Sunday, January 25, 2015

Every Day My Dreams Come True As I Get To Bear My Testimony Of The Savior.


January 19, 2015
Ok, yes, sorry, noo time!

It is still hot!

Had interviews with President this week! I left feeling edified and encouraged.

Had divisions on Friday and I went to anther sector called Apoquindo with Hermana Paddock. She is amazing and goes home in March. Her enthusiasm for the work is great.

My love for the Savior and my love for my family continues to grow. I am so happy for all the blessings I have. Seriously, the mission changes your perspective on life. It is a little crazy and amazing.

The cambio is half way over...what????

Every day my dreams come true as I get to bear my testimony of the Savior. Love Him.

Take care, and I love you all!!!

Hermana Mittleman

Sunday, January 18, 2015

LESSON LEARNED! Always Act On Promptings.


January 12, 2015
Hello! The week flew by! We are on the third week of the transfer! Tomorrow I have five months in Chile!!! Also tomorrow  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONTY!!!!  Yay! Hope you have a wonderful day! You deserve it. Love you! And of course, Happy Anniversary Ma and Pa!!!! You guys are great. Go to Cheesecake Factory and eat some Tuxedo for me hahaha! Love you, family!!

So to start, Hermana Huber is back in La Reina. Long story, but we are happy to have her back again for her FINAL transfer. I am going to send a package with her in February, so she can mail it to you guys. It will be easier that way.

 So yes, here I am in Chile. I am Hermana Mittleman, and life is pretty good. So on Thursday of this week Hermana Huber and I went to central Santiago, in the Santiago West mission, to do some visa stuff. We were there ALL day! It was crazy. There were a bunch of people! To say it simply, there are three places you have to go when getting your visa for the first time. Lots of walking. LOTS of buildings. Lots of sol. But, we saw two other hermanas there too! Hermana Aponte and Hermana Cabreras. Hermana Aponte is one of my best friends who I met in the CCM!!!! She is from Kentucky and was in the CCM for two weeks too like me. Lolzzz. So we spent a lot of time talking and walking around central Santiago together. Our numbers in line were 124 mas o menos, and when we arrived they were on 24 or something. So yep, lots of bonding jaja. It was so good to spend some time with her. We talked about life and the mission, and she answered some deep questions that have been pressing upon my heart lately regarding missionary work. DEEP RIGHT.

Anyways. Saturday, we had a capilla abierta in our capilla!!! The four hermanas in our pension, our zone leaders, and our district leader and his companion participated. It was good. One of our investigators came! Alicia! When the zone leaders were talkiing about baptism in the room where the baptismal font is, they invited Alicia to be baptized! She accepted! She could not come to church with us the next day, but we stopped by her house after lunch and talked with her. We read from the Book of Mormon with her, and talked about the capilla abierta, and her feelings about it. As we were getting ready to go, I felt a prompting to set a baptismal date for her. But we had already spent about an hour, and I knew it was already time to go. As we got up to leave to give her a hug and a besito, she just straight up asked us "And, would I have to wait a long time to get baptized?" ....We were like what? No!! Just three weeks so you can attend church! So we invited her to baptism on the 8th of February! We are nervous, because Alicia told us whenever she is fully submerged in water she gets sick. Por eso, she does not shower too often. It is hard for her to get up in the morning because sometimes she cannot sleep at night because she has so much pain. Her diabetes and rhumatism (spelling??) are pretty bad. But, WE HAVE FAITH IN THE LORD. She is sooo precious and sooo interested. We are praying our little hearts out for her. The Lord has a plan for her! Also, right after we left, Hermana Gomez told me she had the same feeling to set a date with Alicia. LESSON LEARNED. Always act on promptings. Enough said.

It is soooo hot here right now jaja! Lots of sunscreen. Lots of water. Summer, summer. 
Wow, birthday!!! Umm...... Can’t think of anything haha! Prayers? Maybe a winter coat?? Food is good. Lots of salad, chicken, pasta, etc. jajaja.
It was a hard week because I was just a little too emotional jajaja. Lots of praying in my heart. I can honestly say the Lord has given me the necessary strength when I needed it most. He lives. 

ALSO YES NEW MISSION PRESIDENT IS MARTY MORGAN FROM LA MESA CALIFORNIA. Ah! Crazzzy! I love President and Hermana Wright. T´will be so sad when they leave. But life goes on! Life changes. And so must we. Every day we can be a little more prepared to live in the presence of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. 

Love being a missionary. It’s the best. Yesterday I had a lovely time remembering Jesus Christ. Love Him! He is my everything. My Redeemer. Every day, I live for HIM. I love the account in the Book of Mormon when Jesus Christ appears to the Nephites in the Americas. He invites the people to come unto Him and touch the marks in His hands. ALL OF US HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY TO COME UNTO CHRIST EVERY SUNDAY AS WE PARTAKE OF THE BREAD AND WATER. It is a sacred ordinance. I know He lives. I know He loves me. Family, have an amazing week! 



