WEEK 29 - The one with the Calling

        This week we had a lot of miracles. The past week our recent convert Sandra received her first calling! The day was amazing and she was so excited, a week past and I asked her; Sandra what are you most excited about for your calling? Then she started to describe her week to me. As her eyes began to water she began to describe to me her situation, she said she had been searching so hard for a job and every companion turned her down this week, she was devastated. And then Sunday came, she was called into the office and she said when he told her the Lord called her as the Young Woman's secretary she began to cry. She said, "No one all week would accept her, no one wanted her, but the Lord wanted me, there was a place for me in his church." She said I then promised to do everything for the Lord first, her calling first and then her job. Wow what an example of faith, charity and love. I'm so grateful to be apart of her life and watch her change, grow, and come unto to Christ.      
        This week we met an amazing a family of 6 and they agreed to be baptized and come to church with us. What a feeling to sit in front of a complete, humble family who were hungry for the gospel. Sunday was such a day of joy to sit with them in the chapel. The family has such a desire to learn, grow, and be apart of this church.

   My emails are always serious it seems but a lot of funny stuff happens I promise, I laugh pretty much all day. The other week we had a lesson with the two of the greatest people ever, Sandra, who was baptized and Elizabeth, her sister and Elizabeth said I don't know you guys I need to talk to my church... and then she walked out and Sandra said, "I don't know what she is talking about, she doesn't have a church." I laughed so hard. haha.  but no worries She prayed and now knows the church is true and is going to be baptized.   Also the other day I was in a family home evening with some members and I was showing them pictures of my family and I had just told them how my dad makes all the guys I go on dates with take a test before we leave the house and this young man, Rodrigo, he is 18 years old, points to Rileigh and says, "So your dad needs to give me the test." hahahaha. It was so awesome!!

Miracles exist, sometimes we have to wait for them but they exist. The work isn't always easy. Sometimes the hardest part is that we feel we don't have anything to do, we aren't making progress, but every step I take in the streets of Bolivia is not only progress but a miracle. The fact that even one person saw the name of Jesus Christ above  my heart is a miracle. 

 

Still all my song shall be, nearer my god to thee. I will praise him all the day long, all is well and all will always be well.

  Hermana Ellison

 

 

 

WEEK 28 - The One with Easter

Well my favorite holiday has come and gone!! Easter is my favorite day of all time. Every day during this week I study about the Savior and his last week on earth and applied it to my work. I know that for every missionary they say that Christmas is the most spiritual day on the mission, but I'd think I'd have to disagree. Easter is everything to me and was the same here on the mission. 
      Thursday was the day that Christ was in the garden of Gethsemane I thought of him suffering for our pain while the apostles slept just a few steps away, I asked myself... How am I sleep while my Savior is suffering. I promised myself this Thursday I would not sleep this day. At the end of the day as I promised him I wouldn't sleep, all our appointments fell through, with a desire to work I prayed to find someone. We went to a previous investigator and started to teach his son, i'll never forget his eyes as we taught him the plan of salvation, at the end of the lesson he said, thank you for bringing me my salvation.
    The Friday that followed was probably the most interesting day of my life. Good Friday is a sacred day in Bolivia. What they do is all the families take out big tables and make a shrine of Christ in front of there house, with pictures and crosses and they just sit there all day... And all of the Catholics walk together singing songs and holding the cross. It hit me so hard that my Savior lives this day and I had to share it with someone. So I saw a family sitting with there shrine and I thought; okay them, I told my companion, "WE are going to sing to them." she said no! ha ha. We are not. But your in training kid, so I walked over anyways ha ha. We started to talk to them kindly asking how their day was and what it meant to them. As the oldest man began to talk to me abruptly he said, "look at your clothes, you Mormons are so rich, nice shoes, you have everything, there are kids in the streets that don't have food and look at you,  I worship God not men." With the gospel in my heart, I said, "I'm so grateful I left my home for 18 months so that I could meet you, I'm so grateful I left it all to be here. I know that our Savior loves you and I know without a doubt that he lives, It does not end here this Friday, but Sunday will come and he lives." I then asked if I could sing a hymn with them, my companion and I sang "I know that my redeemer lives", left them with a prayer and went on our way. I finally understood one of my favorite scriptures, Luke 24,5-6 that says, " why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but he is risen." Sunday will always come.
       This Easter Sunday was a miracle. We started our proselyting time by ending our fast the day before and we were off, we went to contact a reference we had received and it was a miracle, he was there! Not only was he there but his family was there too and we asked them to join in. (even if the father is sleeping, you wake him up and ask him to join, they love me in Bolivia). They started to tell us of there daughter who passed away a month ago, as tears fell your their eyes, so did they from mine. I took out the plan of salvation pamphlet and puzzle from my bag and took a moment in my heart to thank the Lord for the plan that I was about to share on the very day that made this plan all possible. I could not have thought of a better way to spend my Easter Sunday then teaching a family about the plan of salvation. They accepted the invitation to be baptism and I'm so excited to bring them to church.
       There is nothing better then talking about our brother. I love this work and this week. Because of this past Sunday we are free, because of that day we can return, because of Him we are eternal.  I know that my redeemer lives.

