We Cannot Waste Time Because Satan Is Not Wasting Time" AHHHHH SO TRUE!!

November 24, 2014

Hello family! I love you guys so much! Thanks for your support. Another week gone! Seriously the time FLIES by..... It is a little alarming haha! This coming week is the last week in November.... WHAT??!!! Since when!! We went to Jumbo today, it’s kind of like Walmart, and already there are Christmas decorations and Christmas candy. So crazy. I love this time of year. Although it is spring, getting ready for summer, this week was a little cooler and not as hot as the previous. That was a nice break. 

So yes, the life of me! Well, the first week of a new cambio...mas o menos! This next week Hermana Gomez and I have committed ourselves to being more diligent!! We are on the Lord’s errand, the Lord’s time! ... But personally it was a great week!!! I had some wonderful personal spiritual experiences. The reality of Jesus Christ and His Atonement just keeps hitting my heart harder and harder. I love Jesus Christ so much! I have truly felt so close to Him and my Heavenly Father this week. So grateful for prayer!!! Prayer is legit. 

We had stake conference this weekend! That was fun! Saturday night we went and one of the members of the stake presidency gave a great talk on missionary work. Something he said really stood out to me: "We cannot waste time because Satan is not wasting time" AHHHHH SO TRUE!! Every day we have to strengthen our own faith, and the faith of those around us!! We have to spread the Gospel and tell people the wonderful message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ!! Ah, it was so great. Sunday morning, President and Sister Wright came to the conference and they got to speak. I love them so much!!!! They are seriously amazing. So blessed to have them here. 

Thanksgiving will be a regular day! Work, work, work!! T´will be good. Language is coming along. It is easier to share my testimony now. It easily flows. So thankful. Hermana Gomez is well. She’s awesome. Her birthday is in about three weeks! She will be 29! But she seriously looks 19! I love her! 

We have a new investigator named Alicia. She is 74. She talks a lot, and it is hard to teach her because when we start, she randomly starts talking about a sad noticia she saw on the television. She has depression, so she starts crying suddenly. It’s so sad! She is so sweet, and we taught her about the Resurrection this week. We read with her some verses in Alma 40-GREAT CHAPTER: We are not too sure how much she can progress, but after leaving her house I thought of Alma teaching the people in Mosiah chapter 18:

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

As a representative and disciple of Jesus Christ, I do the things He would do. I feel myself closer to my Savior. So happy to be here in Chile. Hardest part of the week happened yesterday when a drunk guy approached us and started talking to us. To put it nicely, he did not smell good. Hermana Gomez tried to talk to him and get some information, but he just kept going on and on occasionally would touch our arms and it was so CREEPY. But the whole time I just kept telling myself that this guy is a child of God. Perhaps he has made some bad choices, but that gave me no right to judge him.

We met with Constanza last night and talked to her about our life here on the earth, and the Atonement. Her faith is progressing. She still continues to work on Sunday, but every week she tells us how she never has good business on Sunday. So last night she told us she is thinking of not working on Sunday. We were just thinking of course you should stop working on Sundays!! jajaja. But Constanza is receptive, albeit she nods off a few times during the lessons. We had ice cream with her, and it was a good time. 

I love my Heavenly Father too much for words. He has given me so much. I know He lives. So thankful for His infinite love. Jesus is our Savior. We need to dedicate our lives to serving Him. We can follow His example and not only do good things, but BECOME BETTER PEOPLE. Have a lovely week!!!

Love, Hermana Mittleman

It’s So Legit Being A Missionary. I Love It!!

November 17, 2014

Hello! My first two cambios in the mission are done! My training is over! It’s crazy. I don’t think three months have ever gone by so fast in my life. I miss you guys, but I love being a missionary. It’s the best! 

Hermana Gomez and I are staying together for another cambio!!! And Hermana Alcantara and Hermana Huber are staying too!! The weekend was a little stressful because we didn’t want President Wright to call haha. Every time the phone rang, we all freaked out!

