Thursday, November 20, 2014
Getting fluent in Portugese..............November 10, 2014
And by
fluent, I really mean that I now know how to say "I don`t speak Portugese
very well" and "I know that God and Jesus Christ live" (Eu se
que Deus e Jesuscristo vivem.") I am pretty sure how I mentioned before
that up here in the north with the border with Brasìl, there`s a buttload of
Portugese speakers. One of them is Leo, a 13 year old kid who lives in front of
Familia Valentti. It was actually his mom (who isn`t even a member) told Daniel
that she wants Leo to listen to the missionaries because he`s starting to get
into a rebellious stage and his grades have been slipping. He hasn`t gone to
church yet, but we haven`t really gotten to that either, and he`s super
receptive. He`s a good kid.
As for
Mirna...well, bad news and good news. We went back this week, and she said that
she`s been thinking about it, and she feels like she shouldn`t be jumping from
church to church. We`re pretty sure her priest (is that what it`s called? in
spanish it`s pastor) from the Evangelical church went and told her that,
because the pastors tend to do that here with the people from their
congregation. We`ll have a really good one or even more lessons with someone,
and then when we go back they tell us that their pastor went and told them
they`re "not allowed" to receive us anymore.
Anyway,
we had already planned to explain the priesthood authority, so we did, but she
still doesn`t feel like she`s ready. It was the first time with an investigator
that I felt prompted to share Grandma Dolan`s conversion story, because it`s
kind of similar, and we both felt like it helped soften her heart. So, shout
out to mah Gram! She still said she doesn`t feel ready, but by the end of the
lesson she agreed to keep listening, saying "if God tells me that this is
the path he wants me to take, i`ll take it. But He has to tell me." Don`t
fret girlfriend, He`ll tell you. We went back again on Saturday with Valentina,
and she still had the same doubts, but this time she had been reading the Book
of Mormon. She also shared a few more questions and doubts she had, which we
were able to answer. Val all on her own shared a SUPER capa testimony. We
didn`t even ask her to share it, she just felt prompted. She`s our 3rd Nephite.
She`s amazing. So by the end of THAT lesson, Mirna agreed to go to church on
Sunday. So, pray for Mirna!
The
primary program was on Sunday. Oh my freaking cute. It made me miss my primary
class back in my home ward, but it was my first primary program here in Uruguay
and I loved it. Uruguayan kids are just so special.
Funny
story for the week:
Gael
Valentti is 3 years old, and ever since he got in a buttload of trouble a
little over a month ago for kicking me in the chest, every time he sees me he
goes "I`m not your friend, and I won`t be until I go to the temple in
January!" Haha, so I have to wait until January apparently. But then the
other day his mom was telling me he`s been behaving badly in school, so I said
"Hey Gael, you`ll never get married if you keep behaving like that."
And he goes "Yes I am, I`m going to marry Hermana Barrios." Hahaha
soooo my companion is engaged.
We are
officially halfway through the change! And I seriously cannot believe it. Time
is going so fast. We have another mission wide conference this week! We don`t
know what general authority, just that it`s somebody important enough for the
whole mission to get together with the other mission for the second time in
less than six months.
So
lately we`ve had a few people who have spoken pretty rotten to us. Some have
been inactives, some actual members, and some just contacts in the street. It`s
the first time it`s really happened to me in my mission has been in this area,
and last week I was feeling pretty frustrated about it. That`s when the image
of the Savior came into my mind, a crown of thorns placed on His head, as they
scorned and spit upon Him, calling Him Kind of the Jews. And so just like most
hard things in my mission, even though it`s hard, it makes me grateful to be
able to get to know my Redeemer that much better by walking just somewhat of
the path He walked.
Eu se
que Jesuscristo e Deus vivem. Yo se que Dios y Jesucristo viven. However you
want to say it, They live.
I love
you, I love you, I love you!