    He lives,

       Hermana Ellison

 

WEEK 27 - The One with Mistakes

  I'll let you in on a little secret, I am incredibly hard on myself. And I know it and Satan knows it. He knows that I have a testimony. He knows that I don't have fear to talk to people, or knock on a door or invite someone to be baptized, but he knows that if I make a mistake, if I do something wrong, it can hinder my development and my work a great deal. So I've been trying to figure out how to cope with it, because as I'm sure you know every email I send is about self mastery, obedience, control, being better everyday! and in reality that is what I want. I want to live so close in the light of Christ. I want his will to be mine, but I have to accept the reality that I'm going to make mistakes! and for me this is a reality that I never wanted to come to the conclusion of.  But something amazing happened. Once I came to this reality I realized I wasn't the first. The scriptures and the atonement all of the sudden had a whole new meaning! I was reading in the scriptures and wow I'm not the first one to make a mistake! Nefi, Alma the younger, Enos; Who felt so bad for his mistakes prayed day and night for forgiveness! And not only that, their stories are there in the Book of Mormon for the whole world to see!

      I was reading a talk by Henry B. Erying and he said he had an assignment to talk with other church orginizations and he was so nervous, so he called Presdient Gordon B. Hinkley and all he said was, "use your best judgment." How many times have we felt like that, that we are inadequete and can't do it, so we call for help, and what do our leaders or the Lord say, "use your best judgment".  I trust you! The lord Knows we are not perfect. Erying then continues to say that he prayed all night for what to say, what to do, that he was so inadequete, he says that the lord answered with an almost rebuke, "forget yourself, and pray for the people you want to serve." Wow not only can we relate this to ourselves, but I am so grateful that this general authority, this man of much wisdom, made a mistake and wasn't afriad to share it with us, wasn't afraid to share his consejo from the lord. I'm so grateful for the leaders and examples in the scriptures. The lord knows I'm not perfect but I will continue to press forward, I will not be afraid of my mistakes. I will share and lift others and most importantly I will forget about myself!

    The pain of failure, the pain of rejection only lasts for a small moment and only comes because we are thinking of ourselves.

     I'm grateful for the Lords area, the lords work and the lords miracle, that are always according to our own faith! Every miracle in the scripture done by Christ is followed by, because of your faith...

    Oh how I love my Savior.  There is no one who knows me better and there is no one I want to know better.

    Hermana Ellison

 

6 month mark

Gifts from Home

Slippers for all

Hermanas new Slippers

Slippers or cheetah ears?

 

WEEK 26 - 6 month mark - The One with General Conference

Its been a week of miracles, a week of hard days and a week of General Conference! Tuesday of this week was our day of miracles. We found new people that are such blessing in our lives. My favorite is teaching people how to pray and then that first time they say a prayer, its just incredible, its that moment that they re-connect, that moment they Begin to start to talk with their Father again and I'm so grateful to be apart of it.

We had a beautiful family home evening with a less active member, her non member daughter and a strong family in the church, it was filled with love, tears and finding our way back. She connected so much with the picture of Christ on the pamphlet of the Restoration, she said that she felt as if she was the lamb he was holding. We taught how Christ rescues all of his sheep, and will not let ONE perish. Her and her daughter are reading the Book of Mormon together and we have a service activity planned for their family to allow the very Catholic father and opportunity to feel our love for his family and hopefully get the chance to talk with him.
     Conference was amazing. I don't think two hour segments of my life have ever gone by so fast and I don't think I've ever listened so intently. I'm just in love with the apostles and the prophet. I can't get enough. I'm so blessed that we get to watch General Conference for the rest of our lives. 

As I was watching I was overwhelmed with the care and love my Father has for me, as I realized that a lot of the topics and scriptures that were shared I had previously studied that week! I felt overwhelmed with joy that my Father had led me to study these things to prepare me for conference. It was just and honor to feel so in tune with my favorite and his chosen general authorities. I felt that he truly cared for me and that he was proud of me for the work I was doing and that even little old Hermana Ellison could study the things the apostles study, although I have a great deal more practice to do then they do :)  The lord prepared me for conference because he knew I would need the extra help!
        As I watched I took notes on each talk, writing things as I usually do ever general conference. I often read over my notes afterwards as well but this time something changed, I don't know what happened but as I was reading my notes I knew that God was talking with me!!! I realized that I was incredibly under the influence of the Holy Spirit as I was listening to this conference and I wrote down the things the Lord wanted me to know! I often even put my own name into my notes, at the time to be funny and now as I read them back its incredible.  Its like I have another blessing from the lord! He is talking to me, I could not be more grateful. I feel his love and his support in the person I want to become and I know he is going to help me achieve it. I loved the theme of gratitude, obedience, perseverance and love from this general conference, all of my favorite things. I love the words that were spoken, the words that hit me the most however where the words of Elder Amado, when he said, "With ever moment of suffering He showed exceptional Self-control". Oh my, how amazing is that, how wonderful is our savior. I want that same self mastery and self control. I am determined to overcome the natural man. I will make my body and spirit work in harmony and become the child of God I was meant to be. I am learning a lot about patience and love with my companion. I am learning to give and not expect anything in return. My companion is a daughter of god and so important to our father and I'm so grateful to be a part of her life and feel that love he has for her. I truly love her, and I truly love me Savior.

   Ever will I be obedient, ever will be strong, ever will I be faithful.

Hermana Ellison