ATLIXCO!

Dear family and friends,

I will be staying in Atlixco for at least another 6 weeks! But Hermana Campos is being transferred. I am a little nervous to be getting a new companion (I will find out who tomorrow at los cambios), I feel like I just barely figured out how to work well with Hermana Campos! But it's all good, I know that the Lord sends us the people we need when we need them.

I am so grateful to be a missionary! Everyday, well everyday that I darme cuenta, or take notice, I am amazed at how much the Lord answers prayers and how merciful his tender mercies really are. I want to share my experience with the ayuno, fasting, this week. On Saturday I started my fast, and I was praying that the Lord would help Antonia to keep having spiritual experiences, so that she could have a lasting conversion. My thoughts turned to her son, Ricardo, and his wife Lulu, who were inactive but have been reactivating themselves whilst (yes I used that word) we were teaching Antonia. So I was praying and fasting for all the less active members of our ward. On Sunday after church, I was thinking about my fast, and the less active members, and I realized that we had 7 members at church that day that don't usually come. That number is on the higher side of success. This is only one example of the many ways that the Lord has showed me His hand while I am here serving Him.

Well, that's about it for this week! I am excited to keep working here en el barrio Independencia, a ver que pasa :)

Siempre fiel,
Hermana Cheever

fotos!

Our district!

A lady in our ward that is like our grandma

Last Week of transfers!

Hello!

Well this week is week 6 of our tranfer cycle, and who knows if I will be here in Barrio Independencia or even Atlixco next week!

So I would like to take the opportunity to share with you all some things that I have learned from the members, less-actives, investigators, missionaries, and people in general here in the first four months of my mission! (Yes, I have been gone four months. If you were wondering why you missed me, that's why).

• God loves us. All the time. This is something that I have a hard time remembering, and I keep learning it. I feel like when an appointment falls through or when a week, two weeks, or months pass without a baptism God is upset with me and disappointed. Not true. He loves us all the time. Even when we're disobedient, prideful, arrogant, and hard-headed. 
• The Lord lets us make our own decisions, sometimes. It is not meet that we should be commanded in all things. 
• When you expect the best from other people...it's not guaranteed (I have never known how to spell this word and nothing looks right). But at least you have high expectations for other people. 
• Some people don't like the USA. 
• Sometimes when Mexicans sound like they're mad, they're just telling you that they love you. 
• Mangoes are a real fruit and quite delicious. 
• God gives us lots of chances to mess up. 
• In the midst of a lot of trials, there are even more blessings. Every time that I have a hard moment, I think of Antonia, the lady who was baptized last week, and what a great and lasting change she has made in her life. And it shows. She looks so much happier all the time now, and she is so much more confident. In life, the total is always so much more than the sum of parts. If you don't understand that, ask a statistics or psychology teacher. Or better yet, Heavenly Father. 
• And lots of other things. 

I hope all is well with all the eyes that come into contact with this letter. And the bodies that are attached to them.

Peace, love, and happiness from Atlixco.

this is in front of a church on the top of Cerro de San Miguel (cerro means hill) that we climbed today.

And some more fotos:

Looking for investigators

 

¡INTERCAMBIOS, BAUTISMO, Y MÁS!

Querido familia y amigos,

El Sábado Antonia se bautizó! Y su nieto Kevin. Ellos son muy muy buenos, y estoy muy agradecida por poder haber sido un parte de su conversión. Él Señor nos ama mucho, el poder de la Expiación es real, y hay personas que están esperando para escuchar el evangelio.

On Saturday Antonia was baptized! And her grandson Kevin. They are so great! And I am very grateful to be able to have been a part of their conversion. The Lord loves us so very much, the power of the Atonement is real, and there are people waiting to hear the good news of the gospel.

El viernes tuvimos intercambios con las hermanas capacitadoras. Y aprendí algo muy importante que tiene que ver con la oración. Para poder experimentar la conversión real y participar completamente de la Expiación, debemos de arrodillarnos cada noche y, en voz alta, pedir perdón de nuestros pecados. Además, tenemos el derecho también a pedir por un testimonio del Espíritu Santo de que hemos sido perdonados, y por un sentimiento de pureza. Les desafío a todos a hacer esto, puede cambiar su vida. Y no solo una vez, pero cada día. Esto es lo que es la Expiación. Perdón, amor, y pureza. Y gracias a nuestro Redentor, por eso, podemos tener la vida eterna, a vivir con Dios y con nuestras familias para siempre!