Hermana
Dolan
Friday, November 7, 2014
Happy Halloween!.................November 3, 2014
I know
it`s late, but HAPPY HALLOWEEN! And happy end of October. I hope everybody
enjoyed my favorite month of the year in the Salt Lake autumn leaves. Halloween
was low key here. Nobody celebrates it here in Rivera. Well, almost nobody.
Only a handful of kids were out trick or treating and there really aren`t any
decorations. Since it was on Friday, that means we had our weekly soccer
activity, so that`s what we did. Belèn and Vale lent me and my comp some hats,
so I was a witchy princess (it`s hard to explain but that`s what the hat looked
like.)
It was
a great week! The rainnnnn came in without warning, which I for once am super
grateful for because of the lack of heat.
So the
biggest thing that happened this week was Mirna. We found her on Monday after
PDay when we were just going to Family Home Evening and she was working in
front of her yard. She talked to us for a bit and said we could go back on
Saturday. So on Saturday we went back and taught the Restoration, and she gave
an incredible prayer at the end, and told us after "I just feel so full of
joy right now. I can`t even describe it." We went back again yesterday to
give her The Book of Mormon, and everything that came out of her mouth
seriously just made me go "man, God is awesome." She said she had
been jumping from church to church but never felt satisfied in any of them, but
now she feels like this is it. She talked about this indescribable joy that
she`s felt ever since Saturday when she had that lesson with us. And THEN she
said "I had read this book a little bit before when I was in the Catholic
church, and you know what called my attention? The way it says to do baptism.
Because you do it the same way John the Baptist baptized Christ." YES. So
we invited her to be baptized the 6 of December, and she accepted. So pray for
Mirna that she makes it to December 6! Meanwhile, I`ll also be praying that I
stay her in Rivera next change, because the 6 is the Saturday AFTER changes.
But either way, God`s got her taken care of.
She
also said "you know why I know this is true? Because the eyes are the
window to the soul, and the two of you just shine. It`s something different,
and I see in your eyes that it`s true." Capa.
So
anyway, that`s the biggest thing that happened this week. We`re keeping super
busy and having a blast. Hna Barrios is awesome! I`ve had some major luck with
companions. I`m learning a lot from her and we have a lot of fun. The
only suffering I`ve felt in awhile has come from others not having the desire
to repent, because they`re missing out on the joy of coming unto Christ and
following Him. But their time will come.
I love
you, I love you, I love you!
Hermana
Dolan
Here we go go go again...............October 27, 2014
....with the other Hermana
Barrios!
haha, you guys, it is so nuts that I
have two comps with the same name, and that i`ve served with both of them in
the same area.
Soo Hermana Barrios! Is a
CAPA!
She`s from Guatemala, she`s 23, the
oldest companion I`ve ever had, and she just finished her training. But it so
doesn`t even seem like it, because she was simply born to be a missionary! She
came to the mish super pre trained. She is a SUPER hard worker, with no fear of
talking with anyone, and she has a gift with following the spirit. We`ve
already started in the search of finding new investigators and I tell you
folks, they`re popping up like daisies. I`ll talk about them more as more
happens this week!
Also, she was a hair stylist before
she came to the mission, and she brought all of her stuff with her. Soooo maybe
my hair will survive the heat! Maybe.
Speaking of, it is starting to get
SO. HOT. Summer is startin`early. I love Rivera and would love to be able to
stay here another change after this one, but I also don`t want to die. So we`ll
see how the Lord looks at the situation. But for this change, we are going to
work our tails off and see some miracles, which we`ve already seen!
I also wanted to share something
about the youth in our ward. They are CAPOS. The Young Women are AMAZING. (like
Valentina and Belèn). A couple of months ago, me and the other Hermana Barrios
started to help them with their Personal Progress. They still needed to do a
project for choice and accountability, so we suggested that they plan a youth
dance for the youth in Rivera. And from there, ideas started rolling and they
always came to me saying "hey, gringa, what gringa stuff did you guys do
in the states?" haha, and the planning began. Between me and the three
companions I`ve had since then, we`ve been able to help them plan, decorate,
and all that jazz. And last week, the big day finally came! And it was a HUGE
success, nobody could believe how many youth, members and a lot of nonmembers,
came to the "Under the Sea" dance in the church. The bishop
congratulated them and everyone who helped from the pulpit yesterday in church.
