Tuesday, August 19, 2014



July 14th




We had interviews this week with president and I loved it! He is incredible. Everything he said was absolutely inspired. Everything he said was exactly what we needed, it was exactly what Uruguay needed. It´s what Uruguayans need to wake up.

Satan has a way of putting us into a trap of sleeping where we don´t even realize what we are doing is going to destroy us. President explained it very clear to us and as I was studying in Alma I read about a similar trap Moroni used.

Moroni was fighting for the liberty of his people in a war with the guidance of the Lord. He decided that to trick Laminite guards he would send a trusted lamanite servant of King Malikiah to trick his fellow lamanite guards with wine.

The servant told the guards that all the prisoners of Moroni had escaped and that he had wine for them to enjoy AFTER the war. The guards, being overjoyed with what seemed to be ¨victory¨fell into their unrighteous desires and drank the wine in that momento ( Alma 55:8-13). This was exactly what Moroni wanted when he sent the fellow lamanite prisoner with wine. Then, having fallen into the trap of Moroni they fell drunk, into a profound sleep ( Alma 55:15-16)As they followed sleeping Moroni carried out his plan. He went past the guards and saved his people. Just because the Lamanites trusted a friend who said ¨ Goa head and drink, everything ok.¨

The adversary Works the same. He will send ¨friends¨who will tempt us and say ¨it´s ok!¨ It´s ok to skip church, take a drink, not say your prayers, not read your scriptures, ect. ALL OF WHICH ARE UNRIGHTEOUS DESIRES, AND A TRICK. We get into a routine of not doing these things and just like that, we´re sleeping.

The good thing is that because of the atonement we have the opportunity to STOP sleeping. We can wake up unto God and receive repentance after we fall into Satan's trap. ( ALMA 5:7) That´s what he wants. The Atonement is endless.

I am grateful for the Atonement and the guidance of the scriptures I have to lead me out of the daily traps the adversary puts in front of me. I am grateful for the atonement and the power that´s in it to receive mercy that´s in it. I know that I have a Savior that paid for my sins to give me the opportunity to learn and repent. To fall asleep and wake up.


July 21

To start off Hermana C, who is the wife of the ex-bishop that I wrote about in my letter on June 9th. CAME TO CHURCH YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not only did she come, but she brought her inactive aunt!!!!!!!!!!!! SHE CAME TO CHURCH! HOY ES EL DIA!!!!! The promise in Doctrine in Covenants 18:15 is true. Yesterday was one of the happiest moments in my life!
 
I had a dream the other night that I was on a bus home with a bunch of other missionaries who were ending the mission. I started contacting people who were sitting on the bus as I looked out the window I suddenly realized that I was close to home. Upon my realization I immediately burst into tears.
I got off the bus at my house with my whole family waiting outside for me. I stood in front of my house, still crying, with my mom saying “ I don’t want to be here, I don’t want to be here. “ ( but in Spanish) “Yo no quiero estar aquí, yo no quiero estar aquí“. I don’t think I have ever been so heart broken in a dream. Haha I woke up so heartbroken that I wasn't in Uruguay, but luckily for me IM HERE!!!
The joy I find from this work is indescribable. Its hard, but those days that I have like yesterday when I saw Hermana C walk in pay it all off. I know that’s how Jesus Christ feels when someone makes the decision to apply the atonement in their life. All the suffering he went through pays off.
I work in an area where there isn't even one firm member of the church. It was a miracle yesterday when 20 people from my area where sitting in church. 6 of them were investigators and they all came with a less active member from my area. That’s the power of working with members. AHORA ES EL MOMENTO – President Monson. 2013 I am grateful that I can share this joy with these members from Cerro. We are seeing miracles together.
Cerro is waking up! Teaching them using Alma 5:7 and the doctrine of Christ has really made the difference. As a companionship we have had AMAZING lessons filled with the spirit.
One day we went to visit an inactive member that hasn't gone to church in years. I felt the impression to ask him “Hermano, when was the last time you felt the spirit in your life? “ Her then responded saying “ Hermana, Its been a long time“ .We then read Alma 5:7 and explained that he was sleeping and couldn't feel the spirit, but if he wakes up he can have this light in his life again.
 I could feel the spirit so strong as I testified to him. Right in the middle of me speaking he interrupted and said “When you speak you use all your heart. I don’t know what it is about the way you speak, but it’s different. “ I then told him that it wasn't me that made him feel this. I’m just an instrument in the hands of the Lord and what he felt was HIS Heavenly Father giving him the message he needed.
WOW! The spirit was so strong. We ended the lesson with inviting him to make the gospel apart of his life more through prayer, scripture study, and church to feel more of this spirit. When he went to say the closing prayer he couldn't even end, because he was crying so much.
I know my Heavenly Father has so much love for these people. He wants his children to WAKE UP. Their salvation is at risk. He sent his son to save them. I know the atonement is real and we can wake up and never sleep again if we use it. HOY ES EL DIA! 

July 29

Nothing new. Only my companion who I will be TRAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

August 4

I am officially a mom AKA trainer in the misión. When I went to look for mi ¨hija¨ my travel plans were so crazy. It all started the night before we left. The secretaries who do all the travel plans didn´t buy the bus tickets in time so there was no space for us to go to Montevideo.  There were 4 sisters who were ending the misión and me. In the end the secretaries found a prívate owned van who makes trips to Montevideo.
 It was super tiny and there were 6 missionaries, 5 with a year and a half worth of stuff, and one mini  van = NO BUENO. It was interesting 10 hour ride and to make it even more interesting the driver was half asleep the whole time. Our zone leader who was sitting next to him didn´t sleep the whole time in fear of his life.
 