This week we met with a woman named Christina. We contacted her on the street last week, and she gave us her address and we set a date during this week to return. Thankfully she was actually home when we stopped by. We asked her some questions about her religious background, and she told us she doesn’t really have a specific religion, but she believes in God and Jesus Christ. She said sometimes she feels confused in the world, because she wants to know if she is on the "right path". Hermana Gomez and I were excited to hear this haha. We told her that the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ tells us exactly what we need to do in order to feel true happiness in this life. We testified to her the love of Heavenly Father. We started talking about Joseph Smith, and how he restored the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ, and then she asked us about the context of Joseph Smith. It was so great. So we read Santiago 1:5-6 with her. When I reached over to give her my bible, she said, "oh, I can just come sit next to you!". So she came and sat in between Hermana Gomez and I. Hahaha, the three of us nice and cozy on her couch. When she read verse 6, she told us she said "this is exactly how I feel!" We were SO excited jajaja. Not to hear this, but to hear she felt like Joseph Smith. So I got to tell her about the First Vision. Speaking Joseph Smith’s own  words to her was powerful. She was right next to me, so I was just looking her in the eyes, praying she would feel the Spirit. Christina is very receptive, and we gave her a Book of Mormon so she could start reading and praying about it. The only thing is that she works a lot, so we won’t see her for another week or two. But Christina is amazing!  Such a blessing to find someone who is prepared.  In the next lesson, we will definitely invite her to be baptized.

We also met with the twins this week. We finished lessons one with them, and talked about Joseph Smith. We invited them to be baptized, and they said yes! They are going to pray for a date. Still hard to teach as they are easily distracted haha. But they are great! 

It keeps getting hotter! Summer doesn’t start until December, but already I am lathering on the sunscreen every day. One day this week we were walking home, and my feet were SOOOO tired. We had been walking all day under the sun, and had not been able to sit down for a few hours. I was feeling a little discouraged, but then I thought about Jesus, and His apostles. That gave me strength. Knowing I was following their example gave me the enthusiasm to keep pressing forward. It’s so legit being a missionary. I love it!! The good and the bad! 

 

Hermana Alcantara and I made brownies to celebrate our three months in Chile! But then she got sick...so she didn’t eat any jaja. Love you all! Hope you have a great week!! 

Hermana Mittleman

How Many Times In Your Life Can You Say Good Morning, Elder Nelson, Right??!!!

November 10. 2014

Mi querida familia!! I love you guys!! So yes, this morning (Monday) Elder Nelson and his wife came to our capilla to speak to our mission and the Santiago Norte mission. IT WAS AMAZING. 

So, we woke up at 6. Got ready. The mission office sent out an email last week that said we couldn’t arrive at the capilla before 7. Since the capilla is literally down the street from us, we left around 6:50. Hermana Huber and Hermana Alcantara, the hermanas who live with us, had left about five minutes before us. So they saved us seats. We were on the left side, right after the soft benches. Not too bad. There were almost 500 missionaries in the capilla!! Can you imagine!! Everyone was all excited and talking and reading the scriptures. We knew Elder Nelson was arriving closer to 9, so we were just filled with joyful anticipation. It was fun seeing friends and hugging and kissing everyone (well, the hermanas, haha). Presidente and Hermana Wright came, and President Wright started going around shaking hands with the missionaries who were in his mission. Love him! Right before nine, someone went to the pulpit and told everyone to calm down because Elder Nelson was llegando. And then all of a sudden people started standing up, and I was thinking, this is it! Everyone stood up, and the elder who was playing the piano stopped, so it was just SILENCE. And then, standing on the tips of our toes, we see Elder Russell M. Nelson, Apostle of the Lord, Jesus Christ, walk into the chapel. QUE GENIAL. Oh, it was so legit. He and His wife walked up onto the stand, and they turned around and just looked out at us for a few seconds. Then Elder Nelson said, "oh my goodness!".  TOO PRESH I DIED. Elder Viñas, from the Seventy, and his wife also came. They both spoke to us, and then Wendy Nelson, then Elder Nelson. Sister Nelson’s talk was legit. They both had translators who did a fantastic job.

Sister Nelson spoke about our premortal life. She presented us with a curious situation. What if we could all own a little dvd of our premortal existence? What if we could just watch five or ten minutes from our pre-earth life? Perhaps, we could watch the last ten minutes, and listen to people tell us, "don’t forget to do this", or "remember this!". Or perhaps we could see who we stood by! Meaning Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Sister Nelson said we made covenants with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ before coming to the earth. We promised to do specific things. She told us if we could only see the person we were before this life, the person who we have been for EONS of time, all problems and trials in this life would FADE AWAY. She was amazing. She suggested perhaps all of our spirits had a little "to do list!" attached to us as we left for earth. The goal in this life is to find out what is on that list!!!! Because if we are not doing the things on that list, if we are not doing what we promised Heavenly Father and Jesus, THEN WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH OUR LIVES.  We are ETERNAL beings!!!! We can pray and ponder about what we should be doing!! Turn your back on mundane things of the world. Remember who we are. REMEMBER WHO WE WERE WITH BEFORE THIS LIFE. Remember who we are going HOME to after this life!!! 

