SEPTEMBER

Dear all,
It is now September. Crazy how the time flies.

Things are going great here in Puebla. The food is great, the people are great, and I am great, too.

We are working with 4 people that we hope can be baptized this month, it's going to be a struggle, but we are going to see miracles with José, Martha, Felix, and Carlos!

On Sunday, my companion and I had a special experience. We were going to have a family night with a less-active family, and another family was going to go with us. When we got to their house, the other family was already there, and the dad of the family was the only one home, and he was just about to leave. We asked if we could just sing him a hymn and say a prayer. He accepted, and we sang "Nearer, My God, To Thee" and shared a simple scripture. He said the prayer, and started to cry and to thank God that He had sent us to share a simple message with him. He said it was just what he needed to hear.

I know that God uses us to answer others' prayers. I know that if we follow the promptings of the Spirit and show other people our love, we can make a difference in their lives. No matter how small, it counts!

Another great experience is that I could go and visit a convert from a past ward where I served. It was so great to see her and the progress she has made in the gospel, and the change the gospel has made in her life. I love being a missionary and I love serving the Lord. 

I hope that this week you can all find ways to be the answer to a prayer, a friend to someone in need, and get just that much closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Love,
Hermana Cheever

ps if you ever wondered what I do for fun on Mondays....WALMART

The wonderful world of a missionary

Dear all,

This week I have a little bit more time to write. I am doing just really super great! Something that I have learned here in Mexico on the mission is that the Lord is great and good and grand and all things wonderful. So many times he blesses us in ways that we may not even recognize. There's so many small miracles that we see each week, there's not even time to write them. But let me tell you about one young man named José.

José is a student at the BUAP (a university). He is from Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Currently he rents a room in a complex that the bishop's wife runs for the students. We met him one day when we were helping her paint. He saw our nametags, and asked "are you guys elders?" Close, but no cigar. Well, cigars no. Close, but no....watermelon. Anyway, he said he wanted to go to church with us, that elders had taught him in his house in Merida. So of course we invited him to be baptized. Okay, that's not quite how it happened, we waited for the baptismal invitation until our first appointment with him. But he accepted and he really has desires to change and be a better person. He is reading the Book of Mormon and he went to church yesterday. He is so going to be baptized this month.

But this little story also serves to teach us that we must be examples of the believers in every moment, you never know when someone is watching. We also always need to wear a figurative nametag as Mormons. We were painting, so of course we weren't in our normal missionary uniform. When we changed, I thought for a brief moment "should I put on my nametag? We're just here with the bishop's wife..." but of course! We always need to be prepared, willing, and able to teach the gospel.

In this often dark world, the Lord uses His covenant people as a lighthouse to those souls that are searching for the light. Let your light shine, be an example, and go get 'em!

Love,
Hermana Cheever

NEW AREA!

Dear all,

It is really hard to write on this keyboard and it is also complicated to send pictures. So this email will be short.

I am in a new area called Universidad. It is in Puebla City and we are close to Universidad. (The University). I am also a neighbor to one of my areas, Valle del Sol. That makes me very happy!

My new companion is Hermana Rojas, de Chihuahua. México. She's great and we are having a great time! We have seen many miracles this week, but I will have to tell you about them when I can write with less difficulty!

Have a great week!
Hermana Cheever

Transfers!

Adios Metepec!

Dear all,

So I was informed last night that I would once more be transferred! I wonder when the Lord will let me have a companion for more than 6 weeks. . . but I am getting to know a lot of wonderful sister missionaries! Metepec has been great, and now I am ready for whatever else the Lord has in store for me.

I know that God has a hand in all of our lives. Sometimes the problem is that we cannot recognize it or we are slow to see it. But He watches out and cares for each and every one of us. As President Monson said in the general women's conference in September 2013, the love that He has for us is simply always there.

We have been able to see how God's hand has influenced one special family this week. A few weeks ago, my companion, a returned sister missionary, and I contacted a lady in the street. She told us we could visit and told us where she lived. A few days later, we passed by to set up an appointment. When we returned for the appointment, she enthusiastically welcomed us in and we had a fantastic lesson! The next lesson we put a baptismal date, and the next week (yesterday Sunday) she and her daughter came to church! She told us that she is looking for a change in her life, and she is starting to feel that change as she listens to our message, reads the Book of Mormon, and attends church. Sadly, I will not be here to see her progress, but I know that the Lord is preparing the hearts of His children to be converted.

I hope you all have a great week and can take some time to recognize the hand of the Lord in your lives!

Love,
Hermana Cheever

AUGUST!

Wow! I can't believe it's August already! This year is just flying by!

This week was a great week for us! We have been finding a lot of new investigators. It's great to tell people how the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ can change and bless and enhance their lives. And what a blessing when we can share that every day of our lives.

Rosa and Miguel are getting excited for a trip to the open house of the Mexico City Temple! They would be baptized already, but every Sunday is a new problem for the which they cannot attend church! It's been hard. But we are really hoping that this Sunday they can finally attend!