We finally got to Montevideo and I was excited to find mi ¨hija¨. Every time the new missionaries meet their trainers for the first time they put stand all the new missionaries in a line with their eyes shut. After that the trainers come behind them and sing ¨Called to Serve¨. At the end of the song they turn around to see their trainers, but due to the delays in travels I wasn´t there. We turned the corner to the temple and they were all taking pictures. I felt like a mom who missed the first day of kindergarten and started to cry. Haha My poor zone leader who was in the car with me was like ¨No Hermana Baca don´t cry we´ll run so you can meet her!¨ We jumped out of the van ( like an action movie) and I met my ¨hija¨ crying and everything.
 
In the momento it was super frustrating, but in 10 years its not going to matter HOW I met her whats important is THAT I met her. Really it´s exactly what I wanted. Everyone kept asking me before ¨Do you think she will be latina or gringa?¨and my response was always ¨She has to be Latina from Guatemala because my ¨parents¨in the misión are both from Guatemala. I guessed it! Hermana Barrios from Guatemala.
I couldn´t have asked for a better daughter. We have already seen so many miracles. I know she learned a lot in the MTC because she has applied everything she has learned during the lessons. She extends baptism dates, follows the spirit, and applies everything I try and teach her.
I remember not being able to teach well in the beginning of my misión. I felt like I didn´t have the lessons memorized well enough to teach. That doesn't bother Hermana Barrios, because she is able to follow the spirit in every lesson. Shes great.
HOY ES EL DIA!
Love,
Hermana Baca
I remember not being able to teach well in the begi

August 11

I feel so blessed to be in my area and to have so much time to see the changes that have happened in the last few months. I love Artigas, because not only have I been able to see changes in the people, but I have changed a lot here as a missionary. I feel like I´m closer to becoming in the missionary I want to be every day.
We recently started working with an ex-investigator again named Alfredo who is really golden.  He always has questions and I feel like he is more than ready for baptism. One day he started telling us that he sees how the young boys who are always on a street corner whistle at us and bother us. We always tell them ´´hi´´, but never stop to talk. He told us one day that we should stop and help them instead of continuing walking. They were all under the age of 18 and most of them smoke and just sit on the same corner all day.
Man, did I feel bad. My investigator was telling me to do something I should have done a long time ago to be more Christ like. We left his house and it just happened to be that there were about 8 young men on the street corner. Me and my companion both stopped and went to talk to them. We taught them the first lesson right in the street. I am so grateful for the lessons even my investigators teach me every day.
I feel like the more I learn from them the more I am able to learn and serve like Christ. It´s amazing to be able to serve and see miracles like Christ did. I know he really loves and cares about every one of these people. He really is looking for his sheep I see it every day whether it´s young people on the street or references.
We received a reference for the same lady 2 times this week. One from and investigator and one from a member. We went to find the reference and it turned out that she was an inactive member. She has 3 young children with one on the way and recently separated from her husband.
When we entered the house and started teaching I felt like I had been studying for her the whole week. We talked about the purpose of Christ in her like. How he came to save all mankind and complete the will of his father using 3 Nephi 27:13. We read how ´´there was no other way a man could be saved, but only by the atoning blood of Jesucristo. Remember, he came to redeem the world.´´
We explained that we really know her Heavenly Father loves her and wants her to return. Not only did he send his son to help her return, but 2 friends of her gave us her name. Her Savior is really looking for her. Just like the Savior looked for the one lost sheep out of a 100. The will of the father was to save every sheep and we read in Mathew 18 where it says that ¨it´s not the will of the father that one sheep should perish¨.
It was a special visit. I really know that the Lord is searching for every sheep. I feel it and my testimony grows every day that HOY ES EL DIA that the Lord is hastening his work. I know he died and suffered for us and that he loves us.
Love,
Hermana Baca

August 18

I have been sick with a cold these last couple of weeks because the weather just can´t seem to make up its mind. One day it will be sunny and warm then the next day it will be a crisp cold with wind. Uruguay weather really tears up an immune system. Even though I have an immune system that doesn´t have the motivation to work, I have the motivation to work.
I feel so much love and concern for the people we have been working with. It´s a lot easier to work unwearyingly when you do it out of love. It´s like a mother who never stops taking care of her children even though she´s sick. This love is the same love the Savior has for his children and how I feel as a representative of Christ working in his place.
Nefi was a great example of this love to help the children of God. He worked unwearyingly to convert the rebellious Nephites. Even though they had treated him badly he still felt worried for the salvation of them. It was because he understood the will of our Heavenly Father that every one of his children returns to live with him.
´´ Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.´´ Helaman 10:4
The will of our Heavenly Father is to help his children return. I am here to do the will of my Heavenly Father, because I love him. I worry every Sunday when someone doesn´t come to church, I am sad when I see that someone’s not applying the invitation to read or pray, and at times I even feel stressed for the salvation of my brothers.
Heavenly Father loved us so much that he sent his only son to teach and do HIS will.
´´ And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.´´ 3 Nephi 11:11
He suffered the price so that all the less actives and investigators in my area could receive salvation. I only have to teach and guide them to help them receive the saving ordinances they need.
I feel my Heavenly Fathers love as I work with them every day. I know he loves each and every one of us that he sends missionaries like Nephi to work unwearyingly to help everyone return. I know I have a redeemer who paid the price of his father to help me. I feel my saviors strength every day as I work. 

Love, 
Hermana Baca


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