On Friday, we had companion exchanges with the sister training leaders, and I learned something very important from Hermana Lara that has to do with prayer, In order to experience real conversion and partake completely of the Atonement, we should kneel and ask for forgiveness, vocally. from our sins. More than that, we have the right to ask for a witness from the Holy Ghost that we have been forgiven, and for a feeling of purity. I challenge all of you to do this, it can change your life. And not just one time, but every day. This is what the Atonement is. Forgiveness, love, and purity. And thanks to our Redeemer, because of this, we can have eternal life. We can live with God and our families forever.

I hope you are all serving God with all your heart, might, mind and strength.

Keep pressing forward and never give up!

Hermana Cheever

fotos!

Me cleaning the font antes del bautismo! 

The newest members of Barrio Independencia in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! 

Another Email

Dear all,

So the work is still going pretty great. We did not have a baptism last Saturday, but we will this Saturday! Antonia has been progressing so well, and she is so wonderful!

We are in a bit of a dry season, investigator-wise....we haven't had very many new ones and the old ones just won't come to church! We have tried a lot of things: teaching the importance of church attendance, how to keep the Sabbath Day Holy, leaving early Sunday morning to go look for them, having members stop by to take them to church. And, nothing. But on Saturday we had a lesson with a new investigator, a 19-year old named Carla. We taught about Joseph Smith and invited her to baptism. She told us if she got the answer within the next month that it was the thing to do, she would be baptized! We then proceeded to invite her to come to church with us the next day and she readily accepted! Well to accept the invitation is easy, but many investigators have told us that they will come to church and....nothing. Nevertheless, my companion and I left early Sunday morning to accompany Carla to church. And we knocked on the door, and waited, and waited....and waited! And then she answered! And she was ready to go! And she came with us to church! Just like that.

Entonces, a veces la vida es difícil. A veces la vida es fácil. A veces experimentamos desesperaciones, a veces experimentamos felicidades. Pero, todo es un don de Dios. Él sabe lo que podemos hacer, lo que podemos aguantar, y nunca nos probará más allá de lo que podemos sostener. Siempre nos da experiencias por nuestro beneficio y nunca estamos solos. Él siempre camina con nosotros, está allí en las tinieblas y en la luz, en la lucha y en el descanso. Siempre. Nunca nos va a dejar.

I want you all to remember that even though we experience difficulties, the Lord is still there and He still loves us. When we keep the commandments and live the gospel He will bless us. This does not mean we are free from trial. The Lord lets us be tried for our own growth and benefit. He knows that without opposition we cannot progress.

D&C 95:1  Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you—

Ánimo, therefore, and on to the victory! Remember that there is still life to live, still fights to be won, and still lives to be saved! Participate in la obra de salvación.

Mucho amor,
Hermana Cheever

and this is one of the reasons that I love Atlixco.

This. Is. Popocatéptl. 

But you can call him Popo. 

And yes, he is a volcano.

Weekly email!

Hola!

This week I just have one experience that I want to relate. There's an inactive young woman in our ward named Melina. We have been visiting her for the entire time that I have been here. Almost every week she promises us that she will come to church, but every week something comes up. Well, about a month ago we started leaving for church early in order to stop by and accompany her to church. And she never came with us.

UNTIL YESTERDAY! Melina came to church :) after about 3 years of inactivity. She is the sweetest soul ever, and just about my best friend here!

My advice to you is to never give up! Sometimes things require diligence. Lies. All the time things require diligence.

One other thing. Hopefully we will be able to baptize Antonia this week. She is amazing, I love her so much. The only things that would impede her from making a covenant with God this weekend is café. That, and she feels like she hasn't been putting forth enough effort in her prayers and scripture study. Which I know isn't true. She has had amazing experiences with the Book of Mormon. But if she isn't ready this week, another week. It's all in the Lord's timing, and I am so grateful to be able to be a part of His work because it brings me the greatest joy I have ever felt.

I hope you are all praying for, finding, and participating in many missionary activities!

Let us all press on!

Hermana Cheever

Melina is the one in the wheelchair, the other two girls sitting are some Laurels from the ward, 
the one standing on the left is my companion and 
the one of these things that isn't like the others is yours truly :)

My last week of Training

Dear family and friends and other random people who may see this,

Yes it is true, la última semana de las primeras 12 semanas ha llegado. A veces me siento como he estado aquí for a lifetime, a veces only for the blink of an eye. But I am in the last week of my 3 months of training. Because I got here in the middle of a transfer, I will still have another month here in Atlixco with my trainer, and who knows, perhaps more after that. I'll serve where the Lord wants me to serve.