I am so blessed to be able to be here in this time, serving a mission. I know that the Lord can make more out of our lives than we ever could! Let's give ourselves over to Him so that His perfect plan and His perfect love can mold us and shape us into eternal and celestial beings!

Have a great week! And notice all the small miracles that God sends us every day. They really are great!

Hermana Cheever

Today we had the opportunity to go visit my first area and 

I visited Antonia, a sweet sister that was baptized a year ago, 

and her daughter-in-law, Lulu. It was great 

to be able to see them again and feel the love! 

Happy Pioneer Day!

So Friday (I think...) was Pioneer Day! And you know what we did to celebrate? Almost nothing. But I was grateful to think that people existed that walked more than I do. Because sometimes we walk a lot. Haha But now for real. I was reading in Our Heritage about the sacrifices the pioneers made and I am just so impacted every time. They gave up so many things and passed through so many hardships. But the Lord needed them to pass that trial by fire to sanctify them and make them worthy, able, and willing to build up the Church when they reached the Salt Lake valley.

And in every one of our lives, the Lord does the same for us. We are each pioneers in our own way. We all have to cross our personal plains of pain and progression to be able to reach the peace and pleasantness of eternal life. (How's that for alliteration?) SO...where are you on your plains? In your wilderness? Do you trust in God? Do you remain happy and celebrate the good things with your loved ones? Do you press forward with faith or do you go backwards in doubt? Is there anything that will keep you from reaching Zion, or will you give it your all?

So that's the inspirational part of my letter.

Something exciting that's going on in Mexico is that the Mexico City Temple is going to be re-dedicated after it's remodelation. But first, they're going to open it up to the public for an open house! We are so excited and are inviting everybody to go and feel the Spirit of the Lord's house. We have two investigators, Rosa and Miguel, who are excited to go! Rosa is blind, and she worries about not being able to see the beautiful temple. but we have told her that it is something that is more felt than seen. I know that if she goes with the right mind-set, it will be an amazing and life-changing experience for her! The temple changes lives! The gospel changes lives! Let's be pioneers and change the world! One life at a time.

Have an amazing week, and sigan adelante (keep pressing forward) on your personal plains! Because if you do, there's a really salty lake awaiting you. Oh, and other things like temple blessings :)

Love,
Hermana Cheever

BEING A MISSIONARY IS FUN!

Dear all,

I can't even remember very well what I wrote the last time I wrote, so I will just write everything that is new! To start off with, I am currently in Metepec, Atlixco with Hermana Chauque! She's from Argentina! My first companion that's not Mexicana or from the US (only one from the US). So basically I have had a lot of Mexican companions. So, I don't know how well I can speak Spanish, but I am pretty fluent in Mexicano, which makes it hard sometimes to understand someone from Argentina! (All of the countries that speak Spanish speak it differently. Maybe like the difference between the US and Great Britain and Australia, etc.)

But we are having a great time! The best thing that anyone can do with their life is serve the Lord. Wherever you are and however you can. I love being a missionary, and sometimes I think I would just like to stay here forever.

Right now we are working with a few different people, hoping to help them accept and live the Restored Gospel. There's one couple that I especially love, Miguel and Rosa. Rosa is in a wheelchair, she can't walk very well and she has lost her sight. Sometimes she gets really depressed and it's hard for her husband and her son to help her. But Miguel is a very good man, and he treats her really well. Five years ago they knew some missionaries and they taught them for a bit, but the missionaries were transferred, and, as is wont to happen, they stopped investigating the church. But we have found them again and they are accepting the lessons really well. They have a lot of trust in us as missionaries, and they love it when we visit. Rosa says that every time we leave she feels as if a big weight is lifted from her shoulders! I am excited to invite them to the temple open house in August, for the rededication of the Mexico City Temple. We are going to hopefully set a baptismal date with them today, even though it's going to be hard for them to attend church because they work Sundays. But I know that if they start to experience more of the blessings, they will be more willing to sacrifice. It is so important that we make sacrifices to be able to open up the windows of heaven.

In other things, today is Friend Day in Argentina! To celebrate, we ate popsicles. When we went to go do our shopping, we ran into a sweet girl we are teaching named Verónica! See attached photos.

I hope that everyone is having a great week and is taking advantage of opportunities to serve others and share the gospel!

Love,
Hermana Cheever

ps I found Carmen and Melina in Atlixco! They are people that I knew one year ago when I was here for the first time!

Hermana Chauque! She's from Argentina! 

We went out to eat today!
Burger King isn't any better here than in the US.
 But....a missionary's got to eat.

With some awesome Elders in the transfer meeting.

Elder Sánchez, on the left, was my zone leader for 3 transfers

and then he invaded my area in Valle del Sol,

Elder Sosa was in my district for one transfer, he is a super happy person.

And the other is Elder Ortega, he was my district leader for one transfer,

 and then he was a secretary and we were in the same one for about 3 transfers.

Elders Sanchez and Ortega went home this last transfer. 

Other missionaries 

Hermana Campos, my first companion, finished
her mission and also went home. 

with Hermana Estrada, the last day together. 

Today is Friend Day in Argentina!
To celebrate, we ate popsicles