We Are Entering Into The "I Don´t Speak Perfect Spanish, But I Am A Disciple Of Christ-Therefore I Have No Fear" Mode.

January 5, 2015
Ahhh, I seriously cannot believe it is 2015!!! How crazy! Oh, how the time passes. Such is life. Ok, it does not even look like Madison cut her hair jajaja! It is like the length of mine!!! Whenever I tell people here that I have a twin, they freak out. And when I show them the picture of our family the Sunday before I left, they always think Madison is me! Presh! I miss Madison....but I am so happy we are both serving. 

Seriously, the mission is transforming me...I have been here almost 5 months! Although we have not had a baptism, I am SO happy to be here! Before the mission, I had a goal that I wanted to return as a changed young lady. As I was struggling during the first few months of my mission, I was worried that I was never going to adjust and allow myself to change. But reflecting on it now, I have seen a change! I am more humble, and more eager to do the will fo the Lord. I am more patient and more caring. So thankful. My faith has grown a lot. I think more about the Savior during my day. My prayers are more meaningful. I feel close to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I am applying the Atonement daily. It´s all great! This week I read a talk by Elder Maxwell that  CHANGED MY LIFE. Seriously, it is called "Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father". I have been anxious to consecrate myself more fully to the mission, and this talk was EXACTLY what I needed. I want to share a part with you: 

"Consider three examples of how honorable people in the Church keepback portion and thus prevent greater consecration (see Acts 5:1–4).
sister gives commendable, visible civic service. Yet even with her goodimage in the community, she remains comparative stranger to Jesus’holy temples and His holy scriptures, two vital dimensions of discipleship.But she could have Christ’s image in her countenance (see Alma 5:14).
An honorable father, dutifully involved in the cares of his familyis less than kind and gentle with individual family members. Though acomparative stranger to Jesus’ gentleness and kindness, which we areinstructed to emulate, little more effort by this father would make suchlarge difference.
Consider the returned missionary, skills polished while serving an honorable mission, striving earnestly for success in his career. Busy, he ends up in posture of some accommodation with the world. Thus he forgoes building up the kingdom first and instead builds up himself. small course correction now would make large, even destinational,difference for him later on.
These deficiencies just illustrated are those of omission. Once the telestial sins are left behind and henceforth avoided, the focus falls ever more on the sins of omission. These omissions signify lack of qualifying fully for the celestial kingdom. Only greater consecration can correct these omissions, which have consequences just as real as do the sins of commission. Many of us thus have sufficient faith to avoid the major sins of commission, but not enough faith to sacrifice our distracting obsessions or to focus on our omissions."
Ahhhh!! How crazy is that! Never before had I thought that omission prevented full consecration!! Definitely something to think about! 

New Year´s Eve was good jaja. So the new companion of Hermana Alcantara recently had surgery...and when I say recently I mean like two week ago!! She has to take it easy, so we have been doing divisions a lot this week. Either Hermana Gomez and I will leave with Hermana Alcantara, and someone stays with Hermana Altamirano. So we have had less time in our area, but it is nice to help the other hermanas. So on New Year´s Eve we had left early in the morning to go to the Santiago West mission because I had to go to some government place and get my visa! We woke up early and took three different subway routes...lolz, good times! We have to go back this week because I didn´t finish the process. But we came back and worked, and then in the night we came home early to study. Hermana Gomez made pizza, and we ate together and talked. Fun, fun! We went to bed at 11:30, and when it turned midnight, Hermana Alcantara kind of screamed Feliz Año, but I was practically passed out. For reals, I was so tired jaja. So yes. T´was fun. 

I do have a few goals for the new year! I want to talk more. Just speak without fear of the whole language thing. Apparently, the time will just go by faster and faster, so we are entering into the "I don´t speak perfect spanish, but I am a disciple of Christ-therefore I have no fear" mode. I´m excited. I also want to read Doctrine and Covenants-all of it in English. And read the Book of Mormon in Spanish. So far I am in 2 Nefi...I believe in me! Haha! 

Just trying to stay happy and positive! Loved seeing the pictures of the beach! And the matching shoes...too presh! 

Hermana Gomez is doing well. Her family is excited for her to come home, but she wants to work hard in the next months, which is a blessing. She is amazing. She has only been a member for about three years now, and I am lucky to be with her. 

No, I do not play the piano jaja! 

If you could send some Jif peanut butter that would be great jajaja.....I think i am good for now! I will let you know!!!

Love you lots. Thanks for you support. Tell the boys I say hola. They are great, and I miss them. 

Livin´ the happy life here in Chile! 

Love, Hermana Mittleman

"Each of us might well ask, “In what ways am shrinking or holding back?”Meek introspection may yield some bold insights! For example, we can tell much by what we have already willingly discarded along the pathwayof discipleship. It is the only pathway where littering is permissible, even encouraged. In the early stages, the debris left behind includes the grosser sins of commission. Later debris differs; things begin to be discarded which have caused the misuse or underuse of our time and talent.

In conclusion, the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is trulyours to give!"