They were so excited to get to see the fruits of all of their hard work, and
get that project signed off! And they told me the other day "Hermana
Dolan, when we get our medallion, we`re going to think of you." GAAAAHHHH.
I have loved working with the youth here, and it`s proof that the fruits can
never be counted in the baptisms. It`s counted in the service and in the heart
of doing it.
Have I mentioned I love it here?
Well, I`ll mention again that I love it here. The members keep asking me
"you`re STILL here?" haha, and I happily get to respond that I am.
Rivera will forever have a special place in my heart. The youth, the new
converts, the amazing members, the bishop. They are the greatest people I`ve
ever known, fully engaged in this great work, fully following the prophet`s commandment
to unite with the missionaries and get to work. I know this work is true. I see
it in the change of countenance that occurs in someone`s face as they hear the
truth. I always like to say "it doesn`t matter if they accept it or reject
it, because I know that they FELT it." Because it`s the truth, and the
truth is always felt.
I love you, I love you, I love
you!
Hermana Dolan
Monday, October 27, 2014
the mission is full of surprises.........................October 20, 2014
Hey
folks! How is everybody? i hope everybody had a great week!
So
I`ll just get to the point, which are changes! So as you know, I`m training
Hermana Leiva. So that obviously means that we are staying another change
together. Right? Right? WRONG. President called and said "Hermana Dolan, I
really hope you can feel the Spirit in this, but I have just really felt like
Hermana Leiva is needed somewhere else right now." So, my hija is leaving
me!!!!! We were seriously so shocked! She`s going to Salto. Ah, man, what! This
change FLEW with her. I learned so much from her and we seriously had such a
good time and really grew together. I am going to miss her, but I have
definitely learned that the Lord knows what He`s doing, so if President says
that he feels like she`s needed someone else, it`s because the Lord needs her
in Salto.
So you
won`t believe the name of my next companion....Hermana Barrios. Haha there are
only TWO Hermana Barrios in the whole mission and both of them will be my
companions. Except this one is from Guatemala! She just finished her training,
so I`m comp number 2 for the third time! Rock and roll. I haven`t met her, but
her trainer is Hermana Baca, so that automatically means she must be
awesome.
On
Wednesday we did Divisions! Which means, we did divisions with Zumeta and
Paris! Which means I got to be comps with each of them for a few hours. It was
awesome. Even though pretty much all of the lessons planned fell through, it
was still a blast. Hermana Paris and I were together all afternoon and the one
on one time was really great.
On
Saturday we had another ward talent show. I sang "The Scientist" by
Coldplay with Valentina while the bishop`s daughter played the piano. They
asked me SUPER last minute so it was just mas o menos, but it`s alright. Haha
and for those of you who speak Spanish, the Elders made up their own version of
"Bailando" by Enrique Iglesias, called "Predicando." We had
to help them with it with throwing props and things like that. It was legit,
and I died laughing. Sunday was Hermana Leiva`s last Sunday, and also Elder
McRae`s. Elder McRae was here in Rivera for 8 months. It was definitely an
emotional sacrament meeting for everybody. They are both REALLY great
missionaries. I loved being able to be Hermana Leiva`s first mom, and I really
enjoyed sharing a ward with Elder McRae and Neilson, and I learned a lot from
them. I love the friends made in the mission, it`s one of my favorite
parts.
So
anyway....that`s about it for this week. NORMA CAME TO CHURCH. First time we
had seen her in a while because her daughter was in Montevideo. Perfect timing
for Hermana Leiva! Keep her in your prayers.
So
anywho, I hope everybody has a great week. I`ll let you know all about how
things go with my new comp!
I love
you, I love you, I love you!
Hermana
Dolan
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