After all of these spiritual highs Sunday came and was quite the difficult day. My companions and I were able to receive blessings though and it made an outstanding difference! As my blessing was given to me it reminded me once again of the purpose that I have served a mission and as well my purpose here on earth and that is to feel Heavenly Fathers love and share it with others!! That is the gospel and that is why all of us are here, it's as simple as that! Please put forth an extra effort this week and go and share this love of the Gospel with everyone! I promise you that it will make a HUGE difference in your week and you will just want to share even more.

Con MUCHO AMOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! xoxoxoxoxox

Hermana Buys

December 21st

Well it's been another crazy week here in Livermore, haha. I was basically either in the house or in the hospital last week. My companion Sis. Guevara had been having a lot of stomach pain for a while and we finally were able to take her to the emergency room. They found out what it was a few hours later and were able to give her some prescription medicine so I was very grateful! I felt so bad for her because she has been sick a ton ever since she got her on the mission so I pray that her health will get better! Even though we had to stay at home a lot and take care of her it wasn't a burden at all.

I feel like something I have learned to love is taking care of people. It makes you feel so happy because you are able to help them in some way. I feel like when people are healthy it's harder to find things to help them with haha. So if you are able to find some way to help them it's fantastic :)

Well a couple other things we did this past week was that we had a movie night! We showed Ephraims rescue and we had 2 investigators show up! There was also most of the active families there and they really enjoyed the movie! We used it as a finding activity and so we are super glad that it turned out well. In fact! It turned out so well that our branch wanted to do another one this week haha. Due to the business of the holidays we will have to wait until next week though, haha :) So hopefully we will start having them more frecuently and we will be able to meet more people! yay!!!

One of my favorite lessons that we had this past week was with Leticia! We had planned on teaching her the restoration but since she hadn't kept her commitment we decided to read the commitment with her! It ended up being completely inspired because she didn't remember why the book of mormon is important. We were able to help her understand and then we read chapter 11 in 3 Nephi! It was the perfect chapter and after we read we could just see the amazement on her face! She told us that she felt like she was there and that she could imagine herself as one of those people. After she told us that we asked her what Christ had taught to the people. And she told us, "His doctrine." And we said, "YES!" THen we explained what his doctrine is and that one of the most important things is baptism! We asked her if she would like to follow Christ's words and be baptized. She told us yes!! We then asked her a specific date in January and we could see the holy ghost really working with her. She looked so excited and was thinking a lot. After thinking she told us no and then we suggested that she pray about it. She smiled at us and said that she knew that was what she needed to do.

Even though we didn't set a specific baptismal date with her I can say without a doubt that she will be getting baptized! And it makes me so happy to see that it's something she desires. Leticia has defintely come a LONG way :) I'm very excited as well because this Sunday I will be returning to Redwood City for Maria Clemente's baptism!!!! Her husband Jose won't be getting baptized this week but very soon. He wanted to make her day more special for her :) It's true what they say that the Lord works with us in his own time and his own way! I knew she would get baptized it was just a matter of the right time :)

Also, It's the last week of the transfer so I will know Saturday night whether or not I'm getting transferred. So you'll find out soon ;) I'm so very excited for Christmas and that I will be able to see all of you very soon!!!! Hang in there the next few days and to those I won't be seeing on Christmas I wish you happy holidays!!

I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I truly do know that He is the Gift. Christ is the reason for everything and the reason that we have hope and happiness. Please continue to share that happiness! Christ gave us this gospel so that we could share it with others!! :D

LES AMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hermana Buys🎄🎀🎁🎊📞

December 28th 

Happy Monday everyone!!!

Well I hope that you all had a great Christmas! I know that I did for sure!! Well only a few of you know but I will actually be finishing my mission 6 weeks early. So I will be home on Wednesday!! I need to get surgery for my deviated septum and since that isn't quite the shortest recovery I will just be staying home after that. So my last area was Livermore!! Yipeee!!!!

Well to say that it has been a crazy week is a minor thing haha. I still am in shock that I'll be leaving the mission field but I know in my heart that my time here is done. It was actually quite an amazing experience coming to the decision of whether or not to go home or just endure the pain. I had found out last Monday after emailing. I was speaking to the mission doctor and she told me that I had two options I could either go home early or endure through the pain. I was in complete shock and so I told her that I'd have to think about it and let her know later.

As I was striving to know what decision God would have me make the thought of going home just wouldn't leave my head. I prayed about it several times asking if it was the correct decision to make and the idea of going home still stayed in my head. On Tuesday morning I was very nervous and sick but I kept having this thought come to my head that I needed to call the mission doctor and president as soon as possible and let them know that I was going to go home. It was the most frightening thing of my life because I was worried that I'd made the wrong decision.

After talking with both of them and my parents we all came to the decision that it indeed would be better for me to come home. After this time I realized that it truly was happening and I felt a little bit better about it. I still had a tad bit of doubt though. It was the following day that I received a blessing and in it God told me that indeed I was making the correct decision and that I was needed at home. And that blessing has brought me so much peace!!  Even though I know it's right it hasn't made it exactly easy but I know everything's okay.

This experience has taught me to truly pray, depend on the Lord, and learn how to listen to his voice. It has also taught me that with God I am never alone and he has a specific and beautiful plan for my life! Many of you may be thinking well what have you learned from your whole mission experience?!? Well, my companion recorded my testimony that I shared in District Meeting and so I wanted to send that to all of you. And I hope that you can all come to my homecoming on JANUARY 10th at 1PM!!!!!

Thank you for your love and support! You are all so special to me!! CON MUCHO AMOR!!!

Hermana Buys 

P.S. DON"T TELL ANYONE I"M COMING HOME! NOT EVEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA! ITS A SURPRISE FOR SOME OF MY FAMILY!! :D THANK YOU!!!!