Oh my goodness, it was amazing. She was so great. Before it all started, ALL OF THE MISSIONARIES got to shake the hands of Elder Nelson, Sister Nelson, Elder Viñas, and Sister Vinas. Shaking Elder Nelson’s hand was genial!!! I was so nervous, but it was great. I just smiled and said "good morning, Elder Nelson". Because how many times in your life can you say good morning, Elder Nelson, right??!!! Then hugging Wendy Nelson was too presh. She asked me if I was having a good time haha. I was like, uhh, yes!!! Caught me off guard.

Elder Nelson spoke to us, and he used the Guide to Studying the Scriptures, which is something in the back of the Spanish Triple. He briefly went over ten principles, and invited us to study them. What an honour it was to be in his presence. I will never forget how I felt as he bore his testimony of Jesus Christ. 

ALSO went to the Santiago temple on Friday!!! Rocio, a ward missionary in our ward, was receiving her endowment. So we went with her! So sweet. The temples are sooo sacred. How special they are. 

 

Well, fam bam. Not too much time left. Love you guys!!! 

Hermana Mittleman

People Came Up To Me and Told Me My Spanish Is Better Than I Let On.

November 3, 2014

Happy November! Ahhhh! Can’t believe it! It’s weird hearing how it is getting colder in California...It’s Spring time here! And then on to el verano!!! This week went well!! Elder Nelson comes to our mission in ONE WEEK. Going crazy! How exciting!! 

So this week we met with Katherine and Barbara (the twinz!). They are progressing, albeit a little slow haha. They are nine, so it’s hard for them to stay focused. We had lunch with them and Militza, their mom, on Halloween. We took some fun pictures heeeheee. 

The Twins

We met with Constanza, one of our viejita investigators, last night. She is still trying to find the faith to come to church on Sundays and leave her newspaper stand thing...we are praying for her! But last night we taught her the Restoration. I taught about Joseph Smith and the First Vision. As I was quoting Joseph’s words to her (en espanol, legit, right??) I felt peace in my heart. I know for myself that Joseph Smith was called by God to restore the church of Jesus Christ once again on the earth. Que genial!! We invited Constanza to get baptized, otra vez. She told us she will pray about it. 

We usually eat with members every day. Lunch is the big meal here. We usually eat lunch around 1-3. Then we usually don’t eat anything in the evening, toast, or a snack maybe. At first it was hard, but I am used to it now! Every morning I do crunches and workout. Feeling good!

We have two week left in this cambio. There are three Hermanas in our zone who will go home!! So sad! But time passes, and they have served faithfully. Life goes on! 

One cool thing happened this week on Wednesday. Our only ward missionary, Rocio, was out with us for the tarde. She leaves in January to serve a mission in Argentina. We were teaching a mother and a daughter we met a couple weeks ago. They are very free spirited and were asking us if we believed in reincarnation. Politely, I told them that we do not, but we believe our spirits and our identities are eternal. We talked about how the Gospel blesses families, and towards the end of the lesson I felt like we needed to invite them to be baptized. So I asked them if they would get baptized if they received a confirmation telling them that what we taught was true. They didn’t say yes, but they didn’t say no!! It was good. I am starting to realize it’s not hard to invite people to be baptized. You never know how they will respond. Sure, it can be scary, but as missionaries and as disciples of Christ, it is our charge to boldly testify of Him, and of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

So yes, Halloween!!!! The night of Halloween Hermana Gomez and I accompanied a nonmember who lives two floors above us, to the stake Halloween fiesta at our capilla down the street. We only stayed for about an hour. Hna Gomez and I switched name tags, and I wore her glasses. It was fun! There was loud music and that was weird haha. TURNS OUT missionaries did not have permission to go though!! OOOOPSS.... No one told us haha! So yeah..... We definitely repented....

Yesterday in church I bore my testimony during sacrament meeting. Good times.

People came up to me and told me my Spanish is better than I let on. Lolz. Hermana Gomez tells me my Spanish is waaay better now than when I first entered the field. I have seen Heavenly Father’s hand helping me with the language. So humbled to be here in Chile. Really can’t believe it’s Noviembre. 

Today we went to a colegio and helped participate in a presentation about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were about 17 kids. We helped Alma, a kind of step daughter of one of our ancient investigators. Good times. 

The Colegio! Haha, middle schoolers....

YES I GOT YOUR PACKAGE AND ALSO YOUR LETTERS DAD. Thank you so much Mamasita! And Papa! Love you guys!! Opened the package...but then saw the wrapping and put it up on a shelf haha. You guys are the best. Hope all is well back home. I love you! Tell the boys I say hi. Miss y’all. XOXO.  So happy to be here. I know God is involved in the details of our lives. He loves us, and He wants us to return home to him with honor. We don’t need to worry if we are putting Him first! I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Love, Hermana Mittleman