This week I just want to remind you that God wants us to be happy. That's something I forget often here in the mission field. I get so preoccupied with being punctual, with doing everything exactly right, with whatever cosa, and I forget to take time to be happy and grateful.

Our Father's plan is called the Plan of Happiness for a reason. Living the commandments brings us joy in the midst of trials and peace during the storm. When we don't feel this happiness and peace, what can we do? Pray. Recently I read in Talmadge's (I hope I spelled that right, Spanish is messing with my English) Jesus the Christ about The Lord's Prayer. I wish I could write here everything he says about prayer, but it's pretty lengthy. One cosa muy importante que escribe es que God without prayer would still be God. We without prayer are nothing.

Prayer is a tool that God has given us to communicate with Him. The purpose of prayer is not to let God know our thoughts, desires, and needs. He knows all those things. It is an opportunity for us to exercise our faith and a gift from God to help us not only feel but be closer to Him.

Últimamente. quiero compartir una experiencia de un investigador se llama Antonia. Ella empezó a leer el Libro de Mormón hace un mes, más o menos. Ella normalmente no recuerda bien lo que lee, pero con el Libro de Mormón puede contarnos claramente lo que ha leído. Eso es un milagro. También ella nos dijo que al leer el Libro de Mormón tiene más paz en su vida en general. No se preocupe tanto, y se siente más tranquila en medio de sus desafíos. Yo sé que el Libro de Mormón es verdadero, y que estas cosas son bendiciones que Antonia ha recibido a ejercer su fe.

Hermana Cheever :)

Last paragraph according to Google translate: ** Lastly. I want to share an experience of an investigator called Antonia. She began to read the Book of Mormon a month or so ago. She normally does not remember well what she reads but with the Book of Mormon can clearly tell what she has read. That's a miracle. She also told us that when reading the Book of Mormon she has more peace in life in general. Do not worry so much, and feel more peaceful amid its challenges. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and that these things are blessings Antonia has received to exercise their faith.**

A Continuation of the Adventures of Hermana Cheever in Atlixco!

Salutations!
So being a missionary is just about the greatest thing ever! This week we had a really special experience that I want to share with all of you!

The relief society president, Lolita, here in our ward was called to her position about 4 or 5 months ago. She feels very inadequate about her capabilities to fulfill her calling. She was recently re-baptized (she had been inactive for many years, so many years that no one could find her records, so they re-baptized her) and feels like she doesn't know enough or doesn't remember enough about the gospel to be able to lead the women of the ward. My companion and I have gone to talk with her a couple of times at the request from the bishop to animate her and encourage her. She has asked two times to be released because she feels like she can't accomplish what is necessary. Well, one day this week she accompanied us for about two hours. We had an appointment with a new investigator, a lesson with a 9 year old, and the next appointment fell through. I thought she would go home, but she turned to us and asked "¿A dónde vamos?" Pleased that she was going to continue with us, we headed to the house of a family of former investigators.

The dad is an inactive member of many years. His mother answered the door. The family was unavailable, so we decided to share a message with his 92 year old mother. Yes 92 years old. She is still very mentally stable, it's only her body that limits her. The lesson was really great, we all felt the spirit so strong! Lolita bore her testimony to the sister that God loves her and knows that she's doing all she can to be a good member although she can't attend church anymore. In that moment, I could feel the power of Lolita's calling. She was speaking with such care and love, and I knew it was from the power of her position as Relief Society President. She has charge over all the women in the ward, she has the responsibility, power, and authority to help and uplift each and every one of them. At the end we sang the hymn "¡Grande Eres Tu!" or, "How Great Thou Art". Alicia (the mom) can't see very well or read anymore, so she was just listening to us sing, but on the second verse she joined in singing with us! And Lolita began to cry, we were all so overwhelmed with the feeling of God's love.

On Sunday after ward council, Lolita told us that she feel much better now. I hope she has really gained a testimony of the principle that whom the Lord calls he qualifies. And that's the moral of the story, hermanos y hermanas. The Lord knows you, He knows the gifts with which He has blessed you. He knows what you're capable of. The trick, then, is to recognize that we need His help, but that we can accomplish all that He has sent us forth to do.

The second moral of the story is that you should accompany the missionaries in their proselyting, the Lord needs members and full-time missionaries to accomplish His purpose of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. There are also great benefits in store for you if you do so.

Did I mention that the Hermana Lolita is 74 years old?

Also, we have two baptismal dates for the 12th of July, Antonia and her grandson Kevin :) and for the 24th of July an hermanita se llama Cristian.

I love you all, que sigan fieles!

Hermana Cheever